William Power

I remember when I first started writing and I decided to take the plunge and expose myself on the internet. I would post articles and essays I had written on several different websites. My first love at that time was politics, so naturally, I decided to write about that topic,—it was my only area of expertise. Readers scorned my politics--as anyone would expect (at least those who disagreed); however, the worst tongue lashings I received were for my grammar, spelling, and general syntax. The biggest reason for this was that I never proof read anything before I pushed the “publish” button. Yes, there I was, an unfound literary master, one who was so good that my work should be published pure, as it was first written—blah, blah, blah—(sighing loudly) the ego of a writer can be quit ugly in its raw form. I have to give myself some credit for being so brave. My wife Lori would cringe as she sat and listened to some of the comments readers wrote about my work. One guy told me that I was an affront to the Liberal Arts (laughing). Lori, my dear wife, began to meekly suggest that allow her to read my work for a second opinion, you know (she said) a second pair of eyes. I begrudgingly agreed; however, this was also an interesting display of ego. She would point out areas that needed editing only to hear me growl at here like a dog that guards his bone. Over time,...

Hey folks, Just wanted to drop a line about a recent conversation I had with another author who was contemplating which way to go in publishing her eBook. As many of you know there are a myriad of choices out there concerning self-publishing your eBook; however, the question remains, which one is best? I have used both smashwords and createspace for my eBooks and my paperback “Voices from the Heart II.” My first published eBook “Apples of Gold: A collection of inspirational short stories and poems,” was my first attempt at self-publishing an eBook. It was a daunting task but I learned so much on that journey. The task of formatting the eBook was an arduous excursion into the world of an editor. I was no editor, but by the time I was done (nine months later) I was confident in my ability to edit a manuscript. I discovered later that there were still typos; I went back after the first 6mos and re-submitted a new manuscript that was, for all intents and purposes, free of error, and the book has remained in the top 3 of free eBooks under poetry for over 6mos to date. I later published “Voices from the Heart” (first edition) with smashwords as well. Finally, when I published my paperback edition of “Voices from the Heart” (second edition) I saw the huge difference between smashwords and Kindle concerning a quality eBook format. When you publish a paperback (or hardback) through creatspace.com (an Amazon company) they give...

I was with some friends last night, one of whom is a writer, and I was amazed at my friend’s ability to be descriptive in her writing. This reminded me of how important it is in creative writing to be able to “paint a picture” in words for the reader. She had written a persuasive essay about art in education. In the beginning paragraph she began her essay with a few sentences describing the memories of the art and music room in elementary school. She described the smell of Elmer’s glue and construction paper, the smell of colored clay, and the faint sounds of band instruments from the music room down the hall. The picture she painted with her words immediately took me back to those memories—I really enjoyed the trip her words took me on. This is the essence of writing, it`s the stuff readers love, it`s what makes a story a page turner. If we as writers can develop this skill and learn to take our readers on a trip, to paint a vivid picture in words that they can get lost in—we have them hooked. Some writers seem to have an innate ability to write like this while others (like me) must learn to develop and hone this skill. Each writer has a particular strength: some writers are descriptive; others can reach into the reader’s soul with their words, still others are strong in their ability to write dialog--there are a multitude of styles. That being said, the...

      Well, I finally got the first shipment of “Voices from the Heart II” in today. They looked great. I have an appointment with a couple book stores who want to carry the book. The genre of poetry and short stories is not exactly on fire; however, I refuse to sell my soul and write a sexy vampire novel. The whole idea behind this book was to give short stories and poems to those who have suffered from addiction, heartbreaks, failed marriages, and many other painful situations in life. The Kindle addition is out on Amazon but the paperback is still not appearing; however, you can get your copy at creatspace.com. “Voices from the Heart II” : https://www.createspace.com/3883213 Thanks for the wonderful support of friends, family, and readers--WP  ...

I was talking with a friend of mine on Twitter and we were discussing what writers can do now a-days to jump-start their careers. Compared to how things were even 10 years ago--writers have enormous opportunities at their fingertips to advance their writing careers. There are multiple sites that pay for content if a writer either wants a "copy writing" career, or simply wants to make a few bucks from home. There are single parents who make several hundred dollars a week just writing for content sites. This is also a great way to hone your writing skills.  If you are more of a creative writer (stories, poetry, etc.) than there are a number of sites like “The Hubpages,” “Helium,” and others, that will allow aspiring writers to not only gain exposure and experience, but also get paid for doing what they love. These sites also offer opportunities for aspiring writers to meet and gain knowledge from more experiences writers and authors. The Hubpages is a fantastic community of writers and authors who are supportive of one another.    Finally, if you are at a point where you`re ready to publish a book or an eBook--there are numerous sites available for indie authors that are free. I will give you two here: 1) smashwords.com--this site is an awesome place to publish an eBook for free and get great exposure. They also (provided you follow the strict guidelines) will send your book to Barnes & Noble, Sony, iTunes, Kobo, and other eBook...