“Because the creation of a novel is akin to a mad scramble up a mountainside layered with loose pebbles, any handhold or solid ground you can find will be a blessing.” ~ Walter Mosley The article where I got this quote from (link below) deals with Mosley’s writing style which doesn’t include character sheets or…
Tag: Karen Cioffi
Write Your Life
“Every day is a permanent page of your life’s story that cannot be edited, live it well.” ~ Rebecca Murtagh I just happened upon this quote and it struck home. As a children’s ghostwriter and author, I create stories. I dictate how the characters behave – their thoughts, their actions. I dictate how the story…
7 Steps to Writing Success Through Positive Thinking
Can you think your way to success? Is it really possible? Whether you call it positive thinking, a positive attitude, or a winning mindset, in regard to writing it’s the strategy of having a dream, creating a plan, projecting the positive results of that plan, and taking the necessary actions to accomplish your goal. Part…
Writing Elements – Is One More Important than Another?
There’s a lot of information on the elements of writing. You have characters, setting, point-of-view, style, theme, plot, and even literary devices. But you also have things like readability, consequences, and uniqueness. Could you choose which of these elements is the most important? It’s tough, isn’t it? Well, after doing some research and reading a…
Writing and the Winds of Change
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and other build windmills.” This Tray Hurn quote says a lot about the character of different writers. A common denominator for all writers is that they will at one time or another be rejected and/or struggle with a story or an assignment or some type…
Hiring a Children’s Fiction Editor
I’m a children’s ghostwriter and rewriter (editor). I’ve seen a lot of drafts and manuscripts over the years and the one thing that really irks me is when authors hire an editor who doesn’t know what s/he’s doing. The real problem though is that this pattern never ends. I just recently had another client who…
Visuals in Your Book Marketing
If you’re an author, you’ll need to market you and your books. The first thing is you’ll need an author website and visuals should be a part of it. You’ll need visuals for your header, your pages, and each of your blog posts. You’ll also need headers / banners for your social media networks, like…
Book Synopsis, Book Description, Book Review – What’s the Difference?
The book synopsis, description, and review are three book marketing tools that your books will absolutely need. But, when do you need these marketing elements and how do you use them? Let’s look at each one in the order you would use them. The Book Synopsis You’ve written an amazing story – it’s traditional publishing ready…
Focus and Writing
When you say yes to everything, you’re saying no to focused things that matter. Things that will help you move forward and create a strong brand. In addition to this, if you spread yourself too thin, chances are none of your books or products will be quality. The idea is to do it right by…