Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 44

Newsy Notes: Ilinx Unveils the Tablet

Yesterday at the Nexus 10 Convention in Bellevue, Washington, Shadrach White, CTO of ImageSource Inc. announced the ILINX Tablet with ILINX Content Store embedded technology, a mobile Content Management device that's all business. This application's small size and vast capabilities make it an ideal tool for writers who work while on the go.

Read the details: http://ilinx.posterous.com/

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Notes to Self: What Elves Taught Me

I didn't intend to write an elf story. I'd just received DawnSinger edits and was about to start work on Hills of Nevermore, my historical romance. I didn't need another project. Besides, I tend to come up with novel-length ideas rather than short fiction. But inspiration struck at around the time my editor at Port Yonder Press requested I submit an elf story for possible inclusion in an anthology. I wrote an elf story.

I also learned something of value. I love elves. Let me qualify that before the men in white come to take me away. As a storyteller, I love elves and their lore. I had a lot of fun writing my short story. The words flew onto the virtual "page." If I hadn't stepped outside my own thinking about what I should do as a writer, I'd never have known that.

I see an elf book or books in my future.

Notes to Self: Make plans but allow for the unexpected.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Novel Notes: Crunch Time

This week I'll engage in a marathon to get DawnSinger edits back to my editor. I set them aside to work on an elf story. Now I have to push to return them as soon as possible.

I try to avoid time crunches but can't always predict what will befall me in a given month. A writer's life sometimes resembles that of a college student during finals week. Still, I wouldn't trade doing what I love.

Some ways I deal with crunch time:

Stay home from meetings and social events.
Feed myself and my family casseroles, chili or sandwiches.
Minimize my use of the Internet.
Clue in my family. They can't support me if they don't know what's up.
Don't cheat my sleep but instead work as efficiently as possible.
Make daily goal quotas.
Remember my sense of humor.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Quick Notes: Tame Your Email Account

If you're anything like me, a constant stream of information floods your email inbox on a daily basis. You no sooner clear incoming emails than more arrive, and all it takes to get behind is a day's innattention.  What to do? Join my email blitz and get happy with the delete button. Clear all posts you a.) consider unimportant or b.) may have relevance but you'll never be able to field. I'm going to move on to a discussion of email categories. If you're just starting (or still deleting) just save this post for future reference.

I once attempted to control the virtual torrent of conversations, opportunities and information bombarding me each day. I placed them into relevant category folders I promised myself I'd deal with "later." There they languished. New emails joined the old until some folders grew to mammoth sizes. I took to leaving important emails in my inbox instead, which meant category emails lived in two separate places. This only added to the clutter and confusion in my inbox. With labels like "Opportunities," "Education," "Social Networking," and "Technical,"  I needed my folders to be functional.

Out of self-defense I developed a system. I whittled my categories to as few as possible and assigned a weekday each month (since I wanted my weekends free) for each category. I developed a code (M2 means the second Monday of the month, Th4 means the fourth Thursday, and so on). Each day I first clear my inbox. I delete what I can, respond to important and/or easily dispatched emails, and then stashed the rest in an appropriate folder. After that I go through the category folder(s) I've designated for the day. Since I added the code I developed in front of each category name right in my email account, they line up by date. This does take them out of alphabetical order, but since my list isn't long that's not a problem.

I allow a little extra time for emails in order to clear my backlog in category folders. I use the same techniques for each folder as I use for my inbox. I mass delete whatever I can, and then open and dispatch remaining emails. I work backward from the most recent dates since older emails are more likely to contain deadlines that have already expired and outdated information. I try to deal with and either delete or archive each category email as I open it. If I can't, I mark it with a star. Starring suspensed emails saves me from opening them all over again next time I come to the folder, although I do scan to see if I can eliminate any of them.

If my technique helps you, please let me know. If you have any questions or thoughts, be sure and leave a comment.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Notes to Self: Refreshment

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to LiveWriteBreathe by Email

Notations: Refreshment

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Reader Notes ~ What is — and isn't — a Book?

This playful video, when taken in light of recent digital book trends, brings a smile.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Grace Notes: Overcoming Obstacles

It happens to us all. We put our oars into the waters of life with blithe hope. Sometimes we find a gentle current and sometimes rapids. Either way, we stay afloat – because we must – until a tree falls across our river.

This obstacle blocks progress and creates a pile-up. Even if we rant at the tree to the point of exhaustion it won't budge, and we only get hurt when we try to shift it.  There's only one solution to avoid a collision.

When a tree falls across a river the water doesn't stop coming. It spreads out until it finds a new course around the tree.

We must do the same.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Notes to Self: Reorganizing

In light of new responsibilities associated with the upcoming release of my debut novel, DawnSinger, I'm in the process of downsizing and reordering my schedule. It's coming together much better than I thought it would. I have to give credit to Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More by Stever Robbins. I received a request to read this book for review at just the right moment. I'm thankful for these small miracles. Keep an eye out for that review in a few weeks.

With Stever's guidance, I divided my time into action days for necessary tasks, focus days to engage in larger projects and spirit days to restore my soul. On action days I can update my calendar, schedule blog posts, respond to emails, and find my desk under the dust. Action days buy time on other days to focus on projects that require more focus, like writing or editing. As I did before, I land on the weekend.

I just started this but it's already going well. I just returned home from a trip, and I'm catching up faster than I ever would have before, and without the frustration of myriad small tasks diverting me from what I want and need to do — write. I know focus days are coming, so I apply myself to clear my action tasks.

I'll hold to this model as long as it works for me. When life changes again I may need to revise, and that's okay.

Note to Self: Flexibility is an asset.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email

Newsy Notes: Chip MacGregor's Top 10 Books for Writers, Michael Hyatt on Book Trailers, Kindle lending feature

Agent Chip MacGregor's Top 10 BOOKS EVERY WRITER SHOULD HAVE.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers on HOW PUBLISHERS ARE USING BOOK TRAILERS TO SELL BOOKS.

Amazon recently responded to reader requests for a Kindle lending feature:

…later this year, we will be introducing lending for Kindle, a new feature that lets you loan your Kindle books to other Kindle device or Kindle app users. Each book can be lent once for a loan period of 14-days and the lender cannot read the book during the loan period. Additionally, not all e-books will be lendable – this is solely up to the publisher or rights holder, who determines which titles are enabled for lending. Amazon Announcement: Coming Soon for Kindle.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email