3 Ways to Earn Money From 5 Minutes Writing

Making money from writing doesn’t have to take a long time. You don’t have to sit and write a whole book.

When I first started out trying to earn money from my writing, I tried smaller projects, ones that only took 5 minutes to write.

Not only were they quick to do but they paid faster as well.

The 3 easiest five-minute projects (IMHO) are:

1. Jokes. Some magazines, like Readers’ Digest, regularly publish jokes. And best of all they pay really well - up to $100 per joke.


2. Movie Pitches. If you have a great idea for a movie but don’t know how to write a script, you can pitch your idea to movie producers. Most companies option ideas for up to $100K or more.


3. Readers’ Letters. Magazines and other publications love to fill up space with readers’ letters, with some of these only being one for two sentences. Yet they pay up to $100 - or sometimes more. You can even receive prizes too if yours is the ‘Letter of the Week.’

So go to your local library and browse the magazines or do it at your local newsagent store.

You’ll be surprised just how many magazines there are and how many writing opportunities they contain.

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Earn Money From Your Writing Fast

From 5 Minute Writing Projects to Full Feature Articles and Short Stories.

Find out what to write how to write it and where to send it.

Quick Cash Writing

New Year Writing Resolutions For 2017

This is the time of year when most people (and especially writers it seems) are making plans of their goals for the coming year.

And I'm no different.

A few days ago I went to one of my favourite stores, Office Works, and salivated over all the notebooks, pens and other office supplies. There are so many things you can buy in these huge stores including office furniture, toasters, kettles, coffee and big bags of lollies (candies). Yep, everything you could possibly want for your office.

I didn't buy much because I was really only there to ogle the stock but I did buy a few things (eraser, pencil sharpener, other just-as-exciting office supplies) and one thing that I did buy was a new diary.

Usually I have an A4 diary but I've decided that it's too big to keep open on my desk while I work. So this year I bought one half the size - A5.

It still has one day to each page (see image above of the first page of the year) plus a calendar for 2017 and 2018, and pages of useful dates (school holidays, public holidays, etc). It's much less space for writing in than I'm used to so I will just have to tighten up my word count in my new diary. I'm sure it will be fine.

But just having my new blank diary full of possibilities of what I'm going to be working on next year, fills me with new hope of achieving more from my writing.

The last few years I've increased my writing income and I'm hoping to increase it ten-fold in 2017.

In fact I'm so sure of my potential earnings that I'm currently looking at renting a local office to work from.

It can be extremely hard sometimes to separate my working life from my private life because I'm at home all the time. And more often than not, people are overstepping my working boundaries (because their lives are oh so busy and so they only have time to talk to me during my working hours).

I try to write mainly through the day so that I can keep my evenings free for other things. Sometimes the two blur together and sometimes I get no writing done at all because other things keep cropping up, especially with other people.

So to alleviate this I've decided to work more away from home whenever I can, because I know that I can write much more when I'm out every day. And the easiest way to achieve this is to rent a small office and go and work there, that way I can be left alone to write. Plus I'm far more productive away from home.

The only problem with this plan is that there are very few small offices to rent around here, so I may struggle to find somewhere. But I'm already looking and trying to arrange viewings. Hopefully I'll find my writing oasis soon.

I'm also considering renting out the extra space in my new yet-to-be-rented office to other local writers so that they can hire a desk to write at on a monthly basis. These are known as 'co-working spaces.' The image in my mind is so idyllic of how this is going to work. Or perhaps I'll keep my office private and shut myself away to get more writing done.

At the moment I don't know what's going to happen, whether I'll find a suitable office or not, or maybe I'll rent a bedroom in someone's house and use that as my office instead because there are plenty of rooms to rent for around $100 a week which is much cheaper than renting an office.

But one thing I know for sure is that I will be writing more in 2017 than I ever have before and my income from my writing will be higher than it's ever been.

So no matter what happens, I know I'll make it.

My writing 'to-do' list is waiting for me and so is my new 2017 diary, so I will be scanning the former and filling in the latter over the next few days.

And tomorrow is Christmas Day (I don't celebrate this day I just have a day off from doing anything that I don't want to do) which is probably the best day for me to make my plans and start finishing up what I'm currently working on and fill in my diary so that I can start my new work in the New Year.

I also don't think I'm the only one who plans to write more next year because currently my best selling ebook is How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less - including research, writing and Proof Reading.

It's this month's best seller. :)

How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less - including research, writing and Proof Reading.

