The Writer's Place

Are you having fun yet?

2012-01-28T08:00:00.006-05:00

“When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I think it’s a wonderful way to spend one’s life” Erica Jong

Okay, I know there are times when you want to grab that monitor and hit yourself over the head with it. I know you’ve had assignments that you can’t wait until they’re done, clients that you can’t wait to fire, and days when being a dog-catcher seems preferable to sitting there trying to put nouns and verbs, adjectives and adverbs together in a way that will satisfy everyone: you, your editors and your readers. Been there, done that.

But for every frustrating moment you spend, there should be many more that are satisfying, stimulating and just plain fun. Writing is hard work but it should also be a source of pleasure. Otherwise, why are you doing it? For the money? For the prestige? For the ego boost? (Okay, you can stop laughing now…)

If your writing time seems filled with more pain than pleasure, you have two options: find another career or find a way to inject some joy into your writing life.

If you pick Door Number Two, maybe you need to join a writers group where you can get feedback and encouragement. Maybe you need to change up your schedule to integrate some “just for me” writing time. Maybe you need to bring other creative stimuli — music, artwork, whatever! — into your writing space.

Whatever you decide to do, find something that will remind you that the ability to write is a gift and like all gifts, should be a source of anticipation and happiness!

In a writing rut?

2012-01-21T08:00:00.012-05:00

“What you are is what you have been.
What you’ll be is what you do now.” Buddha

In reading through posts on various writers’ blogs and boards, I am struck by how many of us are engaged in the process of redefining who we are and what we offer. The economy has obviously had a lot to do with this, with those of us who pay our bills with our pen (so to speak) struggling to find new income sources to replace those that have vanished.

But some of this creative evaluation is just part of the growth process. We may have started our writing career doing hard-hitting or investigative articles and then over the years developed a taste and talent for softer, more introspective pieces. We may have been poets who shifted to essays, non-fiction writers who moved to the fiction side of the fence, or (as it is in my case) short story writers who have fallen in love with the novel form.

And beyond changes in what we write, we may have changed our focus and broadened our interest in what we write about. When I started writing for publication years (and years and years!) ago, my articles were all about business: how to run it, how to build it, how to survive it. Then, somehow or other (I’m not sure how!), it shifted to health and wellness and design and architecture. During this time, I ended up writing an inspirational book, The Gifts of Change — which came as a complete shock to me since I had never planned on writing that type of book at all. And started teaching writing workshops as well.

My point is that if I had stayed where I started, that’s all I would have to offer the market — and more importantly, that would have been the self-imposed limit I would have set on my creative ability.

This month, think about what you want for yourself as a writer. What type of writing do you want to do? Where can you direct your abilities? What has interested you that you have not yet explored?

Don’t restrict yourself by thinking I’ve never done that before but move in that direction. You may surprise yourself!

Interview with "Soulspace" author Xorin Balbes

2012-01-14T08:00:00.006-05:00

“…the clearer the spaces, the clearer the mind is, and the clearer the channel is for the creativity to move through.” Xorin Balbes

Does your desk look like it’s been hit by an avalanche, with papers, magazines and miscellaneous bit and pieces of who-knows-what cascading onto the floor like snow down a mountain? Do you have a stack of “I need to look at this now” and another stack of “I’ll look at this later” — and neither gets any smaller? Tell the truth — is your wall calendar several months behind?

There is this misconception that people in the creative arts can’t be organized, that our Muse appears only when our right brain is fully engaged and the logical left side has been shut behind closed doors. But speaking for myself, I find it hard to be creative when my desk is cluttered with paperwork demanding for attention, the number of messages in my In-Box hits triple digits and my Outlook calendar and paper datebook both have more items not crossed off than completed.

If I let this continue, I’m afraid my muse would take one look at this mess and depart, saying, “Call me when you get your you-know-what together!” And so I set aside a certain amount of time each day to clear my space, rather like the weeding I undertake before I plant anything in my garden. And my work, like the plants I place in the newly-cleared space, is better for the clear-out.

There is no better time than January (which is also “Make A Change” month — download my Calendar of Change for more info) to turn your workspace into a more organized productive area. And to give us the how and why of this process, I’ve invited Xorin Balbes to The Writer’s Place.

Balbes is an award-winning architectural conservator, pre-eminent designer and author of the book, SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life – Creating a Home That is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty and Inspired by You. Following his eight-stage SoulSpace technique will nurture and transform both your soul and your home — and that will definitely benefit your creative spirit!

So often writers and other creative people complain about their workspace being cluttered or disorganized? Is being creative and being organized mutually exclusive?

Balbes: I would say not. The creative energy that moves through creatives comes from a space that is all about chaos and possibility. [But] rather than staying in that state all of the time, it’s nice to create a container and a structure to allow the chaos to settle though that channel (that person), to take shape and form and be grounded into whatever form or medium they are working in. My belief system is that the clearer the spaces, the clearer the mind is, and the clearer the channel is for the creativity to move through. So I would challenge the creative in a cluttered space to re-organize and try it out!

Your book, SoulSpace Transform your Space, Transform Your Life, is based on your eight-stage SoulSpace process: assess, release, cleanse, dream, discover, create, elevate and celebrate. How did you develop this process?

Balbes: The process was a very organic one, in that it came from my moving about 30 times as an adult, and working with clients who wanted to express themselves in their space through design. The reason that the eight steps came through my creative process is so that I could offer it to others, and serve them if they felt that they resonated with it, to begin creating more and more spaces that were aligned with the person’s soul and true expression.

Is this just about de-cluttering, or is there a deeper purpose and reason involved in the SoulSpace process?

Balbes: This is beyond de-cluttering. This is about connecting to the core essence of a person, and having that expressed in objects and shape and form. Basically, it is like creating an entire expression and altar of your most sacred beautiful self, and you living inside of that in your home and in your office.

Tell us about your “dream board” concept: what is it and how can it benefit writers to create one for themselves?

Balbes: The dream board is about creating a very free-flowing, non-thinking space to design the dream board. It is about surrounding yourself with pictures, fabrics, words cut out of magazines [and] colors, that, with music playing in the background, you begin to put on and assemble on a board, understanding what your ultimate goal is — whether that is to design a room, a home, or to get clarity on a book that you want to write. This board actually holds the “dream essence” of the design of the project that you want to bring forth. The dream board helps to ground and anchor the perfume or the essence of the vision or sensibility that you can feel but have not yet grounded... grounds something intangible and ripe with potential, like the whisper of a dream… into something very tangible.

In your book, you talk about using your things as a mirror for your interiors. Explain what you mean by that and why we need to evaluate the items that surround us from that perspective.

Everything in life is a mirror of our consciousness. All the friends and family that we surround ourselves with are different aspects of our selves. What we think about and project a thought onto an object is also the meaning that we give to it, and obviously relates to a meaning that we hold inside of ourselves.

My belief system is that everything in this world re-organizes itself to match the consciousness that we carry. As an example, as we shift our consciousness from a scarcity model to a more abundant model, we will all notice that abundant things begin to start presenting themselves when we are actually making that shift from/in the unconscious realm of our being.

How can we decide what to include, what to pack away and what to (gulp!) toss when organizing our space? Where and how is the best way to begin the SoulSpace process?

It’s one step, one object at a time. Evaluating whether it uplifts you, you love it… it’s neutral, or it’s negative. If it’s not uplifting, then it needs to move out. Don’t we all deserve to be surrounded by people and things that we love?

Can the SoulSpace process be applied even in a small corner of a room or in a space shared with other people?

The SoulSpace process can apply anywhere, as long as people are honoring that even a small corner is earmarked for a person. To honor each other’s space, even in a shared space, is very important as a basis for a SoulSpace. If someone is living with those who don’t allow this freedom and empowerment, I say you need to move on and find the beginning of your own SoulSpace!

What have you learned from developing the SoulSpace process?

That everything begins with an intention. And that everything has a process for bringing something through in its purest state of being.

What are three important take-aways or tips that you want to share?

Do the SoulSpace Process at your soul’s pace. Start with one room at a time, even a corner of a room…. But start!
Seed your environment with at least one object that holds your most important dream.
Take a look at your closet and identify your favorite outfits. They will usually give you an indication of what your entire space needs to look like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thanks to Xorin for his great advice on how to make our workspace more creative and empowering! Check out his book and SoulSpace website and then begin your own SoulSpace Process, sharing the outcome with the rest of us at The Writer’s Place Blog!

What are your writing goals?

2012-01-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

“There is no reason not to follow your heart.” Steve Jobs

January… another year, another set of writing goals. Or have you given up on the idea, having had too many of them fall by the wayside, fail to work out as planned or be sideswiped by life events?

It’s happened to all of us. Flush with the enthusiasm that a new year brings, we list our aims, intentions and objectives. And maybe, for the first few days, weeks or even months, we stick with the plan. And then--stuff happens. Events happen. Life happens. And before you know it, our resolutions are shoved aside, to be addressed “some day.” The manuscript is left languishing in a drawer or on our hard drive. Our marketing plan stalls after the first few calls or emails. The classes we were going to attend (or teach ourselves) are postponed.

If this sounds familiar, then I suggest a new strategy. Instead of trying to fulfill all your goals at one fell swoop, pick 12, one for each month. Then, at the beginning of each month, select one on which to focus. Maybe January is your marketing month, so you put all your energy into making connections with new clients, editors, publishers or agents. February, the month of love, is the time when you will give a set amount of time and attention to writing for the joy and pleasure of it.

You get the picture. By choosing just one goal per month, you are still able to handle the rest of what is happening in your life, and, if that one doesn’t turn out the way you planned, you know that the next month your focus will be on another one, giving you a new chance to hit the jackpot.

My goals this year are to start a writing group, finish Reinventing Rita, find an agent and/or publisher for Finding Fran, publish my collection of short stories as an e-book, ramp up my marketing for The Gifts of Change (which has recently been released in an Indian edition) and seek out more corporate clients. Not quite twelve but being an inveterate list-maker, I am sure I can come up with more by the end of the month.

So what are your writing goals for 2012?

Give the gift of appreciation

2011-12-24T08:00:00.074-05:00

The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television. Andrew Ross

Their numbers have been steadily dwindling, as internet bookstores take a greater bite out of the market. But even the best online booksellers can’t provide the ambiance of a bricks-and-mortar bookstore.

You walk through the aisles, pick up a book, read the back cover and flip through the pages — and maybe get into a conversation with another reader about the book’s merits. You head over to the periodicals section, where there are more magazines and newspapers than you can read, and amazingly find one that fits your interest or preference. You meet a friend at the café and sip your way through a cappuccino while catching up on the latest news.

A bookstore is more than just a place to buy something to read. It’s a community of like-minded people, where readers connect with each other, with authors, and with booksellers who can give them advice or recommendations. And independent bookstores are the best, because they base their inventory on what their market wants, not what some sales statistics tells them they should order. They support authors — local and national — giving them a place to do readings and connect with fans. And many of them support writers as well, by hosting writing groups and writing-related workshops.

For this reason, we writers need to support these bookstores, using them not as a way to “kick the tires” (i.e., check out a book before buying it online) but as valuable resources that enhance the communities in which they exist.

That is why I have pulled together this far-from-complete list of indie bookstores, with names contributed by writers and readers. Don’t see your favorite? Post it along with its location and web address so others can check it out. (Can’t find a store in your area? Head over to the American Booksellers Association where you can use its searchable member directory.)

From all of us who value independent bookstores across the country and across the world — please accept our gift of appreciation!

Alexandria II Bookstore
Owner:
Site: http://www.alexandria2.com/
Address: 170 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 -- 626.792.7885

Blue Willow Bookshop
Owner: Valerie Koehler
Site: http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/
Address: 14532 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77079 -- 281.497.8675

Book Alley on Colorado
Owner:
Site: http://www.thebookalley.com/
Address: 611 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA -- 303.988.0040

Booked Up
Site: http://bookedupac.com/index.html
Address: 216 S. Center Archer City, TX 76351 -- 940.574.2511

Booklovers' Gourmet
Owner: Debra Horan
Site: http://www.bookloversgourmet.com
Address: 55 Main Street, Webster, MA -- 508.949.6232
Comments: “a warm, inviting place where community members can not only browse and purchase new and used books, but can also sit awhile and enjoy a hot (or cold, depending upon the weather) cup of java, chai or blended fruit drink with a fresh pastry. The store holds book and writing group meetings and has free wifi. Booklovers' Gourmet features a wide selection of children's books, both new and used, and some unique toys.”

Book People
Owner: Steve Bercu
Site: http://www.bookpeople.com
Address: 603 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78703 -- 512.472.5050
Comment: Awesome store. Two floors of all kinds of new books, and great events!

Books and Books
Owner: Mitchell Kaplan
Site: www.booksandbooks.com
Address: 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL, 33134 -- 305.442.4408
927 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL, 33139 -- 305.532.3222
9700 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, FL, 33154 -- 305.864.4241
Museum Of Art, 1 East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301 -- 954.262.0255
Miami International Airport, Concourse D Gate D25 -- 305.876.0468
45 Market St., Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands -- 345.640.2665
130 Main Street, Westhampton Beach, NY, 11978 -- 631.998.3260

Books N More
Owner: Marla Stewart
Site: http://www.booksnmore.org
Address: 28 W. Main Street, Wilmington, OH 45177 -- 937.383.7323

Boswell Book Company
Owner: Daniel Goldin
Site: http://boswell.indiebound.com/
Address: 2559 N. Downer Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211 -- 414.332.1181

Boulder Bookstore
Owner: David Bolduc
Site: http://boulderbookstore.indiebound.com/
Address: 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302 -- 303.447.2074

Briggs Carriage Bookstore
Owner: Barbara Ebling and Matthew Gibbs
Site: http://www.briggscarriage.com/
Address: 16 Park Street Brandon, VT 05733 -- 802.247.0050

Brookline Booksmith
Owner: Marshall Smith (Founder), Dana Brigham, Evelyn Vigo
Site: http://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/
Address: 279 Harvard Street, Brookline MA 02446-2908 -- 617.566.6660

Buffalo Street Books
Owner: Community-Owned Cooperative Bookstore
Site: http://www.buffalostreetbooks.com/
Address: DeWitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca NY 14850 -- 607.273.8246

Diane's Books
Owner: Diane Garrett
Site: http://www.dianesbooks.com
Address: 8A Grigg St. Greenwich, CT 06830 -- 203.869.1515

East West Book Store
Owner: Ananda Palo Alto (organization)
Site: http://www.eastwest.com
Address: 324 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA, 94041-1297 -- 650.988.9800

Fireside Book Shop
Owner: Jim Lewis
Site: http://www.firesidebookshop.com/
Address: 29 N. Franklin St. Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 -- 440.247.4050

Greenlight Bookstore
Owner: Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo
Site: http://greenlightbookstore.com/
Address: 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 -- 718.246.0200

Griffin Bay Bookstore
Owner: Laura Norris
Site: www.griffinbaybook.com
Address: 155 Spring Street Friday Harbor, WA 98250 -- that's beautiful San Juan Island!!!
360.378.5511
Comments: Store is 2000 sq ft.; Laura and her staff of four are all very knowledgeable book people; Shelves all filled with all genres plus local favorites and self-published books of local authors, some of whom have gone on to national fame; There is a book club; Author events are welcomed (contact: Nancy Larsen: ); The cafe in the back of the store, surrounded by interesting sidelines, hosts ad hoc meetings, morning coffee groups, and drop-ins.

Haslam's Book Store, Inc.
Owner: Suzanne and Ray Hinst
Site: http://www.haslams.com/
Address: 2025 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33713 -- 727. 822.8616
Once Jack Kerouac's former home-away-from-bar, Haslams is the largest new and used bookstore in Florida, a block-square Mecca for general and special collections.

Inkwood Books
Owner: Carla Jimenez, Leslie Reiner
Site: http://www.inkwoodbooks.com/
Address: 216 S Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL, 33609-3310 -- 813.253.2638

Laurel Book Store
Owner: Luann Stauss
Site: http://www.laurelbookstore.com/
Address: 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619 -- 510.531.2073

Learned Owl
Owner: Liz Murphy
Site: http://www.learnedowl.com
Address: 204 N. Main St., Hudson OH 44236 -- 330.653.2252

Log Mark Books
Owner: Tammy Reilley
Site: http://www.logmarkbooks.net
Address: 334 N. Main St., Cheboygan, MI 49721 -- 231.627.6531

McNally Jackson Books
Owner: Sarah McNally
Site: http://www.mcnallyjackson.com/
Address: 52 Prince Street New York City, NY 10012 -- 212.274.1160

Mrs. Nelson's Toy & Book Shop
Owner: Judy Nelson
Site: http://mrsnelsons.com/
Address: 1030 Bonita Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750 -- 909.599.4558

Mysteries to Die For
Site: http://www.mysteriestodiefor.com/
Address: 2940 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 -- 805.374.0084

New England Mobile Book Fair
Owner: David and Jon Strymash
Site: http://www.nebookfair.com/
Address: 82-84 Needham Street Newton Highlands, MA 02461 -- 617.964.7440 or 617.527.5817

Newtonville Books
Owner: Mary Cotton
Site: http://www.newtonvillebooks.com/
Address: 296 Walnut Street, Newton, MA -- 617.244.6619

Next Chapter Bookshop
Owner: Lanora Hurley
Site: http://www.nextchapterbookshop.com
Address: 10976 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53092 -- 262.241.6220

Parnassus Books
Owner: Ann Patchett, Karen Hayes
Site: http://www.parnassusbooks.net/
Address: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14 Nashville, TN 37215 -- 615.953.2243

People Called Women Bookstore
Owner: Gina Mercurio
Site: http://peoplecalledwomen.com/
Address: Renaissance Place Plaza, 6060 Renaissance Place, Ste. F, Toledo, OH 43623 -- 419.469.8983

People's Books Cooperative
Owner: Volunteer-run cooperative group
Site: http://www.peoplesbookscoop.org/
Address: 2122 East Locust, Milwaukee WI, 53211 -- 414.962.0575
Comments: Known and loved for the huge, lazy Akita that "guards" the front door.

