Taking A Moment To Breathe

 

This week in Publishing News.

Oh Scholastic, it hasn’t been a good month for your public relations. Today the publishing professionals that work at Scholastic Head Office walked out and started picketing over the un-living wages they were getting from a billion dollar company.

 

In the Wow-they-finally-did-it-stakes, Amazon’s publishing arm KDP announced they were beta testing eBook to audio narration using AI Voices. These will be sold through Audible. Cue jaw drops as they were adamant they weren’t getting into the AI voice game… but Google has already been in this space for a while so it was always on the cards. 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard has some pithy observations regarding Amazon’s quarterly report- one mention of books vs 33 mentions of AI.

 

Amazon is back in court – this time taking scammers the down. Yay. Staying on the scammy front Victoria Strauss has a Writer Beware post on impersonation scamming which is on the increase. She shows how it is done and breaks down how to spot the warning flags in her real scam examples. A week doesn’t go by now without coming across some impersonation scam or an author checking in with others to ask if the email they have just got is legit. 

Today I saw advice that recommended sending a screenshot to the agency in question and just checking if it is legit. – Good advice.

 

Written Word Media has been making news with its promo stack partners. They have been busy signing up other ebook reader sites to create big promotion stack opportunities for marketing for authors. Their latest press release has them adding another heavy hitter to the fold.

 

November is the month of NaNoWriMo. Good luck to all those who are attempting to write 50,000 words in a month. The idea behind it was to create a writing habit so even if you make a practice of just showing up every day, you are winning. Roz Morris has a good post on how to get through the month. 

There are various ways to win at NaNowriMo. You can record your word count for everything you write in November or do the ALT NaNoWriMo challenge.

 

 Jane Friedman has two guest writers on her blog with two very different approaches to writing and marketing. Check out How do you turn an essay into a book deal and an interesting post on How to earn six figures as a writer with one weird trick. 

Ruth Harris has an excellent post on radical revision- When the going gets tough get your radical creativity muse on. This is a print out and post it on the wall post.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a comprehensive guide post on producing audiobooks. This covers pretty much everything you need to know to get started.

 

Katie Weiland has a knock it out of the park post on despair in fiction. This is one of those craft posts that inspire authors to the next level of writing- A Must Read.

In The Craft Section,

Protagonists and points of view- Draft2Digital

Mastering character evolution-Laurie Schnebly Campbell- Bookmark

The enemy within- crafting powerful inner conflict- C S Lakin- Bookmark!

I broke Elmore Leonard’s Rules- P J Parrish

3 ways to structure a chapter- Anne Brown-Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Subgenres and comp books- Kris Maze

Ways book marketers use social media to promote pre-orders- Bookbub- Bookmark

5 unique book marketing ideas- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

How to create fun freebies for your newsletter- Colleen Story- Bookmark

Podcasting magic bullet- Alliance of Independent Authors podcast /transcript

Marketing resources- Foothills Writers group

 

To Finish,

Recently Joanna Penn spoke with Tracy Cooper-Posy on managing your author business long term. It was a fascinating long look at what is worthwhile to invest in and how to manage discouragement. This is one of those posts where you nod and start to make notes and think about stepping sideways of the hamster wheel. 

It’s hard to focus on your writing business when you feel that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. This overwhelm can be energy sapping and creativity stalling. 

Do what you can and give yourself time to breathe.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Khamkhor on Unsplash

Sending The Wrong Message

In Publishing News this week,

Frankfurt is often touted as the biggest book fair in the world. This is where countries get invited to showcase their literary works and deals are done in rights trading and translations etc. It is a general book fair covering all genres. It opened yesterday. Everybody had high hopes that it would be a standout year after the pandemic years. The wheels started falling off yesterday with a mass walkout of nations over the withdrawing of a prize ceremony for a Palestinian writer. 

