Since I've been struggling a lot with muscle pain, I thought this was something I could address today. Let's face it, it's pretty hard to be motivated to work when you're aching (or having shooting pains down your legs or whatever). But if you're like me, a growing to-do list can be a big anxiety.… Continue reading Monday Motivation: How to Deal with Pain
Tag: productivity
Writer Wednesday: What to do with those random ideas …
Any writer knows ideas don't always come at convenient times. A brand new character might pop into your mind while working on a deadline for something else. You might dream up a fantastic plot twist that simply doesn't work with your current wip. These idea mushrooms murder focus. But they're valuable, all the same. How… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: What to do with those random ideas …
Monday Motivation: Finding the Why
Ever had that moment where you look at the house you have to clean or the report you have to write or the manuscript you have to edit and say "Why am I even doing this?" (Parents of young kids who try to keep their house clean can really relate) There are plenty of things… Continue reading Monday Motivation: Finding the Why
Writer Wednesday: Immerse Yourself in Setting
Writing historical fiction has changed a lot over the past decade. I know this because I wrote Daughters of Alba ten years ago with only the benefit of a handful of books from my local library. Now that I'm writing Sons of Alba, I'm finding a plethora of information on the web that simply wasn't… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Immerse Yourself in Setting
Monday Motivation: 5 Reasons to use a Timer
You wouldn't think something as simple as a timer could revolutionize the way you work. But when I discovered Flylady.net about 10 years ago, the timer was the single most useful thing I picked up from her highly useful system. Now I'm not much of a last minute person, so I thought using a timer… Continue reading Monday Motivation: 5 Reasons to use a Timer
Writer Wednesday: How to deal with word-count restrictions
Ever read a story that felt too rushed? I don't mean those great books that you wished never ended. I mean the ones where you get to the end and say "what just happened?" I've read some bestselling authors who clearly faced the pressure to get a book in under word count and on time.… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: How to deal with word-count restrictions
Monday Motivation: The Great Paralyzer
You know that big project you've got to tackle. Maybe it's a report, or a novel, or cleaning out your kids' toy room. We all have one. You think about it and your palms start to sweat and you feel an unaccountable desire to wash your dishes, file that stack of papers, or… Continue reading Monday Motivation: The Great Paralyzer
Writer Wednesday: How to bring a scene to life in 5 minutes.
Here goes my first writing challenge. Have you got your work in progress ready to go? Pick a scene that feels really flat to you. (Or make one up if you don't have a wip) Now close your eyes. Imagine yourself standing in that room. What do you see? That's easy. It's the first… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: How to bring a scene to life in 5 minutes.
Where have I been? Where am I going?
So in August I made some goals for the new (school) year and I thought it would be interesting to see how I'm doing. It's always useful to take stock of where you are and where you plan to be. 1) Training the puppy. Tink is a pretty awesome doggie, and at 7 months she's… Continue reading Where have I been? Where am I going?
3 Things I Learned from NaNoWriMo
Ok, so now that I've had a month to recuperate, get sick, recuperate again, have Christmas, and recuperate again...now I want to take a look back at what I learned from the whole NaNoWriMo experience #1 I can get blood from a stone! Writer's block? What's that? Despite several moments of fearing I wouldn't finish my NaNo,… Continue reading 3 Things I Learned from NaNoWriMo
Erin E. M. Hatton 