How to Create Characters
Craft, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman Craft, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman

How to Create Characters

So often, story ideas begin with characters. Writers have a picture in their mind of a character they’ve never met, and from there a new story is born. How do we create characters that resonate with readers, though? What needs to go into the mix?

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Writing Quotes To Motivate and Inspire
Writing, Novel Draft, ER/CB Draft, Freelance Draft, Memoir Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Picture Book Draft, Short Story Draft, ER/CB Outline, Freelance Outline, Memoir Outline, Nonfiction Outline, Novel Outline, Picture Book Outline, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Amy Holland Writing, Novel Draft, ER/CB Draft, Freelance Draft, Memoir Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Picture Book Draft, Short Story Draft, ER/CB Outline, Freelance Outline, Memoir Outline, Nonfiction Outline, Novel Outline, Picture Book Outline, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Amy Holland

Writing Quotes To Motivate and Inspire

Pithy writing quotes can motivate and inspire with just a few words. We’ve put together some of our favorites to keep you motivated when the going gets tough.

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Writing Under a Pseudonym
Community, Writing, Marketing, Audience, Novel Idea, Freelance Idea, ER/CB Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Publishing, Freelance Publishing, Memoir Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Novel Publishing, Picture Book Publishing, Short Story Publishing Guest User Community, Writing, Marketing, Audience, Novel Idea, Freelance Idea, ER/CB Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Publishing, Freelance Publishing, Memoir Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Novel Publishing, Picture Book Publishing, Short Story Publishing Guest User

Writing Under a Pseudonym

Many authors write under a pseudonym, also known as a pen name. If you think writing under an alias is in your future, here are some criteria to help you decide. I’ve also got some tips on how best to come up with one.

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Marketing Your Book With Emily Enger
Marketing, Market, Audience, Novel Publishing, Picture Book Publishing, Memoir Publishing, ER/CB Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Freelance Publishing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Draft, Freelance Draft, Memoir Draft, Novel Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Short Story Draft, Picture Book Draft Mary Kole Marketing, Market, Audience, Novel Publishing, Picture Book Publishing, Memoir Publishing, ER/CB Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Freelance Publishing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Draft, Freelance Draft, Memoir Draft, Novel Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Short Story Draft, Picture Book Draft Mary Kole

Marketing Your Book With Emily Enger

Book Marketer and PR Coach Emily Enger joins Mary to talk about some of the aspects of the writing process that might leave a yucky taste in our mouths. Tune in for actionable tips and insights into a publicist and marketer's side of the publishing world.

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40 GOOD IDEAS FOR BOOKS to Get You Inspired
Writing, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Short Story Idea Rhiannon Richardson Writing, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Short Story Idea Rhiannon Richardson

40 GOOD IDEAS FOR BOOKS to Get You Inspired

Uncap those pens, pop open those PCs, and crack your knuckles. It’s time to dive into good ideas for books, and how to brainstorm. Good Story Company is here to help you stay inspired with our quirky list of good ideas for books.

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Moralizing in Books
Craft, Writing, Novel Draft, Picture Book Draft, ER/CB Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Memoir Draft, Freelance Draft, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Short Story Idea, Picture Book Idea Mary Kole Craft, Writing, Novel Draft, Picture Book Draft, ER/CB Draft, Nonfiction Draft, Memoir Draft, Freelance Draft, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Short Story Idea, Picture Book Idea Mary Kole

Moralizing in Books

Think twice before you moralize in your book. Ditch "sharing is caring!" and go for a more nuanced message. Here's how.

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Who Is My Target Audience?
Audience, Market, Writing, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Memoir Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Idea Amy Wilson Audience, Market, Writing, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Memoir Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Idea Amy Wilson

Who Is My Target Audience?

Thinking about a “target audience” can sound cold and impersonal, especially for writers who are pouring their hearts into a manuscript. After all, it’s not like we’re lining readers up, eyeing the red circles painted on their torsos, and lobbing our books at them. Or are we?