Click Here to learn How I Earned Over $4,000 Writing Articles 
In Just One Day

I did it using my simple 15 minute article writing system which Includes Research, Writing and Proof Reading

New Website Layout Increased Sales

Two weeks ago I decided to redesign my website homepage over at RuthIsWriting.com.

For quite some time the homepage has contained links to a few useful items from other websites, like gifts for writers (mugs, hats, T-shirts, etc) and a writing magazine subscription.

And I decided that it was time to use my homepage for my own books and ebooks.

What prompted this is because I recently set up three of my ebooks as print books too.

So I changed all the links to my books over at Cheriton House Publishing so that they included links to the newly available print editions, and I also decided to put links to them on the home page of my writing website too.

So I moved all the homepage links and ads for other products to inner webpages and listed some of my own books on the homepage instead.

Did it make a difference?

Absolutely. And it was much better than I thought it would be.

First of all I received quite a few new signups for my emails AND I sold more books and ebooks than usual.

How many more? It's hard to say in exact numbers or percentages (without doing a lot of counting and math) but I have definitely sold more books in this past fortnight than usual.

This could be partly because it's getting near Christmas (it's currently Christmas Eve, Eve) but I'm sure it has something more to do with my new webpage design and placing more book links on my own homepage.

Which just goes to show that marketing does work, even some that I didn't even tell anyone about. I just put up the new ads and left them to do their own thing.

So if you have somewhere that you want to put more links to your books, but you haven't done it yet, maybe now would be a good time, because it may increase your books sales more than you think it will.

And below is a link to one of my books that can help you start your New Year off with a much bigger online writing income.

(Gotta get my sales pitches in wherever I can) :)

Living The Laptop Lifestyle: How to Start & Grow a Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job

Click Here to learn more.

Writing News November/December 2016

Here are some of the latest writing news and writing information from around the world.

Brooklyn Beckham to publish photography book What I See
Brooklyn Beckham is to release his first book - publishers Penguin Random House have announced.
What I See, which will be released in May 2017, will consist of 300 photographs taken by the 17-year-old alongside new images of him.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38149735

Spider-Man Writer Creates Transgender Superhero
Meet Chalice, the world's newest transgender superhero. The dude dressed in a miniskirt is set to be the central hero in the Alters series, a comic ironically about societal outcasts who end up with superpowers.
http://www.charismanews.com/culture/59007-spider-man-writer-creates-transgender-superhero

A Look Back at the (Business) Year That Was
From Brexit to brand rehab to virtual reality, all the big developments in 2016 offer us lessons for 2017.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286094

YouTube's Highest-Paid Star Just Trolled Everyone. Here's What You Can Learn.
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie to now more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, posted a video earlier this week announcing he would exit the platform that made him famous if he reached the 50 million threshold.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286344

Selling My Books With CreateSpace
I’ve been writing and selling books for years and until recently I’ve had my own books printed and sold and shipped them myself.
But last month (November) I began to use Amazon’s POD publishing site, CreateSpace.
http://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2016/createspace.html

5 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Being Productive When You're Just Not Feeling It
Writing notes, taking a walk and allowing yourself simple rewards are little hacks that can increase your motivation.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286003

IDW and DC Partner Up For a Graphic Novel to Honor Pulse Nightclub Victims
IDW Publishing and DC Entertainment have formed a partnership to publish Love is Love. More than 200 writers and artists have joined together to create an anthology graphic novel that honors those who suffered from the tragic shooting at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub in June 2016.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/idw-and-dc-partner-up-for-a-graphic-novel-to-honor-pulse-nightclub-victims/125232

Smashwords Self-Published Bestseller List, October 2016
while the vast majority of bestsellers at Smashwords are romance -- only four of the books on this list are not -- Hal Elrod continues to chart, coming in at # 13 this month with a work of nonfiction: The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM).
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/72173-smashwords-self-published-bestseller-list-october-2016.html

My wife likes your colouring-in books, Prince William tells author
Johanna Basford was picking up an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to art and entrepreneurship when the Duke of Cambridge revealed that Kate likes to colour.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/29/wife-likes-colouring-in-books-prince-william-tells-author/

Iran jails author for unpublished story on stoning
An Iranian author and human rights activist has been jailed for writing an unpublished novel about stoning.
Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee had returned home after being convicted by a revolutionary court for “insulting Islamic sanctities” when her house was violently raided.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-writer-jailed-golrokh-ebrahimi-sentence-stoning-story-unpublished-amnesty-a7379556.html

