Monday 30 September 2024

How I Write Books Quickly

I’m currently working on my next book which will be out next month in time for Halloween.

I’ve written dozens of books (I really should count how many) and that doesn’t include all the free ebooks I’ve written over the years, plus the books I’ve previously written that are no longer on the market.

The way I organise things to get all my writing done is probably different to many other writers because we all write differently. Some writers are happy working on their books for just an hour a day for several months or a year. Others shut themselves away for a few days and do nothing but work on their book, and by nothing I mean absolutely nothing. They don’t even communicate with the outside world.

Then there are others who write their books quickly, say in a month or less, while still being somewhat present in the world.

I’m one of the latter. I write my books quickly, usually in a month, while still engaging in life, although not as much because I spend most of the day writing - 10 pages is my minimum goal every day.

I’ve found this to be the ideal way for me to work. I need to write a book all at once so that I don’t lose the thread of what I’m doing and I don’t lose my ideas.

Blog posts and articles are fast to write, but when I’m writing a book I need a large block of time to get it done to keep me in the creative ‘flow.’ Plus the quicker I write it, the easier it is to do.

I usually get a head start on my other writing projects (blog posts, articles, emails, freelance work) and write them all up in advance, putting somethings on automatic scheduling because I need large amounts of time every day for book writing plus blocks of several weeks to get it done.

I know working this way wouldn’t suit everyone nor does everyone have that amount of time to write every day (I didn’t used to when I still had a day  job) but it’s how I work and I can’t imagine doing it another way.

Maybe it’s because I’m a bit of a control freak and when I start something I like to get it finished. Or perhaps it’s because I’m easily bored so if it took me year to write a book, I’d quit after the first few weeks because I’d lose interest in doing it.

Whatever the reason, we’re all different, and working fast, furious and focused works for me.

If you haven’t tried it yourself, write your next book quickly and see how easy and fun it is.



The 12 Month Challenge: Write and Publish 12 Books in a Year

https://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/12MTH.html 


write 12 books in 1 year






















Monday 23 September 2024

The Simple Little Tip To Writing More and Writing Better

If you want to earn money from writing, you need to write fast because you’re paid for what you do. You’ll earn the same amount of money for an article regardless of whether it took you 2 hours or 2 days to write it. So the faster you write, the more money you’ll earn.

Never make the mistake of thinking that writing fast means writing badly. In fact the opposite is true. The faster you write, the better you’ll write.

No doubt you’ve heard of the writing acronym, WAYS, Write As You Speak.

When you do this, it makes writing faster to do, and easier for the reader to understand. We’re always better understood when we’re explaining something in spoken words rather than writing it out in long convoluted words, which is why using WAYS works.

Readers aren’t looking for technical articles full of big words. They want fast information and an entertaining read.

In my book, How To Write An Article In 15 Minutes or Less, I show you how to quickly write short 300-500 word articles in 15 minutes or less, including research and proofing. It really can be done that fast.

Of course, speed comes with practice so the more articles you write, the faster and better you’ll get, plus you’ll be producing so much more work.

Short articles are always popular, but longer articles often earn more, especially if you’re paid by the word count.

To write an article quickly it’s good to have a simple outline containing an introduction, 3 points to cover and a conclusion. To expand it, each of the 3 points can have 3 sub-topics.

It can also be faster to turn each point or sub-topic into a question so that when you write your article you’re simply answering questions which is easier than justifying a statement. For instance if you were writing about a daily routine and you say, “I brush my teeth every morning.” You’d change that to, “Why do I brush my teeth every morning?” or “How do I brush my teeth?”

But no matter how you write your articles, it needs to be easy and enjoyable because if you don’t enjoy it, it won’t be sustainable. You won’t keep doing something you don’t enjoy.

Writing fast is enjoyable. It’s much more fun than writing slowly and trying to edit as you write and second guessing yourself all the time. Writing fast means there’s no time for any of that, and you’ll get a lot more writing done.

One of the most prolific authors was, Isaac Asimov, who wrote over 400 novels plus hundreds of scientific papers.

When asked about his amazing output he said, “I guess I’m prolific because I have a simple and straightforward style.”

This was a man who wrote fast, and he wrote for hours every day. And as he said, he kept his writing simple and straightforward which means he used WAYS, and you should too.

Handwriting or Keyboard?

There is always the age-old question of whether it’s better to write by hand or type everything straight on the keyboard.

There is no one-answer-fits-all to this because it all depends on what you’re most comfortable with.

