• How Long Does it Take You to Edit a Novel?

    Updated: 2012-04-30 15:37:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • 7 More Ways to Gain Control Over Your Freelancing Life

    Updated: 2012-04-30 12:00:26
    The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments 7 More Ways to Gain Control Over Your Freelancing Life Freelancing pretty much defines lack of control : We don’t directly control when we get assignments , how much money we make , and even when we get paid . It certainly gets frustrating at times , and can lead to a lack of motivation and , ultimately , . burnout A few years ago I wrote a post called How to Gain Control Over Your Freelancing Life which included several ways to control your work and your . workday Since writing that post which is one of the most popular ones I’ve ever written I’ve come to realize that even if our freelancing life is objectively going well , if we

  • 2012 April PAD Challenge: Day 30

    Updated: 2012-04-30 10:00:01
    Well, this is it. Crazy as it seems to me, we’ve somehow reached the finish line on yet another poem-a-day challenge. Please tune in tomorrow for a list of instructions on turning … Read more

  • 10th Free “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest (Upmarket / Women’s / Mainstream Fiction)

    Updated: 2012-04-30 05:43:08
    Welcome to the 10th (free!) "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest on the GLA blog. This is a recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here's the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if you're writing a upmarket novel(see exactly what this category means below), this 10th contest is for you! (The contest is live through May 14, 2012.) Read more

  • April A to Z - Z is for Zhu Bhajee

    Updated: 2012-04-29 20:46:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , April 29, 2012 April A to Z Z is for Zhu Bhajee Art by Zhu Zhu Bhajee is a talented artist and fellow blogger down at http : realmofzhu.blogspot.co.uk where you can find many lovely drawings and posts on other subjects including Fighting Fantasy . For a full low down on what Zhu covers here is the manifesto from the first post on the blog This blog will become a space for my fantasy and gaming related art , design , opinion and campaign development projects . nbsp Expect old school” Dungeons and Dragons , Retro Warhammer , 80’s Citadel Miniatures , Lord of the Rings , Fighting Fantasy , Meta-Gaming , my campaign setting tentatively entitled The Realm of Zhu

  • 2012 April PAD Challenge: Day 29

    Updated: 2012-04-29 10:00:57
    For today’s prompt, take a favorite line or image from an earlier poem this month and re-work it into a new poem. This is a fun exercise that I’ve used to successfully … Read more

  • “How I Got Published” — Wade Rouse, Best-Selling Author and Editor of I’M NOT THE BIGGEST B**** IN THIS RELATIONSHIP

    Updated: 2012-04-29 05:37:29
    , WritersDigest.com Skip to content Home Writing Articles By Writing Genre Literary Fiction Young Adult Childrens Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story Essay Articles Freelance Memoir Nonfiction Mystery Thriller Romance Horror Spiritual Humor Poetry Script Writing By Writing Goal Get Published Sell Your Work Complete 1st Chapter Complete 1st Draft Build a Platform Start Blogging How to Improve Writing Skills How to Write an Article Overcoming Writer’s Block Business Legal Matters Promoting Your Work By Writing Level Haven’t Written Anything Yet At Work on First Draft Completed Multiple Manuscripts Published Author Community Forum About StoryFriday Weekly Writing Prompts The WD Community Writing Groups Editor Blogs Guide to Literary Agents The Writer’s Dig There Are No Rules Questions

  • 2012 April PAD Challenge: Day 28

    Updated: 2012-04-28 10:00:36
    For today’s prompt, write a problem poem. The poem could be about a problem the narrator is suffering through, or someone else’s problem. Or a math problem. Here’s my attempt: “Still Burning” … Read more

  • Synopsis Example: The IDES OF MARCH (Political / Thriller)

    Updated: 2012-04-28 05:31:27
    Here’s another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it’s The Ides of March (2011). It's a thriller, sure, but a character-driven one.The biggest challenge with this one was cutting down on which characters to mention. You'll notice how Jeffrey Wright's and Paul Giamatti's characters are glanced over. This is on purpose. I just barely got this under the necessary word count. Remember: Keep your synopses moving -- cut, cut, cut. Read more

  • April A to Z - Y is for Youtube

    Updated: 2012-04-27 21:47:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , April 27, 2012 April A to Z Y is for Youtube Youtube is the second biggest search engine in the world after Google so it is only natural that gamebooks and interactive fiction will appear on Youtube . Here is a selection of gamebook related channels and videos on Youtube . Enjoy Tin Man Games You can see the trailers for the latest Gamebook Adventure at the Tin Man Games channel as well as watch some interviews with the Tin Men and see what they like . Fighting Fantasy Currently has only one video but it might get some more Laughing Jackal Games This is the company that has made some Fighting Fantasy books available on Playstation . You can watch the

