Philippa Ballantine's Blog, page 8

Guest Post – Consider a Memoir

As part of the Write By the Rails Endless Possibilities Blogtour, I’m happy to welcome Jan Rayl to my blog with tips on how to get your memoir done.

They say everyone has a book in them, and I believe it. I want to encourage some of you that have been toying with the idea of writing a book to consider a memoir. There are many stories about families lost to the passage of time. Generations of family history are lost. With the advent of self-publishing it is easier than ever to publish a book for a smaller audience like your relatives.

My father, Al Rayl, did just what I am talking about. He wrote a book, “Beyond my Wildest Dreams,” about his life for our family. I learned that I am related to Silas Vance, once Secretary of State for the United States. If that is not enough claim to fame I also learned I am related to Don Knotts aka Barney Fife. He was on, The Andy Griffith Show, a popular television show when I was growing up. These and many other family memories might have been lost had it not been for the book my father wrote.

Where to start? Start at the beginning, where you were born, and grew up. What memories do you have of specifics from “back in the day.” Were there family traditions for holidays?  What can you tell about parents, grandparents, great-grand parents? Include those family legends and tales that you have been told as part of your family tradition.  Interview your parents and grandparents and other relatives with open ended questions; “tell me about growing up in..,” or “what is the most unusual thing you know about our family,” or “do you know anything or anyone famous in our family?” Make a list of ten questions to ask and more will come to you as you start the process.

Start asking those relatives older than you their story, before their stories die with them.  Some you may know as fact and can be stated as such and some are legend. For example, my Grandmother tells me she believes we are part Choctaw Indian because she recalls her Grandmother told her this. At this point it is still family legend; however she recently gave me a name to work with. So now I am in the process of verifying this information. This is one example I wish I had known when I was paying for college had I been able to confirm it back then it could have helped financially with my education. You never know what gems your relatives may tell you if you interview them for your family history book.

Chances are your family book will probably never win you a Pulitzer or make you a millionaire but it does leave the legacy of your family story for generations to come. You might find some hidden gems out there that can be shared for generations to come.

Once you have all your information garnered write it down.  Each chapter can tell about a different aspect or time period of your family. You can do this in Microsoft word or Apple pages or any other word processing program. Once you have the story down on paper edit, edit, edit. I cannot say this enough. Have someone read and proof your story. Someone in the family that has good command of grammar and spelling can proof for you. Give them a free copy of your book and a thank-you in the acknowledgments. Spell check will not catch all the mistakes. Nothing is worse than trying to read a poorly written book with mistakes on every page.

Once the book is done you are ready to get it printed. You can use a vast number of publishers. For something like this for the family I strongly urge you to use a publisher that only charges for your book. You do not need to pay them to publish your book.  You do not need to pay for marketing services. This is a family heirloom it is not a New York Times best seller. One such publisher I recommend is Lulu. You can search on line for other independent (indie) publishers that publish on demand. By looking for “on demand printing” you can get small press runs of a few books and do not have to get more copies made than you actually want.

If you are in the Prince William County are feel free to come to a Write by the Rails meeting and be encouraged in your quest to write your family treasure.  If you live in another are find your local writers group they are a great source of encouragement and inspiration. For more information on Write by the Rails

Jan is a travel and book review blogger. Jan is also a multi-media artist. Other fascinating travel facts, recommendations, adventures and reviews of the ever important vacation book can be found on Jan’s Blog  or on Facebook  drop by and leave her a comment. Jan is a member of her local writing group Write by the Rails 

The future of publishing is here…again

I remember my very first brush with self publishing. I wasn’t a writer then, heck my reading was still far from the fantasy and science fiction genre.

In a small mall in Wellington, New Zealand, there was a lot of empty space in the late 1980s. Times were lean, but I recall vividly that there was one man who had rented out the smallest space in his mall, and filled it with books.

Well, sort of.

Actually, with one book. His. The whole of this small space was full of his book, floor to ceiling. Even as a kid I recall thinking, ‘how the hell is he going to sell all these?’ I imagined him building houses with them, and just how awful he must be around the Christmas season giving them to every one of his relatives. I bet his family all got a copy…heck three copies…of his book. Every. Year.

