Are you feeling a little tired but you know you have to carry on with your work? I am here to say that it’s okay to take a break! Here are some great ways to take a break that will get you ready to get back to work!
Take a walk
Get some fresh air and move your body. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, but clear your mind, pop an audiobook or your favorite song and just relax. Any form of exercise will be beneficial during a break.
Stretch
If you’re feeling a little tense from sitting in a chair for a few hours, get up and stretch! Loosen up your muscles for a few minutes…trust me they will thank you later!
Call a friend
Take your mind off the task at hand and catch up with a friend. THis can be a great way to put you in a good mood and share what you’re working on. Maybe you can use them for some creative inspiration.
Cook a healthy meal/snack
Take care of your body and give it fuel! Knock out two birds with one stone and get ready for your meal, or prepare yourself a healthy snack. This will get your brain ready to work extra hard for you.
Remember to incorporate breaks into your routine, they can help you in the long run!
Do it for you and the rest will follow! Don’t be so hung up on being heard. You write for yourself after all, because you enjoy it. When you put all your work into a piece and you share it with the world, believe in yourself. Believe that you wrote something worth the time to read and people will read it!
Do the best that you can, and it will show. Your voice will be heard when the time is right. But in the meantime keep writing and keep trying to be the best that you can be! Sometimes the weekend can get the best of us but if anything, Monday can be a fresh start.
Read some more of our posts for writing inspiration, and writing advice!
Transcribe your thoughts to words faster by prepping your brain to prepare for writing. The purpose is not to create publishable material, but to get yourself ready for it!
The best way to start is to have no judgement or expectation of the outcome. You are writing to write more, which in turn will lead to writing better!
Write more —-> write better —-> write more
It is a beautiful circle of writing!
Now, in terms of some writing warm ups there are millions of prepared prompts and questions that you can search with a click of a button. Some other things you can do are write letters, write comments back to your viewers, or write about your life!
And there are even things to warm up your brain beyond writing such as exercise, brain games and meditation. Find out what works best for you. Each week test something new until you find what works.
What do you do to warm up your writer’s brain? Share your favorites in the comments!
Constantly educate yourself. If you want to become a better writer invest in yourself. Read to get your creativity flowing and practise putting that on paper!
First thing’s first, a call to action is a marketing term for a design that prompts the viewer to an immediate action. For example, when you go on a website and they ask for your email. That is what we are looking for!
People need to be reminded, it’s as simple as that. Having a call to action on your website prompting the viewer to put in an email so they can stay up to date is a genius tactic. If you already have one- great! Just make sure you use it.
Your call to action can simply ask for an email, but you might want to think of an incentive to do so, such as receiving an exclusive monthly newsletter. Regardless, you should use this to give your readers notifications about upcoming books, or any highlights you have going on.
Creativity: the use of imagination or original ideas.
Take risks, think in a way that’s outside the box! I wanted to look into how someone can spark more creativity in their life, and came across a very interesting article. 10 Psychological Tricks That Will Boost Your Creativity. In this article they discuss how you have to seek out things that inspire you, rather than waiting for something inspirational to happen.
I personally loved all of the tips mentioned, and will be sure to try and introduce them into my own life. Creativity is endless! We just have to find the right recipes for ourselves to keep our creativity flowing!
Having an array of characters makes each story unique and fun. Today, I want to dive into a foxy lady we all love to hate, the one who almost always gets her way: the femme fatale.
Before we dive into the deadly one, we first have to talk about where she stems from: a seductress. Describing a seductress is one thing because beauty is subjective. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So, how can you make your lovely lady appealing to the masses outside of her looks? It’s the obvious!
Make her free-spirited. This is important to her. She is care-free, curious about the world around her and open to those people surrounding her. This is what keeps her interesting. She comes off naive. Those who grow to be fond of her only want to show her the “right way.” This lady will always have some form of charm she uses to get people looking her way, or looking twice. This is a must. Ask yourself: does she have any intention with her ways? This is a great time to sit back and map out what made her this way and to make the plan of what you are going to do with her in your story.
One thing is for sure; she will want to be in the spotlight. Maybe not celebrity-status, but you can certainly do that if you want. Ultimately, she wants to be the center of attention – she wants everyone to turn their head when she enters a room. If she isn’t, she will certainly make it known she has entered the building. By the end of the scene, everyone will be quiet and staring and if they aren’t, there will be consequences. But, we are dipping into other territory there. The seductress isn’t harming anyone else in any way; she is simply hoping for something or someone to come into her life. So, once again we ask: what is her intention? What is her purpose?
