Writing Competitions

Writing competitions are a great way to practise writing within constraints such as theme and word count. Many competitions have prizes such as cash, books, publication deals or writing courses. Some competitions provide feedback on the quality of your entry. Even if you don't win you will have a completed story, article, poem or start of a novel that you can submit to printed publications, online magazines or even self-publish (always check the terms and conditions to ensure you retain the rights to you story if you are unsuccessful). There may be a cost to entry although this need not be expensive.

To get you started take a look at the TXTLit Micro Story Competition at http://www.txtlit.co.uk/ and Literature Works' First Page Comp at http://www.literatureworks.org.uk/

Happy writing

Your Writing Place

You may read many articles and blog posts, including posts on this site, on setting up a workspace that supports your goal of becoming a productive writer. The advice given is valuable and will make a positive difference, however it is important that not having an ideal workspace does not become a barrier to achieving your goals or an excuse not to write regularly even when you do have the time.

One effective approach is to identify a space that you use only to write and nothing else. No checking emails, no research, no catching up on social media, no admin and no planning. Just writing. It does not matter where this space is, although minimising distractions will be an advantage. It could be a desk in your bedroom, the dining table, a fold-up table and chair in your sitting room, or even a lap tray used whilst sitting on the sofa or bed. It does not matter if you use this space for other writing or non-writing activities at other times as long as this space becomes your writing place, and nothing else, as soon as you open your notebook, laptop or tablet. If you do undertake other writing activities in this space then use a prompt to ensure your mind knows this is writing time and not admin time. This could be something as simple as placing an object – a stone, notebook, inspirational quote, or photograph of a favourite place – on the table.

Once you have decided on your place then develop the habit of writing continuously at least once a day, before long your mind will learn to automatically switch into writing mode as soon as you sit down. When you sit down ensure you know what you are going to write, not necessarily the actual words but which scene or article you will be completing. Don’t worry about getting the words exactly right at this stage, that can come when you edit. Just type, or handwrite, whatever comes into your mind. You might start off thinking you are writing rubbish – just keep writing. Amongst the words will be some real gems, everything else can be polished.

Adopt this approach and, within thirty days, you will find that every time you sit down to write your mind will switch off from all the other things that need doing – real or perceived - and you will be able to focus entirely on getting those words written, in other words you will be in flow. 

Summer Writing

There’s a good reason I’m writing this post today instead on getting it done three days ago as planned – today it’s raining. Yes I too wanted to make the most of the recent, albeit short-lived, good weather. I’ve been walking, gardening, and barbequing. Of course I always believed it would eventually rain and I could catch up with my writing however what happens if we have a fantastic summer, how can we ensure we write every day and meet our deadlines.

Below are a few quick tips to help you remain a productive writing whilst the sun is shining.

Get up a little earlier and write before doing anything else. It will be cooler, quieter and you’ll feel less guilty if you spend the rest of the day outdoors.

1. Create an outdoor writing space. If you are writing for a long period or using a laptop then a shaded area is usually better.
2. Set daily targets. When you have achieved them reward yourself with your preferred outdoor activity.
3. Plan ahead. Check the weather forecast and diarise your writing and other activities to ensure you get your writing done and are still able to enjoy the sunshine.

Summer is a great time and should be enjoyed. With a little planning you can enjoy the weather and still be productive. You never know you may even be inspired by all your new experiences.

Happy writing.

Zero Cost Marketing

Promoting your book or yourself need not be costly, in fact you can successfully promote your book for no cost other than your time, obviously this has a value however use it wisely and the returns can make it worthwhile. There are both online and offline opportunities available, you could even make some extra money. Give them a go and you could get your book in front of even more real buyers.

Website/Blog

Setting up a website or blog is essential as once you have engaged new readers they will want to find out more about you and your work. There are lots of free options available including Moonfruit, Blogger and Wordpress. Include an author bio and details of books you have written including how to buy them. Have at least one section that you update regularly, a blog is good for this, so readers have a reason to revisit your site.

Initially you may not get a lot of visitors to your site, don’t worry about this as the purpose, at this stage, is to have somewhere to send your readers. Longer term you might choose to invest some time in Search Engine Optimisation or drive traffic to your site.

Facebook

Set up a Facebook page that is separate to your personal profile and page. This page could be named after you the author, a book series, a character in your book, or the topic you write about.  Use this page to promote your book, provide updates on what you are doing related to your writing, give additional information about your characters or locations or give hints and tips related to your topic, in fact post about anything that will keep your readers engaged with your page.

You could also post on other Facebook pages. If you find a page that has fans who could become your readers, like it and comment on posts. After a while make a relevant post and include a link to your page or website.

Give a talk

There are lots of organisations that welcome speakers; consider your own community and think about all the different groups that meet regularly. It is highly likely these groups will have members who could become your readers, or perhaps purchase your book as a gift. You could talk about the subject of your book, give a reading, talk about the writing process or even select an entirely different topic and somehow relate it to your work. Consider these topics, time management for the self-employed, cooking meals for one, travelling with pets or making the most of social media. As long as you are introduced as an author and have the opportunity to mention the books you have written the subject of the talk doesn't really matter. And, as an added bonus, you may even get paid!

For further ideas on promoting your book and making those sales have a look at Sell it! The complete guide to marketing, promoting and selling your book, it is available on Amazon as a paperback and Kindle ebook.

Happy writing.

Make the most of your writing time

Does this sound like you? You work hard to carve out some writing time. You then sit down at your computer and the words just won’t come. Any words that you write are rubbish and you spend more time rewriting, deleting and editing. Twenty minutes later and you only have ten words written and are beginning to think that you will never be able to make living as a writer.

