Alyce Wilson's Blog: Dispatches from Wonderland, page 2
October 23, 2013
Outdated Advice, Still Worthwhile?
As I mentioned last week, the world of publishing has changed greatly in the last decade. One of the best examples of this comes by way of an article I'd printed out in 2002 and tucked into a folder labeled "Writing Opportunities." Lately, I've been culling those old papers in order to make more room in my filing cabinet.
The author, Anna Kathryn Bir, had written the piece for the newsletter of a now-defunct web site, www.ezinedepot.net. The piece was titled "A New Way to Self Publish." The article found new life on a personal blog in 2007, published in its entirety. In it, she suggests a completely DIY method of publishing an e-book.
Basically, she advises writers to "create a credit card account," which will then be used to accept payments from readers interested in the book. Of course, she doesn't provide complete details on how to set up the payment process, so perhaps it was an untested idea on her behalf.
She then suggests that you "Write an intro page for your novel and create a separate page for it. Here is where you’ll put any illustrations you may have. So people will have an example of your writing, copy and paste the first chapter of your novel and put it here, too." Basically, she's talking about putting up a preview page in order to sell the full book, which you would then e-mail to the reader as a "Word or Works" document. She's talking about Microsoft Works, a discontinued office suite that was once packaged with cheaper PCs about a decade or so ago (I had an eMachine, bought through Fingerhut, that came with it).
I can recall seeing many books sold this way back in the day, especially books advertising get-rich-quick schemes or offering lucrative advice for writers. Many were the pages I clicked on -- drawn by an ad or link -- only to be turned off by the garish fonts, excessive exclamation points and unrealistic promises. But in the early days of this millennium, such DIY book sites offered authors complete control over both the product and the delivery, without any of the additional formatting time or fees associated with, say, putting a book for sale at places like eBookMall.com, one of the few completely independent e-book retailers that still exists. And don't forget, there were few other options in those days: the first Kindle wouldn't debut until 2007.
The drawback, of course, is the lack of traffic. Unless you're a really good marketer with proven success in driving thousands of hits to your site, you're unlikely to sell many books this way. Nowadays, in most cases, it would seem to make more sense to go through the trouble of formatting a book for Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords or other retail sites that readers are far more likely to find.
But what if you're selling a book that doesn't convert easily into the standard formats required by online retailers? Well, the good news is, it's still possible to sell it yourself on your own site, using a similar method to that described in the article. In fact, I offer a PDF version of Dedicated Idiocy on my author's site, available through my Books page. I've used Paypal to create a button that people can click on to send me the payment. During the payment process, they are prompted to provide an e-mail address where the book can be sent, and then I can e-mail them the work.
While it may be almost ludicrously antiquated to sell a book this way, I'm offering the PDF version because I know many people who have not yet moved to Kindle. Even though you can use the Kindle app on a mobile phone or PC in order to read Kindle books, they'll state that "I don't have a Kindle," and consider it the end of the conversation. In part because the primary audience of my book would be my peers, looking to relive their college days in the 1980s and 1990s, I wanted to be sure it was accessible to them.
I don't expect to make a lot of sales from my web site, but who knows? Perhaps word of mouth will spread and my friends will tell their friends, driving them to make a purchase. I am trying to do some marketing for the book and intend to promote it when I appear as a panelist at Philcon 2013. Maybe those who are interested in fandom will check it out at that time.
What about you? Would you be willing to market an e-book completely independently? Why or why not?
The author, Anna Kathryn Bir, had written the piece for the newsletter of a now-defunct web site, www.ezinedepot.net. The piece was titled "A New Way to Self Publish." The article found new life on a personal blog in 2007, published in its entirety. In it, she suggests a completely DIY method of publishing an e-book.
Basically, she advises writers to "create a credit card account," which will then be used to accept payments from readers interested in the book. Of course, she doesn't provide complete details on how to set up the payment process, so perhaps it was an untested idea on her behalf.
She then suggests that you "Write an intro page for your novel and create a separate page for it. Here is where you’ll put any illustrations you may have. So people will have an example of your writing, copy and paste the first chapter of your novel and put it here, too." Basically, she's talking about putting up a preview page in order to sell the full book, which you would then e-mail to the reader as a "Word or Works" document. She's talking about Microsoft Works, a discontinued office suite that was once packaged with cheaper PCs about a decade or so ago (I had an eMachine, bought through Fingerhut, that came with it).
I can recall seeing many books sold this way back in the day, especially books advertising get-rich-quick schemes or offering lucrative advice for writers. Many were the pages I clicked on -- drawn by an ad or link -- only to be turned off by the garish fonts, excessive exclamation points and unrealistic promises. But in the early days of this millennium, such DIY book sites offered authors complete control over both the product and the delivery, without any of the additional formatting time or fees associated with, say, putting a book for sale at places like eBookMall.com, one of the few completely independent e-book retailers that still exists. And don't forget, there were few other options in those days: the first Kindle wouldn't debut until 2007.
The drawback, of course, is the lack of traffic. Unless you're a really good marketer with proven success in driving thousands of hits to your site, you're unlikely to sell many books this way. Nowadays, in most cases, it would seem to make more sense to go through the trouble of formatting a book for Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords or other retail sites that readers are far more likely to find.
But what if you're selling a book that doesn't convert easily into the standard formats required by online retailers? Well, the good news is, it's still possible to sell it yourself on your own site, using a similar method to that described in the article. In fact, I offer a PDF version of Dedicated Idiocy on my author's site, available through my Books page. I've used Paypal to create a button that people can click on to send me the payment. During the payment process, they are prompted to provide an e-mail address where the book can be sent, and then I can e-mail them the work.