Goosebumps Author R.L. Stine to Write Series of Marvel's Man-Thing Comics
Famed Goosebumps author R.L. Stine has joined the ranks of well-known writers turning to comics, with an upcoming five-issue comic for Marvel based on Marvel’s Man-Thing character. The first issue comes out in February, and the collected edition will be available in summer 2017.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/72267-goosebumps-author-r-l-stine-to-write-series-of-marvel-s-man-thing-comics.html

Get More Joy Out of Sundays by Doing Week Prep First Thing In the Morning
Taking a little time on Sunday to organize the coming week is a great way to get ahead. But Sundays should also be relaxing so you’re primed for the Monday morning rush. Here’s a way to have the best of both worlds.
http://lifehacker.com/get-more-joy-out-of-sundays-by-doing-week-prep-first-th-1783615592

Strange, Surreal Cookbook by Salvador Dalí an Improbable Holiday Bestseller
In a season of blockbuster cookbooks, there has been one unlikely hit—a reprint of an opulent cookbook by Salvador Dalí that's been out of print for 40 years.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/cooking/article/72213-strange-surreal-cookbook-by-salvador-dal-an-improbable-holiday-bestseller.html

Bana Alabed, seven-year-old tweeting from Aleppo, goes quiet
A seven-year-old girl whose tweets from besieged eastern Aleppo drew worldwide attention has disappeared from the social network amid an army offensive.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38205889

The Crazy Egg Guide to Conversion Copywriting
PPC campaigns, email marketing, social media management, SEO optimization or good old fashioned word of mouth.
All viable and potentially profitable methods to grow your brand. But they’re also all very different.
https://blog.crazyegg.com/guides/conversion-copywriting/

U.S. Supreme Court backs Samsung in smartphone fight with Apple
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Samsung in its big-money smartphone patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN13V1XL

Award-winning Australian author Shirley Hazzard dies in New York aged 85
Shirley Hazzard, the celebrated Australian writer whose 1980 novel The Transit of Venus won the US National Book Critics Circle Award has died at the age of 85.
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/awardwinning-australian-author-shirley-hazzard-dies-in-new-york-aged-85-20161213-gtan4p.html

Microsoft-LinkedIn deal cleared by regulators, opening new doors for people around the world
It was roughly six months ago, on June 13, that we announced that Microsoft would acquire LinkedIn.  At that time, we said that we aimed to close the deal by the end of the year. Today, the European Commission announced that it has cleared the acquisition. As a result, we’ve now obtained all of the regulatory approvals needed to complete the acquisition, and the deal will close in the coming days.
http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2016/12/06/microsoft-linkedin-deal-cleared-regulators-opening-doors-people-around-world/#sm.00000w1k6htseud3azh1zdjc0knme

Amazon unveils its Amazon Go grocery, where you just take things from the shelves and walk out
Its new physical store uses a mobile app, computer vision and other technologies to track every product and then charge your Amazon account.
https://martechtoday.com/amazon-launches-physical-grocery-store-just-take-things-shelves-walk-192990

Free eBooks
Free ebooks to help you make money from writing. Download immediately no email info required.
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/free-ebooks.html

How To Write A Sex Scene: Three Authors Weigh In
Garth Greenwell, Jade Sharma and Rebecca Schiff on tackling the taboo.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/how-to-write-a-sex-scene_us_583f2981e4b09e21702c3740

Overdue Library Book Returned After 120 Years
The granddaughter of a man who attended Hereford Cathedral School in Hereford, England, returned a book to the school’s library earlier this month, which was only about a century overdue.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/12/12/overdue-library-book-returned-after-120-years/

The best thing you can do in 2017
An inspirational and motivational article by writer Mridu Khullar Relph to help you be more productive in 2017.
http://www.mridukhullar.com/best-thing-2017/

What Successful Authors Do to Maximise Book Sales and You Need to Do It Too

It's no good writing books if you can't sell them.

Some authors seem to believe that if they write a book, readers will appear.

But it doesn't work that way.

If you want to write books for living then there are three things you need:

1. A great idea for a book.

2. The Skill and self discipline to sit and write your great idea into a great book.

3. A ten-point marketing plan.

You see, if you wanted to publish your book through a publishing company, not only would they expect you to write a great book, but they also would want you to present them with a ten-point marketing plan.

Why?

Because marketing your book is more important than writing it.

This is why publishing companies want you to outline at least ten different ways you plan to market your book.

And this is what all successful authors do. They go out and find their readers and use their marketing skills to make their book sales soar.

