Give readers the chance to dream — The first writer’s conference I attended was in 1997, and Heather Graham was the keynote speaker. She was brilliant, even if her first few words were that she didn’t have magic and could not promise to send us home to write best-selling novels. If only it was so easy. …

A new approach to a self-defeating feeling — We hear the term imposter syndrome a lot these days. It appears that when someone tries something new, they must be completely confident; otherwise, they have “imposter syndrome.” For a while, I wondered if it was a real thing. Isn’t it natural to feel like you don’t know what you…

Lists should be part of your daily and weekly planning — My husband is a list maker. I am a planner. What is the difference? Planning forces you to consider not only what you need to do but why and how. It is less immediate, meaning that the focus is not on what must be done today, but on future goals…

9 things writers must do before this year ends — We are only 54 days away from the end of the year! For most people, it means we begin to wind down and get ready for the holidays, and whatever didn’t get done won’t get done. But rather than closing the year and your writing projects in a wave of…

The evolution of books and publishing has proven there will always be a place for stories — When I reflect back to when I started writing, I’m in awe of how much publishing has changed over the years. There were dozens of large and medium-sized publishers back then. If you didn’t know how to approach them or get a book published, you could buy a large dictionary-sized…

My top ten favorite books on writing — You cannot go wrong buying the writer in your family a book on writing, even if they have a bookcase full of books to help them learn about this challenging art. Since it’s time to begin Christmas shopping for those who celebrate Christmas, I thought I’d give you a list…

Secret: seize the Heart First — Romance Writers of America used to mail its members a magazine full of helpful articles and industry news called the Romance Writer’s Report. For a while, they had a column called “First Three Pages” where a brave writer submitted the first three pages of their manuscript to be reviewed and…

For Whom Are You Writing? — Yesterday, I went to the bank to make a deposit, and the teller who read the name Wise Writer Publishing on my deposit slip became excited. She asked me if I was a local publisher, sharing that she is a writer. …

Collecting Memories for future generations — Today, I had the pleasure of speaking at a senior center. It was a typical “author talk” about my writing career and books, but I spent considerable time sharing how my novel, Let Us Begin, was born. Let Us Begin was inspired by true events in my parents’ lives. But…