Pratap Divyesh's Blog, page 44

At First Glance: How the right cover can sell your book

I read as much as I write, even more, but like many other avid readers, I’m picky about what I choose to read. Because I’m an indie author, supporting other indie authors is important to me. Still, the process of whom to read can be difficult. Of course, there are the obvious choices: award-winning indie novels, or the best-selling indie books, however, I don’t always choose the well-worn path. In particular, I like to give new authors a try. Sometimes the choice I make can end up being a bad one, but more often than not, it pays off. How do I choose? It all starts with the cover.

When searching for a new book to sink my teeth in, I choose a genre that interests me, as we all do. After the genre, it’s the cover that nearly always seals the deal for me. Why? Because we are visual beings. Have you ever been scrolling past a post on facebook, or a pin on Pinterest and have to stop and check it out? Absolutely! Why? Because “90 percent of information that’s transmitted to the brain is visual” It’s no wonder that those who choose to create the most vibrant and alluring book covers get the most traffic.

I can give you an example. It’s not a secret that vampire fantasy is one of my favorite types of books. That being said, two years ago, I passed one by because the cover was less than appealing. This year, I came upon that same book (now a series) with a new dynamic cover, and I ordered it. My decision to get the book was mostly due to its new cover, and the fact that it was now free. It was a great book, but had the cover been up to par two years ago, I’d have gotten it then.

Writers can often spend years writing their masterpiece only to choose a cover that inadequately displays their work. Not to mention, the description; it’s the next thing to pull a reader in. It’s important to be as picky with the cover as you are with the content. If you have good prose and the right cover to match the genre, and finally, it melds with a good description or back matter—then you got me hooked.

If you’re going to write a book, give it a chance to sell. Get it professionally designed. Our eyes will thank you!

Credits/quotes: Humans Process Visual Data Better, www.t-sciences.com

All opinions are my own. Brenda Hickey (Contributed as Guest Post)

The post At First Glance: How the right cover can sell your book appeared first on Being Author - Authors & Book Writers BLOG to Simplify Publishing.

Why I write For Children

Ever since I read the famous Sapir Whorf Hypothesis : “the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavioral characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken,” I have realized the importance of language learning for young people, and how fundamental it is to child development, and learning as a whole.

There are words, and thus, concepts, which cannot be directly translated from one language to another. One can approach the meaning through close paraphrasing, but something is lost in translation.

Until recently, for example, there was no notion of the, “individual,” in Japanese culture, and thus no word to describe this idea. I do not know of another word for the German, “zeitgeist,” although “spirit of the age” may be an approximate paraphrasing. And it is well documented that Inuit people have numerous words for snow, because their very survival depends on it; we have a limited number.

But language is a living thing- new words for new ideas are continually appearing in our dictionaries, and languages are continually in process, as words from all over the world influence this evolution of a new language.

Enhanced communication between cultures enriches our vocabulary, as we borrow and cross-fertilize ideas from each other.

There is a sense in which multiculturalism and globalization have the potential to bring new languages, new ideas, and new ways of doing things, and indeed, the resources to negotiate, and tackle problems like global warming, across the globe.

One can see that a rich vocabulary and language learning strongly influence our capacity to think certain thoughts, to innovate, and to shape the world, as the world shapes us. Thus, it is crucial to children’s cognitive and behavioral development.

Because language learning enables children to think in an abstract way, there is a sense in which reading is a journey which takes children outside of their immediate world. Children learn to explore, and develop curiosity about things that are familiar, and things which are new, and beyond their immediate environment and experience.

A children’s adventure story can transport a child into unknown, exotic territory, where it is safe to take risks, and encounter danger, and  excitement, knowing that they will survive to tell the tale.

Children’s stories encourage compassion and empathy in children, who identify with the hero or heroine, and root for him/her throughout their escapades. Storytelling is thus crucial to their emotional intelligence, resilience to overcome problems, and their emotional security and development.

One can see that a sense of adventure is as important for girls as it is for boys, and it is all to the good if we cultivate in our boys a sense of caring about others.

Whatever class, culture or creed, a child who has access to books can surpass his immediate environment, enter into worlds of possibilities, beyond any immediate constraints. This is why I support libraries, and charities which open doors for disadvantaged young people to have equality of opportunity for access to books.

