Rebecca E. Neely's Blog, page 32

From Freelancing to Fiction: My Best 'Crossover' Writing Tips

I’ve been writing for 15+ years as a freelancer, and 5+ as an author. While those two animals – non-fiction and fiction – are, in some ways, as different as night and day, I’ve found they also share some striking similarities.
Today, I’m sharing those similarities, and the ‘crossover’ techniques I’ve learned as a freelancer, and how I've applied them to writing fiction. 

If you’re a writer, I’d love to hear from you – what’s been your experience in this arena? Are you a freelancer? An author? Both? What tips are you willing to share?
1. WRITING FOUNDATIONS
In this post, I share the tenets I’ve learned and applied over 15+ years as a freelancer, as well as what was a life changing event for me. The tenets apply equally well to writing fiction, and just about anything worth doing, in my opinion.
http://rebeccaeneely.blogspot.com/2015/06/freelance-to-fiction-learning-to-be.html

2. INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES 
As a freelancer, I interviewed hundreds of people over the years. In this post, I share the techniques I used to guarantee a productive and meaningful interview, and how I applied this to interviewing my fictional characters.
http://rebeccaeneely.blogspot.com/2015/06/freelance-to-fiction-interviewing.html

3. PACING 
We all have deadlines. As a freelancer, I never missed one. Find out what I learned about writing non-fiction that enables me to focus on the ‘meat’ of my stories, propelling them forward, and being productive.
http://rebeccaeneely.blogspot.com/2015/06/freelance-to-fiction-pacing-push-pull.html

 4. BONUS: MY BEST FICTION WRITING RESOURCES 
Finally, I share my best fiction writing resources, for when I need some guidance. As a freelancer, I read scores of how-to books, and fiction is no different. These are my top two I rely on whenever I’m stuck.
http://rebeccaeneely.blogspot.com/2015/07/my-best-fiction-writing-resources.html

Join my mailing list & read about cool stuff like romantic suspense and great books. You can also claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing.  I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.
Rebecca E. Neely is an author, freelance writer, lover of spoon rings, diners, the Steelers & great reads.

Reading Isn’t Just for National Holidays

Did you know there was a National Read a Book Day? As it so happens, the holiday was yesterday. And the long holiday weekend seems the perfect time to celebrate and enjoy!

I love that there’s national awareness of the need to unplug – me included – and read. But certainly, we don’t need to wait for a holiday to read. It’s something we can enjoy every day, with many benefits, per the following article by Lana Winter-Hebert, 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day, written for lifehack.org. They include mental stimulation, reduction of stress, and improved vocabulary and writing skills – something, as an author, of which I take advantage!

We forget that reading, many moons ago, was considered a privilege, and to my way of thinking, it still is quite a privilege, and a blessing. Yet, we often take that ‘privilege’ for granted today. Here’s a snippet about reading in the colonial era: “Historians point out that reading and writing were different skills in the colonial era. School taught both, but in places without schools reading was mainly taught to boys and also a few privileged girls.” Read the full article here, at Wikipedia.

Too, in years past, books were scarce. Again, today, we take many things for granted, when books on every topic imaginable are more readily accessible than they’ve ever been before.


Some examples that come to mind about how scarce books used to be are from popular movies and books (is that a paradox?). In Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the women, once stranded on the mountain with the Pontipee brothers, beg for Milly to read them the story of the Sabine women from Plutarch’s Lives – one of the only books she owned. In Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary, one of my childhood favorites, Emily is a little girl who loves to read, and longs for a library in the small town of Pitchfork, Oregon, circa 1920, but books are few and far between. How I loved to read, over and over again, to find out if her dream would come true.

When my daughter was a baby, often, when I put her to bed, I read to her whatever I was reading at the time – and that included the newspaper, Agatha Christie, and Nora Roberts. It had the added side benefit of allowing me to catch up on my own reading! I – myself a voracious reader – have had the pleasure of raising one.

