Celebrate!
ericspaete / Pixabay
I’ve written 200 posts since I started blogging on 6/23/09. That’s 99 months ago, which means I’ve averaged two blogs a month. I’m sure weeks passed with no activity, followed by Tasmanian devil typing.
It’s only fitting that today’s post centers on links with writing advice, as I’ve made it a practice to share all I’ve learned over my eighteen year writing career. I wish as much information was available then as now.
Writing wisdom learned from writing 200 posts
- Writing is hard. (duh!) Find a support group or critique partner to help you on your journey. You’ll not only gain valuable feedback and find like minds (those who hear voices), but you’ll come away from every meeting feeling recharged.
- Read a lot. In all genres. Fiction and non-fiction. Study what you’ve read. You’ll learn and improve. Plus, you never know when inspiration will strike.
- Your first book will be bad. Probably your second and third. It takes a long time to find your voice. Consider them very long writing exercises.Click To Tweet
- Your first draft will be bad. Don’t spend endless hours polishing chapter one before writing chapter two. Get the words down before you lose momentum or another sparkly idea strikes.
- Don't take every bit of writing advice to heart. I've seen writers stop in midstream or change direction because 'the class I took said this', or 'I read this online—'. There's nothing wrong with learning, but at some point you have to trust your gut and write the damn book.Click To Tweet
- Writers, for the most part, are introverts. Please don’t let it stop you from joining in or asking for help. The writing community is one of the most helpful I’ve ever encountered. There is no problem you have that someone else hasn’t had. They will freely share the solution, their cover artist’s name, their opinion on your book blurb, and how to overcome a technical issue. Trust in them, and you will be rewarded.
- Have fun. Don’t let self-doubt, unmanageable characters or limited sales stop you. Pursue your dreams and enjoy!
Saturday’s writing links:
Why you should let your first draft suck.
Invoking the NO. How to say no to everyone and everything.
11 tips for creating a writing routine
50 kickass resources for indie authors
Do you have a C.T.A. (Call to Action) in your books? How to use back matter to sell more books.
Other resources:
You can find my words of wisdom, images, and links every day at:
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Thank you to everyone who has followed me on my amazing writing journey. You make the adventure worthwhile.
Lastly, I’d like to wish my sister, Carla, a happy birthday tomorrow, the 24th. Age and distance separate us, but you’ll always be with me.
Blessings,
Cheryl
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Congratulations on another feat in writing. Thanks for sharing what you learnt. 🙂
Congratulations on the feat. I wish you more posts to come and enlighten us with your gracious writing !
keep Writing !
Congratulations on the 200! More power to you!
I agree with all your wise words. My first drafts always suck. But the story would be by then down on paper. All I need to do is polish it till it shines.
Congratulations. I am coming up to 100 almost and I know how it feels. Writing is so hard but it is also immensely satisfying and enriching. i am going to bookmark your blog and keep comingback
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Congratulations on your 2nd century with your blog and thank you for such great advice. We, the writers, already know all this stuff but we choose to ignore it. Rather, we become vulnerable while writing and take every advice and critic to heart. Thanks for reminding that if we are smart enough to “hear voices”, we’re smart enough to ignore the wrong ones too! 😀
I agree that writers are filled with self-doubt while writing. That’s why we need to reach out and support each other. Otherwise, the journey is too lonesome.
I try to distill what I’ve learned and not promise instant success. Like any other art, writing takes time to learn. Thousands of hours. Millions of words. I hope I can help.