And Suddenly… Alternatives
Category: Writing Tools
I have new interview questions and I’m looking for indie, self-published and hybrid authors – is that you?
Are you an indie, self-published or hybrid author looking for a way to tell the world about your books? Who’s That Indie Author is a great way to introduce yourself to readers. It’s also an opportunity to connect with bloggers and expand your network through connections on WordPress and social media. I have a new […]
I have new interview questions and I’m looking for indie, self-published and hybrid authors – is that you?
The parts of speech
#amwriting: headers and page numbers
This is a fantastic post on manuscript formatting! I now know to end my love affair with the tab button, who knew it could cause so much trouble!! The solution is very simple too. Great help for us aspiring writers.
I’ve blogged before on this subject, but it is time to talk about it again: making your manuscript ready for submission to an editor, agent, or a publisher. All agents, editors and publishing companies have specific, standardized formatting they want you to use, and these guidelines are posted on their websites.
The submissions page for TOR Forge, one of the Big Boys in the publishing world, clearly says: “Standard manuscript format means margins of at least 1 inch all the way around; indented paragraphs; double-spaced text; and Times New Roman in 12 pitch. Please use one side of the page only. Do not justify the text. Do not bind the manuscript in any way. Make sure the header of the ms. includes your name and/or the title of the book as well as the page number (on every page).”
For the most part this formatting is basically the same from company to…
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7 New year’s resolutions to make your blog more user-friendly
Another Great Post by Sue to start the new year of with a WP Blog spruce up!
I must admit I hadn’t realised you can add a search bar in your own page – great tip I will be looking into.
Great advice to all. Much appreciated. ❤ KL
You’ve done all the celebrating, the world is slowly getting back to normal and the Easter eggs are already crowding the shelves of the supermarket (yes, really). Many New Year’s resolutions have already been broken, slightly bent or put off till after the weekend… but there are a few easy ones that you can implement that will make your blog far more user-friendly… you could check off one per day for the next week. Once done, they take care of themselves and help readers make the most of your site.
1. Name
I love the social side of the blogosphere… I love being on first-name terms with people and being able to share a few moments… except, there are a good many bloggers who give neither a name, nor any reasonable substitute. There are a good many people who choose to remain anonymous in their writings, for any number…
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Tip #4: A Useful App For Writers
A useful tool for writers that seems simple and easy to use with a lot of options for the writer.
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I was very reluctant to try a creative writing self-help book. So you can imagine my reaction to hearing about the Hemingway app.
“An app which professes to make you a better author? How dare you!” I cried in dismay.
Here’s the thing
It works. Let me qualify that statement. It won’t improve your plot or characters, and your writing style is entirely your own to play with. But what it will do is improve the reader’s experience. Not just fiction authors, it’ll work for bloggers too.
What it does
It’s simple to use. You copy something you’ve written and paste it into the text box. That’s all happening on the home page. There’s no need to press any buttons and it’s free. I’m sure there’s a paid version, but I don’t see why you’d need it. That’s how you know they’re not paying…
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Inspiration Tip for Writers – The Random Decision Maker
A quick post today as I came across this little beauty and thought others might like it. It is a random decision maker. http://www.randomdecisionmaker.com/
As a writer you have a lot of decisions to make and sometimes those can take way too long to decide.
What colour eyes should a character have?
How did she get hurt so that she can’t run away fast when that monster comes to get her later on?
Who did he unload his troubles too, to help him realise she was the one?
Sometimes you just need something to put in as a place holder to come back later or as an experiment of ideas you wouldn’t normally try. Well this little tool is free and can be quite liberating, think of it as a magic-8 ball with options. 🙂
Anyway, I thought it could be a useful writers’ resource.
Enjoy.
KL
CALLING ALL WRITERS – Upcoming Writing Competitions
CALLING ALL HORROR & SCI-FI WRITERS…
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Two new writing opportunities from pages right here on WordPress.
So what are you waiting for?
Time to get you inspiration hat on and try these.
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Spectral Press are launching a new Sci-fi Imprint – for an interesting, snappy, and pithy name for the line, and we would like you lot to come up with one for us. The winner will receive the entire output of the new imprint as they get published.
Closing Date: Sunday 7th June 2015
Check it out: https://spectralpress.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/competition-time/
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Fey Publishing is looking to put together an anthology of the most disturbing horror stories imaginable. Whether it’s about creatures who go bump in the night or those who walk around in plain daylight with evil lurking in their minds, we want them. Almost anything goes. Serial Killers. Psychopaths. Monsters. Zombies like you’ve never seen them before. Carnage. Cannibalism. Hell, even horror erotica. It can be bizarre, it can be realistic. Doesn’t matter. Let your twisted brain go wild on this one. Up to 10,000 words.
Closing Date: June 30th, 2015.
Check it out: http://www.feypublishing.com/submissions.html
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Let me know if you do and how you get on.
Good Luck!!
CALLING ALL ROMANCE AUTHORS!
CALLING ALL ROMANCE AUTHORS!
Romance Writing Competition – Closing Date 14th July. Good luck!
Publishing giant Mills & Boon, high-street bookseller WHSmith, online eBook retailer Kobo along with the self-publishing platform Kobo Writing Life have partnered up to the end of offering the Romance Writing Life competition.
The winning novelist will be awarded the grand prize of a publishing contract with Mills & Boon, including both print and digital release. The book will be jointly promoted by Kobo, Mills & Boon and WHSmith.
Second and third prize winners will be awarded the brand new Kobo Glo HD.
Authors will submit a synopsis and first chapter of their romance novel, up to a maximum of 5,500 words, which will be reviewed by a judging panel.
Romance Writing Life was created in the hopes of discovering talented new writers of Romance. The winning title might be an unpublished gem just completed by the author a week before…
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Calling All Writers!! May opportunity to showcase your talent!!
Hey Everyone,
Just a quick scribble about an up-coming writing opportunity.
Diary for a Day – Tuesday 12th May
The Mass Observation Archive is looking for everyday people to capture their lives on Tuesday 12th May 2015. The diaries will be stored in the Archive at The Keep and be used by a wide range of people for research, teaching and learning including academics and students, 
schools, writers, producers, artists, community and special interest groups and the general public.
In 1937 Mass Observation called for people from all parts of the UK to record everything they did from when they woke up in the morning to when they went to sleep at night on 12th May. This was the day of George VI’s Coronation. The resulting diaries provide a wonderful glimpse into the everyday lives of people across Britain, and have become an invaluable resource for those researching countless aspects of the era. May 12th 2015 is likely to be quite an ordinary day, but for those researching, the ‘ordinary’ can often provide extraordinary results.
To find out more and take part visit – http://www.massobs.org.uk/12may
New2Writing 