Three Podcast Recommendations for Writers
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These podcast recommendations will provide you with hours of entertainment, inspiration, and education to bolster your life as a writer!
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Tricky Truths for First-Time Authors
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It is an intoxicating dream: getting a message out to the world, impacting others with your storytelling, dazzling the masses with your expertise, maybe even becoming a bestselling author!
Here’s the thing: it doesn’t always work out that way. Becoming an author is a master class in releasing expectations and embracing the creative process with grace.
Read MoreBooks Every Writer Should Read
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Most of us freely admit we would benefit from reading more. As hard as it can be to set aside time for such a time-consuming hobby, reading is crucial, especially for writers. Below is a sampling of the books we think every writer should dig into!
Read MoreThree Quick Tips to Boost Your Writing Productivity
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The next time you find yourself feeling distracted and restless, consider these tactics from Inspira editors Kerry, Chelsea, and Tim:
Read MoreClarify Your Writing Goals with a Writer’s Retreat
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Taking a retreat from your regular writing practice is a great way to set yourself up for success in the coming year. It can look different for everyone: you don’t have to go to a cabin in the woods for a writer’s retreat—though it wouldn’t hurt! Simply setting aside a morning or afternoon with your phone off and the kettle on can be transformative. The point is to minimize distractions and clarify your writing goals so you can spring into the new year with clarity and motivation.
Read MoreThe Act of Writing
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One of the beautiful things about the act of writing is that it takes the conceptual, the ethereal, the aspirational—whether a goal, a story, a mission, or a message—and brings it out of the abstract, into our 3-D world.
Read MoreMaking the Most of the Holidays
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As December kicks off, we encourage you to revisit your writing goals and plan how you will meet them. Take your limitations seriously and build your writing time into your schedule in a way that is sustainable. Then, guard that time fiercely. Be ready to say no to invitations and obligations that hinder your writing. What gets scheduled is what gets done, and this is truer than ever during the holidays!
Read MoreFour Tips for Self-Editing
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Learning to edit your own writing is a crucial component of the creative process.
Read More6 Ways to Engage Writer’s Block
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There are few sensations more frustrating than the onset of writer’s block. It’s like the common cold: it seems to strike at the most inconvenient times, it’s utterly discouraging, and it can drag on for what feels like ages. But do not fear! Like the cold, writer’s block is common. It can even be an opportunity to hone your writing skills!
Read More8 Steps to Creating the Perfect Writing Environment
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Regardless of your style, all writers need to establish a writing environment that is conducive to inspiration and productivity. The common denominators are: a) getting comfortable, b) getting organized, c) getting started and d) staying focused.
Read MoreHow a Social Media Presence Can Help Sell Your Book(s)
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Most authors who are not already active on social media feel overwhelmed and have no idea where to start. Instagram has a billion users, and Facebook has almost 3 billion! It’s hard not to feel like a very small fish in a very, very large pond. However, as an independent author, these outlets are your gateway to the rest of the world (and future readers), and you can control the mood and the context in which they get to know you.
Read MoreRemembering Your WHY
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One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is, “What is my WHY?” In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy for this question to get lost in the shuffle, and for what’s important to get lost amidst the pressure and noise of what feels urgent (or easy).
There’s nothing like a bout of serious illness to bring this question to the surface, for causing a person to slow down and take time to focus on what’s really important in life. This happened to me recently, so I am speaking from experience. Recovering from an illness is great time to recover not only your health, but your WHY.
Read MoreShould I Self-Publish or Look for a Publisher?
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Traditional, and self-publishing both have their pros and cons. Really, the choice between traditional and self-publishing is now up to the author, and depends on goals of the project!
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Punctuating Dialogue Tags and Beats
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When writing dialogue, there are some specific punctuation rules that govern how we write about people talking.
Read MoreHow to Write an Acknowledgments Page
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The acknowledgments page of a book gives the author a chance to thank all the people who made it possible. While it is not required, most authors choose to include one (it’s a nice thing to do!).
Read MoreLet Us Evaluate Your Manuscript
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Your manuscript is done. Months, if not years, of writing has come to an end. It is an incredibly exciting feeling (and you should celebrate!), but with finishing writing comes the looming question: what happens next. Inspira provides a manuscript evaluation where we let you know where your manuscript is as far as quality of writing and “publishability"—along with an assessment of what it needs to bring it up to high-quality publishing standards.
Read MoreWatch Your Tone
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The tone of your writing, the attitude or feeling the language evokes regarding the subject matter, can greatly shape the readers perception of the work as a whole.
Read MoreDevelop Your Dreams, Develop Your Concept
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Dr. King is a legend in history because he dared to dream not simply of a slow march towards justice, but of justice and equality today. We may not be able to equate or compare any of our dreams to the famous speech by Dr. King; however, we can be inspired by his bravery. In the face of hundreds of years of history and opposition, he spoke up and spoke out—and he acted.
Read MoreHope for the Best, Rejoice in the Blessings
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Here we are at the end of 2020, and I have to say that I’m glad to see it disappear in the rearview mirror. That being said, despite its many trials and tribulations, for Inspira, 2020 held some notable high points worth celebrating!
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