Q: You mentioned you write both as a traditional and indie published writer. Tell us, readers, about your experiences as both. Writing for one of the big publishing houses is like taking a meal order from Meg Ryan’s character in When Harry Met Sally – you need to write what they want and edit to their preferences.... Continue Reading →
Q: When did you decide to become a writer? I have loved literature, both stories and poetry, from a very young age. Over twenty years ago I felt a strong urge to write. I started writing “cowboy” poems and performed with my husband, Alf Epp, at the Maple Creek Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Alf would sing... Continue Reading →
Synopsis: As the author of twenty-four novels, Elizabeth George is one of the most successful--and prolific--novelists today. In Mastering the Process, George offers readers a master class in the art and science of crafting a novel.For many writers, the biggest challenge is figuring out how to take that earliest glimmer of inspiration and shape it... Continue Reading →
The 2017 June Issue above has just been released. 76-pages of content. Featuring both bestselling and indie authors. A variety of genres and fun articles. Interested in reviewing a free copy, please, email: urbanlitmagazine@gmail.com & use review copy in the subject line. All reviews must be posted within 2-weeks. Reviewers will be asked to send... Continue Reading →
We have gone through a lot of changes...some faster than others. We have been experimenting with what works best for everyone and for ourselves. Recently, we have updated...our website's name and URL. Prices and services will be changing once more and after the final changes are made prices will be locked in for the services... Continue Reading →
In March, we will be hosting a March Madness Free Writing Contest. 1st round - will consist of writers doing a flash fiction piece (500-1,000 words). 2nd round - will consist of writers doing a short story (2 pages). 3rd round - will consist of writers doing a short memoir... Continue Reading →
Hi everyone, We will be working in the April Issue starting March 1, 2016. Inside this new issue, we will be featuring a lot of historical fiction pieces. Historical Fiction Book Reviews Greatest Historical Pieces Ever Written What You Need to Know When Writing Historical Fiction Historical Writing Prompts Can You Write Fiction? (A fun... Continue Reading →
Our fees for all editing services are: Editing - $0.015 per word (if editing single pages only) Proofreading Service for Novellas - $15.00 USD. Proofreading Service for Novels - $30.00 USD. Critiquing Service - $10.00 USD. Developmental Editing Service - $30.00 USD. Research Service - $25.00 USD. Article Writing Service - $5.00 USD per article... Continue Reading →
Hi everyone, Today the Valentine's Day Writing Contest begins! A contest that consists of three rounds of writing, word limits and a time frame. Writers will be writing short stories given on a specific topic for each round. First round, begins today. Best of luck to all of the writers!
Please, click on the link below for your free February Magazine Issue: FEB2016ISSUE Thank you, everyone, for your loyal support and help!
“Dare me.” I say looking around at my accusers. Not one of them wanted to “dare me” to do what they accused me of me doing. Honestly, they were hypocrites. The whole lot of them. How do I survive to be around these idiots? No one moved. They only shifted slightly in their stance. Their... Continue Reading →
Writing That Novel or Book! Create a timeline of your scenes and sequels. Who's your targeted audience? Start writing. What flaws are there in your characters? Readers love these. It makes them connect with your characters. What kind of conflicts are there? Any twists to your story? What's your climax point? The most exciting part... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Avoid When Writing Your Novel Mixed metaphors. Ineffective Comparisons. Excessive Descriptions. Cliches. Don't use complicated verbs. Meaning, use simple words like: walked.
11 Ways to Fix a Novel Take a look at the overall plot and structure. Ask yourself if it represents what you're trying to say, and how you're trying to say it. Write a synopsis. Take a walk through your scenes. Write them down and look them over. Let your ideas flow. Create a storyboard.... Continue Reading →
We are proud to announce the release of our September 2015 Urban Lit Magazine! Here is the cover: Here is the link to the magazine that can be read on devices for both .epub and PDF files: September 2015 Issue Please, comment and let us know what you all think! Thank you!
