You know how you look forward to reading each new book by your favorite author? How you can sometimes read a few lines and know immediately which author composed them? How there can be ten books on a similar subject, but one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest? 

That is the magic of style and voice. 

In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, join wriitng coach Karena Akhavein for a discusison of:

-What is voice and style?

-Why is it important to find yours?

-What does voice and style impact?

-How do you develop your unique voice and style even further?

-What do you use voice and style for other than your book?

It's not so much about "writing a book." It's about telling a great story to your reader. Too many authors get tripped up when writing any kind of book, from novel to nonfiction, because they get overwhelmed by the idea of it and forget about the basics of a good story. Once you implement these, you will find that your writing is so much stronger. In this episode, writing coach Karena Akhavein teaches you how you make your book impossible to put down. You'll be hearing about the key ingredients of a good story, and about how to put them together. From story archetypes to monomyth to the story spine, this is the foundation you've been needing.

Many writers start off focusing on their story and on their protagonist, but without an antagonist, there is no story. Believe it or not, this is not just the case for novels- it even applies if you're writing a business book- it is completely essential to a satisfying story arc and to character development. Often, when an antagonist is an afterthought, the causality of your book is not as powerful and you end up in a story slump at the mushy middle. And don't think your antagonist has to be a mustache-twirling villain. No. It can be much more simple and effective than that. This week in the How to be an Author podcast, follow along as Writing Coach and author Karena Akhavein exposes how to create a powerful antagonist that will make your protagonist's life hell and change your novel for the better.

Come on, admit it- you dream of writing a bestseller. At the very least, you hope to touch as many people as possible with your book. Either way, authors who want to sell more books need to make a plan. There is no exact magic formula to writing a book that tops the charts, but you will maximize your chances by planning it. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, writing coach Karena Akhavein walks writers through all of the steps that go into writing a book that sells.

As a writing coach, Karena Akhavein says that the majority of her clients come to her because they were devastated by negative feedback from editors or beta readers. This is why this week's How to be an Author podcast episode is all about working with beta readers and how to keep their comments or lack thereof from driving you crazy or breaking you down. You'll learn how to choose beta readers, what to expect and not to expect from them, and how to make sure they improve your book without detsroying your mindset.

Steven Pressfield may have been the first to give a name to the thing we have all felt in our creative lives: resistance.

Resistance is often the explanation for our motivation failing us even though we really want to be successful writers. It's also the key to figuring out what you REALLY want as a writer.

Because here's the thing: usually, when you are feeling resistance, there's a reason.

In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, writing coach Karena Akhavein helps you to learn how to use resistance to break down roadblocks to writing success.

How do writers make money? For authors wanting to quit their job and become full-time writers, this question is important. However, the ways in which many writers make money are often not truly representative of that full-time author dream. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, we will be discussing some of the commonly discussed and perhaps less common ways to make money as a writer, author, or storyteller. We will go over the pros and cons of each of these writing jobs, in addition to discussing exactly how authors make money through traditional publishing and self publishing. Advances, royalties, international rights, and more... listen on and learn what it takes ot be an authorpreneur.

Being a writer requires mental strength, powering through rejection, working long hours in solitude, exposing your innermost thoughts to the world, self promotion, hard work, and yes, talent and even luck. Join writing coach Karena Akhavein, who considers it her business to help writers to adopt and maintain a healthy, positive growth mindset. 

This episode of the How to be an Author podcast will address the some of the most toxic mindsets writers hold and how to get rid of them.

Can you imagine how Harry Potter would be without Hogwarts? Setting is a key element in any novel. It is the thing that grounds the story, permits the reader to create a detailed "movie" in their head, and, if done right, even impacts character development. But too many authors underestimate how important the setting is. Too many writers take it for granted or overlook certain details, while others spend too much time worldbuilding and struggle when it comes to incorporating their research into their plot. This short episode of the How to be an Author podcast will help you to avoid common setting mistakes and inspire you endlessly when it comes to the potential of an unforgettable, well execited setting.

Fiction books are essentially about characters doing things. Most novels have 2-5 main characters. Lots of authors I work with as a writing coach have many more than that. In some genres, this may be less of a problem, but often, newer writers make some key mistakes when they are assembling a cast of characters. In this episode, we'll be taking about who the essential characters are, which characters are unneeded, what makes a good protagonist and antagonist, how to make your characters more dimensional, and which key character archetypes can help authors create an unforgettable character.