Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 71

The Top 10 Podcasts For Writers

Listening to a podcast can be an easy and helpful way to get great information, tips and advice on how to improve your writing, generate new ideas and stay motivated.

Here are 10 of the best podcasts for writers.

Writer’s Life

Our easy to listen to podcasts is full of fantastic information and top tips to help writers of all abilities. Anything from how to find out more details about the publishing process, or need some tips on how to stay focused - this is where you can find answers to the most frequently asked questions writers have.

2. AskAli

If you are looking to self-publish your novel, this podcast is a must-listen. It answers questions submitted by listeners and explains them thoroughly. So before you self-publish your next manuscript, soak up all the helpful information in this podcast to ensure you give yourself the best chance of success.

3. AskAlli: Self-Publishing Advice Podcast (selfpublishingadvice.org)

Hosted by the Alliance of Independent Authors, this podcast answers questions submitted by members, including “What if I hire a bad editor?” and “How can I get my books into readers’ hands?”

4. DIY MFA Radio

Gabriela Pereira’s hosts this entertaining podcast which interviews people who have lots of experience in the writing and publishing game, and can give real insight and first-hand experience into what it’s like to write and publish a novel.

5. Helping Writers Become Authors

This podcast is the auto version of their fantastic blog and well worth a listen. They keep things short and sweet with 10-20 minute segments covering a wealth of relevant writing topics, particularly those with questions about how to construct a novel.

6. The Mythcreant Podcast

The Mythcreant podcast is a brilliant listen, which focuses on plot creation and storytelling in the sci-fi and fantasy genre. These smart and helpful pieces will often make you chuckle too.

7. ProBlogger Podcast: Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging

If you host a writing blog but feel you aren’t making the most of it, this podcast can help you figure out how to get more readers and even turn your blog into a lucrative money-making machine.

8. The Creative Penn Podcast

Joanna Penn not only writes a brilliant blog but also turns her articles into interesting and insightful podcasts that specialize particularly in self-publishing.

9. Writing Excuses

If you are looking for helpful information on how to craft and structure your novel, Writing Excuses is a great podcast to get you started and keep you on the right track. It also has lots of great writing exercises as well as features a book of the week too.

10. The Well-Storied Podcast

Here you can discover 10-20 minutes episodes with tips on how to craft your novel as well as more general advice on how to work in a way which suits you.

So there you have it, if you are looking to get useful information on everything from how to craft your novel, how to get it published and what happens next, these podcasts are well worth listening to.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post The Top 10 Podcasts For Writers appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

The Myth Of The Tortured Writer

Do we have to be sad to write well? It’s one of the questions that has been asked for decades about writers and artists as so much creative work seems to come from a place of pain.

Often, when you read or listen to interviews with writers they can choose to dwell on the obstacles they have had to overcome, the great tragedies in their lives that meant that they were inspired to write. Their unhappy experiences that they felt they could only make their peace with through the cathartic process of writing — loss, heartbreak, poverty and so on. It all seems rather bleak.

We look back at great writers of the past and read about their tortured souls, the Sylvia Plath's, the Ernest Hemmingway's who seemed to use their sadness to inspire their creativity. There are books, films, and songs about how being sad or suffering in some way is essential to keep a certain creative fire going, and when a person is happy and content their inner furies calm, and therefore that creative spark is snuffed out.

Can writers not be happy?

The myth of the tortured writer is something that should be firmly put to bed in these modern day times. It seems almost that it is a rite of passage to have suffered the insufferable or to have lived through sadness, madness, or some kind of torture to be able to create something unique and beautiful. But this is just not the case.

It is a writers job to be creative and imaginative and to conjure exquisite worlds and beautiful, original characters that we fall in love with, laugh with, cry with and everything in between. However, a writer doesn’t have to have experienced loss to write about loss successfully, just as they don’t have to be a boy wizard to create a bestselling series about, well, a boy wizard.

The myth of the tortured writer is almost insulting. It suggests that writers don’t have the capability to write fiction. That they must have, in some way, felt everything that their characters feel and couldn’t possibly create worlds where things happen that have never occurred to them in real life.

