Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 81

Perfect Vacations For Writers

Sometimes we all need to get away from it all, and finding the perfect destination to inspire you as a writer can mean that you return with renewed energy and passion for your writing.

While some people love to use their vacation time to spend serious hours getting more of their manuscript finished and so want somewhere quiet and calm with no distractions, others prefer to use holiday time to explore new places, try new things and have new adventures that will give them more material for their work.

Now that summer is nearly upon us; many writers are no doubt beginning to plot their next vacation. Here are some tips and ideas to try and find the perfect destination to boost your writing.

Take a cruise

A cruise could be the ideal destination for writers. Not only are there plenty of places to relax and unwind, but you are also bound to meet lots of different characters to inspire you too. Cruises are the perfect places to people watch while soaking up the sunshine and visiting some pretty awesome places at the same time.

Go too far-flung places

Far-flung places are not only exciting because you’ll hopefully immerse yourself in different cultures and landscapes but they also give you plenty of uninterrupted writing time on your flight (or however you chose to get there). Getting a good chunk of work done before you go on holiday can give you the permission you need to truly relax, and the journey back can be spent going through all your notes and pictures and coming up with new stories to write about when you get home.

Head off the beaten track

Nature can be pretty inspiring, and heading somewhere genuinely breathtaking where it’s just you and your thoughts and the beauty of nature can be the perfect place to allow you to find new inspiration, peace and quiet, as well as get some serious words down on paper!

Go somewhere that tests your limits

We all have places that we’d like to visit but seem a little daunting, it could be you want to do a challenge like a famous walking trail or mountain, or perhaps you’ve never travelled solo, and the idea of going somewhere alone frightens you a little. Getting out of your comfort zone and going to places that push you to your limits, that scare you and where you'll be forced into situations that you may find daunting or that take you out of your comfort zone could be the ideal way to meet new people and have experiences you would not have otherwise had.

So next time you are plotting a vacation, why not think about somewhere that will not only give you a fantastic and memorable experience but will also help you with your writing too? That way you can come back, refreshed and relaxed, or pumped and exhilarated, but either way ready to put pen to paper and get that book finished!

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

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Fight For Your Right To Write

Let’s face it. Sometimes writing is a struggle. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is against you, that it is full of people putting you down, of people telling you that you are not good enough.

Writing is a highly competitive world full of uncertainty, rejection and evidence that it’s practically impossible to get noticed or to make your stamp, even in a modest way. Writing is hard; it takes a lot of effort, it takes study and practice. It’s an emotional struggle, it’s tiring, frustrating and can be an utterly thankless task.

Yet we still do it.

Sometimes you’ve got to fight for your right to write because the writing journey is littered with obstacles that you have to overcome.

Let’s look at some of the most common battles you might find yourself up against when you write.

Yourself

Writers can often be the very most significant obstacle to their own success. Self-doubt can infiltrate every part of the writing process, causing all sorts of mayhem. From writer's block, procrastination and self-sabotage to writers envy and becoming such a perfectionist that you are unable to let your manuscript go; it can be a constant battle against your own inner demons to keep writing and get your work to the point where you can share it with the world.

Your Critics

Every writer that has been brave enough to put themselves out there will have faced their share of criticism. Whether that comes in the form of a rejection letter or email, a bad review or simply someone saying something less than positive or encouraging before you’ve got your manuscript finished, your critics can be tough to overcome.

The Writing World

The way the writing world is set up isn’t exactly friendly to the very people it’s supposed to be for. The competition makes it virtually impossible to land a traditional publishing deal or to get your work noticed if you choose to self-publish. There are so many stories out there it’s hard to be original, and no longer is it just about being a talented writer, you have to be a savvy marketer and competent social media manipulator too.

Getting over the numerous obstacles that litter a writers path to success can be tricky, and that's why many would-be writers just find it too difficult to continue. If you do manage to keep writing, to keep going into battle in spite of everything you should be proud of yourself. So why not celebrate your bravery? All writers should rejoice in the fact that they are following their dreams, that they are fighting for their right to be heard, to have their say, and to get your stories out there in the world.

