Writing Better Fiction - Blog

My Philosophy

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:49:58 GMT

My Philosophy consists of a few basic philosophical datums that I use to think and evaluate data with.

Four Steps to a Book that Sells

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:49:40 GMT

The cry of the unpublished author is, "If they'd just read it (my book) they'll love it". But he's missing the point. And he has it backwards; no one is going to read it - until - they love it. "If you can't describe a book in one or two pithy sentences that would make you or my mother want to read it, then of course you can't sell it." - MICHAEL KORDA, editor-in-chief, Simon & Schuster, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, June 26, 1984 The myth of "write a great book and the public will beat a path to your door" is a false idea adopted by authors who'd like to believe in the Publishing "tooth ferry". "Even if you have the next 'Gone With the Wind', it will not sell itself." - BARBARA GRIER, vice president, Naiad Press, Small Press, November/December 1985 The bitter truth is Authors have to sell their own books. Actively and relentlessly "sell" them - because no one else will - or can. Authors then; must be experts in Marketing as well as experts in spinning a good yarn. But here is the real zinger - Marketing comes both before, and after, the expertise of good storytelling. Before - because you must know your audience and write for them. The story must be crafted from the ground up for your audience. If you're not writing for the needs and wants of a specific audience you're wasting your time. After - because after you've written this good novel you must actively market and sell it to that same audience. Writing good fiction, contrary to what you may have been told, is not about you the writer - but about them - the readers. Consequently, good writing is not about fancy words or how deftly you can thumb a thesaurus. Quite the contrary, good writing is about good storytelling - and that relies on the time honored principles of: - What a story is (so you can conceive a good one) - What a story does (so you can design one properly) and - Why people bother to read them (so you know how to tell it well) Thus the four steps to writing effective fiction are Conception, Design, Composition and Editing. Understand and do them well, and your salesmanship with have something worth working with. Do them poorly and no amount of bribery will sell your books. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. If you want to get published - Click Here for the free W.B.F e-Zine "Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

How not to Succeed at Failure

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:42:57 GMT

Three great minds with a great message but something is missing. Carnegie tell us - "Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success." - Dale Carnegie Coolidge tell us - "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. "Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. "Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. "Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. "The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." - Calvin Coolidge Churchill tell us - "Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. "Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. "You know you will never get to the end of the journey. "But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." - Winston Churchill Here are three great minds, all echoing similar advise. But there is something missing. One must understand the technology of what they are trying to accomplish. Carnegie talks about "horse sense" and persistence, Coolidge talks about persistence, and Churchill talks about staying the course. All of which is true - However, this only works to the degree that one has the correct tools, sequences, and techniques, to go with the persistence. Otherwise a person can "persist" till hell freezes over, but if they only persist in doing it wrong they will of course only succeed in continuing to fail. There is a technology to writing good fiction. It's not just "luck" or "listening to the Muse" - that's bullshit. One must get the correct technology - before they strap on the Energizer Bunny. Otherwise they'll be "going, and going, and going - against a brick wall. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

The Writers Journal

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:17:27 GMT

There are primarily two things to put in a journal.

Questions
Answers

The questions you write to better articulate them; because the quality and precision of the question determines the quality and precision of the answer. Writing the question down also "registers" it as a request with that part of you that figures things out - that knows - but stuff gets in the way that prevents it from answering the call for information. Think of an over busy restaurant. If the waitress takes your order and "writes it down" it goes on that little spindle thing and sooner or later the order comes-up - and you get what you ask for. But if the order is never written - it will never get filled. The answers you write to expand, elaborate on and therefore better understand. Also writing the answer allows you to let it go to make room for the next answer. Otherwise one is always trying to "remember" the answers, thus leaving little attention for processing the questions that are as yet unanswered. Often in the course of writing the answer another, better question, will surface - write it down. And so continues the process. One can only find what they are looking for. If you never ask the questions, then you are seeking nothing and therefore will surely find nothing. The race goes to those who will look, and seeing, ask the right question of what they don't understand. 90 of the deal, I'm told, is in asking the "right" question. The other 5 is recognizing and being able to receive the answer. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Preventing Bestsellers

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:40:31 GMT

"Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. "My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. "There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher." ~Flannery O'Connor http://cli.gs/hyZn6 The best writing instructor I ever had was a high school Art teacher who taught painting and sculpture. All he did was sit in the back as I read my poems after class and cheer, "Amen brother! And, "Tell it to me!" Except for the empty seats you'd think it was a Southern revival meeting. The English teacher on the other hand (an x-journalist) abandoned his wife and family and ran off with a 20-something slip of a girl. And the last anyone heard he was in India in search of his "great American novel". Art does strange things to people. Some are tempered in the flame of the Muse and some are burnt to ashes.

