by Susan Lovett | Mar 6, 2018 | Business |
There is a reason we all sit down and pick up a pen or tap at the keys. We all have something pushing us to begin. While we may have our various reasons, what it comes down to is a love of words and writing, feeling that imperative to capture the human experience in written form. The problem is that so many people feel the only way to pursue a life as a writer is to pen the great American novel. Now I’m not going to say writing fiction isn’t a noble pursuit, I’m pursuing it myself after years of nonfiction work. The lure is strong. But what drives me isn’t the form my work takes, but the compulsion to wrangle 26 tiny letters into sentences that convey emotion, story and facts.
by Susan Lovett | Feb 27, 2018 | Writing |
I am against censorship of any form. Even the idea of censorship makes me angry. I’ve shared about this before in a blog about Banned Books, which was a blog about external censorship. Today I want to talk about the more insidious form of internal, self-censorship.
by Susan Lovett | Feb 20, 2018 | Writing |
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I think they are wrong. Too often this sentiment leads to people trying to be someone they are not. In writing, it means imitating their writing style or voice to tragic ends. We’ve all seen it—copycat novels and writers trying to be the newest (insert famous author here).
by Susan Lovett | Feb 13, 2018 | For Writers |
It is conventional wisdom in the industry that all writers need a platform to succeed. While this isn’t necessarily the case, it is something that most writers will need to understand. The problem with this concept is that it suggests that having a platform is the most important part of publishing and it is not.
by Susan Lovett | Feb 6, 2018 | Writing |
Somehow sitting down to plot a story always feel like an intellectual exercise. It’s a logical timeline of things that happen and the resultant consequences. But the trick to telling a good story does not come from the head—it comes from the heart.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 30, 2018 | Story |
It’s all about story—or it should be. When books and movies fall apart it’s often because the story gets pushed to the background. It becomes secondary to other concerns, like action sequences, special effects, pushing an agenda, or…insert reason here.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 23, 2018 | For Writers |
Last week we talked about what being previously published means. This week we’re looking at options for work that falls into that category and your options for moving forward.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 16, 2018 | Blog, Writing |
You want to get your work out there. You want to gain an audience. You want to build a platform. And so you post. It’s so easy. There are countless platforms and opportunities from personal blogs and websites to sharing sites, like Wattpad, not to mention digital media outlets. The problem is reckless posting can undermine your ultimate goal.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 9, 2018 | Mindset |
I’ve written before about not believing Writer’s Block exists. I still don’t. It’s the Sasquatch of our industry. What I do believe in is not having ideas or motivation and not being in the zone, but those aren’t blocks, they are obstacles. Every career has them. And they can be overcome.
There are days when writing is a painful process of flinging words on the page without passion or a clue. We’ve all been there. Flailing about for an idea, any idea. But that’s different than having writer’s block.
by Susan Lovett | Jan 2, 2018 | Mindset |
If you’re like me, you are probably setting goals for the new year—promises to exercise daily or eat right. It’s the season for starting over and re-committing to good habits. There’s nothing quite like feeling like you have a clean slate and move forward freely into a new and improved you. But while you’re picking good habits, don’t forget your writing.
Writing is a habit like any other. It takes discipline to stick to it, especially when the self-doubt creeps in or the rejections start piling up. The more you can do to create a habit of writing, the better you will be able to handle the vagaries of the craft.
by Susan Lovett | Dec 26, 2017 | For Writers |
There are so many articles and blogs out there telling writers how to be writers and offering advice and tips; I should know because I write one. But my New Year’s wish to all of you is to step away from that stuff for a moment and offer something else: Trust.
This year, I hope you learn to trust your own counsel, your inner ear and your ideas.
by Susan Lovett | Dec 19, 2017 | Mindset |
The holiday season is a time for joy and forgiveness, which includes forgiving yourself for all those creative projects languishing in the back of your closet or in forgotten files on your computer. All those stories awaiting an ending. All those tiny scraps of paper sporting lines of dialogue. All those frustrated characters without an ending.