It places limitations on the writer, it takes the good old saying ‘write what you know’ and makes it so literal and binding that if writers were to believe it, it could chain them, restrict them, quieten them so that they don’t embrace their creative imaginations, and don’t explore possibilities outside of their own experiences.

Creativity and imagination are two beautiful, exciting things, and to insist that they come from a place of torture, or that they are only genuine and worth our attention or respect if they do is to do the art of writing a great disservice.

Writers do not have to be unhappy to create meaningful art. In fact, the contemporary writer would do well to steer clear of such a stereotype. Nowadays writers are expected to be so much more than just writers; they need to be their own brand. If your brand is the type to sit unwashed and wailing in a darkened room all day you might have some trouble selling your book.

Now that’s not to say that writers shouldn’t experience pain and misfortune and that when we do, we shouldn’t use these feelings to explore and make peace with what we feel. It’s just that seeking out sadness, wallowing in it, or creating it to live up to a stereotype that is no longer necessary is only going to restrict writers and perpetuate a myth that isn’t useful or relevant and will probably end up doing writers more harm than good.

Bethany Cadman

Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post The Myth Of The Tortured Writer appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Why Routine Is Essential For Freelance Writers

One of the many lessons that relayed to us writers time and time again is that to improve; we must practice. Write as much as possible, and it will become more natural. You’ll feel more confident to experiment and learn to recognize your bad habits and weed out the mistakes that you make as well.

It’s hard to practice writing if we don’t have a writing routine. We need to find time to fit writing practice in, we need a schedule to keep us organized and specific blocks of time reserved for our writing. Otherwise, it is all too easy for other things to get in the way.

Routine is essential for all types of writers, but especially for freelance writers. When it comes to juggling assignments, applying for work, making sure you get paid, oh and not forgetting researching and writing pieces and delivering them according to your deadlines, if you aren’t organized things can quickly become chaotic.

Freelance writers routines help them to prioritize and to factor in all the different requirements that are involved in each job. Everything from checking emails, writing pitches and sending off invoices needs to be considered when creating a useful writing routine.

A good writing routine can help freelance writers get on top of busy workloads, ensure a steady flow of work is coming their way, and could even help them earn more money too.

Here’s why a writing routine is so important:

It gives structure to the day.

Structuring your day is essential. If you don’t, it’s so easy to still be in your pajamas without having had breakfast at noon. A good structure helps you set goals and gives you a sense of achievement and satisfaction when you complete everything you set out to do.

It stops you procrastinating

A routine assigns slots of time to each of the things you need to do. A good writing routine will eliminate procrastination because there just isn’t time to do other things!

It makes sure you take breaks

You need to make sure that your routine looks after you, so give yourself a proper lunch break, and if there are other things you like to do each day, such as go for a walk or head to the gym you can factor these in too. This way you’ll feel you have the right balance and won’t burn yourself out by working too hard.

It allows you to see what capacity you have

It’s easy to take on too much or too little work. A writing routine will allow you to see where you can free up some time, or, if you are pushed to your limits, will show that you need to scale things back a little.

So, if you are a freelance writer make sure you spend some time creating a structured writing routine that will help guide your work. Already have a daily routine? Why not share it with us here?

Bethany Cadman

Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post Why Routine Is Essential For Freelance Writers appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Stop Being An Ordinary Writer

When it comes to writing, being ordinary is not an option. With all the competition out there if you don’t do something different, something extraordinary that makes people sit up, pay attention and want to find out more, your writing will become lost in a sea of other voices all competing to be heard.

So what does being extraordinary mean? Beyond what is ordinary or usual, being highly exceptional and remarkable - that’s the actual definition - but applying that to one’s writing is a little more complicated.

Many of us shy away from the title of ‘writer’ despite writing productively for years we can often feel unworthy of such lofty accolade and feel only when we’ve sold a billion books or become a number one bestseller that we can be as arrogant as to call ourselves such. Being a writer can also conjure up visions of a tragic, or wildly adventurous life, one that’s entirely unlike the typical 9-5 working day, family dinners, doing mundane chores and a Saturday morning trip to Starbucks being the most exciting thing that happens to you all week.