I often wonder what happened to that guy? Is he still around? Maybe he took his precious book and put it out into the e-world. Maybe he just got burnt by that experience and turned into a bitter old man using old copies of it for toilet paper.

I guess he was the hipster of self-publishing, and I kinda wish I could remember what the heck his book was about.

He was so far ahead of the curve he couldn’t see the horizon. Now every man and his dog, and his dog’s flea has a book, and they are all up for sale.

What got me thinking about him was this article by Mark Coker, nice guy and founder of Smashwords, and nodding my head. I wonder if the guy with the one book bookstore is around to take notice.

For me the highlights are

It’s all about the basics. Write good stuff. No matter how much you write, if it isn’t good, then you’re never going to get people back to buy your next thing.
Production takes on increased importance in 2014. However, those that can produce at a decent clip are going to be at the top of the wave. So no slacking off!!
A larger wave of big-name authors will defect to indieville. Hybrid authors! Yes, big names realise that they can leverage that big name for their back list, or short stories and make money….in fact more of a slice of that money than even they are used to. Yay, more hybrids in the pool!

The things I am still noodling through as to how to leverage

Multi-book collaboration. Our daughter is mad keen for this series called the Cat Warriors. There are a huge amount of books, always coming out, and with all kinds of guides to go with them. At first I was boggled as to how one author could possibly do all that. The answer is, she doesn’t. They do. Erin Hunter is actually four authors. So I can see how this kind of collaboration could work, just not sure how to do it myself.
Subscription ebook services will change the game. How this will serve authors is a concern. Like Harlan Ellison says money should come to the author, but as long as this happens then this could be an exciting development that will make fiction accessible. I’ll wait and see on this one.

This article makes me excited, nervous, and then excited again. It’s important to keep on top of new developments, because this thing is moving like the Flash.

So stay light on you feet, because I know one thing for sure; I don’t want to be the one book bookstore guy. Neither do you.

Guest Post – Sometimes the Wolf Howls

Today I’m happy to welcome to my blog, Jennifer Meltzer the author of Edgelanders.

There is something primal inside us all, something feral and dark that relishes in the notion of freeing itself from the chains that bind us.

Whenever I think of that primal essence, of the inner-beast, I am reminded of the werewolf archetype, and of Fenrir of Norse mythology.

Son of Loki and the wolf mother, Angrboda, Fenrir was the very embodiment of destruction. When allowed to rampage, he destroyed and devoured everything in sight, simply because he could. By the time he reached adulthood, he’d grown so powerful the gods asked the dwarves to forge a golden chain strengthened by six impossible elements he would never be able to break: the nerves of a bear, the roots of a mountain, the steps of a cat, the beard of a woman, the spit of a bird and the breath of a fish. And with this impossible chain, they imprisoned Fenrir in a cave beneath the mountain, where he bides his time until Ragnarok, when it is prophesied that he will slay many a god, including the Allfather, Odin, during the final battle of this world.

On a symbolic level, the primal nature that resides in us all is so powerful, it must be chained in the deepest part of ourselves to ensure it does not overrun our lives.

But what if the beast was just as much a part of the man, as the man himself?

The beauty of the werewolf archetype, beyond the fact that there’s something intriguing about a beast who can also compose himself and with rational thought at times, is that he is driven by his own dual nature. He is fierce, powerful and just a little bit unhinged, and while there’s nothing sexy about someone so unhinged you’re worried he’ll start stalking you like prey, there is something appealing about a potential mate who’s not afraid to be reckless or take risks to ensure the survival of that which he holds dear.

Historically, wolves have a rather bad reputation. The “Big Bad” ate Red’s granny. He preyed on the three little pigs, huffing and puffing and blowing their houses down. His presence in the untamed woods filled Peter’s grandfather with so much fear he locked the boy inside the house and forbid him to go outside.

Predatory by nature, our fear of this primal beast has seen the wolf population dwindle over the centuries. This topic inspired me while writing Edgelanders, the first novel in my epic fantasy series, Serpent of Time. Centered around the U’lfer, a race of men with the ability to shape-shift into wolves and embrace their primal nature, they are a people all but extinct, and with so few mated pairs left among them, they can’t reproduce enough offspring to ensure their survival in the world.

