Kathleen L. Maher – How to Encourage an Author – One Bite at a Time

How to Encourage an Author

One Bite at a Time

by Kathleen L. Maher

In the Civil War, untried troops had an expression about going off to war. They called it going to see the elephant.  A writer confronts the elephant of story with her puny pen, mincing it down to bite sized tasks. It might take a month of Sundays, but if I focus on one task at a time, I can write! And so can you.

I have yet to stare down deadlines, multitask one story in plotting stage whilst market a new release whilst writing yet another. But I fear not this wild herd, because the process is the same. You tackle one elephantine story at a time, cutting each pachyderm into the following steps: Brainstorm. Plot. Outline. Rough draft.  Edit. Critique. Edit again. Bite sized chunks.

Brainstorm: In my earliest days of writing, I found forums on agentquery.com where I could submit an idea or two and get really good, honest feedback. Later I discovered ACFW.com, and met my brilliant and invaluable partner Debbie Lynne Costello (sorry, fellow elephant hunters, she’s taken) through their critique groups. Scribes is a terrific resource for a brainstorming and critique partner. As you brainstorm, you must think GMC—goal, motivation, conflict. There is something your character wants more than anything, a reason why he wants it, and a conflict preventing him from getting it. (see http://www.debradixon.com/books/gmc.html)

Plot: Your characters have a journey to take. There are five legs of this journey: Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution. If you have this, you have a basic skeleton of a story. There will be a dark moment when all seems lost, like in Lady and the Tramp where Trusty recovers his sense of smell and races after the dog catcher’s wagon. That awful howl , and him laying in the muddy road. And then there is that heartwarming ending, watching Lady’s puppies frolic and cavort around Jock and Jim Dear and Darling and Tramp and. . . yes, a mellow and doting Trusty, who keeps up with the whippersnappers despite a cast on his leg.

Outline is tying all of this hard work into a cohesive shape, and writing the rough draft adds sensory flesh to the bones. Sight, sound, taste, smell and touch.  Edits involve taking out weasel words, (http://www.examiner.com/article/weasel-words-1 )and adverbs, or adding in a subplot  and power verbs. You correct spelling, grammar, watch for homophones. Read it aloud for flow. This is where your critique partner becomes pure gold to you, because everyone has a blind spot. Maybe you have a pet word or phrase.  Do a global search to find every usage and cut!

None of these steps sounds hard by themselves, right? That’s because they’re not. It can be done. The most gargantuan task can be accomplished by picking it apart into smaller units. Now go. Eat an elephant.

Meet the Author:

Kathleen L. Maher writes historical romance and is represented by Terry Burns of Hartline Literary. She has a novella Bachelor
Buttons coming out in May through Helping Hands Press, part of a Civil War novella collection. A repeat finalist in several writing contests, she won the 2012 ACFW Genesis with her Civil War historical, Closer than a Brother. Kathleen lives in upstate New York with her husband, three kids and two Newfoundland dogs.

A Cry to Freedom

A Civil War Series, Volume 3

Bachelor Buttons

A Civil War Romance

The daughter of immigrants who fled the Irish Potato Famine, Rose Meehan longs for a better life than the tenements of New York City. Courted by two men–a young doctor who represents material security, and a poor violin instructor who has captured her heart–she must choose between a life of advantage-grabbing or a life of faith. When Manhattan explodes in mob rule following Lincoln’s unpopular draft, the heroic action of one suitor brings provision for those she loves, and reveals God’s plan.

Jocelyn Green – Ten Tips for Time-Starved Writers

Ten Tips for Time-Starved Writers

by Jocelyn Green

I should have known better. But when the local reporter came to interview me about my novel, Wedded to War, I told her that my kids, ages 3 and 6, would be home with us, but that they “knew how to stay quiet.”

Can you guess how that interview went? Let’s just say that by the end of it, the reporter shifted her line of questioning from the Civil War inspiration to: “This is your fifth book since I was here last time. How do you write with two little kids running around?”

Great question! I’m practically starved for writing time most of the year, and if you have a family or a job or some desire to do anything other than write, I know you can relate.