Politics and Prose
Owner: Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade
Site: http://www.politics-prose.com/
Address: 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 -- 202.364.1919

Posman Books
Owner: Eugene Posman
Site: http://www.posmanbooks.com/
Address: 9 Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY 10017 -- 212.983.1111
Address: Chelsea Market, 75 9th Avenue, New York NY 10011 -- 212.627.0304
Address: Rockefeller Center, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Concourse Level, New York, NY 10112 -- 212.489.9100

Prairie Lights Bookstore
Owner: Jan Weissmiller, Jane Meade
Site: http://www.prairielights.com/
Address: 15 South Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA, 52240 -- 319.337.2681
Comments: Prairie Lights Bookstore is a treasure!

R.J. Julia Booksellers
Owner: Roxanne Coady
Site: http://www.rjjulia.com/
Address: 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 -- 203.245.3959

Rainy Day Books
Owner: Vivien Jennings
Site: http://www.rainydaybooks.com/
Address: 2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway, KS 66205-1705 -- 913.384.3126

River Reader Inc.
Owner: Susan Ryan
Site: http://www.russianriverreader.com/
Address: 16355 Main St, Guerneville, CA 95446-9677 -- 707.869.2240
Comment: “The River Reader seems to me everything a bookstore should be: inviting, homey, staffed by knowledgeable book lovers, a genuine center of community interests.” (For more comments about the bookstore from Fred Sutterberg, go to his Facebook page!)

RiverRun Bookstore
Owner: Tom Holbrook
Site: http://www.riverrunbookstore.com/
Address: 20 Congress St, Portsmouth, NH 03801-4017 -- 603.431.2100

Shining Lotus™ Metaphysical Bookstore
Owner: Tim Johnson
Site: http://shininglotus.com/
Address: 2178 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80222 -- 303.758.9113

St. Mark’s Bookshop
Owner: Robert Contant and Terence McCoy
Site: http://www.stmarksbookshop.com/
Address: 31 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10003 -- 212.260.7853

Tattered Cover
Owner: Joyce Meskis
Site: http://www.tatteredcover.com/
Address: 2526 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206 -- 303.322.7727

The Red Balloon
Owner: Holly Weinkauf, Amy Sullivan
Site: http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/
Address: 891 Grand Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55105 -- 651.224.8320
Comments: “amazing kids bookstore”

Truth Christian Bookstore
Owner: Dr. Donald & Jennifer Flagg, Co-Owners: Fred & Irene Wright
Site: http://www.truthchristianstore.com/
Address: 301 S Collins St, Plant City, FL 33563-5504 -- 813.363.1582

Valley Bookseller
Owner: Mary E. Rice
Site: http://www.valleybookseller.com/
Address: 217 North Main St., Stillwater, MN 55082 -- 651.430.3385

Vero Beach Book Center
Owner: Tom and Linda Leonard
Site: http://theverobeachbookcenter.com/
Address: 2145 Indian River Blvd., Vero Beach, FL, 32960 -- 772.569.2050

Vroman's Bookstore
Owner: Joel Sheldon
Site: http://vromansbookstore.com/
Address: 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101 -- 626.449.5320

Warwick’s Books
Owner: Nancy Warwick
Site: http://warwicks.indiebound.com/
Address: 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037 -- 858.454.0347

Well Read Books
Owner: Bill and Mary Ann Skees
Site: http://www.thewellreadbookstore.com/
Address: 425 Lafayette Ave, Hawthorne, NJ 07506 -- 973.949.3440

Woodland Pattern Bookstore
Owner: Anne Kingsbury, Karl Gartung
Site: http://www.woodlandpattern.org/
Address: 720 East Locust, Milwaukee, WI, 53212 -- 414.263.5001
Comments: A community bookstore that serves Milwaukee's thriving and diverse Riverwest population

Give the gift of gratitude

2011-12-17T08:00:00.015-05:00

"The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new." Samuel Johnson

We’ve all had the experience of reading books that have moved us, entertained us, made us think about life differently, opened doors that we thought were long closed. In this week’s post at The Writer’s Place, I’m giving you the opportunity to acknowledge those authors who have given you so much by including their names on my “Give the Gift of Gratitude” list.

Don’t see your favorite? Feel free to post the names and why you love them!!

I’ll start off with my by-no-means-complete list:

Enid Blyton — When I was a child, her Adventure series with characters that included Kiki the parrot kept me enthralled for months!
Lewis Carroll — Alice in Wonderland. Need I say more? (Read it again as an adult. You’ll get a whole new perspective!)
Mark Helprin — I “met” Mark when I read his Winter’s Tale and he was kind enough to actually respond to my fan letter. Reading the book is like looking at a tapestry — you can’t believe anyone could combine so many different threads to make such a marvelous piece. Another one by Mark: Ellis Island and Other Stories. I often use “North Light” as an example of how to use one simple action by a character tell volumes.
Elizabeth George — I’m a huge fan of her English mysteries but the one book by her that is permanently on my nightstand is Write Away — the perfect book for writers.
Margaret Atwood —Fell in love with her writing when I read The Handmaid's Tale. Then, when I found Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing, I was hooked forever. (It's on my nightstand too)
Carolyn See — Her fiction is phenomenal (I loved The Handyman!) but when I read Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers it was as though she had thrown me a lifeline — or invited me home for coffee and conversation. A great book for writers! (yes, a "nightstand book"!)
Isaac Asimov — If you haven’t read him, shame on you! He’s not just science fiction, as this list illustrates. And he has a wonderful book for writers, too: How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort.
Ray Bradbury — Another giant among authors. My all time favorites are The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 but anything by Ray is worth reading, especially (for writers) Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You.
Shirley Jackson — The Lottery. The Haunting of Hill House. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Her writing defies description. But if you only buy one, get Come Along with Me just so you can read “Notes for a Young Writer.” Reading Jackson’s work is like taking a crash course in how to set mood and develop unforgettable settings. (And of course, how to scare the bejeesus out of your reader!)
Marie-Terese Baird — I picked up her The Birds of Sadness at a used bookstore and lost my breath in her writing. What else can I say? If you can find a copy, buy it.
And last, but by no means, least, Agatha Christie. Yes, I found a great deal of enjoyment over the years in her British “cozies,” but it was her autobiography that really changed my life. In it, she presented writing as a perfectly reasonable way to make a living. She wrote, “The nice thing about writing in those days was that I directly related it to money. If I decided to write a story, I knew it would bring me in sixty pounds…This stimulated my output enormously..” For example, when she wanted to do any home renovations (she was, in a sense, a "house flipper" back then), she would get her estimate, and then “sat, thought, planned … and in due course I wrote [the book],” got her money and was able to do the house repairs.
I read that (at the time, I was in need of a regular income), thought, “How perfectly practical!” and decided that I would follow her lead: not by writing fiction but by writing for magazines and corporations, which has managed to feed and shelter me over the past 16-odd years.

So there you have it — my favorite authors and why I love them! Now, on to the rest of the list!

From Michele C. Hollow http://petnewsandviews.com: I love reading Kurt Vonnegut. He takes me away from reality and makes me laugh out loud.
From Chelsea Lowe ChelseaLowe.com Twitter @LoweWriter: In no particular order or genre… To be fair, few of these authors have impressed me more than once (that is, it's really just one work I love)… ...A very middle-brow list!. Charles Dickens, Ernie Pyle, Anne Tyler, Sinclair Lewis, Judith Guest, Bel Kaufman, Lewis Carroll, Jay McInerny, Richard Llewellyn, Sandra Cisneros, Herman Wouk, Lenora Mattingly Weber
From Elizabeth Irwin, ifacethesun.wordpress.com, www.irwinfreelance.com: Mary Downing Hahn - children's/YA mysteries; Sir Terry Pratchett - fantasy/satire and YA fantasy; Laurie R. King - mystery (the Holmes/Russell novels); Anne Lamott - personal essay/memoir; J.K. Rowling – YA; Dr. Brene' Brown - nonfiction/"The Gifts of Imperfection"; Kim Harrison - dark urban fantasy; Adrienne Wilder - even darker urban fantasy; Karen C.L. Anderson - nonfiction/health and wellness; Laura Numeroff - children's/"If you Give a Moose a Muffin", et al.; Nick Bruel - children's/YA humor; Michael Crichton - sci fi; Tony Hillerman – mystery (Funny - I'm seeing some patterns...)
From BD Tharp: Sarah Addison Allen, Dorothea Benton Frank, Lisa Tucker
From Mark Beyer, author of "The Village Wit": Norman Rush (Mating; Mortals); Philip Roth (Sabbath's Theater; American Pastoral); V.S. Naipaul (A House for Mr Biswas; The Enigma of Arrival)
From Philip Bradbury, The Write Site blog: My favourite author is Puelo Cuelho - I don't necessarily enjoy all his books but I love the way he weaves personal/spiritual lessons into his tales. I have just read his biography and it's a great inspiration to me.
From Linda Lamberson, http://www.facebook.com/BorrowedHeart: "My favorite authors vary considerably across genres and over time. That said, some of my current favorites are: JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Christopher Moore, Ruth Reichl and Nancy Horan. I have had neither the pleasure nor the time to read any indie authors yet; however, I'm inspired by the success of Amanda Hocking, JP Mallory and, more recently, Darcie Chan (particularly because she, too, is a lawyer-turned-author)."

Give the gift of literacy

2011-12-10T08:00:00.012-05:00

"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him." Maya Angelou

We take for granted the ability to read but for too many people, reading can be an almost insurmountable challenge.

According to ProLiteracy, 63 million adults — 29 percent of the U.S. adult population—over age 16 don’t read well enough to understand a newspaper story written at the eighth grade level.
The 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey noted that forty-four million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child.
National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that forty-four percent of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently, even when they read grade-level stories aloud under supportive testing conditions.

As writers, we must do our part (giving our time or money) to support organizations that focus on literacy.

Book Aid International: Book Aid International increases access to books and supports literacy, education and development in sub-Saharan Africa.

First Book: First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 85 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities.

Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT): Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, Inc. (LIT) is the only non-profit organization of its kind working to end illiteracy among New York’s incarcerated young people by inspiring them to read.

Literacy Inc.: Literacy Incorporated is a non-profit organization on a mission to fight illiteracy across America by reaching out to high school students in all corners of the continental United States.

Literacy Partners: Literacy Partners programs offer the entire literacy continuum teaching adults to read, to do basic math along with financial and health literacy.

ProLiteracy: ProLiteracy champions the power of literacy to improve the lives of adults and their families, communities, and societies, helping to build the capacity and quality of programs that are teaching adults to read, write, compute, use technology, and learn English as a new language.

Raising a Reader: Raising A Reader (RAR) is a national nonprofit organization that has helped families successfully build and sustain literacy routines in their homes since 1999.

Reach Out And Read: Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

Reading is Fundamental: Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States. We prepare and motivate children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most. We inspire children to be lifelong readers through the power of choice.

Reading Partners: Reading Partners is dedicated to transforming struggling young readers into confident readers who are excited about learning.

United Through Reading: Our mission is to unite families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. Our vision is that all children will feel the security of caring family relationships and develop a love of reading through the read aloud experience.

For more links, visit Literacy Connections. (Go to Links To Independent Literacy Programs for state-specific lists.)

VolunteerMatch is another great source for finding literacy programs.

For more information on supporting literacy programs, go to the Galley Cat ’s 10 Charities That Promote Literacy .

And most of all, take the time today to read to someone!

Give the gift of reading

2011-12-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

“When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus

That may have worked for him but unfortunately, for many people, food will trump books. As writers, we need to fill the gap and make sure that people receive nourishment for the mind as well as for the body.

If your shelves are overflowing, consider donating books to these organizations:

More Links

The American Library Association’s page has links regarding book donations and programs.
Click here for a list of prison book programs in North America.
Visit Donation Town and for.theloveofbooks.com for more book donation ideas.
Do an advanced search for book donations at JustGive.
Authors—Check out the First Book link on how you can support its program.

Finally, consider donating books to your local library (who can resale them as part of their fund-raising), shelters for the homeless and abused, nursing homes and senior centers and hospitals.

Help spread the word — and keep books out of landfills!

Stop (what you’re doing), drop (the pen) and roll (with the moment life has given you) — how to keep alive the creative fire!

2011-11-26T08:00:00.029-05:00

“Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life.” James Norman Hall

You’re on deadline — your own or one imposed by an editor or client. I get it. I’ve been there. But do this just for me.

Get up, leave your desk and go to a window. Stand there for five minutes. (C’mon, you can spare five minutes! The world and your career won’t come to an end!) Just stand there and look.

Pay attention. What do you see? Birds flying from one bare branch to another in search of food? Pedestrians dodging traffic and each other, intent on getting to their destination in one piece? Kids playing, old people walking arm in arm, a mountain, the woods, cement or coastline?

What do you hear: horns blowing, geese honking, waves hitting the shore, rain hitting the window?

Close your eyes and reach out, letting your fingers come in contact with whatever is closest to you. Don’t look. What do you feel? Is it hard or soft, cold or warm, pliable or unyielding?

What do you smell: the aroma of fresh-perked coffee, the slight acrid scent of a lit match, the musty odor of an un-aired room?

Now open your eyes and find something — anything — to eat: juice, crackers, peanut butter, M&Ms. Don’t rush through the chew-and-swallow process but let the food linger in your mouth, dance around your teeth, bring your taste buds to life. Savor it, enjoy it, wallow in the flavor and texture.

Finally, take one more moment or two to just breathe. Zero-task. Exist without doing.

Okay, now you can go back to work!

Downtime can lead to creative time

2011-11-19T08:00:00.005-05:00

“You have to learn how to use your energy and not squander it…The brain works for you even when you are at rest.” Doris Lessing

According to The Byrds (and before them, the Book of Ecclesiastes), “to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose, under heaven” — and when it comes to writing, one of those times is a time to rest. To stop writing and let your muse enjoy a coffee break and your fingers a respite from the pen or keyboard.

How do you know when you need a break?

When you feel like all you are doing is going round and round, figuratively speaking, but getting nowhere.

When you can’t think straight, which means you can’t write straight.

When you start second- and third-guessing every thought that comes out of your head.

And most importantly, when you realize there ain’t nothin’ coming out of your head but air!

We’ve all hit those moments (or hours or days) when we can’t shift our creativity out of neutral (or worse, park!) to drive so we can get to our destination. And while I understand that discipline is the key to achievement, sometimes we need to use that discipline to walk away, to take a hiatus, to accept the fact that we are stuck in the mud (so to speak) and the best thing we can do is let everything wait until it solidifies a bit.

Interestingly, I have found that when I am confronted by these shut-down moments, shortly after I walk away and start doing something — washing dishes, running the sweeper, taking a walk, or even do nothing but take a brief zero-task break to breathe — everything starts happening again. Ideas start flowing. Words start coming. The brain is functioning once again.

Plowing through isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, you have to step back and give everything a chance to settle.

It’s your choice how you use the moments in your life

2011-11-12T08:00:00.014-05:00

“Every choice and perspective on each experience in our lives has the power to add to the magnificence of who we are expressing in each moment.” Dr. Helen Lee

There are few things more damaging to our creativity than stress. Whether the genesis is fear (I’ll never be published!), frustration (Rejected again! What do they want from me?) or writer’s block (I can’t write. And I’ll probably never write again!), stress takes the life from our writer’s soul and leaves it an empty shell.

But given that stress and its causes are a fact of life, it’s critical that we discover ways to manage it, overcome it and, to some extent, make it work for us. And, as writers, we do have a bit of an edge in this regard because our imagination is always “on” anyway.

Each day, before you start to write, close your eyes and zero-task, letting everything fall away. Then, take a few moments to breathe into your own reality — breathe into what is happening right now that has you so wired you can barely function. Don’t run away from it but look it square in the face.

Next, close your eyes and keep breathing, and with each breath, relax your body, your mind, your spirit. Don’t hunt for answers or solutions, just breathe.

Finally, pick up your pen or go to your keyboard and free-write for 15 minutes: on the cause of the stress, on what you wish was different/better/easier in your life, on crazy inventive solutions to your problem.

Let your creativity overcome the stress, use the stress and turn it into a source of inspiration rather than a barricade to imagination.

Zero-Task for creativity

2011-11-05T08:00:00.022-04:00

"Taking regular periods of time to breathe, relax, and be in gratitude can … open oneself to connection with natural creativity … " Dr. Helen Lee

Tomorrow, we celebrate Zero-Tasking Day—a day when we take the extra 60 minutes we gained from turning back our clocks to do—nothing. Just take a breath, relax and rejuvenate.

I created this day because I know firsthand how being overwhelmed, overworked and overstressed can sap us mentally, emotionally and physically, even when we are “doing what we love.” And that draining has a negative impact on our creativity, which leads to more stress, which leads to… well, you get the picture.

To give us insights into the effect of stress and ways to combat it, The Writer’s Place interviewed Dr. Helen Lee, a holistic doctor and founder and creator of Touch of Life Chiropractic in Hoffman Estates, IL. Her perspective on health and healing includes the vital importance of balancing the mind, body and energy, which allows full access to and expression of one’s Spirit. In her work, Dr. Lee strives to bring each person back to the basics of how to care for oneself-mentally, emotionally and physically.

WP: People sometimes mistakenly believe that, because you love what you do, you shouldn’t feel stressed when doing it. But can stress come even when you are passionate about the activity?

Of course. Stress is just a perspective. Two people can have the same experience and have totally opposite perspectives and feelings about that situation. One can be very passionate about creating something in his or her life but may also be in a mode of “pushing through” or required take many steps to create the end result.

For example, I absolutely love working with people in my practice. [Yet] sometimes I can still find myself stressed about day to day things that go along with what I do, such as extra paperwork, having to support and encourage someone when he or she may be going through a very challenging issue, or just [having] too much to do at once.

WP: What can overload and over-stress do to one’s creative abilities?

It can decrease the “flow.” Stress can decrease the optimal physical, mental and energetic connections of the body to life force. On a physical level, stress can decrease blood flow to the brain, increase heart rate, create blocks of stagnation in the body, muscle tightness, etc. On a energetic level, it can disconnect us from our creative Spirit or intuition.

WP: What are some indicators that you are heading into “overload zone”?

