April

How many people do you know (perhaps, yourself included) that have a dream but never take action to bring it to fruition? It’s easy to procrastinate and make excuses for not accomplishing our goals. We don’t have time. There’s not enough money in savings. We’re too old or too young. We don’t know the right … Read more

It’s an exciting moment when you add a punctuation mark to the final sentence of the last chapter of the fiction novel you’ve been working on for months (or years). You no doubt feel a mix of emotions at that time. Perhaps you’re relieved that you’ve completed the project but also a tad bit sorrowful … Read more

When trying to set the scene or describe unfolding events to readers, it’s always best if an author keeps three letters in mind: SDT. These letters represent the phrase, “Show, don’t tell.” It can mean the difference between a good story and a great one. For example, you could write that your character is cold, … Read more

While various genres of books may take center stage in popularity among avid readers from time to time, some types of stories never seem to lose traction in the marketing world. For instance, romance novels and mysteries/thrillers consistently rank high on most lists for trending story styles. It’s difficult to determine what readers might love … Read more

When you’ve brought your dream to fruition of writing a fiction novel manuscript and having it accepted by a publisher, you’ll face numerous decisions. For example, you’ll work with your publishing and design teams to choose a book cover for your novel. This is an important decision because cover design makes a first impression. In … Read more

Think of the many tasks and duties or projects in the workplace that are easier to accomplish when working as a team rather than individually. For example, if you work for a large advertising company and have been given a deadline that doesn’t allow much time, working as a team can help. Each team member … Read more

Fiction novels typically come to be in one of two ways: as the final product of a writer’s effort that may have taken months (or several years) to complete, or a story that suddenly and overwhelmingly took form in a writer’s mind so that he or she had to sit down immediately to start writing, completing an entire … Read more

Numerous genres comprise the fiction industry. Perhaps you’ve tried your hand at a few. Then again, you might relate to many authors who discover their talent in a specific category, so they stick with that genre. Their goal is to be prolific and become known for that realm, (I.e. “best-selling romance novelist”). Whether you’ve dabbled in … Read more

Thinking back, you can no doubt easily compile a list of blockbuster movies that were based on novels. To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Oz are a few examples. Literary fans often shirk the movie adaptation of their favorite novels, saying Hollywood more-often-than-not “ruins” the stories. Avid readers can … Read more

Authors who write tragic tales often feel conflicted about their craft. After all, their main goal is to cause their readers emotional upheaval, devastation and sorrow. If a reader reaches for a box of tissues while flipping pages, the goal is accomplished! Writing a great tragedy can be challenging.  It’s helpful to keep three key … Read more