The Fine Art of Focus

I've had a lot on my plate lately, not just on the writing front, but in all areas of life. When that happens, one thing becomes very important for me: focus.

I don't know about you, but focus sounds like a super simple concept ... until it's vital for me to stay on top of all my deadlines and projects and life happenings. That's when I realize just how bad at it I can be. So now I refer to it as a fine art--one that has to be rehearsed and practiced and tinkered with to find the balance of what works.

Here's what has been working for me.

Habits

I used to have much more time to spare to spend on writing, and now that simply isn't the case. Writing has become my "spare time" job, but I do still try to treat it as a job instead of a hobby. That helps me remember that it deserves some prioritizing, even if that means giving up a work shift every now and then.

For me, prioritizing looks like two things: create deadlines and plan accordingly. It's truly that simple (and that difficult). If you're publishing a book traditionally, the deadlines are handed to you and pretty strict. If you're indie like me, you create your own. This means I have to 1) be realistic about what's feasible but also 2) try really hard to not push deadlines back just because I can. Planning accordingly for me means 3) looking at how much time I have until my deadline and 4) calculating what open spaces I have between now and then to work on my project. Serious progress is a result of serious dedication.

The importance of sleep is a bit of a no-brainer, but more overlooked is the importance of rest. While sometimes we need to be dedicating more time to our projects, sometimes we need to be taking intentional breaks. Keyword: intentional. Set it aside on purpose. This can be for a few hours during a busy day ... or for a few days, weeks, or even months. Respect your deadlines, of course, but never underestimate the rejuvenating power of a break. Pushing through is necessary, but stepping back to focus on something else can do wonders. It takes experimenting to find the balance between roadblocks and burnout.

Resources

The Most Dangerous Writing App - I've mentioned this before and I will mention it again. I didn't think I wrote well under pressure until I gave this a try several years back. Now I can't get through a first draft without this to force me to write words. Otherwise I'm inclined to open up yet another Google tab for a research bunny trail, or you know ... just stare at the blinking cursor as I overanalyze that previous sentence. 

Instrumental Playlists - Duh, I know. Whether you like white noise, people noise, music, or silence, ambiance makes a big difference. While silence can be great for me a lot of the time, some epic soundtracks can be the key to making me type faster. Yes, really. I think it's the crescendos and emotions and memories associated with a lot of soundtracks that fuel my engagement (focus!) and energy when writing. It's not foolproof, but it's definitely worth a try. If you're on Spotify, "epic // instrumentals" and "best of desplat" are my go-to playlists. For top albums, I recommend Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (only half instrumental), The Imitation Game, The Village, and The Unveiling (by John Washington).

~~~~~

Can you tell I'm in the middle of drafting my June release and editing my September release? Just a tad overwhelmed over here, but focus is within reach! What are you focusing on right now?

Bookish Summer Bucket List

We're one day into summer, and I love making a bucket list, goals, or reading lists to get me through my least favorite season! The problem is, I forget about goals and am too much of a mood reader to get through TBR lists. So I'm trying a bit of a combo and making a bookish bucket list.

Most of these things are things I've been wanting to do for a while. Might as well write them down and see if I can get them done between now and Sept 23 (the first day of fall).

• Make a book trailer // working on that this week!
• Reread a book // sooo many choices
• Request a book from the library // I just figured out how to do this, and I'm thrilled!
• Work on ML edits out of the house // because edits need to happen anyway
• Do a book photo shoot // summer + MH = ❤
• Write by dictation // out of curiosity
• Plot in a coffee shop // in lieu of Camp NaNo
• Meet up with a writer friend // literally one of my favorite things ever
• Donate a book to a birdhouse // you know, those public swap things? my town finally has one!
• Listen to an audiobook while driving // haven't really tried this and really want to
• Bonus: Read on the beach // September *cough*
• Bonus: Share a cover reveal // Martin Legacy coming up!

And there we are! Ten (plus two!) bookish things for my summer. Can't wait to see what I manage to get done. But first ... I have four manuscripts to finish editing. Have a terrific summer!

~~~~~

What book do you want to read this summer? Any summery recommendations?

I've got some extras for you today!

• Bree Dawn's new website // it's beautiful and I can't wait to see what she does as a writer!
• Adorable summery short story // sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar for the freebie!

Strengths and Weaknesses in Characters

As the majority of the creative work has been done for Martin Legacy, my brain keeps generating new ideas for me to work on. Not that I have time for that! But it's got me thinking about character development again.

While I'm not on Pinterest that much anymore, sometimes I come across gold. Like this pin that I'm springboarding off of today. Whether you're into profiling characters or filling out charts for them or not, it's good to know what a little about them in order to have your characters be unique.

The best things to know are your characters' strengths and weaknesses. Some people prefer to look at internal and external motivations, but these go hand in hand. Actually ... a strength and a weakness have the same root character trait.

Someone's greatest strength tends to lend a hand to their greatest flaw as well. While I'm not sure real people are always that clean-cut, it makes a nice process for creating a character.

Say you have a character who has the strength of handling money well. On the flipside, that probably makes them stingy or controlling when it comes to purchases.

Maybe you have someone who seems to brag a lot, but they have good self-confidence and powers of execution. (Again, you can find more examples in this pin.)

Your characters can have more than one of these, especially if they're a main character. And it should be obvious that this is for every character. Not just good ones or bad one or side ones. Because every real person has strengths and weaknesses, too. And I'm actually really curious to try and figure out what my own are now!