I do have one writer friend who, when a book deadline approaches, packs up and heads to her cabin in the mountains for weeks at a time to just get ‘er done. How nice for her.

But since we can’t all have the cabins of our dreams, and the time to use them, what’s a writer to do?

The only answer is to maximize the time that we do have. Here are ten tips I’ve picked up over the past several years.

1) Write without editing yourself. (Yet.)

I was an editor before I wrote any books. But when I let my editor’s brain take over my writer’s brain, I played a mental tug-of-war on the page, rewriting a scene (or even—dare I say it?—a single paragraph) several times and not making any actual progress on the word count in a given day.

Since then I learned that we write with one side of our brain, and we edit with the other side. So don’t try to do both at once. Just write the thing first. You can edit later.

In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says:

“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft—you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft—you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it’s loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy.”

I have gone through more than three drafts, I’m sure, but that’s beside the point. The point is—get it down. Editing slows the process in the initial stage.

2) Don’t do the laundry.

At least, not during your writing time. Writing from home, it’s so tempting to “just throw in one load.” But if you put a load in the washer, you’ll probably want to put it into the dryer. And if you put it in the dryer, chances are, you’ll want to fold the clothes before they wrinkle. The interruptions pile up faster than the laundry.

The same concept goes for washing the dishes, dusting, etc. It might seem like just a few quick minutes to straighten up, but if it’s taking away from your writing time—and more importantly, from your focus—it’s not allowed. I read somewhere that after every interruption, it takes about 20 minutes to get fully back into the groove of your previous momentum. I can’t cite this source, and I’m not sure how they did this study, but it feels true enough, or close enough to the truth, for me to ruthlessly squelch the urge to do just a tiny chore during writing time.

3) Set goals.

And make them just beyond what you think you can achieve. Whether you try to hit a word count or write a certain number of scenes per day, aim for something. If you’re at a loss in this area, the book 90 Days to Your Novel spells out all the daily goals for you. You can adjust the timeframe as you see fit.

4) Write “as the bullets fly.”

I’m stealing this phrase from Pamela Redmond Satran in a recent article she wrote in this month’s Writer’s Digest. She shares how after she had a baby, she waited until the quiet moments of nap time or after bedtime to write, but it was never enough. Then, she had an epiphany. She says:

“Forget about waiting for the quiet moment alone in the pristine room: I was never going to get that again, at least not for a long time. And so rather than stealing writing time in my office, I moved my laptop to the living room. Instead of writing late at night or early in the morning before my child woke up, I started doing it while she was right there. I wrote while I watched the 802^nd viewing of Cinderella. . . ”

And the pages added up.

This is something I am learning to do right now. My “office” (aka laptop) now travels with me to the playroom, the family room, and the backyard. I use www.logmein.com to access the files and email on my desktop computer.

5) Be anti-social.

When you’re up against a deadline, shut down your email, turn off Facebook, Twitter, etc. One writer I know deactivates her Facebook profile when she’s writing, and reactivates it once she’s done. If you really can’t go totally dark, tell yourself you will only do social media during one (or two) designated small slots of time a day.

6) Write when you’re fresh.

If you do your best writing in the morning, don’t whittle away that time responding to emails. Write first. The emails can usually wait. I used to tell myself I could write in the evenings, but I’m so exhausted by the end of the day, one hour in the morning is worth three hours at night!

7) Get up earlier.

Hey, I’m not a morning person either, but I found that by getting up at 5am instead of when my kids get up at 7, I can double the amount of writing time I usually get in a day. Amazing!

8)  Skip writer’s block.

If you have trouble writing a certain scene, skip it and move on to something else you can get into. You can always go back to that trouble spot later and fill it in. Just keep writing.

9) Create time.

What can you delegate to others to free up more writing time for yourself? Would it be worth it to have a maid service come in so you can use that time to write?

Child care is always a dilemma when they are young. I hired a babysitter (make that seven babysitters—long story) two summers ago. Last summer I bribed them. If they were good in the morning, we went bowling or to the water park in the afternoon. I’m also learning to write as the bullets fly! If your kids are too young for this to work, you might want to find another mom and swap kids a couple times a week.

