Trying Out Wattpad: A Beta-Reading Experience

I have known about Wattpad.com for some time now, but have never thought about giving it a go until now.  I do have many beta-readers who will read my novels and give great commentary and criticism, but nothing beats a host of strangers reading your novel and then telling you what they think. If they

3 Writing Rules to Enthrall the Modern Reader

So you’ve written the great American novel… or the next great British novel.  I suppose congratulations are in order.  You have indeed accomplished a grand feat.  Most people who call themselves writers are sitting around dreaming about writing something so grand. Now what? I have edited several novels over the course of my career, and

5 Editing Strategies for the Self-Published Novelist

We self-published authors don’t have the luxury of a team of editors, a crack commando unit of wordsmiths that go through our rough drafts and snipe away at the roguish bad writing, errors, type-os, and other problems that will drag down our work and make it look less than professional. I have taught writing for

5 Problems Facing Novelists and How to Overcome Them

I have always wanted to be a novelist.  Of course this requires that I spend countless hours in front of a computer screen working, many more hours promoting myself, building my platform and generally getting my name out there. Over the years, I have found that there are several “hobgoblins” that will grab a novelist’s