This Simple Little Tip Will Get You Writing Like A Pro - Instantly

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Do you know how people become top athletes?

Practice.

They become great at what they do through practice, and they practice all the time.

They usually need a coach to become great at what they do, to show them how it’s done.

Likewise, professionals need a university degree to be able to do what they do, or a business course.

In the same way, writers need to learn from the best, and it’s easy to do, and free.

Whatever type of writer you want to be, find some great writing in your preferred genre/field, and practice writing it out.

Copy out passages from their books, ads, join their email list and copy out their emails too.

We all know that writers are readers, and we learn a lot about writing from what we read. But what works even better is copying it out by hand. This gives us a good feel for the tempo, the words, and the flow.

Don’t plagiarize their work, just learn how it’s done. Have fun writing like your favourite authors. Spend as much time as you want writing like a pro till it feels natural and you have a good understanding of their writing style and how they tell a great story.

Athletes don’t go straight out and compete without years of practice. Professionals study hard and do work experience to get a thorough understanding of what they need to do and how to be good at it.

As a writer you need to do the same.

Study writing by copying the great writers, then go out and write as much of your own words as you can.

Never stop writing. 

Write every day. 

And this consistent practice will help you to become great at what you do.

 

How To Make Yourself Procrastination Proof

Procrastination is a dirty word, especially to writers, so why do we do it so often?

It’s easy to think that it’s something only unknown writers suffer from, but it’s not.

Even the most prolific writers find it hard to sit down and write when they don’t feel like it.

Stephen King, who is considered a prolific writer, in his book, On Writing, said that he writes a minimum of 2,000 words a day, which for him is 10 handwritten pages. But even he suffers from procrastination some days.

“On some days those ten pages come easily; I’m up and out doing errands by eleven thirty in the morning, perky as a rat in liverwurst.  More frequently, as I grow older, I find myself eating lunch at my desk and finishing the work around one-thirty in the afternoon. Sometimes, when the words come hard, I’m still fiddling around at teatime. Either way is fine with me but only under dire circumstances do I allow myself to shut down before I get my 2,000 words,”

And in those words of wisdom lies the “secret” of how to procrastination proof yourself.

And just in case you missed it, the “secret” is to sit down and write, and don’t get up until you’ve finished, no matter what.

In fact, if you did the same with anything you have to do that you don’t feel like doing – household chores, shopping, washing the car, doing laundry – you’d have what author Don Aslett calls a “48-Hour Day.”

They say that how you do anything is how you do everything.

So quit procrastinating about everything.

Turn off Netflix, put down your phone, stop reading this, and get your writing done, whether you feel like it or not, and no matter how long it takes, even if you’re “still fiddling around at teatime.”

There’s no excuses for procrastinating.

None.

Stop Letting Yourself Down

Photo courtesy of kaboompics.com

Do you know what the worst kind of decision is?

Surprisingly, it’s not a bad decision.

It’s indecision.

That’s because when you’re indecisive about something you end up doing nothing.

To quote Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With The Wind: -

“I don’t want to think about that right now. I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

That is blatant procrastination. Putting off doing something, not because you can’t do it, because you just can’t be bothered.

And as we all know, once we put off doing something, we usually never do it.’

Just think what your life would be like if you hadn’t procrastinated: -

    - How many books would you have written?

    - How many blogs would you have?

    - How many blog posts would you have written?

    - How many emails would you have sent?

    - How many subscribers would you have?

    - How many books would you have sold?

    - How wealthy would you be right now?

    - How great would you feel?

How amazing and different would it be if you just got up and got on with things every day?

And I don’t mean only about writing, but about everything in your life. About replacing all the timewasting things you do with productive things that improve your life and move it forward.

That’s what my latest eBook is all about.

It’s about why you waste time and, most importantly, how easy it is to stop procrastinating and take back control of your life in every way.

I Don’t Want to Write, I HAVE to Write

Image by Jon Hoefer from Pixabay

For the past couple of weeks I haven’t done any writing at all. Nada. Zilch. Zero. The only exception has been writing shopping lists and writing in my journal a couple of times.

