They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so just a picture this time. 

Some multi-published authors generously share advice with younger writers. Each has their different specialty and genre. Sampling from several writers’ blogs this summer should help you find one or two you can really relate to.

Gail Martin writes romance and romantic suspense for Christian readers. Even if that’s not what you write, you could learn a lot this week browsing through Gail’s blog at http://gailmartin.com/writers.

In the 1970s, 7-UP began to market their soft drink as “the UN-cola.” Their premise was that dark colored colas were cliche, and that cliche was boring. They were fresh and different.

People tend to avoid risks. We all like to be relatively sure of a satisfying experience, BUT at the same time we get bored with the same fare over and over. The trick, sometimes, is to find something that is familiar and put a new angle on it–whether that’s a cold, carbonated beverage with a distinctive color or an old favorite story with a new spin.

A book title is like a marketing logo. It should be memorable and appealing. A title that incorporates something old and something new can grab attention and pique interest. Two titles-with-a-twist that come to mind are Deeanne Gist’s Courting Trouble and Maid to Match.

Try your hand at inventing “the UN-cliche.” Think of some popular sayings that are overused. Can you change one word (or even one letter) to create a title that hints of something completely different?

An agent is a writing professional who specializes in bringing authors and publishers together and administrating contracts that are beneficial to both. In addition, many agents help their clients (and aspiring clients) learn more about various aspects of the field of professional writing.

If you’re an aspiring author, lurking on a few agents’ blogs is an excellent way to get a feel for the writing industry. This week our blog tour takes us to Santa Rosa, California–home of Between the Lines (http://booksandsuch.biz/blog/). One of my personal favorites, this blog is sponsored by the Books & Such Literary Agency.

Last week’s writing prompt involved taking a new look at an old favorite fairytale. This week, you can keep the same story or choose a new one. Did you know that the older versions of some fairytales had other chapters that have been deleted over time? Let’s experiment with why we begin and end stories where we do.

Your challenge is to write a prologue or an epilogue for the fairytale. Tell us what led up to the story or what happened after the last page was turned.

Do you think your new chapter makes the story better? Or do you think the original story included the only the best parts and provided a satisfying ending?