Advice
Missed a Day of Writing? Read This Before You Panic
I missed yesterday. I didn't write, not one word, not even a sentence in my notes app, nada. I went to bed feeling like I'd failed, like I'd broken something important and assuming the entire habit I'd built was now ruined.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
Amazon's Algorithm Didn't Promote My Book. Here's What I Should Have Done Instead.
I believed the myth: write a good book, upload it to Amazon, and the algorithm will do the rest. There are millions of readers browsing Amazon, and the platform's sophisticated recommendation system pushes my book to fans of romance fiction (my book's genre). There is this "Customers who bought this also bought…" magic that would introduce my book to the right people.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
Common Pitfalls To Avoid In Writing
The writing profession opens the door to many experiences, however in the course of having these experiences there are many pitfalls a writer may experience. We can either learn by experiencing these ourselves or we learn of them early and avoid making them. It is advisable to choose the smarter one. Here are some common Pitfalls writers make while writing. A few I have experienced personally myself. Thinking your creative work is not good enough. As a writer do not ever do this to yourself. Rejections in the writing industry are normal and so is criticism but do not belittle yourself because of it. Do not keep your stories in archive, they deserve to be read. Share your work, get feedbacks and hone you writing. Writers grow with experience. You do not become an exceptional writer overnight. Your Talent is not Enough - To forge ahead in the writing field and be a real professional, do not reply solely on talent - take on writing master classes, read book in the genre you write, get a writing mentor and make sure you are writing. Get constructive feedbacks on your writing, take that step, publish your book, share it on your social media or indie writing communities. Majority of the top writers who share their success stories daily all started out wobbling, tripping and limping so take that next step, don't just imagine it. You will become a top author before you know it. Not editing your creative work before publishing: I will like to make an analogy here. Do you know difference between buying original and fake products of goods? Most fake products sometimes come out with the wrong spelling of the original product or wrong positioning of the logo, motto or design. This informs a discerning buyer that this is the fake and not the original product and they should avoid buying it. This is the same way readers perceived books that are not properly edited. It is like a headlight, shining brightly warning them away. It does not matter if the words were written in a flowery language. If the content consists of spelling errors, punctuation and grammatical errors, logical inconsistencies; all of which ought to have been eliminated before publishing. The author will loose credibility with readers and may be perceived as an aspiring author or unprofessional. Check the work of top authors, they mostly use of editors and proofreaders. If you cannot afford one, make sure you write in drafts and edit before publishing. Not Pitching your story or Submitting to relevant places: Writers have the terrible habit of hoarding ideas, I inclusive. However, this is a pitfall, we cry no time or we are busy. The ideas sit around in our creative mind, we leave it hanging without putting it to good use. The competitions and contents are ignored ; deadlines approval before we think of writing the story. This isn't weight and should be avoided. Pitch that story, set the time, do not wait for the time to set itself into place, it never will. You are the one to be disciplined with your writing. Set a timetable if you have to, set alarms, pitch your story, join a competition and sent that email. You are a writer. Live it. There are more pitfalls to take note of in writing. However, I will stopping here due to how much I have prepared for the next pitfall which is Procrastination. Procrastination is the writers curse, it and it's younger siblings Writers Block. Check out the next post for more pitfalls.
By Esther Fashola8 months ago in Writers
While The World Collapses
My life is yet to be interesting to anyone but myself. Nothing even feels real, all the negative bullshit feelings I experienced growing up were for what? Because now that I think back to the times I constantly felt anxiety, fear, pressure, stress, etc. It doesn’t even feel like I was real. I don’t know how to explain it even on paper. Anne Frank said “Paper has more patience than people.” At the age of 21 I discovered for the first time an interest in writing, more specifically journaling. Yet, at the time I didn’t even know what I was doing was considered journaling because it happened in the most intrinsic way. This creative expression only lasted a few months before it began to wear off, yet I had become so dependent on journaling in order to feel good and okay. Everything around me was collapsing while the inner me was ecstatic. This was a feeling I’ve never felt before! Who can I tell? Oh wait, I forgot I’m a quiet person, let's not tell a soul. My personality type is INFJ. I just learned this recently, before learning this I was so bitter and stuck for the last 4 years, after I had no path or goals or drive. The only thing I wanted to do was write and express myself and help others. Unfortunately, there is no room for that in this reality that I’m living, or have I not been exposed to the correct environment, information, energy? How am I able to tell you the number of times I’ve prayed and asked for help? It worked at times and other times I just felt stuck, It’s a damn loop. Nobody is here to help you through the times you get stuck, but you will always find them at the end of the tunnel where your peace lies. They sit there patiently waiting until you finally reach the end where they then shoot you with their damn opinions. Hey, but if there’s one thing I learned in my journey, it’d be to not let things get you so angry. Because as the late, great Nikola Tesla said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” If something makes you angry, that very thing has altered your state of being. You have been disrupted, and now from a high vibrational state you have unknowingly lowered your vibrational state. Become aware of this as I have, and see where it takes you. Last example, many people dislike something too much sometimes, for instance atheists hate the idea of religion (not all of them do of course, this is just something I’ve recurringly noticed), and while having a conversation the other person brings up religion and now the atheists entire inner state is altered due to the word “religion” being the cause for this alteration. After this, they unknowingly blurt out opinions in an annoyed and condescending way. As I get older, I understand the responsibility I have in this world. To share my art with the world, my voice, my ideas. I am the rain pouring onto the rainforest. To bring the energy of my state of being and share it with you. There’s always something going on in the world, however our consciousness is limited. While the world collapses, I sit here and write. While the world collapses, I choose my creative expression.
By ahsan khan8 months ago in Writers
Stop Telling Writers They Don’t Have Real Jobs
"That's nice that you have a hobby." That's what the lady at the gym, a woman using the adjacent treadmill, said when I told her I was a full-time writer, working for myself at my desk in my spare room. She asked me what I did for work, and I answered honestly.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
How to Keep Writing When You Hate Everything You're Producing
I deleted 600 words from my new novel this morning. Not because they were objectively bad, but because I hated them. Every sentence felt forced. Every idea felt obvious. Every word choice felt wrong. As a draft, I couldn't stand to read them back, let alone ferociously turn them into something mildly readable.
By Ellen Frances8 months ago in Writers
📖 "Publish a Book, and the Scammers Will Find You." Anatomy of a $37 Extortion Attempt
Publishing a book is an emotional rollercoaster 🎢. After months (or years) of writing, editing, and wrestling with formatting, you finally hit "publish." You’re proud, excited, and—most importantly—hungry for validation that your work matters. It’s at this exact moment, when your guard is down and your hunger for success is at its peak, that they appear: The "Author Hunters" 🕵️♂️.
By Piotr Nowak8 months ago in Writers
