Songster and Wordsmith

I recently spoke at a motivational workshop and a common question was on finding more time to write. We're not all Stephen King or Marian Keyes and have the luxury of being able to write full time. Most of us hold full time or part time jobs and struggle to finish the novel we're working on. Before we move on you might like to do this little self assessment:    How much time do I currently spend writing? How much time would I like to spend writing? ______ hours per week ______ hours per week How much time do I spend doing non-writing activities? What are some of these non-writing activities?       ______ hours per week   If you want more time to write, you'll need to come up with some strategies, such as these:   “I will write at 8pm for one hour every weeknight.” Sticking to a writing plan really he

As an author, I understand the value of reviews. I need them to help readers find out if other readers enjoyed my book. I often read through reviews of other books I'm interested in. Am I swayed by bad reviews or good reviews? Not really. My mind will be made up by the book description, and sometimes, though not always, by the number of reviews. Readers are consumers. Writers are consumers. As a reader I need to know that I'm going to invest my time wisely. As a writer, I need to know you feel comfortable telling me that you enjoyed it without having to feel the need to write an essay. So I'm going to dispel a few myths about what writers are looking for in a review. Myth number one: A review is a critique. BUSTED: I don't want a reader to have to agonize over whether the author captured the notion of belonging, or the character arc, or the three act structure was followed. If you have time to write a critical review, then by all means do so. But if this i