Okay, so it's fall and today is the anniversary of the September 11th attack on the twin towers. Many families have lost loved ones. Let's take a time of prolonged silence and honor all those who died that day. After, taking a moment to remember, honor, and pray for all of those who died let's... Continue Reading →
Are You Writing Thriller / Mystery / Suspense? Agent Michelle Richter of Fuse Literary is Judging a FREE Contest Just For You! Welcome to the 18th (free!) "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here's the deal: With every contest, the... Continue Reading →
His touch made her skin crawl. If there weren't any cameras, Keira, would have felt goosebumps forming on her arms and a chill down her spine. She knew he was waiting..it was only a matter of time when she would be his. * * * * * * * * * * * * *... Continue Reading →
Hi everyone, we have some exciting news to share. Urban Lit 2015 September Issue will be released soon! Interviews have been pouring in. Currently, we are proofreading a new manuscript. Reviews are free! New Short Story by Lucy Mitchell will be inside of Urban Lit Magazine. Magazine issues will now be available in PDF, ePub,... Continue Reading →
Hi everyone, This month I am conducting a fundraiser to raise a grand total of $300 for a graduate student's LSAT test cost. The student is an honor student and she needs all the help we can give her. She needs the $300 to pay for her testing fee. Please be generous by donating money... Continue Reading →
Bulgaria and his best friend friend and partner in crime were rushing down the stairs like a stampede of wild buffalo. "Hey, Bulgaria, I am going to beat you down to the kitchen!" Cesar taunted. "Not this time Cesar!" Bulgaria shouted back as he ran and ran. Bulgaria soon beat Cesar to the kitchen. Their... Continue Reading →
It was work day as usual on the USS Mars Navy ship. The navy supplies us the heaviest yet darkest coffee muck to drink. It's black than black and the bitter hot taste makes you want to spit it all out. But when it's cold out and you need the caffeine, it's all we got.... Continue Reading →
Universal Creativity Inc. is proud to present the new name of our creative writing magazine to Urban Lit. Urban Lit is a literary magazine that now delivers more content, better formats, and still free for readers and writers alike. Urban Lit will be featuring several different authors in this new issue. We will also be featuring... Continue Reading →
Write a story based on a lead character (who technically is you but in fiction - meaning give this character your voice/ personality), another character opposite your gender, and an animal (such as a dog, a puppy, a cat, a kitten, a bird, you name it). Write how your lead character goes about his or... Continue Reading →
Write what comes to you. In other words don't try and force something out of your writing just to please others. Write with passion! If you don't like your own work, then stop and write something else. Use beta readers! These are the readers who will help you out most! Start with the basics. Use... Continue Reading →
Having trouble writing those love scenes in your romance novel? Practice, practice and practice! Here's a sample: Just as I was expecting the pain, he moved moved his mouth right over my sweet spot. His breath was hot and the anticipation of what was next, drove me insane. "Are you ready?" He asked. "OMG! Yes,... Continue Reading →
5 Things You Didn't Know about Dialogue 1. It's easier & faster to read than narrative, moves the story by faster, and keeps readers interested. 2. #1 Purpose is to provide essential information. 3. #2 Purpose is to move the plot forward. 4. #3 Purpose is to define the different characters. 5. It defines a... Continue Reading →
From the Desk of a Publishing Intern Finding story ideas - Look at your newspaper for ideas. They are plenty of happenings in your area that can inspire you to find an idea to write that perfect novel. Personal Experiences - Use these to write that irresistible new story that every reader will love to... Continue Reading →
In your book be sure to show the following: - Physical characteristics - such as age, height, clothes, and manner of speaking. - Background/ History - such as family situations, childhood events, rich or poor, married or not. - Ethics/ Morals - is this person good or bad? How about naming characters? - Mix &... Continue Reading →
Open Submissions to all self-published and new emerging writers. I am a senior publisher for Pulse LLC. I am currently looking for the following genres to publish: - Historical Romance - Contemporary Romance - Paranormal Romance - New Adult - Romantic Suspense - Romantic Thriller - Romantic Comedy - Chicklit - Christian Romance - YA... Continue Reading →
It won’t take long to write your book if you use your blogging skills to do so. Publish three posts per week, each one about 500 words long, and you write a 10,000+ e-book in seven weeks. Or publish 100 posts, each one about 500 words long, and you produce a 50,000-word manuscript. Publish posts... Continue Reading →