The other relentless time-consuming issue is meal preparation. I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen before and after we eat dinner, but I also don’t want to resort to fast food or take-out. So I make meals ahead of time and stock the freezer with them. Check out the book Don’t Panic! Dinner’s In the Freezer for plenty of recipes.

10) Pray.

This is the easiest thing to do, and so important. Before your fingers touch the keyboard, pray. Pray that God will give you focus, clarity, creativity, whatever it is you most need on that day. And ask others to join you! Many writers, myself included, have a prayer team supporting them throughout their writing project. Or just ask a few trusted friends for prayer on a more spontaneous basis. I cannot even count the number of times I have asked friends to pray, and then within days (sometimes within hours) that specific request was answered above and beyond my expectations and hopes.

Stories are powerful. Jesus used them (parables) to communicate profound truths. Why not pray that God will help us tell the story He wants us to tell, the way He wants us to tell it, and that He would help us do it before our deadline? If he could feed the five thousand from two loaves of bread and five fish, He can help us make the most of our writing time.

Meet the Author:

Jocelyn Green is an award-winning author of multiple books, including Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front, which inspired her Civil War novels Wedded to War and Widow of Gettysburg. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Military Writers Society of America, Christian Authors Network, and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with her incredibly supportive husband and two adorable children. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com. Connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jocelyngreenauthor

Her Heroines Behind the Lines series is inspired by real women who played important roles during the Civil War. For more about the series, visit www.heroinesbehindthelines.com. For information about purchasing the novels, click on the book covers below.

Susan F. Craft – Writing Requires Planting Yourself in the Chair

Writing Requires Planting Yourself in the Chair

by Susan F. Craft

I’m always hesitant when asked to talk about the process of writing, because each author has his or her own way of going about it.

I’ve been writing professionally for over 40 years. Granted, some of it was, I told myself at the time, not what I really wanted to be writing—articles for agency publications, informational materials, speeches for the agency director. It was “my day job” that I couldn’t quit because I couldn’t get anyone interested in my novels.

Over the years, I have come to the realization that any writing hones your craft—the thought processes required to come up with an idea; the utilization of resources to research thoroughly; the time to learn correct grammar and spelling; the willingness to learn from the masters; the discipline to sit in the chair and work; the development of thick skin in order to learn from, and not resent, criticism; the humility that comes with rejection; and the absolute joy that comes when someone really likes what you’ve written and says those magic words, “I couldn’t put it down.”

With that realization came the “light bulb moment” when I understood that employees and their families were honored by my articles published in our agency newsletter; mental health patients and their families deeply appreciated the information about their or their loved one’s illness written in such a way that they could understand what was happening to them; and the audiences hearing the speeches gained insight into what our agency was trying to accomplish and were inspired to partner with us to achieve those goals. My writing actually helped some people. How rewarding is that.

I still work full time and continue to plug away at novel writing. The speaker at a writers’ workshop I attended this past week made the statement, “Persistence trumps talent.” Well, brothers and sisters, I’m here to tell you that I know a little bit about persistence.  Over the past 30 years I’ve attended more writers’ workshops and conferences than I can remember. Sometimes the information would contradict something I had just heard in a previous conference. This happened mostly in the area of marketing—what genres were selling, what houses were looking for, what agents wanted to see, the acquisitions editor who threw manuscripts into her sludge pile because she had had a lousy breakfast.  I listened and I learned to sift through the “old hat” information and glean the good stuff, which I incorporated into my writing.

My persistence was rewarded when in November 2011, the Ingalls Publishing Group, released my inspirational Revolutionary War romantic suspense, The Chamomile. Life hasn’t been the same since. I’ve travelled, mostly regionally, to talk to groups, as many as 100 once and as few as four another. I talk about my research that went into my novel, how I found what I call my research “treasures,” and how I wove them into the story.  Our state Book Festival invited me to be a guest panelist. Over 6,000 people attended that event. When the wonderful reviews started showing up on places like Amazon and Goodreads, I was truly amazed and so excited.  When The Chamomile won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick award, I was over the moon.

