I've talked a lot in my blog posts about focus, habits, and struggling with getting words on the page. That didn't change in my absence from the forum. 2020 should have been THE year to get things done with so many of us stuck at home due to COVID. For me, that hasn't been the case. I started the year with a bang at least getting one short project done. I also wrote many blog posts related to work on a semi-decent schedule. But, I didn't get my project done... you know the one we all have... THE project. I even gave myself a timeline, which I don't think I can or will meet now. So for me, 2020 has been a year of working and sticking my head in the proverbial sand. Like many, I'm not sad to see it go, but I'm determined to have a better year in 2021. My point in this blog is to share hope for 2021. Hope for everyone who is still struggling to finish something, anything. I see you. I feel your struggle. It's mine too. We're not alone.... We've got this. Happy writing. -Corbyn
One of my writing groups decided that with the viral outbreak it would be a great idea to meet in a conference call setting. I agreed as lately, I've felt the need to attend critique groups at any and all cost. See, the more I drag myself into these groups, the more writing I get done. While they can be tedious for me due to the sheer number of poets and lack of fiction writers that attend, at least they keep me writing. Today it was a lot harder to see that silver lining in them. I rolled away from my desk thinking, wth?!? Why the mind-numbing trouble? Well, today drove home a really fine point for me that a lot of us writers tend to forget. Critique groups can often be very subjective, and the advice you get there is just that, advice. You may or may not be the smartest person in your group or room, but so is everyone else there. The advice given is NOT, and this is something we all need to continually remind ourselves, the golden rule or necessarily right for the piece. If you're curious what the fuss is about, I've thrown up the piece in question in the forum fantasy section that I've linked. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/trolld-476-words-flash-fantasy-fiction.165220/ So yeah, remember folks. Ultimately you're the writer, and it's your work. If multiple people think something is confusing, sure it's worth a different approach and look, but keep in mind... you can't hold everyone's hand and some people will never get what you write especially if it's not in their normal genre.
I find more and more that I have a problem focusing my attention. I think it has to do with habits. I feel like if I could establish a habit with regard to my writing, and just tasks in general... I might be more productive. Over the years this had proven difficult for me outside of my work environments. I also know that as a creature of habit, when I go outside of my routine it completely derails my whole day. Realizing this amuses me greatly. In the past, my work environment wasn't always conducive to routine, and more often than not things went sideways. But it amuses me because I thought those days of chaos were when I shined brightest. Even more amusing, and most importantly, I decided when I sat down today that I would write this as a way to focus myself and force myself back into a writing frame of mind. I've been struggling with getting any writing done yet again. I desperately need to break that cycle as I have projects that need to be completed. More important than that need is the realization that I NEED to be writing. I'm not content or even pleasant when I'm not writing. I'm short-tempered and I dislike the person I am when I don't have a creative outlet for all the miscellaneous crap that I deal with on the day-to-day. I wish I could say that my lack of focus was not limited to writing or creative pursuits. That would make me feel better about it, but that's not the case for me. So, how do I break the trend and push through this problem? As I sit here writing in the library across the street from my office, I have my headphones in, and I've been listening to the same song (on repeat) while I type. Sometimes this is enough. Sometimes just surrounding myself in a busy environment and forcing myself to put the headphones in and focus works wonders. I'm not a writer who thrives by writing at home and never have been. Why I keep forcing myself to try to be is ridiculous and I need to just go with what does the trick. And now I think I'm finally ready to tackle my short story. I wrote this as a focus exercise and thought the peek into my head and troubles might help someone else. Happy writing! -Corbyn
January brings with it a rush of promises made to ourselves and on behalf of those in our lives. For many of us, this is the year we're going to 'get our selves together", make that difficult change to live healthier, or do that thing we've been putting off. For me, the start of 2020 has been a time of deep reflection and introspection. Y'all, I'm not gonna front. 2019 didn't just kick my ass. It beat me like a red-headed stepchild that got caught with her hand in a cookie jar. I've talked in previous blog posts about growing up without support in creative endeavors and what it's like trying to build your tool kit and your confidence. 2019 did a bang-up job stripping me of what confidence in my writing I had, and much much worse. I can remember being about eight and watching my mom type away a business letter on this electric typewriter she had. This would have been in 1989 when home computers and pcs weren't a common thing to see in most southern homes. That typewriter was like this cool toy I never got to play with. I remember thinking then, how awesome would it be to write things people wanted, felt they needed to read? Fast forward a few years, and my grandmother won a pc through a work program, it was deliciously horrible in the graphics department, and I loved endlessly monkeying with the thing for school projects. One of my favorite excuses was the need to do homework on it. My grandmother always obliged me, and one of the first short stories I ever wrote was on that antique. In June of 2019, I rushed back to Texas after receiving word from my mom that my grandmother was admitted to ICU. It had been a year since I was back in the state, and then only for a few days. I made it and got to spend a few hours with her before turning in for the night. She had a good day while I was there. The next wasn't. I'll never forget the look on her face as she grabbed me, and begged me to call the rest of the family back and to let her go. I said goodbye to a lot of things in June, and the rest of the year felt like trying to come up and back from that. I've realized how far off course I've let myself get. There is a huge difference in working and productively working to make sure you're still striving for your goals. In 2019 I smashed every work goal I set for myself. I did not do so well with regard to my writing. So my goals for 2020 are not for a New Year, new me. I want to live healthier sure, but my goals are going to be geared toward finishing my projects, releasing content, and building my tool kit and confidence back up. I wish everyone a Happy, healthy, and productive year. Do something kind for someone today, and I'll see you all soon. Corbyn
I haven't been good to my readers here. In fact, I've been neglectfully remise, and for that, I'm truly sorry. But I did not forget about you all. I've been cultivating my voice, building my toolbox, and working. Tirelessly working to bring better, more informative, and hopefully even more useful information to this blog. To that end, I have a small announcement. To anyone in the state of Michigan, specifically the Waterford area. This Saturday, May 18th from 2 to 4 pm several writer's groups in the area will be opening up the floor for ALL writers. These groups have banded together with the local Waterford Library to put on an Open mic event @ the library. Anyone who writes is welcome to attend and may read. Signup will be available before the event. Also, work obligations have pushed me further out of my comfortable little bubble. (I even had to host a booth at a local event... I talked to.... people!) Because of this, once a week I'll be doing a Facebook live feed on my page. These will be geared toward some of the things I've touched on here, and all the fun stuff I've been learning while away. Mostly it's just to get experience knowing that I'll be required to post videos related to the laser therapy service I've been running at work for the last six months. This forum is a great resource for support and is always here for all of us when we need it. I hope to continue that tradition and post more regularly with recaps from the discussions I've mentioned above here as things progress. As always... happy writing. -Corbyn
I've been quietly stalking the forum as of late, I say quietly because for a while I feel like I'd lost my voice. Or maybe more accurately, I felt I had nothing new to add, nothing to say, no profound experiences that I thought might aid others in their writing journeys. For a while, I even wondered if I really was still on my own. But, like most things here I am. Moreover, I'll be attempting Nanowrimo again this year. If your new to this blog, forum, or even the term Nanowrimo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, a full month of literary abandon in which fellow insane novelists attempt to write 50,000 words in thirty days. It's manageable, but the feat isn't for the faint of heart and may leave your friends and loved ones wondering even further about you. Which brings me to the meat of this post. I wanted to reach out and see how many of you plotted and planned, or are pantsing your way through Nano this year. I also wanted to wave a bit, and spread some accountability cheer. If you are participating and would like a dash of said cheer feel free to leave a message below and I'll add you on the Nano site. Best Wishes in your Nano endeavors, and to everyone NOT participating, I hope the coming Holiday finds you happily stuffed.
Hello, my fellow weirdos! I know, it's been a while. I wanted to take a moment to update this blog, and well, I missed all of you. I've been working on WIP's and social media for other people. Your right, excuses are like... well you know what. Anyway, today's blog is about keeping in touch with your reader. *Ahem* Something I need to work on. Why's it important? Is it all that important? Does your reader base care if you do it? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes. If you weren't sure about that or your thinking "But Corbyn, nobody cares whether I'm keeping in touch or not..." You're wrong. Just admit it now, or if you don't want to stick with me a bit longer, and hopefully I can change your mind about that. Sometimes as writers (especially Indy ones) we have to stop thinking of ourselves as writers, and instead, consider what we're trying to do from a business perspective. In business terms, if a company or entity isn't connecting with its consumers, they're less likely to buy that companies product. The same is true for us. If you've followed this blog, we've discussed before how building a reader base is like building a relationship with people. Take you and me for example. If you're here reading this, it's because you have an interest in what I'm saying. You want to know how to do something specific, or you want advice on a specific topic. It's the same for your reader. Building a relationship with a reader is promising them something (i.e., information or entertainment) in exchange for their support (reading). And now you're wondering what that has to do with touching base, am I right? The ultimate goal for a writer in building a readership is to have a mass of people to which they can market (you guessed it) their material. By interacting with your readership, you're helping to foster and cultivate that relationship. Relationships take work, even if it's just the promise between an author and their readers. So, as you can see taking the time to touch base with your readers isn't just important, it can be vital to a writers survival and success. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If there is something you'd like to see me cover in a future blog please leave me a comment below. If you like my content, please don't forget to follow me here on the forum. Also, I can be found more frequently on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/korbynblakeauthor/ I've been toying with posting some Facebook live feeds on current authors I'm reading, and how they are influencing my writing. Specifically how that influence is helping me pepper in world building info without info dumping. If it's a topic you might be interested in be sure to leave a comment, or you know... leave a comment anyway. I love hearing from you all. -Corbyn
Hello, my fellow weirdos! I know, it's been a while. I wanted to take a moment to update this blog, and well, I missed all of you. I've been working on WIP's and social media for other people. Your right, excuses are like... well you know what. Anyway, today's blog is about keeping in touch with your reader. *Ahem* Something I need to work on. Why's it important? Is it all that important? Does your reader base care if you do it? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes. If you weren't sure about that or your thinking "But Corbyn, nobody cares whether I'm keeping in touch or not..." You're wrong. Just admit it now, or if you don't want to stick with me a bit longer, and hopefully I can change your mind about that. Sometimes as writers (especially Indy ones) we have to stop thinking of ourselves as writers, and instead, consider what we're trying to do from a business perspective. In business terms, if a company or entity isn't connecting with its consumers, they're less likely to buy that companies product. The same is true for us. If you've followed this blog, we've discussed before how building a reader base is like building a relationship with people. Take you and me for example. If you're here reading this, it's because you have an interest in what I'm saying. You want to know how to do something specific, or you want advice on a specific topic. It's the same for your reader. Building a relationship with a reader is promising them something (i.e., information or entertainment) in exchange for their support (reading). And now you're wondering what that has to do with touching base, am I right? The ultimate goal for a writer in building a readership is to have a mass of people to which they can market (you guessed it) their material. By interacting with your readership, you're helping to foster and cultivate that relationship. Relationships take work, even if it's just the promise between an author and their readers. So, as you can see taking the time to touch base with your readers isn't just important, it can be vital to a writers survival and success. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If there is something you'd like to see me cover in a future blog please leave me a comment below. If you like my content, please don't forget to follow me here on the forum. Also, I can be found more frequently on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/korbynblakeauthor/ I've been toying with posting some Facebook live feeds on current authors I'm reading, and how they are influencing my writing. Specifically how that influence is helping me pepper in world building info without info dumping. If it's a topic you might be interested in be sure to leave a comment, or you know... leave a comment anyway. I love hearing from you all. -Corbyn
Hello minions! Did you miss me? No?!? Well, I missed all of you! Today's blog is something that hits close to home for me and on more than just one front. I bet you're wondering what the lovely stack of green stuff that most of us don't have has to do with knowing your worth right? Or better yet, why I felt the need to post the pic right? Self-worth and self-confidence are problems I've struggled with badly over the years. How does this matter or relate to writing Corbyn, and why do I care? You thought it, I know you did, and that's ok. If you follow this humble blog, then you know that I have periodically done some freelance ghostwriting. To date, I've written thirty-something articles that have found homes elsewhere, and about six shorts, and one full-length novel. I'm not bragging. This isn't that, though maybe I should brag... that's a different post altogether. My point is, I've become experienced in dealing with certain people where these type of assignments are brokered and let me tell you, it ain't pretty. Which brings me to the topic today. As a writer, it's important that you know your worth. Even if you're a novice like me, and don't feel like you can (or should) top bill people. Know your worth! It's not ok to let people low ball you or try to get away with not paying you for the services you offer. I had a potential client try this with me today. I'm proud to say that I stood up for myself. The client wanted me to write between 40,000 and 60,000 words on a novel, had no idea what the premise of the work should be, and the kicker... only wanted to pay me $250.00 for the work, and needed it in three weeks. Ummm. No. Not happening. If any of you have tried your hand at Nanowrimo, you know how difficult it can be to write 50,000 words in thirty days. It's doable, but it isn't pretty either. Last time I checked, I'm not a miracle worker. I could've tried it, but the whole thing was just laughably crazy. I politely told the client that I couldn't help her, and that I hoped she could locate a freelancer who would. Moral of the story, even though I want to write full time, and get paid for my writing, somethings are just better left undone. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If there is something you'd like to see me cover in a future blog please leave me a comment below. If you like my content, please don't forget to follow me here on the forum. Also, I can be found more frequently on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/korbynblakeauthor/ Where I post far funnier photos of all manner of interesting things like, you know, cats 'n stuff. Who doesn't love cats? This is the internet. Just sayin'. Happy writing! -Corbyn
Happy Hump Day Minions!! (Yes calling you few people who read this minion is growing on me.) Last week we talked about how and why using the CRAVE strategy can help you in your endeavors of worldly social media and marketing dominance. If you missed that blog, here's a handy link: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/c-r-a-v-e-and-why-its-a-great-strategy-for-social-media.64334/#comment-11486 Today's blog post is brought to you by forum member @Magus who kindly asked last week if I had ever done posts on Narrative specifics. I hadn't... so here we go! Narrative What the heck is it, and why does it matter to us as authors? Well, for those of you like me who aren't really in the know about spiffy writing terms, a narrative is your story. Easy right? Well, if it were, I wouldn't be doing a blog post about it, and none of us would be struggling to write. The narrative is made up of many (and I do mean MANY) different components like voice, point of view, style and devices to name a few. I've briefly touched on points of view in the past; style is also relatively straightforward. So today we'll be talking about voice. Voice is unique to each author. No two people think alike, and no two people see situations or events in the same way. This is why police have a hard time with multiple witnesses to a crime. You've probably seen this in your writing groups if you've ever participated in a group write in with a prompt or as a part of a themed compilation. So why is that important? Well, if you're ghostwriting for someone else, it can be a pain in the neck, especially if they already have parts of the story written. Sometimes as writers we are required to match someone else's voice, like in a collaborative effort. But beyond that, as a writer, it can be challenging to find your voice. But Corbyn, you just said everyone has their own unique voice. I did. But that doesn't mean that an author doesn't have to cultivate it. Everyone speaks and writes a certain way, but your voice is more than that, especially when telling the story of a character. This is something that I struggle with. Sometimes my characters come off to well spoken. I mean them to be, but not overly polished. Just a little bit better than a common thug. I tend to go excessively formal. I don't think of myself that way, but I realize that most of it is me coming off too loud when it should be the characters personality driving the story instead. Your voice also has to do with your willingness to use dialect, tone, and even how much violence or swearing you put into your writing. Cooler people call this edgy writing. (I'm not that cool.) It takes work in the form of editing and revision to dial these issues down, or change them. A retraining of your brain if you will. Sometimes I find that to be the hardest part. Retraining myself not to get in the way as I see the story section play out in my head. (I know that sounds a little weird, but I'm not mental... promise ) I'd almost rather see the scenes play out because I know then that the character is driving the story, and it's coming naturally, not me forcing the writing. The bottom line when it comes to voice is that you have to practice the things that work for you until it becomes a habit. If it's a habit, then you'll have fewer issues in the long run with pesky problems like writer's block. And on that note minions, you'll be happy to know that our world domination plans are kicking into high gear. I'll be posting more frequently both here on the blog and to the novel workshop as I pluck away at my latest novel. I've gotta pay for your cookies and DSL somehow! As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. Happy writing! -Corbyn
