Adverbs of doom
By Dave Duggins
Editor, Spacesuits and Sixguns Magazine
firstwriter.com – Saturday April 28, 2007
I was doing a deep critique for a student in the Creative Writing Magnet at Woodside High School in Newport News, VA (hi guys!) when I saw them.
Them. Those – things. They mostly come out at night, but sometimes show their evil little faces in broad daylight. Impertinent snots.
I'm talking about adverbs, of course. Those words that end in “ly” and modify verbs. Messily, hungrily, angrily. Those words.
They are not your friends.
Do writing programs work?
By Ken Brosky
Editor-in-Chief, Brew City Magazine
firstwriter.com – Saturday April 28, 2007
You’ve probably seen ads for them in your favourite writing magazine, and maybe even one or two on your favourite writing websites, too. They’re writing programs, and they’re the bane of the beginning and intermediate writer. Programs that offer you instant help on putting together new exciting characters, complete with unique features – some going so far as to include pictures to help you visualise your new characters. Plot programs that let you point-and-click together an entire plot as if it was truly as simple as that. Setting programs that give you pre-made places – from buildings to vast plains to exotic alien planets – to help you place your cardboard characters who will eventually be drawn into your point-and-click story.
My writing competition success - An interview with writer, Jerry Ryan
firstwriter.com – Saturday April 28, 2007
Jerry Ryan recently found success in a writing competition he found through firstwriter.com. We caught up with him to talk to him about the competition, and his writing.
My writing competition success - An interview with writer, Brian Richmond
firstwriter.com – Saturday February 24, 2007
Brian Richmond recently found success in a writing competition he found through firstwriter.com. We caught up with him to talk to him about the competition, and his writing.
You are the box office smash: the personal screenplay
By Gordy Hoffman
firstwriter.com – Saturday February 24, 2007
Right this very second, in the heart of every struggling, undiscovered screenwriter, in the dark, hidden corner deep within, there is a voice, a clear whisper, saying one thing:
You're never gonna figure this out.
How I got a literary agent - An interview with author Frank Hotchkiss
firstwriter.com – Sunday January 28, 2007
Frank Hotchkiss recently acquired an agent using firstwriter.com's database of literary agencies. We asked him about his writing, and how he found success.
Protecting your copyright
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 27, 2006
Here at firstwriter.com one of the most common questions we get asked by writers is if they need to register their copyright. This is a perfectly reasonable question – after all, for other intellectual properties like patents and trade marks there are usually a mountain of forms to fill out and numerous hoops to jump through (not to mention registration fees to be paid) before you can claim proper protection over your ideas. It's only natural, therefore, for writers to assume that there's a similar process for copyright, but the situation is not quite that straightforward. The answer to the question "do I need to do register my copyright?" is both no, and yes.
Finding good literary agents
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Saturday November 25, 2006
In last month's article, Avoiding literary agency scams (fwn 44), we identified the warning signs to watch out for in order to avoid bad agents. In this article I'll be reversing the question and providing tips on how to find good agents.
Avoiding literary agency scams
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Friday October 27, 2006
For as long as there have been writers eager to get published, there have been con artists ready to prey upon them for a quick buck. Nowadays, the internet is rife with phony literary agencies offering writers false hope in return for a small (or not-so-small) sum of money. In this article I'll look at some of the ways you can spot a dodgy agency, and avoid your time, money, and aspirations being abused. While none of the points below guarantee by themselves that an agency is dubious, together they can make a compelling case, and they should all make you tread a little more cautiously.
How I got a literary agent - An interview with author Geri Spieler
firstwriter.com – Saturday September 23, 2006
Geri Spieler recently acquired an agent using firstwriter.com's database of literary agencies. We asked her about her writing, and how she found success.
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