 

Scholastic is in hot water with writers after they put together a diversity box for school bookfairs. (These are a big deal in American schools. Scholastic provides all the books for display and kids buy.) It’s not that they put a box of diversity books together it’s that they made it an opt out option bowing to book banning groups.

 

Staying with Kids books- There is a distinct drop in sales in the mid-grade and teen categories or as some librarians insist a non-existence of books for the 12- 15 age group. Everybody has been waiting for a breakout hit and they are still waiting.

 

The New Publishing Standard has a look at the subscription numbers for audiobooks in Europe and the news that Spotify is rolling out subscription in the UK. Subscription is here to stay says Mark. He has other pithy observations to make on audiobook subscription and how consumers are using it. If 30 % of the listeners are speeding up their playback speeds does this mean they can listen to more books in their subscription hour? And would they notice if it was an AI voice?

 

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has been shining a spotlight on the shonky payment systems of Cricket and its associated children’s fiction magazines over the last couple of years. She updates the post to tell what one writer did to finally get their money after 3 years which might help others in the same boat. 

 

I sent out my monthly newsletter with the comment that every lead story in September was on AI. Poets and Writers magazine has an article on the AI lawsuits and how suddenly you can’t get excerpts anymore of famous writers work (but they are probably still there.) Joanna Penn has a great transcript on a how to double down on being human. This is your point of difference from an AI

 

If you have been mulling over whether to try yet another social media site Anne R Allen has a timely post on social media etiquette for any social media site.  Great advice.

 

I’m often surprised when I come across writers who don’t really understand what copyright means. There are so many layers to a piece of intellectual property. For an introduction masterclass on the subject read this piece by Dean Wesley Smith.  

 

Barbara Linn Probst has an excellent article on Why We Write. Artistry, Identity, Legacy.  She explores the art and the craft of writing, finding your tribe and bearing witness. It’s a must read.

 

If you are looking for some inspiration for short stories- have you tried mining the lyrics of songs. They are chock full of emotion and little moments that are really stories in disguise. 

 

In The Craft Section,

10 signs your plot is weak and how to fix it- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Navigating inner conflict- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Getting beyond stereotypes- Now Novel

Foreshadowing vs spoiling what’s the difference- Jami Gold- Bookmark

Printables for NaNoWriMo- Payton Hayes

 

In The Marketing Section,

2 great posts from Penny Sansevieri - Preorder strategies and 7 genius AI strategies – Bookmark Both

Marketing and promo plan for indie authors - Emma Lombard

3 things your author newsletter should do - Colleen Story

The best free marketing tool is in your head- Lisa Norman – Bookmark

 

To Finish

The Alliance of Independent Authors is running their next 24 hour free conference starting October 21^st The sessions will be up for 3 days. Check out the agenda and feast your eyes on all the fabulous speakers. This conference is on Mindset. Do something for your writing mind and sign up.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

 If you want the best of my bookmarked links and some extras you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter here. Come and join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Lee Soo hyun on Unsplash

Beginnings and Endings

 

In Publishing News this week,

Last week I linked to a news story about Spotify and how they are rolling out their audiobook streaming to the UK and Australia.- That’s news to us said the UK Society of Authors. How come no one has talked to us about contract terms and rights and who are you dealing with – publishers? Where are author agents in this deal? The Society of Authors has a strongly worded statement on this.

 

The news is filtering out that DK, a well known UK children’s publishing house is revamping its top brass and are about to add a new publishing arm…adult. My mind is trying to put the two strands side by side and failing. If you are familiar with DK books - high production non fiction books beloved by schools, libraries, obsessive kids and teachers, how will adult books fit in? The industry will be watching with interest to see how they will manage it.

 

Publishers Weekly details the hit that print publishing as taken so far this year. The numbers are in and so far all genres are hurting. This feeds in to the dismal survey on author income which the Authors Guild recently released. Maybe everything will turn around before the end of the year?

 

If you are struggling with self doubt, you are not alone. Robin Maass writes about her publishing journey and self doubt beautifully on The Writing and Wellness blog. 

