I’ve been working with writers for many years as a teacher and coach, so I’ve had lots of opportunities to notice the difference between writers who succeed and writers who stall.

Here’s a countdown of ten ways nonfiction writers stay blocked:

10. Be self-conscious

9. Worry about what editors will think of you and your writing

8. Never do research

7. Overthink every idea

6. Have no target reader

5. Ignore forms

4. Spend so much time on research that you have no time left to write

3. Tell yourself nonfiction writing isn’t real writing

2. Talk to yourself instead of to the reader

1. Wait for someone to validate you before you write again

Or you can take my Become An Idea Factory Course and break out of all of these ruts by doing one simple thing: learning to trust your instincts.

I want you to be the writer you were born to become. And nonfiction writing should definitely be a part of your repertoire.

How do you get there?

You write your way there. And then success will follow naturally.

Hope you can join us for Become An Article Idea Factory! It’s where the writing writers are.

All this and more! Please subscribe to The Prosperous Writer Blog and sign up for The Prosperous Writer Newsletter, for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere.

~ Photo Credit to Carli Jean on Unsplash

10 Ways To Write More Prolifically So You Can Create Nonfiction Content That Delights Editors And Readers

Have you always wanted to become a more prolific writer, so you could compete with journalists who have years of professional experience?

Well now you can leverage your creativity to become a nonfiction article idea factory, even if you have very little writing experience!

In this course, I cover how to warm-up to write, brainstorm ideas, and draft articles quickly and creatively, so you will be the inspired writer who delivers articles that stand out in an editor’s inbox.

In this course you will learn:

• How To Simplify Article-writing Success
• The Cure For Editor-phobia
• Warm-up Exercises That Amplify Your Creative Output
• 10 Playful Approaches For Drafting Any Idea
• How To Increase Article Sales By Adding Sidebars
• 155 Article Title Ticklers
• How To Match Your Article-writing Strengths With Editorial Needs

This course will awaken your natural writing instincts and teach you to write quickly and gamely instead of agonizing over every word. Best of all, every time you write, you will remember why you wanted to become a writer in the first place.

And if you suffer from a fear of editors, the inertia of not being able to get started, or the crippling blocks of self-doubt, this course will cure you for good. Writers who take this course go from, “I don’t know how they write like that,” to “Hey, I’m doing it, too!”

Are you ready to learn how you can turn one idea into ten different types of articles without stress or strain? Then jump into this course, which includes:

• 40+ minutes of video coaching
• 30+ pages of instructional worksheets
• Just enough structure to encourage your ideas to flow swiftly into articles
• Tips and tricks from a veteran article writer
• Methods that help you adopt helpful writing habits
• Visual inspiration in the form of published articles

This writing class is helpful for both beginning writers who have taken The Art Of Short Article Writing For Nonfiction Writers as well as for experienced freelancers with any amount of prior experience.

This class is perfect for moms who want to write from home, as well as anyone with an eye on writing for national and online markets. Bloggers who want to write articles and copywriters who want to dazzle their clients may also enjoy this course.

Once you take this class and practice the techniques, your best ideas will start finding you. If you had ever thought about writing a book someday, but need help finding your topic and generating enough material, this class can get you started.

So many people want to write nonfiction articles, but once they get started, they feel daunted by their busy schedules and pressing responsibilities. How can they compete with seasoned professionals and still enjoy their lives?

The answer is by learning to be a writer who knows how to turn a spark of inspiration into a fully formed nonfiction article. After these writing techniques become habits, you will be amazed by how easy it is to identify and compose saleable articles. And you’ll be the rare writer, who has fun doing it.

For over fourteen years, writing coach and platform expert Christina Katz has been teaching writers of all levels how to cultivate and build an ever-expanding body of profitable work. After taking this class, you will tap into creative writing power you did not even know you possessed. And you will know how to use it!

Click here to claim your 50% off discount for Prosperous Writer readers

All this and more! Please subscribe to The Prosperous Writer Blog and sign up for The Prosperous Writer ezine, for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere.

Man, creating video classes ALWAYS takes longer than I expect.

The closest creative process I can compare it to is writing a book.

Then, add to that process all the audio and video creation and holy cow!

Get The Best Price On This Course Exclusively From ChristinaKatz.com

Enjoy, and feel free to ask any questions you may have about the course in the comments.

I hope to work with you in this course. Be sure to sign up for my ezine, The Prosperous Writer, to score the best deal deal on this course, when it launches.

