@DiAnnMills Every character has a blind spot, an area where he/she is most vulnerable. Within that emotional darkness, he lacks understanding, ignores the situation, or is unaware of potential harm. Through a series of planned deception, the opposition successfully deceives and manipulates the character. The consequences are often devastating. The…

@LynnHBlackburn If you’ve been calling yourself a writer for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly experienced some form of writing stress. Maybe it’s in the form of a deadline—whether it’s self-imposed or from an agent or publisher. Maybe it’s in the form of a rejection—we’ve all been there. Maybe it’s…

@EdieMelson The other day I was talking to a friend of mine and this person confided that she was afraid she didn’t have what it takes to be a writer. “I’m just not good enough to get a book published, and I don’t know if I ever will be.” “Welcome to…

@AlyciaMorales Begin with a blank page. Request a creative download. Ask a bunch of questions you have to come up with the answers for. Initiate putting thoughts onto a blank page. Notice you have a big hole. Spend time checking email and social media. Tear apart your closet and rearrange…

@DiAnnMills Many writers believe social media has too much of a learning curve. They struggle between fear and where to look for instruction. The thought of developing content, discovering readers, and diving into analytics drives them to ignore the disastrous D’s of unlocking social media. Publishers urge writers to get…

@KatyKauffman28 One of your greatest marketing tools as an author is the first five pages of your book. Once a potential buyer looks at your title, cover, back cover copy, and Table of Contents, they’re likely to look at your first five pages. If the first paragraph wows them, they’ll…