You never know when you’re going to get stuck. It may be the first sentence, the third paragraph or the last line. But when you feel stuck, here are my top 10 tips to get your writing flowing again:

1. Take a break. Go for a walk or just stand outside in the sun. Even five minutes in the outdoors does wonders for your mood and creativity.

2. Look at bold, bright colors for a few minutes. These change your mood.

3. Smell something fresh. Cut an orange and smell it. Don’t have an orange? Ground coffee works just as well. Smells awaken your creativity and trigger memories.

4. Look at a photo or listen to a song that inspires you. Take just 5 minutes to do this and you’ll shift gears. This relaxes the brain and inspires new ideas.

5. Talk. Spend a few minutes brainstorming or talking over your ideas with a colleague. Explaining it to others is often enough to get your ideas flowing.

6. Draw or doodle. Draw a picture of your client, your product or your idea. Let your mind wander and the creativity will creep back in.

7. Mine for nuggets. Read through notes, brochures, web sites and completed writing projects. Cut and paste the words that inspire you into your blank page and begin again.

8. Start writing. Do not think about what it says or even if it makes sense. Silence your internal editor. Just put down thoughts, words and phrases as they come to mind.

9. Mind map. Jot down words and phrases as they come to mind. Connect them to one another with lines and circles. Add thought bubbles and appropriate buzzwords.

10. Google. Google keywords that relate to your project. Pick and choose words and phrases from the search results and paste them onto the draft of your document. I left this one for last because it’s my favorite. It works every time.

Need help writing or editing your book, blog or article? Maybe you just need someone to hold you accountable. I can help. Contact me today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation to find out how I can help you achieve your writing goals.

All writers have an internal editor. Whether you’re an author, blogger, speaker or consultant, your internal editor slows down the writing process.

Your internal editor is that voice that sometimes tells you nothing you write is good enough. It’s the voice that keeps you writing and rewriting a single sentence at the expense of the rest of the piece or sends us off to clean out the refrigerator rather than write a single word.

Here are four ways to silence your internal editor:

1. Think before you write. Spend a few moments thinking about your goal for writing this piece. What do you want to say? What do you want your reader to learn and feel? If your thinking isn’t clear, your writing won’t be clear either.
2. Reframe your internal editor by thinking of it as your reader. Imagine who he or she is, and where he or she will be reading your writing. Keep that picture in your mind.
3. Negotiate a truce. Tell your internal editor that she will get her turn. But she has to be quiet while you write your first draft. After the first draft is done, you can turn your internal editor loose to help you edit your piece.

4. Start now. Just put words to paper. The first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be.

And with that said, start writing now!

Have you ever made a business mistake?  Of course, we all have!  Mistakes happen in the course of running a business, even when we’ve taken every precaution to prevent them.

So, the question shouldn’t be “Have you made a business mistake?,” but “What did you do about it?”  That’s the tough question. 

Today, I read a great article about a company who’s perfected the art of apologizing for mistakes.  They send humble pies to keep clients happy.

What do you do when you make a business mistake?  Make sure you don’t just brush it under the rug.  Address it head on in a positive manner, and you’ll find even greater business success.

You’ve just found the virtual author’s assistant who will help you sell more books and achieve all your goals.

Keep posted while I complete the set up of this site.  I promise to provide valuable marketing tips for authors and publishers as well as inspiration to keep you going.

I look forward to getting to know you!

Kathy Goughenour