Wednesday is for Writers...

I am trying something new for all you folks out there in the stratosphere... Wednesdays (when I can remember it is in fact, Wednesday) I want to post some links to blogs that I feel have really helped me in different areas to become both the person and the writer I wish to be and to pass on relevant information to other writers out there.

I've included articles this week on becoming more productive, how to limit your social media distractions, finding your muse, and what makes a good beta reader. There is also a blog post about one author's nightmare into a DMCA complaint.



Leo Babauta on Zen Habits
An Addict's Guide to Overcoming the Distraction Habit

"One of the insidious things about the distraction habit is that we often don’t even realize it’s happening. It sneaks up on us, like old age, and before we know it we’re addicted and powerless.

But actually we’re not powerless. The power we have is our awareness, and you can develop it right now. Pay attention to what sites you visit, how often you’re looking at your phone, how long you’re spending in front of a screen all day."


Joanna Penn on The Creative Penn
Productivity for Writers: 5 Ways to Become More Productive


"We all have 24 hours in the day, and we all have to balance the real life stuff with the writing. Before I was a full-time author-entrepreneur, I would get up at 5am and write, then go to work. After the day job, I would come home and get on with building my online business. We got rid of the TV so I would have more time to create, and I spent every weekend working. I was so focused on leaving my job that I cut out everything that got in the way. I was driven to schedule my time incredibly well in order to fit everything in.

Now, as a full-time author-entrepreneur, I still have to schedule everything. You might have noticed that I blog, podcast and speak professionally, as well as writing books. It’s just as hard to get everything done, let me assure you!"


Becca Mills on The Active Voice
Independent Publishing and  DMCA Abuse, or “How a Scammer Got my Book Blocked With Very Little Effort"

"On Friday, February 27, 2015, I noticed that my bookmarked Amazon.com link to my first novel, Nolander, was yielding, “We’re sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site.” I went to my Amazon dashboard and discovered the book had been blocked.

In my spam folder, I discovered an email from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon’s self-publishing arm, informing me that someone had sent in a DMCA notice. In response, Amazon had summarily blocked Nolander from sale.

“DMCA” stands for “Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” It’s a Clinton-era U.S. law that lays forth a process for dealing with copyright infringement online. If you find material online that infringes a copyright you hold, you can send the hosting website a DMCA notice; in order to be in compliance with U.S. law, the hosting website has to remove the material and notify the person who posted it."


Ruth Ann Nordin on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors
Beta Readers (Video/Post)

"A beta reader is a person who reads your book before it’s published.  A beta reader is a person who can look at the overall story and give you their impression of it.  But they are not an editor.  The editor is the one who goes in and polishes it up so it’s ready to be published."


Harvey Chapman on Novel Writing Help
How to Discover your Writer's Muse

"Brace yourself: this ultimate guide to finding your inner muse and writing more creatively isn't short! It may be one of the most important things you ever read, though.

Learning how to write with more creativity will not only improve the quality of your writing (i.e. make it more publishable). It will also make the journey a lot more fun."