THE RYW Blog
WRITING, SELLING, AND BALANCING YOUR LIFE
4 Tricks When You Don’t Know What to Write
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser (or a plontser – somewhere in between on the spectrum of story planning), there are going to be times when you stare at the page or plot outline and think… I have no idea what comes next. Sometimes you’ll write a...
The Same, but Different
If you’ve ever read an interview with an agent or editor, and someone asks “what are you looking for?” you’ll notice they often say things like “we’re always looking for a good story” or “I want to see more stories like (whatever’s popular).” They may say they want...
How to Make Your Writing Memorable
Being successful in the writing world is about standing out in a ridiculously crowded field (like, in-the-millions ridiculous.) It’s about getting people to find you, but also getting them hooked on your style of writing, on your novels, enough that they decide...
Turning the Negativity Train Around
“Negativity is the enemy of creativity.” —David Lynch Everyone experiences negativity sometimes. We have niggling self-doubt, depressed thoughts, frustrations or anger about all kinds of things in our lives. The problem occurs when that little engine of negativity...
The Magic Art of Finishing Up
It’s super easy to start writing. New ideas are shiny and exciting. There are worlds to explore and characters to get to know. You may plot, plan, research, outline, and even write a big part of your books. Only to get distracted when the next shiny, exciting idea...
Quitting 101 for Writers
Probably the biggest complaint I hear from writers is that they “don’t have enough time” to write. This is usually followed, in the next breath, by listing all the things they’ve got going. All the social events, clubs, projects, volunteer activities, charity work,...
Say No to the Multitasking Mistake
We live in a world that is full of the drive to do more, more, more. As writers, we suffer from this expectation maybe more than a lot of other people. We are expected to write more, blog more, market more, be visible on social media more. It is all Important, with...
How to Rock Your Resolutions
Every year millions of people make New Year’s resolutions on January first. And by January thirty-first have completely forgotten what those resolutions were. I’ve been guilty of this. As the new year rings in, I create this “wish list” of things I want, only to...
Is Writing Full Time a Viable Option?
Note: this originally was run in my newsletter, but given the responses, I thought I'd post it here on the blog as well. Is writing full time a viable option? Around 80% of the people I work with have mentioned that, ideally,eventually, they want to be able to write...
