So you’re writing a novel. Congratulations! Whether you’re just starting out or already have a carefully crafted plot structure and a draft, you want to make sure of three things above all else: Are your characters believable? Does your main character change because of the events in your novel? Is your plot structure solid enough… Continue Reading
Do you aim high when writing? Or do you let a lack of self-confidence get in the way? Have you ever noticed how dogs don’t seem to doubt themselves? Give a pup a choice between a stick and a log, and the latter almost always wins out regardless of the pup’s size. Leave a hunk… Continue Reading
Want to write but can’t seem to ever get it done despite that writing commitment you’ve made to yourself? Funny how that happens. Three years ago, I wrote a blog post about the need for time blocking. The main point was that none of us will ever just find the time to write. We have… Continue Reading
One Stop Writing Shop is hitting the road. Flexing my penchant for travel and travel writing, I’ve launched a website called Travels with Linden & Friends. From destination pieces to restaurant reviews, the travel writing and photo essays will provide personal stories and perspectives related to some of our favorite trips. I use the word… Continue Reading
Is coming up with a plot harder than you expected? Answering the questions below should help you nail some of your plot’s basics, along with a few twists and turns. Write down your idea(s). It should involve somebody doing something or experiencing something that is out of the ordinary and a story that starts at… Continue Reading
So you’ve tried to develop fictional characters when you write. If they still seem like characters rather than people, you probably haven’t figured out who they really are. Writers who know their characters inside and out often say that those characters not only spring to life, they dictate what happens to them. Continue Reading
Assuming you haven’t sold the audio rights to your book, you can take it to the next level by publishing your own audiobook. For those of you who haven’t signed any contracts yet, making a deal with a publishing company for print rights is far different than giving them subsidiary rights. The latter means the… Continue Reading
If you haven’t yet read my father Leonard Gross’s riveting The Last Jews in Berlin, you can now listen to the just-published audio version. This critically acclaimed account of twelve Jews who went underground in Nazi Berlin—and survived—became a New York Times bestseller when it was first published and was called “consummately suspenseful” by the Los Angeles Times. Of… Continue Reading
Writing details can breathe life into your prose. But you have to choose the right details to focus on, and then use them judiciously. For starters, that means no laundry lists. Finding that one feature to focus on that’s as revealing as it is evocative will grab your reader, while the other approach will propel… Continue Reading
A while back, I wrote a post about a T-shirt my client Jim Mazziotti gave me while he was editing his manuscript. As you can see directly below, he wasn’t having the easiest Continue Reading
Literary Agent:
Ted Weinstein
Ted Weinstein Literary Management
Mechanics’ Library Building
57 Post Street, Suite 512
San Francisco, CA 94104
tw@twliterary.com
www.twliterary.com