Non-fiction Writing – The Productive Author

Writing and Creativity Podcasts to Love

These days I prefer listening to my reading, as opposed to absorbing books, news, and articles with my eyes. I discovered this while pursuing my initiative to sit less and move more. We’ve probably all heard by now that sitting all day is terrible for us, and as writers we tend to sit plenty! To fight […]

by Cindy Grigg

NaNoWriMo Dropout? 5 Ways to Succeed This Year

NaNoWriMo has come and gone, leaving victors and casualties in its wake. Even though I finished my NaNoWriMo this year and in fact produce enough fiction word count to call every month a WriMo, I identify more with the dropouts because I tried to do National Novel Writing Month several times before this year–all ‘fails’! […]

by Cindy Grigg

Dictation: How I Wrote 6000 Words in 6 Miles By Going on a Writing Walkabout

You do not have to sit butt-in -chair to be productive! Learn how to write your book using dictation on a walk.

by Cindy Grigg

5 Words I Made Up to Describe NaNoWriMo

The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge is a many-faceted thing. To describe the experience, I found myself needing to mash up some fresh word concotions. Technically every month is NaNoWriMo for me. I do between 15,000 and 20,000 words per week of fiction writing. Sure, that’s all pure, gunky draft but it’s out there! […]

by Cindy Grigg

3 Advantages of Dictating Your Writing

I began looking into dictation for several reasons. Like many people, I have experienced back problems which make it hard to sit at a computer and write all day. I’ve also had trouble keeping weight off since becoming a full-time writer. There, said it! You might relate to these reasons or have some of your […]

by Cindy Grigg

23 Productivity Tricks and Tips for Writers

Productivity is just as important for creatives as it is for business moguls. But as creatives, we don’t have to follow the same old productivity advice. Instead, why not employ our creativity toward designing a writerly life we can actually live with?! Here are 23 such ways I came up with: 1. Define and defend […]

by Cindy Grigg

8 Free Microsoft Office Templates for Writers

Microsoft Office is still the most popular office software used worldwide. By extension, I assume most writers are still using Microsoft Office, though many other specialty programs and tools exist, such as Scrivener. I write for About.com as the Office Software Expert, connecting readers with productivity tools, tips, and resources. I recently created this slide […]

by Cindy Grigg

Vanquishing Sugar to Boost Productivity

Once in a while I post about my personal and professional quest to kick the refined sugar habit because its diabolical granules deplete every part of my life, writing productivity included. Let’s just say I’ve lost some ground recently. As in, I’m expecting hummingbirds might try to feed from my veins at any moment. My morning […]

by Cindy Grigg

Free Novel or Series Outline Template Inspired by J.K. Rowling

I just participated on a Salt Lake Comic Con Writers Retreat panel called Planning and Outlining Your Novel and Finding Time to Write. Here’s an outlining tool that has worked awesomely for me, probably because I created it so it’s all about how my brain works. Who knows, it might be your thing, too. Worth […]

by Cindy Grigg

10 Writing Tips Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES

Here are ten things from the planet Mars that might apply to something you are writing, especially if it’s a serial novel. Ray Bradbury’s writing is equal parts imaginative science fiction and poetic prose. He’s a favorite of mine but somehow I missed reading his short story compilation THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES until recently. It did […]