Welcome to the blog
This is my blog archive. My new writing lives on Substack.
The Dream Of Writing
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to write. Growing up, my bookworm mom fed me with stories to read, and my best friend's mother was a children's book author. Together, my friend and I nurtured the dream of one day writing our own books.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my coaching clients told me she wanted to start working on a book. She's an artist and doubts her writing skills, but she admitted that she had been dreaming of writing a book for some 10 years now, and she wanted my help to finally get started with it.
After our conversation, I got to thinking.
How To Start A Blog That Feels Like You
This is my 133rd blog post. Just writing that sentence makes me laugh a little. I can still vividly remember the fear I felt when I published my first blog post, how nervous I was of people reading what I had written. I felt exposed, which was scary but also pretty exhilarating. I was showing the real me, after all.
I have loved to write for as long as I’ve been able to. I always wanted to spend my life writing, somehow, and starting this blog was probably one of my best decisions. It has given me a way connect with other creatives, to explore ideas, to practice my writing, to reflect on my creative journey - and now to grow my creative business.
Blogging can be a wonderful medium for marketing, creative expression, connection and reflection. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve talked with a lot of creatives who are thinking of starting a blog. So I thought it would be a good time to dig into this topic and share some of the things I’ve learned from 5+ years of blogging.
Creating A Content Plan That Is Rooted In What You Want To Contribute To The World
If you regularly share your creativity with the world in a blog, podcast, newsletter, Youtube channel or another medium, I bet you’ve sometimes felt at a loss for ideas of what to create next. Perhaps you’ve also struggled to define exactly where to draw the line between the topics you touch upon, and those you don’t.
I’ve encountered these struggles many times myself, and over the years I’ve developed a method for filling my content plan with ideas I’m excited about and that feels true to what I want to share with the world. It’s also a way to regularly check in with the focus of my content, to see that I’m on the right track.
In this blog post, I’m sharing that method.
What not to do when writing your first novel
When I set out to write the first draft of my first novel, I did almost everything wrong. I set the demands on myself sky high while not believing in my abilities as a writer for a second, constantly throwing myself into writing blocks.
I didn't develop my characters or my plot enough. I tried to wing it, ending up with a first draft that had to be completely rewritten.
The good things is, I've learned so much from my mistakes, and now I can share those lessons with you, so you might get a better start in your journey as a writer.
What the first two drafts of my novel taught me about writing
When I started writing the first draft of my novel way too many years ago, I was writing a very different story. At its core it's the same, or at least similar, but almost everything else has changed in some way.
This is the first book I attempt to write. I could have been frustrated by the amount of work it has taken me to get to where I am today, writing draft three, but I've learned so much from all those mistakes I've made.
This novel has been a ruthless but fantastic writing teacher. Today, I'd like to share some of what those first and second drafts taught me.
Why writing less may make you a more productive writer
Since I started writing my novel a couple of years ago, I've written in many different ways.
I've attended NaNoWriMo and written 50 000 words in a month.
I've written during my commute, with my laptop on my lap.
I've written in the early mornings before work.
I've written in the dead of night.
Most of all though, I've written on weekends. During the day, when I'm rested and focused. That's when I can usually write pretty well.