Lorna Faith

Clean Fiction Author

10 Most Helpful Blogposts for Writers in 2015

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At least once a day, I find a blogpost that has helped me to up my game as a writer. And this happens throughout the year, only I haven’t done a lot to acknowledge how much each post has helped me in some way.

This year, I wanted to find some small way to give back to those bloggers whose blogposts on different aspects of writing have really helped me.

That’s how this list of the 10 most helpful blogposts for writers in 2015 came to be.

This list is chosen based on: 1)great content, 2)the content was useful for people who were writers and/or self-published authors, 3)the amount of readers commenting and sharing, and 4)if the post held my attention the whole way through.

There are so many valuable and very helpful blogposts for writers out there, that I could easily have written down links to over 100 blogposts. But instead I did my best to focus on only 10 articles that I hope you will find helpful to you too.

10 most helpful blogposts

*Photo created with Canva

10 Most Helpful Blogposts for Writers in 2015

If you find these blog posts helpful to you as a writer, I hope you share them with your friends. You never know who else might be needing the useful or inspiring ideas found in these blog posts 🙂

Here are the blog posts in no particular order.

The Creative Penn

Great Blogpost: Pros And Cons of Being An Indie Author. In this article, Joanna talks about the benefits and the challenges to being an indie author and the differences between being a self-published author, an indie author, and other publishing options.

Helping Writers Become Authors

Great Blogpost: Never Confuse the Key Event and the First Plot Point in Your Book Again!  K.M. Weiland helps fiction writers understand the difference between the inciting incident, the key event and the first plot point. She also includes a infographic of her First Act Timeline.

Positive Writer

Great Blogpost: How to NOT Let Others Sabotage Your Writing. This is a great guest post by Marcy McKay on how to protect your novel and any other writing, from the criticism of others before you’re ready to put it out into the world.

Writers Helping Writers

Great Blogpost: Planning a Novel: Character Arc In A Nutshell.  Angela Ackerman talks about how to understand and dig deeper into your main character’s outer and inner motivation in this post. She simplifies topics like character flaws and how to get to the heart of character wounds. Really helpful for storytellers.

The Write Life

Great Blogpost: How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? 4 Authors Share Their Numbers.  Dana Sitar along with 3 other successful indie authors share the costs of editing, formatting, cover design and other costs that go along with self-publishing your book.

The Write Conversation

Great Blogpost: 10 Things That Steal Our Writing Joy.  If you find yourself stuck in any way as you write your book, this post by Edie Melson, will help clear away the fog of confusion so you can focus on why you are writing in the first place.

Self-Pub Authors

Great Blogpost: My Thoughts on the Smashwords 2015 Survey. Writer and Blogger Ruth Ann Nordin, gives us her observations about the 2015 Smashwords Survey and what bestselling self-published books have in common. I found this to be a real eye-opener.

Jody Hedlund

Great Blogpost: 15 Ways to Find Writing Inspiration in 2015.  This helpful post written by Jody at the start of 2015, is helpful and inspiring for writers as we each look forward to 2016.

The Write Practice

Great Blogpost: 10 Questions to Find Your Unique Writing Voice.  Joe Bunting gives steps on how writers can uncover their unique writing voice. Very helpful!

Kill Zone Blog

Great Blogpost: Make Next Year the Best of Your Writing Life. Even though this post was written at the end of 2014, it still is so relevant for writers as we go into 2016.

 

These are the posts that really helped me this past year. I hope you find these posts useful and inspiring too.

I’d love to hear about your favorite blog posts from 2015 that have really helped you to move forward with your writing. Please do leave a comment below 🙂

 

*Photo created with Canva

Merry Christmas 2015! Book Recommendations For Your Holiday Season

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Merry Christmas!

Holidays are a great time to read books. Whether you are getting sick of eating the abundance of food and just want to read for a bit, or maybe you want some time by yourself… away from family for an hour or two 🙂

More than likely it’s a safe bet that all of us here are book lovers and I’ll admit to being an ultra book geek, consuming a couple ebooks each week. So I thought I’d share some of the books(not necessarily new) that have stood out in my mind as the most helpful and unforgettable in 2015.

olde towne christmas picture

*Photo Credit by: Keven Dooley – Creative Commons

For Storytellers

   Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing: Revised Edition
by Libby Hawker really helped me to understand the benefits and the ‘how to’ of planning a story better.  I learned how to develop a better character arc and plot and how to pace my book better so that readers get more of a ‘unputdownable’ read. Of course I still have so much to learn, but this book was really helpful.

    Write Your Novel From The Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between
by #1 writing teacher, James Scott Bell, helped me to view the middle of the story in a whole new way. The main idea is learning how to craft your story from the middle…. what James Scott Bell calls the ‘Mirror Moment’ – the moment when your main character decides which way she/he should go. Honestly, this book has helped me learn how to check for – and fix – weaknesses in my storyline. It’s simple to understand and a short read too.

