My Top Writing Tips
- By Gina Agderian
- •
- 22 Dec, 2018
How to draft a document that is crafty, clever, and coherant
- Clear your world of distractions and take a deep breath. Decent writing does not come from a stressed-out writer, although some writers will argue that they work best under pressure. But for most people, stress = poorly-written sentences. Mute your phone, close your office door, meditate...do whatever you need to do to relax and focus.
- Think positively. If you think you are a terrible writer, then guess what? You'll be a terrible writer. I know this sounds hokey, but there is value in approaching all writing with a positive attitude. Staring at your computer screen with a brain full of dread is not going to do you any favors. Imagine yourself typing away as the words flow from your brain to your computer keys. Tell yourself that you've got this - because you do!
- Create an outline. This is my biggest piece of writing advice! Creating an outline essentially gives you a road map from the beginning to the end of your document. It helps you to organize your thoughts, allows you to easily change the order of what you want to say, and helps you ensure that you won't forget any points or pieces of information. I always say that once you create an outline for your book or document, the book or document basically writes itself. In fact, this very blog post was born from an outline. I can't stress this enough: create an outline. Writing becomes so much easier once you know exactly what you want to say.
- Take breaks to allow your brain to rest. Feeling drained? Get up and go for a walk around the block, throw in a load of laundry, or close your eyes for a few minutes. Unless you're on a tight deadline, don't force yourself to continue to write if you're tapped out. Taking a break gives your brain time to recharge and refocus.
- Walk away and come back to your work. If time is on your side, let your work sit and come back to it the next day with fresh eyes. You may think you just drafted something to rival Hemingway, but sometimes we stare at our work for too long and don't see some very obvious errors that we've made. I can't tell you how many times I've written something that I thought was pure literary genius, only to come back to it the next day and say to myself, "What the heck was I thinking?" The first draft is the worst draft.
- Read your work out loud. You'll find spelling errors, grammatical errors, and sentences/paragraphs that just don't make sense. Words sound much different when they're spoken vs. when they're read silently. Reading your work out loud is especially helpful when you're trying to find a different way to say something.
- Read, read, read. One of the keys to becoming a writing whiz is to read as often as you can. Reading helps you become familiar with sentence structure, expands your vocabulary, and develops your brain. You cannot become a bang-up writer if you never read!
As a self-published author, I never dreamed that I would actually have the opportunity to do a book signing. It's quite humbling, actually. This opportunity came to me when one of my husband's friends attended an event at the Bergenfield Library and ended up speaking with someone about my book. They put me in contact with the person in charge of events, and before I knew it, my signing was scheduled! I'm hoping one day I will have a self-published best seller, but for now, I'm still in awe of what my dream of becoming a writer and a lot of hard work have brought me. It's still strange for me to see my name on the cover of a book!
If you're local, I would love for you to attend the book signing so I can meet you and personally thank you for sharing this journey with me. I hope to see some of you there!
CanvasRebel had reached out to me several weeks ago asking me if I'd be willing to share my journey as a self-published author. This publication features the stories of micro-creators and gives us an opportunity to shine. I was thrilled to share my experience and knowledge of self-publishing a book and how my upbringing shaped my creative journey and who I am today. I love sharing my story because it gives me a chance to inspire others. I would often look to other independent creatives as proof that someone could self-publish their way to success. I hope that this article inspires readers to follow their dreams and to not wait for a traditional publisher to give them the "ok" to share their work with the world. I am thrilled that the article is now live for the world to read!
Summer is coming, and my novel The Letters in the Old House is a great summer read! The story takes place down the Jersey Shore and is perfect for a day at the beach or lake. You can also check out my YouTube channel for book reviews and other fun videos.
Like most creatives, I am constantly dreaming up new ways to leverage my creativity, expand my GSellsSeashells brand, and connect with my readers. I’ve been working on some fun projects that I am excited to share with you!
First, I have published two journals on KDP that are now available on Amazon! These journals are 100% designed by me and have two very different vibes. THIS JOURNALis hardcover and has a tropical vibe featuring palm tree designs on the pages. There’s something about it that reminds me of the Beverly Hills Hotel, even though I haven’t yet visited…or maybe I’ve been watching too many of Josh Flagg’s scenes on Million Dollar Listing LA . Either way, this journal has a cool, swanky feel that will make you feel like you’re staying at a world-class resort hotel.
My second recently-published journal has a nautical vibe. THIS JOURNALis softcover and perfect for jotting down your summer plans and adventures. I am in love with the colors used in the cover design.
I’ve also started a YouTube channel, which is something I always swore I’d never do. There is something so cringey about filming myself. I feel awkward sitting in front of my phone and filming myself, but I’m slowly becoming more comfortable in front of the camera. My YouTube channelfeatures quick book reviews and a few YouTube Shorts for now, but my plan is to keep the full-length videos focused on book reviews and writing tips and have some fun Shorts of travel, life, etc. However, this could change, so we’ll see where it goes!
