How I Eliminated Distractions So I Could Focus More On Writing

Distractions are one of the hardest things to overcome when I want to write.

I'm not the sort of person who can sit and write if the dishes aren't done or the house isn't clean and tidy.

I always have to do those things first before I sit down to write every day.

But that's not the biggest distraction.

It's all the other distractions I find once I do sit down.

And those distractions are all on my computer.

Be More Outcome Driven

If you're a creature of habit and keep doing the same things all the time, then if you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting more what you're getting.

If that's enough for you, then you're doing the right thing.

But if you're not happy with your results, then something has to change.

You need to change your focus to the outcome you want.

What is it that you want to achieve from your work?

How I Work as an Online Writer And How I Get Such Great Ebook Covers

This week I began teaching a class at the local community college. I will also be teaching the class, twice a week for 6 weeks which will be starting soon.

They call the class Laptop Lifestyle.

I thought I wouldn't be any good at speaking in front of a class, but I didn't do so bad.

And I discovered that the old saying is true, that when one teaches, two learn, which means both the teacher and student gain insight.

Which is what happened to me because the question the people in the class kept asking me was how do I actually do these things myself. They wanted to know the exact ins and outs of how I work.

That made me realise that I rarely offer insights into how I work on a day-to-day basis, the software and apps I use, the websites I use, the equipment I use, or the ways I simplify the way I work so that I'm more productive.

I realised that many of the things I know aren't common knowledge, despite the way I always think that if I know something, everyone probably does.

So I've decided to change that and from now on I'll reveal much more than I usually do, to show you how I work and what I use so that, hopefully, it will help you too.

And because there's no time like the present, here is my first insight.

Get Ready, Get Set, Write!

If you're a subscriber of mine, then you'll know that a few weeks ago I began a new part time job doing commercial cleaning.

The reason I took on the job wasn't because I was short of money, but short on exercise.

I mean, yes I clean my house every week, and yes I walk my dogs every day as well as mow the lawn every week, do the shopping, cooking, washing, ironing, etc, but it's not enough exercise.

Then I came across a local part time job cleaning two commercial premises.

And surprisingly, this little part time job taught me more about making money from writing.

How so?

Using Stories in Your Articles

Articles that tell stories have always been popular.

You only have to look back at history and you'll see that people used to use parables to teach other.

Parables are simple stories used to teach a moral.

Aesop was also good at using fables to get his point across. FYI fables are the same as parables except they use animals to teach a moral.

Soap operas originally began as stories used to sell a product. And as the name suggests, that product was soap.

Soap operas began as radio plays aimed at housewives where the product was mentioned all the time. Later soap operas moved to television where the product could also be placed in view.

And nothing has really changed over the years. Even today, stories are still a great way to teach, inform AND make sales.

Stories have always been used for one main reason:

They are easy to remember.

You can tell someone something and they may forget it.

But if you tell them a story, they'll usually remember it (at least for a while).

You can use stories in your articles to draw your reader in and then relate the story to the message you're trying to tell them, or tie the story into the product you're selling.

And if people enjoy your stories they'll want to read more.

And more readers means more sales.

Copywriters use stories in their sales letters all the time.

They start by telling a story about a problem someone is having and then they provide a satisfying solution to the problem which (naturally) involves the product they are promoting.

So have you got any great stories to tell?

They could be worth a million. :)

3 Useful Reviews

Today I posted 3 book reviews on Amazon.com

These reviews are all honest and you should find them really useful, especially the review of "Crypto Copywriting Secrets" and you'll see why when you read it.

Crypto Copywriting Secrets - How to create profitable sales letters fast - even if you can't write your way out of a paper bag now (Kindle Edition)

Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life (Hardcover)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Hardcover)

Special Offers This Month From Writers' Store & Writers' Digest

I always like to promote these special offers from Writers' Store and Writers' Digest because they are always popular.

Get Started in Writing with 25% Off at Writer's Digest Shop. Valid with Offer Code START25.
Most novice writers wonder how to start writing a book.

With these general writing books as your guide, and with the help of writing software, exercises, webinars, classes, online tutorials, daily prompts & advice from authors, you'll find the answers to how to get started writing a book or novel.

Write a great story, screenplay or script & begin writing a book by discovering the steps to becoming an author & getting published. Save 25% with Offer Code START25. Valid 14th - 17th January 2015.

Ignite Your Creativity at Writer's Digest Shop
Break free from the painful struggle to find inspiration and make writing fun again!

This collection is packed with thousands of exercises to help you flex your writing muscles, plus tips from industry pros about how to keep ideas flowing.

In this special collection, you'll find the push you need to think of original ideas that will make you fall in love with writing again.

Whether you are a serious novelist or enjoy writing in your diary for fun, this collection will help you keep the words flowing on the page.


Shop the FrameForge Sale at Writers Store

Shop the Write Brothers, Inc. Sale at Writers Store
Software Sales this January at Writers Store! FrameForge Sale- 14th to 28th
&
Write Brothers, Inc. Software Sale - 21st to 31st.


Free 2-Day Shipping on all orders over $25 at Writers Store with Offer FREESHIP115
Free 2-Day Shipping, Now-End of the Month at Writers Store.
Valid with Offer Code FREESHIP115.


Writing and Selling Middle Grade Fiction
In this live webinar, instructor and literary agent Jennifer Laughran will talk about what's happening in the exciting Middle Grade market, as well as examine some recently published titles to see what they got right.

She'll also talk revision tips and tricks to help you take your work-in-progress to the next level.
Live Webinar Date: Thursday, January 22, 2015/Start Time: 1:00 p.m. EST/Length: 90 minutes.