  • What’s the single best piece of writing advice? Harper Lee, John Steinbeck and Carl Sandburg weigh in

    Updated: 2012-04-27 19:54:34
    Every week, I spelunk into the Writer’s Digest archives to find the wisest, funniest, or downright strangest moments from our 92 years of publication. Harper Lee’s birthday is tomorrow, so today I went on a hunt … Read more

  • Writer’s Digest Conference West in Los Angeles (Oct. 19-21, 2012) Has Sessions, Agents, Pitches and More

    Updated: 2012-04-27 17:50:29
    After the great success Writer's Digest has had organizing its event in New York City, we are very excited to be expanding to the West Coast as of 2012. Writer's Digest Conference West is a new event in Los Angeles set for October 19-21, 2012. All the good stuff you have come to expect from a WD conference will be here -- sessions, agents, bootcamps, the Pitch Slam, and more. Read more

  • April A to Z - X is also for Xtra amateurs - an interview with bcyy

    Updated: 2012-04-27 16:53:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , April 27, 2012 April A to Z X is also for Xtra amateurs an interview with bcyy The gamebook interviews just don't stop . Bcyy is a regular of ffproject who also replied to my interview questions . Here we go . What was the first gamebook you read that wasn't your own Metal City Mayhem Sonic series What is your favourite gamebook Creature of Havoc or Moonrunner , can't decide . which Captif d'Yvoire T T and Warbringer Way of the Tiger also stand out , but they suffer from belonging to mundane series , . IMHO What gamebooks interactive fiction would you recommend to a newcomer to the genre Midnight Rogue , Vault of the Vampire , Creature of Havoc . In exactly

  • Asking questions is more important than finding answers — why?

    Updated: 2012-04-27 15:56:23
    This week, as I was riding my bike to work and listening to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World (a classic fantasy/adventure book), one of the characters — was it Bayle Domon, the pirate? for the life of me, I can’t remember, nor can I find it, but he says something like this to Rand, one of the protagonists: Sometimes ... more »

  • 2012 April PAD Challenge: Day 27

    Updated: 2012-04-27 10:00:09
    Before today’s prompt, I just wanted to say thank you to Poetic Asides regular Cara Holman for featuring me on her Poet Showcase series. It’s really an honor, and I always feel … Read more

  • April A to Z - X is for Xhoromag and gamebook writing programs.

    Updated: 2012-04-26 21:59:00
    : . Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Thursday , April 26, 2012 April A to Z X is for Xhoromag and gamebook writing programs . Writing a gamebook can be a time consuming process . First you have to plan all of the possible paths , then you have to split the paths up into paragraphs and write them . Then you have to randomise the paragraphs . This can get very tedious . Fortunately several people have come up with gamebook writing programs to make the whole paragraph organisation and randomisation thing easier . Once of these people is Xhoromag , whose program , ADVELH is very useful in randomising the paragraphs and producing them as a RTF document or a hyperlinked web page . There are many other

  • April A to Z - W is for the Windhammer competition

    Updated: 2012-04-25 20:28:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Wednesday , April 25, 2012 April A to Z W is for the Windhammer competition Ah , the Windhammer competition If it wasn't for this showcase of gamebook talent , I probably wouldn't have ventured too far into the world of gamebooks . It was the Windhammer competition that motivated me to write better gamebooks after a few terrible attempts . So it means a lot to me . However , there is more to arborell than this competition . It is also home to the Windhammer gamebooks written by Wayne Densley which are set in a rich vivid world . You should definitely take a look at . them The Windhammer competition is running this year and there is no excuse for not entering so get

  • April A to Z - W is also for Wright, Andrew

    Updated: 2012-04-25 20:27:00
    : , Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Wednesday , April 25, 2012 April A to Z W is also for Wright , Andrew Andrew Wright has been a huge contributor to the world of gamebooks on the internet for as long as the internet has been around and before that , he was probably planning lots gamebook related stuff to put on the internet as soon as it was to be invented There is nothing he hasn't done . He has written many many gamebooks He has won competitions for his gamebooks He has produced a gamebook for the iPhone He has and is the leading expert of Titan's bestiary and he is also a lynchpin in many gamebook groups and forums going by the name Greyarea13 He is also a regular contributor and Out of the Pit

  • How Long Does it Take You to Finish a Draft?

