Tweet What’s one of the hardest battles you’ll fight as a writer? The battle within yourself. Working on an article recently, I found myself on the front lines defending my creative prose with an ardent editor. Unforgiving and rigid, she was on task to cut away my unnecessary words and fluffy copy for something more streamlined. It was a hard battle lost my friends. All the more so because that editor was me. Every writer has two sides of their brain that battles for attention. My right brain is the more feisty one relentlessly slipping in creative allegories for fun.…
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Tweet There are a lot of people who want to be writers. Some of them are friends and acquaintances I’ve met along my path. They envy me in a shameless way. My life seems as close to Carrie Bradshaw as possible without the single life and the large shoe closet. Many, I believe, think that I spend all day shopping and galavanting. Yes it is partially that I suppose. But the truth is, I spend more days sitting on my butt, pulling out my hair, trying to find the best words to squeeze into my prose. It’s not fun nor…
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Tweet There’s always a reason to give up. Let me count the ways. Your mounting bills, the bad economy, the competition, your lack of time, fear of rejection, there’s already enough books out there, your stuff’s no good, no one will read it, you hate feeling vulnerable, etc. And it doesn’t get easier. They ebb and flow, rising as your confidence rises. They strengthen as your courage deepens. In fact, the more you grow, the greater the challenges become. Over time you either grow accustomed to them or you begin to listen. If you choose the latter, you may lose…
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Tweet That’s the questions I have been asking myself these last 6 weeks since I officially and finally moved back to Hawaii. Why? I know that’s the question most of the world would be asking. Why would a writer have a difficult time writing amongst turquoise hued skies, pearly white sand and a “you could get lost in it” ocean. Lots of room for inspiration right? Yes. It’s true. I’ve been writing more for my fiction piece than I did when I lived in California. But on the other hand, finding new writing gigs have turned out to be…
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Tweet Some authors claim certain writing instruments do it. Others insist on a severely quiet room. Then there are those that require the opposite. Equipment and environment, however, does not ensure writing success. Each writer has to find what works for them. Yet, aren’t we chomping at the bit to know what it is that works for J.K. Rowling, for example? Or what it took for Julia Cameron to consistently pump out book after book? That’s why we attend author’s talks and listen to webinars because we’re all desperate to discover the secret recipe to writing success. It’s what drew…
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Tweet Fabulous careers in creative fields (like you writers) deserve a little more attention, motivation and flexibility than other fields. You need to roll with the punches, get your tough going (when the going gets rough) and be willing to go for the ride. [Definitely met my “trite phrases quota” for the day.] Part of that is getting used to the up and down roller coaster ride of both inspiration and writing gigs. That means sometimes there will be lulls, sometimes there will be speed bumps. And when I’m on a high, I need to remember to stop myself from…
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Tweet What do you do when fear and procrastination threaten to derail your writing? Writer and coach Cynthia Morris has been writing since 1994, coaching writers since 1999 and published several articles and two books: a historical novel called Chasing Sylvia Beach and Create Your Writer’s Life: A Guide to Writing with Joy and Ease. What has helped her persist is a unique combination of yoga and what she calls, “juju.” Read on to find out how they may be able to help you jump start your own writing: “I think both my writing practice and my yoga practice made me this…
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Tweet If life is one big class, then I got a lot of my lessons solely from being a freelance writer. As I reflect on these last 5-years, I’d have to say while it hasn’t been an easy road, it was a necessary one. Hopefully, you won’t have to stumble in the dark as I have. Read up on what things I wish I didn’t have to learn the hard way. Get clear about whether you’re getting paid or not. Money is an uncomfortable issue. And when you’re first starting out, you just feel grateful for getting any writing job.…
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Tweet Q: “I was wondering if you could direct me to your posts that are specifically about how to get started. I am currently in the stage where I feel like this is a field where I could be successful, and my main question right now is where to look for job opportunities (the real ones, not the scams!). I’ve had success with my writing on a very small scale- had some things accepted for publication in a national religious magazine for children, an article accepted for publication in the local newspaper, won a short story contest, etc. I am a…
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Tweet {by guest blogger: Lauren Boyd} When I was growing up, I participated in a lot of extracurricular activities. However, I never truly mastered any of them. I took gymnastics, but my lack of abdominal muscles – and my hearty appetite – kept me from advancing very far. I took tap, but when it came time to wear the high-heeled tap shoes, I didn’t want to, so I stopped taking tap. I played the piano, and was the best among my peers, but when my studies began to consume most of my time in high school, I gave up the piano. What was my…