So even if you want to self publish your books, decide who your readers are and make a ten-point marketing plan that will not only let them know about your book, but make them eager to buy it.

Read more about publishing books and marketing for more sales at http://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2016/submit-to-publisher.html

How Much Money Can You Earn From Your Writing in a Year?

How much money do writers earn?
How can I earn money as a writer?
How much money can I make as a writer?

These are questions that I get asked all the time.

And do you want to know the answer?

It all depends on one thing - YOU.

It depends on how well you write, what you write and how much you write.

So someone who writes useless blog posts once a month isn’t going to make as much  money as someone who writes in depth, weekly blog posts that get read by hundreds of thousands of followers.

But now is the best time to become the successful writer you’ve always wanted to be - as long as you’re prepared to work at it.

This is the time of year when everyone is thinking about plans for the New Year.

And you can do it too by making a 12 month writing plan and thinking about these 3 things:

How much can you realistically write in 12 months? You’ll be surprised just how much is possible. for instance, writing for just one or two hours a day is enough to write a 50,000 word book a month.

What will you write? do you want to write ebooks? Novels? Or do you want to be a blogger? A scriptwriter? A copywriter?

How much will you need to write to earn enough money? This is where it becomes a bit of a guessing game, but it is possible to come up with a winning strategy of how much money you need to earn plus how you’re going to do it (it’s math, people).

In the end we’re all different so you need to come up with your own writing plan.

But the advice I can give you is that you shouldn’t wait till next year.

Make your plan now and start writing.

Don’t wait till the New Year.

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Want to learn more about writing and earning money?

Read my latest article How Can One Year of Writing Be Too Much?

Don't Say Yes When You Want To Say No

We've all been there.

Someone asks you to do something you don't want to do, yet you agree to do it.

Or someone wants to do something but they need your permission (like one off your kids), so you say yes even though you want to say no.

So why do we do it?

It's usually to avoid bad feelings, friction, or conflict.

Yet the truth is that people won't like you more or give you more respect, if you say yes all the time instead of standing up for what you really want.

And at the same time, saying no is empowering. It won't make you popular, but it will help you to set boundaries of what you will and won't do.

Best of all, you only have to say no once, and it's easy to do it every time after that.

But...you may be wondering what this has to do with writing?

Saying no to things you don't want to do opens up more time for the things you DO want to do and for the things that are important to you.

And that means more time for writing.

Sure your friends will be annoyed with you if you tell them you don't want to go out drinking with them because you want to stay home and work on your novel instead, but who's life is it?

And if anyone pressures you for an immediate answer to something, but you don't want to say yes, or you're unsure, just say "I'll have to think about it." And if they still pressure you tell them "If you want an answer right now, it will have to be no. But if you give me time, I'll think about it." (This works amazingly well with teenagers in the family.) :)

Don't let time-vampires steal any more of your time.

If you'd rather be writing, go and do that and say no to the unimportant things or stuff you'd really rather not do at all.

And if you want more inspiration read the short viral article written by Derek Sivers, "No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.”

Then get back to writing.

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Discover the writing resources I've used to help me  make more money from writing in my latest article for writers, "My Top Ten Writing Resources."

Writing Forums. Helpful or Not?

Lately I’ve been taking somewhat of an interest in writing forums.

Why?

Because they’re regularly touted as one of the best places for writers to hang out and learn their craft.

Many years ago, while I was quite new to being a writer (but I was already earning a decent income from it), I joined a couple of writing forums.

What I found was that most of the people on these forums weren’t writers at all.

Most were wannabes who had never (and probably never would) write anything publishable at all.

Quite a few others were just trolls.

It only took me a few weeks to realise what was going on and get the hell out of there.

But lately I wondered if anything had changed.

So I took a look around and scanned through a few forums looking at the threads and all the responses.

And you know what?

Nothing had changed.

No matter where I looked, each forum was dominated by people either responding to questions with useless advice because they weren’t professional writers and so had no clue what they were talking about, or they were nasty trolls just hanging around trying to upset people.

But do you know what amazed me the most?

It was how much time these people were spending on these forums.

It seemed that they spent hours every day posting new topics, answering questions, and getting into arguments.

There were even people who seemed to be on the forums 24/7 and had tens of thousands of posts and comments and thousands of followers.

One poster actually had well over 67,000 posts that he’d uploaded over his 10 year membership which averaged out at over 18 posts a day. Imagine that! Posting 18 times a day - or more -  to the same forum for 10 years.