Despite the negative image history presents us with, wolves are very protective of their own. They are pack and family oriented and it has been said they mate for life (so long as their mating is producing enough offspring to ensure the survival of the species.)

Writing about werewolves has given me the opportunity to explore the most primal aspects of man, the facets we often find dangerous and frightening. With just the right spin on the struggle between man and his inner-beast, the werewolf becomes a sympathetic character we can all relate to on some level we might not like to admit.

We are all subject to our primal nature from time to time, to the unforgivable urges of the beast within; most of us have just learned to ignore those urges and carry on as though they don’t exist. We keep that part of ourselves chained in the cavern of our soul, bound by impossible things like a fish’s breath and the roots of a mountain.

But sometimes the wolf howls strong, and in those moments we remember and know that one day we must answer the call, embrace the beast and let go our inhibitions.

 

Bio: Jennifer Melzer spent the majority of her life as a writer denying she actually liked to write romance, only to wake up one morning and discover every single tale she’d ever written somehow revolved around the heart. She has since given into the whim.

She resides in northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, a bunch of dragons and a dog who thinks he’s a wolf. She dreams nightly of laying on the beach and watching stars fall over the Atlantic Ocean.

Website: jennifermelzer.com

Twitter: jennybeanses

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifermelzerauthor

Taking it to the streets

Being a published author is a delicate balancing act; you want to be easy to work with, but you certainly want to be treated with respect. To do that sometimes you swallow problems that go on behind the scenes. It’s not different to any other kind of business dealings really, except authors are their own brand that can be easily damaged that can ruin careers.

So when Phil Foglio took his problems with his publisher, Tor to the street last week, I was one of those who was kind of surprised…at least at first.

On his blog, he ripped off the bandage in public to reveal what most writers do not care to; sometimes things don’t go to plan. He hadn’t heard from his editor at Tor for nearly a year, and neither had his agent.

It’s business, things happen in business, but writers are afraid of labeling themselves ‘problem children’ by talking about what goes on with the gears get gummed up. If they do it is with their agent, or perhaps their authors friends on back channels or while at the bar in conventions.

Phil went against all that.

Miscommunication occurs often. People have different expectations, life problems happen, things get forgotten, spats and arguments happen. Writers might not have the same reputation for breakups that bands do, but they do happen. The fact is publishers and agents break up with authors all the time and readers seldom notice.

That’s a good idea.

To my mind there is no need to discuss the spats that occur behind closed doors. Fans, listeners and readers do not need to know that (it probably disrupts their enjoyment of a book knowing the ignominious background), but what happens when there is a more serious problem?

What happens if you have an issue with a publisher that begins to become apparent to your readers? ‘When is the next book coming out?’ was I am sure the clarion call that Phil was hearing all the time, and I am positive that eventually having heard nothing for a year, he just got sick of being unable to respond to those questions.

I would hope he discussed all his options with his agent thoroughly—I would bet for sure he did.

However the Foglios are in an enviable position; they have multiple Hugos, and a huge online following (just look at the massive amounts of money they raised from their latest kickstarter). Even in the worst case scenario, if they blew up their relationship with Tor, they would still have their self-publishing empire to fall back on.

Most writers do not have that luxury or that power. Big publishing is still an important game in town, and I have heard many rising authors talking about ‘wanting to impress a gatekeeper’ so they still matter. So for them taking it to the streets is not an option. To do so would mean blowing their career up on the launch pad.

Yet there is no getting away from it; for Phil it actually started a conversation they had wanted to have for a year.

They did finally did get a response from their editor at Tor—so in the end taking it to the streets at least got them further down the road than they were really at.

Yet it is one that a less accomplished, less popular, less awarded, less successful indie published, author would be have to be Hemming-way level drunk to consider. My fear is that other authors will think this is an option for them. Seriously, I hope no other author takes this option unless they are the at the same point at the Foglios. Ever.

Work your craft. Be as professional as you can. And above all don’t burn your bridges unless you never want to use it again, and you have other rock-solid ones you can take.

 

COVER REVEAL – Weather Child

This is a story that is very dear to my heart. A tale of magic, history and complicated love—all set in New Zealand.

Weather Child was a story I podcast many years ago, and I got many wonderful comments on it. I have taken down all the podcast versions now however, as the new edited version is different. I do plan on making an Audible version available after the print and ebook.

