Marianne Hering is the author of the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station book series for children ages 7 and up.
In which the author answers a few questions you may have about AI art. Question #1: Can AI art generators create good art for children’s books? Maybe. This would take some doing and some skill, but I think it’s possible now. And I’m sure in the future it will get to the point of excellence. … More AI Art Generators—Are they for you?
In which one author briefly examens one AI platform named ChatGPT, which is a chatbox on steroids. If you haven’t heard about it, read an overview here. (There’s a link where you can sign up. When I signed up, I felt as if I were taking the mark of the beast. It seems wrong to … More ChatGPT: Your pressing questions about AI answered
This astounding article appeared in one of my news feeds: “100 Best Writer Blogs You Must Follow in 2023.” (Click on the link to see that I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!) Did you read the word “MUST”? Do you know how many 100 is? What else am I supposed to do next year? That … More Eliminate Blog Bloat to Be a Better Writer
This month I got to see my aunt and my dad. My role was as caregiver. She’s eighty-seven. He’s ninety five. I learned one thing: I can’t write around seniors who blare the TV at level 42. Plus, every time one of them walked into a room, I stared at the throw rugs and just … More Six Realizations that Helped My Friend Write More
I’m getting ready for NaNoWriMo. I’m starting in October to make sure I hit my goals because I’m a notoriously slow author. My son is going to write a novel also. That will add more accountability to the process for me. But he will have writer’s block. He always does. He gets paralyzed with fear … More Writer’s Blocks
Jean Fritz. If you know her work, you’ll be smiling at the mere mention of her name. Her humor has wooed and wowed millions of kids into learning American history. I want to be her when (if) I grow up. See that book below? You can get it for $1.49—what are you waiting for? Didn’t … More How to Get $1.49’s Worth of Writing Advice
Take a careful look at the painting below. Would you hang that in your home? Neither would I—and I painted it. That’s my artwork I created at a Painting with a Twist party. Can you tell I copied a “masterpiece.” To get better at painting, I’d need an instructor. Obviously, I need to learn the … More Book Coaches, Pt. 2
The short answer is NOW! The long answer is NOW! A writing coach may seem expensive, but the experience will be less expensive than hiring an editor to fix it (and who won’t coach you along the way). You also may pay the price of not seeing your book get picked up by a publisher. … More When Do I Need to Hire a Fiction Writing Coach?
I’m currently doing research for three historical fiction projects. And all three will utilize different types of sources. I apologize that this post will mostly be lists and is a little dry. And it won’t even been an exhaustive list. But it will show how a zealous researcher needs to be creative, and the blog … More Do Not Besmirch Research
Ever feel as if your writing is a waste of time? That the entire universe is laughing at your paltry literary efforts? That’s one of my biggest fears, and it’s founded on reality. I wrote three unsuccessful children’s book series for David C. Cook in the 1990s. And by “unsuccessful” I mean the amount of … More On ‘Story Genius’ or . . . How to Avoid Wasting a Decade of Your Life