Slow Progress is Still Progress

I was doing some sewing the other day. I was using my sewing machine and had it set to a really slow speed for more precise sewing, but it felt so slow, as though I wasn’t progressing at all.

But the reality was that my sewing project was progressing and as long as I kept at it I was moving forward and getting it done.

And it occurred to me that I sometimes feel the someway about my writing as though it’s all going really slowly and I’m not making good progress. 

But it’s just the same as anything I do; as long as it’s moving forward, no matter how slowly, it’s better than doing nothing at all.

With sewing, small, slow progress eventually leads to thousands of stitches sewn. 

And with writing, slow progress leads to thousands of words written.

7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System

How to Write and Publish an ebook and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week

http://ruthiswriting.com/books/7day.html

What Makes It Hard For Me To Write

Last week I was talking to my daughter and like me, she loves to write, and we both like to watch or listen to something while we’re writing. She watches music videos while I like to listen to audios that help with focus and creativity.

Writing though, is such a solitary occupation making it impossible to walk, talk or listen to anyone at the same time. And this is why it can often seem hard to write because it feels so selfish to sit down for so long and treat any conversation as an unwanted interruption. It always feels so mean to tell people not to disturb me when I’m writing. My office is a no-go area when I’m in it.

But once I start writing, it’s easy to forget about feeling selfish because I’m 100% focused on what I’m writing so everything else goes out of my mind. And the money I earn more than makes up for any guilty feelings.

So my advice to anyone who feels guilty for wanting to have uninterrupted time to write, is just do it.
The guilt evaporates once you start writing.

And your writing gets done.

Mission Critical For Life
Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

The Single Critical Key to Writing More and Doing More

There’re so many products online that promise that they can make you richer and better by doing little or no work.

And sadly there are millions of people chasing these products, looking for the latest “advanced” (easier) way to do things - the secret hacks, information, tricks, tips and tactics.

But there’s one critical key to writing more and earning more. 

Legendary copywriter, Eugene Schwartz knew it years ago when he said that all you need to do to be successful in anything, is to outwork everyone else.

So while others are looking for the ‘quick fix,’ you’re not. You’re getting your writing done, hare and tortoise style. And you do it by making your writing your mission, the one thing that you do everyday, no matter what.

So how do you do it?

Just start with the basics of what you know now. Just write. Download a few free ebooks (https://ruthiswriting.com/free-ebooks.html) and learn as you go along.

Practise will make you faster and better, and richer than those looking for the get-rich-quick schemes, which, at best, will give them mediocrity for life, and at worst, failure.

Dedicate yourself to actually writing and you won’t go wrong.

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” 

~ George Bernard Shaw

Mission Critical For Life

Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

That's My Writing Spot

I love watching the TV comedy show the Big Bang Theory because it's full of hilarious one-liners plus ongoing topics that are always funny.

One of the ongoing things is that the main character, Sheldon, doesn't like anyone sitting in his spot on the couch and he's always saying, "That's my spot" if anyone sits in it so that they'll move because he refuses to sit anywhere else.

And I had somewhat of a 'Sheldon' moment a few weeks ago too that had to do with my writing spot.

You see, here in Australia it was cold (it's winter in the middle of the year here) and I wanted to save money by not running more than one heater every day.

My office where I work is in a separate room to the rest of the house and I have to walk across the back veranda to get to it. It's where I have my desk as well as a table that I use when I'm writing by hand and it has a separate heater to the rest of the house.

Anyway, every day I went into the back room, collected all my writing material and my computer and took it all into the main house and did my writing at the dining table because the heater was on in the house every day.

But I wasn't happy being there and so I began to write less and less until eventually I wasn't writing at all.

Luckily, it became warmer after a few weeks (our winters aren't usually cold for long) so I migrated back into my usually writing room and then I became amazingly productive and even though it was still a bit cold some days, I refused to go back into the house to write and instead put on wooly jumpers and slippers and kept on writing.

Now it's almost summer and it's warm every day so I'm back in my usual writing spot and I'm much happier here.

I just wish I'd not been so stubborn before and just worked in my writing room and put the heater on because it turns out I do need my writing spot.

When it's really warm I do go outside to write, at the park or sometimes in my own back yard, but mostly I prefer to work at my own desk (or writing table). 

That's my writing spot.

I hope you have a writing spot too and that you love it.

And take Sheldon's advice and don't let anyone sit in it.

Goodbye Writer's Block:

How to Be a Creative Genius and Have an Abundance of Ideas 

Plus the Inspiration and Motivation to Write

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/WB.html

Stop Trying To Be Like Other Writers

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that in order to be as successful as another writer, all you have to do is copy what they do (their daily routine, their style of writing...) and VOILA, you'll be just as good as they are.

That kind of thinking is just so wrong. I know because I used to think the same and I was always reading up on other writers and how they spent their writing days and what they wrote, where they wrote and how they became so successful. I was desperate to be just like them.

But it never worked. It took me a while to figure out why, but eventually I got it.

I discovered the same thing was happening in the movie, The Karate Kid.

He wanted to emulate others who were great at self defence. For ages he was trained in the right moves ('wax on, wax off') but it never seemed to work. No matter how much he practiced the right moves he just couldn't put it all together effectively.

It wasn't until that memorable scene on the beach where he stood on a wooden post practicing the 'crane' pose amongst other things.

But that was where it all mentally came together for him. He needed to not only know the right moves, but also be in the right mindset, which, as it turned out, was his own mind.

You see, he couldn't do great things by trying to copy others or practice the same moves over and over again.

Instead he had to discover his own way of doing things so he went to the beach on his own to practice in his own way, and in his own head.

And that is what it takes to be a writer; to be yourself so that you can have fun with your writing instead of thinking that you have to do things a certain way or copy what others are doing.

Writing is a creative process, and you can only create your own things.

So give it a try. 

Write for the fun of writing. Enjoy doing it. And before you know it, you'll be better than the rest.

7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System

Gets you writing, publishing and earning money fast.

Be a published author by this time next week.

http://ruthiswriting.com/books/7day.html

Writing Advice From Ray Bradbury

"I’ve had a sign over my typewriter for over 25 years now: Don’t think!"

Ray Bradbury was one of the most well-known sci-fi writers of the 20th and 21st centuries and not only did he write a lot of books that were also made into movies (Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Halloween Tree, to name a few), but he also gave out a lot of advice to would-be and beginner writers, advice which was also useful to even published writers of all genres.

But there is one bit of advice that he gave during one of his seminars and many people have not only tried it, but found it to be extraordinary useful to help them not only write better, but write more and earn more.

