Writing to serve, make money or both?

Writing stars, I have to admit that I'm often usually focused more on survival and making money than writing to serve, entertain, and inform. But today I read an article by Dharmesh Shah, the founder of HubSpot, that got me thinking about my profession in a different, much better way. He says,

Stop thinking about making a million dollars 

and start thinking about 

serving a million people.

I love that. Just this one thought is challenging me to write to serve. That's a totally different mindset.

Providing a service and making money don't have to be mutually exclusive. Look at Deepak Chopra, Stephen King and Toni Morrison. They're amazing writers serving the public in different genres, and they're all providing a service, and they're all wealthy. Whether writing to inspire, educate, or entertain, you're providing a service to readers. As these celebrity authors have demonstrated, service and making money can occur at the same time, but if you're singularly focused on one or the other, your work will be out of balance.

Starting now I'm writing to serve millions and to make the same. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Love!

Donna Marie

The art of team writing

Writing stars, I've always thought of the typical writer as a loner type. It's me and the page against the world – that kind of thing.

While writers do need a certain amount of time alone to dream, plan, and write, too much time alone is not a good thing. Having a social life is good for the soul, and it's good for your writing as well.

Where I've drawn the line in the past, however, is working with others on writing projects. The concept of "team writing" or writing as a social activity is strange and unnerving to me. Disagreements are bound to come up, and I don't like confrontation. I'm all about peace and love. Also, when you write, you must become naked, and who wants to expose their vulnerable selves to the world? Not me. Oh hell no. 

"Teamwork is better than isolation, especially for a columnist." Allan Sloan

Recently, however, I've begun to warm up to the idea of team writing. In a recent corporate job, I worked with an extraordinarily talented and dedicated team of writers, and we often had to support one another on projects. I learned that team writing is not such a bad sport if the members of the team are all committed to the project, have a strong work ethic, are skilled in their areas, and really get what being on a team is all about. 

I will always prefer writing as a solo adventure, but to stretch myself, and to tell the truth, increase my creative output, I've decided to work with others on certain projects.

The team mindset  

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Henry Ford

I only played one team sport in high school, and that was volleyball. Since I'm not naturally a team writer, I've had to learn a few things to make these relationships work.

1. Choose your writing partners well. Make sure temperaments and skill sets complement one another.
2. Understand that there will be times when you will disagree. All involved must be able to express ideas openly and honestly without fear of censure or reprisals.
3. Establish ground rules for respectful communication, e.g., no abusive language, etc.
4. When brainstorming, allow juices to flow. Don't criticize. All ideas are allowed during brainstorming.
5. A production plan should emerge out of brainstorming sessions that includes activities, deadlines, and accountabilities – in other words, who's responsible for what and when.
6. Climb mountains and swim seas to meet deadlines. Keeping deadlines is really important. Communicate if there has been a snag, but keep delays to a minimum.
7. Communicate as much as possible to prevent misunderstandings.
8. Understand that listening is as important as talking.
9. Never, ever let your co-writers down.

At some point, critiquing, a.k.a. editing, must take place. Who will be responsible for editing, and can the other team member(s) accept what can sometimes be a harsh review? This is a really sticky issue that has gotten me into trouble more than once.

Since I'm such a newbie at team writing, I would love to hear from writers who have more experience at this type of working relationship. Can you maintain a friendship while working together on a writing project? I'd also love to hear what didn't work so well and how problems were resolved.

Donna Marie

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Best-selling author reveals budget, 6 self-publishing steps

Writing stars, I love the DIY approach to self-publishing, but as you know, I'm a stickler for quality. To compete with traditionally published books, indie books must meet or exceed the standards the big houses have set, and that's a good thing. From writing, editing, cover art, layout and design, indie books must raise the bar so that the differences between traditionally published and self-published books are barely perceptible.

Today's guest post by Libby Fischer Hellmann, best-selling crime author and self-publishing expert, thoroughly and thoughtfully lays out the process of publishing a high quality book.

"How much does self-publishing cost?" Writers ask this question with not a little fear and trembling. It's true, publishing companies have much deeper pockets than we do, but as Libby's article suggests, you must approach self-publishing like any other business. To put out a good product, you'll have to spend a little, but Libby shows us you don't have to break the bank to do it.

Donna Marie

__________

Six Steps of Self-Publishing (Mostly for Traditional Authors)

by Libby Fischer Hellmann
June 12, 2013

I was at Printers Row this past weekend, the annual Book Festival sponsored by the Chicago Tribune, and I was struck by how many people wanted me to tell them about self-publishing. They were mostly traditionally published authors, some of whom have large followings, but they’re dissatisfied with either the pace of traditional publishing, dislike the lack of control, or want to try something that their current publishers don’t.

Those of you who already self-publish probably know these steps, but you may be interested in my process; it’s a little different, and, yes, it costs more money. In fact, I disagree with those who tout that self-publishing is basically free. I believe that if you want to be taken seriously, you need to invest. No short cuts.

