The Importance of Non-writing Tasks

As writers we place a lot of emphasis on the writing craft. That's extremely important because it makes our writing better. But I think it's also a good idea to pay attention to some non-writing tasks as well. They can help or hinder our writing without us realizing it. I have three non-writing tasks I think will help increase your writing productivity.

Writing Space How's your writing space? Is it cluttered? Does it take you a few minutes to find everything you need? What about that reference book you always refer to but can never find? Is it within sight and easy reach? Do you have pens, paper and highlighters readily available? These are things to consider. When you sit down to write, you don't want to waste precious minutes searching through unorganized piles or unlabeled notebooks. Clean up your space. Make sure everything you might need is easy accessible. Also, try to put together a simple organization system. While you decluttering, you might as well go a bit further and actually organize things too. Just these simple steps can add precious time back into your writing schedule.

Peace and Quiet This might not be a problem for everyone, but it is for me. I live in the house with two teens and a husband. It's hard to get peace and quiet so I can concentrate. There are a couple of ways to handle this without having to leave my writing space. You can invest in some headsets that either block out reduce noise. These can be a bit expensive, so if you are frugal like me, you can take the alternative route. I have some inexpensive ear buds. I plug them in and head over to http://simplynoise.com/. I can listen to white, pink or brown noise. Basically it drowns out my family and since there are really no words or rhythms, my mind doesn't focus on the noise. You can use it online, or for a small price, you can download the type of noise you want. Simple peace and quiet.

Blocking the Internet If the Internet is your distraction, there are a few ways to keep it from sabotaging your writing time. If you have DSL you can disconnect Internet on your individual computer. If you are connected directly into the router, then unplug yourself. If you are connected wirelessly, get to your network connections and then choose disconnect for your wireless connection. Be sure to turn off the connect automatically option. If you forget, it will reconnect you in short order! Another option is to use Internet Blocking Software. My favorite is called Freedom. It costs a mere $10. You simply tell it how long you want the Internet blocked, up to a maximum of eight hours. To get the trial version top by http://macfreedom.com/.

These three things can add productivity back to your writing time. And I bet somewhere along the line, will make it more enjoyable as well. I'm sure that's going to come through in your writing as well. Happy writing!

About the Author:

Marietta "Mari" Taylor is the the author of Surviving Unemployment Devotions To Go and is monthly blogger for the GoAskMom blog at wral.com. Find out more about Mari at her blog or her website, www.mariettataylor.net.

To Splice or Not to Splice

I recently edited a manuscript that was rife with sentences combined with the word “then.” Like this one: She pulled the lever, allowing the big steel blades to catch the wind. At first nothing came then finally a small trickle of water splashed into the trough.

My red pencil itches to add a comma. It’s two separate actions. The “and” seems to be understood and to me is redundant. At first nothing came, and then finally a small trickle of water splashed into the trough. If you use “and,” do you even need “then?” But in this case, “and” just doesn’t say the same thing.

According to grammar gurus, this is called a “comma splice” and is supposedly a no-no. As one grammarian put it, “It feels so right. It flows so well. It looks so pretty. But technically, it’s as wrong as wearing wooly socks with strappy summer sandals.”

This same source reminds us of an acronym to remember what a coordinating conjunction is: FANBOYS: For-And-Nor-But-Or-Yet-So. But, she says, be careful of the words then and now; neither is a coordinating conjunction.

And regarding the use of a comma with "then," the Gregg Reference Manual states:
"When hence, then, thus, so, or yet appears at the beginning of an independent clause, the comma following is omitted unless the connective requires special emphasis or a nonessential element occurs at that point."

Examples:
Melt the butter over high heat; then add the egg.
Melt the butter over high heat; then, when the foam begins to subside, add the egg.

But, to me, it’s not so cut and dried. “The old dog awoke at the sound of his master’s voice, lifted his head then stood up, and wagged his tail.” The phrase just seems all run together. I know the sentence can be reworded to solve the problem. But, since it’s fiction, can we take a little liberty now and again, then add a comma?

What say you, fellow authors?

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A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in Northwest Washington. Her first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, is based on her grandmother, and the sequel, Follow the Dream, has recently won the national WILLA Award. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing and edits, blogs, and is working on the next books in her “Dare to Dream” series.

Find your passion.

It seems that, as humans, we can’t help but compare ourselves to others.  

• His plots are so well constructed
• Her character development is so much better than mine
• He makes more money
• She has more speaking engagements…..
• And on and on.  

