Zoe Lea's Blog, page 3

Need a bit of help with that?

How I wish that when you typed out ‘the end’ you could send the email to your publisher, dance away from your keyboard and wait for it to hit the bestseller lists.

Maybe you’re in that small percentage of people who can, but for the rest of us, we have to start the hustle…
Being a writer and author today means also being a PR guru, social media manager, sales team, marketing team, accountant, secretary, professional speaker, cinematographer and the list goes on!

That’s why I starte...

How to get back on track: tips and strategies for making up missed writing time

After the last Monday Muse when I said I felt like I wrote like the wind, this week I have got hardly any words down.

Other commitments have taken over the blocks of time that I save for writing.

It was completely unavoidable and I’m about 7k down on my writing schedule. 7000 words down! 

I have a weekly goal and track my progress and this has really hit it hard.

I was feeling down about it, moaning to my husband and friends, until one of them kindly told me that moaning about mi...

The rucksack of supplies and why it’s stopping you from writing

And enjoying the view…

Did I tell you we’ve bought a van? 

It’s not a fancy thing, so if you’re imagining a groovy camper-van stop and imagine a builders van instead.
And it’s not the van in this picture either, our van is the kind with a sticker on the back that says ‘no tools are left in this vehicle overnight.’

That kind of van. 

Did I tell you we’ve bought a van? 

It’s not a fancy thing, so if you’re imagining a groovy camper-van stop and imagine a builders van instead.
And ...

People just instantly delete…

How to write compelling emails that no one deletes

That was a comment on a thread in my Facebook group the other day when we were talking about emails and newsletters.

‘People just instantly delete them. They are a complete waste of time.’

We were talking about the evolving news story of TikTok and all the drama surrounding it and if the app will be banned.
I’m writing this to you as the CEO of TikTok goes up before congress today, and I’m so interested to see what happens.

If it i...

The Ultimate Guide to Staying Creative Through Fear and Doubt

How’s your week been?
It’s been a bit full on here, all week I’ve had a feeling of, ‘I must get everything done, time is running out!’ kind of vibe.

When it really isn’t, I’ve lots of lovely things in the calendar but I’ve also childcare planned and working time, so what’s the panic?

I suppose it just gets to me sometimes, another plate to spin along with all the others, and then I have to have a word with myself and remind myself that it’s okay.

That it’s fine to feel a little anxio...

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Content ideas to boost engagement

In my facebook group, one of the questions I ask new members is what they’re struggling with on TikTok, and the main answer is content. What content to create and I think this spans all platforms on social media.

As authors, we know we should be showing up on social media, we know the benefits, we know we need to keep up the hustle, but we aren’t always quite sure how, or what to say.

So here’s a few ideas.

These content ideas are my go-to’s when my views are low as they’ re all f...

5 Things you would be surprised to learn about me

I’ve not been writing much on this blog, it’s been neglected for a while (aren’t I always saying that!) Any way, I’ve joined in with a visibility hashtag with the fabulous Lisa Johnson and today’s prompt was sharing 5 things that people might not know about me.

My first thought was to get on social media, but then I thought this was much better suited to a blog post so here we are.

I keep falcons and owls.
Well, my husband does and I get to take them out. We’ve had flacons for years and rec...

3 Things You Should do After You Write a Book

You did it!
You wrote your book, and that is no thing to say lightly. It’s a massive, massive achievement. Everyone says they want to write a book, but you actually did it, so stop, take a minute and congratulate yourself. You created a BOOK!

But now what? Put it in your top drawer and start on the next one? Send it out to agents and check emails daily?

In this post, I thought I’d look at the options of what you can do. You most certainly can put it in your top drawer and forget about...

Why I’m not finishing Nanowrimo

Back at the start of the month, I wrote about how I was starting Nanowrimo, the write a novel in a month project. I had spent October getting organised, #preptober, had a strong premise, a great midpoint to work towards and thought I was all set. 

The first couple of weeks were good. I was on track. I wasn’t writing brilliant prose or going to win any awards with my sentence construction, but then the novel took a turn and I decided a few days ago to stop. 

And here’s why

Nanowrimo is more t...