Flowers and Tips From Suzanne Lieurance

Going through my inbox, I came across Suzanne's tips for writers who need to advance their careers. A little bit of a 'morning nudge' won't hurt.

Now that I am slowly learning how to carve a freelance writing career as part of my sabbatical, I need any tip I can get. These four tips really spoke to me during this important time. I love the 'try it' at the end of the tip. Do you rely on any tips? How do they work for you?


Tip #1
For many people who trudge off to a regular J-O-B each work day, Monday is definitely NOT their favorite day of the week.

But, for those of us lucky enough to be able to write full time from home, Monday is an exciting day because it's the start of another work week filled with pleasant possibilities.

No matter what you do for a living, try to think of Monday that way - as the start to a week full of pleasant possibilities.

When you start your week thinking positively like that, you'll have more energy, and you'll probably notice that many good things come your way during the next 5 days.

That's because "where our attention goes, we go."

Pay attention to the positive today and see where it leads you.

Try it.


Tip #2: Step Out of Your Box Today!
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Every once in a while, it's fun to step out of your usual writing "box" and write something totally different from what you usually write.

Doing so strengthens your "writer's muscles."

Besides, it's just plain fun to write something totally out of your genre or area of expertise now and then.

If you're generally a serious writer, today try writing something that will make readers laugh out loud.

If you tend to write humorous essays or articles, today try writing about something from a more serious point of view.

Step out of your box today and have some fun.

Try it.


Tip #3:Make the Best Use of Your Time!
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As a writer, you need to make the best use of your time.

Usually, that means you need to develop at least three uses for anything you write.

For example, something you first write to post to your blog can also be used as an article for an article directory, then it can be expanded and become another article for your own ezine.

A query letter you send to one editor can be reworked and reslanted and sent to another editor, thereby proposing an article on the same topic but with a different slant and theme. This query might also give you an idea for a short blog post for the day.

When you learn to make the best use of your time as a writer, you'll also start to become more successful.

Plus, you'll have more time to enjoy other things in life besides writing.

Today, decide how you can make the best use of your time by creating three ways to use each item you write.

Go ahead.

Try it!

Tip #4: Keep a Narrow FocusWhen you're working on a large writing project like a novel, nonfiction book, or even a magazine article that requires contacting many expert sources, you can feel overwhelmed.

And when you feel overwhelmed you can have trouble getting started because you just can't seem to figure out what to do first.

The trick is to keep a narrow focus, even when working on a large project.

If you're working on a book, start by outlining it if it's nonfiction, or creating the plot if it's to be a novel.

Don't worry about the actual writing until you clearly know what you need to write.

If you're working on a magazine article, you should have already queried and gotten the go ahead from an editor to start writing it, so you know the "hook" and slant for this piece. Next, try giving it some structure. Develop subtopic headings that will not only lead the reader through the article, they will also help you, the writer, put the article together.

Keep a narrow focus on whatever it is you're trying to accomplish.

Take it "bird by bird," as Anne Lamott says, or just "paragraph by paragraph," and eventually you'll finish the entire project without feeling overwhelmed.

Try it.