I also nurture the idealistic dream that my books will be translated in to many languages, so that my cross-cultural message speaks to an international audience. Every child should experience social diversity.

“Snugs The Snow Bear,” has a universal message about global warming, which will impact us, and future generations to come, unless we heed the warning signs, and live our lives in an environmentally friendly manner.

For this I am grateful, that I grew up in a dual language family, who fostered and encouraged a love of learning, and, in particular, valued reading, and books.

Books encouraged my curiosity about language, about relationships and people, and about the world.

And, of course, travel is a great educator, even when it is of the virtual kind.

This post is contributed by Author Suzy Davies, Copyright 07/11/2016. All Rights Reserved.

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“Made You Look” : Grabbing reader’s attention works much like that game

Have you ever played the game “Made You Look”?

Grabbing reader’s attention works much like that game. Somehow you must captivate their attention and hold it long enough to accomplish your task.

I often think of it when I see a magician performing a magic trick. With the slight of his hands, he’s garnered your attention enabling you to see something that’s not really there, an illusion.

Unlike the “I made you look game” and great illusionist, writing isn’t all smoke and mirrors. It takes creativity and skill of a gifted writer to capture and hold ones audience.

To accomplish this task, more than mere words or phrases are used to hold their undivided attention. The goal is to not only capture but also thrill, which isn’t always easy.

Today’s readers are book savvy individuals conscience of the written word. They won’t settle for a routine card trick or disappearing coin, expecting more. As a writer you must be greater than your last project. To do less is not only unacceptable but also you sell yourself short, as well taking the loyalty of your readers for granted.

A great writer must keep it fresh and to coin a phrase, very real to hold the ever wavering attention of most readers.

We know that we’re only providing fantasies but they expect something tangible if not the truth, and you must be prepared to have a little something extra for every reader. It’s the chemistry on paper that stimulates and engages them to stay with you from beginning to end.

As writers, we must bring our “A” game to the table. Hard work is required, pardon the cliche, but some blood sweat and tears too. All of who you are goes into the creation of every story. Believe me if you skimp on the ingredients they’ll know.

I share this formula not to discourage but to encourage and strengthen your craft. It’s my way of pulling you off to the side and given you some constructive criticism, trust and believe we all need it!

Sorry if I lost anyone while I was off chasing the rabbits that escaped from a bag of tricks. Note this is not what you want to do.

Getting back to the original subject, just as the great illusionist of today and yesteryear, they were masters at what they did and always left the audience wondering how they’d do that? And wanting more.

Another powerful gimmick is the ever popular “How I Became A Bestseller Overnight”.

We’ve all seen the sales pitch, if you want to become a best selling author you must do this and don’t do that, but I’ll tell you how to do it the right way, at a price you won’t believe! For only $19.95 the secret to your success is just a Pay Pal payment away!

Too good to be true you say, absolutely. However, you have to admit it’s genius, one of the best get rich quick schemes ever, for them though not you. If you’ll go back to their starting line, the first secret of success is already disclosed. It’s in the catch phrase that captures our attention because we all want to know. Not only did they make you look but pulled off one of the greatest magic tricks of all times.

As much as I hate to admit it, this is exactly how it’s done. Don’t mistake that I’m saying you need a gimmick but you certainly need to be crafty as well as original. The truth is there is no secret, other than being the gifted writer that you already are.

By now you’ve figured out my direction and so understand that it takes more than a few philosophical words or questionable love scenes to entertain most readers.

Trust me I know of what I speak. Before I became an author I was an avid reader, reading hundreds of books, some I couldn’t put down and others never picked them up again. I am an impressionable person, and authors that became my favorites, to this day, remain at the top of my reading list. Because they expressed themselves in a way that transformed the words that were no longer bound by paper but set free. They made me believe that every word was true feeling the emotion and passion of the characters. It was because they’d perfected their craft honing it until it was gleaming and casket sharp.

Honestly we all want to be successful and the secret of how to achieve that is insuring that what you write is worth the paper it’s written on. If you love it the readers will too.

The goal is to reach as many of them as possible, holding their attention forever instead of a “I Made You Look” moment.

