14 April 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, I’m delighted to welcome Sarah Schwab, the content creation coach, to the blog to explain what content is and why you need it. As a writer, you’ve no doubt been hearing a lot about content marketing. Whether you’re hoping to be hired to write content for a...Read More

Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, Last fall, I had the privilege of attending Mystery Writers of America MWA University. While there, I heard Hallie Ephron speak about Dramatic Structure and Plotting—which changed the way I think about writing fiction. I’ve invited her to the blog to talk about one small aspect of plotting—how to juggle...Read More

Writers, I’m delighted to welcome my colleague Rich van Smarmington to the blog. He read Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It) and told me he could teach you how to write even faster (and make a fortune). So, I’m giving him a shot even though I don’t believe...Read More

  Creativity is intelligence having fun. —Albert Einstein   Most of my clients write serious stuff, novels about tough subjects and nonfiction books with big ideas. Come to think of it, I’m usually writing about the darker parts of life. That’s why every so often, I like to forget about my big projects and write poetry,...Read More

  There was a time in the not-so-distant past when agents were an essential part of achieving success as a writer. That’s no longer true. Today, writers can succeed without an agent by publishing with small presses, connecting with editors directly, or publishing their own books. But for some writing genres (children’s, popular fiction, some...Read More

17 March 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, In Milwaukee, where I live, they’ve been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since the first weekend in March. Today, the bars open at 6:00 AM for Irish breakfasts and, of course, beer. Even if you’re not Irish, you might be interested in today’s article about how to be...Read More

Last month at Dream Keepers, I worked with nine-year-old boy who wanted to write his autobiography. He titled it, “The Challenges of My Life.” I immediately fell in love with his idea—what a brilliant structure for a memoir. When my writing feels stale or I get stuck in the middle of a narrative, sometimes an...Read More

3 March 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, I’m so happy it’s March! This Saturday (March 7th), I’ll be celebrating March and Dr. Seuss’s birthday by teaching Boing! Bam! Boom! at Central Library in Milwaukee, WI, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Bring your kids and join me in writing noisy poetry! Today’s tip is...Read More

24 February 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, It’s been a crazy February. I took on a freelance project that required me to spend about 20 hours each week in the company’s office. Of course, I still put in about 20 hours a week with my current clients. And on top of that, I teach...Read More

17 February 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, I made the mistake of going on Facebook before writing this morning. Oops. I was immediately hooked by several news stories unfolding around the world. Then my phone rang. And the dog wanted me. I eventually worked on revising my novel, but a part of my head...Read More