Anna Bendewald
Hudson-Ivy Press

  I Want to Write When confronted by someone complaining that they want to write a book, but can't find a way to begin, I reply, "You just write. Bakers bake. Writers write."  If you want to write, go ahead and write. The best situation is for writing to be an outlet for you. If you currently don't enjoy writing but have a desire to start writing anyway,  Here is what you need:     Time         Find the time of day when you’re fresh and your creativity is most juicy.          I haven't met anyone whose creativity flows at the end of the day, but I'm sure         there are as many flavors of writing schedules as there is gelato at          Della Palma Gelatoria  in Rome*.      Space         Clear an area where you won't be distracted.         Set props or images to i...

  How to Write a Book: SHOW don't TELL I often use violent language when talking to fledgling writers, and in the case of show versus tell, I use words like "grab" and "propel" and "drag". As in, "You want to grab your reader with this scene. Propel them into what's happening and drag them along at a pace that keeps em turning pages." Ask yourself this one question:      Do I like to experience occurrences or hear about them second-hand? Most readers prefer the experience and were the type in school to crowd forward to hold and play with something during the show part of Show and Tell. Showing something and letting people experience it makes your story memorable. I recall Eric bringing his grandfather's Japanese sword to class (along with grandpa who held it). We couldn't care less as Eric read his explanation aloud. We were weaving our way closer and closer to grandpa shuffling like zombies reaching out to experience how heavy it...

  How Much Research Do You Need? When considering how to write a book, ask yourself this 1 Simple Question:       How much in-depth information do my readers need?  A good rule of thumb is a balance between generality and specificity. No need to dive deep into every measure of time, distance, era, or political climate. It can become laborious and slow your story's progression.  In one of my books, I glossed over how far a French town was from a place in Belgium and my beta readers balked that the trip was unrealistic. In their minds, it was A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY!!!! I'd lost my readers. They needed more information to understand that distance so more research was necessary and I had to research routes on the internet. Readers needed to know it was typically a 40-minute drive. That was easy enough to do by having a character remark, "She's always speeding! The way she drives, she'll get there in half an hour." Boom! We were back in business.  Ficti...

How To Write a Book: Whose Brand and Why? The first time I read a book about rich people, they all shopped at a shop that was more clubhouse than commercial space. I leaned into the designer names that the author applied to her pages with a thick putty knife and I couldn't get enough of them. While reading that book I was escaping to a place where expensive gowns dragged carelessly along the floor. My twelve-year-old hand went to my mouth in horror! I decided I knew just what these people's colognes and perfumes smelled like.  That was back in the nineteen seventies and even in the best store in a mall, I wasn't going to find anything described in this book. I was transported to a rarified atmosphere I'd never see, touch, or smell as that was the author's intention. But today where the world has access to everything all the time and if they can't afford the designer, they can sport the knockoff, brand chic doesn't mean the same thing. I was at the DMV recent...