Are you looking for ways to incorporate writing into your life? Have you played around with writing for awhile, but want to get serious? Or is writing something you’ve always dreamed of, and you’re ready to really begin?
Hearing about the writing life from someone who’s been there might be just what you need — and I want to help. So I put together this digital writing guide, “Words with Carrie: A Practical Guide to Bringing the Wonder of Writing into Your Busy Life,” to do exactly that.
I love writing and reading. For the majority of my adult life, professional writing has been my career. Writing is also my hobby, and it’s how I process the world and learn more about what I think and feel. I love writing, and I also love learning about writing — throughout the years, I’ve read and taken courses about other writers’ habits, and I’ve been close friends with a lot of writers, too.
I’ve taken what I’ve learned, both by experience and by hearing from others, and put it into a digital guide that’s designed to meet you where you are as a writer, whether you’re a professional, a hobbyist, or just someone who’s interested in getting started.
Buy the writing guide
For $25, you’ll get a digital download (and printable version) of “Words with Carrie: A Practical Guide to Bringing the Wonder of Writing into Your Busy Life.”
I’ve also written a couple of supplements where I dive deep into specific topics. If you’re interested in learning more about AI, you’ll want “Writing with AI: How to Use Technology without Changing Your Voice,” and if you’re ready to take the next step and try editing, “After the First Draft: How to Edit and Organize Your Work” is for you.
Each supplement works on its own, or you use it with the main guide; or, if you want everything, you can get the combo pack.
Buy the $30 Combo Pack
What makes me a writer you’d want to learn from?
One of my strengths as a writer is that I’ve written a lot of different things. My degree is in Journalism and Mass Communication, and I’ve written for newspapers and magazines: I’ve written feature stories, hard news, book reviews and SEO-driven content. I’ve worked in blogs and social media for years, both for myself and for my own businesses, and for dozens of other businesses. I’ve written scripts, interviews, product descriptions, press releases and more.
I also know the business of books, specifically as a bookseller and reviewer. I worked as a bookseller for about a decade, half of that at my own bookstore, Church Street Coffee & Books. I reviewed books for both Southern Living and BookPage, and I’ve even worked with the American Booksellers Association.
A lot of my career has also been spent as an editor and copyeditor as well. I worked as a copyeditor for The Birmingham Post-Herald, for Southern Living at Home and Willow House, for Infomedia and for dozens of clients (both freelance and through Infomedia).
I’ve written and published a book, “The Localist: Think Independent, Buy Local and Take Back the American Dream.” I also do a lot of creative writing as a hobby. I’ve written about half a dozen Nanowrimo books, including two novels that I’ve taken to further stages of editing. So, while I have a lot of experience as a professional writer, I also understand the struggles of being an aspiring author.
What’s different about this writing guide?
There’s a reason I call this a “practical guide” for your “busy life.” One of my strengths as a writer is being able to complete drafts, to hit deadlines, and to get things written even when it feels almost impossible to find time to write.
Part of this comes from my experience in newsrooms. When you’re literally on deadline, there’s no time to wait on getting things perfect — they’re not going to hold the presses while you deliberate about verb choice. I started developing techniques for getting past my internal editor and for getting things finished when I was in college, and I really honed that when I worked in news. Of course, this has come in handy with client and editorial deadlines throughout the years as well.
Now, I have a busy full-time job (I’m a VP at Infomedia, a web development company). I also consult for other businesses, and I host a podcast (The Localist). Writing is something that I have to make time for. I’ve tried almost every technique I’ve run across for being able to be creative even when you don’t have the ideal environment for it — and I’ve created a few hacks of my own, too.
Here’s a little of what’s included in the main “Words with Carrie” writing guide:
- Types of Writing
- Finding Time
- Writing Rituals
- Playlists & Music
- Good Materials
- Get Organized
- Places to Write
- How to Journal
- Books about Writing
- M.I.D. Method
- Break Writer’s Block
- Grammar Basics
- Professional Writing
- Get Published
What does this guide not have?
