Creativity lives and breathes in everything that we do, even if we don’t always notice it. Humans are creative beings. We love to add colour and joy to our lives, we can make sadness look beautiful, we have the ability to make the mundane appear spectacular. Even in business endeavours, creativity prevails.
Why is it then, that we don’t give our ‘art’ as much credit as we might give a business start up, a law degree, or an athletic scholarship?
Society has not been kind to creatives. Writers are an underpaid bunch. Artists to make money are usually dead before their art becomes famous. We have been trained to believe that creative pursuits are not as valuable as other fields.
Creativity is the cornerstone of our existence. Without creative individuals using their imagination and pushing boundaries, we wouldn’t live in the world we live in now. Creativity helps us tackle the challenges the world throws at us.
Being creative, and sharing our work comes with opening ourselves up for judgement. People will judge no matter what you do or don’t do, so you might as well do what you love, what feels good, and what you value, without apologies.
As a result of the external judgement, our creativity comes along with a set of consequences – criticism.
We are our own worst self-critics.
We judge what we do before we give it any opportunity to be shared with the rest of the world. Often, our default is to talk ourselves down. I’m not saying that everything we do is going to be perfect or that we never create rubbish – of course it happens, a lot – but at the same time we forget that we don’t need permission to be creative. We don’t have to ask anyone’s opinion, nor do we have to care what others thing. Art, writing, creativity, it’s all subjective. What works for one person, might not work for another.
The same goes for people, places, food, and everything in between. It’s impossible to please everyone, and you shouldn’t bother trying.
You do not need permission from anyone to follow your creative pursuits.
I’ve noticed something really annoying about myself. The more people know about my writing, the more self-conscious and critical I become. It’s like whenever I create there’s someone sitting on my shoulder telling me nothing I do is good enough.
I’m never going to be the world’s best writer – that’s not my aim. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be as successful as Stephen King, JK Rowling or Elizabeth Gilbert or whoever the next ‘big thing’ is.
So what?
Does that mean that I should push my creative urges aside, ignore my passions, and stop doing something that brings me great satisfaction? Would I suggest my son or my best friend do the same?
Hell no.
Being the best is not my intention. Yes, I want to constantly work on my craft and improve with each book I write and each blog post I publish. But the only way to achieve this is to actually write, release books, publish blog posts, get feedback, then repeat the process.
Reading about writing, talking about writing, thinking about writing are not enough. While they all have a place in the creative process, they are not going to make me (or you) a better writer.
The only way to do that is to actually get your backside in the chair, turn on the computer, open up a blank screen and start writing.
Creativity takes courage.
-Henri Matisse
To be creative is to also be vulnerable. We’re baring our souls to the world and the world is not always kind. We don’t need to ask for permission. We can simply start.
Society encourages children to be creative and step out of their comfort zones. Then we become adults, and more often than not, our creativity gets curbed by the so-called realities of life – being serious, thinking about our future, paying the bills.
Slowly and surely, the creative well, becomes dry, and we reach a point where we no longer believe that we are creative.
It makes me wonder how much unseen potential exists in the world?
How many more artists, writers, singers, sculptors, designers could there be? Instead they’ve chosen the path of least resistance and gotten business or law degrees, careers with six-figure incomes and zero joy from their days.
There’s nothing wrong with a six-figure career. I’m all for it. We need to support ourselves financially to create freely. There are few things worse than worrying about how you’re going to pay the next bill or put food on the table. These things are what will curb creativity. I do not buy into the starving artist concept for one second. It’s a fallacy. A bad joke.
But just because you have a career doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your creative passions. You can still be an engineer or financial planner and write romantic suspense in the evenings. You’re allowed to be a doctor or garbage collector and take those weekend acting classes.
It doesn’t matter what you do to bring home the bacon, you can give yourself permission to be creative, to write the book, paint the picture, perform in a play, dance on stage. You can do whatever your creative soul desires without waiting for permission.
Someone will always roll their eyes at what you do. That’s their problem not yours. (If they do, ask them what are they doing that brings them joy? The odds are, they’ll go bright red and not say another word).
