This is kam Weylen, and you are listening to the 31st episode of the Word Play Podcast. I'm so close to the end of my outline

that I can smell it and it's a good thing too since Christmas brought me a pile of

research material that I can't wait to dive into. I love the orderly variety of the writing process. I love outlining, but I love that I don't have to spend all my time outlining.

I get to move on to the research phase, and after that comes the writing phase, and the revising phase, and the revising phase, and oh yes, the revising phase.

Much as I love each piece of the puzzle, the fact that I love the next piece just as much

means I'm always moving ahead at a steady pace.

This week I'm excited to announce the upcoming release of my free e-book,

crafting unforgettable characters, a hands-on introduction to bringing your characters to life.

Featuring some of my most popular blog posts on character crafting, this PDF offers a good starting

place for understanding the basics of character building, as well as some tips for troubleshooting.

You'll also discover inspiring quotes from successful authors, writing prompts, and creativity exercises.

Of course, the discussion of character is far too vast a subject to be covered in a 50 page

e-book.

But this information will give you the tools you need to tackle your latest batch of characters.

I hope to have the book available later this week on my blog at wordplay dash k m oisland that's w e i l a n d dot blog spot dot com

meanwhile enjoy this week's post 10 habits of successful authors.

Haven't made your New Year's resolutions yet?

The following list is an excellent place to start, whether you're jump-starting your writing career or whether you've been

writing for years and just need to scrape off some rust. If, by the end of the year, you can cross the

following habits of successful authors off your checklist, you'll be a force to reckon with in the literary world.

1. Write every day. Treat your writing like a job, even if it isn't yet.

Writing something every day, even if it's only a paragraph,

...