My lack of writing was due to moving and trying settle into my new home which has included finding new places to store things, getting new daily routines, having new curtains and an awning installed and finding my way around the new area where I now live.

But now I’m pretty sure that everything that needs to be done has been done so I’m now back in my writing chair.

Since  I moved, my books sales have been doing well and I sold more books than usual, including my latest novel, What Goes Around Comes Around, which is a romantic story of how one bad deed had a devastating effect on a young guy’s life and created a chain reaction of events that he could never have foreseen. Through it all he meets a young woman who helps him through the darkest period of his life. But he worries that when he does’t need her any more will he still want her? She wonders the same thing too. 

You can read more at https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/wgaca.html. 

This was such a fun book to write and it’s proving to be a popular book to read too. 

Book sales are a big part of how I earn money writing and they can go on even when I’m busy with other life-changing events, like moving home.

And throughout this past couple of weeks when I wasn’t writing, it felt weird, like something was missing from my life. I felt somewhat lost, even though I was so busy sorting everything out.

That’s when it hit me. I don’t write because I need to, and I don’t do it because I want to. I write because I HAVE  to. I can’t NOT write.

Writing is the way that I earn all my income, but even years ago when it wasn’t, I still used to write all the time.

I think it must be in my DNA. Everywhere I go I usually have a notebook and pen with me. A few weeks ago I was at the beach and later sat in the park near the beach and I went to a nearby newsagent and bought a notebook and pen and spent the afternoon sitting at a covered picnic table, writing.

Even on days when I don’t feel like writing, it feels wrong not to, so I usually end up curled up on the couch with my everyday notebook which is the one I write in when ideas strike me, or when I want to map out a writing plan, or when I don’t feel like writing so I write about it in my everyday notebook, and before I know it, ideas start to come and I start taking notes and start writing.

How about you?

How much writing have you done lately? How much more could yo have done if you’d just sat down and started?

Do you write because you need to? Because you want to? Or because you have to?

Right now I’m catching up with two weeks of non-writing time, and it already feels good.

I hope you get plenty of writing done too.

If you’re stuck, try my Monthly Challenge Writing Series. It’s guaranteed to get you writing and earning.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS1.html 

Writing and Moving

Image by Nina Garman from Pixabay 

Last March (2021, over a year ago) I moved from a house up a mountain to an apartment at the coast. Although I liked having a garden at our old place and growing fruit and vegetables, I wanted to live in somewhere with less to do so that I could write more. 

Unfortunately, while I do like living in an apartment (here in Australia, called a unit), I don’t like the complex where I am so I’m moving again next week.

What I don’t like about living here is that for some reason I don’t like sitting in the study. We use the spare bedroom as an office but for some unknown reason I can’t settle in there, so I don’t sit at my desk any more. Even right now I’m sat on the couch in the living room.

I did think I could sit on the balcony and write instead, but it’s East-facing and has the sun on it most of the morning so it’s too hot and burning.

There are also over 150 apartments here with over 90 more currently being built (6 buildings altogether) so it’s noisy here through the day time with so many people around, plus all the construction going on here at the moment (from 6.30am to 6.30pm six days a week) is not conducive to my writing either.

There are also ongoing problems with the caretakers who are not doing their jobs, so the common areas (car parks, pool areas, corridors, etc) are looking pretty icky, in fact it’s getting quite disgusting.

As you can imagine, I’m fed up with everything here and so is Dean, so we’ve sold up and we’re shipping out.

Next week we’ll start moving our possessions box by box over to our new place and then the removalists can move our furniture a few days later.

This is going to be a huge disruption, but it won’t stop me writing. No doubt it will slow me down though.

In the meantime we’re busy sorting out electric and internet accounts, mail redirection, and eating up all the food in the fridge freezer before we switch it off for a couple of days before we move it. If nothing else, it will be entertaining. Though it’s all somewhat stressful.

Also, my book, the 12 Month Writing Challenge, which was only available as a PDF, is now available as a print book and an eBook and both are available from online bookstores.

Grab yourself a copy now.

Happy reading and writing.

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

Choosing The Best Time To Write

Image by Yerson Retamal from Pixabay

There’s a lot been written about when is the best time to write. It’s always a hot topic for writers.

