This week I want to look at the blog Helping Writers Become Authors, written and maintained by the author K.M. Weiland

courtesy and property of k.m. weiland

What this blog is about 

Helping Writers Become Authors is all in the title. It's writing advice, particularly in the areas of character development, the writing life, writing inspiration, structuring your novel, and editing your novel.

The blog was awarded as one of the Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers of 2014.

See K.M. Weiland's introduction to her blog below.


About K.M. Weiland 

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the IPPY and NIEA Award-winning and internationally published author of the Amazon bestsellers Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel, as well as the  western A Man Called Outlaw, the medieval epic Behold the Dawn, and the epic fantasy Dreamlander.

Why I love this blog


Sources

Website: http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
Author website: http://www.kmweiland.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KMWeiland

P.S. I am not an affiliate of K.M. Weiland's products. I just like pointing out blogs that I've personally found really helpful :)

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Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

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courtesy of samluce.com

Today I thought I would share the lessons I've learned (and there are many) since I started my blogging journey a couple of months ago. I'm going to limit this post to three for now :)

Lesson 1: choose your topics...carefully 

I had the hardest time, and still do, pinning down the topics I want to blog about. There are so many things I'm into and want to talk about. But I'm learning that I can't just write what I want to. I need to be consistent.

Lesson 2: choose your platform...consider all options

I chose Blogger at first because I already had a Gmail account and several other bloggers I follow use it too. However, my blog, and the other projects I want to do, are quickly outgrowing the Blogger platform.

I just recently hired a designer to design a WordPress site so that I can move my content over to a self-hosted website. It will give me more of a chance to own my content and keep track of it.

Lesson 3: set up a schedule (otherwise known as an editorial calendar)

It took me multiple tries to get my blogging schedule down. This is where you need to know what topics you want to blog about because you need to be able to fit them into a schedule. I had too many topics at first and had to whittle them down.

Whether you blog three days a week or five, be consistent in your schedule. It will help you accomplish your goals for your blog in small steps.

As always, thank you for reading :)

Melissa

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courtesy of masspictures.net

Five Things I've Learned about Creativity

Since I stared exploring my creative passions these past few months, I've learned a few things about creativity. I want to share them with you now :)

1. All of use are creative - we just have to admit it to ourselves. 
2. Accept your inner child - this is hugely essential to creativity. Your inner child is not your critic but is your friend and mentor. Listen to her/him and accept what they are trying to tell you. 
3. Being creative takes work - sure, there are some out there who are extremely talented. But pursuing your creative passions takes determination and effort. 
4. Being creative is emotional - accept that exploring your creative passions will make you feel all kinds of things, from elation to despair. 
5. Perseverance is important - always, always persevere. You owe it to yourself to explore your creativity. 

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This week I'm going to look at the blog Sheep Dressed Like Wolves, which is written by Andy Mort.

What this blog is about

Sheep Dressed Like Wolves is the blog and podcast for people defined as reluctant leaders and gentle rebels who long to make an impact in a sometimes strange, absurd, and often overwhelming world. Andy's goal with this blog and podcast is to encourage, inspire, and equip other introverted and highly sensitive people (HSPs) looking to find meaning and variety in their own lives.

He wants to assist them so that they can live out their deep passion and purpose and make their unique gentle impact on a loud world that easily overwhelms them (see the About page for more information).

Why I love this blog

Any introvert will love this blog. I just also happen to be a highly sensitive person and an introvert and I was sooooo happy to find out I was not alone in my struggles. Andy gives out the Gentle Rebel's Manifesto when you subscribe and it was so helpful to understanding exactly what makes highly sensitive people different.

I also recently joined his Member's Haven to meet other highly sensitive people and introverts. Please check out this blog if you are an introvert or feel overwhelmed in our noisy world.

As always, thank you for reading :)
Melissa

P.S. I am not affiliated with this blog or the products Andy sells. I simply like sharing blogs that I have personally found helpful in my journey :) 

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courtesy of madtownagency

I've written before about why an information strategy is essential and how to define an information need.

But now I want to move on to developing an information strategy by first looking at how you like to learn.

Part 1: How do you learn?

You've thought about what you want and your goals and you can think about what you need in terms of information to start accomplishing your goals. Now, you need to think about how you learn.