The art of seduction comes with, in some way, the purpose of love. Or lack thereof. She could easily find it with her looks and charisma but your seductress is living a life, going 100 miles per hour for the sole purpose of finding The One. The catch is…even if she finds a suitable mate, that person would never be enough. And she will start all over again. Stability is not in her name; not just in love, but in life. Sometimes, it’s not about the person. It’s about the journey and, once again, the art of seduction.
When people think of seduction, the first thing that comes to mind is sex. Don’t get too caught up in the seductress’ sexual habits or even her sexuality itself. It isn’t the point of her character, it’s a part of her. She is more than who she does and does not allow in the bedroom. It shouldn’t be highlighted how many she’s allowed into her open arms; it should be brought to the readers’ attention why she does so. She doesn’t see anything wrong with her sexual appetite so neither should you. And sometimes, her sexuality has nothing to do with the storyline so cut it out of the picture.
If her sexual nature is a part of the storyline or a part of her character, her relationships and friendships with other heterosexual women could be strained. The seductress finds it hard to have platonic male friends, so she strives to have female companionship. However, this could be tough for her. She may not be able to secure these friendships because of her nature with men, and potential partners for those in which she wishes to surround herself with. The threat is there for those other women and they may try to cast her out. Though, this may not be the case for all and she could find a few who will understand her and try to nurture her. She will not get along with those similar to her in the way of seduction…mainly because they’re after the same thing in the same manner. Posing another threat.
Now, let’s get down to the point as to why you’re here: the femme fatale. The seductress is a great starting point for this character, but you will need to take this a step further. She is not only a seductress, but more so a seductress bathed in darkness. She is a user, potentially a black widow; she is out for blood and uses her charm and her looks to her advantage. She utilizes the “good” parts of the naive and carefree seductress and twists into a game that could end badly. Her backstory should be tragic, giving reason for her way of being and why she wants to end the trapped fly.
Literature holds some of the greatest and slyest women in the femme fatale archetype. Norma Bates from Psycho, Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, Gloria Denton from Queenpin, and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass are all great examples of this particular archetype.
Do you have any characters who come to mind who fall into this category? We would love to hear!
Considering this is a literary focused blog we write a lot about how to help and inspire writers/authors. However, sometimes we neglect to focus on the inspiration that is right in front of us. Our families and friends can be instrumental to finding ourselves and sparking creativity. Talk with them, learn with them, and good things may come.
This is not to say that you might also get a headache, but in all seriousness there is no better way to learn than with and by those around you.
I am sure most writers, readers, and authors alike are aware of the Goodreads universe. An endless summer reading list is just waiting to be created. But, do you know how to properly use your account as an author, especially to market yourself?
Goodreads is a perfect platform for authors to engage with readers and fans, and here is how you can make the most of it!
Make sure you are on the Goodreads Author Program.
This will allow you to gain access to special marketing tools to promote your books and interact with readers. Read more about this program here.
Customize your bio.
Your bio is the first thing a reader sees when going to your page. It is your job to make sure you put the best information out there. Make sure your profile picture is clear, give a good description of yourself, and attach your other socials so they can follow you! Goodreads gives some of their own very helpful tips here.
Share your love of reading.
Don’t forget this website was created so people could share their love for reading, so make sure you do the same! Write your own reviews and add books to your “Want to Read” list. You can also shelve books that have inspired your own writing, or you can customize your own shelves.
Create Kindle notes and Highlights.
Goodreads has a special opportunity to allow annotators to provide thoughts and insights on books. This is a great way for authors to engage deeper with their readers and let them in on why you chose a specific word, or go deeper into what a character is thinking. The opportunities are endless, and everyone loves an exact background story. https://f.gr-assets.com/misc/1564523884-1564523884_goodreads_misc.pdf
Turn on the “Ask the Author” feature.
Allowing readers to ask questions specifically to the author is great for engagement. The questions will not be visible until the author answers. However, by posting a few standard questions allows readers to see them when they reach your page. Learn more about this feature here.
Goodreads is a great platform for authors to connect to a specific community of readers. Don’t forget the power of communication!
We are Hershman Rights Management, a literary agency where we help authors and publishers break into new markets and expand into new platforms. If you are an author (either indie or traditionally published) or a writer who is looking to get started, visit our website and we can help you grow!
If you are an already published author and looking for representation for subsidiary rights, click here. You can receive an instant representation offer! If you are an unpublished author or looking for representation on an unpublished manuscript, please click here and tell us more about yourself and your work.
We work with you to help reach your literary goals!
