Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 38

How To Become A More Efficient Writer

When it comes to your writing sometimes it can feel like the slow progress is draining the life out of you. In the days where we don’t feel motivated to write, achieving any kind of efficiency seems impossible. However, it is worth noting that speed and quality don’t often go hand in hand and if you want to be at your most efficient you need to work out how to be productive, but also produce your very best work.

Stop multitasking, start compartmentalising

instead of trying to juggle lots of different projects and tasks at once, focus on one thing at a time. Switching from one task without completing the last one is a productivity and motivational killer So don’t edit while you write, don’t stop to check emails, don’t try to achieve two things at once. Instead, compartmentalize what you need to do and then zone in and work methodically on each task before moving onto the next. You can do this by creating an editorial plan, gather and merge your research and data together to ensure what you are writing about has substance, create an outline for your work, draft your article and only edit it once the first draft is complete.

Create slick systems to keep you on track

If you understand your processes, you’ll understand how to improve them. If you breakdown the steps it takes for you to complete an article from start to finish and the processes required to complete the steps you’ll have a working document to follow and be able to standardize your process for greater efficiency. 

Be prepared to go with the flow

Achieving flow is what many writers strive for. In this state, you become so immersed in what you’re doing that time almost becomes irrelevant. You are more likely to get there if you minimize other distractions, pay no attention to your negative inner critique, and trust yourself to go where the ideas are flowing. 

Use timed interval writing

Another useful way to become more efficient is to write in timed intervals. This gives you a finite amount of time in which you must focus and concentrate, after which you can allow yourself to relax your attention. Block out specific periods of time in your day to focus on processing your writing and you’ll become much more productive as a result. You could try something like the “Pomodoro Technique” where you work in 25-minute spurts, have a 5-minute break, and repeat four times where you will then get a longer break.

Automate what you can

Automation tools can be fantastic for increasing your productivity.  You may need to experiment with what works best for you but you could try a dictation tool, a text expansion tool, and speller and grammar checkers to ensure your writing is error-free. 

While there are no shortcuts when it comes to being a great writer, it is possible to enhance your efficiency as one. Make use of the techniques discussed in this article to help you produce writing quickly, without compromising on quality. 

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Blog Topics For Every Author

If you want to attract more visitors to your website and engage more readers, you need to put some valuable and engaging content out there for people to see. Writing an author blog is probably the easiest and most appropriate way to do so. Your author blog is useful because it can tell readers about your writing style, boost your SEO meaning your site will appear higher on search pages, compliment your writing, be a great way to encourage people to click on your book sales page, and can help build your brand.

With all those reasons it’s hard to argue why you wouldn’t write one!

However, writing and keeping an author blog up to date is tricker than you might think. If you want to make the most of it, you need to be strategic and consider carefully the topics you might write about. You also need to release new content frequently, which means you need a continual stream of content topics to write about.

Many authors struggle with this and find it difficult to know where to start, let alone have a strong bank of blog titles and topics to cover to keep their audience engaged. With that in mind, here are some suggestions to help get you started:

Your writing process

Readers will be intrigued to know how you write. Lots of people want to write books and can’t manage it, so sharing your writing process will be of interest to them.

Your writing tips

You can also share lots of different writing tips that have helped you along the way. Writing tips are valuable to your fellow writers, and there are lots of different topics to cover, so this should keep you full of ideas for ages!

Your ideas and inspiration

Readers love to know how writers come up with their stories, characters, and the worlds they create, so let them know through a series of blog posts that let them get a sneak peek inside your imagination.

Your hobbies and interests

People will also be interested in the person behind the book, so don’ be afraid to share more of your general life, hobbies, and interests too. You could even write daily diary posts - just makes sure you make them as interesting and exciting as possible. 

These are all fantastic areas to write about and should keep you able to create interesting, informative, and engaging blogs for many months to come. Every author will have different styles and ways of keeping their fans entertained. Figuring out how best to do so is up to you, but just remember that writing an author blog has many benefits, so make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain more fans and sell more books.

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Are You Being Honest With Yourself About Your Writing?

We all know that if you want to make it as a professional writer, you need to be willing to put the time and effort in. This applies to those who want to become authors as well as those who want to make a living writing through article writing, blogging, and so on.

