Hi, everyone! Today I’m guest-blogging over at Laura Smith’s blog with a post for self-publishing beginners. I’m offering 5 self-publishing basics. Hope you’ll hop over. :)
Photo credit: Stuck in Customs on Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
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5 Mistakes to Watch Out For When Editing Your Blog Posts
by Laura Smith, @lsmith335
Editing Is Crucial
Let’s face it, even a good first draft can look like a hot mess when it’s first read. Every decent English teacher I’ve ever had has marked up my rough draft with a red pen and then said, “good job.” But we’re not in English class anymore, and we have to take the red pen to our work ourselves. That means catching everything from basic typos to cutting entire sections that don’t flow with the rest of the piece. It also means throwing away some basic knowledge that I learned in school and adapting to the age of writing online.
I have to admit, this was the most self-aware piece I’ve ever written. I had to make sure I was following my own advice as I was giving it. After all, what’s the point of offering advice if you’re not going to follow it yourself? Below are five of the major elements that I review when I’m editing my blog articles.Continue reading
Gaining Confidence Through Experience
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I have a lot of sympathy for writers who get great ideas for other projects (known as SNI…Shiny New Ideas) while working on a book. When you’re in the daily slog of writing a novel, it’s very tempting to jump ship and start working on a new book that seems more like a sure thing.
But it worries me when I read blog posts by writers who are having trouble finishing any of the books they’re working on. There’s a lot to be said for finishing a project. That’s because, after you’ve finished one, you know you can do it. You know that, no matter what kind of shape that manuscript is in, you have the ability to work your way all the way through to The End.
There are other benefits to having lots of experience writing (whether on one book or multiple books). It gives you confidence when you face a problem with your story. I know that, with probably every other book I write, there’s going to be some point when I run into an issue. It could be a plot hole or a character that seems flat or any number of other problems.
But, when I run into an issue, I always feel so much calmer when I realize: I’ve been here before. I don’t think there’s a problem that I haven’t encountered at this point. And it keeps me from getting stressed to know that I’ve handled other roadblocks that have sprung up and turned out a decent book afterward.
Life is sort of like that, too. With years comes experience and the experiences…good and bad…help us to know how to handle problems when they pop up.
Establishing a writing habit and finishing projects are two ways of gaining this experience as writers. You’ll just need to find out what works best for you: writing in the morning? At lunch? In the evening? At home? At the library or coffeehouse? At work during a break? Then make sure the goals you set (as I’ve mentioned before) are reasonable and something that you can easily meet. It doesn’t help to set goals that make us discouraged.
For more tips for setting up a writing habit and for finishing a book see:
12 Tips to Get Unstuck and Finish Writing Your Book by Lorna Faith
How to Develop a Rock-Solid Writing Habit by Daphne Gray-Grant
5 Hacks to Create a Good Writing Habit by Joe Bunting
It’s a nice bonus that a writing habit leads, not only to a finished book, but to more experience to handle future projects (frequently in less time).
Have you run into roadblocks with your books that you’ve realized you can work through? Do you ever have trouble finishing a book?
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What is an Author Assistant and Do You Need One?
by Jenny Bravo, @JennyBravoBooks
We are in the age of the author. With the rise of self-publishing and hybrid publishing, authors are pumping out books more than ever. We live in a content-based world with readers who are always wanting more, more, more. Not only do authors need to write more, but now, they need to maintain author platforms, keep updated on social media, and dive into advertising.
How can one person possibly manage all of this work? The answer is that they shouldn’t.
What is an Author Assistant?
You may have heard of a virtual assistant within the online business world. These are people that business owners can hire by the hour or on a retainer that can accomplish the time-consuming tasks that are necessary but draining.
An Author Assistant is essentially a specialized virtual assistant. With an Author Assistant by your side, you can concentrate on your writing, while your assistant can tackle your other tasks.
What can an Author Assistant do for you?Continue reading
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
One cool thing about blogging for over ten years is that a lot of the posts form a sort of unexpected diary. I was glancing over some older posts and came across this one from 2010. My son and daughter would have been 13 and 9 when I wrote it. I spoke of our bike ride on a nearby greenway and how we were biking so erratically (my daughter was still on a little kid bike) that a jogger kept passing us over and over again. He was going slow and steady and despite our occasional bursts of speed, kept overtaking us.
I made the observation that this was how my writing life worked. I didn’t go fast enough to get burned out but I didn’t go slow enough to get overwhelmed with the length of the project.Continue reading