Tag Archives: books

Lesson 72

11 Wednesday May 2016

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Hey all, I’m sorry for not getting a post up these past few weeks. It’s been crazy around here. I also don’t have a laptop currently because my motherboard crashed, so I more than likely won’t be posting a lot until I get it back. I had a few minutes today, though, so here we go.

This week, we’re talking about getting your name out there.

I know, I’ve probably talked about this before, but we’re going to focus on this again just because of the experience I had this weekend.

I was at a multi-author signing called AuthorFest. It was such a great experience! I met so many amazing authors, and because of that, I was invited to more events! And, of course, I got my name out there.

This event was definitely a learning curve for me. I learned the importance of bookmarks… A little too well. I guess I should get on with getting those made!

If you don’t know, it is definitely important to get a bookmark to promote yourself. It can lead people to your website and your books. I never even really thought about it. Now I know the importance more than ever. I sold four books this weekend, which really isn’t bad. Maybe if I had bookmarks, I could have sold more.

But let’s not focus on the negative about that.

The point is, it is so important to get your name out there. Call your local bookstore and get a signing set up. Create your own website. Do whatever it takes to get yourself known. Besides, book signings are a lot of fun. This weekend was my second, and I’ve had nothing but a positive experience.

Keep on writing, everyone. It’s a wild but amazing ride!

13178607_10208119307794095_6941120652988758781_nAuthorFest 2016!

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The Trouble With Writing

29 Monday Jun 2015

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I apologize for not posting at all last week. I was sick on Monday, I didn’t have a chance on Wednesday, and Friday was just filled with…everything else.

It’s Monday, and I’m feeling much better than I was last week, so it’s time to look at what the trouble with writing is once again.

This week, we’re back to talking about money. I know, I’m pretty much beating a dead horse with this subject, but hey, just work with me here.

I recently reached my halfway goal for the editor I’ve been saving up for (yay!). But I’m pretty sure it sunk down to less than halfway once again. With necessary purchases (like my payment for school that was due a couple weeks ago), and purchases of things that I just wanted (those darn ebooks are just too tempting.)

Sometimes, we tend to get out of control with our purchases, and don’t think about it. I’m not saying don’t pay the bills — you need to do that if you want to have comfort in your home. But try to limit buying the things you want. I struggle with that, too.

It can be hard to limit yourself on things you want, especially if you’re a shopaholic, of any sort. As for me, I spent a lot of money on buying clothes for my nieces and nephew not too long ago…whoops!

So are you spending too much money to save up, or are you spending it wisely? I’m going to try and save up more than I have been. I do want to be published one of these days!

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The Trouble With Writing

08 Monday Jun 2015

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It’s Monday, so it’s time for the regularly scheduled look at what the trouble with writing is. This week, we’re looking at characters.

We all want to control our characters and not let them have a single say as to what’s going on. Sounds easy, right? After all, they’re not real.

Wrong. So wrong.

As it turns out, as I found out a while back, these characters become very real, and they can tear you inside out if you let them. They can also cause you to lose a lot of sleep. Been there, done that.

It’s okay to let go of your characters and let them have free will. I do. They live wild lives. So what? If you need to try and tame it down in the second, third, fourth, or even tenth draft, you can do that. It happens.

I do have to say, though, it can be a major pain. I tried to write this one book, and it totally flopped. The characters were supposed to fall in love at the end, and they fell in love on page fifteen…whoops. That’s not even close to the end yet.

I’m thankful my other books have turned out better than that.

So yes, our characters are totally out of control. And while that can be a major pain, it can also be fun. Let them have free will. See where it takes you. 🙂

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Lesson 53

06 Wednesday May 2015

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Another Wednesday, another lesson. If you read up on Monday, you know what we’re talking about today…

Making connections.

I know, I talked about how big of a problem this is on Monday. Today, I’m talking about making the right kind of connections.

Sometimes, if you’re really popular on Twitter, you get all sorts of things thrown at you while people are tweeting you and wanting to talk to you. Or, if you’re like me, you get ignored most of the time and just kind of do your own thing.

Getting tweeted at too many times a day is a better problem to have, in my opinion. At least people notice you.

If you’re like me, you actually have to make a point to talk to people, or at least retweet or favorite their posts. Make sure the posts are relevant to what you’re wanting to say you’re all about, though. I mean, come on guys. Don’t just go retweeting what someone had for dinner. You’re better than that.

If you retweet for someone, or you talk to them, you’re making connections. But make sure to be mature about it. You do know that starting a fight isn’t mature…right?

A few years ago, I had another Twitter account. Someone tweeted me saying I was a fool if I thought I could make a difference in the world. I really thought about replying and saying that they were the stupid ones. But, I decided to make the mature choice. All I did was block them. I’m so glad I made the choice to do so.

I know it’s tempting to either not be mature when it comes to talking to people. I also know it’s tempting to ignore people and hope they ignore you so you can just continue doing you’re own thing. But neither of those will get your books sold. Think about it.

I guess that about does it. Next time you’re on any social media site, think about the connections you’re making, or should be making. I’ll see you on Friday with a prompt!

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Lesson 38

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

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I’ve been doing fairly well on getting posts up lately… Let’s hope I don’t blow it.

Today, I want to talk to you about project management. As someone who is planning on working on more than one project at a time from now on, I’m here to tell you, it’s okay, but only if you feel like you can handle it.

Confused yet? I was at first, too.

As writers, we want to get our work out there as soon as possible, right? But at the same time, we don’t want our baby to leave the nest, right? We’re anxious. We get nervous. We get worked up about nothing.

You may be shaking your head right now thinking that has nothing to do with project management. That’s where you’re wrong.

I love being able to work on more than one project at a time. For me, there’s a lot of thrill. I’ll be able to get books out faster that way. Not everyone can handle that. I know, it’s hard to accept. Are you not one of the ones that can handle that? You’ll be okay. I have faith in you.

If you are one of those people that can handle more than one at a time, good for you! Your readers must enjoy that. I know I love it when the authors I like to read books by are always coming out with new books.

Here’s the thing. Even if you can handle more than one at a time, be warned: You have to make sure it has quality. That’s right. Quality. Want to make sure your readers enjoy what you write? Get it looked at by a professional.

Whether or not you can handle more than one project at a time, you can get a book out there. Just get started. Ready to write? Of course you are. One, two, three, go.

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