Leading an ordinary life, however, doesn’t mean that your writing can’t be extraordinary. Most great writers didn’t start that way and had pretty mundane jobs before they were able to write full time.

In a way seeing what’s extraordinary about the ordinary is what makes successful writers stand out. There are a few whose lives seem to take unbelievable, jaw-dropping twists and turns. However, for many of us daily life is pretty monotonous - not necessarily in a bad way, but we all have our little routines.

The thing that’s great about that is that our readers do too, and readers like to be able to relate. That doesn’t mean that your stories should include painstaking details of everything that happens to your characters from the moment they wake up to the moment they fall asleep, but rather, including details of ordinary, daily life can help to create a believable character and a believable world.

However, writers must choose their words to make the ordinary interesting, they must find beauty or tragedy in the simplest of things, they way someone sweeps the floor, a knowing look, an ordered house, these images can be beautifully conveyed and tell the reader so much more than what they are saying on the surface.

Writers must also find the truth, the essence of things. They must be able to get back to the very purest form of an emotion; they must be able to make connections and convey thoughts and feelings in a way that draws readers in and helps them to feel inextricably linked to the characters and their journeys within the story.

Of course, being an extraordinary writer isn’t just about having the ability to take what is ordinary and make it extraordinary, it is also about the dedication to the craft itself. A successful writer is exceptional, simply because of the time, effort, and energy they put into their work. Truly committing to the art takes courage, determination, and a pretty thick skin - so writers are already highly remarkable creatures just because of the nature of what they do.

So to be extraordinary, you don’t have to discount the life you have, however ordinary it may seem. There is beauty and greatness and wonder in the everyday, and it is a remarkable writer that can transform these seemingly ordinary pieces of life into something that is truthful and beautiful and utterly captivating.

Bethany Cadman

Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post Stop Being An Ordinary Writer appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Promote Your Writing On Social Media

Getting your writing seen is one of the most significant problems writers face. You can be as talented and hardworking as you like, but without your writing reaching the right audiences, it’s challenging to become successful.

The rise of social media is both a blessing and a curse for writers. Never has there been a greater opportunity to promote your writing yourself, but, because of this, the competition is fiercer than ever before, so it’s all too easy for your writing, however brilliant, to get lost amongst a sea of other voices all clamoring to be heard.

Understanding how to leverage social media to your advantage can be critical. Building a following can mean your work reaches your target audience, is shared by your fans and reaches new audiences too.

But how do you do it? Here are some useful tips:

Join online communities about your niche.

Whatever you are writing about, you must have a target audience in mind. So find them and reach out to them. You could write about almost any topic, and you are practically guaranteed there are groups of people that have joined together to form communities because they are interested in it. Join those communities and become active, ask questions, reach out to people and then occasionally, when appropriate, link back to your writing to see if they will take the bait.

Schedule posts in advance

If you want to use social media correctly, you need to get organized and be consistent. Don’t just randomly write a Tweet or post a Facebook post every once in a while. Start to build up a bank of material, engage with your followers at least a few times a week, and schedule your posts, so they go out at consistent times. This way your audience will know when you expect new content from you.

Interact with others. Social media is all about communicating. If you want your writing to do well, you need to be willing to put in some effort. Make sure that you take time to build relationships with others, comment and like their work, and be genuine and honest. If you only use social media to promote yourself and keep everything businesslike and transactional, it will be harder to truly engage with people and build a loyal following.

Write for publications with that already have a strong social media presence.

Despite doing all of the above, it can still be hard to build up a following on social media. So why not take a shortcut? Interact with other publications, write guest posts and promote them instead. This way you are giving back but also will avoid looking like all you want is to promote yourself and get exposed to more people while you're at it, so you can’t lose!

Promoting your writing on social media isn’t rocket science. However, to do so successfully takes time, planning and effort. Use the tips above to boost your social media profile, and help make sure your writing reaches more of the right people.

Bethany Cadman

Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post How To Promote Your Writing On Social Media appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Make Your Story Flow

There are many elements that writers need to consider when crafting a story. We often focus on plot, characterization and creating believable, vivid worlds. However, another point to consider is the flow of the story.

