Tracee Lydia Garner's Blog, page 9
March 16, 2017
Friday Features: Rachel J. Good
Today’s Friday Features post is all about Rachel J. Good. If you’d like to chat live and real time with Rachel, myself and eight other awesome authors, join us LIVE at my Facebook Release Party on Friday, March 31, 2017. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. Details follow below. Until then, lets learn about Rachel and her Amish Romances and the second release in her Hope Chapel Series.
About Rachel
Rachel J . Good , inspirational author, writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She is the author of Amish romances in the Sisters & Friends series (Charisma House), Love & Promises series (Grand Central), and the Heart of Amish Country series (Annie’s Bookclub) as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Books. The first book in her contemporary inspirational romance Hope Chapel series, Angels Unaware, recently debuted. Rachel loves to travel, read (of course!), swim, and do crafts.
Here’s more about her latest book, Buried Secrets …[image error]
Three years after the accident that almost claimed her life, Emma Esh has recovered physically but has no memory of the year before the accident. When she moves to a new community to help her sister Lydia and brother-in-law, Caleb, prepare for the birth of twins, she falls for their neighbor Samuel.
But the twins’ premature birth, a visit from the Englischer Emma once dated, and the sudden return of her memory threaten Emma’s romance. After the secrets of her past are revealed, will love be able to overcome all obstacles?
To connect with Rachel visit:
Website: http://www.racheljgood.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/racheljgoodnovels/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/racheljgood1, and her
Amazon Author Page:
Facebook Release Party 3.31.2017
Complete Author Line Up
[image error]
March 9, 2017
Friday Features
Up today on Friday Features – Mary Manners.[image error] Let’s visit with Mary to hear about her newest release Sunrise at Honeysuckle Cove.
Honeysuckle Cove Inn has been in the Brennan family for three generations. When Maggie Brennan’s parents retire, they call her home to Honeysuckle Cove and hand over the reins of the historical inn. If Maggie successfully maintains the business over the course of a year, the inn is hers forever. Maggie considers the timing perfect, with one exception—she finds her path entangled once again with that of Dylan O’Connor.
Dylan has made a name for himself as the go-to guy when it comes to renovations and repairs in Honeysuckle Cove, and he’s waited nearly a decade for high school sweetheart Maggie Brennan to return home. But his handyman skills will be put to the test when it comes to rebuilding the bridge between Maggie’s heart and his, and designing a future…together.
About Mary:
Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing. She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.
A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning with students from kindergarten through middle grades. While growing up in Chicago and as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these enriching and challenging experiences led to adventures that bring laughs and insight to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.
Purchase Sunrise at HoneySuckle Cove
Connect with Mary:
Website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com
“Like” her author page on Facebook and
Follow her on Twitter.
March 2, 2017
Friday Features
Starting this month, each Friday I’ll feature a fellow author and tell you about their book. First up, Gay N. Lewis. Be sure to read Chapter One of Sarah and the Double Wedding Woes
Sarah Wingspand [image error]
CHAPTER ONE
Sarah closed the door to the Commander’s office and danced a midair jig. Wow! Another assignment to work in Katy, Texas.
Wonder of wonders, while helping Mackenzie find a date for the prom, she’d succeeded in starting a romance between Mackenzie’s mom and Robert Saleas. Sarah had enjoyed working with Robert as he planned the event for the senior class. He’d noticed Jessica at meetings. Blowing romantic embers in their direction had been easy and fun.
Succeeding with Mackenzie and the other teens had been a challenge, and she’d done it, but now the Commander wanted her to expedite a double wedding. The Superior expected Jessica and Robert to marry. That was probably easy enough…Sarah had accomplished such missions in the past—but now he’d ordered her to find a mate for Bonnie, Jessica’s mom, at the same time. Seriously? While Sarah, the bumbling angel, worked on finalizing the romance between Jessica and Robert, she must also find a mate for the older woman as well.
Horrors! Could she pull that off? Bringing about one ceremony came with a good deal of difficulty…but two? My stars!
Jessica had never remarried due in large part to her determination to be there for her mother. Sarah’s orders were to find a man for the older widow. The Commander indicated the connection between Robert and Jessica would falter if Bonnie didn’t have a companion of her own.
Poopty doopty. If she failed at this task, Sarah would create two fiascoes instead of the one she generally managed.
