Matthew Iden's Blog, page 21

I'm far from an expert on the craft of writing, but I do know what's helped me and what hasn't. This is a very small group of writing guides, but it's my "marooned on a desert island" list. It also doesn't include what I consider the indispensable basics, either, like Elements of Style or Garner's [...]

An announcement made earlier this week by Amazon sent shock waves throughout the indie author world–and through the publishing world, no doubt. The event was the grand unveiling of KDP Select, a program that was being sold to indie authors as a way of increasing exposure and possibly bumping up royalties as well. The deep [...]

Sue Grafton once said, "Coincidence can get you into a plot, but it can't get you out." I'm going to paraphrase her by adding, "And you can even have coincidence, but you can't have a vacuum." Let me explain. A good thriller writer I enjoy is known for his action scenes, humor, and the complete [...]

I was nearing the end of a seven-week writing class held at the Smithsonian. The teacher was wrapping up both the evening and the course and was trying to leave us with some food for thought. The advice ran a familiar gamut: write every day, read what you want to write, work through rejection. Then, [...]

My first Librarything.com giveaway is just a few days over and I'm happy with the results. For those not in the know, Librarything is a great resource for both readers and writers by bringing a librarian's sensibility to a book fan site. LT allows for reviews, ratings, personal libraries, also reads, and much more. For [...]

Friends – I'm excited to announce that I've just published four collections of my short stories on Amazon for the Kindle–with other eReader formats to follow by 1 December. I hope you'll be kind enough to give my fledgling writing career a boost. Here's how: Buy my books (just $.99 each…or buy all of them [...]

For my own pleasure and education, I write personal critiques of popular books, books I admire, and books I think would be better used to level a wobbly table. I record my thoughts on voice, style, and especially great passages. I also write down weaknesses and issues I find grating. Recently, while reading through a [...]

Great Quotes: The power of language My natural inclination on blogs and posts is to rant, which might lower my blood pressure a bit (though sometimes it spikes, instead), but isn't very pleasant to read day in, day out. It's important to take time to admire the craft of writing and celebrate the best examples [...]