Let me put it this way: I was hoping to go to Vienna, Prague and Budapest later this year. Um. That’s not going to happen now. I’m investing in my book instead.

I’m going to describe what I’m doing so far with Havana Lost. As some of you know, it’s coming out in September. And here’s the thing. Except for the actual production of the book, the process isn’t that different from the way traditional publishers approach the task. Btw, it’s now June, and all of the steps below I’ve done, except for the last one. If you’re self-publishing, and you want to pursue print as well as ebook opportunities, give yourself 3-4 months to accomplish all these tasks.

 

Step One – Editing

There are two types of editing, and you’ll need both.

• Developmental Editing: Whether you pay a good developmental editor to read your book for continuity, character development, authenticity, and plotting, or whether you’re lucky enough to have discriminating readers or author friends who’ll do the job, you absolutely need another pair of eyes on your manuscript. In traditional publishing, you get it automatically (or at least you used to). But when you self-publish you need to factor it into your plans. And it might cost a bunch of money. I used to work with a developmental editor who charged about $1500. I now rely on authors and friends, but they have to be honest, and they have to be thorough. Believe me, it’s not always pleasant, but it’s critical.

• Copy editing: This covers all the other stuff; grammar, punctuation, style, consistency and accuracy. If you are like most authors, by the time you approach the end of a book you won’t be able to see the forest for the trees. You will need fresh, expert eyes to add those essential finishing touches, smoothing any rough edges and turning something that is good into something awesome. Don’t sabotage your work by a shoddy presentation. As an editor once said to me, “a good writer deserves a good editor.”

Step Two – The Cover

Expect to pay at least $200 for a cover… and as much as $700. I’m not a fan of pre-designed covers or templates. I prefer a cover that says something worth knowing about my books. Marketers recommend that, too; your cover has a vital role to play in catching readers’ imaginations and compelling them to find out what’s inside. Not to mention creating or sustaining your brand.

So be choosy. If you’re paying, don’t settle for a design you don’t like. Tell the designer to try again. Pay attention to fonts, the arrangement of words versus images, the clarity of the images, and the overall design. Good design is pleasing on the eye, poor design isn’t. It jerks your eyes around, making it difficult to read, or includes illogically placed text that makes the reader work harder than they should.

If you’re doing a print version, which I recommend, the designer will need to do the back cover and spine as well. Here’s what my designers came up with for Havana Lost.

 

 Step Three – Preparing Materials

• Your publishing imprint – I recommend coming up a Publishing Imprint, the trade name under which your book will be published, especially if you create a print version (which I’ll talk about in more depth next week). You’ll need it if you want to establish an account with Lightning Source for print copies, and if you are planning to use Ingram Spark (which seems like an efficient, quick way to print books). My imprint is The Red Herrings Press.

This is NOT to hide the fact that you’re self-published. In fact in my query letters to reviewers, I make sure to tell them I self-publish; an imprint is simply something that makes you look more professional.

• ISBNs - You’ll need at least 3 different ISBNs per book. One for your ebook, one for print, and one for audio, if you plan to produce one (I am producing an audiobook through ACX.)  Yes, ISBNs are outrageously expensive. But they’re worth it, particularly if you plan to use more than one platform to sell your book. You can split 10 with a friend or even buy ISBNs  in bulk for a lower cost. Head over to Bowker.com, the official US and UK ISBN provider.

• Jacket copy/Book Description – You need to to craft a couple of paragraphs that describe the novel. Keep it short and punchy. Get some help from other authors or writers whom you know and respect. Research other authors’ books in your genre and see how they do it. The same as your book cover, the aim is to seduce readers to such an extent that they can’t resist finding out more.

Here’s mine:

On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her.

So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love. 

HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel and third thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. HAVANA LOST is a testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers. 

How will you use it? Your jacket copy will inform the query letter, the sell sheet and all the platforms through which you distribute your work. It will become ubiquitous, so make sure it’s powerful.

• The sell sheet - This is a single sheet of paper with full details about your book. It should go out to all your reviewers and possible distributors, and it’s handy to have as an at-a-glance reminder. Here’s my Sell Sheet for Havanna Lost

• The query letter - This is a simple query letter for bloggers and reviewers, politely asking them if they’d like an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) to review. The better you make your book sound, the more people are likely to be interested. It is another small but critical marketing job that can make a difference in how influential people perceive your book and how many of them get around to reading and reviewing it.

• Interior design for print books - If you are creating a print version, as I recommend, someone needs to design the inside of the book. You can do it yourself, but I choose not to. It’s above my pay grade.

 

Step Four – Print and Distribute ARCs

• Bound galleys – Just like traditional publishing, you need some bound galleys to send to reviewers and bloggers. I used CreateSpace, which is fast, efficient, and doesn’t cost a lot. I ordered 35 copies— the rest of my ARCS are pdfs.

