I recently saw an interview with the cast of a Quentin Tarantino movie with the actors saying they celebrated regularly throughout the whole filmmaking process, and not just at the end. Apparently Tarantino subscribes to the belief that if you are involved in a creative pursuit, you should enjoy all of the process not just the “red carpet” bit at the end.
This resonated with me because as an author the “process” can be exhausting at times. Writing a book can take a long time. Editing a book can take a long time. And publishing a book can take…you guessed it, a long time. So, if you don’t enjoy the whole (or most of the) process, what’s the point?
I’ve found that there’s always some aspect or several aspects of writing that an author doesn’t enjoy. For some this may be marketing themselves. For others it might be asking for feedback. For me, I find structural edits a hard slog – some days it feels like you’ll never get the damn book finished, right?
While I think it should be expected that you won’t like everything about the job of writing, there are definitely some things you can do to make the hard parts, less hard.
Here are a few ideas:
Break big tasks into smaller achievable chunks.
Do the stuff you like the least, first up in the day – get it out of the way so you can move on to the things you do like.
Remind yourself that there will be an end to whatever stage or task you’re working on.
Focus on your end goal and how that will feel.
Talk to other writers who understand the “process” and can commiserate, cheer you on and even offer helpful advice.
Ask for help – if it’s something you don’t know how to do, then ask someone who does know.
Outsource to a professional – if it’s something that make sense to outsource, and you can afford to do so, delegate the task to a professional.
Have other projects on the go. If, for example, you don’t like the editing process and you know it will go for a while, have a side project where you’re working on something you do like. Perhaps, have a short story on the go, or start planning a new novel. Just be careful, though, not to fall victim to “shiny new object” syndrome.
Work to a favourite playlist. I have a bunch of playlists that I go to when I need extra motivation. I’ve found for instance it’s very difficult to hate what I’m doing if Salt ‘N’ Pepa is playing in the background – but maybe that’s just me : )
And most importantly, celebrate every step of the way! Share with your (writing) friends and family when you have completed a stage or task. Choose something meaningful to you to mark your achievement, whether it’s taking a long bath, reading a book – or treating yourself in some other way.
Writing, in my opinion, is the best job in the world, so why waste your time hating on the “process”?
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There comes a time in nearly every project when a writer encounters writer’s block. Writer’s block can feel crippling but the most important thing to know is that it is only a temporary state – unless of course you stop writing.
The other good news is that it is possible to conquer this dreaded condition. In fact there are loads of techniques you can use to push through writer’s block, here are just a few of my tips.
Write Your Way Through It
Easier said than done, I hear you say. The very nature of writer’s block is that you don’t know what to write next, but this doesn’t mean you have to stop writing.
You can write your way through a block without knowing what’s next. This often happens to me when I’m only a few chapters in on a new novel. I know what my big picture story is and what I’m aiming for but I can’t figure out how to get there.
After experiencing this on nearly every manuscript I discovered the best thing I can do is write through it. I write nonsensical partial sentences and random notes, such as, ‘big reveal’, ‘he says something witty’, ‘big fight scene’. I continue like this as long as it takes for some actual concrete ideas to form.
Get Yourself Some Prompts
A lot of the time I’ll find inspiration somewhere else – it might be a picture, a song, a movie, a news article or a Pinterest board – anything that prompts your imagination. If you haven’t even started your book or story yet, this is often a great way to get started.
Another idea is using actual ‘prompts’. Look online for writing prompts. Ask writer friends or even family to name some random items, settings or words that you have to use in a story. The more prompts (within reason) the better because we’re hard-wired to be more creative when we’re given more boundaries to deal with. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Even if you don’t end up using all the prompts, it’s often enough to get you started with an idea and help you push through writer’s block.
Pause.
Sometimes the best thing you can do when you get writer’s block is to take a break. I find going for a walk or even having a bath is enough to reset my brain. I’ve done some of my best thinking in the shower!
You may find you need even longer to let ideas manifest, which is fine. Pause your current project and try something else, or if you’re stuck on one particular section but have an idea how to tackle a different section, then move onto that. If there is a future chapter you can see clearly or you’re excited about, write that!