    Updated: 2012-04-25 15:33:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • Take Our Survey, Win a Prize!

    Updated: 2012-04-25 14:41:36
    , The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Take Our Survey , Win a Prize Carol Tice of the Freelance Writers Den and I are busy working on our new class a 4-Week Journalism School” where we address finding ideas , interviews , research , writing , ethics and more . This course will include all the nitty-gritty details you need to know as a freelance writer without the 5-figure price tag of journalism . school We want to be sure to answer writers’ most pressing questions in this class , so Carol developed a survey Please do head over there and take a few minutes to fill it out , and as a thank-you we’ll offer you a 30 discount off the course usually 295 if you decide to

  • April A to Z - V is for Very comprehensive gamebook websites

    Updated: 2012-04-24 21:37:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Tuesday , April 24, 2012 April A to Z V is for Very comprehensive gamebook websites Demian Katz has done exactly what this blog post is about he has compiled the most comprehensive database on gamebooks ever . You can find this at www.gamebooks.org where you can find information and possibly reviews on any gamebook you could care to think of . You can also create your own haves and wants list so that you can trade in gamebooks . It is for this reason that Demian is a gamebook hero . I have what appears to be a short interview with Demian but that is because most questions I would have asked have already been answered on his FAQs page so have a little gander at that

  • The Top 5 Social Media Blunders You Shouldn't Make

    Updated: 2012-04-24 15:23:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • April A to Z - U is for Undead filled new Fighting Fantasy books - an interview with Jamie Fry, webmaster of the official Fighting Fantasy site (aka the Warlock)

    Updated: 2012-04-23 23:21:00
    : , Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Tuesday , April 24, 2012 April A to Z U is for Undead filled new Fighting Fantasy books an interview with Jamie Fry , webmaster of the official Fighting Fantasy site aka the Warlock Today , we have Jamie Fry a long time Fighting Fantasy fan who brings us lots of information and news on Fighting Fantasy with his website Fighting Fantasy Collector Of course , then he became the webmaster of the official Fighting Fantasy website and obtained the title The Warlock I contacted him to as him about his rise to the official webmaster and whether he could tell us anything about Ian Livingstone's new 30th anniversary . gamebook What was the first gamebook you read that

  • Where’s your line in the sand?

    Updated: 2012-04-23 14:50:47
    The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Where’s your line in the sand Last week Linda and I were commiserating about the unreasonable demands some editors have been putting on us lately , stuff like expecting us to work through the weekend , pursuing sources who are clearly not interested in being pursued , and waiting eons to get paid after our work has appeared in print . I kid you not on that last one . I mentioned to her how in the last couple years , I’ve gotten less tolerant of these demands . Yep , you’d think that hustling for fewer jobs in this crappy economy would make me shut up and put up , but it has had the exact opposite effect on me . Some of it has to

  • April A to Z - T is for Twitter part 1 - an interview with Samuel J. Richards creator of Tweet RPG

    Updated: 2012-04-23 04:23:00
    : . Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Monday , April 23, 2012 April A to Z T is for Twitter part 1 an interview with Samuel J . Richards creator of Tweet RPG There was once a time when I thought that Twitter only existed so that we could all read about what Stephen Fry was eating for lunch in Belgum . Howver , I have realised that it is for much much more . Through Twitter , I have found an excellent cover designer talked with gamebook greats and interacted with my fans . People are also coming up with other creative uses for Twitter such as running an interactive RPG on it where followers vote on the outcome . Yes , it seems that Twitter can do anything . The accound in question is Tweet RPG and at

  • April A to Z - T is for Twitter part 2 - an interview with Ashton Saylor

    Updated: 2012-04-23 04:23:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Monday , April 23, 2012 April A to Z T is for Twitter part 2 an interview with Ashton Saylor I first heard of Ashton Saylor when he entered the 2010 Windhammer Competition with his gamebook The Gates of Heaven and Hell a modern fantasy where you are a girl with the power to open said gates . The next year , he wrote a gamebook that was completely different in every way different genre , different game system , different setting Peledgathol The Last Fortress where you are a dwarf king who is trying to lead his people to a new home and defend it from a horde of goblins . I was really impressed with Ashton's versatility , talent and writing skills . Now Ashton has a

