Bryan Collins's Blog, page 107

Unlock the Power of Storytelling in 7 Easy Steps

Once upon a time I avoided using stories as part of my non-fiction writing.

I felt like stories were too hard to pull off, they didn’t resonate with non-fiction readers, and I just didn’t have the writing chops to tell a story that mattered.

One day, I went to a lecture by the screenwriting guru Robert McKee.

There, he explained, “He who tells the best story wins.”

He told us the very best non-fiction writers use stories as part of their work because they know storytelling is how writers and...

Journal Writing: 5 Lasting Lessons About Creativity for Writers

Confusing, isn’t it?

Perhaps you’re having problems finding a creative career you love?

Maybe your day-to-day life is making you unhappy?

Or are you struggling to pursue a passion you’ve held close for years?

I’ve faced these types of creative problems, but several writers helped me work through them.

One of these people is the American novelist John Cheever.

Another is the American novelist John Cheever.

And another is the British writer Virginia Woolf.

All of these writers died years ago.

...

6 Proven Strategies For Escaping Your Creative Rut Today

You’ve been trying to write for a while, but your creative spark is gone.

Or perhaps you’ve got an idea, but deep down you feel it’s bland and uninspired.

No matter what you do, you can’t get out of this creative rut and make or write something that your audience will love.

It gets worse.

Yourlack of creativity makes you wonder if you’ve got what it takes to call yourself a writer or a creative person.

I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty.

Before writing this article, I had no idea what I wa...

Is Audible Worth It? Why I Use It and Love It Every Day

Do you want to find time to read more often?

Have you ever considered listening to audiobooks?

Or have you tried Audible?

It’s an Amazon company that produces and sells hundreds of thousands of popular audiobooks.

A couple of years ago, I questioned the value of audiobooks. Listening to an audiobook felt like cheating on a real book.

I was also skeptical about being able to get into something that an actor narrates. I saw audiobooks as expensive distractions from the written word.

Then, I to...

8 Myths about Guest Posting Exploded! (Plus Your Free Swipe File)

Do you give your best writing away for free?

When was the last time you wrote a blog post for another website?

How exactly can guest posting help you win readers and influence a wider audience with your ideas?

Over the past 12 months, I’ve written guest posts for 30 different blogs and websites like Copyblogger and Fast Company.

In this blog post, I’m going to explain why writing guest posts is an important activity for writers who want to spread their ideasfurtherand build an audience for t...

Why You Don’t Need Permission From Me (Or Anyone Else) To Become a Writer

Recently, I was coaching a non-fiction writer about how they could focus on their writing and write 1,000 words a day.

We talked about how he could use a productivity strategy to eliminate distractions, focus on his writing and increase his daily word count.

And we discussed why separating writingand research makes sense for anyone who wants to finish writing what they started.

I think the writer was happy with how our coaching call went because afterwards he emailed me to say thanks.

At the...

Need To Edit Your Book? Use These 7 Top Editing Tools

Ask any author which part of his job he would like to avoid, and you’ll hear the same answer: editing.

The writing itself is a torturous process, since writers are struggling with a torpedo of confusing emotions and thoughts.

When they are finally done with the book, they have to face another challenge: fixing what they thought was perfect.

Writers usually like leaving this part to professional editors, but they still have to go through the first draft several times before forwarding it. The...

22 Top Writers On Their Great Writing Challenges (And How They Overcame Their Demons)

I won’t lie to you.

Writing is a tough, demanding and lonely craft.

You’ve got to think of an idea, figure out if it’s worth writing about and then get the words down on the blank page in a room, by yourself.

Even when you’ve got this part of the creative process under control, it’s still your job to turn up and write every day, to publish your work and to find an audience.

The journey of every writer is marked by creative, personal and business challenges just like these.

I wanted to find...

6 Tested Writing Tools That Will Save Stressed Writers Time

Today’s writers know the more time they spend putting content on paper, the more profitable their writing is going to be.

This is true for fiction writers, journalists, content writers, or anyone else who uses the written word to make a living.

Traditional methods like pen and paper have been inefficient and presented challenges for writers.

These challenges include:

capturing all ideas, so they are not forgotten keeping thoughts organised; removing distractions during the writing process ke...

Get Your Free Ticket for the Self-Publishing Success Summit

Have you written your first book?

Are you read to publish your book but you’re not sure how?

Would you like to sell more copies of your work and reach more readers?

There’s an exciting online event coming up for writers in July.

Over 35 bestselling authors and ultra-successful entrepreneurs will be there, too.

Big names like Jack Canfield, Pat Flynn, Charlie Hoehn, Joseph Michael, James Clear, Ty Cohen, Nick Loper, Brian Tracy, Ryan Deiss, Jaime Tardy, Hollis Carter, Jeff Goins, Joanna Penn,...