By Lisa Jordan Instead of making resolutions, I claim One Word for the year. I also use the My Brilliant Writing Planner to map out a values-based plan for what I hope to achieve. That includes all areas of my life—faith, family, friendships, health, work, writing, etc. However, it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of it all …
What Derails Your Writing Dream?
By Tara Johnson “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” ~Thoreau Each year, I meet countless people who tell me they dream of writing, but only a fraction of them take the first step to begin. Why? Here are the most common excuses: Fear of failure Writers fail all …
The Worst Part of Writing
By Rachel Hauck Yesterday, when I turned in a line edit for The Best Summer of Our Lives, my upcoming 2023 release, I wrote my editor a short note. “These girls and I need a break from each another.” Through fast draft and first edits, I thought this book might be one of the best I’d ever written. But by …
Pitch It!
By Ginny L. Yttrup DEFINE IT! HOOK & PITCH HOOK For fiction, your hook is the conflict or questions you craft that compel the reader to seek resolution or answers. PITCH A pitch is the honed, abbreviated version of the longer hook. Your pitch is used for marketing purposes or to sell a book to an agent, editor, or reader. …
20 Ways Writers Spread Joy
By Cynthia Herron You’ve heard it a thousand times. The writing life is not for the fainthearted. In addition to the actual writing, marketing, and everything else our craft entails, there’s an added dimension. Because our work is solitary in nature, sometimes, loneliness nips at our heels. Toss in a few life events and trials, and we have the perfect …
5 Tips for Speaking at Your Local Library
by Lisa Jordan After my debut novel released over ten years ago, a close friend mentioned her book club was reading Lakeside Reunion, and she asked if I’d talk at their get-together. I agreed and enjoyed the conversation. One of the book club attendees worked at our public library and asked if I’d be interested in speaking to another book …
Say It Loud, Say It Proud with Your Email Signature
By Jill K Willis You’re a writer! Don’t be shy. Brand yourself as one even if you’re pre-published. No, especially if you’re pre-published. Build credibility for your work while you work. An easy, inexpensive way to do this is with your email signature. Every time you send an email, add your special writer’s signature to it. This reinforces your chosen …
Real Places: Do Them Right or Don’t Do Them
By Gordon Saunders I got kicked out of a novel the other day. Here’s how it happened. I was reading along okay, suspending disbelief and all, sort of getting into the head of the protagonist. She and her friends were ‘vansters,’ that is, they lived in vans and traveled all over the place, the place mostly being southeast England as …
10 Tips for Radio Interview Preparation
By Jill K. Willis It’s amazing how one 30-minute experience can teach so many lessons. Last February, Bob Crittenden, host of the Meeting House on Faith Radio, interviewed me as a debut author at the Christian Products Expo. It was my first radio interview. I have a background in public relations and had a decent idea of what to expect, …
How to win a writing contest
By Jill K Willis You’ve decided . . . gulp . . . to enter your book baby in a writing contest. You’ve agonized over the synopsis, formatted the manuscript, and completed the contact form. You’ve edited it a thousand times, along with your mother and your critique partner. You’ve caught typos, grammatical errors, and plot holes. What more could …