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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 78

Writing Craft

Are You a Storybird?

By Karen Ballon April 11, 2012
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I’m always hearing about authors who get stuck. Whose creativity has hit a wall. Who have hit a point in the story that they’ve lost interest.

Or there are the down times. When emotions have them hogtied. They’re too sad or depressed or frustrated or overwhelmed to write.

Well, I don’t have a cure for all of those things, but I do have something that can help. It’s called Storybird, and it’s wonderful.

On Storybird, you can choose the most wonderful art, and then write a story. Short or long, funny or serious, it doesn’t matter. Just write what’s on your mind, what the art inspires.

I just wrote a Storybird because I was upset with myself for letting a friend down. In fact, that friend was Steve Laube. I forgot to send him my blog post for the agency site. And I knew he was disappointed in me. Thing is, I’ve forgotten to send the blog post before, too many times. Fibro has shot my short-term memory full of holes. So when I get stressed or overwhelmed, I tend to forget things. Even important things. I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it. But I can’t change it. So I’ve learned to work around it, using notes and alarms on my computer, and enlisting the help of friends and family. But when it affects something important, like making sure I do what I’m supposed to for Steve, I feel terrible.

So when that happened, I went to Storybird. And I wrote a story. For me. For Steve. For all of us who struggle with changes we don’t like. And it helped. A lot.

So those days when you’re struggling, when you feel ensnared by something or like your creativity is used up, give Storybird a try. And even if you’re not feeling all those things, check it out. It’s a way to create and have fun.

What more could you ask?

Oh, and you can look for my storybird under the title “I Let A Friend Down Today,” or by searching for my user name: k57ball.

Enjoy!

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Personal, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

Any Name Will Do?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 5, 2012
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Have you ever been asked by an editor to change a character’s name in your novel? If so, I promise you are not alone. It happened to me too. One thing I used to like about writing books is that I could christen my characters with names I thought whimsical but my husband would have never let us call our children. But a writer still has to be careful.

Same Syllables

Awhile back, I ran into an …

Read moreAny Name Will Do?
Category: Craft, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Creativity, fiction, Names, Writing Craft

True Confessions

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 29, 2012
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When our eldest daughter was learning about various religions in college, she told me that converts to the Greek Orthodox faith must make a lifetime confession. This would mean confessing all of your past sins. Don't worry -- joining our agency does not require a lifetime confession. However, we do need to know about your publishing past.

Poor Sales History

Poor sales of your books in the …

Read moreTrue Confessions
Category: Agency, Book Business, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Book Business, Get Published

Are We Speaking the Same Language?

By Steve Laubeon March 21, 2012
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by Karen Ball

I love languages. I started studying French in the 7th grade (“Bonjour, Monsieur DuPree. Comment-allez vous?), and by the time I had my double college degree in multiple-languages and journalism, I’d studied French (12 years), Spanish (5 years), and Russian (1 year). But I confess, I never expected to have to learn a new language when I entered the publishing …

Read moreAre We Speaking the Same Language?
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, KarenTag: Career, Communication, Editing, Language

It’s A Brave New World

By Karen Ballon March 14, 2012
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I’ve been in publishing for lo, these many years (over 30), so you’d think the work would be pretty much second nature for me. No so! In fact, just this last week I did something completely new!

I edited a book, in four days, using Skype and Dropbox.

The amazing thing about this isn’t that the author and I got the book done so quickly, but that it was SO MUCH FUN! We parked on Skype for …

Read moreIt’s A Brave New World
Category: Book Business, Get Published, Karen, TrendsTag: dropbox, Editing, skype, Technology, Trends, Writing Craft

The Unhelpful Rejection Letter

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 8, 2012
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Have you ever received an unhelpful rejection letter that says, "Sorry, but this just isn't a fit for us."? I have. And I've also written more of these rejections than I'd like to admit. In fact, after I write this post, I may just have to send out twenty more.

Some authors write back to say, "Can't you tell me what I can do better? What suggestions do you have?" I'm sure I frustrate writers …

Read moreThe Unhelpful Rejection Letter
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Rejection, TamelaTag: Get Published, Query Letters, Rejection, Tamela

Editorial Feedback – Not Just Static

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 1, 2012
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As Steve Laube pointed out the other day in his post "The Stages of Editorial Grief" receiving a tough edit can make a writer feel off-kilter, angry, unworthy, and summon other negative emotions. Of course it's okay to experience negative emotions. You can't control how you feel, though you can control how you manage your feelings. As he wisely points out, the key is to overcome emotions and get …

Read moreEditorial Feedback – Not Just Static
Category: Craft, Editing, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Editors, Writing Craft

Writers’ Conference Spotlight: Mount Hermon

By Karen Ballon February 29, 2012
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One of the best-loved conferences is the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. This year the conference will be held from March 30th to April 3rd. I first went to this conference in the late 90s, and have returned every year since. I love the heart of this conference, which is all about uplifting and encouraging, and about honoring the One who has called us to this amazing task. So, as …

Read moreWriters’ Conference Spotlight: Mount Hermon
Category: Book Business, Conferences, Get Published, Guest Post, KarenTag: Conferences, Get Published, Writing Craft

Why Do I Have to Jump Through Your Hoops?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 23, 2012
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Recently, my assistant had a conversation with an author who did not send a complete proposal. The author was referred to our guidelines and gently reminded that we needed more material in order to make an evaluation. But instead of saying "thank you" for the guidance, the author declared they did not have to jump through any hoops, and took the opportunity to aggressively express their complaints …

Read moreWhy Do I Have to Jump Through Your Hoops?
Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Book Business, Editors, Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Tamela

A Gathering of Twitches

By Karen Ballon February 22, 2012
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This blog is from one twitch to another. Let me explain…

My husband loves that I’m a writer. He loves my creativity and passion. And he loves how happy I am when I’m writing. He knows when I’m writing because I get “twitchy.” Translation: Distracted. Otherwise occupied. Caught up in scenes and conversations no one but I—and that multitude in my mind--can see or hear. He knows that when the …

Read moreA Gathering of Twitches
Category: Conferences, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, writers conferences, Writing Craft
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