Sarah crossed her arms to her chest and chewed her lip. I can’t allow that to happen. Where to look? As was often the case, the Commander had provided no information or clues. Hiking an eyebrow, Sarah considered options. Hmmm. Couples often met through Internet dating, churches, nightspots, jobs or friends, but Bonnie sold real estate and attended church. Those two places hadn’t provided a personal companion for her, so what other possibilities remained available? Ugh.
Sarah paced in front of the Commander’s office in The Heavenlies. The thought of engaging Mr. Google again for Internet dating came to her thoughts, and she shivered. Computers were not her thing. That Mr. Google had a mind of his own, and he didn’t like her.
Squinting one eye, Sarah tapped her chin. Perhaps she could waltz into a saloon of sorts and find a single man at a bar. She’d heard men sought out women while guzzling down drinks. She could assume a female disguise, saunter up to a male and say something like, “Hello, if you aren’t smashed, would you like to meet a nice woman about your age?”
Boom! The Commander’s voice came through the door loud and clear. “Sarah!”
Sarah grimaced as if she’d been tackled by a football linebacker. “Sorry.”
She wandered away from the door and drifted through Paradise.
Bang!
“Oops, beg your pardon, Gabriella, I didn’t see you floating there.” Sarah pressed the back of her friend’s wings with her hand and smoothed the indention she’d left.
Gabriella rotated and smiled. “Hi, Sarah. You look lost in thought.”
“I’ve been given another matchmaking assignment and I can’t imagine how to begin.”
“Ah. I understand. My new one starts now too. I’m to guard a male instead of a female against danger this time and wondering the same thing.”
“Sure would be nice if the Superiors detailed instructions regarding these missions instead of leaving us to our own methods, but they don’t. Why do they make things difficult for us? Can’t they be more helpful?” Sarah slumped as if a twenty-pound dumbbell rested on her shoulders.
“Shhh.” Gabriella placed fingers against her lips. “You know they don’t appreciate disrespect.”
Sarah nodded. “I know. But right now I understand how mortals feel when they flounder with tricky circumstances and can’t figure out where to turn.”
“Every human spirit residing now in The Heavenlies went through such quandaries, but looking back, they are grateful for them. On this side of eternity, they realize their experience happened for a greater good. You find that true also, don’t you?”
Sarah’s curls bobbed up and down so fast, they fluttered into her face. “Yes, but for me, it is one lesson after another.”
Gabriella giggled. “What is the first thing you need to do?”
Sarah slumped lower, as if another fifty-pound weight had been added to her already heavy load. “Return to Katy, Texas, and I don’t know how to find the city again.”
“My assignment is in Katy too. You can fly with me.”
Sarah felt her vinegary countenance change to a glorious shine. “Really? I can?”
“Certainly. Let’s go.”
* * *
Gabriella led Sarah to Mackenzie’s house and waved goodbye. Sarah settled on the roof and gazed below. Mackenzie slept soundly and Jessica and Bonnie savored coffee at the kitchen table.
“You both came in during the wee hours of the morning, but I’m happy you and Mackenzie had a good time at the prom.” Bonnie stirred sugar into her cup. “The decorations, food, and music sound perfect, and you were stunning in your new formal, Jessica. And Mackenzie…why, my granddaughter looked like a princess in her pink gown. I’ve already uploaded the pictures.”
“Thanks. I wish you could have seen Mackenzie’s glow—it never left her face. She and Ethan had a good time, and you’re right, the whole event was like something out of a fairytale. Those photographs that my friend, Cynthia, touched up made us believe we really were in France.”
From her overhead position, Sarah blew Bonnie a kiss. Compliments afforded a super way to encourage people—angels too. Disguised as Cynthia, Sarah had received several approving comments from Robert and Jessica at the prom. Why didn’t humans offer them more often?
“I’m sorry I woke you when I came in.” Jessica rubbed her eyes. “I tried to be quiet.”
Bonnie waved a hand. “You know how I am—never been able to sleep when someone within my household is out and about.”
“Were you awake when Mackenzie came home?”
Bonnie nodded. “Ethan brought her home a few hours after you.”
“After so little sleep, I guess she and I are both too tired today for early church. Are you going?”
“Yes, and I suggest you take a nap while I’m gone.”
A smile spread across Jessica’s face as quickly as butter melts on hot toast. “I intend to, but it can’t be a long one. I have a lunch date with Robert. He’ll be here at one o’clock.”
“Best update I’ve heard since Ethan asked Mackenzie to the school dance. You have that look, like when you were sixteen with a new boyfriend. This guy must be special.”
“I confess to enjoying his company, but refuse to allow anything more.”
