Anessa Books (2024)

17/11/2024

One in an occasional series of writing book reviews. Today, I'll talk about Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Martin. I came across this book when I went to the home of a fellow author who was hosting a write-in. She had very cleverly put out all of her craft books as decoration in the center of the dining table where we were invited to sit and write....

One in an occasional series of writing book reviews. Today, I’ll talk about Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Martin. I came across this book when I went to the home of a fellow author who was hosting a write-in. She had very cleverly put out all of her craft books as decoration in the center of […]

10/11/2024

No matter what your feelings are toward current events in the US, we are all feeling something. Some are happy and hopeful, some distraught and scared of what will happen in the future. But the most important question is whether you are going to allow this to affect your writing. Now, you may be saying, “What do you mean ‘allow’?!”...

No matter what your feelings are toward current events in the US, we are all feeling something. Some are happy and hopeful, some distraught and scared of what will happen in the future. But the most important question is whether you are going to allow this to affect your writing. Now, you may be say...

03/11/2024

It was recently brought home to me the importance of creating a timetable for my characters’ and their family’s backstory. The dates when things happened and how they interrelate can be vital to a story’s viability. And especially when writing historical fiction, you need to know not only what happened to your characters and those connected to them (friends, family) as necessary, but what was happening in the real world at that time....

It was recently brought home to me the importance of creating a timetable for my characters’ and their family’s backstory. The dates when things happened and how they interrelate can be vital to a story’s viability. And especially when writing historical fiction, you need to know not only what...

27/10/2024

I can’t believe I missed my anniversary! Well, actually, I can. My husband and I regularly miss our wedding anniversary—if it wasn’t for my mother-in-law calling to wish us a happy anniversary every year we’d never remember. But I’m not talking about that one. I’m talking about the one of January 1st of 2004 – twenty years and nearly 11 months ago....

I can’t believe I missed my anniversary! Well, actually, I can. My husband and I regularly miss our wedding anniversary—if it wasn’t for my mother-in-law calling to wish us a happy anniversary every year we’d never remember. But I’m not talking about that one. I’m talking about the one o...

20/10/2024

In my continuous quest for the perfect writing/PKMS (Personal Knowledge Management System) for authors, a new app has come to my attention: Kortex. (Warning: this is a pretty long post.) This is so new, they have a wait list of people who would like to give the software a try, although it's ridiculously easy to by-pass that and get right on (I'll tell you how later)....

In my continuous quest for the perfect writing/PKMS (Personal Knowledge Management System) for authors, a new app has come to my attention: Kortex. (Warning: this is a pretty long post.) This is so new, they have a wait list of people who would like to give the software a try, although it’s ridicu...

13/10/2024

This week I want to tell you about something that you would never think would aid you as a writer, but now I can’t imagine writing or editing the work of others without it. Style sheets. What is a style sheet? Well, if you work for a publisher or a company that produces a lot of written work, you’ll know that a lot of companies have their own style sheet....

This week I want to tell you about something that you would never think would aid you as a writer, but now I can’t imagine writing or editing the work of others without it. Style sheets. What is a style sheet? Well, if you work for a publisher or a company that produces a lot […]

06/10/2024

I am a very strong believer in trying new things—whether it be a new food, a new experience, or something new with your writing. With just about every book I write, I try to use a new tool or a new way of organizing my writing. I try new programs—Scrivener, Atticus, Novlr, or Plottr. I use a virtual notebook, or a physical one....

I am a very strong believer in trying new things—whether it be a new food, a new experience, or something new with your writing. With just about every book I write, I try to use a new tool or a new way of organizing my writing. I try new programs—Scrivener, Atticus, Novlr, or Plottr. I […]

22/09/2024

Continuing on with the Emotion Theme: We’ve all been there: reading a book, looking forward to the exciting bit where the hero(ine) really gets to show their chops. We know it’s coming, and we’ve been looking forward to it since we figured out that they’ve got to stand strong and do whatever it is that needs to be done. And then it happens—the big fight, the luscious kiss, whatever it is—and then… it’s nothing....

Continuing on with the Emotion Theme: We’ve all been there: reading a book, looking forward to the exciting bit where the hero(ine) really gets to show their chops. We know it’s coming, and we’ve been looking forward to it since we figured out that they’ve got to stand strong and do whatever...

15/09/2024

When I first started writing, I was told that if my character cried on the page, my reader wouldn’t. If I wanted to bring tears to my reader’s eyes, my character’s eyes needed to be dry while they were completely torn up inside. As with every “Rule” of writing, you can take this one with a grain of salt. But there are still things you need to think about when you’re writing something so emotional—the first and most important, of course is how to get your reader there—crying, or laughing, or screaming mad....

