Ms. Elisabeth Christison, award winning author of The Blameless (https://www.amazon.com/Blameless-S-Christison/dp/1951565606/).

Ms. Christison gave us a fascinating presentation about her novel and how it all started with a dream she had about five years ago. She had no interest in writing until that time, and just felt she had to write this novel.

Her presentation included some very helpful tips on:

How to write a novel.

–        She wrote something every single day, even if it was just one sentence

.-        Finish the manuscript before trying to get it published.

–        Finish the draft before you start editing

–        Go with the flow, and fill in details later

–        Read it out loud

–        When you feel it’s complete, send it to an editor who will elevate your writing to the next level

Publishing tips

Self publishing – you do everything yourself

Literary Agent – they do “everything” for you

Co-operative route – you and the publishing company share the tasks.

She herself went with the co-operative method, which she felt worked very well for her.

How she became successful

Engage readers on social media

Apply for awards

Have competitions and give-aways to get more readers

Writing a series instead of just writing one book

She stressed that your writing has to be well above average to have a successful career as a writer, and to make money.  She was asked if she had broken even, and she said that she had. Her second book in the 3 book series will be published very soon.

There was a short question and answer session after her presentation.