Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 80

Outdoor Activities To Boost Your Writing Skills

Now that the weather is warming up and summer is around the corner it’s no fun being stuck indoors while struggling to get your work done.

Writing offers fantastic flexibility - you are your own boss, can set your own hours (and can work in your pyjamas without anyone judging you). However, it can be easy to get so into your writing that you look up, it’s 72 hours later, and you realise you haven’t left the house or spoken to another soul in days.

So instead of spending all your writing time hunched desperately over a computer trying to make the words come out, why not get outside into the fresh air and sunshine while still being productive and creative at the same time?

Here are some great outdoor activities you can do to boost your writing skills:

People watching

Getting out and about provides you with lots of people watching opportunities. Find a sunny, bustling spot and observe all the people from different walks of life who pass you by. Watching the way people move, how they dress, how they interact as well as listening in on conversations can provide you with loads of great material for your characters and story.

Country walks

Immersing yourself in nature can be truly inspiring. While the weather is favourable get out into the countryside, find some beautiful places to take a stroll and remember to bring your notebook with you so you can observe all the sights, sounds and smells while you go.

Exercise

Getting outside and moving around is great for your physical and mental health. A brisk walk, a jog, an outdoor gym, playing a team sport outside - whatever it is if you get out there and get fit, burn off some steam and de-stress you are likely to return to your desk feeling re-energised, refreshed and in a positive mindset. This will help you be more focused and productive when you get back to work.

An open top bus ride

If you’ve set your book in a particular place what better way to familiarise yourself with it then being a tourist for the day? Grab a notebook and head on a city tour on an open top bus where you can enjoy the benefits of being outside while getting familiarised with all the most important landmarks. Even if you haven’t set your story in a particular place, an open top bus provides a great spot to observe the ever-changing landscape of a city.

Working outdoors

The great thing about having a laptop is you can work just about anywhere. So next time the sun decides to make an appearance why not grab yours and head to the nearest outdoor cafe, park or even your own back garden to catch some rays while still sticking to your working hours?

So next time you are looking sadly at the bright sunshine outside while feeling you need to stay at your desk, remember you can enjoy the warmer weather, go outside and feel great while still being productive at the same time. So what are you waiting for? Grab your notebook, some sunscreen and get out there!

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

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How To Choose A Theme For Your Author Blog

An excellent author blog needs to have a theme. A theme will pull together your blog posts, your musings and ideas and give them some consistency.

Successful blogs all have themes, cooking, travel, fashion and so on. Just because your blog has the sole purpose of attracting more readers and directing them towards your other writing, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put in the same amount of thought and effort as those who blog for blogging's sake!

Writers need to make connections with their readers, and an author blog is a great way of doing this. Of course, setting up and keeping a blog going is easier said than done and many writers, despite their profession, find it difficult to know what to blog about.

An author can blog about anything, but it is essential that there is an overarching theme pulling everything together.

Why? Because readers know what they like to read and if your posts are all over the place and on entirely different topics week to week they won't know where they stand. Posts written in different styles and that have no connection to one another will confuse the reader who stumbles upon your blog and loves it, only to be disappointed by your next post. If this happens, the likelihood is they won’t bother returning to read anymore.

First of all we must remember how important it is to blog. A good author blog can be a potent tool. Even if you aren’t trying to reach a traditional publisher, your blog can be a formidable platform from which to capture new readers and a great place to direct interested parties so they can get to know your writing and understand you better too.

The most important thing to remember when picking a theme is that if you intend to keep your blog going for a significant period your theme needs to be something that has legs. You need to be able to write a whole bunch of content under this theme so going too niche or specific could be dangerous.

Secondly you need to be able to enjoy writing blog posts for your author blog. So choose a theme that genuinely excites you and gives you lots of scope to write about what you want.

Your blog is a showcase for your writing, so the first place to look when choosing the theme is what your writing is about. This is much easier for nonfiction writers who may be able to choose a theme based on topics from their nonfiction work.

For a writer of fiction is is trickier. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t pull in interests from outside your writing life into your blog to ensure you remain passionate about it. If you also love gardening, for example, think about ways you can use your knowledge, experience and love of gardening to create entertaining blog posts.

Get creative and don’t be afraid to experiment with different themes before deciding on one. Remember you are a writer and creativity is your weapon and is what will draw readers to you - so use your imagination and try to be as unique and smart as possible. If your blog has a USP, you are more likely to draw readers in.