But I'm an ARTIST

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:49:13 GMT

Doesn't that mean that I get to, remain aloof from the sordid details of the world, the hue and cry of politics and business? Doesn't "being an ARTIST" mean that I don't have to "get involved", that I don't have to dirty my hands with money, commerce and that dirtiest word of all "politics"? Afraid not bucko! Because, whether we like it or not, we are members of the society where we hang our hats. We actually live in this world. We eat food, sleep in beds, and do our ART under roofs. We are part and parcel of the culture we live in. If that culture sinks under the waves of totalitarianism - we go down with it. And the very first thing that a dictatorship does (right after they confiscate all the guns from their citizens) is they lock up all the artists. At the top of the list is WRITERS. So, if you are any kind of a writer at all, then you better be involved. You better make your voice heard. Get in the fight - or get out! Problem is, there's no place to "get out" to. There is nowhere to run to, and nowhere to hide. So if you're a writer - write. Write about whatever you want. But you better invest at least a part of each waking hour; thinking and writing about things that really matter to you. Spin it into your fiction, your poems, and your songs - doesn't matter. Just make your voice heard. Because; if you don't use it - you loose it. Our very ability to look, to see, to think about and write about man and life and livingness - that's our gift and our duty as WRITERS. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee. Write on... "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Truth IS stranger than Fiction

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:52:13 GMT

Why is Al Gore selling global warming like a carnival pitchman despite the protestations of 31,486 scientists who've signed a document called the Oregon Petition? Their report lambastes the shoddy research behind global warming, stating quite simply that "... any human contribution to climate change has not been demonstrated." This is not a gang of political hacks, or George Soros-funded "activists." No, the signatories include 3,667 atmospheric, environmental and Earth scientists; 4,796 chemists; 2,924 biologists and agricultural scientists; 903 math and computer scientists; and 9,992 in engineering and general science. Of these, 9,029 have PhDs. The petition states that there is no convincing scientific evidence that the human release of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases is causing or will cause global warming. So what's the deal? Why is the media "selling" this clearly false idea of Global Warming" so hard? And the even better question is WHY ARE WE "BUYING" INTO IT? Well, aside from the fact that the major media ALWAYS sells doom and gloom and the political cool-aid of the month - there is a "plan". "The threat of environmental crisis will be the 'internal disaster key' that will unlock the New World Order." - Al Gore Al Gore is a huckster with a PLAN. To read the rest of this intriguing story and to understand why Al Gore has taken center stage to weep for polar bears (who are not going extinct by the way) in order to "sell" Cap and Trade policies for Carbon Credits - which will enrich himself beyond your wildest imaginings, follow this link. Click here to read "Anatomy of a Con Job" No, this isn't fiction - but it will blow your socks off! It's free, no email, no sign-up - just read it. This is the most intriguing story of the last hundred years. Every other scandal in history pails in comparison. Hitler's propaganda minister said it best. 'If you're going to tell a lie; make it a big one.' And he also said, 'If you say it loud enough and long enough people will believe anything.' Well folks, we got a front row seat to the biggest con job in history. The pitchman is Al Gore and for only one thin dime of stupidity you can sell yourself, your children and your grandchildren into perpetual poverty and slavery. Go ahead, step right up, step into Al Gores tent of smoke and mirrors. But don't drink the cool-aid, 'cause you'll never wake up from the horror of his global warming con job.

Designated Dreamers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:10:14 GMT

Fiction writers are the heart and soul of a culture. Fiction is the very breath of a nations ideas, dreams, fears and aspirations. We owe it to ourselves as well as mankind to see, feel and articulate the fears and anxieties of today as well as the dreams and ambitions of tomorrow. For if we cease to speak, the culture ceases to dream, and a culture that cannot dream is dead.