Sarah grinned. I don’t know what they did after I left them at the gala, but it’s sounding as though the suggestions I made, along with the Parisian atmosphere, were effective. Jessica’s smitten. I probably won’t need to do much to keep her and Robert’s relationship sizzling—unless Jessica refuses to leave Bonnie.
“And why not permit this friendship to continue, young lady?” Bonnie lifted her brows.
“We have a comfortable life, Mom—just the three of us. Mackenzie goes to Sam Houston State in the fall and eventually will marry. You and I will grow old together.”
Bonnie planted hands on hips and hiked a couple of nicely shaped eyebrows. “Now look here, daughter of mine. I don’t want to hear any more of that kind of talk. You should’ve found someone after Daniel died. You’re still young.”
Jessica shook her head. “I wasn’t interested. Not until now, anyway.”
A million dollar gleam appeared in Bonnie’s eyes.
From her perch high on the rooftop, Sarah pumped her arms in the air. “Yippee!” Oops. She covered her mouth with her hands. Had the ladies heard that yell?
Bonnie glanced toward the kitchen window. “Did you hear a child call out?”
Jessica yawned. “No, but the neighbors may have kids visiting them again. I’m going to take your recommendation and find my bed. Maybe I can nap for an hour before I shower and dress.” She kissed her mother’s forehead and headed toward the bedroom.
Bonnie sipped her coffee and stared into space without blinking. After a few minutes, she strode to the sink, washed her coffee cup and leaned against the counter top with a sigh.
Sarah stood up and frowned. “Why is she just standing there?”
Then the realization hit her—Bonnie must be thinking what an empty house would feel like. Bummer. That would be a major adjustment for someone who’d had family under her roof for so long. She wasn’t accustomed to living alone.
“Don’t worry.” Sarah spoke in a whisper this time. “I’m on the job and plan to enliven your life a bit.”
With that, her slipper caught on a nail and she tumbled off the roof.
“Yeow!” My stars! Earth’s surface lacked any kind of forgiving yield. She really should stop falling on it. She picked herself up, rubbed her posterior area and squinted toward the house. Bonnie stood at the sink peering out into the yard.
Good thing I thought to stay invisible. If only I could remember to keep my big mouth shut.
About Gay N. Lewis
A native Texan, Gay lives in a small town west of Houston. She loves to travel and engage in artistic ventures. Two videos she produced —The Canadian Rockies, English and Japanese translations, and Psalms from the Mountains, sold well in international markets.
Graphic skills kept her busy as a portrait photographer, and for over ten years, she used her imaginative insight in the interior design field.
Gay loves travel, writing, and reading. As a pastor’s wife, she writes Faith Features for various church periodicals. Gay is also a published author. Her current series is about a dyslexic angel who comes to earth to help humans, but Sarah, the angel, is more like Lucy Ricardo with humorous antics and bumbles. The books are available in print, eBook, and audio. Published by Prism, a Pelican Book Group Imprint.
Teaching an adult Bible study every Sunday morning is Gay’s joy, and she is often called upon for speaking engagements.
For more information, visit http ://gaynlewis.com/
Gay would love for you to see her video trailers and become a follower of her blog.
Gay’s Blog
Gay’s Amazon Author Page[image error]
Facebook , and
Twitter @GayNLewis2
Sarah Wingspand has her own Facebook page
February 14, 2017
5+ Tips for Writer’s Block
Do you have writers’ block? Really? Seriously? Are you sure it’s not “Procrastination Block” or “I-have-to-do-other-things-block”? I know there is a point in time when the ideas won’t come but I would say those are born out of some other issue that’s related to living life, too many competing tasks and yes, procrastination and even fear, feelings of inadequacy, and any old bout with regular dissatisfaction with what you’re writing at that very moment and a host of other “blocks” that affect everyone in different ways.
People ask me how I get unstuck. I’m writing almost 100,000 words as are every other full-length novel author out here and there’s got to be a point when I get stuck. There are points when I get stuck but it is not a lack of ideas, at any given point, I have about ten titles all in various stages from 30 pages written to 145 pages written so my problem is that I usually have too many. This constant state of what to do or which one to work on, makes me feel overwhelmed so I just stop to take a break and sometimes that break can last for a week. That is Not good!
My point, these tips are more about digging deeper to uncover a larger issue that keeps you from writing (or use this for tackling any issue/project that you want to make progress on,) or causes angst so you keep having recurring difficulties. Before you chalk your experience up to just a type of creative constipation, try these and see if you can break your block and breakthrough:
PRAY – seems like a no-brainer but why are we often led only to pray for big, life-changing issues and healing? Why not pray for the ideas and your writing life, too?
