Writers: a reminder of the basics, courtesy of J.K. Rowling

Thanks (again!) to Infinity Publishing for this great post.
"J.K. Rowling may be one of the bestselling authors of all time, but she's never forgotten where she came from. Her roots as a poor single mother struggling to publish an unusual book cause her to help out other beginning authors whenever she can. Rowling's been interviewed on writing hundreds of times, but she emphasizes the same basic lessons each time she's asked."


Here is an excerpt:

1. Planning is crucial.
   The worst way to create a great book is to dive into it without any plan at all.
   
2. Write in what time you have. 
   If you want to be an author, you have to make the time or steal it, one small bit at a time.
   
3. Rewriting is as essential as planning.
   Rowling wrote the first chapter of her first book 15 times before she was satisfied.
   
4.  Pay attention to pacing and plot. It's possible to ruin the pacing of a book or series by excitedly telling too much, too soon.
   
5.  Write your passion. Rowling has said that what you write becomes who you are, so it's important for you to love what you write.

I am especially grateful to see this quote from her:

Sometimes you have to get your writing done in spare moments here and there. 

J.K. Rowling

See the full article at Infinity Publishing

On the American essay

What Makes An American Essay ‘American’?

From this week's New Yorker... 

“The essay, in its American incarnation, is a direct outgrowth of the sermon: argumentative, insistent, not infrequently irritating. Americans, in my observation – and despite our fetish for the beauties of individuality and personal freedom – are always, however smilingly, trying to convince somebody, somewhere, of something, and our essayistic tradition bears this out.”

Consider a workbook companion for your nonfiction.

Something new from Infinity Publishing blog:

Turn Your Non-Fiction Book into a Workbook

By Arthur Gutch, Mon, May 16, 2016 @ 09:29 AM

While it's true that independent authors make more money on digital books than hard copy, traditional publishing can offer additional income through add-on books. If your non-fiction work is in the self-help category, or if it teaches how to do something, creating a companion workbook can give you another income stream. Older books can benefit from this treatment, as well. If your book's been out for six months or more, publishing a workbook that features your non-fiction book can uncover additional sources of readership you might never have found before.

Here is the full link to the article...