So, here’s my advice boiled down into the format I like best – a list:

• Write every day, preferably in the same place and at the same time. (I don’t follow my own advice about the same place, same time, but I write every day.)
• Participate in NaNoWriMo, which challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.
• Get up early one morning and start writing without stopping; especially don’t stop to edit. Try switching off your monitor when you’re typing. You can’t edit what you can’t see.
• After editing on the screen or in print, read your work aloud. You’ll be amazed at how many awkward sentences you can fix this way.
• Join a critique group, preferably with people who write in your genre. (Or find a critique partner.)
• Attend as many writers’ conference and workshops as you can. These things can get very expensive, so thoroughly check them out for those that sound helpful to you and your level of writing. The networking is invaluable.
• Read – a lot, especially the great writers. You’ll soon come to recognize what excellent writing is.
• Keep notebooks describing the interesting people you meet and the places that give you “vibes” (sorry, I’m a 60s girl).
• Enter writing contests; sometimes you get tremendous feedback from judges and you get name recognition, awards, and rewards if you win.
• Volunteer to work at your local Book Festivals.  They are the ones who will invite you to speak once you’ve been published. You’ll meet some fine people and network with published authors who usually have good advice.
• If you write historical fiction, PLEASE, make every effort to assure that your facts are correct and your history is good.
• Self-publishing is separate from writing. Not every writer has the time, the talent, or the interest. Both writing and publishing take work. Self-publishing demands the work of both. Even if you land a contract with a traditional publisher, you must still work at self-promotion.
• Get an agent. Some writers complain that it is unnecessary and ask why they should give another person a piece of the royalties. My agent, Linda Glaz, with Hartline Literary Agency, is fabulous. She is my best ally, she knows where my book should be, and she knows the people to send it to, and they respect her opinions. While she’s out there promoting my novel, I’m free to write the sequel. I’m the first to admit, though, that finding an agent is just as difficult as finding a publisher.
• This last one is for Christian writers. Pray about and for what you are writing. Ask yourself, will this glorify his name? Will it lift up your readers? Will they be a better person for having read what you’ve written? Have you done your absolute best to honor the absolute sacrifice that was made for you? Will you handle rejection with grace and accolades with humility?

Here’s a list of quotes from famous authors I thought would interest you:

• Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. Anton Chekhov
• Cut out all those exclamation marks.  An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke. F. Scott Fitzgerald
• If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. I try to leave out the parts that people skip. Elmore Leonard
• Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word when a short one will do. George Orwell
• I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished. James Patterson
• Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised. John Steinbeck
• Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. Mart Twain
• Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. Kurt Vonnegut

Meet the Author:

Susan F. Craft, author of The Chamomile, a Revolutionary War romantic suspense, has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Carolina. Her 40-year career includes working for SC Educational Television, the SC Department of Mental Health, the SC College of Pharmacy, and currently for the SC Senate.

The Chamomile, winner of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick, is the fourth book she has authored. The first two were SC State Library award-winning professional works in the field of mental health, and the third, published in 2006, was A Perfect Tempest, a historical fiction set in Columbia during the Civil War.

Craft is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Palmetto Christian Writers Network, the Historical Novel Society, the SC Writers Workshop, the SC Historical Society, the Robert Burns Society, the Colonial American Christian Writers, John 316 Marketing Network, She Writes, Goodreads, Facebook, and Pinterest. Her website address is http://www.susanfcraft.com and her blogs are http://historicalfictionalightintime.blogspot.com and http://colonialquills.blogspot.com.

Craft wrote A Writer’s Guide to Horses, which is available on the website of the Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation, http://www.lrgaf.org.  The Guide provides authors comprehensive information about horses to assist them to accurately portray horses in their works.

Craft says, “Researching for my novels brings me the same excitement Alan Quartermain must have felt hunting for King Solomon’s Mines. I’ve been known to spend an entire day in a library scribbling notes from someone’s diary, spending a wallet of quarters making copies of maps and old newspapers, and trekking from one book or document to the next with a perseverance Lewis and Clark would have applauded. I enjoy the chase when one clue leads me from one historical treasure to the next.”