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How do you like to create characters? Have you ever heard of this approach? (Can you tell they're my favorite part of pre-writing? :P)

Want to read my latest flash fiction? Check out mine and many more over at Rosalie Valentine's Flash Fic Dash.

5 Writing Lessons from Charlie Brown

This post was so spontaneous and fun to write. I may have to turn "writing lessons from *insert movie*" into a blogging series this month!

I'm not a die-hard, well-versed Charlie Brown fan. But I don't think you have to be to see that Charles Schultz really knew what he was doing. Or if he didn't ... there's still a reason that his comic strip ran for fifty years. Here are a few things that stood out to me as I paused my walk through the living room to watch a scene of The Peanuts Movie this week.

Character Catchphrases

We all know that Charlie Brown says "good grief." It's part of what makes him iconic. Do you even remember Marcie? She's the girl who calls Peppermint Patty "sir." That probably rings a bell.

As an editor, I often find a pet phrase or styling habit that authors tend to overuse. However ... if a one character is consistently saying something ... it stands out as unique to them. I think little traits like this make a character more memorable.

Pick a Token Object

Not every character should have a catchphrase. That could get annoying very fast. But maybe Linus always has a blue blanket with him. Or Pig-Pen is always in a cloud of dirt. Whether it's something that the character chooses to always have with him (a blanket) or something that stands out to others (the dirt cloud), characters come to life in the details! 

POV Goes a Long Way

Most people can quote any given adult from Charlie Brown. Why? Because they don't speak! At least, not intelligibly. Their waw-wahs are a nice dash of humor. The real power in this decision, though, is that this is an excellent use of point of view! The main characters are a bunch of kids. To them, what do adults sound like? Utter nonsense. So it's more than just funny--it's making a fair point that people can relate to. While the ins and outs of POV can be a pain, it's one of the most vital and engaging parts of a story.

Have Different Personalities

Lucy is bossy, demanding, prone to shouting, and a bit of a know-it-all crab. Charlie Brown tends to get down about life ("good grief"). Schroeder just wants to be left with his piano, and Sally is the epitome of everyone's overly-enthusiastic little sister.

Having such a variety of personalities makes for a much more entertaining ride. Some of you may be really good at this and write character-driven novels. For those of you who are more plot-driven, making sure your characters aren't cookie-cutter is a good way to add some color. I mean, really. Scenarios with Lucy and Charlie Brown must have practically written themselves.

Nicknames Are Helpful

When we see the dude with the hair squiggle, golden shirt, and black-and-white dog, we say Charlie Brown. Yet even a simple name like Charlie easily gets construed. Peppermint Patty (which is actually itself a nickname for Patricia) calls him Chuck. Marcie calls him Charles. And most everyone else uses his first and last name when that's not true of most the other characters.