Many swear by getting their best writing done early in the morning. Others swear that it’s better to write late at night when it’s quiet. They love to burn the proverbial midnight oil.

I’m not a person who can get up and write straight away in the morning. I need to have breakfast, do the dishes and clean up before I can sit down and write. I need to clear other jobs away first before my mind is free. It’s just how I am, so I go with it.

As to staying up late to write, it’s not something I regularly do. But sometimes when I’m in the flow state, I write till it’s late, then stay up really late watching a movie to refocus my mind so that I can sleep.

The thing is, we are all different so we all have different times that are best for us to write. We also have different states of mind on different days. Some days I’m waiting for the bell to ring so that I can stop writing, and others days, it’s hard to stop.

I think that the problem is that it’s easy to confuse your ideal time to write with your best time to write. And what we’d like it be and what it actually is are usually two different things.

It also depends on life’s other commitments too. If you have small children running around all day, you’ll probably be a midnight oil writer.

Do what’s best for you, not what you think would be best.

I’ve always found that I can write anytime. That’s because I’m a writer, not a dreamer.

“Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you're going to be every day from nine 'til noon. or seven 'til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he'll start showing up.”

~ Stephen King

Why I Hated Writing And What I Did About It

A terrible thing happened when I was writing my latest book. 

I hated writing it.

 

I kept going and finished the first draft, but I wasn’t enjoying the process at all.

 

And as we all know, if you don’t enjoy writing it will always result in bad writing.

 

We can’t hide our feelings from our writing.

 

I sat there dumbfounded, staring at all the useless garbage I’d just written. No matter how many different ways I looked at it there was no way I could save any of it.

 

So what had gone wrong?

 

I realised that I’d written it from the vaguest of outlines and I’d forgotten where I was going with it, so I’d simply ‘winged’ most of it, not even knowing what points I was trying to make along the way.

 

So I scrapped the whole thing, thousands of words and hours of time lost. But it had to be done.

 

I then planned it out, outlined it thoroughly so I’d know exactly what I wanted to say, and rewrote the whole thing.

 

And this time I enjoyed writing it and I managed to finish it in just one week. In fact, I was enjoying working on it so much, I was disappointed when it was finished.

 

No doubt the same thing happens to you sometimes too. You start writing a new book, but you’re not enjoying it and it’s not your best work. Something is wrong and you need to figure out what that is.

 

It may be that you simply need a better plan, a better outline, and clearer direction of what you need to do.

 

Take the time to figure out where you’re going wrong, and get a clear plan of action.

 

 

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

Use the introductory discount code ‘12mthpromo.’

BONUS copy of The One Month Author

https://cheritonhousepublishing/books/12MTH.hml

 

Writer Without A Clue

I bought an eBook a few weeks ago and it was fascinating to read.

It’s called “Writing Into The Dark” and it’s written by prolific author, Dean Wesley Smith.

He has written hundreds of books and short stories and this book is all about his writing process.

He calls what he does “Writing Into The Dark” because he begins all his novels and short stories (which are not so short because they’re all thousands of words long) and he has no clue how the story will start or end.

He begins with just a few words, or an incomplete idea in his head, and then he just starts writing with no idea as to how the story will develop or end. He doesn’t even know who the characters are until he makes them up as he goes along.

Writing this way would scare the pants off me. I can’t imagine sitting down to write a novel and not even know what it’s going to be about.

I have done free-writing exercises before where I’m given 3 random words and I have to write about them, or write a story that includes them, for 5 minutes without stopping.

I can actually write ¾ page this way, but it feels weird to have no direction with what I’m writing. Yet strangely enough, what I write in those 5 minutes without any forethought, is quite good. In fact I’ve expanded some of them into published articles and stories.

So maybe ‘Writing Into The Dark’ is a creative way to do things.

After all, it’s the way Dean Wesley Smith has been writing novels for years.

Either way, it was fascinating to read his book about his whole writing process.

https://amzn.to/3pYpS2B

Why Willpower Won’t Help You Write

We’ve all heard of the word Willpower and we’re told that if you can’t achieve something, or can’t get enough writing done, it’s because you don’t have enough willpower.

But what is willpower?

Many believe that it’s some kind of separate entity. It’s something you can invoke to help you. All you have to do is believe in it enough and it will magically appear and you can latch onto it and become a writing marvel.

Some people believe that having will power is not to help you to do something, but it’s a way to help you restrain from doing bad habits like over-eating, gambling, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, rather than helping you engage in new habits.

If you want to write more and write better what you need is determination, not willpower. This is what drives people to do what needs to be done, despite emotional and physical opposition.

Determination gives you a can-do attitude to stick with something and see it through to the end.
And you already have determination within you. It’s not an outside thing, separate from yourself. It’s already yours. You just have to use it.

And to be honest, if you love to write, then you really don’t need much determination. You only need to be in the right determined mindset to sit down and start writing, because as we all know, starting is the hardest thing.

But once you sit down and start writing, the rest is easy.

So don’t think you need willpower to write.

Just have the determination to sit in your writing chair for an hour or two every day.

The writer in you will take it from there.

The One Month Author
How to Write a Book Faster & Better
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Download a copy for only 99c till the end of November 2021.

Keep Writing Even If You Don’t Feel Like It

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All writers (even the best of the best) face the challenging situation of writing when they really don’t feel like it. It happens to us all. You’re just not in the mood to sit down and write, but you have a deadline looming or a book to finish, and you need to get back to your writing spot, but the motivation just isn’t there.

So what can you do about it?

Well, I don’t know about you, but one thing that “Lockdowns” taught me was that when all distractions are removed (constitutional rights, going outside, living my life) I was much more motivated to sit down and write.

A couple of years ago I cracked a rib and couldn’t move much for a couple of weeks, and this week I had a minor operation on my back, which again has physically incapacitated me or a short while.

And during all these times, I wrote more because I was forced to sit down because there was nothing else I could do. Also because I decided myself to use these times to increase my writing output.

It was also during these times that the more I wrote every day, the easier and better it got.

So just think about that the next time you know you should be writing, but you just don’t feel like it.

And remember that the world’s most successful authors didn’t get to where they are because they gave in every time they didn’t feel like writing. They often felt that way too but they sat down and wrote despite not feeling like it.

And to be honest, even though I love to write, not wanting to do it happens almost every day. Until, that is, I sit in my chair and start writing.

Then it’s amazing how much writing I can do, even though I didn’t feel like it at first.

The One Month Author

How to Write a Book Faster & Better

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Using Wabi-Sabi To Write and Earn Money

 Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese expression meaning to appreciate imperfections and the character that ageing can bring to something,  such as a crack in a plate, a chipped cup, or wrinkles on skin.

In Western society there is an appetite for the perfect and the eternal. Yet it is better to have an appreciation of simple things, not elaborate things.

Wabi-Sabi is the beauty of the imperfect, the impermanent, the rustic, and the melancholy. It’s a respect for what is fragile, slightly broken, past, and modest.

And you can use Wabi-Sabi in your writing too, so that you don’t have to struggle to make your writing perfect, elaborate or eternal.

Just write what you can with the talent and the knowledge that you have up until now.

You can learn as you go along, as long as you just keep writing.

And the more you write, the more you can earn. That’s the first thing I learned about being a writer and I’ve never forgotten it. 

And if you have trouble coming up with ideas of what to write about, try my Goodbye Writer’s Block to go from no-idea to idea-overload. Plus you’ll find the inspiration and motivation to write more.

It’s so easy to do, so quick to implement, and you’ll never be short of an idea again.

Use the link below to see how easy it can be.

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

How to Have Confidence in Your Writing

 One of the big problems with being a writer is getting criticised because it can no only hurt your feelings, but it can eat away at your confidence.

The ‘trick’ to overcome these feelings is to realise that not everything is about you. Not everyone will enjoy reading what you write but that’s ok because you’re not writing for them.

There’s a lot of advice for writers like “know who you’re writing to,” and “know your audience.” But not all writers do this unless they’re copywriters and need to market directly to customers who are going to buy their products.

Writing should be enjoyable, so if you want to write, just write.

When I first began, I had an ugly website and never thought about who my intended audience was, yet I hit the ground running and was quickly earning decent money and had thousands of website visitors and a huge list of subscribers.

I also earned money writing articles for other websites, magazines, and I wrote a couple of ebooks that sold really well too.

And I think my ‘secret’ to having such confidence to do it all, was that I was simply enjoying myself.

Did I get criticised? You bet. Did I care? Nope. I did at first but I quickly realised that there are a lot of angry people in the world that I can do nothing about, so I simply blocked them from my email address and my website and carried on.

My other ‘secret’ was that I wrote a lot and constantly submitted short stores, proposals for articles, and I always wrote for my website as well.

I simply got on with it.

And so should you.

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

The 3-Act Structure of Stories and Articles

If you want to do a lot of writing then it’s important to make it as easy as possible.

Don’t get me wrong though, writing is work. But it doesn’t have to be hard work.

One of the ways to make it easier is to write in a 3-Act structure. And it doesn’t matter if you’re writing a story or an article (or a non-fiction book or a novel) because they both need to span 3 Acts.

In a story, Act 1 takes up 1/4 of the story, Act 2 is ½, and Act 3 is the final 1/4.

These 3 Acts are - Introduction - Crisis - Solution.

And it’s the same for writing an article in 3 Acts.

Act 1 is 1/4 of the article, Act 2 is ½, and Act 3 is the final 1/4.

These 3 Acts are - Say what you’re going to say - Say it - Say what you’ve said.

In other words, it’s an introduction, then the information, and then a conclusion which rounds it all up and satisfies the reader’s curiosity of “what’s in it for me?”

In the end, both Act 3s in fiction and non-fiction must satisfy the reader.

In fiction, the characters have learned something and in non-fiction, the reader has learned something.

And that’s all there is to it. Introduce your story or what you’re going to say, tell the story or say what you have to say, and then bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

It’s the same 3 Act Structure that I talk about in my popular book, How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less.

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

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

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.

My Grinch-Like Christmas Writing and Planning

Today is 26th December. The day after Christmas (if you do that sort of thing).

And because it was Christmas Day yesterday, everything is closed so there is nowhere to go, plus it rained all day, which is unusual for this part of Australia, but the rain did break a 6-month drought for which we are all thankful. And today the sun is shining again.

I don't do the Christmas thing and our plans to spend time picnicking and swimming with friends who also don't follow the flock when it comes to this time of year, was scuppered by the bad weather, not that I would have stayed there all day.

I would have left early anyway because I had plans, and I find it emotionally draining to socialize for too long.

The 25th of December is always my day to plan my writing projects for the next 12 months.

So I locked myself in my writing room at the back of the house and looked through all my notebooks, and plotted and planned what I'm going to be working on for the next 12 months. And I'm going to start work on it all today. Not New Years Day. Why wait?

And strangely, locking myself away from the rest of the world in my Grinch-like way is something I always enjoy. I just close the door, listen to an audio that helps me concentrate, and get to work.

I would tell you what my plans are, but I won't because no matter how good the plans and how well I've mapped it all out, things happen. Every year things happen that take me away from my writing so I always spend time trying to catch up. Sometimes it's things that have to take priority and I don't get to choose what happens. But I do get to choose how I deal with it.

But this all impacts on my writing time in a negative way.

And to be honest, losing writing time and having to lock myself away in my Grinch-like style so that I can try and catch up, isn't such a bad thing. I don't mind doing that. I often come into my writing room at night and work for a few hours too. I used to call it my office, but that sounds, well, just too officious. Calling it a writing room makes it sound much more like the creative space that it is.

So, for now, I'm going to keep my writing plans to myself.

But one thing I will tell you is that my latest book will be published next month (January 2020).

I've already had the book cover put up on the sales page (which isn't finished yet) just so you can take a sneak peek.

It's called, Mission Critical For Life: Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission.

This book will help you to write more than you ever have done before once you make writing your mission and prioritize it. And I'll tell you EXACTLY how to do it.

I'll give you more updates about it soon.

In the meantime, what are your writing plans? If you don't know, it's time to start planning.

