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Can We Learn from Reading “Bad” Writing?

Man with a disgusted look and text: Should We Read Bad Writing?

When we end up with a “dud” of bad writing from a book we’ve purchased, what should we do? Should we treat it as a learning experience or just close the book? My answer has changed over the years, so let’s take a closer look at when we might want to slog through bad writing to try to learn what not to do—and when we wouldn’t.

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August 4, 2015

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Are You Dreaming or Doing?

Woman daydreaming with text: Are We Dreaming or Doing?

Every time we start a new journey, we’re likely full of dreams based on the potential of that new phase. There’s nothing wrong with those dreams, but they are just the first step. A harsh truth is that most people won’t reach their dreams because there’s such a gap between wanting something and making it happen.

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July 21, 2015

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What 5 Years of Blogging Has Taught Me about Writing

Chalkboard with text: Lessons from 5 Years of Blogging

People tend to like nice round numbers like 5s and 10s, so reaching the five-year point on my blog feels like a major milestone. That means now might be a good time to look back at what I’ve learned over those five years, and share what those lessons might tell us about the rest of our writing career.

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July 16, 2015

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Audiobooks: Getting Started with ACX — Guest: Amy Patrick

Microphone on a counter with text: Audiobooks: Finding the Right Narrator

One way slow writers can succeed is to create more income streams for each book, such as releasing an audio version. But we might not have experience with audio publishing. Luckily, today’s post is by a narrator for Amazon’s ACX service who will tell us how to get started with ACX, especially how to audition and work with a narrator.

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July 9, 2015

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Save Money by Designing Your Own Promo

Wooden box filled with money with text: Save Money with Promo Design

While I paid for a cover designer for my books, I created the bookmarks myself to save money. Several people asked me how I made them complement the cover so well, and since saving money is always a good thing, I figured I should post about the topic.

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June 18, 2015

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The Writing Community: What’s Your Expertise?

Black diamond ski warning for Expert Terrain with text: Are You An Expert?

A writing career often doesn’t pay well, so many of us have day jobs or transitioned to writing after doing something else. To my mind, that’s a good thing. The non-writing experiences we have will enrich our writing and can provide benefits to our writing career as well.

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June 9, 2015

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Branding 101: What’s Your Brand’s Voice?

A sale tag with the word "NEW!" and the text: What's Our Marketing Style?

On social media, people regularly break the “rule” to avoid discussing religion or politics. Does it no longer apply? The answer depends on who we are and what our goals are. Our brand could be either quiet or loud, and the style of our interactions might affect or inform many aspects of our marketing efforts.

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May 28, 2015

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How Can Guest Posting Help Us?

Arrows pointing in every direction with text: Expand Our Reach with Guest Posts

As writers, we have to be a one-man band for many aspects of our career. No matter how we publish, we have to do the majority of our marketing, and that can be a problem. Only so many friends or family members will spread the word about our work, so how can we reach people we don’t know?

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May 26, 2015

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