Are you in need of a course correction in your writing career? It’s not always easy to tell, but here’s a thought for you: You may need it more often than you think. Why You Need a Course Correction More Often Than You Think I read one of the lastContinue Reading
Do you struggle when marketing your book? If so, you’re not alone. Book marketing remains one of the biggest challenges—if not the biggest challenge—for writers wanting to expand their careers. It’s easy to see why writers are struggling. More books are published every year, with self-publishing flooding the market. BowkerContinue Reading
by Idara Hampton Are you a busy writer who struggles to stay in shape or make healthy lifestyle choices because you spend so much time sitting? Sacrificing health for writing might not feel like a big deal. But it takes a toll. In a 2010 study, researchers found that peopleContinue Reading
Are you a happy writer? You probably are part of the time, but we can all go through periods when we feel discouraged, unproductive, or uninspired. If this happens to be one of those unhappy periods in your writing life, the following tips may help boost your writing mood. 1.Continue Reading
For me self-doubt has been a major hurdle. It took me six years from the time I started writing my mystery Kat Out of the Bag to when I signed a publishing contract. For the first few years I kept it a dark secret that I was writing a book.Continue Reading
When you started out as a writer, you had a strong love of writing. You loved putting words together, stringing together plotlines, visiting exotic settings, and spending time with your characters. But then somewhere along the way, something happened. Your love of writing started to subside. The stars disappeared fromContinue Reading
by Laurie Buchanan With non-fiction, the author is writing about tangible, verifiable facts. If they need to research the topic further, they can search online. However, with fiction, the characters and storyline aren’t preexisting; every aspect of what the author’s writing is coming out of their head, their imagination—the storyContinue Reading
Overcoming self-doubt is your most important job as a writer. Don’t think so? Answer one question: Do you believe that with hard work, determination, and persistence, you can succeed in achieving your writing goals? Your answer determines your fate. You may not believe that. Success depends on other factors likeContinue Reading
When authors ask me how to pick a book title, I tell them to brainstorm a few options first and then get feedback. Unfortunately, many authors skip the second part of that recommendation. I get it, because I’ve been tempted to skip feedback too. But I’ve published several books now,Continue Reading
When I lost my job, got cancer and my mom died, it finally pushed me to pursue my dream of writing, but I had no idea if I was any good. I think that was one of my biggest emotional challenges as a writer. I know a lot of writersContinue Reading
As winter drags on, even the happiest writers can become depressed writers. I felt it coming on in mid-November: that sluggish, tired feeling that often plagues me during these cold, gray months. Some people refer to it as “SAD” (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but for many of us, it’s not aContinue Reading
Fear was always the biggest challenge. I keep a Fear Journal. Every time I can’t write fiction, I process the feeling by figuring out which of the fears are getting in my way today. Up until I got a chronic disease, I worked for and trained to be a researchContinue Reading