YouTube

Do I struggle with perfectionism (and other questions)

Do I struggle with perfectionism (and other questions)

Last week I recorded a video where I answered some of the questions I’ve been asked on Instagram and in my private Facebook group.

I’m not going to lie I felt all sorts of terrified whilst undertaking this small project. Fear and worry about my face being on screen for thirty minutes, imposter syndrome as I thought - who am I to be giving advice or talking about my writing journey I haven’t achieved anything. And also a kind of invisibility frustration. The latter something I need to think about further and maybe write a blog post about it.

But I pushed through my fears and sent it live and have had some lovely feedback.

I was asked about:

  • Patreon

  • Whether I struggle with perfectionism (my immediate thought was no but realised I do in some cases)

  • How I decide between what I should do and what I truly want to do

  • Is it too late to be on social media?

  • How to get past the numbers

  • My favourite part of everything I do

  • My journey as a writer

  • My major stepping stones that helped me get to this point

  • Vlogging

Click on the post to find out more. Or go straight to the video: Online Creativity Q&A

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A tour of my writing desk

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A tour of my writing desk

How I've set my writing desk up to help me with my posture (and for organisation of all my notebooks and pens!)

I've had so many questions on Instagram about my desk now I have added a keyboard, monitor, mouse, wooden riser and tucked my laptop away underneath so I thought I'd make a short video about the equipment I've used and where it's all from.

Click to read the full post and see the video.

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Exciting book releases for 2019!

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exciting book releases for 2019

I often get books through the post directly from publishers. This can often be well in advance of the book’s publication date. And I love receiving them.

The six in the video are those that have really grabbed my attention. Some of them I’ve read, and some I cannot wait to read. One made me laugh out loud (rare for a book to do that to me), one was my favourite read from 2018 and one (the one above) I just utterly adored.


Books mentioned:

Dry Hard by Nick Spalding: https://amzn.to/2SXC54A US link: https://amzn.to/2spCaSY

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden: https://amzn.to/2Cmhj7z US link: https://amzn.to/2M9URDi

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield: https://amzn.to/2SQjIP6 US link: https://amzn.to/2SQLydX

The Day we Met by Roxie Cooper: https://amzn.to/2HbsR36 US link: https://amzn.to/2TTpQpT

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary: https://amzn.to/2RsBomZ US link: https://amzn.to/2FAdH5c

Needlemouse by Jane O'Connor: https://amzn.to/2SQjXK0

exciting new book releases for 2019. Do you enjoy fiction that makes you feel cosy? Good stories to read by the fire or curled up in an armchair? Here is a video of some exciting releases for 2019.
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PLAN WITH ME | December 2018 | How I plan my writing & blogging content

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PLAN WITH ME | December 2018 | How I plan my writing & blogging content

As this is the second month’s PLAN WITH ME that I’ve done - in this video I look back at how I did during November. Did I stick to my plan? Did I create all the videos I’d written down in my notebook and did I finally write and send out my essay? Spoiler: yes I did. But I didn’t manage everything.

For December my content is going to focus on food, baking and books as we hurtle towards the festive season and as we head towards January I’ll be writing about blogging and online creativity more.

I also look at what I did from a business point of view during November. I added tiers to my Patreon offering and signed up to a few affiliate link companies.

Featured
My YouTube Journey
YouTube, Journal
My YouTube Journey
YouTube, Journal

Over the weekend I sent out a newsletter which opened with a short anecdote about my YouTube channel. The subject of the newsletter wasn’t actually about YouTube at all but I received an email back from one of my lovely subscribers asking what had happened with my YouTube journey. She said: It feels almost like we followed you on your journey then when you arrived at the Emerald City, you left us outside the gates.

I completely agreed. I’d stopped talking about YouTube once I reached monetisation. I’d shared a lot of what I was going through including my analytics and how close I was getting on my Instagram Stories - but then just didn’t carry that narrative on.