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The Core of a Story with Roz Morris
Writing, Character, Audience, Craft, Novel Idea, Novel Draft, Novel Publishing, Novel Outline, Novel Editing, Memoir Draft, Memoir Editing, Memoir Publishing, Memoir Idea, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Freelance Publishing, Nonfiction Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, Memoir Outline Mary Kole Writing, Character, Audience, Craft, Novel Idea, Novel Draft, Novel Publishing, Novel Outline, Novel Editing, Memoir Draft, Memoir Editing, Memoir Publishing, Memoir Idea, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Freelance Publishing, Nonfiction Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, Memoir Outline Mary Kole

The Core of a Story with Roz Morris

Writer, writing teacher, ghost writer, and general literary icon Roz Morris joins Mary Kole for an interview on the Good Story Speaker Series. They dive into the mechanics of storytelling and discuss how to connect with your audience—whether you're writing someone else's story or your telling your own.

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Brighten Even The Foggiest Story Idea
Craft, Critique, Market, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Outline, Freelance Outline, Memoir Outline, Nonfiction Outline, Novel Outline, Picture Book Outline Joiya Morrison-Efemini Craft, Critique, Market, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea, ER/CB Outline, Freelance Outline, Memoir Outline, Nonfiction Outline, Novel Outline, Picture Book Outline Joiya Morrison-Efemini

Brighten Even The Foggiest Story Idea

Story ideas don’t always come easily, but sometimes we get glimmers that turn into a list of foggy ideas. How do we decide which new idea to run with? And how do we take steps to make it shine?

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Craft a Killer Fantasy Premise Using Good Versus Evil
Writing, Craft, Novel Draft, Novel Idea, ER/CB Draft, ER/CB Idea, Picture Book Idea, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Short Story Draft, Short Story Idea Amy Wilson Writing, Craft, Novel Draft, Novel Idea, ER/CB Draft, ER/CB Idea, Picture Book Idea, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Short Story Draft, Short Story Idea Amy Wilson

Craft a Killer Fantasy Premise Using Good Versus Evil

A fantasy premise that doesn’t engage on any themes of good versus evil can feel empty, but when those lines are too stark, it can feel a bit thin. So how do you find the balance?

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Unconventional Writing
Picture Book Idea, Picture Book Draft, Picture Book Publishing, Novel Draft, Novel Idea, Novel Publishing, Memoir Draft, Memoir Idea, Memoir Publishing, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Freelance Publishing, ER/CB Draft, ER/CB Idea, ER/CB Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Nonfiction Draft, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Draft, Short Story Idea, Short Story Publishing Mary Kole Picture Book Idea, Picture Book Draft, Picture Book Publishing, Novel Draft, Novel Idea, Novel Publishing, Memoir Draft, Memoir Idea, Memoir Publishing, Freelance Draft, Freelance Idea, Freelance Publishing, ER/CB Draft, ER/CB Idea, ER/CB Publishing, Nonfiction Publishing, Nonfiction Draft, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Draft, Short Story Idea, Short Story Publishing Mary Kole

Unconventional Writing

Publishing loves its buckets. In children's books, there are several buckets that you need to fit into, with word count guidelines and all of that. There are buckets and tropes in adult publishing as well. Books that don't lend themselves easily to categorization can be a really difficult sell.

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Someone is Publishing My Idea!?
ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Memoir Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Mary Kole ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Memoir Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Mary Kole

Someone is Publishing My Idea!?

We've all heard people who claim that somebody took their idea and is now publishing it, or that somewhere somehow, another writer has come up with basically the same idea, sold it, and now, what does that mean for your idea?

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Permission To Write
ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Mary Kole ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Mary Kole

Permission To Write

Writing invariably is a passion for a lot of people that I work with. And they just, for whatever reason, have not been able to sort of devote themselves to it until now. And that's usually when they come to me and I plug into their process.

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Presenting the Premise
Craft, Marketing, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman Craft, Marketing, Writing, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Novel Idea, Picture Book Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman

Presenting the Premise

A series of things happening doesn’t make a story. Without a clear premise, readers have no idea what to expect from the story or why they should keep reading. Here's how to establish your premise from the start.

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The Body and Soul of Story
Craft, Novel Idea, Novel Outline, Picture Book Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman Craft, Novel Idea, Novel Outline, Picture Book Idea, ER/CB Idea, Freelance Idea, Memoir Idea, Nonfiction Idea, Short Story Idea Kristen Overman

The Body and Soul of Story

Stories are like people. They have a body, and a soul. The body is the plot, the actions that happen. And the soul is the character, the protagonist, the key person (or persons) bound by the circumstances of the plot and forced into decisions.

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