Me and My Post-it Notes

I love office supplies. I get excited every summer when the school supplies come out. And besides gel pens, sticky notes are probably my favorite. I use Post-it notes for everything. I’m an 80s girl, and that’s when my addiction to these sticky notes started. I love the neon-colored ones. The ones with little sayings are fun, too.

The adhesive was invented by Spencer Silver in 1968 at 3M, and the actual notes were invented by Arthur Fry in 1974 because he needed bookmarks for his hymnal at choir practice. When he used scraps of paper, they would fall out of the book. He needed something to stick to the page, but not damage the paper. He knew of Silver’s invention and tried it on some of the scrap paper in the lab. (Legend has it that the original Post-its were yellow because that was the color of the lab’s scrap paper.)

Here are my favorite uses. What would you add to my list?

• A handy bookmark

• Sticky tabs for reports and documents that need review/signature

• For plotting mysteries - You can move them around on a wall or white board

• For jotting notes (duh!) - I have them stuck to my monitor, laptop, desk, and refrigerator - I even stick them to the dashboard of my car when I really need to remember something. (My purse is always full of balled up notes/lists.)

• Keeping character traits organized when I’m writing

• I like the Post-it flipcharts when I’m brainstorming or facilitating meetings

• Lists (usually for shopping, but they could be honey-do lists)

• I daisy chain them together when stuff is related and I need more space to write

• Tally sheets to keep a running total of my WIP’s word count

• I mark issues or plot holes in my writing with them. It reminds me to tie up loose ends.

• Marking stopping points in editing/writing projects - It helps me pick up where I left off

Always Be Professional: Tips for Writers

In my day gig, I work in the IT world in Richmond, VA. Even though it’s the state capital, it’s still a small community, and it’s not a good idea to burn bridges. It’s the same in the writing world. Here are a few ideas that will help along the writing journey.

1. If you commit to a deadline, ensure that you meet it. Someone is counting on you. (Now, if you’re sick or it’s an emergency, that’s another story, but give the person plenty of time to reschedule or come up with a plan B.)

2. If you’re asked to do something and you can’t, be up front and say no. You can say “I can’t do that right now” in a professional way.

3. Strive to be on time. Again, someone is counting on you.

4. If you can’t make an appointment or commitment, get in touch with the person as soon as you can. (When I book something, it’s usually by email. I always make sure I have a contact number for emergencies.)

5. Be prepared. Do your homework and be ready.

6. Be present. when you’re at a meeting or event, participate, listen, and be part of the conversation. Don’t be that person who can’t put his/her phone down.

7. Treat your writing as a business. If you go into partnership with someone or hire someone for a task, make sure you have a contract or formal agreement.

8. Pick your battles. We’ve had new writers on anthology projects who refused to be edited. If you choose not to follow the rules/guidelines, you’ll need to be prepared not to participate. And think twice before you fire off that email or text in anger. It could come back to haunt you.

9. Avoid social media battles. It’s okay to have a good conversation, but trolling and attacks will earn you a reputation. And even if you delete posts, there still out there somewhere. You are your brand, and you need to think of that as you build your social media platform.

Writing is a solo activity, but you do need to interact with others. It’s always best to be the professional who is easy to work with. Your reputation (good or bad) will always precede you.

Lois Winston's Holiday Cozies for #WriterWednesday

I’d like to welcome Lois Winston to the blog for #WriterWednesday. She has a guest post on her holiday cozies. Perfect timing for this season. Check these out and add them to your collection.

Christmas with Anastasia

By Lois Winston

My amateur sleuth, Anastasia Pollack, makes no bones about her feelings toward me. I suppose her animosity is justified. After all, I write cozy murder mysteries, which means I’m constantly placing her in life-and-death situations.

Most cozy mysteries feature busybody amateur sleuths who make a habit of sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Anastasia is more a reluctant amateur sleuth, forced to investigate because I’m always writing her into situations where I don’t give her any choice.

And much to her dismay, I don’t even let up at Christmas. I tried explaining my reasoning for this to her, that readers love holiday books. Her answer? I should go back to writing romances and leave the solving of murders to the professionals. What fun would that be, though?