Do something different, (out of character) – if you have a stagnate character that’s being a bit obtuse, have him/her do something completely OUT of character. Sometimes our characters may seem redundant, stale and we need to freshen them up a bit. So go against the grain and turn things upside down.
Adopt the Qualities of Your Opposite Writer Type – if you are a plotter, this may seem terrifying. I’m a ” pantser, ” but surprisingly, if my work becomes stuck, I may also take a moment to plot out the order of what I have so far, using just a sentence to describe each chapter. This is “plotting” but I’m simply employing it after the fact and for me, that’s usually about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through the book (my usual sticking point). I also consider what I’m doing more of a timeline but I’ll let you call it an outline if you’d like. Doing this tells me where I still have to go. So whatever you are, adopt the tips of what your complete writer-type-opposite would do, to assist you in getting unstuck.
Put a Placeholder – IF I can’t think of something I use a “placeholder” -write something like – “describe this here” or “go research this more”- and I highlight it so it sticks out for me on the next pass through and I just keep going. Why force yourself to figure out something when it’s just not coming hot and heavy right that minute? If your belly is full, you wouldn’t make a meal and eat it just for the heck of it, would you? Hopefully, by not forcing yourself to keep going, and writing past the blanks, by the time you write other stuff and permit yourself to simply keep going, the idea will return. You also have not had to stop your flow, taking yourself completely out of the story, just to go fact-check something you can find out later when you research it (which can become a time suck if you’re not careful). Keep going and don’t stop.
In lieu of putting a placeholder from number three above, the oppositive of that is to Write Some Crap. In our RWA Chapter, the Washington Romance Writers workshop, mega best-selling author Eloisa James told us to give ourselves permission to write trash. I prefer to call it gibberish: stuff that looks good, makes some sense but will ultimately be refined (improved upon) or replaced (delete!) with something much better. Don’t beat yourself up about lackluster writing (in spurts). Put it down because you can only improve and massage bad stuff, you can’t do much if nothing is on the page at all.
Make a list of scenes (they can be standard or backup content) -This actually just came to me but sometimes I make a list of scenes that I need to write, I don’t feel like writing them but they are there and they need to happen…eventually. IF I can give myself a little time to simply mull over a potential scene I need to write, I can come up with it and write ten pages when I’m ready to. A list of scenes I’ve recently finished include:Nursing Home visitFirst dateFirst kissDinner and dancingHospital sceneMeet your father
In my recent book Anchored Hearts, I’ve also named my chapters. I have not given ANYTHING away but I let the chapter title be something intriguing which also helps.
Yes, you know what you will have to do in order to advance the story and you know what your characters will need to experience but some scenes aren’t that fun. Make a little backup list that you can refer to when things are not flowing.
Next, KEEP EVERYTHING YOU WRITE and EVERYTHING you cut and paste – I have cut A LOT from my stories and I never, ever, EVER just delete it. I may never use it but at least I always have it if I need to. Whatever I cut, I paste it into a new document and save it as that story’s “cuts and pastes”. I do clean my computer files periodically and I may delete it – but I usually only delete it AFTER the book is published and other times I’ve used my “cut and pastes” and put them into a different story. I have always been a believer of honoring the ideas God gives you and to keep them is one way, I feel, to do just that. What do you do with what He gives you???
Finally, this is likely the hardest but the most liberating thing you can do and that is to take a moment and write a letter to yourself about what’s really going on. I have done this for one of my books. I was concerned it would fail. It wasn’t that the writing was so bad, it was the larger idea of releasing my work out into the world and ultimately wondering what’s it all for? That was holding me back. Every single writer has a moment just like this. Many writers have recurring angst before each release that just never goes away from project to project (and I would argue you SHOULD feel this way before each project). In this letter to self or feel free to write to a fictitious person if it gives you some autonomy from yourself; put the truth out there. Just let it all go, write lies that you believe are true, write out current issues and vent if need be. There is something about expressing yourself truthfully and putting down your fears that make them less powerful. Put it out there and after that, go one step further, and ask yourself the following about each item, “Is this true?” and/or “How can I make this not be true (if it’s a detrimental or a negative thought)?” “What will I do to overcome these thoughts and not meet this end (if negative) result?”Your brain will start finding ways to allay your fears and to help you tackle things that bring you down or overly concern you. You’ll also be cognizant of the ways lies can become true and work that much harder either through your writing content or the way you approach your release, to ensure you’ve thought of every pitfall and learned everything you can to ultimately help yourself meet success.
