AI software is increasingly being used in many areas of writing as more of these tools are developed and improved upon. Currently, the most effective AI software tools are for editing. And they are getting better and better. But even with a good editing AI tool, a human editor is still needed. To me, using[…]
Blog
Do You Use Templates When Creating Fiction?
I recently listened to a podcast where an author claimed that if a writer did not use the hero’s journey template, they will never be a successful author. This is ridiculous and I totally disagree. When writing fiction, a writer can either follow an established story template or not. By a template, I mean the[…]
2021 Grant Writing Goals
In my last blog, I explained my creative writing goals for the year. This blog is how I set my grant writing goals. I’m more specific with the grants. I have created a spreadsheet and listed all the foundations I plan to submit throughout the year. This spreadsheet includes the foundation’s name and contact information,[…]
2021 Creative Writing Goals
I’m setting writing goals this year. Something I haven’t done before. Usually, I fumble along until I surprise myself with some accomplishment. Now I have my first book published and I formed a limited liability company (LLC) for my writing. So, I thought I should be more organized. My first goal is to put more[…]
When the Nonprofit Changes Personnel
Grant writers, like myself, may not be on a nonprofit’s board or part of the staff. Yet, grant writers should be aware of changes to board members and staff that may impact submitted grants. As an example, some grant applications require at least one person on the staff to have special certifications. Losing these people[…]
My Editing Process
I wish there was a process. So far, it’s been a haphazard thing with me. I’ve recently settled on one process which seems to be working (for now). For my novel, I focus on one chapter at a time. If it is a long chapter, I divide it in half. My focus consists of reading[…]
Rejection
When writing grants, rejections are expected (hopefully there are more acceptances). I also send short stories to magazines for publication. So, I see a lot of rejections both ways. When a foundation rejects a grant, the nonprofit should find out why. Calling someone on the foundation staff has been the most helpful for me. When[…]
Using Bad Writing for Pacing
I just read a book about writing and the author argued against adverbs and adjectives, passive words, and that these always caused bad writing and should never be used. It is true these writing imperfections can cause a reader to stop reading. But not always. Besides, what is bad writing? Adverbs, adjectives, and passive words[…]
How Much to Ask For
When filling out a grant application, how much money should be requested from a foundation? A grant writer should put as much thought in the numbers as the words. Asking too much money and it may seem an impossible project for the foundation to fund. Too little and the nonprofit may have missed out from[…]
My Limited Liability Company
In February 2019, I posted my reasons for not forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC). At the time I thought it would have added more complications to an already complicated self-publishing route I was taking. Now that I’ve self-published my first book with plans to publish others, I decided an LLC might help with marketing[…]
Getting Along with Small Businesses
Nonprofits should develop good relationships with everybody. This includes local small businesses. Nonprofits should not want money from small businesses or even volunteers. These wants put stress on these businesses who are already stressed out enough for being small. Instead, be helpful by providing resources the businesses can use such as trained workers (giving people[…]
My First Book Signing
A few Saturdays ago, I had my first book signing at a local bookstore. A podcast I previously heard had advised that authors at a signing event should not stand next to their books. People will more likely browse the book without the author there. This did not help. Whether I stood by my book[…]
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