Peter Lopez Jr.'s Blog: Xulon Press Blog , page 5

Summer Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Best Ideas This Season

It’s the first day of summer, and one of the best ways to capture the essence of this season is to engage in free writing. This practice allows you to express your thoughts and feelings. Rediscover the sun’s warmth and the beauty of nature in a creative and unrestricted way. To help spark your creativity, I’ve compiled a list of engaging and thought-provoking summer writing prompts that will inspire you to pen your summer experiences and memories. 5 Summer Writing Prompts to Get You Started Whether you’re an experienced writer or just starting out, these five summer writing prompts can kickstart your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. So, grab your favorite writing tools, find a comfortable spot, and let these prompts inspire you to express your thoughts through writing. 1. Write about one of your favorite places to visit during the summer at that place. Whether you are at the beach, pool, or park, take the time to write about your surroundings. Describe the bright colors of the beach umbrellas, the cool sensation of water against your skin, or the peaceful atmosphere of the park. Capture the sights, sounds, and emotions in as much detail as possible, allowing your words to paint a vivid picture of your experience. 2. Write a dialogue scene that takes place in the summer. Imagine a conversation taking place in a typical summer setting, such as a busy beach, a quiet lakeside cabin, or an exciting backyard barbecue. Picture friends and family gathered, sharing stories, and enjoying the easy atmosphere of the summer. Maybe you envision a group of kids building sandcastles, a couple strolling hand in hand along the water’s edge, or some adults lounging in chairs, sipping cold drinks and enjoying the lazy afternoon. These vibrant settings, filled with sights, sounds, and emotions, can provide a ton of inspiration for a fun, summer story. 3. Write a sensory-detailed explanation about a summer day. Close your eyes and let your imagination take you to your favorite type of summer day. Envision the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze, the sun’s warmth on your skin, and the sound of birds chirping in the distance. Picture the vibrant colors, the earthy scents, and the feeling of calm and contentment wash over you. Write about this scene, capturing every sensory detail and bringing it to life with your words. 4. People watch and write about it. Visit a public place and free-write whatever comes to your mind. What do you notice happening? Take in the surroundings and observe the activities unfolding around you. Feel free to jot down anything that captures your attention, and you can also create intricate backstories for the individuals you come across. Enjoy the process of immersing yourself in this exercise of creative observation. 5. Think about a summer activity you do not enjoy and write as if it is something you love to do. Writing about something negative in a positive light is always a nice way to see the good in those things. You can also try this is in reverse and write about something you enjoy doing as if you hate it. How to Use Our Summer Writing Prompts If any of these summer writing prompts inspire you, grab a notebook or your laptop and start writing. At the end of the summer, you can read back on these summer days you wrote about.

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June Author of the Month: Sarah Patterson

Sarah Marie Patterson, a Christian doctor and writer native to Phoenix, Arizona, graciously shares the inner workings of her heart and soul with all who are willing to listen through powerful poetry. Her experiences as a woman dealing with mental illness, unexpected heartbreak, and harsh challenges during her medical career prove that there is nothing that cannot be overcome with the strength and support of friends, family, and most importantly, our Heavenly Father. Keep reading to learn more about Sarah Marie Patterson, our Xulon Press June Author of the Month. Sarah’s Poetry Collections In her three-book series of poetry collections, Heart Fire, Heart Song, and Heart Healing,Sarah masterfully manipulates words and sounds to create a myriad of poems that amplify the beat of her heart and strum of her soul. With a variety of structures, poetic elements, and raw authenticity, she leaves nothing left unsaid, unfelt, and undiscovered. Each poetry collection focuses on a different theme, a specific layer of her personal journey, that emphasizes the pain, the perseverance, and the growth she experienced throughout her life. Heart Fire, the first in the series, gives readers an initial peak into Sarah Marie’s life. Specifically, each poem centers on the sorrow and pain she felt when enduring issues with her mental health while offering glimpses of hope, marking the beginning of her spiritual relationship with the Lord. Her second poetry collection, Heart Song, takes this spiritual awakening a step further by exploring the vastness of His love and mercy, a deeper discovery of His eternal grace. Lastly, Heart Healing closes this collection with poignancy and clarity, highlighting the realization that others can benefit from learning about God and His Kingdom and Sarah’s desire to lead people to Christ. What We Loved About Sarah Patterson’s Work Along with examining the complexities of God and His benevolence, Sarah Marie also sprinkles in moving poems about her life and loved ones. From topics that encapsulate her experiences and knowledge as a medical professional, the realities of mental illness, and the pride she holds for her family members, each poem conveys specificity, relatability vulnerability, evoking strong emotions within readers regardless of their background. The scope of each poetry collection is tremendous and diverse, taking readers up and down, in and out, and under and over. As an advocate for people who struggle with mental health who are imprisoned, live in poverty, or have special needs, Sarah Marie is a bright light that gives a voice to those who have been silenced by society. Her passions and convictions enable her to guide the broken and lost into God’s unconditional love, ushering them from a place of darkness into one where beauty and fulfillment reigns. Her unashamed praise to and faith in God demonstrates her willingness to lead others to Him so they all may enjoy eternity together.    Not only does Sarah Marie possess an extraordinary skill to write poetry, but she is also blessed with the God-given gift to deeply inspire others and reveal the grace of God in uniquely powerful ways. Her story serves as a testimony of God’s unfailing promise that He will never abandon His children. In the same way, Sarah Marie never gives up on herself or her readers, ensuring that her faith shall never waver, and her perseverance shall never crumble. Sarah Marie Patterson’s poetry collections will be published by Xulon Press, an imprint of Salem Author Services. Discover Other Xulon Press Monthly Author Celebrations