Want some more tips? Here ya go!
Ditch the computer and exchange it for pen and paper, talk your story using recording then dictation and aesthetically use another method besides typing to help bring about a brain-hand connection -some people always write their entire story on paper first – try it
Open a random book, place your finger unseeing on a sentence, and write where the original author left off, and then,
Perhaps, take leave of your writing space entirely, switch it out for a coffee shop, library or another public venue, where you may be able to hear lots of varied, but interesting conversations. Use those snippets, finish them yourself or have your characters finish them for you.
Whatever blockage, there is a cure for it. Try some of these and let me know how they work out in the comments below.
Now, Write Away!
February 7, 2017
Book Trailer Tips from a Pro!
Today I’m chatting with Ms. Tyora Moody, an author in her own right but also a fabulous graphic designer with her own author support business Tywebbin Creations, helping authors, artists, and speakers market themselves and their books on the internet.
Recently I did my own book trailer for my latest release Pack Light: Thoughts for the Journey, with a little help from Animoto, a program that makes putting together live video, music and images to display a short teaser of your work, a little more simplistic. Animoto allows you to simply drag and drop pictures into the program and it will painlessly do the rest. While this is an option for any amateur video maker to get their book trailer or informational video about their product out there, I wanted to ask an expert about how she puts together such amazing visual effects and comes up with awesome renderings for her own clients. Thus, I went to Tyora Moody, an author herself but she is also a [image error]graphic designer and supports authors through her many services.
Tyora, please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
Hello Tracee, thanks for having me on your blog. I have an interesting background. I really started out in the world of design as a web designer. So I learned graphic design from building websites. Since most of my clients were authors, later I graduated into doing other graphic design projects like bookmarks, postcards and I eventually started doing book covers and interiors. My day job is at a television station, so videos became an interest of mine because of my daily environment of seeing and also getting into video editing. I soon discovered combining graphic design along with music was actually a cool way to create a video.
Let’s get deeper into the tips and ways you go about putting together your own trailers and how you do it.
Tyora, I’ve watched a ton of your videos over and over again, really picking apart details and trying to understand the components that make the videos so stimulating and draw me in. There’s one that I show to all my students (in addition to the first one my wonderful friend did for me for Anchored Hearts) but I also show yours so they can understand more about what book trailers are all about. My all time favorite of yours is the one you did for author Lisa Watson. The music and the photos just drew me into the story, so much so that I then went and purchased the book right away. 
January 30, 2017
Increased my output, here’s how…
Tips for Increasing Your Word Count
Last year, 2016 was my year of “let go”. I rearranged a lot of things including letting go of two volunteer service opportunities in order to do one single thing: INCREASE MY WORD COUNT. Yes, the goal was to do this in order to release my books closer together but I could only do that if I wrote more and wrote faster and LET GO of some obligations in order to do that. Since October, I’ve been writing, writing and more writing and I’ve tried to uncover every possible way there was that’s been beneficial to me and is actually working to move me in the right direction.
First up, at the top of my manuscript, I would put my word count. Doesn’t matter how you do this so long as you do it. Every time I opened the story I would note the word count -so whether good or bad it was in my face- see below, I’ve recorded it since October through just the second week of January this year. My goal also stares me in the face, meaning I made 70 – 90K in big bold letters, which I hope to accomplish by March.
In addition letting go and rearranging some things, as I reviewed what I’ve been doing, I tried to evaluate changes that really made a difference in my output and examined what it was, in some instances that was affecting me when my count for the day was way down. You’ll see below, where I wrote only 156 words? Wow, all time low.
January 16, 2017
Pick the Perfect Planner
Planning to Purchase a Planner?[image error]
I don’t know about you but I can spend hours looking for the right planner. I search and I search and I might pick one, only to use it and find out, there’s something about it I don’t like. If you’re still looking for a new planner or thinking about creating your own, I’ve corralled a few tips to help you make a better decision.
If you’re unsure, BUY CHEAP, Generic
If you really don’t know what you like or what to use at all, go for something cheap. You’ll be less disappointed if it doesn’t work out. Purchase one (that are all still very nice and quite functional) at places like Target, Ross, Michael’s or any kind of discount store.
Are you a Daily, Weekly only, Monthly Only or a little bit of all of those?
