For Writers

Pay It Forward

For me, writing was once a solitary endeavor. I scribbled in my notebooks or typed away on a computer, hit save and then closed down my file.  For a long time, I thought I was the only person crazy enough to try to write a novel without any formal training.

But I’m not.

The Internet has opened up a world of resources and communities where writers can find information, help and camaraderie. I believe in paying it forward, so I’ve list my contributions to helping authors. In the sidebar, I’ve listed some of the articles and blogs I’ve written that might be of particular interest to writers. Enjoy!

 

Author E.M.S.

Author E.M.S. was born from my genuine desire to resolve what I see as a growing problem: how to prevent the meltdowns authors suffer when changing technology overwhelms them and drags their focus away from writing.  At its heart, Author E.M.S. is designed to be a one-stop resource center for all questions relating to the business of being an author. From understanding how to build your Amazon Author Central page to how to manage your Twitter feed through TweetDeck, from where to find book reviewers who love steampunk to whether you should use Smashwords or distribute directly with iTunes, I want Author E.M.S. to provide information, education and perspective. I can’t promise to offer answers to every question. Every author’s situation is unique. But knowledge is power, and I definitely want to provide a simple, central place to share knowledge. Most areas of the site are free, including general resource pages and a weekday blog.

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WritingGIAM

In October 2004, I wanted to undertake a specific writing goal:  I hoped to write the first draft of a novel in one calendar month. As I prepared for this endeavor, I thought it might be nice to gather other romance writers who also wanted to accomplish a specific writing goal. So began the WritingGIAM communities, then known as Writing Goal In A Month. A dozen writers accepted my challenge and to improve our communication, I created a Yahoo loop.  We announced our monthly goals, and at the end of each week, we recapped our progress. When October ended, we were having so much fun as a group that we decided to extend it indefinitely.  Since then, we’ve added five more goals loops and serve over 300 writers. GIAM has come to stand for the cornerstones of our groups: Goals, Inspiration, Amity and Motivation.  With 50 or so members on each goals loop, we get to know each other’s projects, goals, challenges, and we provide emotional support for those down days as readily as we celebrate everyone’s successes. Membership in WritingGIAM is free and open to all writers of all levels. Learn more at WritingGIAM.

 

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Publishing Underground

Open discussion among indie authors and readers of indie published books. For now, we operate as a Facebook group .