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a comprehensive article on how to get your book into bookstores. It’s full of tips and advice, a must read.

 

Kathleen McCleary has an interesting post on Writer Unboxed about getting naked. Now that I have your attention, she talks about how she can’t share her unpublished writing with anyone because of the naked writer feeling.

 

Kris Rusch has got her hands on the new agreement by the TV writers with the studios. She writes why it’s important to understand the AI clauses in the agreement and how they will impact writers. This is a heads up post. You are in charge of your own career and if down the track your work gets optioned for the screen- and you used AI in any capacity you may not have any rights. A Must Read.

 

The Dream Team over at One Stop for Writers, Angela and Becca have a comprehensive list of planning resources for NaNoPrepMo. (or anytime you need to plan/plot a story.) 

 

Katie Weiland has a great blog post on archetypes – she wrote the book (literally) on how to use them. In this week’s article she looks at how to use archetypes in a series. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Crafting beginnings- Janice Hardy- Bookmark

Real crime as novel inspiration-Gary Braver – Bookmark

The secret to show don’t tell

Navigating inner conflict- C S Lakin- Bookmark

How to write a flashback- jerry Jenkins- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

6 ways to become a Go To Expert-Paula Rizzo

Better book descriptions- Draft2Digital

The business of writing- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Marketing Burnout- Kindlepreneur- Bookmark

12 insider tips for booking school visits- Bookfox-Bookmark

 

To Finish,

They say the first page sells the book and the last page sells the next book. No pressure to nail both those important pages…Um. 

James Scott Bell master of writing craft books has even dedicated a whole craft book to the last 50 pages. He writes about how important it is to tie up loose ends and payoff those twisty plot points. Something the writers of the TV series ‘Lost’ didn’t understand.

Even if you are the most Pantzer of writers it helps if you know how the story ends before you get to the last page.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter. If you want the best of my bookmarked links and some extras you can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Preparing For The Future

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

It’s Banned Books week in the United States and Penguin Random House has pushed out the truck on this literally. They have a huge truck visiting neighbourhoods and giving out children’s books that have been banned from their publishing house.

 

It was big news when Spotify bought Findaway voices last September and we waited to see what they would do. A year on and Spotify unveil their audiobooks in premium memberships in a trial run with Australia and the United Kingdom. They have negotiated deals that Publishing Perspectives report will shake Audible’s hold on the audiobook market.

 

Publisher Weekly reports on the Authors Guild author income survey- Why do we write again? It’s not for the money.

 

Wattpad wants to offer its creators more money so they have launched a new tier called Originals. You can pay for the latest chapter in your serial story or wait until it’s all finished. It’s like Netflix for authors.

 

Mike Shatzkin writes this week about AI and publishing. Mike has largely retired form advising big publishing companies so it’s always interesting when he writes an article on current trends. Just when you think you know what a commentator would say- they surprise you. Mike thinks AI is a good thing for publishing.

 

Another who thinks the Publishing industry is short sighted on AI is Mark Williams. He has a long form essay on how Publishers are tackling issues around AI- is it a tool, a threat, a higher form of achievement or copyright theft?

 

Seth Godin uses Chat GPT to come up with good questions to ask Chat GPT. An interesting way of editing your work.

 

Copyright is at the heart of AI. Who owns AI copyright. The machine or the prompter? Is it fair use to train AI on whole books? If a machine can replicate someone’s style is it a breach of copyright? Whatever you think, you do need to have a working knowledge of copyright and how it impacts your publishing business.

Kris Rusch writes about making sure you have the right licenses and why you need to print them out.

 

People who have mastered dictation swear by the ease of writing. You get articles like this one- I wrote a novel in a day- Nick Thacker on Writers in the Storm. Nick goes into detail about what tools he uses. Meanwhile, over on Jane Friedman’s blog Sarah Sawyer talks about how dictation can free up your writing time.

 

It’s that age old writer struggle- How do you feel when you kill off a nice character? 