Some common indicators of overload may be physical discomfort in muscles, headaches, digestive irritation, repetitive negative thoughts, persistent feelings of anxiety or worry, and decreased ability or inability to complete tasks.

WP: Especially since the recession, people are so worried about the economy that they are doing everything they can to create some measure of financial stability: working longer hours or working two jobs, for example. The general thought seems to be that “being busy is always better” and the idea of taking one hour a month (ideally one hour a week) to do nothing sounds crazy! But can taking time to do nothing actually help us become more creative in the long run?

Taking time for oneself and doing “nothing” can definitely help in the long run in multiple ways. Our nervous, energetic and physical systems learn through repetition. The more we are in anxious, lack [and] fear mode, the more those patterns will likely become “automatically wired” in our circuitry. Therefore, people can worry so much to a point where even when there is nothing to worry about, they find themselves worried about nothing.

Taking regular periods of time to breathe, relax, and be in gratitude can not only give your body and opportunity to relax, recoup and heal but can also open oneself to connection with natural creativity and enjoyment of the moment.

WP: What are some effective (and fun) ways to de-stress and get your creative juices flowing again?

Do something you love. Go for a walk in nature, pick up a sport or activity that you love, practice breathing deeply, or play with children [since] they innately know how to have fun and relax.

Q: I created the Zero-Tasking Day quiz to help people gauge their need for downtime. Do you zero-task?

Absolutely. Meditating regularly keeps me connected to my center and peaceful. It’s taken some practice but now I find myself naturally taking “zero-task” opportunities whenever I can.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much to Dr. Lee for sharing her insights on the topic of stress and creativity. While tomorrow is the official “Zero-Tasking Day,” commit to taking some “Z-T” moments each day to bring calmness and peace into your life!

Write with passion

2011-10-29T08:00:00.019-04:00

"If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write." — W. Somerset Maugham

Take a look at the writing section at your library or bookstore, or on Amazon or other online sellers. There is a veritable treasure trove of manuals on how to write fiction: outline or don't outline, start with characters or with setting, write in first person, second or third, or some bizarre combination of all three. And don't even get me started on point of view!

The same applies to non-fiction writing, from how to develop magazine articles to how to write PR or advertising copy. As someone who owns more than her fair share of writing books and who also teaches writing classes, I don't deny that we can always improve our craft, find new and better ways to express our thoughts, or figure out what isn't working and then fix it.

But what no book or teacher can do is make you feel passionate about writing. No one can instill in you the desire to write, make you want to face that blank page or screen and fill it up with letters, give you that golden glow when you have written something that came alive with each consonant and vowel.

You can know all the rules and still write something that is dead on the page. You can have a PhD in writing and still not be able to connect with your reader. English can be your first language and yet, you still can't communicate.

Look, everyone has some writing area that needs development. For me, it's setting. For you, it might be dialogue. That's okay. You can fix that. You can learn how to get better. Those technical deficiencies are no reason to stop writing, or even to never start.

If you have a love for the written word, if you have ideas and concepts that are bursting to get out of your head or heart, if you have a passion to use language in a way that builds bridges between people, opens doors in their minds, unlocks emotions in their hearts, that's all that matters.

Passion can't be taught. It must be there, from the beginning, like a spring waiting to be tapped.

It's not enough to have it. You have to use it!

2011-10-22T08:00:00.006-04:00

"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."— Henri Frederic Amiel

We're back with Dr. Tom Romano, author of Writing with Passion, who is going to discuss writing in different genres and dealing with "passion depletion."

WP: I understand that students in your classes write in different genres, not only expository essays. What benefit do writers get from exploring other, and perhaps less familiar, forms of writing?

I didn't write a free verse poem until I was 29 years old. That is not going to happen to my students. Writing poems required I be both concise and vivid, that I really work with language to capture an emotion, usually through an experience. Poetry helped me be implicitly emphatic. Writing fiction let me imagine more fully a world I imagined. By inventing characters and putting them in action, I came to understand things about human beings.

My genre of choice, though, is creative nonfiction. I employ the techniques and strategies of imaginative writing in writing about the real stuff of my life. In the English Journal essay I mentioned earlier, readers learn my take on what matters about teaching literature to adolescents, but they learn that through my experience as a reader and adolescent and adult making my way through life.

WP: Can you explain a little about a “multigenre paper”—what it is and what purpose it serves in terms of developing one’s writing ability?

The idea for this paper struck me when I read Michael Ondaatje's The Collected Works of Billy the Kid in 1986--the book was published about 1970. Ondaatje writes about the last two years of The Kid's life, only he doesn't do it through a historical novel or a biography. He writes in multiple genres that move from one to another without traditional transitional devices: poems from multiple points of view, narrative sections, fictional recreations, songs, an interview, monologues.

Multigenre writing requires writers to look at their subject through many different lenses. Each lens requires a different emphasis. I interact with my subject differently when I'm creating an extended dialog between two characters than when I argue a thesis that crystallizes what I've learned from an experience than when I try to capture an emotion in swift poetic images.

Varied lenses lead writers to greater understanding. I also think that writing in different genres generates thought. The more genres writers create, the more genres they think of to write. Writing multigenre papers requires writers to become more, let's say, rhetorically versatile.

WP: What are some indicators that the writer’s work has started to suffer from “passion-depletion”? What are some causes that can negatively affect a writer’s passion for the craft?

I write my share of reports and memos in which you'd think I wouldn't have much passion. What saves me from passion depletion? I love working with language. I love the generative nature of using language. I love playing with words, adding, deleting, rearranging to say something the best I can.

What often happens in whatever I am writing is that the very act of working with the words, drafting and revising and tinkering, let's me learn what I want to say.

What advice do you have for students who find their writing is growing a little stale and formulaic? How can they bring back the passion to their writing?

Read. Read writers you want to write like. Read writing that inspires you. Every year or two, I reread Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Lamott makes me want to tell my own stories, write with humor, and record the ironies I perceive. Carry around 3 x 5 cards or a notebook and record the surprises you encounter. Life is full of writing material.

WP: Writers who write for a living may find it especially difficult to turn off the “work writing” part of their mind when they want to do some creative writing just for their own pleasure. What tips do you have to help them switch gears, so to speak?

Hard for me to answer this, since I don't make my daily bread through writing. I will say this: if you are one who is fulfilled by the act of writing--not just by thinking about writing--you will find a way to get writing done that you want to do. I'm also uneasy with the word "creative." All writing, to an extent, is an act of creativity. Using language is a creative act. My purpose in the writing surely varies, but when I use language, I'm involved in an act of creativity.

WP: What are some “passion igniters”—ways writers can stimulate their creativity or break out of a writing slump?

I sometimes read through my notebooks. I never fail to find events and characters and observations I've written about that quicken my interest. Three years ago Heinemann published my memoir, "Zigzag: A Life in Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning." I discovered the title in a notebook entry from four years earlier. I had forgotten all about a distinctive scene I'd observed in a motel parking lot in which the word zigzag was used.

Let yourself be ever observant and amazed. Many years ago, more than thirty now, one of my high school students said that she had developed a "writing state of mind." Whenever she saw something of interest during her day, she'd think, "I could write about that."

WP: Have you had the experience of losing your passion? If so, how did you recover it?

Whenever I finish a big writing project, I often feel empty, like I'll never have anything to write again. During a writing seminar at UNH, I asked Donald Murray about this feeling. He said that he thought it was natural to feel this way after writing, that the field might have to lie fallow for awhile.

WP: How can you tell when your passion for writing is at its peak or, conversely, when you are in need of a “passion injection”?

I'm most passionate, driven, and interested when I am amidst a writing project. Just last month I wrote an introduction for a friend's book about teaching reading and writing in high school. I produced ten drafts on the way to arriving at a final copy. My usual tack is to write a draft then move away from it for a day or two, then get the writing out again and begin working with it, revising and tinkering, rethinking and resaying. That process was bliss to me. I couldn't wait to get to the writing, usually in a restaurant-coffee shop called The Bagelry in Durham, New Hampshire. I'd go to The Bagelry at 6:30 in the morning to work on my writing before I went to class to begin teaching at 8:15.

A passion injection? It helps to have friends who love write as you do. Being with a community and writing together can work. Letting your mind ramble on the page in your notebook often leads you to subjects you find you want to write more about.

WP: What did you learn in the process of writing your book? Has it affected the way you write or teach others about writing?

In all my books, without exception, even the two unpublished ones, I learned that I discovered ideas and subject matter during the writing process. While writing Writing With Passion, I learned that there were chapters I'd planned to write that weren't substantive enough to be a chapter.

On the other hand, there were chapters that I planned and began writing that I soon realized had to be two chapters. With "Zigzag," I suddenly realized one morning that the chapter I was writing was the end of the book, even though I'd originally planned to write another ten or twenty thousand words. You can learn from teachers and editors and responders, but the first and best teacher is the writing itself.

WP: What three recommendations do you have for writers who want to keep their love and passion for writing alive?

Keep a notebook. Write in it what you care about, what bothers you, what you remember, what delights you, what surprises you. And write with detail. Write in a way that when you reread the pages, even years later, what you wrote about comes back vividly to you.
Be alert to whatever comes along to write. When an idea or observation strikes you, do what Whitman advised: trust the gush of language that begins moving in you. Put it down on paper and be absolutely unconcerned with any notions of good or bad. Just try to tell the truth and tell it in detail.
Be wary of adverbs when you begin tinkering and revising.

There you have it — advice from a teacher and writer on the profession! Now, how do you keep your passion for the craft alive?

Dr. Tom Romano on writing and passion

2011-10-15T08:00:00.008-04:00

"I'm most passionate, driven, and interested when I am amidst a writing project." Dr. Tom Romano

Tomorrow starts "Pursue YourPassion" Week, focusing on importance of finding your passion and keeping it alive. Anyone can have passion for their work: architects and assembly line workers, corporate presidents and the cop on the beat. Passion is what makes us come alive, gives us a sense that we are accomplishing something in this world, that we are here for a reason and that, when we honor and support that reason, we can make a difference.

For people in the creative arts, however, the challenge is not just about honoring that passion but also about dealing with the feeling that, when we use our ability to earn money, someone we have tarnished the gift.

And then there are those times when the passion (for whatever reason) starts to wane and we wonder, Now what? If I can't use my gift, if I am starting to doubt that I ever had this gift, what am I going to do?

To help us deal with the "passion depleting" times, I have Dr. Tom Romano, author of Writing with Passion who has been teaching English methods and writing at Ohio's Miami University since 1995, who will share a little about his background and teaching concepts and how writers can reignite their passion when the creative fires start to dim.

WP: How long have you been writing? What led you to pursue writing?

I caught the writing bug when I was twelve-years-old. We seventh graders endured back-to-back study halls the last two periods of the school day. To pass the time, a friend and I each wrote a story sixth period and traded them to read seventh period. We cast ourselves as characters in adventure stories. I couldn't have articulated it then, but that writing and sharing demonstrated to me that my voice could travel. Someone could take my words on paper and hear me and see what I imagined without my speaking a word.

WP: What are your professional credentials?

I have Bachelors and Masters degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I have a doctorate in reading and writing instruction from the University of New Hampshire. I'm beginning my 20th year now teaching writing and teaching English methods to college students.

WP: Where do you teach and what led you to teach writing?

I was an undergraduate at Miami University myself from 1967--1971. It was there that my interested in teaching writing quickened because of Milton White, my teacher in four fiction writing courses. You could feel yourself learning to write better, and Milton's light touch, humanity, and deep knowledge about writing and literature made us seek to achieve.

I teach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Before that, I taught four years at Utah State University, and before that I taught high school students for seventeen years. Writing has been so rewarding to me and I've learned so much over the years about crafting my written voice that I want to share that with others. I must also add that I've been a reader--a story lover--since I can remember. That love for the stories, poems, essays, and books made me want to write my own.

Who are some of the people who have influenced your life and your work?

Walt Whitman has been an abiding influence on me ever since I discovered his poetry when I was 19 years old. In May of 2011, English Journal published a piece of creative nonfiction of mine in which I explore that relationship.

As young teacher, reading Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut had a lasting influence on me. In Vonnegut, I found that you could write simple, straightforward sentences with irony and surprise. Hemingway was an early influence, too. Now I like reading Maureen Dowd, Gail Collins, poets Barbara Crooker, Stanley Kuntiz, and Billy Collins. I like the tough, uncompromising fiction of Donald Ray Pollock. I'm a slow reader, unlike so many of my friends, colleagues, and students. But I like to read just about any genre of writing that features good writing.

In the teaching-writing life, I've been profoundly influenced by the work and friendship of the late Donald M. Murray and the late Donald Graves, both of whom were teachers at the University of New Hampshire. Graves did the first groundbreaking work in the late 1970s about teaching children to write. Murray was a Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing, a renowned writing and journalism teacher at UNH, and the scholar who turned the idea of "writing process" loose on the educational community.

WP: What aspect of the writing profession are you most passionate about: writing or teaching—or both?

I've been teaching close to forty years. I'm exhilarated by the act of teaching. I like the planning and reading that go into teaching, too, even before I set foot in a classroom. And I'm energized by interacting with students. But gosh, I love to have a writing project and time to do it. When I have a leave and am off writing a book, I don't miss the classroom at all.

But I don't often get leaves from teaching to write a book. It takes me awhile anyway to get in mind a book to write. But I'm involved in smaller writing projects often. With small projects, make time to write amid a busy schedules. The idea and the actual writing increase your energy, improve your outlook, and reward your soul. You have no trouble fitting that kind of work into your life.

For big writing projects, though--a book--I usually need at least a semester to work in which that is all I concentrate on. I develop a routine in which I write every morning, take some exercise, come home and eat lunch, then reread what I have written or perhaps plan the next day's writing. That pace suits me well.

**********************

Check in next week at The Writer's Place when Dr. Romano talks about how writing in different genres can increase your creativity and what to do when you are "passion-depleted"!

Write for money or for passion? Why not both?

2011-10-08T08:00:00.021-04:00

"Chase your passion, not your pension." — Denis Waitley

Sometimes people talk about earning money from their ability to write as a bad thing, as some kind of a sell-out, as though there is something intrinsically wrong with using their creative gift to sell toothpaste or toilet paper, elect a politician or promote a cause. Somehow, writers got the notion that it's an "either-or" situation: either you write what you want (poetry, fiction, essays, for example) or you write what the market needs (such as articles or advertising copy).

Well, as someone who has been writing for money since… well, for a lot longer than you might believe (let's put it this way—when I started, we didn't use computers!), I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be a choice of the two but can be a combination of both.

I've written fiction and essays and published a book (The Gifts of Change, in case you're interested) — all of which came about because I had a passion to say something and that passion drove me to produce, regardless of whether there was money in it. But I have also written numerous magazine and website articles and handled lots of corporate projects. Did I always feel as passionate about those types of projects as I did for my other writing? To be honest, no. But in many cases, the topics were of interest to me and so I enjoyed the process of learning about them and interviewing those people who had a passion for that subject. And in interviewing those people, my own passion for writing was strengthened.

At the same time, there have been projects I have walked away from because I felt intuitively that something about the material or the people involved would be bad for me — a bad way for me to use my ability, a drain on my creative resources.

I am a practical person. I have bills to pay and have only my writing ability to rely on to pay those bills. At the same time, I know that it's important to me and for me to not use my writing ability just to "earn a buck," that I have to also find time in my schedule to write just for me, just on the topics that I want to explore, just in the genre that I know will feed my writing passion.

My point? There's nothing wrong with writing for money as long as somewhere, sometime, you find the time to also write for love.

Letting doubt drive us, not stop us

2011-10-01T09:01:00.001-04:00

"We work in the dark, We do what we can, We give what we have, Our doubt is our passion, And our passion is our task…" Henry James

We start writing… and then we stop, questioning everything from the point of the piece to our ability to adequately express that point so others understand it.

We walk away, come back, start and stop again.

And through it all, fear whispers in our head that maybe we won't be able to do this, maybe we can never do this, maybe we can't write at all and we have only been fooling ourselves.

When that happens, some of us quit, give up, unable to overcome the doubt and frustration. Those are the people who, despite their talent for writing, just can't handle the dark moments that are part of the gift.

But some of us press on, push on, fight on, willing to keep trying because the passion for writing is strong enough to burn through the chill of fear. We go into that room where our creativity waits, rummage through the shelves, open up the closets, searching for a small crumb with which to feed ourselves, unwilling to accept that it isn't there but only that, at this particular moment, we just can't see it.

We won't quit and because we won't quit, we find our way back to the writing — exhausted from the hunt, but with enough energy to pick up the pen and start again. And in that moment, the passion feeds our soul and we are alive and energized.

When you are afraid, when you have lost confidence in your ability, what do you do to get it back?

So what did you learn today in writing school?

2011-09-24T08:00:00.009-04:00

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." Dr. Benjamin Spock

I ended last week's post by asking you what you have learned, writerly speaking, so, turnabout being fair play and all that, I decided to share what I had learned, in no particular order of importance.

I learned that I really enjoy editing other people's work, as long as the topic is one of interest to me. For example, this summer, I edited a book by an interior designer focusing on the healthcare environment. Not only was she an articulate writer, but the topic itself connected with a lot of health-related writing that I do, so I found the whole process (despite the fast turnaround) very rewarding. Last year, I edited a totally different type of book — a woman's story about how she dealt with the death of her adult daughter — and while the subject matter couldn't have been more different than this year's project, the writing was so superb and honest that again, I considered it a privilege to work on it.
I also love writing articles on interior design and construction, but straight travel writing, not so much. Twelve sites in two days just isn't my idea of fun. On the other hand, I do love traveling (yes, even the airport delays are interesting to me!), and given the chance to go behind the scenes and talk about the heart and soul of a place, I'd have my bag packed in nothing flat!
What else? I would rather handle one large project than a lot of small ones, especially when the project is one of those "from scratch" types, such as the complete site overhaul I am working on right now for another client.
I am picky about magazine assignments. Very picky. I'm not willing to put my time and energy into writing an article for a big-name pub with a questionable payment record just for the dubious honor of (hopefully!) having a byline credit. I work too hard to gamble with my income.
Even after the recession did such a number on my income in 2009 and 2010, when I was offered a full-time writing position, I turned it down without even thinking about it because I know that self-employment is the only option for me.
And, most importantly, despite the setbacks and frustrations, I know that I am happier when I spend some time each day writing fiction than when I don't. When I finished my first novel, I was on a high and immediately jumped into the next one, which turned out to be a disaster. Then, I stayed away from fiction for month or so, because I just couldn't face it. But now I am back to "playing in the fiction pool" — no expectations, no demands, just having conversations with whatever characters show up that day.