So what are you waiting for? Write through that block.
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Writing fiction inevitably involves building a whole new world or setting for your characters and story.
Vivid world building of course is critical for genres like fantasy and sci-fi, but it’s just as important for stories set in contemporary, familiar or modern settings.
You want to create a setting and characters that a reader can clearly picture in their mind and invest in.
It’s the writer’s job to give just the right amount of details and little touches that make that world real and engaging. And this starts with the writer immersing themselves in the world they are creating.
One of the ways I like to get in the mind of my characters, and the time and place my story is set in is to use music.
I ask myself several questions:
What kind of music would my main character like and listen to?
What music is specific to the time period or place the story is set?
Are there particular songs that give a certain feeling or relate to a theme that is relevant to my story?
For my medieval fantasy series I was drawn to folk songs and dramatic orchestral songs like the theme to Game of Thrones.
Once I know what kind of songs are relevant to my story I look for or create relevant playlists in Spotify. You’d be surprised what playlists already exist. I typed ‘fantasy’ as a search term into Spotify and found a bunch of fantasy film and novel inspired playlists.
I usually end up with about half a dozen playlists that I then listen to whenever I am working on that particular book.
I find it a super easy way to connect myself to the world I am writing about and it might just work for you too.
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Okay, you got me. There are actually many variables that determine whether you succeed as a writer – not just one thing. If there was an exact magic formula there wouldn’t be a need for anyone to blog about this stuff…but…there is, in fact, one critical factor that determines just how good you get as a writer. And that one thing is feedback.
Over the last twenty plus years, I have worked as a journalist and editor on daily newspapers and magazines. I have written all forms of marketing and communication content for globally listed companies, government, SMEs and not-for-profits.
The reason I tell you this is to demonstrate I’m no stranger to feedback. In my first gig as a cadet journalist in the 90s I quickly learned how to write better.
Pumping out half a dozen and more stories a day, I had to write fast but also well enough to avoid the sub-editor angrily stomping down to my desk and pulling apart my story line by line. I’m not sure about newsrooms these days but sub-editors back then didn’t mince their words when it came to feedback. If they knew about the feedback sandwich, they certainly didn’t subscribe to it.
I later worked for a head of a government department who was known for scribbling ‘What is this BS?’ in giant red letters across anything he didn’t like – fortunately I never received one of those.
Now I’m not saying these were great ways to get the best out of a writer or that everyone should have to experience this, but it definitely taught me a lot about the importance of feedback and how to deal with it.
Specifically, here are the key things I’ve learned.
1. Be Open to Feedback
Everyone….I mean EVERYone needs some form of feedback and editing.
No matter how experienced you are as a writer, we can all do with a second pair of eyes.
Often as writers, we are so close to our work that we don’t notice things that might stand out to another person.
You may have read your work a hundred times (and sometimes it does feel like that) but completely missed a typo. As the writer you also have all the pieces of the puzzle in your mind, you know the background and whole plot, but you may not have translated enough of those puzzles onto the page for the story to make sense to the reader.
A good reader/editor will tell you which parts or syntax that weren’t clear to them. They may even make useful suggestions about how to improve a sentence, phrase or segue.
2. Be Brave
Presenting your work to others for feedback for the first time is a big step. Putting your precious words out to the world (even if it’s just to one other person) takes bravery.
I mentioned earlier that I was used to the idea of feedback…but that was in relation to my news and corporate writing.
When it came to my creative writing, it was a completely different matter.
For many years (nearly a decade) I tinkered away at my first novel – my first serious attempt at creative writing. Those years of writing and refining and attending courses were important to learn my craft but only up to a certain point.
The harsh reality was that my novel wasn’t going anywhere until I was prepared to share it with someone.
I was writing in a vacuum. I felt safe in my vacuum but it was a confined space. Nothing can truly grow in that kind of environment.
It was only when I was brave enough to share my novel that I was able to really improve my work – and the rate of improvement was rapid! Only after that point did I enjoy any form of success with my creative writing. I started entering competitions and submitting my work to industry professionals.
