Anthologies

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. In my last post, I talked about the advantages of writing short stories and how they could be stand-alone works or part of a collection. Today, I want to talk about anthologies. What’s the difference? Dictionary (dot) com defines an anthology as this: A book or other collection …

Advantages of Writing Short Stories

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. This post is short and sweet. (Pun intended.) Let’s talk about short stories. A collection of shorts. (Wait, those are dachshunds.) There are advantages to writing shorter pieces of fiction. Not only does the writing process take less time, but many readers these days have shorter attention spans. …

Keeping Track of Story Ideas

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. One of my first posts at Story Empire was titled “The Stories Around Us.” Ideas come to me in all kinds of places and all sorts of situations—on an Alaskan cruise ship, observations in restaurants, things I see while driving, listening to a song, or watching a movie. …

Plan Ahead to Maximize Writing Time

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. Most of us would agree that there aren’t enough hours in the day, especially when it comes to writing. For me, it seems that Murphy’s Law often happens during my writing sessions—an unexpected phone call, visit, or an urgent matter that must be dealt with immediately. (I’ll not …

Blogging Etiquette

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. Most independent, and even some traditionally published writers, are also bloggers. A blog is a great way to connect with readers and build your audience. In a past Story Empire post, I wrote about making your blog user-friendly by choosing a well-known platform such as WordPress, not making …