Tag: writing career

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Stepping Out

February 1, 2021– All this month we’ll be focusing on stepping out of our comfort zones  in our writing and career!  As many of you know, my life is about to change dramatically; want to talk about stepping out of comfort zones, I’ve got a story for you! I recently sold my house and have purchased a Pandamonium Publishing House tour bus, that I will be travelling cross country in, for the next 2-5 years. Yep, I’m all in and totally committed to adventure, new experiences, getting out of my comfort zone, and spreading the word across Canada and the United States (when the border opens) about our fabulous authors, artists, and company.

I chose this topic as the next one in our series because I think it’s important. Anything that makes us uncomfortable helps us grow and it’s up to each of us to create the type of life that gets us excited to wake up in the morning! Here are some ways that you can begin to step out of your comfort zone.

  1. List your fears. By making a list of things that scare us the most, we give ourselves the opportunity to find solutions. We can only confront and change what we are willing to acknowledge. What are your fears for your writing life?
  2. Find solutions. The only way to overcome our fears is to look them straight in the eye. Whatever your fear may be there is always a solution. For example, if one of your fears is that you’ll never finish your book, the solution may be to schedule writing time each day, or to hire a ghostwriter.
  3. Take immediate action. I really don’t like running the stairs, but I know that it’s beneficial to my health. So, instead of thinking about it, dreading it, and making excuses as to why I should do it tomorrow, I do it immediately before my brain talks me out of it. Same goes for my writing life; there are some things I really don’t like to do (accounting and necessary paperwork), but I count down from 5 and by the time I hit 1, I’m already started. I don’t give myself an opportunity to cop out and neither should you. Do it, get it done, and move on.
  4. Do the hardest thing first. Do you need to rewrite chapter eight of your novel? Do you need to put together a marketing plan? Do the hardest thing first! You’ll thank yourself later because when you get the hard stuff out of the way, you’ll feel less stressed, more accomplished, happier, and more productive. You won’t have the task hanging over your head and you can do the things you love to do without worrying about what you should be doing.

This month, I can’t wait to explore a whole host of writing exercises, challenges, and topics surrounding getting out of our comfort zones, with you! For more advice, 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

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

After 40

November 26, 2020-In this interview, bestselling novelist Lee Child (Jack Reacher novels) explains why it’s better to start writing later in life. Writers on Writing: Lee Child on Starting Writing After 40 – YouTube

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Start Pretending

February 12, 2020– Your dream is to become a published author, right? Well, then you need to start acting like it. What do I mean? I mean that you need to start behaving as if you already are a published author even though you may not be just yet. Once you start doing this, amazing things will begin to happen. Some of you may think that I’m nuts, but here’s what pretending that you’re already published, will do for you:

  1.  You’ll build confidence. While it’s true that authors can be introverts, most of us aren’t. We love people and talking about our work. Ask yourself how you would feel if you were an author, how would you dress, how would you speak, what would you talk about? Pretending what it would be like, will have you feeling less afraid and more confident. Your confidence will draw people to you, and you’ll tell them what you’re working on.  Then the right people will start popping into place as if by magic. You’ll draw the people you need to you like a moth to a flame, perhaps it will be an illustrator, writing buddy, publisher, or editor.
  2. You’ll start doing the things you need to do. When you look at yourself as being an author, there is a trail of breadcrumbs that lead to it. Work backward. Ask yourself, how did I get here? Make a list of all the things that lead up to publication, such as writing a book or article, submitting your work to the right people, writing more often, keeping a schedule, and getting organized. Once you know what steps you need to take, you’re more likely to do them!
  3.  You’ll be inspired. You’ve stepped out of your comfort zone by using your imagination! Our imaginations are like faucets; once we turn them on, they don’t shut off unless we shut them off. You’ll be inspired by the experiences you have, and it will cause you to do more. You’ll see yourself as an author, and you’ll start showing up as her.

Now, of course, I’m not talking about lying to people or telling half-truths, I’m saying that you should tell people that you’re on your way to realizing your dreams because you are! Keep putting the work in, keep showing up, and keep being positive. You’ll get there sooner than you think!

 

Some of my articles that were published at the start of my writing career!
Posted on by — Leave a comment

When You’re Struggling…

October 25, 2019– We all struggle. Every single one of us struggles at something or at some point in our lives. Difficulty is part of the process so trust it. Could you imagine if everything was easy and just handed to you on a silver platter? Part of being a human is overcoming challenges. When we find a solution to our challenges we end up building confidence, trusting ourselves, and believing that we can do whatever we set our minds to. Here are three ways that you can help yourself if you’re struggling with an aspect in your writing career:

  1. Get out of your comfort zone. When things feel uncomfortable, that’s a really good indicator that you’re on the right track. Maybe it’s making that phone call or tracking down that distributor or writing while being vulnerable, whatever it is, make sure you do it because getting out of your comfort zone has the power to change the trajectory of your entire life. Try to do one thing a day that makes you uncomfortable and watch your life change.
  2. Put a timeline on it. There are some days that are rougher than others. When you’re having a tough time, put a timeline on feeling sorry for yourself. Give yourself five minutes at most to feel crappy about the situation (it’s important to recognize the bad so that we can appreciate the good) and then roll up your sleeves to start fixing it. Do you need to scrap the entire intro to your novel? Do you need to have that hard conversation with one of your employees?
  3.  Know that it will pass. “My mamma told me there’d be days like this and man, she wasn’t foolin.” Aerosmith sure nailed that on the head. The good news is that time marches on. Whatever you’re dealing with, just know it’s a moment in time…it will pass and then you’ll be on to the next thing. If it won’t matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it. That’s a personal rule that I keep.

The point is, there is no success without struggle. Keep going, you’re doing great. X LLB

knight-321443_640

Research Gives You Credibility…

June 3, 2019– Research is essential to your writing career, there’s no way that we can experience every situation in life, so that’s when we bring in the experts! Check out our latest podcast about research and how it lends to your credibility as an author. Click on the link below.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cd8mc-b1e8b1