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Facing Monday
* Hello, Monday, I see we meet again. We have come face-to-face for another round. I’m not intimidated by you this week. In week’s past, I may have been. But this week will be productive. There’s a lot to accomplish, so I hope you are ready..First, we have to allow for some time to be creative and work on the new story. Something clicked last week as I was writing my characters for this novel. I realized how vested I am in the project and in Meg, Eva, Lily, Reid and Nick. I like all of them, and while they may have some struggles they’re dealing with at the beginning…
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Podcast 10 – A Little About My Books & Storytelling to Help You Write Your Stories
*** So…in this podcast, I recorded it from my back porch, replete with airplanes flying overhead and a noisy crow in the background (I think I even got a little choked up—seriously—and coughed, only briefly). But that’s how we do it here on Steph’s Scribe: we keep it real. Real talk about real stuff with no edits. I thought I would take a moment to talk about my books and my storytelling. The intention here is to share how I got from point A to point B…and it is entirely meant to kick those of you who need it in the ass to get yourselves writing! So often we say…
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Giving In To Creativity
* Sometimes you don’t just need to mentally clear your head, but you also need to clear out your workspace to foster your creativity. It’s like starting over again with a clean slate. I took time yesterday to do just that—and then wrote 1,000 words of a new thing that’s been brewing in my head. It’s a more complicated story with four main characters, and a little darker than what I normally write. At the beginning of a project, it’s always exciting to see where it may take you. Well, truthfully, it’s exciting and scary at the same time. But, it’s taken hold in my brain, and the story seems…
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Podcast 4 – Addressing Some Questions From Last Week’s Book Talk
Hi All! Today’s podcast begins with a review of some of the questions I received at last week’s book talk at the library. I’m hoping the answers will help you as you continue your writing journey. Let me know if you have any other questions — I am HAPPY to help in any way I can. Happy writing, and thanks for listening! xx, Stephanie * Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She has authored five works of fiction and one academic text on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are typically set in Maryland to showcase the beauty of her state. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni…
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Podcast #3 – Writing the Preliminary Synopsis
Podcast #3 further explores inspiration and focuses on writing that initial synopsis of what your book will be about. Check it out below, and let me know how you’re doing! xx, Stephanie * Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She has authored five works of fiction and one academic text on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are typically set in Maryland to showcase the beauty of her state. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni or on Twitter at @stephverni. Or, visit her Amazon page at Stephanie Verni, Author.
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Let’s Do This Thing
I’m back to motivate you. Are you open to it? Do you have an idea for a novel, memoir, nonfiction story, or a collection of short stories that you need to give some time to this month? You’re in luck. Welcome to National Novel Writing Month, or as we call it for short, #nanowrimo. We’re here to help you get moving. Along with my friends at the Stevenson University Library, our job tonight is to inform you on the best ways to go about writing and producing your book. In one hour, we’ll have you inspired and on your way to beginning this exciting path to writing and publishing a…
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Please, Do Not Call Yourself A Writer, Unless…
I’m a writer. I can say that now. I’ve written four fiction books and one academic textbook with my colleagues. It annoys me when people say they are writers when they are not. Have you written something today? Then you are a writer. Did you write something yesterday? Then you are a writer. You can’t call yourself a writer unless you actually engage in the craft of writing. To my students: you are writers. You are writing. I am excited to read your articles. To my fellow writers on Instagram and Twitter: you are writers. Many of my followers and those I follow are writing. We are all working hard…
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5 Tips To Help Your Productivity
* When I give book talks, people who know I have a full-time, demanding job as a professor—along with an active family life—often ask me when and how I find time to write. I find that a question funny because we all have the same amount of hours in a day. Some people just use those hours more advantageously than others. I have to laugh because it’s not exactly as if I’m in a jungle in my safari hat fighting through the plants in search of time. If I were, I’d want more of it. We all would. Hence, this statement: I don’t FIND time to write; I MAKE time…
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What Every Novelist Needs
Just a few thoughts… * Stephanie Verni is a hopeless romantic, Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University, and the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
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Kicking Off National Novel Writing Month with an Exercise for You
W e l c o m e ! If you haven’t stopped by and visited my blog before, I’m so glad to see you here. I’m a professor, author, and blogger, and I have a passion for all things writing. Today is exciting, because on my campus, the Library and I have teamed up to launch National Novel Writing Month, with a kick-off today at 2 p.m. in the School of Business Library. We’ll be getting you ready to write at our event entitled STEVENSON WRITE NOW. I’ve written three novels that I’ve self-published, mostly because I like to have a hand in every aspect of the process. I publish…
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Writing A Novel – The Speech I Gave Today
Today, I had the honor and privilege of being one of several faculty speakers sharing their passions at our Fall 2017 Faculty/Staff meeting at Stevenson University. Below you will find the speech I gave, which was about writing, being an author, and self-publishing. After all, it is one of my passions… *** Writing A Novel *** I consider myself pretty lucky that I get the opportunity to do two things I love on a daily basis: teach and write. I’m a proud professor here at Stevenson University and also an independent author. I’m an independent author and write novels for two main reasons: (1) because I believe it’s my duty…
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Friday Fiction: Writing the Prologue & Baseball Girl
There is much debate in the fictional writing world as to whether or not your story should begin with a prologue. The last three books I have read–all mainstream fictional novels–have started with a prologue. I found the prologue of Me Before You particularly effective. The discussion of the prologue is a relatively simple one: should you include a glimpse for the reader as to what will eventually come of the characters and plot of the story? Does the prologue have a somewhat different voice? Does it intrigue the reader and offer a bit of a backstory, which will, in turn, propel the story forward? It’s a challenging question to…