Chances are, your main character's been nicknamed at least once by some other character. Nicknames people choose often say more about them than who they're nicknaming. Marcie's use of "sir" and "Charles" show her formality without ever having to tell: "...by the way, Marcie's really formal." Having one character nickname another is a great way to show personality.

~~~~~

Were any of these a new thought for you? For those of you familiar with the Peanuts cast, anything you would add to this list?

Creating Content that Sparks!

So excited to have a guest post from my friend Livy Lynn today! She's a sweet young woman doing amazing things (and I just might get to meet her this year?!). Check out these wise words, a giveaway, and her launch of a new blogging course! Without further ado ...

Words are powerful little tools. With them, wars are waged, minds are changed, and cultures are formed. Every word has the potential to flicker like a flame and set the world ablaze.

As a blogger and novelist, my life pretty much revolves around words. Each time I sit down to write a post, I ask myself, “How can I create content that sparks? How can I write a piece that will touch hearts, change lives, inspire my readers to action, etc?”

Today, we’re going to be answering this question.

Creating blog posts that readers truly value is something every blogger strives for! We want our readers to be delighted, connect with us on a personal level, and keep coming back for more!

The first thing to discuss while exploring this topic is to realize that each post serves a different purpose. Sometimes we wish to encourage and inspire our readers them, other times we want them to laugh, or check out a book we can’t stop fangirling over!  

When we sit down to write, it’s important to know the purpose for our post, and what we desire the end result to be in our readers' minds and heart.

Let’s talk about three different kinds of digital content. Now, there are certainly more than three types of blog posts, but I’ve found that most every post can be categorized by these three umbrella categories.

1. Connection Content
2. Viral Content 
3. Monetized Content 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these and find out how you can create that sparks!

1. Connection Content

Connection content is a post focused on connecting with the heart of your readers. Being yourself, opening up, sharing a struggle, or something God is teaching you through your own life: those are all Hallmarks of connection content. Your readers want to know you: the real you.

Anytime you open up and are truly yourself, truly vulnerable, readers respond to that.  

On the internet, oftentimes all we see are highlight reels of all the exciting, Instagram-worthy happenings in the lives of others. It’s easy to place internet-personalities on a pedestal and forget that they struggle just as much as we do.

Many bloggers who build up faithful followings over the years, do so by being REAL with their readers.

On the flip side, we’ve all seen online personalities take this to the extreme. Talk about being real, and we all think of that one friend who never stops posting about their bad days, or the YouTuber who is endlessly venting about their woes. That is not what I’m encouraging us to do. If we’re going to be real about what we’re going through, we have to do so with an air of grace and a HUGE dose of hope at the end! Nobody wants to hear another sob story without a happy ending. Remind your readers why you’re sharing your current struggles and the beauty you believe will come out of it.

Connection posts, if done correctly, can truly SPARK and fling open a door to connect on a heart-to-heart level with your readers! One of my favorite way to do connection posts is by sharing what God’s been teaching me in my Quiet Time and through my current season in life.

2. Viral Content

We often think of viral content as something that’s gone viral, spun out of control in popularity and practically broke the internet! And while that’s true in some cases, the reality is, most of us are not going to write posts that do that.

The majority of bloggers don’t write posts that sky-rocket them to blogging fame. The most common path bloggers travel upon, is one that requires slow, faithful, consistency.

So when I refer to viral content, maybe a better phrase would be, “potential viral content”. In other words, posts that have the potential to be passed around, posted, shared, re-tweeted, etc.

Do you remember the last time someone shared your post on Facebook or Twitter? Do you remember what it was about, or why they shared it?

If you’ve never had anyone share your posts before: don’t be discouraged! The majority of your readers are silent admirers, they will never comment on your blog or share posts, but there are some people who will! So if you haven’t seen that happen yet, hang in there. :)

Not everyone is going to feel the urge to share a connection post on their social media, but they might want to share a post that discusses a trending topic, is perhaps a little controversial in a unique niche, or discusses a fun concept, but with a fresh, creative twist!

One example of potential viral content would be my post: If Disney Invaded Your Youth Group because my readers go to youth group, and love Disney, they totally enjoyed this comedic take on what might happen if these two worlds unexpectedly mesh together!

Another example of potentially viral content is an interview with a celebrity, artist, musician, author, or someone who has a larger platform than you. If your readers love for King and Country or the Willis Clan, they’re going to be really excited about your interview, and potentially want to share it!

Potential viral content can also include hot news topics, popular Google searches, or keyword focused pages, but those are just a few examples.

Are you beginning to see how having a mix of heartfelt, connection content, along with fun, pop-culture (or book culture, whatever you’re into), potentially viral content, makes a delicious mix for readers?

3. Monetized Content

Finally, we have monetized content. This is a post style many bloggers avoid, or simply don’t think about. For most writers, blogging begins as a hobby and the idea of earning income from our blogs either isn’t important to us, or it seems impossible. Or maybe you’ve seen longtime bloggers suddenly switch gears and try to turn their blog into a business, and they’ve done it totally ungracefully, and it’s left a really sour, commercialized taste in your mouth.

One of the reasons that happen, is because hobby-bloggers aren’t creating monetized content, then when they suddenly whip out links to their new affiliate program, everyone is totally blindsided by the shift.

If the idea of earning income from your blog makes you uneasy, because you don’t want to sell out or lose the trust of your readers: that’s a good thing! That means you actually CARE about your readers. And the simple fact that you have the heart to always place your readers first, tells me you can earn income from your blog, in a really beautiful, natural, organic way.

So how can you do that?

I would encourage you to consider adding a new style of posts to your line up: monetized content. Monetized content is simply a post which gives you the potential to earn income from it, through affiliate links, sponsored posts, or brand partnerships.

