2016 is Just Around the Bend

Wow! I can’t believe tomorrow is 2016.

Usually, I have the year-end blog posts all set up way in advance. This year though I’ve been super busy with family and work. But, it’s all good. I have a few goodies and created a couple of cool images (pun intended).

Funny that working on these posts and gifts, I continually ran into problems. I tried to create a 15-20 minute screen-sharing video on creating CTAs for my subscribers, but I goofed up three times – stupid, rushing mistakes. Hopefully, by the time this is published I’ll have it redone.

Then I created (edited) a PowToon animation for one of the blog posts and that too had problems. They weren’t caused by me though!

But, that’s life. Sometimes it goes smooth and other times, well . . .

Okay, let me get to the reason for this post.

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve!
And, I like to close the year with some inspiring and motivating quotes. I did look for new ones, but I couldn’t find any that I liked better than last year’s, so here they are again. I hope they still inspire you as they do me.

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover.”

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
~ Lyndon B. Johnson

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."  ~ Dale Carnegie

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~ Will Rogers

“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
~ Christopher Columbus

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” ~ Stephen Covey

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ~ Warren Buffet

“If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell

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To add to these motivational quotes for the New Year, I have a powerful goal setting and achieving ebook for you. It's free and you can (and should) share it. It’s absolutely worth reading. Here's the link:

A Simple System to Achieve Goals

(If you got this one last year, I have another gift below.)

60+ SEO and Marketing Terms and Definitions


These are shareable gifts, so you can give them as freebies, as bonuses to your products, as gifts . . . they're the gifts that keep giving!

Oh, don't forget to stop by tomorrow - there's another shareable gift!

You the Writer; You the Critiquer

One of my ICL (Institute of Children's Literature) instructors once told me, "A book is not written, it's rewritten." That helped at a frustrating time of constant rewrites and what felt like no results. Today? Pfsaw! Rewrites are the norm, though I will admit some, such as the ones for my MG mystery, are more difficult than others.

Taking your ms to your critique group once, or as many times as it takes, will bring you closer and closer to your goal until it is ready to submit. I promise: there won't be any doubt when that time comes. You, and you alone, will know when your masterpiece is ready.

Celebrate you as a Writer for what you do is a Labor of Love

You, the Writer
Showing your work to others is a big step. Set aside any feelings of doubt or lack of confidence for your greater goal and open yourself up to others' scrutiny. Remember, your critiquers are on your side. They care about you and want you to succeed. They will most likely be more gentle than opening yourself up to the market, which can often feel like tossing your work into a black hole.

• Let the other writers in your group know your background and whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced writer.
• Let them know the type of piece you are writing.
• Be clear about what you're looking for. I once paid a "pro" editor (she charged for her services) to critique several chapters of a MG novel, expecting to receive comments on the content as well as on grammatical errors. I received only the latter and was disappointed. My mistake? I didn't tell her what I was looking for.
• Begin with the most polished piece you can offer.  Avoid the trap of "looking" for someone else's expertise or opinion. If you're unsure of your material, then you need to do more research. Use your most honest editor's eye to identify for yourself what you think your ms needs. Pitfalls to look out for could be structural, weak characterization, lack of organization, to name a few.
• Know your craft. Rewrite accordingly, so that what you take to critique is your very best work.
• Expect changes. Asking for other's opinions opens you up to varying points of view on your material. Take notes. Write down every comment, even or especially the comments you disagree with. Later, these comments might open up new pathways that, with time, might be easier to accept and run with, than when they were first presented.
• Faced with a major rewrite after your work is 'torn apart?' The entire piece is swimming in red marks? That is frustrating and has happened to me many times. Best thing to do is take a break. Get back to work when you're well rested and feeling fresh. Be grateful that these changes have been found. "Fix" them. More critiques of the same piece might follow. Welcome them. Keep your mind on your goal and your critique partners will help you get there.
• If you're having trouble with a passage, your critique group offers an excellent place to gather opinions.
• Believe in yourself and your material. If you feel strongly about your piece, then the opinions of others can be received and utilized. But if someone offers their Personal Opinion (and even becomes emotional about what they say), BEWARE. Go home and weigh what each person said against your own expertise.
• Get to know your critiquers. You might find that you value some opinions over others for various reasons. In rare cases, you might come across one or two jealous critiquers. One of my most painful experiences with critique groups was actually being pushed out. I was a new writer and was replaced by an experienced writer with connections. We had planned to attend a conference together before the big BLAST OUT. I went to the conference alone and had to see the ladies from my group eat together and browse the tables together. Oh, the pain of it all! Anytime anything like this has happened to me, I have learned to take a break, allow some distance to come between me and the problem; resume work after sufficient time has passed and my confidence is restored. (And try to remember that mistakes are my teachers.)
• Remember: You are an entertainer whether you write fiction or nonfiction. Your material should make you want to sit on the edge of your chair; it's so poignant and exciting. Know your audience. Make your verbs strong. Make your prose clear; as if you're telling your tale to one person sitting on the other side of your table (who is smiling and loving your story).