Robin Rivera writes that picking the reason you want to kill off the character is just as important as choosing the character you want to kill- She has four reasons you might want to do this.

 

In The Craft Section,

Crafting unforgettable character arcs- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Fake swearing and how to write it- StopGap

5 mistakes that reverse social justice messages- Mythcreants

Mastering character description without info dumps- Lisa Hall Wilson- Bookmark

Going to your unhappy place- Donald Maass- Bookmark

Writing Mystery – DabbleWriter- Comprehensive

 

In The Marketing Section,

Honesty in book marketing – Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Your books most powerful marketing tool- Greer Macallister

Playlists for your books- Heather Weidner

Non salesy social media content for authors- Dan Parsons- Bookmark

10 easy steps to get your website back to life- Karen Cioffi- Bookmark

October Social Media content- WolfSparrow- Bookmark

 

To Finish

October – or in the publishing world… getting ready for NaNoWriMo. 

There are a few good articles out there on NaNoPrepMo but if you go to the source- The NaNoWriMo official website,  you can get a huge checklist of ideas and resources to get your preparation for National Novel Writing Month underway.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter. If you want the best of my bookmarked links and some extras you can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Sylas Boesten on Unsplash

Being Human

 

In Publishing News Today

Artificial Intelligence and the misuse of it take centre stage. Another week another lawsuit. This time it’s the big guns taking on AI. Authors Guild has a class suit with John Grisham and G.R.R. Martin among the plaintiffs. They allege that their work was used to train AI. They know this because suddenly there appears to be extra books in their popular series which they didn’t write. I wonder how AI would finish the Game of Thrones series? Apparently you can now find out as it’s on the internet somewhere. Of course going and looking just plays into the scammy nature of the person who decided to use AI to write these books and make a quick buck.

Stephen Fry is crying foul over AI Narration. He was alerted to an historical documentary that he supposedly narrated. Except he didn’t. He suspects AI was trained on his audio narration of the Harry Potter books and then unleashed. AI can de-age actors and now they can mimic voices that even the original owner has problems believing it’s not him in an alternate universe. We are teetering on the edge of Deep Fake becoming ubiquitous unless we get some rules up pronto. Which is why we have all the lawsuits.

 

Over at The New Publishing Standard, Mark Williams is looking at upcoming book fairs and reminding the western publishing powerhouses that they may think they have the biggest book fairs but things are about change. Sharjah is positioning itself to be all things book in the foreseeable future. This is an interesting take. Can publishing equal the revenue that oil and gas bring in to Sharjah?

 

Publishing Perspectives has a run down on the latest news from Frankfurt as they gear up for the big Frankfurt Buchmesse starting on October 14. A record number of booths has been booked.

 

Publishers Weekly has data on the book challenges so far this year and yes they are increasing and they are all aimed at books by and about people of colour and LBTGQ identifying. Where will it end… historians could tell you. 

 

The Guardian has a great article written by Kathleen Rundell on Diana Wynne Jones. Diana was like a beautiful fountain in the desert of books when I was growing up. She had big ideas and her books were and are amazing.  Every author will relate to the story of the Charmed Life manuscript.

 

Kris Rusch has an interesting post on platform this week. With the meltdown of the writers original water cooler many wordsmiths are fleeing to pastures new. Then you risk losing all that work of building up your readership /business on a new platform which will be disrupted in time. So is there a win /win situation for writers?

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a comprehensive post on slow release strategies for authors… You don’t have to release a book a month for a writing career. The SPA girls podcast recently had a great episode on reverse engineering a bestseller. Can you do it? 

 

Rachel Toalson has a great post on Writer Unboxed about writing sprints. She used ten minute sprints to write a book. Even if your life is chaotic you can find ten minutes. Read Rachel’s post for how chaotic life can get. She has great tips for finding moments of time to write.

Mythcreants has a good post on the value of critique and why it is important for writers. If you don’t critique you don’t learn.

