From Blog to Ebook: Write Like the Wind Gives Writers Inspiration, Resources and Tips for their Writing Journey

 

In September of last year, I ran a series on this blog in which I posted something about writing every day for one month. While I was able to accomplish this challenge, the series didn’t really take off among readers, so I moved on to other things.

 

However, while I was recently trying to figure out what next free ebook to make available from my newsletter, The SPARREW Newsletter, I was struck with an idea: Why not turn that series into a free ebook? After all, those blog posts were on the subject of writing, something which I knew subscribers of my newsletter would be interested in.

 

I liked this idea and ran with it! The result is Write Like the Wind! Inspirational Notes for Writers.

 

That title is different than the one I advertised in the June issue of the newsletter. I ended up changing it! That’s not all I changed, though. Since I wanted to give the posts a new look, I added some extra material, which I included in quote boxes. I also expanded the list of books I recommend to writers, with 52 titles in all. I also changed some of the posts so they weren’t outdated or so that they had newer information.

 

One thing I noticed as I worked on revising these posts is that there were a lot of typos. Yikes! I can’t believe I missed them last time around. So I proofread the whole manuscript to get rid of those typos.

 

The result is an ebook which I hope every writer can enjoy reading, no matter how new or experienced they are to the writing world. I tried to make this ebook something which all kinds of writers may find useful, at every level of their writing career. I also shared some of my own personal lessons learned thus far in my own journey, as well as some tips that have worked for me.

 

I am thrilled to be able to impart more wisdom on to other writers out there and I hope they find the resources to be useful.

 

Here is the blurb:

 

The writing life can be hard sometimes. We can all use a little encouragement and support along the way. Write like the Wind gives writers of all ages and stages that support and encouragement. From tips on how to cope when you can't get the words on the page to reminders to keep going despite rejections, these notes will shine a light for the writers struggling in the dark and provide motivation to keep that desire to write going strong. Includes a list of 52 recommended books for writers.

 

And here’s the buy link

Different Kinds of Deadlines

 

Writers have (and dread) deadlines. For writers with different kinds of work on their hands, it can mean different kinds of deadlines.

 

Ever since I decided to make freelance writing more of a hobby than something to earn money from (though I am grateful I still earn money from freelance writing), my deadlines have changed. Gone are the pre-set deadlines of article assignments, articles to write for clients and articles to turn in by a pre-set deadline an editor wants me to meet.

 

These days, I have my own deadlines, and they are all different.

 

Freelance writing may be a hobby for me these days, but I certainly don’t treat it like one! I treat it like a job. Old habits, I suppose. Monday through Friday, I am at the desk and working at it, but instead of pitching articles on a variety of topics or, for the niche writers, on a topic I can write well about, I am submitting essays, short stories, poetry and, lately, micros (very short writing ranging from 50-500 words). I do still write articles, but mainly on topics I am already published in and I know I can write well about. And I usually only pitch or submit articles when I come across a call for articles on something I know I can contribute to.  

 

On that note, I’m always looking for opportunities to submit to magazines, websites and anthologies. These usually have deadlines, and if it’s something I feel I can contribute towards, then I work on doing by that deadline. For example, one magazine will stop accepting submissions for a particular issue on July 31^st, so if I want to contribute, I make a note of this deadline in my planner. Writing the deadlines into my planner helps a lot so I can plan ahead and start getting to work on writing/revising/editing and finalizing my submission so it will be ready in time. Plus, it gives me the chance to plan my week and know what work I should focus on.

 

Sometimes, though, one of the many markets newsletters I am subscribed to might show up in my inbox, with a list of markets with deadlines ending soon. For example, on Monday, I received a newsletter containing markets that had July 31^st deadlines. I made a list of the markets I could submit something to and got busy submitting!

 

There are also deadlines I have which are related to my newsletter. The week I publish the newsletter is “newsletter week,” in which I spend all week putting together everything I will be including in the issue that will go out that weekend. I set deadlines on when I need all interviews and photos turned in. I also have a deadline on when I stop gathering content for the newsletter and start putting it all together. Plus, I have the deadline on when the newsletter must be ready to send out.

 

Then there are the books I write. If I’m doing NaNoWriMo, it goes without saying that the novel I’m writing must be complete by November 30^th. If I’m writing a book attached to a certain holiday, I’ll have a deadline on when to finish writing that book. If I have some free time to work on another book outside of the free ebooks project, then I set a deadline on when to finish writing the first draft. For the free ebooks, my deadline to have the manuscript ready to publish is usually the 25^th of the month.

 

Having these deadlines has definitely been more flexible for me. They also keep me busy, because there’s usually always something I am working on in order to meet a deadline.

 

While every writer cannot have deadlines like these in their writing life, I have found these kinds of deadlines to be less of a stress because they are far in advance. I also usually know what to work on next because of them. And I just like having self-imposed deadlines to get my writing submitted or turned in by, because I would really like to be a part of a publication or a type of anthology. By meeting that deadline and having my work considered, at least I am trying to make that happen.