NAIWE | Diana DeSpain Schramer | Activity https://naiwe.org/members/dianadespainschramer/activity/ Activity feed for Diana DeSpain Schramer. Fri, 01 May 2026 00:12:08 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 c6ab9df4231390f02748992d5f7fdd3d Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=545 Mon, 11 Mar 2019 20:24:55 -0400 There’s no denying that professional editing is expensive. The final cost of editing will vary depending on the type of editing (developmental, line, or content), the amount of fact checking and formatting r […]

]]> b1856c105f8ebad067bd57c4fc00b569 Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, Focus to the Finish, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2018/04/13/focus-to-the-finish/#comment-61346 Mon, 04 Mar 2019 21:23:36 -0500 Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts, Shelley. I’m so glad you’re creating again too!

]]> cb4f401346462d19851b8b33c4d58e5b Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=513 Fri, 27 Apr 2018 21:40:11 -0400 Look what my mom found while going through some boxes! She sent this to me with “Is this your first manuscript?” written on a light-pink Post-it note. Just holding these now-yellowed pages in my hands and seeing […]

]]> e9214b1f10a8e2b4740a28408c3eec09 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=487 Fri, 13 Apr 2018 16:58:03 -0400 The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. – Lao Tzu
A man recently wrote me, asking, “How does one begin to write a book?” My response: “One word at a time.”

But to do that one thing is key: fo […]

]]> 5861425dd43e994559001fb9ae3284c6 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=481 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 20:42:12 -0400 When I sat down to write this post, my first since last November, I experienced a discernible visceral sense of rightness, of standing on terra firma. Finally. Again.

Since last October, I have been ensconced […]

]]> c9d58adec9f07bad5d47c5c8eead9875 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=463 Mon, 30 Jan 2017 22:53:12 -0500 Happy 2017 to you all!

For my first post in this new year, I want to introduce another form of publishing that is often overlooked: blogging. For those of you who have been considering starting a blog yet have […]

]]> d43e7e87fe90d4e9dc48ce69e79a5ad2 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=456 Wed, 14 Dec 2016 22:49:09 -0500 For my final post in 2016, I’m honored, once again, to have Ed Abell, author of the award-winning My Father’s Keep, to guest post. Writing contests are a commendable avenue for authors to build their platform and […]

]]> 6da14c575eabea6cc2d75f24d49b38e7 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=445 Thu, 01 Dec 2016 01:53:25 -0500 This month, on November 8, the most contentious political campaign, certainly in my lifetime, came to an end. However, the rhetoric of hate incited during the campaign remains, and has even increased, in its […]

]]> b325c22d98294c2caf018df0c1c39fec Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=438 Mon, 31 Oct 2016 20:20:52 -0400 In March 2011, I wrote a post about the necessity and wisdom of an author hiring a copy editor whether he or she chooses to self-publish or go the traditional route. Now almost six years later, I still stand […]

]]> 79a78424461f28df4ab46f67dd53b5ea Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=424 Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:23:31 -0400 This month’s guest post is by Ed Abell, author of the award-winning My Father’s Keep, a deeply moving memoir of forgiveness, promise-keeping, and the power of love and grace over addiction and its deep effect on […]

]]> 93934627f7dd8a46cff03eaa14879bdc Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=416 Sat, 30 Jul 2016 18:37:16 -0400 I am honored to have Brian Forschner, author of the compelling Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler Murders, his wife, Joyce, and his granddaughter as authors of the guest post this month. I met Brian about six […]

]]> 3c8b300ccbdc9986cca93d2e2823c968 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=406 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:58:24 -0400 Right after I wrote my last post (January 2016 “Taking Stock”), I got sick. Down-for-the-count sick. No longer do I have the bounce-back I did in my twenties. Or thirties. Okay, or even my forties. Gone are the […]

]]> 52bc94fed284a3e779caf733e85e8f38 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=390 Tue, 12 Jan 2016 16:08:51 -0500  And now let us welcome the New Year
Full of things that have never been.
~Rainer Maria Rilke
As I set out to write this post, my initial topic was perseverance. Then it morphed into expectations (which are […]

]]> 328c1a016d38ed0784cc69d66a3d18ea Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=370 Sat, 28 Nov 2015 21:31:18 -0500 In my September 2014 post, I stressed the importance of having a storefront, which for authors (and freelance copy editors, proofreaders, cover designers, and web designers) means a website. Next to an engaging, […]

]]> 5a3b1a96438cdb96709fd3a21e73a252 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=359 Tue, 27 Oct 2015 02:37:38 -0400 I did a double take when I saw that the comma queen, Mary Norris, was speaking at this year’s Wisconsin Book Festival. I made my way to the already-packed room with ten minutes to spare and managed to snag a seat […]

]]> 3bb1527fbbb19565ad77c4dc1792e81b Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=353 Tue, 01 Sep 2015 01:37:06 -0400 Humor writing is a conundrum that baffles even the most prolific writer. A situation in real life that causes people to howl with laughter can and often does fall flat on the page. Why?

Apart from the highly […]

]]> fd4ffe1cf5a11c295a1b5515566cdb83 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=350 Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:02:34 -0400 You might want to consider having a copy editor on retainer.

Late last month, a judge of the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled that a parking ticket be overturned due to—wait for it—a missing comma. The […]

]]> 446bb6cbe320beef20b5288102d71dfb Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=346 Tue, 30 Jun 2015 19:27:51 -0400 As another Fourth of July approaches, I’m struck by the sad reality that the true meaning of this holiday—our independence, our freedom—has been replaced with thoughts of camping trips, cookouts, and […]

]]> 788aea3fad373c2edfddf7314d635b2c Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=334 Sun, 31 May 2015 19:26:26 -0400 I struggled with writing this article all month. Ideas came to mind only to fizzle once I began researching them. Then when one finally took root, some unidentifiable force ran interference between the page and me […]

]]> aaeb3a90bf2b586188762ba71e69291d Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=324 Mon, 30 Mar 2015 20:34:47 -0400 Fast food. Microwaves. Speed dating. Twitter. Life today runs like the scrolling electronic tickers at the bottom of financial television shows. And writing is no exception. Just the other day, I happened across a […]

]]> 36d694b46b6d502845969614ca0c1c97 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=320 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:07:29 -0500 What a lifesaver for writers and editors alike! Fellow NAIWE member Barbara McNichol has compiled in one easy-to-navigate manual the most crazy-making words from A-Z that, yes, trip us up. No more scrambling […]

]]> 4de35d6bf1b8e548b3304f2a304353e8 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=317 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 03:56:18 -0500 As we embark on a new year, many writers are assessing where they are in their journey and determine where they want to go in the year ahead. For some, that means publication.

Most writers are familiar with […]

]]> 6296b4ea9f6cd2a2cd44280804df3b96 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/?p=314 Tue, 23 Dec 2014 05:26:44 -0500 As I reflect on this past year, I have had the privilege to bear witness to the achievements of many writers—and, in some cases, I have had the honor as an active participant in them. Some finished writing a book, […]

]]> 7d6912963496cd98530e1aff6e5da5ed Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/11/25/what-does-your-brand-say-about-you/ Tue, 25 Nov 2014 21:41:15 -0500 What immediately comes to your mind when you hear or read the following names: Oprah? Stephen King? Joel Osteen? Most likely, it is an image, a concept, or a word. But whatever the form, that is that individual’s […]

]]> b2b2e9a74b3910bfbae4152b188f66e5 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/10/20/marketing/ Mon, 20 Oct 2014 17:28:45 -0400 Last month, I wrote about the importance of writers having their own storefront, or website. So this month, I want to address how to drive traffic to your website. In a word, marketing.

