by Kasia | Jul 14, 2016 | Blogging, Motivation
Ever been in a funk that you can’t get out of? You know, one of those days where you feel like nothing matters, the world is falling apart around you, and all you want to do is crawl into a dark hole and disappear for a day, a week, a month, forever?
Generally, the feeling doesn’t last too long but when it does, it’s hard not to wonder whether something sinister is at bay. Depression and anxiety are all too common in today’s society and the growing number of individuals on pills is a concern.
But I’m not here to get you down any further. In most cases there is something you can do, as it’s only you who’s in control of your emotions. It’s easy to lay the blame elsewhere but that’s not going to make you feel any better, at least not in the long term.
It’s ok to feel like shit sometimes.
No one is ever 100% happy, 100% of the time.
Humans do not work that way. We have numerous emotions that we go through in a certain day. Expecting to be constantly chirpy and happy and grateful is just asking the impossible.
You’re allowed to feel like crap.
We have good days and we have bad days. It’s unfortunate that society doesn’t let us experience our bad days as much as it praises our good days.
We constantly hear and see people’s successes, big and small, but rarely do they advertise their failures. It’s tough. Social media has made it even tougher.
We have become celebrities in our little worlds. Self-obsessed, craving for Facebook likes and Instagram follows. We don’t want to miss out on all the wonderful things out there.
But life doesn’t work that day.
Even the supermodel bestie posting cocktail hour in Tahiti has her bad days. You’re just seeing one of the good ones. But she’s not saying how she probably won’t drink it because of the calories. Or that she’s flown economy with a bratty-kicking toddler in the seat behind her. Or that her parents separated when she was a kid and she was teased at school for being lanky. Or the fact that she hates herself for something she did a decade ago. Or maybe she does have it all perfectly sorted. Either way, it ain’t any of your business.
We don’t see the background. We don’t see the bottom of the iceberg. We don’t see the full picture of anyone these days. All we get are tidbits, the pieces that people want you to see, and that’s generally showing a biased perspective.
Life’s a journey that sometimes gets hit with a tornado. You go through elation to depression to a happy medium. And while that might seem like you’re bipolar (please see your doctor if you’re worried about your moods), if these are just fleeting moments you’re going to be ok.
We all get shit days where the only thing that sounds appealing is getting into your comfiest yoga pants and jumper, wrapping yourself up in a blanket, and putting reruns of Revenge while you eat a block of dark chocolate and drink a bottle of shiraz (hey antioxidants anyone!).
You’re allowed to take a day off from trying to lead a perfect life. There’s no such thing anyway. And the harder you try to attain it, the more unhappy you’ll become.
Enjoy the good, embrace the bad. Live the life that you want and forget about everything else. There’s no right or wrong way if you follow your own path. Embrace what’s yours and realise that even amongst the shit, you can find your happiness.
Or become a writer.
Writing is therapeutic. You don’t even need to show your words to anyone. Just write and delete if need be. Or print the written pages and burn them for dramatic impact. You might surprise yourself and discover a hidden writing talent within. Maybe you’ll enjoy sharing your words with others and start a blog. Maybe you’ll do it all, or do nothing at all.
Writing is a healthy form of expression. The information age has allowed anyone with internet access to have a voice. But who’s going to hear you? It all comes down to how far your reach can go, and in an era where the world wide web is everywhere, your reach is infinite.
But if you write publicly be prepared to be ridiculed and abused. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. You’ll get upset. It’s inevitable. It’s also fine. Be upset, take a few breathes and a moment to recollect your thoughts. Move on. Don’t let trolls deter you from achieving your goals nor should you let them make you feel like shit.
But not all writing has to be made public. Sometimes a moment of journaling and reflection can shift your perspective. You don’t have to bare your soul, just hit delete. You’ll feel better either way.
Let writing help you get out of the funk. It’ll help you shift gears and accelerate your personal and professional growth.
In the end you are going to feel like shit sometimes. Others will make you feel that way too.
Feel it, move on. Even that shall pass.
