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Writing Books/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| How do you make a best selling first book? | 1/30/2012 | Sandy McCutcheon |
| Q: I like to start and become a new author. My question is how do you start off with a good fact book ... A: There is no easy answer, because it is the reader who decides if the book will sell. If you have ... | ||
| co -authors /ghostwriters | 1/30/2012 | Rhonda Campbell |
| Q: I am trying to locate a good source for identifying possible co-authors (freelance writers) with a ... A: Congratulations on working on your new book! I just did a quick search in Google. You may want to ... | ||
| Writing a non-fiction book about my life | 1/25/2012 | Susan Rand |
| Q: Susan, How can I handle real people that I would have stories about in my book without over stepping ... A: You have two options in this situation: 1. Tell them what you mean to say about them, and get them ... | ||
| fiction writing and potential legal issues | 1/22/2012 | Dorothy K Morris |
| Q: I will admit I am not the most avid reader but the books that I have read I rarely see well known ... A: Yes. There are legal issues. Fictionalize everything to be safe if you have to use a brand name. ... | ||
| Trade names of cheeses for fictional characters | 1/12/2012 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: I have written and am moving towards publishing a book for teenagers in which the characters (mice) ... A: Kate I sincerely apologize for taking so long to get back to you. I've been having computer ... | ||
| Book distribution for first-time authors | 1/11/2012 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: There is a lot of information about book publishing, finding and agent etc. However, the most ... A: Karen! I'm thinking you might be confused on the role of an agent. An agent doesn't market the book ... | ||
| agents | 1/6/2012 | Vincent M. Wales |
| Q: How can I zero in on agents handling my type of material? Do you know of a good agent guidebook? A ... A: You're right... it's difficult to know exactly what they handle. But there are two guides I can ... | ||
| genre | 1/6/2012 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: How can I zero in on agents handling my type of material? For example, a listing may say an agent ... A: Demetrius! I understand how this can become confusing. When there is no sub-genre classification ... | ||
| agent | 12/28/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: Is there anything you should do if agent says they hope to get to their many queries in a certain ... A: If the agent has contacted you directly with this message, then no. Just sit tight. They'll get to ... | ||
| Creating characters who are individuals | 12/23/2011 | Vincent M. Wales |
| Q: Do you have any tips for writing characters with a distinctive sense of humour when it does not come ... A: Dominic: Writing humor when it doesn't come naturally to you would be, I imagine, quite difficult. ... | ||
| Creating characters who are individuals | 12/23/2011 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: Do you have any tips for writing characters with a distinctive sense of humour when it does not come ... A: A creative and natural writer (meaning the innate talent) can create different characters without ... | ||
| Creating characters who are individuals | 12/23/2011 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: Do you have any tips for writing characters with a distinctive sense of humour when it does not come ... A: The general rule is never write anything you do not know, i.e. places such as towns and states ... | ||
| Creating characters who are individuals | 12/23/2011 | Sue Viders |
| Q: Do you have any tips for writing characters with a distinctive sense of humour when it does not come ... A: Dominic... there are many ways... 1 - you could take a character class... there are many online 2 ... | ||
| A question about the publishers | 12/17/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: My question is about publishing right. Let's say you manage to have a book published by a ... A: Kevin! The answer depends entirely on the contract you sign. Generally speaking, a publisher has ... | ||
| A question about the publishers | 12/17/2011 | Rhonda Campbell |
| Q: My question is about publishing right. Let's say you manage to have a book published by a ... A: Congratulations on the publication of your book! In regards to reprint rights, it depends on what ... | ||
| A question about the publishers | 12/17/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: my question is about publishing right. Let's say you manage to have a book published by a ... A: Kevin. Seeing as you haven't received a response for your question, I thought I'd give you a quick ... | ||
| me again!! ; ) | 12/9/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: I have been writing at a non-stop pace, and last night ....started over AGAIN!! I decided that I am ... A: Tara! Detail is a writer's best friend. It is the key to showing (rather than telling), which seems ... | ||
| help making my story flow easier | 12/5/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: I have never been published, but am working on a book. I have been writing ever since I was eight ... A: Tara! Sorry for the delay in responding. I should have put myself on vacation here while I was ... | ||
| help with flow | 12/5/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: It helped very much. I am using your advice with my dialogue! Your answer was very thorough. I just ... A: Tara Thank you for providing the example. That will be much more helpful! I understand that this ... | ||
| help with flow | 12/2/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: It helped very much. I am using your advice with my dialogue! Your answer was very thorough. I just ... A: Tara! I'm pleased that my advice was of some use to you! I'm am somewhat confused about what ... | ||
| help with making my story flow | 11/28/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: I am very excited to be able to speak with an expert. I have only a few people to ask , and they are ... A: Tara! Congratulations on starting a novel! It's quite a task to take on and never hurts to ask for ... | ||
