Productivity Archives - The Writer's Cookbook

Why You Need to Embrace Rejection

On August 17, 2017

There isn’t a single published writer out there who hasn’t been rejected at least once.

In fact, I think you’d struggle to find a writer who’s only been rejected once.

Even Stephen King had short stories rejected when he first started out.

Harry Potter was rejected by numerous publishers, and J.K.Rowling had some pretty harshly-worded rejection letters for her Cormoran Strike novels, too.

Some authors get to the point where their name alone is enough to attract the attention of a publisher.

To get to that point, though, you have to go through what feels like endless rejections.

Are you on the brink of burning out? Discover the signs of burnout and how to cope.

How to Deal With Stress and Burnout

By Kristina Adams

On August 3, 2017

In Productivity

Think of your energy levels like a battery.

Certain things recharge that battery, while others drain it.

You may find dealing with people draining, while alone time recharges you.

You may find that some days writing helps you to recharge, while on other days it drains you.

It can depend on what stage of the writing process you’re at, or what’s going on in your life outside of your writing.

Just like when you let your phone battery get close to 0%, the lower your battery levels get, the longer it takes to recharge.

Can Toxic Friends Kill Your Productivity?

By Kristina Adams

On July 20, 2017

In Productivity

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Productivity for Writers.

If you find this post useful, please take a minute to share it with your (non-toxic) friends 🙂

Think back for a moment to when you were at school.

What was life like?

Were you popular?

A teacher’s pet?

An outcast?

I was somewhere between an outcast and a teacher’s pet.

Most of the teachers knew who I was, although I only paid attention to the classes I liked.

Some of my classmates knew who I was, others didn’t.

For the most part, this didn’t bother me.

I was perfectly happy with my circle of friends.

Or was I?

Scrivener vs. Novlr – Which is the Best Writing Software For You?

By Kristina Adams

On June 22, 2017

In Productivity

Scrivener and Novlr are two of the most popular writing programs out there for authors.

Unlike Microsoft Word, their sole purpose is to help you achieve your goal of writing your novel.

Before purchasing Scrivener a couple of years ago, I did all of my writing in Microsoft Word.

The further into a manuscript I became, the more difficult I found it to navigate.

As I don’t write chronologically, I’d have to either leave a note in the document or write scenes in separate files and piece them together as I went along.

It was a horrible process.

When I discovered Scrivener, everything changed.

Preorder Your Copy of Productivity for Writers!

By Kristina Adams

On June 16, 2017

In Productivity

It’s been over eighteen months in the making, but you can FINALLY preorder your copy of Productivity for Writers!

Productivity for Writers is out on 29 September 2017!

Currently only Kobo is available, but other devices (including Amazon, of course) are coming soon!

Does Exercise Really Affect Productivity? Part Two

By Kristina Adams

On May 4, 2017

In Productivity

A few weeks ago now, I embarked on a (totally unscientific) experiment to find out if exercising more affected my productivity.

There are a few gaps this time as I keep forgetting to write updates (and make notes of what songs I listen to, which I’m sure you’re gutted about), but I’m still exercising most days and finding it to be beneficial.

Does Exercise Really Affect Your Productivity Levels? I’m About to Find Out…

By Kristina Adams

On April 20, 2017

In Productivity

Everyone always harks on about how great exercise is.

It helps you sleep better, it improves your memory, it stops you from ageing as quickly, and it increases productivity.

Or so they say.

I’ve heard all these claims and always felt inclined to exercise more, but the truth is, I just don’t enjoy it.

Exercise is also one of the main things that triggers my asthma, so that just puts me off further.

I was fairly fit as a child, dancing and swimming regularly, but when I hit my teenage years and suffered from nasty period pains, I stopped going.

(Yes, I know it’s good for them, but when you’re a teenager and no painkillers help, are you going to choose exercise or bed?)

With the exception of a few brief stints of gym-going, I’ve been pretty unfit for the last ten years or so.

This wasn’t such a big deal when I was in my early twenties, but as I get older, I can feel my body starting to protest.

How to get into the Writing Zone

By Kristina Adams

On March 2, 2017

In Creativity, Productivity

Life is stressful. It’s even more stressful when you have to come home from a tough day at work then sit down and write. How do you shake off the day’s stresses and focus on your fiction? (Or nonfiction or poetry?) How do you give your characters the attention they deserve?

Don’t Myth Out on Writing Competitions!

By Cathy Bryant

On February 16, 2017

In Creativity, Productivity, Social Media and Marketing

There are hundreds of writing competitions held every year, often with tempting prizes, yet many writers don’t enter.

There might be good reasons for this in some cases, but I’ve heard many that simply don’t hold water.

I’ve won 25 writing competitions and literary awards, and part of the reason why is that I’ve ignored some of the myths that prevent writers from entering and winning. I’ve also judged both poetry and prose competitions, so I know what not to do!

Give yourself the best chance by not falling for these common myths:

7 Life-Changing Books Every Writer Needs to Read

By Kristina Adams

On January 12, 2017

In Productivity, Reading

What I love the most about being a writer is that the journey is never over. There is always more to learn, and always things we can do to improve.

The number one thing we can do to improve is read. Reading not only teaches us what other writers in our genre are doing, but it also subconsciously improves our language and empathy skills. Reading puts us into the characters’ minds, allowing us to be as close to walking in another person’s footsteps as we can get without being telepathic.

There are lots of books for writers out there. Up until I started my MA, I’d read very few of them. When I started my MA, I made an effort to read more of them.

Since then, I’ve branched out into reading nonfiction in general. I’d never judged fiction by its genre in the past, so why did I just nonfiction so harshly?

I’d always assumed nonfiction meant boring.

It really, really, doesn’t.