fiction

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 →

How to Write a Book (And Finish It) by Teen guest, Elizabeth Pau

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Most aspiring authors have been at the point where they have twenty different, brilliant ideas for book plots and try to write every single story all at once.

Or maybe some of you have an idea for one book and start writing without a plot or any sort of idea of where the book is going to end up  you just have a few ideas of what you want to include in your book.

The problem with these tactics, is that:

  1. If you start too many stories at once, you will end up mixing the characters’ personalities and possibly even confusing the plots (not to mention no one has time to finish 17 different novels)

and

  1. If you write a book with tons of events with no real goal in mind, your readers are going to be very confused.

Or maybe those tactics work for you just fine. In that case you can stop reading this right now.

But for those who want to write a book but just aren’t sure how…  

Continue reading →

Best Christmas (or Holiday) Story Ever Contest Winner

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Writers and Readers!

Thanks to everyone who sent us stories written on the theme, “Away from Home for the Holidays.” We loved reading all of the intriguing and moving entries.

The winner of our Holiday Story contest is: Kris D. Keith, with a story entitled, The Stranger. It is published below for your enjoyment! Her other writing can be read here and Gotham Writers recently selected Krystal’s twitter story for their cover art for their winter class schedule, view that here.

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THE STRANGER, by Kris D. Keith

“I’ll be home for Christmas” played in the background, mixing with the grumbles of the other passengers, filling the train with a melodious chaos.

It isn’t fair, Christina thought. I haven’t been home in over a year. I missed last Christmas, thanks to Babette. The baby girl, born last Thanksgiving, was a constant reminder of all Christina’s mistakes. Alone and almost homeless, the pair survived day by day in their tiny apartment, complete with ants, silver fish, and the occasional spider.images-28

Babette wiggled then whimpered in her sleep. “Sshhh,” Christina whispered as she bounced the tot on her legs, still clutching her to her chest. Continue reading →

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 →