No need to wait for a holiday to take advantage of our ability to read, and the plethora of books available – read one today!

OVER TO YOU – how do you share your love of reading?

Join my mailing list & read about cool stuff like romantic suspense & great books. You can also claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing. I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.

Rebecca E. Neely is an author, freelance writer, lover of spoon rings, diners, the Steelers & great reads.

Reading Isn't Just for National Holidays

Did you know there was a National Read a Book Day? As it so happens, the holiday was yesterday. And the long holiday weekend seems the perfect time to celebrate and enjoy!
I love that there’s national awareness of the need to unplug – me included – and read. But certainly, we don’t need to wait for a holiday to read. It’s something we can enjoy every day, with many benefits, per the following article by Lana Winter-Hebert, 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day, written for lifehack.org. They include mental stimulation, reduction of stress, and improved vocabulary and writing skills - something, as an author, of which I take advantage!
We forget that reading, many moons ago, was considered a privilege, and to my way of thinking, it still is quite a privilege, and a blessing. Yet, we often take that ‘privilege’ for granted today. Here’s a snippet about reading in the colonial era: “Historians point out that reading and writing were different skills in the colonial era. School taught both, but in places without schools reading was mainly taught to boys and also a few privileged girls.” Read the full article here, at Wikipedia.
Too, in years past, books were scarce. Again, today, we take many things for granted, when books on every topic imaginable are more readily accessible than they’ve ever been before.
Some examples that come to mind about how scarce books used to be are from popular movies and books (is that a paradox?). In Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the women, once stranded on the mountain with the Pontipee brothers, beg for Milly to read them the story of the Sabine women from Plutarch’s Lives – one of the only books she owned. In Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary, one of my childhood favorites, Emily is a little girl who loves to read, and longs for a library in the small town of Pitchfork, Oregon, circa 1920, but books are few and far between. How I loved to read, over and over again, to find out if her dream would come true.
When my daughter was a baby, often, when I put her to bed, I read to her whatever I was reading at the time – and that included the newspaper, Agatha Christie, and Nora Roberts. It had the added side benefit of allowing me to catch up on my own reading! I - myself a voracious reader - have had the pleasure of raising one.
No need to wait for a holiday to take advantage of our ability to read, and the plethora of books available – read one today!
OVER TO YOU – how do you share your love of reading?
Join my mailing list & read about cool stuff like romantic suspense & great books. You can also claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing.  I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.
Rebecca E. Neely is an author, freelance writer, lover of spoon rings, diners, the Steelers & great reads.

A Storyteller From Day One: Meet Author of Romance M.J. Compton

Today it's my pleasure to host storyteller, and author of romance M.J. Compton. She's discussing time management, delegation and creative solutions to getting the housework done. Author of the popular paranormal romance series featuring Toke Lobo and his wolf pack, today she's sharing more about her most recent release, a contemporary romance with a sports theme,  Summer Fling . Great to have you here today M.J.!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, and how and why you began writing.