• Assembling a list – Assembling a list means capturing the contact details of professional reviewers, bloggers, and other potential influencers. If people/organizations have reviewed you favorably in the past, approach them first. There are lists all over the Internet, and at KindleBoards to help you find reviewers. It helps if you have an email list because you can canvas your contacts, asking if they’ll review your book in exchange for an ARC.

• Paying for reviews – If getting the book into bookstores and libraries is important to you, consider paying for a review from PW, Kirkus and/or Foreword Magazine. They still have enormous influence and they are important enough to receive a bound galley.

• Simplified covers – If your permanent cover isn’t ready yet, you can use a simplified one for the ARC. Here is the cover of my ARC:

 

Step Five – Formatting and Uploading

• Self-formatting – Plenty of writers format their ebooks themselves. I don’t. I’ve found people who will do it for me very reasonably. However you do it, You’ll need an epub, mobi and .pdf file, each with a cover embedded.

• Forward and end materials – You will need acknowledgements, a dedication, a list of your other books, snippets of reviews, etc, and a call to action at the back; something like “If you liked this book, would you consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads?  Thank you so much.”

• Multi-platform upload – Upload your book to every available platform, unless you intend to go exclusively with one vendor. This is probably the simplest step of all. Essentially it’s just pushing buttons and filling out forms.

 

Step Six – Promotion and Marketing

Marketing is the black hole of time and money. You can spend as much or little as you like, but one thing is certain; you need to do some promotion Here are a couple of essential basics.

Solicit blurbs from other authors in advance – You’ll use them on the front and back cover, in descriptions on Amazon and Kobo, within your website pages. 

Promotion Budget - I suggest you prepare to spend at least $1000 on various promotional activities, mostly advertisements on blogs with a broad reach, eg. Book Bub, ENT, and Pixel of Ink. Ads on Facebook can also work well when you get them right. 

Invest time – Time is just as important as money. Figure out how much social media you can get done without going crazy; Twitter, your Facebook fan page, Google Plus, Linked In, etc. This is, of course, above and beyond what you do on your website. But that’s another story. And blog post.

I’ll probably do another marketing post later, because it’s a huge subject all by itself. And, of course, marketing is much more of a journey than a destination.

 

The green stuff

Before I leave you, I want to give you an idea of my costs. Clearly, not everyone wants or needs to go this route, but here’s my ballpark:

• $500    Cover
• $200    Print ARCs
• $600    Reviews (PW, Kirkus)
• $450    Interior Design/Ebook Formatting/Print production
• $500    Copy edit
• $150     ISBNs
• $100     Mailings

Total investment $2,500. Give or take.

__________

Check out Libby's site for her next post on the importance of producing a print version of your book.

Libby Fischer Hellmann writes the Ellie Foreman mysteries, the Georgia Davis thrillers, and several stand-alone thrillers. Her Ellie books are a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24”, but the Georgia Davis PI thrillers are more hard-boiled. Her stand-alones include a “trilogy” of thrillers set during the revolutions of Iran, Cuba, and the turbulent late Sixties in Chicago.

Libby's forthcoming book, Havana Lost, will be released August 16. Let's support a fellow indie author and pre-order today on Amazon!

More Posts - Website
 

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Stretching as a writer

Writing stars, long-term experience is a double-edged sword. On one hand, clients, readers, and employers like it when you have in-depth expertise and years of experience. On the other hand, you can get stuck in a rut.

I've been writing and editing for a LONG time, and yes, over the years, I've gotten stuck in a couple of ruts. This usually happens when I'm in employee mode and have to produce corporate-speak on schedule. During these periods, my writing gets the taste and feel of stale, moldy bread. 

I was a business development writer in my former job, and sure enough, it didn't take long after my start date for my writing to become as gray as my cubicle. 

So for inspiration, I sometimes go to the most unlikely places — MediaTakeout.com for example. The writers at this African American celebrity site use exclamation points and the caps lock button with abandon. They make up words and come up with some of the most brilliantly funny metaphors and similes. They have their bad moments, but they don't seem to care. They are totally uninhibited (a clue to making your writing more fun to read). The reader comments can be just as insane.

Now that I've been laid off (thank you very much), I've thought about this issue of stretching as a writer. I've always wanted to write fiction, but didn't have the confidence to try. I mean, who can be as good as Toni Morrison, or MediaTakeout for that matter?

The Celebrity Editor takes the plunge

A few months ago, Huff/Post 50 (The Huffington Post department for readers 50+) invited writers to submit short stories. I wrote one about a year ago as an exercise, but filed it away with the idea that it would never be seen by human eyes, ever. 

In an irrational act of courage, I gave it a shot. It was now or never. I dusted off my story, closed my eyes, and emailed it. 

To my surprise, and terror, Huff/Post 50 accepted my story, and yesterday, "The Mattress," was published. I've written a lot of fiction that I ultimately filed or deleted, but this is the first time my fiction has seen the light of day. Whew! 

Now for a dose of reality. When I read "The Mattress" in print, I cringed. There were a million things I should have fixed, but hey, it is what it is. 

Writing stars, I would really love it if you would read "The Mattress," post a comment, and let me know what you think. In your opinion, how could my story have been improved?

Here's something else I'm doing to stretch myself. Over the summer I'm taking a comedy writing class at Second City, the famed training camp that spawned such alumni as Stephen Colbert, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, and so many more. I'll definitely blog about it for you.

I fear I'll be the least funny writer in the class, but hey, that's what stretching is all about!

Donna Marie

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Hot topic: writer pay

Since I was laid off a few weeks ago, I've been searching the net for freelancing opportunities. This investigation has taken me to the dark side of writing for pay on the net. 

Content drives the Internet, yet writers, the producers of content, don't get no respect from certain sectors, as Rodney Dangerfield would say. And I mean none.

I've listened to webinars where gurus promised zillions from their self-publishing and marketing schemes. They say, "If you can't write, outsource. There are plenty of writers who will write your book fast and cheap." One guy even said, "Any monkey can edit a book." Oh really. 

A whole slew of net-based content development factories have arisen that pay writers mere pennies per word. You'd have to write night and day just to tread water, and still there are few financial guarantees. 

A couple of years ago there was a notorious case of a well-known novelist who paid unknowns to write his books for peanuts and a cloak of invisibility.

Why would any writer subject him/herself to such treatment?

Lately a friend has been talking a lot about how low self-worth can make you accept any old kind of treatment. I understand how desperation can lead to bad decision making, but maybe my friend is right, too. Maybe like Mika Brzezinski would say, we writers don't understand our value, and that's why we make such bad bargains with our talent.

Let's learn from writers like Amanda Hocking who took their writing destinies into their own hands. Despite all the rejections by publishers, she kept writing, and then she self-published her work. Now she has an agent and a great publishing contract with St. Martin's Press! She must have known her worth as a writer to keep going like that.

Writing stars, any and all deals should be open for negotiation. If they aren't, run! The most powerful word in your negotiating vocabulary is "no." The most powerful mindset in this age of digital publishing is "I can do it myself!" 

Donna Marie

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Honor your readers

I received an email today from Smashwords. The ebook publisher is celebrating the 40,000th book that was entered into its catalog last week. It warms my heart to read about the success of this publisher. Smashwords' success means that a lot of self-published authors now have a voice. No more dependency on the big guys!

The dramatic rise in self-published books should mean that editors like myself are working overtime. Unfortunately that's not the case. Earlier this morning I was reading a few Amazon reviews of a particular self-published book. The following comments say it all:

• "sad state of publishing"
• "This book is the most appallingly written book ever--there are elementary spelling, grammatical and factual errors that any real publisher would have spotted straight away, on every page."
• "cliched"  
• "double spaced, big font, with new topics starting every couple of pages immediately following empty space" 
• "Ugh. Get an editor."
• "glaring typos"
• "spelling and grammar errors were very distracting"
• "The most glaring thing wrong with this book is the editing, or lack thereof! There were so many run-on sentences and sentences lacking correct punctuation that reading this book became a chore. I had to reread sentences because incorrect words were used. Seeing all the typos suggests to me that this author was only concerned with turning a quick buck."
• "pass on this one"
• "save your money"

You might sell your first book, but you won't get repeat business if you refuse to honor the reader. Your book has to be readable. The rules of grammar and editing exist for a reason. If there were no rules of the road, we'd all be crashing into one another. You can tell a poorly written book by the headache you get from reading one paragraph multiple times. 

Your book must be readable or people will save their money the next time you publish. I guess it could be argued that the market will weed out the bad stuff, but really, self-published books that haven't been edited or proofed give this entire industry a bad grade. 

I've heard every excuse in the book as to why writers won't invest in editing and proofing, most of which have to do with lack of funds. Then you must raise the funds. In fact, before you even begin writing, come up with a plan for how you will finance editing and proofing — as well as layout, design, printing, and marketing. 

Even the greatest writers must be edited, fact checked, and proofed.  

Honor your readers!


Donna Marie

How to get a book out of your head

Writers feel frustrated when they are unable to move from daydreaming to writing. Although the desire to write is strong, the frustrated writer just can't seem to jumpstart the writing process. She's mentally stuck. This creates a sense of failure, low self-esteem, frustration, and even panic. We're missing that creative relief, release, and happiness we so desperately seek from the act of writing. 

We call this problem "procrastination," but I wonder if that's too simple a diagnosis.

Maybe we've got it all wrong. Thinking and dreaming are definitely part of the writing process. You can't write a book without mental activity first. But have you ever considered that the transition from thinking to writing is, in itself, worthy of our attention? Could it be that the transition is as much of the writing process as daydreaming and actual writing?

Thanks to Mairéad Hanrahan's review of The Preparation of the Novel, we get a glimpse of the rituals and self-created environments of some of the world's most prolific, successful writers. 