The worst thing you can do is take out your funk publicly. You might want to blog about it, vent on social media, or argue your point in the comments thread but in the end you’re not doing yourself any favours other than adding fuel to the fire and one day it could come back to bite you on the backside.
How do you deal with your tough days? Have you ever used writing to help you get through tough times?
![May Progress Report & June Goals]()
by Kasia | Jun 3, 2016 | Blogging, Business, Self Publishing, Writing
May came, May went.
We won’t see May for another year. It’s been a surprisingly warm one for the sunny Gold Coast. It’s the end of Autumn at this part of the world but the temps have been sitting in the mid-20’s and dropping down to 15 at night (Celsius not Fahrenheit).
How was your May? Did you achieve your goals? Is there anything you wish you did differently that you’ll try in June?
May didn’t go according to plan. I set high expectations and,well, life including work, parenting, training for a marathon, exhaustion, socialising and a holiday got in the way of getting everything done. Ok, ok, I know, these are just excuses.
My main goal for May was to publish my third book, a novella, Lethal Aftershock. And I did that.
My secondary goal was to relax and have fun on my holiday to Fiji. I definitely did that. Maybe a little too much.
I took my laptop to get some writing done in between the sunbathing, drinking, running after my son in and out of the pool, paddle boarding, catching up on reading, eating and sleeping. Who was I kidding, I was in Fiji! Other than a few notes and questions that need to be answered in the next book, I didn’t do any writing until I got on the return flight and my brain started to work again.
Rest is a necessity. Sometimes working throughout a holiday is fantastic, at other times you need to stop, think about nothing and reset your brain. That’s what I did and it was worth it.
I’ve returned refreshed and ready to get back to work. I have learnt that I need to have a break otherwise I will burn out. My day job is mentally draining as is writing books. One deals with numbers, the other creativity. the end of the day, I am knackered.
I’ve found exercise is the best way to separate the two. A quick run or some weight training works wonders and makes the transition from day job to writing much smoother. If you need to jump from different activities a bit of exercise can make you more productive.
These were my goals for May, how did I fare. I’ll give myself a 5.5/10.
May Goals & Progress Report
- Publish Lethal Aftershock – YES!
- Write and schedule two months of blog posts. – YES!
- Send out 30 pitches. – No 🙁 Didn’t send any in May.
- Affiliates. No 🙁
- Run more. YES! Running about 3 times per week!
- Sell and giveaway 500 books. No 🙁 I gave away 18 and sold 8.
- Get 20 email sign ups. No 🙁 Currently sitting on 9.
The giveaway was a surprise. The last time I ran a free giveaway, I offloaded over 100 books without any promotions. 18 is a very disappointing number and I’m wondering what went wrong. I think the day I ran the promotion has something to do with it as did my lack of marketing.
This time around I ran the two-day giveaway on Monday and Tuesday. The only promo I did was mention it on Twitter once. The purpose of the giveaway is to attract readers and without marketing that just ain’t going to happen. Writing and they will come is not a good marketing strategy.
My first year was all about writing. The second year will be a combination of writing and marketing. I have grand goals, the only ones that are actually within my control are the productivity output. I control how much I write and what I write.
Writing is solitary but selling is a social activity. You need to connect with people in order to be successful.
Build relationships, help others, be of use, and quit bullshitting yourself.
Business By The Numbers In May 2016
Queries sent: 0
Responses: 0
Accepted: 0
Follow ups: 0
Income: $0
Books sold: 8 (Australia, US and Germany)
Books Given Away: 18
Income: $ $8.94
Total writing income: $8.94
June Goals
- Finish writing Lethal Attraction, the fourth book in the Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller series. I’ve got the skeleton down, now I just need to flesh the story out.
- Try Facebook ads. My initial budget will be $100.
- Be active on Goodreads. That’s very broad. I need to connect with more people (aiming for 10 in June). I also would like to join a discussion group. To date my usage involves adding books to my ‘to read’ list, writing reviews of books I really enjoy, etc.
- Finish the preliminary draft of a non-fiction book – Writerly Pursuits – this is a book for writers.
