Thinking Like a Writer

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Building Your Brand as a Writer

Every well-known author has a “brand”. Think of Dr. Seuss, J.K. Rowling, Judy Blume, John Green. When you see their names and their books, you get a sense of what’s important to them and how they see the world.

You may have done our own branding, composing a banner for your blog

Real Time Management for Writers

Many of us have taken time management classes in an attempt to get more out of our days. However, sometime we don’t realize that writing and managing a writing career takes different types of time: actual writing time, time spent marketing, time spent communicating with clients (editors and others), time

Plan Your Career as You Would a Synopsis

Do you hate to write synopses? I do. After 34 books, you’d think that I could get it right, but writing synopses still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Maybe that’s why I also struggle in trying to plan a writing career. (A career plan—what’s that?)

Writing a synopsis and planning a

What’s Holding You Back?

You’re a writer. Perhaps you’ve just started your writing career and dream of becoming a New York Times bestseller. Or maybe you’ve been writing for a while and sold some short stories, but you have yet to reach your goal of selling a book.

What’s holding you back?

 

FEAR

Survival Guide for Writers

We all know about survival guides. There are guides to surviving in the wilderness. (I’d rather not, thank you.) There are guides to surviving parenthood, divorce, the death of a loved one, job loss, and just about every other conceivable situation.

I’ve decided that writers also need a survival guide.

To Build a Career, Give ‘Em What They Want

Nordstroms is a department store with a well-deserved reputation for providing not only quality goods but also quality service. Customer loyalty to the store is legendary. Associates are schooled in “the care and feeding” of customers.

 

Okay. You get it. Nordstroms is a great store. (And no, I’m not

Productivity and the Writing Life

We all want to be more productive. Too often, though, we approach this goal with no clear idea of how to make it happen. Saying “I want to be more productive” is not likely to bring results. Start with a plan.

  • Define productivity in personal terms. Do you want to

Networking Can Help Your Career, and the World

In the March 2015 issue of Children’s Book Insider I wrote about establishing your networking goals to help you boost your writing career. I also showed you how to identify your networking personality. Once you’ve done all that, you’re ready to put it all together.

There are principles that can

From Mindset to Action – Full Course

 

Member Appreciation Gift

 

To say thanks for your loyalty and friendship, we’re offering a surprise bonus gift for you on a regular basis.  It will often be worth more — much more — than your entire membership!

This month, we bring you a potential life-changer.

The difference between

Why You Should Be Entering Writing Contests

I won my first writing contest when I was in high school. I had been writing for many years, but with the busyness and activity of high school, time with friends and family, I put away my writing. And then the `contest’ was announced. My biggest fan, my mother, encouraged

Video Quickie: How to Find the Time to Write

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Ever wonder how some people seem impossibly busy — but also impossibly productive?  Or how some writers can maintain families, full-time jobs and prolific literary careers?

From decades of hanging out with these kinds of folks, I've figured out a few of their secrets.  And, in this Video Quickie, I

The 5 Minute Writer

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Writers have other lives. We must schlep our children to orthodontist appointments, attend Little League games, and make sure the laundry is done. This is often in addition to holding down a full time job that pays the bills. So where does writing fit in?

100 Words a Day for 100 Days

by Jane McBride Choate

 

 

Like most writers, I need the association of other writers and belong to several writers’ chapters.  One group issued a challenge of writing a hundred words each day for one hundred days.

 

When I accepted the challenge, I was dubious.  What could such

Find Your Passion

Your first step as a writer, before you ever type those first words of your manuscript, is to discover what you love. Only then can you begin incorporating that passion into a book idea. So how will you find your passion? Read. I know this sounds almost too simple to work, but reading children’s books is one