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A few times this summer, we’ve gone out to eat with our son and he’s been dissatisfied with his meal.

He was really excited about the food when he ordered it, but when he got the steak from the seafood restaurant, or the seafood salad from the deli, he wasn’t thrilled with the results.

I wasn’t really connecting the dots on my end, either. But finally (I’m slow sometimes) I realized there was a pattern to the problems with his orders. He wasn’t ordering the specialty of the house. Actually, he wasn’t even ordering something that the restaurant was very particularly good at cooking. He was just ordering what he was in the mood to eat.

So I pointed out to him the next time we went out, that if we were at a burger joint, he should get a burger—not a spinach quiche. If we were at a barbeque restaurant, he should get a barbeque sandwich—not the grilled chicken. It was better to order something that played to the restaurant’s strengths to produce more satisfying results.

I think, for a lot of writers, we’ve got a ton of ideas and aren’t sure which to write first. To me, it’s like those restaurants with the huge menus—there are lots of possibilities, but they can’t deliver some things as well as others.

That’s the nice thing about being creative—we get all these great ideas…all the time.

Since I’m focused right now on the projects I’m under contract for, I tend to just jot down these ideas and put them in a Word file for later.

But what if you’re trying to decide what ideas to write? Or even what genre to focus on?

That’s when I think it’s a good idea to play to our strengths.

Of course, every genre has a range of draws for readers and writers. But some genres are better known for some qualities than others. Do you write really riveting action scenes? You probably should focus on a genre like thrillers or fantasy/sci fi that allow you to showcase that talent.

Are your characters your strong point? Do they jump off the page? Choose a genre that’s more character focused and less about nonstop action.

Are you naturally funny and write humor well? Consider focusing on writing a lighter read instead of literary fiction.

That’s definitely not to say that we can’t include a lot of different elements in our books—but maybe we should pick an idea or a genre that really plays to our strengths for our first efforts—and try a more challenging project later.

What’s your specialty of the house?

I’ve basically trained myself to be creative on demand—and leave my muse out of the equation all together. Inspiration is too unpredictable—I seem to get better results from just old fashioned perseverance.

But there are times when it’s more difficult to write than others and I wonder if there are other writers out there in the same boat.

I’m going to limit my observations here to genre writing, which is all I’m familiar with. But—and this is a generalization—I think that genre writers are some of the hardest-working folks in the business.

I’m part of a couple of different promotional groups that are made up of genre writers published by big houses. Many of them have more than one series that they’re currently working on. Most are promoting at least one new release while on deadline with at least one book. And they’re promoting the heck out of the new release–really strenuous, long-term marketing.

Almost all of them do a lot of sales tracking. And there are plenty of places to track these numbers. Some of them get the numbers directly from their editor (I got a few numbers from mine.) Some subscribe to Publisher’s Alley (and I’ll admit to being a subscriber.) Some even subscribe to Bookscan, which is REALLY pricy. Others look at Amazon and Barnes and Noble sales.

I do some sales tracking. I know enough to know that Delicious and Suspicious is selling well. I know enough to know that my publisher is happy with me.

But when I start doing sales comparisons between other releases or try to figure out where my sales are coming from or how to duplicate it—it just messes me up when I try to segue into a writing session.

I think this is because I’m being analytical—which is something I’m not great at, anyway. Then I try to go from looking at charts and numbers and chart legends—and return to being creative.

It’s hard. Most of the writers I know look to good numbers as validation of their writing talent. Or at numbers as a sign whether their series is going to be continued or not. And they’re still busily working on their next book or coming up with the next series idea while they’re tracking sales.

Going from sales figures to creative writing isn’t easy. It’s also not easy to go from reading negative reviews (which happen to all of us) back to writing.

So, for me? I just want to know things in generalizations. Is my publisher happy or unhappy? If they’re unhappy, is there anything I can do to make amends or help out in any way from a marketing perspective?

On my end, I’m just planning to promote as best I can and write as well as I can. Because I think it all boils down to the writing in the end. Readers will buy good books. But I’ve had plenty of authors look at me askance when I’ve admitted that sales tracking only makes me feel anxious.

What do you think? If you’re published, do you study sales tracking? Or, if you’re unpublished, is there another factor that messes up your writing mojo?

I was basically out traveling for almost two weeks. But—I still had writing to do.

Actually, while I was gone, I had a call from my agent. I had revision requests on a project I’m working on and she suggested I knock them out in two weeks. That meant that half of that time I would be on the road while working on the edits.

I’ve always been able to work while I’m gone—but I’m not nearly as productive when I’m traveling as when I’m home.

