The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Debra

Three Reasons You Should Celebrate Today

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Celebrating? That’s something I don’t think about very often, so when I read a recent blog post by friend and author Kim Steadman about celebration, what she said took me by surprise. So much so that I asked her to do a guest post.

Author Kim Steadman and Denver the DogWhen Kim’s not sweeping dog hair, experimenting in the kitchen, or doodling on paper, she is writing, encouraging and mentoring authors. She is a freelance writer, speaker, and ministers alongside her family in Grand Prairie, TX. She’s currently working on a new prayer journal and a new children’s picture book. You can find what she’s up to next at KimSteadman.com. Drop by and say hi!

Three Reasons You Should Celebrate Today

By Kim Steadman

When’s the last time you celebrated one of your successes? [Read more…] about Three Reasons You Should Celebrate Today

What’s a One Sheet? Plus a free downloadable template.

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Most writers don’t hear about a one sheet until they attend a writers conference. But it’s a marvelous marketing tool. Today’s post is by Therese Kay.

Therese Kay authorTherese is a writer, photographer, and lover of God. She recently collaborated on a visual devotional featuring her photography called Messages from God: An Illuminated Devotional. You can read her blog here and learn more about her writing, photography, and how she supports other creatives.

What’s a One Sheet?

By Therese Kay

A one sheet started off as a music industry standard but has also found a home with writers and speakers as well. It is also known as a sales sheet or a one-pager. It is meant to be a snapshot that showcases your product with the goal of promoting it. It includes only the most relevant and valuable information about your product. [Read more…] about What’s a One Sheet? Plus a free downloadable template.

Your productivity might be better than you think it is.

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wood ruler, measuring productivityWith the busyness of today’s world and all the hats a writer must wear, it’s easy to feel like your productivity isn’t what you want it to be.

Productivity can apply to every area of our lives. So don’t look at your entire day/week and make the sweeping conclusion that you’re not being productive. You may be batting it out of the park on your writing, but not making it to first base with your marketing.

Hundreds of apps and programs exist to help in this realm. But first, [Read more…] about Your productivity might be better than you think it is.

Is your brain working against you?

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word cloud shaped like a brain, mind principlesDid you know your brain can actually work against you without you even knowing it?

To illustrate the point, have you set goals time and again, yet failed to reach them?

Have you ever said to yourself, “Be realistic. You’re reaching too far with that goal.”

How about “How am I going to do that? What in the world was I thinking?”

NaNoWriMo participants might being saying both of the above right now!

You might think you’re the problem, but in fact, more likely it is your brain working against you. Let’s look at how that happens and how we can get the brain to work for us instead. [Read more…] about Is your brain working against you?

How Do Mind-set and Beliefs Help Me Reach my Goals?

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Mind-set, goat on top of hillAre you feeling stuck or frustrated in reaching your writing goals? Like you’re hitting the same brick wall, but you can’t seem to identify what that brick wall is?

Today I’m going to look at 2 things many people don’t stop to think about, yet have a profound impact on reaching your goals.

Your mind can work for you or against you because your  subconscious mind believes everything you tell it, without question. It accepts whatever you say, true or not. (For more on mind principles, read this post.)

What Is Mind-set?

Many writers are now 5 days into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I hope they are telling themselves “I am writing 50,000 words this month.” Because if you say “I’m going to try to write 50,000,” then your brain is going to find every little excuse to keep you from putting your butt in the chair to write.

Merriam-Webster’s Online Collegiate Dictionary defines mind-set as “a mental attitude or inclination.”

What is your mental attitude toward your writing? [Read more…] about How Do Mind-set and Beliefs Help Me Reach my Goals?

Pantser, Plotter, Producer—Which One Are You?

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writing sprints word countsLast week I excitedly told you about Chris Fox’s book 5000 Words per Hour, and how I had added 914 words to my fiction WIP through 7 five-minute micro-sprints.

This week I wanted to bring you an update.

I upped my writing sprints to 10 minutes, and added another 1675 words.

One thing I found as I did my sprints is that if I only have a vague idea of what’s going to happen, I don’t know what to write. And my words per hour (wph) [Read more…] about Pantser, Plotter, Producer—Which One Are You?

Challenge your writing routine and discover new methods

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challenge, rafting the river rapids

Challenge.

Does that word strike fear and trembling into you or get you pumped?

Perhaps it’s my Marine Corps training or just part of my DNA, but I love learning. And I challenge myself to continually improve professionally and personally.

A few weeks ago I was listening to the Novel Marketing Podcast episode “How to Write 5000 Words an Hour with Chris Fox.”

Five thousand words an hour! Yeah, right, I thought. But I listened anyway. Something productive while I was washing dishes.

What’s This Challenge All About?

[Read more…] about Challenge your writing routine and discover new methods

As an author, what expenses can I deduct?

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word cloud tax deductionsAs an author/business owner what deductions can I take on my taxes?

In the coming months, I’ll be going through my all my paperwork, ensuring I have listed all my income and all my expenses, ready to submit to my certified public accountant (CPA).

If you’re like me, you cringe at all this number-crunching stuff and whether you’re doing it right for the IRS.

An accountant friend, as well as my own CPA, advised I use the IRS Schedule C (Form 1040) to guide how I track my business revenue and expenses. It is the same advice I’m giving you, along with some added details.* [Read more…] about As an author, what expenses can I deduct?