Beginning last year, I made a commitment to really start focusing on becoming a better writer. With the help of some of my colleagues, I discovered there are so many ways to learn and improve everything I do as an author.
I want to share some of the things I am doing to help myself improve my writing and to learn how to properly market myself and my books.
As far as writing goes, there are so many online resources for writers. Free resources. I enrolled with Class Central, an online depository that draws from colleges and universities from all over the world. Through this resource, I am able to essentially audit courses across a myriad of subjects.
Through Class Central, I have completed one course, for a certificate, and am working on another. Both cover the basics of writing, which should be familiar to me. Yet, they were both incredible refreshers for me, reminding me of basic writing rules I tend to forget.
Another incredible resource is ProWriting Aid. Every month, PWA holds free events or webinars focusing on genre specific writing tips and techniques, often drawing in authors to share their own experiences, tips, tricks, and rules of the trade. In April, they will be hosting another Fantasy Writer’s Week, which is an incredible opportunity to learn more.
Then, of course, there are paid courses. I have avoided most of them, exactly because they cost money. And right now, income vs expenses are, well, it’s hard for me to put out more money when I am not sure of a return on my investment. And trust me, there are so many paid for courses for writing and marketing. Sadly, some are not worth the money, and some are flat out snake oil salesmen.
That said, I was recently able to attend a Q&A for Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors, which I was interested in because I desperately need to learn how to use ads effectively. During that Q&A, I was thrilled to find out I was gifted the course. I am now working my way through the course, and already it is proving to be invaluable.
I was also able to attend the Indie Capstone event hosted by Craig Martelle this month in Alaska. I can’t tell you how blown away I am by that experience. Even now, over a week later, I am still working through my notes, my to-do list, and my goals trying to really prioritize what to implement first. It’s humbling to learn how much I’ve been doing wrong, or just not doing at all, because I wasn’t aware I should be. ::sigh::
I don’t know where you are in your journey as a writer, if you are on the writing journey, but if you aren’t already doing this, please note:
Keep writing. Guard your writing time. Make it your priority. EVERYTHING else comes second.
Keep learning. There is no excuse not to. There are online resources. Free resources. Paid resources. But there are so many ways to learn, to hone your skills, and to learn new ways of doing things.
If you are not on the writing journey, but you are a bookworm, all of this writing and learning is for you. I truly want YOU to have the best experience when you are first discovering something I have written. I want you to add my books to your library as favorites that you look forward to reading again and again.
That is my goal. To become your favorite author.
I may not be there yet, but I hope you stick with me, because I am on my way.