My YouTube journey has dominated my life for a year. I was thinking about it a lot; anxious that I would not reach the relevant requirements and then, when I did, I was worried about being rejected and monetisation would not be allowed for my channel.

So I thought I’d explore why I stopped talking about my YouTube channel in this blog post, as well as looking at my YouTube journey so far.

Read more →
YouTube, Journal
Inside My Writing Notebooks From The Last Six Months
Notebooks, YouTube
Inside My Writing Notebooks From The Last Six Months
Notebooks, YouTube

If you're looking for ideas on how to fill your journals and notebooks I am sharing a journal flip through to show how I fill mine. My journals are often messy but each one has a definite purpose.

I use one journal as a writing bullet journal to track and log my writing and creative projects. I use another to plan my writing and creative tasks. I have others for particular writing projects such as my book proposal, essays and YouTube scripts. Then I have some simply to journal and to free up space in my head.

In this video I share each notebook I’ve used in the last six months. There’s a completed journal, a couple of new notebooks and I also share how my notebooks (and writing) have been affected by the recent pandemic

Read more →
Notebooks, YouTube
Incorporating Instagram into my Writing Life
Instagram, YouTube
Incorporating Instagram into my Writing Life
Instagram, YouTube

Instagram is the main way I engage with my audience. I also love the creativity of it. So I'm sharing how I incorporate Instagram into my daily writing life. It actually, with a bit of practice, doesn't take up a lot of my day - but I also see it as an essential part of my writing business.

Instagram is part of my writing routine. I love the app but I also see it as an essential way of growing my author platform. It can be used in a natural way as part of a marketing plan for writers. If you're looking how to market your book or how to use social media as an author but want to be authentic then this might be the way for you.

Read more →
Instagram, YouTube
Monthly Reset Routine for my Writing Projects
YouTube, Planning
Monthly Reset Routine for my Writing Projects
YouTube, Planning

At the beginning of every month I create a fresh start for my writing and creative projects. I have a little brainstorm, reset my task board, and take note of all the relevant stats for the previous month.

Click the link to see the video that shares how I go about doing it so I’m inspired and motivated for the month ahead.

Monthly reset for my writing projects.

Read more →
YouTube, Planning


PLAN WITH ME | December 2018 | How I plan my writing & blogging content
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PLAN WITH ME | November 2018 | Planning for writing, creativity & productivity

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PLAN WITH ME | November 2018 | Planning for writing, creativity & productivity

During September and October my writing & creativity productivity increased despite having a new puppy to tame. My blog stats doubled and I started a number of projects including my YouTube channel.

However, whilst writing a round up of how my writing projects had gone during the month of October I realised that I still hadn't got over the fear when it came to writing my essays and my novel. My head was full of ideas, sentences, projects so I decided to do a brain dump/mind map of everything that was in my head to do with YouTube, my essay on creative confidence (that I send out via Patreon) and my novel. This mind map then led to me writing the specific details of each task in my notebook.

As with my video on Planning My Writing Month it was an incredibly simple task - but also effective. Just this week I have crossed off a number of items off my list including the feared essay!

Watch the video for more…

PLAN WITH ME | November 2018 | Planning for writing & creativity

A WRITER'S OFFICE TOUR: How I've decluttered my office for a more productive space

A WRITER'S OFFICE TOUR: How I've decluttered my office for a more productive space

A few days ago, unable to write because of a head cold and feeling a bit blue because my son had just left on a trip to Asia, I decided to sort out and declutter my office. This was a well overdue project and I shared the process on my Instagram Stories.

I received so many lovely messages about the process that I decided to do a video of the finished result.

You can see the cleaning and sorting process on my Instagram, abookishbaker, in the saved Story called 'Office Hinch' (after the cleaning sensation that is Mrs Hinch of course!)