This can be tough (I know, I've been there). Knowing how you learn will help you to locate the resources that will be the most helpful to you. All the information in the world won't help you if your brain doesn't like processing it :) Your stubborn brain will rebel every chance it gets.

Three main types of learners

1. Auditory learners -  you would rather listen to things being explained than read about them

2. Visual learners - you learn best by looking at graphics, watching a demonstration, or reading

3. Kinesthetic learners - you process information best through a "hands-on" experience, like writing

To really absorb information and use it in your strategy, you need to know what kind of learner you are. Most people usually are a mix of all three with one that they strongly prefer.

I found I learn best through hands-on experience. I still write pages of notes when I need to work something out in my mind. Even when I'm listening to or watching something, I need to write notes to really work it out in my head.

What kind of learner do you think you are? Write it down :) 

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This week I am reviewing Positive Writer, which is written and maintained by Bryan Hutchinson.

What this blog is about 

Positive Writer is for fellow writers who are stuck in doubt, uncertain of their abilities, and yet, have an overwhelming desire to create work that matters. This blog will help you to overcome writer's doubt. Bryan writes about the following topics: writer’s doubt, writing, blogging, self-publishing, marketing, creativity, positive thinking, attitude, confidence, perception, and setting and achieving goals. Positive Writer was also named one of the top 100 best websites for writers.

Why I love this blog 

Well, it's about writing and having a positive mindset, which I think is not always obvious to writers. I have found some wonderful advice on this blog about building my confidence as a writer. It's all been advice I really needed to hear. If you've ever doubted yourself as a writer, or even as an artist, you need to read this blog. It's seriously uplifting.

Bryan also gives out a fantastic free eBook Good Enough when you subscribe to his blog and he wrote the book Writer's Doubt, which I can't wait to buy.

I hope you'll stop by and check out Positive Writer. It will change your writing mindset!

Until next time :)
Melissa

P.S. Have a blog for me to review? Please contact me!

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courtesy of Salamanca Arts Centre

What is an information need? 

Oh information. We can't do anything these days without you. But where should you start when you need to gather information, particularly if you are considering a different hobby, pursuing your passion project, or want to start your own business? We can't do any of these without gathering info first to see if it might be a good fit for us right? When making new and big decisions, it always helps to research it first before jumping in.

An information need is defined as "an individual or group's desire to locate and obtain information to satisfy a conscious or unconscious need." You could also replace need with goal if you want :)

Defining your information need 

So how do you go about knowing which information you need to help you make your decision? Write out your information need or goal.

I've pulled out three different things to look at when you decide you want to pursue something new and want to research it.

1. What is your goal?

Any information you look for won't really help you unless you have a clear goal in mind for how the information will help you. For what purpose do you want this information? For example, my goal is to write a novel.

2. Look for the problems and questions and list them.

Use these problems to find which information you really need to get started. As you start looking for information, your questions might change and that's okay. For my writing example, I had no clue how to write characters, plot, or suspense. And I knew I needed to research these further.

3. Write (or type) your goals and problems and keep them with you as you begin searching for the answers and resources you'll need.

You may find that other goals and problems may pop up, which is okay.

By defining your goals, problems, and questions early on, you can begin to create an information strategy that will help you in whatever decisions you want to make.

Thank you for reading. Until next time :)
Melissa

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courtesy of polishmycrown.com

Lately, I've been looking into forming some new habits and I came across Crystal Moody's website Year of Creative Habits. And I thought, I could do this.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame talks a lot about how slowly changing his habits helped him change his entire life. He wrote several bestselling books, has a very successful blog, and has done more than one marathon. I did a review of Zen Habits a couple of weeks ago.

How do you form creative habits? By doing them every day. Pick a time frame and then stick to doing that habit, whether it be writing, painting, etc., and do it for a certain amount of time. I'm going to start with a month and then go from there.

Always remember to start small and build your habit. If you start with a huge goal, you will feel too overwhelmed to make it a habit.

I plan on building my creative habits one day, one month at a time. And I'm going to join Crystal in chronicling my journey. The Year of Creative Habits works like this:

1. Choose one creative habit.
2. Do it everyday for one month.
3. Share your effort/progress with others.
4. Reflect on the month and make changes.