While it may be almost ludicrously antiquated to sell a book this way, I'm offering the PDF version because I know many people who have not yet moved to Kindle. Even though you can use the Kindle app on a mobile phone or PC in order to read Kindle books, they'll state that "I don't have a Kindle," and consider it the end of the conversation. In part because the primary audience of my book would be my peers, looking to relive their college days in the 1980s and 1990s, I wanted to be sure it was accessible to them.
I don't expect to make a lot of sales from my web site, but who knows? Perhaps word of mouth will spread and my friends will tell their friends, driving them to make a purchase. I am trying to do some marketing for the book and intend to promote it when I appear as a panelist at Philcon 2013. Maybe those who are interested in fandom will check it out at that time.
What about you? Would you be willing to market an e-book completely independently? Why or why not?
October 14, 2013
New Publishing Options
Recently, while going through old papers from my filing cabinet, I've been struck by the advances in self-publishing in just the past five or six years. I dumped into the recycling bin all the flyers and price quotes gathered from offset printers while I was putting together my first poetry chapbook. Even then, I opted for print-on-demand as the best investment of my money, publishing Picturebook of the Martyrs first on Cafe Press and later on Amazon.com's CreateSpace.
Ten years ago, ebooks were primarily sold from individual author's sites as PDFs and MS Word documents. Contrast that to the many formats available via Smashwords, which converts author's manuscripts into the proper formats to be sold at a variety of online retailers.
I've begun checking out Smashwords as a potential publisher for my next book, a collection of poems and writings about my son, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda. The book, which will be called "Now with Kung Fu Action Grip," I believe has the potential to appeal to a variety of readers, especially (but not limited to) parents. Therefore, I'm beginning to think it would be best to make it available in as many places as possible.
From what I've read so far, the only possible drawback would be that Smashwords does best with very simply formatted books. However, the style guide did include instructions for inserting photos, so that could still be an option, should I choose to use any. It wouldn't, however, be worth the time and effort to do a reformat of Dedicated Idiocy, since that book is chock full of graphics.
If I chose to go with Smashwords, in addition to Kindle and a print version, I'd have to format the manuscript three different ways. However, if I use MS Word styles as I put the collection together, that should help a great deal.
I also like the fact that short fiction is published widely on the site, allowing me the option of publishing stand-alone pieces, should I choose. Perhaps I could upload one or two of my essays as a free sample of the book?
I'd be interested in hearing any feedback from authors who have published on Smashwords. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Ten years ago, ebooks were primarily sold from individual author's sites as PDFs and MS Word documents. Contrast that to the many formats available via Smashwords, which converts author's manuscripts into the proper formats to be sold at a variety of online retailers.
I've begun checking out Smashwords as a potential publisher for my next book, a collection of poems and writings about my son, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda. The book, which will be called "Now with Kung Fu Action Grip," I believe has the potential to appeal to a variety of readers, especially (but not limited to) parents. Therefore, I'm beginning to think it would be best to make it available in as many places as possible.
From what I've read so far, the only possible drawback would be that Smashwords does best with very simply formatted books. However, the style guide did include instructions for inserting photos, so that could still be an option, should I choose to use any. It wouldn't, however, be worth the time and effort to do a reformat of Dedicated Idiocy, since that book is chock full of graphics.
If I chose to go with Smashwords, in addition to Kindle and a print version, I'd have to format the manuscript three different ways. However, if I use MS Word styles as I put the collection together, that should help a great deal.
I also like the fact that short fiction is published widely on the site, allowing me the option of publishing stand-alone pieces, should I choose. Perhaps I could upload one or two of my essays as a free sample of the book?
I'd be interested in hearing any feedback from authors who have published on Smashwords. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
October 8, 2013
Revisiting Earlier Works
This past spring, I held an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for travel expenses to a wedding where my son was supposed to serve as the ringbearer. One of the perks was an ebook version of my personal history of the Penn State Monty Python Society, which I'd compiled painstakingly about 10 years ago from sifting through personal papers, journals, and photos. The friend who suggested the project said that, after all, I'd already done all the work.
Well, yes, for the web version. But as I embarked on the conversion process, I found myself unable to resist "improving" upon what I'd already written. In addition to correcting obvious typos, I also standardized spelling and added extra tidbits of information. As promised by the Indiegogo perk, I added an appendix consisting of skits I'd written in my MPS days, including a couple that had never been published anywhere. In addition, I added some relevant post-MPS writings.
Then, with the PDF completed, I happened upon the information that PDFs are less than ideal for notepad computers and smartphones. So I revisited the project again, creating a Kindle version (which essentially meant starting from scratch, since you have to first create an HTML document). Since I had to resize all the pictures anyway, I also used my newfound PhotoShop Elements skills to improve the color balance and reduce the noise. Plus, to make up for the fact that the photos containing text would be too small to read on a typical Kindle reader, I added the text for those graphics into the body of the work.
If I'd been billing someone for my services at my preferred rate of $25/hour, I shudder to think what the bill would have been.
But now, Dedicated Idiocy is finished and available at Amazon.com. For $3.99, the cost of a fancy coffee at certain coffee shops, you can vicariously live through those days of silliness and camaraderie. I promise, if you read it, you will laugh (and sometimes possibly cringe) at this universal story of friendship and spam.
... and now that it's done, I'm already contemplating converting all the VHS videos I did back in my college years (including two full-length documentaries on MPS events) into DVD format.
The more I revisit my old works, the more potential I see to springboard off them to greater things. I think that must be a little bit what Walt Whitman felt, continually updating "Leaves of Grass."
What about you? Are you ever tempted to revise your previous works?
Well, yes, for the web version. But as I embarked on the conversion process, I found myself unable to resist "improving" upon what I'd already written. In addition to correcting obvious typos, I also standardized spelling and added extra tidbits of information. As promised by the Indiegogo perk, I added an appendix consisting of skits I'd written in my MPS days, including a couple that had never been published anywhere. In addition, I added some relevant post-MPS writings.
