When Life Throws You a Curve Ball Part 2

Hey Creative Entrepreneur!

Uff. What a deal.

First, I need to apologize for being absent for a bit. If you recall, the last time we spoke, my DH had just suffered a heart attack. He’s healing very well from that. Thanks for all your kind words!

Thing was, throughout the entire ordeal, I was tired. So, so tired. Exhausted. I did my best to help him deal with all his medical issues, but I could tell something was up with me, but I ignored the issues because, like every good wife, others came first.

Well… I shouldn’t have ignored my symptoms.

Turned out, I got a really fun “uncontrolled diabetes” diagnosis.

So, after a buncha doctoring, I’ve lost my post-cancer weight, I found my carbohydrate sweet spot (ha), and am nearly caught up on all my publishing projects.

Most of all, I’m excited to chat with you again! I hope you find this newsletter super-helpful when it comes to crafting your creative entrepreneur lifestyle.

Onward and upward,

Beth 🙂

P.S. Watch this space for all the new releases I worked on during my Writing Etc. hiatus.

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“This book is nothing but tips – ideas disguised as tips, really. And we writers just love ideas. Ideas are our lifeblood – the engine beneath our creativity. And the scope of these tips are… well, formidable.”
— Peter Bowerman, The Well-Fed Writer

With over 365 tips (journal writers… that’s more than one per day for a whole year) Dawn Colclasure has created a truly unique book that will surely become an essential addition to your creative library. Completely revised and expanded to well over 450 pages of pure, unadulterated, no nonsense knowledge, 365 Tips for Writers is packed with inspiration, marketing tips, and hard core freelancing information.

Brimming with writing prompts, “Beat the Block” tips, essential freelancing forms, as well as character building worksheets, this hefty tome will revolutionize the way you approach the craft of writing.

Colclasure has created what may well become the book you’ll turn to whenever you need ideas, encouragement, and a sense that you’re not alone in this crazy profession called “writing.”

Note: To sweeten the deal, Colclasure has also included a download link for nearly 100 more bonus tips, tricks, and techniques as her gift to you.

https://filbertpublishing.com/our-titles/our-books/365-tips-for-writers/

(Thanks for supporting our authors!)

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The following is an excerpt from Dawn Colclasure’s brilliant book, 365 Tips for Writers:

TIP #33: WATCH OUT FOR TIME-WASTERS

The time we have each day is valuable and, as the saying goes, “time well spent is time well spent.” A common complaint among writers is that they hardly have the time to write. If this applies to you, then you need to look at what you’re doing every day to see if your time spent is time well spent.

Do you watch reruns of your favorite shows on TV? Spend hours surfing the Web or playing computer games? Have you often found yourself spending hours (or even days) pursuing a favorite hobby?

While these are fun things to do, any serious writer knows the value of spending their time well and not wasting it. These things actually take up more of your precious time than you realize. Instead of watching the reruns, spend this time writing. If you can’t live without the Internet, cut down on that time and spend more time writing.

Additionally, if your days are filled with tasks which appear absolutely important to get done, such as cleaning the entire house or working in your yard, cut down on the time you spend doing these tasks so that you can have some time to write.

34 TIP #34: KEEP TRACK OF DAILY WRITING

Keep track of what you write every day and how often your work as a writer goes out or gets published. Use this as a tool to keep your confidence high. Any time you feel bummed out or in the pits, read through your entries of what you have written every day to get yourself back on your feet. Record any journal writing, exercises done, work on a book or articles queried/published. The more you add to this log, the higher your confidence in yourself as a writer will grow. It will also give you a sense of obligation to keep writing every day and add to your list of daily writings.

35 BEAT THE BLOCK TIP: USE A BLANK PAGE TO JUMP START YOUR CREATIVE JUICES

Get a blank, unlined sheet of paper and spend a few moments just staring at it. Don’t write, doodle or bend it in any way. Just take a few moments to stare at it and see what you visualize on the page. Does a poem come to mind? A picture? A buzz word? Don’t focus on the whiteness of the page; instead, look at it with the intent of trying to see something that should be on there. It is as though this particular piece of paper must have a poem on it or a story. When you settle on what comes to mind to write on this page, write it. Every blank sheet of paper is destined to have something put onto it: words, pictures, graphs, etc. It’s up to you, the writer, to fill an entire blank sheet of paper with your gift for words, covering its nakedness with your creation. See each subsequent blank sheet of paper as the very same palette on which you must create something, no matter how little or trivial it may seem.

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If you want well over 365 tips for writers PLUS 100 more tips free, click this link:

https://filbertpublishing.com/our-titles/our-books/365-tips-for-writers/

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You can use any of these articles free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include this byline:

This article is courtesy of Filbert Publishing. Make your writing sparkle, market smart, repeat. Subscribe to Writing Etc., the free e-mag for freelancers, and receive the e-book “Power Queries.” http://filbertpublishing.com

Enjoy!

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