I'm sure I learned way more but that's all for now!

Learn to trust your gut

2011-09-17T10:11:00.001-04:00

“Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's.” Billy Wilder

In September, we celebrated "Learn Something New" week, kicked off with a two-part informative interview with attorney Daliah Saper, who covered many of the rules and regulations, laws and liabilities that are part of the writing process.

And when it comes to learning something new, often it is a very straightforward, logical, left-brained process — for example, learning how to format an e-book, set up a web page or create a book trailer. We begin knowing nothing (or next to nothing) and end up knowing a lot — well, at least more than when we started!

But not all learning starts at ground zero. Sometimes, it's not so much about learning something new as it is about learning what we already know, learning to trust our intuition and gut feelings, learning to listen to that tiny voice inside that says either "Go for it!" or "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

The trouble is, we don't always pay attention to that voice. So instead we sign that problematic contract with a magazine, hoping that once we turn in the assignment, we will get paid as promised — despite the cautions we have read about the publications in writing newsletters. Conversely, we turn down an opportunity to edit a book because it's a far greater project than any we had undertaken before. So even though our editing skills are top-notch, we ignore the sound of opportunity knocking at our door.

As writers, we need to constantly stretch our boundaries and explore new areas. It's part of the creative process, uncovering hidden talents and bringing to light new skills. At the same time, we need to hone our warning system, so we don't waste valuable time and energy on projects or with people that hold little chance of turning out the way we hoped.

Learn to listen to what's going on inside you. Is your writing spirit whispering that you should spend more time on this and less time on that? Look back over the past nine months. Are you where you hoped you'd be, creatively speaking? Or have you moved no farther along your chosen path, because you either listened to the wrong voice or ignored the right one?

What have you learned since January, and how can you put that knowledge to good use in the remaining months of 2011?

Part 2 of interview with attorney Daliah Saper

2011-09-10T08:00:00.009-04:00

“Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't." Pete Seeger

When it comes to the writing business, the more you know about the law and the more steps you take to protect yourself and your work, the less likely you are to find yourself spending time in court instead of doing what you most want to do: write!

Daliah Saper, Attorney at Law

In part 2 of the interview with attorney Daliah Saper of Saper Law, we'll learn how to protect ourselves and our work! (Read Part 1 of the interview here.)

WP: What should writers do to protect their own works from unauthorized use? Should it occur, what steps should they take?

Although you have a copyright as soon as you create your work, a copyright owner needs to register her work in order to bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement.

First, I would recommend registering all work that you want to be able to protect, especially work that you send to publishers. If a copyright owner waits to register a work after infringement, she cannot take advantage of statutory damages. This can be very disadvantageous to the owner because actual damages are very difficult to prove.

Second, if you find that someone is using a work that you have registered with the copyright office, you or your attorney can send a cease and desist letter or initiate a copyright infringement suit. If the infringement occurs on a website, you can look to the website’s Terms of Use to determine if that site follows DMCA procedures. If it does, you can notify the listed designated agent of the copyright infringement.

WP: Regarding copyrighting work, the old story about sending oneself a copy of the piece via mail and never opening it as a way to copyright it is still around. Can you explain when a piece is considered protected by copyright?

Mailing your own work to yourself does not create the copyright, nor does it prove anything except that you sent yourself something in an envelope postmarked on that day. Fortunately, the process is much simpler: your work is copyrighted as soon as you create it and “fix it into a tangible medium”.

For example, if I am speaking at an event, I cannot copyright the words that I am speaking. However, if I videotape myself speaking at the event, I have fixed my speech into a tangible medium. That video of my speech is then protected by copyright.

As I have mentioned before, if I want to be able to sue for copyright infringement of that video I created of me speaking, I need to register the work with the US Copyright Office. Examples of original works that can be copyrighted are photographs, literary works, music, motion pictures, even simple letters and doodles. The only requirements are that the works are original and fixed in a tangible medium.

Things that cannot be copyrighted are ideas, names, titles, facts, or short phrases.

WP: For US-based writers, is it necessary to register all works with the US Copyright office? What advantages does this process offer?

Registration is voluntary; however, it affords copyright owners several benefits.

First and most importantly, it creates a public record of your copyright and is a pre-requisite to filing a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Second, if a copyright owner registers her work within three months from the time of publication, she is entitled to statutory damages and attorney’s fees if litigation is successful.

Third, if the copyright is registered within five years from its publication date, there is a presumption that the copyright is valid.

WP: What about online work, such as blogs — are they protected by copyright? Should they also be registered?

Online work can and should be copyrighted. For bloggers who are regularly creating new content, it is probably best to file a new copyright for the blog with the US Copyright Office every three months. If a blogger has work that is copyrighted, she also owns any derivatives of that work. If she decides to make some minor changes to content that is registered, she does not need to register the new minor changes.

WP: When might a writer/author need the services of a literary attorney? What qualifications should they look for?

On the transactional end, an attorney can register copyrights for a client, help with copyright licensing and clearance issues, draft co-authorship agreements, negotiate publishing or distribution agreements, and generally provide business and intellectual property advice.

If a dispute arises, an attorney can help a client bring or defend a lawsuit that is based on copyright infringement, defamation, or breach of contract.

As far as qualifications, a writer should contact an attorney who has experience in Intellectual Property, Media, Entertainment, and Business law issues. She should have represented other authors and clients in the literary field.

************

I’d like to thank Daliah for being part of The Writer’s Place and sharing her expertise and knowledge about writing and the law!

I certainly learned a lot of new things from this interview (time to develop a Terms of Use for my blogs!) and will definitely be registering my blogs with the Copyright Office!

"Learn Something New" Week with attorney Daliah Saper

2011-09-03T14:00:00.004-04:00

“An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." Anatole France

No matter how long you have been writing, you can always learn something new: a new way to develop your characters, a new way to research sources for a nonfiction project, even a new way to convince editors that you deserve more pay or a better contract —both!

Daliah Saper, Attorney at Law

That’s the theme for this month, kicked off by “Learn Something New” Week starting September 4th. And this month’s interview with Daliah Saper of Saper Law in Chicago, IL is a perfect place to start.

A little bit about Daliah — Daliah is a member of the Illinois Bar and both the General Bar and Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Prior to starting her own firm, she held positions at Brinks Hofer Gilson and Lione, a large intellectual property law firm; Lawyers for the Creative Arts, a non-profit organization assisting artists; and the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization.

Daliah is on the faculty of Practicing Law Institute, and has been selected by Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society to be a member of Harvard’s new Online Media Legal Network (OMLN). She is also an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching a Sports and Entertainment law course.

For The Writer’s Place, Daliah has provided a wealth of valuable information about the legal side of writing, covering both fiction and non-fiction, for print and online publications, as well as some general information that we all should know (but probably didn’t)!

As a matter of fact, there is so much that I have broken it into two interviews: today’s post and, on September 10th, Part 2. So with no further ado, here’s Daliah!

WP: Let’s start with the basics: what are good thumbnail definitions of plagiarism and copyright infringement.

Plagiarism is a non-legal term that speaks more to the ethical dilemmas rather than the legal consequences that arise out of misappropriating someone else’s work as one’s own. Copyright infringement is the use or copying of any work without permission from the copyright owner.

WP: What are some common (and potentially legally expensive) errors writers make on their blogs or sites regarding copyright infringement?

A common error that bloggers or writers make is assuming that an image found through a Google image search is OK to use, or that an image found on a news site can be used as long as the news site is credited. This is not true. Before a writer can use an image or any other copyrighted content, it is best to get express permission from the copyright owner.

Such permission is not necessary only under the following conditions: if the image is in the public domain (these works can be found in the Library of Congress), if a Creative Commons License is attached to the image (this type of license is common among many Flickr users), or if it falls under a fair use exception.

If you are unclear whether the image you are seeking to use falls under the fair use exception or is in the public domain, it is best to refrain from using that material. (More information on fair use later in the interview.)

These same rules also apply to written content. If a bloggers finds a news article that is interesting, she can link to it on her blog, but it will likely be copyright infringement if she pastes the entire article onto her blog. However, it is likely fair use if the blogger quotes a small portion of an article in order to comment and discuss it. Even in that instance a blogger should be cautious because there is no clearly defined rule as to how long a quote can be in order to be considered fair use.

WP: With blogs being so popular, and bloggers eager to have visitors post comments on their blogs, what are some aspects they need to be conscious of?

Bloggers want to be cautious if they allow users to post on their blogs. For instance, if a blogger allows guest posts or allows users to comment or upload content, she should take precautions to limit her liability if a user posts material that infringes on a third party’s copyright.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) offers a safe harbor provision that immunizes online service providers from infringing material that is posted by users onto their sites.

A blogger can also use the safe harbor provision by designating someone as an agent for notification with the Copyright Office. The blog would also have to include DMCA procedures in its Terms of Use. Examples of DMCA provisions that a blogger can insert in her Terms of Use can be found online or an attorney can assist a blogger in drafting her website’s Terms of Use.

WP: One question that keeps surfacing is about creating an online portfolio. With so many magazines and websites using WMFH or “all rights” contracts, are writers permitted to post a published (online or in print) copy of an article they wrote for a magazine or web site, even with attribution?

If an individual has created a work under a “work made for hire” agreement, that individual is no longer the owner of the work. As such, posting the entire article without permission from the owner is copyright infringement. Aside from “work made for hire” agreements, a writer may also enter into a contract with an individual or company who wants to use her work. If that contract creates limits to your rights in the work, you need to abide by the terms set forth in the contract.

It is probably best when entering in these types of contracts to reserve your right to display your work, or a portion of it, in your online portfolio.

WP: Which brings up another point: is putting your own work on your own site — for example, a short story in its entirety — considered “publishing” the work?

The Copyright Act defines published as “the distribution of copies of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. Offering to distribute copies to people or businesses for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display constitutes publication.” Under this definition, if a writer posts her work onto her public website, that work is considered published.

However, a literary magazine may have a different definition of what constitutes a published or unpublished work. A literary magazine is not bound by the Copyright Act’s definition. It is best to confirm with the literary magazine whether or not a work that appears in full on an author’s website is considered published or unpublished.

In general, magazines or newspaper want to be the first to make an entire work publicly available. Therefore, it is likely that a magazine may not want to publish a work that has already been fully available to an author’s audience.

WP: What about “fair use” — how can writers or authors determine if the material they want to use (with proper attribution) falls under fair use or if they need to gain permission form the source and/or copyright holder?

The Copyright Act lists the following purposes, under the fair use exception, that do not constitute copyright infringement: criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research.

Unfortunately, fair use cases are very fact specific and the courts will look to many factors to determine if the copyright infringement falls under one of these exceptions. The four general factors that a court considers are the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the work, the portion of the work used in relation to the whole, and the effect of the use on the market or the value of the work.

Due to the uncertainty of whether a particular use will be considered a fair use by a court, the safest route is to get permission from the owner before you use the copyrighted material.

*******************

Lots to think about and lots to learn! And there will be more next week, when when Daliah will talk about how to protect your own work!

Not next week, not tomorrow, not later, but now!

2011-08-27T08:00:00.009-04:00

“Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come; you have to get up and make them.” Madame C. J. Walker

All month long, the focus has been to be “open to opportunity,” talking about physical travel can spark creativity and how an emotional journey can take us to places that inform our work.

Now I’d like to get practical and talk about money, and how being open to “traveling” to new work opportunities can help us pay the bills and add to our experience.

This summer, I had a two-month long project with a client, editing, rewriting and posting articles on her web site. The first two parts were no-brainers. The third part was a different story. While I do handle my own blogs, I don’t do my own web site updates. That job falls to Amy of SUMY Designs. But posting was part of the job so I went through the training and now I can do it. (Granted only on her site but at least I understand the process better! But I would be more willing to do it for another client after this.)

Also, as is my habit, I make coldcalls or send “touching base” emails once a week. Eighty percent of the time, the prospects or clients don’t have anything available. But a few weeks ago, I made my routine “here I am and do you need me for anything?” follow-up and learned this prospect did need me since a staff member was on maternity leave. Another opportunity that came my way because I was looking for it.

My question for you is: are you doing everything you can to influence Lady Chance to roll the dice your way? If not, what are you waiting for—an engraved invitation?

It is not the distance we travel, but the attention we pay while on the journey

2011-08-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

“Any successful journey begins by packing your luggage full of imagination.” Kathrine Palmer Peterson

I accidentally (although I am not sure there are any “accidents”) came across Gretchen Rubin’s website, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT, which led me to her 2011 Happiness Project Challenge. Her theme for August was creativity, with one post recommending “Be a Tourist In Your Own City.”

This is an excellent suggestion, not only for stimulating our creative juices in general but also for opening us to opportunities in terms of what to write about. All too often, we look without seeing or hear without processing the words, tones, inflection.

Something I have learned to do when traveling is to use my downtime in airports (of which I get a lot since I rarely take nonstop flights—I am always hoping for a “bump!”) to listen to conversations around me. (Okay, I guess the technical term is “eavesdropping” but is it my fault that people talk so loudly?) During one rather lengthy stay at the Tampa airport, I overheard one side of a telephone conversation between a man in his late twenties and someone who seemed to be his sister on the subject of money and family. It clearly wasn’t a pleasant conversation, and one, I am sure, that goes on in many families.

So what could I do with this little bit of “real life”?

I could interview money experts for an article on how to avoid family money fights.
I could work it into a short story or novel, as a main or subordinate plot line.
I could write an essay on how money can tie people together to the point of strangling them, or on the various kinds of “debts” we owe to our relatives—debts of cash, of affection or of obligation, for example—and when (or if) the debt should be repaid.

Three possible writing opportunities that came because I was open and aware.

But my point is that you don’t have to go to an airport to find topics to write about. Follow Rubin’s suggestion and “travel” in your own city. Open your senses to the opportunities that your journey will bring to you.

Then come back and write what you saw, felt, heard, smelled, tasted, touched.

Traveling by pen—the inner journey

2011-08-13T08:21:00.000-04:00

“…we write… to record the journey into the Labyrinth…” Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin

This month we celebrated “Open to Opportunity Week,” becoming aware of those golden moments when something is almost within our grasp and all we have to do is reach out our hand and take it.

Sometimes a journey to a physical place creates the prospect, such as Elin Hilderbrand experienced: she went to Nantucket for one summer and ended up finding her true home. (See last week’s post).

Sometimes it is a different kind of journey—an emotional expedition to uncharted waters, so to speak—that influence what we write and how we write it. I had such an experience when my mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, with the impact on my life leading to my book, The Gifts of Change.

I began with journal entries, railing against the unfairness of it all—why couldn’t my mother enjoy her last year’s in peace? Why did my father have to watch her suffer? Why was our family robbed of someone who mattered so much? Ultimately, I had to come to terms with the reality—in short, “accept what I could not change”—which led me to explore other life changes and how our response can either make or break us.

And so the book was written—a book I never planned to write on a topic I never planned to explore—and the book led me on a different type of journey, as an author and speaker. But, trust me, it was a journey I would have preferred not to make, fraught as it was with pain, sorrow and loss.

Many other writers have explored their own emotional journeys through writing, such as Dianne Schwartz, author of Whose Face is in the Mirror?. And while the voyage they take can be storm-tossed and dark at times, the writing of it also serves as an illumination, showing them new aspects about the event or themselves.

As writers, we must never be afraid to explore personal experiences through our work. Even if the writing of it goes no further than our file drawer, it still serves a purpose, teaching us something about who we are and how we became that person.

Walk through metaphorical "doors" and see where you end up

2011-08-06T08:00:00.018-04:00

"...coming home to a place I'd never been before." Elin Hilderbrand

August 7^th begins “Open to Opportunity Week” when we open our minds and hearts to events, people and places that can make a difference in our lives.

In this interview, Elin Hilderbrand, author of Silver Girl (Little, Brown), discusses how place, specifically Nantucket, has inspired 10 of her novels, and how writers can increase the awareness of the impact a location can have on their creativity. (More information about Elin is available at her Facebook page.)

WP: When you moved to Nantucket 18 years ago, did you expect it to become the setting for your 10 novels? What drew you to choosing the island for your books?

I moved to Nantucket in July 1993 with the intent of spending one fun summer here. To paraphrase John Denver, it was like coming home to a place I'd never been before; I loved the island so much, I left my apartment in New York City and made Nantucket my home. It was only when I went to the University of Iowa writers workshop, and I was away from Nantucket for the majority of those two years, that I decided I wanted to write about Nantucket. Really, it started out as a kind of therapy, and grew into something far bigger.

WP: How has the community responded to your use of the island in your work?

It's all positive. The year-round Nantucketers are big fans, and the summer people are even bigger fans, I think, because for them, Nantucket is this special haven. I try to give that haven to my readers; a little bit of true summertime, even if they're landlocked or stuck in the city.

WP: For those who want to use a specific location in a novel, what advice do you have for them to ensure that they don’t run afoul of the real inhabitants or owners of the location? What are some of the aspects a writer has to consider when using a real location in a work of fiction?

One of the most important things I learned at the University of Iowa, is to love your characters. If you love you characters, you will write them in a true and humane way, they will be lovable even if they're flawed. I believe the same holds true for place. If you write about a place with love, it will come alive for the reader. I don't always represent a true-to-life Nantucket, but I do my best to capture the spirit of the island, even when I'm fictionalizing certain locales.

WP: What technique do you use to create that “sense of place” so readers who have never set foot on Nantucket feel as though they have been there?

I focus on my favorite things about the island: the cobblestone streets, the historically pressured homes, the pristine beaches, the harbor. I like to include summer details—blueberry pie, corn on the cob, hydrangea bushes, snapping flags.

