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From Good to Great: Editing basics

By on March 4, 2013 in 1. Discover your story, Quick Skills

            In honor of national Grammar Day, I’m going to post the MBT Good to Great Checklist!  See, it’s not only about WHAT you write.  It’s HOW you write it.  We often say it’s about story.  And it is.  But a good writer can make any story compelling…..a bad writer can take a great story and blow it.  Yes, there are mediocre writers out there, but the story compensates.  And there are fabulous writers out there, writing a story that doesn’t deliver. You have to have structure AND art to deliver a powerful story. An author’s voice is ART.  It’s how you express the story.  It’s the one component that is more instinct than rules.  However, before you can start to express yourself through your […]

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5 Tips on Writing a Historical Novel

By on February 18, 2013 in 1. Discover your story, 6. Search by Series:, Editing Basics, Research, Susan May Warren

I love writing historical novels. I love diving into the research of the era.  I do crazy things like get dressed in the right attire, and listen to music from the area.  It’s so important to get it right. I wanted to quickly give you 5 tips on writing a great historical. It’s all about knowing your Era! Notes: Get books and articles written in the era to understand the lingo, the culture concerns, the political issues.  You need to get your head in the mind of your character by diving into that era. Rent movies and read books set in this era!  You can’t always rely on other people’s research, but you can get ideas to confirm later on. Read biographies about people set in this time.  It’s another […]

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Idea Sparking Your Way Out Of Writer’s Block Strategy #2

By on February 13, 2013 in Brainstorming Strategies and Tips, Michelle Lim

There are days when nothing about a work in progress seems to flow. Your goal requires another scene and you are stuck. All you need is that little spark to get you writing again. One strategy for finding an idea spark is changing the scenery. Many times it is easy to get stuck in the same locations for your scenes and it makes creativity dry up. 4 Ways to Find Idea Sparks By Changing Scenery:  1. Scenery by Mood. Try writing one word to describe the mood for your scene. Once you have determined the mood, find a place you could use in your story location that would build that mood. Think of what time of day would best suit the mood of the scene. Then find objects and characters […]

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One Thing Marketing: Marketing Before You’re Published Part 1

By on February 12, 2013 in 3. Publish your Story, Author Mistakes, How do I Promote my book?, Melissa Tagg, One Thing Marketing

So I kind of love the Allstate Mayhem commercials. You’ve seen them right? They’re hilarious, and the goal: to get you all prepared and insured before mayhem strikes. Well, let’s replace mayhem with a book contract and insurance with a super sweet platform and marketing strategy, and we’ve got our topic for today and the next few weeks: Marketing Before You’re Contracted. If you’re serious about a career as a published author, then the sooner you get started on the marketing piece of your journey, the further ahead you are…and the more attractive you are to agents and editors. So in the next few weeks, we’re going to talk about some incredibly practical steps you can take to start marketing now. Over three weeks, we’ll look at a total of […]

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