Showing results by author "Rob Bignell" in All Categories

One of the most important tools in your writing kit is dialogue. It can help develop your characters, move the plot forward, increase tension, and establish a scene’s mood. Unfortunately, sometimes novice writers write dull dialogue. Like a flat tire that slows your vehicle to a near stop, so dull dialogue can quickly bring your story to a near halt. Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue is all about helping beginning writers better understand how to pen conversations between characters. If you’ve already written a story and know the dialogue is weak, the tips in this book can help you ...

Writer’s block is real...and you've got it. There are many reasons people get it – their mind is preoccupied, the environment they’re writing in isn’t conducive to creating, the idea they’ve come up with isn’t particularly good, a lack of imagination or skill to develop the story, coming to the laptop with no idea to write about, and many more. Overcoming Writer's Block helps you understand the cause of your writer’s block then goes into detail on strategies for overcoming each one. Part of the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, Overcoming Writer’s Block answers all of your...

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they're following a process when writing a short story or a novel. These writers often say they write “from the seat of their pants.” Yet, every story goes through five basic steps if they finish and publish their story. Understanding those five basic steps can help authors identify why they're having trouble writing a story. Maybe their story idea isn't very good. Possibly they haven't thought through the story enough. Maybe they're not revising it efficiently. Following a Writing Process for Fiction takes you through ...

You've written a book and want to publish it as a paperback. But how do you do that? Maybe you've watched a video about it, but your self-publishing house keeps rejecting what you've created. Or maybe they've accepted it, but its appearance is less than adequate when compared to all of the other books out there. Self-Publish Your Paperback Bundle addresses all of those problems and more. A collection of guidebooks in the popular Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, this bundle includes Format Your Paperback, Design Your Paperback Cover, and Upload Your Paperback to KindleDP. The three titles...

For those new to self-publishing, uploading your paperback often is a complex and frustrating process. Unfamiliar terms are used, questions that you as an author have never thought of answering are asked, and when errors occur there’s no real explanation as to how fix them. And while online “tutorials” are offered, the articles either state the obvious or appear to have been written by software engineers rather than someone who actually understands your plight. Upload Your Paperback to KindleDP corrects all of that. The explanations in this book make the process easy to understand and...

Most potential readers of your paperback will first see its front cover rather than anything written about it. It may be the thumbnail of your book cover that's online or the cover facing forward on a bookstore shelf. If that cover compels them to read the book blurb or opening lines, you are closer to making a sale. How do you create a great cover for your book? Design Your Paperback Cover answers that question. It starts with what software/apps you need to design a cover, moves on to the cover’s various elements, and finally looks at uploading it to a print on demand company like Kindle...

When writers come up with a great story idea but don’t know how to develop it, usually the problem is one of plotting. Understanding story structure – i.e. plot – would be extremely helpful in developing their story. Devise Your Story's Plot is all about understanding the basic rules for constructing your story. It examines plot’s role in storytelling, the importance of conflict in plotting, and the five traditional elements of a plot. It also looks at some common plot pitfalls. The structural guidelines outlined in the book work for any genre, whether you’re writing a serious ...

You need a website if you’re a serious author. A website is the hub where readers can go to find out about your books, a little about you, where to find you on social media, how to contact you, and more. Fortunately, you can construct a website for very little cost right in the comfort of your own home. Build Your Author’s Website explains how, using easy to understand, practical explanations. This book covers such diverse topics as finding a Website Host, deciding what your website will look like, pages needed for your website, share buttons, pictures, your website text’s readability...

THE BEST GUIDE TO ENJOYING WISCONSIN’S TOP FALL COLOR TRAILS! Autumn in Wisconsin is like living in a painting. Mother Nature celebrates with masterful brushstrokes, from the brilliant yellows, oranges and red of maples to the scarlet and russets of oaks, from the ambers and golds of aspen and birch to the crimson and purples of sumac and white ash. Accenting it are the fiery reds of prairie grasses, the bronze cornstalks of farm fields, the oranges of pumpkins and gourds, and the carmines of plump ripe apples and cranberries. Nature finds her palette when September arrives. Wisconsin’s...

Most potential readers of your ebook will first encounter it online as an image – the book’s cover. If that thumbnail doesn’t cause viewers to take a closer look at the accompanying text descriptions of your book, you are farther away from making a sale. How do you create an ebook cover? Design Your Ebook Cover answers that question. Using easy to understand and short explanations, it describes what software/apps you need, moves on to the cover’s various elements, and finally looks at uploading it to a print on demand company like Kindle Direct Publishing. ROB BIGNELL is the author ...