I know that I am a Monthly ONLY type. I have found that I like a monthly view usually across two-page layout with big roomy, UNLINED boxes to write what’s happening in. I’m also a to-do list note taker type, so I like blank pages in the back or I usually use a separate notepad for projects ideas/list elsewhere and NOT in the actual calendar. I hate lines even in my journals because I never write in them and find them too confining. Here’s a thought, if you’re super frugal and saving money trumps everything for you, monthly ONLY calendars are cheaper because there is less paper involved. IKR!
I have tried weekly monthly and found I just don’t fill out the weekly pages AND I like to know what’s on the horizon and be able to prepare for things that upcoming.
Get a FREE DOWNLOAD, FIRST.
Next to the buy cheap option, I’ve seen a lot of new planners on the market now offering you a free week to print. You can get the upcoming week to try and test it out. The iBloom Planner is one example of this. I downloaded a one week layout to see if I liked their set up. You can’t write in this electronically, what you will do is to print it out and either hole punch it for your planner or three ring binder depending on the size they have available.
Minimalist or Scrapbooker at Heart?
Planners are becoming more like scrapbooks. If you like this style and have time to do all that embellishment to your pages (usually you’re a daily/weekly if you do), then planners like the Create 365 Happy Planner and Erin Condren will appeal to you but, note, they will also be pricier. Like stickers and you’ll love the time spent fixing this and drawing that and “decorating” your planner.
If you want to be more of an executive type, and other colleagues and professionals will see your planner – this is also a consideration. Obviously there is NOTHING wrong with being artsy and decorating your planner, you just also have to consider whether or not you have a message you need to put forward for the type of world you work in. Simpler (no fuss) planners include those that are made by At-A-Glance, DayTimer and DayMinder.
Note: while I say these last three planner companies listed above are considered less whimsical and more “professional” they are coming out with more artist-themed types of planners to stay current/relevant and competitive with the planners considered to have more personality and pizzaz.
Go Custom
Next, in just recent years has come about the ability to play around with the settings, the size, and the layout of your planner. You can even add your own dates (birthdays and special events) to the planner, have it printed and sent to you. It will take a little more time but once you are done creating your own pages, you can have it printed and sent to you and everything will be set up just the way you have designed. Agendio and Personal Planner are examples of companies offering you the ability to customize your layouts/size, etc. DO start early, it will take some time to put it together and up to three weeks to have it printed by the company and then sent to you in the mail.
What kinds of things will you NEED to record?
This is a really important question and honestly, it probably should be first. What are you going to use the planner for? Yes, appointments, that is correct. BUT, what else? Are you doing goals each month or yearly and tracking them here – you’ll need a task pad or more pages for this? Are you keeping track of an entire family -kids, your husband/wife AND your parents’ schedule?
I do not have my projects in the planner. I’m monthly and I may use a project planner pad, good old list pad or even an old fashioned notebook for the extra stuff I need to do and am planning and working on. If you need to keep it ALL together, and have access to it all the time in ONE place, you will simply need to figure that out before you commit.
Secondly, will you take this out or keep it home central? Even if I lose my monthly planner, I do not keep personal information and documents in it that can compromise my identity. For families, a large wall calendar that everyone can see can and keep track of appointments on may be better and for the tech types who aren’t paper planner prone at all, then the Google calendar/outlook and other calendars you can sync across family members is the way to go. Good for you, this post isn’t for electronic calendar types. IF you keep it all IN the planner, you can keep more details in your desk top or carry around planner but should try to refrain from putting in Personally Identifiable Information.
Finally, there are so many more things to consider and for some, all of this is just silliness but if you’re a serious planner type, these tips will help you narrow down your selections and get on with planning your day and reaching your goals. Narrow it down to three or four and then consider the thoughts above. One (fingers crossed) WILL stand out. And guess what, if the planner you’ve selected does not work out, you have next year to choose something completely different.
Please also see the time when I Made My Own Planner , an older blog post from 2016. It was fun. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Listing any company or any links above do not constitute endorsement of any group, service or individual and NONE of the links are affiliate links. I receive NO compensation by listing.
December 11, 2016
Coping…
There is no real way to describe the feelings cold weather brings about for me, so “dislike” will have to suffice. BUT I live in Virginia where we experience every single season this green earth has to offer. While I can’t get rid of winter and a little SAD that comes with it, I have found ways to adjust to it and some I’ve used and some I’ve just thought about a little too much in order to help others. Here’s some ways I manage my winter blues.
Leave Yourself Alone – No, I don’t mean isolating yourself further, I mean that when you focus on yourself, this seems to cause the most problems. You get in your own little world and you start to count all that you don’t have and suddenly you may even begin to think you’re the only one having issues. That’s obviously not true but when by yourself, who else is there to talk to about anything? So stop with the self isolation and STOP taking selfies. More about that later.
