NaNoWriMo – A Great Productivity Prompt for Self-Published Authors
With the organisers of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starting to bang the drum for the 2015 event, now’s the perfect time to hear from a passionate advocate about how this mega writing...
View ArticleHow to Write the Best Author Bio
In our occasional series about the special art of writing marketing copy for authors, American author and professional copywriter Bryan Cohen shares five ways to optimise your author bio, as part of...
View ArticleWriting: Why I Write and Self-publish for my Nepalese Charity
Nepalese author Tim Gurung explains why he only writes to raise money for for his charity ISSLCARE, which provides education for poor children in his native country. Although I was born and raised in...
View ArticleWriting: 5 Kinds of Writers’ Block and How to Cure Them
Some authors claim that there’s no such thing as writers’ block, but if you’ve ever encountered it, you’ll welcome this guest post by seasoned author and writing coach Jenny Alexander, who has written...
View ArticleWriting: Why I Write What I Write
While many indie authors have a lifelong compulsion to write, some turn to self-publishing after writing has helped them deal with a traumatic event such as serious illness or bereavement. One example...
View ArticleWriting in the Holiday Season – Feast or Fallow?
One of the great things about the winter holiday season is that unless you are working in retail or the emergency services, it can feel as if the whole world is standing still. No matter how busy your...
View ArticleInspiration for Your New Year’s Writing Projects
Sometimes, when indie authors are sharing their experiences about producing and marketing their self-published books, and comparing notes about sales figures, it can be all too easy to lose sight of...
View ArticleWriting: How to Take Care of your Hands and Wrists
A highly practical post for Writers’ Wednesday today on how to make sure those valuable tools of the trade are kept in top condition: our hands and wrists. It’s not just the initial writing that takes...
View ArticleWriting: How to Handle a Bad Critique
Being part of a critique group can help indie authors improve the quality of their books prior to publication, at no cost to the author – except perhaps in pride and confidence. And you have much to...
View ArticleWhy I Write What I Write: Writing Unmutes Me
American psychologist Deborah Cox shares her extraordinary story of how writing liberated her from her own past, shaped by her upbringing within a fundamentalist church. In the mid-1990s, I was an...
View ArticleWriting: How to Create a Language for a Fantasy Novel World
My reading resolution for 2016 is to get over my aversion to made-up names – a childish prejudice that forms a barrier to my enjoyment of a lot of fantasy books, and prevents me trying to read more....
View ArticleWriting: Why I Write What I Write – with Denise Barnes
Like many indie authors, British writer Denise Barnes has published books in more than one genre. Here she explains an interesting and unexpected – even to her – relationship between her fiction and...
View ArticleWriting: How to Find a Self-published Book in Your Business or Your Life
If you’re an indie author, one way of boosting your income is to diversify, using your writing skills not only in your comfort zone, but in other areas in which you have special knowledge or skills to...
View ArticleWriting: Why You Should Write What You Know – Yes, Really!
“Write what you know” is a classic piece of writing advice that authors – especially indie ones – love to debate. Wouldn’t it be better to write about what interests and excites you? Or what you’d like...
View ArticleOpinion: When Writing Ambition is Suppressed by Teachers
Why do so many authors start publishing books relatively late in life? Often because they’ve been programmed by well-meaning but misguided schoolteachers into believing that writing isn’t really a...
View ArticleWriting: Using Initials in Your Writing Name
A practical post today for anyone thinking of using initials in their author name. This may seem like a minor point of detail, but how you format it can make a big difference to your discoverability,...
View ArticleWriting a Prequel: Why Write It and How to Market It
Sometimes, despite your best-laid plans to write and self-publish series of novels, an out-of-sequence idea leaps out of nowhere demanding to be written – whether a prequel or a volume that fits in...
View ArticleWriting: What is Concept Revision and How and Why Should You Do It?
Today in our #WritersWednesday slot about writing, British indie author and chartered psychologist Rosalind Minett explains her approach to revising her work, sharing an interesting and unusual tip...
View ArticleWriting: 9 Rookie Errors to Avoid When Plotting Your Self-Published Novel
Author, ghost-writer and writing coach Roz Morris provides a handy checklist to help you make sure you’re not making classic novice errors when planning the plot of your novel. Far-fetched or trite...
View ArticleWriting and Self-publishing with Epilepsy
As part of our occasional #WritersWednesday series on writing with particular health conditions, British novelist Chrissie Parker’s describes the challenges of writing with epilepsy. Her positive...
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