TakingDictation

Is Allowing Your Book to Be Adapted for Film Worth It?

A while back, I was all about the Outlander series, which is based on the books by Diana Gabaldon. The episodes felt paced well, had good intrigue and suspense, and appealed to my period-loving heart....

The Key Element That Makes a Great First Line

Whether you're writing the next 1984 or conjuring a regency proposal a la Bridgerton, a great opening will make or break your fiction book.  But how do you really hook a reader? Ekaterina79 from Getty Images Signature...
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Want to Connect Through Your Writing? Offer Some Opinion

Do you want people to care what you think? Does it matter that people ask what your opinion is before they act? Do you go on social media with at least one of your goals...

The Anatomy of a Book Proposal

Unless you plan to self-publish your non-fiction (which is a perfectly valid path), getting your book to readers requires building a book proposal. This is a document that gives an agent or publisher detailed information...

3 Tips for Writing on the Go

I've freelanced from home for years. But I CANNOT stay in my abode every. Single. Day. I end up like Peter from Office Space, leaving for lunch at 9:30 a.m. I follow these 3 basic...

Why the Math on Social Media Doesn’t Add Up for Writers

I've been at this social media game for *cough* a while now, trying to use different platforms to share my writing and market myself. It can be beneficial if you're strategic about it. But if you're wondering why it...

How to Use Credit Card Rewards to Support Your Writing

About a year back, I did something spectacular for a writer to do -- I bricked my less-than-a-year-old laptop. It was an odd accident that shouldn't have made the machine completely unusable. Nevertheless, I had...

How NOT Writing Can Cure Writer’s Block

I've had writer's block so many times. For a long time, I let my fear of not producing and reaching goals drive. I tried to force words to the page, even when my mind was...

Should You Pay for Classes as a Writer?

Have I paid for writing classes, webinars, etc.? Sure. But in this video, I explain why beginning writers -- who typically have zero money anyway -- might benefit from waiting until later to fork out cash. Watch/Subscribe...

The National Archives Needs Cursive Readers, and Now I’m Depressed

Can you read cursive handwriting? Many people can't now -- teaching this form of penmanship has been dropped in many areas of the country, with only 24 out of the 50 states requiring schools to...