Personally, I prefer to write by hand, and I always do, which means I have to type it all up later.

This may seem like a slow way to work, but for me it’s actually faster.

I’m far more creative when I write by hand so when I sit down with my notebook and pen I can write for hours and the ideas flow.

But when I try to write at the keyboard, the ideas don’t come as easily and my writing doesn’t flow as well. Even having a detailed outline doesn’t help. I end up using any excuse to get up and walk away for a while, but it’s no better when I sit back down again.

So while handwriting is slower than typing, it’s faster for me because it keeps me in the writing flow. I’m also a fast typist when I’m copying something that I’ve already handwritten.

I use the free grammar and spelling apps, Grammarly and Hemmingway to go over my work and check for typos, and ‘passive voice’ amongst other things.

Auto-correct also helps me to keep up with typing errors, although it doesn’t get everything right.

Once, when I bought a new computer, auto-correct kept changing my husband’s name, Dean, to Dead. It took me a few weeks to convince it that my husband wasn’t Dead. Shortly afterwards I was writing an article for someone about Ocean Dead Zones. But when I finished it I realized that auto-correct had changed it all to Ocean Dean Zones. This is why it’s important to check every word of your articles because even when you spell things correctly, it can be sabotaged.

Handwriting works for me because it helps me to stay in the zone and keep writing, and sticking with writing is THE most important thing. It’s so easy to get distracted and forget where you were up to, which is what happens when you’re not loving what you do.

So write your preferred way (handwriting or typing) and keep going. Once you start writing, don’t stop.

Using an outline is essential so that you can stay on topic, and when you finish writing for the day, it’s easy to pick up where you left off because all your outlines are ready and waiting to go.

When you’re writing, if you misspell something, leave it, you’ll pick it up in the edit. And if you can’t think of a word, leave a blank space and keep going. Once you start writing you must keep going.

And don’t worry if you think you’re going wrong, just keep writing.

I find that no matter how many errors I think I’m making, or if I think I’m not saying something the right way, I can easily pick up mistakes later and there’s never any need for much editing because I was always on track thanks to writing fast and staying in the writing zone.

And one last thing to remember is to always keep your reader in mind because as they read your articles, they’ll be asking themselves So what? Who cares? What’s in it for me? So make sure your articles always answer this.

But before you can do any of this, you’ll first have to know what to write about.


This is a short extact from The Monthly Challenge Writing Series:
Book 3 - Fast & Profitable Article Writing








Grab a copy now at:
https://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/MCWS3.html 


Thursday 19 September 2024

The NaNoWriMo and The AI Controversy

National Novel Writing Month is due to commence in November, and this week I heard about the controversy with AI and NaNoWriMo. 

It appears that recently NaNoWriMo made a statement saying they are pro AI. The organisers, when queried about AI, stated that NaNoWriMo “does not explicitly support any specific approach to writing, nor does it explicitly condemn any approach, including the use of AI.”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, they also went on to say, “We also want to be clear in our belief that the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege.” 

https://www.404media.co/nanowrimo-ai-policy-classist-ableist/ 

This infuriated many of their participants and thousands walked away and unsubscribed from NaNoWriMo. Then they tried to undo the damage they’d done to their reputation with their pro AI stance, but it was too late. 

They also lost several of their sponsors including, Ninja Writers, and Ellipsus. They didn’t, however, lose their main sponsor, ProWritingAid, who are also pro AI.

One of their board members, Daniel José Older, a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic, posted his resignation from the writers board, and publicly posted on Twitter, “Hello @NaNoWriMo this is me DJO officially stepping down from your Writers Board and urging every writer I know to do the same. Never use my name in your promo again in fact never say my name at all and never email me again. Thanks!”

Another board member, Rebecca Kim Wells also stepped down and posted “I resigned from the NaNoWriMo Writers Board. If you're on it, I encourage you to do the same.”

Several other board members also resigned.

You can make up your own mind where you stand about AI being used in writing. But the reason so many use NaNoWriMo is to help them set aside a time to write every day, to push through all the barriers of self-doubt, fear and other frustrations, and become the best and most productive writer they can be. Using AI takes away these most important parts of NaNoWriMo.

While the use of AI has some worthy benefits in some cases for writers, on the whole I think it does more harm than good and only helps to spread misinformation and does not benefit writers who want to write.

I’m happy to sit down and write one human-written word at a time. It’s the way I’ve always worked and it’s the way that has always worked.

