Platform Tips for Writers—How Much Information is Safe to Share Online?

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

As writers we know the importance of developing an online presence, but is there such a thing as too much information out there?

Absolutely!

The result of too much information online can range from the irritating to the dangerous. But it is possible to be smart and still have an online presence that will garner you the right kind of reader notice.

The Working Writer—Don't Wait for the Mood to Strike to Write!

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I began writing like most of you did—as a creative outlet—a way to process the world around me. 

I kept diaries, started stories and books, played around with articles. But all of these efforts had one thing in common. They were written out of my own emotional overflow. When that overflow dried up, so did the words.

What is Your Writing Battlefront?

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Do you know your opposing army in the world of writing and publishing? Because if you don’t know who is against you, you will fail miserably. Perhaps you have no idea who’d ever want you not to write a bestseller or have your blog or tweet not go viral. We all have fellow writers who are determined to deepen their craft, master social media, create a phenomenal website, and spread good will to readers and other writers. 

We’re all forced to get involved with the battlefront. Those who are prominent in the industry are writers we want to emulate. We treasure their discipline and genuinely want them to continue pleasing readers. In short, we want to be just like them. Since we are dealing with friends and peers, how does a writer approach the publishing battlefront?

An army is trained physically and strategically to win. So let me give you a few tips on how to train for success. 

Turning Writing Wounds into Wisdom

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

We writers wear our hearts on their sleeves, metaphorically speaking. We pour our inner selves out on the page, drawing on the highs and lows of life to interpret the world through words. This is an exhilarating journey. The highs are incredible, and the lows…well…they’re tough. If we don’t take time to process the difficult experiences, those writing wounds can leave disfiguring scars. But when we do evaluate what’s happened, there is wisdom to be found in those writing wounds.

Social Media Monday—Ditch Professional Facebook Pages by Adding a Follow Button to Your Personal Profile

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

We all know there are big changes with Facebook. Gaining traction on the professional pages is difficult, and becoming harder. If you're not up to date on what's new, here's a post I wrote on Facebook Changes in 2015.

Because of these changes, there’s a movement away from the necessity of having a professional Facebook page. For those of you who have growing and active professional pages, this post does NOT affect you. Keep doing what works. But for those of us who haven’t had much success migrating our professional connections over from our personal profile it’s a gift from Heaven!

The Peace of God

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

I love rainy days—when I have an umbrella.

I love rainy days. The rest of my family are sun worshippers, but I look forward to those cozy days, hemmed with rain and raveled in jagged strips of lightning. 

I especially love walking in the rain. There’s just something comforting in huddling beneath a large umbrella, safe and dry, while the world around me is wet.

It occurred to me that this is a perfect picture of what God does with us. As we move about our days, we’re sheltered by Him. Once we put our faith in God, He becomes our shield—our umbrella in a dreary world. That’s not to say bad things don’t happen, they definitely do. But we’re sheltered by His peace and the knowledge of His perfect love for every single one of us.

Showing the World through Words

As writers we interpret the world around us with words. The ability to take life and translate it is god-given talent, something hard-wired into who we are. But it's also a skill and one we need to consciously practice and improve.

How do you improve your descriptive muscles?

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light..." -Anton Chekhov

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

I also invite you to use this image any way you like online. Post it to your blog, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, anywhere you'd like. All I ask is that you keep it intact, with my website watermark visible.

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,
Edie