how do I make a writing habit each day
Book Writing

How Do I Make Writing Each Day a Habit?

Of course, it’s hard to ‘get time’ to write something for your book each day. That’s why you must make writing a habit. I’m sure if you’ve read the book ‘Atomic Habits’, you’ll know just how powerful it can be to instil some good habits. Look what it did for me! Does a certain amount of time go past before some tasks become an entrenched habit? According to two experts at MetaFact, it is unlikely, and certainly not the mythical 21 days. Wendy Wood of University of Southern California says, “Until you have laid down a habit in neural networks and memory systems, you must wilfully decide to repeat a new action again and again, even when it’s a struggle.”– Wendy Wood There is hope for those who want to write more often habitually though. Wendy states, “Adopt a new…
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keys to writing self-help memoir
Book Writing

Keys to Writing Self-Help/Memoir

What are some of the keys to writing a self-help memoir book? First, what is this mongrel book genre? What is a memoir? It is a snapshot taken from your life that’s compelling and has a strong message. What is self-help? Also called personal development, the self-help genre is diverse. It’s founded on the principle of the reader taking control of their lives, solving problems by learning new principles, tips and techniques. It often uses the direct voice (you, I, we). If your book’s topic is just stories (not your own), it may or may not be self-help. See The Success Principles. It is a bunch of inspiring stories but couched in the topic of being successful, so it is self-development. Some Things to Avoid when Writing Self-Help with Your Stories in It Stay away from using platitudes and quotes…
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self-publishing mentor to guide
Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing Mentor to Guide You

IT IS SO HARD TO BECOME AN INDIE AUTHOR and BE SUCCESSFUL. (That’s why you may need a self-publishing mentor). In my enthusiasm for writing useful books, I didn’t realise the absolute sh#t you have to deal with being a self-published author of any kind. There is a lack of book distribution partners who deal with us… I mean the kind that take 70% and give you access to the Big W, Target, and franchise bookstores. There is a lack of retailer co-operation on things like retail price points (my blog about these problems!) or any showcasing of Australian authors, unless you have a corporation. Although, if you have a Society of Authors (ASA) membership, at least you can turn to them for member support rather than flail alone. It’s true that I like to share my findings with all…
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Fail Fantastically book
Book reviews

Review: ‘How to Fail Fantastically’

It’s not often that I chuckle aloud to myself while reading. But Ken Williams’ book on failing made me do it. It’s small in size but not in value, and has black & white cartoons and quotes that gelled nicely with the content. In Ken’s book, everything is opposite. Failure is good; success, well, you can surmise. Sometimes I think even he gets confused about how to say it. But by the grace of his awesomely silly humour, he pulls it off. It’s the perfect antidote to those simpering, ingenuous self-help guides. Like Rachel Hollis’s ‘Girl, Stop Apologising’. Meh. My favourite section was the Mini Guide on ‘How to Get Your Book Rejected‘ — right up my street. And the cartoon for “the anatomy of a slush pile” sent me right off — I just loved it. I received a…
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Blurb Book Publishing Review
Self-Publishing

A Blurb Book Publishing Review

I’ve talked about IngramSpark, Amazon and Reedsy, but never reviewed Blurb. With image-rich books as a point of difference, Blurb book publishing has two parts: one for the hobbyist putting their photos into a book for the family treasure chest, and the other for offering colour trade books. This post contains affiliate links and if you click on them, we may get a commission from the company out of what you paid. To be fair, the hardback, gloss paper photo book option is also useful for designers and photographers to showcase their work. Make sure you use the “au” site if Australian, e.g. au.blurb.com. Once registered and logged in, you can choose ‘personal’ or ‘business’ and fill out your author details. Looks to me like Product Reviews aren’t what they should be, with a 2.8* out of 5 on average.…
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goal setting for writers
Book Writing, Self-Publishing

How to Motivate Yourself to Write (and Finish) a Book

Towards the start of the new year, my thoughts turn to how writers can motivate themselves to write and finish a book. It pains me to think of all those amazing books going unpublished or not promoted, just because of a lack of confidence, so let’s find out some motivation tips.  When I’m trying to finish my own books and in need of motivation, I think about other people’s problems. I believe the power of writing is not in the medium – as readers enjoy books, ebooks or courses – it’s in the targeted solution to very real problems today. Young people growing up now need to see and hear your message, if that message is of a life-guiding nature, because very few have yet to recognise the most important priorities in life, e.g.: Health Family and friends The doing…
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