We know that the competition is fierce, we know that finding time to write can be a challenge and we know that if we don’t persevere and don’t continue to push ourselves we might never get anywhere. 

However, the harsh truth is that many writers aren’t successful because they aren’t honest with how much they put in. We can complain and feel disheartened about not getting anywhere, but if we really look at ourselves, and ask the important questions, we might find that we aren’t doing as much as we should. 

So if you are feeling as though your writing progress is slow, perhaps it is time you asked yourself the following:

Do you make time for it?

Be real with yourself for a moment. Are you really making time for your writing? Are you really prioritizing it over tasks? The truth is that most of us could make more space in our lives for writing, and if we want to progress, and hit our goals, then it’s time we did. 

Are you too critical?

Are you being fair with yourself about your work? Your self-critic can be your worst enemy. You need to learn how to keep them at bay, or at least pay as little attention to them as possible. Because if you are constantly down on yourself and your work, you are going to find it very challenging to keep motivated.

Do you make time to learn?

Writing is a skill and it is one you need to practice but also learn about. Taking the time to invest in your learning, to better understand the craft, to master the language you write in, to learn the tricks of the trade, and so on are all important. So not only do you need to write, but you need to learn bout writing too.

Do you give it your all?

When you write are you focused? Do you eliminate distractions? Do you really give it everything you have got? Unless you can answer yes to all the above, you still have a way to go.

Do you edit properly?

When you edit your work, do you do so as thoroughly as possible? Do you edit more than once? Do you always ensure your work is completely perfect before you try to publish it? Again, taking pride in your work and putting the hours into the editing process will pay off hugely in the long run.

By being a little harsh with yourself, you may realize that you aren’t really being honest about how much you dedicate yourself to the writing process, so now the question is; what are you going to do about it? 

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How To Get More Email Signups

All authors who are trying to boost their following and sell more books know that obtaining more email signups is a great way to work towards this. 

Get people to sign up to your author email news and you get a whole bunch of soft leads that you can then contact in the future. With the right kind of gentle nurturing these soft leads can turn into people who visit your website, purchase your book, and eventually turn into loyal fans. 

So what are some ways to get more people to sing up to your email list?

Incentivise them

If you offer something for free in exchange for their information, people are much more likely to agree to give it away. If you can offer something of value for free to those who sign up, this will increase the number of people on your email list in a huge way. So offer writing tips, a free eBook, a discount code for your novel, entries to a competition, and so on.

Embed a data capture form rather than giving people a link to click on.

 The psychology of having to click on a link and move away from the page means fewer people are likely to want to bother. Keeping it simple with a form on the page they are already on makes things much easier. Every click or extra step a person has to take decreases your chances of capturing that signup.

Keep it short and sweet

Make sure that your form is as short as possible. The less faff the better. If you make things confusing or are too sales-like or beg them or ask for too much information, they are more likely to be put off and leave before parting with their contact information.

Think about where you place your form

There are some spots that are better than others for the placement of signup forms. Here are some good ones:

After a post 

Top of the sidebar

Top header

Footer

Pop-up box

You can always experiment with placement to see what’s most effective. 

Try affiliate advertising. Affiliate advertising can be a good option for increasing your subscriber base. You do need some budget as you’ll agree a set amount to pay an affiliate for each new sign-up they get for you (essentially, it’s an ad for your newsletter on someone else’s website). However, this is only worth it if each new subscriber is worth more than the amount you pay the affiliate.

Give a little preview. 

Providing a sneak peek of your book or of a resource you’ll give away if they sign up can be another tempting offer to help encourage more signups.

These tips can help increase your subscribers. Once you have secured those email addresses, the rest is up to you!

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Why Being Healthy Makes You A Better Writer

If you want to be a better writer, there are several things that you can do. You must practice writing every day. You must become more resilient to criticism (including self-criticism). You should read as much as possible, and you must pay attention to your physical and mental wellbeing.

As with any job, if you are tired, physically unfit, burnt out, stressed, anxious, distracted, depressed, low on energy, and apathetic, you will find it extremely difficult to find the drive, determination, and motivation required to achieve your writing goals.

The start of the year is a great time to give yourself a wellbeing overhaul and alter bad habits that are holding you back. So what are some good things you can do to boost your physical and mental health and ensure that you make the most of your writing day? Here are some useful tips.