Then, with the PDF completed, I happened upon the information that PDFs are less than ideal for notepad computers and smartphones. So I revisited the project again, creating a Kindle version (which essentially meant starting from scratch, since you have to first create an HTML document). Since I had to resize all the pictures anyway, I also used my newfound PhotoShop Elements skills to improve the color balance and reduce the noise. Plus, to make up for the fact that the photos containing text would be too small to read on a typical Kindle reader, I added the text for those graphics into the body of the work.
If I'd been billing someone for my services at my preferred rate of $25/hour, I shudder to think what the bill would have been.
But now, Dedicated Idiocy is finished and available at Amazon.com. For $3.99, the cost of a fancy coffee at certain coffee shops, you can vicariously live through those days of silliness and camaraderie. I promise, if you read it, you will laugh (and sometimes possibly cringe) at this universal story of friendship and spam.
... and now that it's done, I'm already contemplating converting all the VHS videos I did back in my college years (including two full-length documentaries on MPS events) into DVD format.
The more I revisit my old works, the more potential I see to springboard off them to greater things. I think that must be a little bit what Walt Whitman felt, continually updating "Leaves of Grass."
What about you? Are you ever tempted to revise your previous works?
September 3, 2013
The Importance of Down Time
Writers, like moms, don't get a day off. I can say that with authority, because I'm both. On Labor Day, while most of America is grilling burgers and enjoying a day away from the office, writers and moms often continue their regular routines. Moms are faced with the dilemma: Who's going to step in and change your toddler for you, or fix dinner? Who is going to buy groceries or do the laundry, if not you? For writers, the questions are much the same. Who is going to outline your latest book or article for you, if you don't? Who's going to sort through the various ideas you've generated for upcoming projects?
The big question we need to ask is: Do you deserve a day off? The answer, for both mothers and writers, is yes.
Whether or not you get that day off, though can be dependent on a host of other factors. You can't necessarily just declare, "I'm out of here" on a holiday, but you can plan ahead to make sure that you need to do as little as possible.
If, for example, you have yourself locked into a regular publishing schedule on your blog or other online forum, see if it's possible to schedule your post in advance. For example, I knew I wanted to attend a Labor Day party at a friend's place this past Sunday, which is normally the day that I work on the week's entries for Wild Violet . So I made sure I worked on that earlier, using WordPress's scheduling options to make sure it posted at the time that I wanted. That way I can go to the party and enjoy myself without any guilt.
Even if you're not using WordPress for your writer's blog, a lot of other platforms also allow scheduling posts in advance. Or, you could make sure you've written the post ahead of time so that the actual act of posting takes less time. It's even valid to post a quick paragraph, acknowledging the holiday, and declaring you're taking a day off, and perhaps pointing readers to a couple links of writing or other sites you feel are worth checking out.
The same goes for projects with deadlines. While anything for a corporation is unlikely to have a due date over a holiday, if the due date is soon after the holiday, it's natural to want to work through it. Remind yourself that you deserve a break like everybody else, and tried to figure out a way to get more of that work done before the holiday weekend.
The same can apply to mothers (or work-at-home fathers, as the case may be). If you don't want to have to cook and clean on the holiday, prepare a meal ahead of time that can just be heated up. Or shift your usual cleaning schedule so that you get the day off. Of course, nobody is going to tell your child that is your day off, and therefore, you're still going have plenty of parenting duties to perform. However, if you're lucky enough to have a helpful, responsible partner, who may happen to have the day off from work, you should ask him or her to pitch in and help spread out the day's tasks. Single parents can ask the same of a friend or relative, since holidays are meant to be spent together anyway.
Long ago when I began life as a self-employed person, I heard some great advice from other writers. One such piece of advice was that you need to make certain that you make time for things that you enjoy. When you're working at home, there's usually no set work hours. Therefore, it can be easy to focus on nothing but work day and night. Just remember that, along with all the other daily routine tasks, to make room for fun. It may be a short break, especially if you are in the midst of a huge project, but it is important for your mental and emotional well-being that you allow yourself to relax. Even 15 minutes of yoga or a brief walk will make a huge difference.
For me, the party Sunday was doubly welcome. Even though I couldn't escape my parenting duties, and spent much of the party playing in the front room with my 3-year-old and a couple of other children and their parents, simply being around other people, being able to talk to them and express ideas that went beyond the latest project or explaining basic vocabulary words, did me a world of good.
Still reluctant to take some time off? Consider this: Just because you're hiking with your family doesn't prevent you from mentally planning out your latest fiction project, or sketching poems in your mind. But if you take the day off, you'll get to enjoy the sights and smells of the outdoors while you do so.
The big question we need to ask is: Do you deserve a day off? The answer, for both mothers and writers, is yes.
Whether or not you get that day off, though can be dependent on a host of other factors. You can't necessarily just declare, "I'm out of here" on a holiday, but you can plan ahead to make sure that you need to do as little as possible.
If, for example, you have yourself locked into a regular publishing schedule on your blog or other online forum, see if it's possible to schedule your post in advance. For example, I knew I wanted to attend a Labor Day party at a friend's place this past Sunday, which is normally the day that I work on the week's entries for Wild Violet . So I made sure I worked on that earlier, using WordPress's scheduling options to make sure it posted at the time that I wanted. That way I can go to the party and enjoy myself without any guilt.
Even if you're not using WordPress for your writer's blog, a lot of other platforms also allow scheduling posts in advance. Or, you could make sure you've written the post ahead of time so that the actual act of posting takes less time. It's even valid to post a quick paragraph, acknowledging the holiday, and declaring you're taking a day off, and perhaps pointing readers to a couple links of writing or other sites you feel are worth checking out.
The same goes for projects with deadlines. While anything for a corporation is unlikely to have a due date over a holiday, if the due date is soon after the holiday, it's natural to want to work through it. Remind yourself that you deserve a break like everybody else, and tried to figure out a way to get more of that work done before the holiday weekend.
