Maria Murnane News & Updates

Recent Updates

One area where the issue of of "show vs. tell" frequently pops up is when authors use too many adverbs or adjectives to tell readers how a character is feeling instead of using...

Many debut authors don't know what to put in their bio. That's understandable! In fact, I recently met a debut novelist whose bio at the end of her book said this: This...

I hate writer's block. It's the worst! As far as I know, there's no magic formula for curing this unfortunate affliction when it strikes, only various approaches to try until...

Are you using hyphens when you shouldn't be? Hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity when two descriptive words are placed next to each other before a noun. (They are also used for...

If you’re an aspiring author, get ready to hear the following question approximately 10 billion times: “What’s your book about?” As you already know if you’ve already written a...

If you're like most authors, promoting your work doesn't come naturally to you. The same goes for the vast majority of your readers. They may love your book, but it would never...

I once received an email newsletter from an indie author in which he essentially begged for people to review his book on Amazon. I empathized with him because I know how...

I recently attended a good friend's wedding in Oregon. There were several events over the few days I was there, which gave me a chance to get to know some of the other guests....

I love yoga. I love my yoga teachers too. They are kind, positive, nurturing people who strive to make their students feel good inside and out. They aren't always so great at...

It's that time of year again, the beginning! Why not start yours by making the following resolution? In 2019 I will do (at least) one thing every day to promote my writing. I...

A couple years after my first novel was released, I noticed a title on Amazon with the same name. I read that book’s description and realized it was also in the same vein as...

ITS vs. IT’S is tricky because the way to use ITS goes against everything we're taught about possession. Here's a quick explanation that I hope will clear up the...