#WriterWednesday - March 13th 2019

Make yourself comfortable, because I've been very productive this past week. Not with writing - despite my story's pleas for me to come spend time with it - but with sorting that huge stack of eMails and post notifications that were waiting for me to deal with them. This means I have quite a few posts and articles to share with you today. I'm proud of me for managing to get caught up. I gave myself March to do that, and actually managed to do it before we got half way through the month. And, yes, I did step away from the computer when I started to hurt, and rest when I needed to. I do feel a bit guilty for ignoring my writing in favour of dealing with everything else, but it was a concious decission, and I am glad I did it the way I did, especially since it's easier to get back in to reading something if you have to stop than it is to get back in to the flow of writing something. Now I'm able to sit at the computer comfortably for longer, and have caught up on things, perhaps I can get some writing done?

It's normal to feel a bit guilty when you don't get your writing time in though. I mean, every writer feels guilty sometimes when they don't write. If you're feeling that way right now too, here's how to deal with it. You're not alone! Besides, there is a time to write, and a time to not write. For example, sometimes your plan to just write on the plane (or whatever your backup plan was) can't work out for a valid reason. If that's the case, figure out why, and see what you can do for the future. But don't waste time feeling guilty about it. I'll try not to waste time feeling guilty too.

Have you forgotten to have fun writing? Then make it fun again!

Do you ever feel like you're not making any progress at all? Yeah, me too sometimes. But look at what you've achieved, and break what you still need to get done in to smaller chunks. It helps. Really. It does. Honest. Baby steps really is the way to get big projects done, and helps with solving the 'focussing problem' most writers don't realize they have.

By the way, are you overthinking everything you try writing? Just stop it. Yeah, I know that's easier said than done. But figure out how to do it anyhow. After all, it's one of the reasons why so many beginning writers never become successful - though not the only reason, of course. Having said that, here's why you should give yourself permission to quit, if you find writing really isn't what you want to be doing any more.

If it's not that you want to quit, but that you're just afraid of failing, here's how to write something knowing you might fail. Also, read this right now if you have no idea what you're doing.

Oh, and if you're worried you have nothing new and unique to say, don't be. Just find your own way to say it, even if others have said it already. Don't let that be your reason to quit. Just keep writing whatever it is you love to write.

So, let's assume you do want to keep writing. With that in mind, you're going to want to define success for you - the post I just linked to explains why. Also, here's the biggest change that must happen when you become a 'serious' writer, and some tips for being an effective writer, for you to bear in mind if your definition of success is more than just writing for yourself whenever you feel like it.

If your goal is to become a freelance writer, check out this ultimate answer sheet for advice on how to go about it, and answers to questions you might have.

Not having much luck getting freelance work, or making writing pay your bills some other way? Well, would it really be so bad if writing never became your day job? Short answer: no.

On the other hand, if you do manage to write for a living, here are some tips for the work-at-home author, which you might find useful.

Next, here's a post full of tips on how to establish a writing routine, one on developing a writing practice, another that asks how often you unplug, one that reminds you of the importance of scheduling your downtime and writing time, and another that talks about your priorities. These will come in handy when I'm working on establishing a new routine after a bit more recovery time. Or, more accurately, attempting to. I never have been great with routines. I plan to try a few things though. I'll figure out what works for me eventually.

On a similar note to the previous articles: please remember that sitting at your desk all day, while potentially great for productivity, is bad for your health in the longterm. I mean, look at what sitting too long is doing to your body. Not good, is it? So, remember to take care of yourself while working on your writing. To help you with that, here are some self care tips for writers. So, how's your writing going? Have you been remembering to take care of your health while working on it?

Are you distracted by your phone or other things all the time? Or are you good at staying off the phone and social media when it's meant to be your writing time, and only going online when you're not meant to be writing?

Regardless of how much time you spend online, if you're an author, you need to consider your online presence, and these mistakes to avoid.

Oh, and... Yes. blogs are still relevant in 2019 - just in case you were wondering.

Does showing people what you write ever stop being scary? Short answer: not really. I've published several thousand blog posts, and more than 50 books, and I still get that quivery butterfly feeling when I hit, "Publish," on anything. Probably always will.

No matter how you feel when it comes time to share your work, or even if you share it at all, what do you write?

Do you write short stories? Or, perhaps, you're thinking about doing so? If either of those applies to you, you might want to check out this series of posts on writing short stories for some tips.

Or maybe it's poetry you want to start writing? If so, here's how to start writing poetry.

Alternatively, if you write the kinds of fantasy stories where you're going to need an army in your tale, here's a post that talks about the popular tools of the trade for fantasy armies, another with tips to creating a fantasy army, and another that talks about using military casters.

Whether you write fantasy, adventure, or some other genre, if your characters have to make a journey, here are some tips for when a story hits the road, so you can make sure your characters are prepared for their journey, and that you know where they're going, and why.

Speaking of your characters: have you ever written anything using a decoy/false protagonist? Would you ever do it? As a reader, what do you think of the idea?

In reality, even the best of friends will argue sometimes. With that being the case, it's only natural you'll sometimes have a situation crop up when friends fight in fiction.

No matter who's in your story, or how well they get along, you're going to want to promote your book at some point. So, are character interviews worth the effort? I think so. I also think they're fun to do, and have done several myself.

Speaking of marketing: consider those times when free isn't really free, and word things correctly. We already know books on Kindle Unlimited are free to subscribers, so do everyone a favour and only mention the word "free" in your advert or post if you really mean it. If it's only free to subscribers, or to those who sign up for something, make sure you make that clear from the start.

By the way, have you heard of using your magic garden to tie your stories together? I hadn't either. It's an interesting idea though, don't you think? Could be fun. Mind you, you could say I've done something like it without realizing, because of the use of my pets in many of my stories - both stand alone and series - and poems, especially the degu books, where I've conciously used my degus for all four of them, even though only two of them belong to the series, and one of the stand alone stories isn't so obviously about my own degus (I make it clear that Buddy from "How To Trust Your Human" is Joshua, but don't make it so obvious that Oscar from "Degu's Day Out" is Jasper, because it's not so important for you to know that).

Anyway, no matter what you write, and whether it's part of your own magic garden or not, if you're feeling a little sour about the writing process right now, check out this post on turning a lemon in to a book.

Next, here's an interesting mini series. It talks about how stories go through phases just like matter, considering the solid foundation, the flowing liquid of plot, and the churning gas of ideas. Being the kind of person who likes to exercise both sides of her brain, I enjoyed this combining of the creativity of writing with scientific thinking. I hope you do too.

Last, but certainly not least, always remember that not everyone will like your story, but that doesn't mean it's a bad story. People have different tastes, and that's OK.