Everything Else I Know about Social Media I Also Learned from the Bloggess

We’re in the middle of a post that was, originally, going to “very quickly” teach you everything I know about social media, all of which I learned from Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess. This all started when I asked myself, “Is blogging over? Should blogs now be books?” and then, “But… Read more“Everything <em>Else</em> I Know about Social Media I Also Learned from the Bloggess”

2 Things to Consider about Blogging & Books

There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about the demise of blogging (and, oddly, the demise of commenting, although they couldn’t prove that by you guys), which was brought home to me recently by a friend who said, “Just when I decided to start a blog I was… Read more“2 Things to Consider about Blogging & Books”

3 Things I Learned from Henry James

First things first: I’m being interviewed by Katie Weiland over on AuthorCulture. Have you ever wondered whether or not independent editing means staying home all day in your jammies? Now’s your chance to find out! Second: I promised you guys back in December that whatever I learned from the fabulous… Read more“3 Things I Learned from Henry James”

6 Things I Learned from Dashiell Hammett

I’m still studying Shirley Jackson, and if you don’t know why you can easily find out. I spent yesterday doing a scene-by-scene analysis of Chapters 5 and 6 of The Haunting of Hill House that turned into line-by-line—that’s how fast she switches gears in her most profound passages!—and at some… Read more“6 Things I Learned from Dashiell Hammett”

5 Things I Learned from Shirley Jackson

Now, you all know who Shirley Jackson was, and if you don’t you can find out from last week’s post about Stephen King. She was most famous for her story “The Lottery,” in which the citizens of a small American town draw an annual lottery to stone someone to death—a… Read more“5 Things I Learned from Shirley Jackson”

7 Things I Learned Last Week from Stephen King

I love ghost stories. Particularly the whole gothic genre of the nineteenth century: intense questioning of reality layered with beautiful houses and dramatic landscapes and sometimes hilariously-dated kitsch. I’ve read all of Mrs. Radcliffe. Whooee! I especially love the concept that my love for ghost stories is the other side… Read more“7 Things I Learned Last Week from Stephen King”

107 Things You Should Know About Being Published

We’re jumping in the Way-Back Machine today. This was the very first of my numbered-list posts—from January, 2010—and the comments are still some of my favorites! You’re not going to get rich. You’re probably not even going to be able to pay your bills. In fact, money is going to… Read more“107 Things You Should Know About Being Published”

New advice column on Writer Unboxed

Ask Victoria. That’s what Therese Walsh dubbed it when we came up with the idea of an editor’s advice column on the new, up-coming Writer Unboxed newsletter. We’d been wanting to collaborate for a long time, take our guest appearances on each other’s blogs to the next level. As soon… Read more“New advice column on Writer Unboxed”