My work started getting recognised and I took what feedback I was given and improved my work more.
3. Ask the Right People for Feedback
I tweeted recently about how my mum insisted on reading my draft YA fantasy novel, even though she doesn’t read YA and “hates” fantasy. This is an example of someone I shouldn’t be asking for feedback.
The people you ask to review your work, will depend on what kind of feedback you’re looking for.
Here’s who you may like to ask for what.
Avid Readers of Your Genre – These readers can give you very useful feedback on whether your story and characters meet their expectations. They are more likely to be invested in your story so their feedback may go beyond structural feedback to character voice and line edits.
Family and friends – If your family and friends don’t read your genre, prepare yourself for the fact that they may not enjoy your story, regardless of how good it is. Unless they have a writing background their feedback may not be particularly useful. If they insist on reading your work, let them, but you can’t be sure of hearing what you want to hear. If you’re expecting a pat on the back and to be told how awesome you are, then you may be disappointed. For those of you whose family and friends are the cheer squad types, take the encouragement. Use it to boost and motivate you, but don’t kid yourself. This kind of feedback does little to make you a better writer.
Writing friends – People in your network or writing groups that are professional writers, or are on the same creative writing path as you, can provide really helpful feedback (as well as support and encouragement). Regardless of the genre they write in, writers “get” other writers. They can provide invaluable feedback at a structural and line edit level. Just make sure though you are working with people whose opinions you respect and trust.
Grammar police types – We all know those people – whether their friends, family or workmates – who know their em dashes from their en dashes. By all means ask these people for help once you’re ready for proofreading.
4. Seriously Consider All Feedback
If you have asked someone for feedback and they have taken the time and effort to give it, then you should seriously consider all of their suggestions.
It’s completely natural to not agree with every piece of feedback you’re given but it’s important to take a beat and challenge your thinking when it comes to each and every suggestion…even if it means you have to do a lot of work.
Ask yourself, would their suggestion make the story better?
If you’re not completely sure, engage the person who gave you the feedback in a discussion about their suggestion or ask for a second opinion.
Generally, when I have ask a specific person for feedback (they will be someone I trust) I will take on board around 90% of their changes.
Of course, if you’ve been given feedback that is not in keeping with your voice, story and characters, feel free to ignore it – perhaps even explain why to the person who gave the feedback.
5. Feedback You Must Take on Board
There are some forms of feedback I believe you should always take on board. These have nothing to do with stylistic feedback or authorial voice, it is to do with clarity.
If a reader has flagged something that doesn’t make sense to them, or is unclear, then I personally believe you should listen to them.
The way I see it is that if one person didn’t understand something, there’s a good chance that others won’t.
Unclear writing jolts a reader out of a story, which is the last thing you want to happen.
While it is possible that your writing is clear and it was just one particular reader who had an issue, the fact they mentioned it is enough reason to check the section and/or get a second opinion.
Yes, feedback is tough. Feedback can hurt. But feedback is also the single most important tool for becoming a better writer.
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Capturing a character’s unique voice is an ongoing challenge but I feel like I’m making real progress with my latest work-in-progress.
My main character is a 17-year-old girl and I was once that age so I figure I have a bit of a headstart. To get even further into my character’s head I dusted off diaries I had written as a teenager.
Reading your teenage words by the way is not for the faint-hearted. It took me weeks to get over the experience.
I apologised to my Mum for being a self-involved cow back then and reassured myself that I’ve (mostly) left those angsty teenage behaviours behind.
Then after a recovery period I started writing in my character’s voice.
Overall I’d say the exercise was worthwhile as the voice is feeling true and real to my character but I’ve hit another snag.
I have at least four secondary or minor characters who are all men of a similar age.
Some only appear in one or two scenes so there isn’t much opportunity to introduce the characters in great detail, or otherwise distinguish them from each other. As a result, the characters are blending into each other a little.
With little space to work with, I’ve decided to try and work some dialogue magic so they don’t all sound the same.
Here is what I’ve learned about writing dialogue that is unique and true to each character.
