If you haven’t noticed, I’m blogging bits of my next book, The Author Training Manual (Writer’s Digest Books, 2014), here on this blog. Now, why would I do that? And why would my publisher want me to do that? Let me explain. Blogging a Book is a Good Idea First, the concept of blogging a book, writing, publishing and promoting…
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Funky Language Monday In today’s writing prompt, we focus on a unique dictionary that contains all kinds of funky words, including African American idioms, expressions, and slang terms. Just like other major social media projects, UrbanDictionary.com was created by a student. Since its inception in 1999, this website has grown in popularity and cultural significance. Your job is to research…
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History Friday 2013 is flying by! Today is the last Friday in February and our final History Friday writing prompt. Let’s go back in time to honor a little-known inventor from the mid 1800s, Joseph Lee, whom I fondly dub “the Bread Crumb Guy.” Joseph was a forward-thinking African American man who revolutionized the food industry with his invention of…
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Dr. Maya Angelou Wednesday In today’s writing prompt, we focus on an interesting turn of events that leads Dr. Maya Angelou to a unique business venture. We already know that Dr. Angelou has done a great deal of writing. She’s a published author, an accomplished public speaker, a champion within the civil rights movement, and a general inspirational person for…
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When I wrote my first book proposal, I relied on three books about how to actually write the all-important document that helps you land a contract with a literary agent and with a publisher. One of those books was agent Sheree Bykofsky’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published, which is now in its fifth edition. Sheree was also one…
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