These posts have been written over time since 2012. Do check the date of any given post as technology / craft / technique may have changed, and my opinions may have changed as I’m now older and (hopefully) wiser!
BEING A WRITER
- You Might Be a Romance Writer If…
- 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me
- Getting Your Writing Un-Stuck
- Unglue Your NaNoWriMo Project
WRITING – CRAFT
- Great Beginnings Cheat Sheet
- How I Create a Character
- Draw from Real Life
- Best (Recent) Writing Advice
- Adding Humor When You’re Not Funny
- Developing Characters in Layers
- Picking Character Names
WRITING – ROMANCE GENRE
- Lessons “The Princess Bride” Teaches Authors
- Chemistry & Tension in Romance
- 14 Signs of a Great Romance
- What Makes a Good Love Scene?
WRITING – PARANORMAL ROMANCE
- Game of Thrones | Lessons for Writers
- Key Elements of Paranormal Romance
- Using Sensory Description in Paranormal Romance
- Holidays or Traditions in World Building
- Old People, New Talk
PARANORMAL CREATURES – HISTORIES
- Halloween Monsters: Ghosts
- Halloween Monsters: Witches
- Halloween Monsters: Werewolves & Shifters
- Halloween Monsters: Frankenstein
- Halloween Monsters: Zombies
- Halloween Monsters: Vampires
- Halloween Monsters: Demons & Devils
- Paranormal Creatures: Elves
WRITING – TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
- 1st, 2nd, or 3rd – The Person Makes a Big Difference
- To Prologue, or Not?
- To Epilogue, or Not?
- 12 Tips to Tighten Up a Sagging Middle
- Death to the Cliche
- The Little Signs of Lazy Writing
- Chapter Beginnings & Endings
- Chapter Length
- Is It 5 Senses…Or 20?
- Rarely Used Expressions
- Roadblocks Encounters When Writing a Series
- Pacing: Avoiding Roadblocks & Rollercoasters
EDITING
- Editing Technique: Ask Questions
- The Importance of Self-Editing
- Proofreading: A Necessary Evil
- What Makes a Good Critiquer?
- And, But, So…
PUBLISHING
- Publishing Routes | Pros & Cons
- Buy Links for Books
- How to Self-Publish to Amazon Kindle
- Introduction to eBook Self-Publishing
- Introduction to Print Book Self-Publishing
- ISBN, Copyright, & Pen Names
- Researching Before You Query
- How to Write a Query Letter
- Start a Self-Publishing Company
- What’s the “Matter”?
- Writing the Blurb
GRAPHICS
- 9 Tools for Creating Social Media Images
- Book Cover Elements
- Does Size Matter?
- Logo Design for Authors
- Memes as Marketing Tools
- Shopping for a Book Cover Designer
MARKETING/SOCIAL MEDIA
- Blog Topic Idea Lists
- Choose the Right Excerpt from Your Book
- DO’s and DON’Ts for a Street Team
- Don’t Panic: Organize Your Social Media
- Facebook & Twitter Idea Lists
- Facebook Party Game & Post Ideas
- Flip the Script on Your Next Facebook Party
- How to Create a Media Kit
- Memes as Marketing Tools
- Organizing Social Media Idea Lists
- Social Media Images Help Find Readers
ORGANIZING/BUSINESS