Family and friends: Distractions and assets for the indie writer
Has this ever happened to you? Creativity is flowing: you can’t typed the words fast enough. Everything is perfect: word selection, sentence structure, plot development. Everything in the universe seems aligned so that you can write; and then, your best friend knocks on your door, the phone rings and from the caller ID you know…
Thanksgiving Gratitude
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy kind moments with family and friends. Thanksgiving ranks as the favorite holiday in my house. Lots of good food and company without the expectations of other holidays. It is a day for sharing the bounty, the food, and friendships. On this day in particular, I reflect…
To write more, conquer the time-suck
With all the distraction in one’s life, is it difficult for you to find the time to write? If you are like most writers, you juggle work, family, book promoting, blogging, and the demands of life in general. Your intentions to sit down and write are illusive; you never manage to put pen to paper.…
Why Pinterest is important to indie authors
Have you converted your personal Pinterest account to a business account? After reading Pinterest Finally Rolls Out Business Accounts: How to Set Yours Up Today, I converted my account. Following the steps outlined in the post, it only took a few minutes. Hopefully, the conversion will lead to benefits that are just as easily implemented.…
Separating real from wishful thinking
Last night at Toastmasters, one of the speakers talked about creating a new holiday, Get Real Day. He proposed that on this day people contemplate what is real in their lives versus what is wishful thinking. Sorting out the real, he said, helps one focus on what is important and provides “a filter for our…
Do you feel more like a juggler than an indie writer?
October had so many opportunities to learn that my head is still spinning. Many bloggers talked about the importance of engaging the readers, each offering a number of best practices for doing so. They suggested commenting on other bloggers’ posts (which means you have to read them), posting content multiple times each day—5 to 15…
Editing books, Twitter headers, and Gravatars
I have just finished revision 3.0 of Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino. The first version was prior to the copy editor’s corrections. I should not have published the book prior to having a professional look at it, but in my rush and naivete (believing that my reviewers would catch the errors), I went…
Three sites helpful to writers
I’ve had a busy few days. Yesterday, I finished revising the Kindle version of the book and was ready to tackle the Kindle upload process. I have been dreading doing this because my past attempts have been so frustrating. In hopes of postponing the travail, I choose to catch up on emails. Yesterday’s inbox contained…
Even with the best intentions, writers may inadvertently create a problem for their readers
I recently changed mobile phone services. My previous service was not very strong where I live and I was getting a lot of dropped calls. I looked around and found a service that is socially conscious and donates a portion of the profits to various “progressive nonprofit groups that work on a range of issues.”…
Enjoy the Labor Day of my youth—free of labor
Today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers. As a child, Labor Day was the last holiday of the summer, the last hurrah before returning to school, the last day to wear white shoes. Unfortunately, it has become the second largest sales day with Black Friday taking the…