Resources, inspiration, and advice to help make your manuscript or publishing project the best it can be.
As writers, many of us strive to be better storytellers. How can we keep our reader engaged and on the edge of their seat? How can we tell a story that no one wants to put down? Even if you’re not a fiction writer, we believe all writers can benefit from improving in the art of storytelling.
Read MoreHappy May the Fourth! Or, in other terms, Happy National Star Wars Day! Some of us at Inspira are big Star Wars fans, so we are taking this opportunity to talk about George Lucas—a creative mastermind and gifted storyteller—and how all writers can learn from his methods.
Read MoreApril officially marks the exciting milestone of six years in business for Inspira Literary Solutions. (Some of you have been with us even longer than that, before we officially became “Inspira”!) It’s been an exciting journey.
Read MoreFirst impressions matter. We take this into account when we show up 15 minutes early for a job interview or dress up for a first date. In fact, you only get one opportunity to make a great first impression. This is as true for books as it is for people. Whether people read this section or flip through it to get to Chapter One, this is your opportunity to set the tone, depth, and personality of your book. Don’t shrug it off.
Read MoreSome authors write with a very specific audience in mind, maybe even one specific person. You may be tempted to say that your book is for everyone. Don’t. Whether you self-publish or go through a traditional publisher, you need a specific audience to whom to market your book. The more clearly you can articulate this, the higher the chance you have of marketing and selling your book to that audience.
Read MoreWhether you are an author who has written dozens of books or a newbie who has yet to write his or her first, THE most important thing you can do for your book is determine the main objective.
Read MoreFor many aspiring authors, life can often feel too busy to ever get started on the book we’ve always wanted to write. Many of us also have day jobs, kids, busy schedules, and other responsibilities that disallow us from sitting down and writing. However, now might be our chance!
Read MoreIf you feel like you went to sleep and woke up in the middle of a dystopian novel, you’re not the only one. Overnight, the world—and life—as we know it has changed dramatically. We want all our clients and colleagues to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers as you navigate this new (and hopefully very temporary!) reality for your families, businesses, and organizations.
Read MoreThe idea of writing a book is a tantalizing one. If you’ve been around Inspira long enough, you will know we believe everyone has a message, story, or memoir to share. Maybe you are currently writing a book, or maybe you just like the idea of writing a book and you are planning on getting around to it someday . . .
“Someday” does not exist. While we are at it, the vague “tomorrow” doesn’t exist either. These are words we use to dream and procrastinate. Only when “someday” gets changed into July 28th at 3:00 p.m. does it became a reality.
Read MorePicture this: You are sitting in a lecture and the speaker feels it necessary to give a 30-minute historical preamble before making his main point. You are very sure his point could have been made without the entire history of the Greco-Roman empire . . . and by now, you’ve lost interest. The speaker took far too long to set up his premise, and now, he’s lost his audience and his point, even when made, will fall on deaf ears. Do not let this happen to your readers!
Read MoreLosing steam is a common phenomenon. It happens with all sorts of long projects, whether it is a commitment to write a blog every two weeks, posting every day on your social media, or writing a book. The beginning stages and the finishing stages of a project are fun, but the daily grind is not always exciting. In fact, it can even be boring. This is dangerous because if you are bored and stuck in a rut, often the work you are producing is boring and stuck in a rut. If you are not inspired by your own work, you are more likely to quit and run out of steam.
Read MoreLooking back on 2019, do you have any regrets? Are there things you did and wish you hadn’t—or things you didn’t do and wish you had? Any relationships that are strained? Opportunities missed? Books you didn’t get around to starting, or finishing?
Read MoreThe publishing landscape is, unfortunately, littered with books that never sold more than a few hundred (or even a few dozen) copies. What makes the difference between a book that sells and one that doesn’t? There are numerous factors, but I’ve found one in particular that makes a tremendous difference, particularly with non-fiction books, is the power of networking.
Read MoreUnfortunately, here in the Pacific Northwest, it is no longer sunny and perhaps many of you, like myself, are struggling to keep up with your projects. This is not going to get easier as the holiday season approaches! However, don’t let one or two off days (or weeks or months!) discourage you from writing. The important thing is that your project gets finished and your ideas get shared with the world. Progress is not about perfection, but perseverance.
Read MoreTalk to 15 different writers and you’re likely to get 15 different responses to the question, “What is the perfect writing environment?”
Read MoreSome people set extremely high standards for themselves, which can be a good thing in certain areas. These people are successful; they accomplish a lot. But high standards can also make us so self-critical that it seems as though nothing we write, or could write, is ever good enough. So, we either put it off, or we do it over and over and over and never feel like we get it right.
Read MoreYour book is written and in print, hooray! Now you’re done, right? Not so fast. Before you’re off to the races with your marketing and distribution, you want to make sure you protect your work through copyright.
Read MoreWhen most people think of an “editor,” they generally think about someone who weeds out all the bad grammar, misspelled words, and typos from a manuscript. That is only partially true.
Read MoreHang tight, because this one can get a little convoluted (but it’s important!).
Participles of verbs usually introduce subordinate clauses, and are used as a way to give extra information about the main part of the sentence (or main clause—the “point”). The participle describes an action carried out by the subject of the main clause.
Read MoreGood spelling is not just intuitive or inborn. You can train yourself to spell well! Just remember simple grammar hacks like this and you’ll be head and shoulders above everyone else who’s still making the same old mistakes!
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