Doom, Hope, and Ten Candles

Doom, Hope, and Ten Candles

In most collective storytelling games I have played we’ve worked toward a happy ending. More often than I would like, a campaign will fade to nothing after one too many scheduling conflicts—such is the nature of a game played by Busy Adults with Many Important Things to Do™. And sure, there is the occasional TPK… Read more »

Tales of a Solopreneur: Building an Online Portfolio

Tales of a Solopreneur: Building an Online Portfolio

Disclaimer: DIY MFA does not provide legal, tax accounting, or financial advice. In making decisions regarding whether to hire a domain name broker, purchase a domain name, or other decisions that may have legal and/or financial ramifications. In making these and other decisions related to building your online portfolio, we strongly urge you to speak… Read more »

Three Benefits to Speaking at Industry Conferences

Three Benefits to Speaking at Industry Conferences

Welcome to the Author Marketing Toolkit, where you can learn from 20+ years of time-tested marketing and insights expertise, translated for publishing. I’m Carol Van Den Hende, an MBA and strategist who’s known for bringing treats (“sweet!”) I’m thrilled to be joining you here at DIY MFA to share actionable insights. Over the last year,… Read more »

Romance Subgenres

Romance Subgenres

In my last post, we talked about the characteristics of the romance genre. Today, I am going to break things down even further and talk about the various romance subgenres. Before I dive into popular romance subgenres and how to choose one, let’s define our term.  A subgenre is a way of organizing a larger… Read more »

The Difference Between Writing and Editing

The Difference Between Writing and Editing

What are revisions? An edit by any other name would be just as damn difficult. But seriously. What do we mean by “writing” and “editing”? Are they really as black and white as the separate words make them appear? Yes, and no.  Writing and editing are forever intertwined, causing debate and confusion over what these… Read more »

Victory Celebration Required

Victory Celebration Required

A pink glow from the sunrise diffused the harsh light from the fixture above. I glanced at the clock. 6:59 AM. I smiled as I typed my final letters and did a quick word count. 102 words in fifteen minutes. “YES!” My earworm of the morning, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, filled my brain as I… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways to Deal with Burnout

#5onFri: Five Ways to Deal with Burnout

It seems like burnout is the new black. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about their experiences with burnout or exhibiting some pretty obvious symptoms.  Writers aren’t impervious to the affliction. You can definitely deal with burnout in the traditional ways of alcohol and a good venting session with your friends. But there are other… Read more »

Writing, Enrique, and the Matter of Luck

Writing, Enrique, and the Matter of Luck

A few years ago, a friend of mine, a young Spanish teacher named Gia, bought tickets to an Enrique concert. She has spent much of her adult life in love with the singer, Enrique Iglesias. He is her idol, someone she compares all other men to. His is the only music she listens to; her… Read more »