“I cannot remember a time when I did not want to write. Somewhere in my attic I have a book, The Mystery of the Whistling Cave, which I wrote and bound myself when I was eight and enthralled with Nancy Drew.”

“I married Rick, who was my high school sweetheart and now husband of 43 years. We live in South Carolina and have two adult children whom we adore and one grandchild who is my bestest buddy. I gave my heart to Christ as a teenager and am an active member of my church, singing in the choir since I was ten.”

Click the picture below for information about buying Susan’s novel.

The Chamomile

Lilyan Cameron joins patriot spies in British-occupied Charlestown, SC, to rescue her brother from a notorious prison ship.  She’ll lie, steal, kill, or be killed she promises Nicholas Xanthakos, a scout with Francis Marion’s partisans, who leads the mission.  In Nicholas’ arms she discovers enduring love … a home.  But that home is a long time coming.  Her journey requires she save the life of one British officer but kill another to protect her Cherokee friend, Elizabeth. In escaping bounty hunters, she treks miles of wilderness and very nearly loses everything before finally reuniting with her true love.

Davalynn Spencer – Bunny Trails or How to Stay on Track

Bunny Trails

How to Stay on Track

by Davalynn Spencer

As a published author, I find self-discipline to be more important now than it was before I sold my first book. Gone are the days in which I could write at my own pace, when no deadlines loomed, and the push to produce came more from pleasure than editorial demand.

I still write for pleasure—because it’s what I love to do—but distractions have multiplied like rabbits. They can nibble away at my writing time until I’m left with an hour or two instead of an entire morning or afternoon.

In addition to working a part-time job as a college professor and taking care of my family and home, I face other writing-related demands that chew up valuable time. Why? Because there is more to writing than writing. Today authors are expected to make online connections and participate in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and a host of others.

Unless I apply a hefty dose of self-discipline when I sit down at my computer, I find myself in the role of Hare rather than Tortoise. I can easily get lost on the e-mail trail or shoot off into the underbrush of blog hopping and checking the latest Twitter and Facebook posts. And how easy it is to lose all track of time jumping from picture to glorious picture on Pinterest.

Help!

Two to four hours can dash by like a long-legged jack rabbit unless I limit myself.

Some writers use one computer without internet access for writing and another computer for all their marketing and communications. That’s a nice answer if you have two computers or a smart phone or whatever the latest gadget is on the market. I choose to use the clock and budget my time.

Rather than yank the entire social networking plug, I give myself an hour each morning to check in, check up, and check out.

Check in: First I skim my e-mail for critical communiqués from family members, my agent, and my current editor. All my social networking sites link through my e-mail.

Check up: Depending on the messages, I deal with the most pressing matters first. I may have to jot down a to-do list for later in the day, but at least I have a visual reference for reminder. If more than an hour is required for the check up, the remainder of my e-mail must wait. Just because mail lands in my inbox doesn’t mean I have to read it immediately.

Check out: Next, on days I’m not teaching, I write. When I’m in the first draft, my goal is 2,000 words a day. This goal flexes as I shift into proofread/edit mode, or the mode I dislike most—Weasel-Word Review. (Latest find: the word “of” used 746 times in 190 pages. Gag!)

I could easily write all morning, afternoon, and evening, so I force myself to take breaks. My husband helps with this since he still enjoys breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Late afternoon, I check my inbox again to see if any must-see email has landed. Usually by that time of the day I can spend another hour visiting blogs, posting to my own blog, commenting on other author sites and posts, and generally participating in the social-networking author-reader community.

However, my day doesn’t start at my computer. It begins in the corner of my sofa with the Lord and my Bible. Without those quiet times when the house is still and the sun is climbing the eastern tree line, all the self-discipline in the world is worthless. What’s the point of “doing” if I’m not doing what He wants?

Things don’t always go as planned, but at least I have a plan. It helps keep me on track—and off those rabbit trails that tempt me away from my goal.

Meet the Author:

Davalynn Spencer’s love of writing has taken her from the national rodeo circuit and the newsroom’s daily crime beat to college classrooms and inspirational publication. When not writing romance or teaching, she speaks at women’s retreats and plays on her church’s worship team. She and her husband have three children and four grandchildren and make their home on Colorado’s Front Range with a Queensland heeler named Blue. To learn more about Davalynn visit her website at www.davalynnspencer.com or her blog at www.davalynnspencer.blogspot.com.