WP: Have you traveled to other places and thought, “This would be a great setting for a work of fiction”? Do you have any locations in mind for future novels that are not Nantucket-based?

My husband and I take our kids away in the winters; in the past four years, we've been to Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia twice. The novel I'm currently writing is partially set in Western Australia, and partially in Nantucket. It's a fun departure to describe another location; I do it infrequently.

WP: Are there places that, while not becoming a setting for one of your novels, nevertheless have been a source of inspiration or a boost to your creativity?

Well, aside from Nantucket, my favorite place on earth is Fremantle, Australia, which is quite literally on the other side of the world. I've been there six times; it's a divine town, and while there this past winter, I wrote 200 pages of my new book while lying on the white sand beach. It's another paradise.

*****

There you have it—how one writer opened to opportunity in the form of place and ended up basing 10 of her novels in that locale.

While in Elin's case, it was a geographic "place" that inspired her, emotional and psychological "places" can also generate a response that informs your writing. Be open to opportunity: walk through those doors that you may have kept closed and see where they will take you, creatively speaking.

Fight your fears by fantasizing

2011-07-30T08:00:00.018-04:00

“True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful." Paul Sweeney

This month, my blog posts (both here and my 7/3 one on my Finding Fran blog) have been about fear—specifically, the fears that we writers have regarding to our craft.

Scratch a writer (or anyone in the creative arts) and we bleed fear: fear that our work isn't any good, that our best days are behind us, that no one will understand what we meant, that maybe even we don't know what we meant.

Okay, I get it. (By the way, if you want to get rid of your fears or just share them with the rest of us, post them here or on Finding Fran.) Bottom line is that we are afraid of failing, of being unsuccessful —however we define success.

So with that in mind, I want to end this month's fear-focused blog posts by suggesting we take a different approach to our fears. Maybe we can't get rid of them but we can at least figure out how to loosen their hold on us. When you think about it, our fears are all about what might happen — not necessarily what will happen.

So let's go to the opposite side of the fence and imagine incredibly wonderful, fabulous, beyond-our-wildest-imaginings outcomes. In short, let's pretend that everything we most want to happen does happen.

Pick a writing project near and dear to your heart—something that you really want to turn out the way you dreamed. Now, close your eyes and see it happening: see the crowds lined up for a booksigning, see that royalty check (and imagine how you'll spend it!), see that e-mail from some major media source asking for an interview, see your Amazon ranking going down to single digits —see it all just the way you want it to happen. Open your eyes and write it down: every detail that represents a successful outcome to you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can hear you now: Are you nuts? This is ridiculous! Why is it any more ridiculous to imagine wonderful outcomes instead of terrible ones? Now I'm not saying that picturing success will make it happen. Of course not. But if you spend at least a little time imagining it turning out the way you dreamed, you will partially counteract all the negativity that you let cloud your mind — which could give you a boost of positive energy which may help you write better, pitch more vigorously or just stop giving up so quickly. And how can that be a bad thing?

So do my little imagination activity for at least five minutes every day for a month. (If you're feeling really brave, post what you envisioned.) Then come back and tell us how it made you feel, and what, if anything, changed in you or in your work by doing it.

Remember, courage isn't the absence of fear. It's moving forward in spite of it.

Let go of the fear of being a writer

2011-07-23T08:00:00.007-04:00

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” Joseph C. Pearce, writer

Nobody likes to be wrong. (Or is that nobody likes to have errors pointed out to them?)

In any case, any writer worth his/her salt checks and double-checks quotes, stats and details just in case somewhere something has slipped through the cracks.

And, all too often, despite our efforts, one or two do make it past us and we find out the city name is spelled incorrectly throughout our entire manuscript or that, despite what we wrote, on most mornings in June, there is a greater chance of fog than a brilliant sunrise over Half Moon Bay.

But sometimes the mistakes aren't factual but perceptual. We write something based on personal experience and find out that other people connected to the circumstance don't react quite the way we thought they would: they are angry or disappointed or hurt. Or we interpret certain relationships and find out the other party has a totally different view of it. (And tells us, in no uncertain terms, how wrong we are.)

And because of this fear of making a mistake, we second-guess ourselves, and that leads to a complete cessation of the writing process. Now I am not saying that we shouldn't care about details and facts, that we shouldn't research and double-check so that we are reasonably certain what we turn in or publish is accurate and correct.

But the "non-facts" — the perceptions and beliefs that we have about certain events — those are our own concepts and feelings. And we are entitled to hold those until we learn differently.

And, going one step further, we have to let go of our fear of being wrong about being a writer: our fear that we really aren't writers, that we can't write, that we are wasting our time and energy and should give it up and get a "real" job.

Writing is taking the dare -- and hoping for the best

2011-07-16T08:00:00.008-04:00

"Writing is a daring act" Ralph Keyes, author (The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear)

I have been reading (somewhat obsessively) every book on writing that I have on my bookshelf. Not technical books on how to plot a story, when to shift from narrative to dialogue or where to end a chapter (or the story itself) but the "why" of writing: why writers continue to put themselves in this uncomfortable, demanding and sometimes unrewarding state of "writing."

Having finished Keyes' book, I have moved on to Bonnie Friedman's Writing Past Dark, searching for answers. Why the search? Because I have finished the first draft (notwithstanding the file's name that ends in version 7!) of my second novel and, unlike the way I felt with the first one, know that this one needs so much work that it is tantamount to starting over. Which raises all those fears: fear that I am a "one-novel" writer, that I don't have what it takes to do anything longer than an 8,000-word story and worse, that I really can't write fiction at all. (Ironic that a month that started out with "Declare Your Freedom From Fear" Week has now turned into a month full of fears: personal and professional.)

So I read all these writing books and find out that I am in good company—that every writer so far has confessed to being afraid of the process or in doubt of his/her ability or depressed by the result of long months (and sometimes years) with a project.

Writing is a daring act, as Keyes said, but the larger question is why do we take the dare? There has to be easier ways to spend our time. (I was going to say "make a living" but since the recession, for many of us, "making a living" probably includes non-writing work.) We sit there each day, sometimes with no assurance that there is anything in our brains to put down on paper or on the screen, and "do the process": hunt for characters, plot, description, dialogue, meaning, cause-and-effect: we hunt and guess and write and hope that what is coming out is somewhere close to what we wanted.

In his book, Keyes quoted Iris Murdoch: "Every book is the wreck of a perfect idea," and I can't help wondering if that's true — if there is a 99.9% chance that what we end up writing won't be what we wanted to write — why are we doing it anyway?

I don't know about you but for me, it's because I am hanging onto the .1% chance that what I write will be so darned close to what I wanted to write as to make the difference negligible.

And that's what it comes down to: we write because we hope.

We hope that we have something of value to say and hope that we can say it.
We hope that it sees print (in whatever fashion "print" is these days) and hope that somewhere someone reads it.
We hope that reader likes it and (perhaps more importantly) when we re-read it, that we like it.

We hope and hope and hope… and because of that hope, we keep on taking the dare: we write.

Take a practical approach to your fears

2011-07-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

"No one is going to 'buy' you unless you know what you are 'selling…'” Susanne Goldstein, author/speaker

We're back at The Writer's Place with Susanne Goldstein, author of Carry a Paintbrush — How to be the Artistic Director of Your Own Career. For more information, visit her web site. The focus is on handling our fears so that we can be productive and successful —however we define it!

WP: In your book, Carry a Paintbrush, you provide some great tips and techniques for handling job interviews. Given that freelancers tend to be constantly "job-hunting," what advice can you offer them to keep them going through endless cold-calls, submissions and auditions?

Goldstein: In a piece I wrote for the Christian Science Monitor for this year's graduating class, I highlighted seven important lessons for job hunting that can be applied across any level of experience or working style.

Perhaps that most vital is Tip #5, which I call "Networking by 5s." In this technique, I recommend changing your orientation from viewing each meeting as an "interview," and instead focus on the valuable contact and potential ally you are making. This shift can transform a potentially miserable activity into a truly beneficial one. I can't recommend it more highly.

WP: In your book, Carry a Paintbrush, you talk about the importance of defining your personal career brand. How does that relate to creative professionals?

Goldstein: No one is going to "buy" you unless you know what you are "selling" and can, through a variety of means, convince people that you are a worthy investment. Although most creative people loath the idea of marketing themselves, it is the most powerful differentiator for success.

In the Medici days, when one could get a patron to support your work as an artist, things were different. Nowadays, artists of all sorts need to have business smarts and marketing savvy, and this starts with defining your Personal Career Brand. I have created a seven step process to help people do this, the primary ingredient of which is in identifying The Sweet Spot where your Passions, Interests and Skills intersect.

WP: What are some indications that we've "branded" ourselves incorrectly or that the brand we may have chosen isn't the right one for us?

Goldstein: If you identify your Passion as "loving to get a massage," it is going to be pretty hard for you to make a living working at your place of passion. People usually pay to get massaged, not get paid to receive a massage. If you, as a creative person, have defined a style of work for yourself that has no commercial value, it is going to challenging to make a living.

That doesn't mean that there aren't "pure" artists who have managed to pull this off. But in today's society, that is harder and harder to do. If you find that the passion that you choose to pursue can't be combined with other Interests and Skills, then you might want to reconsider your Personal Career Brand.

In the example of "loving to get a massage" above, if you can combine this Passion with an Interest in, "loving to travel," and a Skill for, "writing reviews," perhaps you could get a job at Spa Finder writing spa reviews at resorts around the world. Then you have developed a potentially viable brand.

WP: Can you give us three tips on what to do if fear threatens to overcome, overwhelm and overshadow us?

Goldstein: Know that the stakes are not that high. Unless you are a neurosurgeon, and someone is on the operating table with their brain waiting to be repaired and that patient's ability to walk, speak and function in the world is in your hands, it just isn't that important.

I believe it was Joseph Campbell who said, "We worry about things that we can't control. But if you can't control them, then why worry?"

Do 5 things every day to progress your work, your business, your networking. After that, you can rest.

WP: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Goldstein: Being artistic is a gift. Being able to make a living being artistic is hard. Never forget that.

~~~~~

Thanks so much to Susanne Goldstein for sharing her wisdom and insights. Now I'd like to invite all of you to share your fears — what are you most afraid of when it comes to your creative work? No good ideas? No ideas at all? Being rejected? Being published? And how do you handle those fears — or are they handling you?

Share your thoughts and stop back each Saturday for more at The Writer's Place!

“Declare Your Freedom From Fear” Week

2011-07-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

"…building a career as an artist takes time, determination and perseverance." Susanne Goldstein, author/speaker

As befitting a month that starts off with Independence Day in the U.S., this month's focus on The Writer's Place blog is on fears — how they can get in the way of the creative process and how we can use them to our advantage.

And to help us get a grip on all those fears — and trust me, talk to any creative person and you'll find out more about fears than you ever wanted to!—is engineer-filmmaker-consultant-web designer-business strategist-career coach Susanne Goldstein.

A graduate of Harvard and Cornell, Susanne has spent the past 25 years successfully inventing and reinventing herself. She has helped clients of every color and stripe be whatever they've wanted to be. And in her book, Carry a Paintbrush — How to be the Artistic Director of Your Own Career, she offers plenty of great advice for creative professionals as well as "ordinary mortals."

For more information, visit her web site. But right now, sit back and prepare to learn how to "paint" a better future — and, in the process, how to defeat your fears!

WP: What are some of the more common fears that people in the creative arts face?

Goldstein: One of the biggest fears I have encountered coaching creative people toward career success is their fear of "monetizing their art." For the pure creative artist, there is no price tag that can appropriately value what they express through their craft.

If this is their orientation, and they don't have a single marketing or business gene in their body, there becomes a great fear of "how am I ever going to get anywhere in my life?"

WP: Are the fears creative professionals have different from what other people experience?

Goldstein: Society has given most of us concrete ways of defining our own "monetary worth." If you are an accountant, a police officer or a lawyer, your salary, relatively speaking, is pretty predictable. It's completely different for creative artists. As a writer, painter, sculptor, jewelry maker, you only make money when you sell your product. So the fear of investing time in the wrong endeavor is high. What if it doesn't sell? What if I can't convince people to commission me to do this kind of work?

WP: When you were writing your book, Carry a Paintbrush and after it came out, did you have any specific fears you had to overcome? If so, how did you do it?

Goldstein: I'm a product marketer with a thriving consulting business. I took a big risk in shutting down my practice for four months to write and publish Carry a Paintbrush, but my fear wasn't not in the financial sense. I had more fear around what those closest to me would think. Even though I felt completely unattached to peer reviews, endorsements and testimonials, it was the opinions of my friends and family that caused me the most unease.

I realized that I had to let go of having any expectation from their response, which was really hard. But it made me focus on my own achievements, and taught me to give myself a pat on the back—something which is hard for many creative people to do.

WP: Give the high rate of rejection in the arts, what can writers and other creative professionals do to improve their handling of the inevitable "No" that all too often comes their way? How can they keep it from destroying their confidence or creating blocks?

Goldstein: My dad says it best when he says, "Susanne, stay within yourself. Don't let the highs get you too high, or the lows get you too low." I've tried to live this concept everyday—as I watch the hourly Amazon ratings take my book from #1 in its category to #97 within a three day period.

It's all about staying balanced and knowing that building a career as an artist takes time, determination and perseverance.

~~~~~

Be sure to come back next Saturday when my interview with Susanne Goldstein will continue!

Also, download my Calendar of Change and "Defeat the Beliefs" tip sheet!

See you next week and, in the meantime, keep writing!

How do you celebrate your writing achievement?

2011-06-25T08:00:00.012-04:00

“Writing is a sweet, wonderful reward” Franz Kafka

I wanted to end this month’s posts on a positive note so I am closing with the concept of celebrating success, working on the principle that, if we look hard enough, we can certainly find something to celebrate!

And we all have our own way of doing it, depending on what was accomplished, and sometimes, what it took to reach that point. When I have finished a major project, I take part of a day off — hang out, go to a book store, maybe drive up to the lake. When I learned that my publisher had two foreign rights sales for my book, The Gifts of Change, I bought myself a ring — not expensive enough to make me worry about losing it but something that, every time I wore it, reminded me that somewhere someone was reading my book in Korean or Turkish.

Of course, food is always a great way to celebrate — together with friends or on my own at the ice cream stand (not the cheap stuff either but Handel’s ice cream that was born right here in Youngstown!

And last summer, I celebrated in reverse — I spent several days at Half Moon Bay finishing edits on my novel. I was rewarding myself for the accomplishment of actually completing a rough draft — and what better place to do it than overlooking the ocean?

Deborah Durbin, freelance writer, author (her latest book is Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People), columnist and blogger, celebrates writing achievements in a variety of ways. “One celebratory thing I do with my children is if I secure a commission over £200 ($323) we go out to a cafe and have cake. For bigger commissions such as a good advance on a book, I buy myself something nice, such as a new ring, or as I did last year, pay for a family holiday out of my advance cheque. Even if you just take yourself off out for a coffee, we should always celebrate our writing achievements.”

MaryAnn Myers of Sunrise HorseFarm and author of several books including the newly-released equestrian novel, Hannah's Home, knows she has reached the celebratory stage by how she feels — “I walk on air.” —and what she does: “I usually go outside then and spend some time with the horses, without feeling tugged back inside.”

For Stephanie Golden, Writing Craft and Practice blogger and author of Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice, says, “Gee the only thing that comes to mind is this: Slaying the Mermaid got a big advance. I had to go for a meeting at the publisher’s office to ensure that I was TV-compatible. When I left, and the whole thing was settled, I was ecstatic and went to Bloomingdale’s (nearby) where I allowed myself to buy a jacket at full price. Normally I shop at discount stores or sales, so this was a special dispensation. I went to the petite department and got this jacket which was beautiful and fit really well.”

Judy Reeves, author of A Writer's Book of Days (revised edition now available), Writing Alone, Writing Together, A Creative Writer's Kit and TheWriter's Retreat Kit has a variety of methods: “I brag to writing chums and give myself little gifts — a bouquet of flowers if it’s a BIG achievement, and sometimes if it’s a hard-earned achievement, big or not. Maybe a new notebook or journal, a book from my ‘must read’ list. On a day-to-day basis, after writing, I like to take a walk to a cafe and buy myself the best espresso and oatmeal/raisin cookie I can find. Nothing like sunshine, caffeine and sweets to reward a job well done. Or just done the best I can do.”

Tina B.Tessina, PhD, (aka "Dr. Romance") psychotherapist and author of Money,Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media) says “I celebrate every little thing. I learned a long time ago that celebration + appreciation = motivation, so I keep myself motivated by cheering myself on for every little thing I get done. Crossing a task off a list is a celebration. Writing this for you is a celebration. I just came home from the American Society of Journalists and Authors Conference and board meeting, and that gathering with fellow writers I usually only connect with in cyberspace is a huge celebration. The energy there was amazing! When work is solitary and disconnected, like writing, it’s crucial to celebrate as I did today, by going out to a beautiful museum exhibition and lunch with a dear friend. My marriage is a constant celebration, too. What I’ve learned in my life, my private practice, my writing career and in 29 years of marriage is that appreciation and celebration go a long way toward creating an enjoyable life.”

So there you have it—why to celebrate and how to celebrate. If you have your own way of rewarding yourself, share it with us. And sometime, in the next week, take the time to recognize your accomplishments and celebrate your achievements! Go on! You deserve it!

But however and whatever you do, remember that writing — being able to write — is not only the labor but the reward.

How do you acknowledge your forward movements?

2011-06-18T08:00:00.016-04:00

“The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette.” Henry S. Hoskins

What a long slow process writing can be. We put words down, we take them back, we walk away from the desk in frustration only to come back again… It can take forever to get the work to a state that we can find acceptable. (And even then, we can’t resist toying with it. That’s why I won’t re-read my first book, The Gifts of Change. I know darned well there will be something I’ll want to fix/improve/add/subtract!)

It can seem like an endless process: one step forward, two steps back. And when we add in the challenge of keeping our spirits up while waiting for acceptance from someone — an agent, an editor, a publisher, a reader — it’s a wonder we don’t just sit down where we are and bang our heels on the floor like a two-year-old in full tantrum mode!

