Recently I interviewed novelist and Scrivener coach, Vanessa Kier, for my occasional Ask A Writing Coach series. Vanessa and I talked about the basics about Scrivener and she shared with me some tips and tricks. I hope you enjoy the video. You can also check out the audio-only format.
This Saturday, September 23, we’ll be running our Plan Your Party & Giveaway, a fun free event to jumpstart your fiction writing. Even if you can’t join us live, you’ll get all the party...
Over the summer I’ve been reading a lot (haven’t we all?) and I’ve realised that my reading has changed a little as I’ve started to write more and with the hindsight of what I’ve learned along the way.
Creativity Tools and Tips / Writing Tips
by Beth Barany · Published September 18, 2017 · Last modified September 19, 2017
Last week I talked about boundaries, so that you can get your writing (or editing or marketing) done in a way that works for you. To refresh your memory or see it for the...
We’ve all heard the first commandment for writers: never open your book with backstory. And the second commandment? No infodumps. And the third? Sprinkle that backstory throughout your book.
Today I want to talk about boundaries, so that you can get your writing (or editing or marketing) done in a way that works for you.
From a writer’s standpoint, what does success look like? Does it mean freedom and independence? Recognition? When you visualize yourself as a successful writer, what do you see?
I save flyers and emails touting to only the benefits but the transformative magic of this writing workshop or that retreat. Many workshops and retreats seem to take place in exotic locations either so you have an excuse to go, or because the workshop leader has always wanted to travel there be it Taos or Paris. And who doesn’t want to travel to Taos and Paris?
Novels, J.D. Salinger wrote, grow in the dark. By that, he meant that true creativity comes from the subconscious mind, from allowing ideas time to percolate below our conscious awareness.
Hope you’re well and had a chance to witness the eclipse this week, live or online. I only caught a sliver of the partially eclipsed sun through the Oakland fog and it was marvelous....
Some ‘old school’ authors may cling to the old adage, ‘let the writing speak for itself,’ but nowadays, it is pretty much universally accepted that authors need to maintain an internet presence to be noticed.
I was cleaning off all my emails the other day when I was suddenly struck with the number of emails I receive from my favorite writing gurus and educators. I subscribed to a variety of them and the glut of email messages they send me on any given day is overwhelming.
I’m a great believer in accountability. In my role as a coach, I spend a lot of time encouraging clients to be committed to their future. In doing so, it is vital that they appreciate that there is no one coming to their rescue (except me, perhaps – more of that later*.)
Do protagonists have to be likeable? Of course, because how else can a reader bond with your hero? Of course not, because some of the most fascinating protagonists in literature are unlikeable, or indeed, hateful.
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Beth Barany helps authors get their books completed and out into the world, into the hands of their readers.
Creativity Coach for Writers, NLP Master Practitioner, and Master Teacher, Beth Barany has been there and knows how hard it can be to take your idea and turn it into a real book, that people will actually be interested, and even yearning, to read.
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