Cristian Mihai

[irevuo] The Inspiration Myth

Kurt Vonnegut would wake up at 5:30 a.m. work until 8 a.m., eat breakfast, and then work a couple more hours.

J.M. Coetzee, the 2003 Nobel Prize Laureate, supposedly spends at least one hour at his desk, every morning, without fail.

Haruki Murakami wakes up at 4 a.m. and writes for 5 or so hours. Every single day.

Franz Kafka, one of the most influential writers of the past century, would work each night from 11 p.m. until early in the morning.

Maya Angelou used to write every morning from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One of the most prevalent myths is that to do creative work, one must feel inspired. It’s not true.

We can always work, whether we feel inspired or not.

It’s all about developing a routine.

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My environment as a child never lacked any of the basic needs. We had lean times, but I slept in a bed at night. I was sheltered from weather. At 14, I ran away and learned a little about what it means to be homeless — but only a little. I was more uncomfortable than I had ever been in my life, but help was everywhere. After a week, I returned home.

Twenty or so years later, I learned about homelessness again…

[AoB] 90 Super Easy Tips That Will Turn Even a Novice Blogger into an Expert

It’s not pleasant being the new guy. There’s always a bit of discomfort, a bit of friction when starting something new.

And the truth is that, most times, the advice that is out there on the web is kind of confusing.

Which advice do you follow?

That’s why I am going to offer you some real simple tips. Ninety of them.

Super easy. Super cool. Super useful. Especially if you’re a novice, struggling with readers, with staying consistent, with everything.

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[irevuo] How to Fall in and Out of Love With Your Muse

You will want to create something of your own. You will want to do what you can, with whatever’s at your disposal at that moment. Right there, right then. If you have to write your story on a piece of napkin, so be it. If you have to sketch on your phone, fine.

When you find your muse, you will feel yourself becoming addicted to the promise of doing work you hope could last forever.

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[AoB] 99 Percent of Bloggers Aren’t Aware of This Simple Rule

There’s this fascinating story about Pablo Picasso being able to produce a work of art in a few minutes.

Apparently, a woman once asked Picasso (who was either at a café or in a market) to do a drawing for her.

Picasso did what she asked, and then demanded some ridiculously high amount of money. Let’s say ten thousand dollars.

Of course, the woman protested, “But it only took you a couple of minutes to draw this.”

The old master corrected her, “It took me thirty years to learn how to draw this in a couple of minutes.”

Or so the story goes.

I’d like to use this story as a framework to discuss an often overlooked aspect of content creation.

It’s not just the skill, but also how that skill is perceived by others.

Blogging success is not just about years and years of practice, but about having an audience that’s aware of all those years of practice.

Let’s talk about the concept of social proof and how you can best use it to your advantage.

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[irevuo] Imitation: The Gateway to Inspiration

In 1650, Spanish painter Diego Velázquez was commissioned by Pope Innocent X to paint a portrait of his.

Three centuries later, another artist would attempt to recreate it. Despite never having seen this painting in person, the Irish artist Francis Bacon would repaint it, over and over again, completing a total of 50 paintings during the 1950s and 1960s.

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[irevuo] Book Marketing Timeline

Marketing a book is often a time and energy consuming process that has to take into account two aspects:

Telling a story that persuades potential readers that they need your book, while also seducing them that they want it.
Developing a proper plan of action that helps you build anticipation, drive word of mouth, and effectively distribute your book.

As long as you keep these two aspects in mind, you can design your own timeline, that takes into consideration…

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[AoB] Can You Still Make It as a Blogger in 2021?

On the 22th of April, 2012, I signed up for a WordPress.com account. The same day I wrote and published my first blog post.

I didn’t know how to write an article, what a headline was, or how to properly format a blog post. I didn’t know who my ideal reader was, I wasn’t sure of my niche or main topic, I didn’t have any social media accounts, and I didn’t have any money.

It took me a month to purchase my first domain name, and for a long time that was the only money I invested in my blog.

I didn’t know how to write an introduction, how to make my content engaging, or how to add value to my readers. In fact, I didn’t even know about many of the principles of blogging I learned along the way.

All I knew was that I needed an audience. And I just wanted to blog. And I knew that I wouldn’t give up, no matter what.

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[irevuo] You’ve Got to Sell Your Heart

In 1938, aspiring author Frances Turnbull sent a copy of one of her stories to Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

The reply she received from the author of The Great Gatsby contained the following piece of advice:

“You’ve got to sell your heart, your strongest reactions, not the little minor things that only touch you lightly, the little experiences that you might tell at dinner. This is especially true when you begin to write, when you have not yet developed the tricks of interesting people on paper, when you have none of the technique which it takes time to learn. When, in short, you have only your emotions to sell.”

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[AoB] The Zen Concept That Made Me Fall in Love With Blogging Again

Two and a half years ago I was just about ready to quit blogging.

First, because I thought there was nothing new to learn. I knew it all, I had reached the top of the mountain, and there was nowhere else to go from there.

Second, because I didn’t get much pleasure out of writing articles anymore. It was not challenging me anymore.

It was a rough time for me, considering that my income was a direct result of my ability to consistently produce new content.

I believe that…

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