Here’s an excellent article from the Guardian, “Ten Rules For Writing Fiction”. Actually, the article contains many more tips than that. Read the entire article, it’s well worth your time.

In the first part of the article, Ten rules for writing fiction | guardian.co.uk my favorite tip is:

“Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.”

FWIW, here’s my own two favorite tips:

Don’t bore them

How will you know you’re boring people? A good clue is that you’re bored yourself. If you’re bored, spice it up. Your readers will appreciate it.

Don’t annoy them

How can you annoy readers? One of the ways is by using exclamation marks.

Another way is by using synonyms for “said” instead of just writing “said” when you need to.

If you can avoid boring and annoying readers, you may just write a great book.

Write more – become a pro writer

Yes, you can write more and become an expert writer – even if you’re a world-class procrastinator.

Did you know that when you write more, your writing improves? Many of my writing students experience this. They find that when they write more, writing is easier for them – they’re not dominated by their inner editor.

My new writing class, “Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” is based on lessons I developed for my private coaching students to help them to write more, improve their writing, and make more money writing.

If you’re struggling with your writing, the class will help. The techniques you’ll learn in class with help you write fiction, nonfiction, and copy for business.

Discover how you can write more, improve your writing, and sell more of your writing to higher-paying markets.

The self-publishing company Author Solutions will be distributing writers’s books with Scribd.

This sounds like an excellent development, which will make Author Solutions’ books widely available, and this is always a good thing.

Scribd Inks Distribution Deal With Indie Book Publisher Author Solutions reports:

“In a statement, Author Solutions says the Scribd portal currently attracts over 50 million users per month, and that the startup’s platform will help authors make more money from book sales because it brings higher royalty percentages than are possible with traditional paper-and-ink books. In its promotion video, which I embedded below, Author Solutions says it has helped some 85,000 authors get their books published to date.”

Develop a great income writing for the Web – start by writing simple articles

I’ve developed “Sell Your Writing Online Now” (SYWON) to help you to start making money writing online in 24 hours or less.

Each week, for one full year, you’ll receive a lesson, with an assignment which will build your Web writing income – you EARN as you learn.

SYWON is totally unique, and if you want to write for the Web, it’s your ticket to success.

Alexandra Penney began blogging The Bag Lady Papers, a blog about losing all her money at the Daily Beast.

Now Memoirs of a Hermès bag lady | The Guardian reports:

“A year on, Penney has turned The Bag Lady Papers into a book, published in the US next week. When I called her in Manhattan on Thursday, she started by sounding upbeat: ‘In very many ways, it was a fantastic year. I got to travel – a magazine hired me to go to Africa which I would never have done in my previous life – and that was a big thing for me as I thought I would not be able to travel anymore.’”

What lemons can you turn into lemonade?

Introducing — Angela Booth’s Lazy Rich Blogger method

After several years of trial and error, these days I create blogs which I know will make money: I’ve cracked the code. Not only do my blogs make money almost immediately, they’ll also keep on making money for years to come.

If you wish, you can join me on the blogging journey. I hope you do. As the Internet grows ever larger, there are endless opportunities which can turn you into a lazy, rich blogger.

If you’re writing a book, the happy day may arrive when your agent calls you to let you know she’s had an offer.

At this stage, don’t go mad with euphoria. Keep your wits about you, and be especially careful with the advance against royalties.

Think of your very first book advance in terms of your career. A small advance is not the end of the world, however, it signals that the publisher doesn’t have that much confidence in your book. Low confidence equals a low first printing, and a low first printing means that your book won’t be widely available, which means that sales will be low.

If sales are low, when you try to sell your next book, your publisher will look at the sales figures, and will decide that since sales were low, the house won’t make an offer. (Yes, this is how publishing works.)

A friend was recently offered a miniscule advance on her first novel, and she declined it. She and her agent have decided that she should go ahead and write books two and three in the series.

There’s a chance that offered a series, a publisher may pick the strongest book, and will offer a larger advance. Maybe. There are no certainties.

So remember, when you’re offered an advance, this advance can dictate the rest of your writing career. Think about it before you accept a low offer.

Want to make $500 a day WRITING… from your home office?

Are you make as much money as you could be making? Chances are that you’re not. There’s no shame in this. Writers often struggle to find their own special niche.

If you love to write, then you’ll love the information in my new ebook/ coaching package, Info Product Maestro: Make $500 a Day with Your Information Products.

Write what you like, when you like, and make an income you’ve only dreamed of.

Enjoy.