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

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Why You Need To Start Embracing The Journey

It’s easy to get caught up in the allure of success, especially with social media. You go online and everywhere you look, someone is successful. It can become intimidating, but more than that you start to crave success without realizing the process of what it takes to become successful. Remember, no one ever said that becoming successful was going to be easy. Success is a journey, not a sprint.

You can continue to wish for it overnight and if you get it, it’s not going to be sustained. You can look at the people who win the lottery, and the majority of them go broke because they didn’t work for their success. When you achieve success, it’s going to be because you put in the hard work and that it wasn’t given to you. Hard work means to grind it out day in and day out for many years. Most overnight successes are the cultivation of work over ten years.

Start to embrace the journey. The quicker you realize success doesn’t come easy, the quicker you can get back to the grind. It’s not easy nor will it ever be. I don’t want you thinking that success is a cakewalk when it’s the complete opposite. Look at anyone who has become successful in business or in writing, they didn’t become successful right away. Experience patience and trust the process.

Each day you wake up, make sure you’re further ahead than you were the day before. Success is doing the little thing each day that’ll help you get to where you want to go. Success isn’t going to be sexy. It’s doing the thing you don’t want to do. Take in the journey for everything that it’s worth. Don’t rush the process because everything you want to happen will happen in time if you keep at it!

 Trevor Oldham

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How To Bounce Back From Failure

At one point in your life, it’s inevitable you will encounter a failure. Some people let failure define the rest of their life. I don’t want to see you become someone who lets failure get in the way of achieving your desired success. Too many people let one failure stop them from continuing on. I want you to understand that everyone who has ever become successful has had to endure failure at some point in their life and you will be no different.

Accept failure for everything that it is. You can look at failure and think you’re a failure or you can look at failure and realize you can learn from it and improve upon yourself. Think back to your first relationship, wouldn’t you have called it a failure? But you took what you learned into the next relationship. Succeeding in life is learning as much from your failures and adapting.

Now that you’ve experienced your first failure in life, it’s time you learn how to bounce back from it. You’ll want to write everything that caused your failure and make sure you don’t hold yourself back. Once you have your list written, go back through and think to yourself where you could’ve improved. You’ll want to know where you failed so you can make sure that it never happens again.

After you’ve learned from your initial failure, it’s time you start to put yourself back out there. You’ll never succeed if you keep getting hung up on your past failures. What’s in the past is in the past and you can only learn from it. Don’t hold onto your failures for too long because it will become your identity and that’s not what we want to see. Start working on your next business or your next book, implement the areas where you previously had failed. It’s only a matter of time before you succeed!

 Trevor Oldham

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Why Comparing Yourself To Others Is Pointless

It’s so easy for writers to get caught up in comparing themselves to others. They read something that is so good they feel it’s impossible for them to reach the same standard. They hear of some previously unpublished author landing a six-figure book publishing deal and wonder if it will ever be them. They hear about that writer who self-published and their book took off and made millions and feel hopeless and jealous and wonder if they should even bother trying.

Comparing oneself to others is never a good idea, it’s unlikely to make you feel good about your writing. You are your own worst critic after all, and you aren’t likely to be able to rationally or objectively reason as to why so and so happened to that writer and it hasn’t happened for you.

Here’s why comparing yourself to others is pointless:

It won’t make you any better.

By all means, read as many brilliant books as you can get your hands on, but don’t finish that book and immediately burn your own manuscript in a fit of despair. Comparing yourself negatively to writers you love won’t make your writing any better. Instead, why not be inspired and influenced by them and just appreciate how much you enjoyed their work?

There’s no comparison between your final draft and a traditionally published novel.

Even if you have done all the right things, your final draft isn’t going to hold a candle to traditionally published books you find in a bookstore. Those books have had teams of professional people to edit, rewrite, shape, design and market them before they even hit the shelves. Your Word Document that you’ve read so many times your eyes bled just isn’t going to look very good in comparison, so don’t bother. It’s not fair to you or your work.

Your voice is entirely unique, and so it should be.

