Productivity Posts | The Writer's Cookbook

How to Stay Sane as an Indie Author

by Alexa Whitewolf | Aug 21, 2018 | Business, Productivity

In our quest for the next novel, next project to be finished, we tend to disregard our health. Even more so our mental health. Believe it or not, that’s important when writing.

Don’t think that because your writing happens at home, in an environment you choose, it’s less stressful on you as a human being.

For one, there’s the emotional aspect of certain scenes.

If you’ve ever been drained after writing a particular scene, you know what I’m talking about.

And second, we all juggle different things on top of writing.

I have a full time job, two dogs, and a husband.

Others have kids.

Or some juggle more than two jobs!

But the bottom line is: you cannot perform if you don’t take care of your mental health first.

So, how can you do that?

How to Find Your Space to Write

by Guest Blogger | Jul 10, 2018 | Productivity

Many people might tell you they don’t have the space in their lives for writing, either it’s because of a time issue, or no physical space to write in. For others it’s because after a long day, they don’t feel as if they have the mental capacity to even begin writing.

I believe many writers have an additional issue to work through. They don’t have space in their mind. Mostly because many modern lives are set up to focus on what we feel we should do, and not what we want to do.

How to Get Back into Writing Fiction After a Long Break

by Kristina Adams | Apr 5, 2018 | Productivity, Writing

You know when you meet up with an old school friend you haven’t seen in years, and you don’t always pick up where you left off?

Yeah, it can be like that when you first get back into your fiction.

It can feel awkward and forced and make you really uncomfortable.

This isn’t a sign you need to give up, it’s just a sign of teething problems. It’s perfectly natural.

Push through the awkwardness—it may take a bit—and write, even if you end up writing for the sake of writing.

You can always fix the crappy writing later.

Right now it’s about getting into the right mindset to work on your fiction again.

The only way you can do that is by writing, even if it means writing so badly you’re embarrassed to show it to your dog.

Script Studio Review

by Kristina Adams | Mar 8, 2018 | Productivity, Writing

A few weeks ago, Dan from Script Studio reached out to me and asked me to write a review. He’d seen my Scrivener 3 review and wanted me to do...

How to Get Started Free Writing

by Kristina Adams | Feb 22, 2018 | Productivity, Writing

Let’s go back to 2008. I was a shy university student at one of her first Creative Writing classes. And we were told to free write. And I came up...

How to be Organised in Your Writing, Editing, and Book Marketing

by Kristina Adams | Feb 19, 2018 | Business, Editing, Productivity, Social Media and Marketing, Writing

Being organised sounds boring, doesn't it? Especially if you find spontaneity so much fun! Unfortunately, when you have a lot of...

Power Dressing for Authors

by Kristina Adams | Feb 8, 2018 | Business, Creativity, Productivity, Social Media and Marketing

You may be wondering why power dressing matters for authors.

You may want to argue that it doesn’t.

But from the minute you write your first words to when you read your finished piece to your audience, your outfit matters.

The clothes we wear affect how we feel.

When we dress scruffy, we feel scruffy.

When we power dress, we feel empowered. We feel in control.

This feeling of empowerment affects every step of our writing process.

The Elusive Art of Writing Confidence (And How to Build Yours)

by Guest Blogger | Feb 2, 2018 | Creativity, Productivity

I knew that I couldn’t write. I’d sent manuscripts to publishers twice in my teens, and they’d both been rejected, which proved that I had no talent. I still scribbled down my poems and stories, but I accepted that they’d never give pleasure to anyone but me, and that I was being self-indulgent and probably pretentious in writing them.

Eight years since last feeling like that, I’ve had over 200 poems and stories published, won 14 writing competitions and awards, and had two poetry collections published by small presses. My first novel, Pride and Regicide, is out in a few months from the prestigious publisher Crooked Cat. I still get rejections all the time, smile ruefully and carry on.