Writers: Keeping Up with the Hustle and Bustle?

December 21, 2012 by 1 Comment
shutterstock_114593455

Happy Holidays, writers! They’re almost here! Did you get everything done? Me either. My to-do list is almost as long as it was on Monday of this week, yet I’ve been rushing and running and scrambling for the last five days! It makes me wonder what I was actually working on all week. So what about writing? Does writing have a role in the busy day-to-day holiday preparation? Below are a few ideas on how to keep up with it! 1) Make a list of your priorities. Your probably have a to-do list (and a long one at that). Is it organized? Where does writing fit? Time to put an order  to all the things you have to do this… [read more]

Filed Under: Motivational, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Doing NANOWRIMO? Five Tips for Succeeding—AT LAST!

November 5, 2012 by 7 Comments
shutterstock_116527354

Each year, thousands of wannabe writers get themselves hyped up about NANOWRIMO—“National Novel Writing Month.” A worldwide literary celebration that takes place every November, NANOWRIMOers’ mission, as it transparently describes, is to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days (or 1,667 words per day). In 2011 there were 256,618 participants, yet only 14% of those writers succeeded.   It’s not difficult to imagine the reasons for failure (or the “absence of success”). It probably looks a lot like that new diet plan you thought would become a “lifestyle”—you know, the one you start by going to Whole Foods and buying nothing but kale, feta cheese, and raw protein for your week’s meals only to find yourself downing your second… [read more]

Filed Under: NANOWRIMO, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

5 Tips to Great Writing

July 16, 2012 by 2 Comments
shutterstock_29728255

In the words of Richard Bach, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Below are five tips to getting past the “I want to write a book” stage to “I’m on draft ____ of my book!” 1. Read, read, read! Before you become a famous writer, you should read the works of famous writers. Lots of writers with lots of variety. Pay attention to the different and subtle ways they connect with their audience. You might read two fantasy books, but one may be all about world building while the other is all about character building. Even though I love the fantasy genre, I know that I’m much more invested in character-driven plots than world-building plots, or rather I appreciate when authors are clever… [read more]

Filed Under: Audience, Motivational, Revising, Storytelling, Writing, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Best Writing Prompts We’ve Ever Come Across

June 29, 2012 by 10 Comments
shutterstock_94123483

Why do we need writing prompts?   Because staring at a blank page is no joke. Sure, that dent in the wall from banging your head against it is a rite of author passage… But, we’ve found that writing prompts are a quick and reliable fix for rejuvenating a weary writer moment.   Trying to come up with your next greatest scene? Trying to add grit, humor, or depth to dialogue? Can’t find words to begin the story you have floating in your head? Writing prompts are your answer.   With writing prompts, the trick is truly being open to whatever flows from your fingers (or pen). Overthinking your response to a good writing prompt is like attempting to guess… [read more]

Filed Under: Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Take a 6-Minute Writing Break NOW!

June 13, 2012 by 2 Comments
shutterstock_99539450

If you’re anything like me (or any other writerly type in the universe), you might be accustomed to creating brilliant (and sometime quite logical) reasons why you can’t be writing or working toward writing in the present moment. These are often called “excuses.” They sound like, “I’m in a staff meeting” or “I have a meeting in twenty minutes” or “I have to invoice my client.” Okay, those are all pretty good reasons to not be doing anything else. Still, I often get stuck on the idea that every time I write I have to make a significant time investment. Not true! If you’re sitting at your desk, and you’re up for a coffee break, below are six easy writing… [read more]

Filed Under: Motivational, Storytelling, Writing, Writing Prompts Tagged With: , , ,

Wise, Ink. Writing Prompt #1: Meditate Your Way to a Coffee Shop

February 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

Hi Everyone! It’s Amy, cofounder of WiseInkBlog.com. This is the first official Wise, Ink. Writing Prompt! The goal of the prompts will be to push your creative juices to the max, or at least get them pumping a little bit. If we don’t get you writing, we hope that we can get you THINKING about your writing. These writing prompts won’t always be like traditional writing prompts, but sometimes they will. Sometimes they might work better for one genre of content over another; don’t worry, we hope to help spark each and every writer over the course of our prompting. We’ll have prompts that will help bloggers, romance writers, business writers, sci-fi writers, and everyone in between. Sound good? OK…. [read more]

Filed Under: Motivational, Planning, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: , ,

Do I Have to Write Every Day? 6 Tips to Make Writing a Lifestyle

February 17, 2012 by 2 Comments
shutterstock_90719872

I admit it: I’m a world-class writing-specific procrastinator. Want to make me productive when it comes to cleaning my house? Caulking my tub? Painting the ceiling in my bathroom? Just tell me I have to sit down and create a chapter of my book; you know, the one that in my wildest fantasies will be the next Great American Novel (the “GAN”). It won’t be The Sun Also Rises great, but I could probably accomplish something better than Simon & Shuster-published A Shore Thing by Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. One of the hardest things about being an author is actually writing. Believe me, I’ve made all the excuses. I have such a long commute. Because of word processing, I just edit and reedit… [read more]

Filed Under: Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: ,