#WriterWednesday - August 1st 2018

I have to admit, I'm rather impressed with ACX right now.

Their recent website updates caused accessability issues for me. Though everything looked fine from a visual perspective, as far as JAWS (my screen reader) was concerned, there was no "play" button. In other words, as far as JAWS - and therefore I - was concerned, there was no way for me to listen to samples from my narrators. If I asked for sighted assistance from someone, that person could see and press the button for me. But I couldn't do it myself.

I contacted ACX to tell them, and they said they'd alert their technical department to the issue.

To be honest, I kind of expected to either not get it resolved, or to be waiting for months for it to be resolved, needing help to listen to the tracks for my audio books in the meantime. But that was not the case.

Within two weeks of me first contacting them, ACX's technical team had worked on the issue, and even tried out their solution using a copy of JAWS. They then eMailed me, asking me to verify that it worked for me now, just to be sure.

It did, and - as of the last time I was interacting with ACX - still does.

I'm impressed that they put that much effort in to resolving the issue, and that they did so quickly. I'm also extremely grateful to them for doing so. Not only is it easier if I can press my own "play" button, because it means I can listen to the samples when I'm ready, rather than having to wait for someone to be available to help me. But I also like being able to do things myself, especially tasks like that where sight shouldn't really be a requirement.

Anyway, speaking of my audio books: Ella Lynch has done so well with sorting my "Zeena Dragon Fae" books that she's well ahead of schedule. The first two are now available to buy, the third is heading to retail, and the fourth will soon be ready for me to listen to the final version. This means I'll be officially announcing the series being available in audio in the near future. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm waiting to be able to announce the whole series, hence a lack of official announcement posts for the books that are already available for sale.

Speaking of book availability: "Where's Noodles?" - Lilie's story - is ready to go. In fact, I'll be announcing its official release in a couple of days, and you can actually head to some of the retailers that carry my eBooks and pre-order it.

It was all sorted, and even had a cover. With the story ready, and the cover done, there was no reason to hold off on the release, especially since I haven't had a new release in quite some time. So, I went ahead and scheduled it for release on August 3rd 2018... That's just two days away!

The cover artist is Jacob Blackmon, by the way. You may remember my mentioning him doing the covers for several of my other books in the past? Clicking on his name will take you to his DeviantArt page, if you want to see some of his artwork. You can also support him on Patreon.

Now Lilie's story is sorted, I'm back to trying to use my writing time - which is more limited than I'd like it to be with everything going on at the moment - to work on my pirate adventure story. It would be going quicker if I didn't need to do some research so I can move forward with it. The trouble is, the research is required, but it's a distraction for me, because I enjoy the research almost as much as the actual writing. I'm eager to continue the actual writing, but keep getting distracted by shiny new knowledge. There's progress though, even if it's slower than I'd hoped, and I'm learning new things, which is a good thing, right?

Besides, research is one of the seven forms of productive procrastination, so at least I'm being productive while procrastinating. *wink*

Speaking of procrastination: here are 12 ways to manage your procrastination problem (because, yes, you definitely have one).

Yes, I procrastinate sometimes too. Don't worry though, I'm a long term writer, so I don't intend to quit, even if other things sometimes distract me. If you plan to be one too, here's the secret to being a long term writer.

Mind you, to be a long term writer, you have to write at some point. So, when is your most productive time? Some people find they tend to be more productive at certain times, such as early in the morning. This doesn't mean you have to wake up at 5:00am every day to write. But if that's what works for you, go for it! On the other hand, if you're more productive later in the evening, write then, and sleep as long as your other commitments - family and day job, for example - will allow. There are many different ways to organize your schedule to write effectively, as the post I just linked to demonstrates. So, like I said, do whatever works for you. Just don't forget to schedule some time for writing - or drawing, or whatever - in to your routine somehow. After all, doing so could potentially help you with the problem of uniqueness vs productivity in writing.

Of course, sometimes an actual daily routine won't work for you. That's a problem I have... I just can't do daily routines. It's also one of the things mentioned in this list of 12 things wrong with your writing routine. If that's the case, just figure out what works for you, and do whatever you need to do in order to make sure you get regular writing sessions in.