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This week I am reviewing the blog Tiny Buddha, which was founded and is maintained by Lori Deschene.

What this blog is about 

This was one of the first blogs I started to read when I wanted to start changing my life a few years ago. It is fantastic. Tiny Buddha is about reflecting on simple wisdom and learning new ways to apply it to our complex lives—complete with responsibilities, struggles, dreams, and relationships. Over the last four years, Tiny Buddha has emerged as a leading resource for peace and happiness, with more than two million monthly readers.

You’ll find posts about happiness, motivation, inspiration, love, relationships, meaning, possibilities, mindfulness, and letting go. Much of it has its roots in Buddhism, but this is not a site about religion. It’s about ideas that make sense and make a big difference when applied.

Why I love this blog

The wisdom in this blog has helped me through so much crap in the last three years. If you are experiencing hard times, I recommend going to read about other people's experiences. This blog is all about empathy with other people; chances are you are not alone in any of your experiences.

The other great things are the forums, where you can talk and interact with other people. Check out the quotes that are famous on Tiny Buddha. The founder, Lori, also has an ecourse, Recreate Your Life Story. There are also several great books written with the Tiny Buddha philosophy.

Check all of it out and find what is useful for you :)

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courtesy of andi galpern

Having multiple passions and being a renaissance soul 

This past spring I came across the book The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine. I even did a review of it on this blog a while back. The book helped me come to terms with who I am as a creative being. I am not a master of one thing but a jack of all trades. I have multiple passions that I love to do.

But most important of all, this book taught me that it is okay to have multiple passions.

Using focus points 

The book taught me about putting my multiple passions into focus points that can help me to make progress on my passion projects even when I'm feeling overwhelmed. The author recommends starting with four and then adding one more if you really need to.

Well, I went back to the book this past weekend to check in and see if I'm aligning myself with my focus points. And I was pretty much on target. I also decided to make my focus points more specific. My focus points look like this:

• Reading science-fiction and fantasy and books on creativity and writing 
• Writing good blog content and building my list 
• Writing a fantasy novel and becoming a stronger writer 
• Doing Zumba 

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The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressifeld

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courtesy of Twilightsagafan

My history with Twilight

Being a self-proclaimed nerd and lover of fantasy, I have of course read the Twilight series. They caused quite a ripple a couple of years ago.

I read the first Twilight book in high school, before it even became popular. I found it be accident at my local bookstore and didn't know if I wanted to read it or not. So I wrote the name down and checked it out at the library. Then it became popular and exploded.

In high school, I loved these books. Now that I'm older I can't stand them. There's just so much in them that I personally can't agree with now. If I don't like them, then why am I writing a post about them?

Because they do have some great lessons in the midst of the drama, particularly about mindfulness. I believe that all books have great lessons in them but sometimes it's finding them that's the hard part. For Twilight, I learned a lot about mindfulness.

Creating space in your mind 

There's this one moment, after Bella has become a vampire, in which she is out hunting for the first time and she comes across a human. Since she is a newborn vampire, she shouldn't have any control over her thirst for blood. However, she manages to separate herself from her hunger in her mind and runs away. She creates space in her mind between her desire for blood and separates herself from it.

She separates her mind from an immediate response. At the time of reading the last book, I thought it was really cool. It turned out she had superpowers. Now, I try using it in my mind.

When you practice mindfulness, you try to live in the moment and make decisions after you've reflected on it. Reflection is huge in making mindful decisions. Sometimes, though, it's not clear what you should believe or feel or what actions you should take. Sometimes, you want to immediately respond to a situation without thinking. In these instances, I recommend creating space in your mind between your problem, your feelings, and your choices before coming back to yourself and taking action.

Separating you, your problems, feelings, choices, and actions 

Imagine that your brain is a big room that has four corners. You are in one corner, looking at the other three. Put your problem in one corner, your feelings in another, and your choices in the last one. Go around the room and ask these questions: What is the problem? What are you feeling right now? Why is it so hard for you to make these decisions? What choices do you have?

After you have gone around the room, come back to you. Always start and end with you. And ask yourself What action do I want to take? What action am I going to take?

It always helps to separate from how you immediately want to respond to a situation. Create space in your mind before reacting. Remember to stop, pause, and reflect. Go around the room.

Thank you for reading :)

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