You and your mindset are the only obstacles getting in the way of acting on your creative desires.
Remember:
You are good enough
Nobody gives a damn if you’ve written a book, so just write it
Love your supporters
Ignore the haters
Follow your passions
It’s not about being the best but doing your best
The best is subjective
We’re all creative beings whether we are doctors, artists, winemakers or architects
Creativity leads to a better world
You can do anything you set your mind to, you just have to try
Just go for it
Writing and creativity are not just for the ‘artistic’ people. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. We will never please everyone, nor should we bother to try. It’s a fruitless exercise.
You don’t need permission from anyone to be creative. You just have to want to be.
All you need is to give yourself permission to create. Be the master of your creative pursuits.
You never know, your story, your art, your design, might be what adds joy and wonder to someone else’s life, so don’t take that away from them.
Go out there and create what sparks joy in your heart and soul.
How are you giving yourself permission to be creative in your life?
Real writers should write everyday, right? Not necessarily so. Being a writer doesn’t just involve sitting down and putting words down on a page.
There’s also research.
And lots of thinking, reading and watching Netflix.
Yes, Netflix. There’s a lot to learn from the good and the bad shows and movies on the streaming service. You an also consider the documentaries as research.
Gotta love being a writer!
Writers have a tendency to stare into space, a lot. They might look like they’re wasting time when in fact they’re probably brainstorming their next novel.
A writers mind rarely stops.
The idea of writing 1000 brand new words every day sounds wonderful. That’s 365,000 words in a year or 4-5 books depending on your book length of choice. But should you write everyday?
For part time writers, or those like me, who do it on top of our day jobs, it’s doable. One thousand words can easily be written in 30 minutes. Then there’s the marketing time, business stuff, editing and research.
It’s definitely doable.
But do you really need to write every day?
No, you don’t. Not if you don’t want to.
If you do want to write every day, then go for it.
Neither choice makes you any less or any more a writer than the person next to you. If you write, regardless of whether it’s every day or at weekends, you’re a writer.
I’ve seen comments on Twitter by people who really need to get off their high horse about judging others writing habits. If you haven’t walked a mile in someone else’s shoes, well, you’re not fit to judge them.
None of us have walked a mile in anyone’s shoes but our own, so why do we feel we have the right to judge how others write or live for that matter?
We don’t.
So should you write everyday?
It’s up to you.
Personally, I like the idea of writing every day however when you work a full time job, have a family to look after, and a life to live, well, writing every day isn’t always realistic.
I tried to write every day on this blog for the month of January and that lasted the first nine days.
Did I beat myself up about it?
I wanted to, believe me.
Then I realised, why? What’s the big deal?
I believe that writing everyday will improve the writing skills but just writing to have something written with no real purpose actually defeats the purpose.
When you choose to do something, make sure that you have a good enough reason for it.
You have to decide the best method that works for you and your lifestyle. If writing everyday works, that’s awesome. Maybe you can only fit in every other day or just Sunday mornings, that’s great too.
Take the pressure off and quit comparing your writing schedule to someone else’s. It’s your life, it’s your writing, making it work for your lifestyle.
Benefits of Writing Everday
There are many benefits to do things everyday. If it’s realistic for you or you really want to make writing a daily habit, check out some of these benefits.
Improve your craft.
Writing everyday, especially if you’re writing consciously – that means aware of the words you’re putting down rather than just gibberish (it happens to all of us), then it’s a great way to improve your abilities.
You’ll get more written.
If you want to write more books then writing everyday is a great idea. 1000 words a day is 356,000 words in year. The average book is about 70,000 words so you could potentially write 5 books per year. Some writers do less, some do more. Find the right amount that works for you.
Develop a habit.
By committing to writing everyday you’ll develop a lifelong habit. When we do things sporadically it’s easy to dismiss writing on a busy day, sooner or later, that busy day becomes a busy week or month, before you know it’s been a year since you’ve put words to a page. Even ten minutes on busy days can contribute to a life long habit of writing. If you’re in this for the long haul, developing a good writing habit by writing everyday is the way to go.
