How to build a reputation as a creator
Are you struggling to market your creative work? Feel like you’re spinning your wheels with your latest projects? Out of inspiration and motivation?
Looks like you need some of that age old magic- social pressure and support.
Networking isn’t just for busy business people on LinkedIn. As a creator, you need to build trust in your audience with a solid creative reputation. These tips will help you do that.
19 things I wish I had known about self-publishing before my debut
A few weeks ago, I released my first self-published novel.
Overall, this was an incredible experience, and I’m really happy I took the dive. But since I was flying solo with little guidance, several parts of the process went excruciatingly wrong.
We got through it, and I’m happy with the result! But I figured I’d share what I wish I had known before I started, so you don’t have to deal with the same mistakes!
Where to find freelance jobs for creatives
Freelancing is awesome. You get a ton of freedom in your schedule and work. If you don’t like working with someone, BAM! You drop them.
However, as with many things, the big challenge of freelancing is Making Enough Money.
I’ve done a lot of trial and error with this, and it was a headache.
To save you some time (I hope), I’m going to share the best places I’ve found freelance work, and a few tips on how to get started with each option.
How to get good feedback on creative projects
You’ve finished a draft! Congratulations! Time to break out the chocolate and maybe a glass of sparkly apple cider (or is that just me).
Once you’re done celebrating, the dreadful part is next: editing.
There’s a way to get good feedback, and there’s a way to get totally unhelpful feedback that leaves you feeling defensive and frustrated.
Let’s learn how to do the first one.
31 inspiring writing quotes
We picked 31 quotes so you can have one for every day of the month!
Use them for NANOWRIMO (with one extra).
Let us know your favorite or if you have a good one in the comments!
How to write more, struggle less
I’ve always been fairly prolific… compared to people who never wrote anything at all. Getting through a couple of pages each month felt like a huge win.
Now I write 50,000-80,000 words a month. I write a couple of pages every workday, usually more. Even on a bad day, I write about one thousand words.
What changed for me? How do you go from cranking out a few hundred words at the cost of your sanity and physical health, to getting into a writer flow that finishes novels on a regular basis?
Those questions are rhetorical. I’ll tell you how: with the five tips below, I learned to write more and struggle less.
How to improve your writing: 9 easy tips
Before I started my shift from amateur to professional writer, I was frozen with fear. But I knew I loved to write, and that was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. Everything else felt wrong.
I had to improve. It felt like my very life depended on it.
If you love to write, and you want to get better, here are 9 simple things I did to improve, which you can easily do as well. These 9 steps took me from writing for fun to writing professionally. That doesn’t have to be your goal, but if you want to get better, here’s how you do it.
How to make creative friends
It’s incredibly difficult to make stuff without any support. We’re pack animals. If the people around you aren’t interested… you’re going to lose interest.
Make things easier on yourself (and more fun, inspiring, awesome, etc.) by cultivating your own group of creative friends.
How to be funny at your first open mic night
My name is Riley E. Smith, I’m a comedy writer, and I’ve done stand up in Houston, Los Angeles, and the UK. I’ve even gotten paid for some of those gigs (gasp!).
I’ve seen a number of open mics, and I’ve noticed a couple of patterns. It seems like every new comedian who totally fails behind the mic does the same sort of thing.
I wanted to share these tips with you, so you can avoid their mistakes and when you try an open mic (and you totally should), you’ll be set up to make ‘em laugh, instead of make ‘em stare and worry about you.
3 ways to make more time to write
“I’d finish my book idea, but I just don’t have time.”
We’ve all said it. Whether it’s about a novel, a blog, or really any creative endeavor, we’ve all made the claim that we just don’t have time.
Maybe it’s true. I can certainly imagine circumstances where you genuinely wouldn’t have time to sit down and write a novel. Life gets in the way.
But if you’re tired of life getting in the way, and you want to make more time for yourself, here are three ways that worked for me, even when I was still on that 9-5 corporate grind. (cue Dolly Parton’s smash hit “9 to 5”)
Types of Burnout… and how to beat them
I’m a full-time writer, but that only works if you write a lot, and consistently. Normally, I average 4000-6000 words a day. But my career was at risk earlier this year.
I couldn’t write a damn thing. I could barely get out of bed.
I’ve had depression my whole life, but this felt a bit different. I kept asking myself, “What’s the point?” I felt so exhausted, I couldn’t bring myself to care about even the most important things in my life.
This is called burnout.
5 comedy books that show you how to be funny
You might not know this yet, but I’m a comedy writer. I’ve done comedy in the US and the UK. I’ve done stand-up, I’ve written sketch comedy, and I’ve done improv.
I’ve even taught both sketch and improv. I’ve been doing comedy in some capacity for over a decade.
So I’m excited to share with you today five books that are close to my heart. These are the books that taught me everything I know about comedy writing and being funny in person.
How to curate your social media feed so it inspires your art
If you’re a creator, it can be upsetting to see your projects lag behind, while you spend plenty of time jumping between newsfeeds and For You pages.
You don’t have to beat yourself up about it… You can USE your social media time to spur your creativity.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and today, we’re going to show you how to curate your feed to make you a more creative and fulfilled artist.
What’s the difference between a nonprofit and an LLC?
Many of us creators have thought about making our dreams official and starting a business. But the big question always seems to be: will I make enough money?
If you don’t want money to be the primary goal of your business, a non-profit could be the best answer for you.
In order to cut through the confusion and get down to the important details of such a big choice, we asked Network Member and Tolsun Books Chief Operating Officer, David Pischke, to share his insights.
3 easy ways to start making money for your art
Okay, here’s the thing: if you want to make money for your art, you’re going to have to put some time in.
However, you can do it without spending 10+ hours a week or becoming a hustling, no-weekends, solopreneur, #nobreaks #bossbabe #werkit #cantstopwontstop #sleepisfortheweak #sleepquestionmark?
So if you’re like most human beings, and you don’t have time to take on another part time job, but you want to get your art into the world and into the hands of people who will appreciate it…
Here are 3 simple and easy ways to start making money for your art.
2 tired 4 life? Here are 27 Energy Boosts to get your creativity back
This has been the most exhausting year (and counting) of many of our lives.
It takes a lot of effort to get the energy you need to create.
If you’re like me, there’s a bit of a paradox: you don’t feel good unless you’re creating, but some days, you don’t feel good enough to create!
So how do we stop the sleepy cycle?
9 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block… that you’ve never heard before
Hey, I get it. Writer's block is a very real thing.
Writing is everything to me, but for three years after college... I didn't write a thing. Maybe three pages total... one comedy sketch was all I wrote for three whole years of my life.
Now I write at least 50k every month. That's the equivalent of National Novel Writing Month EVERY MONTH.
7 ways you are sabotaging your own creativity
You, my friend, are a volcano that is waiting to BLOW!
All that creative energy bubbling under the surface…
But… you feel like you could be making more. Or, even worse, you’re not making anything at all!
HARD TRUTH ALERT...
If you’re feeling blocked up, chances are, you’re doing it to yourself *gasp*.
Feeling Lost? Find purpose with an Artist’s Anthem.
What is it that drives the artists/writers/musicians/etc. you idolize to get so much shit done?
Successful people like to say it’s innate talent or 10,000 HOURS OF HARD WORK AND EFFORT AND SPIT AND GRIT AND… AND… AND… HARD WORK!
But you work hard. Or at least, you’ve given it a hell of a good shot.
So why are you not getting the results they are?