The same can apply to mothers (or work-at-home fathers, as the case may be). If you don't want to have to cook and clean on the holiday, prepare a meal ahead of time that can just be heated up. Or shift your usual cleaning schedule so that you get the day off. Of course, nobody is going to tell your child that is your day off, and therefore, you're still going have plenty of parenting duties to perform. However, if you're lucky enough to have a helpful, responsible partner, who may happen to have the day off from work, you should ask him or her to pitch in and help spread out the day's tasks. Single parents can ask the same of a friend or relative, since holidays are meant to be spent together anyway.
Long ago when I began life as a self-employed person, I heard some great advice from other writers. One such piece of advice was that you need to make certain that you make time for things that you enjoy. When you're working at home, there's usually no set work hours. Therefore, it can be easy to focus on nothing but work day and night. Just remember that, along with all the other daily routine tasks, to make room for fun. It may be a short break, especially if you are in the midst of a huge project, but it is important for your mental and emotional well-being that you allow yourself to relax. Even 15 minutes of yoga or a brief walk will make a huge difference.
For me, the party Sunday was doubly welcome. Even though I couldn't escape my parenting duties, and spent much of the party playing in the front room with my 3-year-old and a couple of other children and their parents, simply being around other people, being able to talk to them and express ideas that went beyond the latest project or explaining basic vocabulary words, did me a world of good.
Still reluctant to take some time off? Consider this: Just because you're hiking with your family doesn't prevent you from mentally planning out your latest fiction project, or sketching poems in your mind. But if you take the day off, you'll get to enjoy the sights and smells of the outdoors while you do so.
August 28, 2013
Writing Alongside My Toddler
Lately, I've had a couple friends ask me about my tips for working my writing into my duties as a stay-at-home mom. While I've written about this subject in other spaces, I have yet to share it here. Here are some of the strategies that work for me:
* Develop a routine.
Babies and toddlers do best when they know what to expect. Now, before you think that this means scheduling your day in 15-minute increments, let me distinguish between a routine and a schedule. A routine indicates activities (or types of activities) that you do at roughly the same time every day or every week. A schedule typically means activities take place at a specific time. While we have some scheduled activities -- such as my exercise classes and the toddler storytime at the library -- most of the rest of our days follow a routine, where we do similar things at a given time of day.
For example, generally speaking, the morning is when we get out of the house, participate in our scheduled activities, and run errands. Then, we return for lunch (the exact time varies), following that with "quiet time." During quiet time, I usually work on either writing or personal projects, while my son plays with his trains, blocks or other toys. During this time, I might also watch a show on Hulu while he enjoys some of his favorite educational programming.
After "quiet time" we do something together: either reading books, coloring or dancing to music. Then, it's naptime (which may or may not actually happen, but if it doesn't, we at least cuddle). This is followed by dinner prep if I'm cooking that night, or some light housework, if I'm not. We have dinner, then, followed by bath time (on alternate nights), and I deliver him to his father, clean and fed, as my husband returns home from work in time for me to do my evening transcription work.
Your routine will, of course, differ according to your needs, but as long as you work in some "quiet time" where your child learns to entertain him or herself while you work (ideally in the same room as your child), you're setting yourself up for success.
* Set small, achievable goals for each day.
One of the best pieces of advice I got early in my days as a write-at-home mom was to be reasonable about my expectations. No, you're probably not going to get as much done as you used to, but that doesn't mean you need to put aside your writing goals until your little one is off at school. Instead, set smaller goals: for example, to write one 500-word article, or to write two pages of your novel, or to submit one writing query. If you're new to parenting, take some time to figure out what you can easily work into your daily schedule, and start with just that. Chances are, as your child gets older and requires a different kind of attention, you'll be able to increase your productivity.
If you find it useful, you can also set a timer for certain activities so that you stay on track. Fifteen minutes of answering e-mail, for example, can keep it at bay while allowing you to stay focused.
* Teach your child independence.
The goal of being a parent is, of course, to send a healthy, well-rounded individual into the world, ready to face whatever challenge might arise. Start early by encouraging your child to solve problems without you immediately jumping up from your laptop. Of course, this is impractical with a crawling baby, who immediately needs to be untangled from a chair leg she's backed into, but a slightly older child can be encouraged to try to find a solution alone before you jump in to save the day.
I work on a lap desk in the same room where my 3-year-old plays, and I've learned a lot of his "crises" are actually solvable by a toddler. Diapers and requests for water aside, I try to talk him through his requests so that he does as much as he can by himself. If he's looking for a toy, for example, instead of jumping up immediately, I suggest different places he might look. If his wooden train set isn't doing what he wants it to do, I ask him if there's another technique he could try before giving up.
I've been using these techniques now for a couple years, and I've found that he's a far better problem solver. In fact, nowadays when I'm interrupted mid-thought, it's usually so that he can show off a new block configuration or a new way of making a pillow fort. In addition to helping me to make the most of my "quiet time," I believe I'm also helping him build important problem-solving skills.
* Take play breaks.
Whatever your writing goals and whatever your routine, remember to spend some time every day just being silly, having fun and sharing some time with your child. It doesn't have to be much: dancing to the radio or taking a walk to look at birds. If you make sure to incorporate some special mommy-and-me time into every day, your child is more likely to accept that sometimes, mommy just needs some quiet to write.
* Develop a routine.
Babies and toddlers do best when they know what to expect. Now, before you think that this means scheduling your day in 15-minute increments, let me distinguish between a routine and a schedule. A routine indicates activities (or types of activities) that you do at roughly the same time every day or every week. A schedule typically means activities take place at a specific time. While we have some scheduled activities -- such as my exercise classes and the toddler storytime at the library -- most of the rest of our days follow a routine, where we do similar things at a given time of day.
