In a Rut? Ten Ways to Recharge Your Writing

Every once in a while, I get too comfortable in my routine or life is just crazy, and I don't feel very creative or I take a break from writing. Here's my list of ten things to do to give you a jumpstart.

1. Mix it up. Vary your routine. Change the setting on your shower. Wear something you won't normally be seen in. Try a different route to work or eat something out of the ordinary. Have breakfast for dinner to shake up the routine.

2. Try a different hair style. Change your makeup or paint your nails.

3. Journal or do stream of consciousness writing. Sit down and just write. Nothing is off limits. Don't edit or proofread. Just write. You may be surprised at the results.

4. Find a book or website with writing prompts. Do one or two to get you started. They may turn into an interesting blog post.

5. Do a project. Try a new recipe, paint, sew, refinish furniture, make a scrapbook, or knit a scarf. Creativity expression comes in thousands of different forms.

6. Exercise or go for a walk. It'll clear your head and change your perspective.

7. Visit somewhere different. Take a vacation, go to a museum, or visit your city. The time away is a good break.

8. Learn something new. Take a class, watch a YouTube how-to video. There are plenty of free or online classes.

9. Volunteer. Donate some time to a worthwhile cause and meet some new people with different experiences. You'll get as much as you give.

10. Go for a drive. I commute about two hours a day, and I do my best plotting in the car.

What else would you add to the list?

Mustangs and Rearview Mirrors

My husband asked me to help him bleed the brake lines in his '69 Mustang convertible this weekend. Pumping and releasing the brakes several hundred times gave me a moment to observe and ponder. I had a '74 Mustang as my first real car in the 80s, and the technology of his convertible was close to my yuck yellow one with the avocado-colored top. (I saved my money from my part-time job to have it painted red.)

I drive a 2015 Mustang now, so looking at the gears and switches was a trip down memory lane. The '69 has slides for the defroster and heat (no air conditioning), a cylinder on the floor for the high beams, a cassette player, metal slide seatbelts, windows that wind down, a hard plastic steering wheel with a mental arc for the horn, and a square key for the ignition and a round one for the trunk. It also has an ashtray and cigarette lighter.

Juxtaposed to my '15, I don't have to take the key out to open the doors or start the engine as long as it's in my purse. I can even start the engine remotely if I want to warm the car up. And the kickin' sound system, phone, and climate controls are changed on the touchscreen in the dash, or I can use voice commands. I can get music through AM, FM, satellite, my phone, or a host of other devices.  And I can enjoy my tunes from space in my heated or cooled seats.

This week is all about memories. My high school reunion is coming up soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing friends who've known me since kindergarten and the old high school. We're going to the homecoming game on Friday. At some point, we're the same people from back then, but in other ways, we're not. We've changed (on all levels), and had a lot of experiences outside of those school walls we shared for twelve years.

We've come a long way. I love the nostalgia of the reunion and the classic cars. It's fun for a summer cruise with the top down, but for every day life, I like my airbags, computer-controlled engine, anti-lock brakes, power steering, and padded steering wheel. 

I love visiting the past. The nostalgia and memories are great. But like with the cars, I've adapted to the technology and ways of today. And, there's a reason that the rearview mirror was designed to be a lot smaller than the windshield.

Enjoy the memories and where we've come from, but celebrate the present and where you're going. Every decade has its own surprises.

The '69 Mustang's dashboard

This is where roll down the window comes from...

My 2015 Mustang

What I Learned from Publicist, Joan Schulhafer

Joan Schulhafer skyped with our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia chapter recently and provided great information about publicizing yourself as a writer and your book. Here are nine things I learned from her presentation:

1. Authors need to balance their online and in-person presences. You need a mix of both.

2. You can't do everything, but get out and get involved.

3. Attend conferences and network with everyone.

4. Build your email list. It's valuable for authors.

5. Blogging is important. It's a way to keep your website fresh. Blog posts do not have to be deep, witty, or perfect.

6. Pictures are important. Take lots of pictures. Post pictures with your content.

7. Make sure that your biographies and other information are current on all the social media sites where you have accounts.

8. Authors needs to be on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest. If your readers are younger, you need to be on Snap Chat.

9. Be polite on social media. Don't forget to thank those who help you.

Murder at the Library - October 30

I've had so much fun this summer working with Maggie King, Fiona Quinn, Margaret Howard, Thaddeus Huff, and Ginger Gutting on the planning and plotting for the "Murder at the Library" on October 30. It's a fundraiser for the Clover Hill Friends of the Library. We wrote the murder mystery for the Friends. There will also be a silent auction, a panel discussion about publishing mysteries, and book signings. Join us for some fun on Halloween weekend!

Sisters in Crime authors Fiona Quinn, Mary Miley, Rosemary Shomaker, Vivian Lawry, Mary Burton, Tina Glasneck, Kristin Kisska, LynDee Walker, and I will be there. Come and see us!