You, the Critiquer

• First and foremost, Be Kind and Be Sensitive to your fellow writers. Remember that they have poured their heart onto every page. View anything you have to say (or write) about another writer's work as a suggestion left to the writer to consider. Then, let it go.
• Never criticize.
• Begin with comments on what you liked about the piece. Then move on to how you think the piece could be improved.
• Put yourself in the writer's place and offer only your most helpful ideas.
• Trust your gut instincts. They're usually right.

A partial list of what to look for in Nonfiction:

Does the title grab you?

Does the opening make you want to read more?

Look for improvements on how the piece could better be organized.

Make sure facts can be backed up.

If the piece leaves you wondering about something, could it be added?

Are there any redundancies?

Is the piece wordy?
Did you explain everything well?

Are there photos to accompany the material?

Can some of the material be lifted from the main text and put into a sidebar?

Is the piece lively, entertaining and colorful?

Can the ending be chopped, if for a newspaper?

Fiction short list:

Does the beginning draw you in? Or could the story be started at a different point?

Does the main character appear soon enough? Is there enough dialogue in the beginning?

Does the story show and not tell?

Is there a beginning, middle and end? Can you form a circle from beginning to end?

Do the scenes flow and advance the plot?

Does each character have an arc?

Does your main character have a goal?

Does your story have conflict?
Is your story too predictable?
Did you explain everything well?

Does the main character grow and change by the end?

Would a different point of view, such as first person as opposed to third person, make the story more interesting?

Are there any shifts in point of view?

Does the dialogue sound natural?

Are there any description "dumps" where pieces of the information could be spread out, ever so briefly?

Does the story come to a satisfying conclusion?

Put on your Editor's Hat:

Best (but difficult) policy: When you finish, let your ms sit for a week. Work on something else. Come back to it and you will find changes. But they must be important changes, because you need to finish at some point and start sending your ms out. In recent years, when I've done everything I can, I've been sending my ms's to professional editors. The cost, often reasonable, is well worth it. 

On a personal note: My experience in different types of critique groups has been terrific except for the BLAST OUT group. In addition to my current critique partners, who are only a few but are experienced writers in my genre, I have readers, some with children, some without; but they all love to read. Their comments, coming from a reader's point of view, are always helpful and give me many great ideas.

Please leave a comment: Please let us know what your experience has been with your critique group(s).  Do you belong to a large group or have a few trusted readers?

Heart in snow photo courtesy of www.rgbstock.com.

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, has published over 100 articles for adults and children, and six short stories for children. Recently, she completed Joyce Sweeney's online fiction courses, picture book course and mystery and suspense course. She is currently working on several projects for children. Follow Linda on Facebook.

Enjoy the Holidays - Take a Break from Writing

It's the end of the year. It's a time of reflection and looking ahead. 

 Rosa Dik 009 -- on & off / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

You may be tempted to squeeze in a few minutes to review your writing goals and make new ones for 2016.

Don't.

Allow yourself time to take a break. Whatever your holiday traditions are, do yourself a favor and enjoy! A week or two isn't going to set you back.

The benefits of taking a break are worth it in the long run. Better perspective and increased motivation to achieve goals are improved after a vacation.

Additionally, people who take vacations have less stress and a reduced risk of heart disease.

While you are soaking in the sights and sounds of the holidays, your mind is naturally tucking away ideas for writing projects. Writers have a knack of noticing the subtleties around them, giving inspiration to their writing.

(It's okay to jot some of those ideas down so you don't forget them)

Objectives, goals, and schedules are important for success. Rest now and then you'll be fresh for starting a new year full of writing opportunities and successes.

Happy New Year!

***

After raising and homeschooling her 8 children and teaching art classes for 10 years, Kathy has found time to pursue freelance writing. She enjoys writing magazine articles and more recently had her story, "One of a Kind", published in The Kids' Ark. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at 

When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com

Tis the Season!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SEASON GREETINGS!

Below is a little video I created for you from all of us at Writers on the Move.




I hope you enjoy it - don't forget to click the PLAY button!

Writing Tips from Author D. A. Squires

Today's Post is for Day 4 of a 5-day virtual tour for The Time Seekers, by D. A. Squires.

In today's tips, Squires offers some tips to other writers.

