Winners of the Writer’s Digest Cliches Contest
Updated: 2012-08-31 17:47:17
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Cliches Contest and contributed their cliche examples. We had a record number of comments on this blog (WOW!). The overwhelming support on Twitter really left me humbled that so many of you enjoyed the post. As a special thanks, instead of giving away just one copy of the "25 Agents Who Want Your Work" issue of Writer's Digest (as promised), I pulled some strings so I could give away five to five random participants! Here are the winners ... Read more
, , The Renegade Writer About Us Free E-Books E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Last Chance to Sign Up for the Course That’s Helped Writers Break Into Yankee , GRIT , and More Hi , Renegades Just a quick reminder that my next Write for Magazines 8-week e-course starts this coming Monday , September 3. This is the course that’s helped writers break into Yankee , Spirituality Health , Woman’s Day , E : The Environmental Magazine , Washington Parent , Blue Water Sailing , GRIT and . more The course will show you how to generate a salable idea , find the perfect markets for it , and craft and send a killer query . letter For this session I’m offering only the Basic version with no email support because I’ll be on
By Rob Eagar Earlier, I covered parts one and two of this 3-part series called “3 Successful Steps to Marketing.” To summarize, I’ve explained how effective marketing can be boiled down to three fundamental questions. Whether … Read more
By Guest Columnist Mike Nappa Mike Nappa is founder of Nappaland Literary Agency, and author of 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected, available wherever books are sold. * The woman asked … Read more
Welcome to the 12th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if you’re writing a mystery (either adult fiction or YA) novel, this 12th contest is for you! (The contest is live through Sept. 15, 2012.) Read more
It may surprise you to find that the wikipedia entry for RTFM is a actually longer than the Wikipedia entry for technical communication. For the uninitiated, RTFM stands for “Read the F____ Manual.” Substitute your favorite adjective there for F. Flipping, frickin, fantastic, fine, friendly, etc. The RTFM response captures the disconnect between technical writers ... more »
, The Renegade Writer About Us Free E-Books E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Writer , Know Thyself I’ve been freelancing full time for 15 years , and I just made a major discovery about the way I : work I cannot simply cannot write on a day when I have even one phone call . scheduled I’d long ago resigned myself to the fact that if I have an article due , I’ll write it on the weekend because I can never get it done during the week . It never occurred to me that the phone calls that broke up my day were the . culprits But as I was talking to a friend about it , the pattern became clear : If I had a phone call scheduled unless it was very first thing in the morning I wouldn’t be able to start writing because
It’s said that J.K. Rowling had the whole of the Harry Potter series in her head before she started. If you’re in the JKR camp, read no more. You’re way ahead of me. On the other hand, if you’re not a long-range planner, my experience may be of use. Like most writers, I have antennae that alert me to the Good Idea that might make a Good Story...
GIVEAWAY: Frances is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners can live anywhere in the world. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. Read more
Literary agent Mary Kole has run webinars for us for years, and she is our most in-demand presenter and critique expert. Her webinar on Thursday, September 6, 2012 is called "Picture Book Craft Intensive" (and includes a critique of your book!). Since Mary has sold many picture books (lots of debuts) in the past three years, she knows her stuff. Keep reading to learn more. Read more
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.
She is seeking: young adult and middle grade children’s book authors, and adult romance authors. Read more
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Monday , August 27, 2012 Happy 30th birthday Fighting Fantasy This lucky little chap is 30 today I'd just like to add my voice to the already huge choir tweeting happy birthday accompanied by spectacular solos from various bloggers here here here and here I'm looking forward to the future of Fighting Fantasy which looks bright now that Tin Man Games is now able to publish it . digitally Figthing Fantasy also got a spot on the . BBC Weirdly , I've just noticed that my first post on my blog was two years ago today , done completely by accident as I didn't know it was the birthday of Fighting Fantasy back in 2010. That's synchronicity for you . nbsp So Happy birthday
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
The Renegade Writer About Us Free E-Books E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments The Real Purpose of an LOI or Sales Letter And It’s Not to Make a Sale I recently had a mentoring client ask my reasoning behind sending a sales letter to prospects asking them to request a full information kit rather than just sending them the full kit right off the bat . You want to wow them with your great samples , right And I’ve had other clients who send out letters of introduction LOIs and are upset when they don’t get assignments just editors saying they’ll put the writer in their files , or they’ll get back to her in a few months , or We don’t have anything right now but please keep in touch . 8221 I think this stems from a
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
, , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
The Renegade Writer About Us Free E-Books E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments How One Freelance Writer Landed 10 New Clients in One Month By Kinya . Shelley Recently , I discovered freelance writing marketing tactic that many professional freelance writers have been using for : years I went to my local Chamber of Commerce to meet my potential clients face to face . In this setting I had no competition . The marketing was far less frustrating than the scattershot approach , because I knew what my clients needed , and I was prepared to offer it to them . That’s how I landed ten new clients in a month . My first client paid me 800 up front for two hours of consulting . I didn’t even write anything . I just pointed
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , August 19, 2012 Reducing arbitrary consequences of decisions In some ways , it is tougher to play a Choose Your Own Adventure style gamebook with not stats or random element than it is to write a Fighting Fantasy style gamebook which has stats and a random element . nbsp One of these ways involves working out what the consequences to your decisions will . be for example , I was reading The Bigfoor Mystery a Choose Your Own Adventure book . nbsp I had been cornered by some criminal with an axe and I was up a tree . nbsp I was asked if I wanted to stay in the tree or surrender to him . nbsp I decided to surrender because he wouldn't kill a kid . nbsp However ,
The following is a guest post by Vinish Garg, Director of Operations in Technical Documentation at vhite systems. When I watched the Master Chef series (Australian version and then Indian version) last year, an important lesson for contestants was to not focus only on extraordinary or most creative dishes. The judges never really looked only for ... more »
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , August 12, 2012 Parallel dimensions in gamebooks So I was playing Invitation to a Feast by J.P . Barnett when something strange happened and I don't mean strange in the story , I'm talking about something strange in the metagame . nbsp Early on in the book , I had a chance to save a bird's eggs but didn't due to a die roll . nbsp A bit dejected , I went on along a road until I found a blue cobblestone . nbsp I tried to pull it up but couldn't and I didn't have the blue spade needed to dig it up , so I carried on , looking for a stick . I did find one and returned to the blue cobblestone to find a box containing a gold coin and a note from the Noble Ranger
One findability technique commonly ignored in help applications is the glossary. A glossary defines key terms in an application. How does it assist with findability? A glossary helps users know the right words so that they can be effective with their searches. After all, how do users find what they’re looking for unless they know ... more »
Previously, I’ve used WordPress plugins to style this blog’s view on mobile devices, but with all the buzz about multi-device display and publishing, I decided to switch themes to a completely responsive theme. Because I use minimalistic themes, switching from one minimalistic theme to another is almost unnoticeable. But so you can see the difference, ... more »
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your
: : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , August 5, 2012 My Blood of the Zombies signing experience or : How I ended up having a pint with Ian Livingstone About my trip to Forbidden Planet Having never been to a book signing before , I looked up how early I need to be for them . nbsp Yahoo answers suggested 4 hours but I didn't go that early . nbsp I went two hours early at 1pm to find someone else doing a book signing and decided to look at the various Call of Cthulu modules on offer . nbsp At half one , I decided to go for a little walk and returned at about two to find a rack of Blood of the Zombies being wheeled out in preparation for Ian Livingstone . nbsp I noticed that there were two other