Writing Community

How to Make a Splash in the Waters of Indie Publishing

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How to Make a Splash in the Waters of Indie Publishing | The Spinning Pen

Once upon a time…

…there was a group of young and promising writers. They had great ideas, finished manuscripts, and starry eyes filled with hope of Bestseller’s Lists. The only question was, what should they do next?

Does this story sound familiar? The last time we were with our intrepid writers, the group had come to a fork in the road, and we followed the friends who took the path toward traditional publishing. Now, as promised, we return to our friends who decided to explore the indie (also known as self-publishing) route. Let’s follow them down to the docks. Continue reading →

“I Like to Read”Guest Post by Kris D. Keith

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pexels-photo-110252

I like to read.

Obviously. I’m a writer. But up until recently, reading what other authors had to say just didn’t appeal to me. If they were successful I assumed they were just speaking with an air of entitlement: “I made it, so you should listen to what I have to say.” If they weren’t successful (yet) I assumed what they said was useless. These assumptions of course exclude “the greats” like Stephen King, Margaret Atwood etc. I think I’ve read On Writing by King three times now. But I am here today to admit, I was naive.

Other writers DO have something to say.

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How to Find Your Way in the Realm of Traditional Publishing

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How to Find Your Way in the Realm of Traditional Publishing | The Spinning Pen

Once upon a time…

…there was a group of young and promising writers. They had great ideas, finished manuscripts, and starry eyes filled with hope of Bestseller’s Lists. The only question was, what should they do next?

Our intrepid writers set out to explore their options: should they go indie and self-publish, or try the traditional publishing route? While a couple members of the group chose to investigate the self-publishing path, this narrator decided to follow the group who went toward the traditional path first. (Check in with the indie group here!)

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The Perfect Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Bookworms

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The Spinning Pen: The Best Bookish Gifts

It’s the holiday season, y’all! And whether you’re shopping for friends, family, host/hostess gifts for a party, birthdays, a gift exchange, or maybe just to treat yo’self, I’m guessing you’ve got a list of people you’re hoping to show that you care.

And who here doesn’t love all things bookish? If you’ve got a bookworm in your life, they probably love anything that has to do with their favorite books, series, and fandoms. I know I do. Continue reading →

3 Ways to Celebrate the Post-NaNoWriMo Crash

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coffee-coffee-cup-cup-cafe-162793Congratulations! You have made it to the end of November. And if you’re in certain parts of the globe, you’ve already arrived in December.

I don’t know about you, but between writing like crazy this month, and getting caught up in the flurry of the holiday season, I’m already exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Honestly, I can barely function after pulling a crazy marathon writing day yesterday in order to finish NaNoWriMo, so I’ll keep this short. 🙂

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1 Year Milestone Giveaway

~ The Spinning Pen ~ 4 Comments

Pen Friends ~ It’s our birthday. We want to celebrate by giving YOU a gift! 

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During our first year we have tried, succeeded, failed, learned, grown, improved, written a lot, won contests, interviewed authors, reached goals, lost, gained, laughed, cried, made friends, built a community of writers, inspired other writing communities, and oh boy, not only did we survive, but we are stronger and plan on sticking around! Continue reading →

NaNoWriMo: Advice for a Month of Daring Imagination

~ The Spinning Pen ~ 8 Comments

Are you a WriMo?

I know, I know. Some of you are looking at that title and asking, “NaNo-What-Now?” I had the same reaction back in 2009 when I first discovered National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. It’s an international event where writers commit to writing a novel of 50,000 words (or more) in just 30 days. Sound crazy? That’s what I thought, too.

But let me tell you a secret: NaNoWriMo changed my writing life. And it could change yours, too, if you’re willing to take the dare.

shield-nano-side-blue-brown-rgb-hiresImage courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

Continue reading →