owned and maintained by Joanna Penn

What this blog is about

This website focuses on four main areas: writing, self-publishing, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

The topics covered in the blog include:

• author entrepreneur 
• creativity 
• eBooks and technology 
• marketing and promotion 
• publishing options 
• writing

It's for writers and authors who want to self-publish but either don't know how or don't have enough confidence to try. TheCreativePenn.com has been voted one of the Top 10 sites for writers three years running. The blog features both a podcast and YouTube video series.

Watch Joanna's Welcome to The Creative Penn video on YouTube.

About Joanna Penn

J.F.Penn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers on the edge, as well as bestselling non-fiction for authors published under Joanna Penn. She is a professional speaker on creative entrepreneurship, digital publishing and internet marketing, and was voted one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013.

Why I love this blog

This blog is another fantastic resource for writers and authors. Joanna is so practical in her advice, which comes from her experiences as a writer. She knows her stuff. She also drives home the point that authors and writers ARE entrepreneurs. When you subscribe to the blog, Joanna gives you the free Author 2.0 Blueprint, which tells you more about how to self-publish books and eBooks and is incredibly helpful.

Resources

The Creative Penn - http://www.thecreativepenn.com/
The Creative Penn podcast - http://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/
Twitter - http://twitter.com/thecreativepenn
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/thecreativepenn

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This week I want to review the blog/website ProBlogger which is owned and maintained by Darren Rowse.

What this blog is about

ProBlogger is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium. Actually, it's the go-to resource for bloggers. If you have any question whatsoever about any aspect of blogging, go to this website.

The blog has posts for bloggers of all levels and features tons of resources, including a page for ways to make money blogging and a page for jobs as a blogger/writer.

About Darren Rowse 

Back in 2002 Darren Rowse stumbled upon an article about ‘Blogging’. He didn’t know it at the time but that moment changed his life.  Within 24 hours of reading the article he had started his own blog – a personal blog where he's explored issues of pop culture, spirituality and blogging ever since. He has since started many other blogs.

As his blogs grew in popularity and began to generate income, blogging grew from a hobby (some would say an obsession), to a part time job through to a fully fledged business in recent times. He has slowly built his blogging into a income source that has enabled him to dedicate more and more time to the medium to the point where he is currently a full time blogger – a ProBlogger.

Why I love this blog

As a beginning blogger, I have found this website and blog to be invaluable. And I respect the owner, Darren, because he started small and worked his way up to this powerhouse of a website. He worked up from blogging as a hobby to blogging as a professional (hence ProBlogger) and I guess I would like to hopefully do the same (someday).

Another aspect I really love about this blog is the emphasis on small steps to building a blog and, eventually, a business. It's a great reminder that it's okay to slowly go through the process of building a blog through lots of hard work and patience in a realistic and sustainable way.

I look forward to purchasing Darren's workbook 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. I also hope to eventually join the ProBlogger Community, which is a home for bloggers to come together to collaborate, learn and network in a private, supportive and authentic environment.

As always, thank you for reading :)
Melissa

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Happy Independence Day for those in the United States!

This week I want to review the blog/website Goins Writer, written and maintained by Jeff Goins

What this blog is about 

Goins Writer answers the following questions:

• How do successful writers make a living?
• What does it really take to get published?
• How do you pursue a passion?

This blog is ultimately about pursuing your passion for creativity, especially if your creative passion is writing.

About Jeff Goins 

Jeff Goins has written and guest-blogged for over 100 magazines, publications, and blogs. He is a speaker, creative coach, and consultant. He's published three eBooks:

• Wrecked for the Ordinary: A Manifesto for Misfits
• The Writer’s Manifesto: Stop Writing to Be Read & Adored
• You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

He also has a podcast, The Portfolio Life and an audio series called The Writer's Studio: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Real Writer.

He runs an e-course called Tribe Writers.

Why I love this blog 

This blog is just...amazing. I absolutely love the content; Jeff Goins covers all aspects of writing and creativity in the most practical and easy-to-understand way. It's just so straightforward.

I can't remember how I came across Goins Writer, but it has made such a big difference in my writing practice. I absolutely recommend his free eBook The Writer's Manifesto and his other eBook You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One). I also own his audio series. Can you tell I'm a fan?

Please, please, please, if you are a struggling writer or creative, check out this blog.

As always, thank you for reading :)
Melissa

P.S. I am not an affiliate for this blog or any of Jeff Goins's products. I just like mentioning blogs I have found helpful :) 

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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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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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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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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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This week I am reviewing the blog The Write Practice, which was founded by Joe Bunting and is maintained by him and his team.

thewritepractice.com founded by Joe Bunting

What this blog is about 

When I started my writing practice last month, I found The Write Practice by googling for writing blogs. This blog will help you to kickstart your writing practice. Joe and his team write daily posts on writing, from doing the outline to looking to get published. There are also tutorials and a digital course for publishing and marketing your book called The Story Cartel Course. When you subscribe to this blog, you also get two weeks worth of writing prompts to help get your started with your writing.

About Joe

Joe Bunting is the founder of the Write Practice. He loves the sound of a good sentence and would like to think of himself as a literary snob but can be kept up far too late by a page turner meant for thirteen year old girls. He would like for you not to know that though. He lives with his wife and son outside of Atlanta.