No matter when you write though, here's a bit of advice for creating in a hectic world, because sometimes those long writing sessions we'd love to have just aren't possible, as much as we might wish for them.

Regardless of the length of your writing sessions, this simple trick will make reaching your writing goals so much easier. Although, I'm not sure I'd call it a trick to reaching your goals myself. Personally, I think it's more of a tip for being happy with where you are on your personal writing journey, regardless of whether it's where you'd planned to be at this stage in your life.

On a similar note, here's a post about overcoming the common obstacles to becoming an author, and another to remind you that it’s not your publishing credits or your follower count that makes you a writer — it’s this.

As further proof that different things work for different people, check out these weird writing "productivity" tips, which seem to contradict most writing advice you get, but may work for you. Like I said, different things work for different people.

By the way, are you between projects, or in need of a break from whatever your usual writing "routine" might be? If yes, take some time out to have fun with these creative writing activities!

Also, take a look at this advice on rekindling your creative spark.

Anyway, I'm guessing, if you're a writer checking out the links I've gathered in this post for you, chances are you want to improve your craft. If not, why not? You should always be trying to improve your craft. With that in mind, here are some good tips on how to become a better writer, as well as a quick guide on how to get good at writing.

Next, here's some advice on focussing your novel with a journalist's trick (or tool, if you prefer).

Whatever tools or tricks you use, when you're writing your story, don't forget to include some non-verbal communication.

If you have an idea, and are asking yourself the question, "Is it OK for me to write about this?" Perhaps the post I just linked to will help you figure out the answer. Above all though, write what you want, just consider the consequences that could apply when you write certain things.

No matter what you choose to write though, here are 36 tips for writing just about anything. I disagree with the one about an outline being so important, though you do need to have some idea what you're trying to achieve with whatever writing project you're working on. In general the tips on that list are excellent ones though, which you should bear in mind, along with whatever extra tips apply to your current writing project.

Speaking of tips, here's a post with some tips on how to write unique themes.

Also, here are some tips for creating atmosphere in fiction, writing an action scene, writing battles, and writing an emotional scene - just in case you could use some advice on doing any of those things.

Speaking of action scenes: if there's going to be any kind of combat in your story, you might want to hcheck out this post on designing a fighting style for your character.

Next, here are some tips for creating races, which will be especially useful if you write fantasy, science fiction, or something else where you may need to create new creatures to live in the world your book is set in. Also, here are some tips on creating habitats, because your characters need a world to live in, regardless of their race or lifestyle.

No matter what your story's genre might be, or what kinds of races and habitats it contains, here's a look at the basic plot of a rags to riches story, so you'll have some idea of the key elements you should include if you plan to write one of those. WARNING: the post I just linked to contains spoilers for "Aladdin" - just thought I'd mention that, in case it matters to you.

So, you want to write a series? If the answer to that question is yes, check out the post I just linked to for a few things to bear in mind if you plan to write a series.

Regardless of whether you write a series or a stand alone book though, why not invest in swag to sell or give away? Actually, this is something I've considered doing. Circumstances don't allow for it right now, but I'm considering it as something to do in the future. No promises, but I'm thinking about it, and maybe you should too.

You can arrange author swag whether you have a public appearance planned or not. However, if you do sort out some swag for your books, and are doing an author event of some kind, here's a post about book signings and author swag, which gives a great tip for making sure the stuff designed to promote your books makes it in to the hands of potential readers.

Speaking of attempting to connect with potential readers: here's a post about how blogging can jumpstart your writing career, regardless of how you publish, and regardless of whether you start blogging before or after you publish your book(s). So, if you're an author without a blog, maybe you should think about starting one? It's entirely up to you at the end of the day though, of course.

By the way, when you're ready to publish, who are you going to acknowledge in your book? You don't always have to have an acknowledgements section - I don't in most of my books - but if you do plan to, the post I just linked to offers some suggestions as to who you might want to give a mention to.

Oh, and speaking of the publishing side of things: it looks like there are possible changes coming to CreateSpace. I'm sticking with them for the time being, but it's starting to look like I might be forced to move my paperback production in the not-too-distant future. *sigh*

Anyway, before I end this post, here's a great piece of writing advice.