Month: December 2019

Write for yourself

On By Alice StrathernIn WritingLeave a comment

This is wise advice.

Writing is about finding your voice. Some will like it, some won’t. Some will tell you how you should be doing it. The truth is, you decide how to develop your own style. No one can tell you how to be unique.

Actually, no one can actually teach you how to write. Sure, you’ve taken courses that tell you about grammar and proper punctuation, but the art of writing goes beyond that. All you need to do to become great at this craft is writing a lot and reading a lot. That’s all.

The occasional workshop can guide you, yes, but you gain real experience with your hands on the keyboard and with your eyes on a book.

Thoughts on prolific writing

On By Alice StrathernIn Writing2 Comments

I recently read an article about becoming a prolific writer. The key is pretty nice and simple: Write a lot.

It’s a simple truth and couldn’t agree more with it. It makes sense to write as much as possible to offer multiple readings in multiple formats. One of the first forms of writing that comes to mind is blogging. While you’re working on your manuscript, your online presence should stay active in some way. Posting a couple of entries per week (or per month) keeps exercising your writing skills.

If you have an audience that enjoy hearing from you and your work, it’s also a way of keeping them informed on your most recent activities. On the other hand, if your blog is not popular yet, it’s always a good idea to start building an audience and tell them about your writing.

That article also reminded me of one of the many ideas that Joanna Penn has shared around multiple streams of income. It’s not enough to publish one book and hope it sells millions of copies. It’s working on new ideas to keep producing more books.

Consider different genres and different formats like audio books, workbooks, and ebooks. The more you create, the more sources of income you’ll generate.

What do you think?