Are you ignoring your mindset type? Imagine this: You walk into your neighborhood gym. Bright lights. Rows of machines. And then he appears—your personal trainer. His name is Chad. “All right,” he says. “Here’s your plan: Wake up at 5:00 a.m., work the treadmill for three miles, no excuses. Don’tContinue Reading
What does it take to get good at writing? I’ve always been surprised by how much practice every skill requires to reach a high level. No matter what I’ve set out to do—whether it was music, writing, speaking, or anything, really—the amount of work it took to improve was alwaysContinue Reading
Writing focus—why is it so hard to maintain? You sit down to write, determined to finally make progress on your project. The words will flow this time, you tell yourself. But before you know it, you’ve checked your email, responded to a message, scrolled social media, and now you’re standingContinue Reading
Do you have a strong foundation for your writing career? If you do, you probably know it. If you don’t, you may be asking: a what? I got to thinking about this after I found this nest (pictured below). I think it’s a robin’s nest, blown out of my cottonwoodContinue Reading
Are you frustrated at your lack of writing success? I often hear about this frustration from writers. Some tell me that they’ve been pitching agents for years and have yet to receive an offer for representation, so they’re ready to give up. Others say that publishing houses aren’t looking forContinue Reading
What is the key to being a successful writer? Building an identity as a successful writer. But what does that mean? Dreaming is Not Enough Kaylie was discouraged. She’d been dreaming of a successful writing career for years. In high school, she won a contest for a short story sheContinue Reading
Overwhelmed because everything is happing at the same time? Find help for writers in this post, with 7 tips to better manage a crazy time.
Few things are as rewarding or as difficult as a career as an independent writer. Whether you work full-time writing, pen novels on the side, or are an aspiring writer hoping to make a name for yourself, you’re likely striking out on your own to build some type of writingContinue Reading
If you want to be successful as a writer, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That’s not easy in today’s world. Americans have become addicted to comfort. There’s a term for it: “comfort addition.” Like any other, this addiction keeps you seeking the next “hit” rather than makingContinue 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
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
It could be that parts of your writing personality aren’t serving you. In the spirit of Halloween, it’s time to tap into your inner murderer. Dark thoughts are welcome here because you’re not going to be hurting anyone, not even yourself. Instead, this is a cleansing process, an exfoliation ofContinue Reading