Bryan Collins's Blog, page 87

Terrible Writing Advice: 20 Common Mistakes You Must Avoid

I've collected lots of terrible writing advice over the years from talks, seminars, courses, and books. It's easy to find good writing advice for self-publishing, writing a book or earning more money as a freelance or nonfiction writer. 

But what about terrible writing advice? What advice should you avoid if you want to become a successful author or profitable writer? 

This guide to terrible writing advice also includes some practical tips from one of my favourite writers: Ernest Hemingway.

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Writing a Memoir, Making Big Decisions and Bonus Time With Author Brian Pennie

Will it make our boat go faster? That's a question Great Britain's 2000 Olympic rowing team asked itself every day for months prior to winning gold in Australia.

As a writer, your boat might represent writing a memoir and publishing it, for others, it could mean landing a new client or launching a course. So when faced with a decision about what to do more or less of, frame it around the boat question.

This is an idea Irishman Brian Pennie speaks about regularly. The author of Bonus Time,...

The Pomodoro Technique For Writing

Are you looking for a technique that helps you accomplish more, faster? If so, consider using the Pomodoro Technique for writing.

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time-management method invented by Italian Francesco Cirillo. He said, I discovered that you could learn how to improve your effectiveness and be better able to estimate how long a task will take to complete by recording how you utilize your time. 

Dont worry, this technique is portable and easy to learn. In this short article,...

7 Best MasterClass Alternatives With Pros, Cons & Pricing

Online programs like MasterClass and the many MasterClass alternatives have given creative professionals access to knowledge to advance their skills something that previous generations of professionals couldnt even dream of doing. 

From creative philosophies and business practices to software tutorials and technique guides, there are numerous online courses and instructional platforms for professionals looking to upgrade their skills within a particular creative field. 

MasterClass is one...

How to Build a Niche Website That Earns Six Figures A Year with Jon Dykstra

Jon Dykstra

Perhaps you're wondering, What is a niche website?

A niche site typically focuses on a single subject like sports cars and attracts traffic through high-quality articles optimized for search. A hyper-niche site dives down into that niche even further.

During the early 2000s, Canadian lawyer Jon Dykstra faced a unique challenge. His employer wanted him to attract more clients through blogging and content marketing. So Dykstra began writing about legal topics that interested...

30 Common Grammar Mistakes You Need To Stop Making

Are you afraid of making common grammar mistakes?

Consider:

Lets eat kids!

Sounds terrifying, right? 

Use the commonplace comma at the right juncture and voila, your meaning is clear! 

A horrifying act is transformed into a pleasurable activity.  

In the above example, the correct sentence would read, Lets eat, kids!

The most common grammar mistakes in the English language are incorrect punctuation and spellings. 

To help you out, Ive included the 30 most common grammatical errors that I...

What Is The Best Keyboard For Writers? 5 Options

Why is it important for writers to have a good keyboard? As a writer, you live at your keyboard. Whether you're writing a book, a web page, or your next blog post, you spend hours on hours every day tapping away at your desk. From the vast range of good keyboards currently available on the market, there are some that I think stand out as especially well-suited to the needs of writers.  

All the keyboards in this article I consider to be world-class options. The five models I've selected span...

9 Side Hustle Ideas for Creatives Who Want to Earn Thousands per Month

Are you looking for profitable side hustle ideas? It's not a good idea to depend on one income source. If you're working a fulltime job, you could lose it and find yourself scrambling to pay the bills. 

That happened to me back in 2008 when I was a freelance journalist dependent on one client. It happened again in 2012 when a charity I was working for let me go.

Even if you don't depend on your employer, profitable creatives avoid trading all their time for money. They create assets that...

What Most Writers Get Wrong About Personal Branding

The biggest and most successful personal brands put their audiences first every time. And they get paid well for doing it. That applies to writers too. 

In this short podcast episode, I explain how to get personal branding right.

Attention Writers

Masterclass is one of the best places to learn from creative writers and entrepreneurs today, including the likes of Neil Gaiman and David Lynch. If you want to claim a free book from a Masterclass instructor, read this Masterclass review. 

Listen...

Why Creatives Need a Business Disaster Recovery Plan With Sally Binard

Do you have a business disaster recovery plan?

Florida Keys-based ceramicist and painter Sally Binard’s home and livelihood were destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. With her studio and home in ruins, Sally had to start rebuilding her creative business.

Her experiences reveal how creative people can get ready for the worst…and rebuild after it's over.

In this interview, we cover:

How advice from Jack White changed Binard's artWhy creative entrepreneurs can achieve more with less...