  • Gamebook forums to enjoy

    Updated: 2012-04-22 05:51:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , April 22, 2012 Gamebook forums to enjoy You can find forums were like minded people gather to discuss literally anything and gamebooks are no exception . So if you want to chow down on all things gamebook and read new gamebooks by talented amateurs , here's a list of forums and message boards you can get involved in . There are also several Yahoo Groups which I will be covering in another post . I go under the username slloyd14, the letters being based on my name and the 14 being the number I needed to add for some internet account I had years ago possibly for an orange phone so I could text from online Do people even do that nowadays The Unofficial Fighting

  • April A to Z - S is for Spin offs part 2 - an interview with Christian Dunn

    Updated: 2012-04-21 05:30:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Saturday , April 21, 2012 April A to Z S is for Spin offs part 2 an interview with Christian Dunn Christian Dunn is the author of the first Warhammer 40000 gamebook Hive of the Dead so of course I had to interview him to find out how he turned the format for a wonderful tabletop wargame into a gamebook and whether we have more Warhammer gamebooks to look forward to What was the first gamebook you read that wasn't your own The Warlock of Firetop Mountain I checked it out of my local library at the start of one Summer holiday and spent the next 6 weeks trying to play through as many FF books as I could lay my hands . on What is your favourite gamebook Creature of Havoc

  • April A to Z - R is for readers part 2 - an interview with Torallion

    Updated: 2012-04-20 05:15:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , April 20, 2012 April A to Z R is for readers part 2 an interview with Torallion Torallion's blog is new to the scene , but his reviews are impressive in the sense that they are thorough and informative . At the time of writing , Torallion has written about the first two Fighting Fantasy books and he leaves no stone unturned . You can read about his play throughs and then get a verdict on how good the gamebook is . I also like his cheating scale , measured in Razaaks . Nice touch . His blog , Gamebook Geek can be found here . Take a look at it after reading the interview . What was the first gamebook you read The first one I read was Fighting Fantasy 10 House

  • April A to Z - R is for Readers part 1 - an interview with Murray, author of the Turn to 400 blog

    Updated: 2012-04-20 05:15:00
    : , Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , April 20, 2012 April A to Z R is for Readers part 1 an interview with Murray , author of the Turn to 400 blog Murray is nothing short of a comic genius who has turned his talents to making witty and sometimes scathing remarks about his play throughs of Fighting Fantasy books . At the time of writing , Murray has reached number 10 House of Hell and you should check out all of his posts at http : turnto400.blogspot.co.uk I cannot offer you a better introduction to the blog than Lee Williams Are YOU interested in Fighting Fantasy Are YOU unafraid to giggle like a tipsy schoolgirl in front of your computer Turn to this excellent and hilarious blog .

  • Differences between blogs and wikis, and why you might need both

    Updated: 2012-04-19 17:11:17
    At work I have often grumbled about the fact that we have both a blog and a wiki, and that content shared between them sometimes seems redundant and unnecessary. However, I have since come to realize how well blogs and wikis fit together. I think it makes sense to have both — at least in my authoring scenario. In short, wikis are suited for information ... more »

  • 8 Ways to Land New Writing Assignments (Not Just Queries!)

    Updated: 2012-04-19 12:00:24
    The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments 8 Ways to Land New Writing Assignments Not Just Queries I’m on vacation this week , so I’m reprinting a post that can help you get more work . Enjoy I get a lot of assignments I have to , as I’m the main breadwinner for my family Since 1997, I’ve written for more than 130 magazines the vast majority of them multiple times and close to 30 corporate . clients Writers often write to me asking why they aren’t getting assignments , and I know they expect me to say , Oh , if you just did this in your query letters , the assignments would come rolling in . 8221 Yes : Query letters are important , and you want yours to be great . But

  • Pay What You Want for the Next Freelance Blast Off Audit

    Updated: 2012-04-18 16:16:46
    Have you been wanting to audit Carol Tice’s and my Freelance Blast Off, but were reluctant to pay the price? Well, this time we’re letting you pay what you want (minimum $30). We usually teach the Blast-Off group coaching class to a select group of only 14 students about once a quarter, and offer this Audit option at $97 — where you take all our class recordings and handouts and work independently — only when a class is beginning. But right now, we’re busy creating a new class. We don’t want writers … Click here to keep reading...

