Welcome to the Author Marketing Toolkit, where you can learn from 20+ years of time-tested marketing and insights expertise, translated for authors. I’m Carol Van Den Hende, an MBA and strategist who’s known for bringing chocolate when I speak at conferences (surely, we’ll get back to in-person events one day!) I’m thrilled to be joining… Read more »
When it comes to working with literary themes in your writing, it’s not enough to identify or study them. It’s also crucial to practice incorporating themes logically and thoughtfully into your work. We did this last year with a series of writing and brainstorming exercises for the theme of family. Today, we’ll do this again… Read more »
About four years ago, a friend and I were talking about a YA fantasy manuscript I was drafting at the time. This friend, who’s also a writer, was ecstatic to hear I was working on a new story and wanted to learn more. So I asked, “What would you like to know about it?” “Well,”… Read more »
It starts with an idea, or at least, an urge to write a love story. There’s a nugget, a kernel of inspiration. But how does that idea turn into a full-fledged romance novel with lovers, a first meet, love scenes, conflict, tension, breakups, and an HEA (happily-ever-after)? There are many ways to brainstorm a romance,… Read more »
Ever wonder where an author got the idea for that fantastic character you love? Psst, I’ll let you in on a secret. Want to know how I find my characters? I collect them. OK it might sound strange, but really, how different is that from collecting stamps or seashells or bottle caps or baseball cards?… Read more »
As you might have noticed, I’m really into design. A graphic designer and product manager in a past life, you could say I’m a little bit obsessed with clean lines and balanced designs. I love problem-solving so that form and function work together seamlessly. One of the areas that most fascinates me in design is… Read more »
Remember back in grade school when we used to cut up magazines and glue the pictures on a board to make beautiful artwork? Believe it or not, collaging is a great way for writers to explore and express the mood of their project. I learned the benefits of this technique when I was in design… Read more »
This week, as the build-up to Valentine’s Day saturates the world with candy hearts and long-stemmed roses, I thought it might be fun to think about how we found our love for writing. I became a writer at this little school pictured on the left–The Caedmon School in New York City–and this is how it… Read more »
Brainstorming. People toss this term around but how many actually know what it means? To most, brainstorming means being creative and coming up with lots of ideas really fast, but there’s more to it than that. There is a method to the madness. The DIY MFA brainstorming process boils down to three steps: Step 1:… Read more »