At the end of the day, you need to love writing your blog posts. If you don’t the likelihood is that you’ll give up or do it so half-heartedly that it will never be a success. So when picking your theme, make sure that you’ve considered this above all else, because if you love what you are doing, you can’t go too far wrong!

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

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10 Ways To Get Motivated

We all have times where we just can’t seem to get motivated. Feeling demotivated can have a devastating impact on your work, and can leave you in a slump where you feel uninspired, stressed out and down on yourself. This can end up in a vicious cycle where the more you beat yourself up, and the less time you spend writing, and the less motivated you feel!

Here are ten ways to break that cycle and get back on track:

Join a writing group

There is nothing like bouncing your ideas around and getting feedback from others to kickstart your writing, and a writing group is a perfect place to do so! Joining a writing group can provide you with invaluable support from like-minded people who will help you reach your writing goals.

Do some exercise

Exercise can work wonders when it comes to clearing your head, giving you energy and relieving stress. So if you are struggling to write why not close that laptop and get out there into the great outdoors, get that heart pumping, breathe some fresh air and return feeling energized and inspired?

Read a book

Sometimes the best way to find motivation is to seek it from others. Reading brilliant books can help writers remember how glorious a craft it is, and find new ideas for their own stories to get them back in the writing game pronto!

Go to the cinema

It is many a writer’s dream to write a book that gets turned into a major blockbuster, so why not take a trip to the movies to see how it’s done? Watching how the story plays out on film can help inspire you to write a story that you know would translate well this way too.

Write a short story

Sometimes writing a novel can feel too overwhelming and that’s what gets us into a writing slump in the first place. So why not give yourself a break and start small instead? Write a short story and get the satisfaction of completing something from start to finish. This then might make you feel more ready to take on the next, more significant piece of work.

Have a brainstorming session

Instead of staring at a blank page desperately trying to get the words to come out, try some writing exercises to loosen you up instead. A brainstorming session where you just relax your mind and let all your ideas come out can be a great way to find some little gems that will motivate you to get writing once more.

Create a character questionnaire

Getting to know your characters better can be a great motivator so why not create a character questionnaire and interview them one by one to find those hidden depths and layers you need to make your characters stand out?

Get organized

Feeling cluttered and disorganized can be a massive blocker when it comes to creativity flowing. So organize your research, write some chapter outlines, pull your ideas together and make a plan with a timeframe in mind too. Doing this will make you feel so much more on top of things and ready to get started with a clear head.

Tidy up

The same goes for organizing your physical space. Wherever you write should be clear and clutter free, so before you try and write make sure you do a tidy up and a clear out, so you feel calm and ready to get those words on paper.

Have a writing ‘day’

Sometimes it can be challenging to find the time to write; a writing day could help you get motivated once more. So why not set aside some time where you can clear your schedule, and all you have to do is write? Then you can make some serious headway and will feel motivated and inspired once more.

These ten ways to get motivated will help you to keep the writing process fresh and exciting, maintain focus and reduce procrastination. So next time you feel as though you need a bit of a motivational boost, why not give these methods a try?

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

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How To Feel Successful As A Writer

One of the most significant problems many writers face is finding ways to feel successful. Writing is not easy, and the time, energy and effort we put into our writing has to feel worth it, otherwise what’s the point?

While initially success to a writer may be something tangible and obvious such as getting their novel published, on a day to day level we writers need to find other ways to feel successful, to feel as though we are heading in the right direction.

Here are some tips to help you feel successful as a writer:

Write every day

Writing each day will help keep your focus and also make the writing process so much easier. By writing each day, you’ll keep the momentum going and feel as though you are inching ever closer towards where you want to be.

Stick to your goals

Writing is all about creating achievable but challenging goals, giving yourself deadlines and then working hard to stick to them. By having these milestones in place, every time you reach one you’ll feel that sense of pride and delight that comes with success - which will spur you on to keep achieving more.

Keep sending things off

If being published is your primary goal, you need to send your work off continually. Otherwise, no one is ever going to see it! Be strategic and do your research, but always have something in the pipeline so you know that there is still that chance that you might get the 'yes' you are hoping for.

Keep learning

Writing is a massive learning process. The more you practice and the more open you are to learning more the more likely you will improve. If you know you are getting better; if you know you are perfecting your craft, you can’t help but feel successful because you are always improving.

