Now, on a serious note.

I happened upon a writer on Twitter and Facebook:

Dakota Willink

Her Twitter introduction:  “Amazon Int’l Bestselling Romance Author | Survived my 1st publishing with coffee & wine | Music Lover | Star Wars Geek Since Birth.”

She explains how non-writers are scamming the system at Amazon

and

graciously allowed me to reprint (aka copy/paste) her post.

<_><_><_>

I need to tell a story – it’s going to be a long one, so settle in if you’re interested in hearing it.

I began writing my first book in 2013. I self-published it on December 27, 2015. I was new to the business and I literally knew nothing. I made my own cover, which I’m embarrassed of now. But hey – I was brand spanking new and was learning as I went. And yes, there were typos galore in this first book. My January 2016 sales…

I have now created over a year’s worth of Medieval Monday posts, can you believe it?! This index is for anyone who might want to glance back at posts they may have forgotten or missed, and as a resource for those doing research of their own. The index should make it easier to find information on specific topics of interest. (General topics are at the bottom of the page.) I will add this post to my menu and keep it up to date as I write new ones. Sometimes I will link to another website with relevant information. If you find a link that has stopped working, please contact me.

Want to know more on a particular topic, but don’t see it here? Make a suggestion! I’m up for the challenge. 🙂

Labors of the Months

January: http://allisondreid.com/2018/01/28/medieval-monday-labors-of-january-2/

February: https://allisondreid.com/2017/02/06/medieval-monday-labors-of-february/

March: https://allisondreid.com/2017/03/06/medieval-monday-the-labors-of-march/

April: https://allisondreid.com/2017/04/03/medieval-monday-the-labors-of-april/

May:

This title of this post comes from a quote by famed western and crime novelist Elmore Leonard. I came across the quote some time ago and it didn’t resonate with me right away. It really hit home, however, when I began reading my first book, Frankly Speaking, as I attempted to record the audio book version. It is amazing what you uncover when you read your work aloud. I found some of the sentences to be clumsy and even difficult to read at times. I had read in another writing tips book to read your work aloud as you rewrite it. I always thought that it was a waste of time, but I am now convinced that it isn’t.

Another tip from Leonard took on additional meaning as I read my book aloud. He says, “take out the parts that people skip.” As I read my book, I found…

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small amount of money if you make a purchase from any of the Amazon links included…

A routine is incredibly important to productivity, motivation and organisation and a morning routine (even if you aren’t a morning person) followed by further preparation in the evening is more likely to encourage a successful day. 

Avoid focusing on the idea of perfection. There’s no such thing. Avoid getting caught up in fussing over the insignificant.

Plan your month in advance. Using a calendar, phone, diary or Bullet Journal, map out your month. I like to see an overview of everything on one page, so I create a linear list in my Bullet Journal for the entire month of dates when I have an appointment, event and a birthday to remember. I duplicate this list onto a single piece of paper…