- Sell 100 books. This would be a sweet number. In order to do so, I need to work on my marketing skills!
- Submit 30 pitches for non-fiction work – personal finance, health & fitness, parenting, business, etc. Time to earn some extra cash to cover the costs of cover design and editing of book number four.
- Translate chapter one of Lethal Instincts into Polish. This is a personal goal. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. Fortunately the first chapter is nice and short!
- Start being more active in my social media groups. Comment on Facebook groups, be supportive of other writers, get onto Twitter and Instagram. The aim is to spend 5-10 minutes a day on each social media platform.
- Comment on three writers websites three times per week.
- Try my hand at podcasting/skype interview. I have someone I want to interview, and they have agreed to it. I’m about two months behind schedule and hoping they can still fit me in. So I need to figure out how to record on Skype, boost my confidence, and get interviewing!
- Get 20 email sign ups. This is a repeat from last month. Having an email list is very important, you just don’t know when platforms like Amazon are going to change their rules.
How was your May?
Did you achieve your personal and business goals?
![May Progress Report & June Goals]()
by Kasia | Jun 3, 2016 | Blogging, Business, Motivation
I’m an overachiever 
by nature. Taking a break to put my feet up is not something I can do for prolonged periods of time (unless it involves my laptop or a good book in front of me, of course!). My brain and my body needs to be working constantly.
This is not healthy. Nor is it beneficial for long-term productivity.
Australians are quite lucky that they receive four weeks of holidays per year. Unfortunately, not everyone uses them. Then, they burn out. Go crazy. Get divorced. Lose their jobs. Have a midlife crisis. Waste opportunities.
If you want to be successful and stay in the game, you need to schedule a break.
Aim for a few minutes per day. One day per week. A weekend a month. One week per quarter. Two weeks per year. You’ll feel better for it and you’ll get so much more done.
Everyone has a different definition as to what constitutes a break. Find yours and stick to it.
7 Benefits of Taking a Break for Your Mind & Body
- Taking a short break throughout the day can boost your overall productivity. Next time you’re thinking about skipping lunch, reconsider. Even a 15 minute walk at lunchtime can boost your afternoon output.
- Regular holidays, even if it’s a weekend getaway, can boost your immunity which means less time spent trying to ward off colds and other ailments. Book yourself into a hotel or a bed & breakfast for the weekend and enjoy a change of scenery.
- Want to be happier? If you find yourself constantly working and can’t remember the last time you took some time out to rest and recharge your batteries, you might be unintentionally increasing your risk of depression and becoming a negative party-pooper. A holiday away from home, especially, if it involves sunshine and the outdoors can lift your mood, expose you to some much needed Vitamin D, and put a smile on your face.
- A change in your environment can be enough to improve your health. When we’re consumed by our jobs and daily responsibilities, it’s easy to fall into a rut. A quick break away from home and the office will get you out of your comfort zone and shift your perspective and that is awesome for both your physical and mental well-being.
- Studies have shown that if you’re feeling a bit down – consider SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – during the winter months, evoking memories from your holidays can lift your spirits. So, create some happy memories!ook a holiday to somewhere you’ve never been whether it’s local or overseas.
- A break, whether it be two days or two weeks, gives you an opportunity to step away from stress. We put way too much stress on ourselves to perform in every area of our lives. It’s not possible to be superman or superwoman. Give yourself a break and allow a holiday to help you forget about the day-to-day grind and everything that’s driving you up the wall. While some stress is beneficial to keep us motivated and performing, it’s the bad stress that causes our hair to go grey and leads to heart attacks that we want to avoid. A holiday can make all the difference to your health physically and mentally.
- Burn out. We all want to avoid it. It’s one of the worst things for productivity and success in life and in business. When we burn out, we stop functioning at an optimum level. It usually means that we’ve been pushing ourselves too much for too long. Schedule in that break and you’ll reduce your risk of burning out. You know how your mind and body functions so you should know when you’re at risk of losing your shit because you work too hard. Add a regular holiday into your calendar or even a day spent at the beach or walking through the forest and you’ll get a quick recharge to keep going without burning out.
