BOOK REVIEW: "How to Make a Living with Your Writing" by Joanna Penn

 

by Tony Thomas

Joanna Penn well known and prolific writer and YouTuber.  I have enjoyed watching videos on her YouTube channel “The Creative Penn” for several years.  She is entertaining, funny, personable, and very knowledgeable.

Her book "How to Make a Living with your Writing" details all of her principles of becoming a successful, self-published, author. 

Can You Really Make a Living as a Writer?

According to the first chapter of Penn's book: “Yes, it is possible!”  Of course, that does not mean it easy.  As with any career, achieving success requires a lot of hard work.  Penn claims that she makes a six-figure income with her writing through a combination of ethical marketing, blogging, and writing books for a global audience.  

She began by totally immersing herself in info about writing, publishing, social media marketing, podcasting, and more.  In the book, she offers solid advice about entrepreneurship, developing multiple income streams, building a scalable business, and much more.

Takeaways

One of the takeaways that I received from this book is that you don't just write one book.  To be successful, you must write many books.  That is the way that you grow in popularity.  You must build a name and a brand.

She also discusses different publishing options, changes in the industry, audiobooks, ebooks, how to self-publish, and how to make money with content marketing, affiliate marketing, freelance writing, consulting and coaching, product sales and professional speaking. 

This is a great book to get you started in the world of professional writing and self-publishing.  I highly recommend it!

Buy it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/30CjwZI

"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."

My New Book: "Writing at the Speed of Sound: Dictation Made Easy"

by Tony Thomas

I just finished my first writing book entitled:  "Writing at the Speed of Sound: Dictation Made Easy".  Since I am such a slow typist, dictation has come in very handy for me and has helped me greatly increase my throughput and productivity.  It has become a key part of my writing workflow.

Here are some excerpts from the introduction (shameless plug): 

"Do you want to write faster?  What writer doesn't want to write faster?   I'll say it now: Dictation is the key to faster writing and improved productivity.  Not only does it reduce the potential for repetitive strain injury, it increases your writing speed by multiples of what most people can type.

"If dictation is so wonderful, why don't all writers use it?  I think the barriers to dictation include unfamiliarity with a process, the need to prepare and think differently, and self-consciousness.

"For most people, talking into a microphone isn't a natural process, even though that is exactly what we are doing when we use a cell phone, for example. And, it really takes a lot of practice to get the hang of it. But, once you get going. you will find that you can write hundreds of words per minute with ease.

"It also allows you to write while standing, walking around the room, closing your eyes, listening to your favorite music on headphones , and even when out taking a stroll or walking your dog.

"This short book will help you get started with dictation.  There is no filler or fluff.  Just the information that you need to rapidly increase your productivity and throughput."

If you have ever thought about trying dictation, I think my book will be very useful to you.  It is very concise and I kept the price low to make it affordable for every writer.  Check it out!

Amazon link: 

https://amzn.to/3m0jSCa

Smashwords Link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1041731


Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Fun with Mechanical Keyboards!

 

by Tony Thomas

 After playing with my Red Dragon mechanical keyboard for a few weeks, I decided that I wanted something that was quieter so that I would not drive my wife crazy as I typed.  The "blue" keys in the Red Dragon have a high-pitched tactile click that is great for improving your typing speed but hard on the ears.

As a result I picked up a Techware "Phantom" TKL (ten key-less) keyboard that looks very similar to the Red Dragon but also includes RGB LED backlighting.  It looks so cool.  Then I spotted a cute Dierya 60% bluetooth keyboard that I can also use with my iPad when I am out and about.  

I started reading more and watching YouTube videos (very dangerous, BTW) and decided I need a keyboard that I can customize with different switches and keycaps.  The recently released Keychron K8 is now on order.

Yes, I am now in that black hole that is the mechanical keyboard hobby and my wallet is a bit emptier.

There are plenty of great YouTube channels that are devoted to mechanical keyboards (Taeha Types, Switch and Click, The Techne, and TaeKeyboards are standouts) as well as a sub-Reddit: r/MechanicalKeyboards.

The good news is mechanical keyboards have made me way more productive since they are a joy to type on.  If you are a writer, you may want to give mechanical keyboards a try!

 

 

My Favorite Writing Tools

 

by Tony Thomas

One of my biggest writing obstacles is finding and using writing tools that I am both comfortable with and improve my workflow.  Here are some that I have found that help:

RedDragon Keyboard: I recently purchased a Red Dragon Kumara keyboard.  It has real switches that are pretty quiet and have excellent tactile response. Its back-lit keys also allow me to work easily when the lights are off.  I find that I can type very fast and accurately with this keyboard (after trying many others) so it is a keeper.

Evernote:  After taking a few years off, I renewed my Evernote subscription.  I tried to replace it with Google Keep but was not impressed with its overall dependability. I also missed having a dedicated Windows app with word count capability that would sync with all of my other devices while offering a web app.  I find the web clipper extension invaluable for organization and research.  And, as I often forget things and can become disorganized at times, Evernote functions as an extension of my brain.

Dragon Naturally Speaking:  I am regularly using dictation again.  While I often type when outlining or drafting, dictation definitely comes in handy when I am "in the flow".  As I can talk a lot faster than I can I can type, it definitely increases my productivity and word count without much effort. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is my favorite tool for dictation, although I also use Google dictation and Siri at times.

Scrivener: For writing books, I have not found a better solution than Scrivener.  While I often draft in other apps or programs, the content always ends up in Scrivener for final formatting and book production.  I also love its tools for tracking project stats and targets.

Google Docs:  When I work on my Chromebook or PC, I usually just use Google Docs.  It has all of the basic functions I need like built-in dictation, word count, formatting, plus grammar and spell checking.  What's not to like?

iPad: While I use the iPad primarily for content consumption, believe it or not, I really like typing on the iPad screen. I have been experimenting with a variety of text editors on the iPad and use them quite a bit to come up with ideas and for light drafting. I also like using various outlining and mind mapping apps on the iPad.  And having other tools like Evernote and Scrivener on the iPad is a huge plus.

What writing tools do you like to use?

Back to Writing Again

by Tony Thomas

After taking a few years off to concentrate on music production, I finally decided it is time to get back to writing.

I want to start writing more books and also start blogging again.  I hope to share some of the things that I find on my writing journey with you in the future.

I find myself using my iPad a lot more and also using my PC for dictation. In fact, I am in the process of writing a book on dictation and I hope to have it finished and released soon.

There are a lot of great tools out there to ease the writing process. I wish I would've had them when I started writing more than 40 years ago. Back then, I just used paper and pencil and an old manual typewriter. The progress from that using some of the early computers like the KayPro in the little NEC PC8201.

I'm fortunate to have written for numerous magazines and other publications such as Mix, Electronic Musician, Recording, AV Video, Roland Users Group, the Cleveland Scene, and others. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot of print work anymore and most of the paying stuff is on the web.  As a result, I have had to learn to adapt my skills to the marketplace. 

Still, it is an exciting time to be a writer!

What you writing these days? What tools are you using? Are you writing for yourself or for others? I would love to hear from you!

The Book That Changed How I Approach Writing

by Tony Thomas

On Writing Well. Those three words say it all.

William Zinsser's book on non-fiction writing is a true gem and is must-read for any writer. It certainly revolutionized the way that I approach writing.

Zinsser taught me that "less is more" and that I need to simplify. He taught me to write to an individual and not to an audience. He also taught me to think clearly.

One of my favorite quotes from On Writing Well:

“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what--these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to education and rank...” (1)

Word economy is the key to clear communication. When I read older works, I often labor to dissect a sentence to determine exactly what a writer meant to say.  This is unfortunate and a lot of us are similarly guilty of unnecessary embellishment. We use several paragraphs to convey information that can be summarized in one sentence. Sometimes this is due to arrogance.  Sometimes it is just plain laziness.

As Zinsser says, "Writing is hard work". I would add that editing is even harder work.

(1) On Writing Well, William Zinsser

You can buy a copy of On Writing Well here:

https://amzn.to/2nZKmHm

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.