Thanks Rebecca! Great to be here. I am a storyteller. Once of my earliest memories is of waking up early and telling stories to myself about the cowboys on the wallpaper in my bedroom. When I was old enough to choose the wallpaper for the bedroom in the house my parents built, I chose one with the alphabet on it, so I could sound out words. Being a published author is the only career I’ve ever wanted. I want to give readers as much joy as I’ve received from other authors. 
Obviously, readers have a vast number of choices in books. Why do you feel readers will enjoy your stories?
My characters keep their senses of humor despite adversity; and despite adversity, families are important. 
What would you most like people to know about you, and your writing?
One of my critique partners pointed out that all of my heroines have sibling issues and overbearing fathers. My reality: I love my sister and brother. Really. No issues whatsoever. Okay, maybe my brother could be a little better about coming over and hanging my framed book covers on my office wall for me, but that’s minor. And my dad? The greatest dad in the world! 
As an author, how do you pay it forward?
I am very active in my local chapter of RWA—in fact, I’m currently the president. I also have a once-a-month feature on my blog called Work-In-Progress Wednesday where guest authors can showcase what they’re currently working on as well as promote their current releases. I also use my Twitter, Facebook, and Tsu accounts to share other authors’ news. 
What is the single best piece of advice you would give to another author about the craft of writing, about marketing, and/or the writing life?
Do not get up an hour earlier to (FILL IN THE BLANK: write/market/meditate/exercise/etc.). I did the math. You’ll end up getting up before you got to bed. Give up housework instead. Delegate. That way, when your children go to college, they’ll be the only ones on their floor who know how to do their laundry and cook pasta. 
The one thing we can all count on is change.  How do you plan to continue to evolve as a writer?
I’d like to write “bigger” books, i.e. stories with layers of complexity. 
What do you feel are the greatest challenges facing authors today?
Time management—I’m my own web mistress, promotion-marketing-public relations department, and business manager. I’m active in my local RWA chapter. I’m in a critique group. I do all my own research. I’m a wife. A mom (although my children are now in their twenties). And I work a full time Day Job. It’s a challenge.
Discoverability and turning that into sales.
  SUMMER FLING

Caroline Maplethorpe’s respectable life is threatened when the man who shared her secret past as a plaything to a minor league baseball team reappears with demands she’s not sure she can satisfy.
Caroline Maplethorpe spent a summer as plaything for a minor league baseball team…and oh, how Win Winston played. Seven years later, she’s respectable, and he’s in the big leagues. Now that he’s found her again, he still wants her in a major way. But their second-chance relationship attracts too much publicity, and the third member of their long-ago fling threatens to destroy the respectable life Caroline so carefully reconstructed after that crazy summer.

BUY SUMMER FLING!
LOOSE ID http://www.loose-id.com/summer-fling.html
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-summerfling-1797313-149.html
AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Fling-MJ-Compton-ebook/dp/B00X6EDJ82/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432685480&sr=8-2&keywords=summer+fling
BARNES & NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-fling-m-j-compton/1121879015?ean=9781623009151
GOOGLE PLAY HtTps://play.google.com/store/books/details/MJ_Compton_Summer_Fling?id=MaH1CAAAQBAJ/
Ibooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summer-fling/id992251460?mt=114
KOBO https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/summer-fling-8

MEET THE AUTHOR
MJ Compton grew up near Cardiff, New York, a place best known for its giant, which inspired her to create her own fiction.
Although her 30-year career in local television included such highlights as being bitten by a lion, preempting a US President for a college basketball game, giving a three-time world champion boxer a few black eyes, a mention in the Drudge Report, and meeting her husband, MJ never lost her dream of writing her own stories.
MJ still lives in upstate New York with her husband. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Central New York Romance Writers. Music and cooking are two of her passions, and she enjoys baseball and college basketball, but she’s primarily focused on wine . . . and writing.

CONNECT WITH MJ
Website & Blog www.comptonplations.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/Comptonplations

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

Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/compton4555/

Tsu http://www.tsu.co/mj_compton

Tumblr http://comptonplations.tumblr.com/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075221.M_J_Compton

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/MJ-Compton/e/B00J9DFFIG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Authors: If You Build It, They Will Come

Welcome! Skip down to the very bottom of this post. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

You're back? Great.

Today I’m talking about the subject of that short paragraph, my mailing list, and the how and why and what.

I’m delighted to share I’ve recently had my first 100 subscribers join my mailing list . I appreciate each and every one of the people that have chosen to spend their time with me, and to celebrate, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn subscriber – the winner will be announced in my September 8thmailing.

How I built my mailing list - For the all the nitty gritty details, I highly recommend reading this information packed article by Tim Grahl, someone who has, per his website, “dedicated the last seven years of his life to helping authors get their books into the hands of more readers.” Enough said.

Read the article here: http://timgrahl.com/email-marketing-101-for-authors/To give you the highlights, I put my mailing list in place about 3 months ago. I followed Tim’s instructions, used Mailchimp (affordable and easy to use) and created a free giveaway to offer to potential subscribers (a sneak peek at The Keeper, the first book in my new CROSSING REALMS paranormal romance series.)

Now, I’d like to say, I’m pretty good with technology. I like it, love it actuallly. I use it in my day job, every day. Even following the instructions in Tim’s article, which are excellent, plan to spend time on this part. It took me several days to get it all implemented, in the evenings, when I had time. At the end, I was very proud of myself for what I’d accomplished. I did not think it was the easiest thing I’d ever done, nor was it the hardest, but it was time consuming, and extremely worthwhile.

Why I built my mailing list – In my opinion, the most important sentence in the above mentioned article is this: 

“Your email list is the foundation of the author platform that is going to support your entire writing career.”

How does that tie in with my goals and values as an author? I want to be able to communicate directly with my readers, and not only give them first dibs on new stories, sales, and share cool information, but get to know them, and let them get to know me. 
It's my sincere hope to cultivate a relationship with them that will last for years to come. I appreciate them, and I believe passionately in the stories I have within me, and the value I hope they will add to the world.

How did I get my first 100 Subscribers?

This summer, I attended two events, one a Farmers Market, the other a Mary Kay sales demo. At each event, I brought with me a signup sheet for my mailing list, and offered a giveaway, both of the sneak peek, and a chance to win a free Kindle copy of A Mighty Good Man.

I emailed people I’d met in my local book club, since they were taking the summer off and asked them if they’d like to join.

I approached friends and family members.

I attended several Facebook parties. Some generous authors invited me to attend and host a giveaway, which I did, and had a fabulous time!

I shared the giveaway through my social media.

I added the giveaway link to my email signature.

I added a Sign Up button to my Facebook author’s page.

I won’t lie to you. It was hard, and it’s still hard, to ask sometimes, to put yourself out there. But I work every day at getting over that hurdle, and instead concentrate on my passion for storytelling, and my belief that people, not all of course, will truly enjoy what I have to offer.

I also highly recommend reading Tim Grahl’s book, Your First 1000 Copies: TheStep-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book . I enjoy reading and implementing what he has to say, because the guy makes so much darn sense. And I’m all about things that make sense, in a world where often, things don’t.

All this is to say, if you build it, they will come. And I’m thrilled to think I’ve got my own (wait for it) ‘field of dreams.’

In case you missed it, download a FREE sneak peek of The Keeper, first in the CrossingRealms paranormal romance series by clicking here.

I’d love to have you along on my reading and writing adventure!

Click here to learn more about my best fiction writing resources & the ways I'm shifting my paradigm as an author.

PLEASE SHARE: Do you have a mailing list? What has been your experience? Do you have any great tips you’d like to share?


Join my mailing list & read about cool stuff like romantic suspense & great reads. You can also claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing.  I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.
Rebecca E. Neely is an author, freelance writer, and lover of spoon rings & great reads.

Author of Romance Amy Deason: Confidence is Key

Please welcome author of romance Amy Deason today. She's talking about why having confidence is key, the challenges she faces with promotion, and sharing some more about her debut novel, Angel in the Shadows .


Thanks Rebecca! I'm glad to be here. I live in NW Arkansas with my husband, 3 kids, and two shih tzus. I have always loved writing and reading and I knew that I always wanted to be a writer. I remember writing silly, short stories at my grandmother's house even when I was only about 6. 
2. Obviously readers have a vast number of choices in books. Why do you feel readers will enjoy your stories?
I believe that the vastness is what makes books enjoyable. Variety is key to keeping readers interested. I think that my stories are filled with sexy men, tough women, evil villains, and tough situations. I think that these qualities might draw readers into my world. 
3. What would you most like people to know about you, and your writing?
I would like readers to know how dedicated I am to writing and how much I love to read and write. I want to share my books with readers and hope they enjoy them. 
4. As an author, how do you pay it forward?