For example, generally speaking, the morning is when we get out of the house, participate in our scheduled activities, and run errands. Then, we return for lunch (the exact time varies), following that with "quiet time." During quiet time, I usually work on either writing or personal projects, while my son plays with his trains, blocks or other toys. During this time, I might also watch a show on Hulu while he enjoys some of his favorite educational programming.
After "quiet time" we do something together: either reading books, coloring or dancing to music. Then, it's naptime (which may or may not actually happen, but if it doesn't, we at least cuddle). This is followed by dinner prep if I'm cooking that night, or some light housework, if I'm not. We have dinner, then, followed by bath time (on alternate nights), and I deliver him to his father, clean and fed, as my husband returns home from work in time for me to do my evening transcription work.
Your routine will, of course, differ according to your needs, but as long as you work in some "quiet time" where your child learns to entertain him or herself while you work (ideally in the same room as your child), you're setting yourself up for success.
* Set small, achievable goals for each day.
One of the best pieces of advice I got early in my days as a write-at-home mom was to be reasonable about my expectations. No, you're probably not going to get as much done as you used to, but that doesn't mean you need to put aside your writing goals until your little one is off at school. Instead, set smaller goals: for example, to write one 500-word article, or to write two pages of your novel, or to submit one writing query. If you're new to parenting, take some time to figure out what you can easily work into your daily schedule, and start with just that. Chances are, as your child gets older and requires a different kind of attention, you'll be able to increase your productivity.
If you find it useful, you can also set a timer for certain activities so that you stay on track. Fifteen minutes of answering e-mail, for example, can keep it at bay while allowing you to stay focused.
* Teach your child independence.
The goal of being a parent is, of course, to send a healthy, well-rounded individual into the world, ready to face whatever challenge might arise. Start early by encouraging your child to solve problems without you immediately jumping up from your laptop. Of course, this is impractical with a crawling baby, who immediately needs to be untangled from a chair leg she's backed into, but a slightly older child can be encouraged to try to find a solution alone before you jump in to save the day.
I work on a lap desk in the same room where my 3-year-old plays, and I've learned a lot of his "crises" are actually solvable by a toddler. Diapers and requests for water aside, I try to talk him through his requests so that he does as much as he can by himself. If he's looking for a toy, for example, instead of jumping up immediately, I suggest different places he might look. If his wooden train set isn't doing what he wants it to do, I ask him if there's another technique he could try before giving up.
I've been using these techniques now for a couple years, and I've found that he's a far better problem solver. In fact, nowadays when I'm interrupted mid-thought, it's usually so that he can show off a new block configuration or a new way of making a pillow fort. In addition to helping me to make the most of my "quiet time," I believe I'm also helping him build important problem-solving skills.
* Take play breaks.
Whatever your writing goals and whatever your routine, remember to spend some time every day just being silly, having fun and sharing some time with your child. It doesn't have to be much: dancing to the radio or taking a walk to look at birds. If you make sure to incorporate some special mommy-and-me time into every day, your child is more likely to accept that sometimes, mommy just needs some quiet to write.
August 18, 2013
Cleaning Up My Act
Several years ago, I was the mom of a newborn, despairing at my messy house. I'd never been a great housekeeper, but with a baby needing nearly every spare moment, the kitchen was covered in grime, the carpet accumulating pet fur, and dust thickening on every surface. When I bewailed the lack of funds to hire a housekeeper, a friend told me about the Fly Lady web site, designed for people like me, who felt too busy to clean. My friend urged me to sign up for the newsletter, which delivered simple household tasks each Monday through Friday, each of them taking 15 minutes or less to achieve.
Dutifully, I signed up for the newsletter, but I deleted the first one unread, believing that before I started this new regime, I ought to first give my house a good top to bottom cleaning. Not this week, I told myself. And not the next, and the next, and the next.
For roughly two years, I deleted those newsletters unread, feeling guilty each time. Finally, about two months ago, I mustered up the courage to read one top to bottom. To my surprise, instead of chiding me for being lazy and disorganized, the newsletter was friendly and cheerful. Instead of bombarding me with a host of undesirable tasks, it recommended just one, easily achievable task: spend 15 minutes putting away clothes in the master bedroom. I could do that! Better yet, the email ended with a reassuring reminder: "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"
For 15 minutes, I put away clothes, including the shirts which had made a semi-permanent home on the radiator. This meant cleaning some too-small clothes out of a drawer, but I figured it was better to make space for clothes that are currently wearable. In just 15 minutes, I made a huge difference in our bedroom, making our nighttime refuge more livable.
By the end of the week, I'd made huge strides in the bedroom and felt great about it. The next week the newsletter moved me to the front porch, where I cleaned and dusted and decluttered until I felt much happier each time I came home.
After a few weeks, I was beginning to see a real difference. When my landlord called to inform me he'd be coming through with a county inspector for the annual inspection required of rental properties, for once I didn't panic. The house, I knew, looked better than it had in ages. A quick mop of the kitchen floor was all I needed to make it presentable.
I don't always have time every weekday to follow through on the day's "flight plan," but I remind myself not to fret about the days when I can't. The result is that I'm finally beginning to feel better about our living space and, as a result, to feel more in control as a mother, as well.
Now it's time to apply those lessons to my writing. I need to follow my own advice, which I've provided in the past to other write-at-home moms. If I set realistic goals each day -- whether it is to write a 600-word article or to send out a poetry submission -- over time, my efforts will add up.
If I ever doubt that slow and steady efforts can make a huge difference, all I need to do is look around at my house!
What about you? What works best for you when it comes to working writing into your life?
Dutifully, I signed up for the newsletter, but I deleted the first one unread, believing that before I started this new regime, I ought to first give my house a good top to bottom cleaning. Not this week, I told myself. And not the next, and the next, and the next.
