Life of A Writer

Michele from Writing the Cyber Highway passed on the award, A Roar for Powerful Words, to four others and me. When she named me as one of her choices, she had this to say, "Misti Sandefur, at Life of a Writer, who is a freelance writer, novelist, blogger, and an inspiration to anyone struggling to be a mom, wife, and squeeze in the many duties of the writer's life." Thank you for the kind words, Michele. I'm glad to hear I'm an inspiration. After all, that's what I strive to do. Nevertheless, it can be difficult at times to "squeeze" in those tasks while trying to keep the kids and hubby happy. I'll admit, though, without them I probably wouldn't be where I am today, and although I'm still a struggling writer, I've come a long way. Hubby may complain at times, but he does offer encouraging words from time to time. Mostly when the big paychecks come in, but hey, that just motivates me to work harder for the bigger bucks.

By accepting this award, I'm supposed to share "three things [I] believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful," and then I should pass the award on to five others. So, without further ado, here are my three tips for writers:

1. Study the craft. This is something I'm always doing, and believe it or not, the more you study and learn, the better writer you will become.

2. Write often. I believe a good writer is always writing. Sure, we may not find the time to practice writing on a daily basis, but we can write often. Keep a journal to write your thoughts in. Even when you can't find the right words to say, grab that pen and journal and write down how it makes you feel and why you think you've reached that point.

3. Take advantage of writing exercises. Writing exercises are fun and they truly can help you improve your writing skills. In fact, in each month's edition of Coffee Break for Writers, I include a short writing exercise.

I hope you learn from my writing tips and apply them to your writing habits. Now I will pass this award on to five writers and bloggers. I read these five individuals' blogs every night, and each time I read them, I learn from them and apply their advice to my writing habits. Therefore, I believe their hard work deserves this award and would love to read the "three things [they] believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful." I'm not sure if they'll participate or not, but I'll hope for the best. Regardless, I still believe they too deserve this award.

1. The writers over at The Renegade Writer blog.

2. Anne Wayman at The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer's Resource

3. Lillie Ammann from A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye

4. Hope at Hope Writes

5. All the wonderful writers over at Copyblogger

Posted by Misti Sandefur, Christian author/freelance writer at 12:40 AM