Is there a difference between a story’s takeaway and its theme (message)? If so, what is it? The answer to the first question is yes; there is a difference between the terms ‘takeaway’ and ‘theme,’ but they’re closely related, so it’s easy to see why writers often confuse the two. Both elements touch on meaning,…
Author: Karen Cioffi
Karen Cioffi is an award-winning author and children's ghostwriter. She loves to help those who want to be the author of a children's book fulfill their dream. Contact Karen today to get your story started!
How Can Focused Energy Boost Your Writing?
The ancient idea of ‘what you think about becomes your reality’ likely has roots in Eastern philosophies of meditation and spiritual practices. But over the past several decades, it has been given new life.From “The Law of Attraction” to James Redfield’s quote, “Where attention goes, energy flows,” to Tony Robbins quote, “Where focus goes, energy…
Children’s Writing and Sentence Structure
Why Sentence Structure Is So Important and How to Do It Well…When writing for children, every word, phrase, and sentence carries more weight than in most other forms of writing. The reason is that young readers are still developing their reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension abilities, so the way sentences are structured influences whether they…
Why Young Children’s Stories Have Short Time Spans (6 Reasons)
In children’s books, especially those for toddlers through early elementary age, you’ll notice a common thread: the plots often unfold over a very short period. Sometimes a story spans a single day, or even just a couple of hours. This isn’t a coincidence or a mass mistake; it’s a deliberate, developmentally appropriate storytelling strategy.So, why…
AI-Generated Images for Children’s Books: Pros and Cons
It was only a matter of time before children’s book authors jumped into using AI to generate images for their books.And now, it’s increasingly possible to give an AI image generator an image of a character and have it generate the same character in different poses and scenes, maintaining visual consistency.But is this a good…
What is the Cozy Genre? And Why Is it Popular?
The cozy genre is often described as exuding comfort, warmth, and light-heartedness, and it has gained increasing popularity in recent years. It transports readers to peaceful settings and offers storylines that emphasize community, simpler times, and emotional resolution. Even streaming services like Netflix and Hulu jumped on the bandwagon, creating a new avenue for rom-com…
Publishing Articles on LinkedIn
I’ve been reluctant to post my articles to LinkedIn. Why? Here’s a little background first. For years, marketing was all about attracting visitors to your website. This is also considered ‘getting traffic,’ to your website. The primary reason for this strategy was to engage visitors on your site to motivate them to take a desired…
How Writers Twist Time: Cognitive Distortion
I read an article by Dr. Mark Hyman (1) about why it’s so challenging to make healthy habits stick. One of the reasons listed was “cognitive distortion.” This concept is credited to psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. He developed the theory in the 1960s as part of his Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work.I found the idea fascinating…
How to Sell Your Book in Bulk
Selling books can be a challenging endeavor. It’s easier to write a book than sell it. But what if you could sell your books in bulk? It is possible, but there are different strategies for different genres.I’ll use my fantasy chapter book “Walking Through Walls” as an example for the first few points. It’s a…
Book Marketing: Have You Tried Selling Locally?
By Linda Wilson, Children’s Author A group of fellow children’s authors and I have formed a loosely-knit group of book sellers extraordinaire in our hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico. We keep each other informed of upcoming sales and fairs by having our names on the lists of local events. One person fills out the application, and…