The beautiful thing about being a writer is that you have your own unique writing voice, your own particular way of looking at the world and expressing what you want to say. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Your book may not sound anything like that bestseller, but so what? That doesn’t mean it is not brilliant in its own right.

No one likes a copycat.

Next time you compare yourself to other writers, ask yourself this: What are you going to do about it? Either you can try and imitate them, or you can just accept that every writer is different and has their own story to tell and way of telling it. If you try to do the former, you’ll end up just being a slightly worse version of someone else. Who wants to be that?

You only see their result, not their struggle

No matter how easily fame and fortune seem to come to others, the likelihood is that there was a lot of hard graft going on behind the scenes before they got to where they are. Sure there might be a lucky few for which success seems to land on their lap, but for the masses, it’s all about keeping your nose to the grindstone, so stop comparing yourself to others and get back to it.

It’s not your time…yet

If you find yourself getting disheartened to remember, your time could be right around the corner, but the only person that can make it happen is you. When it comes to writing you have to be your own biggest fan, so stop telling yourself you aren’t any good when compared to other writers, tell yourself you're just as good, or even better!

When it comes to writing the best thing to do is to focus on yourself, set your own goals and celebrate your successes. Comparing yourself to others will only distract you from what you need to do so don’t let what other people are doing get you off track, just keep concentrating on what you want - you’ll get there in the end.

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

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How To Write Blog Posts People Will Read

We all know how invaluable writing a blog can be. A blog is a fantastic platform from which you can showcase your work, reach out to new audiences and develop your fanbase.

A great blog gives readers insight into what your writing might be like as well as more of a picture as to what you are like as a writer. Keeping a regular blog keeps you writing (so you’ll never get rusty) and the best blogs can even make money too.

Of course, for many writers, the idea of writing a blog can seem daunting, and you understandably don’t want to go to all that time and effort to write one if no one is going to read what you’ve written.

So how do you write a blog post that will capture people’s attention, one that people will be able to find, and will go on to share with others?

Research your audience

Not everyone likes to read the same thing. So when you write a blog post, you need to think about who you are writing it for. Research your audience, then craft something you know they’ll have interest in. Knowing your audience will help when it comes to promoting your blog too.

Answer questions, entertain, provide value and solve problems

Good blogs are good because they are helpful. They teach people something; they answer questions they’ve been dying to know the answers to. They make them laugh or tell a story which captures their attention and imagination. When you write your blog put yourself in the position of the reader, what do they want to know? What would make them sit up and pay attention?

Say something different, or if you can’t, at least say it better

There is so much content out there, so if you are going to write a blog, you need to make yours stand out from the crowd. Spend time thinking about topics you’d like to cover, and how you could take an unusual slant on them, or write from a different point of view. If you can’t find a unique topic to write about, at least make your post the best post on that topic that there is!

Make it readable

If you want your blog post to be read by lots of people don’t show off by making it too smart. Avoid super complicated subjects where lots of prior knowledge is needed to understand what you are talking about. That’s not to say you shouldn’t make it fun and exciting, just don’t exclude or frustrate your readers by trying too hard. Simplicity is key.

Promotion

Once you have written and published your blog post, don’t just let it sit there. You need to tell people you’ve written it. Share it on social media, and consider boosting it via your social media channels too. Guest blogging is a great way to make a name for yourself and will expose you to ready-made audiences so find some well-established blogs that fit your style and cover the same sorts of themes and get in touch to see if you can blog for them.

Make it easy to share

Don’t forget to encourage your readers to share your posts, and make it easy for them to do so! If they’ve enjoyed it, they’ll be happy to promote it for you.

These tips will help you to craft engaging, exciting and unique blog posts that will be seen, read and shared. So next time you are writing a blog post follow the above to get the most out of it and make your hard work worthwhile.

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

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Are You Actually Getting Paid What You’re Worth?

If you ask most people if they feel like they are getting paid enough, the most common answer will be no. If you’re someone reading this article, you’re part of the majority who doesn’t think they are getting paid enough. You know you’re not getting paid what you’re worth, but how much longer will go knowing that? If you know you’re not getting paid what you’re worth, then it’s up to you to do something about it. No one will make more money for you, this is something you have to take up on your own.