Have a real person in mind
If you don’t have first-hand insight or experience as the character you are writing dialogue for, then try to picture someone in your broader network who does represent the same kind of character.
Is there someone from your school days, work, your wider family or circle of friends who reminds you of your character?
Maybe there’s a customer you’ve encountered through work or someone you’ve overheard on public transport, at the checkout or next to you at the hairdressers.
They may not be the exact same type of person but they may share some of your character’s key characteristics.
What struck you about how they spoke and expressed themselves? What kind of language did they use? Were there any words in particular they favoured?
Look for things such as:
Word choice
Formality
Length of their sentences
Rhythm
Feeling – the emotive effect of their words and the level of feeling in them.
Who are they talking to? Consider how they would speak differently depending on their audience.
Use all of this for inspiration for your character.
Have a favourite character in mind
Maybe you don’t know someone in your network but you have a favourite character from a book, film or TV who you can use for inspiration.
If you don’t already have a favourite character in mind, then read/watch/listen to something in the same genre you are writing in, or featuring characters of similar ages and backgrounds and identify common themes or language they use.
Write Through It
Sometimes the only way to truly get to know a character is to write your way through it.
Write dialogue for your character that you don’t even need for your book. Invent a scene in your head, something that’s completely out of context of what you’re writing and just start putting words on the page in their voice.
It may be them speaking about what they did on the weekend, or what their biggest fear is. Choose any topic that will get you starting to piece together how they would speak.
For my main character I conducted an ‘interview’ where I asked her twenty or so ‘getting to know you’ questions and then answered them in her voice. I haven’t used any of the content directly in my book but it heavily informed not only the character’s dialogue but also how she may act in particular situations.
Check Your Dialogue
There are a few ways to check whether your dialogue sounds natural and unique to each character.
First up, read your dialogue out loud.
The quickest way to find out if dialogue sounds like something a person would say is to actually say it out loud. DO NOT skip this step.
To check whether dialogue is unique to a character, take a section or sections of dialogue featuring different characters. Remove all dialogue tags and names, as well as anything else that would identify the characters, then try and identify the characters from the dialogue alone.
This may be seem easy for you since you wrote the dialogue. The ultimate test is giving it to someone familiar with your work and see if they can identify who said what, or even if they can identify if there are different speakers and accurately distinguish between each of the examples.
So what are you waiting for? Start a conversation with your characters today and you’ll be on your way to writing unique dialogue that is true to each of them.
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Saved away in one of the files on my computer is a numbered list of names. There are names of writing competitions and opportunities, publishers and literary agents.
Each of the names has notes next to him. Dates of when something was sent or submitted. Some of the text is marked with strikethrough and details of a response received. Some of the text is marked as pending. The remaining items have no further updates next to them – the lack of detail is actually a telling feature of this list.
The list is a record of rejections. It records my progress towards my rejection goal.
Yes, you read that correctly. I have a rejection goal.
What is a rejection goal?
A rejection goal is the concept of setting a target number of rejections to achieve within a certain period eg. get 50 rejections by the end of this year.
The idea of setting out to be rejected may seem counterintuitive if your overarching goal is to be accepted in your chosen field. In the case of aspiring authors, it may be to get an agent or a publisher or win a writing competition. A goal to ultimately succeed which isn’t typically associated with being rejected.
So why bother having a rejection goal?
The motivation for having a rejection goal is not the desire to be rejected, but the actions you will have to take to get you to a point of possible rejection.
It comes down to one single truth. To be rejected, you have to put yourself out there. You have to take action with your creative work. You have to look for opportunities and go after them. Rejection is evidence that you are pursuing your overarching goal.
The benefits of rejection
For me, the biggest benefit of rejection is the feedback it provides.
The only way to improve your craft is through practise, feedback and refining your work. Having a rejection goal gives you all of these things.
Sometimes you get lucky and someone will give you specific feedback as to why your work wasn’t right for them. Some competitions you enter will offer detailed feedback you can use to improve your work. And of course, no feedback is feedback as well.
For instance, if I have sent a pitch package to a potential agent and I get a form response or no response, I take a moment to reflect whether there’s something in my pitch that could be refined.
