Learning new things is scary, even thinking about trying something new is scary too. If you want to grow as a writer (or even just a human being), you’ve got to step outside the comfort zone. What’s an author’s comfort zone? Writing the same sort of stories, the same genre day after day, maybe…
Category: Writing How Tos
Story Sparklers
No Tuesday guest blogger today and I didn’t have time to write a post so I thought the next best thing was another story sparkler. Here are a set of objects that need to be fitted into a short story. You can use one or if you’re brave enough, all of them. Have fun….
How to Fix a Sagging Middle
Do you often suffer from a sagging middle? I know that sounds like the beginning of an ad or sales pitch for some miracle weight loss or exercise cure but it’s a huge problem for authors. And no, not because we sit on our butts a lot. I’m talking about the story that starts perfectly…
Tuesday Guest Blogger-Luanna Stewart
Say hello to today’s guest blogger, Luanna Stewart… When did you begin writing? My first book was published in 2010, under a previous pen name, and I’d been writing for a couple years before that. What’s been your biggest challenge? About six months after I started writing (with the idea of some day publishing) I…
More of This and That
Almost forgot it was Wednesday and I hadn’t written anything for today’s post. I thought I’d use this opportunity to write another one of my this and that…throwing in anything I feel might be useful to you. There’s lots going on in the world of publishing, some not so good news for publishers but…
It’s About Time
I’ve never had so much time on my hands. Have you been hearing this too? As a coach, I’m hired and paid to motivate writers to write, to get their book finished, and sometimes I hand out tough love. Here’s my tough love talk if you’re one of the many people who always complain…
Surviving Recessions and Downturns
Working in the creative field for 20 plus years, I’ve seen recessions come and go. Looks like we’re entering one right now or maybe we’re already there. I’ve read posts, e-mails, you name it, about graphic designers, writers, editors, ad and PR people losing contracts and losing full time jobs and they’re scared.You…
Five Things I Wished I’d Known
This week’s guest blogger had to cancel so I brainstormed what to share with you. Just the other day, someone asked me about what if anything I’d do differently if I was a beginning writer again. Here’s what I came up with- Treat It as a Business Writing is a creative pursuit and most…
Five Things To Do When You Can’t Write
Thought we’d dive into another Hi Susan e-mail and this one is from Leslie. I sit down with every intention to write but nothing gets done. Is there anything else I can do so I feel less guilty? First tip, don’t feel guilty. When I went through my writing drought, I experienced first, panic, and…
Hi Susan-Working From Home Tips
People working from home is the new norm this week so it wasn’t too surprising to find lots of Hi Susan e-mails asking me if I had any tips. I was lucky enough to ease into working from home because my last employer let me do about 50% of the work from the home…