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writer’s tips and tricks

Someone IS waiting for your story

2023-05-17
By Mariëlle
On 17 May 2023
In The Writing Prompts
With 0 Comments

In my YouTube series, 52 Weeks of Writing – The Writing Prompts, I’m sharing the fifty-two writing prompts that are included in the first volume of my 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner.

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Find your own writing way

2022-12-28
By Mariëlle
On 28 December 2022
In Geen categorie
With 0 Comments
This blogpost was originally published as a guest post about the third volume of the 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner on The Avid Reader.

You have to find your own way of doing things, by learning how others are doing theirs

There are thousands of books out there on how to write your book, how to publish it, and how to market it. There are thousands of courses too, and webinars, and Facebook groups filled with writers more than willing to tell you what does and doesn’t work.

Which is great! Because none of these steps—writing your book and then finishing it, getting it published, and then figuring out how to sell it—are easy. Quite the contrary. So it’s wonderful that we have so many resources at our disposal.

There is, however, a reason we have so many resources to choose from, and that’s because there as many ways to writing, and to publishing and marketing, as there are writers. If there had been a one-size-fits-all recipe for being a writer, we wouldn’t have so many different books and courses on how to do it.

This doesn’t mean we should ignore this vast library of resources and figure out our own best practices from scratch. There’s a reason seasoned writers share their knowledge and experiences with the rest of us: their way of doing things has brought them success and it might very well inspire us when we read about them.

Some of these writers are highly aware that, just because certain things worked for them, it doesn’t mean they’ll work for others. They understand that each of us has to find our own way. Others do present whatever they’ve learned about writing as universally applicable, and that’s when we, as readers of their work, have to remind ourselves that these writers, too, are talking about their way, not everyone’s way. Because there is no ‘everyone’s way’.

That’s the main lesson I’ve learned since I started to take my writing seriously. Other writers are there to learn from but only insofar as they help us find our own way. If it resonates, we can, and should, follow their advice, we can test their habits for ourselves, we can try out new things, no matter how long we’ve been writing for. We can be entirely eclectic and pick up only those pieces of advice that make sense to us and feel right in that particular moment. Whatever else they’re saying about writing, we can leave it. It might not be for us, or it might not be for us right now.

If this is hard for you and you find yourself wanting to follow some writer’s advice merely because it sounds really good and not because it resonates with you, here are some critical questions you can ask about this resource before making any decisions:

  • What is it about this piece of advice that makes me want to follow it? What does the author promise me about following this piece of advice? Is this a realistic promise?
  • Who is the author? From which social and economic position is this author speaking? Do I have that same social and economic position?
  • What genre(s) does the author talk about? Do I write in the same genre(s)?
  • How long have they been writing for? How many books have they published since the start of their career? Do I have the same level of experience?
  • Does the author acknowledge that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach or is that exactly what they’re trying to sell?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it should be easier to step away from the advice you’ve been given and assess whether it’s the right kind of advice for you and where you are in your writing career. If no, let it go. If yes, test it, try it, and add it to your way of doing things, to your approach to writing.

Are you writing what you love?

2022-11-18
By Mariëlle
On 18 November 2022
In The Writing Prompts
With 0 Comments

In my YouTube series, 52 Weeks of Writing – The Writing Prompts, I’m sharing the fifty-two writing prompts that are included in the first volume of my 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner.

Read More →

Author interview – Ursula Visser

2021-10-28
By Mariëlle
On 28 October 2021
In Author mindset, Interviews
With 0 Comments

Ursula Visser was born in Spring, in the most eastern part of the Netherlands, and she still lives there with her partner. She always had a vivid fantasy, from a young age on. She adores dragons, mystic creatures, and the magic realms of fantasy books. However, sci-fi books give her an interesting look into the future, and sometimes she wishes to be able to time travel, just to see what will happen in the future or live a day in the past centuries.

Writing is her passion. Her books are available in Dutch and English.Read More →

Author interview - A. A. Jeffery

2021-02-25
By Mariëlle
On 25 February 2021
In Author mindset, Blog posts, Interviews
With 1 Comment

A. A. Jeffery is an attorney and educator who splits time between Northern California and Mason County, Washington. Her background includes teaching students at all levels from kindergarten to college. She wrote for several years as a columnist in the Sunday Morning News in her hometown.

An Oakland, California, native, Jeffery began to write illustrated stories while she was a student at U.C. Berkeley and she continued to write after graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School. Jeffery enjoys learning foreign languages, playing piano, and spending time with family, friends, and a Chihuahua-pug.Read More →

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