 

James Scott Bell has a great post on the Killzone blog about bleeding on the page. There are so many adages out there for writers. Some of them are untrue. However emotion from the writer is never wasted in a story.

 

 

In The Craft Section,

Writing and Time management- Story Empire

Acting vs reacting in your writing career- Colleen Story

Is your protagonist too comfortable- Australian Writers Center

What are antagonist proxies- K M Weiland – Bookmark

Why a manuscript critique is a critical step- C S Lakin- Bookmark

 

 

In The Marketing Section,

5 unique book marketing ideas- Rachel Thompson

Book signings that wow- Rochelle Melander

Strategies to secure reviews on Amazon- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Author Success tips – Judith Briles- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Jim Denney writing on Anne R Allen’s blog sums up the ideas in this weeks blog post. Yes AI is here, it’s out of the box it’s only going to get more powerful. Yes the AI tools are useful for shortcuts and editing and marketing and prompts but in the end AI is not human. Only a human can write emotion and connect with reader on a deeper plane. The future for writers in an AI world is to be more human and mine the human condition. 

After all, an AI can’t bleed. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

Pic: Photo by Volha Milovich on Unsplash

Reading The Blurb

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

We’ve all seen the puff quotes on the jackets of books. The name dropping- famous author loved it… but what happens when the book gets negative reviews and the publisher picks out words and throws them on the cover as praise. You get the backlash. Could puff quotes be over?

 

Penguin Random House (PRH) has had a jolly good half year. They have nearly made double digits in revenue. Even though they did not get Simon and Schuster that hasn’t stopped them snapping up smaller fruit.

 

Ingram is expanding its Print On Demand capabilities. With some big POD hubs in different parts of the globe they are challenging the sustainability of those big print runs out of China. 

 

Mark Williams shines a spotlight on the Music industry and how their revenue has grown over the last decade. It is broken down by genre. The music industry is always ahead of the publishing industry…what lessons can publishers take from all the numbers. Is children’s publishing the rock music buying equivalent?

 

Publishers Weekly is heralding the return of author tours with delight. Booksellers are gearing up for sell out author tours. Are we getting back to normal again? Or will Hybrid events be the new way to go? After the covid years is there even any money for author tours?

 

You’ve finished the book. You’ve scaled Mount Strunk and White. You’re ready for the big reward and yet you feel…flat. Ruth Harris has a great post on the 3 R’s of a successful writing career.

 

Are you struggling with the whole social media problem? The common complaint what should I post I’m a fiction writer… and which social media? Read this great post from Jessica Thompson. You can apply it to all sorts of social media.

 

Chat GPT or AI assisted writing has been in the news pretty much all year. If you are unsure about what sort of a tool it is to help you check out this posts on the 6 useful prompts for fiction writers.

 

You should be reading in your genre but how do you choose the books that you will get the most out of? Book Coach Robin Henry has a comprehensive post on How to read to elevate your writing practice. 

 

Sometimes the book of your heart… or the story that won’t let you go takes an awfully long gestational time. Stephanie Cowell writes about a story that has taken 39 years to pin down. When your favourite novel takes a long long time to write.

 

In The Craft Section,

Raise the stakes by making it personal- Angela Ackerman

8 different types of scenes- K M Weiland- Bookmark

4 tips for memorable characters- Lisa Hall Wilson

Setting- the versatile tool - C S Lakin- Bookmark

Hide exposition inside confrontation- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

13 tips for powerful pacing- Lynette Burrows- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Step by step marketing- Penny Sansevieri

Compelling descriptions- Sandra Beckwith

Marketing vs publicity- Kelly Rendina- Bookmark

27 things to promote your book- Brian Feinblum- Bookmark

Direct sales strategies- Bookbub- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Stephen King is often quoted as saying You can’t be a Writer if you are not a Reader, or words to that effect. This week Kris Rusch shines a spotlight on reading practice. Have you got out of the habit of reading? It happens. I have a friend who works with words all day and struggles to read anything for pleasure. Do you still love reading? 