I asked Alex White of the Gearheart, who has done many of my covers, to shoot me something to capture the power of Faith Louden, the main character, and the Weather Child herself. He knocked it out of the park, giving me something so beautiful I could not have imagined it. He and his team outdid themselves I think you will agree.

The team who helped Alex make the magic happy were:

Model: Jennifer Nye

Typeface: Renee Chantel White

Crew: Matt Weber, Kelsey Prater, Michael Bradley, Beth Hayes Bailie

The book itself will be available 1st of March, and it is the first in a planned series that I have had in my head for years.

New York publishing said no American readers would be interested in reading stories set in New Zealand, so I am setting off to see if they are right. I certainly hope not.

Never alone. Never apart.

They are the Awakened, a unique breed of people in a remote corner of the world. Faith is one of these gifted carriers of the Seraphim; and in return of her unconditional love, her Seraphim grants her powers of incredible potential.

But not all carriers embrace their blessing.

Jack loathes being an Awakened. He never asked for it, his Seraphim keeping him alive even in spite of his desire to die. Not even a great war could rid him of this curse.

Now a magician of incredible ability and a walking dead man must find a way to work together to save the Seraphim. Someone covets the power of the Awakened, and will not stop until that power belongs to him.

 

Productivity and Your Writerly Self

I don’t believe in New Years resolutions; promises to yourself that are destined to fail. I do however believe in re-organising yourself, a realignment if you will. For the last few years of being a full-time writer I have been struggling with time management and productivity. The move from a traditional desk job, where the boss tells you what they expect each day, to a job where you are at home by yourself with the ability to distract yourself with a thousand things, has been a bit of an adjustment.

Each year I have got alittle better at it, but this year I have set out to make a concerted effort to put the final screws on productivity.

Keep a calendar and deadlines. Not just one on your computer, one on your wall. I got a laminated wall planner, this year, and have written on it, not only commitments, but my own deadlines. It gives you the bigger picture of how your year ahead is going to go. I have worked out (finally!) that I can write on one book while editing another—that’s it. Thanks to the calendar being laminated I can shift these plans around if something comes up.
Keep your online time limited. Give yourself time to do that required online marketing, but make sure there is no bleed over. You don’t have any books to sell or market if you don’t write. I give myself an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to deal with email, Facebook and all those other little things that nibble away at your time. Those of you who like the Pomodoro method…four per day pomodori should do the trick.
Push Yourself. This is connected with point #2. Once you sit down to right, put yourself on the right track. At the recent writing retreat I attended I noticed a couple of ways people did this. Putting in the headphones and playing music to block out the world. Using a Pomodoro timer. Mine, is Write or Die. This is a program that makes you concentrate by punishing you if you don’t write. If you stop for too long the program screen turns red, then it starts making awful noises. If you are really bold, you can set it to kamikaze mode and it will eat your words. Yeah…that’s called motivation.
Learn to love editing. I’ve found the way to get through writing, and put words on the page is not to care about how damn perfect they are. By using Write or Die I can achieve that. Only later do I come back to edit what I have written. It’s like making a wire frame, once you have that, you can hang other things on it, but without the frame you are truly stuck.
Do research first. I am terrible at this. I start writing, then I need to find out the land speed of a swallow, and before I know it I am following the rabbit hole to camel wrestling. If I have an idea of what I am writing, I will now research before and then be prepared for what lies ahead.

What about you, do you have any hacks or tips for being productive? How do you avoid distraction and get things done?

Literary Time Travel

Today as part of the Write by the Rails Endless Possibilities Blogtour, I’m happy to introduce Linda D Johnston to you all.

I believe in the importance of the written word and its role in our history, whether the author is a famous statesman, a poet, or a woman inviting her sister to a birthday celebration.

This past June I had a chance to see an example of such a birthday invitation, written in Latin, found at Vindolanda, the site of a Roman fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall. The fort, first settled in 80 A.D., guarded the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in England and housed soldiers and their families.

When Claudia Severa wrote the words, “I shall expect you sister. Farewell, sister my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail,” to Suplicia Lepidina, she could never have imagined that 1900 years later so many people would see them and learn so much from the tiny wooden tablet they were written on. Historians have gained a much better understanding of how the people at Vindolanda lived from the hundreds of additional tablets they found at this site that predates Hadrian’s Wall by about forty years.