And that advice is as follows:

The problem with novels is that you can spend a whole year writing one and it might not turn out well because you haven’t learned to write yet. But the best hygiene for beginning writers or intermediate writers is to write a hell of a lot of short stories. If you can write one short story a week—it doesn’t matter what the quality is to start—but at least you’re practicing and at the end of the year you have 52 short stories and I defy you to write 52 bad ones. It can’t be done.

And that's it. So simple yet so effective.

What he's saying is that writing a novel not only takes up time and a lot of effort, but it doesn't allow you to experiment with different styles and ways of writing. But short stories allow you to try out lots of different genres too.

It also gets you into the habit of writing every day which is what we all need to be doing.

Zen in the Art of Writing

This is more than just a how-to manual for the would-be writer: it is a celebration of the act of writing itself that will delight, impassion, and inspire the writer in you. In it, Bradbury encourages us to follow the unique path of our instincts and enthusiasms to the place where our inner genius dwells, and he shows that success as a writer depends on how well you know one subject: your own life.

https://amzn.to/3eJsiL9

Being a Productive Writer is Easy When You Know How

A few days ago I saw an ad for a productivity journal which said that all you had to do to be more productive was to write your daily goals in your productivity journal (and the journal wasn't cheap).

That reminded me of the old Ivy Lee method of using what he called 'The Success Six.' 

This system was so simple yet apparently so effective and consisted of, at the end of each day writing down the six most important things you had to do the next day and then number them in the order of their importance.

In 1918 Charles M Schwab who was then the president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, was told this by Ivy Lee as a way to increase the efficiency of his team.

He also told him of the importance of only working on one task at a time and ignoring all the rest. Just do one thing and then move onto the next.

This seems stupidly simple, doesn't it? But it actually works like a dream.

It's also cheaper than buying an expensive journal.

I buy a cheap diary every year and I use the Ivy Lee method of making it a habit that the last thing I do every day when I've finished writing, is to write down everything I have to do the next day (or several days ahead so that I don't forget anything). And it's not just writing projects that I write down. I write everything, which makes it really easy to get started the next morning because I know exactly what to do first.

And this way I don't need to multi-task which also helps my crazy little monkey-mind to focus more.

So if you're looking for a way to get more done, just try it for yourself.

Mission Critical For Life:

Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Copy That!

"You don't need to be a great writer, you just need to create a vision and people will buy from you."

    ~Advice from Jim Camp, the feared negotiator.

Writing is one thing, but being able to sell your writing is another, and that's why copywriting is important.

Some people think that copywriting isn't "real" writing but there are plenty of millionaire copywriters who would disagree. AND the most amazing thing is most of them only work 3 or 4 hours a day.

Copywriting should be crucial to all writers because if no one knows how great your books are, no one will buy them.

I've been studying copywriting for years and I still do because it really is THAT important. It's true what they say that writing a book is easy. Selling it is hard.

So learn all you can about copywriting, and make sure you learn from the best.

I found that I can definitely sell more books with better copywriting, and here are a few things I've learned.

Sell an experience, not a product. People only want to know "what's in it for me?"

So don't write about you and your book (unless you have an incredible pedigree), instead tell your readers all the benefits of reading your books.

Use emotion so that your readers are eager to buy.

The Ben Settle’s Big Book of Business: Every Business-Boosting Word He’s Ever Published!
For the first time in print.
https://amzn.to/34Hf2DD

Wanting to Be a Writer Yet Not Writing

"Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently." 

    ~ Marie Forleo

So many people who read my blog say they want to write yet never start. It just doesn't seem to be on their to-do list ever.

I give so much information and direct links to courses and books and ebooks as well as give away free ebooks, all of which can be used to start writing and publishing immediately.

Many people do actually click through to see what's on offer, but so few download anything and make a start.

So I have to ask... if you want to be a writer yet no matter what's on offer you never write or even do one thing to begin, do you really want to be a writer?

It's irrational and illogical to always say you want to write but never do it.

The same goes with wanting to earn more but never putting in the extra effort to do anything about it.

So, do you want to write and earn more or are you lying to yourself?

Go to my website at https://ruthiswriting.com/books.html and see how much writing you SHOULD be doing.

Remember, those books and articles aren't going to write themselves no matter how much you'd like them to.

Writing From Theme and What It Really Means

 Have you ever heard of writing from theme?

Theme is the part of your story (or novel) that has an overall message. 

Some people get confused between topic/subject and theme.

Topic/subject is what your story is about (freedom), your theme is the message you want to deliver to your readers (freedom is an illusion). Or it could be a story about a haunted house (ghosts) and your theme is that ghosts don't exist, and your story is how you prove your theme, without actually stating it.

There are many ways to deliver a theme through your characters, symbolism, environments, character interactions with others, and many more ways besides.

But either way, as we all know, by the end of the story there must be change for your main character, either emotionally, psychologically or physically.

As the writer, your job is to demonstrate your theme to the reader throughout your character's journey through your story.

If you want to understand writing from theme more, and how to use it, I've written an article about it and you can read it at:

https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2020/Writing-From-Theme.html

Why I Don’t Enter Writing Competitions

It can be every writer’s dream to win a writing competition and I even know one writer who once won an insignificant competition and then called herself “an award winning writer.” Haha.

Don’t get me wrong, winning a writing competition, or any competition, is a great feeling, and even when I’ve won something really small, I’m still happy to have won.

The problem with most writing competitions though, is that they cost money to enter, and I’ve known writers who spend hundreds every year to enter these comps without winning a thing or even getting on the short list.

And it can be demoralising.

The trouble is, you see, that there are usually thousands of entrants so chances of winning are slim, plus it depends who the judges are and their reading preference.

So this is why I don’t enter writing competitions. 

I’d rather use the money to buy a lottery ticket then at least if I don’t win, it’s just the luck of the draw and not because someone who’s probably never even been a writer or has never achieved anything great from their writing, has judged my work as not good enough in their opinion.

I do, however, love submitting work to paying markets because it’s free, I get paid if accepted, and rejections simply mean it wasn’t right for the market (which I’ve sometimes been told).

AND I’m free to submit my work elsewhere. Which I usually do.

But you do what’s best for you.

Living The Laptop Lifestyle
How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/LLS.html

It’s a Facebooking Time Suck

It’s funny how smart phones can be a waste of time (because of all our time that they waste) yet we daren’t go anywhere without one.

