The Best Twenty Dollars You’ll Spend All Year

I’m writing this from Lucca, Italy on the first leg of my Italy/Switzerland adventure.

leather bound notebook

Spark Your Creativity With A Leather-bound Notebook That Fits Your Personality.

I’ve learned a handful of things that make Europe unique, but I will save that for my next blog post.

This time I’m going to talk about a simple product I purchased in Florence that I would recommend to anyone: a leather-bound writing booklet.

I’ve always maintained a journal for sporadic inspirations, however one thing has changed from the plastic green, college ruled spiral notebook that I used before to the golden brown, handcrafted leather book, adorned with an iris on the front:

I am excited to write in it.

Over the past three days I have not been able to put the darn thing down and I think I know why:

A connection with royalty

I’m sure great writers of the past used notebooks more similar to this and it invokes a feeling that transcends time. Instead of bringing me back to my high school days with a steel bound spiral notebook, I can imagine that I too am navigating uncharted waters of literature with the greats.
[Continue reading]

How I Became A Full-Time Freelance Writer and Blogger

How I Became A Full-time Freelance Writer and Blogger

Photo Credit: thaikrit / freedigitalphotos.net

I make money as a writer.

Recently I have been able to look back and see a progression of failures and struggles that have led me to a life of writing.

I currently write full-time as a professional copywriter and I also make a nice bit of cash on the side with this blog.

It certainly wasn’t easy though, and I am by no means a famous writer with deep pockets. However, I do know one thing:

I am happy.

So how did I do it? Let me walk you through the steps I initially took to fight my way from the guy in a cubicle who squeezed in writing at night, to the guy who gets to wake up and hammer away at his keyboard all day long.

I called myself a writer

No one took me seriously until I started believing it myself. I kept assuming that I was an aspiring author or a struggling writer.
[Continue reading]

Instant Stress Relief For Writers: Feel Happier With One Quick Change

Photo Credit: David Castillo Domiici

Laughter is the best stress reliever. But how can someone initiate laughter? And how can you keep the stem of this laughter from turning into procrastination? I often think that I am doing myself a favor by simply watching a sitcom and … [Continue reading]

Write Away 10 Pounds In One Month

Write Away 10 Pounds In One Month

Does writing keep you out of shape? It does for me. I wouldn't say I'm pudgy, but I used to be a pretty good athlete with very little fat on my body. Since I graduated from college, started my marketing career, then moved onto writing, I … [Continue reading]

How To Write And Travel

the traveling writer

Can you write while traveling? Yes. Does it suck? Yes. After two weeks of traveling (for about a week to Indiana and an unexpected one week escapade of moving to a new home in Chicago) I have concluded one thing: Writing while … [Continue reading]

Branding Like A Boss: The Writer’s Edition

branding like a boss

Are you branding yourself properly? Writing often requires you to build separate platforms. This can cause increased anxiety, since you suddenly become the manager of multiple different brands. There is rarely any reason for this. As a … [Continue reading]

Writers Who Pick A Niche Get Better Results

Choosing A Niche

There are various areas of your writing career that will require you to choose a niche. What type of blog you would like to offer, what type of books you would like to write and even what types of freelance clients you would like to work … [Continue reading]

Nerd Is The Word

Nerd

The Star Wars Episode 7 chatter has recently been flooding the internet and this Jedi is way too excited than any 25-year-old man should be for a story about super-powered monks with laser swords and alien dogs who communicate by wailing and throwing … [Continue reading]

Why and How You Should Give Out an eBook (and more stuff) On Your Blog

Free eBooks and Other Content For Your Subscribers

How do you market your writing? Social media? Blog posts? Emails? Building an email list is the most direct way to market a book or other product. Having thousands of Twitter followers and Facebook likes is wonderful, but it doesn't have … [Continue reading]

This One Dreadful Thing Will Help Your Creative Thinking

Separation Sparks Creativity

My personal life often conflicts with my writing. My sister asks me to babysit my niece, my mom guilt trips me into tearing out cabinets for lake house renovations and my girlfriend sighs when I say I can't go to a movie because I'm writing at … [Continue reading]

PHP/MySQL Components, WordPress Plugins, and Technology Opinions at TravisWeston.com