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

How Not To Sound Like a Phoney When You Write

I sometimes smile at how easy some people find it to sound like a fake person when they write.

The problem is that we learn to write at school and college and university. But the problem is that our style of writing for our teachers and lecturers is not the same for any other kind of writing, especially if you’re writing online or writing books.

When you write, you need to sound authentic rather than sounding like a robot spewing out facts or sounding phony like you’re trying to hide something.

And the way to do this is to find your writing ‘voice.’

But what does that mean and how can you do it?

Your writing voice means sounding like yourself when you write. It means giving the reader a glimpse at the writer behind the words.

And you do it with practice.

That is the only way that you’ll ever find your writing voice. The more you write, the more authentic you’ll sound because you can only keep a veil up for so long before you start writing more like you speak and coming across as genuine.

Another thing to remember is, don’t write what you think others want to read. Instead write about what YOU want to tell them, rather than what you think they want to hear.

And write quickly. Don’t give yourself too much thinking time about which words to use or how to be perfect. Just write. You can pick up mistakes later on in the edit. Just write fast and authentically.

It doesn’t actually take too much practice to find your writing voice.

But you do need to practice. Just make sure you’re practicing being yourself, which, when it comes down to it, should be pretty easy.

You know yourself better than anyone.

So be that genuine person when you write.


Goodbye Writers’ Block
How to Be a Creative Genius and Have an Abundance of Ideas
Plus the Inspiration and Motivation to Write
https://www.ruthiswriting.com/books/WB.html

Should You Or Could You Be a Writer?

We’ve all heard of the expression “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.” It’s what we say to people who have lame excuses for not doing something.

And this is also appropriate for you if you’re not writing.

Shoulda - This is when you’ve wasted time when you shoulda been writing. It can be when you let yourself get distracted by other things instead of getting your writing done. Or when you wasted time by prioritising other things/people.

Coulda - You coulda got your writing done but you didn’t think you were good enough or motivated enough or dedicated enough. Sound familiar?

Woulda - Well, you woulda done your writing if only other things hadn’t happened or something else hadn’t come up, or if you had the time, or if you weren’t so busy…

All these things are weak excuses. They’re not reasons why you aren’t writing every day, they’re just a bunch of Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.

What it all comes down to is whether or not you really want to be a writer.

And if you do, then the time to start writing is now.

Dream Life Mastery
How to Achieve Exceptional Wealth
A Step-by-Step, Done-For-You System
https://ruthiswriting.com/links/dreamlifemastery.html

3 Steps to Living Your Dream Life as a Writer

It’s so easy to dream about becoming a successful writer. You imagine yourself gliding into your home office, dashing off another bestseller, and still have time to go out for dinner in the evening.

Wouldn’t it be great if it really happened that way?

The reality, of course, is really different and there are so many things that can stop your writing dream coming true and here are just 3 of them.

1. Time To Write. No matter what you do, you never seem to be able to find the time to actually sit down and write. You may even begin every day with good intentions, yet time eludes you and before you know it, the day’s over and you haven’t written a thing.

2. Others Not Supportive. If there’s one thing that I learned early on, it’s that others won’t support you when you want to be a writer. And the closer you are to them the more resentful they seem. My family and friends are the worst and none of them will even discuss my writing, even though I’ve been earning my income from writing for years.

3. Guilt. It’s all too easy to feel guilty about wanting to write because you always feel that you should be doing other things. It’s probably because writing seems selfish because it’s something that you need to do alone, without anyone even speaking to you. And it doesn’t help when others are unsupportive because it can make you feel like you have to write in secret.

  But you really shouldn’t let any of these things stop you because we all have time to write if we prioritise it instead of trying to fit it into our spare time.

We can also ignore everyone who doesn’t support what we want to do. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying to spend less time with them and more time writing.

And stop feeling guilty about writing because it IS important to you. Knitters don’t feel guilty about knitting, gardeners don’t feel guilty about spending time gardening, and artists don’t feel guilty about wanting to paint or draw. So why should you feel guilty about wanting to write?

The time to turn your life around and live your dream life of being a writer is now.

https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2019/dream-life.html