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June 22, 2018
Are you an aspiring picture book author? Perhaps you are an author / illustrator with a passion for children's books. In either case, if you don't know your audience or how to target them, you won't win any love from agents, editors, buyers, readers, or listeners! Read on below so you know who you're writing that picture book for.
June 21, 2018
Do you type slowly with two fingers? Do you agonize over large amounts of copy editing? Do you try to delegate long typing tasks? You're not alone. The vast majority of people I've come across, even in our technologically advanced world, are slowpokes. The last time I tested my typing speed, it was 120-130 words per minute. Want to know how you can do the same? Implement these 3 strategies below and you'll be blazing trails in no time.
June 20, 2018
Without a shadow of a doubt, there is no single mental capability that can have a greater impact on you reaching goals than mental toughness. Things happen. Things are always happening. Rarely do those things that happen come only in a form of blissful wonder and amazement. Most often, the things that happen to and through us are full of difficulty, challenge, and unexpected outcomes. People are complex and the world, full of people, takes complexity to new heights. If you want to stand out and be in a high percentile of people who can set, reach, and exceed personal goals, you must increase your mental toughness. Here's 5 ways you can become a mental obelisk.
June 18, 2018
Search the topic and you'll find countless tips, tricks, and strategies to catapult your writing to the stars. But like you, you'll find yourself scratching your head wondering which technique, if improved, would have the most effective impact. Let me clear up your confusion right now. If you continue reading this post, you will know without a shadow of a doubt how to become an excellent writer. This is the single, most important principle you need to focus on to step up your writing game. Are you ready for it?
June 15, 2018
Do you enjoy being involved in tense situations? Probably not. In fact, human biology instinctively seeks to reduce or eliminate tension. Think about how you feel walking into a stressful job environment or how blood rushes to your palms in traffic when someone cuts you off. How about walking into that final test for class and feeling unprepared, knowing you'll pass or fail based on the outcome? All of this is tension. In life, it's no fun. But in stories, tension is where the magic happens.
June 11, 2018
Publishing Trends, which is quite the company name, consistently describes various trends in the publishing industry and recent deals going down all over the world. Pretty impressive and worth your while to check out. As an author, it's important you are aware of what books or markets are hot right now and which aren't. With industry trends constantly changing and then changing back, you must remain grounded in the one trend that never changes.
January 4, 2018
It's been said that "Positive thinking won't let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking."
There is an epidemic in our world today of depression, low self worth, negative thought life, and suicidal tendencies. From what I've experienced, these types of behaviors accompany people who think negatively about themselves, others, and situations. By all means, this does not mean bad things should be viewed through some flower-lined glasses. Instead, it's important to analyze oneself. It's important to sit and ponder whether we are in control or being controlled by the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of the day.
January 1, 2018
The inevitable journey for authors and illustrators, if you want to become traditionally published, or if you want to secure agent representation, leads to the dreadful and often mysterious query. You'll often notice the Twitter hashtag #amquerying in frequent use by the most hopeful among us. Are you wondering how to query a literary agent? What exactly is querying and how do you do it correctly? Or better yet, how do you NOT query a literary agent? What should your query letter look like? What should it include? Read on and you'll know the answers to all these questions and more!
December 31, 2017
What a cheesy slogan. "New Year New You" cascades from every motivational speaker this time of the year. You know what the problem is with this phrase? It's true.
I've never come across anyone who wouldn't do things differently if given an opportunity to step back in time. Why be that person? You don't need to live like that. Human nature often settles into comfortable habit and those comfortable habits are often the things we most regret when looking back over the course of time.
December 30, 2017
Many of you know of my writing exploits. Recently, I wrapped up the illustration phase of self-publishing a children's book. It required a surprising amount of effort that was largely based on my naivety. After writing the manuscript, I researched and interviewed freelance illustrators on a freelancer online platform. After finding one I thought would be a perfect fit for my manuscript material, we began working together under contract.