When you write like you speak, it’s much easier to develop your unique writing voice. But don’t take this too literally because when speaking, we repeat ourselves, use filler words and sounds, hesitate, utter unfinished sentences, and change direction without thinking. Good writing is rarely exactly like our natural speech patterns. But when you construct…
You’ve finished writing your first book manuscript. Now you have a decision to make. Should you publish an ebook first, or publish a paperback as well? For most new authors, I’d recommend starting with the ebook version. It’s quicker, cheaper, and simpler. And if you get something wrong, it’s much easier to make corrections and…
Many writing apps need an internet connection to work. But offline writing apps give you much more freedom and choice about where, when, and how you write. While it’s almost natural now to be online, having the option to write offline means you can take your work to a cafe, a park, or a river…
If you’re thinking about writing and self-publishing a book, you don’t need nearly as much as you might think. All you really need is something to write with, something to create a cover, and somewhere to publish it. Of course, you’ll find plenty of advice telling you that you need professional editing, proofreading, formatting, cover…
Every writer uses empty sentence starters, often without even noticing. The reason they are so common is that they are easy to use. Very often, these few empty words set up a sentence before getting to the main point. One of the most common is “there is” or “there are” because it tells us that…
Most major search engines now have an AI search mode. But until recently, it was pretty much impossible to find out whether these AI search modes were using your writing for their answers. That has changed now with Google providing Generative AI reports and Bing giving AI performance data. Don’t get too excited, though, as…
Are You Publishing Writing AI Search Loves To Use? Read More »
If an article you publish on one platform brings 1,000 views, it might seem logical that publishing the same article on ten platforms could bring 10,000 views. It would be nice if it worked that way, but it doesn’t. Publishing an article in more places might seem like an obvious way to reach more readers,…
Is It Better To Publish On One Platform Or Multiple Platforms? Read More »
When you read your draft and it sounds a bit flat, you might need to vary your sentence beginnings to make your writing more interesting and lively. While you can choose from many different phrases and clauses to do this, you don’t need to memorize dozens of sentence starters. Most sentences naturally begin with a…
How To Vary Your Sentence Beginnings To Create Interest Read More »
The process of publishing has changed very little. Discoverability is what has changed. Thirty-five years ago, readers discovered books and articles through bookstores, libraries, magazines, newspapers, and word of mouth. Twenty-five years ago, websites, blogs, and search engines transformed how people found information online. Today, search engines, AI assistants, social media, and online recommendations all…
Do You Publish For Readers, Search Engines, And AI? Read More »
Let’s face it, many writers now use AI to brainstorm ideas, create outlines, check grammar, or improve awkward sentences. Even researching a topic has changed, with AI-powered search tools becoming part of the way many writers find information and explore ideas. Whether writers like it or not, AI is now part of the writing process.…
