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Posts by Carly Sandifer

Jul 17

Free books + a donation = a better world

A Massachusetts publishing company has come up with a unique distribution model: It gives its books away.

Appropriately named Concord Free Press, it simply asks recipients of the books to make a donation to a person in need or a favorite charity. They’re asked to post their donation on the press’s website and later donate the book to someone else who will be part of the ongoing experiment in generosity.

So far, the donated books have inspired more than $300,000 dollars in donations. Some recent examples: Read more

Jul 13

What are your writer’s superstitions and rituals?

Since today is Friday the 13th, I’ve been thinking about superstitions in general and writing in particular. The writers below share their insights about writers’ superstitions and rituals.

In this post at the Nouveau Writer, Mariana Ashley reveals The Top Five Writing Superstitions of the Greats.

Cat Woods (@catewoods) conducted an unofficial poll of 45 writers and found that 37 of them had writing quirks or superstitions. She lists some of them in this post at From the Write Angle.

At the Indextrious Reader blog, you’ll find a post by Canadian blogger Melwyk that includes a poem about superstitions and a cat.

What are your writing superstitions?

Jul 11

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NPR’s Ira Glass on storytelling

I know more than a few people who told me that they wanted to write a novel, but their sentences didn’t match up with the image in their minds. So they quit. This video is for them and for all of us who need to remember that it takes daily practice to realize our “vision.”

Jul 9

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Five characteristics of a great children’s book

Part of writing well is analyzing what works in the stories I admire, love, and that stick in my mind long after I read them.

In May, Publishing Perspectives organized “What Makes a Children’s Book Great?,” a half-day event hosted by Scholastic Inc. For more insight about the topic from publishing experts and authors at the event, read this post by Dennis Abrams at Publishing Perspectives.

Richard Robinson, President and CEO of Scholastic Inc., shared these characteristics of what makes a children’s book great.

A great book:

  1. Contains a simple and original idea presented with clarity and great power. Read more

Jul 5

What you should know about the power of English teachers to promote your book

I’ve always had an appreciation for what English teachers do because of how mine influenced my love of reading and writing.

Here are a few reasons why writers, and especially those who wish to find a following for their books, should appreciate and respect English teachers. Read more

Jul 3

Wisdom from singer Boz Scaggs about developing your own style

Passion for music led singer, songwriter, and guitarist Boz Scaggs to a successful career. Passion led him to find his own unique style. And you can do the same as a writer.

Scaggs picked up a guitar when he was 12 years old and immersed himself in music in the 1950s, listening to every style he could find on the radio. Despite that, he said in an interview recently in Luxury Las Vegas magazine, that he doesn’t think he’s a particularly gifted musician compared to vocalists like Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, and Michael McDonald. While he can emulate the nuances of Sam Cooke and other singers, Scaggs said Cooke has a texture to his voice that is uniquely his. Read more

Jun 29

See how other writers are following Ray Bradbury’s advice to read each day

Because reading is so important to learning the craft of writing, I wrote recently about the late Ray Bradbury’s advice to read a short story, a poem, and an essay each night.

So when I saw this post from Michael Haynes (@mohio73), who has also been influenced by Bradbury’s advice, I had to pass it on. Read more

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