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Breaking Old Reading Habits
 Breaking Old Reading Habits 1024 576 Reader Views
I’ve compiled a list that I hope might convince those who think they hate literary novels to give it a fair try using my list as a guide. I am convinced those who hate, hate, hate it were coerced to read literary before they were ready—that is they were too young or didn’t yet have the background—that can be read as, “didn’t have the equipment yet”—to understand it, much less to appreciate it. I mean, I know of no one who jumped into James Joyce without proper guidance who loves his work. For that matter, I know no one at all who is head-over-heels for it, no matter what the circumstances. read more
Why is The Nightmare Before Christmas still so Popular?
 Why is The Nightmare Before Christmas still so Popular? 1024 576 Reader Views
Sometimes a movie comes along and stands the test of time, staying mainstream for generations and influencing culture in ways the people working on the project could have never imagined. read more
Capturing Convincing Settings
 Capturing Convincing Settings 1024 576 Reader Views
During his author talks, Randy Overbeck is often asked if he grew up in the locales of his stories—the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake bay, Cape May, New Jersey and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Readers are often surprised by his answer – NO! Today, he shares four suggestions on how to make your settings come alive. read more
Dream Big and Work Hard!
 Dream Big and Work Hard! 600 240 Reader Views
How did a finance major transition into a novelist and music producer with projects spanning the globe? BIG DREAMS AND HARD WORK! read more
The Importance of Note Taking in Fiction Writing
 The Importance of Note Taking in Fiction Writing 1024 576 Reader Views
I take so many notes when I write my fiction. I have about 3 or 5 reference documents on top of the story and the outline. Why do I do this? read more
So a Reviewer Said Yes. Now what?!
 So a Reviewer Said Yes. Now what?! 1024 576 Reader Views
Here are a few ideas to dress up a review copy. They will do big things for your submission. They make it easier for your reviewer to get the information she needs for her review, including metadata. read more
Using Fiction to Teach Checking Facts
 Using Fiction to Teach Checking Facts 1024 576 Reader Views
Fiction books can even provide clear examples of Truth versus Make Believe. Fiction is stories that never happened, written for entertainment value, but that can also be educational. Fiction falls into recognizable types, created for different purposes. read more
Three Editing Strategies That Can Make a Real Difference
 Three Editing Strategies That Can Make a Real Difference 1024 576 Reader Views
Once you written and slaved over a manuscript and revised and nursed it through several iterations, the last thing you want to do is to slough through even more editing tasks. I get it. Sometimes, after I’ve put in hundreds of hours to write and strengthen my work, taking one or two more hours to do even more editing seems like a bridge too far. But I’ve found these three editing strategies—which don’t take that much time—can make a huge difference in how a piece reads. These are hardly new, but the changes they exact can be dramatic. read more
“How to Handle Book Bigotry”
 “How to Handle Book Bigotry” 1024 576 Reader Views
I believe—know—that attitudes toward self- and indie-publishers have become more accepted over the decades. When my first novel was published, any book published by anything other than university presses and New York’s Big Five were derisively called “vanity publishers.” Still, book bigotry or its near cousins hasn’t disappeared entirely. read more
How Improv Comedy Made Me a Better Writer
 How Improv Comedy Made Me a Better Writer 1024 576 Reader Views
The basic premise of improv is that scenes are made up live on stage in front of an audience.  Terrifying and hilarious, improv is a form that exists every moment in the creative place where artists surprise themselves and their scene partners… don’t writers perform improv every time we pick up a pen? read more