Advice for Writing, Editing, Reading, and Life.

New posts on Mondays (for non-fiction) or Fridays (for fiction)

Finding Success in the Middle Ground — A response to “The Paradox of Platform”

Finding Success in the Middle Ground — A response to “The Paradox of Platform”

Nurturing any career is a process. It’s not something that happens at a particular point in time. I got the idea to try writing picture books somewhere around five years ago. On any given day since, I am taking steps toward that end. I joined a critique group—Hooray! I studied the business of writing—Go, me! I learned to revise--Something else to celebrate! Seeing just the end goal disregards the growth points and small wins along the way.

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Building a Brand: The Difficult Simplicity of Defining Your Audience

Building a Brand: The Difficult Simplicity of Defining Your Audience

Your audience is not how many people are reading your content. Your audience, at its most basic level, is who your content is for. Knowing this shapes what and how you write—what information has to be communicated, what can be assumed, and what can be otherwise ignored.

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Helping Fledgling Ideas Take Flight: Advice from a Self-Published Author
Non-fiction, Guest Author, Publishing Courtney B. Dunlap Non-fiction, Guest Author, Publishing Courtney B. Dunlap

Helping Fledgling Ideas Take Flight: Advice from a Self-Published Author

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve spoken with someone who excitedly shared a book idea. When I eagerly inquire what they’ve done with this idea, too often they say, “nothing.” They haven’t written it down, or if they have, they haven’t taken steps to find out how to publish.

This saddens me, so here is some advice for aspiring authors

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