Miscellaneous Monday

What have you been up to so far this year? Any new projects on the horizon? Here are a few links that might help in your creative pursuits.

If you've been puzzling over how to create a good brand and platform, check out Jennifer Brown Banks' recent post, Is There a Disconnect in Your Brand Messaging? This award winning blogger has helpful insight for this important topic.

Want to write compelling dialogue? How to Write Dialogue That Captivates Your Reader, by seasoned author Jerry Jenkins, offers six no fail tips that will engage your audience.

Thinking about writing a memoir? Not sure how to begin? C.S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive offers encouragement and pointers in Important Considerations When Writing Your Memoir.

Looking to broaden your skills? Consider enrolling online at the Coffeehouse for Writers. Classes include How to Quit Your Day Job (Making a Living as a Full Time Freelancer), Blogging for Profit or Pleasure, Writer's Basic Boot Camp, Writing for the Chicken Soup series, and more.

If you need a little inspiration to get those cold weather cobwebs out of your head, check out Stimulate Your Mind with These Writing Exercises. They're quick and easy, and might give you the spark you need to light that writing fire.

 
Author Susanne Dietze stops by next week to discuss her latest book. Hope you can join us!

What's on your January reading list? Are you working on any special projects this month?

Happy writing,
Karen 




Photo credit: Pexels

Miscellaneous Monday

How is November treating you so far? Hope all is well! Thought I'd kick off the month with a few links:  

Want to promote your blog/business/book/etc. in a non intrusive way? Would you like to remain genuine and true to yourself? Author Susan J. Reinhardt shares 3 easy tips in her recent post, How to Promote Without Being Obnoxious. Her guidelines can help you promote in an organic and authentic manner.

Do you get your writing related mail sent directly to your home address? In 5 Reasons Freelance Workers Should Own P.O. Boxes, veteran writer Jennifer Brown Banks offers her experience and advice regarding privacy and safety for the freelancer.

Have you ever been asked to offer feedback on someone's writing, knowing that your input might not be well received? How to Give Writing Feedback that's Constructive, Not Crushing provides helpful insight that may help you navigate these waters.

Are you interested in writing humor? Jerry Jenkins' has great advice about writing anecdotes in his post, How to Write an Anecdote. This seasoned author highlights 6 time tested tips to get you started in this department.

Need help creating characters? Author Laurel Garver knows how to create good ones, and lends her expertise in Five Things You Must Know About Every Character in Your Novel. Sage advice, for sure.

What are your November plans? Participating in NaNoWriMo? Has fall weather arrived in your area?

Happy writing,

Karen



Photo credit: Pexels

Miscellaneous Monday

Time to share a few links - hopefully something will strike your fancy. :) Have a great week!

We can all use a reminder of the basics sometimes, right? Writer's Digest's 5 Writing Rules Everyone Should Know provides a fun graphic offering just that.

Is it just me, or is finding a remedy for passive voice challenging sometimes? Jerry Jenkins offers solutions in this post, How to Fix Passive Voice.

Need help with Twitter? The Writing Life's Terry Whalin has been active there since 2008 and has it down to a science. He shares his insight in Twitter Tips: Who to Follow and Who to Block.

Your learning style can help direct you to the right writing course. How? Pen and Prosper's Jennifer Brown Banks explains in How to Match Your Learning Style to the Right Writer's Training.

Speaking of courses, the Coffeehouse for Writers offers year round writing classes. From Basic Boot Camp and Blogging for Profit or Pleasure to Writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul and E-publishing and more, they have something for everyone.

Are you a fiction writer who has difficulty infusing humor into your stories? C. S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive highlights her take on the topic in 4 Ways to Use Humor in Your Fiction.


Have any good resources to share? What are you working on this week?

Happy writing,
Karen 


Photo credit: Karen Lange's iPhone :)

Miscellaneous Monday

How are you? I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying summer (or winter, depending on where you live). It's Miscellaneous Monday, which means it's time to share some interesting links. Hoping you'll find them useful too. :)

Six Ways to Self Edit & Polish Your Prose by Kristen Lamb is a primer on how to make our words shine. She gives us the brutal truth about adverbs (they're not all bad), "stage direction", and other effective tips.

Is It Time to Re-evaluate Your Blogging Commitment? Jennifer Brown Banks gives us 6 reasons for a regular "blog checkup" to help stay on target and avoid frustration in this recent post.

Want to write a book readers will love? Best selling author Jerry Jenkins offers insight in 3 Powerful Storytelling Secrets. He encourages us to "engage the theater of the readers' minds". This, I'm thinking, is  good advice.

Hindsight is 20/20, right? C.S. Lakin agrees, and shares tips on making the journey easier in 3 Tips I Wish I'd Been Given When I Started My Writing Career on her blog, Live Write Thrive.

A quick reminder - the Coffeehouse for Writers' offerings include blogging, fiction, queries, journaling, writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul, Basic Boot Camp (taught by yours truly) and more. Instructors are friendly, classes begin monthly, and it's guaranteed to be a "Mind Brewing Experience." :)

Announcements

As of mid July, I've parted ways with my publisher. This was a tough but necessary decision. My two books, Write for Life and Homeschool Co-ops 101 are temporarily unavailable online. I have copies of HC 101 and Write for Life available, so if you/someone you know are interested in purchasing them, just let me know.

I'm taking a break until September 12. It's time to regroup, consider publishing options, and get ready for my autumn teen writing classes. When I return, we'll kick off fall with guest posts by Tyrean Martinson and Jeanette Levellie, and interviews with Laurel Garver and Amber Schamel.

Congratulations to Susan J. Reinhardt! She's the winner of Ann Gabhart's book, Murder Comes by Mail in last week's interview.
 
What projects are you working on this week?

Enjoy the rest of August. See you soon! :)

Happy writing,

Karen

Miscellaneous Monday

Have you had snow this winter? I suspect many of you have. The second portion of the winter here in north central Kentucky has been colder, with more snowfall too. Not complaining, I don't mind the white stuff as long as the roads are clear in a timely manner and I can get out to replenish my dark chocolate stash. :)

For those of you who don't care for winter, take heart. Spring always comes! Here are a few links that might help take your mind off the chilly weather.

Who doesn't love great characters? Creating them however, is another story (no pun intended!). Jerry Jenkins shares his insight in 3 Ways to Create Unforgettable Characters.

Speaking of characters, do you know what head hopping is? Susan J. Reinhardt explains how to avoid this pitfall when writing fiction in this post, What is Head Hopping?

Looking to step up your freelancing game? 125 Quick Tips to Sharpen Your Copywriitng Skills might offer the assistance you need.

Dual versus duel - Laurel Garver helps us keep these tricky homophones straight in With Me or Against Me? Using Dual and Duel. 

How do you handle transitions when writing? My guest post, Making the Transition, discusses this topic at my publisher's blog. If you have a moment, please hop over and check it out!

What's the weather like in your part of the world? What are you working on this week?

Happy writing,

Karen

Photo credit: Free Images