Do you remember Sister Maria from The Sound of Music? She sang a little song about having confidence before she plunged into the world of Captain Von Trapp and his seven motherless children. As she sang, she acknowledged her doubts and fears, but she didn’t chicken out or turn back.
Many writers, when they sit down to work, look with anxiety or stress at that blank page. Or they’re afraid to send their work out—to editors or publishers—or even for critique. Others are afraid they won’t sell. Or if they have sold, that they won’t sell again.
A writer I know recently asked for song ideas to build her writing playlist—the music she’d play while she worked on her latest WIP, a fantasy adventure tale. She wanted songs that would speak to the acts of the book—her heroine on a mission, in trouble, fighting her way out, and resolving her issues. I thought of “I Need a Hero,” sung by Bonnie Tyler, who asks for a street-wise Hercules.
Each chapter will be an essay by a different author on what they’ve learned through inspiration to write fiction, through applying the universal truths of their lives to fiction, and other gnosis learned through the process of writing. Wherever this wisdom comes from, it all qualifies as long as it occurred in the author’s mind due to writing fiction.
It’s been a long standing tradition that writing contests are not only good for finding those story jewels ready to be published, but they serve as a great platform for feedback even if the author doesn’t win the contest.
When I started writing years ago, I would have given anything for the opportunity to have a professional in the writing world take a look at my story, tell me I was brilliant. I was so thrilled to give my story to family and friends and then hurt and disappointed when they either didn’t finish reading it or dodged me when I asked them if they liked it.
Why do we let failure identify us? Why do we not realize that adversity, burdens, writer’s block, etc. are just isolated events from which we can recover? Sometimes we let failure define who we are, making us believe we’re actually … A failure!
You know how to help your clients, and now you want to reach more potential clients through your writing online.
artist entrepreneur / Writing Tips
by Beth Barany · Published December 30, 2011 · Last modified April 30, 2014
Welcome back to the Friday Artist Entrepreneur column. Today I tell it like it is. Even though there are no excuses about getting to my writing, boy do I have them.
book marketing / Book Promotion / book sales
by Beth Barany · Published December 28, 2011 · Last modified December 29, 2011
How Amazon bestseller and award-winning author of the thriller, The Torah Codes, Ezra Barany, really got on the bestsellers’ lists.
Many people think getting their novel done is all about having a cat do all the work for them, but actually cats have more writing handicaps than people realize. In this video you’ll learn...
When you feel that your characters aren’t jumping off the page, apply this nifty NLP tool to enrich the scene, make your characters come alive and create a compelling and memorable story. NLP is...
Welcome back to Sunday Videos for Writers, where I post funny, insightful or useful videos for authors. Thank you to cat lover and writer Donna Brown. Your suggestion made my day! Today our feature is Simon’s...
book marketing / Twitter for Authors
by Beth Barany · Published September 15, 2011 · Last modified January 7, 2017
Recently, I wrote a post on blogging for authors for Friesen Press, a self-publishing company that educates authors to get the best book they can out into the world. (They don’t pay me to...
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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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