For roughly two years, I deleted those newsletters unread, feeling guilty each time. Finally, about two months ago, I mustered up the courage to read one top to bottom. To my surprise, instead of chiding me for being lazy and disorganized, the newsletter was friendly and cheerful. Instead of bombarding me with a host of undesirable tasks, it recommended just one, easily achievable task: spend 15 minutes putting away clothes in the master bedroom. I could do that! Better yet, the email ended with a reassuring reminder: "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"
For 15 minutes, I put away clothes, including the shirts which had made a semi-permanent home on the radiator. This meant cleaning some too-small clothes out of a drawer, but I figured it was better to make space for clothes that are currently wearable. In just 15 minutes, I made a huge difference in our bedroom, making our nighttime refuge more livable.
By the end of the week, I'd made huge strides in the bedroom and felt great about it. The next week the newsletter moved me to the front porch, where I cleaned and dusted and decluttered until I felt much happier each time I came home.
After a few weeks, I was beginning to see a real difference. When my landlord called to inform me he'd be coming through with a county inspector for the annual inspection required of rental properties, for once I didn't panic. The house, I knew, looked better than it had in ages. A quick mop of the kitchen floor was all I needed to make it presentable.
I don't always have time every weekday to follow through on the day's "flight plan," but I remind myself not to fret about the days when I can't. The result is that I'm finally beginning to feel better about our living space and, as a result, to feel more in control as a mother, as well.
Now it's time to apply those lessons to my writing. I need to follow my own advice, which I've provided in the past to other write-at-home moms. If I set realistic goals each day -- whether it is to write a 600-word article or to send out a poetry submission -- over time, my efforts will add up.
If I ever doubt that slow and steady efforts can make a huge difference, all I need to do is look around at my house!
What about you? What works best for you when it comes to working writing into your life?
March 8, 2013
My First Attempt at Crowd Funding
Thanks to a couple friends who ran successful Indiegogo campaigns, it was the first option that came to mind when my husband and I crunched the numbers and realized that, without help, it would be virtually impossible for us to follow through on our commitment for our son to be the ringbearer in the wedding for a couple we regard as family.
Many people turn to crowdfunding to get creative projects underway -- such as a friend whose band used the funding to record their first studio album. Another friend of ours used Indiegogo to diminish the burden of medical expenses not covered by insurance. Perusing the site, I found a number of wedding-related and travel-related campaigns in the "Community" section, so I felt confident our campaign was appropriate for the site.
The next step was to set up our campaign. I created a video using the terrific site Animoto.com, which allows users to combine their photos and videos with graphics and produce a slick-looking video. From what I've learned from other successful campaigns, a good video can help to sell the project.
Writing our overview was fairly easy, thanks to the template provided by the site. But then came the trickier part: figuring out the perks. We were allowed 12 (although many successful campaigns only have 5-8). I contacted all of my writer and artist friends, told them about the campaign, and asked them to donate some of their work as a perk. The response was much better than I could have expected, and soon our perks began filling up.
One suggestion to people who are planning on taking a similar approach: offer to cover the production costs for the books/art prints/games, etc. This may permit your donor to provide a larger number of items. As long as you price the perk high enough to more than make up for what you'll be reimbursing, you'll still stand to gain.
We had a great response for the first several days of the campaign, but the contributions have dried up as we enter the final 8 days of our Indiegogo campaign.
http://igg.me/at/ringbearer-illinois/x/1412553
We've got fantastic perks at all levels that should appeal to gamers, readers, writers, art lovers, and anyone who might require editing or Web services. In addition, there are some truly unique perks, such as a personalized poem and a personalized story from writer Kevin Saito. Check it out! Help us Get the Ringbearer to Illinois!
Many people turn to crowdfunding to get creative projects underway -- such as a friend whose band used the funding to record their first studio album. Another friend of ours used Indiegogo to diminish the burden of medical expenses not covered by insurance. Perusing the site, I found a number of wedding-related and travel-related campaigns in the "Community" section, so I felt confident our campaign was appropriate for the site.
The next step was to set up our campaign. I created a video using the terrific site Animoto.com, which allows users to combine their photos and videos with graphics and produce a slick-looking video. From what I've learned from other successful campaigns, a good video can help to sell the project.
Writing our overview was fairly easy, thanks to the template provided by the site. But then came the trickier part: figuring out the perks. We were allowed 12 (although many successful campaigns only have 5-8). I contacted all of my writer and artist friends, told them about the campaign, and asked them to donate some of their work as a perk. The response was much better than I could have expected, and soon our perks began filling up.
One suggestion to people who are planning on taking a similar approach: offer to cover the production costs for the books/art prints/games, etc. This may permit your donor to provide a larger number of items. As long as you price the perk high enough to more than make up for what you'll be reimbursing, you'll still stand to gain.
We had a great response for the first several days of the campaign, but the contributions have dried up as we enter the final 8 days of our Indiegogo campaign.
http://igg.me/at/ringbearer-illinois/x/1412553
We've got fantastic perks at all levels that should appeal to gamers, readers, writers, art lovers, and anyone who might require editing or Web services. In addition, there are some truly unique perks, such as a personalized poem and a personalized story from writer Kevin Saito. Check it out! Help us Get the Ringbearer to Illinois!
November 9, 2012
Philcon and New Book Site
I've received my Philcon schedule, and while it is light, it's actually exactly what I wanted:
Fri 11:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
GRIMM AND ONCE UPON A TIME (1080)
[Panelists: Patricia M. Cryan (mod), Kathy Sands, Patricia Wake,
Alyce Wilson, Wayne Zimmerman]
There are currently two TV programs which treat fairy tale
characters and their stories very differently. Explore the
differences in the two shows and the ways in which they use fairy
tales as their basis.
Sun 12:00 PM in Executive Suite 623 (1 hour)
FANTASTIC POETRY (1129)
[Panelists: Darrell Schweitzer (mod), Catherynne M. Valente, Alyce
Wilson, Catherine Faber, Robert C Roman]
A survey of the field of fantastic poetry. Where would be a good
place to start?