Sure sometimes I find myself double-guessing myself, especially when you don’t know the real reason for your rejection, but every rejection is an opportunity to do a health check and improve what you’re putting out there.
Is my synopsis up to scratch? Does my first chapter grab the reader’s attention? Have I provided good comparison titles?
Every time I’m rejected I look for a chance to hone my work and craft. And guess what?
When you put yourself out there enough and use rejection as a learning experience you’re increasing your chances of succeeding.
You never know when you may just get the exact outcome you’re looking for. Maybe instead of being rejected you succeed!
So what are you waiting for? Set yourself a rejection goal, take action and don’t forget to congratulate yourself along the way, because every rejection takes you one step closer to your overall goal.
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The pros and cons of pen names with best-selling author Bren MacDibble/Cally Black, plus other expert tips.
I had never given much thought until recently about whether I needed a pen name for the books I’m writing.
You see I have been firmly planted in the one genre for a while, specifically YA fantasy, so I figured it made sense to stick with the one name. Also, as a practising marketer, I considered the time and effort I’d spent developing my ‘brand’ under my real name, so I decided to write and market myself under that name. But then something happened.
First, I got an idea for a middle-grade series that would be a spin-off from my YA trilogy. Since the two series were related to each other, and my YA content wasn’t overly graphic I reasoned they could all be written under the same name. But it did pose some risks and challenges trying to market to two completely different aged audiences.
Then the writing muse turned up and threw an idea for a historical fiction for adults into the mix and I knew I had to seriously consider using a pen name.
Naturally, I wanted expert advice so I turned to best-selling and award-winning author Bren MacDibble who also writes under the name of Cally Black. Here is what Bren/Cally had to say on the topic.
Why did you choose to write under a pen name?
I had been writing under Bren MacDibble for a while and had some magazine fiction and educational fiction under that name, so when I won the Ampersand Prize for my first trade novel (In the Dark Spaces) with Hardie Grant Egmont, and because it was definitely not a novel for the under 12s – it’s a young adult novel – we thought it would [make sense]…to launch a new YA career.
Soon after, Allen & Unwin picked up How to Bee and that was a children’s novel which fitted better with the educational fiction I’d been writing in the past, so it made sense then to have one name for children (Bren MacDibble) and one for YA (Cally Black).
What do you see as the pros and cons of using a pen name?
Separating my readership is good. I don’t mind the young adults reading down but those aspirational children reading How to Bee and The Dog Runner should not be moving onto In the Dark Spaces just yet.
The death scenes are a little graphically described. So the pen name keeps me from accidentally terrifying children. Which is good. It also allows a YA reader to pick up my YA book and know it’s written for their age group.
It can be a little difficult keeping those who would benefit from knowing I’m both Bren and Cally Black who could cross-recommend to older and adult readers, like booksellers, etc.
Also, [there is] the double expense in time running double social media accounts and setting up double websites.
What are the challenges you have faced using a pen name?
The biggest challenge is when festivals etc. book hotel rooms and flights. I have to make sure those are under the correct names, or I look really dodgy at check in.
Also if people pay in cheques, that can be awkward if they don’t use the same name as my bank account. My bank has put a note on my bank account about my pen names!
Also… and this is hardly a problem, but when I picked up the NZ Book Award for children’s books last year as Bren MacDibble, I’d just sat down when they called Cally Black to come up for the award for YA books. I jumped up, looked at the audience and I could tell they were way more confused than I was to be getting two awards! I had to do a hurried explanation.
In what circumstances do you think a writer may want to consider using a pen name?
Genre separation or age group separation is a good reason and I think this is the most common reason.
I think this is why Kate Griffin/Claire North/Catherine Webb changes names so often. You can see her site at www.kategriffin.net for how she handles her tri-pseudonyms on one webpage. I think she is keeping her YA separate from her adult novels and her high fantasy from her more realistic setting novels. I just have two websites: www.macdibble.com and www.callyblack.com
Also if you have a job that might besensitive to your readership, as in if you worked in social work or as a judge or wrote government policies or articles for a leading newspaper, and people might hold up your books in judgement of your values.