And now here’s the video:

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

Featured
My YouTube Journey
YouTube, Journal
My YouTube Journey
YouTube, Journal

Over the weekend I sent out a newsletter which opened with a short anecdote about my YouTube channel. The subject of the newsletter wasn’t actually about YouTube at all but I received an email back from one of my lovely subscribers asking what had happened with my YouTube journey. She said: It feels almost like we followed you on your journey then when you arrived at the Emerald City, you left us outside the gates.

I completely agreed. I’d stopped talking about YouTube once I reached monetisation. I’d shared a lot of what I was going through including my analytics and how close I was getting on my Instagram Stories - but then just didn’t carry that narrative on.

My YouTube journey has dominated my life for a year. I was thinking about it a lot; anxious that I would not reach the relevant requirements and then, when I did, I was worried about being rejected and monetisation would not be allowed for my channel.

So I thought I’d explore why I stopped talking about my YouTube channel in this blog post, as well as looking at my YouTube journey so far.

Read more →
YouTube, Journal
Inside My Writing Notebooks From The Last Six Months
Notebooks, YouTube
Inside My Writing Notebooks From The Last Six Months
Notebooks, YouTube

If you're looking for ideas on how to fill your journals and notebooks I am sharing a journal flip through to show how I fill mine. My journals are often messy but each one has a definite purpose.

I use one journal as a writing bullet journal to track and log my writing and creative projects. I use another to plan my writing and creative tasks. I have others for particular writing projects such as my book proposal, essays and YouTube scripts. Then I have some simply to journal and to free up space in my head.

In this video I share each notebook I’ve used in the last six months. There’s a completed journal, a couple of new notebooks and I also share how my notebooks (and writing) have been affected by the recent pandemic

Read more →
Notebooks, YouTube
Incorporating Instagram into my Writing Life
Instagram, YouTube
Incorporating Instagram into my Writing Life
Instagram, YouTube

Instagram is the main way I engage with my audience. I also love the creativity of it. So I'm sharing how I incorporate Instagram into my daily writing life. It actually, with a bit of practice, doesn't take up a lot of my day - but I also see it as an essential part of my writing business.

Instagram is part of my writing routine. I love the app but I also see it as an essential way of growing my author platform. It can be used in a natural way as part of a marketing plan for writers. If you're looking how to market your book or how to use social media as an author but want to be authentic then this might be the way for you.

Read more →
Instagram, YouTube
Monthly Reset Routine for my Writing Projects
YouTube, Planning
Monthly Reset Routine for my Writing Projects
YouTube, Planning

At the beginning of every month I create a fresh start for my writing and creative projects. I have a little brainstorm, reset my task board, and take note of all the relevant stats for the previous month.

Click the link to see the video that shares how I go about doing it so I’m inspired and motivated for the month ahead.

Monthly reset for my writing projects.

Read more →
YouTube, Planning
A WRITER'S OFFICE TOUR: How I've decluttered my office for a more productive space
,

PLANNING MY WRITING MONTH: How I use my Lemome notebook as a writer & blogger

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PLANNING MY WRITING MONTH: How I use my Lemome notebook as a writer & blogger

I’ve tried so many notebook systems to get my writing and blogging organised and to increase my productivity and struggled each time.

Since September I've been using this system. This is so simple yet it has increased my productivity hugely over the last two months - despite having more projects on the go and a new puppy in the house!

In this video, I show you what my current monthly and weekly writing and blogging planner setup looks like and how I'm using my Lemome notebook to help organise my writing business and get more work done.

(The video is based on this post: How I’ve Organised My Writing Week so I’m no Longer all Over the Place.)

As I wrote about in this post: Why I’m Creating a YouTube Channel I’ve now joined the YouTube generation. Please come over and see me over there. I’d love it if you’d subscribe to my channel.

ITEMS USED IN THE VIDEO

Lemome Bullet Journal: Grid

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

Autumn Trees Washi Tape

Binder Clips (similar to)

Giant Paperclips (similar to)

Prompt Cards

(Affiliate links at no extra cost to yourself but helps me in the running of this blog.)

HOW I USE MY LEMOME NOTEBOOK AS A WRITER & BLOGGER