"There are two kinds of people in the world. 

Those who think they can and those who think they can't.

And both are right."

Henry Ford

"If you want to
change  the world,
pick up your pen
and write."

Martin Luther


Create stories, articles, and books
your target audience can't wait to read

A note from me

I'm currently coming back 3 years after dealing with breast cancerm, chemotherapy, radiation, and then some strange heart issues that came under the terms "flutter" and "fibrillation."

Before that, I was busy writing books as well as editing 5 Hot Apple Cider Books. Details here.

All that to say I haven't been keeping this site up for several years. However, I still feel there are useful posts on it, and I plan to slowly update and add to it. 

N. J. Lindquist

Wondering where to start?

Explore a couple of my most popular posts below

njlindquist

I’ve been writing since I was tiny. And over the years, I’ve probably made every mistake possible. Okay, maybe not every mistake. But a whole lot of them! Plus I have a medal in English, and I taught English in a high school. So I know a little bit about good writing and grammar and (Continue Reading)

4 key things I believe all new writers need to know

njlindquist

Honestly, if all we had to write with were notepads and typewriters, I’d be the most frustrated writer alive. I love technology and all the things it helps me do! So here are the 10 tools I’d have great difficulty living without. 1. Multiple computer screens I’ve only had two screens for a couple of (Continue Reading)

10 writing tools I can’t live without

A Few Topics 


EDITING

njlindquist

Most of the time when new writers tell me they’ve written a book, what they actually mean is that they’ve completed a first draft of a book. And my advice

You’ve written a book: now what? The 8 steps I advise

njlindquist

As more and more books are published by individuals or by companies who want the manuscript to be near-perfect when it arrives, the one thing that is less likely to

Substantive editing: the all-too-often missing ingredient

Memoir

njlindquist

I've often thought that if we should have a fire, the one thing I'd most hate to lose would be my pictures—the printed ones before digital cameras and smartphones took

Working with Photos for a Memoir

njlindquist

Assuming the reader knows who you are is one of the most common mistakes I see both in personal stories and fiction. When using the first person point of view,

Who are you? Writing from the first person point-of-view

pUBLIsHING

njlindquist

Over the years, I've talked to a lot of Christian writers who've spent a great deal of time and money to get a book published, only to be disappointed in

Why Are So Many Christian Writers Naive About Publishing Their Book?

Les Lindquist

We’ve all been there. The proud parents show off their new baby and your first impression is that it’s really quite ugly. Like me, you’ve probably stuttered a little before

Publishing and the ugly baby syndrome

About This Website

Hi, I'm N. J. Lindquist.

I'm the award-winning author of various kinds of books, short stories, personal experience stories, newspaper columns, blogs, and more.

I'm also the editor and co-publisher of the Hot Apple Cider Books.

Since 1992, I've been teaching workshops for writers across Canada and occasionally in the US. I created this website so I could pass along some of my thoughts on writing.


You can check out my own writing at https://njlindquist.com

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Comments on NJ from Anonymous Surveys

Fast-paced, very organized. Provided helpful tips.

 Informative and understood. 

Not long enough, very good. 

Very practical.

Very warm and helpful.

Great—very encouraging!

Well-organized, very helpful, excellent practical help!

Very good!

The most helpful part of the conference.

Excellent handouts!

Well-organized and prepared.

Fantastic! This workshop could easily have been a continuing class, very helpful material, encouraging, inspirational!

She was quite thorough and gave out very good hand-outs. I appreciated her input from her own experiences and organizational techniques.

Her straightforward way of presenting ideas and tips gained from her experience was the best!

You are a great writer and teacher!

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