While scrolling through Pinterest one day, I came across this quote:
“As a writer, you try to listen to what others aren’t saying and then write about the silence.”
Those words jumped out at me and their implication dug into my conscience, causing me to evaluate my current level of writing and challenging me to push beyond my comfort zone.
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What do you do when you come across journals, letters or personal stories written decades ago by a stranger? Do you throw them away without looking at them or do you take the time to read them?
As for me, I’m innately curious. I’m excited to discover a bit about the past and what was important to the writers, so of course I take the time to read such documents.
A year or so ago, I was pleasantly surprised whenRead More
Productivity as a writer boils down to taking a seat and putting pen to paper. Typing out your thoughts. Giving voice to the story in your mind, sharing your opinions, and offering information to others.
While it honestly doesn’t matter where or when you write – after all, you can train yourself to tune out distractions and write literally anywhere – there is something to be said about writing where you feel inspired, relaxed, and confident. Those particular locations Read More
The importance of individuality as an author is often sidelined by a host of challenges. But challenges aren’t always a bad thing.
In fact, I believe most of us enjoy a challenge every now and then, often entering into them intentionally. But if the outcome we desire doesn’t happen as quickly or exactly as we anticipate, then we tend to get frustrated and resort to our old way of doing things. Just consider all of the New Year’s resolutions made a few months ago; the majority of people have already abandoned them to return to their former habits.
We tend to be selective of our challenges, too. When we perceive the challenge to be out of our comfort zone or if we must do it alone, we tend to reject it outright, choosing instead to walk away from potential opportunities because of fear of the unknown and to avoid the risk of ridicule.
These fears extend to our writing. Often, it causes us to stifle our personalities and write in a more detached, formal manner. It also makes us selective in what we write about, selecting what we think our audience wants to read about, rather than what we feel compelled to write about.Read More
What many writers, especially first-time authors, don’t understand is that there are different types of book editors, and which type you need is dependent on where you’re at in the writing process.
Technically, there are five types of book editors, but since the focus of this website is on self-publishing, I’m going to skip acquisitions editors (those who acquire manuscripts for publishing companies) and focus instead on the remaining four types that every independent author should consider. Along with a description of what each type does, I will also mention when they’re best utilized.Read More
Do you really need to hire an editor?
Yes.
You’ve probably heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: Every book should be thoroughly edited, and if you plan to sell your book, then it is critical to have it professionally edited.
Yet many people balk at acquiring editor for one of two reasons: either they feel they are competent enough to edit it themselves or they simply don’t see the value of paying for an editor.
Here’s what they’re not taking into consideration.Read More
Dalene Bickel is a ghostwriter, biographer, book coach, and speaker who helps aspiring authors successfully write, develop, and self-publish their faith-based books.