Category Archives: On Writing

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: Write a short story (or a long one!) using these three words: pest, bleed, gallery.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Guest Post: The Benefits of Batching Content by Serena Cornwall

What do they mean by “batching content?” If only I had known about this earlier.

There are times when I enter the “flow” as I’m writing. It’s a wonderful feeling, and afterward I feel as if I have accomplished something. The energy is just amazing and it just feels so good. But then the story is done. Everything has a beginning and an end. And it’s no different with the stories we are writing.

That’s when batching comes into the picture. I recently came across an article regarding batching content, and I just had to learn more about it. The writer said that thanks to the batching procedure, she is now saving time and yet can write more content now than ever before. That caught my interest.

We all have moments when our writing process is moving slower than we wished for, as well as faster than we can keep up with. So why not take the chance when we end up in the flow of things to batch some content?

Okay, down to business: batching is when you write several articles at the same time around a similar niche. Before now I have been writing down one project, posted it, shared it on social media, then sort of “put away the pen”. That’s so stupid! Yes of course when inspiration strikes, I have written down keywords for other ideas on my phone or sticky notes (somewhere). But that’s it.

Writing can sometimes be like going to the gym:

1: First you warm up by reading things on the internet. Checking in on a favorite blogger, do some research, etc.

2: Then you open up an empty page and write something (anything) down. Sort of beginning to lift some easy weight, just to remind you of how it feels, before moving on to the heavy stuff.

3: But then you are (hopefully) ready to go. That means: let’s do this! On a good day your fingers are flying over the keyboard or your pen is flying over the paper, as if there is nothing in the world that can stop it. Time flies by, and before you know it… Your stomach starts to reject and you notice how late it is.

It’s on those days batching would be a great idea! After all, you are already warmed up. At the same time you as you work on one project, you can work on another one, or when you feel that it’s done (at least for today), then you move on to the next one. Some work on several projects at once, thanks to this method. They make a couple of notes regarding the same subject, then at the same time write about it.

I don’t think this is for everyone. But it’s said to save time, so it might be worth a try. I remember last year when I went on vacation. A few weeks before we left, I wrote a couple of posts that could be published while I was away. All I had to do was (whenever I had time) to go out on media and read some. No pressure. And that’s what batching content is all about. By writing more than one content at a time you can spend more time researching and looking up content for another project. Some mix up long posts with short posts to gain even more time.

These are things I wished I had known from the beginning. But I guess the saying: “better late than never” says it all. Now that I know about it, I will certainly see if I can adapt it to my writing style. I’ve tried it out and in one go have already managed to write three articles! If you don’t believe me, then read these posts, maybe they can convince you to give batching a try:

Content Batching Hacks — How to Plan and Create Content on Several Platforms Without Burning Out

Batching is your friend & here’s why.

You can find more about Serena Cornwall here.

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keeping and The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

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Filed under Blogging, Guest Posts, On Writing

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: Write a short story using these three words: glory, damn, exile.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Guest Post: Janette Gellar on Creating

First of all I want to thank Ashley O’Melia for letting me guest blog post and giving me the chance to meet you amazing people! Let’s start with who am I? 

Hi, I’m Janette Gellar. I am the author of the Cause World Series. Cause for Ruin is currently available on Amazon’s Kindle Vella and soon on Patreon at my $5 tier. I host the Romance and Carrying On Podcast which is currently on hiatus until May. And lastly, I am always on the hunt for my next good romance read so I discuss romance in all spice levels and subgenres, except for YA because I’m too cool for high school and bully romance because, hey, everyone’s got to have a line and this one is mine. 

Since you’re taking the time to read this I feel like I should let you in on a little secret. I wasn’t always a romance writer. In fact, growing up I hated writing for school assignments. 

Not because of some mishap with a discouraging teacher like so many authors I have read about (I mean seriously, is there an elective in teacher school that’s called ‘How to Crush Student Dreams and Piss on Kittens’ or something because so many authors seem to have a story of that one teacher who told them they were never going to amount to anything and it’s frankly making me want to homeschool). No, I had wonderful teachers growing up who encouraged me to write and I wrote many short stories, one even won a competition. (I’m still proud of that.) The thing was I wrote stories that were filled with action and  adventure. I messed up my characters in ways that would make Wednesday Addams proud. 

So when I decided to take my first stab at writing romance I made the worst mistake I could have and killed off my male protagonist because, well, he had it coming. And with that fatal pen stroke my first adult work was kicked out of the romance genre. Instead it joined the bastard genre cousin of romance we call women’s fiction. Some would have tossed the story out and hoped no one saw it but I decided that I could fix it. I rolled up my sleeves, pulled out my editing pencil, read some craft books on what I did wrong, and the Cause world was created. 

In addition to my website you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok

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Filed under Author Interviews, Guest Posts, On Writing

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: Write a short story (or a long one!) using these three words: hardship, width, agile.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The vintage pen you purchased only allows you to write the truth.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

Leave a comment

Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The ornament you inherited from your grandmother has a note inside.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: There’s a ghost in your house, and it simply refuses to leave.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

Leave a comment

Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The mall Santa is the exact same one who was there when you were a kid, but he hasn’t aged.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

Leave a comment

Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: Your grandfather shares a secret with you on his deathbed about the treasure he’s been protecting almost his whole life.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside DetectiveHer short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

Leave a comment

Filed under On Writing, Writing Exercises