Allen Wolf is the author of You're Pulling My Leg!: The Ultimate Storytelling Game and You're Pulling My Leg! Junior: The Ultimate Storytelling Game. By Allen Wolf My wife and I helped our five-year-old boy, and seven-year-old girl ride their bikes when a stranger approached us on the street. “Are those your grandkids?” he asked with a smile. “No, I’m their dad,” I … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 5 Key Questions to Get to Know Your Kids
Writing
Guest Post: Most Common Reasons Authors Fail To Publish Their Work
By Michelle Laurey There were more than 45 thousand writers and authors working to make a living in the United States in 2019. That’s a lot of people pursuing their passion. Unfortunately, despite an increase in the number of people exploring the world of writing work, there are still a lot of writers who struggle to achieve success. There’s more to reaching your goals … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Most Common Reasons Authors Fail To Publish Their Work
Researching Your Next Book
I've been thinking a lot about non-fiction books lately. For those of you working on a non-fiction book, or maybe a fiction book that requires a lot of research, here are some resources I've recently found (in no particular order): Journalist's Toolbox: "The site is updated twice a week, typically on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons, or as news dictates. The site … [Read more...] about Researching Your Next Book
Guest Post: How to Market Your Book to Teens
By Hayley Zelda In this day and age, the internet rules the world, especially for young people. If you’re thinking about marketing to teens and you aren’t looking at online platforms or social media, then you’re doing it wrong. Social media plays a significant role in marketing today. Here are some ways to market a book to young people: Leverage a storytelling platform … [Read more...] about Guest Post: How to Market Your Book to Teens
Guest Post: 4 Computer Hacks for Writers
By Ashley Wilson When you think of the most common difficulties facing writers, you probably think of writer's block, time management, and burnout. Have you ever stopped to wonder how many hours the average writer loses to tech-related issues? In the modern world, the vast majority of writers use computers with word processing applications for their craft. Some amongst … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 4 Computer Hacks for Writers
Writing and Editing Your Work
We all know writing takes a lot of practice, and a lot of patience while you build up your skills (not to mention building up a thick skin). With that in mind, and while more and more people are working on their novels, I've rounded up some resources that help writers hone their writing skills. First up, Live Write Thrive has a great post about how writers can say more with … [Read more...] about Writing and Editing Your Work
Guest Post: 5 Story Tools To Help You Plot
By Greg Josselyn There’s an app for this, an app for that, an app for everything. Do you need washing done in a pinch? Chances are some digital tool will connect you to a real person ready with a tub and basin. Need tomatoes and gouda? They’re on the way. But what about the harder things in life, like writing a short story, or finally getting that novel done? Some of us … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 5 Story Tools To Help You Plot
Guest Post: 5 Lessons On Productivity From Successful Writers
By Joe Peters Decades ago, when prolific writers like Charles Dickens and Shakespeare were sitting down to pen their best-selling creations, many of the distractions we have today didn’t exist. There was no need to worry about being pulled from a moment of inspiration by a buzz or notification on your phone. Social media wasn’t an issue, and the authors knew that they … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 5 Lessons On Productivity From Successful Writers
Guest Post: Stop Killing Your Characters’ Parents!
By Mariah When was the last time you read a book or watched a movie where 1) at least one of the main character’s parents is dead, 2) dies suddenly, or 3) is slowly dying over the course of the movie. Chances are, that was pretty recently — painfully recently. When they want to give their character hardship or a tragic origin story, too many writers will knock off a parent … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Stop Killing Your Characters’ Parents!
Guest Post: How to Write a Realistic Car Crash Sequence
By Mariah T. Writing a scene involving a car crash can be a little tricky. It's a dramatic event, and as such, if done poorly, it can look like a writer's attempt to lure the reader into having emotions through unresearched, unskilled and lazy methods. But you can write car-crash scenes to great effect if you understand your genre and do the work. The Setup The way that … [Read more...] about Guest Post: How to Write a Realistic Car Crash Sequence
Guest Post: The 4 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Entering a Writing Contest
By Emmanuel Nataf We all dream about getting published one day. But the road to seeing our names in print? That depends on how you choose to go about it. Some plunge in and start churning out a novel, while others may find themselves wandering down the e-zine alley. Still others might give up entirely and decide to work their way up in the publishing world a different … [Read more...] about Guest Post: The 4 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Entering a Writing Contest
Guest Post: 5 Steps to Finding Profitable Book Topics on Amazon
By Alexandria Evensen As an independent author you must fill two distinct roles—that of the creative, and that of the entrepreneur. If you’re reading this it’s probably safe to assume you’re not just writing for fun. You’re likely trying to shape a brand, create a passive income, or use your writing skills to promote an online business. Your writing topics should align … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 5 Steps to Finding Profitable Book Topics on Amazon
Starting and Growing Your Blog
When it comes to blogging, there's a lot to know. Here are some resources to help you, whether you're starting out or looking to grow your blog. Blog Posts "12 Steps to a Great Blog Post" on Australian Christian Writers "13 Blog Post Blunders You Should Avoid (And What to Do Instead)" on Your Writer Platform "9 Grammatical Errors (and How to Avoid Them)" on Self … [Read more...] about Starting and Growing Your Blog
Using a Pen Name
I don't use pen names, but I can understand why an author may want to use one. Writers Write recently published a post on why writers would want to use a pen name. They mention a lot of reasons, including keeping your identity secret, using a shorter name that's easier to remember, writing in multiple genres and targeting different audiences, and to use a different name from an … [Read more...] about Using a Pen Name
Guest Post: 10 Tips and Tricks to Get Writing Inspiration Anywhere and Anytime
By Lucia Tang Writers aren’t prophets. No matter how hard we wish, we can’t just take dictation from some divine voice in our ears — we’re supposed to find our own inspiration. But when you’re on the run from a deadline, in a fight with a chapter, or just sick of wishing the book in your head would magically appear on your laptop, finding inspiration can feel like a DIY root … [Read more...] about Guest Post: 10 Tips and Tricks to Get Writing Inspiration Anywhere and Anytime