But having a phone always to hand doesn’t mean that we have to use it all the time or have notifications turned on so that every ding or other noise disrupts us.

Likewise, Facebook is a waste of time and it’s mostly anti-social which is the complete opposite of what it’s supposed to be so it can be a dark and depressing place to be - it was for me. And I have it on good authority that these days teenagers prefer Instagram because it’s a much happier place to be.

A couple of years ago, I closed my Facebook account that I’d had for only 3 years, but I’d had enough of just how really sh*tty people could be to each other, and it’s not something that I want to waste my time on.

At first I thought I’d miss it and miss out on keeping up with family and local gossip. But instead, I wish I’d closed it sooner because I had no idea how much time I wasted on it (sometimes I thought it was only minutes but it was actually up to an hour), not to mention the peace of mind it gave me once I no longer had Facebook on my phone or computer.

It was like my mind and my life had been set free. I’d never realised how depressing all the Facebook dramas could be. And it was usually the men who were the most bitchy.

But with my attention free, I had more ideas, wrote more, had more leisure time, and used my new-found time to study marketing which helped improve my book sales.

The problem with getting sucked into the vortex of anti-social media, is that it drags you down, and keeps you away from things that are actually important.

Spending time on Facebook made me forget my real mission in life, but now I’m back on track and loving it.

Mission Critical For Life
Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Write More While Getting Other Things Done

It’s common to think that you don’t have time to write if you have a lot of other things to do every day. Yet this is how bloggers earn their money from writing while being busy doing other things.

The way they do it is by writing about what they do. And it can be just about anything:

• Exercising 
• Cooking
• Gardening
• Parenting 
• Saving money
• Knitting
• Woodwork
• Reading books
• Your life in general

And there’s no doubt that there’s plenty of things you do in a day that you could write about on a blog, that can be done simply as an online diary or journal. I know of one blogger who blogs daily about how she lives a sedentary life and spends little money.

When you blog about what you do, not only is it a way to earn money, but it also makes you do more so that you have something to write about.

Not only that, but it makes you look at what you do in a different way, more deeply, because you have to have a good understanding of what you do so that you can explain it to other people. You need to tell them not only what you did, but why.

Why did you plant that so deep? Why did you add that herb to your cooking? Why did you use that tool? Why didn’t you like that book?

Blogging about something that you enjoy doing, not only helps you to do more, but can earn you money.

Living The Laptop Lifestyle

How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/LLS.html

Stay On Topic

If you've been following me for a few years you'll know that I've been learning about marketing for quite a while now. 

And to this end, not long ago, I subscribed to a famous marketer's copywriting emails. But after a few weeks I unsubscribed because all the emails spoke too much about health and fitness, or at least what he thought that health and fitness was, and how he linked it all to copywriting was tenuous at the very least.

Not only was this a subject I have no interest in, but also all his information was incorrect so even if I wanted information about exercise and diet, following his advice would have led me to having health issues that I'd never had before, plus my health is fine and I don't suffer from anything (except maybe crazy monkey mind issues) so I never read articles about it.

I suffered through these emails for a short while and deleted them all within minutes of reading them, thinking that he was just on a current health obsession of some kind and that he'd soon get back to talking about copywriting.

Anyway, the last straw came when I received an email all about the typical US (he's American) fear of eating carbohydrates. He talked about a woman who improved her health and fitness by eating only cheese, soup and salad and how great her body looked. I laughed at that because no matter what someone's body looks like, you can't see their clogged arteries, diabetes or heart issues, and these are the things that are important.

And then he said how he himself always eats like a lion by eating lots of meat and not much of anything else. I thought this was a strange thing to do because he's not a lion so why would he want to eat like one? Also lions only eat about once every three days and I'm betting he didn't do that.

He likened his heavy meat-based diet to making his copywriting roar. Hmmm... Such a thin connection from one thing to the other. More like a 'Dad Joke.' He then provided links to his copywriting products. And that was it. No other mention of copywriting in his copywriting email.

It was this email that made me unsubscribe immediately.

You see, I didn't want dietary advice. I wanted advice about copywriting. But I didn't get anything except a a few links to his products that he wanted me to buy. So instead of being intrigued to take a look, I just thought that if his products were anything like his emails, they were of no use to me.

So how is telling you this helpful to you?

Because what I'm trying to show you is that if you're writing about something you need to stay on topic and not talk about unrelated things.

I mean, if you're talking about writing,  it's OK to talk about getting enough sleep so that you feel more awake to write, or how to keep up your motivation or productivity, or  talk about a great computer for writers, or a great book that can be helpful, but waffling on about how you stay fit isn't going to be interesting to people who want to find out about being a writer (or copywriter).

This is why it's important to stay on topic when you're writing, and whenever you talk about something else, explain how it ties into what you're saying and how it can help.

This is writing and marketing 101.

How to Write An Article in 15 Minutes or Less
- Including Research, Writing and Proof Reading

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/15.html

Recent Writing Machinations And Closing My Publishing Business

Today I've added a new article to my website with the same title as this post.

It's all about how I'm changing how I work and why I've also closed by publishing business.

I think I've streamlined how I operate by closing the business which took up a lot of time and a lot of money to keep it running.

Originally, when I started the publishing company my aim was to publish books written by other authors as well as publishing my own. But what I found was that I didn't want to publish books. I wanted to write them.

It didn't take long for it to occur to me that I'm a writer, not a publisher. I mean, yes it was OK to have a company that I could use to publish the books that I wrote, but I didn't want to sit every day reading other people's books and judge whether or not I thought they were good enough to publish. 

Also, so many people sent me garbage to read. They seemed to think that their writing didn't have to be good to be published. One would-be author, after I sent him a polite rejection email saying that his writing was of a poor standard, actually emailed back and said that his writing didn't have to be good and it was an editor's job to correct and polish his work. 

Wow. Just wow.

Anyway, there's a lot more in my article which explains what I'm up to, the changes I'm making and why PLUS there are even a couple of photos of a possum, and when you read the article you'll see why the possum is also forcing me to make changes to the way I work. And if he wasn't so ridiculously cute, I'd swot his little behind and send him on his merry way, instead of allowing him to interrupt my writing time.

You can click the link below to read the article now.

Enjoy.

https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2020/recent-machinations.html

What Authors Can Learn From the Incredible Story Behind the Movie THE ELEPHANT MAN

Today I've uploaded a fascinating article to my writing site, about the history of the remarkably humble story of how the movie script for The Elephant Man made it to the big screen. And it wasn't with a trumpet fanfare or anything like it. It happened quietly and became a hit movie.