The Preparation of the Novel includes the notes of lectures delivered by the late Roland Barthes at the Collège de France in the 1970's. According to Columbia University Press, his American publisher, "Barthes's lectures move from the desire to write to the actual decision making, planning, and material act of producing a novel."

The only thing separating a writer who writes from a writer who talks about writing is the former's ability to flip the writing switch to "on." This is a mindset and a practice that can be learned. 

Although Barthes' book is about writing the novel, the ideas definitely apply to the rest of us who write nonfiction. Here are some questions to help you make the transition from thinking to doing.

1. Do you have an undeniable physical urge to write? Hanrahan says that Barthes looks at the “maniacal” urge in the author’s body to write. That's not as crazy as it sounds. When I have an idea for an article or a book, I do my usual daydreaming and, yes, procrastinating. It gets to a point where my physical body can't contain the ideas any more and I MUST write. In an explosion, the words burst forth from the walls of my body. It's crazy, really exciting, and a relief. That's often how I get started. Sustaining the discipline is another story.

2. Where do you feel most motivated to write? J.K. Rowlings wrote the Harry Potter books at cafés. In an interview she said, "You don't have to make your own coffee, you don't have to feel like you're in solitary confinement and if you have writers block, you can get up and walk to the next café while giving your batteries time to recharge and brain time to think."

I love to write when flying. My thinking is clear, and I feel a heightened creativity. I once wrote most of the first draft of a book on a flight home from Las Vegas.

3. When do you feel most motivated to write? Some writers like waking up at the crack of dawn, while others prefer the night time hours. There's something subversive about writing at night, like you're the only person awake in the world. Whenever you feel motivated and creative is what's important. Start honoring your most creative time of day by sitting at the computer and taking the plunge. 

Some other ideas not mentioned in the review but might be worth thinking about:

• Does weather get you in the mood to write? For some strange reason, cloudy, overcast days make me feel "literary."
  
• Do you like to write when you travel?
  
• Have you ever tried writing in a library, bookstore, restaurant, or café? For social butterflies who hate the idea of writing at home alone, this may be the answer. I've never known anyone who tried to write at a nightclub, but it could work!
  
• If you prefer recording your thoughts and then transcribing the tapes later, do you keep a recorder in your car? 

Bottom line: you can listen to motivational speakers all day long, but only intrinsic motivation will make you productive. Becoming a prolific writer is just as much about the art and science of making yourself do something as stringing words and sentences together. 

So what can you do to enhance your writing space? Schedule the best writing time? How about setting the alarm on your cell phone? 

What are some rituals that will create a mood and inner motivation to write?

Donna Marie

So you want to write a novel: a reality check

I love this line: "Do you want to be a ghostwriter for me? I will cut you in for 10%."

Someone's been peeking into my life.

Donna Marie

Jumpstart Monday // whip words to SUBDUE writer's block

It happens to even the most experienced writers. You get stuck on a passage. You just don't know what your next article or book will be about. You fear the fountain of creative ideas has run dry.

Well, has a song ever run on a loop in your head?







Have no fear! As long as you have a mind, you'll have creativity. One way to stimulate new ideas is to whip trigger words back and forth through word games -- and like Devo says, whip them good.








We're in the Information/Digital Age. Words are all around us, but here are 3 sources of words to get you started:

1. Urban Dictionary. Regular folks send in their own definitions of slang words, which can be both hilarious and disturbing. For example, check here for the many and varied definitions of "snitch."

2. Google Keywords. This is my favorite keyword search tool. It's free, and if you use Google to search online, this is the tool to use. Using this tool can serve 2 purposes: it can jumpstart creativity, and it will show you how often words and terms are searched on Google. This is wonderful intelligence to have at your fingertips when doing any online writing, researching, or marketing.

3. Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. Sign up here to have the word of the day sent to you via email. Honestly I've been disappointed at the level of difficulty of the words. They are way too easy. However, they can be used to jumpstart creativity. Today's word is "ear candy: music that is pleasing to listen to but lacks depth." Sentence: It could be argued that the above 2 songs are mere ear candy.

Whip them good
Search these tools to see what words jump out at you. Then take the words and play around with them.

One of my favorite word games as a child was to see how many words I could get out of a long word or phrase.

I have friends who LOVE to acronym words. Example: W.O.R.D. = Writing Or Researching Deadlines. This can get irritating in books and presentations if overdone, but you might find that it's great at unlocking writer's block.

Word mapping is another fun creative word game. Write a word in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Draw lines like spokes from the word and write down whatever associations and creative ideas spring to mind. This game is effective at turning on the fountain. Ideas stimulate new ideas and then the next thing you know, you're writing! I find brainstorming is more relaxing than actually writing sometimes, so I use this game to help me ease into the writing project.

Don't give into the Monday blues. Let Monday be your most creative day of the week.

By the way, do you have tricks and tips for dealing with writer's block? Please share!

Donna Marie

A writer's quest for balance

Nonwriters may think the writer's life is dull, with all its reading and writing, but never judge a profession by how it looks.  We writers are always chasing ideas and dreams. We're always rushing to capture thoughts into books and articles. We live and breathe by our deadlines. 

