Category: Advice for writers

A collection of blog posts that offer advice for writers

Guest blogs. Are they worth doing?

What I’ve learnt from writing guest posts for other people.

This year I’ve written three guest blogs, and contributed a small section to a fourth one. I thought it would be useful to reflect on the process and consider what value, if any, came from writing these pieces. The posts were all based on my coastal walking adventures, but covered a number of different topics:

  • Wales: as seen through the eyes of a “foreigner”.
  • Solo walking: why more women don’t do it, and why they should.
  • Challenges: setting your own.
  • Footpaths: their importance and why I value them.

Continue reading “Guest blogs. Are they worth doing?”

How to write an effective blog post

In this post, I’m going to share the single most important method you can use to write an effective blog post. And, don’t worry, it’s easy to remember and quick to apply.

It involves a simple say-it-three-times structure. Continue reading “How to write an effective blog post”

FOUR things a Twitter beginner MUST do.

Get off to a great start on Twitter with my 4 simple tips.

(1) Get rid of the egg

Seriously.  Who wants to interact with an unborn chicken?

Keeping the Twitter egg as your profile photo will make you look like a complete beginner or, even worse, give the impression you are a scammer or a troll.

Replace the egg with a personal profile picture. It’s simple to do and will make a huge difference to the number of followers you collect.

What photo should you upload?  If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of having your face on Twitter, you could choose your pet, a favourite view, a flower, or something that represents you. I give some examples below: Continue reading “FOUR things a Twitter beginner MUST do.”

FIVE good reasons to make time for writing.

Photo of pink spotted notepad, notes on writing - Ruth LivingstoneA couple of months ago I had a short piece published on the Self Publishing Magazine‘s website. It describes:

  •  the kick that started me writing seriously,
  • my strategies for defeating procrastination,
  • why I used deadlines to my advantage,
  • how blogging helped me improve,
  • and how I learned to value feedback.

Continue reading “FIVE good reasons to make time for writing.”