But here’s the really cool part: you can start doing this before you ever sign up for an affiliate program or begin exploring how to earn income from your blog. By sharing your honest opinions on products, books, music, movies, restaurants, etc. (whatever your unique niche is!) your readers will get used to seeing these kinds of posts. In fact, if you add review posts to your blog on a regular basis, your readers won’t just be used to seeing them: they’ll love seeing them! They’ll know you’re the place to come when they want opinions on a book, hair product, etc.

Monetized content can totally spark and delight your readers! If you do this before you start partnering with brands and affiliate programs, your readers won’t be surprised when they learn you’re earning income from these posts. It will also give brands a “portfolio” of how you do reviews, what your style is, and what they can expect when they work with you.

If the idea of monetizing your website excites you, I would encourage you to start adding reviews to your line-up!

Once you’ve got a fun, colorful, tasty mixture of connection content (your readers trust you!), viral content (new readers are finding you!), and monetized content (they value your opinion on products, brands, and services), then you’re ready to slowly begin earning income from all your hard work! How cool is that?

Brainstorm Your Next Blog Posts!

Are you ready to start brainstorming your next blog posts? It’s not nearly as daunting as you may think! Simply grab a notebook and a pen, and divide your paper into three columns, one for each category, Connection, Viral, and Monetized. OR, take the easy route and use this free printable that I made just for you guys! :)

Write down ten ideas for each category and remember to keep the purpose for each post in mind before you even pick up your pen.

Ready to rock and roll? Woohoo! You’re well on your way to creating 30 new, sparkling blog posts your readers are going to ADORE!

Are you a new or aspiring blogger? Or maybe you’ve been blogging for years and the idea of learning how to earn income on your website sounds really appealing. But where do you even begin? I’m SO excited to share my 20 Day video series for bloggers! It’s called Fire Starter: Launching a Blog that Blazes! This interactive course teaches bloggers (both old and new) how to create their dream blog or website, monetize their site, AND give them all the tools, encouragement, and support needed to be truly successful on their journey! The Fire Starter course is listed at $150.00 but I would love to share my special code with you to get $100 off! You can check that out HERE.

To celebrate the release of Fire Starter, I’m giving away a free Skype Session to talk about blogging goals, writing advice, and how to take your blog to the next level! (Or, if you’re too shy to video chat, we can totally do it over email.) My sweet friend Bella and I love coaching bloggers and authors through our Cheerleader Sessions! This is our first time giving away a free session and we’re SO excited!

Entering for a chance to win is super simple! Just hop on over to my blog and sign up for my free email updates (and I’ll throw in a free e-book, just to say thanks!) and you’re all set!

Keep writing, friends!

Lots of love,

~Livy Lynn

Livy Lynn is a twenty-something author, singer, and songwriter. She enjoys crafting YA fiction that is pure, lovely, inspirational, and of course, entertaining! When she’s not writing, you can usually find her playing guitar, blogging, drinking peppermint tea, connecting with new friends, planning her next trip to Disney, or pinning images of Europe and Golden Retriever Puppies!

Come get connected at www.livylynnblog.com

Personality Typing Characters

I love personality typing main characters (and feel like maybe this is unique to me). I can't think of a more fun thing to do to really get in the head of a character! This is also something great if you tend to create cookie-cutter characters.

Using Anne Bogel's book Reading People as my model (which you should read if you are even remotely curious about personality), I'm going to show you how to use four personality breakdowns for your characters! Please realize that this is really just me paraphrasing her (and she's paraphrasing others).

~ Love Languages ~

This one is super simple for any character! Whether you're writing romance or not, knowing how your character feels appreciated and shows their appreciation to others is good info. Besides, different love languages is a great way to cause conflict. People don't feel and show love in the same way!

The five love languages are 

1. words of affirmation (verbal praise and encouragement)
2. quality time (singled-out attention)
3. giving and receiving gifts (cards, a note, something just because)
4. acts of service (voluntarily doing things for someone else's benefit)
5. physical touch (touch when speaking, hugs)

These are all pretty self-explanatory. Typically, the one that makes you feel the most loved/appreciated is the one you're also going to use to express your love.

For a character, consider whether their go-to expression is words, time/attention, presents, serving, or touching. Don't forget that children have love languages too! It's important to tune in to other's love language and give them what they need, not just what you feel like giving ... if you want harmony. In a book, this is a great way to cause some misunderstandings and miscommunications. ;)

~ Keirsey's Temperaments ~

Breathe easy--there are only four of these, and it comes down to what you say and do. It's the simplest way to group personalities if you're into basic. These also revolutionized the way I approach Myers-Briggs! 

Artisans say what is and do what works. They make "playful mates, creative parents, and troubleshooting leaders." They're one of the most creative types who have to have excitement in their lives. (ESTP, ISTP, ESFP, ISFP)

Guardians say what is and do what's right. They make "loyal mates, responsible parents, and steadying leaders." They're the most common type with good work ethic and logic. (ESTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, ESFJ)

Idealists say what could be and do what's right. They make "intense mates, nurturing parents, and inspirational leaders." They're highly empathetic, like to find meaning in things, and think everyone is special. (ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP)

Rationals say what could be and do what works. They make "reasonable mates, individualizing parents, and strategic leaders. They're the rarest type and taken to be distant and calculating, but don't care about political correctness. (ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, INTP)

~ Myers-Briggs ~

Trust me, find your character's Keirsey temperament first. Then you'll only have to choose from four Myers-Briggs types instead of all sixteen!

The Myers-Briggs alphabet soup breaks down like this:

Extrovert OR Introvert

Sensing OR iNtuitive

Feeling OR Thinking

Perceiving OR Judging

Use this Pinterest picture to determine what those terms really mean. Once you have an alphabet soup combination, put the MBTI type into Pinterest to have endless "what this type does when ..." These are both fun and helpful!