But we don’t. We measure our progress in whatever way it works for us — in number of words, in pages, in time spent — and remind ourselves that anything worth doing takes time, that Rome wasn’t built in a day, that … well, you get the picture. And along the way, we applaud ourselves for just moving ahead, regardless of the outcome.

As Deborah Durbin, freelance writer, author (her latest book is Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People), columnist and blogger, says, “It drives me mad when people say they don’t believe in giving themselves a pat on the back for something they have achieved, however small it may be in others’ eyes! I think as writers we are one of the most vulnerable of the human species — we face rejection on a daily basis and it becomes part of the job, so any achievement deserves to be recognised, even if it’s just writing adding another paragraph to a novel, or jotting down an idea for an article.”

“Writing is hard; fun sometimes, but hard,” admits Judy Reeves, author of A Writer's Book of Days (revised edition now available), Writing Alone, Writing Together, A Creative Writer's Kit and TheWriter's Retreat Kit. “And we have to do it alone. And nobody cares whether we do it or not. So acknowledging our successes at honoring our writing practice, at finishing a scene or a chapter, at revising something so that just the smallest change gets to a truth we believe is honest — feeling that we’ve written something true, and honest — all these are cause for celebration. Whether we celebrate with little rewards or notes to ourselves on our bathroom mirror, it’s important to acknowledge ourselves. Really, does your mother care if you finally found the word you were looking for to describe the color of the leaves outside the window? Each little celebration helps us keep the faith.”

“Keep the faith” — that’s what it’s all about. So how do you acknowledge your forward movements?

What constitutes a writing achievement for you?

2011-06-11T08:00:00.008-04:00

“Success comes to a writer, as a rule, so gradually that it is always something of a shock to him to look back and realize the heights to which he has climbed.” P.G. Wodehouse

Like many of the writers I have spoken with over the years, I have different ways of grading my “writing achievements.”
Successfully finishing magazine assignments when the focus kept changing or the sources were less than cooperative — those are achievements!

Having one of my short stories accepted for publication, and getting a note later from Carolyn See, UCLA professor and author of one of my favorite writing books, Making a Literary Life saying that “I loved your thoughtful marriage story” — two measures of achievement for the price of one!

Writing Finding Fran — my first novel — after years of telling everyone who listened that I was a short story writer, not a novelist.

The problem is, I find that, after acknowledging that I did accomplish something — something difficult or challenging or just plain hard — I find it almost impossible to just enjoy it. Instead, I think, “Yeah, it’s great that you wrote a book but now you can’t find someone to publish it” or “Okay, so one story hit the right note but why aren’t the rest of them in literary magazines, too?”

I keep looking at the bar and raising it, instead of stopping where I am just for the moment and remembering when the bar was only inches from the floor. It’s not that I think it’s a bad idea to push ourselves. Of course not. If we don’t prod the pony, he won’t move. But we shouldn’t be so focused on what’s ahead that we don’t take time to look behind us — to see how far we have come, to acknowledge what we have done so far in our lives.

And that is the focus of this week’s post: how we identify writing achievements. Freelance writer Karen L. Kirsch says that “Writing in some form or another has been a lifelong refuge, a celebration, a profession and a doorway to adventure. It has afforded me the opportunity to enlighten others about things they might never have considered, but which should be considered (like the important ecological role opossums play, for instance). My ‘job’ is my joy and words are friends that challenge, comfort and inspire me.”

Deborah Durbin, freelance writer, author (her latest book is Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People) , columnist and blogger, takes a more prosaic approach to the topic of writing achievements. “I’m not very good at setting myself deadlines — I work much better if I have a commission and deadline to work to — so I guess a writing achievement to me is achieved when I finish well head of the deadline. Also pitching plays a great part in my life, so winning over an editor or publisher with a pitch is, I consider, an achievement.”

MaryAnn Myers of Sunrise HorseFarm and author of several books including the newly-released equestrian novel, Hannah's Home, says, “I like completing a writing assignment, like finishing a scene, a chapter...but don’t really feel the achievement of it all until I read back over it several times. There is always elation in the beginning of the end, but that could be passion. Achievement for me is knowing it’s time to send it on its way.”

For Stephanie Golden, Writing Craft and Practice blogger and author of Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice, her second book took her on somewhat of a success/achievement roller-coaster ride.“My second book (Slaying the Mermaid) was published by a big commercial house (Harmony/Crown). They were very enthusiastic about it and treated me like a queen, hoping it would be a best seller. Then it wasn’t (part of the problem, I think, is that they picked the wrong marketing angle, though who knows?). So all of a sudden I was nobody. For a long time I felt like a failure — I’d had a chance and blew it. But the book got really wonderful reviews, and over the years I’ve periodically encountered people who told me that they loved it. One said it changed her life. Another said it helped her during a very difficult period. Once I was at a meeting of a local peace group, and a signup sheet went round. When I passed it to the woman next to me, she looked at my signature and said, “Are you the author of Slaying the Mermaid? That was a wonderful book.” So slowly I began revising my definition of ‘success.’ Surely it’s a ‘writing achievement’ to create a book that has really meant something to its readers.”

Tina B.Tessina, PhD, (aka "Dr. Romance") psychotherapist and author of Money,Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media) says all kinds of things constitutes a writing achievement for her.“Answering a reporter’s query on HARO or ProfNet, and hearing back that mine was the best response. Of course, producing the 80,000 or more words it takes to write a book is an achievement, and so are blog posts and articles. Knowing I offer more than 100 free self-help articles on www.tinatessina.com also feels like an achievement to me. Just staying alive in this business is also notable. I’m now making the transition from traditional publishing to ebooks, podcasts, videos, etc.; and it feels like I had to do the equivalent of earn another doctorate just to learn how to do it all. Oh, and I can’t ignore the achievement of living exactly the life I want — moving from a corporate accountant to a therapy private practice, along with a thriving writing career is truly Nirvana for me.”

Longevity in the craft— that is an achievement in itself, since writing can be a lonely, brutal, exhausting life — in between all the wonderful, rewarding times! And having our work live on as well, still finding an audience after two or three or ten years, as Judy Reeves, author of A Writer's Book of Days (revised edition now available), Writing Alone, Writing Together, A Creative Writer's Kit and TheWriter's Retreat Kit notes. “I’m delighted that my first book, A Writer’s Book of Days, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Revised Edition, with a foreword by Janet Fitch and a gorgeous new cover. I still love this book. It says the truth about what I feel about writing.”

What constitutes a writing achievement for you?

How do you define writing success?

2011-06-01T08:00:00.010-04:00

“You don’t think of those who haven’t, you think of those you have.” James Salter

Today, we celebrate "Recognize Your Accomplishments Day”—a day I created because I believe it’s critical and important that we mark our successes—however we define them—instead of just focusing on where we have failed.

And therein lies the crux of the problem. Because all too often we define success by comparing what we did to what others have done, or to what we envisioned success to be.
For writers especially, success is very much a measuring game. For example:

Writer A gets a encouraging rejection letter which gives him/her a dose of hope until…Writer B gets an acceptance from the same agent.
Writer A’s book is published, making him/her feel great until… Writer B sells out on Amazon within a few hours.
Writer A’s article — the very first one accepted! — is in the local newspaper, which leads to much celebrating until… Writer B gets a byline in the New York Times.

And not all comparisons are with other writers. We finish our first novel/poem/essay and immediately start picking it apart, thinking that it woulda/coulda/shoulda been better if we were just more talented, more focused, more…successful!

So I decided to ask my fellow writers for some thoughts on success and got some fascinating feedback. Read their thoughts and then, please share your own!

The comments in today’s post (a little early but I wanted to mark the day!) center on how they define success. And here, to open the floor is Deborah Durbin, freelance writer, author (her latest book is Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People) and columnist and blogger: “How I define success: I guess because writing is my profession, I define success by a paying commission. Whilst many will disagree and say that they write because a) they have to and b) for the love of it, when someone is willing to pay me for something I've written, to me that adds value and defines success.”

JoanPrice, author of Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex and BetterThan I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty and award-winning blogger about sex and aging, says “I find great joy in reader response. Someone writes to tell me my book or blog delighted or moved them, or a solution I suggested worked for them, or a reader story resonated with them – this is what feeds my writer’s soul.”

MaryAnn Myers of Sunrise HorseFarm and author of several books including the newly-released equestrian novel, Hannah's Home, defines writing success on a personal level by “how I feel at the end of the day. Did I do my best? Was I involved? Am I anxious to go back? That to me is success.”

Tina B.Tessina, PhD, (aka "Dr. Romance") psychotherapist and author of Money,Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media) says, “Well, for me it's not very monetary, although I have gotten some very good book advances, paid columns and even royalties. But, my psychotherapy private practice really pays the bills. Success to me has meant getting to travel — amazing book tours in the early years, (1989- 92) and then some truly wonderful tours in Mexico, Central and South America when my book was first published in Spanish. Writing my ‘Dr.Romance’ blog garnered me a free week (for my husband, too) on the Princess Love Boat for the ‘Princess Romance Summit’ over Valentine's in 2010. Redbook sent us to Beaches in Turks and Caicos for a Marriage Enrichment Weekend. I've also been invited and paid to do workshops on my book topics all over — just got back from one in Vermont. The other success is that I get to help people all over the planet improve their love lives. My books are published in 17 languages, and I hear from English-speaking people in every country, asking for advice with their problems. This is the real reason I write — to help people find and succeed at love. Seeing my book in an airport bookstall gives me a rush.”

Judy Reeves, author of A Writer's Book of Days (revised edition now available), Writing Alone, Writing Together, A Creative Writer's Kit and TheWriter's Retreat Kit says, “How do I define success? As a writer, I call myself successful if I'm writing and honor a regular (daily) writing practice. I feel especially successful if I am working on a project and making forward motion. Sometimes the motion can be more circular, or three steps forward, two back. Or moving around in a tight little box of my own making.”

Sop how do you define writing success? Share your thoughts!

The next three weekly posts will cover what you consider a writing achievement, why it’s important to acknowledge any forward movement (however small!) and how you celebrate your writing successes. Any comments, please post them or e-mail me! I'd love to get your viewpoint!

By the way, you may have noticed that The Writer's Place has a new look. I decided to spruce up the "environment" and what better images to border the blog than books! (Kinda looks like my house...)

Anyway, what do you think? How does it look? Issues with any browsers? Let me know!

From dormancy to glorious life

2011-05-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

“Let me walk through the fields of paper touching with my wand dry stems and stunted butterflies...” Denise Levertov, "A Walk through the Notebooks"

If you are like me, you probably have notebooks, folders or computer files of writing that you have deemed “not worthy of more effort.” (Or, as I labeled one folder: “Lost Causes.”) You can’t quite bring yourself to throw them out but you don’t want to spend any more time looking at them either.

And sometimes that’s the right decision. You have to be able to view your work objectively and decide when enough is enough: when, no matter how much you labor and sweat over a project (poem, essay, short story or book), it’s still not going to turn out the way you want it to.

But there are times when, after a little (or lot—possibly even years!) time away, you can come back to the piece and suddenly, like a light bulb turning on, you know what to do to make it better.

You touch it with your “wand” and the words, so long dry and dormant, come to glorious life.

Cultivation is the key

2011-05-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

"The ablest writer is only a gardener first, and then a cook: his tasks are, carefully to select and cultivate his strongest and most nutritive thoughts; and when they are ripe, to dress them, wholesomely, and yet so that they may have a relish.” Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare

Writing is a lot like gardening. First we choose the type of “garden” we want (fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry) and then we choose the seeds to sow. (Although sometimes, the seeds sow themselves without any action on our part!).
Next comes the “thinning” part: editing the work to eliminate unnecessary phrases and words, which gives the remaining parts plenty of space to grow and develop. (Check out Kim Blank’s Wordiness,Wordiness, Wordiness List for ideas on what to remove!)
Finally, we water, watch and wait for the harvest: the completed project over which we have labored so long and hard.
If we shortcut the process at any stage, we’ll end up with stunted "plants" that lack vitality. But if we take our time, we’ll have a “dish” worthy of our readers—and our talent!

Acknowledge your creative power

2011-05-14T08:59:00.001-04:00

“Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn’t we?” Audra Foveo-Alba

The fact that a beautiful flower garden can come from a mix of tiny nondescript seeds is as much as a miracle as the idea that a wonderful piece of writing can come from a combination of vowels and consonants.

But all too often we forget that it is a miracle. We get so caught up in the “work” side of writing—making sure of the spelling, the punctuation, the composition of sentences and paragraphs—that we overlook the mystery and wonder of the creative process.

When we engage in that “creative process,” we become creators—gods, if you will—powerful beings who can take disparate consonants and vowels and imbue them with the power to generate emotion and action.

Just for today, look at your “writing garden” not as a place where you need to weed and hoe and plant but as a space where creativity exists and words blossom.

If you want something to harvest, you have to work at it now

2011-05-07T18:34:00.001-04:00

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” Alan Lakein

I've been spending the past several weeks working outside (in between endless bouts of rain!), cleaning up flower beds, getting the garden ready to plant, weed-and-feeding the lawn in the vain hope that this year I'll beat the dandelions at their own game. And all this prep work to create a beautiful and fruitful landscape made me think about what we writers have to do to keep our “writing garden” fresh and productive.

There are the “soil amendments”—those additives we incorporate to strengthen and nourish the ground in which our creativity grows: for example, taking writing classes or reading books about marketing.

The weeding—getting rid of the negative thoughts and bad habits that prevent us from being productive and creative. (John Seeley talked about that in last week's post.)

And last, but certainly not least, there is the general upkeep and maintenance that is part-and-parcel of every garden—and career.

But, like the shoemaker's kids whose heels and toes are on display more often than not, all too often we spend more time on our clients' projects or article assignments than on our own “stuff.” The result?

We have marketing materials that haven’t been updated in recent history.
Our blogs have posts that are so old they have virtual cobwebs on them.
As for our web sites, well, do the words “outdated,” “boring” and “in need of freshening up” ring a bell?

The bottom line? If we want our writing career to flourish, if we want our "writing garden" to deliver a crop of projects, we must allocate the time and energy to care for it. We need to schedule maintenance time, plan for upgrades, do what is necessary to keep it looking its best. Because if we don’t, all we will harvest will be a crop of weeds!

Growing your writing future

2011-05-01T08:00:00.013-04:00

“Don’t let rejections of any kind stop you from writing. Period.” Elizabeth Berg

May 1^st is “Prepare Your Life Garden Day”—the perfect day for writers to focus on what they can do to advance their professional career. What professional “fruits” do we want to harvest in the coming months? What we need to do now to get our life garden ready?

And to give us some useful insights, The Writer’s Place welcomes best-selling author, speaker, radio host and life coach John Seeley, MA into the spotlight.

John is the president and CEO of Blue Moon Wonders and Heart Fire Seminars, specializing in educational and personal growth workshops and products.

His books include Get Unstuck! The Simple Guide to Restart Your Life and Change Your Life In 90 Days Workbook. (For more information about John, visit his Get Unstuck! web site.)

WP: We all know how important it is to set goals, but so often we are caught up in the day-to-day stuff and before you know it, another year has passed and we are no closer to attaining our dream. What advice do you have for writers who are having trouble envisioning the “big picture” or focusing on specific goals?

JS: The answer is in two parts. First the Big Picture visioning. It usually takes some distance in time and space. Step back from your writing and ask yourself these questions:

What do I want from this writing?
What do I want the readers to feel from this?
And finally, Why am I writing this?

WP: As a long-time gardener, I know how quickly weeds can spring up in a freshly cleaned bed. Using that metaphor, what are some of the “weeds” that might keep a writer from working on projects that have a long “germination time”?

JS: Weeds can come in various varieties, so it is important to be alert for them and address them in a timely fashion. One such “weed” is doubt. The difference between intuition and doubt can be confusing. Check in with yourself by closing your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. Ask yourself, “Is this real or is this fear?” If it is real, then you can act on the change that you had questions about.

Writing like gardening is an art, so realize that it is a living and therefore ever changing process. There comes a time to say that it is good enough and let it blossom as it is. Another way to help with weeds is to have another writer offer his/her view of the garden, (writing) to see if there is something that needs attention.

WP: In gardening, they say you need to rotate crops so the soil doesn’t become depleted of nutrients. Is this good advice for writers as well? Should we occasionally switch genres or types of projects to keep our creativity fresh?

JS: This is different for each writer. Some writers, like many fields, can continue to produce continued product of similar type indefinitely. However, doing writing of a different variety like poetry, when you are usually known for self-help or comedy, can offer you fertilizer for the creative juices of your mind to stimulate growth in your usual field.

WP: It can be hard to believe that a kernel we plant in June will produce ears of corn by fall, and it’s the same way when the projects we are engaged in take a long time to complete. We start thinking we will never get to “The End.” How can we maintain our focus and keep ourselves motivated when working on those endeavors?

JS: Most writers have experienced the need to learn patience, and this is an example of trusting that the harvest is coming in the fall. The best way to keep motivate is to set small goals for your writing. When you break it down to small doable goals, you can feel a sense of accomplishment as you complete each section of the total project.

WP: The writing world can be a place full of rejection and disappointment—in gardening terms, many “seeds” simply fail to germinate or if they do produce, no one is interested in enjoying them. How can we maintain our level of confidence and belief in our abilities?

JS: Confidence comes from knowledge of talent and history of previous success. Every writer has occasional self-doubt. During these times of challenge, it helps to first remember your successes. Remember the writing you know is good. It doesn’t matter if anyone else even knows the writing exists. It is all about the faith in your own talent.

Find other sources that support you in your belief in yourself. This can be a friend or another writer. Find other sources that bolster you too. Read good, past reviews of your writing. Remember all the times other very successful writers were told that would not succeed. The Chicken Soup for the Soul book was rejected by every publisher, and yet due to the authors’ persistence, the series has sold more than 130,000,000 copies so far!

I remember a comic strip of “Andy Capp,” who was a lazy, boozing no-account Englishman. One night after imbibing to excess and stumbling home to his upset wife, she confronted him at the door asking. “How can you come home drunk like that?” His response is a great way to deal with life. He said slurring, “It’s easy! I just get up one more time than I fall down.” And that is great advice for any writer. Just get up one more time that you fall down, and you win! In other words, be persistent, there are always good and bad days. But if you endeavor to write, inevitably, you will succeed.

