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Even if you're sure outlining isn’t for you, the book offers all kinds of important tips on plot, structure, and character. (Click for more information.)

The book will launch Monday, September 26th with a week of celebrations, featuring daily giveaways and culminating in our three-tiered Grand Prize giveaway worth over $400, featuring prizes from PosterText, a huge bundle of writing craft books, and a Kindle. In the meantime, stay tuned every Wednesday for special previews of the book and weekly book prizes!

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March 7, 2011 - Get 75% Off Both My Books During Read an E-Book Week

In celebration of Read an E-Book Week, I'm pleased to announce that both of my books will be available (through  March 12) at 75% off their normal price at Smashwords, which means you can grab both books for $1.25 apiece. To obtain your discounted copies (available in a variety of e-reader formats, including Kindle and Epub), visit Smashwords, select your book, and enter the coupon code RAE75 during checkout. You can read more about the books here.

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March 2, 2011 - Celebrating 1,000 Followers With a Prize Package Drawing

Wordplay has just reached one thousand followers, and this milestone is the perfect opportunity for me to take a moment and thank all of you who have followed, subscribed, commented, liked, linked, and retweeted the blog. I am always humbled by your support, and I feel incredibly honored to be able to share my writing life with all of you and hopefully help you in your own journeys.

To celebrate—and since I can't make a cake and zap you each a piece through the Internet—I'm hosting a prize drawing, with the prize of a copy of my CD Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration, the "10 Habits of Successful Authors" bookmark, and the winner's choice of any of the books I have posted on my Recommended Reading page. Some of my favorites include The Anatomy of Story by John Truby; Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress; and Write Away by Elizabeth George. But you can take you pick among the whole lot of them. The winner will receive a hard copy of the book or the Kindle version, whichever he prefers.

In order to enter the drawing, all you gotta do is leave a comment on the blog telling me how you first discovered Wordplay—if you remember. If you don't remember, that's okay too. We'll bend the rules since it's a special occasion. If you have any suggestions for topics or features you'd like me to feature as we journey on to the next thousand followers, I love to hear them. The winner will be announced next week. Thanks again for following, everyone!

(By the way, I'm sure I'll be throwing another party and hosting a similar drawing when we hit 1,000 fans on my Facebook page. So if you want to be a part of that, be sure to visit the link and click the Like button.)

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December 23, 2010 - Wordplay Named One of the Top Ten Blogs for Writers

This week, I was thrilled to discover that Wordplay has been named by the Write to Done site as one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers. I'm honored to be listed alongside nine other fabulous blogs. My thanks to everyone who nominated Wordplay. I'm honored  God has allowed my little site to help others along the writing road. Be sure to check out the blogs of my fellow winners for more writing tips:

• StoryFix
• Men with Pens
• Make a Living Writing
• Cats Eye Writer
• The Renegade Writer
• Writer Unboxed
• The Creative Penn
• Victoria Mixon
• Courage to Create

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October 1, 2010 - The New Website Launches!

I'm excited to announce - at last - the launch of my new website and a host of associated goodies. Be sure to drop by and take a look around. There are all sorts of new nooks and crannies to explore, including special sections for readers and writers and a new monthly e-letter (featuring exclusive content, including articles, Q&As, quotes, and creativity prompts).

All of the new products and services I’ve been talking about and offering as Winning Friday prizes throughout September are now fully available. You can find the CD Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration, the editing service First Chapter Story Consultation, and the exciting new Helping Writers Become Authors Network, among other things. So be sure to hop on by and go exploring!

Of course, my goal is to use the site to help you as best I can with your own writing goals. So if there’s a way you think I could be doing that better, please drop me a line and let me know.

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September 24, 2010 - Announcing Helping Writers Become Authors Network

When the new website launches on October 1st, you’ll be able join the Helping Writers Become Authors Network to receive benefits, discounts, encouragement, and direction in your writing life. Members will receive:

• 30% discount off all books, workshops, and other products on my website.

• Online consultation of the first chapter of your novel.

• The audio CD Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration.

• Monthly e-letter.

• Members-only monthly contest.

• “10 Habits of Successful Authors” bookmark.

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September 17, 2010 - Announcing First Chapter Story Consultation

I’ve had so many people email me asking my opinion on their stories that I decided to create a special page on my site, as part of its new and expanded look, that will allow me to contribute more time to helping you with this. The result is First Chapter Story Consultation, which will focus on one of the most important parts of your novel: your first chapter. Are you hooking readers? Is your story idea unique and gripping? Is your writing ready to submit to an agent? Find out!