Whenever we make those comparisons we put ourselves in a no win situation.  

There will always be someone better at something.

The key is to find our passion, to live that passion and to be true to the gifts that are uniquely our own.  You are perfectly equipped to be you.  No one else in this world can smile your smile, think your thoughts or walk your walk nor can you smile, think or walk like another. 

I have a friend that I always say has the life I would like to live.  She lives in NYC, brings home a 7 figure paycheck and travels the world.  But if you really put me (the me that is really me) in her place nothing would fit.  I cannot be her and she cannot be me. 

As a new year approaches I challenge each of you to reflect on your gifts, your talents and your special essence.  Ring in the new year committed to being the best that you can be….and enjoy the world that you create. 

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” 

Dr. Seuss

Happy New Year.

Martha Swirzinski, M. A. 

www.Movementplus.com

www.WholeChildPublishing.com

Revision – What Works for Me

Whoever said revision is what makes your book is, in my view, correct. I like to write the book quickly. I do plan the plot first, but I find that it changes as I write, and for me, that's a benefit.

However, it leaves me with a manuscript that is far from publishable.

These are the three steps I use to clean up the manuscript:

• First, I print the book and read it as though it was a published book. I mark the places that don't work and note any corrections that leap to the eye. This usually identifies places where I lose the thread of the plot; where scenes are lovely, but don't contribute to the forward motion; and where I lose focus on the characters.
• Second, I remove the chapters or scenes that don't work; rewrite where necessary; and add new scenes or chapters. I usually find that I have to add more than subtract. I have a tendency to race through the plot leaving out scenes that the reader needs to understand the ending.
• Third, I do a thorough reread and make editorial changes. This is the place to fine tune wording, make sure typos are corrected and generally clean up the manuscript.

I don't know if this method would work for everyone, and I'm not completely consistent. I'll make wording changes on the first reread, if I think of them, and on the third pass, if a scene doesn't work, it goes.

The process is time consuming and makes you think of your work as if you were asked to critique someone else's, but that's the important point. Once you've finished the ecstasy of initial creation, the rest is work, and lots of it. Characters need to be consistent. Scenes need to add to the flow of the story, typos must be corrected. I find this works for me. Tell me about your revision strategies.

Nancy Famolari
http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolari/
Winner's Circle available from Amazon.com

30 Second Elevator Blurb

Hi everyone. As always, thanks for stopping by. Here is a fun little exercise I learned from one of my Yahoo! Writer's Groups. You can do this in your spare time (what's that?).

Make a keyword list. Then make a book synopsis using lots of those keywords. In fact, for fun, use them all! But NO MORE THAN THREE SENTENCES. Yes, that's right. Your book in three sentences. It may be the worst synopsis/blurb you've ever written. See if you can make us understand what the heck you're book is about.

Here's my blurb I made from my list of key words:

A scientific breakthrough in Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, is stolen by a group of misguided M.I.T. graduate students who wish to usher in a global science-based oligarchy leading the way with breakthroughs in physics, biochemistry, and nanotechnology. As the death toll mounts, Chase Manhattan and a multi-faceted cast of characters must battle this skilled team of killers on both coasts in a desperate race to control or destroy a discovery which threatens life as we know it. Greed, betrayal, murder, mayhem, spiritual contemplation, and unconditional love define the power-play struggle in this fast-paced suspense thriller of technology gone too far.

* Battle
* Betrayal
* Biochemistry
* Breakthrough
* Chase Manhattan
* Death
* Desperate race
* Destroy
* Discovery
* Einstein-Rosen Bridges
* Fast-paced
* Global science-based oligarchy
* Greed
* Killers
* M.I.T. graduate students
* Mayhem
* Multi-faceted
* Murder
* Nanotechnology
* Power-play struggle
* Physics
* Science
* Spiritual contemplation
* Stolen
* Suspense
* Technology
* Threatens
* Thriller
* Unconditional love
* Wormholes

Feel free to leave your three sentence blurb (no matter how good or bad it sounds) or other exercises you use in the comments. Have a great week.

If you feel this blog is worthy, go ahead and make my day. Retweet it

Awards Are Free Publicity Gold

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
author of the multi award-winning book,
The Frugal Book Promoter, now in its second edition

 

It is award season once again. It's exciting to see many of my author friends' books win, place, or show. I hope they remember that I told them their book doesn't have to be a top winner for the news to be newsworthy in my first book in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers.

