Another good source of inspiration for a writer is public spaces. I used to commute regularly to London, and it is fascinating (as well as annoying!) to hear the conversations and calls people will have in earshot of others - from arguments with partners, bosses, parents to discussions of what they've been doing, work calls, and general catch ups....
Old buildings can be a wonderful source of inspiration for your stories. They can be stately homes that you visit, or a ruin or an abandoned building near you. If you're in need of inspiration, do a quick search for old buildings near you or historic houses etc, and assuming they are open to the public, take a walk...
One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that there is so much inspiration around you all the time. Much as 'place' is essential in your story, and perhaps even in your writing process, places can spark stories.
Blogging presents another opportunity to make money from writing. There are two ways to go about this:
Short story writing is another way of earning money as a writer. However, this is a highly competitive market, and many sites either don't pay, or pay very small amounts.
Writing articles for print and online journals and newspapers can be lucrative, if you can sell enough of your work.
Writing is a tough way to earn a living, so it's worth exploring different types of writing, either to find a niche, or simply to broaden your skills to a new market. This week sees the start of a new series where we look at different types of writing jobs.
I once read a tweet where someone asked a well known author whether you had to be depressed to be a writer. It may seem an odd question, but many well known writers have grappled with depression.
How do you keep track of the wealth of information you actually want to find online? Going to each site on a regular basis is too time consuming, and a search engine is dangerous as they open up so many worm tunnels for an author to explore. So how can you keep up without the distractions?
Some of the best books I've found for writers: