Category Archives: Writing
Reasons to Write a Book #3: The Medium Demands It
I’ve already touched on the compulsion one has to write and third-party credibility as a reason to write a book. Another, perhaps subtler, reason I like to give for writing a book is that it demands certain disciplines and constraints … Continue reading
The Em-Dash, En-Dash, and Hyphen
Among my many faults as a writer, I tend to overuse the dash—the em-dash, that is. A colon would work just fine in beginning a list or creating a long enough pause to make the phrase or clause that follows … Continue reading
Editorial Pet Peeves #2: Have You Finished Yet?
I receive a lot of manuscripts that the author tells me he or she’s finished with. This is usually a very loose translation of one or more of the following: 1. I’ve written around 75,000 words and that seems to … Continue reading
Sometimes “Said” Should Be Taken as Read
When I was writing my zombie–P. G. Wodehouse spoof Bertie Wooster and the Lizard King, I decided to set myself the extra challenge of never using the verb “say” following direct speech. In other words, no “he said,” “she said,” … Continue reading
Conjunctive-itis
Much as I might wish otherwise, I am not perfect. (Say it ain’t so, I hear you cry.) As a publisher, I’ve brought into print titles that contained typos and errors of fact, that could have used more editing or … Continue reading
Tell Me a Story (Part 2)
When I think about it, writing a book is a lot like being like Coleridge‘s Ancient Mariner. The reader is the wedding guest, a guy who’s got his mind on much more fun things than to listen to your story, … Continue reading
Tell Me a Story (Part 1)
Having accentuated the negative in a previous post about submitting a manuscript to Lantern, I thought it might be advisable to give some idea to would-be authors of what a successful manuscript might look like in my particular eyes. First … Continue reading
Don’t Leave Your Characters Alone
I’ve found the linked advice from Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club) very insightful when making decisions about internal thought processes. I’ll let him tell you more.
Reading Your Work Aloud
I have just completed recording an audio version of my book The Elephants in the Room. It was an eye-opening experience. I’m astonished at the stamina of those who record books for publishers. Stephen Fry (UK) and Jim Dale (US) did … Continue reading
Martin Rowe 
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