I confess that marketing […]

]]> 7431426c882f2e2f5d66ab729ad798a7 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/09/10/author-website-your-storefront/ Thu, 11 Sep 2014 02:53:51 -0400 Two weeks ago, I was chatting with an acquaintance who is also self-employed. A massage therapist, she rents space in a salon on Main Street in her city. We discussed the perks and perils of self-employment, and […]

]]> 73a6be5b37c743339cbf1abb7d430105 Diana DeSpain Schramer and Ann Hoopsick are now friends https://naiwe.org/activity/p/1335/ Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:02:43 -0400 0 5d67e75ecfd772cf17b1db5e0d41be0d Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/08/27/dont-give-up/ Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:22:28 -0400 “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”
– Robin Williams

]]> 71478774b5fd8ea8781ccae655ca919e Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, Platform and Marketing: The Difference, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/07/03/platform-and-marketing-the-difference/#comment-3468 Fri, 08 Aug 2014 21:59:39 -0400 Wow, Ernesto. You’ve really given me something to think about!

I’m glad that my article was so helpful to you.

]]> a187a67c2dce12b6c461f22baa5d789b Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/08/08/burnout/ Fri, 08 Aug 2014 21:55:47 -0400 “If you don’t take some time off, your work is going to suffer.”

This inner admonition sliced through my murky, overwork-induced fog, snapping me to full, present-moment attention. The last thing I want is for […]

]]> f71ea9b5a1954ae7d8eb0969589cd016 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/07/03/platform-and-marketing-the-difference/ Fri, 04 Jul 2014 00:07:04 -0400 Recently on Facebook, one of my friends posted a photo of his book cover with the caption “On sale now…” What immediately followed, along with the 51 “Likes,” was a flood of comments: “Where can I buy it?” […]

]]> 2cca55444d99f8ed8adbbe588e5cc5bb Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/06/07/the-write-stuff/ Sat, 07 Jun 2014 14:30:52 -0400 One of my favorite people, agent-turned-author Nathan Bransford, blogged last week that writers “kind of have to have” an addictive personality. In his view, compulsive drive is necessary to finish something, […]

]]> 9ac428fed6c7718a1ad9edfcf0e94a6f Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/05/01/writing-groups-the-right-one/ Thu, 01 May 2014 16:19:32 -0400 Last month, I attended the UW-Madison Continuing Studies Writers’ Institute, which was tremendous. The last presentation of the Institute was a panel discussion about how to keep our enthusiasm for writing alive […]

]]> 3fca8b81e01fb519d0dff26460518ec0 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/04/04/blah-blah-blah-or-how-much-dialogue-is-too-much/ Fri, 04 Apr 2014 23:27:23 -0400 The dialogue bubbles that appear on my smartphone in texts has got me thinking about dialogue (again), so I want to continue this topic from last month.

In response to last month’s article, one of my […]

]]> a492deabdf6efae7af7fe80b7075263a Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/03/05/just-say-it/ Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:26:38 -0500 Dialogue is one of the trickiest elements of writing. The ability to capture on the page the natural flow of speech and conversation is a skill that comes naturally to some writers and evades others. But never […]

]]> 56e0f14dcb720a84d10365581d265a37 Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, Journeying, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/01/06/journeying/#comment-1983 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 04:26:46 -0500 Thank you, Jim. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

]]> 74e85abf4d39bc8c9080ea288586aa8d Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/02/05/the-muddling-middle/ Wed, 05 Feb 2014 19:02:30 -0500 When I began my newsletter eight months ago, I was on fire, brimming with ideas and enthusiasm and committed to having it sitting in my subscribers’ inboxes first thing on the first day of each month. And for the […]

