Guest Post by Linda Wilson Many characters inhabited the early drafts of my WIP: a MG mystery. Like many of my characters’ counterparts—kids—I assigned each character a “friend,” following the example I’d seen so often of kids going around in “packs.” What fun I had! The snappy dialogue! The endless opportunities to showcase what was…
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Is Your Busyness Productive?
We’ve all been there… being too busy. But, is your busyness constructive? Or is your busyness just busyness? If you’re trying to build a writing career, you’ve got to be busy with things that will move your career forward. Do you want to become an author? Well, you’ve got to decide which niche you’ll write…
How to Encourage Kids to Start Writing
Guest post by Fiona Ingram Getting kids enthusiastic about reading and even doing their own creative writing may seem like a monumental task when you see all the techno-competition around—video games, movies, computer games etc. They focus on the electronic stuff which, like an electronic babysitter, is doing all the thinking for them. Children…
Should You Really Write That Book?
I read an interesting article at The Outline that starts off by demolishing two diehard myths: 1. Everyone has a book in them.2. Any story can be turned into a book. We have to keep in mind, though, that there are two very different publishing models or paths. LET’S GO OVER MYTH #1 Everyone has…
4 Reasons Why Self-Publishing Your Children’s Book May Be Your Best Option
Last week I talked about why you shouldn’t self-publish a young children’s book. I gave 5 reality-check tips. You can check that article out here: Is Self-Publishing a Children’s Book the Way to Go? 4 Realities For this article, let’s go over the reasons taking the self-publishing path for your children’s book may be a…
Is Self-Publishing a Children’s Book the Way to Go? 4 Realities
I self-published a children’s picture book in 2008 when self-publishing wasn’t as popular as it is today. And as a newbie to self-publishing, I made a couple of mistakes. The first of which was that I didn’t hire an illustrator-–I did the illustrations and book cover myself. I can hear the gasps. It’s okay, though….
Make Success a Habit with 3 Doable Steps
We all fall into the “I don’t think I can” hole now and then. It’s interesting how a lot of writers and people in general have negative thoughts throughout the day: – I’m tired.– This is too hard.– I don’t have enough time.– I’m not good enough.– This is overwhelming.– I have too many obligation/distractions.–…
Overcome Writer’s Block with Automatic Transcription
Contributed by Descript If you’re a writer — of books, essays, scripts, blog posts, whatever — you’re familiar with the phenomenon: the blank screen, a looming deadline, and a sinking feeling in your gut that pairs poorly with the jug of coffee you drank earlier. If you know that rumble all too well: this post is for you. Maybe…
Series Writing – Is It For You?
Contributed by Linda Wilson How big is your children’s book idea? In fiction, it might cover generations as in Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War and Plantagenet and Tudor Series, or growth of the main character which occurs in Nancy Drew mysteries. Have your pick of nonfiction topics that can blossom into a series from a single…
Writing a Book – Bait and Switch Editing
Contributed by Melinda Brasher Bait and switch tactics don’t usually work well in writing. Of course, surprises and twists are good, but if you write a romance and market it as a psychological thriller, you’ll disappoint readers. If you start a novel as a realistic, contemporary mystery, and near the end reveal that the real…