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It’s not as violent as it sounds, but this process can prove painful for many writers; it’s all about getting rid of self-indulgent, flowery writing

don’t go off the deep end with the thesaurus. Don’t choose every synonym Word suggests for your replacements, as some lead to awkward phrasing and don’t fit within the context. Your words should fit naturally in the sentence while also decreasing redundancy.

Look for words and phrases like “a number of,” “in order to,” and especially “that.” All can be replaced with shorter and more powerful words or can be completely cut out.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

Not only did his book confirm for me that the best way to create a positive change is through small acts repeated daily, but the book was exceptionally well written and researched — impressive in that the author is not a professional writer — and so applicable to the many writers I meet who struggle with getting query letters out the door or writing big projects like books and novels.

There are two kinds of motivation. The first type is having a reason for doing something. My motivation for exercise is to look and feel healthy. My motivation for doing this interview is that you asked me to do it and I want to spread the word about mini habits. Unlike the next definition of motivation, your reason for doing things is generally very stable and changes very little over time. There’s also emotional motivation, which is rooted in enthusiasm and determines your willingness to take action in the moment (“This year I’m going to get in shape so I’m off to the gym!”). Most goal systems rely on this type of motivation; they’ll tell you that you need to find this motivation to succeed. The problem is that emotional motivation isn’t reliable or habit friendly.

The Chicago Manual of Style prescribes spelling out United States as a noun in running text and reserving US for the adjective form only. CMOS also prefers US without periods, to match the US postal codes like AR, MI, and WY.

The AP Stylebook recognizes U. S. as a noun as well as an adjective. It calls for periods when the U.S. appears in a running text, but US without periods in a headline.

in this age of the “writer as an entrepreneur” responsible for a growing share of the work required to not only create but also sell a book, adding management skills to our repertoire of abilities is not at all a bad idea.

what our goals are beyond sales

Take that advice beyond the beginning stages, though, and what you get are stories that really should move the reader but don’t, either because the emotions are all related from the outside or because the narrative doesn’t provide the sort of dense, information-rich substrata upon which complex characters are built.

Robin described the “character flaw” as the belief, need, or fear that shapes a character.  It is the barrier that keeps him from moving forward.  It determines how he makes decisions, and, for better or for worse, is the essence of who he is.  Examples of character flaws are the “belief that love is conditional” and the “fear of failure.”

the muses are tempestuous and unreliable. Inspiration is demanding, pushy, and withholding in turns to keep us under their thumb.

the force of habit begins to take over, and your brain will respond by getting into writer mode in your designated writing time.

So when inspiration does hit, encourage it by taking swift action—write it down and store it somewhere safe.

“Do you HAVE to do what you are doing right now?” I can almost always answer “no.” And the answer to the follow-up question, “Do you WANT to be doing what you’re doing right now?” is almost always yes.

The most successful freelance writers are those who know how to manage their time to get the most quality work done.

I am a human who writes, and I need to be fully energized and focused to do my best work.

it’s absolutely necessary to track your time to ensure you’re properly compensated for your work.

The content on your website doesn’t need to appeal to a broad audience like print media does. It also doesn’t need to be on a broad topic. Quite the opposite, actually. Your website and social media content will be quite specific. And what’s more, unlike print media if you do make a mistake it only takes moments to correct. What’s not to love about that?

web content is also more conversational. Content is written to feel personal – as if you’re speaking directly to your audience

Unless you reel in your readers instantly, your well-crafted content goes largely unnoticed and going viral becomes impossible. Set aside at least 15 to 30 minutes for choosing a magnetic title after crafting your post. List three to five intriguing titles guaranteed to increase your CTR and page views. After carefully thinking through each option, select the one that inspires you like no other.  Ask your friends or followers for feedback.