Whether written on wood or paper, words from everyday individuals become part of the human story, a touchstone to the past. In my own research, I have many opportunities to read personal diaries and letters from the past.  Each document has sent me on an adventure where I encountered someone new in a place I might otherwise not have discovered. Will electronic documents have the same impact as something tactile like wood or paper? I am not sure.  But one thing is certain, whatever medium we use, we must choose our words carefully, as Claudia did. Who knows who might see them hundreds of years from now?

 

Thank you, Pip, for letting me be a guest today!

Writer and artist Linda S. Johnston enjoys combining history, art, and nature in her writing.  Her first book, Hope Amid Hardship: Pioneer Voices from Kansas Territory, is a collection of pioneer writings on the happy side of life in early Kansas and includes watercolor sketches throughout. To learn more about Linda and her writing, please visit www.lindasjohnston.com

5 ways to survive collaboration

My husband and I, Tee Morris have been collaborating together many years. First in podcasts, and then in writing. We’ve written 4 novels together (embarking on our 5th) and done countless podcasts together over ten years of knowing each other.

Back then he was just a fellow writer who also loved to podcast, it was only later it became something more…

Naturally, I’m not suggesting you marry your collaborator, but there are some tips that can be useful if your collaborator is your spouse, your friend, or a even a stranger you’ve been teamed up with on a writing project.

Set a goal. When Tee and I set out to write the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, it was going to a be a podcast that we were going to charge for. Though it changed along they way, when we set out we knew what we were aiming for.
Set roles. In the Ministry series Tee and I chose to divide the work up, with me writing the female Point of View character, and he writing the male. This was great for when we were initially starting off, and also to tell who had the final say in the chapter. We always switched to edit each others, but the person who wrote the scene had the final say on the piece.
Be flexible. Things change. Though our initial ‘you write him, and I write her’ scheme worked for the first book, as a ‘Ministry style’ began to evolve we began to become a little more sure of writing in the opposite characters head. Even primitive fish evolved, so can you and your collaborator. Just make sure to talk to out this new direction.
Be aware of your hard lines. In writing you get very attached to characters, sometimes to the point of obcession. If you have an idea of a character, and you know the things they will and won’t do, then communicate with your collaborator. Getting these laid out in the start of the project is best of all.
Know how to argue without losing your mind. This might be the hardest to pull off. Trying to keep personal feelings out of writing, which feels like an intensely personal thing, is quite a skill. When you get into an argument, try and think like a professional, and add a dollop of objectivity. By standing outside like this, look in and listen to what your collaborator is saying. Does it advance the plot? Does it make sense in terms of the characters? Is it going to break the suspension of disbelief? Is it necessary? If the answer is ‘no’ then you are free to argue your side from the point of reason rather than feeling, and hopefully your collaborator will be able to put themselves into that ‘outside’ point of view like you just did.

If you have any suggestions for how you’ve learned how to collaborate successfully then please leave them in the comments section!

Top Five Sources of a Writer’s Procrastination (and How to Deal with It)

You may have heard of Tee Morris- I write with him, I’m married to him, and I share a daughter and three cats with him. Today as part of the Write by the Rails Endless Possibilities Blogtour, I finally let him write something on my blog.

The worst thing about being a writer is the procrastination. I’m not talking about “Writer’s Block” (that’s a whole different animal) where you know the ideas are there but nothing is wanting to come out. I am talking about that conscious choice you as a writer make to do something else, even if it is absolutely nothing, except write. If you are looking at your day, you may think “I’ve got plenty of time to get to my work-in-progress, but first…” and before you know it, that day of infinite possibilities is done. You will hear authors of varying backgrounds — those who hold full-time jobs, those who manage the family, and those who are full-time authors — talk about how they are procrastinating, and yet seem to revel in it. To be a writer, you need to be able to recognize it and actually cope with whatever it is you are having a tough time coming to grips with. Otherwise, the harder you struggle, the more time you lose and the harder you get sucked in.

So how about we take a closer look at exactly what is standing between you, your ass, your chair, and your word processor of choice?

