Deadline Writing Tips in Quarantine

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

I am endlessly fascinated with the way other writers write. 

Are they plotters? Pantsers?

Do they write every day or are they weekend warriors? 

Do they rise before dawn, or write into the wee hours of the morning?

If you’d asked me a few months ago what my writing life looked like, I would have told you the following:

Four Great Ways for an Author to Hook a Reader

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

Pick a book from your reading pile and read the first line of the story. Did it "hook" you? Did it make you want to read more? Or did you put the book back down and promise yourself you'll read it later

Hooks are that important. They are really the difference between your book being read or not.

To Market to Market to Sell A Fat Book

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

“I sat around for six months after book publication waiting on my publisher to do more. I assumed they would. They didn’t,” said Jennifer Maggio, author of Overwhelmed. “I learned that all of my book’s success rests on my shoulders and I better get busy doing something. Something is always better than nothing.”

In a day when book sales are predominantly the author’s responsibility, what are authors doing to market their titles?

5 Ways Writers can Take Advantage of this Time—Opportunities in Corona Virus Chaos

by Ralene Burke @RaleneB

For the last 10 weeks, many of us have been cooped up in our homes with our families 24/7. In some ways, the changes have been a blessing, allowing us more time with our families, showing us where are priorities should be, etc. In other ways, the changes have tested us, forcing us to learn new technology to work/school from home, keeping us from our friends and other fun activities, hampering our creative juices when everything just seems too much.

Using Seeds of Failure to Grow Fruit

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… Galatians 5:22-23

I travel around the country speaking and teaching at writers conferences. Beyond being about to help other follow their dreams, I also get to hear about other authors’ journeys to publication. 

What Does My Writing Reflect?

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

It’s no surprise—to anyone who follows my photography regularly—that I love reflections. My husband, Kirk, claims it’s not possible for me to pass a puddle without snapping a picture (I plead the 5th). But his observation has made me consider why I’m so enamored by these unexpected photo ops.

Make Your Writing Life Easier with These 12 Hacks

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

The writer’s life isn’t an easy one. So much of what we create comes from some place deep inside ourselves. Giving that way can be exhausting, not to mention frustrating, when we feel empty.

The good news is that there are things we can do to help ourselves. I’ve come to learn that we either set ourselves up for success or we set ourselves up for failure.  Today I’ll share some of the writing and blogging hacks that every successful writer needs to know.