And you can read all about it in this remarkable article by book publicist, Scott Lorenz who works with authors of all kinds, from CEOs to self published writers, to get maximum publicity for their work.

This article shows you just how easy it can be to get your story, novel or script onto the big screen.

And if you're interested in getting your idea (not a whole book, but just an idea in your head) for a movie, television show or reality TV show, produced, you can read about how to do it at Pitch a Script For a movie, TV show or reality TV show.

Use the link below to read the article now:

https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2020/elephant-man-script.html

New Markets For Horror Writers

 Today I added a new market to my Writing Markets page of my website.

It's a link to a website where you can find current and updated links to horror writing opportunities from all over the world, with horror writing submissions for websites, magazines, podcasts, anthologies, book publishers and more.

You'll also find links to hundreds of other opportunities for all different types of freelance writing markets, including '101 Sites That Pay You $50-$3000 per Blog Post.'

So if you're currently sitting at home wondering what to write about and how to earn money from your writing, just use the link below to click over to Writing Markets and start writing and submitting.

Just browsing this long list of writing markets will fill you with inspiration and ideas.

And don't forget that there is also a link to the amazing writing course, 'How To Make Money Writing Easy, 350-500 Word Web Articles.'

This one page alone on my website can help you to earn more money from your writing than you ever thought possible.

Take a look now.

https://ruthiswriting.com/writingmarkets.html

Write Articles 7 Different Ways For Easier, Faster, Better Results

There's no doubt about it, using the right keywords can yield better search engine results.

But finding the correct keywords takes time, and in the online world, time really is money, so the less time you spend searching for the best SEO keywords, the better it will be for you because then you can spend more time writing SEO articles.

But what if I told you that there's a way you can spend less time looking for the right keywords AND less time writing articles too? Would you be interested? Well, it's really easy, if you know how.

Read this complete article at:
https://ezinearticles.com/?Write-Articles-7-Different-Ways-For-Easier,-Faster,-Better-Results&id=10344934

The Wrong Way to Earn Money Writing Online

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll already know that years ago I had a really successful writing site called Writeaholics. Then someone wanted to buy it and offered me a lot of money. So I sold it to him and began another successful writing site, ruthiswriting.com.

Clearly the guy who bought my old site thought that he could make money from it without doing much work. But what he didn’t realise is that what he couldn’t buy was my mind and my ability to write and earn money.

Naturally, he ended up with nothing and for years now his site (my old site) has been off-line, while my site is still going strong.

What he didn’t see was the blindingly obvious fact of what it is that I do to earn more from my writing sites. And it’s so simple.

I write and publish my work online.

That’s it.

It really is that simple.

I just sit and write every day, because if I don’t, I won’t have a writing business.

And I enjoy writing.

The good news is that you can do it too.

If you want to run your own online writing business, you just need to keep writing and publishing.

Don’t do it the wrong way and think that if you create a website people will come to it and pay you money. Because they won’t, which is what the buyer of my old site found out in a very expensive way.

Writers write, and, it’s no coincidence that those who write more usually make more money than those who hardly ever write.

Click the link below to find out how you can start your own online writing business today.

Living the Laptop Lifestyle: 

How to Start & Grow a Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job
https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

An automatic way to make yourself write more

One thing that always confused me is why, when I love to write, is it so damn hard to sit down and do it?

Some days I’m on fire and can’t wait to sit down and start writing. Yet other days, I mess around doing unnecessary chores just to avoid sitting down and writing. This went on for years until I figured out what to do about it.

So do you know how I overcame my reluctance to sitting down and writing?
Well, it’s three-fold.

1. I have to actually sit down. No writing will get done unless I sit down. It’s no good waiting for motivation or inspiration to strike because that won’t happen until I start writing. So sitting down always has to be the first step no matter whether I feel like writing or not.
2. Focus. I have to only think about writing and nothing else. I mustn’t surf online or waste time checking emails or staring outage window or wonder what to make for dinner later or think about a phone call I need to make.
3. Cut out distractions. I have to make sure that I keep my focus by helping to cut out any distractions like hearing dogs barking or cars pulling up and wondering who it is. I also use audios like Brain Salon (https://ruthiswriting.com/links/brainsalondemo.html) to help keep my monkey-mind quiet and focused.

These are the three most important things that help me to write more and earn more.

I have to sit down, stay focused, and not get distracted.

Writing is a solitary occupation and not everyone can do it. Working from home always sounds so easy but it’s not. That’s why we all need to practice self-discipline and focus.

Brain Salon
For peak creativity, razor-sharp focus, and deep sleep.
Download a FREE demo.
https://ruthiswriting.com/links/brainsalondemo.html

Why It’s So Hard To Sit Down and Write

A few days ago I was talking to my daughter (who is also a writer) and we were discussing why it’s so hard to sit down and write.

At the same time we both agreed the once we do sit down and get into the ‘flow’ of writing, we could write forever and often lose track of time and sometimes we look up and wonder why it’s dark, and realise that we’ve been working for so long, and have been so focused that the sun went down and we didn’t even notice.

So why is it so difficult to sit down and write in the first place?

We realised, in our wisdom (and we are both oh so wise), that it’s because of the complete solitary nature of writing because it needs total and complete focus.

Whenever I’m doing other things, I don’t need the focus that I have to have when I’m writing.So when I’m doing other things, like gardening, cleaning, ironing, cooking sewing, etc, I can also do other things at the same time like daydream, listen to audios, watch TV or have a conversation with someone.

But when I’m writing, that’s ALL I can do which means kissing goodbye to everything else, because even a small distraction can throw off my concentration and I can lose my train of thought. This is what makes writing such an isolating profession which many people find too difficult, but it suits my personality because I’m happy in my own company.

Having said that, it’s still hard to actually sit down and start writing, which is when procrastination becomes a problem. I solve this by listening to audios that help me to focus.

I listen to the Brain Evolution System when I’m not writing because it calms my monkey-mind and helps me to think and to get more done.

I also listen to Brain Salon while I am writing, to block out other distracting noises and to help me to focus at the same time.

That’s what works for me (I’ve been using these audios for years) and they may help you too.Download free demos of both and see the difference it makes.

You may as well try it. It costs nothing to try, so you’ve got nothing to lose, and if it works for you, it can make the world of difference to how much more you can write.

https://ruthiswriting.com/links/brainev.html

https://ruthiswriting.com/links/brainsalondemo.html

Perfect For Working From Home - Or Anywhere

Now more than ever, people are wanting to either find a way to work from home or to travel more. And many are wanting to do both. They want to work AND travel more.