If you’re working a job and you know you’re not getting paid enough, then it’s up to you to ask your boss for a raise. You shouldn’t be asking for a raise just because you want more money. You only deserve a raise if you’ve added more value to the company in the past couple of months.

If you have clients who you’ve worked with for a long time and you are both satisfied with the relationship, it’s time to ask for a raise. State your case on why you deserve more. You should never ask for more money if you have done nothing to warrant it.

People know they’ve added value and want more money but are still too scared to ask in the fear of getting rejected or even let go from their job. If you’ve been at the same job, and know you’ve been providing added value, then there is no way your boss can say no. The worst thing your boss can do is say no. No one will fire you because you’ve added value and are looking to be compensated. If your boss says no, you know where you stand in the company and can look for another job.

More people will take a job paying $50,000 than $100,000 because that’s the belief in themselves. Don’t let yourself be one of those people. Understand that you’re an amazing person who deserves more money than they’re currently getting paid!

 Trevor Oldham

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How To Kick Procrastination To The Curb

Procrastination is something each of us encounters in our life. It doesn’t matter if you’re old or you are young, procrastination can take your life away. It’s something that’s so subtle yet, can have a lasting impact on your life. You see, some people can procrastinate so much they forget to live their life or chase after their dreams. I don’t want you to be someone who looks up and your entire life has gone by. And I don’t think you want to be someone who lives with regrets.

Each day you wake, you will encounter procrastination. Do you tell yourself, just a few more minutes of sleep? If you’re like most people, you’re battling procrastination from the minute you wake up. It can be easy to give into the procrastinator’s mindset and go back to bed for five or ten minutes. What you’re doing is telling yourself that your work isn’t important enough. Over time, this habit of sleeping past your alarm clock can become habitual. Once it becomes habitual, it’s easy to procrastinate on everything else in your life.

You’ll want to sleep with your alarm clock across the room. As soon as it goes off, get up and turn it off. From there, drink a glass of cold water, go to the bathroom, and brush your teeth. You will find yourself slightly awake from this practice. From there, you will want to start your morning routine. Your morning routine will consist of meditation, journaling, yoga, and reading. Your total routine should be no longer than two hours. During the entire time of your routine, you will not want to use your phone. You want to be fully dedicated to your routine.

Once your routine is done, start your work for the day. You will want to create a power list with the five tasks you need to get done for the day. Before you even check your phone or email, complete the first task on your task list. This will set yourself up for the day. If you check your phone first thing in the morning, you will already start your day procrastinating. The goal to kick procrastination to the curb is starting your day off strong and completing your first task before the rest of the world is up!

 Trevor Oldham

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Why You Should Never Give Up On Writing

Should a writer ever give up on writing? Is there a good time or a certain number of rejections where it’s sensible to put down the proverbial pen and simply try your hand at something else?

The truth is there is never a good time to give up on writing, not if you don’t want to. The best writers keep writing throughout their lives because they can’t think of anything else they’d rather do!

Here are some of the best reasons why you should never give up on writing.

Writing brings you joy.

Writing can be hard work and frustrating at times, but it also can bring you great joy. There is nothing quite more satisfying to a writer than completing a piece of work and feeling great about it. The joy you get from writing should not be underestimated, why would you ever want to give that up?

Writing is cathartic.

Writing is a great way to let out any built up emotions and can be a great release for people to express things that might be difficult to put into words in another way. Writing can be massively therapeutic, and some writers say it’s the only way they stay sane!

Writing allows you to be you.

Writing gives you an excellent opportunity to delve deep inside and say what you truly think and feel. It gives you a vehicle with which to express your creativity, your fears, your opinions without anyone interrupting you. Completely accepting yourself for who you are and being honest about it can feel pretty amazing, and writing gives you a safe space in which to do just that.

Writing allows you to travel through time and space.

Writing allows the author to create different universes, to be a time traveller, to believe in magic. When the real world gets you down being able to lose yourself in another is a beautiful gift indeed.

