I won’t pretend to be an expert in anything. I’m a writer trying to find my way just like the rest of you. But I have learned a few things along the way! Picked up a few tricks. Found a few helpful tools. And I couldn’t just keep those goodies all to myself! So, here’s a collection of some things I’ve found helpful!

Writing Books: I’ve read plenty, and I highly, highly recommend two written by Lisa Cron. She writes in a very conversational style and she has a fantastic sense of humor! I don’t know where my writing would be without Lisa’s advice. Read her books. Take her advice seriously! It will elevate your story crafting to a whole new level. Or three. Or five. Just read it! Personally, I would recommend reading Story Genius and then Wired for Story. But that’s just my personal preference. Have a highlighter ready!

– Story Genius, by Lisa Cron
– Wired for Story, by Lisa Cron

When I’m planning my stories, I do very in depth character profiles. Following Lisa Cron’s advice, the profiles are character specific and don’t stray into nonessential backstory/side story information like, “What is the character’s favorite flavor cake?” The profile is in depth, but it’s all information that makes you think about the character. It doesn’t necessarily get into backstory, but you’ll get a lot of seeds for backstory. You’ll be asking questions like, “What would most embarrass them?” And then you’ll start wondering, “Why?” That can help you develop backstory!

Another document I have for you is questions for beta readers! I send this to my beta readers so they can know the kind of feedback I’m looking for when I send them material to read. It is extremely helpful!

One other thing I can help with is social media. I’ve been fortunate to have friends who are social media rock stars, and they’ve given me some insider tips on what really works when it comes to this social media world. Hint: It’s not about the algorithms or finding the right blend of followers! I have my own experience having success with my personal Facebook page and doing social media sales, and I was ecstatic when I discovered all of that knowledge transitioned seamlessly to the writing social media world. So, instead of keeping those insider tips to myself, I’m sharing them with my writing friends! This is a three four five part series that should be read in order:

– General Social Media Tips for Writers
– Building Engagement by Developing Content
– Selling Through Social Media
– Getting Into your Twitter Analytics (coming soon!)
– Photos for Social Media (coming soon!)

Bonus! We all know those times we’re so deep into writing we forget to eat or just don’t want to stop and make something. So, here’s the world’s most scrumptious protein bar! 20 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar, and gluten free for those of you who need to watch that. But most importantly, it’s super tasty and it has sprinkles!

One protein bar in Birthday Cake flavor
One is the brand. It’s not just a single protein bar! That would be silly.