Before writing a book we need to train I dislike the phrase aspiring writer. Either we aspire to write or we actually do it. Being an aspiring writer is no more than hoping for a future outcome, one that will never happen because the aspiring writer spends all his or her time dreaming and no […]
The easiest way to build your author brand is to consistently publish the same type of content I remember when I started taking writing seriously. I moved from simply writing to being a writer. The shift was huge. I had so much to learn about the industry (and I still do). Of the many surprises, […]
What writers can learn from the life and career of Carrie Fisher On December 26, 2016, my wife and I went to see the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The next morning I learned that Carrie Fisher had died. Like most people, I knew her for her iconic performance as Princess Leia in […]
Now is the time to prepare for NaNoWriMo in November I’ve written nonfiction all of my adult life and recently began writing fiction for some variety. I started with a short story (mostly flash fiction: under 1,000 words) because it was faster to write and easier to experiment. And if it doesn’t work, I haven’t […]
Tap into your subconscious to spur creativity and inspire great stories Last week I asked the question, “Do you dream of writing?” I talked about five fatal perspectives common to aspiring authors and ended with the admonition to stop dreaming about writing and just start doing it. However, today I’m going to encourage you to […]
With some creativity and planning, authors can hang onto their joy of writing Some writers hate to write, but their love of completing a book spurs them on. I understand the ecstasy of a job that’s done. I love finishing a writing project, be it a book, a ghostwriting assignment, an article, or a post. […]
(Sorry for the late notice) Last week I was disappointed when I learned that May is National Short Story Month. Gee, the month was all but over before I discovered this. We could have spent the whole month talking about a short story, but I missed the opportunity. Maybe next year. A short story is […]