I am a new author but even before I got published, I would write short reviews about books and authors that were interesting and I thought deserved recognition. I continue to do this now. I think that writing is a craft and that authors deserve to be recognized for their hard work.
5. What is the single best piece of advice you would give to another author about the craft of writing, about marketing, and/or the writing life?
Again, I am new at this, but I do know that confidence is key. You have to believe in yourself and your writing, even though its hard to do sometimes. Also it helps immensely if you have a great support system. Friends, family, other authors. The life of a writer is not easy. You have deadlines, edits, and promotional requirements that you have to keep up with plus whatever you have going on in your everyday life. But, difficult as it is at times, for me at least, it is a dream come true and worth the time and effort.
6. The one thing we can all count on is change. How do you plan to continue to evolve as a writer?
I intend to take every piece of advice from my editor and other authors to heart and learn by them. Also, I intend to try my hand at other genres. In fact, I have several stories started. A historical romance series, a crime series, and even a children's book series. 
7. What do you feel are the greatest challenges facing authors today?
Wow. That is a great question. I would probably say that it would involve promotion. There are a lot of great books out there and so it's hard to get yourself noticed among the many other wonderful authors. You constantly have to find ways to make yourself and your work to stand out.
8. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
First, I just want thank you for hosting me. It has been an honor to be here on your blog. Secondly, I just want to add that being a writer has always been my passion. I love the written word and the stories that come from an author's imagination. It is incredible to be a part, no matter how small, of this group of people. I hope that I am able to pursue this dream of mine for a very long time.

ANGEL IN THE SHADOWS
Get it on Amazon
Never Turn Your Back…Never Reveal Your Name…Never Surrender Your Heart…Madison Sinclair is a smart-mouthed photographer that enjoys the simple things in life. Recently landing a job at one of Manhattan’s top imaging companies, she works hard to prove herself but often falls short of the mark. Taking pictures of the New York scenery, relaxing at home with a glass of wine, and caring for her stray cat is the highlight of her day. But when her best friend convinces her into covering a charity event thrown by a handsome billionaire, Madison’s life suddenly becomes anything but simple as she finds herself in a constant race for survival. There is nowhere she can turn, no one she can trust.
Seth Reynolds has been in the game a long time. He knows how to get in, get a job done, and get out with no complications and no witnesses. Trained to be cold and heartless, he is committed to follow through with this mission no matter what. Racing against an impossible time table, everything is in place to take out the madman intent on destroying New York City. But when the naïve Madison Sinclair stumbles into his world, all of his carefully laid plans go to hell.
Determined to do what is right at all costs, Seth must choose between the rules he’s lived by his entire life or saving Madison from a fate worse than death. If he follows orders, he will be an unsung hero, saving millions of innocent people. But if he risks his own life for Madison’s, the entire city will be in jeopardy. The choice should be easy. Risk one to save many. That’s the unbreakable code of The Perfect Order. But now, without even trying, Madison has gotten under his skin and inside his heart. With the fate of the city resting in his hands, how he can do the right thing when he no longer knows what that is?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy learned to read at the tender age of three. Once she started, she never stopped. Growing up, she could always be found snuggled in some quiet corner with her nose stuck in one book after another. Her desire to read soon led to her passion for writing. As a child and teenager, Amy wrote poetry and short stories for her family and friends, delighting them with her vast imagination. From child to adult, she has continued to read everything she can get her hands on. Her love for a good book knows no boundaries and crosses every genre imaginable.
Amy currently lives in NW Arkansas with her wonderful husband, Shaun, and three energetic children. But of course their family would not be complete without their two loveable shih tzus, Tucker and Dylan. Recently, they welcomed a new addition to their household, a rambunctious boxer puppy named Buck, and since then, their lives have never been the same. 