Invest in a good chair

If you are going to spend hours of your day writing, it’s a wise idea to get a chair that supports your body correctly.

Stretch

Make sure that you keep your body supple and limber by taking 15 minutes a day to stretch out.

Take breaks

Even if you are in the writing ‘zone,’ you need to schedule breaks for yourself to avoid burnout, so make this a priority and stick to it too.

Get outside

Fresh air is excellent for both mental and physical wellbeing, so make sure that you get outside at least once a day.

Get your heart pumping

Physical exercise that gets your heart rate up has countless health benefits. You will feel lighter, leaner, trimmer, more optimistic, lower your risk of a whole host of diseases, improve concentration, ease stress, improve sleep, and so much more. The benefit of regular, sustained physical exercise cannot be underestimated.

Talk to others

Writing can be a lonely profession so take the time to talk to other people to stay sane.

Set achievable goals

Don’t overstretch yourself or give yourself unrealistic goals. Make your goals time-bound and measurable, and give yourself rewards for achieving them.

Be kind to yourself

Self-love is one of the most critical skills any human being can learn. The kinder you are to yourself, the more enjoyable your life will be, so take time to practice talking to yourself in a positive and empathetic way.

Seek help if you need it

We all have times where things get on top of us, and we need help, be that from a friend or relative, or professional. If you feel like you need assistance, get it sooner rather than later.

Check in with yourself

Take time to check in with yourself and pay attention to how you are feeling. This is so important to do and can help you understand yourself and your needs better. 

Don’t compare yourself to others

Comparing yourself to others is unlikely to bring you anything other than misery. Your path and circumstances are entirely unique, so just focus on what you want to achieve and how - that’s all that matters.

Any finally..

Eat well

Hydrate

Sleep

Having a healthy diet, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of rest will leave you feeling energized and refreshed, where doing the opposite will leave you feeling sluggish and unable to focus.

If you follow the above, you can give yourself the best chance of having both a healthy body and mind, which will, in turn, help you write more efficiently, productively, and happily!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadmancreates.com

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Do You Need To Like Your Characters?

When writing our stories we often find that we end up falling in love with our characters. We spend so much time carrying them about in our heads, we know the inside out, and we are so invested in their journey that often it can be hard to let them go when we finally reach the end.

However, writing an engaging cast of characters isn’t always about liking them. While lots of advice states that you must write what you know, or ensure that your character is relatable, there are some instances where this isn’t true. If you are writing about a monstrous villain without a sympathetic or empathetic bone in their body, you don’t need to necessarily relate to that. You certainly don’t need to like that!

Liking your characters is of course helpful in lots of instances. The more we care about them, the more we’ll want to get to know them, and the more effort we will put into making sure our readers feel a closeness to them too. Caring about the characters is an important part of enjoying the book. If you don’t, know matter how riveting the story, it can be challenging to care what happens.

Again, this is not necessary 100% of the time. In fact, there are lots of famous books where the protagonist is thoroughly unlikeable. Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorain Grey is a good example, as is Valadimir Nabokov’s Lolita - there are lots more.

So if your characters don’t have to be likeable, what should you focus on when trying to develop your cast of characters?

Engaging

Like ‘em or hate ‘em your character must be engaging. An engaging character is attractive in some way. They will hold attention. 

Exciting

Your characters must excite your readers. They can be foul, irresponsible, and downright wicked, but if they don’t get your readers pulse racing in some way, if they don’t rouse them, then they won’t be worth reading about at all.

Unique

Your characters must be unique. They must have personalities that make them stand out and quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them memorable. They mustn’t be carbon copies of one another or stolen from another writer’s work.

On A Journey

Your characters must be on some sort of journey. That journey can lead them to unimaginable riches, inner peace or their terrible demise - just make sure that they are in fact going somewhere. 

As you can see, there are many instances where liking your characters can be helpful. It is safe to say that most authors do write characters that are likeable, and that they themselves, like. However, this is not a necessity when it comes to write a good book, and in fact, writing a story with an unlikeable character at the helm can be extremely enjoyable indeed!