If you want to type yourself, I suggest using the Myers-Briggs cognitive functions after this step to make sure you're 100% spot on! You could also take this full test. It pegged me correctly even when I thought otherwise. ;)

~ Enneagram ~

This is a newer-to-me personality type. It doesn't correspond to any of the others, but it's an easier way to break down personality types for some people, as there are only nine of them. Everyone has a primary type (say it's the number 3) and then a secondary or "wing" type. Statistically, the wing type is almost always a number next to your primary (in this case either 2 or 4).

Here's the breakdown of the Enneagram types according to Anne Bogel:

1. Reformer (need to be perfect)
2. Helper (need to be needed)
3. Achiever (need to succeed)
4. Individualist (need to be special)
5. Investigator (need to perceive)
6. Loyalist (need for security)
7. Enthusiast (need to avoid pain)
8. Challenger (need to be against)
9. Peacemaker (need to avoid)

Despite the different names people give them, the concept is always the same! Knowing even just a character's primary type could help you map out their motivations. 

There are also pros and cons of each that can be explored more in-depth, as every type is linked to another number when stressed and yet another when growing. I've taken this quick test and recommend this website for more information.

What's your personality type?? Have you ever typed a character? Remember that these are potential tools to create variety, not to put characters or real people into stuffy little boxes. <3 div="">

((Just for fun, my love language is quality time, and I'm a Guardian which confirmed I'm an ISTJ. I've been told my enneagram is a 5 wing 6, but I also have a lot of 1.))

What to Look Forward to in 2019

'Tis the season for all the holiday madness and new year's resolutions. Among all of that, I'm been prayerfully considering what all of this--our community--should look like next year. Just like last year, that means there are a few changes headed our way!

Editing

For the rest of 2018, I charge $2/1,000 words for new editing customers and $1.50/1,000 words for returning editing customers. I'm completely reworking what I offer and how much I charge. SO ... Been thinking about using me in 2019? Get on the calendar this month and you won't have to pay the new prices! Yep. Book in 2018, pay 2018's rate.

I'm already surprisingly full for 2019, so no worries if you aren't sure when you'll want me, etc. Shoot me an email if you plan to use me next year and I'll pencil you in. And when I say surprisingly full, I mean for manuscript edits. Especially if you're new to using me, I recommend trying my cheaper, briefer services!

You can find all of my 2019 editing services and pricing HERE.

While I quit beta reading a while ago to make more time for my editing business, I'm afraid that in 2019 I'll no longer be reading ARCs or participating in blog tours either. As fun as both things can be, I simply can't afford the time constraints and responsibilities. It's so nice to help out other bloggers, but I think I'd like to get away from featuring blog tours on my blog, and I would feel awful if I didn't follow through. So better I just say no in advance. Blessings on all of you who these things work! You're awesome.

Still on the editing note, I've joined Reveries Co. This means that you can get a whole host of services for indie authors by going through them, some of which I offer. So no guarantee you'll get me, but I'm excited for all the awesome things offered here by some wonderful ladies.

Writing

In the writing world, my main goal for 2019 is to publish Martin Crossroads. I am still on track to finish the first draft this year! So many of you keep telling me you'll happily beta for me when the time comes. I wish I could keep track of that, but ... I can't :P

So! I think it's time I go all-out and make a street team! I've already begun a street-team-ish Facebook group HERE. I know not everyone has FB, but it's the best I can do for now. And you should know, if you join my street team, you will be known as a Resonator. *wiggles eyebrows* I plan to have a Resonators-only monthly newsletter up ASAP!

This means that I will be scaling back my regular newsletter to quarterly instead of bi-monthly and possibly add another incentive. The last one of these for this year will go out at the end of the month, so remember that you can sign up for it in the sidebar!

Instead of trying to publish anything else or start new projects, as I have no idea how the MC timeline will go, I'll be focusing on two other things:

• flash fiction submissions (getting published elsewhere looks nice and these are fun!!)
• querying Behind the Act (I still love this manuscript and want to find an agent for traditional publication)

And as for blogging itself ... I intend to keep that up once a week. ;)

That seems like a lot, but I think it will all be for the better! Any suggestions or tips? How are you changing things in the new year?

Why Blogs Will Never Die + Author Website

I keep hearing things that say blogs are on their way out. I've not done any research on why people are saying this or if they're actually dying out, but I think it's impossible for them to die off completely for a couple reasons.

First, I don't intend to stop blogging for a long time. Therefore, at least one blog will remain on the internet. I can't imagine not blogging anymore if I'm honest. Which is crazy because I used to be SO turned off by the very idea of a blog. But here we are. God thinks He's funny or something.

Second, blogs are community-based! And while "professionals" keep saying blogs are phasing out, the desire for community is only getting stronger. It's almost reached the level of being a buzzword in today's culture, so why would something that helps unite people of common interests die?

Third, I really think blogs are unique. While exceptions of course exist, they're not life journals or formal articles. They're a beautiful blend where personality meets help. Again--a community! Blogs are great if only to know you're not alone.

Fourth, they're newsletters on steroids. Despite what professionals have been saying for a very long time, mailed-to-people's-homes newsletters (real print ones!) are still effective according to mutliple business professionals I've heard from lately. They can be more effective than electronic ones even ... And what are blogs but an electronic newsletter on steroids?

Fifth, I want to trust agents and publishers. If blogs were really on their way out, would all of us younglings be turned away for a platform that's too small? There are other platforms--I get that. But blogs die without community. I can have 500 followers without any interaction elsewhere. So I think numbers mean more here--and I think the big guys know that.

So I'm not sure why people think blogs are dying. I guess it's because blogs are easily abandoned, the internet evolves, kids these days don't read as much.

That doesn't mean blogs have to die! That just means presentation might have to be tweaked in order to meet muster. But, really, flexibility is what marketing and being successful is all about, then I know nothing.

