Tag Archives: writing

Making it Big as an Author

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FROM TROY & LAURICE.jpg

At work today, my coworker made a jab about my lack of progress on any of my writing lately. Part of me needs to be jabbed on occasion.

Not with anything sharp or pointy though. Not the literal jabbing. Please.

We got to talking about how hard it was to really “make it big” as an author these days. The market is saturated with books, and unless you can land publication with a huge publishing house, the odds are definitely stacked against you.

(For the record, I am NOT bashing self-publishing by any means. So please don’t take it that way.) 

It is definitely possible to make it big in self-publishing. It’s just really, really hard. You have to do everything for yourself.

But for many, it’s our only option when it becomes obvious that the big publishing houses aren’t willing to take many chances on new authors.

The chances that your debut novel will make it big time are slim to none. Continue reading →

Snow Weekend

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Today I got a snow day from work! Yay!

This is not a surprise. I work at a college where most of the students are commuting from as far as 2 hours away, so closing when we need to is no surprise.

Between Friday and Saturday, they’re predicting 18-24 inches of snow. Now, to some of you crazy northerners, that may not sound like a ridiculous amount of snow. However, I live in the south. I am in the 6 bottles section in the map below (though right on the cusp of 12 bottles, so…). And yes, when I’m not drinking coffee, I am definitely a wine-o. (A cheap wine-o though. Like no more than $15 a bottle.)

My fingers are crossed that I also get Monday off, but I won’t be getting my hopes up on that one. It just depends on how well the city/county does with getting it cleared out. (For what it’s worth, in the past, they’ve been pretty terrible about it.)

I’ve made myself a game plan, and it involves a mixture of catching up on my DVR shows, drinking coffee, drinking wine (I have 3 bottles, not 6. But I’m also not trying to get drunk like that one Saturday…..), playing in the snow, making a snow margarita, begging my dog to please go pee outside, and more than all of that combined, WRITING.

Because what better motivation than the beautiful, serene tranquility of a snow day. Not to mention, the view from my patio is AH-MAZING with the mountains in the background. I’ll share some pictures later! 🙂

So, short post today. Will update a little later with word counts, wine glass counts, and pictures of the snow. Gah. I LOVE snow days!

Happy writing!

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A Writer’s Writing Tools

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Everybody has their favorite method of writing. Some have a couple. Your preference is not the same as everyone else’s, and that’s okay! We all have our method of doing things. Do what works for you!

There’s desktop computers; laptops; iPads; smartphones; pen and paper; hammer, chisel, and stone. (Did I miss yours? Comment below!)

I think every option has its pros and cons. Let me highlight a few below. Continue reading →

WIP Wednesday: Where I Belong #1

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So the first evening of NaNoWriMo this past year, I started to write Where I Belong from scratch, but realized I was too invested in the story, so I chucked that idea out the window and pantsed a new novel (read about that decision here).

I finally reopened the draft of Where I Belong that I started, and have decided to share the first chapter with you all, uncut and unedited.

It’s a little long, so I posted it on my Wattpad account. But upon realizing that you must have an account to view, I also decided to publish my G-docs document. The formatting is wonky on G-docs to me, but maybe that’s just my large computer screen making me feel that way.

Here’s a taste, and if you want to continue reading, follow one of the links at the bottom. If you have Wattpad (or want to create an account), select Wattpad. If not, select Google Docs. 🙂 Continue reading →

How (Not) to Write the Next NY Times Bestseller

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  1. Don’t watch Food Network as “research” That Thursday-night marathon of Chopped will most likely not help you. (If you’re writing Food Network fanfiction, disregard this tip)
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  2. Also, do not do dangerous stunts as “research” For real, just because you’re planning on being a bestseller and making moolah, medical bills suck. I’m sure someone else has made that mistake. Watch endless Youtube videos of them doing it instead. (If you live in a country where ER visits are not hundreds of thousands of dollars, disregard this tip)
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  3. Don’t try typing the entire novel with your eyes closed. Sure, it may sound like a great idea to write as you envision the story in your head. But I guarantee that at some point, your fingers will end up on the wrong keys. And you will be sorely disappointed when you start reading a bovel qgwew tiue dingers qwew off. (If you are blind, disregard this tip)
    1.    Continue reading →

Good Things Come From Sleep Deprivation

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caffeine-addiction.png

You know, I was going to start this post off with an image from Google Images via a search of the term ‘sleep deprivation.’ And you know what?

They’re all negative!

Now, I completely understand why the majority of people feel that way. Consistently not getting enough sleep is eventually going to screw you up. But I think a lot of writers don’t quite see it as being super negative. Not all writers, of course. Some of you weirdos (lol) are early risers. Get your best words in while the sun is still coming up.

That is not me, though. Me? I do my best writing when it’s way past my bedtime. And yes, unfortunately my day job means I need a bedtime. Sigh.

Continue reading →

Monday Musings #5

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On Excuses and Inconvenient Truths:

My musing of the week is going a little deep, but that’s because I need to give myself a good swift kick in the butt.

I recently followed someone on Twitter who posts a lot of what I like to call Inconvenient Truths.

  • Excuses or accomplishments?
    The choice is yours.
  • If you have a true passion for writing then you’ll never have to discipline yourself to finish a novel.
  • If you need motivation from someone else then you’re not passionate about writing.
    • @jaxon_wolfe 

There are several more, and I picked the ones that aren’t quite so harsh to highlight here.

This guy doesn’t joke around. He’s been successful in the industry just in the last year. (At least he claims that) He has apparently even turned down a book deal from a publisher. I believe him anyway. When I first started following him, he I noticed he handed out a lot of advice to people who asked for it, but recently his feed has turned into pieces of “advice” posted often to the world.

When they started to get harsh, some of them struck a nerve. Especially like the last one that I quoted above.

Continue reading →

Monday Musings #4

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imageOn Coffee:

Let’s us talk about coffee for awhile.

The nectar of the gods, y’all, I swear.

I gave up caffeine a few months ago for a couple of weeks. I avoided the whole detox thing by popping Advil every 6 hours I was awake for, for 3 days. On the 4th day, I went without and miraculously woke up feeling great.

I grew up with a dad who worked for Coca-Cola. So to say I was raised on soda is an understatement. For the longest time, the position he was in meant free Coke products all the time. When he switched positions, not so much, but we still got them at such a deep discount, it’s all we ever drank!

Continue reading →