In fact, the writing profession is a stressful one. Now stress is not all bad. It can make a positive contribution to our creative output, but to live on the edge all the time? Not so good.

Yesterday was a travel day for me. I promised my cousin, who recently adopted a baby boy, that I would come and help out. While here in lovely California I hope to meet a potential client as well, but the main purpose for my visit is to help a little boy adjust to his new life.

Flying to my final destination, I had a lot of time to obsess about my projects and commitment to this blog. In the midst of all this obsessing about things I couldn't control, something strange caught my attention. Babies and toddlers, they were everywhere! That's odd, I thought. Where the heck did all these babies come from? They were laughing, babbling, bawling, and playing up and down the aisles. Oddly I wasn't bothered by any of it. It was if a mysterious force was preparing me for my imminent visit with my new cousin -- or distracting me from my work obsessions.

Kids always have something better to do!

Babies are so demanding. It's hard to write at home and care for one properly. I had to train mine when they were young because if I didn't write, they wouldn't eat. We established a rhythm. My son would read or do homework in my bedroom office while I wrote. His younger sister would sometimes curl up like a kitten on my lap or under my desk. They forced balance into my life.

Now that the nest is empty and the little birdies have flown away, I've been working without distraction -- until now.

Tired of being tired?

The quest for balance also shows up when we're overstressed and tired. Sometimes you need to take a break from the hustle and grind. Or like my mother the English teacher says, "You need to get some rest."

My mother is a big fan of rest. Her ongoing narratives extolling the wonders of her own rest periods are the stuff of legend in our family. Comments such as "I'm going to bed" and "Boy, I was really sleeping" and "That was some hard sleeping I was doing" and "Was I snoring?" make us roll our eyes -- but she has a point.

Researchers recently found that a lack of rest can lead to obesity. Maybe that's why my weight is too damn high. Not enough rest. 

I get up early and go to bed late whenever I'm working on a project. How can you expect to feel good or be at your best creatively when you're burning the candle at both ends?

Imbalance occurs when we neglect some sort of a spiritual practice that steers attention within, that calms thoughts down, that reconnects us to God.

So I must thank my new baby cousin for forcing me to slow down and think about something else. Work is important, but so are other things that bring joy, love, and fun.

Take time today to attend to those other things you've been neglecting, and if you have a unique way of dealing with stress and imbalance in your writer's life, we need to know right now!

Donna Marie

Secret weapons of successful self-publishers

A hot topic on many online writing and publishing forums is whether or not to self-publish. The naysayers complain about lost money, poor quality, low sales, and the many other challenges that go with publishing your own book. 

For the past few years I've provided editing, ghostwriting, and production management services to self-publishers. We've pretty much accepted that there always will be challenges. That's just part of the process. 

However, from writing to print-on-demand to marketing, my clients and I have stocked our self-publishing arsenal with a few secret weapons to help facilitate a successful experience.

1. Invest in editorial quality control. When my clients invest in my services they know they'll receive the benefit of my 20 years of publishing and corporate experience. I work with pastors, education consultants, social service providers, educators, child advocates, and activists. Because I have strong content knowledge in these areas, I add value to their projects beyond editorial.

2. Become a shameless self-promoter. Through their ongoing public speaking engagements, my clients aggressively market and sell their books. A couple of my clients love to give away books, too, which further endears them to their audiences. Self-published books that fail usually lack a strong marketing plan and push. I've learned from my writing stars that you must be a relentless marketer. You can never rest or give up.

3. Don't skimp on services. My clients may not have the deepest pockets, but they would never skimp on services that compensate for the skills they lack. Self-publishing projects fail when authors overestimate their skill sets. There's no shame in asking for help. Because my clients know I respect their genius, vision, and mission, they don't mind me seeing their raw, unvarnished work. They enjoy brainstorming with me about ideas that may not be fully formed.

4. Publish through inexpensive online self-publishing platforms. My clients and friends have published through iUniverse.com, Lulu.com, and Selfpublishing.com. They have used traditional printers as well, but the online platforms provide A-to-Z services, including editing, proofing, layout, design, filing with the U.S. Copyright Office and the Library of Congress, securing ISBN numbers, setting up distribution through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. When you're just starting out, this is a good way to go.

5. Diversify your revenue streams. My clients don't depend on their self-publishing projects alone for income. They pastor churches and teach on college campuses. They are regulars on the lecture circuit. They produce CD's and DVD's. If they had day jobs, they wouldn't give them up. And even when the work is slow, they keep working. 

6. Give of your information, time, talents, and products. My clients are generous to a fault. They believe in "give and you will receive."

7. Self-publishing projects must offer value to people's lives. According to Publisher's Weekly, "764,448 titles were produced in 2009 by self-publishers and micro-niche publishers" while the output of traditional books slipped to 288,355. There's a reason for that. Self-publishers have identified needs that traditional publishers couldn't or wouldn't touch. My clients wouldn't continue to self-publish if they weren't meeting needs (and making money). 