If you are a writer, you need goals and not just any goals.

You need your own goals.

But first you need to know what your goals are.

And many writers do not know what their goals are.

They know they want goals, and they see other writers with goals, and often other writer’s goals become their goals by default.

As I recall, nothing much happened in my career until I started setting and accomplishing goals.

Then progress started happening as if by magic.

Only it wasn’t magic. It was me striving towards my goals.

Goals are funny things. They take you places.

I have no doubt that if you set one goal or two or three, they will lead you to three new goals in no time.

And that’s great. That’s as it should be.

Trying to get a writer to set her own goals is challenging. I should know. I have been doing it for years.

I think writers are afraid if they choose a goal, it will become a dead-end instead of a springboard.

But the opposite is true. Every goal is a springboard that will launch you somewhere new and exciting.

And you can thank the old goal for helping you cultivate the momentum that gets you engaged in the new goal.

There is one thing I know for sure about writers and goals.

And I have learned it by working with writers on their goals for over five years.

Letting others set goals for you, will get you stuck.

And setting your own goals and accomplishing them will set you free.

The key is the goals must belong to you. There are people who can help you get to your goals once you set them, like me.

But if you want others to set your goals for you, then you might not be using your power of choice. And if you want to be a successful writer, you have to activate your personal power.

I know how to teach writers skills. I’ve been doing it for years and I love doing it because it empowers writers to reach their goals.

So if I can teach you skills that help you achieve your goals, then great. Let’s work together.

But every writer needs to have her own distinct set of reachable, actionable goals.

I don’t want to set your goals. I want you to do that. And I want you to be excited about your goals.

I want the goals you choose to bring you and others joy.

And if they don’t, then dig deeper and find goals that mean more to you.

Because  the opposite of a pro-active, goal-oriented writer is a stuck, frustrated writer.

And if you are stuck or frustrated, I have only one question for you.

Do you have goals?

And then here’s another question.

Are they your goals?

And finally…

Are you working joyfully towards them?

~ Photo by Naphtali Marshall

Christina Katz is a writing coach and platform expert with over 15 years of professional experience, two degrees, and a huge body of quality work. She earns thousands of dollars a year writing on topics she loves and coaches her clients to do the same by setting goals, building skills, and creating distinctive work. Her mission is to empower writers worldwide.

If you would like to join her ongoing goal-setting group of joyfully productive writers, learn more and register here.

Sometimes I see what other coaches are posting, sending or sharing and I think, “Wow. Wow. Seriously…wow.”

Is writing such a competitive field that all that intensity and snarkiness is really necessary?

Is it really appropriate to talk down to people, try to make them feel dumb, and then try to sell them something so they can be “better”?

The truth is that anyone who wishes to write or who enjoys writing is not dumb. They might be inexperienced or green in the ways of the professional world, but they don’t need to get more intense, become more paranoid, or focus on the competition much at all to become successful.

You can be relaxed and successful. Writers are often anxious enough as it is, especially if they are not writing enough. And some people try to take advantage of this, I guess.

There is a time to check out the competition and see where you fit against the firmament of writers, but I hope you are not merely scrutinizing others to try to crush the competition.

The folks who put out this snarky, competitive vibe seem desperate and mean to me, not sophisticated, savvy or successful.

Long story short, if you are focused on what everyone (or anyone else) else is doing, you are not in your power. You are living in the shadow of your powerful self.

So don’t focus on the competition. Focus on yourself and your habits. It’s your habits that are going to determine your success.

Here’s what you need to do to be a happy, productive writer, who pays only a little, very detached attention to the competition.

1. Focus on your own goals.
2. Strive for clarity in your work productivity.
3. Enjoy the process of creating and earning.
4. Continually build your business assets.
5. Look for more ways to expand and reach out.
6. Love what you do a little more every day.
7. Know that your work is important and how it makes the world a better place.
8. Steer clear of mentors who are too intense and/or who need you to be too intense.
9. Celebrate your successes small and large.
10. Strive for continual excellence, whatever this means to you.

Success is an inside job. And striving for gradual, healthy success can make you a happier, more balanced person.

It’s not a dog-eat-dog world. There are some dog-eat-dog people telling themselves that they are living in a dog-eat-dog world and they have to do x, y, or z to survive. But wouldn’t you rather be the creative person, who is relaxed and focused, knowing that you will get back more than what you invest in your good, consistent work?

Be happy in your work. When you are happy, the return on investment is joy.