Writing everyday takes time and preparation. If you have a busy lifestyle or find procrastination easy you might put off writing for the last minute and not get it done at all. Here are a few simple trips to get you writing everyday.
Keep a journal.
Writing down your thoughts, feelings and plans everyday is a great habit to have, it’s also a goldmine for story ideas. A journal can be just a plain notebook or it can be a Word file. You can write everyday or when inspiration strikes.
With time you can go back and review your entries, they’ll remind you of things you’ve done and felt. Your journal can be a place to store ideas for future stories.
WriteFiction.
Aim for at least 10 minutes a day. In ten minutes you could easily type 250 words. That’s going to be 250 words more than you had the day before.
Fiction writing doesn’t have to be done in large chunks of time, sometimes you can get a lot more written when you have less time to do it.
Start blogging.
Blogging is a great way to improve your writing and develop regular writing habits. Set a schedule and stick to writing to it.
You can blog about anything you want. From your writing habits to your favourite books. Write about the project your working on or your thoughts about the world.
Ideas are everywhere. Writers know this but it’s still a question they get asked a lot, where do you get your ideas? In your journal or separate writers notebook or even spreadsheet, keep a running list of ideas that you can write about. This works for fiction and blogging. Spreadsheets are great because you can have multiple tabs for different projects. Scrivener works really well for this also.
There are many benefits to writing everyday but you should only do it if it works for your schedule.
My writing schedule varies. Nothing is set in stone. Most of my writing is done on the commute to work 3 days per week. The remainder of the time it happens only if I get up at 5am and can get an 1-2 in before I start work or have weekend commitments. There are always commitments. Occasionally, I indulge in a few hours over the weekend but only after making sure I’ve spent lots of quality time with my son. It’s all a balancing act.
Does writing most days of the week make me a better writer? I sure hope so.
Do you write everyday? How do you split your writing time?
I really do have a love and hate relationship with social media.
Social media has been a disruptor in society. It’s introduced us to Kardashian clones, dieting experts and much more that we might not have wanted to see. It’s also given ordinary people a voice.
I remember the first time I heard of Facebook. It would have been around 2006/2007 which seems like a different lifetime ago.
It was.
At first it seemed like a waste of time. Why in the world would anyone care that I post a picture up? Would someone really give a damn if I posted about how wonderful or fucked up my day had been? Was it really important to rave about what a delicious breakfast I just had?
Probably not, but we do it anyway.
Surprisingly, social media continued to envelop its paws around us making the people using it its slaves.
In some respects we really are enslaved to social media as millions of people have joined the bandwagon and millions more continue to do so.
Facebook has over 2.45 billion monthly users at time of writing.
Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users
Twitter has over 321 million monthly users
Sure some of them overlap. I’m not the only one who has a Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. There’s also Pinterest which I love to sift through, then there’s something called What’s Up, StumbleUpon and others I haven’t heard of.
Many people proclaim that social media is tearing us apart. While I agree in some respects, I also have to disagree.
Social media is bringing us closer together.
It might not be in the traditional sense of ‘hey, let’s get together for a coffee, some shopping or a bbq’ – although occasionally it does. Social media keeps us aware of the happenings in the lives of people we care about or are interested in.
Social media is a connection to people we might not normally associate with. It keeps us in the loop of what’s happening around town and the world, what others are interested in, and yes, it offers opportunities to expand our social circles.
Why I love social media
1. Having family on two sides of the world makes it hard to keep in touch. While a phone call or a free Skype or Messenger call might sound like a more traditional way to stay in touch, let’s face a simple fact: we are all busy living our own lives. It’s difficult to find a suitable time to meet up for a call when you’re functioning on two different time zones. Social media makes it easier to keep in touch. I love seeing pictures family and friends post of the things they are up to. It keeps me in the loop and then when we catch up it doesn’t feel like it’s been forever.
When shit happens and disaster strikes it’s much easier to get in touch and keep people updated. One post of ‘hey I’m okay’ can give piece of mind to family and friends.