Click the Picture below for more info on Davalynn’s novels.

As You Are at Christmas 

Available now as an e-book from Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and Barnes&noble.com. Available in hard copy and e-book from White Rose Publishing, a division of PelicanBookGroup.com.

Devastated by her cheating boyfriend, an elementary school teacher heads home for Christmas only to be surprised by the handsome stranger waiting there.

Angela Murphy’s plans for a cozy Colorado Christmas shatter when she finds her fellow-teacher boyfriend entangled with another woman. But she goes home anyway—to the Berthoud Boarding House where her grandmother Mollie needs help with tasks requiring both Angela’s aid and that of a handsome new boarder, Matt Dawson. Temporarily rooming at the boarding house until his new furnace arrives, Matt sees through Mollie’s manipulations. But he can’t complain about spending time with the beautiful gray-eyed school teacher and the mangy stray dog they pick up on their way home from cutting a Christmas tree. In the company of both a beauty and a beast, Matt remembers the encouragement of a long-forgotten youth minister. Will those words draw him back to a long-forgotten God? And will Angela find that home lies not in the Victorian house of her childhood, but in the arms of the man she’s grown to love?

The Rancher’s Second Chance

Coming in August from Heartsong Presents

After twelve years away and a broken engagement, Laura Bell returns home to find her childhood friend more than a little different than when she left him.

 

A Writer’s New Year’s Resolutions

  
People from all walks of life are forming a list of New Year’s Resolutions this week. Some will diligently pursue these goals; others will lay them aside by the middle of January. Every writer who wants to become successful should have these resolutions and keep them.

1. Have a set word Count: Decide on a word count you will do every day and stick to it.

2. Have a time set for writing: If you have a designated time for writing, your creativity will show up at that time. If you’re having a hard time finding time to write, click here.

3. Read: The more you read, the better writer you’ll become.

4. Study the Craft: Plan to go to writer’s conference. Read blogs of writers, publishers, and agents. Subscribe to a writer’s magazine. Read writing books. However you do it, plan to learn more about writing this year.

5. Exercise: Writing is a sedentary activity. Plan a time to exercise. You’ll feel better, and it will get your creative juices flowing.

6. Find a Critique Group: Every writer needs a small group of people to help critique his or her work.

7. Marketing: Learn more about marketing, and start a blog if you don’t have one. It’s an important part of a writing career.

8. Get Organized: It will help keep you from getting distracted. To organize your office area, click here. To organize your computer, click here.

9. Don’t Get Discouraged: Writing is a discouraging profession. This year, plan ways to encourage yourself so you don’t allow discouragement to take hold. For encouraging quotes, click here.

10. Dream Big: Click here to learn more about how to dream big.

This year, may all your writing dreams come true.

Happy New Year!

10 Ways To Find More Time To Write

Writers have a difficult time finding time to write sometimes. With the burdens of family obligations, daytime jobs, marriage, and church or other activities, it sometimes seems impossible. Here’s a few tips to help you find time to write.

1. Get up an hour early. When you get up early, nobody is awake. This is prime writing time.

2. Stay up an hour late. This is the same principle. After everyone else has gone to bed, you’ll have the time you need. But be careful. Don’t get so lost in the story that you stay up all night. Set a timer if you have to.

3. Spend your lunch hour writing. If your work won’t let you use their computers for personal use, bring a small laptop or word processor to work and write while you’re eating.

4. Assign a certain time every day that you write. Let your family know that this is your “Do Not Disturb” time.

5. Get a maid. No, I’m not kidding. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. Hire a maid or someone to do your laundry. This will give you added time to write. Isn’t it worth the money?

6. Hire a babysitter. You could hire someone to take the kids to the park or to McDonalds Playland a couple of times a week. The kids will love it, and you’ll enjoy the writing time.

