10 Things About the Writing Life

When I do interviews or panel discussions, someone always asks what advice I would give to other writers. So I decided to put together my list of 10 things I’d tell someone about writing or the writing life.

1. Do not give up. If you want to be published, be persistent. Keep writing.

2. Turn off the TV (or phone or Internet surfing) and write.

3. Work on your craft. Learn as much as you can about your genre and writing. You need to know about the writing conventions that readers expect.

4. Learn about the publishing industry and the business of books. (It’s ever-changing.)

5. Find yourself a writing group. Writing and editing are solitary. You need to be around other writers to share celebrations and disappointments. I learn so much from my writer friends who are generous with their time and advice.

6. Writing/publishing books is a business. You need to treat it as such. Be professional.

7. Learn all you can about book marketing and promotion. It’s often harder than writing the book.

8. If you get stuck, don’t give up. Do something to get your creative energy back.

9. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Learn from mistakes or from something that didn’t go well and then move on. Don’t get stuck wallowing in self-pity. It’s a mire that’s hard to get out of.

10. You will doubt yourself and your choices. It happens to everyone. Set goals and look for ways to improve. Don’t get stuck in the pit of self-doubt.

What would you add to my list? I wish I’d known this in my teens and twenties when I started dabbling with writing.

What Advice Would You Give to a Younger You About The Writing Life?

What advice would you give to a younger you or someone who wants to be a writer? Here are my thoughts.

1. Don’t give up. If you want to be published, be persistent.

2. Work on your craft. You get better by writing and revising your drafts.

3. Stick with it. See a project through to a good solid draft.

4. Find a group of like-minded people. You need the support and guidance from other authors.

5. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

6. Learn from criticism, but don’t dwell on it. A bad review shouldn’t send you into a tail spin.

7. You are not in competition with other authors. You need to work to improve your skills.

8. Help others when you can.

9. Learn how to say no nicely. People will ask a lot of you. If you take on everything, you’ll stress yourself out.

10. Guard your writing time. Schedule it if you have to.

11. Find a good critique group or writing partner. You need a sounding board to read your drafts and to provide constructive feedback. Make sure everyone contributes.

12. Celebrate other’s successes. And celebrate your own. Writing is hard work.

Why Collaborators Need a Style Guide - Advice for Writers

Years ago, I hired a technical writer at my day gig, and we quickly realized we needed a style guide to define how we do certain things. We had a division called Multifamily, and the title appeared as "Multifamily," "MultiFamily," "Multi-family," and "multi-family" in our technical manuals. Consistency was important, so we created some definitions of how things were going to be used. 

I use the Chicago Manual of Style as my reference guide, but others prefer the AP or the MLA guides. 

If you're creating a collaborative work such as an anthology or collection of stories, a style guide will save a lot of time and headaches during editing. It will also stop a lot of arguments about who is right and who isn't. And it's also a good idea if you give the contributors the guide during the writing phase.

Here are examples of things you should include:

• Specify how you want the submissions formatted (e.g. spacing, font type, font size, etc.)
• Decide how you want paragraphs indented. Some folks use the tab key, while others use the margin/first line indent feature on their word processor.
• How are you going to define story or scene breaks? Do you want the author to use symbols (e.g. ###) centered on a line?
• How do you feel about the Oxford or serial comma? (e.g I'm bringing apples, peaches, and grapes to the picnic.) I'm #TeamOxfordComma.
• Define how the dialogue tags or attributes appear. Example:
  • "Go away!" said Fred.
  • "Go away!" Fred said (preferred)
• Italicize names of movies, TV shows, magazines, and books.
• Are you going to use the American or British spelling of words? (e.g. canceled or cancelled)
• Is it T-shirt, t-shirt, tshirt? What about Ok, OK, or Okay? TV, t.v., or tv?
• Use All Right and A Lot. Both are two words.

Start with some standard guidelines and then add ones that are important to the group. Remember that many publishers and editors have their own style guides, so more changes could come in the final editing stages.

I keep a style guide for myself too when I'm writing my novels, so that I am consistent between the books in a series. 

What else would you include in your style guide?

How Do You Get Recharged? Tips for Writers

Everybody hits a slump or a block from time to time. Sometimes, there's an awful feeling of being overwhelmed. The key is not stay there or wallow in doubt, despair, or fear. Here are some ideas to get you recharged and back on your writing projects.

1. I go to my monthly critique group meetings. Having a deadline for submitting work to be reviewed helps me keep on track. Plus, I love interacting with talented and creative people. I learn as much from others' critiques as I do from those of my work.

2. I also attend writers' group meetings and events. Many of these have a learning component, and experiencing new things always recharges me. It's also a great way to interact with other writers. I can't say enough about how valuable my writing network is to me. I get ideas, critiques, and support from people who have the same experiences.

3. If it's not feasible to join a group in your area, there are plenty online. I receive a digest of the threads each day. Even though I don't have the time to read and respond to every thread, I do check out interesting topics and keep up with new projects. And it's nice to know that you're not alone in your writing cave.

4. Take some time off and do something interesting or fun. Usually, the break is all I need to get back into writing mode. 

5. Volunteer some of your time. There are so many  groups that appreciate the help. Time away helps you clear your thoughts and get focused.