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Writing a Book About Your Life

You have been through it all—the ups, the downs, and everything in between. Now, you want to take your experiences and all you’ve learned and write a book about your life. After all, your life holds meaning and purpose, so telling it can help others find theirs. But where do you start? Writing a piece that dwells on pivotal moments in your life, reflecting on their importance, and telling your story can inspire readers and help them understand what it means to walk in your shoes. Keep reading to learn more about how to write a book about your life. Your Experiences Your past holds a weight that only you can fully comprehend. Whether you remember your first kiss, the moment you smelled your mom’s homemade food, or enduring the pain of a loved one’s death, everyone’s life and perspective of it is unique. When writing your book, the structure of the piece, or the way the memories and events are displayed, is important. You could use the more direct chronological order, implement time jumps with flashbacks, or take on a completely different structure by having no specific order at all.   Of course, it is impossible to write down every memory, but try to pick out the most significant ones. Include events in your life that brought about a shift in your thinking, positively or negatively. These sensitive moments may be tough to retell, but they make for the most powerful and emotionally dense components of your book. Being vulnerable can be hard, but your readers will thank you for it! What you include from your past is entirely up to you but note that it sets the tone for the overall piece. Adding a bit of everything—love, grief, humor, etc.—can allow your personality to shine in all its glory. However, leaning toward specific events that were crucial in your life can allow your piece to have a central theme. Your Reflection Detailing your experiences is only the first piece of the puzzle. The next step is expanding on why your experiences are significant. It isn’t enough to tell me about the memory; show your readers how it impacted you, now and then. The mark of a good nonfiction piece is when an author includes what they learned from their past. If you made a mistake (we all have!), if you went through trauma, if you accomplished something great, explain how it changed you. Or, if it didn’t change you, examine why it didn’t. Reflecting will not only help readers understand your life better, but it will also help you absorb your past and recognize your growth over the years.    Your Message With your memories and reflections jotted down, the most vital part of your book comes next: your message. What do you want readers to take away from your book? It’s important to remember that this book encapsulates you. You do not have to share anything from your life that you do not wish others to know. This book is to emphasize your sense of identity and explore something that you are passionate about. Final Thoughts Writing a story about your life can seem overwhelming, but crafting a book that highlights who you are and what you went through can touch readers’ hearts and even help others who have gone through something similar in their own lives. GET IN TOUCH Schedule a Call with Xulon Press

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Creating a Business Plan as a Writer