So this is what I did—and I thought it might help y’all out if you’re on a deadline for a manuscript (either self-imposed or editor-imposed) or are needing to work on edits like I was.

First of all I figured out what I needed to work on. With a manuscript, this could mean that you tell yourself you want to write one particular chapter or one particular scene (if you’re jumping around as you write. So you could choose to write the book’s ending, etc.) With my edits, I printed out the editor’s revision requests so I could have them handy and think about what they wanted done.

Next I spent my road time (this could be time driving on a highway, or flying on a plane, or riding on a train) thinking about the action in a particular scene, or a particular character that I needed to develop in a different way, etc. Here in the States, we have miles and miles of really, really boring highway driving where the scenery rarely changes. The kids were both watching movies in the car with their headphones, and it gave me an amazing expanse of time (about 7 hours) to just think.

During the time I spent brainstorming the requested plot changes and character tweaks, I found that I really started getting more of a handle on my characters and getting better acquainted with them.

If you’re driving, like I was, then writing on paper isn’t really the best thing to do. :) I downloaded a voice recording feature onto my phone (most phones have a voice recorder, I think…or you could just leave a really LONG message on your home answering machine!) and whenever I got ideas, I spoke them into the voice recorder. The kids were totally wrapped up in their movie and oblivious (which was good, since I’d gotten a revision request to change my killer and I was mulling over the murder and red herrings and clues!)

If you’re riding on a plane or train, paper or your computer would work really well to jot down the ideas you have. I always think I’m going to remember my brainstorming sessions—but I never do.

When I got to our destination, I put everything aside until it was time for me to turn in (since I was there to visit family.) So there may not be the perfect time to just excuse yourself and write, but you can always turn in 20-30 minutes before you’re totally exhausted and get some writing done then.

But to be productive during such a short time, it really does help to plan ahead and know what you’re going to write for that evening.

Although being away from home does sometimes tire me out, I found that it was also really inspiring being in a different place with different people keeping different hours doing different things. Maybe shaking myself out of my usual routine was a good way to really stir up my imagination…and deadlines have a way of doing that, too!

Have you written while on the road this summer? Have any tips?

It’s so good to be back and blogging again! I missed it more than I’d thought—and especially missed visiting with all of y’all!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, starting out with the book tour and then ending up by catching up with family in Alabama and South Carolina—and my daughter’s 9th birthday and subsequent party.

One thing that’s been different from other trips out of state is that I was more plugged in than usual.

I’ve always traveled with my laptop, but usually didn’t connect unless I was at a coffee shop or library.

But now I’ve got a smart phone—the Droid. And, as I’m discovering, it looks like it can do practically anything. Am I lost? (And I had my lost moments on the book tour.) Not for long– I’ve got GPS on the phone and call ask the phone where my destination is. Should I plan outdoor activities tomorrow? Check the weather on the phone. Should I go home and leaf through all the ads in the Sunday paper to find out who has the best deal on school supplies? No…just check it on the phone.

In fact, in a short period of time, my list of things to do has shrunk because I’m getting instant information.

And, boy, does this have a downside.

In the past, when I’ve needed to get some writing done, I’ve escaped—to a place with no Wi-Fi. That way I couldn’t check emails, Twitter, Facebook, the news, or blogs.

Now, there is no escape.

Which means it’s down to me and self-discipline. And my self-discipline varies from day to day. Especially with this devilish distraction in my pocketbook.

I’m thinking I should go back to super-scheduling my time just until I get caught back up and back into the groove again. And, when I’m not working on a couple of deadlines, maybe it won’t matter if I mess around with my phone from time to time.

So, since I’m a list-making and schedule-following junkie, here is my plan:

5:00 a.m.ish: Check emails, but I’m only scanning for really alarming subjects like “Guest Post Today?!” or calendar reminders.

Then start writing. (And make sure the kids are fed, packed up, dressed appropriately, and carpooled to school.)

After I write, I can make sure that Blogger hasn’t eaten my blog post du jour, that Twitter is running on schedule (I tweet ahead) and that I’ve got some sort of a blog post to run the next day.

And probably then read and reply to emails—which does usually take a little time.

And I’ll put my phone wayyyyy across the room. And turn off the internet on my laptop.

Are any of you getting even more distractions in your life? How are you dealing with them?

I’ve hesitated doing this, since I’m a creature of habit and I’ve blogged every day since May 1 2009. :) But looking at my schedule, where I’m coming back from the book tour and then visiting with family and celebrating family birthdays—and going to open houses at my children’s schools—I’m thinking that I will take a blogcation until Wednesday, August 25th.

Until then…Happy Writing, everybody!