In yesterdays post I went over how to ID and why you need a target audience. If you missed the piece, here's a handy link: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/identifying-your-target-audience-reader.64327/ So, you've got your target audience, now what? Yeah, they're essential, but how does that help you in marketing your latest endeavor? Today we'll be taking what we've learned a step further by discussing the CRAVE method and how it can help you take your social media to that next level. CRAVE is an acronym used for a set of five elements which can help you build and engage your social media audience, get around pesky algorithms, and make your platform all that it needs to be. These five strategies revolve around content, reliability, asking questions, providing value, and audience engagement. Content- As many of us know, not all content is created equal. It's evident everywhere you look online these days. Here in the forum, the endless sea of blog posts available, and so on. With so much information available online, it can become easy to fall through the cracks with your platform. The solution? Provide and become a source of quality content. The type of content that your reader actively seeks out. A few examples of this might be The Bangor Main Police Facebook page, their Sgt TC posts hilarious pieces that have become a staple online, and garner attention all over the country. The point is people actively seek out the page and don't necessarily wait to receive updates via their feeds for this page. TC achieved this by brandishing a razor-sharp wit while reciting overly fictionalized events, and by promoting the departments Duck of Justice. Twitter has many equally funny examples like Ryan Reynolds, and the list goes on. Reliability- I know this isn't my strong suit, but that's why it's on this list (which I didn't create btw). The problem for many of us is that to get to the point where people crave our posts/interaction we have to provide reliable content. It may not always be funny, but it should be consistent, and it should be on average good content. Everyone has a bad day, but you still need to post and stick to whatever your posting schedule is. Ask Questions- So much of social media marketing anymore is driven toward engagement, which we'll talk about later, but equally important is drawing your audience in. That goes hand in hand with feedback. It can make or break a platform if you don't have feedback from your audience. They also need to know that you care what they think. Asking questions starts a dialogue that will benefit both you and your audience innumerably. Value- Even in our digital world readers/audiences need a sense of value. They're giving you their time and attention in exchange for something that they hope will be of equal or greater value, usually knowledge of some kind. Know your audience, and always offer them something of value. This will also drive them to seek out your platform over others, and keep them coming back for more even if you aren't necessarily toppling their news feeds. Engagement- This is another biggie that I struggle with. Engaging people has been hard for me. But I'm learning that to engage a platform it means more than just trying to get a dialogue going. Sometimes it means letting your audience know that you're there for them. How do you do that? As we talked about yesterday, this step involves being active in the places where you are finding your readers to haunt most frequently. It could mean being more involved in a forum, local events, or in online groups. Where ever your target audience is, so should you be. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. Happy writing! -Corbyn
Hello readers! It's a been a while, and for that, I'm deeply sorry. I've been toying with post ideas and wanted to bring you all something of substance, not filler. And on that note, today I'll be tackling how to identify your target audience (and why you should). "Writers write first for themselves, and edit for their reader." -UNK I can't remember who said that, but it's true. Every one of us writes for our own reasons, usually ourselves, and then edit our work with a clear goal in mind. For some of us, it's to entertain, for others, it's to drive a message home to our readers. But many of us (myself included) struggle to realize who exactly it is that we struggle to write for. Now, I know some of you are thinking, it doesn't matter who you're writing for, and for some of us that is certainly true, but there are a few of us who have a goal to publish and entertain. This post is for all of us who fit into that latter category. Knowing who you're writing for is more than just knowing what genre you hope to write in. If you know who you want to write for, it can help tailor your story, and later even your marketing/business strategies. As an Indie Author being able to focus your business and marketing can be a huge benefit, especially if you're still struggling to build social media platforms. In my case, I hope to appeal to a broad base of Urban Fantasy readers. Given that I know I want to target these people, you may be thinking, ok you're set. But I'm not. Simply knowing I need to target UF readers isn't enough. It doesn't give me the information I need to be able to connect with people in a way that will help me build a platform (your platform is another way of saying your audience). If I took this information now and tried to apply or use it, it would be like tossing a twig into a lake, it would float, or sink, but I wouldn't make much of a ripple on the water. So, what do I do in order to really find a target audience? Well, first I had to realize what kind of people I need to be looking for. When building a platform, you want to find diehard fans. If you're familiar with Firefly, these people are called Browncoats. Every fandom has their own versions. These are the people who spread the word about their fandoms and become so engrossed in the worlds they love that they go to cons, and have every piece of merchandising known to man related to their fandom. Imagine if you had 100 of these people. What could that do for your platform? Your sales? We can all agree that we realize the importance of superfans. But how do you find these people? How do you engage them in a way that will help you with your writerly goals of world domination? Brace yourself reader. You join Facebook groups, you interact with them on forums, and in feeds or blogs. I know, you're thinking, what? All this and you're going to tell me to talk to them? Befriend them? Yep. That's it. You interact and study them. Why? So that they seek out your opinion and interactions. Think about this forum, how many writers here do you actively look forward to interacting with? I can think of several members who make this forum that much more fun. We go to each other for advice, read and comment on each other's blogs, in a way we study each others writing journies hoping to learn from each other in a way that will aid us in our own paths. Identifying and interacting with your audience is exactly the same. But whatever you do, while you're building that trust, don't make the newbie mistake that so many of us make. Don't go into these places and automatically post about your work. Don't brag, boast, and throw up meaningless pieces that nobody will relate to because they don't know you. Take the time to make connections. Your platform will thank you for it. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. Also, my next world domination plot is coming along so nicely that I've decided to open up applications for minions. Should you decide to apply, please know that I cannot guarantee health or safety. I offer no insurance or 401k incentives, but I do have some pretty kick a$$ cookies. Come to the dark side, you won't regret it. Thank you for reading, and above all— Happy writing! -Corbyn
In last weeks post on creating confidence in yourself and your writing, we talked about the need to surround ourselves with people who were encouraging and supportive. If you haven't read the post you can do so here: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/building-confidence-in-yourself-and-your-writing.64266/#comment-11311 Today I'd like to take that topic a step further and discuss how surrounding yourself with those people (and actively seeking them out) can do more than just foster your confidence. Yes, today we'll be talking about the necessity of Networking. STOP! Don't run away! If you're like me, you probably feel like that word (networking) is or should be considered a four-letter word. You're probably thinking, but Corbyn- I hate people, or I can't be normal in social situations. Well me too, but that doesn't change the fact that as writers we can gain far more from taking the time to seek out like-minded people, and exploit them for our world domination schemes (insert evil laugh here). I've talked before about the local writer's group that I was a part of, but most of you may not know that some states or countries have more than just regular writers groups. I was a member of the Texas High Plains Writers. This group was a pro writers community that met bi-monthly. It offered workshops on everything from indie publishing, to building your brand, grammar, you name it, and they did it. I was so fortunate to be able to attend these meetings, and I miss them dearly. For everything that the group was, it was above all a place to network with like-minded individuals. Through the group, I found editors, critique partners, help with book cover designs, and so very much more. Because of this group, I got my first freelance gig back in 2013. It didn't last long or pay well, but the experience was well worth it. My point is that you're reading this. That means you use this forum, and hopefully to its full potential. If you can use this forum, you can network with other creative types to further your craft. You can do so and get helpful tips on how to publish, or write a different kind of story. Sometimes to get to where we want to be, we have to practice not only have the confidence to say we're writers but also practice interacting with other creatives and use those connections to further our goals. You never know when someone you've met here might have that one piece of information ( or know someone else) who could make all the difference between your piece being accepted or rejected, or even becoming next best thing since sliced bread. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. And if you do figure out how to make that laser powerful enough to take over the world, remember who pushed you to further your goals and cut a poor girl in will ya? Thank you for reading, and above all— Happy writing! -Corbyn
Today I'll be continuing the topic of retraining our writerly brain. If you live under a rock, or just didn't have time to read my last post Are you a good writer? Then please check it out here: https://www.writingforums.org/blog/corbyn.18335/ Do you lack confidence in your daily life? Do you lack confidence in your writing? Do you find yourself writing something, then not picking it back up for days, weeks, or months because you feel like it's terrible or you've done a disservice to your writing? Are you missing your writing goals because of this? Is your lack of confidence affecting how you interact with people you work with or the relationships you have with friends and loved ones? I know, those are a lot of questions. But if you answered yes to even one of them, then you're not alone. On any occasion, I have trouble with confidence. I've never possessed an overabundance (or even a minor abundance) of the stuff. It's frustrating. It makes my interactions with people awkward, and sometimes it makes it difficult for me to take a compliment regarding my work, or even myself. This quirk frustrates the people around me sometimes. So, like with nearly everything I find interesting, when I saw a vlog about building confidence in yourself, I thought I'd share what I learned from it. Here are the five tips on how to foster confidence in yourself, and your writing. 