The Internet. I am guilty of this, as is the host of this blogpost. I’ve lost count how many times social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has eaten away at my time. But note I don’t say social media is my timesink. I say, the Internet is my timesink. In the early days of my career (not just writing but acting) I lost hours of time surfing the Internet. I could have looked into leads for my next role on stage or in television, but I was too busy “surfing the web.” The amount of time I invested in casual browsing (reading news articles, random blogposts, chat rooms, etc.) could have easily equated to a book or three. Depending on who you are following on the big two — Facebook and Twitter — you could easily lose yourself in current events and commentary. The same can be said when you are researching a specific topic for your book. You hit a pivotal scene and you might need those magic facts to add realism or validate what you have depicted. An hour rolls by, and you are still hopping from site to site, still hunting those ever elusive facts.

How do I deal with it? Time limits. Yes, we need social media to promote and connect with potential readers, and we need the Internet for research 24-7. If you are on Facebook, Twitter, or indulging elsewhere in research, give yourself one hour for the entire day. Don’t play that “Well, the hour I just spent on Facebook was for my book promotion, so this hour is for myself.” That’s a bizarre way of justifying your procrastination. You have an hour online, so make the most of it. If you are in mid-scene or mid-chapter and you find yourself in need to fact-check something, have a timer (egg timer, stopwatch on your smartphone, or even a proper analog stopwatch) and give yourself 10-15 minutes before returning to your work-in-progress. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, make a comment or leave a note for yourself in your word processor of choice, then come back to it later. Be tough on yourself.

And yes, that 15 minutes includes time with email. Speaking of which…

Email. I am terrible with email. This is something I am working on to improve because not responding to email in a timely fashion can drive contractors (i.e. other writers you may be working on with other projects) nuts and alienate fans that are writing to you to say “Thank you for a wonderful read…”  However, in my own commitment to improving my email ethics, I’m finding myself spending lots and lots and lots of time on only one email while other await answering. Does this make me doubly-terrible in email? Why, yes, yes it does.

How do I deal with it? Keep it simple. In most situations, the email you’ve been sent, all you need to do is keep the response to a few sentences — five to ten, at the most.  Avoid being curt, be polite, always lead with a “Thank you for taking time to read my work” even when the email you receive is critical of your work (Strive to take the high ground. The view is better from there.), end with another polite “thank you” and then sign off.

If you find the answer to this email (“What are my options in publishing?” or “Do you have any ideas for panels at a con?” for example?) is a deep dive, then go on and make a deep dive; but before sending the reply, select the body of your email, copy it, and then paste it in a word processor. There’s a good chance you are looking at your next blogpost.

Housework. Ah yes, your living abode. Whether it is an apartment for two or a three floor home in suburbia, housework is open of those timesinks that truly is a tough call to make. You think “Well, I can go another day without cleaning up the kitchen…” (and as I type this, I check the sink…yep, the dirty dishes are starting to back up…) and then suddenly your dwelling provides inspiration for your post-apocalyptic novel. Maybe some authors can work within an untidy burrow. Truth be told, I am not that author.

How do I deal with it? If you let the home go, it will take you that much longer to face it. Instead of making one day the day you catch up with the house, break it up into sections. Accomplish a little bit throughout the week. Laundry one day, kitchen maintenance the next day, vacuuming the first floor and stairs the following day. This way, you can break up your work load and still have energy left over to write as opposed to attempt writing after a day-long tackling of your living space. I tend to be more productive in an organized space which is why I have to work — really work — on keeping my office & studio clutter-free. I’m getting better at that, but when the studio gets untidy I tackle it in stages, not all at once. That way lies madness. Lost only parts of your days as opposed to entire days (or several) in getting your living space back in order.

Hobbies and Other Passions. I met this lovely steampunk author who had big goals and even bigger plans for her writing career. She was running a crowd-sourcing campaign for her trilogy, wanting to raise money for its publication, and finance her vision. I admired her drive and her commitment as she even left her job to pursue writing full-time. Truly, this was dedication to one’s art and passion at its highest…

…but then I went to her blog and found no mention of her crowd-funding project, save for the quick mention of it in one (yes, one) blogpost from months prior. The rest of her blog depicted her first few months of her life as a full time writer spending a lot of time (and money, as well) working on cosplay projects. The cosplay was stunning, make no mistake. The end result was incredible; but when I saw what she had put into said cosplay, I could only think “This is why I will never podcast a novel.”

