Kickstarter is the entrepreneurial artist’s equivalent of venture capitalists, only better. Their tagline, “A new way to fund & follow creativity,” describes crowd-sourcing money and encouragement through “a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.”
Everybody knows what plot is, right? It’s action. Action drives stories. Without action, without plot, you’ve got no story. Simple. But not all actions are equal. For actions to be plot, they must have consequences. Actions without consequences are setting or description.
The problem with writing erotica is trying to come up with a compelling plot. I’m not talking about erotic romance or erotic suspense or any sub genre of erotica, I’m talking purely about straight erotica. When writing erotica, sex must be the integral part of the storyline. Sex is what tells the tale, what makes our characters evolve, and what delivers the…ahem…climax at the end.
artist entrepreneur / Author Career
by Beth Barany · Published April 20, 2012 · Last modified May 3, 2012
Those who have the most powerful visions for their work, passion, persistence, determination, resilience and focus are the ones who bring it about. Decide who you want to become. Here are three ways to focus your time and energy so that you are not sitting around waiting for the book sales to come in.
I’ve been asked several times to help someone register his or her copyright. At the risk of inciting the wrath of my fellow copyright attorneys, I’ll put in print what I’ve told these people: while I’m happy to do so, you don’t need an attorney to file a copyright.
Being a writer isn’t easy! You are in front of the computer for hours typing away, creating amazing pieces for your audiences to read. I know there are moments where it can be frustrating and you can get writer’s block. Instead of stepping away from the piece you are creating, you may sit there staring at the screen, pulling your hair out and angry with yourself.
Do people truly change? Other than lightbulbs, I mean. People constantly change their superficial appearances—hair color, weight, corrective lenses, clothing styles—but do they, can they, change their fundamental behavior? This is your job as a writer to explore.
When you step into your vision and begin running forward into your new self, life and your ego will create reasons to stop. Some of those things might be out of our hands and some are created by us, whether consciously or subconsciously. The resilient and purpose-driven author will continue forward despite setbacks to create the success they desire.
artist entrepreneur / Author Career
by Beth Barany · Published March 10, 2012 · Last modified March 9, 2012
I read a recent blog post about collectors who asked an artist to cut down a painting they bought from him because it was too big to fit over the couch. The artist’s snarky reply was to cut the legs off the couch. I expected a backlash, but to my surprise, the collectors followed the advice and liked the end result. (guest columnist, Aletta de Wal)
It’s not what you think. No self-destructing, selfmedicationg, self-denial. Okay, a little…chocolate is okay. Make sure it’s 70% dark (Lindt, yum!) so you get the medicinal properties, too. Really, how do you deal with overwhelm as you navigate your busy indie author career? Well, I can only share with you what I do, what others suggest that I ignore, and things I’ve heard others say work for them.
book marketing / Book Promotion
by Beth Barany · Published February 26, 2012 · Last modified April 30, 2014
So you’ve taken the plunge and have decided to make your book free for the Kindle using the Kindle Select program. (See “How KDP Select Will Make You An Amazon Bestseller” about the Kindle Select program written by bestselling award-winning author, Ezra Barany.) Now comes time for promotions!
Welcome to my new weekly series on writing prompts to overcome writer’s block. More prompts and tools can be found in my Amazon bestseller, Overcome Writer’s Block, available on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. As Anne Lamott encourages us: Shitty first drafts welcome here. Goal: Write for 20 minutes without stopping to get the writing moving.
artist entrepreneur / Author Career
by Beth Barany · Published February 24, 2012 · Last modified February 23, 2012
Welcome to the monthly series on legal issues for authors to empower you, the artist entrepreneur. Today we focus on trademark protection for fictional characters from our monthly guest columnist, Kelley Way, a lawyer specializing in literary law and other aspects of law.
Welcome to the Writer’s Fun Zone and to the next installment of craft posts by new monthly guest columnist, Kay Keppler. Today she’ll share with us how to define your hero.
Subscribe here to get notified each time we publish a post.
Welcome to the Writer’s Fun Zone, a blog for creative writers by Beth Barany, fiction writing teacher and novelist.
Articles by creative writers like you.
Check out the How To Write The Future podcast.
Subscribe to Writer's Fun Zone blog for resources, inspiration, and free resources:
Get these goodies:BONUS
As a bonus, you will also be subscribed to the CreativitySparks (tm) newsletter, full of tips and tools for novelists building a successful career. (Sent 1-2 times per week) By Beth Barany, Editor and Publisher of the Writer's Fun Zone, and a Creativity Coaching for Writers, and a novelist herself.
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.
She walks the talk, as her clients like to say. She is the author of the 2012 award-winning young adult fantasy novel Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, as well as the author of the bestselling nonfiction books for authors and aspiring authors.
Ready to finish your book but not sure how?
Hire Beth to help you or take a class at Barany School of Fiction. Or join her Group Coaching Program.
Still have questions? Email Beth.
Recent Comments