Category Archives: writing

Not Going To Conference Conference

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Not Going To RWA Nationals in DC? Let Romance Divas bring the conference to you! Site registration is free – if you aren’t already a member of the best free romance writing community on the web, sign up today! July … Continue reading →

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The Daily Grind of the Writer – The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

This might be the most boring blog post ever, but I hope at least a few people find it interesting. This is my writing log for The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover, in which I tracked how … Continue reading →

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Joanna Russ, How to Suppress Women’s Writing

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve been thinking about this book lately, and considering a re-read. Excerpt from How to Suppress Women’s Writing by Joanna Russ: If certain people are not supposed to have the ability to produce “great” literature, and if this supposition is … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Reasons to Attend a Writing/Reading Conference

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Top Ten Reasons to Attend a Writing/Reading Conference 1. To see your friends! 2. To make new friends. Sometimes this is called “networking,” but really, that sounds like something robots do. And there’s no point in “networking” if you’re not … Continue reading →

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Writers Never Run Out of Blog Topics

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Since I’ve begun this blog, I’ve started to notice more and more bloggers who complain that they don’t have anything about which to blog. My first thought is always, “then don’t blog,” but of course that isn’t a good answer … Continue reading →

Posted in blogs, promo, writing | 6 Comments

Revision Metaphors

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Sometimes I look back at what I’ve written in my zero draft. I see heaps of words lining the road. The heaps have shape, but they don’t yet have architectural value. They’re not smoothed and stacked. Sometimes I want to … Continue reading →

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Food in Fiction

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I like to put food in my fiction. First of all, people eat. What they eat can say a lot about their character, and about the world in which they live, and about their interactions with other characters. Does Oscar … Continue reading →

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Reviews, the Sweetest Pain

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” –Samuel Johnson I think writers often worry too much about how their work will be … Continue reading →

Posted in quotes, writing, writing process | 9 Comments

How To Write A Novel (in 72 easy steps!)

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I long ago came to the conclusion that the trickiest part of writing a novel is figuring out how you write novels. You being yourself, a particular author with a particular method of working. All writers know, or should know, … Continue reading →

Posted in writing, writing craft, writing process | 12 Comments

Selling Stories to Editors

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

An interesting question came up on a newsgroup I was reading. Of course all writers write for themselves, to some extent. But what if you discover you have the gift of writing stories a particular editor likes and will buy? … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, short fiction, writing | 2 Comments