The Simplicity of Art

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:30:02 GMT

Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." - Frederic Chopin

Follow the Money - Understand the Issue

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:55:04 GMT

"At the end of the day," says Bjorn Lomborg, "this is about saying, Yes, global warming is real. It's often massively exaggerated, which is why we need smarter solutions.... Let's pick them smart, rather than stupidly. And also, let's remember that there are many other problems in the world that we can fix so much cheaper and do so much more good....If this is really a question about doing good in the world, then let's do real good-and not just make ourselves feel good about what we do." It's important to note that what Lomborg doesn't address is the reason "why" these stupid, costly and inefficient solutions are being proposed and implemented. Which is because the costly inefficient solutions will make a few people (like Al Gore) very wealthy whereas the cheep, efficient solutions only improve the quality of life for people other than Al Gore. When you "follow the money" politics becomes all to clear. People like Gore are not trying to solve world problems as much as they are trying to line their own pockets with our money. Watch Lomborg's presentation here - http://www.reason.tv/video/show/621.html

Global Warming is a con job

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:27:08 GMT

Talk about FICTION - This BIG LIE is being shoved down our throats to make a few unimaginably rich; while destroying the planet and enslaving every man, woman and child on earth. As I've said - If you want to understand, politics, history or economics - just follow the money. The lie is being pushed despite the fact that "... 31,486 scientists have signed a document called the Oregon Petition lambasting the shoddy research behind global warming, stating quite simply that ". . . any human contribution to climate change has not been demonstrated." You've heard of, the "New World Order" - Global Warming-Climate Change is THE tool being used to bring about this Orwellian future. And it's not a world that you, I, or our children will want to, or even be able to, "live in". "The threat of environmental crisis will be the 'internal disaster key' that will unlock the New World Order." - Al Gore In addition to revealing the lie regarding "Global Warming" Bruce Wiseman documents 3 more big lies that bind this whole mess together into the largest Con Job ever perpetrated. The whole PR campaign is being orchestrated by a handful of super wealthy bankers to get even fatter. But don't take my word for it - Get the data straight from Bruce Wiseman - one of the finest minds I know. And after you read this document, please do the world a favor - forward it to everyone you know - which is the least we can do - to shine the light of truth on these bloodsucking maniacs before they kill us all, in their blind lust for even more wealth and power. Click here to read Anatomy of a Con Job

The First Rule of Writing Fiction

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:40:05 GMT

William Safire's rules for writing are amusing but painfully lacking. What's missing from this advice?

"Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague."

~ William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing" While these and the other numerous rules of grammar are helpful; they don't exactly tell us much about how to write effective fiction - now do they. Because the "rules" of grammar and the "rules" of storytelling are not the same class of thing. But, there are rules to Effective Storytelling and the first rule is - To Tell A Story - One Must First Have A Story To Tell. Because; creating, concocting, dreaming up, envisioning, inventing (or whatever else one wants to call the process of story creation) - is a different operation than - Telling The Story that one has invented. Inventing a story to Tell, and Telling the story that was Invented are TWO, different operations. Attempting to "make up" the story while "Composing" it - at best will drive you "nuts", at worst will result in a manuscript that is un-readable and un-publishable. Why do you suppose that of the 18 Million manuscripts submitted each year, less than 1 are published? It's not for the lack of 10th grade English grammar skills. It's for the lack of a Story worth telling. Coming up with a story worth telling is a learned skill. But they don't teach that in Grade School, High School, or Collage. Click here to find the other rules of effective storytelling at Write-Better-Fiction.com And while you're at it, get your free subscription to the monthly W.B.F. e-zine. Tips, tricks and insightful articles about the world of writing fiction. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Writers - What We Don't Know - May Kill Us

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:38:25 GMT

"Happiness comes when you believe in what you are doing, know what you are doing, and love what you are doing." Brian Tracy The main problem for fiction writers involves, "knowing what we're doing". "Writing" a novel should not be some vague imponderable wrestling-match with the Muse. But rather a simple exorcise in Conceiving, Designing and Composing a good story that people enjoy and tell their friends about. The apparent degree of difficulty, experienced in executing the above, is in direct proportion to the number of elements of the craft, that we do not understand and are therefore not under our control. Knowledge = Control and Control = Income. One can't make money doing something that they don't understand. Success and happiness for the fiction writer (just like any other craftsman) comes from the smooth, quick execution of specific knowable actions that routinely produce a desirable product - and then selling that product to a hungry crowd. This is not "rocket science" and it's not "voodoo". All it requires is the discovery and adoption of a systematic approach to the craft rather than a haphazard and random "type and pray" mentality. Without a system the aspiring writer winds up trying to do 3-4 things all at the same time. He/she's trying to figure out what the story is all about, while designing all the intricate interconnections of character and plot, all while composing a sequential narrative that shows all this to the reader - all at the same time. Are you "nuts"? That's like trying to; replace the spark plugs on the car, while you wash and wax it, while you change the flat tire, while you drive to the dentist for a tooth extraction - all at the same time. Only aspiring (and failed) writers seem to think this approach is "normal". Successful writers have a system. To find out more about the "Rich Writers Prosperity Program (TM)" visit http://www.write-better-fiction.com Being a "prolific" writer of fiction isn't luck - it's a matter of having, know and using a system. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Employee vs Entrepreneur Mindset

