As a business writer, I came to writing articles late in life. Eventually, from 2004 to 2013, I wrote over 400 and posted them out there in the world — on my own blogs; on other peoples’ websites, and on article banks.
July 14th is the 11th anniversary of my business helping writers. I chose July 14th to file for a city business license on purpose, as I’m a Francophile and have lived in France twice....
Travel writing sounds so glamorous; get paid to see legendary places, sample unusual food, sleep in exotic hotels, all on a magazine’s expense account. Wow right?
I write books for writers, among other things. A Creativity Coach and Teacher, I work with novelists to help them create compelling stories, publish them, and be bold and true in their marketing.
A big shout out to Lynn Johnston, a fellow writing coach cohort, and friend. She’s got a new class up on creating character arcs. If “your character’s emotional journey IS the reader’s emotional journey,” as Lynn says, then you need to learn how to master writing a powerful character arc.
It’s nearly half-way through the year — a good time to reflect on how far you’ve come, and how far you’d like to go by the time you lift a glass of bubbly to welcome in the new year. Time for an assessment!
Writers write because they must, and it helps a great deal to be unswervingly optimistic as one writes draft after draft in an attempt to make the work better with each successive try.
The first thing to determine is how you see things. How does your brain work? Some people need everything on paper in a notebook where they can physically touch a page – while others like to store items on the computer. Do you need it to be accessible everywhere? Like in the cloud?
To make a big splash in today’s literary world, genre mixing is essential to a writer. Like a chemist, contrarian writers must mix many story elements to produce a powerful and fresh literary work. Premise and POV (point of view) must be chosen first, but then another critical choice awaits the writer.
Consistency has never been my strong point. I’ll say that up front. So the opportunity to write about how I manage to overcome this failing is something of a cathartic exercise for me.
The first line of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is “Call me Ishmael.” Thus begins an incredible saga told through the eyes of one of literature’s greatest narrators.
Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp as she shares with us “Manuscript for Sale.”
Even though they want to be writing, many writers have a hard time coming up with ideas. Then they’re not writing and get upset about that, and don’t even start. A bit of a vicious circle and a painful one too.
The summer is almost here which for some means sun and fun, and for others it means possible blocks of time to get some real writing done. What is “real writing”? Real writing is working on a project that’s meaningful, to you and that you expect (or would hope) is meaningful to others. It’s writing with a purpose and direction, with the aim of completion and of course, with the intent of sharing it.
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Welcome to the Writer’s Fun Zone, a blog for creative writers by Beth Barany, fiction writing teacher and novelist.
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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.
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