Some Alternatives to Keep You Writing Happily Despite an Injury

writer with a broken arm can't writeI have tendinitis in my wrists, which has made typing — shall we say — a tad difficult. No typing meant I couldn’t even dream of meeting my word count goal of 1,500 words per day towards my latest novel.

After a week of Netflix bingeing, my husband was like, “You need to do some writing.” To which I responded, “I can’t.” To which he replied, “Why don’t you dictate it?” Well, that’s when I decided to look into some ways to create that didn’t involve me sitting at my computer typing.

Obviously, if the limbs you use for writing are injured — tendinitis, a broken arm, carpal tunnel — the best alternative is to learn to type with your feet. Kidding. The best alternative is probably to speak what you would have written. If you want to do that, there are two options: speaking into a recording device and having it transcribed or using speech-to-text software. Continue reading “Some Alternatives to Keep You Writing Happily Despite an Injury”

Remember to Celebrate Being an Author

celebrate being a writer pixabay glasses-213156_640It’s so easy to get bogged down trying to earn money from our writing endeavors that we forget to celebrate the fact we are writers! That is an awesome thing, a huge accomplishment and something so easily brushed over.

Nowadays, authors don’t have the luxury of simply thinking about story structure and intelligent prose. Indie authors in particular have to wrap their heads around the entire business of writing — marketing, finances, taxes, promotions, working with editors and cover designers, getting reviews, staying on top of social media, figuring out good business practices…a whole plethora of things. I, for one, am not particularly good at some of them and it’s a real battle some days to sit down to spend time doing the necessary evils so that I can continue to write for a living. Continue reading “Remember to Celebrate Being an Author”

How Many Brains Does it Take to be a Writer?

a writers brain pixabay neurons-582054_640I’ve noticed lately that my brain is composed of compartments. Boxes, if you will. It began back when I was working a day job. I’d get in my car in the morning, drive to work, and practically solve all the problems of the world in that 25-minute reverie. I’d get phenomenal ideas for a new book, polish dialog in an existing one, remind myself to tweet and Facebook about a promo I was running. Brimming with ideas and good intentions, I’d dash into work and … Continue reading “How Many Brains Does it Take to be a Writer?”

Artistic Snobbery

"Hell is the other." Jean-Paul Sartre
“Hell is the other.” Jean-Paul Sartre

When I read a post from an author I respect that I strongly disagree with I often like to sit back and think about it. I have a passionate nature, well suited to writing murder mysteries where I can cut off people’s heads when annoyed. It is better for me to contemplate the error of the article, in my opinion, than to shoot from the hip. I like that expression and I couldn’t care less that it is a cliché. I was confronted recently with this type of situation in a post bemoaning the uselessness of the Amazon review system. Continue reading “Artistic Snobbery”