Accept struggles and accept criticism

Nothing worth having comes easy. When you face obstacles in your writing journey, work hard to overcome them, but don’t beat yourself up that they happened in the first place. Writing can feel like an uphill struggle sometimes, and you will undoubtedly receive criticism and rejections that set you back. The sooner you get over these, and the better equipped you are at handling them, the more successful you will feel.

Focus on the positives and never give up

When you are feeling down, beating yourself up or doubting your success as a writer, try to stay positive instead. The more positive your mindset, the better you’ll feel. Being down on yourself isn’t going to help you get to where you want to be. So hold your head up high, take pride in the fact that you are following your dreams and know that as long as you keep trying, you are a success.

By following the above tips, you can find ways to feel satisfied, confident and successful. It’s not all about getting published or becoming popular; success can come from within!

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

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The Best Places For People Watching In Summer

While you might not be basing the characters in your novel on real people, they still have to be realistic. Your readers need to relate to your characters, to connect with them, to empathise with them, even to fall in love with them.

Above all else, however, they need to believe in them. Characters that aren’t believable are impossible to understand and will leave your readers unable to enjoy your story.

There are many ways an author can practice and perfect the art of writing great characters, and one of them is just by sitting back and observing.

People watching can be a fantastic way to come across people from all walks of life, and writers can simply look and listen. Watch the way they move their bodies, look at how they dress, how they carry themselves, observe any strange quirks or ticks they might have, listen to how they react to certain situations and quietly overhear their conversations to understand how they talk and interact with one another.

Imagine if you like that you are on a safari, merely observing creatures in their natural habitats going about their business. You can learn a lot from just watching and listening; you may even happen upon someone who inspires you to make them the protagonist in your next story!

Now that summer is upon us, people have emerged from hiding, and so it’s the perfect time to get out and about with your eyes and ears open and do some serious people watching. Here are some excellent places to try.

Art galleries and museums

Art galleries and museums are fantastic spots to find people from all walks of life. In an art gallery, you might find wistful students, bustling school trips, tourists, art lovers, and people who have just wandered in on a whim. Watching how people behave in such a setting can also reveal a lot about them so make sure you take a notebook with you and write down anything about anyone who catches your eye.

Cafes

Of course, parking yourself in a cafe is an ideal way to spend some time. You can people watch to your heart's content, have your laptop ready to go, and there is unlimited coffee too! Find a sunny spot and watch the people that come and go, a few hours in a cafe and you’ll come into contact with so many different people you are sure to find some that inspire you.

Parks

If you want to remember why being a writer is the best, head to the park for the day while you can soak up some sun as well as do your research at the same time! From the homeless guy slumped on a park bench to the young couple entwined in one another arms to the laughing family enjoying a picnic you can find a huge number of different people to observe here and enjoy the fresh air and lovely scenery while you are at it!

Train stations

The hustle and bustle of train station can be a perfect people watching venue. Just sit on a seat and watch. You’ll no doubt observe a whole range of emotions here too - people stressed out and running to catch their trains, people laughing and giddy who are going somewhere exciting and new. Taking a trip on a train is also great for ‘accidentally’ overhearing conversations from people you think might be interesting.

Anywhere your character might go

Of course, the best way to people watch is to think about the places that your character might go. Why not have a day in the life of your character and do what they would do, trying to see the world through their eyes? Going to the places your character would go to - seedy bars, trendy nightclubs, secluded woodlands - wherever it may be will help you observe those tiny details that make your settings and your characters come alive on the page.

Doing thorough research is all part of the writing process, and people watching is part of that. So now that the weather is beautiful use this time to get out and about and see whether you can find people to inspire your characters and make your book richer and better because of it.

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

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5 Topics For Your Author Blog

Finding good topics for your author blog can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. A great blog can be an excellent platform for authors to find new fans and generate interest in their work, but you need to continue to produce fun, engaging, insightful and entertaining posts to encourage readers to keep coming back for more.

You can write about anything you want to in your author blog, but it’s good to remember that people will be interested in finding out more about your characters, your work and you as a writer. If you can create posts that cover these topics your readers will feel as though they know you and your writing better, and that’s what will hopefully motivate them to buy your book!

So what are some great topics to write about? Here are 5 to get you started!

Where you find your inspiration

What inspires an author is fascinating to both fellow writers and non-writers alike. For those who can’t imagine writing a book themselves, it’s so interesting to hear where a person might find the inspiration and motivation to come up with their stories, and for your writing comrades it’s great to get some tips if they are feeling a little creatively uninspired.