7. Stop time wasters. Organize your schedule and see where you are wasting time you could be writing.

8. Turn off the TV. Enough said.

9. Buy a small laptop or word processor to take with you when you go to doctor’s appointments or kids’ soccer practices. You can write during waiting time.

10. Quit playing Facebook Games. Facebook and Twitter are great tools for writers, but don’t let them monopolize your time.

So quit putting it off. Find the time you need to write, and get busy.

My Livingroom and Writing Area

As promised, here are some pictures of my writing area. My writing area is also our living room when company visits and my area where I talk to God, read my Bible and pray. We redecorated recently, and this is my favorite place to be at home.

My Computer Area

This area has my laptop computer desk, A straight comfortable chair, and my laptop and Ipad. On the End Table is my book nook with my Bible, prayer journal and current reading material. It also has a lamp, my phone, and a walnut chess board incase a friend stops for a game of chess. On the bottom shelf, that patch of blue is my footies in case my feet get cold. Behind the door of the end table is a portable file box. In the drawer of the other end table is a memo pad and pen and my Ipod and charging cords. On the wall are the high school pictures of my son and daughter. My son’s picture didn’t show up because of glare. There’s also a picture of Jesus when He calmed the seas with a caption, “Peace, Be Still”. That picture always makes me feel better when things are chaotic.

My Couch

Going counterclockwise around the room, next is my couch. It’s very comfortable if I decide to take a break and have a nap. Above the couch is my eye candy. I love good art. This is my original Klee that my husband bought at a mall after watching him paint it. It was before he became well known. I love the colors in this painting.

My View

Next is my view when I look up from the computer. Outside the window, it’s snowing today. It’s very pretty. The flowers on the table in the corner are my attempt at floral design. The bottom shelf of the table has a real hour glass. I love early American. The swivel rocker is great to turn around and sit in while I take in the view. There’s quite a bit of red in my living room toned down with taupe flowered wall paper, cream carpet, and this green/taupe chair. I love the color red. It makes me happy.

My Desk

Next is my oak rolltop desk with curio cabinets on either side. I love my desk because it’s early American and because I can hide what I’m working on when company comes. On top of the desk is our oil lamp for when the electricity goes off, some candles, and another attempt at flower arranging. Above the desk hangs a photo of the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. My husband took it when we were in the area for a kid’s crusade. It was so cool because I can say I walked across the Mississippi River. In the curio cabinets are mostly bells and Hummels. I collect them both. My oldest Hummels I inherited from my grandmother who also collected them. In the right curio cabinet, five shelves down, is my International Shepherd’s Cup Award dated 2007. I received it for lifelong achievement in the advancement of children’s ministry. It’s one of my most treasured possessions because of what it represents.

Hallway

We’ve come full circle where you can see a glimpse into my kitchen and hallway. In the kitchen is my ceramic checkered floor and checkered wallpaper, my china cabinet, and my quaker parrot, Olive Oil.

10 Things Needed To Set Up A Writing Area

Whether it’s a corner in a room or a full-scale office with all the luxuries, every writer needs a writing area. This is the place the writer goes to allow his or her creativity to soar. If you write there every day, especially if you schedule a time to write, you’re training your subconscious that this is the time for you to be creative. This is the time and place for the words to soar.

My husband has taken over our office area, so my writing area is my livingroom. We have a family room in the basement where we keep the TV, video games, etc., so the livingroom is not a high traffic area in my home. I have a laptop desk on wheels I can move out of the way when company comes and an end table with a small book shelf on it and a place to hide away my files and notes. I also have a rolltop desk in my livingroom where I store all my supplies. There’s a large front window with a view and a couch to take a nap on when I need a break. It works well for me. I’ll post pictures on Friday.

The important thing is to be creative about your writing space. If you can have an office, that’s great. But there are certain items every writer needs in her writing area.

1. Computer: The days of the typewriter are over. Thank God. Make sure you have a good computer that’s easy for you to use. I recommend a laptop. That way, you don’t have to carry around a jump drive if you’re away from home. An Ipad with a Documents to Go app and a portable keyboard is also a great tool for when you’re on the road.

