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Tips to Create and Maintain a Successful Group Blog

By on April 8, 2014 in Edie Melson, Learn the art of Social Networking, Social Media Primer

Many authors I talk to are frustrated by trying to grow and maintain a solo blog. My suggestion for a lot of them is to either find an established group blog to join or to start a group blog. Today I’m going to share my tips to create and maintain a successful group blog.

There are several advantages to a group situation

Shared responsibilities.
Reduced time commitment.
Flexibility.
There are also some disadvantages

Shared responsibilities. Yes, I know it’s in the list above. But sharing isn’t always easy. None of us is perfect and trust me, people will let you down. If you have serious control issues a group situation may not be the best answer for you.
Reduced visibility. With a reduced time commitment also comes less time you’re in the public eye. It’s a trade off. The more popular the site though, the less this becomes an issue.

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Getting Personal with Our Readers

By on April 3, 2014 in 2. Create Your Story, Beth Vogt, Heroes, Heroines, How do I write Emotions?, Protagonists: The Basics

It’s one thing to endow imaginary characters with hopes and dreams and Dark Moments and Wounds, Lies and Fears. It’s something else all together to go mucking around in my oh-so real hopes and dreams … and hurts.

If we want to write real characters who make our readers laugh out loud or cry as they turn the pages of our books, they we have to delve into our hearts and remember the events and the people who made us laugh out loud and cry behind closed doors — or in public.

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Finding Balance with Writing & Life: Regaining Balance After a Deadline

By on April 2, 2014 in Lisa Jordan, Writer's life

I rang in the New Year with three major deadlines on my plate–one contracted book deadline, one day job deadline, and taxes for two businesses.

After many late nights and early mornings, two out of three of my deadlines have been met.

I’m so thankful for these deadlines because they represent pieces of a dream—business owner and published author.

Regaining balance after a deadline is essential for stability in the other areas of my life. For the past 12 weeks, I’ve been running on adrenaline, doing what was necessary to get by. Now that I’ve submitted my novel, I have a bit more breathing room. I have time to do those things I’ve been putting off like cleaning my bedroom, refinishing a dresser, painting my dining room.

Whether you’re completing a writing deadline or another type, here are three tips to help you regain balance:

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Rachel Hauck

Extreme Book Makeover: Widen your plot to keep your middle from sagging!

By on March 31, 2014 in 2. Create Your Story, 6. Search by Series:, Editing Basics, Extreme Book Makeover, Susan May Warren

Do you feel like the tension in your story has started to sag?

That you are simply rehashing old plot problems? It can be a challenge in Act 2 to keep the reader caring, the story filled with enough tension to keep the pages turning.

I watched Saving Mr. Banks this weekend. Wanted to love it. But it had a few problems. The main character (Pamela) suffered from a fatal case of unlike ability, even with her backstory – and got redeemed too late. But that’s another topic. Bigger was the issue that, aside from Walt Disney wanting to keep a promise to his daughter (the stakes of the story), we simply stopped caring about the character, mostly due to her obsessive need to get the story right.

Thankfully, the story tension is resuscitated by the backstory, and the fear of young Pamela losing her father.

In other words, Peripheral Plotting saved the day.

If your story seems to be going in circles, or worse, dying…this trick just might give it the life it needs to hang on.

Peripheral Plotting is the technique of pulling in ancillary elements and using them to create more tension in your plot. Ideally, it will push your character along their journey, creating more sympathy for your character – and even motivation for their next choices.

How does Peripheral Plotting work?

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