What You Get

My confidential consultation on the first chapter of your novel or your short story (up to 7,500 words) will include answers to the following questions:

1. How strong is your hook?
2. Is your main character interesting and/or sympathetic enough to hold a reader’s attention?
3. Does the story open at the right time?
4. Is your inciting event gripping?
5. Is your conflict appropriately balanced?
6. Does everything make sense?
7. Is your setting clearly defined?
8. Is the narrator’s voice unique and definitive?
9. What expectations will the opening chapter lead the reader to have for the rest of the book?

Track Changes in Microsoft Word will be used to comment throughout your manuscript. You are guaranteed up to four follow-up emails to answer any further or more specific questions you may have. Please allow up to two weeks for your manuscript’s return.

Submission Guidelines

• E-mail submissions only.
• Format your manuscript in 12-point Times New Roman and double-spaced paragraphs.
• Remove graphics.
• Once you have received your confirmation email, notifying you of your prize, hit reply and attach your manuscript as a .doc or .rtf file.
• In your email, please provide your name, writing history, the genre of your story, and a short summary.

Do you edit both fiction and nonfiction?
At this time, I only offer consultations for works of fiction.

Can I contact writers who have previously worked with you?
Absolutely. Email your request, and I will arrange for contact with people for whom I’ve previously edited.

Can you guarantee that my edited manuscript will be accepted by an agent or publisher?
Unfortunately, no. There are few guarantees in publishing. But I can guarantee an objective and professional opinion of your opening chapter.

Will you edit my entire manuscript?
No. In order to retain the time to continue offering other services on this site, I review only opening chapters.

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September 3, 2010 - Announcing New CD and Winning Fridays

As those of who listen to my weekly podcast or follow me on Twitter and Facebook are probably already aware, I’ve been hard at work this summer on a new project: a 60-minute audio presentation called Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration, adapted from some of my most popular blog posts, which will be released on October 1st.

Inspiration is a slippery thing at the best of times. But, as writers, we can’t afford to wait around on Madame Muse’s good will. In this 60-minute audio presentation, I show you how to nurture creativity and put it at your summons, rather than the other way around. After listening to this CD, you will be able to:

• Build a lifestyle that encourages inspiration

• Say goodbye to destructive guilt over “wasting” time on creative endeavors

• Discover why inspiration isn’t so much a feeling as an act of will

• Understand what to do when your best-laid plans go awry

• Use your non-writing time to boost your creative energy

• Apply specific tips to prevent and combat writer’s block

• Instill habits for improving your efficiency and commitment as an author

I was able to time the release of the CD with the launch of my new-and-improved website: both will be unveiled October 1st, along with a host of other goodies, which I’ll be talking about more throughout this month. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy of Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration by clicking the button in the top of the left column of my blog.

We had so much fun with the Winning Wednesday contests before the launch of Behold the Dawn last year that I couldn’t resist bringing them back (on Fridays this time, to avoid interfering with the vlog posts on Wednesdays). Every Friday between now and October 1st, Wordplay will be hosting a prize drawing. Rules of the contest are as follows:

1. Each Friday, information about a new prize will be announced.
2. To enter, leave a comment on the post. The deadline for each contest with be Thursday, 6:00 p.m. MST.
3. One name will be selected randomly from among the comments and announced the following Friday.
4. Feel free to enter every week!

This week’s prize:

1) The e-version of either of my novels (A Man Called Outlaw or Behold the Dawn), available in your choice of formats: Kindle, Stanza, Sony Reader, or Palm Doc.

2) A sneak peek at one of the goodies coming up in the website launch: The “10 Habits of Successful Authors” bookmark.

Leave a comment to enter and be sure to stop by next Friday to learn the winner and sign up for the next drawing!

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January 27, 2010 - New Video Series on Wordplay

In addition to the weekly written posts and podcasts, a mid-week video series has been added to the Wordplay blog. These short (two minutes or less) videos will feature the lessons I’ve learned from my own reading, in the interest of helping us all learn from the work of other authors.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this new venture! Let me know what I’m doing right and what I can be doing better, and be sure to tell me about any topics you’d particularly like me to feature or books you’d like me to report on.

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January 20, 2010 - Special Offer for Book Clubs

Those of you involved in book clubs can now find some special offers, including:

• A list of discussion questions.
• Special discount on bulk orders (available only through the book club page).
• Scheduled Q&A group chat with me on Skype.

If you’re interested in featuring either Behold the Dawn or A Man Called Outlaw in your next book club meeting, be sure to take a peek!

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January 13, 2010 - Titles Now Available on Kindle

Both A Man Called Outlaw and Behold the Dawn have been released in Kindle format. If you’d like to download them, both can be found on Amazon. They’re also available, in a variety of e-book formats, through Smashwords or directly from this site.

If you don’t own a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle app to your iPhone or iTouch or download the free PC version directly to your computer.