Media editors see awards as anything from a sure-fire feature story to a filler. But I fear that many authors still don't utilize their awards to their fullest potential. A list of things authors should do with their awards appeared in the first edition of The Frugal Book Promoter and, because it's so important, appears in the second edition now in release.

Add your new honor to the Awards page of your media kit. If it’s your first award, center it on a page of its own. Oh! And celebrate!

• Write your media release announcing this coup. (See Chapter Eleven of the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter to learn to build a targeted media list and Chapter Twelve to learn to write a professional media release.)
• Post your news on media release distribution sites. Find a list of these sites at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/mediareleasedisseminators1.htm .
• Notify your professional organizations.
• Notify bookstores where you hope to have a signing and those where you have had a signing.
• Notify your college and high school. Some have press offices. Most publish magazines for alumni and their current students.
• Add this information to the signature feature (see Chapter Twenty) of your e-mail program.
• Add this honor to the biography template you use in future media releases—the part that gives an editor background information on you.
• Use this information when you pitch TV or radio producers, editors of newsletters and newspapers. and bloggers. It sets you apart from others and defines you as an expert.
• If your book wins an award, order embossed gold labels from a company like http://labels-usa.com/embossed-labels.htm. You or your distributor can apply them to your books’ covers. If you win an important award, ask your publisher to redesign your bookcover or dustcover to feature it a la the Caldecott medal given for beautifully illustrated children’s books. If you don’t know this medal, visit your local bookstore and ask to see books given this award. It’s one of the most famous and most beautifully designed.
• If your book is published as an e-book only, ask for the contest's official badge or banner to use. If they don't have one, make one of your own using http://bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php.
• Be sure your award is front and center on your blog, your Web site, your Twitter wallpaper, and your social network pages.
• Your award should be evident on everything from your business card to your checks and invoices. I use the footer of my stationery to tout my major awards.
• Don't forget to put your award in your e-mail signature.
• Frame your award certificate and hang it in your office to impress visitors and to inspire yourself to soar even higher!

~This is just a blog-size excerpt from a complete chapter on awards in The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) , including information on how to improve your chances of getting one. Carolyn brings her experience as a journalist, publicist, retailer and author of her own books to the how-to books she writes for authors. Georgia is helping her celebrate the release of the 2nd edition of this USA Book News and Irwin award-winning book. Learn more about the whole series at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.  

Writing in another voice

Writing in another voice

As a poet, I tend to return to the same subjects over and over, notably family, relationships, and to a lesser extent, the landscape around me. In spite of the fact that these subjects are near and dear to my heart, some recent experiences have shown me that I care about, and am capable of writing poetry about, much more.

Last year, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) as well as a chapbook challenge that involved writing a poem every day through the month of November. Because I wanted to tie the two together, I invented a poet as part of the novel and wrote the poems in his voice.

The novel is a tween sci Fi, and I wanted to bring out the spiritual values of the aliens, and so my poet's work was intended to be one of their sacred texts and contained a fair number of prayers, affirmations, and poems that spoke to the society's values. I found myself slipping into my imaginary poet's head, and despite the fact that I don't usually write spiritual or religious poetry, these works flowed easily, and I had no difficulty either deciding on the subject matter or in expressing what I felt would be my poet's values. I ended up with thiry poems, thiry poems about subject matter I cared about deeply, but which, if not for the novel, it would never have occurred me to write about.

THis year, I'm again participating in Nano, and I've again created a poet, this time a Terran (human) poet, and this time, also, I find myself slipping easily into my created persona, and again, writing about subject matter that I would not normally take up. Constance, my imaginary poet, it appears, is far more political than I. She has written a number of poems that speak to the chaotic political situation of her time, a hundred years before my novel begins, and about a hundred years in our future.

As a poet, I am always striving to extend myself, both in terms of what and how I write my poems. Imagining myself a different person has proven to be a way to do that.


Trying Times

We were meant as a sacrifice to expediency,
an excuse to attack the innocent,
who meant only to watch over us

Yet we have ears to hear the silence,
the unspoken, the hidden,
the ashes of those sacrificed by corrupt government

on the alter of public policy.
Lies kept the peace. We spoke truth,
we let loose war among ourselves.

What else could we have done?

Corrupt Government

Broken promise, broken dreams,
fall to politician's schemes.

Wish for power, wish for might,
wave a flag and say all's right.

If the people ask for more,
find a way to start a war.

Let the trouble be distraction
from unsatisfying action,

poverty and hunger, too,
to obfuscate what's real and true.