Kristen Lamb

Author's posts

How Many Licks, um Books, Does It Take to Get to the Top of the Best-Seller List?

The Dork Side

Most of us, especially when we’re new, want our first short story to be a major contest winner or our first novel to be a runaway success. That’s natural. Of course, this is not reality for us mere mortals. Just like most of us never picked up a violin and magically busted out a flawless …

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Blogging for Authors, and How a Banana Slicer Saved My Marriage

Whenever I teach writers about blogging, my first challenge is to talk them off the ledge from panic. What do I TALK about? I have no IDEAAAAASSSS! *breathes into paper bag* And I truly understand this panic, because a lot of social media experts advise writers to blog in a way that is very left-brain. …

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10 Ways for an ADD Writer to be OOH! SHINY!…Productive

WANA, Kristen Lamb, We Are Not Alone, WANA International, how to be successful writer

In the comments in yesterday’s post, my good pal Richard Snow asked how I somehow manage to get a lot of stuff done, despite my having the attention span of a fruit fly…with a bad crack habit. Here are 10 ways to help you be productive even if OOH! SHINY! …even if you tend to …

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Writing Tip #3–Talent is Cheaper than Table Salt

I’ve been working as a professional editor, writer, ferret-herder for twelve years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that talent is highly overrated (which is why this quote by Stephen King remains one of my all-time favorites). I constantly meet writers more talented than I am, but I know they won’t make it despite …

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Writing Tip #2–Writing is Pain, Learn to Take a Hit

writing, WANA, Author Kristen Lamb

Want to be a writer? Expect suffering. Lose your illusions and embrace pain. Writing is not always a glittery unicorn hug, and we don’t get what we wish for, we get what we work for. This profession is not for the faint of heart, namely because 1) it’s hard 2) it’s often under appreciated 3) …

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