Creativity

29 Ways to Stay Creative

By Steve Laubeon September 23, 2019

There are times when you feel like you’ve hit a wall. Not writer’s block per se, but feeling like you’ve run out of juice. Burned out maybe?

I suggest you first check your health. Are you sleeping enough? Has there been an abnormal amount of stress recently? Have you changed dosages or added a new medication or changed your diet? I know of one writer who had multiple novels published only to find she suddenly could no longer write. It took her years to figure out it was a change in her medication that caused the problem. Once the balance was restored, she was back on track.

Another might sarcastically suggest sticking your fork in an electric socket. (DO NOT do that.)

Instead, enjoy the short, two-minute video below.

I particularly liked #18 and #25.

Which ones work for you? Do you have any you would add?

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Oxymorons

By Steve Laubeon July 22, 2019

Oxymorons can be fun. Two words that can have contradictory meaning are put together to create a new phrase. Or it can be expanded to mean two separate thoughts or ideas that are in direct conflict with each other but when combined create something new.

For example, if you've ever worked in a cubicle you can see the humor in the description "office space."

Category: Creativity, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Grammar, Oxymorons, Writing Craft

Tips on Writing a Novella

By Guest Bloggeron May 16, 2019

Today’s guest post is written by one of our clients, Lynn A. Coleman (www.lynncoleman.com). She is the founder of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), as well as the author of more than 50 novels and novellas. She lives with her husband of 45 years, who is the lead pastor of a church. ___________ Novellas are fast paced, short novels that run anywhere from 20k to 30k words, depending …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Write for Narcissists

By Bob Hostetleron March 27, 2019

Every reader is a narcissist. Hold on, there. Don’t get all mad and sassy yet. Let me explain I often tell developing writers, “No one reads about other people; we read only about ourselves.” Go ahead and quote me, just be sure to give me credit and send me the royalties it produces. Seriously, I think it’s true. For example, I read several memoirs every year. And many of them are about writers …

Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

The Quest for Originality

By Steve Laubeon January 14, 2019

Are you tired of being told by a publisher “We simply don’t do books like that”? or “Yours is certainly out of the box, but is not what we are looking for at this time”? What’s the Deal with Boxes? In general all books are sold under a category. Be it a fiction genre (historical, suspense, romance) or a topical non-fiction category (marriage, parenting, finance, theology). When you are told your …

Category: Book Business, Creativity, Genre, Legal Issues, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

4 Keys to Creativity

By Bob Hostetleron December 12, 2018

Maybe you’re not one of those writers who sometimes says (or thinks), “I’m just not very creative.” But you may sometimes be jealous of others’ creativity. Or wish at times that you were more so. Join the club. We could all use at least a little more creativity in our lives, our thinking, and our writing. So, since my weekly “midrash” (Bible study) group has been discussing the first chapters of …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Popular Story Tropes in Current Fiction

By Steve Laubeon November 19, 2018

When we think of fiction, we put books in genres based on the story line. Then within each genre, they are separated by subgenres. The Book Industry Study Group has defined over 100 different classifications of fiction. These BISAC codes are what you find on the back of the book. And yet, despite the variety of genres, there are certain tropes (defined as overused plot devices) that appear …

Category: Book Proposals, Creativity, Genre, Trends

Lessons Learned As a Literary Agent

By Dan Balowon October 23, 2018

Dan is leaving the agency at the end of this month to focus his attention on the work of Gilead Publishing, the company he started in 2016. Here are some parting thoughts. _____ I’ve been a literary agent for about 2,000 of the 13,000 total days spent working with and for book publishers over the last thirty-five years. It’s been a great experience, for sure; but as I look back at the thousands of …

Category: Agents, Book Business, Branding, Career, Conferences, Craft, Creativity, Encouragement, Inspiration, Marketing, Personal, Pitch, Platform, Self-Publishing, Social Media, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

The Biggest Question About Your Book

By Dan Balowon October 16, 2018

Authors are like small businesses. They have a finance department, a marketing department and an editorial wing. Then there’s the travel, human resources, IT and facilities management departments, all managed by one person, the author. While writing quality and author platforms are discussed at every writer’s conference, those aren’t the only factors contributing to the success or …

Category: Book Proposals, Creativity, Marketing, Platform

Same Message, Different Reader

By Dan Balowon August 7, 2018

When a published book is successful (sells well), the publisher and author begin pondering how to be successful again with the next book. Often times, the solution to the repeat-success puzzle in non-fiction is having a similar message but aimed at a different audience. You’ve seen it happen many times, whether you realized it was intentional or not. Examples of branded book lines which have been …

Category: Book Business, Creativity, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Book Sales, Career, Creativity, Nonfiction, The Writing Life