The September issue of Writers' Tricks of the Trade eZine is now available on this blog as well as www.morganstjames-author.com and http://morgan-stjames.blogspot.com.

Every month we get wonderful articles from people in the industry, listings of writers conferences and helpful links, brags from our readers and much more.

The Life Stories feature has yielded some very entertaining stories from readers every month. This month Jakki Pransky  reminisces about the day her father brought home two "prized possessions" and installed one in their kitchen and one in the bathroom. What was it? A TowelMaster paper towel dispenser like the ones you see in gas station restrooms.

John Brantingham talks about what he learned as an editor in Part II of his topic, Irene Watson discusses the state of bookstores, and Fred Rayworth shares insight on using point of view with Part I of his article. Mike Dennis reviews the latest book by Max Allen Collins, the author of Road to Perdition and the resurrected Mickey Spillane novels. To round it out, my article is "What Are Your Characters Thinking?"

Download your copy, and remember submissions for future issues are open--guidelines are always in the front of the eZine--and we want to hear about your successes and announcements. Writers' Tricks of the Trade has an international readership and features articles from contributors worldwide.

AUGUST ISSUE OF WRITERS TRICKS OF THE TRADE

I could blame it on the heat wave, but the truth of the matter is this issue was just late in being published. It's available now, filled with great articles from our wonderful contributors, so click on the flip book at the right, enjoy, and pass it on to your friends. Click the ENLARGE button to see the issue full size. PLEASE ALLOW A SHORT TIME FOR IT TO LOAD.

Happy reading and writing.

WHICH ONE DO I USE? ITS OR IT'S?

There are many quirks in the English language, and these two little words can confound the best of us. 

Spell Check often runs its squiggly line under the word its.  When that happens, most people face the dilemma of figuring out which one to use—it’s or its—and that leaves them wide open to error. Read the rest of the article.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A BAD REVIEW?

Oh no. While cruising Amazon, I saw much to my chagrin that Writers' Tricks of the Trade got a dreaded one star review. Back when my first few novels were published, a one star review would have thrown me for a loop. I would have battled the cold sweat and spots before my eyes, as I searched my tortured mind to figure out where I'd gone wrong.

No more. You see, getting a poor review can happen to most writers at one time or another. Sometimes the book just doesn't float the reviewer's boat. The majority of Amazon reviews are posted by readers and that's great because I'm always interested in readers' feedback. Without readers, where would authors be?

Unfortunately, sometimes the person who posts the review loves to look at their own snarky or clever titles while they dismantle the work letter by letter. One thing to do is to look at many of their other reviews to see if this is the case. If it isn't, maybe they do have valid observations.

I'm writing this today to encourage authors who get a bad review to look beyond it before deciding to stick their head in the oven. The first thing I did was to check the reviewer's track record on Amazon. This person has given tons of reviews and certainly is entitled to her personal opinion. If you decide to post a comment on a particular review, and sometimes that is appropriate, don't shoot back like you are attacking the enemy. Respect the fact that perhaps the person just didn't like it while others did.

If a review points out a misplaced hyphen or anything of that nature, just ignore it. Sure it shouldn't have happened, but it even happens in books released by New York publishers. The eye often sees what it thinks it sees and those nasty copy errors sometimes sneak past the most astute copy editors. I recently read a James Patterson book with two copy errors on the same page.

The only reason I decided to post the following comment on the one star review for Writers' Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction, is to point out that there are always "different strokes for different folks."

"Sorry you didn't like the book. Like the old saying goes, "You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." I'm just glad that many others have enjoyed it, found it inspirational and given it four and five stars. There are lots of writing books on the market that cover specific topics in depth in a more or less clinical way--this was never intended to be one of them. Rather, it is a look at what fiction writers need to be aware of with a little humor added to get through frustrating situations, plus a look at some of the backfires I experienced on my journey to becoming a multi-published fiction writer. I'm sure you'll find a book that contains the elements you're looking for and thanks for sharing your opinion."

Always look at the big picture. How many good reviews did you get? Only if the answer is "none" should you be concerned.

Happy reading and writing.

Morgan and Oksana

 Oksana Marafoti, author of the upcoming book "American Gypsy," Australian author Michael Karakai (calling in from Melbourne) who is the author of "Vagabond" and me were on James Kelly's Aspects of Writing radio show on KLAV am last night. We discussed traditional publishing vs self publishing vs vanity presses.

We had a great time, but instead of recapping what we said here, why not listen to the YouTube clip of the show?

Morgan, James, Oksana

Here is the link to the show:

ASPECTS OF WRITING - April 9, 2012

The industry is changing so rapidly that what was taboo yesterday might be tomorrow's hot thing. This affects authors, publishers and booksellers. Lots of good information came out and we had a good time. James is an excellent host and I thank him for inviting me.

Book signing etiquette gone wrong

This photo is NOT from the incident related below. As you can see, I was happy in this photo.

Examiner.com - Las Vegas edition
Writers tricks of the trade | March 8, 2012

Writers' tricks of the trade: Etiquette at book signing events

Authors in communities all over the U.S. find this can sometimes be a sticky point. Every author is enthusiastic about their own books and unfortunately sometimes they don't realize they have allowed etiquette to fly out the window. Particularly at presentations at a conference or for a writer’s group, one of the biggest etiquette violations could be the scene that follows. The audience is filled with writers, many with books of their own. If you are an author who has had (or created) this type of problem, voice your opinion in the comments section.
This column was inspired by something that observed at a Las Vegas book signing.
The setting
The featured author or authors are sitting at the signing table. Copies of the books are being sold and the author takes the time to chat with people who are interested in their books. All of a sudden, someone carrying two or three books of their own approaches the table.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Writers' tricks of the trade: Etiquette at book signing events - Las Vegas Writing | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/writing-in-las-vegas/writers-tricks-of-the-trade-etiquette-at-book-signing-events#ixzz1obON2tjB

My series of 4 weekly webinars for Savvy Authors begins March 13, 2012

The first webinar in the Writers Tricks of the Trade series for SavvyAuthors.com begins March 13, 2012. They have scheduled me for a series of four weekly sessions, and it isn't too late to register. All the information, including cost, is right at your fingertips. Just CLICK to go right to the page on their site.  