You must fill the well of words if you want to keep drinking from the well. 

Ask yourself these questions. What books do you escape into? Challenge yourself with? Comfort reads? Keeping up with the genre reads? If you are struggling to name a book you’ve read for pleasure in the last month, make a date with a comfort book and rediscover your joy. Your writing will thank you for it.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

 

If you want this blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash

Standing Up For Your Rights

 

In Publishing News This Week

 

The Judge handed down a ruling on the Internet Archive Library copyright case which has annoyed the plaintiffs, (AKA some of the biggest publishers.) The judge is trying to steer a middle course by allowing the Internet Archive to stick with making eBooks of print books that don’t already have an eBook format. This stops the publishers or the authors who have reclaimed their rights doing their own eBook version. Publishing eBooks for in-print books is not fair use. Appeals to the ready. 

 

With the ever louder clamour to ban books… various library organisations have banded together to promote the banned books. Penguin Random House has joined the party by making a whole lot of resources and books available to kids. Let Kids Read. I was nonplussed to read the opening remark in this news article. How can teachers think AI would tell them what books to ban?

 

Last week I reported on Jane Friedman’s woes with AI scraped books that had her name, and by extension reputation, plastered all over them. The story went viral and was reported on many international news sites, including our national radio programme. Jane has published an article on what to do if you are in a similar situation. Based on many writers testimony all over the internet- this is going to become more likely. One pundit stated that keeping a strict eye on your Amazon Author page where these books are likely to show up is essential. Amazon won’t do anything until you tell them to.

 

Wired has a story on the Prosecraft AI backlash- Why the great AI backlash came for a tiny startup you’ve probably never heard of. Are they just the convenient low hanging victim for scared people or is there some deeper motive in the AI backlash against them.

 

Writers in Kindle Unlimited were dismayed when the latest pages reads compensation got down to .0004 cents a page. Many writers publicly stated this was the end for them being in the KU program. Craig Martell of 20 Books fame devoted a 5 minute focus chat on this topic. If you are wondering what you should do check out the wise words of the 20 books captain. 

 

Joanna Penn has an interesting interview with Steph Pajonas on using AI tools to help writers with disabilities. Some of the tools can be very useful.

 

Literary Agent Janet Reid explains why selling YA is so hard now. This is a good exploration of why some books can be the next hot thing until they aren’t.

 

Are you being eco friendly in your publishing? The Alliance of Independent Authors has an interesting article about how you can up your sustainability practice.

 

Chuck Wendig has an interesting post on why he is focussing on standalone books instead of series. It all has to do with rights. There are potentially more exploitable rights in standalones. An interesting perspective when everyone in the Indie world is paddling the other way.

 

Roz Morris has a great article on story telling details she now does on auto pilot. It all goes back to great editing teaching her a few tricks.

 

In The Craft Section,

What are pinch points and where do they go- Sue Coletta

How to determine the age of your target reader- C S Lakin- Bookmark

How to find the narrators voice- Michelle Barker- Bookmark

What are plot devices and why you should be cautious- K M Weiland- Bookmark

The basic formula of fiction- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to write a newsletter people will actually share- Lisa Norman- Bookmark

Best practices for selling books- Elizabeth Craig

Crafting an irresistible book pitch- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

The business of writing- Angela Ackerman

Author websites- Goodstory Company- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

How many times have you come up against the myth of the solitary writer? It has a certain romance to it. Left alone the writer will be most productive and their genius will flower naturally in a series of stunning books. 

Yeah about that. The reality is a lot different. Writers need a community says Elizabeth Craig.

A few decades back there were writers who couldn’t deal with the world so needed the dutiful wife to do everything. This article looks at the wives who put up with a lot from their tortured genius writer spouses. 

I would be reaching for the frying pan and not in a good way if I was shackled to these writers. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

 

If you want this blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Getty Image from Latest WGA strike news