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Books for Writers: Techniques of the Selling Writer

This is a must read if you have never studied fiction.  While the text is dry (it was written many decades ago and serves as a textbook in many creative fiction courses), it is invaluable. Firstly, it lays out fiction wonderfully.  Swain has a treasure trove of do's and don'ts lined up in all areas, be it character, setting, or the middle of the story. Be prepared to highlight.  I never ever ever mark in my books.  Ever.  It's the 8th Deadly Sin.  But still I found myself thinking "Hey I need to mark this."  This is great for indie authors who are just setting out or those who are experienced and want to improve their craft.  I find myself referencing it even when I'm not writing. I literally (sorry for word choice, but it's true) cannot go into how much value this book is on your bookshelf.  It's almost entirely made up of information, as opposed to other books that promise that simply retell their experiences and market it as "expe
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Books for Writers: The Forest for the Trees

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Unpublishing My Firstborn

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This past week I unpublished the three books in my Civil Tribulation Series. I had been wrestling with this idea for a few months and ultimately decided to pull the trigger. I realized this was the right thing to do, in part, for all the reasons  Expedition to Eden  author J. Manfred Weichsel said: I wrote most of these books when I was an undergraduate. This was before my first fiction sale, before I studied craft or prose or became an avid reader. My marketing was nonexistent for these books and I bet if you follow me on Twitter , you didn't even know I had self published three books. Collateral Damage changed everything. I'm currently working through the edits to this project. It will be the best thing I've written so far. And my biggest fear was that a reader would love Collateral Damage , pick up one from the  Civil Tribulation Series, and be disappointed with the product. With all that being said, I fully stand behind the story in the Civil
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