What I Learned From Writing The Time Seekers

A funny thing happened on the way to writing a children’s chapter book.

First, it grew into a very long story.

The correct classification for a story over 500 pages (64 chapters with Prologue and Epilogue) is—a novel.

And second, the discovery that grown-ups (friends and relatives) who read the manuscript REALLY enjoyed the story.

A thought began to materialize – maybe this was a story for children and grown-ups.

Although the industry requires books be categorized (shoehorned is more accurate) into narrowly defined niche genres, reader age brackets, etc., I think a ‘giant leap over age bracket hurdles’ may prove possible with The Time Seekers.

So, keep in mind—although you may want to write for children, a good story, a good yarn, is enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Who does not want to turn the pages to once again hear Wilbur talking to Charlotte, or Stuart to Margalo, or Christopher Robin to Pooh?

In fact, the older you are, the more I think you want to return to these stories.

It is interesting to ponder why this is.

Some Other Tips

Write for yourself, an audience of one.

Let the characters lead you. They will. Just listen to their voices.

Write every day, even if only for a short time. It is very, very tempting to work backwards each time you sit down. Resist. Move forward and keep going, creative writing is like the arrow of time—you must move forward. You will have plenty of time to go back into the body to do the forensics (and something about this process really does remind me of an autopsy) which leads me to . . .

A Cautionary Warning

The fun part IS the creative writing. The not fun part, or as I like to think of it, the marching through hell for a heavenly cause part, is the editing.

So, ENJOY the pure exhilaration of writing without yokes or restraints or red ink.

Editors are waiting for you when the fun amusement park ride ends.

You will know them.

They have ghostly white skin (they never go outdoors except to meet the author at the end of the ride) and thick glasses (most suffer from a condition known as editor’s eye—gruesome), and they will be holding leg irons and handcuffs along with a very large book that says something about the manual of style (a large cleaver and various smaller scalpels are pictured on the front cover).

The rest is left to your imagination.

Final Note

I had the good fortune of having the artwork completed by an amazing artist, Kelly Arnold (who was also my graphic and website designer), well before the editing was finished.

This was purely good luck and not intentional, as I actually (naiveté thy name is new author) thought the editing would be something like a walk in the park and the book would be done, spit spot, to coincide with the completion of the art (however, when my ride ended, I knew at once this was a very silly notion).

The delay in the world of words was highly beneficial because it gave time for the world of art to speak: I sat looking at a very alive-looking moose, two tigers who obviously did not like wearing their porcelain coats on All Hallows’ Eve, a detailed Time Seekers map, many other illustrations and the book cover---and that is when the magic happened.

The art inspired me to add some of the best vignettes – these scenes are, without a doubt, the cherries on top.

If you have illustrations in your story, I would highly recommend the art be finished before the ink of the story is dry.

And then study the art – a lot.

## To follow this complete 5-day tour, just go to www.writingforchildrencenter.com.

Holiday Cards - Who Do You Send Them To?

Yep, we're at that time of year and our friends over at Grammarly.com has another infograph for us.

Grammarly also included some interesting facts about Holiday Cards:

• Americans send 1.6 billion holiday cards annually
• Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards
• E-cards have become an environmentally friendly alternative to paper cards
• Christmas cards originated in London, where Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first in 1843.
• Two batches totaling 2,050 cards were printed and sold that year for a shilling each.
• Despite the separation of church and state, it’s customary for the President and First Lady to send White House Christmas cards each holiday season.
• Calvin Coolidge issued the first official Christmas message to the American people in 1927.

For the sources to the facts, please visit:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DLpT9-lvOhoqk7s0wMXK3reF1K7FlsG5dJU2fkc_ui4/edit#

Thanks for sharing, Grammarly!

MORE ON WRITING AND MARKETING

The Magic of Word-Count Graphs
Writing Critique Groups Dos and Don’ts
How Reading Can Make You a Better Writer

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Running Out of Steam

Have you ever felt as if you were running out of steam on a writing project?

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a writing friend. It went something like this, 

"A while ago I started this blog post series because I really thought it was a great idea. I had much to say and and it seemed easy enough to say it. But now that I've completed a good number of posts, I seem to be running out of steam. I still believe in the idea, but I have lost my sense of excitement. I wonder if I should bring it to a halt or how I should handle this problem." 
She went on to ask, 

"1. Have you ever started a series of posts and then lost the "flavor of it"...?
2. What did you do? Did you abandon them, cut them short or did you persevere for the sake of practice and experience?"

I had a good chuckle. At that point I was busy with a series on my own blog that had grown stale (for me), and I was having to work to regain my enthusiasm! The interesting thing was, when I pushed myself to WRITE, and get the words down, what came out was okay. I'd read it again the next day and realize although I knew I'd battled, my readers wouldn't. 