2. Another cool thing is having reminders of what you did last year or ten years ago. The memories tab on Facebook is great for that. I do love it except when I realise that it’s been years since I did something that I had really enjoyed or it makes me feel old. But shit happens. I don’t mind. Getting old is a gift.
I don’t know about you but with so much going on my memory can be shady. Social media helps with reminding me of things I might sometimes forget.
3. Most importantly social media has given people a voice. People who might not ordinarily be heard have an opinion. Okay, so this can also have a negative impact (trolls, we’ve all had to deal with them) but for the majority, having a voice can be a positive thing. Especially when it’s being used to raise awareness for worthy causes, raising funds for bushfire relief, or bringing communities together. There will always be a bad egg to ruin it for all, but as long as the majority are good, we’re going to be alright.
More power to you if you use social media for good.
1. FOMO. Yep, it’s a problem and I think a part of us has experienced that fear of missing out on some level. It’s natural and social media isn’t the primary cause. We are only human, and it’s in our biology to believe the grass is greener on the other side. Not always.
But long before social media we held fears of missing out. They were just fewer because we only learnt of things family and friends were doing if we took the effort and made a phone call or paid them a visit.
Did you never have that inkling of a feeling of green envy when someone boasted about their great promotion, epic holiday or romantic proposal? It’s not that you weren’t happy for them, you were, it’s just made you wonder what you were doing to make your own life epic.
But to turn FOMO on it’s head, it’s not always negative. It’s great to see people are following their dreams and having a fabulous time. We want to see happiness. Happiness breeds more happiness.
It should make us want to work harder to achieve our goals and dreams because just like you are the master of your universe, I am the master of mine.
Instead of fearing you’re missing out, you should be concentrating on doing what’s important to you. Sometimes that overlaps with what others are doing, sometime it doesn’t. It’s all good as long as you’re being true to yourself (sometimes that’s easier said than done – wink wink). Are you being true to you?
2. The pressure of writing a cool caption is another hate. OMG I’m a writer, captions should be easy. But just like blurbs in a book, they are short, sweet and damn difficult.
3. Social media promotion sucks for me. I have my author page set up and I have no idea what to post. I want to be motivational, inspirational and fun but Christ Almighty, I fail miserably. It’s the pressure. There are so many cool things out there that a) it’s hard to keep up, b) I don’t know what I’m doing. How in the world are dog and cat video’s making such a killing?
4. The advertising. Sure show me an ad or two or three but not in my entire feed. I want to see what my friends are doing not being sold to twenty/four seven.
As an author is social media necessary. I don’t know. I’m on the fence. I don’t think social media sells books. Shouting ‘buy my book’ is not cool and will only lead to unfollows. But it might have an indirect impact. It doesn’t hurt to use it as long as it doesn’t interfere with writing time.
When I did a google search the top things to post about for authors were:
1. Share books you love
2. Ask for input from your fans
3. Post a picture of your working space
4. Give a quick update on your current work in progress
5. Share a snippet of intriguing dialogue from your story
6. Promote something you love (not your own books/business)
7. Create a giveaway
8. Reveal something about yourself that fans might find interesting (don’t be rude or crude)
9. Publish a picture of your pets
10. Share a funny meme
I’ve been trying to figure out a caption for a photo I want to put up on Instagram. My mind drew blanks. Many of them. So I googled it. Yep, you can google ‘cool captions for ….’ (Diet, travel, Couples, guys, weddings, holidays, pets) and you will get lots of ideas. Yep, people, you can google just about anything these days and get an answer. (Disclaimer: Don’t always trust everything you read!!!).
Social media does have a purpose in our life and I don’t see it going anywhere. Yes it will evolve and some of the platforms we see today will disappear just like MySpace did. But social media is so mainstream now that it would take nothing short of the internet disappearing for its business to be disrupted.
Finally, there are dangers to using too much social media. And it’s not just sore fingers from scrolling down the screen. Over sharing can be harmful. Not everyone cares what you ate for dinner. Some people, strangers even, might care too much. Posting everything on social media can attract all sorts of loonies. I know that people have asked to be ‘friends’ on my personal Facebook account who I’ve never met or heard of, we don’t even have friends in common. So beware of your list of ‘friends’ and don’t just accept anyone into your circle.