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:14:04 GMT

Ones 'world view' is profoundly influenced by the lens they're looking through. The Employee mindset is focused on, "What can I get", while the Entrepreneur mindset is focused on, "What can I give". Employees feel Entitled - Entrepreneurs feel Empowered! Employees seek security - while Entrepreneurs seek opportunity.

Mozart's Creative Process

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:41:11 GMT

Mozart once described his creative process this way. "First bits and crumbs of the piece come and gradually join together in my mind; then the soul getting warmed to the work, the thing grows more and more, and I spread it out broader and clearer, and at last it gets almost finished in my head, even when it is a long piece, so that I can see the whole of it at a single glance in my mind, as if it were a beautiful painting or a handsome human being; in which way I do not hear it in my imagination at all as a succession - the way it must come later - but all at once, as it were. "It is a rare feast! All the inventing and making goes on in me as in a beautiful strong dream. But the best of all is the hearing of it all at once." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Crazy Writers

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:43:26 GMT

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... they push the human race forward... because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs

Author Economics, Government Style

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:01:21 GMT

If I could get a poem for every dollar I spend - I'd be prolific. If I could get a dollar for every poem I write - I'd be rich. Therefore, I should write more and buy my own poems - thereby becoming both rich and prolific. Somehow the logic of the above - escapes me. But then, so does Government economics. "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Your Book Won't Sell Itself

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:05:50 GMT

"Even if you have the next Gone With the Wind, it will not sell itself." - BARBARA GRIER, vice president, Naiad Press, Small Press, November/December 1985 The myth of "write a great book and the public will beat a path to your door" appears to be a false idea adopted by authors who'd like to believe in the Publishing "tooth ferry". But the truth is Authors have to sell their books. Actively and relentlessly "sell" them - because no one else will - or can. Authors then; must be experts in Marketing as well as experts in spinning a good yarn.

How Books Get Sold or Not

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:23:02 GMT

The refrane of the unpublished author is, "If they just read it (my book) they'll love it". But he's missing the point. And he has it backwards - no one is going to read it - until they love it. "If you can't describe a book in one or two pithy sentences that would make you or my mother want to read it, then of course you can't sell it." - MICHAEL KORDA, editor-in-chief, Simon & Schuster, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, June 26, 1984 If you want to get published - Click Here for the free W.B.F e-Zine

Fiction Writers - Are you "What's for Dinner"?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:12:57 GMT

Ever feel like you got a hook in your mouth? "I've never quite bought the idea that the public buys or takes what it deserves. I think that...publishers to a measurable extent dictate public tastes. They're really more powerful than we want to admit." - VAN ALLEN BRADLEY, literary critic, quoted in Conversations by Roy Newquist One very viable solution for this dilemma (the publishing industry deciding arbitrarily who will and will not be "published") is to bypass these guys and self-publish your own book. Are you a fish or a fisherman? What do we need them for - anyway? Think about it. If you self-publish - You'll make 10X the money, retain complete control, and your book will stay in print indefinitely instead of 3 months; not to mention the fact that your book will be on the selves in a couple months instead of 18 to 24 months with a "publisher". When one adds up the simple facts - the "dream" of being published by a NY publishing house shifts from "dream" to nightmare pretty quick. "Hey, honey! We hooked another idealistic "writer" today. Turn on the grill. I'll have him gutted and cleaned in a minute." The only thing that a Big Box publishing house actually brings to the table (besides you're cleaned bones) is the cash for the first 3-5,000 copies. But when you realize, for that small investment ($10,000) they're going to pick your book clean of 80 of the profits and then throw what's left of you and your book in the trash - No self respecting business person would consider their "deal" for a NY minute. So, why do writers routinely fall for this obviously lopsided business arrangement? Are we as genetically stupid as fish? No, we're just programmed to think of ourselves as "artists", and discouraged from looking beyond the surface to the guy holding the rod and reel. We don't want to be involved in something as sordid as "business". As artists we're above all that! It's about the "art". That little worm hides the hook of our demise. Well, I say... Bull Shit! Of fish shit as the case may be. If we fiction writers don't want to be hooked and flayed like gasping mackerels we'd better put on our "business hat" and start thinking like fishermen instead of fish. Look beyond the surface - study the facts. Then make an informed decision. Am I going to be the fish, or the fisherman? Am I going to be a business person about this "writing thing" or am I going to be "dinner"? "Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Writing - It's a Business

