Recently, I was forced to replace my laptop. Not because of a catastrophic hardware failure, or because it fell into a vat of coffee (although, give it time). No—because the space bar stopped working. Yes, the space bar. That humble, workhorse of a key. Turns out, if you can’t make spaces, you can’t make anything […]
Turn Off Editing and Spelling While You Type. And Why. Read More »
Ah, keyboard shortcuts—the secret sauce that transforms a writer’s workflow from a clunky tricycle ride into a sleek, high-speed chase. If you’re still dragging your mouse around like it’s 1995, it’s time for an upgrade. Embracing keyboard shortcuts isn’t just about shaving seconds off tasks; it’s about reclaiming your creative flow and keeping those brilliant ideas from evaporating while you hunt for the “Paste” option.
The Tiny Time-Saving Trick That Adds Up to Hours of Extra Writing Read More »
Let’s talk about a topic that’s been making the rounds lately: the idea that Microsoft is using your Word documents to train its AI models. Recently, concerns have been raised about Microsoft potentially collecting data from Word and Excel to enhance their AI algorithms. However, Microsoft has clarified that they do not use customer data
Is Microsoft Using Your Words to Train AI? Here’s What Writers Need to Know (and Do) Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, my online store turned into a digital battleground. One minute, I was running a cozy little shop for my indie author business; the next, I was fending off a tsunami of fraudulent transactions orchestrated by credit card checkers. Let me walk you through the nightmare, so you can avoid the
Don’t Let This Happen to You: My Tale of Credit Card Checker Chaos Read More »
The 2024 Indie Author Survey by Written Word Media offers some interesting insights—albeit not without its blind spots. While the survey highlights obvious trends like the link between publishing more books and higher earnings, there are nuances that the survey didn’t fully capture, especially for those who’ve found success outside digital norms. Key FindingsThe survey
What the WWM 2024 Indie Author Survey Got Right (and What It Missed) Read More »
Is It Worth the Effort? I’m not entirely sure why I haven’t written a dedicated post about dictation before now. I’ve mentioned it in passing, and it’s come up in discussions, but never in its own spotlight. Maybe that’s because my relationship with dictation has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Let’s just say, I’ve
The Pros and Cons of Dictating Fiction Read More »
It’s probably not a surprise to you if I tell you that I have cancer. I didn’t keep my diagnosis a secret as I needed to explain to my readers why the next book in their favourite series would not be coming out quite as quickly as usual. In fact, there was a near-two-year gap
How to Write on Your Phone (and Why You Should) Read More »
I very much resent SAAS (Software as a Service) products, these days, even though I’m chained to using two of them.
Microsoft 365 and Adobe Acrobat, since you ask. I just can’t get away from them. Similar products (Open Office, Google Office, and many PDF makers) just don’t offer the same features that I consider essential and use on a regular basis.
But I keep a watchful eye on potential contenders, all the same.
Here’s an offer worth snatching up. Read More »
We have to be more creative, more fun to read and deliver more emotional tales and more amazing stories than AI. AI can’t be truly creative and unique. By virtue of how it is built, it is 100%, unavoidably derivative.
A Shift in How Indie Authors Earn? Read More »
I try to avoid making predictions about where the indie publishing world will go in the future. I’ve seen futurists get things very wrong indeed, because some disruptive factor they could not possibly have predicted comes along to blow everyone’s expectations out of the water. AI-anything has done that to us in the last year
Why UX Will be the Critical Factor for Indies in the Years Ahead Read More »
