Send the Letters

This week I’m working on marketing the LDSPMA writers’ conference. No, dear reader, I won’t bug you about it (I linked it though…). This week I’m contacting faculty and student organizations at some universities. And that means calls, emails, and letters. Now, I can’t say sending out emails and letters (or cold calling) is myContinue reading “Send the Letters”

Discovery vs. planning: character backgrounds

Many writers divide themselves into “plotter” and “pantser” camps. But… there’s more to fiction than plot. If you have a plot and no characters, nothing happens. There’s nobody to move the plot forward. So, today we’re considering “discovery writing” versus planning in developing characters. The joy of discovery There is joy in discovery. The thingsContinue reading “Discovery vs. planning: character backgrounds”

Great News!

Well dear reader, some good news dropped this week… Registration for the 2022 LDSPMA conference is open! There’s a lot of good (as in good for the world and good for writers) going on at the conference. So, check it out and I’ll see you next post! Dear Latter-day Saint Writers, Editors, Artists, Performers, Designers,Continue reading “Great News!”

Writing and project management

As writers, we’re learners, discoverers, and doers of the work. And if we want to be published, really published with stuff people actually read, there’s a lot of work to do. True, you might have a tweet or blog post go viral with little effort. But a book, article, or post that people come backContinue reading “Writing and project management”

Writing the Paranormal Novel approachable, straightforward, and useful

Writers need to be readers as well. And, if we’re going to be readers, it’s natural for us to talk about what we read. This week we’re looking at Writing the Paranormal Novel by Steven Harper. Is it perfect for everyone? Probably not. Is it useful for people who want to learn about writing? I’mContinue reading “Writing the Paranormal Novel approachable, straightforward, and useful”

For our nonfiction friends

I got my start in fiction. I love doing fiction. But today’s post is for those who focus on non-fiction. The writing conference/organization I work with (LDSPMA) is doing a seven (7) week nonfiction workshop. And, even as a fiction writer, this thing really catches my attention. What is it? The workshop is a seven-weekContinue reading “For our nonfiction friends”

The Great Gatsby

Previously, on Forever Mountain Publishing… I talked about reading Shadow of Ender and Enders Game as part of my ongoing study of character representation. I also said I’d read The Great Gatsby. Well, I did and I’m glad I did. There’s a lot you can learn from reading other people’s stuff. In the case ofContinue reading “The Great Gatsby”

The value of time

This week we’re talking about a very helpful tool, one overlooked by many outside the “grind a day” world: an hourly rate. Hourly rates for non-hourly people There are those that’ll tell you the hourly wage is for blue collar folk. And, the hourly wage might be, but the hourly rate is for anyone whoContinue reading “The value of time”

Justifiably ragged…

Justified vs ragged right edge text As a writer, I do a lot of reading. As a reader, one of the first things I do is look at the text. Not read the text, look at it. How is it set up? What font and font size are used? How big are the paragraphs? AreContinue reading “Justifiably ragged…”

One step…

Often, the first (and one of the biggest) obstacles to getting things done is getting started… Once you’ve started, you’ve got traction. Once you’ve started, you’ve got an investment. (note: you may have invested money beforehand, but once you start, you’ve invested time and effort and for a lot of us, those seem to beContinue reading “One step…”