Suffering from writer’s block? Self-doubt about your talent? Has creative writing lost its joy? With "Writing Affirmations: A Collection of Positive Messages to Inspire Writers," you can reclaim the pleasure of writing and pen the book you’ve always dreamed of. Respected and award-winning author Rob Bignell offers uplifting, meaningful phrases that can be read out loud or internalized weekly over the course of a year. Writing prompts and tips follow each affirmation, giving you the inspiration and motivation to keep writing. When you’ve completed this book, you’ll be able to say “...

Imagine a place where you can hike through the continent's largest desert oasis, where you can explore cool evergreen mountain forests, where fossils of a vanished ancient lake cover the ground, where rare bighorn sheep gaze down upon you from precarious cliffs, where centuries of Native American history sit at your feet, where you can lean against a weeping wall of maidenhair ferns or squeeze through narrow canyon passages. The place is real: It's called Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. With the valley and surrounding mountains covering hundreds of square miles, how can you ensure ...

UPDATED FOR 2023! You’ve written a book that’s languishing on your computer hard drive. You don’t have time to pitch it to a literary agent or a major publisher … work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, the kids demand your attention … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to achieve your dream of getting it published.] If you can, this is the book for you. This practical, how-to guide takes you step-by-step through the self-publishing process – with just 7 minutes of work required a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to self-...

LET’S WRITE YOUR NONFICTION BOOK! One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they're following a process when writing a book. These writers often say they write “from the seat of their pants.” Yet, every writer goes through five basic steps if they finish and publish their nonfiction book. Understanding those five basic steps can help authors identify why they're having trouble writing. Maybe their book idea isn't very good. Possibly they haven't thought through it enough. Maybe they're not revising it efficiently. Following a Writing Process for Nonfiction ...

If you're like most authors, the idea of formatting your paperback is frightening. You’ve heard that you can do it yourself, but you may need software programs with which you’re unfamiliar. You'll have to learn how to use such software, but you want to be a writer not a designer. Of course, you could hire someone else to do the formatting. This will get expensive, however, and may not always yield the results you want, delaying your book's publication. Whether you spend time or money to master formatting, it’s worth the effort. Simply put, your paperback needs to look good. Readers ...

Many authors are happy to simply do what they enjoy most, which is write. You also have to promote your published books, though, and a time-honored way of doing so is by making presentations, such as readings and signings, at libraries, bookstores and other businesses that might carry your titles. Nail Your Book Reading and Signing covers just how to do that with easy to understand, practical tips. Topics covered include: potential locations for a book presentation; arranging, preparing and promoting your presentation; creating visuals for the presentation; avoiding stage fright during a ...

Imagine a place where you can hike miles of shoreline along the world’s largest freshwater lake or stand at the base of a 16-story waterfall, where you can retrace the steps of ancient portages or hike trails beside a scenic river popular with American presidents, where the beaches you traipse yield up bear tracks or the woods you cross take you past rare, delicious berries. The place is real: It’s called Douglas County, Wisconsin. This is the only complete guide to Douglas County’s great day hiking trails. With just a single click, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly ...

Passionate and evocative, "Love Letters to Sophie’s Mom" traces a relationship from the first dance of love at a coffee shop to its tragic demise as mental illness overtakes the narrator’s beloved. Inspired by a diverse array of writings, including the verse of Pablo Neruda, Dylan Thomas, and Bob Dylan, the collection’s 34 poems touch upon an array of themes including nature, and Southern California and Northwoods motifs.

Imagine a place where sun-dappled paths run alongside murmuring rivers, where trails retrace former rail lines past historic depots, where real carnivorous plants line your walking route, where a mile-high glacier shaped the hummocky forests around you, where any turn of the corner might reveal a majestic white-tailed buck or a tiny young porcupine sunning itself upon a rock, where bald eagles and osprey regally circle and swoop high above the trees. The place is real: It’s called Washburn County, Wisconsin. With this book, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities • ...

THE BEST GUIDE TO ENJOYING WISCONSIN’S TOP WILDFLOWER TRAILS! UPDATED FOR 2023! Home to more than 500 wildflower species, Wisconsin stands out as one of the best states to see these beautiful wonders. From the tiny pasqueflower that appears with the first warm breath of spring to the 10-foot-tall giant sunflower rising above prairie grasses in late summer, from late spring’s woodland blooms that look like you’re walking through a Monet painting to October’s single small blossoms that work their way up through fallen leaves, Wisconsin offers a variety of great wildflower experiences....