| Head Hopping | 11/25/2011 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: I've written a book. My concern regards changing POV, time, location. I've read that you put *** ... A: I've been writing for thirty years and haven't ever read a nook using *** Do not do that. If a ... | ||
| Memoir or Fiction Novel? | 11/22/2011 | Wayne Groner |
| Q: I have a "story" that i have been working that is completely based on true events in my life. I'm ... A: Jamie. You are correct in all you say. It's a toss-up and the decision is up to you. I have a ... | ||
| Romance v Erotica | 11/14/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: What makes romance strictly romance, and what makes erotica strictly erotica? What is "noir" ? A: Desi! Ah, you've chosen a bit of a tough question. But fortunately, there's a pretty simple answer ... | ||
| fantasy | 11/12/2011 | Vincent M. Wales |
| Q: Since my story takes place in an American city, it should be called urban fantasy and not fantasy, ... A: Demetrius. Urban fantasy is certainly hot right now and any agent who represents other types of ... | ||
| Hello, and I need your help! :) | 11/12/2011 | Ann Charles |
| Q: :) My name is Magnus and I am a boy of thirteen years. I need your help. :) I have written a ... A: I'm not an ace at editing English (I hire people to do the editing for my books); however, English ... | ||
| I am a boy of thirteen and I need some help please. | 11/11/2011 | Vincent M. Wales |
| Q: :) I am a boy of thirteen, and I come from Norway. I will write a paper, where I'll write a diary ... A: Magnus: With such a polite request, how can I refuse? However, I can only offer a little help, not ... | ||
| Young Writers | 11/5/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: Do you think that it is possible to be a young writer, and still have chances of being a published ... A: Sarah! That's a very good question, and is actually a question I see everywhere. There is always a ... | ||
| finding agent | 11/1/2011 | Sandy McCutcheon |
| Q: Any tips on finding the right agent? Thanks A: Sorry about the delay. The internet has been down in this part of Morocco. Finding an agent 1 - ... | ||
| Literary Agents | 10/24/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: I've been submitting my query (suspense) to some agents, but am having trouble finding many that ... A: Carol! I've had good luck with two different websites. AgentQuery (http://www.agentquery.com) can ... | ||
| Person to person perspective | 10/19/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: Good day and thank you for reading this. I am writing a book( Coyote Wine) it is about some diaries ... A: again, Mark, What you've put here gives me some perspective. But I guess what I'm wondering is ... | ||
| Person to person perspective | 10/16/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: Good day and thank you for reading this. I am writing a book( Coyote Wine) it is about some diaries ... A: Mark! The trick with journal entries is how you're conveying them to the reader. You can approach ... | ||
| NOVEL vs AUTOBIOGRAPHY | 10/15/2011 | Wayne Groner |
| Q: Aloha. I have been writing my autobiography and am getting close to completion of my first draft but ... A: Kari. Your divorce lawyer is your best resource for how the laws in the state of Hawaii affect your ... | ||
| bio in query | 10/13/2011 | Vincent M. Wales |
| Q: I was wondering if I should put this in the bio part of my query letter: "I have earned an MA in ... A: Definitely include the publication. When mentioning the MA, do what you just did: emphasize that ... | ||
| query | 10/10/2011 | Sandy McCutcheon |
| Q: Could you tell me what an unpublished author (except for a flash fiction piece) can put in a query ... A: Sorry about the delay but I have been busy with blog stories. There is no need to be specific. Keep ... | ||
| query letters | 10/8/2011 | Jamie Darrach |
| Q: I've been working on a novel for a long time now and I'm just a few chapters away from being ... A: And congratulations on coming so far with your work. By thoroughly researching the publishing ... | ||
| Chapter length and pacing | 10/2/2011 | Cathy Clamp |
| Q: I've been writing a book for about half year now first draft after planning and working on ideas ... A: Mark! When you say you've written 80K words, what does that mean as far as the plot? For a fantasy ... | ||
| editing | 9/29/2011 | Bobbie Christmas |
| Q: Since I am new to this business, I threw the question out there to see what would stick. I have ... A: so I could give a clear answer. Your letter to potential manuscript editors sounds perfect, with ... | ||
| Electronic Publishing | 9/26/2011 | Susan Rand |
| Q: I have completed about 50,000 words of an historical fiction about World War I. The novel is an ... A: I think it would help you to read the information on this site: ... | ||
| Electronic publishing | 9/25/2011 | Susan Rand |
| Q: I have completed about 50,000 words of an historical fiction about World War I. The novel is an ... A: Gary, I wrote you quite a lengthy reply, but when I hit the spellcheck button, the whole thing ... | ||
Writing Books
Answers by Expert:
Jamie Darrach
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer just about any question regarding the composition, editing, and publishing procedures for all forms of literature. I will give aspiring authors ample tips on how to strengthen plot, how make story-lines and characters credible, how to improve visual description and dialogue, and how to make works flow easily and naturally. In addition, I can give writers advice on how to adequately edit and revise their works. I have knowledge of the literary market, and can advise writers in which route would be best for their piece, including offer examples of presses and agents who work with manuscripts in the author's category.
Experience
I have been writing for eleven years, having completed fourteen novels, several short stories, and countless pieces of poetry. I am experienced in multiple genres. I have worked as a paid copy-editor and critic for aspiring authors. I have researched the literary market from inside-out, and can provide much information to writers who are seeking advice.
Education/Credentials
Current college student, English major. Have taken literary, journalism, and creative writing classes.
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