And the funny thing about all this was that the threads that received the most responses were the ones where people were asking about how to earn money from writing.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

I found this hilarious because how can anyone who spends most of their time on free forums dishing out advice about how to make money from writing, actually have the time to make money from writing?

The irony just has me in stitches because let’s face it, anyone making money from writing is writing and getting their work published, not hanging around writing forums. Have you ever heard a successful writer saying how they spent hours and hours every day on writing forums and it helped get them to where they are today?

No doubt there will be some who think that writing forums are great and that’s why they’re always on them. But it’s also the reason why they’re not successful writers.

Successful writers are busy writing.

My advice to anyone who wants to earn money from their writing is to “Just Do It,” as the Nike slogan says.

Writing time is best spent writing and if you don’t know where to start or what to write next, try a writing course like Quick Cash Writing that gets you earning money from your writing  fast.

Or look at my Writing Markets page for new places for writing submissions.

Or how about downloading How to Write Any Book in 28 Days or Less so that you can get to work straight away writing your next best seller.

Writing is work, not a hobby.

No writing = no publishing = no money.

So don’t spend your time hanging out on forums all day.

Find a way to start work quickly and get down to some serious writing.

Just Do It.

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Find Inspiration From The Writing Practises Of Best Selling Author Roald Dahl In My Latest Article For Writers.

Discover How To Write An Article In 15 Minutes Or Less

7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System

Free Writing Articles for Republishing

If you have a website about writing and you're looking for more content (aren't we all?), do you know that I now have 100 articles for free reprint at ezinearticles.com?

I have been amassing articles there for several years now and I'm about to publish more there as well.

So if you want some free content for your writing website, go and take a look at my articles available at EzineArticles.com.

All you have to do is include the full article including the link back to my website at the bottom.

Some of the articles I have published there are:

5 Essential Things Your Sales Letter Needs to Help You Sell Your eBook

How To Make a Small Fortune Writing Short eBooks

How to Publish an eBook in Minutes

How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less - Including Research and Proofreading

See all my free writing articles at EzineArticles.com.

Just be aware that in the Terms & Conditions it states that there is a limit to how many articles you can download and use for free. So please check this information if you want to republish more than one article. :)

7 Ways to Make Writing Easier

Guest post:

 By Ben Settle


A few weeks ago, I received an interesting comment from someone who wanted to hire me to write an ad, and one of the things she said was I make writing seem "effortless." Which I found kind of ironic.

Why?

Because the reality is I don't find writing effortless at all. I find it extremely hard. I actually HATE writing. In fact, to quote the late, great copywriter Sir Gary of Halbert: "Writing sucks!"

But... since it pays the bills I do it anyway. And thank God there ARE ways to make it easier (and even fun). Below are just a few of these ways...

1. Write every day

Hey, it may sound corny, but it really is true the more you do something, the easier and more "routine" it gets.

2. Write like you talk

If you can talk, you can write. I know of one person who writes entire BOOKS just by reading into a recorder while driving around and then transcribing it.

3. Don't try to impress anyone

Forget pleasing other writers or copywriters or whatever. Say what needs saying and let the chips fall wherever they may. Yes... some people WILL whine and complain. Might as well expect it. But most will love you for it and even become your biggest fans.

4. Be "real"

Be YOU and not a warmed-over version of someone else. Frankly, it makes writing easier, faster and more persuasive.

5. Keep it pithy

When in doubt... snip it out.

6. Tell stories

This is the EASIEST way to write. It's also the easiest way for people to remember your message. Even memory training experts teach putting everything in story format because it makes it easier for peoples' brains to remember and "process" information.

7. Respect peoples' time

This is a biggie. One reason ads, emails, blogs, etc are ignored is because people are too busy to be bothered reading them. And if you simply respect your readers' time (like for example, by being pithy), they'll be FAR more likely to hear you out (and, yes, buy). Anyway, those are some "tried and true" ideas for making writing a lot easier.

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For more ways to make writing easier check out the free tips at: http://bensettle.com

A New Writing Article and a Product Review

This is just a quick note to let you know that I have recently added a new article to my website at RuthIsWriting.com and a new review of a writing product.

The article is called "Are You A Writer? Assessment Test."

So I guess you could say it's not actually an article but more of a really short assessment test.

You can find the article at http://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2016/assessment.html.

I also wrote a review of the Nitrofocus MP3 program offered by Inspire3.

I don't always go a bundle on these types of products but this one is really good.

