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Think Big but Start Small
by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales One of the best pieces of writing advice I received when I was just starting out was to start small. Don't aim for the book deal. Rather, start with a blog. Find your voice. Develop your writing skills. Read a lot and learn the craft.…
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10 Ways to Overcome Post-Conference Blues
by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales This week, I attended ACFW in Nashville, TN. Along with seeing writer friends I've known for years, I saw some who I'm in awe of and just getting to know. I met new friends, as well. I enjoyed the classes I attended. I brainstormed. I…
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5 Ways to Find Comparable Books for Your Proposal
by Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales If you've ever faced having to write a proposal, you've probably had to find books that are comparable to the one you're proposing. I've seen writers struggle with listing books that are similar to the one they wrote, and this always astounds me. [tweet_box design="default" float="none"…
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10 Ways Writers Can Pay It Forward
by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales Jesus said that He came to serve, not to be served. Did you know that as a beginning writer, you can serve other writers? At first, you may wonder how, seeing that you are just getting started. You may not know a lot about the…
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The ABCs of Self-Editing
by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales Self-editing can be an overwhelming task, especially if you don't know what to look for. Below is an ABC list of self-editing issues. It is by no means all-inclusive, but it will give you a great jumpstart for improving your manuscript. Adverbs: Actually, a lot…
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What Do I Cut When I Have Too Many Words?
by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales How long should a novel be? Most posts I've researched give the following guidelines (these are averages, so books could go a little shorter or longer, depending on various aspects): Women's Fiction/Literary/Contemporary: 80,000 - 90,000 words: Keep in mind that you could go as high…
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