A regular break is what the doctor ordered. Stay healthy, improve your productivity, boost your creativity, expand your horizons and open yourself up to new opportunities by taking time out to do something that’s fun, enjoyable and takes you out of your comfort zone.
I may have just returned from an overseas holiday, but I’m already organising the next one in three months time and another for the end of the year. It’s all about balance and if you work hard you need to schedule in some play time.
I TOOK A BREAK AND SURVIVED!
One week in Fiji was bliss. I loved it. Fiji is my new favourite family holiday destination. I can’t wait to go back.
Fijians love kids so getting a nanny and putting our darling into kids’ club most afternoons was a no-brainer. He loved it, we loved it, and everyone was happy.
Did you know that there are no venomous land snakes or spiders in Fiji? I didn’t either but found this a relief considering Australia seems to have them all! The only ones to worry about are those in the sea, but you’re unlikely to come across them anyway.
And the people, OMG, everyone is just so friendly and nice and saying ‘Bula’ ten times a day. It was the ideal spot for the family to relax, unwind and enjoy a few cocktails by the seafront.
-
-
Somewhere in the South Pacific
-
-
A bit of hot Fijian entertainment.
-
-
What better way to recharge the batteries?
-
-
The holiday begins. Plane necessities.
-
-
So relaxing and feeling very small in the big ocean!
-
-
Pretending to get some writing done.
-
-
New fave! Bloody Mary nice and spicy!
-
-
Beautiful ocean sunsets. At home the sun rises from the ocean side, it was nice to see it set that way.
-
-
Resting includes fun runs! I came 3rd female & 8th overall in the Pacific Fitness 5km Fun Run in Fiji. Stoked! That ain’t going to happen again!
Do you take regular breaks? Do you see the benefits of taking a holiday out of your comfort zone? How do you like to relax and recharge your batteries?
by Kasia | May 4, 2016 | Blogging, Business, Self Publishing, Writing
April. Birthday month.
My son and I share a birthday. It’s awesome and annoying at the same time.
This year it fell on a Saturday, so the night before I went out with friends and on Saturday had a party for him. It was lovely. He was spoilt as usual. I was a little too. I even sold a few books this month and finished writing the third one in the series.
One of my goals for April was to enrol Lethal Instincts into KDP Select. The purpose is to giveaway as many books as possible and to get people to sign up to my email list (I’m still trying to figure out how that is supposed to work!) Check out below how many books were given away and how many sold and all my other monthly stats including queries and income.
The purpose of offering the first book in the series for free is to get readers onto my mailing list. More people on the mailing list means more readers buying my books. If platforms like Amazon, Kobo and the others change their policies, I still have readers to sell books to, directly.
By the end of May I’ll have three books available on Amazon, I’ll finally be ready to start doing some marketing. Many authors will tell you that it’s a waste of time and money if you don’t at least have three products to your name. What’s the point in spending a fortune when there’s a chance that people are going to forget you?
I agree.
We live in a fast paced society that craves content and wants everything right now.
I know I do.
I can’t remember what I read yesterday let alone what I did last month unless it really piqued my interest.
This tells me two things: it’s much harder to engage with readers because of the overload of content out there and that I need to slow down and enjoy the moment.
I need to take a breather and enjoy the moment. Well, there’s a holiday coming up so I’m looking forward to a bit sunbathing and cocktails by the pool and nothing but trashy romance and heart-stopping thrillers to get through in between building sandcastles, paddle-boarding and jet skiing. So much to do, so little time. I’m hoping to enjoy a few Espresso Martinis. Hmmm, yes please.
But before that happens, let’s get down to business.
Business By The Numbers in April
Queries sent: 3
Responses: 2
Accepted: 1
Follow ups: 0
Income: $278.06 (this is from pitches that were accepted in March & April)
Books sold: 4
Books Given Away: 111
Income: $6.38 (almost double the previous month!)
