http://www.hopewrites.com Tips For Working & Aspiring Writers Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:12:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I thought I'd post a quick list of some of my latest Hub Pages. (FYI: If you haven't already noticed, I keep a running list of them in the sidebar.) Warning Signs Of Childhood Depression Stop Stress Dead in its Tracks Some Signs of Poor Self-Esteem A Quick Guide ... http://www.hopewrites.com/my-latest-hub-pages/ Sorry I've been MIA for a bit! I've been doing a lot of re-prioritizing and figuring out where to go and what to do. Plus I've been busy with personal stuff, so all of this left little time for blogging here. I've made a huge, life-altering decision for myself in ... http://www.hopewrites.com/things-change/ My bosom buddy is hosting a contest on her blog right now. She's giving away a copy of A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: Image-Driven Story Prompts and Exercises for Writers. If she weren't my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and if she hadn't already sent me a ... http://www.hopewrites.com/win-a-book/ Note from Hope: Sorry...I forgot to post this final article in this series Friday. Things have been wild around here lately! In the final installment of this four-part series, I want to talk with you about embracing who you are--as a person and as a writer. Some writers find ... http://www.hopewrites.com/embrace-who-you-are-tws-part-4/ There are demons every writer must face. You know, those sneaky little things that discourage you and make you want to run and hide and just forget about writing altogether. You must face these things head-on. You can't run and you certainly can't hide from them. Because if ... http://www.hopewrites.com/face-your-demons-tws-part-3/ Read the first post in this series - Discover Your Writing Voice Whether you are a writer or not, I think we've all struggled to find our purpose in life. Writers seem to have an especially difficult time, as we clamber to discover what our purpose ... http://www.hopewrites.com/find-your-purpose-tws-part-2/ A lot of writers struggle with finding their voice. I personally believe new writers make too big of a deal out of this. Instead of practicing the craft of writing and learning how to write well, some struggle over finding their writing voice. I speak from experience. Many moons ... http://www.hopewrites.com/discover-your-writing-voice-tws-part-1/ I've been thinking a lot about certain times in my life when I went through what seemed to be unbearable trials. Years later I can look back and see the lessons in those times. But when I was smack dab in the middle of it all, it ... http://www.hopewrites.com/the-writers-struggle/ All too often would-be writers talk themselves out of the pleasure and joy of writing all because they think it's too hard. Are you rocking that same boat? Let me tell you right now...all those people who say writing is terribly hard are lying to you. Writing isn't hard. ... http://www.hopewrites.com/writing-is-easy/ I visit a lot of blogs and forums throughout the course of a week. I read a lot, both online and off. My weekend off did me some good, but now that I'm back and getting back into my routine, I'm finding myself somewhat irritated and disgruntled. I ... http://www.hopewrites.com/the-same-old-same-old/ At some point, every writer reaches a point of nothingness. Despite how hard you try, you feel devoid and empty of anything worthy to write about. I've been talking about this a lot lately, I know. But sometimes I think it's important to stop, breathe, and just "be" for a ... http://www.hopewrites.com/writing-too-much/ Have you ever wondered what happens when a writer doesn't write? This weekend was a non-writing weekend for me. When my husband told me he had to work all weekend, I was bummed. He missed Easter last year because he was working, and to be honest, I didn't ... http://www.hopewrites.com/when-a-writer-doesnt-write/ Are you afraid of failure? Do you often wish you had the courage to go for your dreams or desires? I am going to give you some simple tips you can use to start overcoming your fear of failure. Take charge of the situation. First and foremost, you must ... http://www.hopewrites.com/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-failure/ As a writer, you might think your one and only job is to create the best (or perfect) words that your readers or clients will adore. So to that end I ask you: What do you sell? Are you selling... hype? hope? ... http://www.hopewrites.com/what-do-you-sell/ I thought I'd share another personal blog of mine, for those of you who don't already know about it. I have a self-improvement blog, called Nurtured Soul. Check it out, if you're need some motivation, or a little mental pick-me-up: http://www.nurturedsoul.com. http://www.hopewrites.com/need-a-little-boost/ There comes a point in every writer's life when you feel unsatisfied with what you're doing. You write and write, but can never seem to quench your thirst for something more or different. When you feel this way, it's time to write what you love. Too many of us writers think ... http://www.hopewrites.com/write-what-you-love/ Writing is a lonely job. You sit alone with your pen and paper, or computer, and produce gobs of words every day. You think, breathe, eat, sleep, talk, walk writing all the time. And for the most part, you do it alone. Writing isn't like many other professions. ... http://www.hopewrites.com/one-is-the-loneliest-number/ What a nice surprise! Laura, over at WritingThoughts.com featured Hope Writes on her blog today. Thanks Laura! If you haven't discovered Writing Thoughts yet, it's another great writing blog to add to your reading list. Check it out today: http://www.writingthoughts.com/ http://www.hopewrites.com/hope-writes-featured-on-writingthoughtscom/ One common misconception about article marketing is that you can write and submit a handful of articles and receive a large influx of benefits (web traffic, sales, etc.). This simply isn't true. Couldn't be further from the truth. As you begin to build your own stock of information ... http://www.hopewrites.com/article-marketing-is-a-long-term-strategy/ For many new stay-at-home-moms and -dads, earning a respectable income at home becomes of utmost importance. After all, just because you're staying home with the kids, that doesn't mean you aren't capable of, or don't desire to earn your own money to contribute to your family's income. One at-home business ... http://www.hopewrites.com/a-look-at-writing-as-a-viable-home-based-business-option/