Good stories have a certain rhythm, they have peaks and troughs, and they ebb and flow like a river running to meet the sea.

Stories should flow so that they move seamlessly from one part to the next, drawing the reader in deeper and deeper as they do so. They should have a movement that carries the reader along taking them on an adventure right to the very end.

However well you think you have got your story down, the smooth flow isn’t a given. Writers can easily disrupt the flow of their stories without meaning to. This can disturb the readers, rudely interrupting them and making it hard for them to jump back in.

So what are these obstacles that get in the way of the flow of the story, and how can writers avoid them?

Bad or stilted writing

The main issue is the hardest one to solve, and that’s bad writing. It’s going to be almost impossible for readers to feel as though they are being carried along by the story if the writing is so bad that it is distracting. This can be just the way sentences are put together, the writer continually interrupting, using too many cliches, or spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Confusing writing

Another challenge is making sure that your writing doesn’t confuse the reader. It’s easy for authors because they know their characters and story so well, to write in a way that, though makes sense to them, can confuse the reader and leave them feeling lost in the story, not sure of which way to turn.

Repetition of ideas or information

If you continuously repeat ideas or information, this will jar the reader and interrupt the flow of the story. Trust your reader and don't feel it necessary to repeat things over and over. Doing so will make it seem as though you have run out of things to say and make the writing and the story much weaker.

The ordering of events and time

When writing a good story the order of dates and time should be precise. While it’s OK to play with time and the order of events, you need to be entirely sure that doing so won’t confuse your reader. If readers can’t figure out the sequence of events, or have to turn back to passages they have already read to try and decipher what is happening and when, it will make it challenging for them to immerse themselves in your story.

Inconsistencies

Inconsistencies are also distracting to the reader and will make it difficult for them to stay focused on the plot. If your reader was wearing glasses in one scene and then you talk about their 20/20 vision in another, this won’t sit right with the reader and can break them out of that beautiful world you have created.

So what can you do to ensure your story flows well?

Keep the reader in mind

Read your work aloud

Cut any redundant passages/words

Be eagled eyed for inconsistencies, grammar and spelling errors.

Paying attention to the flow and motion of your stories is essential. Use the tips above to make sure your writing moves forward smoothly and carries your reader effortlessly along with it.

Bethany Cadman

Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post How To Make Your Story Flow appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Unusual Ways To Get People To Read Your Writing

Getting people to read your book can be a considerable challenge. Here are some useful ways to get more people interested in your writing.

Use social media

OK so we know that social media isn’t an unusual tip, but it really depends on how you use it. You are an author; you are creative. You don’t have to promote your book traditionally. Instead, think of smart, strategic ways to get more followers or grab people’s attention - then promote your book as an aside to that.

Make a book trailer

Create a trailer for your book to tell the story visually and make it appeal to a mass audience. Your book trailer will give potential readers an insight into what the book is about and get them excited and intrigued to read it - make sure you include a link to your book at the end.

Ask people to send pictures of them with your book

People love getting involved and feeling as though they are connected to the author, so reach out to your fans and ask them to take pictures of themselves with your book in unusual locations. Put these on your website - something fun like this will make your book seem more popular and could catch on to boost sales.

Create a competition

Everyone loves a good competition, so try to think outside the box and create a contest to get potential readers interested in your work and excited about reading your book.

Give a talk about it

Getting out there and meeting potential readers is the best way to market and promote your book. Think about its themes, what could you give a talk on that is relative? If that doesn’t work then set up book readings at local venues to promote your book.

Tap into book groups

Book groups are a great way to get more people to read your book. Find book groups either locally or further afield and offer them copies of your book to read.

Sell it for charity

Set up a charity fundraiser and sell copies of your book, promising to give all or part of the funds raised from sales to a charity. If the charity links in with some of your book's themes - even better.

Get it translated

Book not selling in your home country? Why not try elsewhere? Get your book translated into different languages and you could find yourself a celebrated and famous author in a foreign country instead!

Include a gift

Everyone loves a freebie so why not include something cute like a free bookmark with every copy of your book to try to boost sales?

