Articles
10,000 hours and counting
I recently came across this interesting blog post by Justine Lee Musk that discusses what it really takes (according to some) to become a successful author. I love this quote by Malcom Gladwell: “When we look at any kind of cognitively complex field — for example, playing chess, writing fiction or being a neurosurgeon — [...]
Generic Characters are Boring
I’ve been reading several “how to” books recently and one thing that I’ve noted in two of them in particular is that characters should be extraordinary. They should be more handsome than the average man, more beautiful than the average woman. Smarter, wealthier, etc.
Plain, dull characters should be extremely plain and dull.
Kim Llewellyn recently said [...]
Antiheroes by Manda Benson
Starting to tire of the status quo? The villain gets engines of destruction and malefic technologies at his fingertips; the hero gets a sidekick who can do magic tricks and a white horse with bells on it. It’s time to level the playing field. It’s time to talk about antiheroes.
What is an antihero?
An antihero is [...]
Good Blog Habits #6 – Reminder people to sign up for your RSS feed.
Reminder people to sign up for your RSS feed.
More and more people are using RSS feeds these days. You can even get an RSS feed via email. Getting your users subscribed to your blog will help you get return traffic.
Each time you post something new, they’ll be notified. This makes it easy for them to [...]
Good Blog Habits #5 – Have Goals
Have goals.
What is it you want out of your blog?
Don’t feel blindly in the dark. Set goals. Write down the steps it’ll take to achieve the goals. And start completing those steps.
This goal will help you maintain your focus. It will help you persist when the going gets touch. It will help you be [...]
Good Blog Habits #4 – Be Yourself
Be yourself.
Take a look at your favorite blogs. What do they do successfully? What makes them unique? How do you get to know the individual writer(s)?
What makes you unique? How can you be yourself on your blog, let readers get to know you, and meet your goals as a blogger? Let your personality [...]
Good Blog Habits #3 – Be Persistant
Be persistent.
The most successful bloggers are the ones that keep at it, even on days where no one visits and no one comments.
Focus on why you have a blog. Do you want to share your ideas? Teach something? Let off steam? Develop an author platform? Keep a journal of your life?
Don’t lose that focus. [...]
Good Blog Habits #2 – Be Personable
Be personable.
In other words, look at blogging as a way to connect with others. Be friendly. Don’t be afraid to make friends. When someone leaves a comment on your blog, thank them.
Make conversation. Network. Invite others to visit your blog. Invite others to write for your blog. Connect.
Where do they come from—Those ideas, those characters?
Most times readers want to know where an author gets there ideas to write the stories they write. Sometimes ideas come upon us full blown, other times we have to fight with them, argue them down to our size, or just plain wrestle them to the ground. I find if I start out with my [...]
Your Article is Live – It’s the Little Things that Excite Me
One thing I’ve advocated for several years is writing articles and distributing them to expand your brand, experience, and network. Plus, it’s nice to give something back. So many people have helped me get where I am today.
There are a variety of ways for writers to distribute articles including newsletters, personal blogs, guest blogs, magazines, [...]
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