Coming Soon Archives - Page 3 of 3

The Flow of Writing

A full-time writer must produce hundreds of thousands of words crafted to make a reader keep turning the pages. A brilliant researcher named Czikszentmihalyi figured out the optimal conditions that make this creative state possible and repeatable. Join me as we explore what a “FLOW” state is and how you

Worldbuilding 505: Stop Living in your Head and Start Writing the First Chapter

So exactly how much worldbuilding do you have to have figured out before you start writing the first chapter? How do you develop your world into settings that become characters in the story? Whether your book is set on Earth or something more like Middle Earth, we’ll have a lot

The Five Questions (aka Wowing the Editorial Board)

When my editor was trying to pitch one of my series, it ran into trouble at the editorial board. Let’s face it, publishing is a business, and you want to make it easy to say ‘yes’ to your ideas. We came up with five questions (and their answers) which not

Understanding Amazon

How well do you understand the indie publishing market? Do you know the difference between Kindle Direct and Kindle Unlimited and how they pay royalties? What’s it like to work with one of the Amazon Publishing imprints (Montlake Romance, 47North, Skyscape, Thomas & Mercer)? Come learn about different resources

Your First Million Words

It’s common to look at the overnight success stories of rare individuals who make it big on their first novel as the goal. But I’ve discovered on my journey that I had to write and toss my first million words before I’d practiced the craft enough to be successful at

Raising the Stakes: How to Keep Readers Hooked on a Series

Editors like to repeat the mantra to "raise the stakes" after each book in a fantasy series. Tension is what drives readers to turn the pages/tap the screen well past a reasonable time for turning off the lights. In writing fantasy, creating peril is the key ingredient. This class will

The How of Creativity

Is creativity just a magical thing that happens randomly in some people and not at all in others? Or is it, like a muscle, something you can practice and develop into a consistent thing? Yes, it’s more like a muscle and yes, there are exercises you can do to develop