Latest posts from Chip MacGregor
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What's going on with Family Christian Stores?
I’ve had a number of people write to ask about the bankruptcy of Family Christian Stores, and specifically if it will affect writers who publish in CBA. A bit of background: FCS has 266 stores, did $230M in business last …
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How to Ruin a Book at the Last Minute: Part 4, The Lukewarm Ending
I’m continuing my conversation on writing great endings today with a look at what makes a weak, or “lukewarm” ending and how to scrub this kind of ending from your writing.
There are few things worse than being in the …
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The Thrill of the Journey (a guest blog)
As a fresh kid rounding the bend on the second half of life, and after a series of challenging events, I’d determined again to dive into a childhood calling of becoming a writer.
A trip to the Oregon Coast …
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How to Ruin a Book at the Last Minute: Part 3, Avoiding Anticlimax
Continuing my series on writing great endings, I’m talking today about how to provide satisfactory resolution without letting the energy of your story run out.
I spent last week talking about all the resolution the reader expects from the denouement– …
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Five Lessons I've Learned About Writing (a guest blog)
- Have something worth saying.In his book Culture Care, artist Makoto Fujimura tells a story he confesses may be legendary about a Yale student taking Hebrew from the great Old Testament scholar Brevard Childs. The student, discontent with his grades,
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How to Ruin a Book at the Last Minute: Part 2, The Art of Denouement
Welcome back to my series on writing great endings. This week, I’ll be talking about a misunderstood but vital part of any story, the denouement.
The Google dictionary definition of “denouement” is “the final part of a narrative in which …
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Ask the Agent: Book groups and great books
We’ve tried to tackle a bunch of questions quickly this month…
“I want to start a monthly fiction book club to bond members of my writing group. Do you have any suggestions? I thought about reading a book together, then …
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Mystery vs Suspense… What's the difference? (a guest blog)
I started out my career writing mystery and now I write mostly suspense novels. What is difference between mystery and suspense anyway? It’s a question I hear often. I suppose I ought to know the answer since I’ve written twenty …
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Ask the Agent: If I have a contract in hand…
Some fascinating questions have come in recently…
“I know of several agents who edit or write on the side. Is there anything wrong with that?”
I’m on record as having said, “You’ll do best if you find a full-time agent.” …
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How to Ruin a Book at the Last Minute: Part 1, The Importance of Endings
I’m starting a new series today, one that will last until I run out of things to say on the topic or until I get bored, whichever comes first. I’ve received several ending-related questions over the past few weeks as …
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Ask the Agent: Piracy, Careers, and Marketing
A bunch of interesting questions have come in, so let’s get to them…
“Every couple months I find one of my novels online illegally as a free download. I complain, they usually take it down, and then someone puts it …
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Ten Lessons I've Learned (a guest blog)
Before I opened my freelance doors for business, I worked as an associate editor for a small publishing house. Long before that I earned a degree in Journalism. But much of my training for my current job came from many …
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Ask the Agent: Working with agents and others
We’ve been getting a variety of questions about working with agents…
“I am seeking an agent for my new book and have created a website to promote it. What does an agent want to see on that website?”
A great …
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Ask the Agent: Children's books, writing coaches, & agents
We had a bunch of questions come in this past week, so let me get to several of them…
This came from a reader in the Midwest: “I’m at the point where I think I’d like to work with …
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Using your Writing Group to Promote Literacy (a guest blog)
I never have trouble getting up before my alarm rings on a Saturday morning. For one, I’m looking forward to my weekly blog, SATURDAISIES, to go live. And second, it’s time to get together with my writing group, The …
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Ask the Agent: On Memoir, Bookspan, Facebook, and Writing Resources
I thought this was a very insightful question: “Can you clear something up for me? You have said you thought memoir was a growing category in publishing. But you’ve also said personal stories are hard to sell. How can …
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The Pros and Cons of Prologues
This week’s post is one I always think about writing after attending a writer’s conference, the reason being that, for every three manuscripts I’m handed at a conference, two of them (on average) begin with a prologue. Now, there’s nothing …
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Ask the Agent: Are things getting better? (and other questions)
This question was sent to my personal email: “Do you think there is any rush for an established writer to get his/her next book published in the current climate? That is, are things likely to get better or worse in …
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The Makings of a Successful Writing Group (a guest blog)
When I decided to start a writing group, I didn’t just slap something up on social media or tack a flyer on the bulletin board of a book store or coffee shop to solicit writers. I privately recruited people whose …
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Ask the Agent: How do you feel about free fiction? (and other topics)
A writing friend sent this: “I need your help. A publicist sent me an email and asked me to review a client’s book. I agreed. Unfortunately, the book is horrible. The publicist has emailed to inquire as to when I …