July 25, 2018

How to Beat Writer’s Block (Hope’s Hacks)

Hope’s Hacks  *About the column: Hope Bolinger provides biweekly tips to help you through that writer’s block slump. As a person who has suffered from severe depression and anxiety for eight years, she knows first-hand what it’s like to not want to roll out of bed and face a blank screen and blinking cursor. Here are some ways she’s learned to beat that writer’s block.*  […]
July 19, 2018

5 Tips on How to Write Faster (With Bonus)

Do you want to write 30K-40K+ words in a weekend? Do you want to write faster? You can. Become a binge writer. Binge writing is an impassioned writing session during an elongated time period. It can last from five hours to fifty hours. A binge writing session is uninterrupted—apart from limited sleep. Many writers spend years attempting to finish their stories, but they never do. […]
June 19, 2018

Two Writing Podcasts You Need to Know (But Probably Aren’t Listening To)

Do you want to make $100,000+/year writing books? If so, these are two podcasts you need to start listening to today. Podcasts provide a wealth of free information, news, and strategies for helping you achieve all of your writing goals. But, most people don’t listen to podcasts, or at the very least, they aren’t listening to the right podcasts. The “right” podcasts will teach you […]
May 19, 2018

Play It Again Sports to Read It Again Books

In 1983 Play It Again Sports launched in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and within five years the store burst on the national scene through franchising opportunities. The stores used sporting equipment resale concept found quick success as many customers looked to cash-in on low prices. Many sports require equipment that has a lifetime much longer than the average participants age or developmental phase which creates an ever-growing […]
April 19, 2018

Free Passes Don’t Exist

The publishing industry doesn’t give any free passes. Ever opportunity, conversation, meeting, email, and phone call has a price. Nothing is free for anyone. What is the price? Time. Time is the most valuable currency that a writer, publisher, editor, or agent has to give. Those emails, phone calls, etc. also have a finite price tag. Someone is on the clock somewhere, but those dollars […]
March 19, 2018

Three Spellchecking Tools

  Every writer struggle with spell checking their own writing.  It’s just how our minds work. Thankfully, technology allows us to have different options on spell checking our work. Some of those options are contained within word-processing software such as Microsoft Word, Scrivener, and many others. I’ve included in this post three tech tools for authors that will help you spellcheck your work. PRO WRITING […]
February 13, 2018

What’s BookBub?

As an agent, I often come across authors and industry professionals who have no idea what BookBub is. BookBub is currently the single best promotion opportunity for any eBook and it is highly sought after by authors and publishers in the “know”. So, what is BookBub? BookBub is a free opt-in daily email that sends free and discounted eBook deals to your inbox. It notifies […]
January 19, 2018

Acquiring Unbiased Beta Readers

Last year, I wrote a series of short stories. I wanted to self-publish them in order to build my newsletter mailing list, but I needed to find unbiased Beta readers who could give me “real” feedback. I didn’t want to ask my friends and family, for fear they would give me the standard pat on the back or false approval.   I wanted raw feedback. […]
December 14, 2017

Defeat Deadlines

Do you wish you could beat writing deadlines, the smart way? Well, now you can! If you have ever struggled to beat deadlines, or struggled to hold yourself accountable to deadlines that you set yourself, be relieved. Modern research has provided some powerful insight to human psyche. M.I.T. the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently completed a study. In the study they tested whether or not […]
November 15, 2017

Are you an Author or an Artist?

Are you an author or an artist? These words author and artist are not as similar as they sound. Some gifted individuals can be both, but in actuality, most people are one or the other. In the writing world, these terms are often mutually exclusive of each other. They don’t have to be, but the majority of writer’s fall in one category or another. The […]
December 31, 2013

Ringing in the New Year…4 hours Early!

Do you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your children at a reasonable hour and still go to bed early? Let me share you our new tradition… Last year, we celebrated the New Year at 8pm. We didn’t ruin New Year’s Day by making our children stay up till midnight. They woke up refreshed and excited just like any other day. They weren’t tired […]
May 5, 2014

What I learned from 56 holes of Putt Putt

This week I played 56 holes of Putt Putt with my six-year old son. For you OCD people… yes I know we should have played 54, but we had playoffs. I lost by two strokes, I may have manipulated the score a little bit, but isn’t that what dad’s are supposed to do? I learned a few valuable lessons half way up the mountain where […]
June 3, 2014

Mold Love by Modeling It First

Check out my post on how I mold love in the life of my five year old daughter by modeling it in how I relate to her and cherish her. Find out more about these moldable moments, at the just18summers blog.
June 10, 2014

Disney Disaster

Sometimes God uses us to teach our children, and sometimes God uses our children to teach us. Learn more about my Disney disaster at the just18summers blog Moldable Moments.