A guest post by Autumn Birt
Are you a writer? If so, are you meeting your writing goals?
Writing is a passion, one usually cobbled together from stolen moments and highs of inspiration. But if you get the writing bug and you get it bad, finding enough time is often a source of frustration.
Why write more?
Because fans like to read more. That is my number one answer. I’m a reader as well as a writer. I’ve fallen in love with a series that I’ve stayed with for three years and am now anxiously awaiting the last book — which should come out in two years. That is a whole lot of anxious waiting! And let’s not talk about another story I love that currently exists as short stories spread across several e-zines and books. I have meticulously copied all of them to one spot. I am her number one fan. She has plans to write a book … someday. I want to cry.
So yeah, keeping fans from becoming the frustrated and then jaded reader I am today is definitely a goal. When I was a teenager, a new book a year was acceptable. It still is, even though that was quite a while ago and long before ebooks. Now, a new book every six months is considered a professional target. More often is great. Fans want to be filled with anticipation, not angst.
And professional is the other reason to write and release more books, great books. Because let’s face it, if you have any hope of making a decent income from writing, one where you can potentially scale back that full time job to write, you either need to write and release more or have a really good retirement plan lined up. I’m not a teenager anymore, but I don’t want to wait that long to write full time!
So I committed myself to writing more and writing better because I not only love it, but want to make it a career. With a lot of trial and error, I developed seven key techniques and five writing tools that worked. How well? I wrote four-and-a-half books in a year and they are the best I’ve written so far.
To be clear, I’m not talking about typing faster. Who cares how fast you typed a page if you end up deleting it? Meeting a writing goal of producing more novels in a year means creating a great story faster. And there are tips, tricks, and tools to do that. It is a paradigm shift to believe writing more in a limited time is achievable.
It is possible. I’m proof. But I want to be more than proof. I want to help other writers do the same thing. Seriously!
Writing time is a limited resource. Use it well.
I’m serious about teaching this to other authors. So serious that I’m launching a pilot class to not only teach the seven techniques and those five customizable tools, but also to work one-on-one with the students to make sure those same tactics work for them. Everyone is different and in a different situation. I want everyone to be successful.
Since this is a trial course with lots of coaching, enrolment is very limited. If you are interested in learning more please use the contact form below to get in touch with me. I’d love to talk to you!
[contact-form to=’autumn.birt@gmail.com’ subject=’pilot course’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’What is your biggest writing obstacle?’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]About Autumn
Autumn is a bestselling author in fantasy, epic fantasy, and war — not all in the same series, though. She is the author of the epic fantasy, adventure trilogy on elemental magic, The Rise of the Fifth Order. Her newest series is Friends of my Enemy, a military dystopian/ dark fantasy tale laced with romance. Friends of my Enemy will be released in full in 2015 and will be quite the story full of strong characters, tight plots, and lots of action. Meanwhile, she is working on a new epic fantasy trilogy, Games of Fire, set in the same world as The Rise of the Fifth Order.
If she stops goofing off and enjoying hobbies such as hiking, motorcycling, and kayaking, she may even be able to release the first book in 2015, too.
She is a member of Independent Authors International and the Guild of Dreams.
Stop by her website and blog to learn more about the worlds of her books at www.AutumnWriting.com. You can also find her on Facebook at or more frequently on Twitter @Weifarer.
Quick Note
If the contact form isn’t showing up, please just provide my email: autumn.birt@gmail.com
Also, let me know when the post is live and where so I can stop by to answer any questions and share. Thanks again!
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Thanks for hosting my post, Scott!
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I like that – Who cares how fast you typed a page if you end up deleting it? That is very true. I’ve been clocked typing 105 wpm, no errors. Of course, if the story is crap, it don’t matter. The goal is to have X number of words when you are ready to publish. Setting goals is just one key. The session might be worth checking into. Thx for sharing.,
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Hi, Bob!
The realization that typing speed had little to do with writing a good novel came from an author interview. I was asked how fast I typed and how fast I wrote a book in the same sentence. I must have stared at it for five minutes wondering what they meant. Lol. And I am a fairly decent speed typer when the mood is on me. But there are times when one finger typing on my iPad captures the ideas as they come too. And I still manage to write fore novels a year.
Thanks so much for the comment! And let me know if you want to know more about the course!