Get video testimonials

People are more motivated to buy something if they trust that it is a quality product so make sure you get as many positive reviews and testimonials as you can. Make YouTube videos reading out what people have to say to capture a different kind of audiences attention.

Join discussion forums

If your book has particular themes, then find places online where people are having relevant conversations. Join them, and you can promote your book to an audience that's already invested in your work.

Keep it local

Take your book along to craft fairs and markets, even jumble sales! You might not sell thousands of copies at once, but if you start small, you never know how big it could go.

By following the above tips you can get more people to read your writing - so why not give them a go?

Bethany Cadman - Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post Unusual Ways To Get People To Read Your Writing appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Be A Successful Self-Published Author

Becoming a successful self-published author is possible. It takes time, effort and strategic planning, but if you are willing to dedicate yourself to your self-published book’s success, there is no reason why it can’t happen for you.

Here’s how.

Be sure that self-publishing is the right way to go.

Being an indie author is no picnic. Before you assume self-publishing is the way forward, really research and understand the process, and what you need to do to make it happen. Asking yourself how much time you can dedicate to the process and how much you are willing to learn and take on board are both critical questions to consider before you press ‘publish.’

Decide how much you need/want to earn

Self-publishing, if done well, can be way more lucrative than the traditional model.

The money available to self-published authors is enormous, and if you treat your book like a business and yourself as a brand, you can come up with proper, workable strategies to sell more books.

If you are happy to treat your book's sales as a pleasant side income, then that’s OK too. The point is you need to be clear with yourself about what your goals are so you can then figure out how to reach them. It’s a good idea to think about your writing going forward also. Self-published authors don’t just stop at one book. So can you afford and do you have the time to write, say, 1000 words a day? If you do you could finish around five books a year! The more you write, the more you have to sell and the more potential your business has for profit.

Write books that people want to read

Sounds simple right? A no-brainer? The point is that most writers don’t really honestly consider what their reader is looking for. They write THEIR story because they are so passionate and desperate to have it heard. If you are honest with yourself, however, can you be sure that there is an audience out there clamoring to read it? Probably not. If you want to be a successful self-publishing author you need to look at what people are reading, trends in the market, and so on. Then do your research, learn about the genre, follow the rules and the formulas and you can produce something that already has an audience ready and waiting to read it.

Gather your fans

To be successful, you need to gather readers. You need to find ways to get people excited about your book before it even hits the shelves. Do this by building an email list, getting active on social media, having a great author website. All of this takes time and preparation and needs to be done well in advance of publishing your novel.

Never stop

Once you’ve published your novel, you need to keep working on it. Promote it continually, keep researching where you could tap into new audiences, and most importantly, keep writing too! A real writer’s job is never finished, there is always more you can do - so work tirelessly and don’t stop until you are achieving the kind of success you always dreamed of!

Bethany Cadman - Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post How To Be A Successful Self-Published Author appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Is Being Published All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Most amateur writers have a common dream, and that’s to see their work in print. There is nothing more exciting than when all your hard work finally pays off, and you hold an actual physical book, your book, in your hands.

Nowadays there are many different forms of publishing. The great news is that everyone who writes a book can experience that magical feeling of holding a copy of their book in their hands. Of course, you might have to pay for the privilege, but it’s a great feeling nonetheless.

Still, once your book is published and out there in the world for everyone to read, what happens next? It’s easy to fantasize that your book will be read by the masses, get on the bestseller lists and we’ll be recognized and celebrated for your hard work as well as earn a pretty penny for you as well.

Unfortunately, that is rarely the case, and often it is only after publishing that the real hard work begins. So is being published all it’s cracked up to be? Let’s look at some of the facts.

OK so let’s start with the most significant positive. Being published, however you achieve it, is just that, a massive, incredible, fantastic achievement. Taking time to step back and really truly celebrate what you have accomplished is so essential. Before you start getting bogged down in sales numbers and agonizing over reviews you need to give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.

However many writers don’t feel successful if their book doesn’t sell. Now, how many copies does it take for an author to feel successful? It all depends on the individual. You set your own expectations. Some writers might be happy if only all their family and close friends buy and read their book, others might never feel satisfied until their book reaches number one on the bestseller lists. The point is that every writer has a number, a goal that they want to reach, and getting there can be harder than one thought.