6. Exercise. Get those endorphins pumping. You'll feel better. (I recently got a stand-up desk at my day gig. It is wonderful. I feel so much better at the end of the day.)

7. I get overwhelmed when I have too many projects going at once, even if they're in different stages. I need to prioritize and focus on the critical tasks. That helps me quell the anxiety and stress.

8. Learn how to say "no" nicely (but firmly). It's hard. There are so many people making requests of you, and you can't do it all. It takes a lot of effort to balance your writing with the rest of your life. I would love to participate in every author or volunteer event that comes along, but sometimes, it's not feasible. Your time is valuable. Guard your writing time.

9. If you don't have a writers group, invite a couple of writers to lunch or coffee. Make time to network and share ideas. Peer groups are important.

How do you recharge? What would you add to my list?

What Made You Smile This Week?

What made you smile this week? Here's my list in no particular order...

1. 5 days off because of the Independence Day holiday. Whoo hooo! Writing time.
2. Celebrating my Mom's birthday and July 4 with a cookout (and chocolate birthday cake).
3. Submitting an article for an upcoming journal.
4. Working on edits for a cozy mystery.
5. Starting the third Delanie Fitzgerald book (and coming up with a title).
6. My husband finished the landscaping around the deck and added a firepit. I'm ready to roast marshmallows.
7. Heading to Kilmarnock, VA on Saturday to be on a fun panel at the Writers' Expo.
8. Wrapping up edits on a short story called "Art Attack."
9. Finishing all my reading early for July's critique group.
10. My dogs - Jack Russells always make me smile.

What would you add to the list? 

An Author's Many Hats

As an author, you will wear many hats along your writing journey, and each one represents a different task. Before I jumped into the writing world, I didn't realize how many expectations there were (and how many different jobs that needed to be done). 

Thinking Cap - Use this to plot and draft your story. You may need it to get your character out of a jam.

Research Cap - This hat is for all the research and interviews that you'll need along the way. (I picked a replica of Indiana Jones' hat. He's the right combination of research and adventure.)

Hard Hat - This is your working hat. You need this to build your draft and for your many rounds of editing and critiques.

Genre-specific - This is a must for mystery writers. And you may need a magnifying glass to complete the look. This is for adding plot twists, red herrings, and clues.

Marketing Hat - Marketing and promotion are huge jobs. It takes a lot of time and energy to set up blog tours, interviews, events, and social media sites. You'll find that you wear this one more than you ever thought.

Business Hat - You need this for all of your accounting and paperwork tasks. I wear mine for tracking mileage, collecting receipts, filing sales tax, completing forms, and tracking sales. It's also my analytical hat for reviewing sales numbers and web/social media metrics.

Party Hat - You need this for the celebrations! And I hope there are many along your writing journey.

How Much Writing Did You Do Last Week?

Last week, I wrote a job description, an advertisement, seven performance reviews, my progress notes, and a strategy plan. I did get the edits completed on my novella, and I wrote three blog posts. But I didn't have any progress on my mystery WIP.

There are weeks when work and life get in the way. I try to write (or edit) something daily. But stuff happens, and my writing schedule doesn't go as planned. Here are some thoughts that I think are important for writers as they progress on their journey. 

Find Like Souls - I love that my writing friend, Barb Goffman, is a Facebook motivator,. She reminds me and others on social media that we should be writing. Get busy and stay focused. Sometimes, I need a jolt or a kick.

My author friend Alan Orloff told me about BIC-FOK (Butt in Chair - Fingers on Keyboard), and he's right. That's how writing gets done. Close the internet browser and write. 

My writing pals are great sources of information and inspiration. I'm in two critique groups and three writing groups. The members are so supportive and generous with their time. I also get recharged when I'm around them. If you don't have a peer group, find one. They are invaluable.

You're Not Alone - I need to remind myself of that from time to time. You need to network, socialize, and support other authors. Find a group that supports your writing efforts. They understand the frustrations and roadblocks. They'll lift you up when you get bad news, and they'll help you celebrate your victories. 

It's More Than Writing - Book marketing is work. (Writing and editing are hard too.) A lot of time and energy (and what feels like blood, sweat, and tears) goes into polishing your story or novel and then letting everyone know it exists. And I can't tell you how many hours I spent on social media platforms, book promos, blog tours, interviews, and events. (I logged 2,400 miles last year. I'm at 1,985 so far this year.) There is always a lot to do, and if you want to be a professional writer, you need to juggle and find the right balance for you.

Don't Beat Yourself Up - If you want to be published, don't give up. Persistence and patience are key traits. And don't be too hard on yourself. Set realistic goals and strive to meet them. Learn what you can from feedback and move on. 

9 Writing Blogs You Should Check Out

I was going through my Twitter feed of writing/book promotion blogs that I read regularly and decided that I should share. Here are 9 that you should check out. They are great resources for information and ideas. In no particular order, here they are...

1. Morgan Wright's Literary Avenue

2. Rachel Thompson's Bad Redhead Media

3. Career Writers

4. Wicked Cozy Authors

5. Jungle Red Writers

6. Kris Spisak

7. Colleen M. Story's Writing and Wellness

8. Jane Friedman

9. Victoria Griffin

What would you add to the list?