Finding Time to Write

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It can be hard to balance life and writing, but here are some tips to keep in touch with the inner writer:

1) Have obligations. Become a staff writer or make a promise to send in XXX ammount of submissions each month to a certain publication. There are plenty of small writing markets out there that could use a steady writer to send in submissions faithfully. Having an obligation keeps you focused and it also builds your writing portfolio.

2) Give yourself a "Writing Day". Set aside one day (per week or month, depending on your schedule) that you can focus just on your writing projects.

3) Get involved in a writing group. Your passion for writing grows when you're with other writers! Plus, you can gather feedback on your writing.

4) Keep a log or record of your publications. This will help encourage you whenever you're needing a confidence boost. Plus, it's nice to have a visual record of all your hard work!

5) Have writing websites that you check up on frequently (i.e.www. fundsforwriters.com).

6) Read a book. It not only puts you in the right mood, but helps you to improve your own writing style as well!

Ordering Devo's2Go

I've received a lot of questions lately about how to order my book...

So, I thought I'd let everyone know that my book can be ordered online through Amazon, Books a Million, Borders, or Power Publishing's website. :-)

Here's a link to Power Publishing's website as well: http://www.powerpublishinginc.com/index.php?fa=shop.featured

Have a wonderful day! And thanks for stopping by my blog!

Recycling Your Writing

You’ve written a masterpiece. You can feel it in your fingertips as you magically type the last word. Unfortunately, no one else around you feels the same about your written jewel. Rejection letters flood in, and even your parents politely (and maybe even sympathetically) say that what you’ve written is “nice”.

It’s hard to let go of something you’ve written—especially if you’ve poured a lot of emotion and heart into it. But while emotion is necessary for writing, emotion can also cloud your message and confuse your readers, thus resulting in an unpublished piece. So how do you know when to let go of something you’ve written?

You don’t let it go.

You recycle it.

Recycling means editing, cutting, deleting, and lots of other words that are rather unpleasant. Use the “Recycle” acronym to help keep you focused while looking at your beloved masterpiece with a more critical eye...

R- Reuse what you can. Is there sentence with great descriptive power? Use it somewhere else! Is there a plot or theme that could be reused in a different article? Save it!

E- Energize your words. After you’ve taken all that you can reuse out of your manuscript, give it new life! Make the reusable parts into a creation of their own… In other words, start over with the gems you’ve collected from your original manuscript.

C- Control the urge to look back. Don’t lose focus and start trying to re-write the original manuscript. Trust me, if everyone dislikes it, there’s a reason. J

Y- Yield to creativity. Think outside the original boundaries of your first manuscript and dare yourself to come up with something more meaningful. If you’re having a hard time, ask friends, family, or other writers for ideas. J

L- Let go! If all other recycling measures fail, then it is really time to hit the “delete” button and send your manuscript far far away where no one will ever find it.

E- Enjoy your writing! Just because you may have written something that didn’t turn out the way you expected, doesn’t provide you reason to be discouraged! We all have hidden manuscripts safely tucked away in the trash. You’re a writer if you keep going and tackle that next writing project (hopefully with more success!).

Bio: Lydia Rule is an author, editor, and freelance writer. And yes, her trash can has seen many articles which she refuses to claim as her own.

Update!!!

My book will be available on Nov. 26th! Here's the link if you'd like to order it online!

http://www.powerpublishinginc.com/index.php?fa=shop.featured

-Lydia Rule

Hello everyone!

Here's a few quick updates:

1) My writing group, the Writer's Bloc, is going to edit, layout, and write the newsletter this quarter! All I have to do is sit back, submit a few articles, and watch them do the rest! So, be sure to stop by the website and read the newsletter when it comes out in December! I know the group will do a fantastic job putting it together!

Here's the link: http://www.freewebs.com/aroundthebloc/index.htm/

2) My book will be out before Christmas... Keep looking! I'll post more about it when I get more information from the publisher!

3) I'm planning a puppet play for Christmas... Enough said there!

W.R.I.T.I.N.G.

W-Willing to keep submitting, even when buried by the mound of rejection letters.

R- Reading other authors' works, without being too jealous of their success. LOL

I- Investigating your own writing style, rather than imitating.

T- Tactfully responding to criticism, being thankful for harsh edits of your work.

I- Isolating yourself from distractions while writing.

N- Never let the reader guess what will happen next!

G- Giving more than just an entertaining tale to the world, but rather, giving a lasting message.

Update...

To all my blog readers... :-)


I haven't had much time lately to post, so here are some quick updates for everyone:

1) I'm going to have my first book published! :-) Look for it sometime in November (as long as everything goes according to schedule)! It's called "Devo's-on-the-Go", a devotional written specifically for teen and college aged people who have hectic lives. Which pretty much describes myself at the moment... LOL

2) Our family has bought a house, and I am learning the joys of renovating! Like painting, and painting, and did I mention painting???

Share your news! What's going on in your life? Any praises, prayer requests, etc? Post a comment! :-)

~Lydia