How you do your research

A well-researched book is going to be all the better for it! Share with your readers and fellow writers how you begin to research your book. What methods do you use? How do you organise it? If you come across anything particularly interesting, an unusual fact, for example, share this with your readers too!

Character interviews

There is no much you can do with your characters. Why not interview them individually as if they were famous so your readers can get to know them? If they have any unique hobbies, talents or interests, you could write a separate blog on this topic, for example, ‘how to bake the perfect pie by [insert character name here]'. Also if your characters face particular struggles, you can share how they overcome them in separate posts.

Create polls

Polls and votes are a great way to get your readers interacting with your work. Get them to vote on anything, character names, the outcome of a particular storyline, your new book cover and so on. This is not only brilliant free market research for you, but will get readers talking and thinking about your book which will make them more invested.

Your writing ritual

Many writers have various routines and rituals that they like to undertake when starting the writing process. Do you have any weird and wonderful habits that you can turn into an entertaining blog post to share with your readers? Talk about your writing process, what you need to get started, and your writing space so they have a little insight into how and where the magic happens!

These five topics work for any author blog, so if you are stuck for ideas why not create these posts and hopefully they’ll inspire you to write even more.

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

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How To Set Goals You Achieve

Everyone knows they should set goals. Most people set goals on January 1st only never to follow through with them three weeks later. Why does this happen? It happens because people set outlandish goals for themselves only to give up on them. It’s great to want to set big goals for yourself but if you can never accomplish them, what’s the point in it?

When you set goals for yourself, you’ll want to set goals for yourself that are manageable. If you’ve never made more than $50,000 in your life and you want to make $1,000,0000, while it could happen it’s just not plausible. You can have the work ethic of a millionaire but it will wear off after a week. Instead, set a goal of making $60,000 or $75,000 for yourself. The next year you can set a goal of making $100,000 for yourself. You’re making incremental goals for yourself instead of goals that will turn you away after a few weeks.

No matter what goals you set for yourself, always make sure they are goals that are achievable within a given period. It is possible to become a millionaire but it shouldn’t be to become a millionaire or bust. You can live a nice life making $75,000 per year.

With your goals why do you want to achieve them? You need to have a purpose behind your goals or they will never get achieved. With a purpose behind your goals, you will have a reason to achieve them. If there’s no reason behind achieving your goals, why would you want to accomplish them?

When you go to set new goals for yourself, whether it’s at the start of the new year or the start of a new week, always make sure your goals are manageable to achieve and that you have a purpose behind them!

 Trevor Oldham

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How To Stay On Track During The Warmer Months

With the weather getting warmer and warmer, it can be easy to get off track as your focus tends to be geared towards getting outside. While it can be difficult to focus, it need not continue that way. It’s possible to be focused on your work and also enjoy the sunshine.

Instead of planning activities outdoors during working hours why don’t you work outside! This will allow you to enjoy the sun while also allowing you to get your work done.

Try getting up earlier in the day. When you get up earlier in the day, you can end your day earlier as well. Instead of working the typical 9 to 5, work 8 to 4 or even 7 to 3, do what you feel comfortable with. With spending time outside you don’t want to waste working hours where you could be productive. The goal is to be productive while also enjoying the warmer weather.

Set goals for yourself each day. Set 5 to 10 big goals for yourself during the week. When you accomplish these goals, you get the rest of the week off! If you set a goal to write 10,000 words for your book and you get it done by Thursday morning, then you can stop working again until Monday! You don’t want to deprive yourself of the summer sun.

The last step towards staying on track during the warmer months is to plan activities for yourself each weekend. It’s easy to want to stop working and go outside, yet this isn’t possible if you want to be productive. Plan outdoor activities for yourself each weekend. These are activities that will allow you to push yourself through the week and allow you to take the weekend in stride!

No one said it would be easy getting work done during the summer months, but it’s entirely possible if you follow the steps addressed above!

 

 Trevor Oldham

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How To Stop Your Blog Becoming Boring

We all know that a great author blog can do wonders when it comes to boosting your profile as an author. But just because we love to write books doesn’t mean that writing blog posts will come naturally to us.

Writing and maintaining an impressive blog is hard work, and for many writers, it can be difficult trying to come up with fresh and exciting new material for their blog posts as well as trying to concentrate on their book.