In that case, it might be necessary to be even more secretive with a pen name to protect your day job or your reputation as an author. Or even maybe the job of your partner, parents or children…if they are high profile.
Sometimes if you write with a partner you might combine names to produce one simple name, but we’re used to seeing partnerships on book covers now, so that’s just aesthetics really.
If you want to write a true story and pretend it’s fiction, there’s probably no hiding behind a pen name. Apart from consent issues, I think the readers and the publisher would want to know if it was really true, and find it more appealing, because of the honesty that would bring to the story.
To differentiate brands and write in different genres – as Bren does.
To protect privacy – Joanna gives writing erotica and sometimes romance as a common example.
To be non-gender-specific – some authors writing in genres that are heavily dominated by authors of the opposite sex, may choose a non-gender-specific name or use initials.
If the author’s name is hard to remember or is unusual.
Penn also suggests checking to see if the name you want to use is already taken by another writer. In this case, she suggests adding a middle initial or a middle name.
Regardless of your reasons, if you’re considering a pen name, then you’re definitely in good company.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an (aspiring) author in possession of a book (idea) to sell, must be in want of an author brand or platform.”
I’ve taken some liberty with Jane Austen’s words but I’m sure she would have agreed with the sentiment.
Jane Austen lived at a time when books by women were usually published anonymously. I like to think she would have jumped, in a most lady-like manner, at the chance to promote herself as an author.
Why then do many (aspiring) authors, who want to
get their books out into the world, consider marketing a necessary evil, or
just downright evil?
The answer lies in the undeniable fact that
creating an author brand or platform can at times be frustrating, confusing or
annoying – ‘you mean I actually have to do social media?’.
The good news is that many of the objections or
challenges relating to marketing can be overcome with a little persistence and
the right guidance.
Unfortunately, this does nothing to address the
many misconceptions that continue to plague marketing and stop some writers
from embracing their author brand.
I’m here to restore your faith in marketing by
busting some of the most common myths surrounding author brand and related
topics.
Branding is for Businesses
Not Authors
The easiest way to clear this one up is to ask
yourself whether you want to make money from selling your books.
If you answered yes, then you need to treat your
writing as a business, otherwise, it’s a hobby.
Being a professional writer or author entails
all of the regular activities a business owner needs to undertake, marketing
being one of them.
Your author brand is the foundation of all of
your marketing activities, and it is much more than having a beautiful logo and
business cards.
Brand is the experience or feeling you create every time you interact with the world. It is what you say and how you say it – it is how you make people you communicate with feel.
It is about creating a consistent voice for you and your writing that resonates with readers, publishers, agents, and other people important to your success.
I Don’t Need to Worry About
Brand Yet
If you haven’t published a book yet, you may
think it’s okay to wait before developing your author brand.
In fact, the best time to start marketing yourself as an (aspiring) author is now!
The more time you have to build your platform, get followers and refine your messaging, the easier it will be when you are querying agents and publishers, or are ready to launch your book.
I Don’t Like Selling Myself
So I Don’t Like Marketing
Guess what? Most people don’t like ‘selling’
themselves and no one likes being ‘sold’ to.
Fortunately, marketing isn’t about ‘selling’. It is about making meaningful and authentic connections with people who are interested in you and your work.
Connecting with the right people through social
media and other communication channels builds a support network of people who,
when the time comes, won’t just buy or invest in your book, but will do the
‘selling’ for you. They will become your brand fans and ambassadors.
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You have probably heard the saying that if you want something done, you should ask someone who’s busy, and I have found this to be true when it comes to my creative writing.
The last couple of months have been some of the busiest of my life. I got two new clients for my business, which both involve steep learning curves and a lot more work. Plus I was offered two amazing speaking opportunities that involved a lot of workshop development and prep work.
At the same time, an idea for a new book started pestering me. This idea was very loud and persistent, demanding it be written. The problem was that I had three unrelated manuscripts in varying stages of completion – polishing, editing and revising.
There were no specific deadlines for these manuscripts so I was just chipping away at them when I ‘could’, while simultaneously lamenting that the process was taking forever.
