Focus on the intersection of what we want to write with what we can sell The goal of every writer is to make money with his or her art. I’m sure some of you are shaking your heads over this statement. You insist you don’t care if you make money or not. You just want […]
The labels writers use about themselves reveal much about them—& their future I cringe every time someone says, “I’m an aspiring writer.” The phrase is an oxymoron: either you’re a writer or you’re not. It makes as much sense as the claims of “somewhat unique” or a “little pregnant.” There are no degrees of uniqueness […]
Each year I set goals. For several years I posted my writing goals online. I did this to provide transparency and offer encouragement to you. I also made them public to help hold myself more accountable. Plus the mere fact of writing out our goals increases the chances of us actually reaching them. Holding our […]
For the past ten weeks, I’ve been on a writing quest, a grand creative adventure. I needed to write an 85,000-word book and have it done by the end of November. I’m pleased to report that I made it. This stands as one of my most significant accomplishments as a writer (so far). Although writing […]
In my post What Spurs You On In Your Writing? I listed four things that encourage me to persist in writing: seeing improvement, satisfaction, a paycheck, and giving to others. These positive outcomes motivate me to want to write even more. So I take proactive steps to make that happen. From these four results I […]
Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it happens each year in November. The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel, or the first 50,000 words of a longer novel, in just one month. (Why they picked November, a 30-day month with a long holiday weekend, is beyond me.) […]
You may be familiar with SAD, seasonal affective disorder. I have something similar. I call it SAW or seasonal affective writing. In the spring and summer, despite having more distractions to keep me from writing, I also have more energy to write. Though there are days when distractions usurp writing, overall my writing prevails. My […]
I’m lucky in that my wife supports my writing. If I’m working to meet a deadline when she wants to do something else, she understands. She is patient. Without complaint, she allows me time to write. She lets me write without criticizing. She even offers encouragement and celebrates the results of my work. I am […]
When asked about her plans for college, I once heard a high school grad say, “I’m going to study pre-med and see how far I go.” Though she was a capable student, and pre-med was a realistic choice for her, I immediately knew she would never complete her studies. A couple of semesters later she […]
I View My Writing as a Job I use that term loosely. Though I derive some income directly from my writing, like most authors, I also have a day job to help pay the bills. Few authors earn enough money through their writing alone to fully support themselves and their families. The vast majority have […]