Those who have done NaNoWriMo will recognize what I'm saying. The first week is exciting, your story flows, and your characters come alive. The second week is a bit tougher. But then comes the dreaded third week where you wonder what on earth possessed you to get involved in such a project. The leaders start saying, 'Don't give up! You can do this." We are urged to keep our eyes on the finishing line and keep writing.

So what's the answer?

Here is part of my reply to my friend. Think of it this way. If you were working in an office, would you stop work when you lost interest in your task? If your boss gave you a letter to type and you didn't feel in the mood, would you say, "Nah. Maybe tomorrow!" or would you plonk yourself down in your seat and type, whether you felt like it or not? 

If you were a nurse, would you ignore the patients you didn't feel like working with? If you were a teacher, would you look at your room full of ADD kids and decide to take the day off and maybe come back tomorrow? You may feel that way. But would you?

Writing is work - and we write because we are writers, not because we always feel like it. I think this is probably when you grow the most as a writer—when you have to discipline yourself to write even when you don't feel like it. 

Right now I have a deadline looming, two books to review, two blog posts due in the next few days, and a book I'm busy writing—and guess what? None of them appeal to me. I'd like to curl up on my bed with a good book (that I don't need to review.) But I'm a writer, and writers write. 

Can you imagine the frustration of reading a book, and then half way through the story peters out? Instead you read a note from the author: "I got fed up with this story so I've decided to write something else." If you're writing a series, that's what you're threatening to do to your readers. My guess is they'll never follow another series you write if you do that. So go sit down, take a deep breath, and write!

Having said all that, we're not meant to torture ourselves (or our readers) with badly written prose. So here are some techniques that can help.

1. Have more than one project on the go so that if you really dry up on one topic, you can skip it for the day, and work on another one.

2. Work in advance. Don't aim to meet your deadline. Beat your deadline. The deadline I mentioned to my friend is actually the end of January, but my own goal is to submit it before Christmas so I can relax and wait for the edits in the new year.

3. Take a day off writing and catch up on marketing or on promotional work. Take a look at your website. If it's anything like mine, there is always work to be done there. Then make sure you get back to the problem work the next day.

4. Take a look at 420 Fables.com. There is a paid version, but I've found the free one works just fine for me. You set yourself a time limit, although I've found the default time works well. I think of my topic, possibly the one that I'm battling with, and hit start. For 4 minutes and 20 seconds I type. I try not to stop and think. I don't check spelling or research facts. I just type. I have been amazed at some of the "fables" I've come up with. It helps to clear the cobwebs and gets me writing without listening to my internal editor. 

5. If all else fails, go and buy an ice-cream and walk along the beach. Get away from your computer for an hour or two, and when you come back discipline yourself to tackle your problem child and you may be surprised the new thoughts that come into your fresh brain. Okay, that's something the nurse, secretary and teacher can't do. But hey! That's one of the perks of being a writer. 

6.  If you find you are becoming truly overwhelmed with all your projects, maybe the time has come to "step away from the task" and see if there's something that needs to go. And no, I definitely don't mean stop half way through a series, or drop a contract, or fail to submit an assignment. But sometimes we need to look at our priorities. Are we trying to do too much?

I have been feeling that way myself for quite a while, and so I've come to a couple of decisions. I'm juggling too many balls in the air, and as is always the case, something begins to suffer. In my case, it's my writing. I've got so many projects going, I don't have time to write . . . actually write. I feel as if I'm running out of steam. 

I do blog posts, marketing, social media, emails, etc . . . I work for hours every day, but I have a book in progress that I don't get to. Of course this hasn't been helped by a year spiced with knee surgery, two websites being hacked and having to be rebuilt from scratch, my husband's broken shoulder and me scalding both hands. (See selfie I put up on Facebook at the time) . . . I could go on.

However, for the past few months I've been looking for ways to wind down, and unfortunately this blog is going to be one thing that needs to go. 

I've completed the series on blogging which we've been doing for some months, and this is my last post for the year. So this seems like the right time to step back. I've been writing for Writers on the Move for four years, and it's been fun. I've learned a lot and enjoyed being a part of this talented group of authors. But time has come for me to step down and hopefully give my space up to another writer.

I will definitely visit from time to time and try to keep up with the posts. Keep up the good work girls! I'll miss you. 

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer, has brought encouragement and inspiration to a multitude of friends and contacts across the world.

Visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com where she encourages writers, or at RiseAndSoar.com where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or Facebook.

Sign up to receive a short devotional message from Shirley in your inbox once a week.