Archive for the ‘Writing Tips’ Category

I was looking back in my Writer’s Fun Zone archives and was surprised to see I’ve never written a post on brainstorming. Free writing exercises, yes. Inspiration, yes, but never brainstorming, specifically. Why is that? I assume, perhaps wrongly so, all writers know how to brainstorm. Deeper than that, I have mixed feelings about visual brainstorming…

A video interview of Novelist, Lee Child. What do you think of his advice?

August 2010 — Bring Magic into Your Fiction: How Fairytales and Folktales Can Enhance Your Story
Presented by Beth Barany
Dates: August 5-27
Deadline: August 2

Sign up here

Course Description:
“Once upon a time there was magical woman who loved fairy tales. But alas, the evil monster had eaten every tale in the land. And thus, the magical woman [...]

Have you ever thought about writing a book but don’t know where to begin? Have you published a book but have no idea how to market it?

Seattle 2010 – SFM
A Wrinkle In Time by Madelein L'Engle. I recently reread this book, and saw that what it was really about was love…

Even in the age of blogging and tweeting, a book is still one of the most effective ways of diving into the thoughts and imagination of those who would inspire us.
Books still represent a significant symbol of one of our most important and overlook missions on Earth.
Our legacy.

Who has secretly (or [...]

You may think that writing a nonfiction bestseller is hard. But actually, a nonfiction bestseller is easy to create and sell, but not simple. If you just put into place a few key aspects, then you will have a book your audience can’t wait to buy.

You may think that marketing your books is a scary prospect, but actually marketing is essential to your career as an author. And if you uncover your style of marketing, then ultimately you will sell more books.

by Guest author, Caroline Jaffe-Pickett
If you had told me that I would ever have been named one of 39 writers to follow on Twitter, and had an excerpt from my novel in progress reprinted on a leading blog, and gained over 1,000 followers, I would have tweeted, “huh?” leaving me 134 characters left for further [...]

I am not worthy of this story. I have nothing to say. Why should I bother? No one will read it anyway. I’m a horrible writer. I can’t do this. So what? What is your shadow side saying to you?

Last October 2009, Cheryl Liquori and I got video taped for GuruTube.net. I had a great time! I have to admit, though, I was nervous. I was going to have a video clip on the same site as Guy Kawasaki and MC Hammer! (Our videos will be posted in a few weeks.)

Don’t get an MFA. Just write. All an MFA does is prove to yourself that you are committed to your writing. That’s the ultimate experience you want, right? You don’t need an MFA, all those expenses for that. Just write.

Be clear on your book’s purpose. That is, get clear on why you want to write this book? Why, specifically, this book? Why, specifically, now does this book need to come out into the world?

Stuck? Have an idea but not sure how put it down on paper? Looking for a guideline to help build your story? Then this online workshop is for you! Join Beth Barany as she presents 12 clear organized steps to create your novel from beginning to end.

I’m coming out of the closet. I am an author marketer and branding specialist. My business didn’t start out that way. I intended to help authors write their stories and their books. But one thing led to another and now, I help authors get to market. This means not only helping them write and publish, but also market their books. And developing their brand is a key component to marketing.

You have Four Super Powers:
1. Knowing Your Goals
2. Knowing Your Motivations
3. Being Clear on Your Challenges
4. Harnessing your Strengths.
See the rest in the video I made with GuruTube.net here.

I met Anthea at a writer’s conference several years ago. I liked her immediately — her creative spirit, can-do attitude, and open smile. Anthea writes with her husband, Lawson. Together they form the husband-wife team, Anthea Lawson. I had the honor of seeing Anthea (sans Lawson) again this past summer at the annual national Romance Writer’s of America conference. I loved their first book, PASSIONATE, and so in honor of their second book that was just released, I’ve interviewed them for Writer’s Fun Zone on writing as a couple, what makes writing fun, and of course, their taste in chocolate.