And speaking of fun, I had so much fun setting Drop Dead Ornaments, the seventh book in the series, days before Christmas, that I decided the eighth book in the series, Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide, should pick up where Drop Dead Ornaments left off. That means I have two holiday mysteries available this year. And better yet, the ebook version of Drop Dead Ornaments is currently on sale for only .99 cents through Christmas Eve.

Drop Dead Ornaments

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 7

Anastasia Pollack’s son Alex is dating Sophie Lambert, the new kid in town. For their community service project, the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank. Anastasia taps her craft industry contacts to donate materials for the students to make Christmas ornaments they’ll sell at the town’s annual Holiday Crafts Fair.

At the fair Anastasia meets Sophie’s father, Shane Lambert, who strikes her as a man with secrets. She also notices a woman eavesdropping on their conversation. Later that evening when the woman turns up dead, Sophie’s father is arrested for her murder.

Alex and Sophie beg Anastasia to find the real killer, but Anastasia has had her fill of dead bodies. She’s also not convinced of Shane’s innocence. Besides, she’s promised younger son Nick she’ll stop risking her life. But how can she say no to Alex?

Buy Links
Paperback https://amzn.to/2s1VYii

Kindle https://amzn.to/350ueJq

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/drop-dead-ornaments

Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/drop-dead-ornaments/id1431548050

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drop-dead-ornaments-lois-winston/1129345148?ean=2940161937181

Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

Buy Links

Paperback https://amzn.to/2OXfaqu

Kindle https://amzn.to/3594OJC

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/handmade-ho-ho-homicide

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handmade-ho-ho-homicide-lois-winston/1132607263?ean=2940163093748

Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/handmade-ho-ho-homicide/id1473711082

About Lois:

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.loiswinston.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z1z1u5

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lois-winston

The Animals of Writing

Animals have a variety of qualities, and many apply to the writing life. Here’s my list of some characteristics that writers can borrow from their animal friends.

Bull Dogs - Bull dogs and other dog breeds are known for their tenacity. If you want to be published, don’t give up. Hang on, keep going, and work until you get what you want.

Jack Russell Terriers - Harness your energy and focus it on your writing and revising. Put your backside in a chair and get writing.

Turtle - Turtle have a hard outer shell, and writers need to develop a thick skin if they want to survive. You’re going to get feedback, criticism, and reviews. Learn what you can from them, but don’t take it personally.

Squirrels, Magpies, and Racoons - You need to be able to gather ideas and store them away for a future story. Keep a notebook or file. You never know when a character, description, or bit of dialogue will be useful.

Pigs or Hippos - Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Sometimes, you have to roll up your sleeves and dive in.

Elephants - Be steady, strong, and methodical in your work. Learn and improve your craft. And again, the thick skin doesn’t hurt either.

Lions or Crocodiles - Be fierce when you’re editing and revising. If something doesn’t move your story along, it has to go.

Cats - Find a sunspot or a nice cozy corner and curl up with a book once in a while. Reading is research.

Otters - Enjoy your writing journey. Be playful and creative. Have fun.

What I Learned from "What Hollywood Gets Wrong" - Forensics and the Mystery Writer

My Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia chapter held a program recently on forensics for the mystery writer called “What Hollywood Gets Wrong.” Many thanks to Officer Richard Mallory and the Henrico Police Department for a great discussion and equipment demo in the parking lot. Here’s what I learned…

1. As a police officer, you never know what you’re walking into. It could be a minor call that turns into something much larger.

2. “Forensic Files” featured episodes on Henrico County, and “Crime 360” had episodes set in Richmond.

3. You only get one chance to document a crime scene. Photos and diagrams are key. You must be detailed and accurate.

4. Faro cameras (that look like surveyor’s equipment) can take hundreds of photos from different angles. They also take measurements.

5. Witnesses often have different recollections, so it’s important to document everything.

6. Stress changes your perception and your recollection of events.

7. This department uses two kinds of fingerprinting equipment. One is a black chalky powder. The other is metallic, and the stylus is magnetic.