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When Taking A Break From Your Writing Is A Good Idea

While it is often drummed into writers how important it is to write every day, there can be times where it is actually helpful to step back from your work and have a break from it. In particularly circumstances having some space can be beneficial and might help your writing in the long run. Let’s examine some of the situations where taking a break from your writing is a good idea.

If you are burning to write something else

Some ideas just won’t wait and if you find yourself getting distracted because you are just bursting to work on another project, then it’s OK to put your current work to one side, take a break form it and return to it later when you’ve explored where your passions currently lie.

If you’ve hit a wall

If you are suffering from writer’s block you can try simply writing through it. However if this really isn’t working another option is to simply take a break, let the dust settle and distance yourself a little. You might find some space gives you the room you need to understand where to take your story next. 

If you are about to change it all

If you have the sudden urge to ‘rip the whole thing up and start again,’ or even just to take your story in a totally new direction, it might be helpful to step back from it before you do. Sometimes it is out of frustration or self-criticism that we decide to change our stories. Don’t destroy all the work you’ve done in a moment of self-doubt, pause for a moment and consider whether this is definitely something you want to do. 

If you’ve been rejected multiple times

If you’ve been rejected repeatedly you might well feel like taking a break form your writing anyway. It might well be a good idea to do so. Give yourself some space to recover, then go back and reexamine your work, your pitch and so on and try to decipher where you might be going wrong.

If you are feeling writer burnout

It’s all too easy for writers to get so absorbed or obsessed with their work that they suffer from writer burnout. If you think this is happening to you know that it is OK to take a breather, give yourself some respite and recuperate before you damage your health.

So, as you can see, continuing to write in every circumstance isn’t always the smartest move. So if you think that some space from your work might help, then just do it. You may well find that you writing will be all the better for it. 

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The Biggest Writer Frustrations And How To Overcome Them

When you start feeling frustrated with your writing, it can eliminate any pleasure you get from working on your book. Unfortunately, writers do often feel plagued with frustration when they write. While there are those times where the words just seem to flow out of you, you are full of ideas, you feel confident in your work and completely absorbed in it, there are also plenty of times where the exact opposite is true.  So what are some of the most common frustrations writers feel?

Expectations of yourself

Having certain expectations of yourself can be particularly draining for writers. When we first set out we feel exhilarated and excited for what’s to come. If you hit a wall with your writing, however, those feelings can quickly dissipate and instead be replaced with ones of stress and anxiety about our writing and what we want to achieve. Shifting your focus away from the end goal can sometimes be helpful. Focus instead on the pure enjoyment of your craft, of creating something, and appreciate that as a standalone thing without worrying about what the future holds.

Expectations of your work

Expecting your work to always be enjoyable, to always come out the way you want it to, and indeed to always be well received is another danger for writers. If we set our expectations too high we are constantly chasing an impossible standard and will quickly become e frustrated. If you find yourself getting too bogged down in a particular project and it feels a bit like wading through mud, instead try switching gears and wok on something different. If you do you gain valuable space and your positive emotions will start to return again.

Comparing yourself to others

Comparing yourself to other, more successful writers can often trigger writer frustration. It is important to try to accept that you are on your own unique writer journey and that that is the only thing that really matters.

Lack of time

One of the biggest complaints amongst writers is that they simply don’t have enough time to write. The majority of writers don’t make enough from their writing to do this alone, so they have other responsibilities and commitments which take up time, leaving not as much as they’d hoped to write with. finding pockets of time to reserve for writing, no matter how hectic your day, can be extremely helpful. Creating a writing schedule and sticking to it religiously is another solution.

Not being taken seriously

Writers often find that unless they are multi-million pound earning, bestselling authors, they aren’t taken seriously by others. This can be wounding and upsetting as well as deeply frustrating. If you write, you are a writer. Join like-minded communities of people can help you to feel more connected and validated and can be a good place to have a vent too!

Wondering if it will ever be worth it

Writers invest so much time and energy into their work, but often there is little pay off. Wondering whether it is worth it and this can be mentally draining and very frustrating. Again, it’s about switching your perspective here and focusing on the enjoyment of writing for the sake of it, rather than potential gains that can help reduce this frustration and allow you to focus on the true pleasure of writing once more!

