The Renegade Writer Blog

If you’ve been reading this blog or you know me IRL, you know I’m a sucker for celebrity gossip. One of the sites I regularly visit is dedicated to celebrity babies … 24/7 about kids who wear $400 sweaters and travel on private jets with nannies and bodyguards. I read this mindcandy while my kid […]

Linda and I, being Mac addicts, have known this for awhile. However I was heartened to read that Apple corporate supports writers (well, homeless model/writers) who write books at their Apple Stores. Yes, this pint-sized model supposedly wrote a novel while standing in her heels in front of a demo Mac. Geez, now I feel […]

I was poking around the Writers Guild of America, West’s website this a.m. and found this helpful contact list for various organizations, ranging from the Marines to the Scientologists.
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I got to Borders at 3:30 today, started writing a 1,200-word article, and finished it at about 5 pm — and this included taking a coffee break, reading the “Found Porn” department in Maxim magazine, and staring out the window at the lightning.
Writers always ask how I can write so quickly, and in reply I […]

Yesterday I saw a post on a Craigslist writing forum:
Friends, tonight I was on a conference call with Steven E. and Lee Beard - the compilers of the best selling “Wake Up - Live The Life You Love” books. I have the opportunity to write a 1000-1200 word short story that will be included in […]

Unfortunately, an anonymous poster included her website’s URL in this profanity-laden threat directed to author/blogger Lynne W. Scanlon for sending her a press release about Lynne’s new business venture. I love that the poster is the author of The Practice of Peace. Perhaps Practice What You Preach is more like it. (Thanks to Miss Snark […]

Think big: Pitch a feature instead of a short, turn an article idea into a book idea, or, if you have an idea for a single article, think of a way you can turn it into eleven more and pitch it as a column.
Last Thursday I came up with an idea for an article on […]

OK, I’m going to admit it. I’ve been in a writing slump. It’s not for lack of work: I’m working on three book proposals, one of which my agent’s eager to get out like yesterday, and then there’s the hefty bit of magazine work I’ve lined up for July, along with the Chicago One-On-One conference, […]

My next 8-week e-course on getting published in magazines will start on Monday, August 7. The e-course consists of eight lessons, eight assignments, and, if you sign up for the Premium version, eight weeks of unlimited e-mail support from yours truly. I also offer a half-price Regular course with no e-mail support.
My previous students have […]

I decided to try out Google AdWords to promote my e-course and my new e-mentoring program. With AdWords, you create a small ad that will be shown as a “sponsored link” in a special sidebar when people search on the keywords of your choice. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a predetermined […]