When I first started writing, I was told that if my character cried on the page, my reader wouldn’t. If I wanted to bring tears to my reader’s eyes, my character’s eyes needed to be dry while they were completely torn up inside. As with every “Rule” of writing, you can take this one with [...

08/09/2024

Two of the most popular apps used in fiction writing are Scrivener and Plottr. Scrivener is incredibly powerful and wide-ranging having so many features most authors don’t even use half of them. Plottr is more simple but getting broader in scope all the time. The thing is, no matter which program you use, you’ll need to organize your work somehow. That's where templates come in....

Two of the most popular apps used in fiction writing are Scrivener and Plottr. Scrivener is incredibly powerful and wide-ranging having so many features most authors don’t even use half of them. Plottr is more simple but getting broader in scope all the time. The thing is, no matter which program ...

01/09/2024

According to the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School, two-thirds of all startups fail. Another statistic cited is that 90% of startups fail within five years. Publishing companies are not only not immune to this, they probably start and fail faster than other types of businesses. Why? Well, for a number of possible reasons, but the two most common are:...

According to the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School, two-thirds of all startups fail. Another statistic cited is that 90% of startups fail within five years. Publishing companies are not only not immune to this, they probably start and fail faster than other types of bus...

25/08/2024

I think I know one, maybe two, authors who actually like marketing—and that’s out of over a hundred authors who I know. Marketing is the bane of my authors’ lives. Whether you are traditionally published or indie, you have to market the books you publish (unless you are a multi-million dollar traditionally published author and then your publisher will take care of that for you)....

I think I know one, maybe two, authors who actually like marketing—and that’s out of over a hundred authors who I know. Marketing is the bane of my authors’ lives. Whether you are traditionally published or indie, you have to market the books you publish (unless you are a multi-million dollar ...

18/08/2024

There’s nothing nicer than finishing a great book and then realizing that it’s part of a series. You know that you’ve got so many more books to read—yay! But what is it that’s holding that series together? There are different types of series: those where there’s one story that lasts for many books, and those that are many different stories with one common element tying them together....

There’s nothing nicer than finishing a great book and then realizing that it’s part of a series. You know that you’ve got so many more books to read—yay! But what is it that’s holding that series together? There are different types of series: those where there’s one story that lasts for ...

11/08/2024

One of the best things about reading a novel—at least in my opinion—is escaping from my world, my life. When I read I want to stop being me sitting in my home and become someone else somewhere else doing exciting things, having fascinating experiences, falling in love, experiencing things for the first time, etc. But how do you make a reader feel that?...

One of the best things about reading a novel—at least in my opinion—is escaping from my world, my life. When I read I want to stop being me sitting in my home and become someone else somewhere else doing exciting things, having fascinating experiences, falling in love, experiencing things for th...

01/08/2024

There was a fascinating article in The Washington Post on workaholics. I have always claimed to be such a person, but according to the article, workaholics don’t necessarily enjoy their work, they just can’t stop doing it. They work well past quitting time and weekends. The funny thing is their work isn’t necessarily any better than their non-workaholic peers. In fact, a lot of the time it’s not as good....

There was a fascinating article in The Washington Post on workaholics. I have always claimed to be such a person, but according to the article, workaholics don’t necessarily enjoy their work, they just can’t stop doing it. They work well past quitting time and weekends. The funny thing is their ...

21/07/2024

How do you communicate with your readers? (And please don't say 'with my books'.) To keep readers engaged between books, as well as letting them know when to expect your next one, it's important to have a reliable method of communication. There are a number of different ways to keep in touch with your readers. The best one is the one where your readers will be paying attention and where you feel comfortable....

How do you communicate with your readers? (And please don’t say ‘with my books’.) To keep readers engaged between books, as well as letting them know when to expect your next one, it’s important to have a reliable method of communication. There are a number of different ways to keep in touch...

07/07/2024

What motivates you to get your work done? Is it the money you’ll earn? The recognition? Some internal satisfaction? It could also be your need for control or simple stubbornness. Motivation can sometimes be reduced down to what’s called the “intention-behavior gap”. That would be that space or time between when you decide to do something and when you actually get it done....

What motivates you to get your work done? Is it the money you’ll earn? The recognition? Some internal satisfaction? It could also be your need for control or simple stubbornness. Motivation can sometimes be reduced down to what’s called the “intention-behavior gap”. That would be that space ...

30/06/2024

I don’t know about you, but my boss is The Worst. She doesn’t give me any days unless I apply well in advance. I only get a sick day if I, literally, cannot get out of bed. I have to work late many evenings and am expected to show up to work by 8am at the latest. Why do I put up with this?...

I don’t know about you, but my boss is The Worst. She doesn’t give me any days unless I apply well in advance. I only get a sick day if I, literally, cannot get out of bed. I have to work late many evenings and am expected to show up to work by 8am at […]

Anessa Books