And this is what made me look more closely at two of my books:

Living the Laptop Lifestyle. How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job

Mission Critical For Life: Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission

Together, these two books are perfect for anyone who wants to work from home or work from anywhere.

You see, ‘Living the Laptop Lifestyle’ is all about earning money from your laptop computer. It’s not about having to buy and store goods or renting lots of storage space to run a business.

All it takes is a laptop computer and (sometimes, but not always) an internet connection, and you can work at home or while you’re traveling. I’ve even worked from hotel rooms when I can’t sleep at night, which happens often when I’m away from home.

My other book, ‘Mission Critical For Life’ is all about having financial freedom and how, when you find your life’s mission, you’re happiest when you’re at home doing it.

I have a lifetime’s experience of being happy at home with no drama, no money worries, and loving my life’s mission, which is to be a Wealthy Writer.

Both these books together can show you how perfect life can be when you can work from home with plenty of money, without being needy of other people’s company or their opinions, and having a life overflowing contentment.

Don’t believe me?

Try it for yourself.



Living the Laptop Lifestyle. How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/LLS.html

Mission Critical For Life: Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

A Profitable Sideline For Writers

There are so many ways to earn money from writing so why, you may wonder, am I talking about something that can be a profitable sideline?

It’s because a lot of writing income is passive which means you may earn a lot of money, but it doesn’t happen quickly. This is especially true if you want to write books. It can take years before you can earn enough money from book sales alone.

This is why it’s useful to have another way to earn money fast.

I had this same problem years ago when I first started out and I quickly discovered that the fastest way to earn money from writing was with affiliate marketing.

I found that I could write and upload a few articles relating to a product that I really liked and people would click on my affiliate link and I earned money from every sale.

It was a real set-and-forget sideline that could keep on earning money while I worked on other projects.

So few writers earn a full-time income from their writing, so affiliate marketing is a simple way to earn more.

And if you find you enjoy it, you could even turn it into a way to earn a full-time living just like Super Affiliate, Rosalind Gardner who earns over half a million dollars a year from her affiliate sales.

You can also find a few affiliate networks at https://ruthiswriting.com/affiliates.html.

Why I Stopped Writing - And What I'm Doing About It

If you’ve been following me online (or you’re a subscriber), you’ll no doubt have noticed that I haven’t been writing much lately, and this lack of written words has gone on for several weeks now.

I wrote about it in an article at https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2020/Lockdown.html.

But now I’m firmly back in my writing chair and I have already planned out and started to write again.

I had thought that with all this ‘isolation’ stuff going on that it would be a great opportunity to get loads of writing done. That was my original plan.

And yet it soon all went pear-shaped on me. Before I realised it, I was so involved in doing other things (and you won’t believe WHAT things).

I think the problem was that I already spend most of my time at home writing with occasional visits to the pub for a glass of beer at the end of the day, or lunch out at the coast, or something else similar.

Then suddenly it all seemed different because I couldn’t go to the pub and sit and have a drink in the beer garden or go and have lunch at the coast, or have lunch out anywhere for that matter.

They even stopped my beloved rugby league that I love to watch. I’d already been up north in March to go to a live match, but that was the one and only weekend crowds were allowed and after the following weekend, they banned the players from the stadiums too. (sad face)

So that made it really different for me and so I had to find other forms of entertainment, and boy did I ever.

But now I’ve settled back down and I’m writing again.

Not only that, but I have lots of things planned so keep an eye out for it all.

It will be coming to an inbox near you soon.

Sign up for updates and receive a free ebook for writers.
https://ruthiswriting.com

15 Minutes of Daily Focus is All it Takes

The word focus is talked about a lot these days and the reason is because it’s so, so important.

Personally, I find that when my focus is strong I can achieve so much. And it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, whether it’s washing the dishes, weeding the garden, or cleaning the car. All I do is concentrate ‘in the moment’ on whatever I’m doing which might be washing a cup, pulling up a dandelion, or cleaning the windscreen of the car. I just concentrate purely on just one thing at a time.

There’s a Zen saying that no matter how many dirty dishes you have, you only actually have one dish to wash, ever. Once you realise this, washing the dishes no longer seems like a chore to be dreaded. It also becomes so much easier to do other things too, moment by moment.

And I find that using focus in everything works with my writing too. It makes it easier and pleasant to do.

But how can you gain focus in everything?

Just like all things, you get there step-by-step.

So begin with 15 minutes a day of focus on one thing. Simply spend 15 minutes focusing moment-by-moment on one task, thinking of nothing else except what you doing, and not allowing your mind to wander. It can be anything you want to do:

• Weeding
• Organising/cleaning
• Business planning
• Tending the laundry
• Vacuuming
• Polishing the furniture

Just 15 minutes a day doing one task with nothing else occupying your attention.

And once you try it, you’ll notice that not only can you do things more thoroughly, but it will seem easy. You’ll also be amazed at how much you can get done in just 15 short minutes.

To get started quickly, download a free 15 minute audio of Nitrofocus, to help you with timing and focus.

It really is quite amazing what a difference just 15 minutes of focus can make.

Read more about focus and how it can help with everything in your life, especially your writing and productivity at https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2020/focus-on-everything.html

Thousands of Freelance Writing Markets

Yesterday I finished my updated list of freelance writing markets and uploaded it to my newly designed website at https://ruthiswriting.com/writingmarkets.html.

You can go and have a look at the list which is shorter than before because I've weeded out all the outdated information and broken links so that all the writing markets are current.

So whether you're looking for fiction markets, horror writing markets, online writing markets, travel writing markets, poetry, and more, you'll find it all here. There's even a list of over 100 sites that pay $50 to $3,000 per blog post.

I also plan to keep adding more writing markets as I find them.

Don't forget to sign up for updates so that whenever I add to these markets, you'll be the first to know about it plus you'll also be one of the first to know about all my latest books, writing articles, writing competitions, discounted offers and free ebooks.

There are always more ways to earn more money from your writing, I want to help you do it.

So use the email link in the sidebar to sign up for regular writing updates and then go to https://ruthiswriting.com/writingmarkets.html and start browsing, writing and submitting.

Have fun.

And keep writing. ✍

How to Make Your Writing Ludicrously Spectacular

Today I have for you a real information-packed video by writer and marketer, Ann Handley.

It's all about writing, researching and making more money from your writing.

The video is just over an hour long and there is so much great information in it that you'll want to take notes.

I hope it really helps you.

