11 Audiobooks Every Writer Should Listen To: A Symphony of Words

Introduction

Are you a writer thirsty for inspiration, keen on mastering the craft of storytelling, or are you hunting for tips to polish your creativity? Whatever your literary path, enriching your knowledge through books is undoubtedly an essential step and here, I present a list of 11 audiobooks every writer should listen to in order to improve their writing. I hope this carefully curated list will fan the flames of your creativity and storytelling skills. These are not necessarily the BEST books, but they are my favourites so that’s why they’re here.

woman listening on headphones, clipart, sitting in a chair

 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Narrator: Stephen King

Renowned author Stephen King shares his experiences and wisdom on writing. This part-memoir, part-masterclass audiobook provides valuable insights on the craft, with King’s own voice adding an intimate layer to the narrative.

 

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

by Anne Lamott

Narrator: Susan Bennett

Anne Lamott’s masterpiece offers a candid and humorous view on writing and life. It’s not merely an audiobook; it’s a guide full of advice and personal experiences that offer comfort to authors facing the struggles of the creative process.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

by Joseph Campbell

Narrator: Arthur Morey

A staple in understanding the power of myth and the hero’s journey in storytelling, this audiobook delivers valuable wisdom on crafting compelling narratives that resonate universally.

 

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Narrator: Elizabeth Gilbert

A beautiful exploration of creativity, “Big Magic” encourages writers to embrace curiosity, let go of fear, and uncover the “strange jewels” within. Gilbert’s own narration imbues every word with her genuine passion and warmth.

 

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

by Steven Pressfield

Narrator: George Guidall

 This audiobook is a powerful weapon for writers battling creative block. Pressfield’s profound wisdom helps identify and conquer the inner obstacles to creativity, making it a must-listen for every writer. 

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

by Natalie Goldberg

Narrator: Natalie Goldberg

My all-time favourite, Goldberg’s timeless wisdom is a blend of Zen mindfulness and writing techniques. Her calming voice guides writers to silence their self-doubt and awaken their creative instincts.

 The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Narrator: Frank McCourt

An iconic guide to English language and writing, this audiobook provides clear rules of usage, principles of composition, and advice on style. An invaluable tool for writers to refine their craft.

 

The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

by Julia Cameron

Narrator: Julia Cameron

This audiobook is a lifeline for creatives feeling blocked or unfulfilled. Cameron’s 12-week course guides you through spiritual exercises that free your creativity, encouraging artistic confidence and productivity.

 

On Writers and Writing

by Margaret Atwood

Narrator: Margaret Atwood

Explore the fascinating role of writers as viewed by Margaret Atwood in this retrospective on her writing career. Delving into the various metaphors and roles writers assume, Atwood ponders the concept of writers as ‘gifted’, balancing wide literary references with personal anecdotes. Discover the purpose and pleasures of writing, rooted in the rich traditions of western literature.

 Structuring Your Novel
Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

by K.M. Weiland

 Narrator Sonja Field

 Unlock the power of story structure with this award-winning guide by the author of ‘Outlining Your Novel.’ Learn to time your story’s events perfectly, eliminate structural weaknesses, and maintain pacing and progression. Discover how to turn your unique vision into a compelling plot, ensure readers ask the right questions, and join the ranks of countless successful authors empowered by story structure.

 

Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels: 
How to Write Kissing Books, Book 1

by Gwen Hayes

Narrator: Natalie Duke

Dive into the art of writing romance with ‘Romancing the Beat’, a conversational guide by editor and author Gwen Hayes. Learn the unique story beats of the genre and how to braid the external plot to the romance arc. Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, this guide is your recipe for writing engaging kissing books, taught by a mentor to New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.

 

Conclusion

Every one of these audiobooks brings something unique to the table for writers. They unravel the intricacies of the craft, provide invaluable life lessons, and delve into the depths of creativity. Immerse yourself in the sonic richness of these narratives, and you’ll likely emerge with a renewed love for writing and a wellspring of inspiration.

Give your writing a powerful boost by investing time in these audiobooks. Remember, the essence of writing is not merely the words we pen down, but the symphony of thoughts, ideas, and emotions we orchestrate. Keep learning, keep growing, and most importantly, keep writing. Here’s to your writing journey soaring to new heights!

Do you have a favourite writing book? Audio or otherwise. Let me know below – I’m always on the lookout for new writing books.

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Please be aware that when you click on affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission from the retailer. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.  

Collaborating with Google for Accurate and Engaging AI Content

Collaborating with Google for Accurate and Engaging AI Content

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we make and use content. It is also changing how we get information. AI has changed the process, but humans are still needed to edit and check facts because machines can’t be creative or think critically. By working with tech companies like Google, content creators can make sure that AI-generated content is correct and interesting.

 Working with Google has many benefits for people who create content. Google’s tools for processing natural language can improve the quality of content made by AI by finding and fixing mistakes in grammar and style and its search algorithms can also find gaps in content and change it so that it gets the most attention. Google’s machine learning models can also analyse and make sense of enormous sets of data, which gives content creators data-driven insights.

Fact Checking

 Google got on board the AI train early on and their Fact Check Explorer tool helps editors and fact-checkers check the accuracy of content across the web. This makes it easier for editors and fact-checkers to find mistakes in AI-generated content and fix them. This is especially important in the digital age, where fake news and misinformation are becoming more of a worry.

human editors fact-checkers Chatgpt

 Working with Google can also improve how AI-generated content is used by users. Human editors can pick up on subtle differences in language, tone, and style, which makes the content more interesting and relatable to the audience. Also, Google has machine-learning models that can figure out what each user likes and adapt the content to their needs and interests.

Conclusion

So! For AI-generated content to be correct, informative, and interesting, human editors, fact-checkers, and Google must work together. AI has many benefits, but it can’t replace creative editors and fact-checkers who can think critically and come up with new ideas. By working with Google, content creators can use both human and machine skills to make content that is both efficient and effective.

In the end, as it is for all humanity, it is the human touch that makes a difference.

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How To Blog a Book

How To Blog a Book

How to Blog a Book

What holds most would-be authors back from publishing? It’s not a lack of writing talent. It’s not a lack of knowledge. And it’s definitely not a lack of desire.

If you ask most people why they haven’t finished their book, they’ll tell you they don’t have time.

We’re all busy people. You have clients to serve, a business to run, a family to care for. Not only that, but you’re spending time writing, marketing on social media, managing your team…the list is nearly endless.

When would you have time to write an entire book?

You’ve Probably Already Written It

It’s true. If you have a blog, and you’ve been maintaining it for more than a few months, then you very likely have already written all the content your book needs. All that remains is to organise and give it a light edit.

If you don’t have a blog (why not?), or your blog is young, blogging your book is even easier, since you can plan your content around your book topic.

Here’s how it works.

Think of your blog categories as sections, and each blog post as a chapter. You can loosely organise your book by sorting all your blog posts by category, then listing them in logical order. Your book may only contain a single category, or it might contain several. The choice is yours.

Remove self-serving, time sensitive, curated, or other content that doesn’t fit into a book. Remove the calls to action. It won’t make sense to promote your services or products—or worse, affiliate offers—within a book.

 Why you must Edit

What you’re left with is a rough draft of a book. All that remains is a few passes with your editor who you will have engaged for:

  1. Flow: Books should follow a logical path from one chapter to the next, so you’ll likely have to add or edit the beginnings and endings of your posts.
  2. Spelling, grammar and punctuation: Don’t skip this part. In fact, get someone else to do it. It’s too difficult to spot our own mistakes, and book readers are less forgiving than blog readers.
  3. Content: Enlist the help of a few friends or colleagues who you trust to share their honest opinion with you. Ask them to read through and note any content that is confusing, or that could be explained in greater detail.

That’s it! Revise, and you’re ready to publish.

 

 Think no one will read a book that’s repurposed from your blog?

Think again. Bloggers have used this method to write books for years, and some of them are spectacularly successful. Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net fame wrote and published his wildly popular blogging guide based entirely on content he’d already published on his blog. He found that even though the content was freely available, people bought the book because they wanted the convenience of having it organized for them in one document.

Even fiction writers have discovered the power of blogging a book. Andy Weir, the author of “The Martian,” first published his book one chapter at a time on a blog.

