Writing is a rollercoaster; there is the struggle of staying focused and energized while spending hours at a desk and the excitement of seeing your ideas transform into words on the page. Despite the rewarding nature of the craft, the demands of juggling multiple projects, overcoming writer’s block, and maintaining a consistent creative flow can be challenging. That’s why taking care of your mind and body is essential to enhance productivity and maintain a creative flow. One way to achieve this is by incorporating dietary supplements into your routine. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best supplements you need to give your body and brain a little extra boost. These supplements can help to enhance your focus, creativity, and overall well-being as a writer. Keep reading to discover how to take your writing to the next level. What are dietary supplements? Dietary supplements are products that bridge the nutritional gaps in your diet. This means they provide extra nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc, that may be lacking or insufficient in your regular diet. The most common forms of dietary supplements are liquids, powders, capsules, and tablets. The general idea for taking dietary supplements is to complement and enhance your overall nutritional intake and not replace a healthy diet. Can supplements help me write better? Dietary supplements contain essential nutrients and compounds that may support cognitive function and mental clarity. While the direct benefits of these supplements are not specific to writing, maintaining optimal levels in your body can help your writing journey. Contrary to popular belief, popping a pill is not a magic solution for becoming a better writer. The most effective “supplement” for any writer remains disciplined and consistent writing practice coupled with a healthy lifestyle that promotes mental clarity and creativity. Supplements only complement… read more →
Do you struggle to start a project or can’t express your thoughts effectively on a page or screen? If the answer is yes, then you are not alone. This experience is familiar to even the most accomplished authors and seasoned writers. Luckily, a few tips can help you overcome this obstacle and start writing again. This article answers your questions about writer’s block and provides practical tips to overcome it and get back on track with your writing. So whether you’re a new writer or an experienced writer, read on for insights that will help you regain your creative flow. What is writer’s block? Writer’s block is the feeling of being stuck and unable to craft words you desire to write. It generally involves a mental or emotional blockage that impedes ideas and word flow. Struggling with writer’s block is like being frozen in front of a blank page or screen. Your mind races with questions like “What should I write about?” and “Where do I begin?” but the answers never seem to come. A frustrating experience like this affects your progress, level of consistency, and quality of writing. Despite these effects, writer’s block is a normal part of the creative process and a valuable opportunity for self-reflection and growth when approached with a positive mindset. What are the symptoms of writer’s block? Several symptoms can indicate writer’s block. Here are just a few: Difficulty beginning or completing a project Inability to concentrate or focus on what you’re writing Lack of inspiration Physical symptoms such as feelings of fatigue or depression, headaches, and restlessness Difficulty coming up with ideas Difficulty organizing your thoughts While the experience is unique for every writer, it is noteworthy that writer’s block is not a pathology, and you can overcome it. What causes writer’s block?… read more →
Which app is best for creative writing? Writing is an essential skill, but it can be tough. When it comes to creative writing, there are many tools and apps available today that can help you create compelling content and improve your writing. But what’s really out there and which is the best for you? We’ve put together a list of some of the most popular apps for creative writers. From outlining to editing and everything in between, these apps can help you improve your writing skills, make your work process a lot more efficient, and transform you into a fantastic writer. So if you’re looking to be more productive and organized in your writing, keep reading. ProWritingAid (Mac, Windows) ProWritingAid is a great option for writers of all levels. It is more affordable and the best alternative to Grammarly. It offers a variety of features that are tailored specifically for creative writers, such as revision tracking, word count estimation, and detailed analysis of a writer’s strengths and weaknesses. The app also has a “learn mode” that helps novice writers improve their vocabulary and grammar skills incrementally. Plus, it’s easy to use and can be accessed on any device and the customer support team is available 24/7 to help you get the most out of the app. Key benefits of ProWritingAid: detailed feedback on your grammar and spelling, which can help you to iron out any mistakes and improve your writing style a range of helpful exercises to help you improve your writing skills, and it is perfect for both beginners and experienced writers a wide variety of resources, including tips on how to write essays, articles, business letters, and more an integrated plagiarism checker ensures your work is free of plagiarism Grammarly (Web, Mac, Windows, Android, iOS) Grammarly is a… read more →