And one of the best things about it is that you don't have to take time out of your busy day to listen to it. You just put on your  headphones and get on with your writing (or any other task you have to do) while you listen.

And you can download a free 15 minute demo to try it out for yourself.

I started with the demo and put it on a loop to repeat to an hour and it worked really well.

You can read my review called "Nitrofocus: "Get More Done in Less Time" at http://ruthiswriting.com/reviews/nitrofocus.html.

Sit back and enjoy them both.

Say No Not Yes To Be More Productive

We've all heard that in order to get more done you need to say no to requests from other people or no to things that aren't urgent.

But that's not the only type of no that you should be saying.

If you have a lot to do and you feel overwhelmed, here is a simple way to eliminate the unessential.

Look at everything that you have to do.

If it's more than you can do, or more than you want to do, take this next step.

Usually when we feel overwhelmed with how much we have to do, we look at what is the most important thing on our list or which is the most urgent.

But forget that.

Instead, look at your list and ask yourself which do you want to say no to?

Then ask yourself why?

This simple step will give you more clarity on future decisions and helps you to easily eliminate the unnecessary.

Just ask yourself "What is essential?"

Then eliminate the rest.

This works so well it will blow your mind and free you up to do what is most important to you.

But I didn't think of it myself.

I learned it from reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.

A Simple Fix To Getting Everything Done On Your To-Do List

I've recently read Greg McKeown's best selling book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.

And it's not the first time I've read it, but I felt like refreshing my memory.

One of the things the author talks about in the book is about making sure that your to-do list isn't overwhelming.

This is something I suffer from greatly. It doesn't matter if it's a personal to-do list or my writing to-do list, I always manage to cram too much into it or vastly underestimate how much time each task will take me.

But Greg McKeown has a simple fix. So simple in fact, that I slapped my forehead and thought "Why didn't I think of that?"

His simple fix for making sure you get everything done on your to-do list is what he calls a buffer.

He also calls it "the unfair advantage."

Your to-do list (whether it's a daily, weekly or monthly list) should be prepared with planned tasks and activities. This means knowing exactly what steps you need to take to get a job done.

As an example, if you were writing a book, you wouldn't just put "write a chapter each week." Instead you'd list writing out your idea, expanding it into an outline, preparing your character profiles, expanding your character profiles, and so forth.

This means listing each and every task that you need to do to get the project done.

And then you need to create a time buffer to prepare for anything unforeseen that might come up or in case it takes you longer than you think to complete your tasks.

And the buffer he suggests is 50% more time than you think it will take.

So if you list all your tasks you need to do, write how much time each will take, add them up and then add 50% more.

Now I know that 50% sounds huge but, if you're like me, it will be a more realistic time frame, and, if you don't need that much time then you'll have time to do other things or get a jump start on your next writing project.

 So now you can go ahead and write out your next to-do list and add 50% extra time to get it done and then actually do it in time.

And being able to tick off everything in a to-do list, is a great feeling.

And it will help to keep you motivated too.

Latest Writing News - October 2016

WP Kinsella, whose book became 'Field of Dreams', dies at 81

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37395028?

Aldi is the latest company to branch out into ebooks
http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/10/10/aldi-open-ebookstore-germany/

Harper Lee Announces Third Novel, ‘My Excellent Caretaker Deserves My Entire Fortune’
http://www.theonion.com/article/harper-lee-announces-third-novel-my-excellent-care-50840

He's CFO and CFW: Chief Fortune Writer. Donald Lau has been writing fortunes for 30 years
http://www.localsyr.com/news/hes-cfo-and-cfw-chief-fortune-writer

Kenny Loggins’ Footloose is Now a Children’s Book
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/kenny-loggins-footloose-is-now-a-childrens-book/126066

The Authors Guild is opening up membership to new and unpublished writers
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2016/authors-guild-opens-membership-new-unpublished-writers/

John Lennon Is Getting a Comic Book Biography
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/john-lennon-is-getting-a-936643

Salinger’s House is Now an Artist’s Retreat
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/salingers-house-artists-retreat

How Kickstarter became one of the biggest powers in publishing
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/14/how-kickstarter-became-one-of-the-biggest-powers-in-publishing-crowdfunding

Even Stephen King Thinks Those Creepy Clown Sightings Are Scary
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stephen-king-creepy-clown-sightings_us_57d30366e4b03d2d459a545c

Joyce Carol Thomas Has Died
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/joyce-carol-thomas-has-died/124015

37th Anniversary of The Neverending Story's First Publishing
https://www.google.com/doodles/37th-anniversary-of-the-neverending-storys-first-publishing

15 Expert Hacks for Wannabe Successful New Writers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yusuff-busayo/15-seriously-important-ex_b_10083562.html

Latest Products For Writers. Improve Your Craft. Make More Money

I have some amazing books, products and writing courses for you that will really help you to perfect your writing craft and make it possible for you to earn more income from your writing.