Total writing income: $284.44 (+8200%)
May Goals
1 – Publish Lethal Aftershock – Book 3 in the Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller Series. Lexi’s world is turning upside down. She doesn’t know who to trust. The law is fuelled by bureaucracy rather than justice. The trajectory of Lexi’s life is taking a turn she didn’t expect but was inevitable. It’s time Lexi took the law into her own hands. Trouble is brewing. Trouble is her middle name. I’m excited that book three is finally coming out. I should have scheduled the editor earlier but these things happen. We live and learn. Lethal Aftershock is out mid May!
2 – Write and schedule two months of blog posts. I’m aiming to publish two times per week, so that’s 16 posts. I’ve got the ideas now just to execute them. I’m stretching myself very thin and I want to spend more time with my family so schedule posts and writing them in advance will ensure that I have more time and energy to be with my son throughout the week while still taking care of the business side of my personality. I’m a working/business mama and there needs to be a balance although sometimes there’s no such thing.
3 – Send out 30 pitches. Writing books costs money. Starting a business costs money. I want to earn a full time living writing books but before that happens I need to freelance my booty off. That means writing about personal finance, health and fitness, travel and anything else that tickles me fancy. I’ve worked that I have a 10-20% positive response rate so that means if I send out 30 pitches I should get 3-5 writing jobs. I’d prefer a regular one but I’m happy with one-off’s if they bring home the bacon!
4 – Affiliates. I need affiliates on my site to make extra income so that I can continue writing and producing. I’ve got a few project ideas up my sleeve and there are a lot of products that I love using and would love to share and recommend with you. They are making me a better and more productive writer and author-entrepreneur. Have you got an author blog yet? Check out my post on How to Start An Author Blog.
5 – Run more. I signed up for the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July. I’ve run a couple of times as well as the full but since having my son I’ve been running sporadically. Signing up for a half marathon changes that. I need to run a minimum of three times per week for at least 30-60 minutes. Writing is a sedentary activity unless you have a treadmill desk (does anyone use these? Would you recommend them?), so signing up for a half marathon is a great way to stay in shape, refresh the mind and work on story ideas in a productive way. Gotta love multi-tasking!
6 – Sell and giveaway 500 books. Lethal Instincts and Lethal Disposal are both available on Amazon. Lethal Aftershock is coming soon!
7 – Get 20 email sign ups. Baby steps. I’m currently sitting on 7. So I need another thirteen. If you want a free copy of Lethal Disposal, all you have to do is sign up for my email list.
Did you achieve your April goals? What are you planning for May?
by Kasia | Apr 2, 2016 | Blogging, Business, Self Publishing, Writing
The first quarter of the year is done and dusted. How did we just get through three months of the year? I’m not ready for quarter two yet. The fact that we’re in April already is a scary thought for more than one reason, it’s birthday month, which means I’m year older and my son turns two. We share a birthday. It’s pretty awesome and annoying at the same time.
Did March go according to plan? Not exactly.
One of my goals was to send out pitches. And I did. Whilst I haven’t earned any money from them this month, April is looking good, so hopefully I’ll have more to report on the financial front then.
I applied for some writing jobs through Problogger and was surprised to get responses from a couple of them. I’ve written an article for one on health and fitness and am waiting for a response – feedback or payment would be nice. Another health & fitness site offered me a writing position but after responding to them for some clarification they went silent on me. I’ll follow up to ensure my email didn’t get lost in their junk mail.
One of my pitches was to a personal finance site, I received a response that at present they don’t pay writers but are happy to exchange guest posts. I’m definitely up for that. A little bit of cross promotion and writing for a different audience. Then, I never got a message back. Another follow up is in order. If I don’t get a response I’ll be moving on.
Why didn’t Lethal Aftershock get published you ask? Hmmm, well, in part budgetary constraints may have played a factor, exhaustion, a busy social calendar and mixing up priorities. Shit happens. I’m still on track to publishing 6 books this year. One down, five to go.
Freelancing By The Numbers
Queries sent: 21
Responses: 9 (38% response rate!)
Accepted: 4 (19% success rate!)
Follow ups: 0
Income: $0
Books sold: 3 (USA) – I haven’t done any promotion.