I'm very excited! If you follow me on Goodreads and see me at Philcon, say hi!
Just in time for Philcon, I launched my new book project, BelatedMommy.com. I'll be blogging my book, which is going to be a collection of parenting essays about being an older mom.
The site will also share resources and articles relevant to others who came to parenting later, namely age 35 and up.
Hopefully, it will help to inspire and educate people who, like me, knew a lot about living but very little about childcare until my son was born 2 years ago.
Fri 11:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
GRIMM AND ONCE UPON A TIME (1080)
[Panelists: Patricia M. Cryan (mod), Kathy Sands, Patricia Wake,
Alyce Wilson, Wayne Zimmerman]
There are currently two TV programs which treat fairy tale
characters and their stories very differently. Explore the
differences in the two shows and the ways in which they use fairy
tales as their basis.
Sun 12:00 PM in Executive Suite 623 (1 hour)
FANTASTIC POETRY (1129)
[Panelists: Darrell Schweitzer (mod), Catherynne M. Valente, Alyce
Wilson, Catherine Faber, Robert C Roman]
A survey of the field of fantastic poetry. Where would be a good
place to start?
I'm very excited! If you follow me on Goodreads and see me at Philcon, say hi!
Just in time for Philcon, I launched my new book project, BelatedMommy.com. I'll be blogging my book, which is going to be a collection of parenting essays about being an older mom.
The site will also share resources and articles relevant to others who came to parenting later, namely age 35 and up.
Hopefully, it will help to inspire and educate people who, like me, knew a lot about living but very little about childcare until my son was born 2 years ago.
October 18, 2012
The Role of Popularity in Writing Success
As many who know me are aware, I have competed three times in an online writing contest called The Real LJ Idol. The first year I competed, I placed fifth out of about 200. The second year I competed, I placed in the Top 25 out of about 250. This past season, I finished six out of more than 300.
Whereas LJ Idol is a grueling competition with twists and turns and weekly votes over a period of more than six months, I'm currently participating in another contest, America's Next Author, with relatively simple requirements. Roughly 220 writers are competing at the moment for a top prize of $5,000, and I'm ranked 83 (up from 131 early yesterday). Still, I've got a long hill to climb if I want to place in the top three.
This is a very different contest than LJ Idol in many ways. Rather than write a different piece every week, which can be in any genre, contestants are only allowed to submit one fiction piece, 2,500 to 5,000 words. Whereas LJ Idol results always came from voting (although the groups who were allowed to vote varied from an open vote to community-only vote, to a contestants-only vote, to a jury-only vote), America's Next Author also incorporates social media mentions. This means that in addition to convincing friends and associates to vote for you, you need to convince them to share the link to your author page, as well.
In actuality, this might be a more realistic real-world model than the voting required from LJ Idol. People may like your writing, but unless you can motivate people to share their interest in your work, you stand little chance of finding new readers. And, as many writers will attest, it's sometimes harder to make a sale to friends and associates than it is to strangers. Friends often take for granted the fact that they can pick up your book sometime in the future. Strangers, however, are more likely to pick up a book the minute it strikes their interest.
As someone who had trouble selling Girl Scout cookies as a girl, this contest is proving to offer valuable lessons in the real-world marketing techniques I need to further my success.
Here's a short video with more information on how to support me in the contest: How to Vote for America's Next Author.
You can read my story, "Dating Safari," at my official page: Alyce Wilson author page
Whereas LJ Idol is a grueling competition with twists and turns and weekly votes over a period of more than six months, I'm currently participating in another contest, America's Next Author, with relatively simple requirements. Roughly 220 writers are competing at the moment for a top prize of $5,000, and I'm ranked 83 (up from 131 early yesterday). Still, I've got a long hill to climb if I want to place in the top three.
This is a very different contest than LJ Idol in many ways. Rather than write a different piece every week, which can be in any genre, contestants are only allowed to submit one fiction piece, 2,500 to 5,000 words. Whereas LJ Idol results always came from voting (although the groups who were allowed to vote varied from an open vote to community-only vote, to a contestants-only vote, to a jury-only vote), America's Next Author also incorporates social media mentions. This means that in addition to convincing friends and associates to vote for you, you need to convince them to share the link to your author page, as well.
In actuality, this might be a more realistic real-world model than the voting required from LJ Idol. People may like your writing, but unless you can motivate people to share their interest in your work, you stand little chance of finding new readers. And, as many writers will attest, it's sometimes harder to make a sale to friends and associates than it is to strangers. Friends often take for granted the fact that they can pick up your book sometime in the future. Strangers, however, are more likely to pick up a book the minute it strikes their interest.
As someone who had trouble selling Girl Scout cookies as a girl, this contest is proving to offer valuable lessons in the real-world marketing techniques I need to further my success.
Here's a short video with more information on how to support me in the contest: How to Vote for America's Next Author.
You can read my story, "Dating Safari," at my official page: Alyce Wilson author page
September 13, 2012
Time to Write
I finally got around to reading the April 2012 issue of Poetry, and the journal prompted me to do some deep soul-searching... or as deep as it can get when I'm dealing with diaper changes and taking dance breaks with my toddler. But really, he does have the most adorable way of asking: as soon as he hears a danceable song, he puts up his arms and entreats, "Dance with me?"
What was I saying? Oh, yes, the April 2012 issue of Poetry, wherein the editors celebrated the magazine's 100th year by having some poets reminisce about famous poets they've met. In particular, I was taken by Patricia Smith's piece on Gwendolyn Brooks, bringing her to life as the practical-minded but warm-hearted person one would expect from Brooks' poetry.
I did not encounter Brooks' work until I took an African-American Poetry course in grad school, but upon reading her work I numbered her among my favorite poets and marveled that I'd never heard of her before.
