It’s mid october and I’m frustrated because I want to be prepping for nanowrimo but am still editing last month’s book project. When you fall behind, it’s easy to let depression slip in and feel like nothing is worth it, so you might as well quit. Maintaining confidence and enthusiasm for your writing projects is
Crafting a successful hero is central to creating an unforgettable story. Heroes are the driving force behind most narratives, acting as the catalyst for action, emotion, and change. Here’s a formula to help you sculpt a hero that readers will rally behind: 1. Rooted in Relatability: 2. Clear Motivation: 3. Challenge and Growth: 4. Skills...
I’ve been seeing a lot of memes recently about the little mermaid trailer controversy: some people are upset that Disney’s new live action Ariel will be black – and have used arguments like “mermaids have always historically been white” or “it makes no sense for people under the sea to have more...
If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a non-fiction book, you might be surprised to know that before penning a single word of your masterpiece, you can actually sell it. The magic wand that can make this happen? A killer book proposal. A non-fiction book proposal is your pitch to a publisher or literary agent. It
Okay, confession time. I once burnt a pancake because I was too engrossed in a project. No, not a mild, ‘slap some syrup on it and it’s all good’ type of burnt. We’re talking ‘set off the fire alarm and called the neighbors’ level of culinary disaster. Why? I was in the zone. It was
There are basically two challenges with writing. The first is knowledge. I see new authors post stuff online like “I’ve decided to write a book, but I don’t write or read books… how do I get started?” The common advice is to start writing; so first time authors just write a book with no guidance and
(and What Mistakes to Avoid) Unless you have a Rolodex of highly placed contacts in the online world at your fingertips, when it comes to landing guest posting gigs, good old cold email outreach is one of the most effective ways to get to yes. Now, I’m not talking about paid or sponsored guest posts
*Scroll all the way down for much better images since the last midjourney update.* Update: I just spoke about AI art with Joanna Penn, you can listen to the podcast HERE. Today I’m playing with midjourney for character and book cover design. You’ve probably seen people posting these to Facebook: what you get is extremely
This news has been making the rounds: a new reality show for writers called “America’s Next Great Author.” Casting calls are in San Francisco, on October 22, 2022. So far from my author friends, it’s been panned as exploitive: a cash grab for great IP or creative content (the fine print on the deal isn’t
This week I’ve finally been playing with text-to-image AI generators, and it’s been fun. Stunned by the creative artwork some of my facebook friends are creating, I wanted to get on board fast. I’ve been a book cover design and graphic artist for years, so I know my way around Photoshop. Ultimately I gave up
Journaling is one of those activities that plenty of people around the world turn to as a way to work out personal problems. It’s a method of self-discovery and working towards personal growth. But did you know that journaling can also be used to effectively boost your business prowess? It’s an ideal habit to form
I spent today writing four new articles about book marketing and making videos to go with them; I posted them over at marketing for writers but since it’s a new site, it doesn’t get any traffic yet… so I’m posting the links and videos here so you can read them. These are long, in-depth posts. How