Just click the video below and enjoy.

Want To Work From Home?

When I first quit work to write full-time, I had a lot of people say to me that they couldn't work from home and would go crazy if they couldn't go to work every day and be around others. They thought that being home alone every day would be too much for them.

Fast forward to this Coronavirus situation and now everyone wishes they worked from home because many of them can't go to work or have to stay home and self-isolate.

It's this that I find the easiest to cope with. As a writer, I find it easy to stay home. Sometimes I don't talk to other people for days. When I'm working in a window of inspiration, which can last for days at a time, I barely even talk to my husband. I have a separate office at home and I can sit in here for hours and lose track of time. Sometimes I only know it's night time when I look up and see that it's dark outside.

And to be honest, even when I'm not writing, I'm quite the shut-in anyway. I don't socialise much, I avoid get-togethers, I cringe when I'm invited to a 'party', I stay away from large gatherings as much as I can and I discourage people from visiting me at home or phoning me unless it's important.

So this situation of being advised to stay at home as much as possible poses little to no change in my day-to-day way of life.

In fact, if I did have to do self-imposed isolation, I'd happily use the time to write more and earn more and I doubt that anything would feel different.

So while more and more people are currently wishing they worked from home, I'm already doing it.

Join me by downloading any of my free ebooks, and learn more about how to write more and earn more and enjoy working from home.

https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/free-ebooks.html

Sign up by email and receive the free ebook Writing For Cash and start writing today.
https://ruthiswriting.com

How I Found Myself Accidentally Prepared For the Coronavirus Panic

I know that this Coronavirus Crisis took everyone by surprise, and it certainly did me. It wasn't the virus itself, but how people reacted by panic buying and hoarding.

I read recently that when a crisis happens like a bush fire or a flood or a blackout, people react by doing what they need to do like buying bottled water, torches and batteries.

But this virus has made people panic-buy anything and everything because they don't know what to do.

There's no perfect way to react to a crisis.

My own situation hasn't been so dire simply because of how I already live my life.

Firstly, I don't need to self-isolate because I do that most of the time anyway. I'm a writer so I spend most of my time at home writing. So being home alone is my natural (and preferred) way to live.

Secondly, I didn't need to panic-buy because I keep a month's worth of groceries and other household items stored all the time. I have enough toilet paper, food, dry goods (beans, lentils, dried fruit, dried vegetables, etc) cleaning materials, bathroom supplies and other things that I normally buy at the grocery store, to last up to a month. Whenever I shop I rotate what's in my store cupboard so that my food supply is always fresh.

So when everyone started to panic-buy, I didn't have to worry because I already have my store of food and household items waiting all the time in case I get ill or injured and can't shop. Most people thought I was a bit eccentric, but who's laughing now?

And lastly, I always keep at least a years' worth of income in a savings account just in case of financial famine, so I know that if the worst happened and I couldn't work (write), I can survive for at least 12 months without income, or more if I'm frugal, which I usually am. And having this financial safety net would be SO helpful to anyone who can't go to work now because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

And these things I talk about in my latest book, Mission Critical For Life. This book (which is proving really popular) is all about finding and having your own mission, something that you can go home to and work on so that you can close the door and forget the rest of the world for a while. I also go into detail about the importance of being self-sufficient and having AT LEAST a year's worth of income saved.

If you'd already read my book and followed the advice, staying home wouldn't be a problem because you'd have enough money to survive and your mission to work on so that you can close your door for weeks/months and not have to worry.

If you haven't got your own copy of Mission Critical for Life, now would be the perfect time to buy the hardback book or download the ebook instantly.

You owe it to yourself to make sure that no matter what happens, you'll be Mission Critical For Life.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

More Writers Are Writing More

For over a week I've been away in the North Queensland which is the state where I live. My home is in the Southeast so it's sub-tropical here, but in the North it's tropical and humid. I spent days just sweating.

Just before I went away I set up a new subscription service for my website, https://ruthiswriting.com, and offered emails about how to write more and earn more plus a free ebook for new subscribers to show them even more ways to earn money from writing.

When I returned home 2 days ago, I was pleased to see that I'd had many new subscribers so I know that I'm helping them all to write more and earn more, which is what being a writer is all about.

And during this time, the Coronavirus panic began with people stockpiling toilet paper (of all things) and many people worrying about becoming ill and having to stay at home and not be able to go to work.

But it's not such a tragedy for writers when we have to stay home. Working from home is what we do all the time and it can be quite isolating, so being alone is normal for us.

Happily, it gives us more time to write which means we can earn more money as well as gaining satisfaction and getting more reading done too. I was happy to find that my new Writing Magazine had been delivered while I was away because I have plenty of time to read it while I self-isolate. I'm not ill, I just want to stay home and do more writing.

So if you find that you can't go to work or that you want to use your locked-in time to work from home as a writer or you want to write more than you ever have done before, now is the perfect time to do it.

I say that when life gives you lemons, stay home and get more writing done.

Click the link below and sign up for my emails and I'll send you the free ebook, Writing For Cash, so that you can stop worrying and start writing.

I also have a new free ebook that I'll be adding to my website soon, but my subscribers will be the first to know so that they can get their own copy long before everyone else, so it's another good reason to sign up now, by clicking the link in the sidebar.

My Writing Goals and Coronavirus

Everywhere I go these days there is some self-proclaimed Coronavirus "expert" gabbing on and on about what I "should" be doing during these highly infectious times.

But do you know what I AM doing?

I'm getting more writing done. I'm quite the 'shut-in' person anyway so I've topped up my essential groceries and household items to last me at least a month (which isn't much anyway because I'm extremely frugal), and now I'm self-isolating, even though I'm not ill. I just want to write more.

So while others are wasting their time panicking about Coronavirus, talking non-stop about it and freaking out about it (none of which helps anyway), I'm using this time to write.

And the best thing is that others are so worried about face-to-face contact that they're leaving me alone more than usual, which is something I always encourage anyway.

So now I'm sitting in total peace and doing what I want to do, which is to write more and read more.

I already have a stack of books waiting to be read so now I've finally got the time to read them as well as do more writing.

So while you still have your good health, use your time wisely and write more.

Make a start by signing up for my blog posts and you'll also be one of the first to know about every article I write on my other site too as well as all my free offers.

So many have already signed up so don't miss out.

Click the link in the sidebar to get started.

This Free eBook Will Help You Write More And Earn More

It's been a crappy week (or closer to fortnight really) for me regarding my online business.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when my computer kept shutting down for what seemed like no apparent reason and would then refuse to start again, and sometimes when it did, it would soon crash again.