Enough with the selfie, already. Here’s a rule for the next few months: You CANNOT take a photo if you’re the only one in it! So, absolutely NO SELFIEs. What happens after you take one selfie? You either don’t like it, so you take another one. You post it and everyone comments and you’re back to feeling eh, because people saw it, liked it and they moved on. Why do people take selfies for no other reason than to show someone else, I mean, are you dressed up? No. Are you out with someone special on a date? No? Are you documenting an accident or something for an insurance claim? You know like you just happened to be standing in front of your wrecked car and you’re just documenting the incident for when Nationwide comes around? Okay then WHYYYYYYYYYY???? Don’t you think that’s a little selfie-ish? Are there not more productive things you could be doing with yourself, could you not find one friend to join you in this photo?
Give social media a BREAK – Along with the selfie obsession above, comparison is another evil thing that promotes our need to size each other up and what we’re ALL doing that seems so lackluster or much more fun when compared to our own mundane activities. Why do we torture ourselves looking at others and their awesome pictures? Social media only tells part of the story. You weren’t there or (god forbid) shown a picture of the more devastating time in someone’s life. We all go through tragedy yet we pretend we don’t by posting only the most positive and fun images of our lives. Stop combing through pictures of this or that, I’m guilty of it too but instead, why not call some friends and see how they’re doing, especially the ones you know have had some hard times AND can I say, everyone is around when (and immediately after), tragedy strikes but a few weeks or months after cards and casseroles no longer come through the door, that’s when people REALLY need a friend or unexpected phone call.
Start (or Finally Finish) a New, Short-Term Project or Hobby – Doing something, anything almost, totally commits your mind to this other thing. You can get excited about it, you can relish in it, and depending on what you choose, you very well may have something to show for your effort once the project is completed (or when winter has ended). Going all-in with a project really speeds up time and allows your mind to absorb something besides your problems.
Volunteer – I know this is the number one way to focus on someone else besides yourself, it’s also mentioned so frequently that I put it down further in my list.
November 24, 2016
Gifts for Writers
Paper – writer’s write, and while pretty basic, paper is always needed and a appreciated. A ream of crisp, white, bright, will dazzle me any day of the week. If you are more minimalist buyer, form and function and practicality are what you do, paper will be basic and can always be used for a variety of projects. If you know your writer enjoys sending cards and handwritten notes, why not buy also some pretty stationary, recycled paper, or personalized stationary with their name on it. Different, colorful and textured papers can also be used for the scrapbooking and journaling and are fun options too.
Solitaire, Angry Birds and other fun time suckers can really get a writers juices flowing – seems like procrastination, I know…. okay, maybe sometimes it is, but iTunes gift cards are for more than just getting your favorite songs and shows. At BJ’s and Sam’s Wholesale Clubs, you can get them for a dollar less than the full valued amount of the card and these kind of cards can be used for so much and I personally hate the $ 4-5 buck activation fees that come along with other cards offered by Visa and Mastercard, which are still very practical too. There are tons of Apps that writers utilize to improve their writing, count their word output, and manage their time or dictate those awesome manuscripts.
Subscriptions to Industry Publications – The leading writer’s magazines include:
Writer’s Digest
The Writer magazine ,
Poets & Writers and
Publishers Weekly, but if you have a special genre niche, there are tons of
others you haven’t discovered to help you with your craft, be sure to research other genre specific publications for whatever it is YOUR writer, writes.
Beautifully crafted writing tools from Levenger – My father introduced me to this company, also otherwise known as the “Fine Tools for Writers” catalog that he used to get in the mail. I even wrote a letter to them in my twenties for an invention improvement I had on one of their products and they responded to me. That was cool. I love Levenger and while some things, I admit are crazy expensive, it is Christmas, time for overindulgence and spoiling your writer loved ones.They even have a “Bomber Jacket Briefolio” for your writing documents, now that’s cool and a heck of way to honor, protect and elevate your prose.
For the budget conscious, you can also find some lovely Cross pens at office supply stores like Office Depot, Office Max and Staples and me, I’m actually partial to the cheap (but not so much) pens made by Pilot, Dr Grip, he’s got me in his clutches get it?
Some technology is awesome, whether it’s to dictate or a portable keyboard/ workstation and iPads and other tablets abound, but make sure you’re really sure that they’re going to use it before it’s a lot of money wasted. Keep your receipt or give a gift receipt. One thing about writer’s, we can be very picky about our note taking and our typing tools of choice.