Whether you’re working towards a traditional publishing contract or self-publishing, a carefully crafted business plan can help you establish a plan of action as well as a guide for how you will administer your resources. What good is a goal without a well-timed action plan to get there? What Should Be Included in Writers’ Business Plans To aid in this, I’ve broken down the writers’ business plan into five sections: Mindset, Finance, Marketing, Sales, and Operations. Mindset: Personal Development When you’re ready to take writing seriously, you have to shift your mindset. You can’t think of writing as something you only do when you’re feeling inspired anymore, but something you do because you must. You’ve got a mission, stories you’re ready to tell. And you’re determined to get them out into the world and into readers’ hands. Not everyone has a business mindset and there’s nothing wrong with that. But even as pure artists, you need to be clear about your goal and mission so you know when to choose option A over B. For example, some authors might price their books low at first to increase readership and author-awareness instead of profit. The idea behind it is to get the books into as many hands as possible first to help create the buzz. They know that, even if delayed, the profit will come after that. Guess what? Choices like that are called business decisions. And knowing when to make those calls will come when you train your brain to think more business-like. This same mentality goes for traditionally published authors who want their agent or publisher to handle all business-related issues. If you have clear-set goals you’ll be better able to judge when and if your agent is steering you in a different direction than your vision. The point is, no matter what kind of writer you are, you will need to make business decisions at some point. And that’s where having a business plan comes to play. A business plan, even just a basic one, can help recognize what’s important, your key goals, and design a timely action plan to get you from Point A to Point B with better chances of not getting sidetracked. Finance: Investing in Yourself Just like every business out there, you’ll need some start-up money to launch your business (that’s what we’re referring to your writing career from now on). I know everyone wants the writing to speak for itself, and while it can, you’ll still need to do some investment to get it out there. In this section of your business plan, you’ll need to create a publishing timeline, a budget to meet the timeline, and a savings plan. I’ve listed the major things you’ll want to invest in below. Publishing What most writers have been doing to get their work out there is self-publishing. Getting discovered out of the blue and having a publisher invest thousands of dollars in an unknown writer is just very rare and hard to accomplish in today’s time. The best way to get picked up is by self-publishing your book, creating a successful audience for yourself, and having an agent catch on to all the buzz around you. To know just how much you should be saving up for publishing click here to explore publishing packages. Don’t forget Xulon Press always offers interest-free payment plans to make publishing achievable for every budget! Editing  You know you’re going to need some level of editing for your manuscript before it’s published. So make sure to make a plan early on to begin saving up for a minimum of one round of editing at the “line-editing” level. Any full edit will be priced per word, so naturally the more words you have the more your edit will cost. If you’re wondering just how much you should be saving, take your estimated word count and visit our Editing Pricing Page, look over the editing plan you need, and simply multiply your word count with the cost-per-word listed on the website. For more tips on how to work with an editor, click here. Marketing Marketing is definitely an expense that should not be skipped over. After all, this is what creates awareness for your book as well as the demand. No business can function without some sort of marketing efforts. Plan to spend money on social media advertising, internet advertising, a press release, book events, and if needed book reviews. Explore some of the pricing for marketing services by clicking here to help set your budget for your book launch. Marketing: Creating Brand Awareness and Demand Before you begin your business plan you have to define who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Establish your goals, your vision, your intentions, your plans—everything! Your brand should sum up everything that makes you a writer. Think of this as your elevator pitch.  While you won’t market yourself in the same way as a big corporation, you do still have to brand yourself as a writer. You won’t be looking at creating a typical brand, but instead focusing on personality branding. You’re a unique human that thinks, acts, speaks, and writes in a certain way. You wear certain clothes and you’re attracted to certain colors. You have a unique eye and pay attention to certain things. What you’re defining here, is how to present yourself to the world.  In the marketing section of your business plan you’ll be defining your brand, your target audience, and creating an action plan on how to acquire that audience. In other words, how to let your future readers know that you exist! The best way to do that in the 21st century is by establishing an online presence. If you’re not sure where to start, save the following blogs for a read: Sales: Communicating Value Marketing and sales go hand-in-hand. After establishing your brand, you’ll create awareness by creating an online presence for your targeted audience. As you’re working on the author awareness you desire, you can start marketing your upcoming work. You’ll document your writing process and share them with your followers, creating the demand for your upcoming book, blog, poem, etc.  When your book is ready for launch you want to have that excitement already created. Even though your mission with writing might be bigger than just selling, selling is an essential part of every business. It’s what eventually can break or make a career as an author. Operations: Servicing Customers Everything that happens within a business to keep it running falls under operations. This sounds more complicated than it actually is. With the operations section of your marketing plan you’ll just want to make sure your readers are satisfied and your business is running as effectively as possible. You do this by sticking to an action plan and making sure you’re adjusting the business plan as needed. You need to stay up-to-date with trends and change with the market. It’s a fast-paced world and what may skyrocket your career one year might not have the same effect five years from now.  Final Thoughts To wrap up, I hope you see business plans don’t have to be just about numbers or sales projections. They can also be about defining who you are as an author and what you want for your dreams. Once you’re comfortable with knowing what you want, where you stand, and where you want to go, you’ll be unstoppable. Don’t forget to share this blog if you found this read helpful!

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Advice from Life Coach, Gloria Sloan

I recently had the opportunity to interview Gloria Sloan, a life coach and Xulon Press author, about what tends to keep people from achieving goals they really want to accomplish. The author of Life Skills for the Journey had plenty of insights to share, and even some specific advice for people who want to write and publish a book! Before you head over to the Xulon Press Substack to read the full interview with Gloria Sloan, I want to answer some basic questions about what a life coach is and what they do. What is a Life Coach? A life coach uses specialized training and their unique life experiences to help clients identify and work toward their personal development goals. Coaches can work with clients either for personal development or career development, and sessions can take place one-on-one or in group sessions. Plus, sessions can be in-person, over the phone, or via video sessions. Life Coach vs. Therapist While life coaches and therapists both offer confidential and customized sessions to discuss personal roadblocks and challenges, the two professions have some differences as well. Therapist Therapy often looks to the past to identify why a person limits themselves, makes the choices they do, and how and why they see themselves as they do. The goal is to confront and resolve the past. A minimum of a master’s degree is required for a counselor and a doctorate is required for a psychologist. In addition, all therapists need professional licenses to practice. This is because therapists use clinical techniques that are based on decades of research, science, and theory. Life Coach Life coaches, on the other hand, aim to have their clients focus on future-facing actions and personal development. While life coaching as a whole, isn’t regulated like therapy, specialized training is available from credible organizations. This process doesn’t require coaches to follow a strict set of therapy principles when working with clients. Think Tony Robbins or Robin Sharma when you think about life coaching. Interview with Gloria Sloan To read our full interview with Life Coach, Gloria Sloan, visit Xulon Press Substack.

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Welcome to the Writing Realm of Fantasy