Self-publishing projects fail when authors cut corners on content development, editing, design, and marketing. I'm an advocate of self-publishing and would strongly encourage anyone considering this approach to start raising money right away to ensure a quality product. I can't say how much to raise because I don't know your circumstances, but investigate the online services mentioned in this article. Get estimates from professionals in the field. Put together a budget. 

When venturing into a self-publishing project your mindset is all important. Keep the faith without going overboard. Set small, manageable goals regarding book sales. You may not sell millions, but what if you sold 2,000 or 3,000 books? Could you consider that a success? Definitely. Be inspired by the stories of big sellers, but don't lose your head, as Jody would say. Define success according to your own terms. You can do it!

Donna Marie

Black Friday for self-publishers

Might I humbly suggest a couple of different ways to spend your Black Friday?

1. Rather than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars the day after Thanksgiving, why not use at least a significant portion of that money to invest in your self-publishing project? Use it to publish your book. Hire a good editor or ghostwriter (CelebEditor@aol.com), artist/graphic designer, or publicist. Register for a good writing class. Donate to a writer who's struggling financially this season.

2. Many stores will open at 4:00 a.m. in the morning. Rather than running out in the moonlight to spend money, why not write a few pages (a chapter would be good) for your book? At the very least, get up early, write first, then go shopping.

Donna Marie

Jumpstart Monday // DEFEAT writer's procrastination

The stress of not writing is worse than not writing! Have you ever had a panic attack because you weren't writing?

An article in Psychology Today offers 10 things you should know about procrastination. Read the entire article to get the big picture, but here I'll highlight 3 of the issues as a self-assessment. (Be honest.) 

1. Is procrastination part of your lifestyle? Then you'll probably suffer writing procrastination until you get a handle on it. 

2. Do you make a lot of excuses for procrastinating? When you were a child, was "the dog" always "eating your homework?" 

3. Do you think you have more time in the day to write than you actually have? Do you constantly say, "I didn't get any writing done today? Where did the time go?" According to the Psychology Today article, "Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others." 

Wonder if she practiced today?

I disagree with point #4 in the article: "Procrastinators are made not born." The doctors had to induce labor when I was pregnant with my daughter because she procrastinated for 2 weeks. To this day, if she really doesn't want to do something, it's WWW III to get her to do it.

Maybe we should be asking ourselves, "Do I really want to write this book?" 

I believe fear is the cause of writer's procrastination – fear and the quest for perfection. We don't know if we have what it takes to write not just a good book but a perfect one. But we don't have to write a perfect book. It should be accurate, of course, but it doesn't have to be all that literary. It should just be grammatical, clear, organized, and interesting enough to keep the reader's attention. You can do that.

I've also learned that fantasy thinking is a big part of the problem. We talk about writing a book, even brag about it. We think about it all day long, but by the end of the day, nothing was actually written. 

By the way, what's up with the Monday morning blues? It's like we've agreed as a nation that Monday is the worst day of the week. Studies have found that people drop dead on Monday morning. Maybe we need to change our minds about Monday. It's not so bad.

The Psychology Today article didn't offer much hope for a cure. "Procrastinators can change their behavior—but doing so consumes a lot of psychic energy." It was also suggested that procrastinators may need therapy. 

No no no. Sometimes therapy can be another form of procrastination.

I have found some simple ways through the years to put a foot up my own rear end and get moving. Basically it involves working with the procrastination. If you can't beat it, join it. Here's what I do. 

1. While procrastinating, keep a notebook on hand and opened to a blank page. Sometimes writer's procrastination and writer's block go hand in hand. You may have started writing in earnest, but the words simply dried up, and then you started to procrastinate because you couldn't face the blank page. This happens to all writers, experienced and novice. 

No matter how I'm procrastinating – watching TV, shopping, or surfing the net – I'll see the opened notebook in my peripheral vision. When I open my purse, I'll see the small notebook opened to a blank page. On the car seat, the notebook is opened to a blank page. My subconscious seems to understand my desire to get to work, so it does, too. Amazingly inspiration will often strike. If I'm driving, I'll pull over (yes, even on the expressway), and write. Now I know you can't depend on inspiration to complete your project, but use it for the gift that it is.

2. A study cited by PsyBlog says we can avoid procrastination by focusing on the details. This works for me. When I get an idea, I start taking notes. Although this is not writing per se, it is part of the writing process. Taking notes often jumpstarts full scale writing.

3. Instead of seeking therapy for your procrastination issues, try writing all about it in a journal. Journaling forces you to dig deeply into what you think, how you feel. This is often exactly what you need to jumpstart your book project.

4. If I deliberately obsess about writing right before going to bed, I'll wake up in the morning with ideas I just have to get down.

Some writers have rituals to get them started. What works for me may not work for you, but hopefully these tips will help.

Donna Marie

7 steps to accurate proofreading

If you can raed tihs, 
you're giong to hvae a tguoh job 
pronfiog an entrie book.

I bet you can read the above sentence. It says, "If you can read this, you're going to have a tough job proofing an entire book."

Translating gibberish into ideas that make sense is just one of the many magical things our brains can do. It's a neat trick, but this ability will cause typos to slip through during proofreading if you're not careful.

Check this earlier post: "Jumpstart Monday // Writer's Procrastination." Can you find the mistake I missed, even though I read the piece at least a thousand times? I left the mistake in the article on purpose so that you can see how 2 little letters can create obstacles to perfection. (For some reason, this makes me think of Donny Osmond: "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl." Even more decoding: for 4 decades, I thought Donny sang "don't spoil the whole bunch of girls." Ha!)

I digress. Is it realistic to strive for perfection? Maybe not, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Deactivate brain decoder

That subtitle made me think of the Cylons on Battlestar Galactica. Anyway, to do a good proofing job, you've got to shut down that part of the brain that wants to make sense of the world. You don't want to see the entire forest. You only want to see one leaf at a time.

I know, I know. How tedious can you get? But that's what it takes to do a really good proof. Let me tell you, if you can find a good proofreader, pay that person well. Proofreaders, the unsung heroes of the publishing world, are worth every penny, and they're never paid enough.

I'm not the greatest proofreader in the world, but working with budget conscious clients means that I must proof as well as edit manuscripts. Here are some ways I turn off the brain decoder.

1. Drink coffee. When desperate, eat a cookie. Yesterday I complained about my weight being too high, and this is exactly why. When I'm on a deadline and am forced to work into the wee hours of the night, I have to do what it takes to stay awake. An alert brain will have a better chance of catching mistakes. A sleepy brain will start decoding like crazy. There have been times when I've proofed late into the night, and the next morning when I read the text over again, I'm ashamed and appalled at how much I missed. Better yet, get a good night sleep and start again in the morning. Adapt said advice to your own biorhythms.

2. Go thrift shopping. If you've been working with the manuscript for some time, you need a break. How do you know? You've read the last paragraph 20 times and it still doesn't make sense. Take a break, even if you're on a deadline. You're going to be mad at yourself if you turn in a manuscript full of mistakes to the printer. Let's say you catch some of those mistakes at the printer review stage ("the blues"). Not only will you be in a bad mood, you're going to have to pay for each correction. What if those mistakes make it into the final book? Believe me, your readers will let you know you did a poor job of proofing. I've seen reviews on Amazon.com that could make you cry.

3. Get a pair of fresh eyes. Because of funding issues, authors will try the DIY approach to proofing. I really do understand about being broke, but in the long run, you're shooting yourself in the foot if you sacrifice quality. Your friends and cousins might buy your first book to support you, but you're only going to get repeat business and word-of-mouth buzz if you develop a reputation for quality and excellence.

If you wrote and edited the book, I guarantee, you're no longer objective. If you can't afford a good editor (which is a whole 'nother issue), you must at least hire a good proofreader, someone who does it for a living. I learned this lesson the hard way. Even professional writers and editors need a good proofreader. But if you must proof your own book, at least ask a couple of friends to read it as well. Tell them to look specifically for typos. Otherwise they'll come up with all kinds of ways to rewrite your book, and at this stage, that's not what you want.

4. Stare at the page. This suggestion is totally unorthodox and borders on the insane, but I'll offer it anyway. Sometimes when I'm watching TV I'll have my manuscript on my lap. When the commercials come on, I'll turn the sound down and just stare at a page, especially one that feels a bit off. I may even doodle a bit in the margin. 

Suddenly, dramatically, a typo will leap from the page, startling me with the full brunt of its inaccuracy. How did I miss that! The brain has just gone holographic. I don't know the science behind it, but I believe the subconscious mind records everything – every letter, period, and question mark. If you trust that off, intuitive feeling, the mind will sort through what it remembers, and the truth will come to light.

5. Don't skim. Where's the fire? Simmer down now. Read slowly, carefully. Read aloud. Take deep breaths as you read each line. Use a bookmark to read one line at a time. Moving your fingers or a pen slowly under the words will help you focus and slow down. 

6. Don't depend on your memory. If you're quoting other sources, by all means, proof against the original material. If you proof without checking the original source, you're going to miss something, and it may be important. It's amazing how a misplaced comma can create an entirely different meaning from what was intended. When quoting others, strive for perfection. Make sure your every word and punctuation mark corresponds exactly to the original.

7. Be bored. If the text is too entertaining, your pleasure-seeking brain will start decoding vast passages and the next thing you know, you've forgotten to proof the chapter. Then you'll have to start all over again. Ugh. 

Now if it gets too boring, that can be a problem, too. Sip coffee. Get up and stretch. Do Leslie Sansone's 5 minute walk. 

To do a good proofing job, your brain must stay awake and focused on the words in front of you. Don't be seduced by the narrative or story. Focus on the details, word by word.


Donna Marie