by Colleen M. Story

One of the things we have to learn as writers is how to take control of our writing careers.

Nothing happens unless we power the machine, so to speak. It’s one of the lessons of writing—we have to be self-motivated and self-directed.… Read the post

by Colleen M. Story

When you first started writing, what did you want?

It might have been a publishing contract, a spot on a best-seller list, a way to work from home, or books that supported your coaching business.

But then as you went along, things changed.… Read the post

by Colleen M. Story

If you’re like most writers, the word “platform” may inspire visions of soul-draining promotional activities that you wish you could pawn off on a full-time publicity department.

But the reality is that most of us are “stuck” tackling this marketing beast on our own.… Read the post

by Colleen M. Story

When the publisher for my latest novel, The Beached Ones, asked me about getting blurbs for my book, I replied, “Sure!”

Inside, I was thinking, “Oh no!”

Though I’ve published five books so far—two novels traditionally published and three nonfiction books self-published—I had never asked for blurbs.… Read the post

by Colleen M. Story

When I was a young child, my adoptive father committed suicide.

Wow. I’ve never written that before.

But I have written a new novel (The Beached Ones) that explores, among other things, suicide, from the point of view of both the victims and their families.… Read the post