10 Steps to Building Your Author Platform for Greater Impact

by Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS @SusanNealYoga

In today's world, brimming with people seeking hope and direction, your words hold immense power. They can comfort, inspire, and transform lives. But even the most heartfelt and divinely inspired messages require a platform to effectively reach those who need to hear it. 

First, don’t get overwhelmed. You can’t complete all these tasks at once. It takes time. Writing is a journey. So create a marketing plan and plot what you plan to accomplish.

Lessons Learned after 15 Years of Blogging

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Can you believe it? Writer's Digest Magazine just announced their 26th Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers List. Thanks to all of you, we made the list again! The Write Conversation has been on the list since 2017. I'm humbled and excited by the inclusion.

It's hard to believe this blog began just over 15 years ago. 

Three Great Reasons Writers Should Attend Conferences

by Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes @KHutch0767

My first writer’s conference was the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. This experience was life-changing for me. I didn’t know anyone there and had little knowledge about the publishing industry. I attended the conference feeling a mix of excitement and fear but eager to learn. I was even more excited, scared, and anxious to learn when I left. Even now, after several years of working as a professional editor, book coach, podcaster, freelancer, and published author, I still experience the same emotions I felt at that first conference. However, these emotions drive me to keep developing my faith and skills as a writer.

While there are numerous benefits to attending writing conferences, here are my top three:

Ideas to Help Authors Spend Book Marketing Dollars Wisely

by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting

It's a myth that authors all make lots of money and yet PR people and others who offer to help with ask for hundreds and even thousands of dollars against the little per book made.

Let's consider ways to save on money, swap services for money, sell articles to cover expenses, free promotion to do, and how to spend money wisely.

What SHOULD a Writer Wear?

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

“Don’t take this the wrong way because I don’t mean it ugly, but where do you get your clothes?”

The conversation occurred during one of our teachers’ monthly birthday breakfast celebrations. As I prepared my plate, a teacher from the elementary section asked the question. She seemed hesitant to ask, but I wasn’t offended. 

“My wife orders them from Amazon, but I’m not sure what company,” I replied. 

The clothes she referred to weren’t my pants, but my shirts. My shirts of choice are flowery, paisley shirts—the kind hippies wore in the 1960s and 1970s. And they match my personality since I am an old hippie. 

Two Things You Can Do When You Can’t Write

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.”

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), American author & screenwriter

If you’ve been a writer for any length of time at all—say six months or more—you’ve probably heard some version of the “a writer is someone who writes” mantra. 

I’ve been writing for decades. Here’s the truth: I don’t write every day. 

Why Do You Write?

by Lilka Raphael @LilkaRaphael

You can make anything by writing—C. S. Lewis

I find it easier to answer the question of what I write rather than why I write? This is primarily because my why evolves as I do. What prompted my writing a decade ago no longer entices me now. Perhaps, when we acknowledge the motivation behind our words, we can deliver them effectively.

Writers use words to sway opinion. Charitable organizations, hobbies, and politics also spur us into action. Some of us entertain and deliver the gift of laughter with our words. There is writing that educates. With the birth of the internet, we have infinite information at our disposal. In hindsight, I realize that I wrote about autism not only to support other parents but also because it was therapeutic as I navigated that chapter of life.