I love podcasting, as many of you know. Just yesterday, I celebrated the ninth anniversary of my very first podcast episode; but between podcasting novels and hosting The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy, I was too busy with that passion and not writing. It was a truly “That Awkward Moment” moment when I realized I was podcasting a novel to promote my writing and hosting another podcast on the business of writing…only to discover that I wasn’t writing.

And that author? She didn’t make her crowd-sourcing goals…and returned to the job market in search of a new gig.

Yeah. That.

How do I deal with it? Earlier I mentioned time limits concerning social media and the Internet. For this procrastination, I propose time rewards. With my own conflicting passions of writing and podcasting, I set up the following reward standards: If I reach 1000 words written for the day, I allow myself an hour of both recording and editing. If I hit 2000 or more words (as, for me, 2000 words a day is always my ultimate goal), then I allow myself unlimited recording and editing on any project I’m working on. If I miss 1000 words, no podcasting.

This approach not only guarantees me the ability to hit goals, it drives me to work hard so that I can treat myself to some podcasting. My time is valuable as a writer; and if I have other passions, I should still pursue them, but only when I earn the time.

Not Your Ideal Workspace. While during a friend’s birthday party or a family holiday is hardly the right time to whip open the MacBook and start hammering out a few thousand words, there is something to be said about the excuse “Well, this is hardly my ideal workplace. I need to be in my office, a glass of Pinot within reach, Joe Bonamassa on my iTunes….”

No, I’m not joking. I have heard this given to me as a legitimate reason for not writing. They are not in their proper workspace for optimum writing.

Seriously?

How do I deal with it? What part of “writer” exactly isn’t making sense to you? Keeping tact, decorum, and etiquette in mind, if you are within reach of your laptop or anything where you can hammer out five hundred words or so (and yes, that includes a legal pad and a working ballpoint pen!), that is a good place for writing. What? You don’t have your iPod plugged in to your “Writing” playlist? Too damn bad. You’re a writer. Write! You might find yourself with a block of time where you are waiting (an oil change, waiting at the doctor’s office, commuter train) so why not make the most of that time, regardless of whom is sitting next to you or how loud the TV in the hospitality lounge has been set. You got time? You got an idea? Write.

When you factor in life at home — relationships, kids, and the full-time job — the mileage may vary on your own success with this approach, but this is exactly what is needed to conquer procrastination: recognizing and dealing with it. I may sound like I’m denying myself little distractions or being unusually strict, but that is exactly what is needed to get things done. No one else is going to be harder on you than you, so own up to exactly what it is that keeps you from writing, and face it. Those epic adventures and how-to books for self-improvement are not going to write themselves, you know?

What about you? What is your greatest source of procrastination? How do you deal with it?

Endless Possibilities Blog Tour 2014

When I lived back in New Zealand and started down the path of writing, I felt very alone. Things have changed back in New Zealand, they now have a speculative fiction group (SpecFicNZ), but I moved just before that happened (typical for me!). However I learned that writing doesn’t have to be a lonely job with a supportive writing group in your corner. I was delighted to find a local writing group here in Manassas, VA.

Write by the Rail is a great group of people that share the trials, the joys, and delights particular to the writing life. We have regular meetings where people talk about a range of writing related subjects, along with weekly meetings at local coffee shops which are a bit more casual.

This blogtour is our first one as a group, and we’re going to be cross-posting every Tuesday and Thursday on each others sites. My posts are going to focus on Ministry Protocol, spreading lots of samples all over. The others involved are Nick Kelly, Tamela J. Ritter, Katherine Gotthardt, Dan Verner, Cindy Brookshire, Patricia Daly-Lipe, Jan Rayl, Kristie Feltenberger Gillespie, Angela Bryce, Shay Seaborne, Mary Rosenthol, Nancy S. Kyme, Linda S. Johnston, Tee Morris, and Stacia Kelly. So you are going to get an interesting peek inside a local writing group, and maybe that will encourage you to come visit (if you are in the area), find out if there is one close to you, or maybe even start your own.

You might be surprised by the talent that is all about you- and after all, company can be a wonderful thing.