I was just staring at the black screen of death for hours trying everything I could to get my computer to restart.

I used my other computer, my Mac Book Air, to Google the problem and find different ways to deal with it, but alas, it was no good.

So with a heavy heart I took it to the local Apple store and left it there for what I thought would be only a day or two. But that turned into over a week because they had to order a part which, they told me, was delayed in arriving because of the Corona Virus outbreak. Thankfully, so far, that is the only way this virus has touched my life.

But I had no way to publish anything apart from a couple of posts on this blog that I did via my other computer. I couldn't check my emails or anything else. But at least I could still write. Thankfully, my new novel I'm writing, I've been typing up (I handwrite my books) on my other computer which I still had. So I got plenty of writing done, but not much else.

Now my computer is back and I've been busy writing again. And I've got so much more planned

So if you want to take your writing to the next level, sign up now using the email link in the sidebar and get the free ebook, Writing For Cash.

It doesn't matter what kind of writing you want to do whether it's writing books, ebooks, articles, magazine articles, novels, short stories, blog posts, and more. I reckon I've got you covered.

And when you visit my writing website, you'll also notice the new and improved design.

You see, I really have been busy because I'm serious about helping you to write more and earn more.

It's free to sign up and learn how to write more, so you've got nothing to lose and so much writing to do.

And it all starts right now.

https://ruthiswriting.com

The Audience for My Writing Is Me

I not only write a lot, but I also read a lot. And, unsurprisingly, I read a lot about writing.

There is just SO MUCH information online and in books, about how to write and what to write. And for years I lapped up all this information and tried just about every piece of advice to see if it worked.

What I discovered was that some of it worked and some of it didn't. But that's not to say that the advice was wrong. It was just wrong for me.

You see all writers are different and we all want to write different things, so not all writing advice will be useful to everyone, so it's just a matter of taking what works for you and letting the rest go.

For example, I read that the best way to write is to make-believe you're writing to just one person. The usual advice about this is to picture in your mind the person you are writing to and just write for them.

This advice can be useful if you're writing non-fiction or online articles because you want to make sure that what you're saying is useful to the right person (or people).

But for me, it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, I've noticed that over the years, my most popular online articles, are the ones I wrote without anyone in mind. I was just writing about what I knew or imparting what I thought was useful information. I didn't have any particular avatar in mind, which is what they tell you to do to make sure you're writing to the right audience.

So eventually, I went back to writing just for me and not for anyone else and now more people than ever read my online articles and my books. They also share my marketing articles online more too.

And what I've learned from this is that I can write better, and more freely, if I don't try and write for some other person and instead I just write. And it works whether I'm writing fiction or non-fiction.

For instance, I was once writing about seaweed. I wrote about its culinary uses, medicinal uses and the different oceans that seaweed can be found in, amongst other things And I knew that each of the topics wouldn't be of interest to the same person, but they would perhaps appeal to a chef, a herbalist or a student, depending what they wanted the information for.

Another thing that I've noticed over time is that my writing always finds readers, even if not now, it becomes popular at some point.

And what I've learned most of all is that writing just for me is so much more enjoyable. I just write, hit publish and write some more. Not only that but because I enjoy it more I also write more.

So it's a win-win.

If you find that you don't enjoy writing, maybe writing just for you will work too.

What To Do When You Just Don't Feel Like Writing

I'm currently in the middle of writing my next novel.

But there's a problem, if you can call it a problem. And that is, whenever I'm writing, I lose track of time and before I know it hours have passed by without me even realising it.

It's obvious to see that being totally immersed in my work that I lose track of time (while getting thousands of words written), but the problem is that during that time I haven't had a drink and it's too late to get anything else done.

Sometimes I don't even realise how long I've been sitting there until it suddenly occurs to me that I'm struggling to see because it's getting dark, which is exactly what happened to me yesterday. I was sat with my A4 notebook and pencil, writing away, when I started to noticed that it was getting harder and harder to see the page. And when I looked up, it was dusk and the sun had already set.

I had no idea that I'd been sitting there for almost 3 hours! I thought it was still the middle of the afternoon but it was actually almost 6 o'clock. So dinner was late and I was somewhat dehydrated, but on the positive side, I'd written over a dozen pages - front and back.

Only problem now though, is this morning I'm going to have to type it all up, which isn't all bad because I use it as a way to reread my work and see any parts where I've gone wrong.

And then after I do that, I'll get straight back to handwriting again because it's the part I like best. Once I sit down and start writing by hand, it seems like I just can't stop.

Many writers say they suffer from writers' block, but not me.

I do, however, often suffer from can't-sit-down block.

 But as soon as my butt is in the chair and my favorite retractable pencil is in my hand (or my felt tip pen which I also sometimes use), I'm away with my imagination and love every minute of it. Except that time escapes me so I don't actually remember every minute, but that's OK too.

Getting too much writing done is never really a problem, is it?

So this is my writing tip for the day, if you're having trouble sitting down and writing, just grab your favourite notebook and your favourite writing implement and start writing. If you haven't got anything to write, just write anything. Do a bit of journalling, or write about what you can see, hear and smell.

It doesn't matter what you write, only that you make a start. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Feel free to use bad grammar or to spell things wrong, because perfection isn't important at this point, but words on paper are.

And if you're like me, once you start writing, it's hard to stop.


Goodbye Writer's Block
How to Be a Creative Genius and Have an Abundance of Ideas
Plus the Inspiration and Motivation to Write
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/WB.html


7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System
How to Write and Publish an ebook
and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

Why I'm Like Jackie Collins When It Comes to Writing Novels

This month I'm working on my new novel, which is going to be a really great book because even I'm finding the story fascinating and I know how it ends. :)

The problem though is that I've outlined it by hand (dozens of pages) but I've been writing the manuscript itself straight onto the computer. And this is a problem because I'm finding that working this way is stifling my creativity.

Usually, I much prefer writing by hand and typing things up later. But I thought it would be better to write this book straight onto the computer because it's a long book (hundreds of pages), so time is of the essence.

There has always been a big debate amongst writers as to whether it's better to write books by hand or straight to keyboard. And what I've found is that it's entirely up to each individual writer. Although the 'experts' have said, that from studies that have been done, most writers are more creative when writing by hand and also, that handwriting notes while studying, helps students to retain more knowledge than when they type their notes straight onto their computers. So according to the hex-purts, handwriting always wins over typing straight to the keyboard.