This post is contributed as Guest post by Vivian E Moore

The post “Made You Look” : Grabbing reader’s attention works much like that game appeared first on Being Author - Authors & Book Writers BLOG to Simplify Publishing.

Evenstar and Other “Gone With the… Writing” Stars

Few days ago I went for a coffee with an old friend of mine and while I was listening, not only what she was saying, but also what others around us in the coffeeshop where saying, I couldn’t help myself but wonder… How many different kinds of characters exist out there?

Some are optimists, some others are pessimists pretty much from inside the womb. Some people wanna make a scene, everywhere they go, while some others want to slip through without being noticed. Some are caring and passionate, while others have hearts as cold as ice. Some are kind, but some others are rude. Some are stars… Some others are like Evenstar!

Ready to sacrifice what they were given, what was their birthright, just to be with the person they love. Like Arwen Undómiel, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. She had the gift of immortality and she chose to abandon that to live a mortal life. Well actually she chose to live the extended version of it. The point is that she chose love over eternal life. Love over gifts and birthrights. Love over everything else.

This world is in desperate need of bigger amounts of love. All of us focus on less important and more stressing things and we forget those little things that make our lives seem big and precious. Nowadays, we all live to work, while it should be the other way around; work to have the basic things we need to survive.

Our star won’t shine brighter if we work 13 hours every single day. Our star will shine brighter if we know where our limits are and we spend some time with the people we love and care about; because by doing that we’ll be able to work harder the next day and the day after that. Because at the end of the day, the people we love and care about will stand by us, not our career.

However, I came across many wonderful people lately who seem truly passionate about “NaNoWriMo” and they are basically trying to build their writing career out of it. Now, for those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for “National Novel Writing Month” and it basically challenges you to write a novel of 50k words in a month! That’s right! Fifty freaking thousand words in a month.

Don’t get me wrong, I love writing. And I do it with much more enthusiasm than I did in the past. But, first of all, I write as much as I want, without having to hit a goal. Second of all, I have so many drafts I’m editing and making changes on, that it’s not that hard to update the blog every day. And third, when you NEED to write and you don’t do it just because you ADORE it, that passion seems like it’s fainting. And then you get nervous and the words don’t come out on the paper (or actually on your computer screen) as easy as they did in the past. And it’s impossible for you to…

Some people may be able to do it and I admire them for that. But I can’t. And I’m brave enough to admit it. There are days that I don’t even have time to pee, let alone write. I had even started writing on my iPhone while I was in the bathroom, while I was going to my Spanish lesson, when I was going for a walk, even in my sleep sometimes, just to manage to finish a single prompt every week! Literally man! I was opening one eye and I was typing what had popped up inside my mind. Not so fun…

Writing, creating characters, stories, settings… That is supposed to be FUN! I won’t, under any circumstances, forget why I first started writing. If I manage some day to sell what I have written so far and get paid for my ideas… Well, that’s a completely different chapter.

For the time being, I have my job, which I love, and I write because I love that, too. And so does Katrin Hollister, who was courageous enough to participate in that contest, with an amazing story I try to read every single day. You can check this new fantastic and adventurous story by following that link. I’m sure you’ll like it!

There comes a time when we all sort out our priorities. It may take years, but eventually we all do. I’m not saying that you don’t have to work hard and build a career, but it’s equally, or even more important to build healthy relationships with the people you care about and love. Thankfully, if you’re trying to build a career as a writer, you’ll have to build healthy relationships with the people around you, too, because they will be your inspiration for the stories you want to tell to the world!

And no matter how bright your star will shine, stay humble. That’s rule #1 if you wanna embrace success.

Na lû e-govaned vîn everyone!

© Victoria Moschou. All Rights Reserved 2016.

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Making Love to a Skunk: Writing is a lot like it

Charles’ grandmother had a very temperamental pet skunk. She had the stink glands removed of course, but the skunk, whose name escapes me at this late age, had sharp little teeth that she was not afraid to use. She lived in a cage made of chicken wire, but occasionally Charles’ grandmother would allow her the freedom of her fenced-in backyard. Charles and I loved that skunk, and we were determined to show her just how much. We would slowly walk toward her, mumbling little nonsense words.

