The Digital Age has arrived, and the ramifications of a connected world are still being revealed daily. But, there’s one trend I’d be hard-pressed to argue with. The 20th Century was all about homogeneity. Madison Avenue flourished by telling us which clothing brands made us cool, which car made us special, what foods were “healthy.” Tower Records controlled what music we heard and The Big Six selected which books we read.

Gatekeepers controlled information and retailers restricted commodities because homogeneity dictated many business decisions. Homogeneity was simpler and required less paperwork and thinking.

Generations bought Wonderbread because it was “fortified with vitamins” and “good for your kids.” In 1986? Hope you liked stirrup pants. There was a cultural need to “fit in” and be like everyone else, especially those who were the “cool kids.”

“Pillars of Same” Go Crashing Down

With the advent of the Internet and widespread use of social…

When I began writing I was SO SURE agents would be fighting over my manuscript. Yeah. But after almost thirteen years in the industry, a lot of bloody noses, and even more lessons in humility, I hope that these tips will help you. Self-publishing is AWESOME, and it’s a better fit for certain personalities and even content (um, social media?), but we must be educated before we publish.

Mistake #1 Publishing Before We Are Ready

The problem with the ease of self-publishing is that it is, well, too easy. When we are new, frankly, most of us are too dumb to know what we don’t know. Just because we made As in English, does not automatically qualify us to write a work spanning 60,000-100,000 words. I cannot count how many writers I’ve met who refuse to read fiction, refuse to read craft books, and who only go to pitch agents…

Turning Whine into Gold:
5 things readers want from novelists on social media

by Kathryn Craft

You may not have a book out, but if you have expressed on Twitter or Facebook your hope to be a published author, you have indeed begun a social media campaign.

People are already reading your words on these sites and forming an impression, so it makes sense to think about what your readers want from you.

Here are 5 things I want from the authors I follow:

1. I want to be entertained.

It stands to reason that authors, due to their daily manipulation of language, have a greater command of it. Add to that a flair for comparison, an affinity for odd characters, a love of whimsical description, and the ability to thread an arrow through the very essence of story, and you have all the makings of an entertaining post.

2…

By Laura Drake

As I get better at craft, I’m beginning to catch the nuances of good writing; things beyond the basics of POV, show don’t tell, etc. They’re more subtle and harder to spot, but I believe they can be the difference between a ‘good writer’ and a popular author.

These are only a few – Please add your tips in the comments so we’ll all learn more, won’t you?

1. Unnecessary thoughts.Something happens – your character has a thought about it – someone speaks – your character has another thought. It breaks up and slows the scene, and it doesn’t add enough to warrant the break. Example:

When he stepped out, he had no smile for her. He avoided meeting her gaze. Even though his clothing was freshly pressed and his shoulders were back, he looked drained, as if he’d just run the obstacle course.

The presentation…

Today I am sharing something not too many of my writer family knows about me. I lost my sixteen year old son, Eric, in 1996 to suicide.  I’d love to report that I’m over his death, but the truth is, his death is something I know I will never get over. But I have learned to deal with my loss of him.

December is hard for me, and I know it is for countless others who are dealing with the loss of their loved ones. Eric’s birthday was December 7. Last year my daughter gave me my first granddaughter born on his birthday.

Ms. Charlotte Joann is named after my mother who died two years after my son. In the span of two years, I lost two people I loved.

For years after my mom died, I’d break out her tree even though it was so old the limbs wouldn’t…

by Tiffany Lawson Inman

Hello and Happy December! I’ve kept my blog a little shorter today because I know you all are busy busy busy with festivities writing. *wink wink* My hubby is currently wondering when I will put the laptop away and finish wrapping presents.

Here is Part One of my new series here at WITS: Crossing Physical Barriers. Enjoy!

The in-laws will be on your doorstep in 7 hours. The holiday meal must be unique-yet-likeable to nine adults (plus 4 kids) and, um, perfect!

Your house, marriage, holiday décor, life path, parenting skills, current and past weight and hairstyles will be under close scrutiny for the next week. And you are eight days away from the end of the year, realizing now, you are lacking in accomplishments.

Can you think of a better combination for stress, physical outbursts and acne?!?!?

Just from reading the above passage, did you…

Every year I repost this letter, which ran in the New York Sun in 1897. It’s easy to forget all of the good in the world when we’re surrounded by skepticism, negativity and sadness. But this beautiful response always reminds me that there is so much more good than bad, so much more love than hate. All you need is the ability to open your eyes and see the everyday magic at work in our lives. 

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O’HANLON.

115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET

The Response: 

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which…

WINNING WAYS

by Hugh Wilson

If you want to win a writing contest, the first thing you must do is study the rules. Many entries are disqualified because the story has not met every requirement, e.g. if the rules state a maximum of 1000 words, a 1200-word story, however brilliant, will go straight on the NO pile.

Assuming you’ve done that bit right, the judges will be looking at four elements:

• Originality

• Creativity

• Style

• Technique

Don’t let those official sounding words put you off. They are only words. Let’s look at each and see what they mean to us as writers.

Originality.

Think again. Winning stories come from second, third, tenth thoughts. Some contests give you a theme – “Wedding Day” for instance. What’s the first thought that comes to mind?

Forget it. You can bet your last dollar that everyone else will have thought it…

by Susan Spann

Writers In The Storm is delighted to welcome back Susan as she kicks off her new series on copyright and rights clauses in publishing contracts.

Note: As always, Susan is open for questions down in the comments!

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As 2013 draws to a close, I’m starting a brand new #PubLaw guest series here at WITS.

Many of you have commented about your desire to take charge of your writing careers in 2014 – to launch a new year with a brand new publishing outlook. For some, that means finishing a new novel. For others, finding an agent or a publisher. For others still, 2014 will mark the launch of an independent publishing career.

Some of you may look at this list and say “yep, I’m planning all of the above.”

Whatever publishing path you choose, and wherever you are along it, it’s…

One of my all-time favorite movies for the holidays is The Muppets Christmas Carol. I believe I’ve seen this movie a few hundred times. I’ve worn out three VHS tapes and at least three DVDs. I play the movie over and over, mainly because, well, duh,  MUPPETS! I drive my husband nuts playing this movie over and over…and over. I’m worse than a three-year-old.

But, Muppets aside, also I can’t get enough of the music. Also, I love the story of A Christmas Carol no matter how many times I see it, no matter how many renditions, and I am certainly not alone. Charles Dickens’ story of a redeemed miser is a staple for holiday celebrations around the world and across the generations.

This story is virtually synonymous with “Christmas,” but why is it such a powerful story? Why has it spoken so deeply to so many? Why is…

All of us at WITS do our best to bring you information about every aspect of today’s publishing. Today’s post delves into a unique project, and New York Times bestselling author, Deb Holland, is here to tell you all about it — the good, the bad and the OMG!

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By Debra Holland

The idea of a multi-author anthology set in my bestselling Montana Sky series was born in the Spring of 2013. The prior year, I’d written a collection of short Christmas stories, Montana Sky Christmas, and loved the experience. I had more ideas for Christmas stories and knew I wanted to write a second collection.

The Problem: My deadlines for the year didn’t allow time to add a book of short stories.

One of my long-time favorite authors, Andre Norton, had several multi-author anthologies in her Witch World series. Authors or aspiring authors…

If there was ever a secret to writing, then mastering DEEP POV would be it. It certainly takes time to learn the techniques involved around getting this POV right, but I hear time and time again from editors and publishers that this is the most powerful tool in a writer’s arsenal. Study and delve into it, and ensure you have this secret weapon at the top of your toolbox. As a writer, going DEEP, means you have to go deep inside your character’s head when you tell your story. Every action, reaction, emotion and thought has to be shown as if the character was living and breathing the story, and not the author telling it.

Here are some tips and techniques to aid you in mastering your POV and going Deep.

• In order to keep things in perspective as you write, allow your POV character to guide you through their world.
• Use all the character’s senses to feel, hear, smell, see and taste things.
• Since the character is…