Imagine this: a terrifying-looking orc who has secret dreams of one day becoming a world-famous bard. A well-seasoned wizard who has helped countless heroes succeed on their quests is ready for retirement. A princess and a unicorn team up to save the few surviving unicorns from a goblin who is killing them for their horns. If any of these sound appealing or like something you may have thought of before, fantasy may just be calling you to write and your imagination is more than welcome to take up residence in this mystical writing realm. This genre has been around for some time and has gained popularity thanks to talented authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, and Robert Jordan. These are only a handful of the incredible authors out there who have crafted stories that have the ability to whisk anyone away to a completely different land, and if you wish to add your name to this list someday, be prepared to put that imagination to work for there is much involved in the particular field of fantasy. There are certain elements you will have to consider as you craft your story. Do you want the world you write about to be more realistic or more mystical? Is your story more of a light, peppy fairy tale or more of a dark, epic quest? Do you wish to have various inhuman races in your story alongside humans? Again, this is a loaded genre that can be overwhelming at the start, but let’s break down a handful of the main elements that come up again and again no matter what kind of fantasy story you may be writing. Keeping these elements in mind will provide a helpful guide to getting started and staying organized. Choosing Your Fantasy Subgenre Perhaps the first thing you will want to consider is what kind of fantasy you would like to write. Taking a look into the subgenres of this genre, you find categories like high fantasy, sword and sorcery, fairy tales, dark, urban, historical, Christian, military, the list is quite extensive; however, writing your particular story becomes easier once you have narrowed down your particular subgenre(s). This will also help you decide how much fantasy is truly being incorporated into your story. Take C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series. With the characters having the capability to travel to another world full of magic and creatures that have the ability to talk and think for themselves, this series would be considered a high Christian fantasy where much fantasy is included. Or Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. It takes place during the Napoleonic War in the real world, yet a fantasy element is introduced as dragons serve as a military air force, making this series an historical military fantasy. Always keep in mind your story as a whole to ensure how much fantasy you are putting into it. Creating Fantasy Lands It is not impossible to find fantasy books that take place on Earth or in an already existing place, but it is more common to find stories with made up worlds and lands. This is one of the big elements that draws readers in as they venture across this new, unexplored world alongside the characters. Worlds like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth or George R. R. Martin’s Westeros are vast sprawling worlds with various towns, wildernesses, and even continents while J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts is a magic school set in the real world. If you are up for the challenge, give crafting your own land a go, but feel free to have some fun inserting fantastical elements into the real world, as well. Creating Races This is always a fun category as fantasy is one of very few genres that a writer can craft inhuman races and have them play a role in the story. Some of the more popular races, of course, include dwarves, elves, and orcs, but even though they are used time and time again, do not be deterred from continuing to use these races. In fact, writers have gotten clever and put their own spin on some of the more popular races. Travis Baldree wrote of an orc who wished to open up a coffee shop in Legends & Lattes while Andrzej Sapkowski had the vampires in his Witcher series use blood like humans use alcohol as a way to relax rather than to regain strength and energy. As can be said many times in the fantasy genres, the possibilities are endless. Mythological Creatures With the number of mythological creatures out there, you definitely want to pick and choose what to include in your story. If you include too many, it may become difficult to keep them all organized. Much like the races you chose for your story, creatures such as dragons, unicorns, and fairies are among the more popular choices, but don’t be afraid to branch out and experiment. Creatures such as the phoenix or centaurs are well-known, yet rarely seem to make appearances in many stories. The manticore is a very rare creature not normally found in stories that a writer could have a lot of fun writing. Or branch out further and create your own. Hero and Villain (Protagonist and Antagonist) One of the first things that comes to many minds when they think fantasy is of the epic hero (protagonist) fighting valiantly against the dastardly villain (antagonist). This is true in many cases, but your hero does not have to be a talented sword fighter and your villain does not need to be a powerful sorcerer. When writing your hero (protagonist), the Hero’s Journey story arc is an excellent way to develop any kind of character as it involves the reluctant hero having no choice but to answer the call to adventure like Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Just make sure your hero (protagonist) has a goal or something worth fighting for. When creating your villain (antagonist), what can really help is crafting a back story that reveals why they decided to fight for the side of evil and what their ultimate motive is. They can look terrifying and have incredibly dark intentions like The Dark One in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series who wishes to destroy the world and bring about an age of darkness. Or they may not look so terrifying, but still have evil intentions like the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz who was willing to go so far as killing Dorothy to get what she wanted. Truly developing your main two characters also helps develop supporting characters for both the good and evil side. Final Thoughts This is not the master list to follow when it comes to writing fantasy as it covers only some of the basics; however, as aforementioned, it provides a helpful guide to get you started and are excellent points to always keep in the back of your mind. There are other more complex elements such as creating languages for different races, how much magic you wish to use, creating a religion(s) for the inhabitants of your world, crafting lore, and more. An important piece of advice is to not overwhelm yourself by trying to include every fantasy aspect in your story. Only take on what works for your story. But one of the most important things to remember is to get those creative juices flowing and have fun!

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“A Horse to Guide Me” by Justin W. Dunn Is Our April Book of the Month