“What a friendly little skunk. You’re such a sweety sweety skunk, aren’t you? You wouldn’t bite anybody would you?”

When we were close, we would extend a hand. The skunk would lean forward, sniff the fingers, and bite whichever hand was closest. The teeth were small, sharp and invariably drew blood. We never gave up trying, however. We were determined to pet her, and she nearly always bit.

However, there were those rare moments when she would gaze at us with those beady eyes, stand still, and allow us to gently scratch her forehead or lightly rub her back. This always excited us. We would high five, strut around the yard, and congratulate each other. “We have broken through,” we would say, and the glow of success would last until the next time she bit us.

We did learn a few tricks to put the skunk into the mood to allow us to pet her. For example, she liked it when we talked softly to her, so we would whisper words of praise about her beautiful tail, her dark bubble eyes, and her vivid black and white coloration. She also liked it when we hummed her a tune before we attempted to pet her. She especially liked “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding. However, these tricks did not always work. There were days when she was determined to draw blood, no matter what trick we employed.

Charles’ grandmother gave us a book about skunks, and we learned everything there was to know about them—their feeding habits, their personalities, their scent weapons, their mating habits, and so on. The more we learned about our skunk, the more successful we were at befriending her.

Sometimes, I think that writing is a lot like trying to make love to a skunk. It is not enough to have the desire to be a successful writer. There are steps you must follow before you can become one. The first three steps are obvious.

First, you have to learn how to write. You can accomplish this in many ways. You can go to a school and earn an MFA, for example, but that is no guarantee that you will be successful. You could also take workshops with published writers and learn from their tutelage, or you could simply teach yourself. Many books exist that can help with that. Whatever road you take to learn to write, there is one constant—what my friend and mentor Ernest Gaines called the six little words to learning to write, “Read, read, read. Write, write, write.” Read what others have done before you, and put words down on paper—or in the computer, now days.

Second, you have to learn how to edit. Words and ideas may flow from your head to your fingertips like water, but you will never be a success if you do not control them. You must know grammar. Few magazine or book editors will tolerate a manuscript riddled with grammar errors. All successful writers know this and work hard at making sure their work is error-free. How do you learn grammar? Well, if you paid attention during your schooling, you should already know how to write grammatically correct sentences. If not, then you need to re-school yourself. However, just knowing grammar does not necessarily make you good at editing your own work. It takes a hard heart to look at your creation and determine that it is not perfect. If you are fortunate enough to know someone who can read your work and be brutally honest with you, then take advantage of that person, or do what I did; join a writers’ group.

Third, you have to learn to follow directions. As a writing teacher, one of my biggest gripes is that students do not follow directions. If the submission guidelines for a particular magazine states that you must double space, use doc or docx, include page numbers, use only one space after periods, use straight quotes, rather than smart quotes, and include a word count, then be sure to do so. The editors have reasons for those requests, and not following those guidelines will likely earn you an immediate rejection.

Okay, you have a brilliant manuscript. The grammar is perfect. You followed the directions meticulously. So now, all you have to do is send it out to an editor. Not quite. There are still a couple of steps to go through.

Fourth, you have to familiarize yourself with the magazine or the types of books the publisher puts out. I know the arguments. You have worked hard on getting that manuscript written, researched, polished, and ready to go out. You are tired, and all you want to do is send it out—you are not a businessperson—you are a writer. But there is still work to do. Most magazine editors and book publishers have a vision or prefer a particular genre. Read the “about” page. Find out the editors’ names, and read what they might have written. Read the stories in the magazine or one of the publisher’s books. Does your manuscript fit that vision? Does it fall into the right genre? If not, move on. By doing this, you are actually making yourself a better writer. Refer back to Gaines’ six little words.

Fifth and finally, you have to realize that editors are human too. They have moods, pressures, likes, and dislikes just like everybody else. Your manuscript might arrive on an editor’s desk when he/she is having problems with a significant other, and your manuscript just happens to be about wedded bliss. The odds of it being rejected just increased dramatically. It seems unfair that the fate of your dreams and aspirations rests in the hands of an angry editor, but hey, if your manuscript is a good one, it will find a home. One more note about editors. They need respect. Most of them are writers too. They know what rejection feels like, and I don’t know of any who like giving it out. If you get a rejection, square your shoulders, crank up the computer, and find somewhere else for your manuscript. Don’t waste your time and reputation blaming the editor.

