I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ways to increase your creativity. I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will share posts that focus on caregiving. I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Today’s post is F is for Friends & Creativity. Friends & Writer’s Block In the last couple of days, I’ve felt blocked. Although I have a lot to get done, the words just don’t seem to want Read more…
I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ways to increase your creativity. Today’s post is E is for Exercise Increases Creativity. I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will share posts that focus on caregiving. I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Researchers have found anecdotal evidence that people who exercise on a regular basis do better on creative thinking activities than those who don’t exercises. There are two important Read more…
It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I encourage you to check out their website and even sign up for the IWSG Newsletter. I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ways to increase your creativity. Today’s post is for the letter D. D is for Dictation. I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will share posts that focus on caregiving. I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. Read more…
I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I will be doing the challenge here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, where I will share ways to increase your creativity. Today’s post is C for Cartography. Map your world. I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will share posts that focus on caregiving. I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Cartography Cartography is the study of maps. If you’ve ever read an epic fantasy with a map (even a crude one) Read more…
The Bullet Journal (BuJo for short) is an analog system for the digital age it was created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer living in Brooklyn, NY. Most people who love the Bullet Journal system use it as a combination planner and journal. It’s the perfect way to keep track of your life and your goals in one place. You can also read more details in the following traditional post. Other Uses for the Bullet Journal I’ve found the Bullet Journal to be indispensable in planning my content. I have 2 websites with different posting schedules—plus an email Read more…
I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I will be doing the challenge here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, where I will share ways to increase your creativity. I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will share posts that focus on caregiving. I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Today’s post is A is for Art History Inspires Creativity. Visiting a gallery, perusing a coffee table book filled with prints of paintings, or noticing a child’s drawing on the Read more…
This is the last post in my series of posts on digital minimalism. I will share the key things I’ve learned from my digital detox. One of the things I’ve learned from my digital detox is that… Multitasking doesn’t work When you multitask, you are actually rapidly interrupting one task with another. Your brain then has to recall what you are trying to do and how to do it. In the example of watching an adventure film, baking cookies and working on your novel, you aren’t actually doing these things at the same time (no matter how coordinated you are). Your Read more…
This April I will be participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Every day (except the 2nd -5th Sundays) bloggers post to their blogs something that pertains to a specific theme (usually) as well as the letter of the alphabet assigned to that day. Today is the day when participants reveal their chosen theme, or if they are going to go themeless. As a writer, I depend on creativity, but often feel like I’m low on creative juices. Here’s one recent example of this: “My creativity has forsaken me!” I called out as I collapsed on the bed. My Read more…
Last month I took a break from a lot of the technology that I use every day as a writer and as someone who loves technology as much as the next guy or gal. During that time I kept a journal of how things were going. I thought you might find some of my observations interesting. I’ve kept this very brief and as you read it you’ll get an idea of what a 30-day digital detox can feel like. Again, this is a very personal experience, you someone else’s might be completely different. Day 1 I’ve enjoyed my first technology Read more…
It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I encourage you to check out their website and even sign up for the IWSG Newsletter. Today I will reminisce about the day I published my first book and what I do after accomplishing a writing goal, as I answer this month’s IWSG Day question: March 7 question – How do you celebrate after accomplishing a writing goal? My entire life I dreamed of being a writer. Unfortunately, when it came time to decide what I would do with my life, Read more…
We’ve been looking digital minimalism and how taking some time away from your gadgets can improve your life. Ironically, using technology such as email auto-responders, blog post schedulers, email sorters, voicemails, and bill-pay, can actually help you prepare for your digital detox and make it more successful. Let’s take a look at a few simple ways to make your time away from technology easier. If you are taking a retreat Give an emergency contact a way to reach you for emergencies. It’s a good idea to specify what those emergencies are since different people consider different things urgent. You might not Read more…
This post is the second in a series I am writing about digital minimalism. You can check out my post on why doing a digital detox is something you should consider, HERE. To get started, you will need to set some guidelines for your digital detox, digital declutter, technology fast, or any other term you want to use to describe it. These are the parameters you will use to reign in your use of gadgets and digital technology. There are some questions you need to answer to determine your own guidelines for your digital detox. I’ve included my own answers, Read more…
During the month of January, I participated in an experiment for a fellow author who is looking at digital minimalism. I had done a lot of research on the subject, myself. As someone who spends countless hours on my laptop, I have often wondered how productive that time has been. Is there a better way to do what I do? And, most importantly, is all of that connectedness actually doing me more harm than good? After doing my research, I came to the conclusion that doing a digital detox might be the perfect way to start out the year. The Read more…
It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I encourage you to check out their website and even sign up for the IWSG Newsletter. Today I will explore putting a schedule in place for writing. I’ll focus on the genre of self-help as it relates to writing about cancer, as I answer this month’s IWSG Day question: February 7 question – What do you love about the genre you write in most often? If you want to have some fun, take a look at the Wikipedia page for the Read more…
How do you know when your story is ready? I know that my story is ready when I’ve gone through my writing process. It’s really like what your teacher taught you in English class. What’s my process? Let’s take a look at the writing process I used when I wrote Facing Cancer as a Friend. While I’m using the example of a nonfiction book for this writing process, it works as well for fiction. Kick off the writing process with a brainstorm No matter what you’re writing, whether fiction, non-fiction, or a blog, always begin by brainstorming. This is also Read more…
Most (if not all) people who become writers do so because they were first avid readers. How do the things you read affect and shape your writing? How does your writing affect what, why and how you read? Today we’ll look at reading as a writer. Reading the Classics as Inspiration When I was a literary arts student at the Minnesota Center for Arts Education (now known as the Perpich Center for Arts Education) we read all the “greats.” This was reading as a writer for inspiration. It was meant to give us a well-rounded view of literature that’s stood Read more…
When I first decided to pursue my dream of writing, I struggled with impostor syndrome. This was made worse by people’s perceptions of the worthiness of writing—and the viability of pursuing it long-term. Writing isn’t thought of as a secure way to make money. Even worse, it can be difficult for people to take you seriously when you tell them that you’re a writer. If you see enough raised eyebrows and hear enough doubting remarks, you begin to believe them. After decades of letting that lie keep me from being a writer, I decided to really go after my dream. Read more…
It isn’t easy for me to find time to write. Like most people, I have a lot to juggle in my life, appointments for my kids, my husband, and me. There’s also homeschooling 2 daughters and keeping my oldest on track as she begins college as a commuter, church activities, housework, cooking, speaking engagements, and my part-time real estate business. I could go on, but the fact is, I’m no busier than anyone else. We all have 24 hours a day, and we all find ways to fill those hours. How we fill those hours makes the difference between getting Read more…
It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I encourage you to check out their website and even sign up for the IWSG Newsletter. Today I will explore putting a schedule in place for writing. I’ll focus especially on blog writing/publishing, as I answer this month’s IWSG Day question: What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing? Success in a blog schedule starts with making a plan. A plan for your blog schedule starts with inspiration. Last fall, I read Meera Read more…
Every New Year I ask people if they’ve made a resolution, Most people respond with a resounding, “no!” it’s as if resolutions are dirty words rather than opportunities to create positive change. Goals give you a challenge. They help you to grow, not only as a person but toward the fulfillment of your dreams as well. Everyone has goals—or at least, they should have goals. My theory is that people avoid making resolutions because they have grown frustrated with failing to keep them, year after year. This year, make some resolutions by making SMART goals. Before we get to what SMART goals are, Read more…
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