Take a look at the list below and see if there's something that can help catapult your writing success.

Write a Comedy Feature Film
Jump start your comedy screenplay! A spec comedy screenplay is a great calling card for any screenwriter, and in this course we’ll tee you up to create a successful one.
Writers will learn the tools professional comedy writers use to create funny screenplays, and how to use those tools to get started on your own script.
You’ll start by creating and discussing funny loglines, and learn the criteria for determining which premise should advance to the outline stage.
Then you’ll create a detailed outline with one-on-one instructor feedback.
Once each student has a winning story plotted out for a comedy screenplay, we’ll workshop the funniest ways to execute that idea as a feature-length script.
Finally, each student will begin writing a comedy screenplay, which can be completed after the class.

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1. Choose the book to advertise from your KDP bookshelf
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3. Select your ad type and follow the ad builder instructions

Beginning Feature Film Writing
Whether you are a writer looking to understand the fundamentals of writing for film or a television writer looking to expand your skillset, Beginning Feature Film Writing has invaluable information to offer you. Using detailed analyses of successful scripts, you will discover how film writers maximize the impact of your work using compelling characters and scenes.
The writing critiques in this workshop are tailored to develop specific skills needed to succeed as a feature film writer. You will also gain access to a wealth of creative writing prompts.

Writing Based on a True Story at Writers Store
In today’s marketplace, creative non-fiction and screenplays based on true stories are selling faster than fiction.
A-list actors and agents know this and are more likely to read your screenplay if it’s based on true events.
In this kit, you’ll learn how to harness the intrigue of this unique genre and find the best “story” to tell within your true story.
With step-by-step instruction from screenwriters in the industry, you’ll learn the best process to follow in developing a true story screenplay that sells.

How to Create Memorably Scary Scenes Workshop at Screenwriters University
This one-week intensive course, taught by horror pro Neal Marshall Stevens (13 Ghosts, Hellraiser:Deader), will explore the nuts and bolts techniques that working screenwriters and filmmakers use to create fear on the page and on the screen, using examples from classic and contemporary films ranging from Night of the Living Dead to Paranormal Activity—including examples from his own screenplays.
Students will explore the importance of properly structuring and setting up scares, where and when to use the “boo” moment, and the importance of developing the “sense of dread.”

Mastering the Conventions of Horror Writing at Screenwriters University
Horror has been one of the staples of film ever since the medium was invented. This genre is truly a writer’s medium:
If you can present a new version of an old concept and scare us on the page, your script can sell. Plus, there is always room for innovation and creativity within the field.
That’s why horror is a natural choice for many a screenwriter.

Final Draft 10 Just Released
Just Released, the new Final Draft 10 Software Suite! When you're ready to write a screenplay, you want only the best screenwriting software to help you get to from initial concept to FADE OUT. That's why you need the all-new Final Draft 10, the number-one-selling software designed specifically to write scripts for film, television, and theater.
Final Draft automatically formats and paginates your script to Industry standards with just two simple keystrokes.

Story and Character Development Bundle at Writers Store
The story writers ultimate combo. Persona, character development software for Mac and Win, will help you craft your characters and Contour, story development software for Mac and Win, will guide you through developing your story.
With the Story and Character Development Bundle, you can be assured your bases are covered when it comes to creating the best characters and story possible.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer's Lecture Series at Writer's Digest Shop
Do you love exploring new worlds and possibilities? Dive into the diverse universe of science fiction and fantasy writing with this collection.
Study these fantastical genres of writing and learn what you need to create the best first impression, memorable character, and more. Heighten the senses of your readers with unique settings and concepts that you can only find within the realm of fantasy genres.
Learn how to take your fantasy or science fiction novel to the next level!

Travel Writing at Writer's Digest University
When you take this six-week workshop, you'll discover how to become a travel writer by exploring the different types of articles you can write and developing your writing style.
You'll learn travel writing tips such as how to take your own photographs.
Use this workshop to draft an article that keeps readers captivated and garners interest from travel editors.

The Importance of Having a Designated Writing Space

I love to read about how other writers work.

And it’s not only how they write that I like to know, but where they write.

