[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Book Coach Corner guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot. Visit DIYMFA's website at the link below (opens in a new tab).] 

Book Coaching 101 – Learn about what a book coach does, why you might need one, and how one can help you at any stage in your writing process.

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Book Coach Corner guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Reframe Your Resistance & Start Your Novel Now – Learn how to combat two common misconceptions writers have about when they should start writing a novel and how hiring a book coach can help.   

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Book Coach Corner guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Plan Your Novel with the Pitch in Mind – Learn how to strategize your agent pitch while you plan your novel, so you can write a stronger manuscript and save time and energy.

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur – Brainstorm your solopreneur business before you start building it. Focus on you and your ideal customer/client using my 5 W’s & H Framework. This framework poses some critical questions to help you avoid racking up business-related expenses on the wrong things, make sure your idea’s foundation is strong enough while still having room to shift over time as your business develops, and keep you engaged in your business long-term. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur: To Trademark or Not to Trademark – Whether to trademark your business is an important decision to make after you select your business name. The trademarking process can be slow; so, the earlier you start evaluating your options, the better. This installment discusses the process, things to consider, and steps to get started. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.] 

Tales of a Solopreneur: When to Formalize Your Business Entity – Each small business owner must determine the right time to switch their mindset from treating their business like a hobby to a profitable business for financial, accounting, and tax purposes. This installment addresses some common roadblocks in formalizing a business and aims to make the learning curve needed to switch from a business to a BUSINESS less daunting. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur: Building an Online Portfolio – Certain steps in launching a small business are known to trigger others to register for available domains and social media handles that are suspected to be important to the business owner. Avoid being blocked completely from using certain names related to your business or having your budget run-up unnecessarily to purchase names later from third parties because you didn’t act quick enough. This installment discusses steps you can take to build your online portfolio early to protect not only your formal business name, but also related and future business names and ideas.  

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.] 

Tales of a Solopreneur: Building Your Brain Power – Temporarily changing your work schedule or taking a work break doesn’t have to knock you or your business completely off track. Instead, it can be a game-changer long-term if you use the time to maintain a positive mindset and keep challenging yourself. This installment discusses how you can build an action plan to keep yourself learning (aka building your brain power), while also ensuring you maintain your mental momentum without any guilt or self-defeat, when you slow down at work.  

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.] 

Tales of a Solopreneur: Acquiring a Virtual Mentor - A Virtual Mentor: Benefits of a One-Sided Relationship - After you build your brain power action plan for learning and self-discovery related to your business (described in my prior post), the next step is to acquire a virtual mentor who can help you get closer to your goals. This installment focuses on the benefits of a one-sided mentor relationship and provides a framework for you to select your first virtual mentor. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur: Designing a Logo from Scratch – Designing your business logo can be fun! This installment discusses the arts and crafts process you can follow to generate multiple logo designs for you to test run for your business. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur: Teaming Up with Other Solopreneurs – Networking with other solopreneurs can help small business owners move their businesses forward faster. This installment describes advantages to teaming up with other entrepreneurs, connection opportunities, and communication platforms for staying in touch. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Tales of a Solopreneur guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Tales of a Solopreneur: Plan Early for a New Year’s Success – Combining strategic planning for your business with your personal planning beginning in early December can set you up for success in the new year, while also making you more efficient at year-end; so, you can spend more time enjoying the holiday season. This installment eplains my Reflect, Reboot & Re-prioritize framework, which sets you up for long-term success and short-term fun. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Virtual Writers Sabbatical guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Create Your Own Virtual Writers Sabbatical – Create your own Virtual Writers Sabbatical, which is a build your own adventure focused on you and your writing craft. This installment provides a roadmap to inspire and challenge you to carve out focused time to grow your mind, sharpen your writing skills, have some fun, fill your heart, and finish your sabbatical stronger than you started it. Couldn’t we all use a little bit of that?  

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Virtual Writers Sabbatical guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Virtual Writers Sabbatical: How Creativity, Inc. Inspired Me – This installment focuses on some lessons I learned on creativity, story building, coaching, and editing from Buzz Lightyear and his friends. Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, a Co-Founder and President of PIXAR Animation, with Amy Wallace, provides a fresh perspective on creativity and effective ways to nurture it while also sharing how writing success is impacted by the support of other writers and coaches. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Virtual Writers Sabbatical guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Virtual Writers Sabbatical: Challenging a Genre Identity Crisis – Is it ever too late for a writer to declare a genre? This installment focuses on how genre focuses for writing and reading can change over time. 

[Image: Thumbnail for an installment of the Virtual Writers Sabbatical guest column by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com, includes headshot.]

Virtual Writers Sabbatical: Discovering the Art of Book Coaching – Book coaching itself can be its own virtual writing sabbatical. This installment focuses on what a book coach is and how working with one allows you to shine a light on your own creation without sharing the spotlight with other writers.  

[Image: Thumbnail for a #5onFri guest blog post by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com.]

Five Ways to Maximize a Bookstore Visit While Traveling – Five tips for making the most of visiting a new bookstore on vacation.

[Image: Thumbnail for a #5onFri guest blog post by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com.]

Five Easy Steps to Create a Writing Wind-Up – Five easy steps to transport you into your writing zone and the proverbial “writing chair.” 

[Image: Thumbnail for a #5onFri guest blog post by Richelle Lyn at DIYMFA.com.]

Five Tips to Ace a Book Fair Field Trip - Five tips for re-discovering your inner child on your next book fair field trip. Book fairs offer days filled with interviews of buzz-worthy authors and an easy way to keep up with book trends. Most book fairs offer a mix of seasoned and debut authors, individual interviews and moderated panels, hot topics and recurring themes, and award finalists and winners. Plus, they don’t carry the higher price tag or time commitment which often goes along with attending a writing conference.