Hopefully, over the last three weekends you’ve gotten off to a great start. See, the secret to success as a writer is no secret at all. You have to commit, start and keep going. It’s not easy but is sure is simple. There will be times when you simply can’t write. No worries. Take care of whatever life is throwing at you. But, don’t stay on that street. Get back on course and pick up where you left off. Most novels on the bookstore shelves are there simply because their authors kept writing after others gave up. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately, most writers don’t take that advice. Here are a few of the top reasons authors’ efforts get derailed: They lose heart. They […]
Read the RestArchive | March, 2013
A Plot Litmus Test
It’s been a crazy week for me. Preparing to go out of town to speak, spending a few days with friends and my hubster in NY, catching up on details and promises made that need to be kept. Then yesterday when I should’ve been working on a blog about fairytales, I was fighting with computer problems. A PDF process got caught in a loop and it looped and looped and looped, devouring all of my system memory. I aged a year just waiting for the Finder window to open. 😉 Shout out to my friend Federico for fixing the problem. So, I’m punting today with a different kind of Book Therapist blog. I was having lunch with friend Debbie Macomber, Roxanne St. Claire and Martha Powers (Carla Darcy if you […]
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Brainstorming Your Way Out Of Writer’s Block Strategy #3 – Just One Verb
There are times when writer’s block slams us with the inability to progress. A flat scene is fixable, but an empty page with no fresh ideas numbs the creativity. It might be the overwhelming responsibility of getting the whole story on the page. Maybe a specific scene is difficult to build into the criteria you have in mind. Here is what it might look like to use this strategy: 1. Start with just one verb. One action that the whole scene is about. Verb: Choose an action word to describe what is happening or what your character is doing in this scene. Examples: running, hiding, chasing, abandoned, etc. Let’s use the word abandoned for this exercise to build a scene. Here is what it might look like to use this […]
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Marketing Via Video Part 1: Why You Should Consider Vlogging
Let’s start out with a definition: Vlogging [vloging] Noun: The act of sitting in front of a webcam or other video recording device and talking to the good people of the world wide web. I know, I know: We’re writers. Most of us prefer working in our pajamas. Sans makeup. So why in the world would we want to get in front of a camera and film ourselves? Creating videos isn’t for everyone. So if it’s not your cup of tea, that’s okay. BUT I happen to think there are some great reasons to consider adding videos to your author marketing strategies. Here are just a few: 1) As writers, we’re often told the best way to meet and attract an agent or editor is by attending a writing conference. […]
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