I always complain like so many other people about how early retailers put out their Christmas goods. Yet, here I am again with Christmas less than two weeks away and I'm unprepared.
This past weekend I accomplished a few things. The house is finally decorated. The tree is up but not decorated. The children insist on all being present to participate in that and it's very difficult to get that scheduled. But it's worth the wait to have all the good-nature arguing and teamwork that does into that. They all have their favorite ornaments that they must put on. There have been years when we didn't decorate the tree under the 23rd.
Another obligation was an extended family gathering on my husband's side. It was calm and fun, lots of good food. A third thing was the start of plans for my daughter-in-law's baby shower. Male readers might not agree, but I love a baby shower. They're so hopeful and filled with joy.
The only shopping I've done so far is bring in packages from the front porch and the mailbox. The rest should arrive this week.
Book outline is not very far along but I'm going to work on it this week. Cold weather brought a bit of snow, a dusting, this weekend. I DON'T like it.
I read an interesting stat in Writer's Digest Yearbook. In 2015, 54% of ebook purchasers use their phone to read books at least some of the time. I do that sometimes when I'm waiting at the dentist's or doctor's. I would guess that lots of people read the news on their phones. My husband does this now after fighting about getting a smart phone.
Another mention in WD Yearbook was how adult coloring books actually accounted for the 3% increase in print book sales in 2015. Does that count? I'm sure you've heard the thoughts of how coloring is a good stress reliever for adults. Not my thing.
Are you ready for the holidays? Any gatherings you must attend? Do you read on your phone? Are you into the coloring book trend?
Showing posts with label Writer's digest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writer's digest. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2016
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Getting On With It
I'm done whining about my injuries. Time to get busy with all the work I'm behind on. Warm sunny weather if finally here so I'm off to finally get those flowerbeds in shape. It will probably be another week or two before I can to the heavy lifting but I can chop off the bulb greenery for now.
I can also sit back at my desk and get busy writing and putting together those blog posts I've gathered from the conference. Some will be on my blog but others will be on the IWSG blog. I know I mentioned it before, but I hope you're following the IWSG Twitter account also. Hopefully, you're already following us on Facebook.
I also am digging into that stack of books I want to read now that it's warm enough to sit on my front porch. A cup of coffee, my rocking chair and lots of birds to keep my company.
Here's a sample of the great links we've been sharing over on Twitter. From the Better Novel Project: 5 Times Katniss Nailed Deep Point of View.
From Flavorwire: Big Publishing is Not as Big Anymore. The numbers don't lie but they can be confusing. I discussed this a number of times at the writers' conference last weekend.
And a good one from Writer's Digest: 10 Questions Writers Must Ask Before Quitting Their Day Job. I know that is the dream of many writers. A new one for me on this list but one that makes sense. Do you know where you'll get your healthcare if you quit the day job?
Some wisdom shared by The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Give your children too much freedom and you lose your own. Russian proverb
The total weight of all the ants on Earth is close to that of all humans.
Today is my daughter's birthday. Just one long celebration month for her. She requested crockpot mac-n-cheese, a family favorite.
Did you find the stats about big publishing as interesting as I did? Thinking about quitting that day job? Are you worried all those ants will get hungry?
I can also sit back at my desk and get busy writing and putting together those blog posts I've gathered from the conference. Some will be on my blog but others will be on the IWSG blog. I know I mentioned it before, but I hope you're following the IWSG Twitter account also. Hopefully, you're already following us on Facebook.
I also am digging into that stack of books I want to read now that it's warm enough to sit on my front porch. A cup of coffee, my rocking chair and lots of birds to keep my company.
Here's a sample of the great links we've been sharing over on Twitter. From the Better Novel Project: 5 Times Katniss Nailed Deep Point of View.
From Flavorwire: Big Publishing is Not as Big Anymore. The numbers don't lie but they can be confusing. I discussed this a number of times at the writers' conference last weekend.
And a good one from Writer's Digest: 10 Questions Writers Must Ask Before Quitting Their Day Job. I know that is the dream of many writers. A new one for me on this list but one that makes sense. Do you know where you'll get your healthcare if you quit the day job?
Some wisdom shared by The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Give your children too much freedom and you lose your own. Russian proverb
The total weight of all the ants on Earth is close to that of all humans.
Today is my daughter's birthday. Just one long celebration month for her. She requested crockpot mac-n-cheese, a family favorite.