When Amy’s not working or writing, or possibly sneaking in a few quiet minutes of quiet reading, she can be found with her family riding bicycles around town, playing sports, watching movies, or taking pictures. (Although she takes so many photographs, the kids try to run and hide every time she breaks out the camera).
CONNECT WITH AMY EMAIL: DeasonDozier13011@yahoo.com FACEBOOK: AmyDeason.Facebook.com FACEBOOK: AmyGDeason.Facebook.com BLOG: amydeason.wordpress.comTWITTER: https://twitter.com/Ames13011

Authors: 3 Hacks to Get You Connected, Imaged & Organized

As an author, I love the English language and how one word can mean so many things, as well as the fact that connotation apparently doesn’t apply. The word ‘hack’ falls directly into this category. Off the top of my head, definitions of ‘hack’ include:

1. Breaking into a computer illegally2. A person who isn’t good at something3. And in my lingo, the victim of a bad hair stylist. (rough or heavy blows)

However, for today’s purposes, I’m using 'hack' as author and entrepreneur Monica Leonelle succinctly describes in her book, Writing Better, Faster: How to Triple Your Writing Speed and Write More Every Day: "...a growth hacker has a "mindset of data, creativity and curiosity." I'd like to add to that definition to include ‘awesome, cool, inventive, and clever solutions'. 

In my Twitter profile, I describe myself as being a problem solver, and loving cool office supplies. There's just something about all the paper, pens and supplies lined up nice and neat, just waiting to be used to create. <grin> For me, in many ways, these hacks combine the best of both worlds - these tools are a lot like cool office supplies, and they help me problem solve. Enough said.

Here’s 3 of my favorite hacks – enjoy!
1. Buffer

Buffer advertises its service as ‘the best way to drive traffic, increase fan engagement and save time on social media’. I must agree. 

You can connect up to ten social profiles with the Awesome Plan (approximately $100/year if you pay for the whole year up front) That includes Twitter, Facebook (personal and pages), Linked In, Google + (though not your profile) and Pinterest. You can also add up to 15 feeds from which to share content.

You can schedule up to 100 posts across the profiles, all optimized for the best times of day for prime engagement. The customer service rocks and the website has plenty of helpful, easy to find information and answers. Maybe the coolest feature about Buffer is the browser extension, which, like magic, allows you to share posts, blogs, etc. from anywhere you are on the web.

Basically, twice a week I spend about an hour curating content, and load up my profiles with cool stuff to share. You can also edit your posts, adding pictures, hashtags, and more, which leads me to my next cool hack. 

Check it out on www.buffer.com
2. Pixabay

We all need cool images to go with our social media posts, blog posts, on our websites, you name it. Pixabay is a great place to find them – for free. It’s a highly searchable database of over 440,000 pictures you can use ‘without attribution in digital and printed form, even for commercial applications’. Bonus tip: social media posts with images get more engagement. Period. 

Check it out on www.pixabay.com

3. Evernote

An image of the elephant that ‘never forgets’ is this cool tool’s icon. I have it on all my devices, which allows me to capture information on the go. This organizational godsend is structured around notes, which are housed within notebooks. You can add images, files, links, you name it, format and highlight text and create lists. 

There’s a free and paid version. I use the free version. I keep track of schedules, cool ‘how to’ articles I find, links, to do, and ta da lists, ideas for blogs, content, newsletters, articles, stories and books and more. You can categorize notes within the notebooks using tags, and set alarms for important action items. You can also search notes, share your notes/notebooks with others, chat, and set up shortcuts.

Check it out on www.evernote.com
I hope these hacks leave you feeling as connected, imaged and organized as I do. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite hack? Please share!