None of this is new, but if you’re like me, you need a reminder every once in a while.

Remember the skunk? We did everything right, but although Charles and I were careful and loving when petting her, she still bit us sometimes. Making love to a skunk is an iffy business, and so is writing. No matter how careful you are, and how well you prepare, editors will sometimes reject your work. That does not mean it is not worthwhile.

This post is contributed as Guest post by Jude Roy

The post Making Love to a Skunk: Writing is a lot like it appeared first on Being Author - Authors & Book Writers BLOG to Simplify Publishing.

Indie Publishing versus Self-publishing

The terms “Independent publishers” and “indie publishers” were until recently associated with small presses, to identify them as separate from larger, traditional book publishers. Over time, authors who wanted to maintain complete creative control over their books began to create their own small presses, which really only involves starting a business and little else. Being a small press or an independent book publisher does not mean having a printing press in your basement! The rising popularity and ease of access to print-on-demand (POD) through IngramSpark and CreateSpace has served to increase the number of indie publishers.

As authors moved towards circumventing traditional publishers or small presses who required that a book be accepted in order to be published in return for payment (one hopes), we saw the advent of vanity presses and assorted publishing opportunists. These companies masquerade as traditional publishers by having authors go through an elaborate process to make them think or at least feel as if they are being accepted to be published. Typically the author pays to have the book published or sacrifices an inordinate percentage of their royalties for the privilege.

Where the company’s profit comes from can be your first clue into what sort of company you are dealing with. As Judith Briles said in a 2014 article on the topic of self-publishing versus indie publishers (http://authoru.org/dont-confuse-independent-publishing-with-self-publishing.html):

“Small presses make their profits by selling books to consumers, rather than selling services to authors or selling a small number of copies to the author’s friends.”

A clarification is needed here: Companies such as 1106 Design sell services to authors, but we don’t pretend to publish the book, nor do we lay claim to any percentage of the royalties! Once we have completed the services for which the author has hired us, the author has complete ownership of their book, their files, their imprint and their royalties.

With the term “indie publisher” being used more and more to describe an author who has started their own publishing company, what has happened to the “traditional publisher?” Nowadays, a traditional publisher means any publisher—big or small—that agrees to publish a book on behalf of an author and to pay the costs for doing so.

More recently, yet another new term has emerged: indie author. What is an indie author?

Like an indie publisher, the indie author maintains complete creative control over his or her book. The two terms are being used interchangeably, and perhaps being an “indie author” sounds less scary and confusing than being an “indie publisher.” One definition I read at http://www.steenaholmes.com/whats-an-indie-author/ said that an indie author is an author who has self-published at least one book—and I suppose that means self-publishing by any means available.

I’d like to propose a slightly different definition of both indie author and indie publisher. The real definition lies somewhere in between, and it’s not just semantics.

An indie author is an author who maintains complete creative control by self-publishing his or her book through companies such as CreateSpace or Book Baby, both of whom offer editing, proofreading services-for-hire, along with cover and page design services or do-it-yourself templates. The indie author uses one of the company’s ISBNs and therefore is not the publisher of record. (A note is warranted here: CreateSpace allows authors to either use their own OR one of CreateSpace’s ISBNs. It behooves an author to understand the ramifications. (Learn more about where to purchase your ISBNs at http://1106design.com/2016/04/isbns-lccns-and-copyright-oh-my/) The company never releases the design files to the author (only the PDF, maybe), and will happily hold the indie author hostage for more money should changes ever be required to those files.

An indie author may self-publish his or her book as a hobby, or may have the notion that they will make money as an author. Either way, the indie author will attempt to self-publish by the cheapest, fastest and least painful route possible. An indie author does not take the time to learn how to maximize royalties, compare service options, or do the research necessary to ensure the book has the best chances out there in a ferocious marketplace. An indie author will most likely set an arbitrary budget based on “this is all I can afford,” and then find the editing and book design options that fall within that budget, even if the result is a terrible book. In short, the indie author does not treat the book as a business, and wrongly believes that the market will accept and reward a shoddy book. Yes, the indie author maintains creative control, but over what exactly?

