Tag Archives: writer

Perseverance furthers… applies to authors also

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Before I met the Lord, I was running my life using the I Ching. The phrase I remember from that experience is: Perseverance Furthers… In Christian terms, do a word study in the New Testament on overcomers, or long-suffering… Your writing and publishing career will grow dramatically over many years. Be patient. A dripping faucet can fill a bathtub in a day or so. It won’t take as long as you fear. And you’ll love the journey. Relax! … Continue reading →

Guest post: Being an Author: Hobby, Career, or Calling from David G. Johnson

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I am honored today to have an article by an online friend of mine. After an exciting and varied life in many areas, including an IT executive, David, his wife, and their daughter felt a strong call to go to China as missionaries. He writes partially to support himself, but mainly because he has stories to tell, and they are excellent. For him, writing is a calling and epic fantasy is the genre. The worlds he builds … Continue reading →

Are you an author, for real?

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I just read an excellent article in CreativePro called Are you a creative professional or a hobbyist?  The article is talking about graphic designers, but it equally speaks to authors and writers. The dividing line is the tools you use Every day I see questions on FaceBook, Google+, and the author groups and forums in which I participate. They are all basically the same. How can I do this or that without bothering to learn how? It’s usually written with … Continue reading →

What desktop publishing did to graphic designers, self-publishing is doing to authors

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OK! I’m a little punch-drunk I’ve been through this before. In fact, I’ve been through it five times now. it’s been pretty much non-stop since 1991. My life and career [yours too, probably unless you’re a kid born after 1980—especially after 1990] has been radically transformed on a continual basis since 1990 with five major paradigm shifts. Hand-drawn art and metal type to photo-production [Offset Lithography]—the 1960s & seventies:  I started in the midst of this change. My … Continue reading →

Writing a book? No Sweat! Right? It’s what I do

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I’ve been working on the third edition of Writing In InDesign due out around the first of the year. As usual, I am writing a lot, rearranging everything, doing everything I can to make it more helpful and uplifting to my readers. It will also include the exciting new advances in ebook design and formatting now possible with InDesign CC. But this is just a quote about why we do what we do: ♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦•♦ So, I’m a writer … Continue reading →

New Review: Writing In InDesign: A Philosophy for Writers In Service to Readers

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Today we have a guest post from a man who is a reader of my work who has become a friend. A while back he told me he was going to write a review. I had no idea he would put so much effort into the attempt. I asked if I could share this and he said to do it. Pastor Dean Williams has been a pastor for over 30 years serving in “a multitude of denominational … Continue reading →

Self-publishing begins with the fact that you write…

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Where do you start? My assumption is that this is something you are already doing. You have been writing and you have a body of work you want to publish. If you are not writing, you are not a writer. This is not for people who say “I really want to write a book about…” some day in the undefined future. Writing may be cathartic therapy for you. It may be sharing the weirdness of life. It … Continue reading →

Writing in InDesign ebooks are up or coming

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Apple is always slow with additions to iBooks, but you can get the ePUB that will be there from Lulu or NookBooks. Amazon just let me know that the Kindle version is up. It will take a while before the print and Kindle versions are linked up. The response to the book has been very good I am really pleased that several people seem to think the basic concept has merit. You can see a discussion of … Continue reading →

Writing books in InDesign

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Here I am again recommending a road less traveled by—not unusual in my life and work. Before the choruses rise up in defense of others, let me tell you my reasonings. I fully recognize that most people write in Word. What they do not realize [in most cases] is this simple fact starts their book under a great handicap. They are missing out on the best tools for communicating with readers. At this point, I have been … Continue reading →