Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Tips to Improve your Writing

Every writer needs tips on how to improve their writing. Whether you are just stuck at a certain point or need general ideas on how to edit you writing, we all need help sometime.

I found an excellent article today on how to improve your writing. Several different authors contributed to the article, which, in my opinion, only makes it better.



In essence, the article provides twenty-five helpful hints on how to improve your writing, including tips on what to do when you are stuck and the scene refuses to flow, where to find inspiration for your writing and several self-editing tips. The problems the writers state in the article are not new, but some of the solutions are quite engaging. Imagine talking to your piece of writing when you get stuck. Would you have thought of that? I never considered the possibility for fear someone might overhear and think I finally lost all my marbles. At least now I have an excuse by saying I read in an article that it might improve my writing.  

So although some of the 30 minute solutions sound a little (maybe more than a little?) crazy, I can whole-heartedly recommend the article 25 Ways to Improve your Writing in 30 Minutes a Day. You never know, someday you might be stuck and one of these solutions might just work.

Please read the article and tell me what you think. Do you think us beginner writers need more articles along these lines? Do you think that experienced writers could also benefit from the article? 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My First Book on Smashwords

Today I managed to publish my first Afrikaans novel on Smashwords.com. It was a long road before I finally managed to have the courage to attempt this. Smashwords.com publishes mainly English books, but I felt that people should have a choice to read some Afrikaans as well. 

Smashwords.com makes it easy to publish with them and if you follow the style guide they provide, you can format your book with relative ease. Hopefully I will be able to publish more of my novels there in the next couple of weeks. 

Sample or purchase Gogga op 'n Harley: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82039