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Embrace the New and Terrifying

February 26, 2021– I’d like to thank each one of you for not only following our blog, podcast, and social media channels (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter), but for giving me such great feedback about the format change this year. Focusing on a central theme each month seems to be very well received and I’m thrilled that we are providing content that you care about.

Today is the final day where we wrap up stepping out of our comfort zone! Starting Monday, March 1st until the 31st, we’ll be focusing on the most asked questions that I get as a publisher from authors, entrepreneurs, and aspiring writers. Stay tuned! Lots of awesome questions and answers coming your way!

But, let’s get back on track and focus on one more post about smashing our comfort zones.

  1. Enter a contest. A few days ago I helped one of our authors enter his work in a contest at CBC; fingers crossed that he is chosen and wins the grand prize of $6,000. There are a ton of writing contests out there that will let you flex your writing muscles. Doing a quick Google search will help you find what’s out there for you to enter. Entering contests can be an exciting way to step out of your comfort zone and get paid to do it.
  2. Exchange your writing. Trade with another writer and offer feedback on their stories while receiving constructive criticism about your work. It’s terrifying to ask for advice, but this might just be what the author doctor ordered!
  3. Take classes. Join a new writing club, book club, writing retreat, or conference. Take continuing education courses online (or preferably in person) to meet new, like-minded writers who can breathe new life into your work and inspire you to get writing and to write differently. We offer a variety of classes/courses available here: Search Results for “course” – Pandamonium Publishing House
  4. Try writing prompts. Photo writing prompts are something that we love to play with around here! Using photos as story starters are a great way to stretch your imagination and writing skills. Step out of the box, start writing, and get out of your comfort zone.
  5. Collaborate. We’re doing another collaborative book with multiple authors titled, The Power of Pets; How pets change our lives. Collaborating on writing projects with other people can give you the push you need to step out of your comfort zone and even succeed in getting your name in print if you haven’t been published before. Collaborations are a great way to get your feet wet and do something new and a maybe a bit terrifying!

The rush of writing and finally seeing your name in a publication is like nothing else! It’s something that no one can ever take away from you; while it can be very scary and make us feel vulnerable, we need to do things that challenge us so that we can continue to grow as people and as authors.

 

 

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Stretch Yourself

February 5, 2021– Today we’ll be doing an exercise that is going to stretch your writing muscle! I love posing these types of challenges to my writers because it’s not only fun, but it helps them grow as authors. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and we find ourselves coming up with stagnant ideas for plots and character development. This is a great tool!

Photo writing challenge: Using the photo above, please write a 1200-word short story. Ensure that you have 1 character, 2 conflicts/challenges, and wrap it all up with a bow. This sounds really difficult to do, but I know that it’s possible! Plus, if you send your submission to pandapublishing8@gmail.com, you will get the chance to have your story featured on our blog in a future post! Also, if you want some guidelines on what publishers are looking for, check out my number 1, best selling book, here: Advice From a Publisher (Insider Secrets for Getting Your Work Published!) An Amazon Best Seller – Pandamonium Publishing House