 Story Structure — Demystified by Larry Brooks simplified story structure for me. I was getting lost in the ‘muddy middle’ writing my contemporary romance and this book saved the story. Now I understand why the best movies and books I love use this story structure. Now I have a better idea where to put critical scenes and the reasons why doing this will make your novels, page turners.

For Writers

    The War of Art  by Steven Pressfield is a book I re-read at least once a year. This book has been an incredible influence and has helped me to understand, face and push past resistance that I feel every time I come to the blank page. It helps you embrace what you were meant to do.

    Louder than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice by Todd Henry, helped me to understand myself and my own authentic voice and passion better. My biggest aha moment were his words: fear of rejection is precisely what prevents many people from taking risks with their work choosing a unique path, and finding their authentic voice. However once you recognize rejection is simply an opinion, it frees you to follow your intuition and add unique value…”  A really amazing book that helps you to move beyond the walls of fear, to uncover, develop and bravely use your authentic voice.

  Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert is so straight up honest and life affirming. I didn’t realize how desperately I needed to hear these words. This past year I’ve struggled to push through fear as a writer and authorpreneur. This book was so timely. So if you’ve ever asked yourself if it’s too late for you to be a writer, given up, cried in private, have stalled or have had any other sort of angst about your creativity, this will help you find your way again.

For Fiction Lovers

    Killer Thrillers Box Set: 3 Techno-Thriller, Action/Adventure Science Fiction Thrillers by Nick Thacker was such a fun read. I usually read either historical romance, contemporary romance or YA Dystopian books. So since this set of three techno thrillers, had a little bit of history, romance, suspense and futuristic elements, I was hooked. A great new indie author to check out.

    Ryan’s Return is a contemporary romance by #1 NYT bestselling author Barbary Freethy. It’s about a photojournalist who comes back to the same family and hometown that has disowned, abandoned and betrayed him. He meets Kara, who has been wounded by divorce. The story of how the father, brother and people in the town find forgiveness and healing from past mistakes and sins… is really touching. I loved this story.

Oh yes, you could also try one of my books…

    Answering Annaveta (Russia to Canada Trilogy Book 1) is a historical romantic suspense. Book #2, Anchoring Annaveta, will be published in March 2016.

Annaveta Travotsky, a young girl in 1913 Russia, is poised at the dawn of womanhood.

In the span of a few short weeks, Annaveta finds her world turned upside down. Prevailing over trauma, tragedy and loss she moves on, but the guilt and rejection she carries from past abusive relationships, cause her to struggle with feelings of unworthiness.

Her heart holds her back from receiving the love of the one man who longs to protect her.

As her past catches up with her, Annaveta flees to St.Petersburg, a place where she seeks safety. However, unrest in Russia makes the country ripe for an uprising, where terrorist groups like the Black Hand are flourishing. In the middle of this city filled with turmoil and rebellion, Annaveta and Alex discover a murderous plot devised by members of the Black Hand.

When terrorists threaten their lives, she faces a choice:
Hold onto the lies of her past or
believe in the power of love.

If you want my full list of books ~ they are listed here: www.lornafaith.com/books. Or if you want to see what I’ve been reading and reviewing I’d love to connect with you on Goodreads.

Ok, it’s your turn. What are some of your most helpful or memorable(or both) books that you would recommend people read during the holidays? Please share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to learn about the books that you love!

 

*Photo Credit by: Keven Dooley – Creative Commons

*Some of the above links are affiliate links that help to support this blog

21 Great Writing Quotes to Inspire You

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I really love inspirational quotes. And I especially love quotes about writing.

If you need to be encouraged or inspired to keep creating, read through these quotes by many well-known authors – who also struggled to get their books written.

art is not about - version 2

Here are some my favourite writing quotes. The ones that weren’t too long, have a clickable link.

Art is not about thinking something up. It is the opposite – getting something down.” Julia Cameron [Tweet this]

You don’t have to say everything to say something.” Beth Moore [Tweet this]

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Ernest Hemingway [Tweet this]

To live the creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong.” Joseph Chilton Pearce [Tweet this]

The role of the writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.” Anais Nin [Tweet this]

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” Anne Lamott [Tweet this]

Don't tell me the

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Chekhov  [Tweet this]

First find out what your hero wants. Then just follow him.” Ray Bradbury [Tweet this]

Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material…” John Steinbeck

Never tell a story because it is true: tell it because it is a good story.” John Penland Mahaffy [Tweet this]

The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land.” Ralph Waldo Emerson [Tweet this]

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” Orson Scott [Tweet this]

and the day came

And the day came when the risk to remain in a tight bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin [Tweet this]

If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.” Tennessee Williams [Tweet this]

If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time(or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Stephen King [Tweet this]

Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.” Barbara Kingsolver  [Tweet this]

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader–not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” E.L. Doctorow [Tweet this]

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou  [Tweet this]

start before you're ready

Start before you’re ready.” Steven Pressfield [Tweet this]

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach  [Tweet this]

The desire to write grows with writing.” Desiderius Erasmus  [Tweet this]

Reading through these quotes, inspires me to write again. How about you?

