Tips and Advice About Writing and Self-Publishing
I always say when you’re lost for story ideas look at your life. We all get those annoying phone calls, trying to sell us something, or wanting us to upgrade a service. That’s what happens to your character. He or she gets a phone call from someone selling them something strange. What is the…
Pick a song you love, select your favorite line from it and write a story using it..
Today’s prompt focuses on a weather event. Your story should feature something to do with rain.
This week you character is the one in this photo. She’s about to board a plane. Does she know where she’s going or is she leaving it to chance? Is she going on vacation, to school, maybe to meet a secret love? Perhaps she’s running away from someone or something. Have fun and happy…
I thought we’d try something a little different and go for a two week prompt. Two stories told from two perspectives. The theme of the two stories is hitchhiking. This week, your main character is the driver who picks up the hitchhiker. What makes your character stop and want to give this person a ride? What’s the…
It takes motivation to not only get started on a story but to keep on writing especially when the going gets tough. One thing that can help you achieve a goal is to understand what it is that drives you on and keeps you going. This week, write down three reasons why you want to…
Raise your hand if you write (or want to write) stories in the first person? It’s hard for me to guess the exact percentage of you who are holding your hand high in the air. I have lots of students who tell me they’d love to give it a try but feel it’s too difficult.…
Edison probably wasn’t talking about writing when he made this quote but it’s ideal inspiration for authors. So what if a plot doesn’t go as planned, or the characters fall flat, or another rejection hits your mailbox. You’ve not failed. It’s just that something didn’t quite work for that story. Fire up the computer and start…
I’m often asked for suggestions about markets that are more willing to consider new writers. There are a lot out there. Some will pay you a small amount while others will pay in copies. One market area I had a lot of success with was anthologies. In fact, I think being published in four anthologies at the…
One of the first questions I ask students is; what do you remember most about your favorite books? I always know that at least 99 % are going to tell me about a character they fell in love with, cheered for, and turned the pages just to see what happened to them. Don’t get me wrong,…