Why I love this blog 

I love this blog for several reasons and the first is how helpful the posts are. I found everything I need in terms of writing advice from this blog. For example, I've thought about doing NaNoWriMo for a while now and Joe has a great post called 12 Thoughts on NaNoWriMo that every writer should read. I also plan on taking Joe's Story Cartel Course to learn how to publish and market my book. After I'm done writing it of course :)

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This week I am reviewing the blog Zen Habits, which is written and maintained by Leo Babauta.

What this blog is about

Zen Habits is one of the most widely regarded lifestyle blogs on the internet with more than a million monthly readers. Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. Some of the topics it covers include: simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment.

About Leo

Leo Babauta is a former journalist of 18 years, a husband, father of six children, and in 2010 moved from Guam to San Francisco, where he leads a simple life. He started Zen Habits to chronicle and share what he's learned while changing a number of habits. Find out more about him on his post My Story.

Why I love this blog 

What's not to love about it I think is the better question. Every time I go exploring on this blog, I always find something I needed to read. Leo also blogs a lot about writing, which I find very useful. The theory in Zen Habits is that you can accomplish anything but you have to start small and build your habits one by one. By building habits, you stick to and accomplish your goals.

Leo also offers some courses for building habits, including his Habit Course and the Simple Fitness Habit course. I plan on taking both of these :).

Check out Zen Habits. You won't regret it!

Resources 

Zen Habits - http://zenhabits.net/
Leo Babauta - http://leobabauta.com/
The Habit Course - http://habitcourse.com/
The Simple Fitness Habit - http://simplefitnesshabit.com/

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This week I am looking at the blog Yes and Yes, which is written by Sarah Von Bargen.

Yes and Yes by Sarah Von Bargen

What this blog is about 

Yes and Yes is a lifestyle blog about living a multifaceted life. Sarah interviews interesting people, shares travel tips to cool places, connects nice people, tries new things, finds recipes from awesome books and far-flung countries, and writes about a million how-tos.

About Sarah 

Sarah Von Bargen started Yes and Yes in 2008 and has slowly found an audience of 11,000+ daily readers. She has been self-employed for the the last three years, harnessing all that hard-won know-how for hundreds of clients. She works with creatives, bloggers, and small businesses to create super doable, totally effective, non-overwhelming plans for internet domination.  She can help with ideas for blog posts + social media plans + pitch templates + promotion ideas.

Why I love this blog 

When I first started building this blog, Yes and Yes was where I went to for ideas on how to design it for readers. Sarah has written great blog posts on starting a blog and she also has a small business blog on her personal website. Plus, Sarah's posts are so interesting and she really has something for everybody.

P.S. Sarah also has ads for other businesses on her website. Take a look at them. I've found some creative services and people through those ads.

Until next time :)
Melissa

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This week, I want to look at the blog Be More With Less, which is written by Courtney Carver.

written and owned by Courtney Carver

What this blog is about 

Be More With Less is about living a minimalist and simpler life. Courtney Carver focuses on providing her readers with tips on reducing stress and debt and getting more out of life in other areas besides material things. Who doesn't want those things?

About Courtney 

Courtney Carver is a 44 year old, aspiring minimalist and is making big (and small) changes to live her life on purpose. She is a writer and photographer. She loves yoga, reading, creating simple meals and hiking and skiing in the Mountainwest. She also loves to travel and has her sights on a future in Mexico, living simply, on the beach.

Why I love this blog 

I have been using some of the tips in this to try and simply my own life. I've been putting less emphasis on ownership and more on finding, using, and recycling. When I packed up all my belongings to move to Vermont from Illinois, I consulted this blog to find what I should get let go of and what I should keep. Courtney really goes into the mindset that goes with living a simpler life.

I've also taken one of Courtney's self-paced e-courses, Zero to 100, A Microcourse for Beginning Bloggers, which helped me to get this blog started. I highly recommend it if you want to start your own blog!

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This week I wanted to kick off my new weekly review series titled Blog of the Week.

Each week, I will review a website or blog that I have found extremely helpful in my journey. One disclaimer: I am not getting paid to feature these blogs on my blog. I am sharing them because I believe they have wonderful content and do a wonderful job of engaging with their readers.

The blog this week is: Tranquility du Jour by Kimberly Wilson

Courtesy of Tranquility du Jour

About Kimberly 

Kimberly Wilson is the creative director of Tranquil Space yoga studios, designer of eco-fashion line TranquiliT, director of Tranquil Space Foundation, author of Hip Tranquil Chick, Tranquilista, and Tranquilologie, and writer for this beautiful lifestyle blog. Tranquility du Jour contains musings on a potpourri of my passions - style, yoga, sparkly things, vintage finds, mindfulness, all things French, do-gooding, creativity, and, of course, tranquility.

Her website is http://www.kimberlywilson.com/.

Why I Love Tranquility du Jour 

This blog was the very first blog I started following when I began my journey to really get to know my creative self.

Kimberly speaks in a very simple and direct language on topics that helped me to feel creative and inspired. I truly felt that I could be creative after reading this blog (which led me to start this blog!).

Kimberly also does a lot with mindfulness and I highly recommend her e-course Mindfulness: Tranquility Within

I also own all her books and you should check them out too! They are fantastic!

Kimberly also writes on starting your own business and entrepreneurship. Check out her e-course Creative + Conscious Business

Disclaimer

Tranquility du Jour and all related items are the property of Kimberly Wilson and Hip Tranquil Ventures LLC.

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