I have a rule for my personal Facebook account, if I I’ve never met you, then we’re not going to be friends on Facebook.
It’s a different story on my author Facebook account.
Keeping things a little bit separate is healthy. It keeps the crazies at bay and allows us to retain a little bit of privacy.
Just like anything, you have to find what works for you.
Once thing is certain, social media and the days of oversharing are not going to be disappearing anytime soon.
How helpful they are for authors depends on their intentions. A large following doesn’t necessarily mean high book sales.
Enjoy social media for what it’s worth and just keep writing books, ensuring that each one is better than the one before it. Sooner or later, with the right word of mouth, advertising and growing product list, sales will come in.
That’s my theory at least.
Happy writing friends!
What are your thoughts on social media? Love it or hate it?
Hi there, dear readers, fans and friends, I’m writing every day this month which is why you’ve been hearing from me everyday since the beginning of the year.
Why? Why? Oh Why?
The main reason is to stay accountable to myself, to see if I can do it. If I can stick to 31 days of blogging with no excuses then I can get through the glitch of not writing enough, not feeling good enough, etc etc.
I love writing. There’s no excuse not to do it.
We all go through that phase at one point or another. The most important thing is to realise it’s just a phase. It’s our mind playing tricks on us.
You can do it. You can do anything you set your mind to.
Our choices determine our levels of success. We are not what we think, we are what we do.
What are you doing everyday to get closer to your goals whether they’d be writing related, weight loss related, business related, relationship, family, travel, or whatever?
Where are you right now? Where do you want to be in 12 months?
Two of my main goals for 2020 are:
become a better writer
create better habits
These are wide goals. They could mean different things to different people. I’m testing the water by writing every day.
It’s not easy.
In fact, today is hard. I came home after 7pm, poured a glass of wine and decided to cook so that there’s lunch for work and dinner tomorrow. I find the ritual relaxing. It’s a way to spend time with the family – we chat, we laugh, we learn about each others’ day.
It’s also a form of procrastination.
As a writer, and creative, gosh that still sounds weird – I’ve never considered myself a creative. But I am, I like creating something out of nothing. That’s what writing is. The words fill a blank page creating something out of nothing.
Today, I’m creating. Tomorrow, I’ll be creating.
The book I’ve been trying to write for the past two years is forming itself in my mind. It’s slowly transitioning to the page.
Invest in your health and fitness. You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again. It’s the best investment you’ll ever make. For writers, it’s even more important. When you’re stuck butt in chair all day it’s easy to forget exercise and reach for the chocolate box. That’s no way to build a sustainable and healthy writing career.
Health and fitness have been important to me for most of my life, I envision they will continue to be so. I’ve always enjoyed healthy food over junk food, an active lifestyle over a sedentary one. My biggest weaknesses are wine, cheese and chocolate. In excess they can cause a problem, in moderation, I’m free to enjoy them.
Getting old is inevitable, feeling old is preventable.
Now that I’m on higher end of 30, even with healthy eating and regular exercise, I’m noticing the little niggles here and there that at first were easily ignored but are now become more nagging, and because I’m so conscious of how my body and mind operate I can’t help but be concerned that age is starting to show its face.
I might be fit but I’m still edging closer to the fourth decade of my life and health and fitness are becoming even more important. When I’m in my forties, fifties and beyond, I still want the energy to do triathlons and run a marathon if I so wish to.
I want to wake up in the morning with the stamina to go for a bike ride or run around on the beach with my kid and sit at my desk and write a book without working about carpal tunnel, back pain or pulling a trapezius because I moved the mouse a little too aggressively during a writing stint.
Nowadays, it’s easier to pull a muscle. Getting up in the morning requires a little more stretching. Planting my feet on the ground first thing out of bed means a little tightness and soreness in my legs. Sometimes when I type the joints in my hands start to ache. I don’t like it.
My body is telling me something is up. It’s the little niggles that are waking me up. I’m healthy for the most part but there is always room for improvement.
I always thought these little concerns wouldn’t start until the 50s but I guess this is one way my body is warning me that if I want to maintain health and fitness, it’s a long term investment that starts now.
The problem
As my days are spent behind a computer for the most part – I’ve got my butt to chair for around 10-12 hours per day. Crazy!!!
Then there’s my love of wine, pasta, cheese and chocolate.
Over time the body is going to protest. The little niggles will become major concerns. I don’t want that. Whilst we can’t prevent every ailment that might threaten us, there are a number of preventative measures we can take. And prevention is always better (and easier) than a cure.
It’s the start of the year and it’s a good time as any, even if you haven’t started on the 1st of the month, to start today. Invest in your health and fitness, invest in your future and your ability to write, work, function, and perform at your very best.
Time is always of the essence. It’s something no money in the world can bring back. It’s finite, that’s why it’s so precious. So why do we waste it? Why do we not take more pride in ourselves?
Our health and fitness is the foundation of good living.
Without our health the rest of it all just falls away into insignificance but we only realise this when our health is at risk.
I ask you, I beg you, in 2020, look after yourself. Invest in yourself. Invest in your health and fitness, mentally and physically. It’s the first and best investment you should make.
10 Ways To Invest In Your Health & Fitness
You don’t have to sign up for a marathon to invest in your health and fitness. A small commitment to get active is a great start.
Doing everything at once can lead to burnout and giving up in a matter of days. Instead try to focus on one thing each week. Then the second week, add something else. The third week add again. After ten weeks you’ll be healthier, fitter and happier, and it would be all thanks to having started to invest in your health and fitness.
Here are 10 tips you can incorporate into your life starting to day.
Start walking.
Walking is free. It can be done anywhere and anytime. No need for fancy equipment or driving to the gym. Walk around your block. Walk to the local part. Put on your joggers and start walking. Start with 20 minutes a day, then add 5 minutes each week until you’re walking for at least 45-60 minutes on most days of the week.
Keep a food diary.
Whether you do this for a week or two to analyse your current diet or maintain it as lifelong practice, that’s up to you. A food diary will keep you accountable and show you how much you’re really eating. Nine times out of ten you’ll assume you’re eating a lot less than you really are.
Start the day with a healthy breakfast.
For cereal lovers, sorry but cereal is not healthy. Usually it’s packed with sugar and other crap that your body does not need to start the day with.
Choose scrambled eggs with chopped herbs on rye toast with half a tomato, some avocado and rocket leaves. Maybe have some greek yoghurt with banana and sprinkled with mixed nuts and seeds. Or choose a home made smoothie based on coconut water filled with green goodness of spinach, spirulina, strawberries, beets and mango.
These are just examples, choose something that you enjoy. Food is meant to be enjoyed.
Choose your snacks wisely.
While it might be easier to just reach for a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar mid afternoon, you’re not doing anyone any favours. That 3pm energy slump is a pain but you’re more likely to overcome it by having a chopped up carrot with hummus or a banana than you are with some junk food.
Include weight training.
Weight training has many benefits and no, ladies, it will not bulk you up. Instead it will trim you down. A kilogram of fat is about three times the size of a kilogram of muscle.
Healthy and strong muscles (strong not bulky) support your joints and daily movement. Strong muscles can prevent back pain and strain and if you’re sitting on your ass all day in front of a computer screen like I do, then working on building muscular strength should be a focus. Get a personal training to show you the ropes until you feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Add yoga.
Flexibility is important for overall healthy so is breathing right. Yoga is as much about breathing as it is about bending your body in awkward poses. Even 15 minutes a few time a week can improve your posture, flexibility and general wellbeing. It’s also a time that can double as meditation. Clear your thoughts, focus on the breathing and get back in the good books with your mental health.
Finish the day off with a nutritious dinner.
Steamed fish or grilled chicken with vegetables or a vegan version if that’s your thing. If you aim to start and finish your day with a healthy meal your body will thank you for it. The morning provides you with energy for the day, the evening ensures you have good nights’s sleep rather than tossing and turning while your food tries to digest properly.