An indie publisher, on the other hand, is someone who treats the book publishing project as a serious business and not just a hobby. The author is the CEO of his or her indie publishing company, with the book as the product. The author, or indie publisher, does the research into the book market and the genre in which the book will compete, setting the book up to compete successfully in the marketplace. Indie publishers know their name is their brand, and they want their name associated with a quality product. They know that consumers will not accept shoddy product design.

The indie publisher researches service options, creates a budget, and knows that CreateSpace and IngramSpark are the only legitimate ways to print on demand and thus are the only routes to wide book distribution despite the claims of other self-publishing companies. Indie publishers know that by setting up their own titles and files with either of these two companies, they will maximize their per book revenues. The indie publisher asks, “What are my options, which option achieves my desired outcome, and how much does that option cost?” Budget constraints are a reality for indie publishers as well, but rather than releasing a bad book, the indie publisher may shelve the book project until sufficient money is raised.

Which category do you fit in? Either is completely legitimate, and yes, some indie authors hit upon the right combination of fabulous writing, great design and savvy book marketing and make it to the big leagues. These authors are few and far between, something like pinning your retirement hopes on your sporty and talented young son or daughter making it to the majors one day. If, as an author, your intent is to create a book that will help you build towards a franchise of books from which you could one day make a living, or to create a book that takes your career to new heights or is a marketing tool for your business, then think about becoming an indie publisher and not an indie author.

Companies such as 1106 Design appeal to authors who run their publishing enterprise like the business it is. For more information on our services, contact me at http://1106design.com/. Consultations are always free.

Contributed as Guest post by Michele DeFilippo

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A look at publishing from the eyes of a newbie author

I really like it when someone calls me an author and I ‘m sure you do too, or rather you will if someone called you that in the future. The thing is that it’s not easy being an author. It can take months or even years to write a book and then you must go to the hassle of getting the book published, approaching publishers, sending out manuscripts, writing concept notes and query letters and then, well then nothing. You wait and this wait is the most excruciating and heartbreaking part of the publishing process. Finally, when you have honed your manuscript a thousand times and you finally find a publisher who is willing to take a risk with you, the newbie about to be added to the ranks of authors, you may have to wait a year before the publisher is satisfied with the editing and you have a book cover and everything else that you could possibly need. You do get a lousy advance being a first time author but hell it’s something. Then the book comes out and you get a couple of positive reviews. You tell your friends and your family, hell you tell the entire neighborhood. You realize that you must do all the heavy lifting to market your book and even at the end of it all the payday is not what you had expected.

If this does not work out you do have a couple other scenarios. The first one is that you are already a celebrity and publishing houses are lining up to profit from the big chunk of your followers. They offer you huge advances and your book is out there in no time. Well, good for you.

The second one, and the more likely scenario is that you turn to self publishing. You have heard the stories of successful indie authors who keep a major chunk of their royalties and get to make millions, authors like Christopher Paolini, Amanda Hocking, J A Konrath and John Locke. What most people going down this path don’t realize is that it is equally or even more tough to be a self publishing success. The lesson here my dear readers is that writing is a dismal, low profit and highly unappreciated profession but we still do it because at the end of the day there is nothing we would rather be doing with our lives, because we love to write and to be appreciated for what we write. As unlikely as success is, it is still possible and the rewards our huge. My only advice to you is to keep your head down and keep writing.

This Post is Contributed by Shitij Sharma

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Why Do I Procrastinate?

Why do I leave everything to the last minute? Why do I get so easily distracted when working on something important? Why do I never do the things I want to do?

Because I am a procrastinator.

Hello, My Name is Ella. I am a Procrastinator

I first noticed how bad I was when I started University and was propelled into a world that called for me to plan and coordinate my own time.

Don’t get me wrong, I never missed a deadline or failed a test but I ALWAYS left things until the last minute. Even when my peers around me were eagerly working away on the next project I was sat back busying myself with unimportant and pointless tasks.

