Writing accountability: how other people keep you on track
Research shows that using other people to keep you on track leads to greater success in achieving goals. Here’s some top tips on how other people can hold you to account. Psychologist Dr Gail Matthews from the Dominican University of California found that people who...
How to combat your inner writing critic and stop worrying
It’s perfectly normal to question your own writing abilities and to worry that you’re not up to the job. In fact, it’s very healthy. After all, believing you’re God’s gift to your chosen field leaves you vulnerable to criticism and rejection. But when those...
10 ways to avoid the sticky middle and build a writing system that works
At one time you couldn’t wait to get working on your writing project? But now you approach it with dread. Social media’s become cat nip. Writing sessions feel tortuous. You question EVERYTHING. Are you going backwards, forwards or around in circles – who knows?...
How publishers can help academic authors avoid early career burnout
Whilst many publishers and scholarly institutions do a great job of helping academic authors with technical blockers such as how to navigate the publishing process, how to select a journal, write to format or explain peer review...
How publishers can attract superstar scholarly writers
Highly-cited academic authors at the top of their game might seem unreachable for some publishers and scholarly societies. However, research reveals that understanding the motivations of these superstar scholars and leveraging their desire to write long-form and be...
Publish or perish: the barriers facing early career academic writers
Out of the many thousands of writers we’ve worked with, one group is under more pressure to write than others: early career researchers. We took a deep dive into the experience of academic writers at the start of their writing career to investigate the barriers they...
How to write a short story – 8 expert tips
Short story writing might be a super-popular way into long-form writing fiction but don't mistake short for easy. Here, prize-winning short story writer and novelist Rachel Connor, shares her eight best coaching tips teaching you how to write a short story - from...
How to write young adult fiction – 7 lessons from an expert
When author Liz Flanagan wanted to learn how to write young adult (YA) fiction she spoke to some of the best YA novelists in the world. Now a YA writer herself with two books published and a Carnegie Medal nomination under her belt, she reveals the advice that stuck....
How to write a memoir – 7 tips from an expert
When Jackie Buxton was diagnosed with cancer, she did what she always does when life presents her with a challenge: she started writing. Author of award-winning book Tea & Chemo, Jackie shares her 7 best tips on how to write a memoir and develop a piece of life...
How to be prolific: Joanna Penn in conversation with Bec Evans
Why is being prolific so important for long-term success as a writer? And how can you develop your own creative process so you can be more prolific? That’s what Joanna Penn of the Creative Penn podcast asked me. Here’s an edited extract of the interview where we...
7 step training plan for running a personal writing sprint
Writing sprints provide boundaries which in turn, give you clarity and focus. The idea behind them is to move your project forwards quickly over a short, intense burst of time. A sprint's not so very different from a writing splurge or binge, but it's more focussed...
The positive creative impact of limits
Everyone has their own method of coaxing their creative gene out of the bottle - but the myth still lingers that true creativity only appears when the mind is set free from constraint and allowed to wander. Whilst it might work for some, research now proves that to be...