Join my mailing list & read about cool stuff like romantic suspense & the occasional hack. You can also claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing.  I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.
Rebecca E. Neely is an author, a freelance writer, and a self proclaimed hacker - of cool technology, that is. 

SALE! 99 cents for A Mighty Good Man!

Get it on Amazon

Join my mailing list and claim your free sneak peek of The Keeper, my new paranormal romance, coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing. 
I’ll never share your email address and that’s a promise.

Save the Date: 99 cent sale for A Mighty Good Man!

Can't wait? Get it on Amazon

3 Ways I'm Shifting My Paradigm as an Author

I’ve always held reverence for the phrase ‘shifting my paradigm’ and this powerful concept, or phenomenon--you pick--and perhaps never more than now, as I continue on my journey as an author. The learning curve is steep, but there are three areas where I find myself letting go, of habits, ideas and priorities so I can make room for new ones, to lessen that grade.

3 Ways I'm Shifting my Paradigm as an Author
Becoming a ‘joiner’ - I’ve not always been a ‘joiner’, per se. Neither were my parents, and perhaps that rubbed off on me a bit. Often, I recall my father saying instead of joining the group, or the crowd, he was going the other way, to avoid it. I’m overcoming that attitude. I’m active on Twitter and Facebook and have ‘met’ so many interesting, knowledgeable, unique people. Also, in large part, by being a part of my publisher’s network of generous authors, many doors have opened to me. I recently met many of these amazing women at the RWA national conference. I find I’m becoming the one to join new groups, organize the meeting, and so on, and I’m enjoying being part of communities where I can both contribute and learn.
Letting go of guilt – I’m slowly overcoming the guilt that comes with truly enjoying my work – writing, and reading. Yes, it’s okay – even necessary – for me to read a book, not just for the craft, not just for expanding my marketing horizons, but to enjoy, to feed my muse and to absorb because I know it makes me a better writer. As a freelancer for many years, one of my favorite things to do was write magazine articles. I always enjoyed the interviewing process, and I’m doing that with my blog. Too, blogging is helping me find my voice; I firmly believe writing non-fiction contributes to writing better fiction, and vice versa. I’m also really ejoying the techie end of things – creating a website, social media and blogging – yes, I’m a bit of a techie geek. And yes, I really enjoy it. Guilt free!
Believing with my whole heart I’m a writer - And that includes the hats of freelancer and author. I’m walking the walk, talking the talk. And I won’t apologize for it. I’m all in. This isn’t a phase. This is my passion, and it’s a journey I want to be on until I die. I’m investing my time and efforts in learning, reading and practicing the craft, and building relationships with people that love to do what I love to do. 

Some of my go to resources, to name a few: Tim Grahl, Rachel Thompson, Bri Clark, K.M. Weiland, James Scott Bell, and Katharine Grubb.
And I’m shifting my paradigm with an attitude of abundance – there’s enough for everyone to go around, and then some. Too, keeping an open mind is key. 

Perhaps my father set the best example of that for me. When he was fifty, the steel mill in our town closed down, and suddenly, the restaurant that had supported our family for nearly fifteen years was in jeopardy. Eventually, our family sold the business and my father returned to his previous career as an English teacher. He had to go back to school to become certified, and he had to learn how to use a computer. Instead of turning his back on the challenge, terrified, feet planted in the ground the way I see so many people do, he met it head on and months later, wound up showing me something new with his word processing software.
Thanks Dad.
I know that to grab ahold of one thing, I’ve got to let go of something else. That includes, in general, fear – fear I’ll make a mistake (made ‘em, going to make more) and the fear I have no idea what I’m doing (oh yeah, I’m making this up as I go along.)
I’m working on not taking myself so seriously. Can you tell? Still haven’t mastered that one. I feel like I have to keep reminding myself I’m not being graded. Yes, it’s okay to have fun.
And I am. For me, Michael Bublé sings it best in Feeling Good – “It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.”



Please share: how are you shifting your paradigm? 

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