Category Archives for Writing Tips

By Melissa Uhles

Amber (my Pen and Parent co-blogger) and I are launching our second co-authored book. It was written with you all in mind. Parents who write may eventually want to publish and make some money with their creative labors.

By Melissa Uhles

On our Pen and Parent Facebook Page we were discussing good gift ideas for writers. With the holidays around the corner don’t writer/parents deserve something nice for themselves?

If your extended family is anything like mine they like to get “wish lists” from everyone to take some of the guess work out of shopping. So now you’ll be able to present them with a wish list, which is really doing them a big favor, right?

If you are a writer or a blogger, it’s so important to find your tribe. Hours at the keyboard can be lonely. Amber and I have been connecting with some like minded bloggers and writers through Facebook groups.

By Melissa Uhles

Luckily, self publishing has lost its stigma and is a gatekeeper free way to get your book out into the world. I’ve had the experience of having one of my novels published with a small traditional publisher. However, my other two books were self-published. In addition, my co-writer Amber and I self-published a romance novel called The Proposition. We used pen names, which is a good idea if you are planning to write in wildly different genres.

These twelve steps will help set up your blog for financial success

By Melissa Uhles

Are you creating a blog or a business? Do you want to make money blogging?

Before creating Pen and Parent, Amber and I had personal hobby blogs for years. We’d also written a novel together. But we wanted to build a profitable business while using our writing skills. We’re also both parents. So we dreamed of helping people like us. That’s why our blog now provides helpful information and a community for parents and writers.

by Christine Blackburn, Creator of the Story Worthy Podcast

I recently celebrated the 7th year anniversary of the second love of my life, my podcast Story Worthy. It is a weekly show featuring Hollywood's most creative talents telling true stories followed by a discussion. It’s funny, insightful and addictive (if I do say so myself!)

By Melissa Uhles

#PitMad
#Pit2Pub
#PB Pitch

Do those hashtags mean anything to you? They didn’t to me when I first saw mentions in an online writing group I was in. It turns out that Twitter is a place where there are “pitch parties” that help match writers with publishers and or agents. There are strict rules. Your manuscript must be complete and polished. You must also use the correct hashtag for the contest and genre (PB for picture book, for example). If your pitch is favorited, that means you are invited to send a query to that agent or publisher, sometimes they may ask for the first chapter as well.

​Updated 6/10/18
By Melissa Uhles

If there is one thing I’ve learned a lot about in the past two years, it’s who publishes romance novels. I’ve been through the submissions process three times so far. One of my books sold to a small press after participating in a Twitter pitchfest called #Pit2Pub. Prior to that, I had gone the traditional route. I wrote a query letter, synopsis and read each romance publisher’s guidelines before sending off my hopes and dreams.

By Melissa Uhles