Guest Posts 6 - 49 Writers, Inc.

Do You Swing for the Fences in Your Writing Projects? by Andromeda Romano-Lax

April 5, 2023 / By 49 Writers

I take that phrase from a newsletter I read this week by learning expert Scott Young. Reviewing The Handbook of Creativity by Robert Sternberg, Young synthesizes this takeaway: Creativity is a by-product of acquired expertise and a willingness to take intellectual risks. Lately I’ve been struggling to decide what my next novel will be. Over […]

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Novel-Writing Chatbots Are Scary, But They Have One Lesson to Teach Human Writers Now by Andromeda Romano-Lax

March 8, 2023 / By 49 Writers

One area where I believe it would be unwise to rely solely on AI-generated text is in the field of creative writing, particularly in the writing of novels. Writing a novel is a complex and nuanced process that requires not only the ability to produce coherent text but also a deep understanding of human emotions,

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How I Got My Agent by Heather Aruffo

February 22, 2023 / By 49 Writers

I finished my novel in mid march of 2019. On a whim, I sent out a few query letters to literary agents. Not many, just five, who I had chosen based on the clients that they represented, clients whose books seemed similar to mine. I didn’t know much about publishing, and my novel certainly wasn’t

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Emotional Lives of Mammals, Birds, Fish and Insects by Bob Armstrong

February 8, 2023 / By 49 Writers

I have been pleased by all the information that is available now on the emotional lives of mammals, birds, fish and insects. Of special interest are the books that discuss what is known about the subject. The authors not only cover the research they have done but they do a good job of reviewing the

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What Snarky Oscar-Season Reviews Can Teach a Writer by Andromeda Romano-Lax

February 1, 2023 / By 49 Writers

I’m picky about war novels and movies (don’t even get me started about sentimental or manipulative Holocaust stories). But when I watched All Quiet on the Western Front last week, I was emotionally moved and intellectually gratified. After the final credits rolled, I wasn’t ready to let the movie go—which is exactly what director Edward

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January: A Month to Breathe… and Write by Lindsay Belle Sobolik

January 25, 2023 / By 49 Writers

Maybe you’re a full-time writer who, like Stephen King himself, sits down at nine a.m. every morning and begins typing away until the end of the workday at five p.m. Diligent. And if the above sounds like you, then this article may not be your cup of tea. I am not this kind of writer,

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Simard and the Mother Tree by Mary Odden

January 18, 2023 / By 49 Writers

The first time I read Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, she—or the editor I imagined leaning over her shoulder—made me uncomfortable. In the first 40 pages, where she tells us she belongs to a fourth generation of British Columbia hand loggers and describes her childhood thoughts, she is

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Resolve: To Master Your Own Best Writing Practices by Andromeda Romano-Lax

January 4, 2023 / By 49 Writers

If you’re like me, you’ve had an inbox stuffed in recent days by newsletters about people’s resolutions or theme words for the year, and following that, by a storm tide of articles claiming that resolutions are nonsense. Trust me, this post will not be (only) about writing resolutions. But first, can I vent some mild,

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Wheels on Ice Combines Alaska Cycling History and Adventure: An Interview with Editor Jessica Cherry by Andromeda Romano-Lax

November 30, 2022 / By 49 Writers

Alaska has a new anthology to enjoy this winter: Wheels on Ice, edited by Jessica Cherry and the late Frank Soos. The story behind this publication is bittersweet, given that Soos, a former Alaska Writer Laureate, long-time teacher and 49 Writers board member, died in a solo cycling accident before the book could be completed.

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My Writer’s Dilemma by Lindsay Belle Chambers

November 16, 2022 / By 49 Writers

I am writing. No, not writing. I am jamming (writer’s style). I have my notes, I have my laptop, I have my coffee. There is an electric blanket in my lap (which allows me to stay cozy enough to create) and a cracked window beside me providing a constant cool breeze (that will keep me

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