by AnnSheybani | Sep 13, 2020 | Reading, Writing
In my line of work, I talk to a lot of fascinating people who consider their stories worthy of Big House publishing. They’ve done the whole rags-to-riches thing, or overcome outrageous abuse, or performed the most amazing feats of courage. I mean, I’m awed...
by AnnSheybani | Jul 30, 2020 | Life, Reading, Writing
I received this email in response to last week’s newsletter. I thought I’d share it with you because, if you put stuff out there on a regular basis, you’re going to receive interesting responses. Sometimes people will thank you for your message,... by AnnSheybani | Jul 27, 2020 | Life, Reading, Writing
If I were to teach a course about overcoming the emotional damage and the misconceptions picked up from alcoholic parents, this would be the semester’s assigned reading. You’ll see me quote from these books from time to time because some of these issues... by AnnSheybani | May 11, 2020 | Life, Reading, Writing
Some time back, Walt and I conducted a mastermind call around yearly planning. One of our members raised her hand and talked about her resistance to setting any kind of goals for the year ahead. She wasn’t sure what was getting in the way. As I listened to her...
by AnnSheybani | May 3, 2020 | Reading, Writing
It’s helpful to know that obstacles are part of the writing process, but how are you supposed to deal with them when they raise their ugly heads? What can you do if you’re confused, say, about setting, or plot, or the relevance of that stuff for your chosen genre? And...
by AnnSheybani | Mar 9, 2020 | Reading, Writing
Lately, I’ve had my head in manuscripts just rife with purple prose. Purple prose, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is writing that’s so extravagant, ornate, or flowery, it breaks the flow and draws excessive attention to itself. Purple prose is...
