Another tip for finishing your book: I sprint. I get together in a chatroom or on IM with other writers and we do timed writing together and see who can get the most done. This offers support, and yes, a bit of competition. During sprints, I can write a thousand words an hour. How’s that [...]

I count myself lucky to count Liz Fielding among my friends. Liz is a dear woman and a fabulous author. She writes for Harlequin Romance and I often hear her name mentioned on readers auto-buy lists.
She, like so many of my other wonderful friends, has always been a big supporter of CataRomance. And I’m pleased [...]

A tip for rescuing your writing time: I turn off the internet. Such a distraction for someone like me. My computer makes it pretty easy. There’s a button on the front that turns my wireless internet connection off completely. No email. No websites. No instant messaging. No twitter. No distractions.

I find that what works best for me is timed writing. I literally set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes and then go at it. For some reason that timer puts me in the zone. If you don’t have a timer, there are many free programs you can download from the web. I [...]

Perhaps you’re not quite as obsessive over your word count as I am. But it’s important to know how you’re doing. And I do believe seeing the numbers can help. Another tool I utilize is an ultra simple spreadsheet to track my daily word count.
This does two things. Not only allowing me to see how my book [...]

I’m a writer, so obviously, I’m a word person. But I’ve discovered, I’m also a numbers person. Seeing my word count keeps me going. So if you’re having trouble with your writing, it may not be writers block. Perhaps you just need to feel you’re making progress.
I keep track of how many words I’ve written [...]

This sounds like common sense, right? You can’t edit a blank page. It’s so obvious it’s laughable. But a majority of writers are in love with the idea of being an author, not with the writing itself. Writing is hard. Sometimes it’s even painful.
But the good news is, you can edit and revise. You can [...]

I came across a book today that is supposed to help you write more. And my immediate thought was, “learn how to write more but read my book first.” That’s not to say that you should stop reading how to books. I will probably put this book on my wishlist. But at a certain point [...]

Visit new places, eat new things, meet new people, read new genres. Open yourself to new experiences.

Sign up for writers groups, websites, message boards. Volunteer to write articles or help with a conference. Network. Make new friends.