8. Forensic science helps law enforcement to eliminate suspects, as well as confirm others.

9. Technology and forensic science are powerful tools, but the job still requires old fashioned police investigation.

10. Most radar guns now contain a laser (lidar), and they can be aimed at a specific vehicle.

11. I didn’t realize how heavy some of the bullet-proof vests were. And I’m thankful that advancements have been made in safety equipment.

12. Cameras are everywhere these days, especially in new cars like Tesla.

13. Forensic analysis takes way longer than it does on TV and in movies. On average in Virginia, Toxicology takes 44 days, Trace Evidence takes 51 days, Firearms Analysis takes 73 days, Forensic Biology takes 103 days, Drug Analysis takes 137 days, and Computer forensics could take up to a year.

You Can Find Story Ideas Anywhere - Especially the DMV

I’m convinced you can find characters and story ideas anywhere, even the DMV and the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Last week, I decided to go online and prepare my documents to get my Real ID drivers license. I had everything ready, including my online form. How hard could this be? I was ready.

Last Friday, I arrived at the DMV with all my paperwork in a folder at 8:04. There were 67 people already ahead of me in line, and the place had only been open for 4 minutes. I waited 2 hours to get through the triage desk and to customer service. I’m glad I brought 2 books. I finished the first 1.

When it was my turn at the counter, the clerk did a marriage license search because of my name change years ago. She couldn’t find the record. I had the certificate that city/state issued when I got married, but they wouldn’t accept that as an official document even though it had a nice seal at the top from the Commonwealth. I had to drive downtown to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Thankfully, the guy there found it and provided a copy. That would have been an awkward dinner conversation. “Hey, Honey. Remember when we thought we were married 28 years ago?” No worries. We’re legal.

Then I had to drive back to the county DMV and finish the process. Three hours later. (And the nice DMV clerk let me back in line, so I didn’t have to start over and go through triage again. If she hadn’t, I probably would still be there.) Then I found out I had to wait 7-11 days for my license to arrive in the mail. (It arrived yesterday, so all is well, but the picture is as bad as the last one. It definitely reflects how frazzled I felt. So for the next eight years, I have a souvenir to help me remember the experience.)

People-watching at the DMV and state agencies is amazing. There are so many opportunities for interesting character descriptions and behaviors. I took notes.

• The security guard who spent most of his time ferrying clipboards back and forth from triage to customer service - He had a strange resemblance to Barney Fife.

• The woman who was trying to get a drivers license without any ID

• The older man who kept complaining in line and trying to start divisive political discussions with his neighbors and his quiet wife who shut him down

• The clerks at the Bureau of Vital Statistics were dedicated to their processes. They used the formal number calling system through the speakers, even though there were only two of us in line.

• The middle aged couple who spent their entire wait time trying to find the right personalized license plate from the samples in the display case

• The toddler who entertained us in the seating area. I’ve never head so many verses of “Baby Shark” before.

• Oh, and DMV gives you a code when you pass through triage. It has a letter and a number, but none of the numbers are in order, so you can’t tell how long your wait is. I think they did that on purpose.

Eavesdropping (I call it doing research) on conversations provides ideas, too.

• I heard lots of different dialects and accents.

• I heard about eight-five different reasons why people came to the DMV that morning.

• I overheard several phone conversations. And now I know what too much about Nancy and her three teens.

• And I learned most of the words to “Baby Shark.”

The staff at the DMV and the Bureau of Vital Statistics were very helpful, and I appreciate their expertise. So, look for story and character ideas where every you are, especially when you have to wait in line.

Editors, Formatters, Proofreaders, Cover Designers, Oh My!

There are times when authors need to hire others like editors, formatters, proofreaders, cover designers, publicists, personal assistants, web designers, social media managers, and photographers to help with book projects. Here are some things I’ve learned through the years.

1. Your writing is a business. If you are hiring someone to do a job or provide a service, make sure you have a contract, statement of work, or a quote.

