I’ve always been one of those people that learns the hard way, by doing. I’m also one of those people that says “I can do it myself”. This is what led me to my most recent pitfall.
For all those who have interacted with small humans in the kinder-to-third grade arena, you might be familiar with Flat Stanley (also known in some cases as Flat Lizzy). For those who haven’t had the joy of meeting this illustrious character, a quick introduction.
How many times have we read a book, or a short story, or a terrific blog post and thought to ourselves, “man, this is great. I wish I’d written it.” I do that all the time.
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.
When you sit down to create a novel, graphic novel, screenplay, or any other piece of writing, chances are you have a purpose in mind—an idea to get across, or just characters and a story to share with the world.
Welcome to our guest columnist, David Strom. An author who puts funny into his superhero stories, as he shares with us “Writing What I Am Not.” Enjoy! *** Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got...
Lately I find myself saying, “One day my book will be on that shelf” whenever I pass by the isle that holds all the literary material at a store. I know the hard work it will take to see that come true but I also know that which route to publishing I take plays a part.
In January I started a new series project. This time I did it right. During my writing career I’ve morphed from a complete pantser (one who dives in with no set plan) to an assisted pantser (one who must have significant sign posts to complete the story journey safely). With my first series, The Kyn Kronicles,
I recently had the opportunity to do a beta read on a novel and provide a critique. The experience was both sad and depressing. Everything was off—pacing, character development, and conflict. Keeping all those ponies in harness pulling their weight and working together is complicated. But this is your job as a novelist.
I’m kinda cheating this month. I won’t be sharing much advice, although I hope it may give you some food for thought… 🙂 I suppose what I’m doing, is thinking out loud about a little writing conundrum I’m pondering; hoping you might chip in with your thoughts.
Ask me about a favorite book – and I’ll describe the heroine.
How are your writing resolutions going so far? Have you been meeting your writing goals? I’ve been working at it and succeeding to a certain extent but according to astrologers the planet Mercury has been retrograde since early January, scrambling communication, causing glitches in technology, delays for travelers and generally making it an uphill battle to get into an organized, efficient routine for making good on all those New Year’s resolutions.
Did you ever play Truth or Dare when you were young? It was probably thrilling, testing boundaries and building trust among your friends. As you said and did wilder and wilder things, your relationships grew stronger and the world opened up to new possibilities. Yet we grow out of Truth or Dare eventually, finding the dares childish, the truths too painful to admit. We learn to guard ourselves too deeply, developing layers of protection.
It’s great to be here at the Writer’s Fun Zone. Thanks for the invite! Today, I’d like to share a few tips on ergonomics from my recent non-fiction release, Overcome Your Sedentary Lifestyle (A Practical Guide to Improving Health, Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and Couch Potatoes).
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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?
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