And this can be substantiated when you see authors like Jackie Collins who has a complete collection of her books in handwritten volumes. I was amazed when I saw it in a TV interview with her once. Apparently, she handwrote all her books (and she's written many) and had those handwritten pages made into a beautiful collection of huge, leather-bound books.

In an interview with her in the L A Times, what they said about her handwritten tomes was, "They’re handwritten on legal pads—she doesn’t type— and, on occasion, the spelling is a little shaky, not that she gives a damn." And when asked what she writes with she said,  "It must be black felt pens. Or blue felt pens. And white typing paper or yellow legal pads. There’s no other way."

You can read more about Jackie's writing life in another interview at https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/jackie-collins-hollywood-mansion.

So getting back to my own book, although I enjoyed creating the outline by hand, I then found that not only was typing the manuscript creatively stifling, but also (and this is the worst) I kept procrastinating and not WANTING to write because I was not enjoying it. So I was writing less.

All of which helped me to make up my mind about how to write it and that was to go back to handwriting because, ironically, my reason for wanting to type it instead was because I thought it would be quicker. It takes me a lot longer to write things by hand than to type them because I'm a pretty fast typist (I learned touch-typing years ago at school).

But the reality is that it's actually faster for me to handwrite my manuscript because although the initial writing takes longer, I find I write more often and for much longer when I'm sat working with a notebook and pen. Plus I can work anywhere without needing to drag my computer along with me.

So for me, handwriting wins hands down because although I feel like it's taking me longer to write, the fact that I write so much less when I have to type it instead means that I'm actually writing less, not more. So trying to do it faster is completely defeating the object.

And what takes me two or three hours to write, takes me only 30 minutes or less to type up because I can type so fast.

And, most importantly, now that I'm back to handwriting my manuscript, I'm enjoying writing again and I WANT to sit and down and write whereas before, I had to force myself to do it so I was procrastinating instead of writing.

So no matter whether it's faster to handwrite or to type, at least when I'm writing by hand, I'm actually writing.

Watch the short (2 minute) video below for a bit of Jackie Collins' inspirational writing advice.

Enjoy.

This Simple Change Doubled My Writing Output

They say that the only reason we work 8 hours a day at our job is because they give us 8 hours to do our work. But the truth is that most people could get their work done it half the time, but because we’re given 8 hours, we stretch it out to fit the time.

And it’s the same with writing.

It’s no good telling yourself that you have to sit and write for 8 hours a day if you don’t need to.

Why sit at your computer all day when you could be doing other things?

If you spend more time than you need sitting in front of your computer every day, you’ll just waste time surfing the internet and checking your Facebook account.

I suffered from this lack of productivity problem for a long time.

Then I read a really interesting book called 2,000 to 10,000: How to write better, write faster and write more of what you love.

And the way the author went from writing 2,000 words a day to 10,000 was easy. She went out to do it.

So I did the same. I’d often worked away from home before but never all the time.

And what I always found was that while I was somewhere else I wasn’t distracted by anything.

Most of the time when I write away from home, I have no internet connection, which is a good thing.

Even if I’m working somewhere that’s noisy it doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t have anyone wanting my attention, I can just get on with my writing.

And because I look so busy, even people who know me don’t interrupt me, which I’m always glad about because it can really disrupt my flow of concentration.

I can work in the library or at a local park. Sometimes I drive to a nearby lookout because I’m unlikely to run into friends there, and it has covered picnic tables and a toilet block. Perfect!

Even if it rains while I’m out I’ll just sit in my car and write. That too is a good place for uninterrupted writing time.

I find that if I only stay out for 2 hours, I can write up to 7,000 words. That’s double what I get done when I’m at home.

So if you’re not getting as much writing done as you need, try working somewhere else.

You won’t believe what a difference it makes until you try it.

---------------------------------

How to Earn $100k+/Year Writing For the Internet -
The Wealthy Writer
https://ruthiswriting.com/links/wealthywriter.html

Make Writing So Easy And Fun You Can't Wait To Do It Every Day

I was watching a video of a talk being given by one of my favorite writers, Dean Wesley Smith and in it he said one thing that not only really resonated with me, but it's something that most writers don't do.

And I wondered, why not?

What he said is that writing must be fun to do.

And this is so important that I'll tell you again...

Writing must be fun to do.

If you find that writing is a chore and you always procrastinate because you don't want to do it, it's because it's not fun for you.

There are so many different ways to earn money writing, but just because it's possible to do, it doesn't mean it's the right thing for you to do.

You need to be doing the kind of writing that is fun for you.

Another problem that holds writers back is that they worry too much about their writing being perfect, or not publishing something until they can get the perfect cover or the perfect formatting.

My advice is to just forget about it.

No one is perfect and if you wait till you think your work is perfect you'll never submit it or publish it.

I began writing when I didn't really know what I was doing but I just knew that if I was doing SOMETHING I was moving forward. And it worked. What I was doing wasn't perfect, but I was outworking most other writers so I was making progress and making money.

It was Ray Bradbury who said (and I paraphrase) that if you have a year to write, you're better off writing 52 short stories than try and write one whole novel because it's almost impossible to write 52 bad stories. He said that writing one story a week for a year is great practice so you'll get better as you keep writing.

He also said he has had a sign above his typewriter for over 25 years that says "Don't think!"

So if you want to write more and earn more, my advice is:

Stress less, write more and have fun.


Mission Critical For Life
Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/MCFL.html

How To Avoid the Horrible Mistake Other People Make With Writing Goals

"When your goals inspire you, when you believe and act on them, you will accomplish them."
~ Jim Rohn

I love the above quote by Jim Rohn, who was an American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. He believed in the power of goal setting.

And I also believe that setting goals is motivational and it always helps me to work through and finish my writing projects.

The problem though is that most writers make the mistake of setting the WRONG goals.

What do I mean by wrong?

They set goals that are unappealing to themselves, or they set goals that seem unachievable. And when that happens, writing doesn't happen.

You see in order to achieve your writing goals they need to be inspiring and motivating, otherwise you won't even make a start.

If you have writing goals that you always think about but never, ever start, ask yourself if it's really something that you want to do? Because often (and I've been guilty of this myself), we set goals for accomplishing things we think we SHOULD do, rather than things we want to do.

So when it comes to writing, what is that you REALLY want to do? What are your writing dreams and writing goals? What is is that you want to sit down and write about every day?

And whatever you decide, make sure it's something that is fun for you to do. Something that you really would enjoy and that you look forward to doing it every day.


Mission Critical For Life
https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/MCFL.html