When I’m not writing, teaching, reading, or chasing kids—I love to bake (even in the summer). I was thrilled to discover that Chelsea Kelly, who I know from the Milwaukee Art Museum, is an avid baker and blogger. (Plus, she’s Norwegian—so her blog is filled with all of the amazing Scandinavian delicacies I grew up...Read More

Last week, we talked about who to follow on Twitter. Here’s a quick recap of the people you might be interested in following: *Fascinating, intelligent people in your niche. *Organizations, conferences, and other groups in your niche. *Your favorite writers. *Your colleagues. *Agents and editors. So how do you find these people? *Look at the...Read More

I like books that provide ideas and tools to transform my life. India Powell writes a lovely blog about creating balance in daily life, Lightswitch Life. I am delighted to welcome India to the Write Now! Coach blog to recommend life-transforming books. Welcome, India! As summer passes in a hypnotic, luxurious drip of sunshine-soaked days,...Read More

As we continue our social media summer, I will be taking the next month to talk about the three big social networking sites—Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn—and how you can make use of them as a writer. So let’s start with Twitter. Twitter is a social networking site with over 500 million users who, according to...Read More

Don’t you just feel it? The need to pause and reflect without anything tweeting or beeping or ringing at you? I do. For more years than I can count, I have started my day with a spiritual book. My children know not to bother mom until after she has had coffee, food, and reading time....Read More

Toby Keith has a hilarious song titled, I Wanna Talk About Me. In the song, he runs through all the things he talks about with this friend including: “The polish on your toes and the run in your hose/And God knows, we’re going to talk about your clothes.” Then he sings, “I wanna talk about...Read More

Welcome readers and writers. Nearly every Friday this summer, the Write Now! Coach blog is hosting guest posts on what writers read. Today’s post comes from writer and Southport Press editor, Peg Rousar-Thompson. In June, Peg attended the first annual Midwest Small Press Festival and brought home goodies to share with us. If you’re a...Read More

Beyond Writing about Writing: Five Blog Content Ideas for Authors by Rochelle Melander Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers. –Brian Clark “You’re not going to blog about this, are you?” asked my daughter. She’d caught me taking pictures of her socks. Not the ones...Read More

Writers Read: Don’t Bother Me, I’m Reading! by Rochelle Melander Once I get settled into a book, I hate to leave it for anything including cleaning up spilled milk (isn’t that a nice looking spill?), walking the dog, finding lost items, or answering the phone. If the book is really good (and I’ve included only...Read More

Take Your Blog from Blah to Breathtaking in Six Easy Steps by Rochelle Melander I watched a bit of the Olympic trials for gymnastics on television. I noticed that the best athletes made their sport look easy. They jumped, flipped, and twisted with ease. Yet I know that many hours of practice support every elegant...Read More