I used to promote NaNoWriMo as a great tool for writers who want to sit down and write a novel in a month. I even participated myself when I first became a writer.

But I won’t be promoting it any more.


7 Day eBook Writing and Publishing System








Monday 2 September 2024

Writing Markets For September 2024

writer writing
Today I have a list of 7 (lucky 7) writing markets for you. One is a free writing competition with a $100 prize for only a short (max 100) word story. 

There's also a chance to write a romance book for Harlequin and receive an advance payment plus royalties, and other markets paying up to $1,000.

Take a look:

Harlequin Seeking Amish Romance Novels
Looking for riveting Amish romantic suspense of with a Christian worldview. Faith element is mandatory but shows rather than tells, avoiding didactic, preachy or doctrinal language.
Popular hooks and themes include: Amish characters investigating a crime/evading a threat in their community; non-Amish characters hiding out/taking refuge from the bad guys in Amish country; non-Amish law enforcement agents investigating in Amish country and protecting/falling for Amish characters.
Word count: 55,000 words
Payment: Author advance + royalties
Deadline: Open
https://www.writeforharlequin.com/love-inspired-books-is-seeking-amish-romance


Copyhackers

Always looking for guest aricles about copywriting, including educational articles, courses, and resources that focus on helping new writings learn how to craft good copy.
Pitch your idea in the first instance. All articles must be well researched.
Word count: over 2,000 words
Payment: $300 - $1,000
They have extensive, and straight to the point ("If your post is boring as sh*t, we won't publish it") guidelines and rules so you can be sure of exactly what they're looking for which is why they pay such high rates.
https://copyhackers.com/write-for-us-2/


FFW Short Articles About Making a Living as a Writer
Funds For Writers, a respected website for writers is looking for articles for their newsletter which has over 28,000 subscribers. Articles should be short and sweet and to the point. Give it a beginning, middle, and ending. Give strong takeaway value with real examples, preferably of your own. Why are YOU the one to write this article? All article submissions MUST be about making a living as a writer and not about how to write.
Word count: between 550 and 650 words
Payment: $100 for unpublished original articles; $25 for reprints over 90 days old.
Complete guidelines online.
https://fundsforwriters.com/submissions/


Flame Tree Fiction - Two Themes
Looking for short pieces on one or both of two themes. Achilles (Greek mythology) and Morgana le Fay (King Arthur).
Stories submitted for consideration need to explore new or expanded angles to the character: have them follow alternative paths, present different viewpoints, give deeper background, or perhaps pursue story lines that are hinted at in the original tales and poetry. Pays Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates.
Word count: 3,000-4,000 words.
Payment: 8 cents/word for original stories and 6 cents/word for reprints
Deadline: 22 September 2024
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/achilles-submissions-call-0
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/morgana-le-fay-submissions-0 


Christmas Chaos Holiday Terror Stories 
Think evil elf on the shelve, killing candy canes, and reindeer game. This is a horror anthology, but please no violence to animals (unless its important to the story like Pet cemetery) no sexual abuse or abuse to kids.
Looking for 14 stories for an anthology.
Word count: 4,500 to 7,000 words
Payment: $20 USD and a copy of the paperback.(on FB they say the payment has been increased to $40)
Deadline 1st October 2024
Send completed manuscript.
https://outsiderpublishingcompany.com/submission 


100-Word Horror Contest - no fee
Story Street Writers is proud to announce our first annual Hundred Word Horror fiction contest. The winner will be announced on October 31.
Word Count: 100 words maximum (no exceptions)
1st Prize: $100 and publication
Runners up (3): $25 and publication
Deadline: Submissions open from September 15 – 30, 2024.
Contest open to first 1000 submissions only.
https://storystreetwriters.com/word-on-the-street/first-annual-hundred-word-horror-contest 


Speculative Fiction: APPARITION LIT
Every month Apparition Lit holds a flash fiction contest and buys a story based on their prompt.
September's prompt is Noodles, Noodles, Noodles…inspired by the many shapes noodles take around the world, including Ramen, Spaghetti, Pad Thai…
Speculative fiction is weird, almost unclassifiable. It’s fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and literary.
Send us stories with enough emotional heft to break a heart, with prose that’s as clear and delicious as broth. We love proactive characters and settings that feel lived in and real enough to touch. Stories with style, stories with emotion, stories with character.
Word count: under 1,000 words
Payment: 5 cents per word
Deadline: Submission window open Sept 1 -14
https://apparitionlit.com/submissions/