Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Tuesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: Karen Pashley

Traveling the writers’ road for the first time? Rest assured, you are in good company. Every single author whose books grace your shelves once walked the very path you are on.

If you’re like me, you may have days when you question the journey. You procrastinate, get frustrated, and endure gut-wrenching rejections. Will you continue? Will you have what it takes to shed those moments of hopelessness and press on?

Here are suggestions to help you avoid some of those potholes on the highway and encourage you to make it all the way to your destination.

1. Get Inspired
  • Start your day with something that inspires you before you write a single word. I like to listen to my favorite inspirational speaker while walking on my treadmill. You might listen to your favorite songs, take your dog for a walk, or play the guitar. Paint something. Order one of those fancy cappuccinos with the heart drawn in the foam and enjoy it in the solitude of a corner booth. Whatever works for you.
  • Keep a Victories Journal. Met your word count for the day? Jot it down. Received an encouraging comment on your work? Write it verbatim! Resolved a pesky plot issue? That’s worthy of a note in your journal. Keeping a list of your mini victories can be the shot in the arm you need when the world looks gray and your pages look like gibberish. Make journaling a habit, and you’ll be amazed at how many positives you’ll record
  • Read excerpts from your favorite books. Sometimes, my creativity is as rusty as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. My mind squeaks, “Oil can . . . oil . . . can” as I stare at the computer screen, fingers at the ready, and . . . nothing.

What to do? Eat some M&Ms? Down another cup of coffee? Give up and try again later? I find it helps to pull out a favorite novel and immerse myself in the prose of someone whose writing I adore. I’ll read for a bit, marveling at the author’s vivid picture-painting, her mastery of dialog. I’ll ponder her brave rule-breaking sentences with wide-eyed admiration, amazed that she had the audacity to write something so captivating.

With my creative tank refueled, I’ll thank my trusty books for coaxing me back into my own imaginary world, where words flow without self getting in their way, and where I again find my voice.

2.  Learn How to Network

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Read the full article HERE
~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. How to Create Picture Ebooks for Kids | Jane Friedman http://ow.ly/Jvmex
  2. Fiction University: Revision Prep: Create a Revision Plan http://ow.ly/Jvmz1
  3. 6 Ways You Can Prepare Yourself and Your Manuscript for Success | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/JvmJB
  4. Ten More Most Common Editing Mistakes | Self-Publishing Review http://ow.ly/Jvp4l
  5. What to do when the fire of your first draft has gone out - Women Writers, Women's Books http://ow.ly/Jvpdb
  6. The Novel with Many Narrators is a Multiheaded Beast | Beyond The Margins http://ow.ly/JvpIr
  7. How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book: Gathering Phase and Structuring Phase--Two Stages of Building a Book http://ow.ly/JvpPM
  8. Top Tips on Translations | Advice for Authors Who Self-Publish http://ow.ly/JvpZ9
  9. Can writing be taught? And what do writing teachers teach? | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/Jvq8j
  10. Is It Okay To Start A Sentence With A Conjunction: And, But, Or... http://ow.ly/Jvqh5
  11. How Badly Do You Want Success? | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/Jvqtm
  12. 50 Surprising Tips for Getting Attention in Mass Media - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/JvqFe
  13. How to Build A Social Media Following Like Guy Kawasaki http://ow.ly/Jvr4e
  14. Podcast - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/Jvrxu
  15. How to Create Your Guest Blogging Strategy [with a 5 step template] : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/JvrNN
  16. 12 Mistakes Authors Make in Connecting with Readers - Rachelle Gardner http://ow.ly/JvrVO
  17. Writer Unboxed » 5 Digital Media Resources for Every Writer’s Toolbox http://ow.ly/Jvs2x
  18. The top 9 writing mistakes and how to fix them http://ow.ly/JvsmQ
  19. The Roller Coaster Of Being A Writer. Do You Ever Feel This Way? | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/Jvsus
  20. Why You Need a Business Plan For Your Book (Before You Blog It) http://ow.ly/JvsES
  21. [Video] What’s Up At BookBaby.com? Interview with Steven Spatz — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/JvsPo
  22. How to Get a Truckload of Reviews on Amazon http://ow.ly/Jvt11
  23. Format a Book in Word: Kindle Formatting | Format Book In Word http://ow.ly/Jvtcm
  24. [Electric Speed] SEO What? 3 Wasy to Better Understand Search Engine Optimization http://ow.ly/JvtmT
  25. The eBook Author's Corner: How Do You Develop and Use a List of Your Readers? - HBS Author’s Corner STUDY http://ow.ly/JvtyT
  26. Cool Ways to Promote Your Facebook Event | Social Media Today http://ow.ly/JvtQt
  27. Why One Star Reviews Mean Less Than Nothing | The Robert D. http://ow.ly/JwEYd
Happy writing and running, Kathy

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