Who among us, as writers, has not had writer's block at one time or another? How do YOU solve this dilemma? For me, the answer has always seemed to be "Don't think about it for awhile". Go about your usual daily routine and let your story sort of steep like a cup of tea. Usually when I go back to the story, something has come to mind and I can go on with the writing. Usually a new turn of events will come to mind - something…

Last week at my writing group, one of the aspiring authors had a bit of a breakdown. She suffered from what all writers eventually go through. Her faith in her abilities was shaken, the struggle to get her story on paper seemed overwhelming, and the awful question loomed: Am I really a writer?

This rite of passage is crucial. Writing a book initially seems like fun. The potential novelist thinks, “Oh, I have stories to tell, I have a great imagination, I…

When I tried to do a top ten Easter fun video I noticed that the most viewed are computer games with the topic.

However it seems a better idea to have fun in real life especially Easter time.

10. How many chocolate chickens can pierce one bullet ?

9. Bunny must bear  crazy ideas of a physicist…

I was going to title the next two weeks' worth of material Attack of the Marylins, but then I realized that this week my guest's name is spelled Marilyn so...

Actually, this first week is another in the award winning (or so to be award winning, or rather, deserving to be known as award winning) series Around the Globe with...

This week I pick up my featured…

<a href="http://stephenbrayton.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/computer_dependency.jpg"><img src="http://stephenbrayton.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/computer_dependency.jpg" alt="computer_dependency" width="279" height="229" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-776" /></a>I know, I know. I didn't post last week. First time in years.

Well, all I can do is humbly ask for your forgiveness and explain the reason. I didn't have a computer from which to post. Why? Because for a…

Since the advent of the Internet, business had been good, if not better than before. This is because the Internet provides more viable means of disseminating information about the products and the business all at the same time.



Hence, most businesses know that the proliferation of the online business will definitely boost the income-generating potential of the business.



However, most online entrepreneurs contend that for an online business to generate good income in the…

Does anyone else suffer that feeling of bereavement when the work is all done and the book(s) have left your safe clutches and gone off to make their own way in the world? I love the preparation for publication: proof-checking, cover choosing and detail sorting, but there's such an empty space left when the 'children' leave home and seem to have nothing to do with you any more.  The obvious remedy is to create another one, but that's easier said than done . . .an army of designated naggers…

Teaching elementary and secondary students how to write well is challenging. Many students don’t understand the core principles behind writing, including the basics of sentence and paragraph structure, a logical progression of ideas, and reader awareness. Others don’t have the technical skills of writing, including grammar and punctuation. However, with consistent, year-by-year, engaging instruction by committed teachers who understand not only the value but also the principles and skills of…

<a href="http://stephenbrayton.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/coming-soon.jpg"><img src="http://stephenbrayton.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/coming-soon.jpg" alt="coming soon" width="300" height="218" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-773" /></a>This week I wanted to let you know about two upcoming series of blogs to be put into the semi-sort of rotation that I have and to ask for some input into them.

1. Complaints. I believe I saw these on Facebook or maybe somebody…

“I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any change to.”

Yeah...I get this a lot on my documents. I'm tempted to hit Control-Z so it will erase any change I supposedly had made, but that scares me even more.

This truth made me think of note taking and how I change not only…

Let's face it: people in law enforcement have the best stories to tell. Problem is, they are used to giving "Just the facts" as Joe Friday often reminded up. At this year's Public Safety Writers Conference in Vegas, I did a presentation to show how to turn those true stories into profitable fiction. I thought some of you might benefit from my notes.…

It's the end of summer here in Auckland. The historical fiction project is finished (http://goo.gl/zXdRQK) and I'm at a loose end. I've never enjoyed marketing, so I'm putting it off.

I know, I know, procrastination is not a good look in an author, but who else actually LOATHES the marketing aspect of self-publishing? The freedom of being able to publish via Kindle and Smashwords etc is wonderful, but the pay-off is the ongoing slog to rally…

I began writing at the age of 12. I wrote the old fashioned Harlequin type romance. You know which ones I mean: clean and wholesome. My aunt was a good fan of my writing and read my stuff helping me with editing and does to this date. I started my own book publishing company to initially publish my own books under my own trademark and ISBN, Then I saw good writers who could not afford the high dollar vanity presses or even subsidy presses so I took on new writers. I now know that though…

J.E Thompson has been nominated for the 50th Georgia Author of the Year 2014 award in the Young adult Category for Phantoms of Rockwood! Phantoms of Rockwood Synopsis: Ghosts, who were young basketball players that died too early, are given an opportunity to return to life. They inhabit the bodies of living basketball players to inspire, motivate the starters to the coveted…

I know, I know, you were expecting something early yesterday. Well, late Thursday night, I had computer problems and although I still haven't returned to where I was, I was able to access enough enough to upload this week's blog. Thanks for being patient.*****

"Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the…

Boy, I'll tell ya. We have a thread entitled The Next Big Thing over at the AbsoluteWriter forum and it's a interesting foray into the crystal ball skill of predicting what the reading world will latch onto in 2014. We've run the gamut of everything to horror to New Adult. It is/was like predicting the genre of J.K. Rowling new book that came out a while ago. Everybody was taking a stab at and, of course, it ended up being a mystery. …

The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It's not like I'm saying that Santa Claus doesn't exist (OOPS!).…

Lei: Lei is the mother of Annala and the grandmother of Calidora. She is married to the foot soldier name Kane and is the mother-in-law of Kalich from the Camgon army. She is in charge of the entire Saronian army and the strongest member able to create designs no one else can such as reflected spears and shields. She sent Annala to find out the mysterious power of Kalich…