Other fun things, spa, massage, neck pillow, cozy throw to write in, lap desk are normal gifts you’d give any other member, we’re not THAT special but here’s a few more writer specific ideas:
Writer Gear – we like touting the fact that we’re writers
Writer Jewelry – The Etsy shops have some awesome writer jewelry items including this Typewriter Necklace
Unless you know the person really, really, well, here’s a couple of things I would refrain from buying outright without specific input:
Planners, Journals and Daytimers (datebooks)
Technology – while computers are AWESOME and needed, and if you really know the person, they are your own offspring or spouse, even if you have funds to burn, be sure the person is using a similar model or version and I know unless you know them VERY well, you likely wouldn’t purchase something so expensive for a stranger, but you never know. As much as I love my IMac, the learning curve and initial transition from PC to Mac was steep and I DO NOT recommend trying to learn one in the middle of a current writing project especially if when you have deadlines.
Honestly, the items above, are like perfume, unless you’ve seen the exact brand they use regularly, I’d just get a gift card as it has to be just right. I actually like journals without lines or wide ruled and most notebooks/journals of any sort are college ruled. I write BIG. See? Kinda picky, I know it’s a gift but you still want it to be utilized, don’t you? But it’s their “write” so ask outright, investigate what their using or get a gift card.
Happy Holidays. Just ask for my address in case you’d like to send me any of the above.
October 31, 2016
Perhaps NANO Worked After all!
But NaNoWriMo is more than a national monthly thing screaming “Over here, look at us,” it’s a movement unlike others pushing you to write 50 THOUSAND words in a single month. You can even win prizes and obtain badges that only other NANO writers can appreciate and you would think this doesn’t motivate you but it really does. You know those of us who are motivated by something as simple as an AOL made guy that tells us You’ve Got Mail. You know he used to excite you, don’t lie.
So, after November 2015 came and went, I’ll admit, I was annoyed when I hadn’t reached their gold standard. I let that get me down and I didn’t initially think that I’d done anything spectacular. I missed the goal, so fooey, right?
BUT, a year later, time reveals all, seriously, I realized a couple of things that everyone can remember in any journey or pursuit, especially those of us that didn’t make our goal in the least.
Nano isn’t about the final goal or the end result, at least it shouldn’t be. It’s great, don’t get me wrong but there are plenty of veteran NANO folks that likely don’t make their goal and yet they participate anyway, so I’d beg to say that first, NANO is about a real effort toward writing CONSISTENTLY, not the goal. Focus on the motivating factors and even if you don’t make a progress amount of whatever the 50 divided by 30 days should be, but you did focus on putting something on paper, celebrate that and let it be a worthy commendation.
Next, NANO is about COMMUNITY. We writer’s lament often about the isolationism that comes from a solitary career spent alone with your computer and your cat. You can have buddies in NANO, and for one full month, they are all working and striving for a common goal, to get to 50K. So, find some Facebook friends and get their handle and there it is: your NANO community.
It’s about ENCOURAGEMENT – NaNoWritMot has lots of resources and writers quotes to cheer you AND they have a bunch of pep talk articles written by other writers in the same boat as you are. Write of course, but take time to gain a little sustenance and mental nourishment to keep going on the journey. You can even link up with your cyber buddies and you can check on each other’s word count to see how each of you are progressing. Give yourself a reward for your own made up mini goals. NaNo can’t stop you from a second trip to the cookie jar and I won’t tell either.
Like most diets, I think that even the powers that be at NaNoWritMo know, Results Not Immediate and really offers you more LONG TERM (later) RESULTS if you’re paying attention- Now that I’m one full year removed, I realized that in essence, I finished not one but two and a half books.
1. Pack Light: Thoughts for the Journey – out now and
2. Deadly Affections (sequel to Anchored Hearts ) which debuts very soon.
3. In a year’s time, I’ve even written some on my first story to feature a heroine with a disability.
Really, I completed almost three books (in the months that followed) because I was excited about what NANO started and I obviously continued to write and at the very least, NANOWRITMO may have boosted the idea generator and trying to be consistent managed to worm its way into my daily activities long after NANO was over. If participating in NANO isn’t responsible for at least a portion of that then I’m just cray-cray.
So, if you can look beyond the big 50 thousand word goal looming in the distance and make a conscious effort to do your very best, you may find some equally helpful results come out of your efforts besides the final word count and honestly, those are just as important.
Ready? Be my buddy. I’m “Traceeg” at Nanowritmo.org