However, if writers can juggle the two the rewards can be invaluable. However, a boring blog can do your career worse damage than not writing one at all! So how do you make sure that your blog posts remain fresh and interesting and say something your readers want to hear?

Let’s first discuss what makes blog posts boring in the first place.

All facts but no story. People live facts, facts are fascinating after all, but a list of cold hard facts will leave your readers disengaged. Be playful, have a build up, tell a story to deliver the most significant impact.

Too egocentric

If your blog post is all about you, it will quickly bore your readers to tears. We’re not saying you aren't super interesting, but you need to mix posts about the things you are up to with more observational or helpful pieces. Otherwise, you’ll turn your readers off.

No personality

Saying that, don’t be afraid t reveal your personality through your posts. Share your opinions and show who you are. A blog without personality doesn’t allow readers to connect with the voice behind the posts, and they'll want to get to know you, so let them in.

No impact

Don’t write about nothing, actually consider what will make an impact, what will get readers to sit up and take notice. Create a buzz, stir people into action. Make your blog count for something; you'll find it so much more fun to write if you do.

Misjudging your audience

What some people may find boring others may find fascinating, so it’s crucial that you figure out who your target audience is and then go on to work at creating blog posts that are interesting for them. Your blog posts don’t have to be universally fascinating, but if you don’t work out who they are for, chances are they’ll fall on deaf ears.

So how can you make sure you never write a boring post again?

If you can be funny, be funny. There is nothing quite as appealing as making someone laugh. You don’t have to stuff your blog posts with knock knock jokes but try to inject some wit, some humour, some sarcasm in there and you’ll soon find readers clamouring you for more.

Keeping them hooked until the end. It's all well and good having a punchy headline and smart opening paragraph, but if your post is all style and no substance your readers will call you out. Make sure you give your readers reasons to read it right the way through. The end is where you’ll encourage them to like or share your post, so they need to get there if it’s going to make an impact.

Be emotive. We’re not saying readers need to finish reading your blog post in floods of tears, but trying to conjure up a picture and play on their emotions is a good thing. Make it personal, tell a story, make sure you are at least trying to be affecting, to make a difference. Make sure you seduce your reader, flatter them, lure them in, make them buy into what you have to say for the long term, so they keep coming back for more.

So there you have it, some quick tips to ensure you never write a dull post again!

How do you come up with new material for your author blogs? Share your ideas with us here!

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

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The Importance Of The Point Of View

One of the most critical decisions any writer has to make is whose point of view they are going to tell their story from. The whole relationship between the writer and their story is set when they make this decision.

The viewpoint from which a writer tells a story determines its whole outlook, and each perspective comes with its own devices that can give writers great freedom, but also limit them too.

So how does one decide which point of view to use? Let's take a look at some of the different types.

First person singular. The first person singular point of view gives writers an opportunity to make the story genuinely personal.

The readers will follow the story through a single characters eyes; this can make them feel very bonded to that character and allows the scope to play with the intimacy between reader and character as well as create a sense of immediacy which can help to keep the story moving along.

However, this viewpoint means that only one side of the story is told. The narrator's knowledge of events and the way they see the world is the only opportunity for readers to get what is going on. If the novel has a large cast of other interesting characters, it may be challenging to get readers to have the same connection or identify with them.

Third person limited

Third-person limited tells the story from only one person’s perspective but as if the reader was following them around and observing.

This point of view allows readers to gain a slightly broader perspective while still being permitted to understand the characters innermost thoughts and feelings without being bound to their particular opinions.

This perspective allows the writer to prove the protagonist wrong or reveal biases that the character does not even know that they have. The writer maintains control and authority while still being able to tell the story of one particular individual that the readers follow throughout.

Third person omniscient

Using this viewpoint means that many different characters perspectives are explored. This allows the reader to see many different sides of the story, and to get to know a whole cast of characters on a more intimate level.

However, employing this perspective can mean that the reader has to work harder to make sure they know whose viewpoint they see things from, and if there are too many characters and perspective switches too regularly, it is possible they could become confused, frustrated and unable to follow the story any longer.

Of course, writers are perfectly entitled to choose whichever perspective they wish, and may even want to mix in two or three different views in their story (though be warned this could confuse your reader if not done well). Whatever you chose, it is worth giving some time and consideration to point of view, and experimenting with it to find the best way to tell your story just as it should be told.

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

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