You can visit it at www.craigbaird.com

I have found that writing for me is best in the morning. I am an early riser and I love getting up as the sun is coming up. Hence, that is when I feel the most adept at writing. In the evening, I find I am too tired from the day to focus on writing. That doesn’t mean I don’t write in the evening, but I prefer the morning. My wife Layla on the other hand prefers to write in the evening, specifically late at night. For her, that is when she is most creative.

In terms of writing and finding a time, there are some things to remember.

1. Pick a time that is right for you.
2. Pick a time when you will not be disturbed. If you write just as the kids are getting home from school, you will not be writing for very long.
3. Pick a place that is quiet in the house. Tell everyone in the house that when the door to your office is closed from 7 pm to 9 pm, that is when you are writing and you are not to be disturbed.
4. Make the commitment to write every single day.

This last one is important because you need to write every day and read every day to be a good writer. If you don’t do one of these, you will not find as much success as you may have hoped. Even if you are only writing a few words, or several pages, find the time to at least get some things down on paper. You may not think that writing 500 words a day is much, but if that is all you have time for, that is perfectly fine. In 30 days, you will have written 15,000 words! In four months, you will have put together a book length novel, just by writing 500 words a day.

Of course, if you can write more in a day, do so!

Writing is fun and it is a treat to do, so give yourself a treat every day by finding time to write.

Timbit Nation: A Hitchhikers Guide to Canada by John Stackhouse

To be a writer, you need to read. You cannot be a writer if you do not read and it is as simple as that. To this end, I have decided that I will try and read 100 books this year.

To be environmentally friendly, these will be books I get mostly through the library, specifically my local library The Stony Plain Public Library and the Spruce Grove Public Library.

I love to travel and each year I try and convince Layla to allow me to do some traveling with her around the country. I also love books about people who walk, bike or hitchhike their way across our great nation. I really enjoyed Timbit Nation because it not only provided a commentary on the changing landscape of Canada, but it fueled in me the desire to strap on a backpack and hike around Canada for a time. One great thing about this book was that last year we drove from Edmonton to Niagara Falls and back, and I was able to relate to the things Stackhouse saw, and visited, since I had seen them too. A great book about Canada and hitchhiking across it.

RoadTickle.com

More Ghost Stories of Alberta

To be a writer, you need to read. You cannot be a writer if you do not read and it is as simple as that. To this end, I have decided that I will try and read 100 books this year.

To be environmentally friendly, these will be books I get mostly through the library, specifically my local library The Stony Plain Public Library and the Spruce Grove Public Library.

I am always a fan of a good ghost story. Layla and I have watched Creepy Canada and A Haunting whenever we can, and we enjoy reading about what goes bump in the night. I enjoyed this book as a simple and fun read and am looking forward to reading more in the series.

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

To be a writer, you need to read. You cannot be a writer if you do not read and it is as simple as that. To this end, I have decided that I will try and read 100 books this year.

To be environmentally friendly, these will be books I get mostly through the library, specifically my local library The Stony Plain Public Library and the Spruce Grove Public Library.

Never Cry Wolf was an excellent book by one of my favorite authors. I have read several of Farley Mowat’s books in the past but had not read this one. A wonderful book that tells about the ignorance of man with nature and how one man learned about a beast that we have vilified without reason. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of all things natural and wild.

Be a fan of the Facebook fan page and you can also be one of my peer edits and get a your name in the stories you help edit!

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craig-Baird/234411143511

The Craig Baird Library....so far

Everyone writes in a different way, and it is important to write in the way that works for you. You may be more stream of consciousness, or you may be more logical. You may prefer more dialogue instead of descriptions, while you may want long descriptions in your work. There is a wide variety of ways you can write and when you find your own voice, writing becomes that much easier. Some of the best writers in the world all have different ways of writing, and all of them write in their own way no matter what others think. Ernest Hemingway wrote in short and quick sentences, while Stephen King prefers long descriptions. Hunter S. Thompson writes in stream of consciousness forms, while other writers prefer to not even use quotation marks or character names.

Play around with writing styles to see what works best for you. Before you know it, you will find that your writing becomes easier and when it is easier to write, it is more fun to write.

Don’t let anyone tell you how to write, only you know how you are meant to write.