Goals, Targets, and Deadlines
I wasn’t prepared to put the other manuscripts on hold, so instead I set myself some ambitious goals, which were realsitic if I buckled down.
I set myself word count targets and a deadline for completing the various stages of each work-in-progress book.
For my new ‘idea’ I set myself a goal of entering the completed manuscript in a specific competition in 12 months time. Working backward I laid out a plan and a timeline that started with research while I finished off the other books.
There was the tiny issue that I was incredibly busy with my business, as well as many other parts of everyday life which include being a mum to an 8-year-old boy.
The Difference Between Being Busy & Out of Control
It didn’t take long before I was feeling overwhelmed. I’m a trained journalist and the idea of missing deadlines (even if they are self-imposed), doesn’t sit well with me.
I’m also someone who likes to feel in control of most aspects of my life.
While I know I am way more productive when I’m busy, I don’t like being the kind of busy where you feel like you are spinning multiple plates and if just one of them falls, everything will come tumbling down.
I needed to put order into my life.
Order and Routine
Deciding to ‘Marie Kondo’ my whole house at the same time may seem counterintuitive to the idea of finding time to write. But doing a massive tidy up, starting with my desk, removed not just physical clutter but mental clutter from my life.
I created a space that I love turning up to every day and it has made a world of difference to my sense of calm and productivity.
I also put in place a routine to write every day (Monday to Friday). I know this isn’t practical for everyone but what I found was that my target word count became easier to achieve each day as I had momentum from the previous day.
In the past, I had only made time a couple of times or maybe even one day a week to write, and I found I wasted time having to catch up with where I had left off.
Why Busy Is Better
There have been periods when I wasn’t as busy with my client work and I could have spent more time on my writing but for some reason, I wasn’t motivated to get on with it.
At times I dreaded it because I had left it too long between drinks and not regularly immersing myself in my fictional world had dulled my enthusiasm.
The lack of a goal with a specific timeframe also affected my motivation.
Now with so much on my plate, I feel like I am kicking goals in several areas of my life. Having small wins in other activities, gives me the lift I need to write.
And even when something isn’t going right with my creative writing, I gain strength from other parts of my life – like Elizabeth Gilbert says in Big Magic, don’t put too much pressure on your writing by making it the only thing to focus on.
I counter my really busy periods by not working weekends and rarely working at night. This ensures I have time for family, friends and me.
So yes I am crazy busy during the limited hours I do work, but it seems to be working.
I have learnt how to be incredibly efficient with the time I have and am more productive than ever.
Don’t take my word for it though, the science agrees. Research has found that being busy can increase motivation and reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a task.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get busy.
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The idea of marketing yourself as an author can be understandably overwhelming, especially if you are in the early stages of your writing journey.
Aspiring authors may wonder what they can do to enhance their chances of making money from their future books. Recently published authors may question what they can do to increase their profile and book sales.
The answer to both of these conundrums is to look to authors who have made it big and see what we can learn from their approach to marketing.
Before we go any further, let me pre-empt and clear up one of the most common misconceptions about this topic. That is, the belief that “marketing is easy for authors who are already famous. They have an audience to market to”.
Let’s lay that one to rest straight away. I would go as far as saying that without exception the most successful authors put the time and effort into their marketing well before they were well-known.
Even if you are starting with an audience of one, it’s better than not starting at all. The sooner you can get a headstart on your marketing the better.
Across the board, successful authors took steps to connect with and give to their audience or ‘community’ early on.
Here are some other key marketing lessons we can learn from famous authors.
J.K. Rowling – Leverage Your World-Building
Let’s be honest, I could spend all day unpacking the genius that is J.K. Rowling but in this post, I’m going to focus on just one element of her marketing strategy.
The Harry Potter series came with in-built marketing opportunities, thanks to Rowling’s detailed world-building and fully fleshed-out characters.
Rowling continues to share character insights and tidbits about the series today through the Pottermore site. Fans can join the Pottermore community for free and complete quizzes that will uncover your wizarding identity, Hogwarts House, Patronus and more.
Content from this site is also shared across social media platforms to continue to feed fans and enthusiasm for the Potter brand.