Next, we must remember that nowadays both traditionally published and self-published authors have to take on the responsibility of being so much more than just a writer. The skills required of the modern-day author are diverse and numerous. You need to be able and willing to get stuck into all aspects of marketing your book. That means getting involved in social media, no matter how much you might despise or be confused by it, and get out there and meet people. Being published is not just about your book, it’s like setting up a whole business, a brand. You are the face of that brand, and if you want to gather loyal customers and sell your product, you need to be willing to become the salesperson and learn how to employ clever tactics to make the best of your business.

Finally, let’s look at the money side of things. We are often so absorbed with writing, editing and getting our books to a publishable standard we don’t think about how much it has actually cost us. Self-published authors have to have some capital behind them to have their books professionally edited, and a cover designed, while traditionally published authors have to negotiate a fee. Either way, you might find that you aren’t quite raking in the riches as you expected, and if you want to earn a living you need to work hard at selling your book, and keep writing too!

Most published authors would agree, that while being successful, rich and famous is a possibility, it’s not a good reason to go into the craft. Write for the love of it, and remember that finishing a book is a truly admirable achievement, what happens next is up to you!

Bethany Cadman - Author of Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers

The post Is Being Published All It’s Cracked Up To Be? appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Can You Write A Book While Working Full Time?

So many of us have a dream to complete a novel, we have this great idea for a story in our heads, and desperately want to write it down and share it with the world.

However, the practicalities of writing a novel mean that for many, their dream never becomes a reality.

Writing a novel takes enormous amounts of dedication, and the time and energy a person needs to be able to dedicate to their novel writing makes it difficult to fit it in around their already busy lives.

Many would-be writers believe that they if only they were able to quit their job and write they could get that novel written, but doing so while also working full time seems like an impossible task.

However, it can be done!

Here are some helpful strategies to help you find more time to write and get your first novel down - even while working full time.

Find out when you are most productive

Some people can set their alarms an hour earlier and find that first thing in the morning they are full of energy to write. Others can barely open their eyes to get up in time for work as it is. That’s OK - perhaps you can go to bed an hour later instead. Already exhausted? What about break times, commuting time, or over lunch? Your life may seem pretty full already, but finding a time that works around your schedule and where you can be productive is possible - it’s all about experimenting and then making that part of your routine. It may be that you don’t get the luxury of writing when you want to, but the point is that you can find time to write if you are truly determined to do so.

Get your loved ones on board

It would be great to have a dedicated writing room and peace to get our thoughts organized and let our creative juices flow. But the reality is that might not be possible.

Still, you can get those you live with to support you and give you space and time to write after work. If you’ve got kids, you need to provide them with attention when you get back from work, and you need to have quality time with your partner too. So make sure you get home and do just that, but then, after dinner, after conversations, when everyone else has settled down to watch TV or d homework or whatever, you claim that time as your own. Even if it’s just an hour, you’ll be amazed at what you can get done if your loved ones are all on board and know that’s the time you need to yourself to be productive.

Give some stuff up

If you really can’t find time in your schedule to write, you need to evaluate what is more important to you. Are there things that you could give up to give yourself time to write? Making sacrifices like this may not be easy, but you’ll find it so rewarding when you start to realize your dream.

Truly dedicate yourself

It’s so easy to make excuses, and they may well be valid ones. But if writing a book is important to you it needs to become a priority. If you push yourself and make a proper commitment to writing, anything is possible. You might think you are working as hard as you can, but if you are truly honest with yourself, there is probably something you could do to become more effective, more efficient and push yourself even further than you thought possible.

Don’t compare yourself to others

At the end of the day, if you want to write a book while working full time you naturally can’t expect to keep up with those writers who can spend the entire day working at their craft, so keep things in perspective and understand that while it may take you longer to get there, the destination is still the same, and will feel just as good when you arrive.

Do you work and write at the same time? Share your experiences and let us know how you make it work!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Can You Write A Book While Working Full Time? appeared first on Writer's Life.org.