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:45:47 GMT

Are you writing as a -

Hobby,
Profession or
Business?

Your answer makes all the difference in the world. Self gratification comes from a "hobby". Wages come from a "profession". Profit comes from a "business". It's your choice. One must understand the ramifications of the choices. Don't believe for a moment that you can do one and get paid as the other. It really doesn't work that way. No matter what "Tooth Ferry" you "Believe in". The following people are talking about the "business" of writing. ---------- "In today's market, writers can't just be writers. They have to be performers and publicists as well." - Novelist JOSHUA HENKIN, "Writer with a Roadshow" (op-ed page article), New York Times, July 5, 1997 "Publishers lavish promotion on books likely to sell, written by bestseller writers." - JEFF LIPPMAN, Wall Street Journal, September 2, 1997 "Everyone else pretty much has to fend for himself." - ROBERT CRAIS, author of the Elvis Cole mystery series, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, September 2, 1997 ----------- Many artist are confused about the "model" they are using and wind up operating their "art" as a hobby and wondering why they aren't making any money. I made this mistake for many years. You don't need to. To change your income - first change your operating basis. Click here to read the elements of fiction writing, starting with a discussion of the writers "product" Richard A McCullough is the creator & editor of http://www.write-better-fiction.com the Fiction Writers source for Writing Better Fiction Faster and Selling More of What You Write. - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-7

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:23:11 GMT

"If you have a book coming out, you have to get heavily - and intelligently - involved in marketing it or prepare to see it fail." - JUDITH APPELBAUM, author, How To Get Happily Published. Interviewed in WritersWrite: The Internet Writing Journal, June 1998.

Why has 'Huckleberry Finn' banned?

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:32:31 GMT

Why has 'Huckleberry Finn' been on so many banned books lists? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn made many lists of books that "should be banned" because readers (and many people who never bothered to read it) considered it indecent and racist. While nothing could be further from the truth. Yet, despite its frequent place on the lists of America's most challenged books, it's become a classic. Written by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn was published on December 10, 1884, in Canada and England and on February 18 in 1885, in the US. Although many thought that Twain's depiction of the runaway slave, Jim, was demeaning and racist, the story shows the hypocrisy of American society in its views of slaves and African Americans. The story follows Huck and Jim - both runaways - as they travel down the Mississippi River, with Huck slowly changing his views about blacks and working to help Jim to freedom. "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn... All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since." - Ernest Hemingway I agree with Ernest and I'm reminded - it's time to read it again. Get your Unabridged copy of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn here

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-6

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:49:58 GMT

"In an industry where little money is spent on advertising, free publicity is the name of the game." - "In Today's Marketplace, It's Hype, Hype, Hype," U.S. News and World Report, December 5, 1983

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-5

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:12:40 GMT

"The struggle in publishing . . . is to get attention in a crowded marketplace." - Editor SIMON MICHAEL BESSIE, quoted in U. S. News and World Report, December 5, 1983 The first two requirements to winning that struggle is -

Having a good story, and
Telling it well

All the marketing in the world wont sell a clunker. Click here to find out how to write a winner rather than a clunker

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-4

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:49:23 GMT

"Call it the curse of abundance... only a small percentage of what's published catches the attention of the public." - JUDITH APPELBAUM, How to Get Happily Published

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-3

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:26:25 GMT

"The main difference between marketing a book and marketing soap is that a book is a one-shot deal... and a book usually only has 90 days to make it or it's dead." - CAROLE DOLPH, former promotional manager, Doubleday & Company, interview with Publishers Weekly

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-2

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:07:02 GMT

"The most difficult of all (tasks) that a mortal man can embark on is to sell a book." - SIR STANLEY UNWIN, The Truth About Publishing

