TakingDictation

Why Creating a Simple Spreadsheet Helps With Platform Building
Especially now, success as a writer unfortunately isn’t about the quality of your work — it’s about being able to prove to a publisher that they’ll get sales and a good ROI. That’s why there’s...

Why Collaboration Can Be Dangerous for Writers (and How to Do It Well)
People traditionally see writing as a “lonely” art where we put words to the page by ourselves in a corner somewhere, but many authors work together all the time — we use collaboration just like...

Who You Are and How You Write
Who are you? It's the kind of question you'd expect more at a therapy appointment than a writer's conference or webinar. But your sense of self invariably connects to what and how you express on...

What Is an “Author Platform?”
What's a book (or other writing) without an author platform? What even IS an author platform? 🤔🤔🤔 We tend to think of author platform in terms of social media and followers. That's PART of it....

About Your Reader Count…
Writers, we need to talk about your reader count. We all want to measure that. It's a lot like social media, where lots of followers implies you're resonating with people. But it's also a perception...

Your 5-Point Guide to Better Dialogue
I don't read a ton of fiction these days -- I've been leaning into more nonfiction, simply because it helps me learn and reassures me that others are diving intelligently into all sorts of topics....

“Show, Don’t Tell”: The Big Picture Function
"Show, don't tell." It's one of the most widely repeated pieces of author advice out there. The goal is to bring the reader into the character's world and immerse them in it. stokpic from Pixabay Most writers...

4 Tips for a Stronger Sponsor Read or Ad Copy
I hear tons of ads and sponsor reads every day, often on places like MPR and YouTube. And if you're like me, you might have noticed something: Everything. Sounds. Alike. KitLittle from Pixabay As I explain in...

How to Use How to Use Metaphor, Simile, and Other Analogy Well in Writing
Writing is like giving away the few loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving. Once we dare to "give away" on paper the few thoughts that come to us,...
Recent Posts
- Why Creating a Simple Spreadsheet Helps With Platform Building July 18, 2025
- Why Collaboration Can Be Dangerous for Writers (and How to Do It Well) July 11, 2025
- Who You Are and How You Write July 4, 2025
- What Is an “Author Platform?” June 27, 2025
- About Your Reader Count… June 20, 2025
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