Dust Off Your Pile of Unpub Works!

Do you have stuff you've written that you haven't done anything with yet? Do you write that first draft and put it aside to run off and work on a new project? Well here's some tips on how to keep the work churning forward.

POEMS just SITTING AROUND?

If you write various works and you have some Poetry sitting around, don't waste it. Clean that poetry up and you can do the following with it.

Dust it off and hit the road. Recite it at open mics.

Tweet it

Make a video of you reciting it and put it on your blog, fb, twitter or video road show

Incorporate it in one of your books or short stories

Make up home made greeting cards and use it for a giveaway

MANUSCRIPTS just PILING UP

I currently have 2 manuscripts collecting dust and one I'm working on. I recently dusted one off and started the editing process, but it's going darn slow. Much slower than when I wasn't also promoting a book. But I am glad that I have 2 backlogged.

So I try to get into a rhythm. I write on the new work in progress in the morning. I edit a finished draft at night. Most times this works out.

Here's some things I do to keep my work churning.

Send first draft through critique group

Print out chapters and mark it up while I'm at my kids sports practices

Put it on my Nook and check for plot holes

Send out to beta readers

Edit it or use an free editing tool to scream out obvious errors

Tease some of it for absolutewrite Tuesday tease

Read outload to family during long trips

Submit to contest

COMIC Script or GRAPHIC Novel script hanging around?

Yeah, I even have one of these started. I wrote a 10 page comic strip for my Middle Grade series, Explorer X and haven't had time to do a darn thing with it. But I've gathered some ideas from some author buds and I've got big plans, lol!

Here are some things you can do with these:

Tease a strip weekly (of course you have to find an artist willing to play)

Tweet a piece a week as your characters

Finish the darn thing and post a page a week

Put it in contest

SO WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE FOR GETTING YOUR PILED UP WRITING GEMS OUT THERE?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS