Benét Stoen's Blog, page 2
October 14, 2018
Why Are Rough Drafts So Hard?
Happy Sunday, book freaks!
Today I have a little story for you:
After "His and Mine" was finished and sent along to be edited, and I was starting a new project for the first time in almost a year, I realized something: rough drafts are really hard.
I knew that already, of course...but, somehow, I had forgotten. Even now, with the book having been out for a few months, and doing well, I have a hard time starting new projects.
Gene Fowler's words come to...
Today I have a little story for you:
After "His and Mine" was finished and sent along to be edited, and I was starting a new project for the first time in almost a year, I realized something: rough drafts are really hard.
I knew that already, of course...but, somehow, I had forgotten. Even now, with the book having been out for a few months, and doing well, I have a hard time starting new projects.
Gene Fowler's words come to...
September 30, 2018
Best Questions for Beta Readers
Happy Sunday, friends!
Today I am going to share some of the most helpful questions I have found to ask beta readers. If you don't know what a beta reader is, it is pretty much what it sounds like: a reader that goes over your work, or samples of your work, with a reader's eye to help you catch any big mistakes before you send the manuscript off to your editor, and overall just help you make your story more enjoyable to readers.
I also want to remind you that these questions...
Today I am going to share some of the most helpful questions I have found to ask beta readers. If you don't know what a beta reader is, it is pretty much what it sounds like: a reader that goes over your work, or samples of your work, with a reader's eye to help you catch any big mistakes before you send the manuscript off to your editor, and overall just help you make your story more enjoyable to readers.
I also want to remind you that these questions...
September 23, 2018
How to Create Your Ideal Reader
Happy Sunday, friends!
In my last post, I mentioned your "Ideal Reader", so today I am here to unpack that a bit. The Ideal Reader concept of marketing is, in my opinion, an incredible tool to help you reach readers faster, easier, and more effectively.
What is an Ideal Reader?
The I.R. is basically a very specific target audience that you create, sort of like an avatar, who you "talk to" when marketing. Let's say you are writing a young adult sci-fi; your target...
In my last post, I mentioned your "Ideal Reader", so today I am here to unpack that a bit. The Ideal Reader concept of marketing is, in my opinion, an incredible tool to help you reach readers faster, easier, and more effectively.
What is an Ideal Reader?
The I.R. is basically a very specific target audience that you create, sort of like an avatar, who you "talk to" when marketing. Let's say you are writing a young adult sci-fi; your target...
September 16, 2018
3 Marketing Mistakes I Made (and how to avoid them)
Happy Sunday, bookfolk!
Today we are going to talk about marketing. The bane of every author's existence, it would seem. But it doesn't have to be! I am here today to give you a few tricks I learned from marketing my first book.
1. Shoot first.
You have to market early. As early as you can. This was easily the biggest mistake I made when marketing my first book. I thought there wasn't really much to say about the book until after it was out, so I...
Today we are going to talk about marketing. The bane of every author's existence, it would seem. But it doesn't have to be! I am here today to give you a few tricks I learned from marketing my first book.
1. Shoot first.
You have to market early. As early as you can. This was easily the biggest mistake I made when marketing my first book. I thought there wasn't really much to say about the book until after it was out, so I...
September 9, 2018
Introducing: I AM WRITE
Happy Sunday, friends!
I am so excited to introduce to you my newest project, I AM WRITE: The Writer's Comprehensive Guide to Unlocking Success!
Are you ready to take your life to the next level? Are you ready to start monetizing your writing, and doing it full time? Not sure what it is that's holding you back? This book is for you.
I will walk you through the five most important mindset shifts necessary to achieve your dreams, complete with exercises...
I am so excited to introduce to you my newest project, I AM WRITE: The Writer's Comprehensive Guide to Unlocking Success!
Are you ready to take your life to the next level? Are you ready to start monetizing your writing, and doing it full time? Not sure what it is that's holding you back? This book is for you.
I will walk you through the five most important mindset shifts necessary to achieve your dreams, complete with exercises...
September 2, 2018
How to Write Realistic Dialogue
Happy Sunday, lovelies!
How many times have you opened a book, looked at the dialogue, and gagged?
One would think some of these authors were robots that had never heard a human conversation before. Or at least their characters seem that way.
I cannot tell you how annoying and just plain distracting this is to a reader! So I am coming at you today to give you some tips for writing realistic dialogue.
1. Know Your Character
Like real people, your c...
How many times have you opened a book, looked at the dialogue, and gagged?
One would think some of these authors were robots that had never heard a human conversation before. Or at least their characters seem that way.
I cannot tell you how annoying and just plain distracting this is to a reader! So I am coming at you today to give you some tips for writing realistic dialogue.
1. Know Your Character
Like real people, your c...
August 26, 2018
Writing Rituals Tag
Happy Sunday, lovelies!
Sorry I missed last week's post...I kinda sorta was releasing a book. *shrug* So, obviously, that would have been the perfect time to do a blog post, buuuuuut I just...didn't.
Anyway.
*cough*
On to today's post!
This week I have a fun writing tag that will hopefully help you get to know me a little bit better!
When do you write?
I am so thankful that my schedule is finally allowing for more frequent, and longer lasting, writing sessions. While writing my first book, I w...
Sorry I missed last week's post...I kinda sorta was releasing a book. *shrug* So, obviously, that would have been the perfect time to do a blog post, buuuuuut I just...didn't.
Anyway.
*cough*
On to today's post!
This week I have a fun writing tag that will hopefully help you get to know me a little bit better!
When do you write?
I am so thankful that my schedule is finally allowing for more frequent, and longer lasting, writing sessions. While writing my first book, I w...
August 13, 2018
5 Ways to Improve Your Protagonist
Hello everyone!
Today's post is a collaboration with the lovely and talented Lizzie Sargent, who's accompanying post on how to improve your antagonist can be found right here.
Today I am going to give you five tips on how to improve the protagonist of your story:
1. Give them a goal
This could easily be the "make it or break it" for your protagonist--if they don't have a goal, or worse, an unrealistic goal, your MC has suddenly taken a long walk off a short pier over the...
Today's post is a collaboration with the lovely and talented Lizzie Sargent, who's accompanying post on how to improve your antagonist can be found right here.
Today I am going to give you five tips on how to improve the protagonist of your story:
1. Give them a goal
This could easily be the "make it or break it" for your protagonist--if they don't have a goal, or worse, an unrealistic goal, your MC has suddenly taken a long walk off a short pier over the...
August 5, 2018
How I Met My Writing Group
In my last post I talked about the benefits of joining a writing community, and had a few people ask me how I met my writing group. So today I thought I would share the (totally insane) story of how I met my writing group!
At the beginning of the year (2018), January or February I think it was, I stumbled across the tiny little bookstore. I say "stumbled"...technically they had been open for over a year, almost two, and I had driven past them several times but never got a chan...
At the beginning of the year (2018), January or February I think it was, I stumbled across the tiny little bookstore. I say "stumbled"...technically they had been open for over a year, almost two, and I had driven past them several times but never got a chan...
July 29, 2018
5 Reasons You Should Join a Writing Community
I had no idea how much having a community of writers around me would completely change my life, and advance my career further and faster than I ever could have imagined!
Not sure exactly what benefits you can reap from a tribe, team, and community? Here are the top five reasons you should go join a scene:
1. Accountability
Sometimes we can't find the motivation to write. Or we get busy, and we forget to make writing a priority. But having people there...
Not sure exactly what benefits you can reap from a tribe, team, and community? Here are the top five reasons you should go join a scene:
1. Accountability
Sometimes we can't find the motivation to write. Or we get busy, and we forget to make writing a priority. But having people there...