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How To Juggle Multiple Writing Projects

Juggling multiple writing projects at once can quickly turn into a headache if you don’t keep organized and calm. So what are some tips to ensure that you are able to juggle a complex writing workload? Here are some of the best:

Plan like a champion

When it comes to multitasking, planning is everything. Each week you should take stock of what you hope to achieve, looking at your workload overall, and then drilling down to individual writing projects and the tasks within them. Plan out what you need to do so that you have it clear in your mind before you sit down and begin the working week.

Work on your schedule

Scheduling is very important when you are trying to work on many different projects at the same time. By having end goals and deadlines in mind, you should then be able to breakdown tasks and how long they will take, and then fit them into your schedule accordingly. Remember, it is imperative that you divide your time appropriately. Flitting from one task to another throughout the day might not be the best idea as you may end up feeling like you are getting nowhere, unable to cross anything off your to-do list, and that you can’t concentrate on any one thing. Give yourself proper chunks of time to work on one project, before switching to the other. It’s also wise to set clear deadlines so you know how long you’ve got to achieve any task and when to stop working on something and start working on something else. 

Take breaks to clear your head

Taking breaks during the working day is important whatever you are doing, but this is particularly true if you are trying to work on different writing projects throughout. Take a break before switching onto your next task as this will allow you to clear your head and return to work refreshed and able to refocus. 

Be consistent

Try to keep your working hours and the way you work on each writing project fairly consistent as this will feel less disruptive and allow you to work with greater efficiency. 

Get regular feedback

Getting regular feedback for your work is also smart as this will ensure you don’t go off on a tangent without a fresh pair of eyes to help ensure you are on the right track. You can also use the time waiting for feedback from one particular project to then work on a different one.

Get good at prioritising

Many writers find it helpful to work on the tasks that feel the most daunting first. Putting them off can only make them worse and lead to procrastination. By prioritizing your tasks and workload you can ensure you will stay on the right path to achieving your goals. 

By following the above, you should be able to successfully work on multiple writing projects at once. Do you have any tips for doing so? Share them with us here!

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Having A Bad Writing Day? Here’s What To Do

Not every writing day is going to be a good one. Sometimes we sit down to write and the words simply don’t want to come out. This can feel frustrating and can mean that we feel as though we aren’t making progress and won’t reach our goals. A bad writing day can have a knock-on effect and before we know it, we haven’t written in weeks. But the truth is, not everyone can feel motivated all the time, and the better armed we are to deal with a bad writing day, the easier it will be to bounce back and not let anything stop us.

So if you are having a bad writing day, here’s what you can do to tackle it…

Work on something else

There are plenty of other tasks you can be getting on with if you don’t feel like writing. So if you are finding it too challenging to be creative today, instead do some research, try some editing, work on a new project or start investigating publishers to send your book to when you are finished 

Give yourself a break

The worst thing you can do when you are having trouble writing is beat yourself up about it. Some days you just don’t feel like writing, and that’s OK. Being kind to yourself is the most important thing and if you have an off day once in a while it’s not going to make a significant impact on your writing journey overall.

Give yourself mini goals and rewards

If motivation is a problem set yourself some super short mini goals and give yourself a reward every time you achieve one. So write 500 words and have a biscuit. Write another and buy yourself some flowers, write another and spend the next half hour sitting in the sunshine - whatever works for you. Use this goal and reward system as a way to give your day some focus and break down your tasks into more manageable goals with enticing rewards at the end of them.

Get some feedback

If you aren’t sure what to do with your novel next or feel like you have gone off track why no get some feedback to ensure you are on the right lines. Reach out to someone whose opinion you value and trust and get some constructive criticism to help get you back writing with vigor once more.

Do some exercise

Sometimes you might just need to get that blood pumping through your veins once more so why no get outside and do some vigorous exercise to help invigorate and inspire you?

Read instead

You could also try picking up a good book for an hour or so to help motivate and inspire you. Good writing is always a pleasure to read and can be a fantastic way to help kickstart those creative juices. So always have a great book to hand and if you are finding it too challenging to write, give yourself a reading challenge instead. 

By following the above, you can learn to turn your bad writing days around. Remember to always be gentle with yourself and while you might have to apply a bit of pressure and tough love sometimes if you are really not in the mood, just have a reset and then get back to it the next day!

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