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Tag: productivity

Lessons Learned From 5 Years Of Blogging

On July 8, 2022 By K.M. Allan67 Comments

I recently received a notification from WordPress congratulating me on the anniversary of my blog. As of June, it’s been around for 5 years! That might be a long time to some, or a short time depending on how you measure things, but in either case, it’s enough to learn a lesson or two, so …

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Writing Routine Helper: Daily Notes

On January 21, 2022 By K.M. Allan18 Comments

Who has come across the writing advice to leave a writing session mid-sentence and make a note of where to pick up the next day? It’s something I heard years ago and have used in the past. Just recently, I was editing my latest draft and not feeling enthusiastic about it. I’m already a few …

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5 Ways To Train Yourself To Write

On January 7, 2022January 10, 2023 By K.M. Allan31 Comments

While the key to being an excellent writer is practice, practice, practice, getting that practice can be tough. It requires a regular writing habit, which can be hard to forge and easy to drop when life gets in the way. Even if you can consistently write, distractions and interruptions can waste precious writing time. When …

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Taking Stock: Resetting To Hit Your Writing Goals

On December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 By K.M. Allan17 Comments

Just like handover notes will help when coming back to a project after time away, taking stock as you move from one year to the next is a great habit to get into. It also helps shift you into the right head and physical space to achieve your writing goals, with a reset if you're …

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What To Do When You’ve Made A Mess Of Your MS

On November 19, 2021 By K.M. Allan43 Comments

Recently, I received some feedback from beta readers after sending them what seemed like the millionth version of my latest WIP. Already up to draft 9, I was hoping this was the one where I’d ironed out the problems raised in the previous round of feedback. I had not. The issues were still there, and …

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How To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Progress

On October 8, 2021 By K.M. Allan31 Comments

As writers, we’ve all had those moments when it’s been hard to sit down and write. It could be because other responsibilities have kept us away from our writing desks, or illness has sidelined us. Then there are those times when we’ve been able to write and we just… don’t. When that happens, it’s down …

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Blogging Tips

On August 20, 2021 By K.M. Allan50 Comments

Not too long ago I received a notice from WordPress that I’d published my 200th blog post. In case you’re wondering, that post was the 7 Step Old Manuscript Review Plan, and it’s an example of the blogs I love to write. My faves are about being organized, as that’s what gets me in the …

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5 Things To Do After Getting Beta Feedback

On August 6, 2021 By K.M. Allan21 Comments

Any writer who has gotten to the beta reader feedback stage of their writing journey knows handing your MS to others to read is a helpful part of the process. It can be essential for addressing plot issues, character flaws, confusing narratives, what works and what doesn’t, and picking up those elusive typos. It’s also …

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Motivational Tricks To Keep You Working On Your Manuscript

On April 23, 2021 By K.M. Allan31 Comments

When you set out to write a novel, you quickly learn that it takes a lot of drafts. There’s the first draft, which is laying down the story. The second works out what the story is missing, and every draft after is refining until it becomes the finished book. How many drafts that takes depends …

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K.M. Allan

K.M. Allan

YA writer and blogger. Author of The Blackbirch Series, The Beginning, The Dark Half, and The Ritual (books 1, 2 & 3) are out now! I'm also an identical twin, but not the evil one.

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