This includes what country they live in, the climate, who they live with and where they go to write.

And a common thing amongst successful writers is that they all have a designated space where they do most of their writing.

For many it’s actually a physically, detached space like a shed or a summer house. For others it’s a room in their house or even just a desk in a corner.

Some writers prefer to write away from home.

Jeffrey Archer, the British novelist and politician, wrote all his books while away on holiday for a few weeks at a time.

Maya Angelou rented a hotel room to write in and it was always the same room in the same hotel.

Rachel Aaron found she could increase her writing speed from 2,000 wph to 10,000 wph (words per hour) by going out and writing in a coffee shop and always in the afternoon.

Writing daily is a habit (if you let it become so) and having a designated writing place is like having a trigger to start writing, so that as soon as you get to your writing place, it puts you in the mood to write.

At home I write either at a table on the deck (if it’s nice weather, and it usually is) or at a desk in the annex room at the back of the house.

I also find I can write more when I’m away from home, either at the park or in the library.

Writing at Home

If I stay home to write then my space must be distraction-free. This means no internet. So I write with a pad and pen which also makes my mind feel more creative. I then type up my work on my writing computer which is a Mac Book Air which is easy to carry and I use it only for writing.

Writing Away From Home

This is so easy to do because where I live we typically have good weather all year round so sitting outside to work isn’t a problem. I can also sit in the library if it’s too hot or rainy.

And although there’s a lot of noise around me when I’m out, it’s not distracting because no one is wanting my attention and when I’m busy writing, no one disturbs me.

But no writing can get done until I actually sit down and get to work.

And having a regular place to write makes it easier because I know where I have to go and my mind switches to work mode as soon as I sit down.

Stephen King in his book, On Writing, espouses having your own place to write, preferably and room with a door that you can shut.

But usually, for me anyway, as long as it’s my usual writing space, it works.

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Many Distractions = No Writing

The last 3 weeks has been full of distractions so I’ve haven’t done much writing.

Usually I have no time for weak excuses like this for not writing, but these distractions were huge.

You see, our house is having a new roof put on. And not only is the roof being replaced over the house, but it’s being extended out to cover our huge deck too, because previously only part of it was covered.

But this has meant putting in extra supporting posts in the ground and more roof trusses over the deck, plus installing insulation and an outdoor ceiling.

So much work.

So much noise.

So many builders.

So much filth.

This also meant that me, my husband, and our greyhound, have had to leave the house all day every day.

Last week we even went the whole hog and moved out and stayed at Coroy Country Cottages, which was a superb place to stay on 97 acres with miles of walking tracks. Poor Banjo’s paws have been worn down a lot. :)

Anyway, it didn’t leave me with much time to write.

This week is better because although they’re still here, the builders are outside on the deck and not on the roof so no dirt is raining down inside the house (did I mention how sick & tired I am of cleaning up the mess every night?)

But my time wasn’t completely wasted because I used some of it to make a few writing plans. It’s amazing what you can do with time to think.

At first I kept trying to get some writing done every day, but with two others in tow it wasn’t possible.

Nor was I really in the mood.

So if you find yourself in a non-writing mood, don’t fight it. It’s not worth it.

Instead do what I did.

Get out your journal and start writing about what’s happening, what you wish was happening, and what you’ll do once you’re able to write again.

And hopefully, like me, you’ll be so happy to be back sitting at your writing desk, and that it feels like you’re on holiday because writing is such fun, especially when you haven’t done it for a while.

Now all I need is to get a proper writing desk…

How to Write a Successful How-To Ebook

So often I see writers think that to write a great how-to ebook, all they have to do is write about how to do something.

Wrong.

For a how-to ebook to be successful (and by that I mean it sells well and is popular) it must contain these three essential things.

Topic.         Your ebook topic must have a hungry market. It must be a problem that people are already trying to solve. So first find your market and see what problems they are having. Then let your ebook be the answer.

How-To.    The big mistake that most how-to ebook authors make is that they forget to explain the how-to. It’s no good just talking about how to do something, your ebook must explain the exact steps that the readers need to take.

Pitfalls.     Not only do your readers need to know how to do something but they also need to know what could go wrong and how to fix it when it does. Otherwise they’ll stop at the first pitfall and say that your method doesn’t work.

So before you write one word of your how-to ebook, make sure:

- that there is a market for the information that you’re providing

- that you are providing a step-by-step guide

And

- that you warn them of what could go wrong and how to fix it.

Just by including these 3 things will ensure that your how-to ebook is better than most.