If you are a nonfiction author or are thinking of becoming one, this book review is of interest to you. I write everything. Greeting cards, poetry, short stories, articles, memoirs, nonfiction books, and  novels. Like most writers, I read about the craft of writing, publishing, book marketing, etc., to hone my craft. Here is a book review of one such resource. Book Review: Real Fast Writing by Daniel Hall The god stuff Quick Read: Easy to understand Demo videos included The challenges I don’t have anything “bad” to say.  But if you fit 1 or more of categories below,... Read More

Welcome back to another Write On Purpose book review. I share well-written books. While this book  could help with social media for authors trying to navigate the hashtag infested lands of Twitter, it may also be useful for anyone who is new to or confused by Twitter. Social media can suck a lot of time out of your life, in case you hadn’t noticed. And if you want to learn how to use sites like Twitter more effectively, there area a lot of guides. I searched “how to Twitter” and got 4,908 results SO if you’re new to Twitter or totally confused by it,  which guide... Read More

Welcome back to another Write On Purpose book review. I review  well-written books, highlighting what makes each good from the reader’s perspective and what writing skills and techniques make it an irresistible read. Thus, each review serves both writers and readers. I often review fiction, but this time it’s a personal development book to help you live a BLISSful life. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and I believe this is one you will enjoy if you care anything about self mastery and living a hapy life. 6 Divine Principles of Success: The Sacred Tree of... Read More

If you’ve perused the digital shelves of Amazon Kindle looking for advice on how to earn more as an author, you’re not alone. Every author wants to earn more, because the fact of the matter is that royalties are no big whoop, even if you’re selling a $20 tome. “Authors earn more money BECAUSE they’re authors than they do from actual book sales.” — Ronda Del Boccio I have a couple books at 99c. Perhaps you do too. This little volume by Kristen Eckstein is right in line with what I teach all my mentoring students about earning money from y your books.... Read More

Having taken Jan Morrill’s live workshop on creative characterization, I was thrilled when I saw the announcement that she had made a print (and Kindle) workbook to accompany it. Creative Characterization by Jan Morrill  In Creative Characterization, award-winning author Jan Morrill discusses six different methods she uses to develop characters such as those in her historical fiction, The Red Kimono: • Interviewing • Describing Photos and Paintings • Writing Letters • Writing in a Different Point of View • Accessing Character’s Inner Child • Internalization The exercises... Read More

Since every author needs social media and since I’m always reading articles and books to keep on top of things, I thought I’d share one of the excellent books about social media. And it won’t overwhelm you with hundreds of services you don’t understand, either. Please take a close look at this book review and grab your copy of… The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick One thing I love about this book is that it won’t overwhelm you. It gets right to the questions you probably have including: How to optimize your profile How to get more... Read More

I encountered author and social media Frances Caballo through her podcast of the same name. It’s short, useful, and straight to the point. Based on that, I hadhigh expectations of her book. I’m happy to report that she did not disappoint. I’d recommend listening to it. Here’s the link. Review –  Social Media Just for Writers by Frances Caballo Warning – this book COULD overwhelm you. It’s not one of those how-to books  you’ll want to read cover to cover. There is a LOT of info. It’s like the writer’s social media desk reference,... Read More

Some writer friends and I had a rousing discussion about whether our work in progress books were cozy mysteries or not. A cozy mystery has a dead body or two, but not a lot of gore. The reader can cozy up with a good book by the fire, under a blanket, and have a good story without being terrified or having a lesson in forensics. An amateur sleuth gets involved trying to solve the riddle of “whodunit.” I go into more detail about it in this article. Hannah Swensen (Murder She Baked) series and the Cat Who series are examples of cozies. I like them, because I’m not a big fan... Read More

Point of view is perhaps the most difficult skill to develop. SOme writers have more trouble with it than others, but whether trying for deep POV or not-so-deep, it tends to vex every writer to some degree. So if you find it a challenge, you’re in good company! I came across this book and decided to read it so I could see if it’s a worthy resource for you. Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson Deep point of view is so fully in a characters mind that the reader doesn’t just read your book; she lives the story. Go deep enough and your rreader will... Read More

Starting now, each month on the last Thursday I’ll do a review of a book of value and interest to authors. Do you use Twitter? Do you like it?  Does it drive you nuts? At my last live event, several authors came up and said one of these things regarding Twitter: “It’s so stupid.” “It’s a waste of time.” “I just don’t get it.” “I don’t understand why it’s important.” OK, it CAN be a stupid waste of time. But so can nearly anything else in life, if yu think about it. The trick is knowing how to make it... Read More