]]> c1b63b03be0e9082d3e3313e7bc1a759 Diana DeSpain Schramer and Brenda (B.K.) Walker are now friends https://naiwe.org/activity/p/1083/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:58:05 -0500 0 0e1121b6a68fc9ff51fb314c9e31287a Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, Beware of Galloping Prose, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/12/02/beware-of-galloping-prose/#comment-1953 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:45:31 -0500 I so agree, Leslie. That’s why I’m a self-proclaimed comma-kaze 🙂

]]> 8b7b477d0793239273cd70634a5901c7 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2014/01/06/journeying/ Mon, 06 Jan 2014 16:33:25 -0500 I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mainly because they tend to be just that—New Year’s resolutions. An event. A short period of time, like the New Year’s holiday. Once the resolution period is over, […]

]]> e4390bcb2939ad4e00bfba72f8602f3c Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/12/02/beware-of-galloping-prose/ Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:13:41 -0500 I recently read an article that took me back many moons ago to when I was about eight. I was riding with my mom in my dad’s white Ford Galaxy, which was a stick shift. Mom ground the gears as she tried […]

]]> 85559631a698243837ebea91297352c4 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2011/07/05/comma-crazy-pt-2-the-rest-of-the-story/ Sat, 30 Nov 2013 20:59:42 -0500 The day after GalleyCat editor Jason Boog’s blog post went viral announcing that Oxford dropped the Oxford (or serial) comma from its writing and style guide, his clarification, “The Oxford Comma Is Not […]

]]> 26e4acd8202800e61b1d2c6216c32732 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2011/06/30/comma-crazy/ Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:26:52 -0500 Say it ain’t so! Sorry. In my outrage, I’ve lapsed into grammatical incorrectness. But I’m beside myself. Yesterday, Jason Boog reported that the Oxford comma, better known as the serial comma, has been […]

]]> 487dd640ae5ea5b54f06e903bfa05297 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/11/01/find-yourself-find-your-voice/ Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:01:39 -0400 Writers are always hearing about voice. “We’re looking for a fresh, distinct voice” or “You need to find your voice.” I think all of us instinctively recognize a distinct voice when we hear or read it, but how do […]

]]> a067ec34394234e187d8cefa681c0bfb Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, The Power of Words, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/10/03/the-power-of-words/#comment-860 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 19:45:53 -0400 Thank you, Julie. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword, but, like you said, people are often not aware of this or fail to take heed if they are.

Diana

]]> 859287e29feb39396652b314ba7dddda Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/10/03/the-power-of-words/ Thu, 03 Oct 2013 17:57:17 -0400 We have all heard “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Now maybe not all of us have had bones broken from sticks and stones, but I’d be willing to bet that we have all been hurt by […]

]]> 456a527aa593985b3f7fbf7ea4375036 Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/09/05/publishing-must-haves/ Thu, 05 Sep 2013 16:00:06 -0400 Last month, I addressed the three essential elements in determining whether traditional or self-publishing is the best path for you: direction, focus, and commitment. This month, I want to address the three […]

]]> a89736889448645629c86ce0ddd922ee Diana DeSpain Schramer wrote a new post on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/08/08/publishing-quandary/ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:55:19 -0400 With the numerous publishing options available today, writers often ask me, “Should I publish traditionally, or should I self-publish?” Every time, I answer, “That depends.”

Depends on what? First, know what […]

]]> d53c8b0aeaee1cd0e47fbdac919c488a Diana DeSpain Schramer commented on the post, Is Texting Considered Writing?, on the site Diana DeSpain Schramer http://dianadespainschramer.naiwe.com/2013/07/22/is-texting-considered-writing/#comment-452 Wed, 31 Jul 2013 20:59:45 -0400 Hi, Catherine. The irony is that, although technology has advanced to the degree that we can now connect more rapidly and readily with people we never would have been able to otherwise, we are losing the ability […]

]]> 62822de4b9927412eeacda08c0b12969 Diana Schramer changed their profile picture https://naiwe.org/activity/p/886/ Mon, 22 Jul 2013 19:33:25 -0400 0