The control and freedom indie authors have can be a big asset when it comes to marketing. The problem is time. Shouldering the weight of writing, editing, researching, publishing, marketing, and promoting alone can be exhausting, especially knowing our industry is growing more crowded and … [Read more...] about Six Smart Ways Indie Authors Can Collaborate When Marketing
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Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Certain Death
What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story's end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal's going to be and … [Read more...] about Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Certain Death
One Simple Technique to Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day
Summer is a glorious time, isn't it? Drinks on the deck, barbecues, hiking, travel, maybe a day (or three!) at the lake...it's like a reward for working our butts off all year around. But, with more things competing for our time during these summer months, it can be tempting to put writing off. … [Read more...] about One Simple Technique to Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day
Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship
What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story's end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal's going to be and … [Read more...] about Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship
Character Motivation Thesaurus: Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment
What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story's end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal's going to be and … [Read more...] about Character Motivation Thesaurus: Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment
Angela Looks Back: Why We Must Invest If We Want a Writing Career
One thing I am terrible at is taking the time to glance back. You know, pause and think about how far I've come on this writing journey of mine. Usually my gaze is fixed ahead on whatever is next and figuring out how to juggle the load. But today I want to take a minute to do this because there are … [Read more...] about Angela Looks Back: Why We Must Invest If We Want a Writing Career
The Write Life: How To Enjoy Summer and Still Be Productive
When you live in a place like Canada where summer can be, er, fleeting, you feel enormous pressure to get outside and DO STUFF. And heck, no matter where you live, summer is a time to be with family, enjoy s'mores around the campfire, go kayaking, and enjoy life's bounty. After all, isn't that the … [Read more...] about The Write Life: How To Enjoy Summer and Still Be Productive
How to Add Meaningful Subplots to Your Novel
Many people are familiar with subplots. They are those side stories that give a novel’s plot depth. A subplot may involve the main character or minor characters, but they enrich the story if done well. Subplots are everywhere. We see them in the movies we watch, and they are usually in every … [Read more...] about How to Add Meaningful Subplots to Your Novel
Character Motivation Thesaurus: Reconciling with a Family Member
What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story's end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal's going to be and … [Read more...] about Character Motivation Thesaurus: Reconciling with a Family Member
Your 3-Step Plan for Outlining A Novel
There’s only one reason writers ever talk about outlining. It’s a tool that’s supposed to make our jobs easier. But it isn’t always clear how to accomplish that. Do you just start writing a list of events that might happen in this story? Do you create an actual Roman-numeral outline like you were … [Read more...] about Your 3-Step Plan for Outlining A Novel
Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping a Dangerous, Unwanted Life
What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story's end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal's going to be and … [Read more...] about Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping a Dangerous, Unwanted Life
Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions
Years ago, Becca and I grumbled about how our characters always expressed emotion the same way. My big thing? Frowning. Did my characters EVER know how to frown. They were savage at it. Becca’s characters? Smilers, all of them. SO HAPPY. Unfortunately, our inability to express emotion in a … [Read more...] about Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions