A long time ago I had high artistic ideals. I wanted my work to change the world, to bring awareness to important issues, and to be “great.” That lasted until I was out of college. That’s when I realized that I had to eat, pay rent, and fill up my gas tank. High ideals went …
Whether your write books, articles, or keep a blog, if you want to make money you have to promote your work. Even if you are traditionally published, you’ll likely have to handle at least some of your own promotion. Publishers are cutting marketing departments and budgets and placing more responsibility on the authors themselves. (Unless …
It’s a fact of writing life: Sooner or later, someone is going to say something unkind or downright cruel about your work. It’s going to be in a review on Amazon or (heaven forbid) a review in a major publication. Someone in your writer’s group is going to drop the pretense of being constructive and …
I used to believe in writer’s block. On the days when I would sit at the computer or page and feel like I had nothing to say, I’d say, “Oh, I have writer’s block,” and then go off and do something else. Having this “disease” of writer’s block gave me an excuse to avoid the …
No one is born a perfect writer. Everyone has to learn and improve their skills. Even after you’ve finished school, you should still work to improve your writing skills. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy and accessible ways to improve your skills. Note that I didn’t say quick. Any sort of improvement requires a time …
Procrastination can be a problem for many writers. For some, it can become a habit that’s hard to break and which has the potential to derail your writing career. It’s not that you don’t need/want to work, but you keep coming up with a thousand other things that either have to be done right now, …
Many people complain about not having time to write. Sure, we’re all busy these days and it can be difficult to find time to do the things that are important to us. But the bottom line is that if something is important to us, it’s important enough to carve out time to pursue. Yes, that …
A great vocabulary is just one essential tool in a writer’s toolbox, along with punctuation, grammar, and many others. Vocabulary can make your writing more powerful and more effective and help you say exactly what you mean. This indispensable tool will help you choose the best word for every job and avoid vague words that …
Writers (and those who want to be writers) have tons of excuses for not writing. I’m not sure there’s any other occupation with quite so many excuses for not working as writing. Everyone from school kids who have to write a term paper to novelists and freelance writers have piles of excuses for not doing …
Getting ideas isn’t as difficult or mystical as many make it out to be. It’s not a matter of being struck by lightning or having the muse whisper ideas into your ear. The truth is, ideas are everywhere. You just have to pay attention and train yourself to see an idea in what others see …