Free Books: 0
Income: $3.42
Total writing income: AUD$3.42
April Goals
April, my favourite month of the year. If things don’t happen in April then there’s a good chance I might slack off for the rest of the year. That’s not allowed. It’s time to shift gears and work smarter.
A) Publish Lethal Aftershock
B) Enter Lethal Instincts into KDP for a 90 day trial – use free promo on day 2 (2 days), and day 30 (1 day) and day 60 (2 days). The purpose of this is to get sign ups for my email list.
C) Send out as many pitches as possible – really push myself (I’d love it if writing paid for my Hawaii trip in September)
D) Clean up one of my blogs and figure out how to monetise it
E) Strike a balance between working and living. I spend way too much time working, really I do. My family is starting to notice. So in April I need to start being more present, more active. It’s about finding a balance and working smarter not harder.
I have a goal to sell/giveaway 10,000 books this year (my dream is to sell 100,000!). Want to help me out? Lethal Instincts is available for $1.99 and Lethal Disposal for $2.99. Buy Lethal Instincts, sign up for my reader email list and receive Lethal Disposal FREE! Plus regular updates and future freebies. Interested in being a beta read? I’ve currently got an opening for 5 beta readers – you need to enjoy the crime/thriller/mystery genre. Shoot me an email if you’re interested!
How did March treat you? Any big plans for April?
by Kasia | Mar 5, 2016 | Blogging, Reading, Writing
Authors, writers, or bloggers don’t have to finish a degree to earn their titles. There’s no need to study officially at a university for any number of years.
The written word is ingrained in us from a young age. You can’t get through school without writing, that’s where you learn the basics, that’s where you are likely to discover whether you have a knack for it, a desire, a talent, or you’re simply doing it to pass and get the the hell out of there.
I wish I paid more attention at school. I wish I spent more time after school expanding my knowledge. I was always an avid reader but I probably should have applied myself more.
Writing is a skill that cannot be taught but it can be learnt.
It’s a skill that only improves through practice. You need to write in order to become a better writer. Reading about it isn’t going to help you if you’re not constantly putting into practice what you have learned.
I believe anyone can learn to write well. Shit can become good. Good can become great. Great can become epic.
Here are three things that will help you become a better writer.
Write
Simple yet so misunderstood. If you want to improve as a writer you have to write. This year I’m hoping to exceed one million words. It sounds like a lot but it’s only about 2750 words per day. It’s doable. It’s going to help me become a better writer.
But it’s not enough just to write in the same fashion you’ve always written. That’s misleading your learning. If you want to learn you have to challenge yourself by writing in different styles, genres, point of views, formats. You practice by writing novels, short stories, poems, articles, and blog posts.
Your primary focus may be to become a better author, but those other formats can grow your skills and flow over to your novel writing. Just write, and keep writing. You’ll become a better and more confident writer.
When you write, you also get permission to call yourself a writer. It took me a good fifteen years to own up to the fact that I was a writer. I write. I’ve published blog posts, articles and two books. I am a writer. Own it.
Learn new words, practice description, dialogue, setting, and flashbacks.
Look at your weaknesses. That’s what you need to be working on. If you can’t make a conversation sound realistic you need to be working on that until it feels natural.
You will never become a better writer if you’re not writing. Put the words down. Even if they’re shit. Just do it. Day by day you’ll improve and then there’s no excuse.
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”
– William Faulkner
Challenge 1:
Commit to 15 minutes of writing every day. Or if you prefer try for 100 words and increase it by 50 until you’re writing 1000 words per day. You can achieve so much with very little if you commit.
Read
Why do you want to be a writer? Probably because you’re a reader first and foremost. I can’t imagine being a writer and not loving to read. The two go hand in hand. Reading fuels creativity, it’s like adding wood to the fire to keep the flame burning. As a writer, ideas are your assets. If you don’t have them then there’s not much writing you can do.
So read. If you want to be a better writer you need to read a lot. Not just the stuff that you enjoy reading but also the stuff you don’t. You learn from it all.
Good writing will show you what works. Bad writing will demonstrate what doesn’t.
But how do you define good and bad?