Shop Critique & Editing Services at Writer's Digest Shop
Send your work to Writer’s Digest 2nd Draft Critique Service!

After an evaluation of your submission, one of the professional 2nd Draft critiquers will provide feedback and advice.

You’ll not only learn what’s working in your writing, but what’s not, and—most important—how to fix it.

2nd Draft provides a high-level review of your writing, pointing out reasons your work may be getting rejected, or may not meet the standards of traditional publication.

Did You Know All This Was Free?

Toady I was searching through my files and I came across a free ebook for writers that I'd forgotten about.

The ebook is called "Kindling: Ignite Your Kindle Publishing Dreams."

You can download it by clicking on the image on the right.

And then I checked out my "free" page on my website and saw how much was there.

I've Brought the Dead Back to Life - And It's Free!

Last year I began a free series of emails and free ebooks about how to write articles and ebooks quickly and how it could help you to earn more money.

I created them because I put links in them to a couple of writing products that I was selling as an affiliate.

I actually owned the products myself and really liked them so I agreed to help market them.

Everything was going fine until I hit a huge snag...

I Won't Pay for Shipping On Books Any More

I read a lot and I buy books all the time.

The problem though, is that, because I live in Australia, book prices are always high.

Not only that, but if I have to buy a book from overseas, the cost of shipping can be more than the cost of the book itself.

Amazon is a great place to buy books, but their shipping costs are high. They've actually opened a store in Australia, but it doesn't have a huge stock of books yet so it's not always a great place for me to buy books. Plus I'd still have to pay for postage.

Thankfully, I found The Book Depository. It's based in the UK, but displays book prices in my own country's currency, all the books are discounted, and, best of all... HAS FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!

This is great because it means I can save $$$ every year.

And I'm not the only one enjoying this because more and more people are discovering the ease of buying books from The Book Depository.

Clearly, buying books online with free shipping is the way that most people will buy them in the future.

It's so easy to buy online and wait for the books to come to me at no extra cost.

And did I mention the FREE SHIPPING!

I'm writing this blog post to spread the joy about the discounted books with NO SHIPPING COSTS from The Book Depository.

It's also a great place to buy books as gifts too.

:)

How to Make More Money From Your Blog Or Website, On Autopilot

If you're like most people, you want to earn money from your blog or website.

But chances are,  you're not making as much money as you want to.

The most often preached "rule" about how to make money from your blog is that you need to add blog posts almost daily to get more traffic.

But it's no good getting more traffic to your website if you don't know how to make money from them once they get there.

And you might not want the burden of having to write and publish blog posts all the time.

What you really want is to make money on autopilot, which means that your blog or website goes on making you money even if you haven't updated it for a while.

But how can you make money if you're not writing and publishing every day?

Only Write Articles That Make Money

Writing articles that inform and/or entertain is great. But making money is better.

I know that there are the 'die-hards' out there who believe that writing is an inspiring gift, yada, yada, yada, but I have bills to pay. So my articles need to be profitable. Each one has to earn it's keep.

How to Transform Your Life Instantly

Are you not getting the results you want in your life?

Well, you're not alone.

There are thousands (probably millions) of other people all over the planet working away at being busy all day yet always unhappy because they're not getting what they want out of their life or their business.

Yet at the same time, there are millions of people all over the world being busy all day and happily reaping the rewards from their efforts.

So how to they do it? What are they doing differently?

Up to 85% Discount of Writing Resources in January 2015

Today I wanted to give you quick heads-up on 4 new discounted products from Writers Store and Writer's Digest.

The discounts are as huge as 85% but numbers are limited to the last remaining items in stock.

So if you've ever wanted to invest in taking your writing to the next level, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Just take a quick look at what's on offer.

5 Things That Hold You Back From Financial Freedom

There is a way to predict your financial future.

It's easy to see, right now, how much money you're going to earn in the next year, the next 2 years, 5 years and even 10 years.

Want to know how?

What? No Happily Ever After?

I recently received a review of my romance novel, Stand By Me.

The reviewer said they were "confused" because my novel doesn't end with a happily ever after.

My romance novel does have an ending.

It has a surprise ending.

It's a great ending.

But it's not a happily ever after ending.

And I think it makes my romance novel better than the rest.

It rolls along as if it's just like any other romance story (only better than most).

And then the end comes.

Boom!

Not what you expect at all.

I could, if I'd wanted to, written an airy-fairy "girl gets guy in the end" type of ending. But that would have been just too boring.

Instead, I provided a surprise at the end that really gets you thinking and makes you look back at their whole relationship in a different way.

It makes you realise that not everything was as it seemed.

The ending really makes you think.

But I guess not everyone wants to think.

You can download Stand By Me (and the free reading app) right now, straight onto your Kindle or your computer, laptop, smart phone or just about any device.

Enjoy reading it today.

And let me know what you think of the ending in an Amazon Review.

:)

How to Change Your Life in Just One Minute

If you want to make lasting changes to your life it's better to do it quickly rather than prolong the change or say you'll do it "one day" (because there is no such thing as 'one day.' It doesn't exist. It's just something we tell ourselves to make us feel better).

And if you want to change your life quickly, do it in just one minute.

Is it actually possible to change your life in a minute?

It is if you're determined.

The change you want to make needs to be something you "must" do, rather than something you merely "want" to do because we never get around to doing all the things we want to do, but we always find time for the things we must do.

And make the change fast. Don't give yourself time to second-guess yourself or to let doubt creep in.

You also need to follow these 3 simple steps: