Monthly Archives: December 2009

I have a few questions for those who work in the publishing industry: Would you turn down a manuscript in which the first 4 pages featured nothing but exposition, i.e. no dialogue whatsoever? Would you turn down a manuscript geared toward … Continue reading →

The first writer's conference I attended was the Naples Press Club Writer's Conference in Naples, Florida,  2005 (I think). Anne Hawkins of John Hawkins Literary Agency spoke to us about what agents want. Her class and organization amazed me, and I … Continue reading →

One of my favorite quotes from Stephen King is on page 125 of his book, On Writing: “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops.” (King, Stephen. On Writing by … Continue reading →

Stephen King, in his book On Writing, gives almost the best definition of passive voice I’ve read. “Verbs come in two types, active and passive. With an active verb, the subject of the sentence is doing something. With a passive … Continue reading →

One of the writing rules I learned from my first publisher during a seminar was: Kill the Narrator. He wanted smooth prose that disappeared into the story instead of prose that sounded like Aesop’s Fables. I dutifully scanned through my manuscript … Continue reading →