Tweet! Tweet! Why Twitter is Important to Writers

Twitter is a powerful resource. It connects you with others and helps build relationships. When I was first introduced to it, I felt like I was posting to the wind. Luckily for me, I found  Krista Davis on Guppies (an online chapter of Sisters in Crime) who ran a workshop to help newbies understand what this was all about. At the time, I had twelve followers and had posted ten tweets. She set up an online chat and we asked questions, retweeted each other, and became accustomed to the platform and its conventions.

I also found Debbie Ridpath Ohi's website on tweeting for writers. This is an excellent resource for beginners or experienced tweeters. The Help file in Twitter also has a lot of good FAQs.

You need to find folks with similar interests. If you're trying to build followers, search for your interests. You can search for general or specific topics (e. g. writing, mysteries, agents, or dogs). If you put a hashtag (#) in front of your search, you will get tweets others have tagged to that subject. Many conferences, fundraisers, and events create their own hashtags. For example, if you're looking for tweets and information about the Bouchercon conference in Raleigh, NC in October, search #Bouchercon. You'll see official information and what others are saying. There are quite a few literary agents who participate in Twitter pitches. It's a great way to connect with readers, writers, agents, and librarians.

You can include hashtags in your tweets, so that others searching for that topic can find you easily. Be careful not to use too many. Two is about right.

If you're trying to build followers, look at who followed you. Click Followers and select someone. You can see who they follow and who followed them. There may be people you want to add to your account.

I use Twitter to drive traffic to my blog. When I create a new post, I use TweetDeck to schedule a few nightly tweets for the upcoming week. I have noticed a huge difference in my website/blog traffic since I started this.  I use Bitly to shorten my blog post URLs. It also has a click tracker, so I see what posts are getting the most attention.

I use Tweepi to clean up my follower list. Sometimes I follow folks who never follow back or don't tweet. "Zombie" accounts that people create to sell followers end up in my list occasionally. And once in a while, you'll get a bunch of followers who drop you after you follow them.  I open Tweepi about once a month and unfollow these.

Look at your Twitter presence. Make sure that you have a picture. (If you don't have a photo, you get an egg.) Also make sure that you include a link to your website and have a good bio. Update these as things change.

Be yourself. Twitter is a social media platform, and you should use it to build relationships and find kindred spirits. Share (retweet) good information. If you're a writer, follow the 80/20 rule. Only 20% of your posts should be "buy my book" tweets. People are looking for conversations and interesting information. If you only deliver a sales pitch, you'll get ignored.

I also build lists in Twitter to keep up with groups of followers. When you add people to a list, you can click on it and see a feed from just the members. I am part of several groups, and I want to keep up with the members' tweets. Lists help me stay organized.

I hope to see you in the Twitterverse. Make sure you follow...

Krista Davis

Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Heather Weidner

It's National Dog Day!

Happy National Dog Day from Disney and Riley!

Disney Dog

Riley on Squirrel Watch

The Edits Came Today...

The edits for Virginia is for More Mysteries arrived today. We are getting closer to having book two in print.

We also had a wonderful day yesterday at the Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival. The group signed lots of books and presented two workshops to standing room only crowds.

l-r: Heather Weidner, Jayne Ormerod, Maria Hudgins, Teresa Inge, and Vivian Lawry

What's Your Social Media Strategy?

You are your brand. Your author presence on social media should have a strategy, plan, and purpose. You want a unified look.

Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Website - One of your primary goals should be to drive traffic to your blog or website. Tweet links of your blog posts (new and recycled). Schedule them with a tool like TweetDeck or Hootsuite to post during hours you don't normally tweet. I schedule tweets at night or while I'm at work, and I've picked up new readers from different time zones. Schedule sparingly though. If someone follows you on different sites or views lists, you don't want hourly tweets of the same thing.

Analyze Your Content - Look at your posts and tweets. Are you getting likes, favorites, retweets, and shares? If not, consider rewriting your content. Make sure that you include videos or pictures. Also use hashtags (no more than two) to get noticed by like-minded readers.

Diversity is Key - Make sure your social media use focuses on the "social" part. You should join conversations, share others' materials, and thank those who share your stuff. People tend toignore you if all your posts are "buy my book." If you use hashtags regularly, make sure that you share others' postings from that list. You don't want to be a lurker.

Use Analytics - Facebook, Google, your website, and other sites have analytics. There is a lot of good information there about who's coming to your site and when. If you notice you have higher traffic on certain days, plan your posts then. Likes, shares, and retweets expand your reach.

Learn What Your Readers Use - Use the social media sites that your readers frequent. I learned this from Rachel Thompson of Bad Redhead Media. Google social media demographics. There is a lot of free information out there. Target your social media platform to what works for your audience. (The majority of Facebook users are women over forty.)

Be Adventurous - Be willing to try new social media sites and techniques. Try it and check your analytics. If it doesn't give you the results you want, modify it or try something else.

Look carefully at all of your social media sites. The colors, look, and writing style should be the same or similar. Themes are good. Your pictures and name should be the same on all sites. Make sure that you cross-pollinate your sites. List your website and blog in all of your biographies. Make sure that all of your links work.

I never knew how much marketing was involved with writing books. Best wishes for your writing and promotional projects!