*shrug* That's just me. I guess I'll believe it when I'm the only blog left standing.

Now, for the big news.

I HAVE AN AUTHOR WEBSITE!

Yes, I'll give you the link and all that good stuff, but I want to explain. I'm not going to stop blogging. I just wanted a more professional space to ... be professional! That way I can have my services, salesy links, and snazzier design over there without having to touch much here.

So expect minor changes to the pages at the top, but that's about it. The editing page will go away and perhaps some other things. If you're super attached to something, let me know! All of this is in an effort to make things better for all of you.

Now, for the link. You can visit my author website at abigayleclaire.com. Not too complicated, right?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Do you think blogs are on their way out? Why or why not?

ALL THE THOUGHTS on the author website!!

The Apps Currently Saving My Life

That sounds like an oxymoron: apps saving my life? Well, it all works out because these apps keep me off other apps! Consolidation and time limits are a brilliant thing, my friends.

Never fear if you don't remember to post on social media every day and yet you never forget to spend time scrolling. You are not alone.

I'm not very self-disciplined. Right now I've committed to no sugar for 6 weeks (between my birthday my NYC birthday trip). To be honest, I've been trying to do this since Easter. And I don't know if I'm going to survive. The cravings are out of this world.

So ... all that to say, too bad there's not an app to keep me from eating sugar! Or I'd probably be doing better right now.

If you want to save time, read on.

For the purpose of scheduling posts in advance on social media, I'm sure most of you have heard of Hootsuite. Forget Hootsuite. You can't do much before paying for it.

Enter Buffer. My friends ... this has been a huge blessing. You can link up to 3 accounts at a time and schedule posts in advance. I use it for my FB page, Twitter, and IG feed. It's pretty great! And I've only accidentally posted on the wrong day while using it once. ;P

So if you're like and struggle with consistency on social media, this is a great tool to churn out some ideas and then not have to worry for a while! Of course, lack of interaction isn't great either ... but at least you can turn on notifications if you want to be able to keep up with comments and such in "prime time."

This can be used for endless things! Hiatuses without actually "leaving," vacations, periods with no wi-fi ... Planning ahead can be a beautiful thing.

For the purpose of limiting time spent on social media, I thought I was hopeless. Until my friend told me about AppDetox. *cue angelic choir*

It's amazing!!! You create "rules" for any apps on your phone. I've set time limits of 10 minutes a day for all my social media apps, but you can choose number of launches, times of day, etc. And you can choose any app on your phone!

I haven't even told you the best part: it kicks you off when you've hit your quota. Like closes the app and doesn't let you back in. (If this terrifies you, know you can pause the rule at any time.) The app also tracks rule breaks, usage time ... all sorts of things.

In a word, lifesaving.

The great news is, these two apps work really well together! It's easy to eat up my 10 minutes a day on a given social media account if I'm posting a lot. That motivates me to use Buffer to schedule posts in advance. That way, when I'm on, I'm using my time well--responding to interaction, checking up on people I actually care about, and only having a few minutes to scroll.

Buffer is available on Google Play and in the Apple Store, or jsut as a website. AppDetox is only for Android, but there are supposed to be Apple-compatible equivalents! So do your research, and let me know what you choose.

It may sound simple (and it is!), but it's also radical.

Have you used any apps like this before? Is time on social media for fun versus marketing/business a struggle for you too? Let me know what you've found that works!

The Perks of Google Docs

My last post was on why hire an editor. When I edit, I've found that my favorite program to use is Google Docs. The good news is that while it's my editing tool extraordinaire, there are ways it can be beneficial for the writer as well!

In order to use Google Docs, all you have to have is a Google account since it's a Google app. For me, that came with signing up for a Gmail account since it's also under Google.

I don't even remember how I first stumbled upon Google Docs ... maybe through a friend using it. But it is the most helpful thing ever. It's basically just Google's version of Word, but it has several features that set it apart in my mind.

In days gone by I'd write all my ideas and then the draft of the manuscript itself in Word (not that I was finishing drafts in those days). So I have dozens of fragmented drafts saved to my computer. When I started writing in Google Docs, I wrote chapters in individual docs. I'm not sure why that seemed less extravagant than doing it that way in Word, but I really like having things separate for my early drafts.

Since I share my first draft with at least one friend, I love that I can just click share and input their email. Sending an email is basically the function, but because it's in-house, I know I'm not going to forget or put it off. No attachments they have to download or anything ... just opening up my shared file in Google Docs.

Though I'm only sending my writing to people I trust, accidents happen. I can prevent accidents through Google Docs. When I share a file, I can choose the person's level access: editing, suggesting, or view only. I always give people suggesting access. That way any changes they make display as suggestions instead of actually changing the document. So if they bump a wrong key or a cat walks on the keyboard the integrity of the document is not at stake.

Those comments and suggestions are the best part. Suggestions you just accept or decline and the change is implemented or dismissed. Comments are just that--little comment boxes with messages and input or what have you. If this is sounding similar to Word's track changes feature, it is. But the main difference is Google Docs is interactive, meaning I don't have to wait to share a Word attachment and wait to get it back completely edited. I get emails as people leave comments and I can open the doc and interact with the comments which will then generate them an email. That kind of interaction really keeps the process moving much faster and smoother as I share my drafts with alpha and beta readers. And it's so much fun to have a dozen people interacting with each other about your book ... it kind of becomes a virtual book club.

You can probably see why this is my preferred method as an editor.

Again, getting answers to my questions and uncertainties in the middle of editing is so much more useful than having to shoot clients email after email to hear back on preferences and such. Google Docs keeps all correspondence in-house and thus saves time. It's pretty useless for me to suggest all these minor changes if they're going to be irrelevant in the end. In Google Docs, I find things like that out sooner rather than later and can fine tune my editing to the client as I go.