10 Ways to Write a Story 1. Take any random sentence from a newspaper and expand on it. 2. Take a quote from any book. 3. Use a moment from the past and develop it. 4. Take any person, place, or thing and then list one type of action. 5. Take a current event that... Continue Reading →
Writers need to do many things such as keep up their writing skills, tone up their skills to the next level, learn how to engage readers with their plot, and how to make their stories the ones readers won't ever forget. But where do writers begin? And how? By taking classes that kept their minds... Continue Reading →
1) Your character wants to take a vacation, but is broke. She decides to stow away on a cruise ship... 2) Your character is traveling by train through a foreign country. The train stops in a little town, and the man who is sharing her compartment gets off. Suddenly, your character realizes that her purse... Continue Reading →
Central Ohio Fiction Writers (COFW) 21st Annual Ignite the Flame Contest All entries must be electronic. The COFW Ignite the Flame Contest will begin accepting entries on June 1, 2015. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 15, 2015. Entrants must be unpublished in book-length fiction (minimum 40k) in the last... Continue Reading →
The Writer’s Relief Review Board Is Now Open For Submissions— But Only Until Thursday, April 16. We’re currently accepting new clients, but first you must receive Review Board approval. Our Review Board is accepting work in the following genres only: > Novels and memoirs > Poetry > Short stories and narrative nonfiction (personal essays) Space... Continue Reading →
Your character heads over to the city's spring career expo hoping he will find a job to support his two children. But instead, he manages to save a woman's life and lose all his papers to show off to employers. Feeling sad with himself, he excuses himself from the woman who runs after him. "Wait,... Continue Reading →
#1 Think about an event early in your life that is still powerful for you – that made you cry, or afraid, or angry, or triumphant with revenge. Sketch it out – focus on the emotional power. Now – make it fiction. Change something. Change character, change ages, change place, gender – see how this... Continue Reading →
To celebrate Pi Day, we are hosting a writing prompt contest. All participants must email their writing to us at: universalcreativityinc.2014@gmail.com. Must be written in English. And must include the prompt in their writing. Also, each entry must have the author's first and last name, email, and word count. This enables us... Continue Reading →
Check out the cover for April's 2015 Issue! Coming soon!
As a writer, we all know the difficulty there is when we fist start out writing a new book. How do we know where to begin? Where do we start? And will it be enough to lure our readers into our plot? These all are the great questions and the what if's. So why not... Continue Reading →
Here are two story ideas that I recently came up with: 1. Ashley felt like someone was watching her. But, she kept shaking the feeling off thinking it was just the cool air and being all alone. Opening the door, Ashely stepped into the old plantation home. everything was dark, cold and dusty. Great,... Continue Reading →
Your character is a suspect in a crime. She is interviewed by the detective in charge of the case and immediately feels deeply attracted to him. After an hour in the interview room, the detective releases her with an apology. On an impulse, she invites him out to dinner that night, and he accepts. But,... Continue Reading →
1. Your aphla male needs to be active. He can't just sit around and wait for the action to come to him. 2. He should be tough, rough around the edges. 3. Alpha males respect their women. What woman wants a man who can't respect her or nay other woman? 4. He should be firm... Continue Reading →
Want to write a historical novel or any kind of novel? Stpe 1: Write a letter. This can be to a friend, a lover, or a family member. Or it can be to a stranger whom who never met but know the name and address of that you need to telll them someting. Step 2:... Continue Reading →
Writing Flash Fiction is Easy! 1) Choose your conflict. What is happening in your fiction? What do you want to happen? 2) Choose your characters wisely! Haha, yes, this is important. Characters are the ones making the mistakes, and or choices within your writing. Who are they? Bad guy? Bad girl? Good guy/ good girl?... Continue Reading →
How to Write a Romance Story? 1) Create a catchy line. You can do this by using dialogue between two people or internal conflict inside a character's mind. Or by introducing the conflict early on. ex: Pacing the floor, Cassandra felt that something was off. He should have been here an hour ago. Tony said... Continue Reading →
We can help with you your manuscript needs. Our company is dedicated to helping writers succeed. Whether you need a critique service to know how your manuscript is coming along, or need help editing it, we can help. We have edited manuscripts that were published by top publishers. Need your editng done within a week?... Continue Reading →
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