I am the Queen of spreadsheets and lists. I love them. I live to plan. And anyone who knows me would never describe me as unorganised or unreliable, but they are all blissfully unaware of my internal battles and how my appearance of always being busy does not mean that anything of value is being achieved.

What I have discovered since reading more about my ‘affliction’ is that procrastinators love to PLAN, we just do not DO.

I like to maintain daily and weekly to-do lists at work and home but what I now realise is that I couldn’t be more ambiguous with my tasks if I tried. I am never specific and, as such, can always find a way to ‘appear’ to have made steps to accomplishing my goal, when in fact, I have made little to no progress.

At university, I would busy myself with lists, plans, and spreadsheets. I would help others in group sessions and produce amazing revision cards –without ever taking any information in. No, in the real world, I do the same.

Thankfully my work does not suffer. I have a job that includes strict deadlines, which for me. Everything gets done on time and I am known as someone who ‘works well under pressure’ when in fact I simply do not know any different.

Where my procrastination really affects me is outside of my day job, in my personal life and in making steps towards my future goals. Basically in matters that are not ‘urgent’ and do not have a strict deadline that have consequences. This blog being one of them.

I have recently started taking this blog seriously and although I love to write my readership is not high enough that I feel much pressure to be consistent. So there is a daily struggle to prioritise time and find the stamina to start and finish a blog post. I have spent hours fussing over the look of my website, or the content of my Pinterest feed when I know what is important to me is the quality and consistency of my content.

I am working hard to try and overcome my basic instincts to waste time on irrelevant tasks, or get sucked into a YouTube vortex that is impossible to climb out of. I spend hours scrolling my twitter feed telling myself that this is all helping to further my brand, but when I am meant to be writing or researching for a blog post – it is simply procrastination.

Why Do I Procrastinate?

I was honestly hoping for a scientific, medicine curing reason for my inability to remain focused. Instead, I have come to the understanding that all of us have this in us to an extent. It is simply that some of us have become chronically affected by it over time.

I recently found an amazing selection of articles on procrastination by Tim Urban from www.waitbutwhy.com. The posts are so unbelievably accurate, in-depth, funny and relatable that I spent a good hour feeling like my mind had been blown.

His articles help to humanise or ‘monkify’ (you’ll understand when have a read) the part of your brain that causes you to stray from your task. In doing so he helps you become conscious of it, which ultimately is the first step to change.

In his third article he talks about the Procrastination Matrix (if you are a procrastinator you need to read this) and he also breaks down the different types of procrastinators there are. I am, and always have been a ‘Impostinator’.

The ‘Impostinator’ is the type of procrastinator that ‘seems’ productive by making themselves busy all the time. As I said earlier, no one at work or at home would ever question my productivity as I have always found ways to make myself seem busy, even when doing absolutely nothing.

Worse still is I have even gotten to the point where I have fooled myself into thinking that I am doing important tasks and achieving tasks. However, when I take a step back I realise I have simply busied myself with unimportant ‘urgent’ tasks, masking the fact I have made no real steps forward towards my objectives.

I want to change. I think I can, but I don’t think it will be simple. I will always be a procrastinator, it is built into my brain, and hence it will be a lifelong battle. (Granted, there are much worse battles to be facing such as poverty, mental illness, and disability so I do and will continue to count my blessings).

Can I Change?

Even writing this post has been a major achievement. This will be the first post I have ever written in one sitting. Start to Finish. Admittedly I did have a 10 minute’ Twitter feed’ break that was unintentional but I snapped myself out of it an came back to the task in hand.

The sense of achievement and lift in self-esteem is instantaneous and contagious. I want to write more. I want to keep going, but as Tim Urban notes in his article, I am aware this is short lived.

As a procrastinator I deal with the uphill struggle of completing my scheduled tasks every day. Even when I coming from a proactive high from the day before my mind seems to forget and getting up early for that run is suddenly not as important or ‘as possible’ as I thought it was yesterday.

But I am getting there. Simply changes have already made a difference such as setting much more specific and manageable goals. For me, I have also included my husband in my plans as having someone question what I have achieved each day is definitely an encouragement for me.

I will keep you posted with my progress and would love to hear if any of you have the same experience. If you do make sure you head over and read the ‘Procrastination Matrix’ by Tim Urban I mentioned earlier. It is a real eye opener and life changing read for all procrastinators.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to Follow me on Bloglovin.