Writing makes you interesting.

Writers are interesting, creative, intelligent people and the more you write, the more you’ll learn and the more interesting you’ll be!

Writing reaches people

To be a writer you have to have a certain amount of emotional intelligence, you have to be interested in people, to strive to learn about what makes them tick. Your characters need to have real human emotions for your readers to care about them. If a reader connects with your characters, they go with them on their journey - and that can be a fantastic experience for them too.

Writing helps you deal with rejection.

While life is a crazy adventure, it definitely has its ups and downs, disappointments and rejections that can set you back. All writers have to deal with rejection, and learning how to get over it, how to pick yourself back up and how to keep going in the face of it is a brilliant skill to have.

So there you have it. You should never give up on writing, not if you love it. Keep doing it, and don’t let anyone tell you not to. It really is as simple as that!

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

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Ways You Might Be Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Career

One thing many writers have in common is their ability to self-sabotage. Writers can often be so unfairly negative about themselves and their work it is as if they are their own worst enemy.

Bar the obvious negative effect this has one ’s self-esteem, this self-sabotage also naturally has an effect on a writers ability to succeed. Having put so much time, energy and care into your work, doesn't it seem something of a shame if you are the one who gets in the way of your success?

Being open to the possibility of actually being a successful writer is so important, it’s not just about luck, or even about talent, it’s also about having a positive mindset and the determination to keep going even when the chips are down.

So what are the signs to look out for which may suggest you are sabotaging your writing career? Here are some of the most common:

You’ve fallen out of love with writing

Gone are the days where you felt excited and elated every time you sat down to write. Lately, it feels so much more forced, your stories lack the passion and flow of earlier times, and you keep getting distracted or finding any excuse to leave your work and go and do something else. If this sounds like you, you need to think about what might be causing you to feel this way. If you can understand the cause as to why your writing doesn’t fulfil you as it used to you can tackle it head-on. Make a list of all the things you love about writing and all the obstacles that stop you from doing it or enjoying it as you should. Focus on what makes you happy and don’t worry about the rest.

You’ve lost confidence in your ability to write

If you’ve started to feel negative about your writing ability, and everything you write seems terrible, this negativity is bound to have an impact on the quality of your writing overall. Perhaps it’s time to reassess how you critique your work. Are you too hard on yourself? Or perhaps you need to go back to basics and start again. Producing a great piece of writing is a slow and layered process, but it is essential that you remain confident in your ability to achieve what you want to achieve.

You’re suffering from the dreaded writer's block

If you simply can’t find any inspiration and every time you sit down to write your mind goes blank, there could be an underlying reason that has locked you in a downward spiral, and you need to get yourself out of it before your career starts to suffer. It’s hard to be creative when you are feeling stressed or anxious so try to find ways to clear your mind and relax so that you have the necessary freedom to write. Find inspiration by joining a writing group, taking up a new hobby, travelling or just experimenting with your writing to see if taking it in a new direction reinvigorates you once more.

When you do get some interest, you worry too much

If an agent or publisher shows interest in your book, it’s important to accept this as an awesome compliment. Some writers end up self-sabotaging by immediately finding the enormity of finishing their book or making suggested revisions too overwhelming. They feel like an imposter, become suspicious and uncertain, and pester the agent or publisher so much that eventually, the deal falls through. Remember if you do get interest, you are in a considerable minority. It’s OK to be nervous but try to be calm and professional and stay confident in your ability to get the job done.

You finish your work and never send it off

A classic sign of writer self-sabotage is that dusty old manuscript that sits shrouded in shame at the bottom of a desk drawer, or those many draft emails to agents and publishers that have been sitting ready to go for months. If you have finished your work, spent a sensible about of time and focus editing it and crafted a solid submission letter, it’s time to let it go. You are probably never going to feel your work is perfect or good enough to submit, but if you want to stand a chance there has to be a point where you let it go.

If you’re self-sabotaging your writing career, it’s time to figure out why. Once you start giving it some thought the reasons should become pretty clear so just listen to yourself, your instincts and try to nip it in the bud as soon as possible.

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

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