All this and more! Please subscribe to The Prosperous Writer Blog and sign up for The Prosperous Writer ezine, for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere.

~ Photo by Todd Quackenbush

If you are wondering how other writers seem to be able to accomplish cool stuff, I can tell you.

It’s because they set and work steadily towards their goals.

Often goal-setting approaches, are dry, dull, or over-the-top, but I approach goals by putting personal satisfaction first.

So you never have to spend a single moment working towards goals to please others or just to look good.

You can spend all your energy working towards goals that bring you joy.

People in the extended writing community can be super-intense. I should know. I’ve been a part of it for a long time.

But there is another path to reaching your goal and carving out a distinct sense of success that makes you feel proud from your head to your toes.

What do I know that other coaches don’t?

Find out by joining my monthly Writing Accountability Dream Team for only $10 a month.

You will set your top five goals each month and work steadily towards them, until it time to set five more and work towards them.

I will send you a 15-minute monthly video pep talk that will motivate you and help you stay focused, while also helping you cut yourself some slack.

Because your writing career isn’t a race. It’s a journey towards impressing yourself.

At least that’s the way it should be. That’s the way everything should be.

Join us! It’s only $10 a month when you subscribe here.

The last day to sign up for September is August 28th. Don’t miss this chance to kick the back-to-school year off right.

Hope to work with you!

This recipe is really good for fall because you can double or triple the sauce and put the extra in the freezer for another day. I usually freeze the extra sauce in Ziploc freezer bags. Then this makes a super-quick weeknight supper because all you have to do is thaw the sauce and boil pasta.

Rigatoni with Spiced Meat Sauce

12 oz Rigatoni or other short pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 med onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed, minced, or grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, obviously)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (and who are we kidding– any old vinegar will do here)

Cook pasta and set aside.
Brown meat. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is tender.
Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook 2 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and season again with salt and pepper if needed.
Toss with pasta and serve with salad.

Lela Davidson is an award-winning author and essayist (Blacklisted from the PTA and Who Peed on My Yoga Mat?), a freelance journalist and commentator for NBC News/TODAY Moms, and has been a regular contributor to iVillage and Huffington Post. Lela speaks nationally on motherhood, marriage, media, marketing, and the challenges of being over-40 in a Botox world. Her humorous, inspirational essays are featured in family and parenting magazines throughout North America and in Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms. Her book marketing advice has been featured in Writer’s Digest. Lela returned to corporate life in 2013 to launch a brand publishing, content and commerce division at an ecommerce startup. She is currently Vice President Media & Entertainment for lifestyle brand, Country Outfitter.

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This past week we took in three barn kittens, who are about three months old.

I have had a happy feeling ever since, all week long.

First of all, the kitten are so stinkin’ cute. Secondly, they make the house feel more full and alive.

The house was getting emptier and emptier since the passing of our babies Buddha and Mercury last year and the year before.

Devo, our third older cat, is also slowing down considerably. He’s sixteen now, and I think the inevitability of his passing finally got me ready to consider taking in a kitten.

The more his passing seemed like it could happen any day, the more I was like, “Okay, I’m ready for a kitten.”

And then the willingness to take in one kitten turned into the willingness to take in three, who all happen to be litter mates.

Our family started out as just me and Jason, and our three cats from the get-go. So maybe that’s why it feels so normal to have at least three cats. And why I was feeling so out of balance every time we lost a little member of our family.

This is going to be a bit of an adjustment, as we get these little guys acclimated and adjusted to life Chez Katz.

I’m happy to report that the kittens are starting to settle in and I think all the animals will be roaming freely throughout the house soon.

Here’s a Pinterest Page I pulled together about writers and their cats. And here’s an article I had published recently about cats as pets, Here, Kitty-Kitty!

All this and more! Please subscribe to The Prosperous Writer Blog and sign up for The Prosperous Writer ezine, for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere.

One of my posters, 36 Reasons To Write, is trending globally. Click on the image to check out this and other printables for home office, dorm room or classroom.

*** BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! ***

PURCHASE TWO POSTERS FROM MY ETSY SHOP AND GET ONE FOR FREE!

During the month of August 2015, purchase two posters at the regular price and then send me a message or email with your choice of a third poster, and I will send it to you within 24 hours for absolutely FREE!

This sale was popular last year, and it only happens once a year, so I hope you will take advantage of it.

Start shopping Words Glorious Words downloadable posters today.

Just be sure to place your order in my Etsy shop by August 31st to claim you free poster.

Happy Back-to-school!