Did you find the stats about big publishing as interesting as I did? Thinking about quitting that day job? Are you worried all those ants will get hungry?
Monday, January 5, 2015
Start the Year Right
I hope you'll visit me today over at the A to Z Blogging Challenge Home. You can share your plans for networking in 2015.
Don't forget that Wednesday is IWSG post time. After three years as a group, many members have come and gone but most stay once they get here. To help everyone get to know the new folks and for the new folks to learn more about the veteran folks, on January 7th, all the participants will introduce themselves as if they just met. If you're not yet part of IWSG, Wednesday is the day to check out the members and see if you want to be part of it.
I'm of the school of thought that I should always be working on improving my writing. My writers' groups provide opportunities but there are lots of places to learn online. Writer's Digest always has some great articles on every aspect of the writing business. Brian Klems put together this list at the end of December, 50 Articles on Writing to Help you in 2015. I'm still checking a few of them out.
Since improving organization is the #2 New Year's Resolution, I admit I try to do a little bit of that at the start of every year. My daughter helped me and we have four boxes for Goodwill and a big box of books we're taking to 2nd and Charles. My shelves look better and I have my entire TBR pile stacked together. Except for the dozens on my Kindle. I'm also making sure my children to adopt some of my physical books and over stuff their shelves. Yet I could still borrow my books back from them. How great is that for me?
I'm also setting up some blog appearances for the reissue of my first epic fantasy series. I love reading and writing fantasy and am thrilled to have these books ready to go out again. My publisher has given me a great new cover. It's darker and better suited for a dark tale.
"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin
What are you working to improve on? How big is your current TBR pile and how organized is it? What do you do with books when you have to clear out some space? Have any plans to increase your networking this year?
Don't forget that Wednesday is IWSG post time. After three years as a group, many members have come and gone but most stay once they get here. To help everyone get to know the new folks and for the new folks to learn more about the veteran folks, on January 7th, all the participants will introduce themselves as if they just met. If you're not yet part of IWSG, Wednesday is the day to check out the members and see if you want to be part of it.
I'm of the school of thought that I should always be working on improving my writing. My writers' groups provide opportunities but there are lots of places to learn online. Writer's Digest always has some great articles on every aspect of the writing business. Brian Klems put together this list at the end of December, 50 Articles on Writing to Help you in 2015. I'm still checking a few of them out.
Since improving organization is the #2 New Year's Resolution, I admit I try to do a little bit of that at the start of every year. My daughter helped me and we have four boxes for Goodwill and a big box of books we're taking to 2nd and Charles. My shelves look better and I have my entire TBR pile stacked together. Except for the dozens on my Kindle. I'm also making sure my children to adopt some of my physical books and over stuff their shelves. Yet I could still borrow my books back from them. How great is that for me?
I'm also setting up some blog appearances for the reissue of my first epic fantasy series. I love reading and writing fantasy and am thrilled to have these books ready to go out again. My publisher has given me a great new cover. It's darker and better suited for a dark tale.
"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin
What are you working to improve on? How big is your current TBR pile and how organized is it? What do you do with books when you have to clear out some space? Have any plans to increase your networking this year?
Friday, January 3, 2014
Are You Notable?
With my new 'take the pressure' off myself plan for 2014, I took some time to see if all the efforts I've been going to have made my social presence anything of note. This article in Writer's Digest 2014 Yearbook gave me these benchmarks along with lots of other goodies. I assume this is the author's opinion and nothing really scientific but it's interesting.
Twitter followers? You need 5,000 to be notable, 15,000 to be very notable and 50,000 is impressive.
Blog page views? 20,000/month to be notable, 100,000 to be very notable and 500,000 to be impressive.
Have a newsletter? 5,000 subscribers to be notable, 20,000 to be very notable and 100,000 to be impressive.
Have some self-pubbed books for sale? Sell 2,000/month to be very notable, 6,000 to be very notable and 15,000 to be impressive.
What did I learn from these interesting numbers? I'm not very notable. I've read some recommendations on how to make a big splash on Twitter and Facebook, a viral book campaign to up your numbers. Not something I'm comfortable with. I spend a little time each day on those two media giants and try to blog three times per week. I'm making contacts and friends, and that's enough note for me.
So do you make the notable level or perhaps you're even impressive? Do you have a newsletter or subscribe to author newsletters?
If you're not already my friend on Facebook or Twitter, I would love to connect to you there.
