Author Archives: mike

My NaNoWriMo 2011 Experience

Posted on November 30, 2011 by mike

For the last three years, I’ve participated in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge run by The Office of Letters and Light.  And for the third time, I’ve managed to win by creating 50,000 words of original fiction between … Continue reading →

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Review: Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver

Posted on September 21, 2011 by mike

Jerry Cleaver is the creator of Chicago’s most successful writers’ workshop, the Writers’ Loft, and has been teaching writing for many years.  His Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course is an inexpensive, portable version of what he teaches on his … Continue reading →

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Review of WhiteSmoke 2011

Posted on September 17, 2011 by mike

WhiteSmoke 2011 is described on the vendor’s web site as “World-Leading English Writing Software.”  It contains tools for spelling, grammar checking, punctuation, style, and structure.  For reasons that aren’t quite clear, it also contains full-text translation capabilities and a multilingual … Continue reading →

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How to Write an Essay Easily

Posted on August 15, 2011 by mike

Writing, in general, is something many people find difficult.  Stringing together words and sentences is something they struggle with.  Writing an essay can seem like a difficult task.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  In this tutorial, I’ll … Continue reading →

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Apple’s Effect on Book Publishing

Posted on August 14, 2011 by mike

Apple and five leading publishers have been served with a lawsuit alleging that they have conspired to keep electronic book (eBook) pricing artificially high, and that they used their power to prevent Amazon from establishing “pro-consumer” eBook pricing.  According to … Continue reading →

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SEO for Authors

Posted on August 13, 2011 by mike

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of helping search engines like Google or Bing identify what the content on your site is about, so that people searching for the kind of information you’re … Continue reading →

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Why Self-Publish?

Posted on July 24, 2011 by mike

A heated debate is raging in the community of professional authors on whether self-publishing is a good idea.  On one side are authors who have always worked through traditional publishers to offer their works.  On the other side are authors … Continue reading →

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Has the World Changed or Have I Changed?

Posted on July 16, 2011 by mike

It’s no secret to those who know me that I’m a fan of the singer Morrissey and his former band, The Smiths.  In the song “The Queen is Dead“, Morrissey (or his alter-ego) claims to have learned that he is … Continue reading →

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Review: The Writer’s Little Helper

Posted on July 10, 2011 by mike

James V. Smith, Jr.’s The Writer’s Little Helper is a great little reference book for writers.  It consists primarily of short (most under 4 pages) discussions of problems and situations that novelists face, along with easy to understand suggestions for … Continue reading →

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Open Source and Free Writing Software

Posted on May 1, 2011 by mike

I’ve noticed a lot of interest recently in writing software that is free and/or open source.  There are some excellent, free tools that writers can use to both create and improve their work.  This article will discuss some of these … Continue reading →

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