How to Write a Novel Using Your Intuition

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How to Write a Novel Using Your Intuition

I just finished reading The INFJ Writer: Cracking the Creative Genius of the World’s Rarest Type by Lauren Sapala, and not only was I blown away by how much it felt like she was writing about me, but the book really got me thinking about how my intuition comes into play when I’m writing.

You’ve probably heard that there are two types of writers: plotters and pantsers. If you just thought, yeah, I’ve heard this before, I’m out of here—wait! This isn’t going to be your typical plotters versus pantsers post. I believe things aren’t that black and white when it comes to writing a novel and the writer’s intuition plays a big role in the creation of their novel.

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Create a Checklist for Self-Editing You Can Complete Using the Search Function

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Create a Checklist for Self-Editing You Can Complete Using the Search Function

So many little things came up when I was running through the final copy of my first novel that I decided to create a checklist, so I remember to check for these things in my next book. Although they were all little things, there were so many of them that they would have made my novel look very unprofessional if I hadn’t fixed them before publishing.

These kinds of little errors are a great reason to check your manuscript even after it’s been edited. You may even want to consider hiring more than one editor. I consider these little things to be part of the proofreading process.

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How to Create a Nonfiction Book Outline

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How to Create a Nonfiction Book Outline

This might sound a little crazy, but when I was in high school and university, I loved to make outlines. It was the stuff that came after the outline that I always had trouble with. But, because I had a detailed outline I could refer to, the writing was a lot easier than it would have been without an outline.

I've created countless outlines whether they were for essays, short answer questions, or a formal presentation. I’ve even created mini-outlines when I wrote exams to help me stay on topic.

I still enjoy creating outlines today and use them for many of my daily tasks. If it wasn't for a detailed outline, I wouldn't have been able to write my book Keep More Money in just two months. Let’s dig into why outlines are so great.

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Writing Advice from Author and Writing Coach Kevin T. Johns

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Writing Advice from Author and Writing Coach Kevin T. Johns

Today I’m excited to chat with my writing coach Kevin T. Johns about all things writing craft. I first “met” Kevin when I signed up to receive emails about writing from him a few years ago. At that point, I knew I wanted to write a book but had done absolutely nothing to achieve that goal. So, I watched one of Kevin’s free webinars and signed up for a course he was offering called The Novel Writer’s Blueprint.

Through Kevin’s class, I learned there are many elements to writing a novel. Today, we touch on some of those elements as well as the secret to being a productive writer.

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Self-Care Tips for Writers

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Self-Care Tips for Writers

I feel like I’ve been hearing a lot about self-care lately, and feeling a bit of pressure to have a daily self-care routine. When I thought about it, I realized I already have a great self-care routine, but I hadn’t made it formal by calling it that.

Self-care can be anything you do for your well being, whether it’s mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. I like to think of it as anything that’s just for me, that makes me feel good. We spend so much time doing things for other people, it’s nice take some time to focus on ourselves.

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Read More to Write Better: 3 Types of Books Every Thriller Author Should Read

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Read More to Write Better: 3 Types of Books Every Thriller Author Should Read

Did you know April is Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) month? Me neither! I’ve recently started reading every morning before I do anything else. I was tired of getting smacked in the face by my book as I fell asleep reading before going to be at night. Please tell me I’m not alone on this!

It turns out that reading every morning for about an hour is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m amazed at how much I’ve read and learned. I’ve heard many successful authors say that if you want to be a good writer, you need to be a good reader, and I feel like all the extra reading I’ve been doing has really helped me be more critical of my own writing. Well, I’m always critical of myself, but this is a much healthier version.

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Happy World Poetry Day 2019!

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Happy World Poetry Day 2019!

When people think of poems, they often go straight to love poems, but there are many different forms of poetry. You could say there’s something for everyone! I thought it would be fun to share the beginning of my rhyming picture book designed to teach kids the value of budgeting and taking good care of their money. It will also be fun to look back on this post and see how much my illustrations have changed!

Enjoy!

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Want to Write a Book? This Online Group Coaching Program Will Help You Do It

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Want to Write a Book? This Online Group Coaching Program Will Help You Do It

Many people dream of writing and publishing a book ‘someday’, but statistics show only about 2% of those people actually realize their dream. I’m going to share a secret weapon with you that’s helped me with my books, and I know it will help you too!

It’s very fitting that I’m writing this post on March 8, 2019, International Women’s Day. It’s the final day of the Women In Publishing Summit, hosted by one of my favourite women in publishing, Alexa Bigwarfe.

Two years ago, I met Alexa after I won a spot in her group coaching program for writers as part of an online summit I was speaking at. Talk about divine intervention—I didn’t even know there were prizes for speakers or that one of them was for writers. I had just published my first book and had started working on my first novel, so I was super excited to meet Alexa and learn about her program.

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