  • April A to Z - P is for Pirate gamebooks that took a while to be released (Jonathan Green)

    Updated: 2012-04-18 05:28:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Wednesday , April 18, 2012 April A to Z P is for Pirate gamebooks that took a while to be released Jonathan Green The book in question that I am talking about is Bloodbones the fabled Fighting Fantasy 60 that never got published back in the 1990s its story can be found here It did get published in 2006 and the fandom rejoiced . Jonathan then went on to write three more Fighting Fantasy books after Bloodbones Howl of the Werewolf Stormslayer and Night of the Necromancer Before that , Jon had already written gamebooks for the old' Fighting Fantasy series Spellbreaker Knights of Doom and Curse of the Mummy There is a marked difference between Jon's old' and new'

  • Leveraging the wisdom of the 80/20 rule: Focusing on content that matters

    Updated: 2012-04-17 20:46:19
    The 80/20 rule, or Pareto’s Principle, states that 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. Applied to help authoring, this could mean that from 100 help topics you write, about 20 of the topics will be viewed 80 percent of the time. Designers recognize the applicability of the 80/20 rule on design. Heat maps show that people only focus on ... more »

  • NYC!

    Updated: 2012-04-17 16:16:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • April A to Z - O is for Own Adventure (as in Choose Your) - an interview with Christopher Liu

    Updated: 2012-04-16 23:01:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Tuesday , April 17, 2012 April A to Z O is for Own Adventure as in Choose Your an interview with Christopher Liu Ah yes , Choose Your Own Adventure Started in 1979 by R.A Montgomery , the series , like gamebooks in general has enjoyed a resurgence . It is simpler than Fighting Fantasy and covers a huge range of scenarios from a race across Kenya to going back in time and helping Robin Hood to dealing with ghosts with your friends sans dog to looking for your lost horse As well as starting to sell more books , we now have Choose Your Own Adventure style programs for smartphones thanks to Christopher Liu , creator of Adventure Cow This websites allows people to design

  • A Love Affair with Grapefruit

    Updated: 2012-04-15 23:17:02
    I admit that I am developing a love affair with grapefruit. Don’t get me wrong — I love many types of fruit. But there’s something particularly special about the grapefruit, particularly ruby red grapefruit. Looking at the following image, can anyone really blame me? I’m not sure if I can even pinpoint exactly why I like grapefruit so much. First of all, it’s a fruit ... more »

  • April A to Z - N is for Tunnels N Trolls part 1 - an interview with Ken St Andre

    Updated: 2012-04-15 22:54:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , April 15, 2012 April A to Z N is for Tunnels N Trolls part 1 an interview with Ken St Andre Ken St Andre is the creator yes creator of the Tunnels and Trolls RPG which was started back in 1975 you can read about the history of TnT here an RPG with a dedicated fanbase that is still going strong today . Ken works tirelessly on TnT and remains very close to his fans through websites such as Trollhalla where he is known as the Trollgod He has also been very gracious and granted me an interview . Here it is . What was the first gamebook you read Buffalo Castle by Rick Loomis . To the best of my knowledge that was the first programmed instructions style of game

  • April A to Z - N is for Tunnels N Trolls part 2 - an interview with Scott Malthouse

    Updated: 2012-04-15 22:54:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , April 15, 2012 April A to Z N is for Tunnels N Trolls part 2 an interview with Scott Malthouse Scott Malthouse is the writer of the wonderful blog The Trollish Delver It is primarily a Tunnels and Trolls blog but it also contains other treats such as Scott's new RPG system , the Unbelievably Simple Role-playing system FREE reviews of comic books and writings on gamebooks . Scott has also published his own Tunnels and Trolls solo , the excellent Depths of the Devilmancer available for only 0.63 It's my pleasure to present an interview with Scott Malthouse . What was the first gamebook you read that wasn't your own The first gamebook I read was actually a

  • Why it's hard to mix humour and gamebooks

    Updated: 2012-04-14 23:01:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , April 15, 2012 Why it's hard to mix humour and gamebooks get me off this cover Any book but this one Skylord . It seems that you never get a . break Outside of Grailquest which also has a TVTropes page it is one of the few gamebooks that has attempted to incorporate wacky humour into the game . And it didn't work . Humour is very hard to do in gamebooks , so this post is an attempt at the analysis of humour and why it didn't work in Skylord and why a lot of people shy away from humour in . gamebooks The main problem with mixing humour and gamebooks is that gamebooks are based on your choices which you make because you expect certain consequences from those

  • Guest Post: Why I Love Wikis

    Updated: 2012-04-14 17:04:49
    The following is a guest post by Neal Kaplan, a technical writer at Zuora, Inc. Another post about wikis? Why not! Wikis are great! Just to set the stage, I’ve been a technical writer for a while now, working for software companies in Silicon Valley. (In fact, I often forget that there are technical writers who don’t document software.) I’ve worked at large companies, where ... more »

