Love stories are popular, eternal, and some of readers’ favorite plots. So why are they so rarely good (or as good as they could be)? I think because we often don’t believe in the romance, in the characters, in the story. But the good news is that it’s easy to send your love story from lukewarmContinue reading “10 Tips for Building Believable Love Stories”
Tag Archives: Guide to novel writing
What I’ve Learn After 50 Blog Posts (Tips & Tricks)
TA DA! (TWEET, TWEET!) WE MADE IT! Happy 50th post on this website. I was kind of surprised that it sneaked up on me. But I’ve learned a lot since March 2nd, 2013 and I want to share what I have learned with any would-be writers or bloggers — 10 Things I’ve Learned About BloggingContinue reading “What I’ve Learn After 50 Blog Posts (Tips & Tricks)”
49 Days (and ways) To Be Amazing By New Year’s
Spend half as much on Christmas this year Give twice as much to Charity Start that blog Get a ‘walking buddy’ and walk three times a week Make a party plan, and only go (and eat and drink) when you really want to Start your novel Write a love letter to yourself Go to aContinue reading “49 Days (and ways) To Be Amazing By New Year’s”
“How Do I Format My Book?”
I’ll be upfront right away — if you need a good formatting how-to, Google onward or better yet, run off and buy Catherine Ryan Howard’s Self-Printed . It will make the job easier. However, if you’re about to lose your mind and want some comfort and camaraderie, then you’ve come to the right place. Now, ifContinue reading ““How Do I Format My Book?””
Publishing My First Book
When I decided to get serious, to stop planning and start doing this year, my first goal was a writing one. I decided to self-publish three books in the next year — crazy? Yes. But who wants to do anything halfway? The Selection How did I chose these three books? Well, A Caged Heart Still BeatsContinue reading “Publishing My First Book”
A Writer’s ‘Most Enjoyable’ TV Shows List
I put the question of this ‘top ten’ to my sister, with the stipulation of ‘most enjoyable’. The reason was not to exclude hard-to-watch dramas but rather to alleviate the fears that one would have in creating a BEST list. So this is really about my favorites, not the ones I believe should be onContinue reading “A Writer’s ‘Most Enjoyable’ TV Shows List”
“You Can’t Get Firefly by Rebooting Bonanza.”
My sister Sarah said the above quote and I thought it was so true. We live in a swirling media storm of sequels, re-boots, re-imaginings, prequels, adaptations, updates, and spin-offs. Our summer movie slates are full of sequels and three-quells and our fall movie schedules are full of play and book adaptations. The new seasonContinue reading ““You Can’t Get Firefly by Rebooting Bonanza.””
Is ‘Release Day’ an Outdated Term for Self-Published Books?
I am planning the release of my first book at the end of the month and I have a problem — I don’t have a burning desire to email everyone I’ve ever met, Tweet 24-7 about my “GREAT DEAL! ON AMAZON! CHEEP!”, or prime my fans to buy it on day one or else, I’llContinue reading “Is ‘Release Day’ an Outdated Term for Self-Published Books?”
Ten Ways to Improve One Sentence
Warning: insane writers only need apply. “They brought him no sweet lullabies, indeed, the heavy air of the stifling little room sang only with the slight ringing of ghost trumpets, each calling him toward an inescapable future.” — Averil, pondering a sword and a gift from a magical being, in Other Gods Okay — IContinue reading “Ten Ways to Improve One Sentence”
How Often Should You Publish a Book?
Or perhaps the real question is, how often should you self publish a book? If you’re like me, you use to think of book releases as these nebulous, once-in-a-blue-moon happenings (when the stars aligned and the book publishers were feeling frisky). But now, if you’re a self published author, you are only constrained by how fastContinue reading “How Often Should You Publish a Book?”
Stay Extraordinary 