Publishing's - Dirty Little Secrets #-1

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:48:50 GMT

"No matter how prestigious or enthusiastic your publisher is, your book probably won't be treated the way it should be. It's not that publishers don't want to support your books, or that they don't know how to generate sales; it's just that they don't have enough staff and money to give each book the attention it needs and deserves. As a result, most general-interest titles fizzle out fast." - JUDITH APPELBAUM and FLORENCE JANOVIC, The Writer's Workbook: A Full and Friendly Guide to Boosting Your Book's Sales

Can Do

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:48:05 GMT

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden

Dreaming to Live

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:44:16 GMT

Do not lose hold of your dreams, or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist, but cease to live" - Henry David Thoreau

Man's Best Friend

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:51:16 GMT

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx

Art vs. Force

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:56:29 GMT

"Force is delivered from the muzzle of a gun; ideas are delivered from a painter's pallet, a composer's score, a writer's pen." - Richard A McCullough

The Noble Occupation

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:48:02 GMT

"There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being - to help someone succeed." - Alan Loy McGinnis, Author

Attorneys - NOT

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:57:26 GMT

"The first thing that we have to do is, kill all the attorneys." - William Shakespeare.

What are we Looking For?

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:17:08 GMT

Life is a journey, in search of understanding. In the end, he who has the most understandings, wins.

Money is not Evil

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:14:22 GMT

It isn't money that corrupts; but a corruption, that demands the accumulation of money as the sole measure of a persons worth. - Richard A McCullough

Work Your Love

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:07:07 GMT

When you do what you love you'll never work a day in your life.

Fiction Must Be True

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:58:36 GMT

"When in doubt, tell the truth." - Mark Twain said. It's a strange fact that fiction writers must be truthful. While some understand that we must write true to the characters, true to the plot, true to our own sense of right and wrong, and true to the facts of the world we create. There is another broader, deeper truth that fiction writers must adhere to. We must have some truth to tell. We must be saying something, about something, with our fiction. For if we have nothing to say, then why should anyone listen to us. With no truth to illustrate, our words (no matter how artful) are as useless as the empty calories of a candy bar. Some say that fiction is mere "entertainment", by which they attempt to reduce the value of our work. While it is true that we "entertain", we do so only to capture and hold the attention of our audience (long enough) to get them to look, in order that they might see, and having seen, come to understand - something. Some fact, some truth that they have been too distracted, to recognize. Fiction that only "entertains" is cotton candy; consumed and instantly forgotten. Fiction that illustrates some truth; nourishes the soul. When in doubt we must tell the truth.

Window to the World

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:46:58 GMT

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." - George Bernard Shaw

Dare to Be Great

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:48:14 GMT

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

"There are three kinds of lies:

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:53:37 GMT

lies, damned lies and statistics" - Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman.

Go For It

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:26:11 GMT

"You miss 100 of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

Procrastination -

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:30:17 GMT

is not something to rush into. It should only be approached with great caution and much deliberation.

How to Write a Novel - Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:13:01 GMT

How to Write a Novel - The top 5 mistakes of the aspiring novelist, and how to solve each one to keep you manuscript out of the rejection pile.

Proofing & Goofing

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:29:11 GMT

When editing and proofing my own stuff - the editor and proofreader take unscheduled breaks for no apparent reason.

Journalists Dont Write "Stories"

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:19:29 GMT

That journalists insist on calling what they write, "stories" indicates three failings in addition to the pitiful state of the English language.

Their education in the subject of English literature was woefully inadequate.
While many of them majored in English literature, with the dream of someday writing novels, most wound up working as journalists to pay the bills.
They remain confused about the purpose and function of what it is that they actually spend their days writing, while longing to write fiction, which they know is superior to the tripe they churn out.

- Richard A McCullough

What Good Ol' Days

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:23:21 GMT

"Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days." - Doug Larson

Nothing To Be Gained From Silence

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:19:52 GMT

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence" - Paul Simon, "The Sounds of Silence" We need to quit whispering in silence, and learn to write better fiction, faster and make our voices heard.

The Fiction Factor

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:39:50 GMT

Fiction writers are the heart and soul of a culture. Fiction is the very breath of a cultures ideas, dreams, fears and aspirations. We owe it to ourselves as well as mankind to see, feel and articulate the fears and anxieties of today as well as the dreams and ambitions of tomorrow. If we writers cease to speak, the culture ceases to dream, and a culture that cannot dream is dead.