  • April A to Z - M is for magazines part 1 - an interview with Alex Ballingall

    Updated: 2012-04-14 07:36:00
    : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Saturday , April 14, 2012 April A to Z M is for magazines part 1 an interview with Alex Ballingall Fighting Fantazine is a fantastic fan magazine for all things Fighting Fantasy . It is put together by a crack team of gamebook loves Andrew Wright is the Out of the Pit editor , nbsp Demian Katz is the adventure editor , nbsp Guillermo Paredes is the news editor and Alexander Ballingall is the editor . There are currently 8 issues of the quarterly magazine and the issue 9 cover has been revealed Today , Alex tells us about his love of . gamebooks What was the first gamebook you read that wasn't your own If I am recalling correctly , then it would have been Ian

  • April A to Z - M is for magazines part 2 - an interview with Dan Prentice, editor of Trollszines 1-3

    Updated: 2012-04-13 23:00:00
    : , Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Saturday , April 14, 2012 April A to Z M is for magazines part 2 an interview with Dan Prentice , editor of Trollszines 1-3 I love the Tunnels and Trolls fanbase the RPG's creator , Ken St Andre is very close to his fans , regularly turning up to chat on the message boards of Trollhalla where all kinds of weird and wonderful things go on . Its fanbase is also very dedicated in creating new content and there are a number of Tunnels and Trolls blogs dedicated to the . game Tunnels and Trolls also has a fan magazine , Trollszine , currently on its fourth issue , available for FREE from RPGNow you can get issue 1 here issue 2 here issue 3 here and issue 4 here The

  • April A to Z - M is for magazines part 3 - an interview with Dan Hembree, editor of Trollzine 4

    Updated: 2012-04-13 22:58:00
    : , Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , April 13, 2012 April A to Z M is for magazines part 3 an interview with Dan Hembree , editor of Trollzine 4 We have another dedicated Tunnels and Trolls fan who is the current editor of Trollszine magzine . Just as it halps to be called Steve Jackson if you want to write a Fighting Fantasy book , it also seems to help to be called Dan if you want to edit a fanzine about Tunnels and Trolls . Dan is a very active participant in the Tunnels and Trolls community he has his own blog with lots of useful information on playing Tunnels and Trolls and you will regularly posting in Trollhalla and the Tunnels and Trolls forums so there are few more suited to editing

  • What Will the Book World Look Like After the DOJ Lawsuit?

    Updated: 2012-04-13 15:43:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • Enter to Win a Nook! The Wonderbar Pinning Sweepstakes Spectacular!!

    Updated: 2012-04-12 15:30:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • Finally Biking to Work

    Updated: 2012-04-12 06:54:30
    A couple of years ago, I wanted to try biking to work and made an initial trial with a hybrid cruiser bike that ended up consuming way too much time (about 2 hrs each way). I gave up on the idea, and then winter came and no one bikes to work during winter in Utah. A few months ago, however, I went to Florida to ... more »

  • Enter to Win a Kindle! The 2nd Annual Wonderbar Twitter Sweepstakes Extravaganza!!

    Updated: 2012-04-11 15:17:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga by Virginia McKevitt

    Updated: 2012-04-10 23:52:03
    Home FREE Templates Get Published My 1 Recommendation 200+ Free Tools Book Marketing FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga by Virginia McKevitt by Virginia McKevitt Georgia , USA Hi , Shelley Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my book marketing . strategies First of all , I am new at this game , so reading what other authors have done to market their books and make them successful was critical for me . Sites like yours and other experienced writers have been a tremendous help to someone such as myself . That said , here is what I have : learned The internet is a virtual marketing smorgasbord avenue . I have put my book and myself on every social media site I can find Facebook , twitter , Goodreads , She Writes , and the list continues on and on . I feel the best of these however is

  • Ten Commandments for Editing Someone's Work

    Updated: 2012-04-10 15:23:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • Jacob Wonderbar Week!

    Updated: 2012-04-09 15:20:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

  • Thank you!! Also: This Week in Books 4/6/12

    Updated: 2012-04-06 15:35:00
    : , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List

  • Divorce in the Internet Era

    Updated: 2012-04-04 15:13:00
    , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow Dial , May 2011 Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe Dial , April 2012 and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Dial , March 2013 He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . and is now the social media manager at CNET He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good Queries How to Format Your Query Letter How And Whether to List Your

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