“I kicked Barbie to the curb. Everything must go,” the online auction headline said. Intrigued, I read on, amused at the tale of Ken and Barbie’s “divorce.” Just because the description was so amusing, I almost bid on the grimy plastic dollhouse – of dingy furniture and frizzy-haired dolls. At a garage sale I wouldn’t have paid $10 for it all, so I was stunned to see it go for $50…
I just read your troubling article on the risk to writers of being sued. I’m writing a mystery that names no actual person and is not based on actual events. It’s pure fiction, BUT it is set in Naples, Florida, and it focuses on invented rich people in an unflattering way (I lived there for a number of years).
Based on this obviously superficial description, do you see any reason I should be worried? People have an egotistical way of seeing themselves in what’s written, even or perhaps especially when it’s negative. And the rich can do something about it, even when there’s no basis for offense other than–in the case of my story–being rich themselves.
Well, our vacation cabin is acceptable but it’s not great. Considering the amount of money we’re paying, we expected something a bit nicer. Here’s a list of the problems we’ve encountered…
Angela is on vacation. Letters will return next week.
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Scoring top-name interviews adds some serious clout to your portfolio and helps you obtain assignments with better pay. But, at times, it can feel like well-known people live in an ivory tower slathered in Crisco. Here’s how you can scale those slippery walls.
We left Florida on Sunday morning and we’ll be at our cabin in the Smoky Mountains tomorrow evening (I’m writing this on Monday). We are so excited! The one thing I miss most about Maine (aside from our dear friends there) is the fall foliage. Thankfully, we can find plenty of it each year in Tennessee. This is our third fall trip to Tennessee…
While it’s tempting to include salacious content in your book, doing so can result in a heated lawsuit.
Hi Angela,
I loved your story about your and Sharon Campbell’s early writing experiences. I had a nearly identical experience in college.
My English instructor seemed to have a personal dislike for me, although it was not mutual. I wrote what I considered the best paper I’d ever done, on a spiritual experience I’d recently had. I’d always loved writing, and this paper just flowed so easily and effortlessly. The instructor was known as a tough grader. But I thought I would surely get an A or A+ on this. When I got the paper back, was I ever pissed! His only comment was it was too good to have been written by me. I got a failing grade, and felt very discouraged.
About that same time I wrote another long paper on another of my spiritual experiences. This one was just for me, not for a college course. Again, I thought
Writing is a valuable craft. Writers can and do earn a lot of money from books, television shows, and speeches, as well as other types of written and oral content. Almost every website, video, or product has some type of written content so there should be plenty of opportunities for writers to find decent paying work. However, many writers complain that the keep running into low paying clients and content mills online…
You’ve written an article, a poem, or a piece of flash fiction. You’ve edited and polished it to a golden glow. Your experienced writer friend has even read it and confirms the piece is, indeed, publication ready. So you send the item out and wait, only to receive…a rejection.
