Blog
Why Every Author Needs a Professional Photo – Guest Post by Brent Foster
In my continuing effort to bring you useful tools, I wanted to look at why every author needs a professional photo (also called a “head shot”). Mine is in dire need of an update. Today I’m pleased to be able to welcome guest poster Brent Foster, a photojournalist who says, “I believe in storytelling, and(…)
Not My Normal Monday Post
This isn’t going to be the post you expected. The type of posts you do expect on Mondays will return next week. I had a different post scheduled for today, but I’ve delayed it until next week for three reasons. Since this is a holiday, I expect most of you are spending the day away(…)
5 Basics About Dialogue You Need to Know
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) “Dialogue is conversation–nothing more, nothing less” (Gloria Kempton). A couple months back when I took a survey on what you wanted me to write about, one of the topics you asked me to cover was dialogue. So today I’m kicking off a new craft series. Through the series, I’ll cover ways(…)
Cinderella Strong – Guest Post by August McLaughlin
Last April, I read a post on the Cinderella fairy tale that made me see it in a completely new light. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I asked the author, August McLaughlin, if she’d allow me to re-post it here today. If you’re not already a regular reader of August’s blog, make sure(…)
How to Help Your Readers See Your World
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) I have a confession to make. It took me three tries to finish Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. I stalled out the first two times in the same place—at the house of Tom Bombadil. I tried to slog through all the description, but my attention would slip, I’d set the(…)
Megamind: Is Praise More Powerful than Criticism?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) There’s an old joke that women marry men expecting they can change them, and men marry women thinking they’ll never change. Both end up disappointed. Change is a tricky subject. How do we know if someone has truly changed? And how many times should we give a “second” chance? Should we(…)
What the Olympics Can Teach You About Becoming a Successful Writer
We all want to be successful. It’s how we define success that differs. You might define it as being able to support yourself financially through your writing. You might define it as hitting the bestseller list (either NYT or Amazon). You might define it as helping people. You might define it as having a small,(…)
Why Every Couple Should Play Video Games Together
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) Video and computer games are some of the most underrated relationship-building tools. My husband and I had a long-distance relationship from the time we met until we got married (and even after we got married as we waited on immigration). Many people wonder how we could possibly know each other well(…)
How to Legally Use Your Own Photos on Your Blog
Alongside the photos offered on free stock sites and through WANA Commons on Flickr, many people are opting to use their own photos on their blog. After all, you can’t get into trouble for using your own pictures, can you? Last week Melinda VanLone gave us 7 free and legal places to find stock photos(…)
The Dark Knight Rises: Is Your Safety Net Hurting You?
Do the safety nets we give ourselves stand in the way of our success? In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman has been “gone” from Gotham City for eight years. After the death of Harvey Dent (Two-Face), many consider Batman a villain, and Gotham hasn’t needed him. The police have violent and organized crime under control.(…)