2. Agree on the price up front. Ask to be notified in advance if there are additional charges.

3. If someone is performing a regular service for you, make sure you agree on the price, the hours, fees, and the billing cycle. You don’t want surprises when the bill comes.

4. If you’re providing requirements or specifications, ensure that your communications are clear. Many designers will provide two or three rounds of changes, and then there are fees if you have other changes.

5. Make sure that you agree ahead of time on deadlines.

6. Keep notes or copies of emails about discussions and agreements. After we talk or have a conference, I always send an email confirming what we agreed to.

7. Make sure to keep all receipts for your accounting and tax records.

8. Keep the contact information in a place where you can find it. If you’re doing all work by email, make sure you have a phone number or mailing address information in case you need it.

9. If you're working with a photographer for professional headshots, ask about how they can be used. Some require specific acknowledgement of copyright.

10. When I’m going to work with someone new, I always ask around for recommendations and check references.

I depend on a whole group of professionals and their talents to help me with my books and book marketing. It feels daunting at first to find the right people, but when you do, you build up a network of skilled resources that is invaluable.

What else would you add to my list?

Revision Tips for Writers

My Editing Assistant, Disney

Every author has a different process or style for writing, revising, editing, and proofreading. You need to find what works for you. Try a technique, and if it doesn’t match your style, do something else. Here’s how I do it.

Writing Drafts 1-6-ish

1. I try to write every day, but sometimes life gets in the way. Do the best you can, but don’t beat yourself up. I find if I skip too many days, I lose my momentum and train of thought. I have to go over my outline again and read what I wrote recently.

2. I do write down my word count totals at the end of each session to keep track of my progress.

3. I start plotting on my big white board. Then, I create a Word document with a few sentences for each chapter. I color code clues, romantic elements, and humor. This helps me see visually where things fall in the story. I update the outline as the story changes. I also use this later to help me with my synopsis.

4. I start writing. I usually type directly into my computer, but sometimes, I do handwrite chapters.

5. I make sure that I start the book in the template that my agent prefers, so I don’t have to reformat later. This makes the cover page, chapter headings, indents, and footers consistent.

6. After I have a few chapters, I print the draft and do a quick reread. I make changes, and then I return to writing.

7. I repeat this for multiple drafts of the book.

8. I also keep a master character list for each book in the series. It has basic facts and what books the character or location appears in. I use this as I’m writing to make sure I don’t repeat character names and that I keep the facts straight.

9. When I think I’m done, I print out the whole WIP (Work in Progress) and do some editing and proofreading. My friend, Mary Burton, calls this the “sloppy copy. I break out the red (or pink or purple) pen and look for plot holes and typos.

Revision

1. I run a spell/grammar check to look for typos.

2. I keep a list of crutch words (overused words) or ones that should be consistent through out the book. My editor has a list, I have one, and so does my agent. I keep adding to my list. I use the find/replace feature in Word to hunt out the problem words and remove them.

3. When I think I’m done with the draft (I’m really not), I send it to an editor that I pay to do her magic. When I get her feedback, I update the WIP and print it again. I do another reread to look for any boo boos I made while making changes.

4. Then I submit it to my critique group. Sometimes, I do this before the independent editor. It just depends on the timing and what projects are going. My group reads 50 pages a month and provides feedback. I make any changes to my WIP and then print another copy and check for typos.

5. I have a small group of beta readers that I send the entire manuscript to for feedback. They read the book like a reader would and provide suggestions and changes.

6. I then send it to my agent who is also a great editor/proofreader. Your publisher will also have editors and/or proofreaders. (There are multiple rounds to the revision process.)

7. I make sure to print a copy of the manuscript after each major revision to ensure that I catch any issues I created while making changes.

When the ARCs Arrive

1. When you get through all the changes, the book will be formatted, and the publisher usually sends a draft or an ARC (Advance Review Copy) for review. Read it carefully. This is usually your last chance to change anything.

2. Check everything on the front and back covers.

3. Check all of the headers and footers.

4. Check the chapter numbering.

5. Read the book again.

It is such a good feeling to type “The End,” but it really isn’t. The work begins with the revision part.

Riley providing feedback