1. Fake it until you make it. (This is something you've all seen me say before, but don't roll your eyes, bear with me) Faking it doesn't mean being a jerk or disingenuous. It's quite the opposite in fact. Confidence doesn't happen overnight, but instead is a result of retraining your brain until it realizes hey, I've got this! It's a result of behaving and carrying yourself that exudes an aura of confidence, even though you don't feel that way. It can be as simple as changing your posture, making eye contact, or at least trying to look people in the eye more, and talking about your work as if you believe in it. Walk into a situation like the boss bad a$$ you want to be. Why, because people are hard-wired to respect people who behave more confidently. They will value your opinion and presence more because of this. 2. Stop comparing yourself to other writers. Thankfully, I don't do this, but I know a ton of other writers who do. Your work is just that. Yours. It is unique, and nobody can write what you do the way you do because they aren't you. So stop worrying about how your Sci-Fi western opera is going to shape up, or if you're going to be the next Stephen King. Nobody, not even King's kids feel like they can fill those shoes, so why are you so worried about it? 3. Fill your life with positive reinforcement. As creative people, we've all been there. Our families and friends love us, but sometimes they don't get us, or worse... they don't know how to talk to us. They don't always know how to be supportive either, or how to pick up our fragile egos and stoke them until they can stand on their own. Surround yourself with people who get what it's like to want to live a creative life, support and nurture them just in the same ways that you need to be. Also, start a folder for yourself and fill it with compliments about you or your work. When you start to feel down, pull out your folder. It's too easy to forget the nice things people say to us, and sometimes we just need a reminder. 4. Find your on switch. Everyone has something (or if your lucky a few somethings) that make us feel good about ourselves. This could be a song that makes you feel a specific way or a movie. The point is to surround yourself with things that make you feel good. When you find that thing which works for you, milk it. 5. Practice. Practice the things that make you feel passionate. If it's writing, then write. Don't stop. When you stop practicing you're robbing yourself of the very things that make you a better writer. The better your writing becomes, the more confident you, in turn, will become in your work. Confident writers trust their skill because they've put in the time. Writers write. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading, and above all— Happy writing! -Corbyn
For many years, writing was my dirty little secret. It was something that I started doing after I graduated to entertain myself. I was lonely, and the people I met online gave me an outlet that I never thought or dreamed could exist. I didn’t turn to wanting to write for others until around 2011, but even then, it was still something that I rarely shared. Why? Because like most writers I was afraid. Afraid to let my words go, afraid to share myself and be rejected, but most of all, afraid that I wasn’t good enough. And I think that is the core problem that most of us face. Self-doubt chews at the leg of every writer whether they’re famous, or not. Will I ever finish my book? Will I find an agent? Will I be published? Will my audience like this? Will I find an audience? All of these stemming from that hateful little goblin of self-doubt. We as writers have to stop thinking this way. To borrow from a great book and movie: “You is smart, You is kind, You is important.” -The Help The first time I heard those words, I bawled like a baby. I still do. You will always be your worst critique, but why not be your loudest supporter as well? You are important, and so are your words. It’s not a matter of being a good writer. You are a good writer. The point is to become an effective one. So how do we do that? How do we become effective writers? We change our mindset. We realize that there are tools to help us become more effective. Here is a list of general habits that can help you become a more effective writer, and they also apply to other disciplines like painting, or music. 1. Read. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they want to write, but they don’t read! This blows my mind. If you are already reading, read more, and in various other genres you’d likely not pick up. You are only limited in what you can learn by what you do or do not pick up to read or watch for that matter. But as a writer, reading is especially important. It’s helpful to absorb tricks of the trade from other people who’ve been on this journey. 2. Get an editor. Writer’s who strive to be better or more effective know that even they need help. Every large name author has someone who reads their work whom they work through the editing process with. It’s part of the journey, and sometimes it can take multiple edits to end up with a finished product. 3. Capture ideas. Creative people gather input, ideas, and inspirations for their work. Write it down! You may think you’ll remember that stellar idea you had last night, but how often do you? Write it down! 4. Write every day. This is essential. Forming a writing habit and sticking to it is the difference between wanting to be a writer, and someone who constantly says they eventually want to write. Writers write. 5. Rewrite. Distill the fluff of your piece into a work of art. Stephen King refers to it as “killing your darlings.” It’s never pretty, but when finished with this necessary task, you may find a hidden gem you didn’t even know you had or were capable of. 6. Get Inspired. It doesn’t matter if you refer to it as your muse, inspiration, or whatever it maybe. Sometimes there is a part of writing that just comes to us. It’s beautiful when it happens, and for some like me, rare. Sometimes you have to do things to foster your inspiration, take a walk, do something different, discover a process. Inspiration is never set in stone. But above all, don’t be a lazy writer. I say that because it’s a struggle to make sure your work is ready. It’s something I wrestle with, and I’m always upset with myself when I realize I took the easy route on a piece. The internet is full of lazy writers. These are the people who make being an Indy author hard. They spit out a story and have tacked it up on Amazon because it would be cool to publish. They’re the reason we need to be EFFECTIVE writers. People desperately want clarity to filter out all the noise and spam that comes naturally to the online world. Don’t squander your writing gifts. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading, and above all… Happy writing! -Corbyn