I’m keeping my 2023 mantra of “Endless Possibilities” at the forefront of everything that I’ve been working on. My goal is to connect with my readers in different ways, even if it means creating journals when I have absolutely zero design experience and filming myself awkwardly talking about books that I’ve read. Straying outside of your comfort zone is the only way you can grow. You never know what will resonate with someone or who is watching!
As always, I am eternally grateful for your support! You can p urchase my novel The Letters in the Old House on Amazon in paperback or Kindle, and you can visit my YouTube channelto learn more about what I’ve been reading.
As a self-published author, I never dreamed that I would actually have the opportunity to do a book signing. It's quite humbling, actually. This opportunity came to me when one of my husband's friends attended an event at the Bergenfield Library and ended up speaking with someone about my book. They put me in contact with the person in charge of events, and before I knew it, my signing was scheduled! I'm hoping one day I will have a self-published best seller, but for now, I'm still in awe of what my dream of becoming a writer and a lot of hard work have brought me. It's still strange for me to see my name on the cover of a book!
If you're local, I would love for you to attend the book signing so I can meet you and personally thank you for sharing this journey with me. I hope to see some of you there!
CanvasRebel had reached out to me several weeks ago asking me if I'd be willing to share my journey as a self-published author. This publication features the stories of micro-creators and gives us an opportunity to shine. I was thrilled to share my experience and knowledge of self-publishing a book and how my upbringing shaped my creative journey and who I am today. I love sharing my story because it gives me a chance to inspire others. I would often look to other independent creatives as proof that someone could self-publish their way to success. I hope that this article inspires readers to follow their dreams and to not wait for a traditional publisher to give them the "ok" to share their work with the world. I am thrilled that the article is now live for the world to read!
Summer is coming, and my novel The Letters in the Old House is a great summer read! The story takes place down the Jersey Shore and is perfect for a day at the beach or lake. You can also check out my YouTube channel for book reviews and other fun videos.
Like most creatives, I am constantly dreaming up new ways to leverage my creativity, expand my GSellsSeashells brand, and connect with my readers. I’ve been working on some fun projects that I am excited to share with you!
First, I have published two journals on KDP that are now available on Amazon! These journals are 100% designed by me and have two very different vibes. THIS JOURNALis hardcover and has a tropical vibe featuring palm tree designs on the pages. There’s something about it that reminds me of the Beverly Hills Hotel, even though I haven’t yet visited…or maybe I’ve been watching too many of Josh Flagg’s scenes on Million Dollar Listing LA . Either way, this journal has a cool, swanky feel that will make you feel like you’re staying at a world-class resort hotel.
My second recently-published journal has a nautical vibe. THIS JOURNALis softcover and perfect for jotting down your summer plans and adventures. I am in love with the colors used in the cover design.
I’ve also started a YouTube channel, which is something I always swore I’d never do. There is something so cringey about filming myself. I feel awkward sitting in front of my phone and filming myself, but I’m slowly becoming more comfortable in front of the camera. My YouTube channelfeatures quick book reviews and a few YouTube Shorts for now, but my plan is to keep the full-length videos focused on book reviews and writing tips and have some fun Shorts of travel, life, etc. However, this could change, so we’ll see where it goes!
I’m keeping my 2023 mantra of “Endless Possibilities” at the forefront of everything that I’ve been working on. My goal is to connect with my readers in different ways, even if it means creating journals when I have absolutely zero design experience and filming myself awkwardly talking about books that I’ve read. Straying outside of your comfort zone is the only way you can grow. You never know what will resonate with someone or who is watching!
As always, I am eternally grateful for your support! You can p urchase my novel The Letters in the Old House on Amazon in paperback or Kindle, and you can visit my YouTube channelto learn more about what I’ve been reading.
EXCITING NEWS: I have released the title of my second novel! I had already sent an email blast to my subscribers, so please sign up for my email list if you want to be the first to know of any updates or fun announcements. Simply visit my homepage and scroll to the bottom where you’ll be able to enter your email address. And now for the fun announcement!
Drumroll, please…
The title of my second novel is…
The Faceless Woman ! I had this title picked out almost from the beginning of the outlining process, unlike The Letters in the Old House , which received its title after going through revisions. It has been interesting to see how different the entire process has been from my first to my second novel. I’m now able to take what I learned when writing The Letters in the Old House and apply it to The Faceless Woman . I don’t think writing a novel will ever become any easier, but I feel more equipped to handle everything this time around.
I’m also happy to share that I have COMPLETED my first draft of The Faceless Woman ! I had the luxury of recently spending a month in the Poconos with my husband and I was able to get some writing done during our trip. I sat myself down on our last night there and didn’t move for three hours while I finished the first draft of the novel. It is far from perfect and a complete mess, but at least I now have something to work with when revising and editing. The story is slowly but surely taking shape!
As always, thank you so much for your interest, support, and love. I write because I want to, not because I have to. Writing and creating is a labor of love for me, and it makes me so happy when someone tells me that they enjoyed my work.
You can purchase The Letters in the Old House on Amazon by clicking HERE . As always, happy reading!
