1. Purchase a copy of The Elements of Style. It is a timeless instruction by Professor William Strunk Jr. on how not to use needless words.
2. Before publishing, hire a content editor, a grammar and punctuation editor and a proof reader. Mistakes in the manuscript can be invisible to the writer because they are imprinted on the brain.
3. There is some truth to the theory that waiting at the computer for inspiration is the correct way to go. However, that inspiration might also be waiting on the golf course or at the movies.
4. Buy a book of baby names. You will know instantly the name of your character when you read it.
5. Do research and hire the best people to produce a book. It will be judged by the quality as well as the content.
6. Writing about sex is risky. It should be erotic and exciting without going into too much detail.
7. There is no rhyme nor reason to book reviews One of my novels received a tepid review from the book review department of a large metropolitan newspaper. Later, that same novel won a prestigious literary award named after the longtime book review editor of that newspaper.
8. Don’t bet the farm on any writing project. Use money you can afford to lose and you will sleep better at night.
9. Trust your instincts. Twenty years ago the establishment warned me not to self publish because the conventional wisdom was that my novel would not be taken seriously and would not be reviewed. The establishment was wrong. My novel, Gully Town, received a ton of publicity and rose to number three on the Regional best-seller list.
10. Don’t forget the most important two word question of all before starting a writing project. Who cares? If you don’t know the answer then reconsider the project.
11. Writing is like a good wine. It needs to age before being consumed.
12. Be passionate about your writing. An example of how I almost ended up in jail for the sake of research is detailed in one of my previous blogs: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING THERE.
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