By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Is seems that 2016 is flying by. Before we know it, we’ll be turning our calendars over to 2017 (metaphorically speaking at least, since few people use paper calendars anymore). Halloween has just past, Thanksgiving will soon be here, followed by Christmas and then New Year’s. January 1, 2017, looms […]
Participating in writing conferences is a great opportunity to move forward as writers Writing conferences offer many benefits. They provide education, encouragement, networking, and making friends. At conferences we can learn about writing, the industry, and promotion. We can meet editors, publishers, and agents. We forge friendships. And we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves […]
Wordsmiths need both knowledge and a growing word count to achieve writing success I’ve run into writers who work in a vacuum. Committed to writing all they do is write, but they don’t study the craft. They don’t read books or magazines about writing; they don’t take classes, attend workshops, or go to conferences; they […]
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5 Benefits of Blogging
Generating blog posts helps writers grow in the craft of writing and publishing content I’ve been blogging since 2008 and have written over 1,600 posts for my blogs. That’s close to half a million words and more hours than I care to admit. Why do I do it? That’s a great question, which I periodically […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I recently read a fiction book set in the late nineties. In a small but pivotal part of the story stood a telephone answering service. The author was mostly accurate in describing how an answering service functions, though his depiction of the industry highlighted several negative stereotypes as the norm. […]
Now is the time to prepare for NaNoWriMo in November I’ve written nonfiction all of my adult life and recently began writing fiction for some variety. I started with a short story (mostly flash fiction: under 1,000 words) because it was faster to write and easier to experiment. And if it doesn’t work, I haven’t […]
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Capitalize on Small Wins
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I haven’t followed baseball much in recent years, but I still periodically check how my state’s Detroit Tigers are doing. This past Sunday, going into their final scheduled game of the regular season they still contended for one remaining wildcard slot in this year’s playoffs, but a 0 to 1 […]
There is only one, single decree for you to obey as you write If you spend any time at all learning about writing and working to improve your craft you will have heard all kinds of advice on what to do or not do. These are often presented as rules, incontrovertible requirements for us to […]
Social media is a great way to connect with others and share content Last month we started a new feature here on Byline where we end each month giving you a chance to share with our community. We started with an opportunity to post a link to your website or blog. And if you missed […]
Podcasts Provide Practical on-the-go Instruction I listen to many podcasts, between ten to fifteen hours a week, that cover writing or publishing. I listen in the car, during lunch, on walks and as I work around home. I access all through iTunes and listen on my iPod. I select podcasts to help me become a […]