Other sessions in the series will include

• Dialogue, 
• Pacing, and 
• Not Writing Xeric. Xeric is dry writing, the type that makes a reader put a book down for later...or never. 

 SAVVY AUTHORS records all of their workshops and webinars so they can make them available to people who can't attend on the particular dates.

CHECK IT OUT. Click the play arrow for a little sample of what will be contained in these online workshops.

Guest blogging at Writers of Southern Nevada Today

Avoid the four pitfalls in the Writers of Southern Nevada article

The Writers of Southern Nevada is a relatively new entity and I'm honored that they have asked me to contribute an article every month. What could be more appropriate for the first one than discussing four things that can really trip writers up, whether aspiring or published. One of my rules of thumb is never think you're beyond making mistakes and as the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says, "You can't hit a target if you can't see it." I loved the example he gave one time when I saw him live.

Ziglar said, "I've never shot a bow and arrow, but I can do just as well as the top archer in competition." Of course there were lots of groans from the audience. Then Ziglar qualified it. "The thing is, he or she has to be blindfolded with one hands tied behind their back!" Ahh. Therein lies the adage above. Knowing some of the pitfalls to watch out for prepares you to avoid them. READ THE ARTICLE. It would be great if you could leave some comments, too.

Remember, I am starting to give my series of webinars for savvyauthors.com on March 6 and there is still time to register. The first one will be a real world look at effectively working with Point of View.

Maryann Miller says looking at mismatched towels triggered thoughts about her writing

Maryann Miller

It all began with a towel...Today we welcome author Maryann Miller as a guest blogger. She has a unique take on things that affect her writing, but Maryann can tell you all about that better than I can. Read on...


We writers have odd twists of mind. Maybe that is why we write, because we need to follow these twists and see where they lead. This is one of my more recent mental journeys.

It started one morning after my shower when I dried off with a towel that is the last of a stack of about 30 towels my uncle gave me and my husband for a wedding present. To put this in context, we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary this year. These towels were a mismatched assortment, some with flowers, some with geometric designs, and a number of them were plain. But they were all different colors.

For years my more decorative-minded kids laughed at the combination of towels in the bathroom that might include one blue washcloth next to a white one, a yellow hand-towel, and a row of bath towels of wildly clashing colors and designs hanging over the shower bar. Mind you, there were seven of us taking showers when the kids were young and cluttering up our house.
Back to that recent morning. After I was thoroughly dry, I got dressed and realized I was wearing a pair of white warm-up pants that I have had for probably 20 years. Then I walked into the living room and stopped for a moment. The couch and loveseat are at least 30 years old, and since we have lived in this house - 10 years - they have not moved except for cleaning underneath and behind or looking for cat toys that have escaped. After the cleaning, they go right back in the same place.

Then I went to throw a load of laundry in the washer and stopped again for a moment. Our washing machine is almost 40 years old. Of course, of all the old things in this house, including my husband and me, this one will stay if I act on any wild urge to update everything we own. They just don't make washing machines the way they used to and I will hang on to this one until its last gurgle.

By now, I'm sure you've caught on to the fact that I am reluctant to change. So is my husband. We have our things, and our routines, and we like them very much, so it is hard for us to start stirring it all up. Just leave us in our comfort zone.

In thinking about all this as a possible blog topic, I realized that this reluctance to change affects my writing, too. I remember early in my career when a trusted critique partner suggested I change an entire book from first person to third, I almost went into full panic mode. Granted, it was a children's book, so it was only about 200 pages, but still. Change the whole thing?

While my living room might still look the same as it did ten years ago, and I wear clothes I have had forever, I have gotten better about changing what needs to be changed in my writing. I still don't like it. I'd rather start something new than go through that rewriting and editing process, but it is a necessary process. I am a firm believer that a good book isn't just written, it is rewritten.

Three stories about four men

We start off writing whatever first comes to mind, but those little jewels of language that we notice in books, probably did not come the first time out. It behooves us all to take the time to go through a book as many times as it takes until every chapter, every scene, every paragraph, every sentence, and every word is as carefully crafted as we can make it.

Writers, what about you? How easy is it for you to tear into a manuscript and nip and tuck to make it better?

Maryann Miller is a best-selling author of numerous books. Her suspense novel, One Small Victory, was first released in hardback, and is now available as an e-book, paperback, and an audio book. Her young adult novel, Friends Forever, and a short story collection, The Wisdom of Ages, are available as e-books and paperbacks. 

Samantha's husband no longer loves her

A woman's novel, Play It Again, Sam, is  available as an e-book and paperback. The latest release in hardback, Open Season, is the first book in a new mystery series featuring two women homicide detectives in Dallas. The second book in the series, Stalking Season, is under contract and will publish in November 2012. 

Website:  http://www.maryannwrites.com

Blog:  http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/  In the spirit of exchange, Morgan is the guest blogger on IT'S NOT ALL GRAVY today.

Visit Maryann on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryann-Miller/295149340518119

Twitter:  @maryannwrites