by Monique Hall

If you’re a writer and you’re anything like me, the title of this post would have served as click-bait. However, I’ll admit straight off the bat, the title is not my own. It’s a title that caught my attention and introduced me to Sarah Werner’s Write Now podcast. If you don’t know it, get on it! It’s a weekly podcast for any writer looking for the courage and inspiration to write every day.

In this episode in particular, Sarah tells of how many writers express to her their desire to quit their day job so they can write every day. I know I’m guilty! She goes on to talk about expectations versus reality and dreams versus fantasy. There’s no need for me to explain her ideas here as I’m sure you’ll have a listen for yourself.

Continue reading How to Survive Your Day Job →

by Richard Risemberg

It’s tough out there; everyone’s writing novels, and many of them are pretty damn good. You will have a hard time marketing your book, whether you are self-published or have managed to get into a trade publishing house somewhere. Most books, even many deserving ones, vanish, leaving their authors to hope for van-Gogh-like posthumous success. But you can tilt the odds slightly in your favor by writing a book that is actually worth reading. Here are five essentials for the emerging novelist.

Continue reading Five Essentials of Novel-Writing for the Emerging Author →

by Diana Raab, PhD

Poetry is the voice of the soul and is often considered a free-flowing form of expression. Poets help us see a slice of the world in a way in which we might not have observed it before. They highlight details to cast a light on a feeling, an image, or an event. Poetry also helps offer insight into both the human psyche and human behavior, and it is a place where the imagination can roam free.

Letting go and writing poetry is about just allowing life and experiences to unfold as they are meant to unfold. When writing poetry, try to release or let go of your rational mind and let your sensations and emotions take over. Letting go is also about slowing down and pausing while being mindful of what is stirring inside you.

Continue reading How to Begin to Write Poetry →

by Melanie Mole

Writing can be a lonely business. By its very nature it is often a solitary existence. As a writer I have often thought how sad it is that some writers don’t support each other more. We are probably all after the same goal. We all want to write, and most to be heard. Some do write for pleasure only which is great, because to write just for the pleasure of it is a lovely thing. But whatever the reason, writing is our aim.

Continue reading Let’s Have More Writer Love →

by Doug Lewars

So who would you like to read your book? Well that’s an easy question. Everyone! So let’s see. There are seven billion people on this planet give or take a few and if I receive one dollar for every book sold and I have eight published so far then I’d get … Oh my! Eat your heart out Bill Gates.

However we know that’s not going to happen. For one thing English is not the first language of the majority of people and, when reading for pleasure, most individuals would prefer to read in the language with which they are most familiar. So the potential audience is cut down considerably – which brings us to the subject of this post – demographics.

Continue reading Demographics – Know Yourself / Know Your Reader →