I also feel like I get to know people better when I use Google Docs. Again, because the interaction is simpler, I get a lot more of it when people decide to use Google Docs with me. They'll explain themselves, discuss plot holes, clarify things ... all of which help me do my job better.

Using Google Docs also means I'm often given more time on a manuscript because the client can get to work editing on the beginning even as I'm still working on the middle or end. Letting the stages of receiving and applying the edit overlap condenses the timeline overall, but also takes some pressure off me if I need to take a little longer. I waste less time even if I take a day off because the client has access.

So in the end, I vastly prefer Google Docs even though Word's track changes is the only other thing I've tried. It's the next best thing to marking a hard copy with a red pen.

Honestly whether writing or editing, I can only think of a few downsides.

Most people don't write in Google Docs, so to be able to use it they're often copying things over and I think there are some minor things like emdashes and such that don't always copy correctly? To me that's a fairly minor con considering all the pros as I'll catch that kind of thing in an edit.

Also, Google Docs requires internet. This is rarely an issue for me, but it's a little easier to be handicapped for that reason. This also means that when I'm editing a manuscript that's a single file, it can take a minute or so for it to load the entire thing.  (This is one reason I share my manuscript as a file per chapter.) It's worth it, though, because it's more searchable as a single document.

That's literally all the negativity I can think of! Have you tried Google Docs?

Yes, I am aware that this post is two days late. My week exploded (and I had a manuscript to finish in Google Docs), so there ya go. :P What programs and apps do you use for writing and editing? Do you like Google Docs?

My Social Media Experience

Social media. It's pretty much taken over the world. Since getting my blog back in February, I have joined many sites in order to promote my book and enhance its formation. Here's some of what I've learned.

~ In General ~

I think we all know that social media can eat our time if we are not very careful. It sucks you in, and you have cool friends to virtually hang out with, so why wouldn't you stick around for a while? Well, I don't know about you, but I don't have time to kill on an average day. So here are my tips for general time management of whatever social media accounts you have:

1~ Keep a list! I know some of you are pantsers, but when it comes to life, sometimes you've got to make to-do lists. There are going to be things you need to do on your social media accounts. Change your picture, update your status, share an article, find a link, whatever. And that's fine. That's why you have the social media. So make a list of things you need to do. I would suggest dividing this list by the accounts you have, prioritize, and give yourself a liberal estimate on how much time it's going to take. If you have extra time, you can loiter, but only until your allotted time is up.

~2 Other than just making a list, schedule your media time. If you're like me, you'll get on your social media accounts heaven knows when all throughout the day. That can complete eat any "free time" you have, so I suggest planning out when you get on. After lunch for Facebook, after school for Pinterest. That bit doesn't really matter. But limit yourself. 10 minutes should easily suffice, especially if all you're going to do is read your endless feed. It is important to engage the people you've connected to, so don't just skim everything :)

~3 One last point: don't get accounts you don't need. You could probably find a purpose for every form of media out there, but don't get one of each. Just because it's a humongous buffet doesn't mean you actually have to try everything. That will kill you in the end. I currently have . . . ten accounts that I would consider media-like and I have a purpose for each. I don't have Instragram, Bloglovin', or LinkedIn yet because I honestly don't think I need them. And I don't have the time to figure them out right now either ;)

Now for all of my accounts individually. I'll list them in the order I got them, but feel free to jump to the ones that apply to you :)

~ Pinterest ~

My aunt set up an account for my mom at one point. My sister and I thought Pinterest looked fun, so we took over Mom's account because she literally never used it. About 3K pins in, we realized it wasn't going to work to share anymore. We had a gazillion boards and were both sick of seeing each other's interests on our feed. So once I had a blog, I created my own Pinterest and began switching important things over to that profile, sharing boards with my sister, and reaching a better level of organization.

Purpose: Storyboards. These cannot be important enough. All the collages on My Writings page came from my Pinterest boards.

Time: I probably spend about an hour a week on Pinterest. On my good weeks, of course. I could spend an hour a day if I get distracted ;)

Platform: I had around 30 followers on my new account a few weeks ago. I hadn't gained one in months. That's when I still had my storyboards secret. I didn't want people to know what I was writing! I pinned spoilers! But then I realized that my friends with two boards could have 40 followers if they were storyboards. So I made all of my storyboards public and boom! I now have 60 followers and they trickle in on a regular basis. ;)

~ Gmail ~

For a long time I shared an e-mail with my parents and just had my own folder. When it came to my first writing contact, Dad decided I could probably use my own account. (Thanks Jamie!!) This not only generated a Google+ account, it created a very time consuming bog, even if it's not really a social media account.

Purpose: E-mail (duh). Largely, the hub for sending and receiving editing projects.

Time: At least half an hour a day. Pretty bad, huh? I want to cut that down. But I now have a steady stream of stuff to weed through, filter, reply to and the like ;) Definitely one I need to schedule.

Platform: Unlike other media, the goal is to have less here. If you do like I did, you will subscribe to all the author websites, many blogs, and clothing stores to get the free downloads and booklets. I encourage you to do that as long as you trust the sight. Then you'll probably need to unsubscribe because it's gonna be a lot of useless mail all the time!

Tip: Have ultra organized label folder things, so you can clear out your inbox better. My goal is to have under 50 e-mails in my inbox (one page) and none in my other categories (social and promotions).

~ Google+ ~

I never intentionally got this account. I realized I automatically had an account one day because I had created a Gmail (Google) account. I added a picture, bio, all that good stuff and started adding Gmail contact to my circles, but I never actually got on the website again for a while. Until I got Blogger.

Purpose: Sharing blog posts.

