What if you're discouraged?

banner by Rhonda Patton

What if you're an author who's feeling discouraged? Maybe you're struggling to finish (or even start) a story?  What if you don't have any ideas for a story? Has marketing been a challenge? Your story was rejected? Here are some suggestions:

• Let's say you're looking for an idea for a great story. Did you have funny or memorable experiences as a child? Did you have a relative you always made you laugh or who gave you amazing advice? You can use these things as a basis for a story. Start writing and see where it takes you. Remember, starting is often the hardest part.
• In my view, marketing is the biggest challenge. Try engaging more people on your twitter or Facebook network. Be as helpful as you can with them. Retweet for them, or post reviews for them. They'll generally appreciate your efforts. If you wrote a children's picture book, contact the local library about doing a reading. Find ways to get people talking about your book.
• If your story or article was rejected, try re-editing it. How is the grammar and spelling? Did you miss typos? Are the tenses consistent? Have you included enough conflict to keep the reader turning pages? If you find any of these problems and remedy them, you'd be surprised the difference it can make in your story.r
• Read your story aloud. How does it sound to you? Do you hear overused  words like that, I guess, maybe, somewhat, rather, very? If you find them, delete them. You'll be glad you did.

I hope these suggestions help encourage you to persevere. In my opinion, perseverance plays a big part on the road to success.

copyright; 2017: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

What if?

Let's imagine you wrote a story. You thought it was ready for your publisher, but when you read it, something didn't seem right. It's seems flat to you. Here are some things you might check out before it  goes to your editor:

• Is the opening engaging? Does it make your readers want to know what happens next?
• What if you develop your main character more? Show his/her personality. Remember you want your readers to identify with this "person." Will your readers root for his success?
• What if you change the ending? Does it tie up the loose ends in the story? Or does it leave them wondering what happened.
• What if you check your story for overused words, or words you don't need. Some of these include; that, maybe, some, any, somewhat, I guess, I think, etc. Also, do you have two sentences starting with the same word, i.e. She.. or He.. If so, think about revising those sentences.
• Did you include good descriptions of the scenes so your readers feel like they're taking the journey with you? Remember, you need to draw them into the story so they can't wait to turn the pages.

website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com