Posts Tagged ‘fiction’

This is #6 in a series of articles on Spark Your Creativity Through the Numbers for Writers, posted on Saturdays, an ongoing series designed to inspire, motivate and get you writing up a storm! Tips shared here are inspired by my bestselling e-book, Overcome Writer’s Block: 10 Writing Sparks to Ignite Your Creativity.

Major confession time. I stopped blogging regularly a few days ago, and my traffic has been cut in half. And I started blogging more about a topic that is probably not that interesting to most of my readers: my new novel’s blog tour. So two major faux pas, but I’m just going to concentrate on the first one.

Lots and lots of chocolate, hard rock music, long walks, and wacking a sticking against a punching bag.
And writing! Because as my clients and students know: Writing begets writing.
Yes, it’s the time in a writer’s life where she starts to talk a lot about the inner workings of her creative work!
More to come… In fact, [...]

Inside Out by Maria Snyder — A Book Review by Beth Barany — Trella is a 17 year-old who has only known white walls, tubes, square hallways, care mates, and a life of drudgery.

And she’s not like the rest of those sheep, all the others who live on her level, under those who have more and better lives who control their lives from the upper levels.

One of my favorite movies of all times — La Femme Nikita — by Luc Besson. I love her gutsyness, her stubbornness, and her fragility. I have to say I love the soundtrack too. It’s moody, a bit dangerous, and sensual, like Nikita.

The day has finally dawned! After all your hard work and endless rounds of submissions, you have a publisher that wants to publish your book. But when the publisher hands you the contract, should you just sign on the dotted line, or should you look it over first? If you did look it over, what would you be looking for?

Since I write heroic fiction, I am a hero, too, right?
So when do we sleep?
Right now, I’m being a hero for my clients… and Henrietta …
Still getting enough sleep would be nice.

What Makes for a Successful Social Media Presence for Fiction Authors? Vision Drive Passion Clear purpose Excitement — All ingredients to a successful social media campaign. It — your success — all depends on what you would like. And it all starts in knowing what you would like!

Please welcome guest columnist LJ DeLeon, a fantasy romance indie author sharing a bit about her writing process. I find how she develops characters quite useful! I’ll use some of her tips for my next novel.
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Creating Characters That Come Alive, Part 2 – Part 1 is here.
By LJ DeLeon
In my last blog, I [...]

Talent? Mojo? The secret awesome kick ass plot? Money? Connections? Okay. All those things help.
But what we really need to succeed in this business of being an author and making money at it, somehow, some way, is persistence.

Tenacity
Stick-to-it-tive-ness
Gumption
Stubbornness
Pigheadedness
[consulting thesaurus now...] and…
constant
game to the last
indefatigable
indomitable
industrious
persisting
pertinacious
plodding
sedulous
solid
staunch
Yes, there’s more… There’s always more.

When I was little I scribbled on [...]

Welcome to our bi-weekly posts from guest columnist, Bobbye Terry. This week she offers fun tips for thinking outside the box. We’re curious to hear your tips too! Share your thoughts with us! Thanks!
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A couple of months ago, I told Beth I planned to write about thinking outside of the box. It’s something I enjoy [...]

I just love Xena’s joy, glee and grit. I love her toughness, and also her sad heart. Love Gabrielle and the jester too. Little know fact: the jester in Xena inspired my character, Jaxter, in Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, my new novel.

What do you think? Thanks!
Onward and forward!
In the meantime, check out Henrietta The Dragon [...]

We writers know our story circles around three things: plot, setting, and character. I’d like to talk about character. I know you have heard a dozen different ways to create characters, but how about one more time, only with a different take on them.

Enjoy this inspirational speech from the film, Any Given Sunday, delivered by the excellent Al Pacino. Enjoy also Jamie Fix, Dennis Quaid, and LL Cool J.

Apply the number 4 to your story. Which of your characters has these traits? What aspect of your story structure could be enhanced by using elements of the number 4? What part of your writing life could you a dose of the number 4?