Tag: Basic Writer Tips

7 Steps to Editing Like a PROfessional!

blue stream, silver mining pan, swishing rocks while mining for gold nuggets

Editing is part of every writer’s job. Finding the time, and more importantly, making that time count is how the PROfessionals edit. Read on for the 7 editing tricks to enhance your writing. 1) Find your editing groove. For some this is EARLY when eyes are the sharpest and focus is the clearest. For others their peak time might be mid-to-late afternoon. Caffeine kicks in, morning rush dies down and – again, this is about focus – the brain settles into a rhythm. I caution against late night editing. Eyes are slower from all the image bombardment of the day. Eagle eyes are needed for effective editing. If, however, evening is the ONLY quiet time […]

Am I a Creature of Habit?

Grocery shopping – who can relate? It’s not like we can ignore the need to purchase food products. Whether we shop in big box chains or the corner greengrocer, the majority of us will grocery shop. But shoppers, like planets aligning around the sun, tend to gravitate to their normal shops. I visited one of the local grocery stores this weekend – not an unusual occurrence for my weekends – but it wasn’t my ‘normal’ shop. In the states, grocery chains are huge; one store seemingly much like the next. EXCEPT . . . Chains may share a common name, stock basically the same groceries, even offer like discounts, but serious grocery shoppers (I’d be […]

A Writer’s Magic – as close as fingertips!

Harry Potter used a wand. Bewitched twitched her nose. Harry Dresden wielded a staff. Writers come with their own special form of magic. Whether it’s pen to pad, stylus to tablet, or keyboard to PC . . . a writer’s magic is as close as fingertips. New writers often feel that they must pursue fiction writing as they don’t carry a bag of non-fiction writing tricks. Don’t allow the concept of non-fiction writing to intimidate. Consider the 3 easily defined categories: Educating: How-to-manuals, directions, historical explanations, or scientific explorations fall into this category. Influencing or persuasive: Every sales brochure, each editorial, even academic critiques are designed to persuade the reader to a certain conclusion. Narrative: […]

Marketing Plan of Action – how to start simple and build to great!

Marketing Plan of Action tips by K.M. Saint James

Tim Grahl, author of Your First 1000 Copies and founder of booklaunch.com believes that Marketing doesn’t need to be a ‘eew’ prospect. So, I’ve read over a few of his techniques and decided to break-it down into a Plan of Action. New Year . . . New Goals . . . and all that. More importantly, it’s about finding a way to market that doesn’t make the author in me cringe at the idea. READ ALONG & SEE IF YOU AGREE According to Tim, MARKETING is about creating long-lasting connections. I’d say this is sound business whether you’re selling books, artwork or cars off the used lot. None of us want just the ONE-AND-DONE customer. […]

Snapping Photos?? Breathe LIFE into Writing . . .

Breathing Life into Writing

I’m old enough that Kodak still means cameras to me. Instant camera was our phrase from the 60s & 70s. Of course, considering today’s technology, it’s ludicrous to think those were instant pictures. 1) First to film – The lucky owned a 35MM, which meant loading the camera was always a treat. Lining it up – perfectly – to catch the leading edge of the film reel (and hoping like crazy that you’d really accomplished that feat so you’d be taking pictures instead of just turning the hand crank). For the novice photo buff, it started with a Kodak Instamatic: a pop-and-click camera. 2) No do-overs — As you shot the roll of film, it […]

Teaching an Old Dog (writer) New Tricks. Secrets to Better Writing.

The Donovan Legacy (HARM’S WAY – current release) actually started with a prequel. CHASING DESTINY CHASING DESTINY was written a year in front of HARM’S WAY and then promptly buried among all my floppy disks. Yep, that long ago.  Having recovered my earlier works, I realized the characters of CHASING DESTINY (Garrick & Jaycee) deserved their own release. To that end, the rewrites began. The process has been enlightening: good & bad. And that tenuous, often painful, process deserved to be shared as well. Producing better writing is hard work. Short cuts are not generally the answer, but you can learn to be a smarter writer by following some of these writing tips. New eyes […]

Secrets to Writing THE PERFECT PHRASE

Be a Better Writer for K.M. Saint James teaching tips

Writers should be voracious observers. Listen carefully. Read anything, everything. Watch behaviors. Stare at the sky, the horizon, your backyard, the local park, the grocery store, the mall. Nuggets of WRITING gold can be mined from the most unusual & USUAL places. I watch America’s Got Talent. Sometimes to prove how out-of-sync that I am with the rest of the population. More often, because I’m continually awed by the gifts of so many. AGT comedians who entertain the most are the ones who focus on the mundane, the everyday life. The ones that truly earn my out-loud guffaws are those who keep it every day simple . . . say a grocery store adventure. Not […]