Justin W. Dunn is the Founder and CEO of American Mustang School in Aberdeen, North Carolina. The school promotes mental health and wellness through the preservation of the American Mustang Horses. Dunn’s book A Horse to Guide Me was selected by the Xulon Press staff as our April Book of the Month. To learn more about A Horse to Guide Me and its author, we interviewed Justin W. Dunn for all the details on our latest Book of the Month. What inspired you to write A Horse to Guide Me? I have been developing my business for 18+ years now. It took 10 years to learn, four years to refine, and four more to enjoy huge successes. In the beginning, I trained many horses, and wrote notes (training logs). I provided services to over 5,000 people in less than a decade in my business. And in that time of training horses, and providing services such as trail rides (horseback), camping, fishing, hunting trips with horses, I interviewed thousands of people and found that I had a unique gift/skill in helping people develop awareness, and an ability to change themselves and their situations in life. Discovering the very unique and valuable skill of awareness in horsemanship, alignment in laws of nature with building relationships with wild Mustang horses and thousands of people, adults, children, sick, healthy, etc., [it all] lead me to write my book, A Horse to Guide Me. How long did it take you to write your book? I decided to write my book in April 2022 and sat down to write on May 10, 2022. I gave myself one year, and it was released on May 1, 2023. So, I beat my one-year goal! However, I realized that I’ve been living my life to create the book. The book won an award in November 2023, too! Were there any challenges you faced while writing this book, and if so, how did you overcome them? The challenges of writing my first book were not realized until after the book was published. It had not occurred to me that most people are not self-disciplined enough to commit to writing a book. Training wild Mustang horses helped me understand commitment, the laws of nature, and how to navigate the game of life. I actually felt inspired to write my book. To share something so unique and valuable with others was an absolute pleasure for getting to benefit from the information myself. I’m here today because I had access to the information, and I know it’s not easily accessible to the masses. Was there a specific part of your publishing journey that you enjoyed more than you thought you would? I especially liked the editing part of my self-publishing journey. Being able to collaborate with someone on my ideas, and to formulate them into words that flow into tangible rewards for the reader that they can benefit from in their own life is so liberating. Helping others to feel what I get to experience each day is truly meaningful and gives my life purpose. One other thing: The feedback from readers is amazing. I never could have predicted the types of people who would read my book. I have gotten absolutely phenomenal feedback and reviews from very high-minded individuals that I just couldn’t have predicted. Also, [I can’t believe] the many different countries my book has gone to—the feedback from them is just awesome. What do you hope readers will take away from your book? What I hope readers will take away from reading my book, is an understanding that they can create the life they want to live. Through horsemanship I was able to get nature to reveal to me the secrets that are hidden from most everyone. I was able to get people to reveal to me the secrets they hide from others. They don’t need a horse to access what I explain in my book, but it will serve to guide them effectively and efficiently in gaining an intricate understanding. I didn’t force, or take anything from horses, nature, or other people. I simply aligned myself with the laws that govern the universe (one song) and attracted the information (energy) to create the life I want to live. [Living with] wild Mustang Horses in the mountains of Colorado, separated from outside influences such as cell phones and the internet, for 8 of 13 years allowed me access to what most people will never have access to. Are you working on anything new at the moment that we can share with readers? Today, I am a life coach through horsemanship, and attract the clients I want to work with, on what I want to work on, when I want to work. [It’s] true freedom to live the life I truly love living. Although I am always writing (daily), I am not committed to writing anything at this time, but I do see another book one day. I think I’ll compile notes for the next few years as I explore this next transition. Meet Justin W. Dunn Justin W. Dunn specializes in training wild horses (mustangs) and horses with undesirable behavior issues. He has nine horses, which consist of BLM Mustangs, rescue horses, and some once-considered untrainable horses. Justin trains horses for a higher purpose and his horses help him be able to help others. His team of horses has helped with a camp for children with cancer for six years, as well as an at-risk children’s program and countless clinics for people wanting to learn horsemanship. Justin is recognized as a top trainer and clinician at the national level. He has traveled all over the country, sharing with people what horses share with him. His passion is to help people understand horses and to help horses understand people. Justin believes in the humane treatment of horses, never using pain or fear to force submission, creating a willing partner in the relationship. He never uses metal bits, spurs, or whips on the horses to communicate. Justin created and uses the Justin Dunn Bitless Bridle, which is manufactured by Weaver Leather. His bridle is used by thousands of people all over the world. Justin W. Dunn is also a Whole Life Coach and he coaches people to become better through the practice of horsemanship. He also focuses on his family and their needs. They love to do escape rooms because it’s bonding time and they get to overcome a challenge together. Where to Purchase A Horse to Guide Me Amazon B&N Xulon Press Bookstore Connect with the Author Find more inspiration from Justin Dunn on social media.

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How to Eliminate Distractions When Writing