For me the seasons are a great reminder that there is always another chance to start again fresh. There are times of inspiration for each of us. Pay attention to those things that motivate us to tap into our creativity. Connect to those things often. But as the seasons do, take time to rest and rejuvenate with breaks. Then like the spring, come back fresh and plant the seeds of your creativity.

Thanks so much, John, for your excellent tips and encouragement! I invite all of you to share what you are "planting" in your writer's garden and then, come autumn, let us know how your harvest turned out!

Take time to be

2011-04-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

“The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche...is to let it rest…” May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude

Something about springtime makes us want to accomplish as much as possible. Maybe it’s all that nest-building the birds are doing or the energy shown by flowers who are determined to break through the still cold winter soil that makes us feel like slugs if we aren’t on the go from early morning until late at night.

While it is important to be productive, part of a writer’s “work time” has to be spent not working. In Escaping Into the Open, Elizabeth Berg writes, “In your effort to take yourself seriously as a writer, don’t forget your need to have fun, too. It’s often when I’m doing something for pleasure that I get good ideas for my work. Remembering to play also means you keep a necessary balance and richness in your life. And the more enriched you are as a person, the better your writing can be. Understand, too, that everything that happens when you’re not working can be used as material for when you are—in that sense, writers are never not working.”

So as part of celebrating “Renew Your Nest Day,” make time for fun, for pleasure, for relaxation. Go outside and watch the flowers bloom. Sit somewhere and just listen to the sounds around you. Breathe deeply and let your fears and doubts and worries leave your body with every exhalation.

Writing, like life, is a process. Sometimes, the process involves doing. But other times, it requires simply being. So this month, make time to be.

Know when to 'fold 'em'

2011-04-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

“I wish I had a talent for dropping things as well as taking on new ones. It gets to be quite a clutter after a while.” Joshua Lederberg

We all have them—those writing projects that are in various states of completion. Sometimes, the hold-up is because we have run into a creative snag or need to do more research. Sometimes, though, we have just lost interest in the project itself. What once was so compelling is now a big yawn.

But we feel guilty so we keep them around, setting aside time to work on them when we should be doing something fresh and new.

The result? Our writing lacks enthusiasm and spark and our frustration level increases because it just isn’t going well.

Then, we transfer that dissatisfaction to other writing jobs we are engaged in and, before you know it, we have lost confidence in our ability to produce anything worthwhile.

A better solution might be to put them into “cold storage” for awhile. Take a break from them and focus on other projects. One of two things will probably happen: either you will decide that it’s time to retire them permanently, or the time away will have reinvigorated you so you can approach them with a fresh perspective.

Part Two: Interview with book marketing guru Sandra Beckwith

2011-04-16T08:00:00.033-04:00

“I lived through a classic publishing story. My editor was fired a month before the book came out. The editor who took it over already had a full plate. It was never advertised. We didn't get reviewed in any major outlets.” Anita Diament

In this post, book marketing guru Sandra Beckwith takes us to the after-publication stage, with ways to refresh and renew your marketing platform to generate more publicity and book sales—even if the book has been out there for awhile!

WP: So the book is published and on the shelf—virtual or physical. Can authors just sit back and let their established marketing plan take over or do they need to be constantly tweaking and improving it?

SB: Book marketing is never on auto-pilot. It takes constant energy and involvement from the author. And the plan evolves as the author gets good at one thing and sees that it makes an impact so she does more of it, or she discovers that she dislikes doing something else and stops doing it.

WP: What are some mistakes authors make when it comes to books that have been out for a year or longer? Is it ever too late to promote a book?

SB: The biggest mistake is that they stop promoting it. They think that because it’s not “new,” they can’t get publicity – but that’s not true. As long as your book is available for purchase, you can keep the title in front of potential readers and buyers.

WP: Besides traditional book-signings, what are some other high-power but low-cost ways to generate more book buzz and sales?

SB: Book signing events are good for local exposure but most books deserve national attention, so I always encourage authors to put less effort into setting up book signings and more into getting national media and online exposure.

Here are some other ideas:

Do a virtual book tour
Develop newspaper or magazine story ideas related to your book’s topic and pitch them to the media
Identify your 10 most influential media outlets, get the right contacts at those outlets (reporters, producers, bloggers, etc.), and start developing relationships with them
Schedule radio talk show interviews
Identify public speaking opportunities that will let you connect with your audience and sell books afterwards Host a Twitter contest
Announce your book via e-mail to a large list

WP: How can authors get media attention for books that are not “new releases”?

SB: After the launch phase when the book has been reviewed and you’ve had some attention because the book is new, you can shift to sending tip sheets to the press, pitching story ideas that use you as an expert resource, creating news through surveys or special events or holidays you create, capitalizing on breaking news related to your topic, and making sure that you are well-known as an expert on your subject – among other things.

WP: How can authors use Twitter and Facebook to their advantage?

SB: The first thing you want to do is to make sure they’re not the only tools in your book promotion tool kit. Too many authors put all of their efforts into social media and miss out on other valuable ways to get the book out. That said, create a Facebook fan page for your book. If you’ve written a novel, consider creating the page for one of the book’s characters instead of the book, and write everything from that character’s perspective and personality. Provide new content regularly so that your status updates show up on your fans’ home pages and they’re reminded of the book or that they should visit your fan page to see what else is new. Facebook helps you keep your book in front of people who not only might buy it, but who might also encourage their networks to check it out, too. Provide content and information that they can share on their personal pages so it can be seen by others.

The biggest mistake authors make with Twitter is using it send out constant “buy my book” messages. It’s not a sales tool – it’s a networking resource. Use it to learn more about your subject and about writing in general, to share content related to your book’s topic, and to connect with the right people. For example, use Twitter to find, follow, and connect with key influencers for your book’s success. Let’s say you write young adult fiction and would love to have a well-known YA novelist write a cover blurb for your book. Start following her on Twitter, re-tweet some of her content, and ask an occasional question or two. If you do this, you won’t be a total stranger to her when it’s time to request a cover blurb.

Part One: Interview with book marketing guru Sandra Beckwith

2011-04-09T08:00:00.007-04:00

“How to write a book proposal: write the two-line summary that would run with its listing [on the New York Times best-seller list]…write—in twenty-five words or less—what the book is and why it’s on the list.”— John Jerome, The Writing Trade

On April 22nd we celebrate “Renew Your Nest” Day. But we’re not talking about fixing up your home, but your writing “nest.” Whether you are a published author or working on a book project, there are a host of things you need to do to either build your marketing “house” or refresh its existing structure.

In a two-part interview at The Writer’s Place, book marketing guru Sandra Beckwith offers valuable tips and recommendations about not only building an author your platform but also keeping it strong!

Sandra is the author of Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (part of Adams Streetwise Series) and Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions. For more information about Sandra and her books and workshops, or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her Build Book Buzz web site.

In this post, Sandra provides marketing and promotional tips and insights for the pre-publication stage. So whether you are just thinking about your book’s concept or already have started working on the manuscript, this information will be of value!

WP: So many authors and would-be authors have the impression that marketing is something that comes after the book is written. Is that the case? If not, when should they start thinking about marketing and building a platform?

SB: In most cases, you need to have that platform in place before you can even get a book contract when you go the “traditional” publishing route. Publishers want you to come to them with built-in sales channels for your book – it’s no longer enough to show you can write a good book. Now you have to prove you can sell it, too.
Once you’ve either got a contract or made the commitment to self publish, you can begin laying the groundwork for your book promotion by establishing relationships with key influencers as much as a year in advance and by talking about the book writing process on your blog and via social media, etc. Early activities can include posting different book cover options on your Facebook page and asking friends to vote for their favorite, and providing updates on the impressive people who provided back cover blurbs. But that’s “soft” stuff.
Save the hard sell – the “official” book announcements, etc. – until you’ve got a firm publication date. For example, you’ll need to send review copies to monthly magazines three to four months in advance because they have long lead times, but you don’t want to contact bloggers for a virtual book tour until the book is available for purchase.

WP: Talking about “platform,” can you explain exactly what it is and why it is so important that authors have one?

SB: Platform relates to how connected you are to the target audience for your book. Your “platform” helps a publisher predict how many books you might sell to your fans, followers, and connections. Here are representative platform elements:

A newsletter or other mailing list
A steady stream of speaking engagements that reach a large number of people Facebook fans and friends
Twitter followers LinkedIn connections
Past media interviews on your book topic as an indication that you’ll generate similar publicity for the book
Connections to people who are influential with the book’s target audience
Other networks that will support your book’s launch
Media relationships

A platform is important whether you plan to go the conventional publishing route or self-publishing because without it, you’re starting from zero when the book comes out. With a platform in place, you can begin promoting the book well in advance and have sales practically guaranteed once the book is available.

WP: What should authors already have in place before they start drafting their book proposal?

SB: The marketing section of your book proposal should outline your platform and how you plan to leverage it to get the word out about your book. It should also include other promotional activities you’ll execute. Authors who understand the book marketing process and some of the necessary elements are more likely to get a contract because publishers are looking for authors who understand that it’s up to them to market the book.

WP: What are some little to no-cost ways an author can start generating book buzz even before the book is finished and being pitched to agents and/or publishers?

SB: I always feel sorry for novelists because they have to write the entire book before they can shop it around. Nonfiction writers sell to agents and publishers through a proposal, so they don’t have to write the entire book until they have a contract. I’m glad I’m on the nonfiction side of things!
The easiest thing to do to generate a little buzz before your book has a home with a publisher is to blog about the writing process and share links to your blog postings and other random writerly thoughts on social networking sites. I wouldn’t put a lot of effort into the marketing, though, until I’m sure there’s going to be a book.

WP: What can authors expect from their publishers when it comes to marketing activities?

SB: Most publishers will at least write an announcement book release, develop a targeted media list, and distribute advance review copies to that list. Some will provide other support, which might range from a radio tour by telephone or satellite or help with a book trailer or video, or with the details for a Twitter contest or two. They’ll be involved with the launch for one to three months, but that’s usually about it. It can vary from publisher to publisher and author to author.

WP: What are the top three mistakes would-be authors make when it comes to marketing and platform-building?

SB: The first is that authors think book promotion involves getting book reviews and that’s it. There is so much more they can do that has an impact than secure book reviews!

The second is that they fail to define their target audience so well that they know who is truly most likely to buy that book. I might think that all women between the ages of 21 and 61 will love my book, but the reality is that the true audience can be defined much more narrowly – maybe it’s women from 32 to 49 who work outside the home, have children still at home, and have experienced some kind of personal loss.

The third is that they imitate what they see other authors doing instead of creating a plan specifically for their book. Book promotion isn’t one size fits all.

Get ready for "Renew Your Nest Day"

2011-04-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” Gustave Flaubert

This month we celebrate “Renew Your Nest Day” (April 22^nd)—a perfect time to get your writing space in good working order. Because of the nature of our work, we end up with a lot of “things”: those newspaper clippings and magazine copies that we are keeping around for reference, a collection of pens and pencils that we like (even though most of our work is done on the computer and half the pens are out of ink anyway!), books (and more books and even more books!)… Well, you get the picture.

If we aren’t careful, our writing space can look more like a paper recycling center than a productive work area. And when it is cluttered, it is hard for us to be focused on the work at hand, which can have a detrimental impact on our bottom line! While we do tend to acquire lots of information, the trick is to find a way to make it accessible without becoming overwhelming.

How do I handle it? As much as possible, I save my source information electronically, filing it under the appropriate sub-directories on my hard drive so when I need information on breast cancer, for example, I don’t have to hunt through innumerable files on health research and statistics.

Once a year, I go through my file cabinets and archive receipts and paperwork that are linked to my taxes, and discard the owner’s manuals for items that have “bit the dust.”

I’m less successful at keeping my “expert source” spreadsheet updated. While I do add names when I come across them, I have yet to remember to include those that I have interviewed for past articles. Maybe someday…

What is your favorite tip for getting your office space and files organized?

Every day should be a writing day

2011-03-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

“It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.” Vita Sackville-West

Have you ever had the experience of going about your daily life and suddenly, the perfect line, the ideal character description, the answer to a nagging writing problem comes into your head?

This has happened to me, and I know from experience if I don’t stop to write it down, it will be gone before my next writing session. These inspired moments can’t be controlled, postponed or summoned at will. Like butterflies, rainbows or the winning set of lottery numbers, they happen when they happen and all we can do is to be ready for them, pay attention to them and commit them to fixed form.

But while we can’t make them happen, we can create an environment that is more conducive to their appearance. By that I mean to have time every day that is set aside for writing—for opening the creative door in the hopes that something will fly in and stay long enough for us to turn it into words.

It’s all about commitment…

2011-03-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

“There'll come a writing phase where you have to defend the time, unplug the phone and put in the hours to get it done.” James Taylor

Ask any writer about goals and you’ll get a whole list:

Finish the novel.
Find more corporate clients.
Pitch a new article.
Develop the book proposal.

Then ask how the progress is coming and you’ll hear every excuse under the sun for the lack of forward movement: “My parents/kids/siblings called me.” “It was my turn to host the neighborhood picnic/poker game/family reunion.” “The grass needed cut/snow needed shoveling/groceries needed buying.”

Uh, huh. We could write a book about the excuses we dream up for not doing what we say we want to do. But if our writing really matters to us, then we need to prove our level of commitment and give it the time it needs. We need to tell everyone else in our lives that this is our writing time. Hang a sign on the door: “Do not disturb. Creativity in progress.” Take away the telephone, the Blackberry, the television and newspaper so that distractions are at a minimum.

And most important of all, we need to tell ourselves that there is no time like now for writing. And that now might be the only time we have.

Be inspired by Jump-Start Day to jump-start your writing life!

Freelance Fitness

2011-03-12T08:00:00.003-05:00

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Agatha Christie

If your plan this year is to jump-start your writing career by dipping a toe into the freelance waters, then the advice offered by Dr. Kristin Cardinale is just what you need! Dr. Cardinale is the author of The 9-to-5 Cure and a bona fide Patchworker: a career coach, consultant, technology instructor, adjunct college professor, seminar speaker, columnist, owner of a technical support business and serial entrepreneur. In this week’s post, she offers some tips to give your freelance foray a boost in the right direction! (For more information, visit her online at www.kristincardinale.com or connect with her on Twitter @WorkOnPurpose.)

WP: Before we dive into the freelance pool, what are the top three points we need to consider?

Dr. Cardinale: You have to know what you are passionate about. Seek out writing assignments that reflect your own areas of interest and expertise. The enthusiasm you have for the topics will be reflected in your work, increasing the overall quality of the piece.

Also, know when, where and how you work best. The first rule of entrepreneurship is know how to bring out the best in yourself. Take a self-inventory and create a routine and an environment that allows you to do your best work.

Finally, know your limits. Balancing part-time gigs alongside a full-time job can lead to burnout; there is no doubt about it. Safeguard yourself from becoming overworked by scheduling in downtime to engage with family and friends or pursue leisure activities.

WP: For many of us, time management can be a problem. What are some tips to help us stay on track with our deadlines?

Dr. Cardinale: Here are the top three:

Write out an action plan with small, well-articulated goals. These goals will guide you going forward and let you know when you go off-course.

Carve out protected time to work during your most productive hours of the day. One of the many advantages of freelancing is the freedom to work on your own terms, which allows you to work during the time of day when you feel most creative and productive. Use this time wisely; guard against spending it frivolously.

Reward yourself along the way. Allow yourself time to get away from work and enjoy a luxury or two after completing important projects. The luxury that I most enjoy treating myself to is a midday getaway to engage with nature and soak up the sun.

WP: How can we make time for our freelance work and hold down a full-time job without burning out?

Dr. Cardinale: Only accept freelance work that piques your interest. Freelance work that bores you is simply an extension of your current 9-to-5 career paradigm. Avoid work that is of little interest to you; it will reflect poorly on you in the long run because the final product will be flat and uninteresting.

Establish play time in order to rejuvenate. The level of creativity required for freelance writing demands that writers engage with the world around them and then come back to the keyboard refreshed and energized. Recess isn’t just for kids; schedule it into your daily routine in order to excel as a creative thinker.

Know your limits and respect them. This circles back to the old adage, know thyself. Pushing yourself beyond what you know are your boundaries related to scheduling, multi-tasking and creative output is reckless if you are serious about this business. Set yourself up for success.

WP: How do we know when it’s time to shift from part-time freelancing to full-time?

Dr. Cardinale: Ask yourself these questions:

Do I have the motivation to manage myself and stay on task on a daily basis?

Do I have the courage to make a radical change in my career that veers away from the mainstream 9-to-5 model of earning?

Do I have the fiscal discipline necessary to survive?

WP: Any other advice you can offer to those of us who are considering part-time freelancing?

Dr. Cardinale: While part-time freelancing is an opportunity to earn some extra money on the side, that can’t be your focus if you’re going to be successful in the long run. Part-time freelancing has to be part of a bigger goal if it is to continually engage you. Ask yourself, what is the big picture goal that part-time freelancing fits into? The answer to that question is the fuel that will energize your freelance career and catapult you into a successful new venture in freelance writing.

Get out of your own way and write!

2011-03-05T08:00:00.009-05:00

“Let your subconscious take over; keep your intellect out of the way… Write, that’s what I say. Don’t look back, just write, Ray. Go and write.” Ray Bradbury (from On Becoming a Writer)

March 13th is “Jump-Start Day”—the day to get a jump-start on your ‘change schedule’ and do one thing that moves you out of your rut and closer to your goal.

What is the one thing you need to do to achieve your writing objective? For some, it’s setting aside a certain number of hours to work on a writing project. For others, it’s doing the marketing, research and querying to get the assignment or attract a wider readership.

And then there are those who simply need to learn how to shut down that left brain that criticizes, critiques and condemns every word that comes out on paper or screen. You know, the internal (and infernal!) editor that stops you before you get an entire thought out of your head.

