Improbable Press Blog

By Stella Elisei "Write what you know" is a duty... …if you are writing an article for a peer-reviewed journal. Do not unbridle your imagination then. But if you're writing for entertainment, I'll tell you something I know. "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto."  That's perhaps the most famous quote by the Latin playwright Terence. "I'm human, and I think nothing human is alien to me." Personally, I'll add that nothing extraterrestrial or mythological is alien to me, either. But that's just my taste for speculative fiction. If you're a writer...figuring out how other people might feel and...

By Jack Brightside For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved historical romance novels. My friend in high school was my hookup, and we traded them like illicit material. Her grandma had nothing to live for and spent her whole check at the Goodwill, buying secondhand copies. I read everything, and I mean everything. I read copies so beat up that the covers had fallen off. There was no genre that I would turn down. I went through southern belles, pirates, regencies, modern setting, scifi romance, CIA stuff, medieval, you name it. Trash bags full. Once, my boyfriend’s mom...

By Mary Ogle The year I turned forty-eight I decided to become a writer. It was a considered and deliberate decision, not a whim or impulse. I was creative in other ways – I’m a painter and digital artist and I make my living by commercial illustration and designing websites. But I was restless, feeling I was treading a path so worn my head was disappearing below the ruts. I flailed, seeking doorways, searching for exit signs, but encountered only mirrors. I found myself considering a long hidden reflection. I gazed into the troubled eyes of a lonely twelve-year-old in...

We don't start off knowing this stuff. When my first books were published I knew nothing about anything. Do I have to make every change the editor asks for? Can they do it if I don't agree? Will they hate me if I disagree? No, no, and no. Edits to Your Beloved Manuscript Every writer is edited. All of us. Oh sure, maybe not the famous ones, but you've read a later work of a superstar, the stuff no editor touches because the writer's too powerful? Yeah, well then you've seen how those books too often needed help they didn't...

Got a book? Then you want to be online to help promote it, whether that's Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or a website. While you can stick to social media-only for promotion, if you decide to create a website – a good long-term investment in your writing self – here are a few ideas on how to do it for free or for cheap. Tumblr For the Win – Maybe The cheapest and easiest way to create a website is to start with Tumblr –  if you're already using it. Something you already know will make the process easier, and a benefit...