This post is Contributed as Guest post by Ella Louise

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Advantages of self-publishing

After writing two picture book manuscripts, I was particularly partial to my first. It just seemed to have that x-factor but then again I could be biased. I decided to give it a shot and sent a submission to almost all the trade publishers in Australia, including a direct line into a children’s editor at one of the biggest publishing houses. That would certainly have been a gigantic break if that editor had decided to commission my book. It wasn’t to be though and after three or four months the only bite I’d had was from a vanity publisher in the UK who wanted me to pay to publish with them.

Fortunately by then I’d already decided to take my debut book’s destiny into my own hands. It might not be a best seller and I certainly don’t have the social media influencing powers of a celebrity author but I have faith in this book and I would have regretted it all my life if I hadn’t decided to invest money in my own brand and self-publish.

I found a reputable company in the United States and embarked on a seven-month-long project with them to publish my book. The advantages for me as a new author were that I controlled creative direction over my book from start to finish and I now retain copyright and rights to the finished product, should I ever wish to part ways with the publisher and take my book in another direction.

How many published authors of small to medium stature could say they’ve ever had full creative control over their illustrations and the layout for their book? And what is their royalty structure like? Most likely a lot less financially rewarding than mine should my sales really take off with my independent publisher.

I can now call myself not only an Author but a Publisher, having been through the whole process from pre-production to post-production. I believe this skill set will only be of benefit to me in my future endeavours and increase my faith in my own creative direction.

But please don’t think for a moment that I am detracting from the trade publishing industry or authors who have been talented and successful enough to be published. Full kudos to them. What I am trying to do is validate an alternative path with the benefit of my own experience. The streets of self-publishing may never be paved with gold but if you have the money to invest in yourself as a business, then I would recommend the endeavour and the process. At least you won’t die wondering ‘if only…’.

I believe I am in a stronger position now for my future writing career having a physical publication to show for myself and a fledging author platform on social media. I hope more than anything I will find a traditional route via trade publishing but I also have the confidence to say that I did not sit around waiting to be discovered and have my book manuscript fall into obscurity.

Most important recommendation for any budding writer who thinks this path might be right for them, do a huge amount of research into the company you choose and read up on vanity publishing so you can avoid the traps and minimize your risks when you do come to an agreement with a self-publishing service provider. Good luck!

This post is contributed by Author Brydie Wright

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Let Your Characters Write Your Story

While writing a good story, let’s face it: we want to control where our manuscript is going. When I write, I don’t let that happen. Instead, I let the characters decide what they’ll do, who they meet, what they say, and what they think. My characters write their own story. They have a personality and guide me, as opposed to me guiding them. I have written many character-driven works from different perspectives. The characters interact with each other and make it very easy to develop a good story. That may sound daunting at first, but think: if we put ourselves in the character’s shoes it will be easy to take the story’s journey together, both creator and creations.

We tend to reach points while writing where we run into a wall. Many people develop writer’s block. I, on the other hand, do not. I become my character’s and they become me. For the time being, I am the master of my created world. The character’s do not draw on me, but I draw on them. They are my children, and with my trust, they go to higher places, elevating the personal messages and writing styles behind my heart-warming stories. I have written successfully in both male and female first perspectives on novels based on my ability to become one with the character.

Stories matter, everyone has one, and as writers and content creators we must put our all into the story. Our characters are the ones that must experience what we write, and we should walk along side the characters we have created. When we can think like them, we can put on their skin, and live their passionate lives. I recommend that all writers try this technique at least once. If you like it, then use it all the time, and never stop writing. Our characters matter to everyone, including all our readers and fans. How thrilling would it be if our readers could imagine the characters we make having a little piece of us inside of them? Our characters can satisfy others as well as us. Become your character and they will become you, adding their raw intensity into your experience you go through when you are making the story. This is our story, and our characters deserve everything, as they are courageous enough to go on your quest with you. Live life through your characters’ eyes today. It is the most exciting and exhilarating ride you can ever live through as a writer, and the good part is that you can do it over and over again in countless ways.

Contributed as Guest post by Bryan Varner

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