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Many new writers have an incorrect idea of what an edit consists of and what edits they need. Not only how many edits but what does each edit accomplish. You as an author soon realize where your strengths and weakness lie.

When I started out I thought editing consisted of all th...

My private detective series, Gunny Mac Private Detective features four unique characters and three side characters that could almost carry a story by themselves. Unique in the sense, each bring characteristics that convey strength, weakness, humor, and a hardness which allows them to fight and possibly die for their honor.

I didn't mean to take away from my protagonist Gunny Mac, but his personality made men of character want to be around...

I realize google doesn't want to promote articles unless they are a thousands words or more but I'm not going to do that. I cut the fluff and I get to the point.

Your time is valuable, so is mine.

I have been writing novels for five plus years. I have listened to hundreds of gurus on podcasts, w...

Ohio weather is far behind, and I hope my friends are comfortable and warm.

While I have been away enjoyin...

Many people ask the question...where do you get your ideas from? Well, I will confess to you 99% of the time I  find them. You have heard me say over and over again-write about what you have knowledge of and what you are passionate about. I love history...I know alot about history...

We are spending January, February, and March at Seabrook Island and Beaufort, South Carolina. The weather has been beautiful, and I've been writing, writing, and writing onward to my goal of completing my third novel, Gunny Mac Private Detective Trouble in Tomahawk Gap.

The best part is I've gotten to love my characters, and I know them so well they basically write the novel for me, like giving free rein to a horse. They react to my story and events, and I go along for the ride. I guess that happe...

So true...I remember in high school I read Napoleon Hill's masterpiece, "Think and Grow Rich." In his book he says, 'what the mind can conceive and believe in, it can achieve'. Writing a novel is no different. Think about it for a second! I told a young man a while back, who was having confidence issues, you are not alone buddy, most of us average men and women have the same issues. We as writers must not make writing a novel bigger than ourselves. There are millions of libraries with millions of books, by millions of authors. We have a computer between our ears, we need to engage whatever resources we have and write. I believe as Hill states we must form a mastermind group that will help us succeed. A group of people we trust to guide us as we progress through a book. I have a small group, an audio narrator, a cover designer, and a book format expert. They care about me and want my book to be the best. They tell me things about my book knowing I will respond in a thankful way because it is impossible to hurt my feelings...I know I do not possess zero defects and people are much more capable at a lot of things than me. I'm so thankful for any help they give me. Becoming a writer is like getting older and growing up. At first; as a child some things are difficult but as we age and learn and grow riding that bicycle is easy, and then driving a car. A writer starts out as an infant with little knowledge and...

A new writer... if you want to make money; is undertaking  a serious venture into the unknown. 

I mean where is the book that is published covering every aspect of creating a business writing novels?

If you found one it would be at least few thousand pages long, weigh many pounds and cost hundreds of dollars...and the person tr...

The picture you see is the cover of my second novel...you can tell just from the cover who these characters are and the story behind them!

We will begin the thought process of writing a novel like a builder builds a house...ground level. I don't want to confuse the beginner novelist so I just want throw out some ideas you may want to consider in your writing. They are important in deciding how you...

I often scan facebook writing groups and I see new writers talk about writers block...how they can't seem to figure out the next scene or event that will take place. 

In my humble opinion there are reasons for that.

A. You lack knowledge of what you are writing about. You have a great idea, but you are writing in a vacuum; you have an idea...but no connection to a stream of consciousness. 

B. Your background is limited. You have not run into situations that produce real l...

I have spent five years trying to learn how to write a novel...I read twenty books on fiction technique, I attended numerous writers conferences, I listened to 100 blogcasts, reviewed at least three hundred writing websites, and have reviewed over thirty writing facebook groups. What have I learned?

I learned how to write by writng over one million words in the process of writing my first novel.

I have over four hundred undergraduate hours and over 140 graduate hours.

Guess what?...

Two years ago, an event changed my life. I spent fifty dollars to attend a writers' conference in Columbus, Ohio. I walked in just before the writing guru started. The seating capacity was for fifty or sixty people and there was one seat left with a table of eight women. I was mortified...the whole room consisted of women except for me, and Larry Brooks the speaker. I was waiting for Larry to take off his shirt and show his muscled pecks because I thought...

You are committed to writing a novel! That is outstanding.

Now you must be committed to spending money.

I’m not trying to sell you or up-sell you… just trying to help writers. I get nothing from anybody who is somebody.

I have published posts on at least thirty Facebook writing groups and have read thousands of posts by aspiring writers.

Through it all, I’m left with some qualms about my fellow writers, mostly the new writers who were like me. That is not good. In my haste to become a writer, I fell hook, line, and sinker for all the information tellin...