 

What are some of your favorite writing quotes? I’d love to hear what your top writing quotes are in the comments 🙂

006 Grow Your List of Readers by Using Email Autoresponders with Lise Cartwright

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I had the honour of interviewing author, blogger and coach, Lise Cartwright. After countless years in the corporate grind, Lise decided to quit her job and start her freelance writing business. Three years after that, she decided to become a full-time author.

Lise has written over 16 books – many translated into other languages – and has many bestselling books to her name. So far she has written nonfiction books, but starting in 2016 she will be collaborating with author Steve Windsor, on her first fiction novel. You can connect with Lise at her website lisecartwright.com or at the website she co-authors with her writing partner Steve Windsor at authorbasics.com. You can also chat with her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Watch the Video Interview

Summary of the Interview

*Lise starts off by telling her story of working in the corporate grind and being unhappy with her job. She wanted to have the freedom to do what she wanted, when she wanted to do it. So she started looking for options and came across locationrebel.com. There she learned blueprints of business ideas and when she came across the idea of being an SEO writer, she decided to try that. Within 10 months she was able to quit her job. She discovered she was passionate about writing and learned from Steve Scott and from Chandler Bolt’s Self Publishing School, how to write, self-publish and market her books. It was through them that she became addicted to writing books.

*Her first book was No Gym Needed – Quick & Simple Workouts for Gals on the Go: Get a Toned Body in 30 Minutes or Less. That book was so popular that Lise created the No Gym Needed 30 Day Challenge.

*After that first book, she had so many ideas that she quickly transitioned from being a full time freelance writer working for others to being a full time writer, working for herself. Now, it has been a little over 12 months that Lise has been a full time author.

*Lise gives tips on how writers can get their books written quickly. Steps to take: 1)start with an idea – Pat Flynn encourages people to write down everything you’re interested in. 2)Create a Mind Map. Lise says she writes with pen and paper and this unlocks the book fully for her. 3)She groups the ideas together and comes out with a great outline for her book. 4)She free writes each chapter. The outline helps her to know ahead of time what each chapter will be about and it helps her to write faster.

*When Lise wrote 7 books in 7 weeks at the start of 2015, she was able to write each book in a day because she had a solid outline to start with.

*As far as editing your book, find an editor that understands your writing who doesn’t try to change your voice. Lise found her editor for a reasonable rate on Fiverr.com. She asked her editor if she would edit in Scrivener and she agreed. You can find more of her great tips on hiring a professional editor on her post:  10 Truths of Hiring a Professional Editor.

*Lise and her co-author Liz Froment wrote two books on how to create book funnels: Non-Fiction Book Funnels: How to Engage With Your Readers and Sell More Books! and Fiction Book Funnels: How to Engage With Your Readers and Sell More Books! In these books they talk about the step by step process of how to come up with your email autoresponders and what to say.

*Lise encourages authors to build their email lists from the get go, because this is what will ensure your long term success. To become a full-time author – to make money at it – you have to be in it for the long game. It’s important to build a platform and connection with readers if you want to continue writing books and making money. When you have multiple books, you need multiple lists for readers. It’s great to have a way to keep in touch with your readers. Fiction and nonfiction is very similar in that regard. Amazon won’t give your email address to your reader, so there needs to be a way for you to get someone onto your email list.

*It’s helpful if you have a permafree(permanently free) book that is constantly driving people to your email list, or have another book as incentive for people to sign up to your email list. The more emails you have, the easier it is to launch a book.

*Send the emails out to your list. If you’ve been connecting with your list, they are going to be the readers most likely to buy. Connect with people on your email list on a regular basis.

*Start with a 7 day autoresponder series to let readers know who you are. Continue telling your own stories and building that relationship. If you’re writing fiction, you can be more creative. For example, Mark Dawson sent a freebie out to his list about a FBI report on his main character. Or you could give away a detailed map. Think outside the box and about what the reader would want. You can ask them what they would like for free with a survey.

*Lise talks about co-authoring a book with another nonfiction author and collaborating with Steve Windsor on the fiction novel they’re writing together. Some tips for working together: 1)It’s best if you have a good friendship going into it, because everyone has idiosyncrasies. Need to be able to be quite honest with each other and not take offense. 2) Be accountable. Lise says she likes to use slack to chat. 3)Most likely you’re collaborating because you have similar ideas. Do a google hangout and by talking together, and be open and honest about what you want to do. By doing that, you’ll be able to quickly discover if you can work together well.

*Lise and Steve Windsor will be working on their first YA fiction novel – Dixxon – at the start of 2016. They are using  Scrivener  to write their novel and using 4 part story structure.

*Right now Lise is in the process of turning her nonfiction books into courses. Since many readers of her nonfiction book No Gym Needed – Quick & Simple Workouts for Gals on the Go: Get a Toned Body in 30 Minutes or Less, have asked for a course, she has created the No Gym Needed 30 Day Challenge. 

You can find more about Lise and her books at lisecartwright.com and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

 

*Photo Credit by Lise Cartwright

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

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