Time: 10 minutes a week. You all know I rarely post. I have Blogger connected now, so it automatically posts and you all faithfully +1 like good friends :) I rarely get on to do the same.

Platform: Add everyone in the world to your circles. The only additional circle I have is one I called "bloggers." Connect your blog to it if you can (you can with Blogger) and share other articles/posts you enjoyed to it. People usually add back and then you have a really good reach with little effort.

~ Twitter ~

My first real social media account where you interact with humans on a ginormous level. I'm still trying to get the hang of this one, but it's fun :) It seems to be more business-focused than most media anyway, so that's really nice. Everyone there has a purpose, not just a life. And a character limit, so you can only say so much at once, hehe :)

Purpose: Sharing everything writing-related and building a platform of potential readers.

Time: 10 minutes a day. Thats on average, because I disappear for a few days and then play catch up :P

Platform: Consistency. Post something at least daily if you can. I had this down and was posting, but only at 11 am. When I spread out retweets and posts throughout an entire day (20 in all) I immediately gained 30 followers over the next few days. I don't think that was an accident ;)

Tip: Engage people on topics, participate, show your face. Thank people for retweets. Follow lots of people and never be afraid to unfollow, too. Keep your subject matter limited; for me it's writing/reading/books/editing and the like. :)

~ Goodreads ~

I love Goodreads. This has proved to be one of the best accounts I have, hands down.

Purpose: Tracking what books I read, what they were about, and when I read them. Now people can add my book, so it gets spread around and added before it's even published :)

Time: 10 minutes a day, on average. I didn't have a hard time keeping this low once I got the account underway. I suggest you avoid all but book polls because they seem pointless and will eat your time!

Platform: Find as many friends as you can and follow your favorite authors. I've added a few people I don't really know that well just because they asked, and we have mutual friends. Probably not the best idea unless you're a Goodreads author. In which case, I figure potential reader. Rate everything and leave yourself review prompters. I encourage you to review as much as you can for your own retention and for friends' benefit, but this will take more time.

Tip: Always add a book to your list if it strikes you. You won't remember it if you don't. If you are going to be like me and add some people you only know vicariously, chances are you're still safe on Goodreads. But to be even safer, go to your friends and choose edit. Only leave "top friend" checked (it's automatic) on people you love and trust. This will prioritize them on your feed :)

~ NaNoWriMo ~

The good news that this can only be a real distraction a few months of the year. But boy did I use it a lot for my first Camp! It's so fun to chat with cabinmates and update word counts . . . every few hundred words ;)

Purpose: Quick drafting. The community is a bonus ;)

Time: When it's NaNo season, about 45 minutes a day. It probably won't be that much for regular NaNo but only time will tell :)

Platform: Plug into a cabin with people you know for Camps and buddy with everyone you care about for regular NaNo. It's not too hard to find people.

Tip: It's super easy to find friends and saves you a lot of searching if you'll just look at the buddies of one of your friends. I found Katie Grace and Nadine Brandes and really only had to look at their buddies from there :)

~ Hangouts ~

This is a Google chat for those of you who don't know. You can get an app, or you can view it through your Gmail in a browser. It connects by e-mail, I believe.

Purpose: keeping up with writing friends. This was our post-Camp NaNo rehab because we missed hanging out (thus the name).

Time: 3 hours a week. This really depends and can eat your time if you allow it, because it's conversations with your friends! The one that eats my time is our Camp group of 12 people and our NaNo group of 20+ :)

Platform: Again, less is kinda more here. But it actually has saved me time to chat with critique partners instead of e-mailing them all the time. You get a faster reply and I don't type out my entire day either ;)

~ MyWriteClub ~

I just heard about this and decided to make an account. It's to track your progress on any goals you create and to see progress that friends make. You can update it and comment on each other's. It's used loosely by most people and strikes me as a basic, year-round Camp NaNo. Because it's to keep scattered details of my life sane, it should help with time management overall :)

Purpose: to give myself deadlines and track my work.

Time: 5 minutes a day. Easy. Update your goal, scan your feed, turn it off.

Platform: This isn't a huge deal here because it's more for you than others. So just follow people that you care about! They'll probably follow you back :)

~ Facebook ~

Ah yes. I just conquered this beast last week. I've held out for soo long D: But I needed a professional page for my author stuff before my book is published, so I had to get a personal page, too. So far, I haven't lost too much time on it and have reached a new crowd of friends and family you will find only on Facebook. It's the everyman's media of choice. And you have no character limit ;)

Purpose: Reaching a new crowd for my book and having some place to post more general life stuff.

Time: about 15 minutes a day so far. But I am still in set-up mode, so maybe I can whittle that down to ten?

Platform: Do not be afraid to friend someone! Facebook is not the place to cherry-pick. Similar to Goodreads, I accept friend requests even from mere acquaintances that I could really care less about, or don't know if I can trust not to share gory details of their life. Even if you do cherry-pick, some people will surprise you. So...

Tip: Do friend a lot of people. Unfollow people that you can't stand. You won't see their stuff on your feed, they can still see yours, and you're still 'friends.' ;)

~ Spotify ~

This is like a social Pandora for those of you who don't know. You follow artists, albums, and friends. The wide variety of free music I have found extremely helpful! And the occasional ad doesn't bother me, because YouTube has more ads and little organization.

Purpose: Accessing more favorite artists and creating writing playlists.

Time: Hours and hours a day. But that's just listening to all the beautiful songs. Finding the songs takes like 5 minutes a day.

Platform: Again, the point of this isn't popularity for me since I don't have a music album on here :) But it is fun to follow a few friends so you can see their music tastes.

Tip: Don't feel like you have to follow complete albums. Follow the few songs you like. You'll be able to find the album again pretty easily. Pay attention to whether you are following playlists or albums, too, because playlists is someone else's personal taste on a subject and clog up your list of playlists. Maybe that doesn't bug most people :P

~~~~~

Phew! So there you have it. Hopefully this post was somewhat useful to you and didn't completely overwhelm you . . . or take too much of your time ;)