Inside every writer is a story…brewing…ready to be told. An author is always reading, writing or thinking about a new story. That story is always looming within his/her mind.

Grammar & Styles

Every writer needs firm schooling in grammar do’s and don’ts. English grammar is possibly the hardest to learn and can take a lifetime to master. Study the craft.

One of the most valuable habits you can have is to write every day.

The more you write the better you get.

And great content gets readers’ attention.

Writing can be:

  • Frustrating
  • Exhausting
  • Overwhelming
  • Even discouraging

But with writing comes:

  • A sense of accomplishment
  • Getting published
  • Impacting readers

In order to write fiction, you have to read fiction. Read a lot of it. All good writers learn good writing by reading first.

Tools to keep on hand: 

  1. Notebook

The most obvious tool: your phone, recorder, web camera, computer, or IPad. Every writer takes notes. It’s essential!

Then, there are the actual notebooks. Notebooks are everywhere. Keep one next to your bed, in case ideas come to you in your sleep. It also works as a weapon against insomnia. Keep a book by at your side at all times, in your bag, on the coffee table, on the kitchen table, wherever you spend time. If an idea is plaguing your mind, write it down, at least the main pillars of it.

  1. The board

The story board is basically a lay out containing the structure of the story. The Board allows you to view the whole story in one place, to keep adding to it, changing plot points from place to place and interlocking ideas in one way or another before you write it out fully; visualize and play with the structure in your mind. Use a word document if that’s the right avenue for you. Put your story down in prictures, J.K. Rowling does.

  1. Mind-maps

Mind-mapping is a technique invented by an Australian, Tony Buzan, who analyzed the way people study. The theory behind mind-maps is that it replicates the way our inner brain processes those ideas. Using images to build a fluid design. It begins with one idea – the trunk of your idea before branching out into a fully grown tree.

Attend Writing Groups: 

  1. Moral support. Other writers understand when you complain that writing is hard.
  2. Like-minded people. Share your hopes and dreams with people who think the way you do.
  3. Feedback. Writing groups will give you honest feedback even when you don’t want to hear it.
  4. Healthy competition. Seeing other people produce work is the best motivation for a writer who is not writing.

“Linda has published sixteen books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on the challenges a writer faces, including marketing and promoting your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews and how to self-publish.”