Grace E. Robinson's Blog

Book Selling

Writing books may be the hardest part of being an author, but actually selling books is even harder. I have links to all my books right here on my website, and other places online. Earlier this month, some friends and I got together to try selling our books in person at a live event.  Some […]

I May Never Be a Popular Author, But…

Lately I’ve been coming to better understand myself as a writer, and I’m coming to terms with the likely probability that I will never be a “popular” author, or even a “best-selling” author. Yes, part of that is because I dislike marketing, but without marketing it’s hard for the public to know about you or […]

Editing as I Write: How and Why

A commonly-shared writing tip is “don’t edit as you write.” I understand this advice, and for the novice writer who is trying to finish their first short story or novel, I believe it’s good advice.  The idea is that you finish a project before you start to polish the project. Actually finishing can be tough […]

World-Building Tips: Creating a Magic System – Part 2

In my previous blog post, I went over some simple world-building tips for anyone writing fantasy who is creating a magic system for their world. No matter how unique you want to make your fictional world, things within the story should follow the rules of the world you’ve built. This creates consistency and helps build […]

World Building Tips: Creating a Magic System – Part 1

For the next couple of posts, I’m going to discuss some simple world-building tips for anyone writing fantasy who is creating a magic system for their world. No matter how unique you want to make your fictional world, things within the story should follow the rules of the world you’ve built. This creates consistency and […]

Tips for Naming Your Characters

Choosing names for your characters is an important, and sometimes challenging, process. There are many different ways that writers have of choosing character names. Sometimes an author has a favorite naming method, and sometimes the story itself determines the types of names (and ways of choosing them). Here are a few suggestions for picking the perfect […]

Books Make Great Christmas Gifts

Since it’s the season for buying lots of stuff to give to other people, I’m composing a short list in support of buying a book as a gift for your friend, family member, or even co-worker who you don’t really like. You can buy one of my books, or spend your money with other authors […]

POV Pros and Cons

I’ve seen many beginning writers ask “what point of view should my story be told in?” I believe there’s no right or wrong answer to this, and certainly no one-size-fits-all answer. Many writers will start writing in third person, realize the story just isn’t working, and switch to first person, and then everything flows (or […]

What is Art, Really?

What is art? It can be a hard question to define, especially in today’s world of AI generated art. One of the definitions given by Merriam-Webster is “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.”  I don’t want this blog to dissolve into a rant (or argument in […]

Writing Out of Sequence: 3 Benefits to Writing Out of Order

Have you ever written a story out of order? There’s actually no rule that says you have to write in chronological order, or write scenes in the order that they’ll be read. Many writers – both plotters and pantsers – write a story in the order that it happens, either because they’re following their outline, […]