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How My Agent Dumped Me and My Novel Finally Received Interest All in One Week (not necessarily in that order)

How My Agent Dumped Me and My Novel Finally Received Interest All in One Week (not necessarily in that order)

By Michelle Cameron, TWC Director I have nothing but praise for my no-longer-agent. She worked with me on my Jewish historical manuscript for about a year, making it legions better than it was when she first accepted it. She sent it on two rounds of…

SPEAKER SERIES RECAP:  “Wearing a Different Hat: Turn from Writer to Marketer to Promote Your Work” with Book Publicist Claire McKinney

SPEAKER SERIES RECAP:  “Wearing a Different Hat: Turn from Writer to Marketer to Promote Your Work” with Book Publicist Claire McKinney

by TWC Director Judith Lindbergh You’ve sold your book!  Or you’re publishing it yourself.  Either way, with the publication date in sight, it’s tempting to think the hard work is done.  In fact, it’s time to “put on a different hat,” roll up your sleeves,…

Writing About Family in Memoir: Fairness Counts

Writing About Family in Memoir: Fairness Counts

by Lisa Romeo A perennial topic: how to write about family. Do we have the right? Can we include others we hold dear—or even those we are related to but perhaps do not hold so dear? How to protect privacy, preserve relationships, avoid lawsuits? Can…

My Love Affair with Poetry

My Love Affair with Poetry

by Michelle Cameron, TWC Director  I am a huge proponent of the power of poetry and how it can transform lives, even if I don’t personally practice the art myself right now. And it is even more important today, during these trying times, to pay…

Lack of Control

Lack of Control

by Michelle Cameron, TWC Director Well, it’s another snowy Wednesday in a series of them, like wet, white pearls that keep tumbling off the string, making us trip over them. Is it spring yet? At The Writers Circle, we’re scrambling to make sure all of…

Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

by TWC Director Judith Lindbergh After years of watching my students develop their novels, a handful are finally ready to submit.  I’m thinking of two in particular – you know who you are (and Michelle tells me there are others!) – who have truly worked…

TWC’s Fourth Annual Gifts for Writers Compilation

TWC’s Fourth Annual Gifts for Writers Compilation

It’s holiday time again – and here at The Writers Circle, we’re celebrating with our fourth annual Gifts for Writers compilation. Personally, I get tons of great holiday gift ideas from scouring the Internet and hope this particular list is useful for the writers in…

RECAP: 2017 Autumn Writers Retreat: Writing, Relaxation, and the Company of People Who Love Stories

RECAP: 2017 Autumn Writers Retreat: Writing, Relaxation, and the Company of People Who Love Stories

by Laura Romain Do you remember how Sarah Palin (as imagined by Tina Fey) could see Russia from her house? Well, I can see St. Marguerite’s Retreat Center from my front window. The historic building perches at the top of Mendham’s second-highest hill, about a…

RECAP: Ready, Set, Submit with Lisa Romeo

RECAP: Ready, Set, Submit with Lisa Romeo

When I first started writing seriously, I was struck by the generosity of many of the experienced authors I encountered along the way. These writers were willing to take a fledgling by the hand and explain both craft and professional practice. They made all the…

Fear of Finishing

Fear of Finishing

Back when I was writing my third practice novel – one of the three I’m intensely glad never saw the scorching light of publication – I found it next to impossible to write the words “The End” on the final draft. I procrastinated. I told…

Tickling the Muse – celebrating National Poetry Month at The Writers Circle

Tickling the Muse – celebrating National Poetry Month at The Writers Circle

by Mally Becker It was a bad week. There was a funeral, a sudden illness in the family and a last-minute work assignment with a tight deadline. In other words, my muse – such as she is – was M.I.A. She hadn’t left a forwarding…

When You Engage in Some Good Old Literary Citizenship Because, Really, You Just Want New Writer Friends with Whom To Bitch About Publishing

When You Engage in Some Good Old Literary Citizenship Because, Really, You Just Want New Writer Friends with Whom To Bitch About Publishing

By Steph Auteri This blog post was originally published on TWC Instructor Steph Auteri‘s blog. We are publishing this extract from it with permission. View the full post here. I was at my very first HippoCamp last year when I told Lisa Romeo my hopes and…