Before I chuck myself in the shower and get psyched up for the Halo: Reach party I’m throwing for some friends on Xbox Live in half an hour (don’t worry, folks; I’ll do some serious work in the garden this afternoon), I thought I’d direct your Internet consciousnesses toward some articles I found interesting useful and inspiring this week.
Blogging
A pair of 5-tip posts today:
5 Reasons Not To Make Money With Your Blog…Yet
A very grounding post on what you should do instead of letting the idea of “getting paid to blog” carry you away.
5 Success Tips for Every Beginning Blogger
While I’m technically not a beginner – I’ve been posting personal updates since 2001 and started “blogging” with my Movable Type-powered site on Herstik.com a couple of years later, I’m fairly new to the idea of dedicating my blog to a specific focus and working to monetise it. I especially like tip #5: Know who you’re writing for.
Freelancing
The Number One Thing Holding You Back From Freelance Writing Success
It’s easy to get down on the routine and / or mundane aspects of your job, whether you run your own business or are an employee (two words: booking slips). This article reminds you to focus on the positive.
Writing
Putting the Character into Characterization
Larry at Storyfix is big on the craft of writing fiction, something I’m still learning as I go. Here he hits on “the magic pill of effective, compelling characterization”.
Getting Good: How I’m Trying to Be a Better Writer
Scott H. Young is a recent find via Zen Habits (see below), a uni student who blogs about his efforts to maximise his potential. Here, he discusses how to practice deliberately, in the sense of, “with deliberation”.
Pictorial Ideas for Constructing Your Own Writing Routine
I’m trying to get myself into a a writing routine right now (which is why I have the 1,000 words per day calendar at the top of my main page). Author K. M. Weiland details how she spends the first half an hour of her two-hour block of daily writing time to get her mind into a state conducive to writing. One of the stages involves chocolate.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing champion J. A. Konrath invites the legend of self-pub and podcast novels, Scott Sigler, onto his blog to discuss self-publishing success and future opportunities.
First Royalty Cheque For Pentecost
Here’s one for everyone needing a boost whilst on the writing success hamster wheel: Joanna Penn celebrates getting her first fiction royalty cheque from Amazon in the mail for her thriller novel, Pentecost!
Living
The Really Simple Way to Get Work Done
In a Zen Habits guest post Scott Young (yes, the one from above) offers an alternative to complex personal productivity systems like David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I’m adopting it now.
The Case for Being Negative
A reminder that while positive thinking certainly has power, sometimes the most powerful word in your arsenal is “No.”
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Rob, somethings been bugging me for a while when reading your writing. You are entirely too self-deprecating. You have a tendency to say things like “(don’t worry, folks; I’ll do some serious work in the garden this afternoon)” and I have to wonder why you feel the need to justify your actions to anyone except yourself and possibly Vicky. You are a grown up now. An adult. You get to have interests and they can be of completely childish things if that’s where your interests lie. You don’t have to defend your right to be interested, or stress that you are doing “real, more adult” type things later on. It bugs me to see you beating yourself up over things that you have a perfect right to enjoy. Please at least think about it.
Love to you both,
Seth