SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

How Scrivener Helped Me Win My First NanoWrimo

For some you may be thinking what the heck is Scrivener, better yet what is NanoWrimo. As a writer they are indispensable ways to write your first novel or even fiftieth. Let me start by saying I am tired, worn out and whooped from competing in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)  a writing competition the entire month of November. I had to rely on some incredible bloggers to guest blog for me over the month as I wrote my first novel. OK well sort of novel, I wrote 50,350 words in a month and compiled it into a story. Is it finished? Not really, it is 50k more words written of my first novel than I would have had if I did not participate.  I struggled through fear, extreme mood swings, emotional turmoil and sheer exhaustion yet I kept writing. I wrote in the morning, lunchtime and night, words consumed me for days on end. I had been told for years that I needed to tell my story, I cannot claim the words I wrote to be my story per se, yet they are fiction inspired and based on truth like many books would be better to claim to be. Whether the work actually will make it to print remains to be seen, at least for public consumption. However without Scrivener it is quite likely is simply would be a bunch of words making little real sense. I purchased a license to Scrivener and even became an affiliate as I felt the software was made […]

The Top 5 Reasons To Keep A Journal (Guest Post)

In recent years, the art of journaling is making a resurgence into people’s daily lives.  No longer is it a pastime just for children or artistic types, now journals are becoming a popular tool for people to use in different ways. But if you are trying to figure out if a journal would be a good tool for you, here are the top five reasons I have found to keep a journal. The memories you make you will be able to remember. You will be amazed as you record your daily life how things progress over time.  Your daily routine may look very different years from now.  Relationships that are new today may grow in ways you never imagined in the future.  You can see how your priorities change and how your goals play out in life.  Plus, the simple moments in life that we tend to forget about, such as morning walks or jokes told at dinner, can bring a smile to your face when you read about them again years from now. You will be surprised as what you ‘say’ when you start to write your thoughts on paper. The process of writing out your thoughts freely in a journal, not stopping to ‘edit’ your words, is an incredible tool for thinking things through.  Not only is it useful for venting about your troubles, it is a great tool for getting your ideas on paper so that you can find a solution and plan for what to do next.  This process brings clarity, […]

Every Writer Needs a Tribe to Call Their Own (free ebook)

This sounds too good to be true. When I started this blog back in 2013 I had no clue what I was doing. Not to say that I am an expert now but I do know more thanks to the leadership of others in the field. One of the people of whom I follow as a blogger is Jeff Goins.  As a writer and blogger he has taught me a great deal over the last couple of years. Granted he likely had no idea that he has had such an impact but that’s okay. I have read every book of Jeff’s that I could get my hands on. In fact I helped promote one of his called the Art of Work. Being a fan made wanting to be a part of his launch team a no brainer. Jeff is at is again and this time has brought out an ebook that he wanted to share. There is a catch though, the book is currently free. Yep that’s right an expert in the field wrote a book about creating your own tribe and is giving it away. For a limited time, my friend Jeff Goins is giving a free eBook on how to build your audience called, Every Writer Needs a Tribe. Click Here to get your free copy today Now, this isn’t some short PDF “report” or white paper. It’s a full-out book that Jeff has never before released to the public. And he’s letting a handful of friends offer to their audiences for free. Whether […]