Did you know that even established authors are e-publishing? They blog. They publish e-books. They vlog. They are smart to do so. I wanted to share a few observations about e-publishing and how it can impact your writing. * E-Publishing puts the decision to read what you write into the hands of the public.  No longer do writers have to depend on a publisher to get their writing out there. The public gets to decide. Famed author Amanda Hocking is a good example of this. She sat in my writing class and showed us her countless rejection letters. No one would publish her writings. So, she took to e-publishing and more than 2 million people said yes to her writings by downloading her e-books! THEN the publishing houses started paying attention to Amanda Hocking and now she has both book and movie deals. The public decided. * E-Publishing lets an author earn credibility while giving their name more exposure. Ree Drummand, The Pioneer Woman , started her blog to share a dr...

I write. I am a writer. I write all the time, daily actually. Most of what I write does not get published, but I write anyway. Sometimes I write and find it therapeutic, as is the case with my book, Victory Over Violence . Sometimes I write because something so deeply touched me that I have to put it down on paper, as with my book, Tears in a Bottle . Other times, I write because I have information that I think others will find helpful, like in my book, How to Not Potty Train Your Kids . I write for many reasons. When stuff happens in my life, I write about it. When stuff happens around me, I write about it. When I feel passionate about something, I write about it. When I feel silly, I write. I've written songs, poems, books, short stories, Bible studies, a memoir, silliness, doctrine and kids' stories. I don't publish all my writings, but I write them just the same. I mostly write non-fiction, but am working on a few fiction projects and finding it interesting to...

Some people say that if you love what you do for a living, you won't work a day in your life. I don't agree with that statement 100%. I love being a mom, but when I had three kids in diapers at once, three different kids on three different sports teams at the same time and another one or two learning to drive, I worked. When all eight kids lived at home, I worked. I loved it, but it was still work. I only have three left at home now and I work and work and work. I love it still, but it's work. Work that I love. Writing is also work that I love. Maria Murnane, CreateSpace blogger hits the nail on the head with this article on the discipline of writing. I love being a writer. The thrill of selling one of my frequent articles or getting tons of hits on my blogs or checking my e-book sales to find them up higher and higher is beyond exciting for me. But, writing those articles and e-books is work, even though I love it. So, work. And write. And love it. ~Tricia

If you take a look at this article by Nina Amir, you might think I'm guilty of plagiarism even by the title of this blog post. In the article, titled Blog an eBook So You'll Get Read As You Write , Nina quotes a speaker from the New Media Expo as saying just that...."Every blogger is a published author." This is not new information to me. I have been telling my writing students this for several years now. Publishing is easier today than ever before. I tell my students that if they've so much as written a Facebook status update, they have published. Their update might be read more than a long article in the New York Times. Smart writers have learned to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging and other social media outlets to advance their writing, their product or service and generate not only business, but a following. If you are not blogging, what are you waiting for? It's easy, quick and can have a huge positive impact on your writing. ~Tricia

If you're like me, you have a variety of resources you use for your writing. I thought today I would highlight a few of my favorites. Grammar Girl is first on my favorites list. She tackles every day grammar issues that all writers face and you can search her site for answers to all your grammar questions. Love Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty )! Find her on Facebook so you don't miss out on the best grammar tips around. LinkedIn is another favorite resource of mine. I have joined several writer's groups on LinkedIn and have found the conversations to be worthwhile, stimulating and very advantageous to my writing. There's nothing like having others read your writing or reading others' writing to add fuel to your own writing. SEO News is another of my favorites. I learn something every single time I go to their website. If you're going to write and publish on the internet, SEO News can help you learn the best way to use and optimize search engines for the b...

Are you doing the happy dance when it comes to your writing? I am doing the happy dance because I have sold more Amazon Kindle books . I love it when I'm out and about, busy living my life, and I come home and find that I have sold more books ! I realized a long time ago that I would not sell any Amazon Kindle books if I did not publish those books on Amazon. This is not so profound, it's obvious, yet many writers can't do the happy dance because they are not selling books and they are not selling books because they have not published their books! E-publishing is here to stay and even well-known, accomplished authors are seeing the need to e-publish in some form or another. Write. Publish. Today. And you will be doing the happy dance, too! ~Tricia

The three little words in this blog title perfectly sum up the start to my writing career. I was in college and had just turned in yet another research paper. I did my best work on the paper, turned it in on time and sighed with relief as I went on to my next class. I had no idea that the paper I'd just finished would change my life. Upon getting the graded paper back from my professor, I noted that he'd written a note at the top. It said, "Reading your writing is just like talking to you. You should write." The words were simple, their impact far-reaching. Three little words. I took them to heart for a number of reasons. First of all, I was not used to hearing positive feedback or any sort of compliment. Being raised in an abusive situation didn't lend itself to my siblings and I being built up in any way. I simply had never heard much positive reinforcement in my life, thus it was incredibly pleasant. Secondly, the professor was a professional, giving his ...