Twitter followers? You need 5,000 to be notable, 15,000 to be very notable and 50,000 is impressive.
Blog page views? 20,000/month to be notable, 100,000 to be very notable and 500,000 to be impressive.
Have a newsletter? 5,000 subscribers to be notable, 20,000 to be very notable and 100,000 to be impressive.
Have some self-pubbed books for sale? Sell 2,000/month to be very notable, 6,000 to be very notable and 15,000 to be impressive.
What did I learn from these interesting numbers? I'm not very notable. I've read some recommendations on how to make a big splash on Twitter and Facebook, a viral book campaign to up your numbers. Not something I'm comfortable with. I spend a little time each day on those two media giants and try to blog three times per week. I'm making contacts and friends, and that's enough note for me.
So do you make the notable level or perhaps you're even impressive? Do you have a newsletter or subscribe to author newsletters?
If you're not already my friend on Facebook or Twitter, I would love to connect to you there.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wish I Was There But I'm Not. Yet.
Recently I skimmed through the most recent edition of Writer's Digest. I have an on again, off again relationship with that resource. Sometimes I'll look through it when I'm at my local Borders and decide to purchase a random copy because it has something in I know I'll want to read in more depth.
In this issue, a letter to the editor caught my eye. The writer complained about a well-known writer (without using a name). The best-selling author changes POV from paragraph to paragraph in her books, uses adverbs liberally and still sells lots of books. The letter writer said she found herself being pulled out of the story as she backtracked constantly to figure out who's head she was inside. The inquiring person wanted to know why some authors get away with these big faux pas.
As authors it is difficult not to notice mistakes in books we read. A recent bestseller I read had dozens of typos and misspellings. I wondered where the proof readers were. I understand a few getting through but this was more than I would expect in a polished manuscript I had prepared to send out. And like the letter writer, I notice all those adverbs it's okay for successful authors to use. All those passive verbs. POV changes abound. Yet you'll find those books on the displays in the front of book stores. They'll be on the best seller lists and the author will receive six figure advance money for them.
If I tried the same thing in my book, no agent would read past the third or fourth adverb. They'd throw it off the wall at the first head-hopping I did in the middle of a scene. Let's not even talk about the words, 'was or be,' I'm likely to have sprinkled about the manuscript. Why can they do that and I can't?
Because I'm not there yet. I still must follow those rules. I can't tell my editor to leave it alone. I can't guarantee my faithful readers will pick it up even if I use lots of adverbs. My publisher doesn't have mega-dollars invested in so they'll promote my work even if it's not my best. I'm not there and most of aren't. So I'll keep on following those rules and maybe someday I'll be there.
Have you read any books by famous authors who blatantly ignore the rules we're taught to follow? (No names, please) Do the breaking of the rules distract you when reading? Which one would you like to break?
In this issue, a letter to the editor caught my eye. The writer complained about a well-known writer (without using a name). The best-selling author changes POV from paragraph to paragraph in her books, uses adverbs liberally and still sells lots of books. The letter writer said she found herself being pulled out of the story as she backtracked constantly to figure out who's head she was inside. The inquiring person wanted to know why some authors get away with these big faux pas.
As authors it is difficult not to notice mistakes in books we read. A recent bestseller I read had dozens of typos and misspellings. I wondered where the proof readers were. I understand a few getting through but this was more than I would expect in a polished manuscript I had prepared to send out. And like the letter writer, I notice all those adverbs it's okay for successful authors to use. All those passive verbs. POV changes abound. Yet you'll find those books on the displays in the front of book stores. They'll be on the best seller lists and the author will receive six figure advance money for them.
If I tried the same thing in my book, no agent would read past the third or fourth adverb. They'd throw it off the wall at the first head-hopping I did in the middle of a scene. Let's not even talk about the words, 'was or be,' I'm likely to have sprinkled about the manuscript. Why can they do that and I can't?
Because I'm not there yet. I still must follow those rules. I can't tell my editor to leave it alone. I can't guarantee my faithful readers will pick it up even if I use lots of adverbs. My publisher doesn't have mega-dollars invested in so they'll promote my work even if it's not my best. I'm not there and most of aren't. So I'll keep on following those rules and maybe someday I'll be there.
Have you read any books by famous authors who blatantly ignore the rules we're taught to follow? (No names, please) Do the breaking of the rules distract you when reading? Which one would you like to break?
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