Some time ago, I read somewhere that blogs were dead. Online communication has mutated in such way that this kind of platform is no longer relevant. At least not as relevant as it “used to be.”
I disagree with that idea. Blogs are still very much alive. They’re the window to a person’s mind and creative crafts. It’s a platform where someone can introduce themselves to the online world without any editorial guidelines.
One of my favourite chapters in Keep Going by Austin Kleon is “Forget the noun, do the verb.”
Let go of the thing that you’re trying to be (the noun), and focus on the actual work you need to be doing (the verb). Doing the verb will take you someplace further and far more interesting.
If you want to be a writer, first of all, you need to be writing something. It doesn’t matter what title you give yourself if you’re not actually spending your time with words.
A “verb”, in this context, is an action. Creating. Crafting. Writing. Editing. Those are the steps that take you places. The “noun” is a title that you give yourself or that someone else assigns you.
If you wait for someone to give you a job title before you do the work, you might never get to do the work at all. You can’t wait around for someone to call you an artist before you make art.
So choose the action over a random title. Your actions define your results at the end of the day.
What are your thoughts?
The beginning of a new year is one of my favourite seasons. Everybody is genuinely trying to be a better version of themselves. I think this is a noble cause. We can affect our environment a little bit by bringing some positives vibes.
At the same time, we wonder how long we’ll be able to maintain our goals and turn them into a reality. While it’s a long journey that requires a lot of energy, I recommend focusing on solutions rather than resolutions to obtain realistic results.
Here’s a few more thoughts and my list of personal objectives for 2020.
I recently read an article about becoming a prolific writer. The key is pretty nice and simple: Write a lot.
It’s a simple truth and couldn’t agree more with it. It makes sense to write as much as possible to offer multiple readings in multiple formats. One of the first forms of writing that comes to mind is blogging. While you’re working on your manuscript, your online presence should stay active in some way. Posting a couple of entries per week (or per month) keeps exercising your writing skills.
If you have an audience that enjoy hearing from you and your work, it’s also a way of keeping them informed on your most recent activities. On the other hand, if your blog is not popular yet, it’s always a good idea to start building an audience and tell them about your writing.
That article also reminded me of one of the many ideas that Joanna Penn has shared around multiple streams of income. It’s not enough to publish one book and hope it sells millions of copies. It’s working on new ideas to keep producing more books.
Consider different genres and different formats like audio books, workbooks, and ebooks. The more you create, the more sources of income you’ll generate.
What do you think?
Some people are able to write 10,000 words a day. I’ve always thought that’s impressive, and I’m really happy they can reach a high word count. At the same time, I also think it’s fair to say that this goal is not for everyone. That’s okay.
Each writer sets different standards and, therefore, different goals.
Continue reading “Working one day at a time, and writing one word at a time”
I think of marketing and my writing life as a love-hate relationship. In my mind, marketing is all about hard sales and finding channels to keep generating profit.
After giving it some thought, I came to a realization: marketing is like maths. You can’t escape them. They’re always there. They’re part of your life, and you need them. Creative work is not the exception.
I am writing my first book. I started compiling ideas in 2016 and did most of the writing in 2017 and 2018.
Now that I’m going through the editing process, I see that the art of writing is not simple at all. I now understand why this can be such a challenging mission. It’s still fun. Don’t get me wrong.
In this entry, I want to document all my thoughts and experiences so far.
I’ve been thinking about the meaning of success. It is a concept that each person defines in a very unique way. I’d say it’s also the result of being convinced that you’re in the right place and doing what you really like.
Success is so personal, so I want to share what it means to me.
This is the second part of a series of articles I’m calling “Combo Skills” for writers.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the importance of combining different abilities to improve our writing style. The more I observe certain trends, the more I convince myself that it’s necessary to go beyond a pen and a piece of paper.
The first article focused on public speaking, and now I’m writing about the importance of developing design skills as a writer.
Continue reading “Combo Skills: Writing + Designing (Part 2)”