Take time out.
Our mental health is as important as our physical health. We live in a time where life is easy, everything is created to make our way of life simpler, more accessible and on demand, and yet people have lost their purpose. Depression is on the rise. Gratefulness is a forgotten virtue.
Take a moment every day or a few times a week to sit or lie down and be thankful for all the wonderful things in your life. It’s easier to focus on the negative, believe me, I know, I’ve been there, at some point in my life that thinking changed. It was frustrating. Now, when my negative thoughts start spiralling out of control, I fight them with positive ones.
I contradict them.
Sometimes I feel better within moments, at other times it takes a little bit longer. But it sure is more pleasant focusing on the good. That doesn’t mean you forget the bad, you just perceive it differently. It’s also much easier to seek out solutions.
Consult your doctor.
Get check up regularly. Discuss any changes your planning on making to your diet and fitness. Just remember, the GPs do limited ours on diet and exercise. They want to help you but they are the ones putting money in pharmaceutical companies. Sometimes we need those pharmaceuticals but they shouldn’t be the first thing we resort to, they should be the last.
Invest in your health and fitness, talk with your GP about it. If they roll their eyes, find a new GP. I’m not a doctor or a health professional so this is general advice only. Use it wisely.
Laugh and have fun.
Take opportunity to connect with family and friends. Go out and make friends. Humans are social creatures. We need each other to be happy. We’re not living in a bubble. Surround yourself with warm hearted people.
These are just some of the ways that you can invest in your health and fitness. Start with one thing, then build on it by adding another each week. In ten weeks time your health and fitness levels will improve, the niggles might even disappear, you’ll sleep better, you’ll think better, and more likely than not, you’ll be happier, saner and more productive.
11 quick tricks that will help you invest in your health and fitness
Invest in a stand up desk and alternate between sitting and standing
Make sure your desk and chair are positioned ergonomically
Drink plenty of water throughout the day
Eliminate soft drinks from the menu
Aim for 10,000 steps a day
Limit caffeine to 1-2 cups of tea/coffee per day
Take regular breaks – aim to get up and stretch every 45-60 mins
Meet friends for a walk in the park instead of coffee and cake
Take a up a sport that you love
Remember every day can be day one
We only have today, make the most of it every day
How do you stay fit and healthy every day? Does it make a difference to your writing?
Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional. This post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I do hold a Certificate IV in Fitness and have trained myself for numerous fun runs, triathlons and regularly train with weights and yoga, etc. I incorporate most of the tips above into my lifestyle. Check out www.runningcandid.com for more info if you’re interested.
So apparently the most important part of a successful writing career is an email list. Not just any email list but one that includes high value subscribers, the type that buy your book the moment it comes out, leave lovely reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and tell all their friends to buy your book – or at least subscribe to your email list.
Check out this great article on getting those subscribers on your list:
Do you have a regular newsletter for your subscribers?
I’m guilty of letting my email list run cold. Not in 2020, this year, the email list is going to heat up. How about yours?
With the natural disaster of the Australian bush fires it’s nice to see the entire country digging deep and helping out in ways they can. Generosity should not be measured. We each give what we can.
We don’t have crystal ball to tell us what’s going to happen but we all like to make predictions at some point in time. Whether it’s predicting what’s going to happen in your life, with your writing or the publishing industry, looking at current trends we can try to predict what’s to come and try to position ourselves to make the most of what’s to come.
Whether you want to hear it or not, you’re not going to sell books without marketing yourself. Sure you could hire someone to do it for you but you have to believe in yourself, your abilities and your product from day one, even if everything around you is falling apart. You can’t avoid book marketing, not in the 2020s. Marketing is evolving and it will keep evolving and you need to keep up to stay in the game.
Do you have any book marketing tactics that have worked or are working for your right now?
Publishing is an evolving industry. The gate keeps are gone. Publishing is accessible to anyone with an idea and an internet connection. It means that the readers choose who stays on top of the game. It’s exciting and the arena is filled with opportunities.
Have you come across anything interesting in the writing and publishing sphere?