Do you know why freelancing sounds like a really attractive option for those outside the industry’s bubble? – It looks easy. “Maya works from home. She can work whenever she wants to. If she doesn’t like a project, she simply seeks another one. Her job is fun and she never gets bored. She takes a vacation whenever she needs one. And she makes more money than me. I wanna be like Maya!” That’s the motivating factor that drives people towards freelancing. When you look at those digital nomads, you want that life. But it’s not as easy as most outsiders imagine. Many profiles on Upwork appear, remain inactive, and get blocked after a while. Most of these people are overwhelmed by the competition and they don’t expect to work a lot to earn decent money. But in some cases, they simply don’t know where to start. No one taught them that. That’s what we’re here for today: to show you where to get started as a freelancer. We’ll list the right websites, and we’ll guide you through the steps that will deliver actual results. Start from Your Own Website/Blog Do you know why so many people on freelancing websites find it hard to land their first gig? They haven’t established their reputation yet. They may only say they can do a great job in the niche they target, but the clients won’t believe until they see actual results. That’s why you need your online portfolio if you’re a graphic designer or a photographer, and your own blog if you’re a content writer. You don’t have to work too much on the site’s design. Its sole purpose is to show few of your samples, which have the power to convince a client that you can deliver great work for them. If… read more →
When most people hear that someone is a writer, the first idea that pops into their heads would the image of a person which is tortured by their personal demons, but which turn that pain into a literary masterpiece, or at the very least the image of a struggling wordsmith who is working some dead-end job, waiting for a call from one of the publishers. So, basically, it’s either Dostoevsky, or Bradley Cooper’s characters in “Limitless”. However, the reality doesn’t have to be as grim if you are a writer or aspiring to be one. In this day and age, there are plenty of jobs which allow you to make use of your writing talents, and which, according to key industry figures, pay really well. Let’s take a look at some best and most lucrative jobs for people who love writing. Technical Writer According to Matthew Childs, who works as writer for Essay Writing Lab, when it comes to technical writing, you need to be able to turn complex technical concepts and terminology into simple and understandable language. For example, technical writers are usually required to put together software user guides, manuals, complex technical documentation, and specifications, among other things. Also, if you are interested in this sort of gig, your soft skills will need to be on point, since you will be working closely with other professionals, such as developers, engineers, and designer, just to name a few. Not only is technical writing a fast-growing profession, but it also pays upwards of $70,000 per year. Proofreader Proofreading is especially important nowadays, since the demand for online content is bigger than ever. Content gets produced fast, but it still needs to be flawless, which is where proofreaders come in. Whether it’s books, novels, columns, articles, or blog post, it doesn’t… read more →
What is a writing competition? A writing competitition (or contest) is an event that you enter with a piece of your own writing. The prize is usually money, but sometimes it is just the pride of being chosen as winner. The winning piece will usually get published somewhere. Sometimes there’s an entry fee, and sometimes the competition is directed towards something – some publishers or magazines run competitions for the first chapter of a story, or a book proposal. However, there are a very wide variety of competitions – from poetry inspired by Shakespeare, to themed short stories, to flash fiction, to novel extracts. What are the pros and cons of writing competitions? Pros: Winning gets you fame and fortune! You get noticed, get money (or other prizes), and you can put the win on your writing CV. A deadline and word count are often good motivators to write. You’re often in with a chance to be published. The competitive element can be inspirational; you’ve got to be good to win! It’s an immediate satisfaction – or at least, better than six months of silence from an agent or publisher. There’s a wide variety of competitions to suit all levels of experience. You can write what you want, in your style – although if you want a theme, there are competitions with prompts and themes. Cons: You don’t get paid unless you win. You often have to pay to enter. Not all writers like the competition element, or see winning as a worthwhile prize. The lack of a theme or direction (as opposed to submission calls) can be off-putting. You don’t get feedback, so it can be hard to know why your work didn’t win or how close it did get to winning. Why do I have to pay to… read more →
You’ve written a book, and it’s the best thing ever! So, now you want people to read it. How do you get it to them? In our current publishing world, there’s three major options. You can contact a traditional big publisher, who – if everything goes well – will buy the rights to your book, edit it, put a cover on it, market it and send you money when it sells. You can contact a smaller independent (indie) press, who have the flexibility to take chances on unusual work, and who are more likely to involve you in the details of publishing – but who don’t have the same marketing reach as the big publishers, and won’t sell quite as many as the big traditionals. Avoid anyone who asks you for money to publish (known as ‘vanity press’) with the promise of royalties in the future – it’s very likely that you’ll pay a lot and not get nearly as much back. A publisher should always cover things like editing and cover art for you, even if that means your royalty share is smaller. Or you can self-publish. This means you’re the one responsible for everything – editing, cover art, formatting, releasing, marketing, selling – so you’re putting the book out under your name, and you keep the profits from it. You can sub some of the work out (eg. hire a proofreader, purchase cover-art) but it’s down to you to sell your book to the world. And the great thing is that there are plenty of ways to do that! In this article, we’re going to briefly cover some alternative methods of getting your writing out there to your readers. While we tend to think of self-publishing as being a hard copy or ebook version of a book, that’s… read more →
