Do you know why the keys on a keyboard are laid out the way they are? Conventional wisdom says, “It was designed to slow typists down to prevent the jamming of keys.” Oh yeah? Is that really true? If that’s true, riddle-me-this: why are ‘e’ and ‘r’–the fourth most common pairing of letters in English–next Read more about The Surprising Truth About Your Keyboard[…]
I’ve had a few friends, colleagues and acquaintances tell me that they had their media template/logo/book cover designed by someone at Fiverr and I find myself SMH (that’s “shaking my head” for the uninitiated). In my opinion, this is a bad idea. Before I dig into five reasons to avoid Fiverr, though, let me preempt Read more about Five Reasons to Avoid Fiverr – Using Fiverr is Hazardous to Your Health[…]
All of the “fix it” writing is done. All of my proof-reading is done. All of my self-editing is done. It’s time to celebrate. Celebrate! This means that the Sneak Peak will probably be going out this week. This means I’m hiring an editor this week. This means that I can set up the Read more about Celebrate![…]
This past week, I worked to recover from a slump I fell into the previous week. During that “slump week,” I felt worn out and I had trouble accomplishing anything. Editing can be exhausting, especially self-editing. All of the work I was “supposed” to get done was ignored and the week just got Read more about Lessons from the Slump – Moving Forward[…]
I’m struggling a bit with perfectionism. I’m self-editing my own book before I engage a professional editor. But I keep going in circles. See, I’m my own worst critic. And while many of my “inner circle” love my writing, I consider it to be just “okay.” That is, until, I got this idea today. I’m Read more about Upgrade your Writing Like an RPG Character[…]
Sometimes a good story is born out of looking at intriguing art. Here are a few examples that I find inspiring. (If you’re looking for a cover designer, consider looking into hiring these artists.) Do you have any art that can inspire a writer? Any good cover designers you want to share Read more about Amazing Art[…]
I was recently asked about finding your “writer’s voice” or how to develop a “writing voice.” I thought I would share my answer here in this blog. A “writing voice” can mean different things depending on how you are thinking of the terms. When telling a story, the narrator of the story is almost another Read more about Find Your Voice[…]
This week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kingsley Grant. It was a delightful experience and I was honored to be interviewed for his podcast. Honestly, it felt a lot like a therapy session and was completely awesome. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Kingsley Grant’s podcast, you definitely Read more about Check Out My Interview on the Mid-life Launch Podcast![…]
I’ve found myself listening to some classic Billy Joel lately. In particular, The Piano Man. I’ve loved this song since I was a kid. I get choked up a little at this bit: Now John at the bar is a friend of mine. He gets me my drinks for free. And he’s quick with a Read more about The Storyteller’s Song[…]
A few years ago, my whole family embarked on a journey together. We started watching Dr. Who. We started with the newer series featuring Christopher Eccleston and continued watching up to the most recent Christmas special. It has become something of a love affair between us and the lovable Doctor. But it wasn’t always Read more about How to Love Dr. Who[…]