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Bluehost WordCamp Giveaway

For all of my readers out there, this post is going to be a little bit different. I’ve started to switch my website (currently hosted by WordPress) over to a Bluehost account (which partners with WordPress) to expand what I am able to control on my site. Bluehost is offering a free trip to their WordCamp Conference in Nashville, and the way to enter is to write a blog post about why they should pick you.

I’m excited about this opportunity because I don’t want to be a regular business. Or a regular author. Or regular in any way except how I like my coffee in the morning. The reason I chose Bluehost is because I want to take my website/web business to the next level. The reason they should choose me is I have a vision for my website, and I want to partner with Bluehost.

When I launched my site about a year ago, I was compelled to write about invention because I believe the concept of invention is universally valuable. The recorded history of mankind is inspired and thrust forward by men and women who share this zeal. The pursuit of the wonders that can discovered when people fuse new ideas with strong existing foundations is an adventure worth taking.

If chosen, my goal in Nashville will be to learn, share, and go to the next level with Bluehost. Whether or not I am selected as the winner, I would like to recommend it to anyone in a similar place in their business. You can learn more about WordCamp here. I received an entry into the Bluehost WordCamp US Giveaway for writing this post.

Also for my readers: what do you want to take to the next level in your story? Don’t let anything hold you back. Figure out the first step you need to take to get there, and take it.

Invent your story!

WRITERS

The Trick of the Time Sheet

Keeping a time sheet sounds like a needless, stifling, and altogether gross task that could shift your creative writing focus and undermine your inner artist. I avoided this devil for a long time. After all, as long as you write to the best of your ability, why would it matter how long it takes?

It matters.

Time is important. A book may take 6 months or 6 years to complete depending on the amount of time you invest into researching and writing it. But you won’t know how much time you actually invested in it if you don’t keep track. A time sheet may not change how long it takes to complete your work, but it will make you a more informed writer.

And information is motivating.

Say a project takes 8 hours to complete. (This is something you won’t know, by the way, if you don’t keep track.) You have the option to tackle it in different ways:

Time Sheet Tracking

This example is not entirely fair. You will not get the exact same results if you write for an hour at a time or 4 hours at a time. But creating a time sheet to track your writing will help you begin to see patterns, find your rhythm, and enjoy your craft.

It can also motivate you to keep writing. You will have proof each day that you are moving forward and your work is not sitting on the shelf. If you don’t have an editor, agent, or publisher in your life (and honestly, even if you do) you don’t have someone waking you up in the morning telling you to write. You need to make the choice for yourself.

Keeping on track as a writer can be challenging. You have to be the boss and the worker bee at the same time. I don’t know of a business out there that doesn’t track the time their workers put into each day because time is valuable.

As you invent your story, keep track of the time you invest in it. You, your time, and your story are worth the effort. Using this tool may streamline your writing to be more efficient and effective, but I think the most rewarding part is the ability to look back one day and see how far you’ve come.

Happy Writing!