The write stuff
By Steve Myers
firstwriter.com – Saturday February 27, 2010
For a start, what they don’t tell you is that writing is bloody hard work and you need a little bit more than just a good imagination and access to writing materials. They are the tools, but you can’t go from imagination to page without spending the time putting it all down and refining it. Added to that, getting "discovered" is like trying to get Victoria Beckham to smile. So you need to be passionate about your reason for writing.
E-books – A profitable way to publish?
By Jonathan Miller
M-Y Books
firstwriter.com – Friday January 29, 2010
It is widely accepted now that the e-book is settling in comfortably as a companion format to print for the mid and long term future. The publishing industry has made a complete about face in its attitude towards electronic publishing over the last two years driven by economic and environmental influences as well as the public’s apparent willing to read books on small screens as well as the more comfortable dedicated e-book readers becoming increasing available in the United Kingdom and Europe. For myself as a regular trade visitor to Frankfurt Book Fair over many years I have seen the growth in the digital section of the fair and the amount of attention it gets from all elements of the industry increase incredibly.
How I got a publisher - An interview with author, Lorna Elliott
firstwriter.com – Saturday November 28, 2009
Lorna Elliott recently acquired a publisher using firstwriter.com's database of over 1,200 publishers. We asked her about her writing, and how she found success.
The story of Tarantula Tide, an award winning children’s novel
By Sharon Tregenza
Award-winning author and longstanding firstwriter.com subscriber
firstwriter.com – Saturday October 31, 2009
Sharon Tregenza has been a firstwriter.com subscriber since 2004, and has described the site as an invaluable boon for writers. In this article she shares the experience of the publication of her first novel, Tarantula Tide, which won the 2008 Kelpies Award and has been short-listed for the Heart of Hawick children’s book award 2010. If you'd like to follow in her footsteps, you can subscribe now at www.firstwriter.com/subscribe
Why is it so hard to sit down and write?
By Emily Hanlon
Writing and Creativity Coach
firstwriter.com – Sunday July 26, 2009
Creativity is a subtle and magnificent dance between the rational and the intuitive, between the left and right parts of the brains, between technique and imagination. Both partners in this dance are absolutely necessary and are needed in equal proportion, which means that imagination is not more important than technique and visa versa.
A matter of perspective
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Friday June 26, 2009
Any time you begin to write a piece of fiction there’s a decision you have to make before you can even write the first sentence. It’s a decision which will determine the complexion of the entire story, and which you will have to stick with from its very start to its very end; it’s a decision which has repercussions that will reach into almost every sentence you write, and as such it’s one of the hardest things to alter if you change your mind later. The decision is your choice of perspective.
Grammar and punctuation – the "rules" are meant to be broken
By Zetta Brown
Editor-in-Chief, LL-Publications
firstwriter.com – Saturday May 30, 2009
Language is not static.
Language evolves over time. Words come en vogue (or are invented) and some words become passé or even archaic. As language changes, so do the "rules" of its use.
Writing contest etiquette
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Thursday February 26, 2009
Getting published is difficult – I probably don't need to tell you that. It requires a lot of skill and more than a little luck, but all the luck and talent in the world can be made to count for nothing if the approach you take to submitting your work is inappropriate or unprofessional. Just how wrong writers are still getting this was highlighted recently by one of our competition entrants, so in this article I'll be pointing out the mistakes she made, how you can avoid them, and how you can make sure you don't throw away your writing career before it's even begun.
How I got published - An interview with author, Kent Richardson
firstwriter.com – Tuesday December 23, 2008
Kent Richardson recently acquired a publisher using firstwriter.com's database of over 1,000 publishers. We asked him about his writing, and how he found success.
Twenty-first century publishing options
By William G. Tedford
firstwriter.com – Saturday November 29, 2008
It's hard to keep current with the times. I'm awaiting the day I see my first electric car pull up to a gas pump. The smartest of those who laugh will be laughing with the hapless driver, not at them. We've all thrown away rechargeable batteries, or left a fork in our soup sparkling away in the microwave oven. We know a lot about how things used to be, but less about new things arriving on the scene. The fast pace of technological change catches us all by surprise now and then.
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