The part that sticks out for me, though, was something that the famous poet said to Smith while at a reading. Smith writes:
One of my great regrets is that I did not travel to Chicago to hear Brooks read while she was alive, but I do not envy Smith that awkward moment. Indeed, I felt as chastened as she did by such muted but pointed criticism.
The problem should be finding time to do anything else. That idea has been rolling around in my head, competing with the myriad tasks I have completed since I read it. While doing water aerobics, cooking dinner, and doing laundry it haunted me. While performing my evening transcription work and writing the weekly recap pieces I've been doing for Yahoo! Television, the phrase echoed. While walking my son in a stroller so that he could sleep, while sorting through submissions to Wild Violet the refrain continued. While feeding my son his Gerber macs and cheese. While reading him Skippyjon Jones for the first time (and then a second time, after he begged, "again"). While taking him to buy new sneakers, because his feet grew a size in a month. All that time, during all those tasks, the phrase kept nagging me.
The problem should be finding time to do anything else.
A friend just wrote me a note -- on actual paper, in the mail! -- telling me how much she admires me for all that I do. And it's true: if you add it up, I do quite a bit. But it is never enough.
No matter how many poems I write, or articles I publish, I always feel as if I ought to be doing more. No matter how many books I read to my son, no matter how many times I dance with him around the living room, I always suspect a "perfect mom" would also be engaging in an afternoon craft project.
The house is never clean enough. The cat never gets enough petting. The magazines pile up, and the e-mail festers. The problem, it seems, is having time for anything.
And yet, I do what most writer moms do: I find ways of fitting it all in. Every day I pick one or two main tasks to complete. Sometimes they are writing tasks; sometimes they are household or organizational tasks. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon putting my toddler's too-small clothes on eBay (but there are bags more of it). Today, I updated my online bookstore to include some excerpts of my essays book (one of many promotional ideas I needed to act upon).
Yesterday, while my toddler slept in his stroller, I sat in a park and checked Wild Violet submissions from my Droid Inspire. On the way back home, I dictated a poem into my voice recorder. Arriving home, I had Dragon Naturally Speaking transcribe the poem while I busied myself getting dinner for my son and myself. The transcription still languishes in my "Poetry" Dropbox folder (which can be accessed from my phone if needed), in need of me to correct the mistakes and whip it into a poem.
But it is there. And that is something.
---
What are your issues with writing and time management, and how do you cope?
What was I saying? Oh, yes, the April 2012 issue of Poetry, wherein the editors celebrated the magazine's 100th year by having some poets reminisce about famous poets they've met. In particular, I was taken by Patricia Smith's piece on Gwendolyn Brooks, bringing her to life as the practical-minded but warm-hearted person one would expect from Brooks' poetry.
I did not encounter Brooks' work until I took an African-American Poetry course in grad school, but upon reading her work I numbered her among my favorite poets and marveled that I'd never heard of her before.
The part that sticks out for me, though, was something that the famous poet said to Smith while at a reading. Smith writes:
I had uttered something that countless other writers have uttered before, a silence-filler of sorts, a throat-clearing that I assumed Ms. Brooks, and anyone else who had ever picked up a pen, would instantly relate to and agree with. I was craving the comfort of common ground when I said, "I have a real problem finding time to write."
The corner of her mouth twitched, then spread into one of those indulgent smiles that knots you up a little inside. It's the smile a teacher gives you before handing back a test paper with a grade lower than either of you expected.
Without looking directly at me, Gwendolyn said, "Your problem should be finding time for anything else."
One of my great regrets is that I did not travel to Chicago to hear Brooks read while she was alive, but I do not envy Smith that awkward moment. Indeed, I felt as chastened as she did by such muted but pointed criticism.
The problem should be finding time to do anything else. That idea has been rolling around in my head, competing with the myriad tasks I have completed since I read it. While doing water aerobics, cooking dinner, and doing laundry it haunted me. While performing my evening transcription work and writing the weekly recap pieces I've been doing for Yahoo! Television, the phrase echoed. While walking my son in a stroller so that he could sleep, while sorting through submissions to Wild Violet the refrain continued. While feeding my son his Gerber macs and cheese. While reading him Skippyjon Jones for the first time (and then a second time, after he begged, "again"). While taking him to buy new sneakers, because his feet grew a size in a month. All that time, during all those tasks, the phrase kept nagging me.
The problem should be finding time to do anything else.
A friend just wrote me a note -- on actual paper, in the mail! -- telling me how much she admires me for all that I do. And it's true: if you add it up, I do quite a bit. But it is never enough.
No matter how many poems I write, or articles I publish, I always feel as if I ought to be doing more. No matter how many books I read to my son, no matter how many times I dance with him around the living room, I always suspect a "perfect mom" would also be engaging in an afternoon craft project.
The house is never clean enough. The cat never gets enough petting. The magazines pile up, and the e-mail festers. The problem, it seems, is having time for anything.
And yet, I do what most writer moms do: I find ways of fitting it all in. Every day I pick one or two main tasks to complete. Sometimes they are writing tasks; sometimes they are household or organizational tasks. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon putting my toddler's too-small clothes on eBay (but there are bags more of it). Today, I updated my online bookstore to include some excerpts of my essays book (one of many promotional ideas I needed to act upon).
Yesterday, while my toddler slept in his stroller, I sat in a park and checked Wild Violet submissions from my Droid Inspire. On the way back home, I dictated a poem into my voice recorder. Arriving home, I had Dragon Naturally Speaking transcribe the poem while I busied myself getting dinner for my son and myself. The transcription still languishes in my "Poetry" Dropbox folder (which can be accessed from my phone if needed), in need of me to correct the mistakes and whip it into a poem.
But it is there. And that is something.
---
What are your issues with writing and time management, and how do you cope?
Dispatches from Wonderland
Author Alyce Wilson's blog, providing both writer's thoughts and reader's comments.
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- Alyce Wilson's profile
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