classic novel – T.J. Manrique Author

Emotional Engagement

Hi, and welcome back. Last week, I ran a poll on Twitter to find out what authors thought about Emotional Engagement. The most surprising response was “What? I never heard of it.” I included that option trying for humor but turned out to be an honest to goodness answer. I’ll start by illustrating the concept.Continue reading “Emotional Engagement”

Writer’s legal issues Part 5

Bad reviews and trolls Hi and welcome back to my blog. If it’s your first time here, I hope you enjoy the post and consider visiting every week. We are finally here, The fifth installment of the series of posts regarding the legal problems, tasks, and tribulations all writers and, particularly, authors, face. The veryContinue reading “Writer’s legal issues Part 5”

Writer’s legal issues, Part 4

The legal plight of authors A five-part series of NOT legal advice by somebody who is confused Part 4 BOOK PRICING AND ROYALTIES Hi and welcome back to my blog. If it’s your first time here, I hope you enjoy the post and consider visiting every week. If you’ve hung on this long, you knowContinue reading “Writer’s legal issues, Part 4”

Writer’s legal issues, part 3

The legal plight of authors A five-part series of NOT legal advice by somebody who is confused Part 3 BECOMING A PUBLISHER Hi and welcome back to my blog. If it’s your first time here, I hope you enjoy the post and consider visiting every week. As you know by now, this is the thirdContinue reading “Writer’s legal issues, part 3”

WORD COUNT

WORD COUNT. Like that, in all capital letters. It is a very important concept to grasp in our writing journey. There are several reasons for this. I’ll start by the least sexy of them. No, it does not have to do with the genre. It does not have to do with the cost of editingContinue reading “WORD COUNT”

Getting paid by word vs. by book

No, I’m not smoking any funny stuff. I don’t smoke anymore. Anything. I used to smoke pipe (tobacco) and cigars, but not anymore for health reasons. My wife would kill me if I did, so staying alive and in good health depends on not smoking. Anyway, here I’m talking about the difference between making moneyContinue reading “Getting paid by word vs. by book”

In Medias Res

In medias res translates from Latin as “in the midst of things”. Today, the advice of many academics, authors, and writers is that you should begin your narrative by plunging your Main Character (MC) into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events. The situation may or may not be theContinue reading “In Medias Res”

What’s the big deal with first lines?

First lines. Every book has one. They have evolved. A lot. The changing tastes of the audience and the way people look at books have made them change with time. Of course, many people (and me) blame Twitter for some of this. People are now used to short bursts of information. Limited and, by definition,Continue reading “What’s the big deal with first lines?”