We have different tastes, likes and dislikes. What you like your friend might hate. A story you couldn’t get into may have one a national competition. The book that’s raking in millions in sales has been helping put you to sleep each night.
Tastes vary, the definition of good and bad varies. So read everything you can get your hands on and then decide whether you thought it was good and bad.
Read non-fiction too. Learn the rules of writing. Once you have them down pat, you can learn to break them to create your own writing style.
Books are not essays meant to be handed in to a teacher for marking for perfect sentence use. They’re not academic papers to be filled with fancy words that half the population doesn’t understand. Books are meant to be readable, friendly, and most importantly entertaining.
Read them all.
I’ve set myself a goal to read at least 52 books this year. 26 fiction and 26 non-fiction in various genres. We’re at the end of February and I’m already sixteen books in. I’m also confirming what I’ve known since I was a kid – I love crime thrillers, espionage and action books. I’m picky with my sci-fi and fantasy. And I can tolerate a little bit of romance.
As a writer I’m also tempted to try writing in different genres thanks to the books I read. Could there be a erotic romance in the future? Maybe a garlic-loving vampire coming of age story? Reading fuels my mind with ideas which means tomorrow, anything is possible.
“Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” – Stephen King
Challenge 2:
Try reading outside your normal genre. Start reading the top 100 books on Amazon or the Top 100 Before You Die. Always reading fiction? Give non-fiction a try. I’ve read some great non-fiction books. I remember Confessions of An Economic Hitman read like a novel, so did The Wolf of Wall Street. Non-fiction can spice up your writing and fill up your idea pool if you’re feeling a bit dry. I’m reading Hitlers Secret Children and it’s forcing ideas into my brain. I need to create a better idea folder!
Live
Life experience can be an awesome ingredient for a writer. While you don’t have to write what you know (otherwise we might have a lot of housewife and bored office clerk based books), you do tend to draw traits and emotions from our own experiences. Sure you can pretty much research anything you want on YouTube, Wikipedia, or Google, and probably get it right. But life experience is something else, it gives the most overused story idea a unique spin because it’s told from your perspective.
As a writer, even if you’re a shy or introverted one, as many are, you need to live a little. Try new things, take chances, feel alive.
One of the things I love about being a writer is that I can try some of the things I write about. Last year, my husband and I went to the shooting range. It was fun and exciting and I’d definitely do it again. This time around I’ll be going with my notepad so that I can take notes and talk to the people in the gun club so I can use it in my writing.
This year I’m hoping to try a dozen new things that will challenge my body and mind. I might not enjoy all of them but they are sure to teach me things. And just because they’re not for me, they might just be perfect for one of my characters.
Travel is also good. Of course we’re not all capable of travel. It’d be naive of me to think otherwise. Our geography, upbringing and lifestyle will impact on how far our backyard stretches. I’m fortunate enough to be able to travel once a year and I live in a country that has a lot to offer and there’s so much I hope to experience. All this and more will add colour to my stories, my characters, and my settings.
So liven up your writing by living a little. It can be as simple as heading out to a different part of town, having coffee at a new-to-you cafe, taking a road trip, signing up for a course, learning a new language, checking out a new running group, booking a holiday of a lifetime, throwing a dinner party.
“You sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Challenge 3:
Make a list of all the things you’ve wanted to do no matter how big, small or outrageous they sound. Keep going till you have a hundred of them. Do it now.
Awesome. Got it.
Now split the list to things that are free, cost under a $100 and those over a $100.
Great.
Which one of those things can you do this week? This year?
Get started. Don’t look back.
As a writer it’s your job to constantly work on improving your craft. You want each article, book, blog post to be better than the one that came before it. With each piece, long or short, you’ll be able to convey your message, story, tip in a more entertaining and effective manner.
With each word you write, every book you read, and the new experiences you encounter, your writing will flourish.
What are you doing every day to improve as a writer?
Ever been in a funk that you can’t get out of? You know, one of those days where you feel like nothing matters, the world is falling apart around you, and all you want to do is crawl into a dark hole and disappear for a day, a week, a month, forever? 
