A writer friend of mine insists that the restrictions placed on membership by professional genre fiction writing organizations and conventions are there because it assures the writers applying for membership have been properly vetted.



The term means that a writer’s work has been confirmed as accurate, that agents have screened it and editors have honed it. Of course, my friend is ignoring the obvious – no writer is properly vetted anymore. The big publishers refuse to pay for it and… Continue

I have a dear friend who still uses snail mail, sending me multiple page letters written in long hand. She writes faithfully every month or so and has for more than thirty years. I suppose our fascination with blogging is somehow tied to our desire to communicate. We don't take (or have) time to converse with one another. There is rarely an opportunity to thoughtfully discuss ideas and exchange views. So we blog.



I enjoy blogging as a writing exercise and I read several blogs that… Continue

The interesting thing about discrimination is that it can’t prevent inevitable change. Puritans established a new home in North America, an Irish Catholic became president, African-Americans got the vote.



As with any business, it is always about the money. The bottom line rules. It doesn’t take much research to see how often advances do not earn out and how many books go unsold. Publishers will save millions if they stop paying advances and discontinue the practice of printing books… Continue