Don’t continue to let excuses hold you back from publishing your book. Use the content you’ve already written, or strategically plan your blog to turn it into a book, but either way, get publishing!

 

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Self-Doubt Thrives When You Compare Yourself to Other Writers

Self-Doubt Thrives When You Compare Yourself to Other Writers

 Have you ever finished a wonderful book that, when you put it down, only left you feeling full of self-doubt? Because you think you’ll never write that well? Repeat after me 😊 I will never do this again! Comparing yourself to other writers can only damage your future successes. You may not be at the same experience level of those you’re comparing yourself to, and another person’s success may not be the magical transformation you feel it will be. 

 It’s not magic

Self-doubt can arise from the comparisons you make between you and fellow writers. Some may seem to have the Midas touch no matter what genre they write in–but you don’t know how many rewrites and edits they put that work through before it hit the bookshelves. 

 Those writers who are successful have likely spent an enormous amount of time and effort on their writing. It may look easy, but chances are they went through the same self-doubting process about their own potential for success. 

 Fear of exposure

Comparison to others and the self-doubt that follows goes on in every business – but it’s more prevalent in writing because you’re always putting yourself out there, presenting yourself and your ideas to others, particularly your friends and family (why do we feel more nervous about this audience?). They’ve been hearing for a long time about your writing, now they will see for themselves how good (or not) you are. 

The massive and constant success of others can make you feel like such a failure–because someone is always making more money than you or seems to be successful with everything they publish. 

Defeat the comparisons 

Comparisons like that are treacherous to your own self-confidence and can defeat what you’re trying to accomplish. You may not be aware of their many unfinished novels in the past or of how much time and money they’ve spent getting to this point. 

One way to view comparisons is to see them as challenges. “If she can do it, so can I!” may be exactly the boost you need to act, and make your own dreams come true. Note also that success for writers in the 21st Century is as much about marketing as it is about writing. Educate yourself on the strategies used by successful writers to get book sales.

 Strategise

Competition is fierce among writers. Looking into the strategies of other writers can be a good thing if you use them as models rather than comparing yourself to them negatively.  

Self-doubt can grow to be the nemesis of your future. Guard against comparing yourself to others negatively and focus on getting your writing to be the best it can be.

 

Gather Pinterest Followers in 5 Easy Steps

It’s relatively easy to gather followers on Pinterest, much easier than other social media platforms. 

1. Post Original Pins

The first step in gathering followers on Pinterest is to post original Pins. Now, this can get people in a tizzy. I didn’t understand what it meant when I started taking Pinterest seriously–I thought it meant that every Pin I created had to be designed by me. Not so. Original merely means you are not saving from another Pinner’s account.

Sharing from another website, a funny quote or meme, your own original images (high quality) and best of all, Infographics. In 2020, everyone devours bite-sized information and you can’t get better than an infographic.  See opposite!

2. Save Pins from Other Pinners

Don’t forget to follow the Pinner if you’re saving their stuff. You don’t have to, but 9 times out of 10, they will follow you back.

Change the description of the Pin, creating something unique to you. 

3. Use Keywords

Use the Search Bar to find out what other people are searching for and then use that information to inform your keyword selection. This will find people who are looking for what you’re putting out.

4. Connect to Your Other Social Media Accounts

Connect your Pinterest account to as many of your other social media accounts as you can. In that way, you can share your Pins and get more followers that way.

5. Make Your Website Pinterest-friendly

Make sure your website visitors can pin directly from your website by adding Follow and Share Pinterest buttons (and any other Social Media accounts you may have). I use BestWebSoft’s Pinterest plugin which is extremely simple to navigate.

Also, don’t forget to activate your Pinterest Conversion Tag if you have a Business Account (and if you haven’t, why not?). For this, you can use a plugin called Pctags – Pinterest Conversion Tags 

One last thing – Pinterest is unique in social media platforms in that you can almost instantly see results IF you put in the work. Like Jim Carey said when he wrote himself a $10m cheque – there was no point in writing it and then going off to eat ice cream 🙂

 

 

Pinterest for authors, Pinterest for Artists

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