Author MJ Pullen, the Distracted Writer

Posts Categorized: The Distracted Writer

Follow M.J. Pullen’s blog posts about writing and publishing. Geared toward beginning writers, pre-published authors. seasoned veterans, and authors attempting to navigate platform development on social media.

Relevant to self-publishing, traditional publishing, indie authors and hybrid authors.

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Featured image for 10 Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/FakeReview-300x300.jpg
I shared this list with my self-publishing workshop attendees in November, and thought I would re-post here for anyone interested. If you’re in Atlanta and would like to attend my next self-pub workshop, you can find the information here: https://2-in-1-writers.eventbrite.com The Top 10 Reasons Newbie Self-Publishers Stumble Rushing to Publish. The ease of publishing on  […]
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Featured image for Eggnog Lattes, ADD and World Domination: the NaNoWriMo Wrap Up - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Starbucks-Eggnog-Latte-225x300.jpg
Good morning and happy December! This is the month for mistletoe, Christmas lights and latkes. It’s also time for  my traditional ‘Holy Crap Where Did the Year Go, I’ve Accomplished Nothing’ freakout. And eggnog lattes at Starbucks, which are not only delicious but prove that even Starbucks is human. Unless they aren’t. Because if they  […]
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Featured image for Attention Writers: Don’t Accept Fake Reviews - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/FakeReview-300x300.jpg
Because I think this issue is so important, I am taking time away from NaNoWriMo to re-post here what I wrote on my Facebook page yesterday. My friends and fellow authors, J.K. Barber, brought to my attention their post about a conversation with publicist Louise Carter; and I wanted to share it far and wide  […]
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Featured image for NaNoWriMo – Half-Ass Edition - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NaNoWriMo2014-Square-Button.png
Okay, okay, okay. Fine. Whatever you say, non-existent people who are not remotely pressuring me to do NaNoWriMo. You got me. I’ll do it! For those who don’t know, November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), during which thousands of  would-be novelists lock themselves in closets, bathrooms and heated minivans, and try to churn out  […]
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Featured image for On Radio Personalities and Why You Don’t Want My 3-Year Old on Your Trivia Team - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/JonahSelfHaircut-224x300.jpg
So, you know that person who is always 2000% confident in themselves and their own knowledge? You know how, for some people, that confidence never seems to waver, regardless of the correctness or reliability of their beliefs? While it’s true, many of these folks are drawn to politics and therefore spend most of their time  […]
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Featured image for Atlanta Writer’s Club Meeting Oct. 18th - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/atlwritersclub.jpg
I’ll be doing the “Member Minute” talk at this month’s Atlanta Writer’s Club meeting, talking on the topic of “My Self-Publishing Success Story.” Despite a slight squeamishness at the term “success story” for my story, I still think it will be a fun talk and welcome those of you who are AWC members to come  […]
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Featured image for My Coffee House Family: Writing and Community - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Coffee-Cup-Small.jpg
There are the five old guys who meet faithfully on Monday mornings, laughing, reading aloud to one another, maybe praying (I try not to eavesdrop for that part) — heads bent together over empty plates and steaming mugs of coffee and then thrown back in joviality. Young people starting and running businesses. Women gossiping, talking  […]
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Featured image for Author Computer Hacked: Terrible Novel Disseminated Everywhere - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/shockedMJ-300x300.jpg
With the kerfuffle this week about hackers accessing naked pictures of celebrities, it got me thinking about what is on my computer and phone I wouldn’t want shared. I don’t have any naked selfies (sorry to disappoint), but I do have some pretty horrifyingly bad prose lying around. And some God-awful poetry. Overwrought, melodramatic letters  […]
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Featured image for Self-Publishing Workshop Nov. 15th: Perks, Pitfalls and Process - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/typewriter2-300x225.jpg
“Can I talk to you about self-publishing?” I get this question often from my fellow writers, usually when they have completed or nearly completed a book, and are thinking about the next steps. They’ve heard that self-publishing is the road to riches, or that it’s career suicide. Maybe self-publishing is a sign of failure as  […]
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Featured image for Talking Off-Page and Off-Stage - Image Source at http://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ShakespeareSpoiler-208x300.jpg
I recently finished reading The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty, which I adored… right up until the very end. I won’t spoil it for anyone, because it’s absolutely worth reading despite the following complaint: there was this EPILOGUE… Now, if you’ve read it, maybe you are rolling your eyes with me or maybe you loved  […]
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