Christopher D. Votey's Blog

There are a lot of writing groups out there. My one piece advice echoed throughout this article: If you don’t fit in with a group, find another group.

Since I’ve published my first book, I’ve felt that I reached a plateau in my skill. While it was a new height, I felt as though I could be better but saw no way to do so. I mentor other writers when I can, but only to the level I am, but what I feel I lack is a mentor for me to get to my next level.

Over the years, I’ve joined a number of writ...

Before I begin, I want to announce that I have completed my course, Digital Notes Organizer. Per the rules for IWSG, I won’t advertise it in this post, but you can find a special offer here. However, today’s discussion on Failure has a lot to do with the release of my course. More specifically, I expect it to fail.

Many might perceive that I’m being negative, that I’m being hard on myself, that I lack self-confidence. And why not, Failure is something to avoid, something to fear. No one sets...

I am pleased to announce that my course has been released. My course is Digital Notes Organizer – Making Your Personal Encyclopedia.

My course is really two courses in one. The first part will teach you how to put a wiki on your computer, that only you have access to, that is 100% private and secure, and can be integrated with Dropbox for backup purposes and being able to share it with others if that is what you desire.

The second part of the course teaches you how to use wiki software, great...

I hate deadlines. I often fail them. Yet, I still set myself to a deadline to complete projects. Why do I do this if I hate them so much? It’s certainly possible I’m a sadomasochist, but in truth, there is a really good reason why.

I had really hope that this post would be the one announcing that my course is now live on Udemy.com. This past month, I set myself a deadline to record video, edit the video, and upload it within two weeks. The course is

I failed… but I’m not the least bit disco...

Many have this mentality that art and science are like water and oil, that the two can co-exist, but will always be opposites of each other. To this end, the science often requires more work versus art itself, which is often abandoned in the process of creating, which I feel affects the overall work.

I’ve had this discussion about both writing and cooking. Many approach creative pursuits with the idea of just making something look beautiful without a foundation in the underlining principles...

Kind of a strange title, to be thanking a cooking food host as a writer, but I promise you that it will make sense very quickly.

It’s fair to say that I really don’t like competitive cooking shows, primarily for how cutthroat they can be. However, there is one I like, that even as competitive as it is, there is a certain sense of camaraderie not seen on other shows. That show is Guy’s Grocery Games.

http://www.ohnikka.com/wp-content/upl...

For those unfamilia...

Perhaps the worst advice possible given to new writers, “Write What You Know”. It seems innocent enough. All of us know something, so use what you know as a story. While I agree for someone starting out to use this advice, I hate it for any writer moving on from beginner to novice.

We live in a day and age where information comes at us from all directions. Any time I am faced with not knowing something, I got a phone connected to the internet. Know how late a store is open, where a friend l...

I first want to mention the project I had been working on for a client that you can now get on Amazon. The book is called “The Twelve C’s of an Exceptional Leader“. You can get both a Kindle and Createspace version. This book goes into a lot about how to become a leader, or how to improve yourself. The author has given me permission to take some credit for this work as a Content Editor. I firmly believe in this book and encourage everyone to buy it who wishes to become a leader, and I say th...

I’ve been back home in Arizona for two months now. I wish I could tell you it is fantastic, but that would be a lie. The best I can say is that it is a safe haven for now, and hopefully I can use this time to get myself out of here. Likely will take me two years. In light of that, I will continue to work hard to live that dream of being self-sufficient and work on dealing with my disability.

Freelance Writing has been going well. While I’ve only had one client, he has given me a few jobs. I...

I’m sorry that I am winging this. Right now my life is very busy and in the new year I plan to give more of an article. The last 6 months have been a horror for me, from being on the streets, to being in a shelter, to living in a bad environment… I can confirm now that I am back in Arizona and so far things are OK.

I am busy right now, as the Freelance Writing is doing well. I found a great client, and it has the opportunity to be a great series of jobs.