December 5, 2011 By

Don’t Limit Yourself to One Kind of Writing

If you consider yourself a writer of any kind, don’t limit yourself to just one kind of writing. Writing has mechanics to it, sure, but it’s also a creative act. Creative activities benefit from doing other creative activities. It’s the whole “get your creative juices flowing” thing.

If you write fiction, consider doing a long non-fiction research piece. If you write the news, try branching out into something that flows naturally instead of punchy bullet-like writing. You get the idea.

When you primarily do one type of writing project over and over again, you can get into a rut. It’s like hitting a plateau when exercising the same way for too long. The results you get just won’t be as profound, and you’ll have to work harder to get the words out.

I find that fiction writing is a great break from all the other kinds of writing. The important thing for you to consider is taking time every once in a while to write like you don’t normally write. It’s good for the brain.

And if you’re not a writer, apply this same principle to what you do.

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: ,
November 25, 2011 By

Make Your Writing Easier by Doing Good Research First

If you do most of your research before you ever sit down to write, you’ll be in a better position to deliver quality content. I remember back in the days of college when I would write something, and then have to search around for research material that supported what I had already written.

Don’t be backwards like I was. There are two reasons. First, you might be missing out on some direction-changing information by writing and then finding supporting material. If you had learned what you could first, your writing might have taken a different direction.

The second reason is that it just makes writing easier. There’s no sitting and staring at a blank screen while you wonder how to approach the subject. You already have an idea where you’re going to take the reader, because you have read and looked over various information sources, and compiled the data.

Not only is the writing easier, but it’s also faster. There’s no need for you to bang your head on your keyboard while you try to think of the next section to write. It should be all right there in your research.

If you write about anything other than what’s in your head, do yourself a huge favor and do your research first. I’ve tried both methods, and researching first makes it all easier. It’s funny…when I was younger, I didn’t research first because I thought it would just mean more work. Turns out I had it backwards.

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With:
October 20, 2011 By

State of the Writing – Oct 2011

This is the first of a new monthly segment that will be an overview what I’ve done with my writing business and where it’s going next.

I’ve borrowed the idea from Corbett Barr’s monthly traffic reports. I’m doing this because a lot of people don’t know how to make money with their writing. Hopefully this segment will serve two purposes: Help those who need ideas about monetizing their writing, and help keep me on track. As a writer, staying on track is very important. We can be easily distracted by great works of fiction, like this.

What this is not going to be is a place for me to brag about how much money I made. I think that’s kind of tasteless. Informing…not so much. But bragging is just lame.

What I’ve Done

I’ve made money with my writing in the past with an ebook. I wrote that book in 2008, and just recently did a test to see if there was still a viable market for it. The test? Take it off the market. I gave site visitors notice that I was going to take the book down soon. Sales went up.

What I’ve been doing over the last couple of months is rewriting that book into a second edition. It’s scheduled for re-release November 1, but I might let it loose sooner. I’m kind of ahead of schedule. Check it out here: The Bug Out Bag Book.

In addition to working on that, I’ve been doing some brainstorming for my next book. I’ll post more details sometime after the I launch my current book project. I’ve also been kicking around another idea in a completely different area — my head is full of ideas. The details for that idea will likely be revealed in my premium newsletter, Break the Cycle, which is also due for launch soon.

What I’m Going to do Next

I’ve got a couple of things I need to do next, so November is likely to be a busy month. Here’s what I’ve got planned:

  • Work on my next book
  • Launch my premium newsletter
  • Create a plan to promote my writing so I can hit my Target Monthly Income
  • Work on other secret project that isn’t entirely writing related.

My plan is to put out a monthly “State of the Writing” post around the 20th of each month. I guess I’ll have to put a reminder in the calendar of my phone. I rarely know what day it is without really thinking about it. Comments and questions welcome over on Google+.

Filed Under: State of the Writing, Writing Tagged With: ,
June 24, 2011 By

Communicate Effectively by Writing Quality Blog Posts

It’s important to write quality blog posts to keep your readers interested and your content both relevant and engaging. I learned that first hand today.

I started out penning a post on personal freedom. It was meant to be thought provoking, but it ended up just being crap. While I thought I had good questions to pose, what came out was disjointed, rant-like nonsense.

That’s not something you want to communicate to your readers. I scrapped the post and decided to write about the importance of quality instead.  [Read more...]

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June 21, 2011 By

My Experience Writing an EBook

writing an ebookIn 2008, I decided to write a book about building a personal disaster kit. It was a fairly hot topic at the time, so I decided to write a short guide and deliver an ebook to the market fast. The project moved fast, went online, and I still make money off of the book in its original edition.

I want to give you a rundown of the experience, how it all played out, and my future plans for the work. If you think you’ve got a book in you, but you’re unpublished and perhaps inexperienced, cranking out an ebook might be the project you need to get yourself out there and validate your desire to write.

Conception

After hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, I started researching personal emergency gear kits. I quickly learned that these kits were affectionately called “BOBs,” or Bug Out Bags. It was an interesting concept, and, having grown up in earthquake country, I decided to learn how to put together my own BOB.  [Read more...]

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