The news for nonfiction authors is bleak. Sales are down 8.4% year over year. Based on my recent experience with many authors pitching publishers, it’s harder than ever to get a book contract; even great book ideas are seeing rejections or meager advances. Of course, the real objective isn’t to get a deal, it’s to…
I woke up this morning with a great idea on how to revise a chapter I’m working on. By the end of today, it’s going to be much better. This doesn’t happen by accident. Here’s how to prepare properly so lightning can strike. What must be in place for an inspiring rewrite Before an inspiring…
People believe there are two ways to accomplish something creative. The first is to beaver away for hours, weeks, months, making steady progress until you reach your goal. The other, of course, is to have the bolt-from-the-blue inspiration. A-ha! One moment you’re stuck, the next you have an incredible idea. But that’s wrong. How inspiration…
A New York Times article with an inflammatory title suggests that, according to new scholarly research, Shakespeare’s plays drew heavily on a manuscript by another author. For Shakespeare scholars, this is a revelation. For the rest of us, it’s a good demonstration of the difference between plagiarism and inspiration. The title of the Times article is “Plagiarism…