First of all don’t panic. Many new writers believe that “real” writers produce first drafts that are close to perfect, this just isn't true. Whilst a few writers do produce high quality first drafts most produce something that requires considerable rewriting and editing.

You can improve your output during your writing time by taking two simple steps before you start a writing session.

Step One – Plan what you are going to write

If you are clear about which section or scene you are going to complete before you sit down you can increase your word count considerably – no more wondering what happens next or which facts and opinions to include. When writing only do what you plan to do, if you think you need to do some additional research make a note to do it later. Techniques to try are:

• Create a complete outline for your work whether a book or an article. This could be a detailed plan or brief scene or section notes.
• At the end of a writing session make a note of what you are going to do during your next session. This enables you to think through the scene or section in between your writing sessions, you may even find the scene is written in your head before you sit down to transfer it onto your computer.

Step Two – Silence your inner critic

We all have one, that voice in our head that tells us our work isn’t good enough and surely we must realise by now that we will never make it as a writer. Whilst this voice has its uses you do not want to be listening to it whilst writing your first draft. Try these simple techniques to silence your critic whilst writing:

• Keep writing – if you are tapping away with your figures getting those words down as fast as you can there will be little opportunity for your inner critic to get a word in.
• When that voice says you could do better just respond by saying, “I know it can be improved and will do a rewrite at a later date.” Then keep writing.
• Complete your writing goals - this can be a great motivator as you are telling your inner critic you have what it takes to get the job done.

Start your next writing session with a clear idea of what you are going to write and then just write. Before you know it you will have a completed first draft.

Happy writing.

Engage with your readers online

Extracts from Sell it! - The complete guide to marketing,promoting and selling your book 

Many, possibly the majority, of your readers will engage online whether shopping, social media, viewing TV and videos or searching for information.  These same readers are likely to turn to the internet if they have an offline engagement with you and want to find out more. Even if your readers rarely engage online you will need a minimum presence, possibly a website, in order to meet their expectations, some people do actually believe that if they can’t find you online then you don’t really exist!

There is a vast array of opportunities for you to engage with readers online however what you select depends on both your personal preference and that of your readers so do remember to check your reader profiles and ensure you go where they hangout. Once they have become your fans they will be happy to go where you hangout.

YouTube

YouTube enables you to upload and share your videos with others. Initially you may think that creating a video is not for you however, think again, video is for everybody and, considering the number of people using YouTube, it is likely you can find some of your readers here.

If you are not yet familiar with YouTube then go to the website and do a search on any topic, perhaps something you want to know how to do. Whatever it is you will find several videos, there are lots of funny, how to, academic, learning, promotional and other types of videos.

You can create a video using moving images, a series of still images, text, voice and music. You could even create an animation. If you have yet to develop your skills in this area then start by creating a presentation style video – using presentation software – with a series of slides containing images and text and then add music or voiceover. Save the presentation as a video and upload.

There are lots of possibilities for your video - you could give a reading from your book, create a book trailer, give a talk or demonstration on a topic in your book, develop a video course, create a tourist information video of the locations in your book, get someone to interview you, or create a video blog.

You can share the link to your video on your Facebook page, in your newsletter, on your website and in your books.

As an alternative to YouTube take a look at Vimeo; you could post your videos on both platforms.

Webinars

Have you considered running a webinar – or a web based seminar? These provide massive opportunities to engage with your readers. If you have written a non-fiction book then why not run a webinar on this subject. For a fiction book you might discuss the process of developing your characters or locations. Create a presentation prior to the event and include video, audio, links to websites in fact anything you can show on screen or hear through audio.

You can choose how much interaction your audience has – typically the audience will type in messages and questions which you can then answer live or save until later and provide a FAQ page on your website or through email. You can also record the webinar so that you can make it available after the event. You could run a webinar to a small, perhaps personally selected, group and then make the recording available after the event.

If you are inviting comment and questions during the event you might like to have an assistant who can group the questions together or draw your attention to those that you could answer live during your session.

Consider offering attendees something special as a thank-you for attending, you could include a download link to free content such as an ebook that is available for 24 hours only.

There is a wide range of online webinar providers available including free, free trial, and paid for services; some free and trial versions will have restrictions. Take your time to find a service that meets your needs. You need reliability so check recommendations, the ability to accommodate your chosen audience size, and the ability to record – I would recommend this function as you then have the files for later use.

First time around can be nerve wracking especially if you haven’t given a presentation before or don’t feel comfortable with technology – try attending an online webinar first so you get a feel for how they work.

Online radio show

Did you know you can broadcast your own online radio show? There are a number of online radio services and apps you can download to record and broadcast your show. Have a look at blogradiotalk.com and spreaker.com to see what is possible. You could interview guests, give a talk about your book or have a discussion about the topic of your book. The show does not have to be related to your book, you could be promoting yourself. There are free and paid for options available so you can give it a try without any outlay and later, as your fan base grows, pay for additional features as you want them.

Happy writing.

Publish a short piece of writing

I have written in previous posts about the ease of self-publishing however, you still have to write your book first and this can take some time. If you are starting to feel that you’ll never quite get there then why not write a shorter piece – fiction or non-fiction – and get it published. Completing a piece of work to a publishable standard will train your brain to complete work and also motivate you to continue with longer works.

If you are publishing an ebook then length does not matter although it is important to be clear in your description that this is a single short story or report and consider your price to ensure readers’ expectations are met.

If you publish a printed book you may find that a single short story of 1000 words will cost the reader more to buy than they might reasonably expect to pay. You can overcome this by publishing a collection of short stories or reports.

Now is a great time to complete and publish your work whatever its length. If this is in a similar genre or within the same topic area as other books you are writing then you can start to build up a following and, with non-fiction, establish yourself as an expert.

Allocate some time today and complete a short piece of work. This time next week you could be earning from your writing.

Happy writing.