Anybody else contacted by a spam profile for Zadie Smith?

Agents, publishers, & services often dominate the publishing conversation. What’s missing? A neutral, no-strings-attached perspective. 🎙️ Join my free webinar "Windfalls & Pitfalls: Traditional vs. Hybrid vs. Self-Publishing" on Jan 29 @ 6 PM CT. 🚀 dlaeditors.com/events

A little Saturday inspiration for the #writingcommunity!

Writers! I wanted to ask: What are your thoughts on Copilot in Word? I expect many are against it (I, myself, deactivated it). I'm more curious to know the opinions of those in favor of it. How do you use it? What advantages does it give you?

Is it just me, or does anyone else wish public transportation were ubiquitous (and cities like Houston, where I live, were more public transportation-friendly) so as to be able to use transit times for writing?

Tuesday Editing Tip #7: Gustave Flaubert believed there is no such thing as a synonym. Do you?

Tuesday Editing Tip #8: If Gustave Flaubert is right, and there’s no such thing as a synonym, is there such a thing as an antonym?

⏳ Last chance! Don’t miss tonight’s FREE webinar: 🎙️ "Windfalls & Pitfalls: Traditional vs. Hybrid vs. Self-Publishing" 📅 Jan 29, 6 PM CT Why attend Windfalls & Pitfalls? Because your publishing path should be YOUR choice. 📖 Learn the advantages & challenges of traditional

What a great webinar yesterday evening on traditional vs hybrid vs self-publishing--thank you to everyone who attended, and your great questions! If you missed the webinar, don't worry: I'll be doing more, and am also happy to meet over Zoom to answer any questions you have.

Free-for-All Friday #9: A book can be excellent—your best book can be excellent—and still not one a publisher will take. It may simply come down to how clear is the path they can see to selling it. Which, by the way, is in large part a guessing game for them (and they know that).

Anybody else spend too much time customizing the folder icons in Scrivener?

Oh, by the way, if you ever catch me still at my computer well into the night, even to midnight, I'm not playing video games--though there was a time in my life that would have been the case--I'm researching, taking notes or writing a great idea I just had for my novel.

Tuesday Editing Tip #9: Reduce the use of vague words: replace them, when possible, with more specific alternatives. Common vague words include: work (what type of work?), walk (how did they walk?), being verbs (can you describe an action?) and, of course, thing. What others can

On my way to San Francisco--can't wait to meet all of you great writers attending the #SanFranciscoWritersConference this weekend! SFWC is for Writers!

We're up and running at the #SanFranciscoWritersConference! Stop by table when you get the chance--I'd love to meet you and hear more about your book. And don't forget about the Self-Publishing expert panel at 11:45 AM, where I look forward to helping answer your questions!

✨ Are you ready to captivate readers from the very first sentence? Join me for a FREE live webinar where you’ll learn how to craft an irresistible opening for your novel. Plus, get a chance to see live critiques of real first pages submitted by attendees! 📅 When: Wednesday,