by Barbara Linn Probst Like becoming a parent, becoming an author has been nothing like I imagined. There’s no end to the number of books out there telling us how to write, publish, and market our books. They’re all useful—and they’re all wrong. The Publication Journey Will Not Be LikedContinue Reading
Are you struggling to maintain a regular writing practice lately? It could be because of something you haven’t considered: a lack of space. Space is important for anything in life. You can’t find a new job, for example, if you’re still expending all your energy and focus on the oneContinue Reading
Life is difficult in our world right now. We’re dealing with a global pandemic. Businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Parents are juggling work with homeschooling. And many of us are stuck at home more than we’d like to be. Amidst it all, we have the opportunity to write. TheContinue Reading
by Rebecca W. Munn I have actually always had a dream of writing a book. I kept journals during my early adult years to help me process life. I was able to write white papers and co-authored a handbook early on in my career. My journal writing continued as IContinue Reading
Have you heard the latest health news? Experts are predicting a possible “twindemic” this fall (2020). They’re using the new word to describe a possible collision between the regular flu season and COVID-19. This could be particularly problematic for a few reasons. Of course, no one wants to have bothContinue Reading
by Wendi Lindenmuth In July of 2015, I hosted a cycling ride in my community that connected two of our most popular gravel trails in Polk County, Wisconsin. We decided to ride about 80 miles total, to our destination and then back to the trailhead where we parked. Many ofContinue Reading
There’s a lot of noise in our world today. Also called “noise pollution,” excessive noise has been linked to stress-related illnesses, high blood pressure, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity. Writers may want to add “trouble concentrating” and “difficulty accessing the imagination” to that list. Silence, on the otherContinue Reading
The biggest emotional challenge of being a writer? Trying to make a living off my art. Among writing circles, authors often joke about how they went into book-writing for the money [insert sarcasm here]. Making a living off of writing is a challenging pursuit, because hard work does not necessarilyContinue Reading
It’s a common affliction for writers: painful sciatica. Perhaps the worst thing about it is its persistence. Just when you think you’ve seen the last of it, it shows up again to make your writing time miserable. If you’d like to say “goodbye” to sciatica for good, read on. WhyContinue Reading
by Angela Ackerman My co-author Becca Puglisi and I both struggled with how to show our characters’ emotions in a compelling way. We found our characters were always frowning or shrugging and it pulled down the effectiveness of our scenes. So, to force ourselves to think beyond the first descriptionsContinue Reading
I’ve talked about the benefits of writing retreats in other posts. Check them out: “Serious Writers Permit Themselves to Go On Writers’ Retreats” “How to Get the Best Creativity-Boosting Results from Your Writing Retreat. Because they help reduce stress, nourish creativity, promote reflection, and sustain motivation, retreats are essential toContinue Reading
Are you struggling with an unfinished writing project? Ask yourself this: Have you developed the one skill you must have to succeed as a writer? To find out, look at the following list, and see if any of these statements sound familiar: I’ve been working on this book for years,Continue Reading