2. Internet: Internet is essential for writers in today’s world. It gives us marketing tools, email, online writer’s communities, writer’s tip blogs, research at our fingertips, and access to publishers’ and agents’ websites. The only caution here is to schedule when you’ll be on the internet and when you won’t. You may want to schedule a certain chunk of time for the internet. I have the internet running all day, but I only check it once every couple of hours, and if I’m not done writing (unless I’m doing research), I don’t stay on it longer than five minutes.

3. Library: Every writer needs a library that includes writing books, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and books he enjoys reading. Some of these books may be on-line. Some won’t. See this link  and this link  for the books I believe every writer should have.

4. Files: Every writer needs a place she can file research, plot outlines, character sketches, ideas, agent lists, and other important information. Some writers use online files such as MS One Note. Others like hard copies. But you need somewhere to store information.

5. Online computer back-up: Don’t take a chance. Subscribe to an online computer back-up service. They aren’t expensive, and if anything happens, you’ll be covered. Schedule the back-up to automatically back up your files at least once a week.

6. Music: Whether you use an i-pod, your computer, a CD player, or some other device, you’ll want something where you can play music or some kind of white noise. Some writers like it quiet when they work, but even they benefit from listening to music before or after writing. Also invest in a good set of headphones that will be comfortable to wear for hours and will block out most noises including the phone ringing.

7. A comfortable chair: You’ll want a chair where you sit up straight, your feet are flat on the ground, and your back is supported. Don’t prop your laptop on your legs while you type in a recliner. Your back will thank you later.

8. A desk or table: Don’t use one of those portable lap desks unless it’s short term. You need something you can put your computer on even if it’s a card table or a TV table.

9. No distractions: If you really want to escape into the world your writing and let the prose flow, you’ll need an area without television, video games, or a telephone ringing. A door that can be closed is even better.

10. A notebook: Keep a small notebook with you to jot down ideas. If you have an IPad or a memo app on your smart phone, this works even better because it will always be with you. Before you begin writing, record these ideas in your idea folder.

So that all you need to begin writing. Other than the computer, most of these items are free or can be purchased for very little money. Make this investment in your writing career.

Do You Have a Schedule?

Do you have a schedule? I don’t mean just for writing, but for every important part of your life.

I heard a preacher say recently that those who have a scheduled time for prayer and a prayer list will pray 90% more than those who don’t. I assume that’s also true for writing, spending quality time with family, and even doing housework.

I live by my schedule. I don’t always follow it. When things come up, I throw it out the window for a short time. But I always come back to it. I find being scheduled makes me productive and helps me focus on the important things of life and not just the urgent.

Here’s a few tips in making a schedule.

Don’t make a micro-schedule with every event listed. Have clumps of times to do things that are similar. For instance, do all office work (bills, phone calls, etc.) at the same time.

Have a daily to do list, a weekly schedule, a monthly calendar, and yearly goals. The schedule determines when you do certain types of activities. The to do list has specific tasks listed according to your schedule. The monthly calendar lists appointments. The yearly goals will bring focus to what you want to schedule. All are important.

Be flexible. If something interferes with your schedule, adapt the schedule. The schedule is meant to serve you, not the other way around.

Have a weekly planning session. This will help you stay on task.

Always allow more time to do tasks then you think you’ll need. This will keep you from getting frustrated when interruptions come.

Don’t only schedule urgent things. Schedule important things such as prayer time, writing time, time with family, and personal time.

If you fail to follow your schedule, don’t beat yourself up. The schedule is there to help you not to dictate your life. If you can’t follow it, tweak it to work with your energy cycles. If you fall away from it for a few days of weeks, just dust it off and do it again.  You’ll still be further ahead then when you didn’t schedule your time.

Top 10 Ways To Waste Time

10. Wonder around the house thinking about all you have to do.

9. Watch Criminal Minds TV Show Marathon all day long.

8. Color coordinate the cans in your pantry.

7. Play your favorite FB game.

6. Play Spider Solatare until you beat the advanced level.

5. Facebook and Twitter without a time limit.

4. Talk and text on the phone all day.

3. Get up late and go to bed early.

2. Complain to a friend about not having enough time to get anything done.

1. Don’t have a plan for your time.