Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

THE PROFESSIONAL WRITER PUZZLE: 7 PIECES YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL

By: Jennifer Blanchard

I’ve been a professional writer for more than a decade, and a couple weeks ago I celebrated my three year “Quitiversary” (the day I quit my day job to take my business full-time). So lately I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting back and thinking about the steps I took to get where I am today.

Since I know you dream of being a published author and having a writing career, I thought it would be useful for you to see what it takes.

So here are the 7 things I did to become the published author and writing coach that I am today:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Can’t stress this one enough. You have to write. All the time. As much as you can. Over and over again, write.

Write. Toss it. Start again.

The more you write, the better you’ll get at writing. And practicing helps you find your voice as a writer.

2. Never Stop Learning

There’s always more to learn when it comes to writing a novel. There’s always a way you can dig deeper into a topic and discover things you didn’t know (or clarify things you’ve heard before).

As a professional writer, you have to be committed to growth. And growth comes from learning and practicing.

3. Get Support

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Round-Up: Text to Speech in Reading Apps on Android ⋆ Ink, Bits, & Pixels http://ow.ly/LdwM6
2. Writer Unboxed » Take Five with Catherine McKenzie: Hidden http://ow.ly/LdwPD
3. What You Need to Know About Crowdfunded Publishing   | Jane Friedman http://ow.ly/LdwRl
4. 50 Things to Tweet About: Tip #49 of 52 Ways to Market Your Book - Author Marketing Experts, Inc. http://ow.ly/LdwSP
5. Finding Book Reviews « FundsforWriters http://ow.ly/LdwVU
6. SELF-e: Connecting Indie Authors with Libraries | Indies Unlimited http://ow.ly/LdxbY
7. Sources of Public Domain Lyrics http://ow.ly/Ldxn2
8. A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Ebooks for Libraries http://ow.ly/LdxSj
9. KDP is for Chumps | Hugh Howey http://ow.ly/LdxKN
10. 30 High-Impact Ways to Level Up Your Writing : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/LdxXp
11. Jennifer Blanchard | The Professional Writer Puzzle: 7 Pieces You Need To Be Successful http://ow.ly/Ldy7Y
12. You think writing’s a dream job? It’s more like a horror film | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/Ldy9s
13. How to Become a Writer as a Second Career http://ow.ly/LdyaP
14. Writing More Diverse Characters-The TCI | motivation for moving beyond your writing habits http://ow.ly/LdydQ
15. What You May be Missing about "50 Shades of Grey" - Storyfix.com http://ow.ly/Ldyfg
16. Five Myths About Self-Publishing - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/Ldygs
17. WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Guest Blog to Grow Your Platform http://ow.ly/LdyiP
18. The Writer vs the Author - Meg Wolfe http://ow.ly/Ldyll
19. Back Cover Copy | Nessgraphica Blog http://ow.ly/Ldyp7
20. Paperback Writer: Write Habits http://ow.ly/LdyrO
21. How to choose book cover image? Genre, quality count, but beware clones | Chris Kridler | Sky Diary Productions http://ow.ly/LdytX
22. Six Reasons Why Some Books Will Never Be Bestsellers | Self-Publishing Review http://ow.ly/Ldyvl

Happy writing and running, Kathy