Sophfronia Scott -'s Articles in Writing Tips

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Building A Rock Solid Query Letter
Recently I reviewed a client's query letter. It was a hard working query letter, detailing the marketing prospects for the book, her own glowing credentials and the contacts she possessed that would help her publicize the book. But she left out one teeny weeny thing: she didn't say what her book was about! I used to think query letters were relatively easy, but now I realize that a query has to do so many things that it's easy to forget essential elements. Since the letter is...
What You Can Learn From Dr. Phil About Writing Non-Fiction Books
Even if your career doesn't involve being a full-time writer, being the author of a book can be a huge boon for you. Our society holds authors in such high regard that anyone who has written one is seen as knowledgeable, self-disciplined and special. A book can help your business or career by making you more visible and sought-after for your expertise. All very good things. But if your natural talents don't involve writing regularly, it may be difficult for you to figure out ...
Using Quotations: When You Need Permission
First of all, here's my disclaimer. I'm not a lawyer. The following is based on my own research and, as you'll see, every situation is different. That's why the use of quotes can be confusing. I do hope, however, that this can help you to make better decisions when preparing your own manuscripts or other creative projects.

Quotes are wonderful little things. They can convey a world of meaning in just a few words. And they're everywhere: books, greeting cards, on the home p...
How To Cultivate Greatness In Your Writing
There's a television commercial, I believe it's for E-trade, that talks about how nobody wants to be an ordinary...fill in the blank. Supposedly we aspire to be better. Nobody wants to be an ordinary athlete, nobody wants to be an ordinary investor. A photo of Hemingway flashes across the screen and it says "nobody wants to be an ordinary writer". That made me pause. I wasn't so sure about that.

You see, I am struck by how often I hear from writers who want to know if thei...
A Quick Start Guide To Writing Your Memoir
I've learned that when a person starts thinking about telling their life story, they tend to overthink it. They get caught up in worrying about things such as what others will think and who would publish it. The whole thought process results in paralysis so they can't even figure out how to get started. But if you do your thinking in a more focused way, and then follow it up with specific actions, you'll have your completed pages done before you know it! Here's how to get goi...
Putting The Critics In Their Place
I once read that if you were a writer, it wasn't enough to just write. "You must publish what you write" was the given advice. I believe that's true and it's great advice. But when you do that, you have to know at least three things are going to happen: 1.) Someone will like your writing. 2.) Someone will dislike your writing. 3.) Someone won't care! If you allow all these reactions to make or break you, you'll be on an endless emotional roller coaster ride. You can smooth ou...

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