Anything over a short story (so over 10,000 words) ideally needs chapters. They break the story up, provide helpful stopping-points, and allow the reader to skim the front page to get a feel for where the story’s going – and pick up where they left off, if needed. It’s also a good way for the reader to get a feel for how long they’ve got left in the book – especially for anyone reading on an e-reader, who can’t just check how thick it is! But that doesn’t make chapters all that easy! How long should they be? Where should you split things? Numbers or name? How long? Ideally, you want to make your chapters all roughly consistent. For example, I write novellas and make mine 3000-4000 words long. For novels, somewhere around 6000-8000 words is good: if you make one suddenly shorter it jarrs the readers, and makes them think they’ve missed something. However…learn the rules then break ‘em. You can get some very good effects with short chapters, particularly if you’ve got something dramatic happening. imagine if you suddenly switched back to one character, only to have a dramatic murder – and then that’s it, you’ve switched away again! Frustrating, yes, but I’d keep reading to find out what happens. You don’t need chapters? The standard response to this is either “well, duh!” or “really?!” No, you don’t have to use chapters! However, good idea to break it into sections, at least….and chapters are helpful and expected. They make nice chunks of text, and the titles act as signposts to tell the reader what’s happening, let them return to it from the front page if they lose their place. On which note… What to title chapters? You’ve got a couple of options: Plain: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. This doesn’t… read more →
In this article, we’re going to briefly cover the printing options for self-publishing – that is, if you want a hard copy of your book. Step 1: The Finished Text This means the book needs to be edited and proofread, with all the chapter headings in the right place, a preface and acknowledgements (if you want them) and any copyright disclaimers done. Make the text as perfect as you can. However, you don’t need to make sure the layout is perfect – if fact, it’s easier if it’s not! Make the margins all standard, and the font standard. This makes the next stage a lot easier. At this point, you can either turn the text into a print book or an ebook (or both!) Step 2: Typesetting This is the point that the text is put into a printable format. The important thing here is that typesetting is not word processing; it’s closer to artwork than it is to writing. The text positioning needs to be exact, and word processors (such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice) tend to skip the little details that make the text look nice on a printed page. There are several different pieces of software that can be used for this; one popular one is Adobe InDesign, but there are various free systems available as well. You can actually now use Word, but it’s a very different process to writing, and you usually need to use a template. Alternatively, there are a number of professionals out there who offer a typesetting service to self-publishers, often with additional services such as cover creation or proofreading as well. If you’re not too sure you want to get into the details of the typesetting process, it’s worth paying for this stage. Step 3: Thinking About The End Result There… read more →
In this article, we’re going to briefly cover the ebook creation options for self-publishing – that is, if you want an ebook copy distributed through any of the major stores. There are a couple of steps to think about before you can start with the creation process: Step 1: The Finished Text This means the book needs to be edited and proofread, with all the chapter headings in the right place, a preface and acknowledgements (if you want them) and any copyright disclaimers done. Make the text as perfect as you can. However, you don’t need to make sure the layout is perfect – if fact, it’s easier if it’s not! Make the margins all standard, and the font standard. This makes the next stage a lot easier. At this point, you can either turn the text into a print book or an ebook (or both!) Step 2: Formatting This is the point that you put the text into an ebook conversion software, and turn it into something that an e-reader can decipher. The text needs to be able to change size, font, color and layout, but still have breaks before chapters; the reader needs to be able to find the chapter headings on their navigation, and skip forward or backwards; and the book needs a cover and metadata attached to it in the file. While you can do this creation process yourself via software such as Calibre, Jutoh or Scriviner, this can be very time-consuming and you have to get the details right, as well as ensure you have all the formats needed (for example, Kindle uses a .mobi format, while most other ereaders need an .epub). Most self-published authors prefer to use an online platform such as CreateSpace or Lulu. We’ve provided some suggestions below, along with a… read more →