Whether you are a professional writer or looking to make time to write your first book, eliminating distractions is a key element of your success. With family responsibilities, work, and technology, we are constantly bombarded with distractions, which makes it difficult to focus on our writing time. The good news is that several effective strategies can help you eliminate distractions and stay focused while writing. In today’s article, we’re discussing 10 tips to help you stay on track and produce your best work. 10 Ways to Eliminate Distractions When Writing Let’s jump into our recommendations: 1. Find a hideaway in your home. Instead of trying to write at your dining room table or kitchen counter, find a nook in your home that’s not in plain sight and doesn’t put you in a high traffic pattern used by others in your home. 2. Ask family or roommates to respect your writing time. The people you live with may not realize how important your writing time is to you, so take a few minutes to have a conversation with them about your goals and ask them not to bother you when you are writing. 3. Don’t surf the web. The invention of computers is fantastic. The rabbit holes that come with Wi-Fi and instant access to the internet, however, are not so great for writing productivity. When it’s time to write, don’t take a detour to the internet for research. If you find a spot in your writing that needs more research, make a note to go back and do it later. Once you come out of your writing hole, it’s harder to get back in it. 4. Listen to sounds or music that help you focus. These can help you quiet distractions around you and also quiet your mind as you write. We recommend: White noise ASMR Classical music Acoustic songs Nature sounds 5. Silence your phone. There’s nothing worse than a large group text getting lots of attention on your phone while you’re trying to write. Be sure to silence your phone, turn off notifications, or even leave it in another room while you write. That way, you can’t be tempted to read the latest updates from your friends or family during writing time. 6. Avoid writing in bed or in front of the TV. Writing in bed will inevitably lead to you taking a nap when you should be dominating your word count. And there’s nothing more distracting than your favorite TV show coming on when you wanted to do a 30-minute writing sprint. Avoid your bed and the TV during writing time and see how much more focused your writing can be. 7. Make sure your space is comfortable. Don’t pick an uncomfortable chair or space to write in. You’re going to be in that spot for long periods of time while writing your book and being uncomfortable won’t help. Choose a spot that is ergonomically comfortable, doesn’t create body fatigue, and isn’t so comfortable you want to fall asleep (like your bed). 8. Use headphones. If you have trouble zoning out and tuning into your writing, try putting headphones on. Even if you don’t listen to anything, it may help you block out distracting sounds. 9. Go to the park with paper and a pen. Sometimes, no matter how much we try, we can be easily distracted by the internet, our phones, and the people we live with. If you hit this point, grab a notepad and a pen, as well as your favorite beach chair, and head to the nearest park. Plant yourself under a shady tree and get some writing done. 10. Quiet your thoughts. There are times when your distractions won’t come from your surroundings or the people around you. Instead, you could be distracted by stress or self-doubt floating around in your head. If this is the case for you, take a few minutes to pray and still your mind before you begin a writing session. How do you eliminate distractions while you write? Leave us a comment below! Originally published May 22, 2020.

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Get Motivated with Xulon Press’s Christian Writer’s Playlist—Now on Spotify!

Our Christian Writer’s Playlist is available for free on Spotify, and it’s the perfect companion for writers who need a little extra motivation (and noise) during their writing sessions. Whether you’re working on a novel, a memoir, or a devotional, this playlist will help you stay focused and energized as you write. Writing can be a solitary—and sometimes quiet—experience. That’s why Xulon Press wanted to create playlists that not only encourage writers but also remind them of the power of the written word. We’re committed to helping Christian authors share their stories with the world, and the Christian Writer’s Playlist is just one more way we can support you—our authors. With a range of self-publishing services and resources, Xulon Press is dedicated to helping writers achieve their publishing goals. If you’re a Christian writer looking for a little extra inspiration, be sure to check out our latest playlists on Spotify today.

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Has My Story Happened, or Is it Happening Now? When to Write in the Past or Present Tense

Among the plethora of elements a writer has to consider when writing a manuscript is what tense they wish to write their stories in. The tense of a story is separate from the point of view it is told, but thankfully, there are only two tenses to choose between: past and present. In brief and relatively self-explanatory, past tense is used when telling a story that contains events that have already happened (whether in the distant past or recent past). Present tense, on the other hand, is used when telling a story of events that are currently happening or happening in real time. Let us look into the difference between the two forms of tense with some examples. Past Tense This is the most popular tense to write in for both fiction and nonfiction for a number of reasons. First, most stories, especially nonfictions like memoirs that reflect on past stories or history books that relieve wars and other occurrences that happened hundreds of years ago, involve retelling events that have already happened. Second, it is actually an easier tense to write in as many writers seem to drift into writing past tense more often than not. When writing in past tense, a main key to follow is to end verbs with -ed: Basically, the easiest way to write in the past tense is to know what your character did, not what your character is doing. Present Tense This tense is a bit rarer to come across as, in all honesty, it can be a bit more challenging to write. This, however, should never deter a writer from using this tense to tell an engaging story for it can definitely give a story a different effect. Let us use the same examples from the past tense, but instead of ending verbs with -ed, replace the endings with -s: Just these simple changes make the sentences read a bit differently. Present tense can really be effective in suspenseful, mystery, or horror books as it can give the overall tone that much more of an edge. Popular books to consider that have been written in the present tense include The Hunger Games series (Suzanne Collins), Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn), If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Bird Box (Josh Malerman), All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Ken Kesey). Helpful Question To be quite honest, there are times when it is best to write your manuscript in the past tense and then when it is up to the author to decide whether the story would read better in the past or the present. When it comes to deciding, a helpful question a writer could ask themselves: Has my story already happened, or is it happening right now? GET IN TOUCH Speak with one of our publishing experts about publishing your book today.

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