TakingDictation

Not Just a Writer

Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux on Canva Recently, I had a friend of mine tell me how lucky I am that I am "just a writer". Yes, she said “just.” My friend meant well in...

Getting Feedback Is Hard. Here’s How to Make It Easier

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash If I ate a donut for every time I'd heard someone tell me how important getting feedback is for writers and other professionals, I'd look a lot like Violet in Willy Wonka,...

How to Choose Which Stories or Articles to Write

Image by chenspec on Pixabay I could just be a freak about this, but the number of things I want to write in articles or books is getting longer than Santa’s Naughty-and-Nice list. If I...

How to Use Automation in Writing Without Sacrificing Originality

Image by mohamed_hassan on Pixabay In a previous article, I talked about my disdain for using artificial intelligence to produce writing content. In that piece, I tried to stress that, although AI can support writers,...

Providing “Value” on Social Media: What I Learned This Week

Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux on Canva It used to be that writers had lots of help marketing themselves, simply because publishers knew that good marketing meant more money in their own pockets. Want to...

Headlines Stink? Try These 8 Power-Ups

Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux on Canva One of the best things about the digital world right now is that writers can get their content out on tons of platforms. It’s easier than ever to...

How Choice Creates Compelling Fiction

Photo by Pixource on Pixabay Think fast. What’s the secret to a fantastic novel? It’s not mastering the story arc (because naturally, you want your book to read EXACTLY like every other book sold). It’s...
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Why “Qualified” Is a Horrible Way to Describe a Writer

Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux on Canva You know the idea. Write what you know. That will let the words flow onto the page faster and with a flavor of authenticity readers will smack their...
Taking Dictation

When Dracula Joins the Circus

Image by Willgard Krause from Pixabay This afternoon, I was chatting online with an old friend about books. (OK, let’s just pause and appreciate the fact he let me talk about those things with pages,...
Taking Dictation

What to Do When Your Draft Genuinely Sucks

Image by Anuj Chawla from PixabayEvery writer I know understands that producing a book–or even an article or blog post–is a process. It’s rare for people to spew one version of something, hit publish, and...