Get a jump on “Jump-Start Day” by practicing non-judgmental writing. At the start of each writing session, engage in what I call writing jump-starts. Open your dictionary or thesaurus, pick a word at random, and then write for 10 minutes on whatever comes to your mind that was sparked by that noun or verb, adjective or adverb. Don’t plan it, don’t think about it, just write it.

When the time is up, you can choose to read it, dump it or save it for another time. It’s not about producing a specific marketable piece. It’s simply about getting out of your own way and letting the words flow from your right brain to your fingers.

Why we do what we do

2011-02-26T17:00:00.007-05:00

“Love is easy, and I love writing. You can't resist love. You get an idea, someone says something, and you’re in love.” Ray Bradbury

Falling in love is so easy—just ask all those people out there who have done it and keep on doing it.

Staying in love—ah, there’s the tricky part. It requires that we forget the bad stuff that makes us nuts and only remember the good stuff that makes us nuts about that person!

Or, in this case, about writing. Here are some closing thoughts to this month’s thoughts about writing—why we do what we do and how much we love doing it and how we feel about writing as both an art and a profession.

MaryAnn Myers—I love writing fiction. I hope I can always write fiction. I hope characters come knocking on my door forever. Thus said, I have started writing magazine articles about horses and horse people at the encouragement of some writing friends of mine. This too, has been a learning experience. I have been fortunate to have had articles published in America’s Horse, Holistic Horse, Rocky Mountain Rider, and Practical Horseman. I am also a Featured Contributor on Yahoo on the subject or horses. I write about what I know and love. I am blessed. (Mary Ann Myers — Author of Favored to Win, Maple Dale, Call Me Lydia, The Frog, the Wizard, and the Shrew, Maple Dale Revisited, Ellie’s Crows, and the upcoming equestrian novel, Hannah’s Home, www.sunrisehorsefarm.com)

Alisa Bowman—I think we all write for many reasons. Those of us who make a living by writing, however, know that sometimes we write for money. Other times we write for love. Ideally, we write for money and for love at the same time. That’s the career writer’s utopia. Not so ideally, we at times choose to stay in a loveless, toxic, soul-sucking writing relationship solely because we need the money to pay the mortgage. In the past few years, I’ve made a concerted effort to shift my career toward writing for love. I’m making a lot less money as a result, but I’m also a lot happier. It is possible to pay the bills and be in a loving writing relationship, too. But it takes perseverance, dedication and courage. (Alisa Bowman —Author, Project: Happily Ever After, Collaborator on 7 NY Times best sellers, FoxNews.com “Frisky Business” Columnist, Morning Call “Health” Columnist & Blogger, Web: http://www.alisabowman.com, Blog: http://www.projecthappilyeverafter.com, Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/AlisaBowman)

Melissa Gaskill—A huge frustration to me as a writer is the lack of recognition that it is a profession, and that quality matters. There is so much unprofessional writing out there, so much sloppy stuff. Yes, everyone is entitled to express themselves, but not everyone can write well. Most people would never dream of trying to do their own legal work, for example, but many think themselves perfectly qualified to write, even though they lack training and practice. Hire a professional writer just as you would hire any other professional. It’s worth it. And pay attention to the source of anything you read before you believe it! (Melissa Gaskill—http://melissagaskill.blogspot.com/)

Dr. Robert Beeman—Sure. Having said the above, the life of a writer is the most energising, the most fulfilling, the most satisfying, and the most sexual life any man or woman could contemplate without actually serving in the American military. (Dr. Robert Beeman—www.drrobertbeeman.com, www.teethinyourleg.org, www.teethinyourleg.blogspot.com)

Leslie Levine —I think it’s really important to be open to the idea of falling in love with the process. Too often people, writers included, focus way too heavily on getting published. Yes, getting published is a thrill. Seeing your byline is very exciting. Getting an ISBN number for your book is like getting an extra birthday. But all those things are fleeting. It’s the part that has you in a chair, hands hovering over a keyboard, looking out the window as you wait for the perfect word to begin your next sentence. Like I said, it is magic. (Leslie Levine —http://www.leslielevine.com, Twitter: @LeslieLevine, PR blog: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/public-relations/2975292-1.html)

Lisa Collier Cool—Another thing that has helped me stay in love with writing is a change in my work methods. Due to my long track record of publication in national magazines, there was a time when I stopped writing queries because editors were coming to me with assignments based on their ideas. However, I wasn't always as passionate about their ideas as the editors were. One editor called me, wildly excited about a topic she'd come up. I was all agog wanting to know what her marvelous brainstorm was and have to admit that I was a bit deflated when she revealed the topic: colon cancer. While her editorial judgment proved extremely sound, since the article won a National Magazine Award, in general, I find I'm happiest working on my own ideas, so I started sending out queries again, even though I can get work without doing so. (Lisa Collier Cool—award-winning medical journalist and bestselling author, past president of ASJA and lead health blogger for GE's Better Health blog: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/. www.lisacolliercool.com)

Writing—it takes from us but it gives as well

2011-02-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Herman Cain

There’s no denying that the writing process can exhaust us, frustrate us, at times makes us darned close to crazy people.

But it’s not all bad, folks! Writing gives so much to us. When I think of opportunities I have gained through writing, or, for that matter, the way writing makes me feel when it is going so smoothly and well that I feel positively blest by some writing fairy, I know how lucky I am.

In today’s post, other writers answer this question: What has your love of writing done for you—how has it has changed your life, your perception of yourself and/or your perception of the world around you?

MaryAnn Myers—I think when you do character studies, you learn a lot about yourself. It’s just you and your imaginary world for hours and hours each day, day after day, week after week, year after year. You learn to not judge people, real or imaginary. There’s a reason behind almost every action a person takes. It’s not my job to judge. I like simple living and thank my writing for our scaled-back lifestyle. When I decided to write full time, it was with the naive belief that I’d write that “Great American Novel” and be published in no time. That did not happen. I was humbled. I like being humble. I didn’t at first, but I found digging deep inside and knowing what means most to me; family, friends, horses, always horses, to be a growth experience. I have no time or energy for pretense. I have no time or energy for falsehoods. I learned to put things into perspective. If I am rejected, it can be for any number of reasons. I am not adverse to readdressing a story or scene, but I will not do so if it means compromising my ideals or my characters. My characters are not perfect and neither am I. I can like them or I can hate them, but they must have purpose. (Mary Ann Myers — Author of Favored to Win, Maple Dale, Call Me Lydia, The Frog, the Wizard, and the Shrew, Maple Dale Revisited, Ellie’s Crows, and the upcoming equestrian novel, Hannah’s Home, www.sunrisehorsefarm.com)

Alisa Bowman—Being a writer has allowed me to be a lifelong student of life. I learn from every piece I write. If it’s a health or a science piece, I learn more about how the human body works. If it’s a first person piece, the writing is like the best psychotherapy. It helps me to get to know and understand myself (and others). First person writing has also allowed me to appreciate the hardship in life because all hardship eventually gives me something to write about. I’ve become a stronger, more mentally balanced, and smarter person because of writing. Each story, article, book or blog post has grown me into a better me. (Alisa Bowman —Author, Project: Happily Ever After, Collaborator on 7 NY Times best sellers, FoxNews.com “Frisky Business” Columnist, Morning Call “Health” Columnist & Blogger, Web: http://www.alisabowman.com, Blog: http://www.projecthappilyeverafter.com, Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/AlisaBowman)

Melissa Gaskill—My love of writing has led me to places I otherwise never would have gone—exploring remote beaches in Baja California, kayaking in the ocean, hiking in Yellowstone, bird-watching in the mountains of northern Mexico — and exposed me to fascinating people and subjects. Writing also changed my life in another way: I am unable to see an amazing story, a wrongful situation, or a pressing need without feeling that I should write about it. I know that writing has the power to right wrongs, help people, save wild places, and yes, change the world. I feel an obligation to do my part whenever possible - and what a thrill to have that opportunity. (Melissa Gaskill—http://melissagaskill.blogspot.com/)

Dr. Robert Beeman—My love of writing has beggared me emotionally. I have at least four books in me, maybe more: my current novel, its sequel, a sci-fi thriller, and a book about dying and what comes after. It consumes me beyond flying my airplane, beyond riding my motorcycle except that I have been able to combine the two, and beyond discourse with almost any woman who wishes to share my life. The Dirty Little Secret about being a writer is that the life of a writer who has something to say, and who thereby becomes his — or her— most appreciative audience and his—or her— severest critic, is hardly worth sharing. At the same time, it is a life of more grit, more...in Twain’s word...sand, than any other. (Dr. Robert Beeman—Author, No More Time For Sorrow, www.drrobertbeeman.com, www.teethinyourleg.org, www.teethinyourleg.blogspot.com)

Tina B. Tessina, PhD, (aka “Dr. Romance”)—Writing has taken me on book tours in Mexico, Costa Rica and Columbia. It’s taken me to the International Book Fair (Feria Internacional) in Guadalajara, Mexico. It’s given me the experience of having over 100 people in line to get a signed copy of a book at the Book Expo. It’s connected me with the world of professional writers— a wonderful, giving, resourceful group. It’s caused me to give back in personal ways, and through my membership in the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) for which I now serve on the board and (wait for it) Publications Committee Chair. Writing has gotten me published in 17 languages, and paid me some very nice money, although therapy is still my major income. Writing got me invited to give a workshop at the Redbook Love Network Couples Weekend at Beaches in Turks & Caicos—a nice idyll for my husband and I; as well as a free, ultra-luxurious week on the Princess Romance Summit cruise (as Dr. Romance) with my husband n the Caribbean. I’m semi-retired from therapy now, only practicing half the hours I used to, and I’m still writing. I’ll probably do it until they take the computer out of my cold, dead hands.....(Tina B. Tessina, PhD, (aka “Dr. Romance”)—psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media) 1-59869-325-6 as well as the Dr. Romance Blog http://drromance.typepad.com/dr_romance_blog/, www.tinatessina.com)

Leslie Levine —You know, these are really difficult questions to answer, mostly because writing is sort of all I know. People seem especially interested in my life when I reveal that I’m a writer and that I’ve written books. I think many people, mostly writers, think it’s a really easy thing to do, but just because you love doing something doesn’t mean it’s easy. A good writer knows that she can always improve upon her craft and if you’re trying to get better at something, well, it’s not always easy. So I’m not sure it’s changed my life, but writing has certainly enriched my life. That I can sit down and enjoy my work is a gift. Not everyone can do that. (Leslie Levine —http://www.leslielevine.com, Twitter: @LeslieLevine, PR blog: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/public-relations/2975292-1.html)

Lisa Collier Cool—It's hard for me to say how love of writing has changed my life, since I always had that passion and can't imagine any other life for myself. Early in my career I was a literary agent, primarily focusing on selling other people's work. That was a great job, since I was working with many extremely talented writers and helping them develop their careers. But after giving birth to twins in the 1980s, I wanted to work at home so I could be with my family. Freelancing is the greatest job on earth, since you can set your own hours, be your own boss, focus on topics you're passionate about, and get paid for it. There are times when I've learned that my health articles have made an important difference to readers. In one case, I received a letter from a woman who said my Reader's Digest article, "Deadly Superbugs," saved her 9-year-old son's life, by alerting her to symptoms of MRSA, a type of drug-resistant bacteria that had been repeatedly misdiagnosed by her son's doctor as infected insect bites. She rushed him to the ER and he was properly diagnosed with a severe MRSA infection that had spread to his bones. As a result, he received the right treatment and was spared death or permanent disability. That letter truly touched me. This is why I became a health writer, instead of writing about lipstick and hairdos. (Lisa Collier Cool—award-winning medical journalist and bestselling author, past president of ASJA and lead health blogger for GE's Better Health blog: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/. www.lisacolliercool.com)

Despite the bad times, we still keep writing

2011-02-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany (Morrow)

As much as we love the act of writing, we will be the first to admit that there are those times… You know, times when we want to chuck the process, pitch our keyboard out the window or set fire to every piece of paper that has our scribblings on it.

Or, times when we are bereft, alone, abandoned by our muse and convinced that never again will we be able to put pen to paper. It takes courage to return to the relationship we have with our art—especially when we aren’t sure there is anything there waiting for us.

But we do—again and again, we do. Because, in the end, we are writers.

So the question of the week is: How you stay in love with writing? When you get frustrated or feel like your writing has lost its zing, how do you rekindle the romance?

Mary Ann Myers—I have known frustration over the years with my writing, but I can honestly say that it’s never been with the writing itself, or my characters, or the story. It’s been the publishing business submissions - rejections process that has worn me down at times. Early on I could go days, sometimes weeks in a funk over a rejection. I would ask daily, routinely, agonizingly...why? Why did I ever decide I wanted to write? The rekindling was always my characters calling me back. I get to know them and they just don’t leave me alone, so to speak. They have stories to tell, lives to touch. (Mary Ann Myers — Author of Favored to Win, Maple Dale, Call Me Lydia, The Frog, the Wizard, and the Shrew, Maple Dale Revisited, Ellie’s Crows, and the upcoming equestrian novel, Hannah’s Home, www.sunrisehorsefarm.com)

Alisa Bowman—My frustrations with writing are usually not centered on the craft itself. Rather they have more to do with what it takes to make a living as a writer. For instance, criticism and rejection hurts deeply and brings up strong primal fears that can, at times, cause me consider a career in retail (I also happen to love shoes). Over the years I’ve learned to embrace criticism as necessary and I’ve used it to grow into a stronger writer. Now I even anticipate it and ask for it. I tell editors that I am “looking forward to their feedback and suggestions” because I want to produce my best writing and their feedback will help me do that. Where things fall apart is when the creative joy of writing is taken away from me. Let’s say I’m asked to “just write what they want” or “just do what they say.” I can DO that, but I’m not going to enjoy it. When a client wants me to be a robot typist rather than a crafts-woman of words, I know it’s time for me to walk. There’s no joy in that. (Alisa Bowman —Author, Project: Happily Ever After, Collaborator on 7 NY Times best sellers, FoxNews.com “Frisky Business” Columnist, Morning Call “Health” Columnist & Blogger, Web: http://www.alisabowman.com, Blog: http://www.projecthappilyeverafter.com, Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/AlisaBowman)

Melissa Gaskill—I stay in love with writing by focusing on subjects that really matter to me whenever possible. Writing an occasional meaningful, satisfying story really helps keep me going through all the boring, pay-the-bills kind of stuff. I rekindle the romance by reading excellent writing. There is so much of it out there. (Melissa Gaskill—http://melissagaskill.blogspot.com/)

Dr. Robert Beeman—First of all, the “romance” is a love affair with yourself! When it fades, you go to your text and you hone, you refine, you simplify, you excise, you prune, you delete...until what you are saying matches EXACTLY that which you have to say. At that moment, you rekindle the love. At that precise instant, measured on a cosmic, a sub-atomic, or a California-Crunchy-Granola-ish scale, you have rekindled your romance. You have proved yourself true to you. And, of course, no one else matters in the slightest. (Dr. Robert Beeman—Author, No More Time For Sorrow, www.drrobertbeeman.com, www.teethinyourleg.org, www.teethinyourleg.blogspot.com)

Tina B. Tessina, PhD, (aka “Dr. Romance”)—As a psychotherapist, I want to help people, and writing gives me a way to help people I have never met. I love my work, and I think up new ideas on the spot every day, because I need to be responsive to what my clients present in the counseling office, and I have no advance notice. I have to draw on my expertise, knowledge and intuition to develop exercises and guidelines for my clients. Writing gives me a great outlet for all this original, creative material. The platform I’ve developed with my blog and columns allows me to reach people around the world, while my private counseling practice is limited to those in the vicinity. Even the counseling I do via phone and e-mail is a result of writing on the Internet. If I didn’t write, I’d probably explode with unshared ideas. Gotta have it! (Tina B. Tessina, PhD, (aka “Dr. Romance”)—Psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media) 1-59869-325-6 as well as the Dr. Romance Blog http://drromance.typepad.com/dr_romance_blog/, www.tinatessina.com)

Leslie Levine —In the past, when I got frustrated I usually would turn to another creative outlet. I experienced one phase during which I was sure I would never write again. I started making earrings and selling them to small boutiques in Rochester, NY. But then I felt like a phony and the words needed to go somewhere, and it wasn’t on a pair of earrings. (Leslie Levine —http://www.leslielevine.com, Twitter: @LeslieLevine, PR blog: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/public-relations/2975292-1.html)

Lisa Collier Cool—As a professional writer for national magazines, including Ladies Home Journal, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day and many others, I stay in love with writing by varying my topics. Although I typically focus on health, if one assignment proves difficult or frustrating, I usually have another, more interesting assignment on the horizon, which helps motivate me to crank out the tough piece so I can move on to something more exciting. Probably the biggest thing that's helped me rekindle the romance is becoming lead health blogger for GE's healthymagination Better Health last year. Getting more heavily into the online world of health reporting has been extremely stimulating and I almost feel as if I was reborn as writer, since it's incredibly gratifying to blog about a medical breakthrough that's in the news and see it published in a few days, instead of waiting for months or even a year in some cases to see a magazine article in print.

Ideas have always come easily to me and in the past, one frustration was that I could develop a relatively small percent of my inspirations into full length articles. With the GE blog publishing a new 350-word post every weekday, many more of my ideas make it into print, although in a shorter form. Blogging has quickly become an incredible passion, like embarking on a hot new romance. I compare getting a new idea to falling in love because the excitement is highest when you first meet. By getting to write about my ideas more quickly, I'm that much more passionate about my work, while I could lose interest in an idea that took months to sell to a traditional magazine.
With the blog, there's always the thrill of the hunt, looking for cutting edge medical innovations and research news to bring to our readers. Although I've been a health writer for more than 25 years, I'm covering topics that I had never had a market for in the past, such as tuberculosis, which affects one in three people globally but as one frustrated researcher told me, never makes headlines because it's not sexy and mainly affects poor people in developing countries. I was thrilled to bring our readers news about a potential advance in TB testing: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/tuberculosis-new-weapons-against-an-old-disease/ I'm finding out there's much more to health reporting than just the usual articles about women and heart disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis, important as those conditions are. (Lisa Collier Cool—award-winning medical journalist and bestselling author, past president of ASJA and lead health blogger for GE's Better Health blog: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/. www.lisacolliercool.com)