If you have gone to the trouble of creating rich characters and places, you should look for ways to leverage this knowledge.
This is particularly the case for fantasy writers who often go to extreme lengths for world-building, in terms of language, locations, magic and more.
Look for ways to share little snippets from your books and world on social media and your website that may not even appear in your written work. The more you share, the more real your world becomes and the more likely fans are to engage in it and invest in your work.
Know and Appreciate Your Fan-base
E.L. James – Fan Fiction
Fifty Shades of Grey is one of those books that when mentioned at a writer event is likely to spark a fierce debate about its artistic merit. I tried to read it and 80 pages in decided it wasn’t for me. However, no one can deny that there is obviously a market for this kind of fiction and I’m of the belief that those who don’t like it don’t need to stick their nose up at it.
I for one celebrate the fact that E.L. James wrote a book series that was highly successful (at one point it was said to be selling paperback copies faster than the Harry Potter series) and her fans LOVE it.
This brings me to the marketing lesson of knowing and appreciating your fan base, and E.L. James absolutely nailed that.
James promoted Fifty Shades of Grey in several ways before it went from relative self-published obscurity to a worldwide phenomenon.
It was originally fan fiction for the Twilight series where her episodic pieces soon gained a fan-base.
She nurtured and continually fed this community with regular content she knew her fans would love, until changing the names of the characters, and putting the book on her website.
James also gained grass-roots support by reaching out to relevant book bloggers.
A major part of her success was making her content accessible (and initially free via fan fiction) and nurturing her following.
Elizabeth Gilbert – Facebook Community
If you’re looking for an example of an author who understands her fanbase and how to create a Facebook community, go no further than Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic.
Of all of her communication and social platforms, Gilbert appears to engage most on her Facebook page. She tends to use Facebook as a mini-blogging platform with lengthy posts addressed to her community. Many of the posts start with the phrase, ‘Dear Ones’, where she speaks directly to each member of her community with honest, insightful and heartfelt posts that are a signature of her brand.
The lesson here is, it doesn’t matter how or where you choose to develop your community, as long as you do make the effort to do so.
Understand your fans and speak directly to them, giving them the content they want.
Joanna Penn – The Self-publishing and Author Marketing Guru
In the self-publishing world, Joanna Penn provides an authoritative and highly engaging voice for authors wanting to market themselves.
Author of Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish and market your book, Penn has the highly successful Creative Penn podcast and at her site, provides extensive resources and tips on how to market yourself.
Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, so knows her stuff and is generous with her knowledge.
There is not enough room here to cover all of her marketing lessons but two quotes from Successful Self-Publishing encapsulates the core of her philosophy and what we all can learn from.
“Writing is about you. Publishing is about the book. Marketing is about the reader.”
“Branding is your promise to the reader. It’s the words, images, and emotions that surround your work and the way readers think of you.”
Scott Pape ‘The Barefoot Investor’ – Give Freely
When it comes to non-fiction in Australia, no one has reached the same heights of success in recent times as Scott Pape with The Barefoot Investor.
Pape’s book sold 250,000 copies in the first six months of its release and has topped Australia’s best-selling book lists month-on-end, ahead of non-fiction and fiction titles.
A lot of Pape’s success comes down to his branding nous and giving freely to the audience.
At his website, you can access loads of free resources and content. Visitors to his site then have the option of purchasing his book or joining his membership program.
The idea of giving free stuff to visitors to your site (or via other channels) is that you are giving them a taster and reward for connecting with you. It provides a gateway and conversation starter to encourage them to buy your book, product or services.
The lesson here is to offer something for free such as blog articles or downloadable resources.
You should also include a call to action to sign-up for regular content such as a newsletter where you can promote your paid assets, and potentially convert prospects to sales.
You may also like to have a higher value item such as the first few pages of your book, a short story, or exclusive resources, on your site that can only be accessed by providing an email first.
Finally, make your paid products for sale and very visible on your site, preferably only one click away from your free content.
These are just a few lessons from famous authors and tips to get started with your marketing. What are you waiting for? Get started today!
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