This guide doesn’t get into things I haven’t personally found success with. There are plenty of guides, books and blogs out there that will give you pages (and pages) of prompts, or give you advice on building a writing group for critique. I don’t personally find prompts incredibly useful for my writing style, and I don’t have enough experience in writing groups to be able to speak to that well. So I didn’t include much about those topics.
There’s a reason I called this guide “Words with Carrie,” and that’s because it’s a very personal guide to things that have worked well for me. Some of them won’t be what works for you, but I hope that some of them really hit home. Instead of being general and covering a little bit of everything, I’ve gotten very specific about the things that actually work for me.
Who is this guide good for?
This guide is for anyone who’s interested in writing. It’s for people who are already writing, because I share insider tips that you may or may not have heard before. I’ve had to solve the same challenges that you do, and I hope my solutions can work for you, too. And it’s for people who are just starting out as well, because I talk through the basics (like building a routine, learning grammar basics, etc.).
If you want to optimize your daily routine for writing
You’ll find specifics about building a routine, how to know when the best time to write is, and hacks for getting into a creative mindset quickly.
If you’re just starting out
You’ll get a little bit of cheerleading — you can do this, even if you don’t have an English degree, or you’re not a big reader. You’ll find a list of my favorite materials, some playlists you might want to listen to when you’re writing, and books to help you take your writing to the next level.
If you want to publish a book
You’ll get my method for writing fiction, plus a page on basics of publishing, whether you’re wanting to self-publish or go the traditional route.
If you want to write professionally
I share what I’ve learned about working with editors (pulling both from my experience as a freelancer and from my work as an editor and copyeditor) and what you can expect when you’re published in a newspaper or magazine.
If you want to write for business
These tips will help you to be a better writer, and that will help you be a better communicator. That will come in handy whether you’re writing an email, putting together a deck, or even just trying to explain a concept to your boss or to your team.
The AI guide: “Writing with AI: How to Use Technology without Changing Your Voice”
Like a lot of writers, my first reaction to AI was not one of acceptance. I felt annoyed that everyone was so in love with it (especially since a lot of the writing I saw from AI wasn’t great), and I felt a little bit threatened, too — was I going to lose the ability to make a living as a writer because I’d be replaced by software?
I think some writing will be done by machines in the future (and the present, of course). But I also believe there will be value in human writing, too. Just like we all have microwaves, but we still see value in a home-cooked meal or a night out at a restaurant, I think we will all use AI, but we will appreciate the thoughtfulness and creativity of writing done by humans, too.
“Writing with AI” is designed to be a very accessible overview of AI with some practical tips. I do not delve into the details of AI or talk a lot about technology — there are plenty of other resources for that. I do share a bit about what it is, and I talk about the best — and worst — uses of it. My advice is geared for writers who want to use AI as a tool, but don’t want to lose their unique writing voice. Here’s what’s inside:
- What Is AI?
- Pretty Good Uses of AI
- How to Write a Good Prompt
- AI Concerns for Writers
You’ll also get my one-hour video training, “Writing with AI: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
The editing guide: “After the First Draft: How to Edit and Organize Your Work”
There are lots of challenges and resources for writing a first draft, but not as many about what to do when you have a piece of work that is good, but not great enough to be published (even if that publishing is something you’re doing yourself, like posting to a blog).
I have an advantage in this area because I’ve spend a lot of my career working as an editor, and I know that there are certain methods of editing that take a lot of stress out of it. It’s easier for me to edit my own work because I’ve learned things from editing the work of other people.
At this point, I don’t dread editing my work — I actually prefer it to drafting. When I’m writing a first draft, I can get overwhelmed by the blank page, by making something out of nothing. But when I’m editing, I don’t have to worry about that. I love already having something to work with, and I have confidence in my editing methods, so I know I’ll be able to produce work that I’m proud of. I want you to be able to feel like that, too. Here’s what’s inside:
- Editing Steps
- Editing Tools
- Using Post-It Notes and Index Cards
- R.L. Stine’s Editing Technique
- Rereading
- You’ll also get the Grammar Basics from the main guide
Your writing journey begins here
Click here to buy the main guide, here to buy the AI guide, here to buy the editing guide, or here to buy all three. I hope you’ll find new techniques and inspiration, and that you’ll be able to find the confidence and the time you need to start creating!