The Idea Seed

 When writing up your companion book, have a small section in there for why and how your book/book series came into being.  It could be as simple as, "I like the feel of the world I made," to as complicated as, "I worked on this idea for years."

For me, it was very personal.  I'd been working on this world since college.  It helped this homesick, very introverted girl focus on the good stuff that was happening in my life.  I could spin things in a good light when the day was looking bad, such as I just bombed some test, or it could give me a creative outlet when the troop of boys I hung with were off doing "boy things".  It was great for me.

Over the years I dabbled with my story, but work, kids, and married life kinda got in the way.  Then my dad got sick.  He had beat colon cancer a few years prior, actually the year before my husband and I got married, and was doing well, but then it came back with a vengeance.  It hit his major organs and he was on dialysis. But he was cheerful.  He showed the family his best side, even as we knew he was in pain. One day were were talking and he asked about my writing.  I told him I was still dabbling at it and then he said something that still makes me tear up.

"Well, finish it up.  I want to see it next to my Tolkien books, pronto."  

Not only was he telling me he thought I could do it, but he was putting me on the same shelf of his all time favorite author.  What an honor.

So on those days I think I can't finish, that I will never have my book published, I think of my dad.  I can't let him down, so I will plunge ahead and finish my book, if for no other reason then to keep my promise to my dad!

Keep on writing!

The Writing Bug

 I'm finding as my kids go three different ways to Sunday and I become my mother and mother-in-laws intermittent care takers, and throw in a family farm, writing doesn't get done as much as I'd like.  But starting this week I plan on making sure my "butt is in chair" at least for 15 minutes a day.  What, you say, just 15 minutes?  Well, here is the thing.  I say 15 minutes, but it could be longer.  The 15 minutes is a start, it's a carved out time for ME.  I say, "go away world", and give me 15 minutes.  I hope that I will be able to write longer, but I will take what I can get at the beginning.

My point for bringing up my struggles is to give you hope.  You, too, can try this method and find some writing time for yourself.  That is the biggest issue with all would be writers.  You make excuses, "It's a hobby" or "I'll do it later when things slow down".   But things never slow down.  I know retirees that are busier then me!  If you truly want to let your writing bug do it's magic, just do it.  Give yourself that time, give your creativity an outlet!  Be you and express yourself!

Happy Writing!

A Different Way to Spread the Word

 Hopefully you have thought about your author page, but there are other ways to spread the word about your book.  Some people like Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  Other ways are a Blog or a Website.  I'm going to focus on the latter two.

The Website and Blog allows you to expand and show off your world, (take my blog for example).  You can give all sorts of information about your books, where to get them, your world, even about yourself.  Here are some things you might think about putting on the pages of your website or blog.

1) Your book titles!  I'd post cover art and titles, once you have them for sale, so it's easy for a reader to find them. And don't forget to post where to find them!

2) A little bit about yourself.  People like to know about the people they are reading about.  I'd stay away from politics and sensitive subjects, but you can talk about your hobbies, why you like the genre you are writing in, even where you live, if you don't mind sharing.

3) Talk about your world/setting.  For some people, the world will be here and now, but there might be twists, so don't think you shouldn't talk about your setting even if it is set in the here and now!

4) Pictures, maps, and concepts.  Maybe you like to doodle and you have maps or character sketches. Maybe you can do graphic art on the computer. Here is the place to share them!

5) Links to your favorite authors and movies.  This gives the reader an even better idea of where you are coming from or maybe they will appreciate some new reads that you like!

Happy writing!

Spreading the Word!

 So now you have your books and source book all ready to go.  How do you tell the world all about it?

If you are self-publishing on Amazon, there is something called an "Author Page".  There are some real good guides on what you need to do to set one up and attach them to your books you are trying to sell, so use Google to find one that works for you.  Here a few things you will need when you go to do so:

1) A good biography.  People like to know about the person writing their awesome novel!

2) A list of books.  There may only be one, if it's your first go, but make sure to get all books, even if you are just publishing book three in a series.  If someone likes one of your books, they might be more willing to buy another from you.

3) Website and blog info.  How can they learn more about your world/novels/you?  The author page is great, but you can't really go into your novels. (Friday I will talk about websites).

4) Book trailers.  This is a newer thing, where you actually do a video about your book.  It can be you talking about your book or even a movie trailer type video.  Your creativity is the limit!

5) Author photos.  This is up to  you.  You probably had at least one on your book cover, but it really depends on how much you want to show the world.

6) A follow button.  When you post new stuff you want readers to see it, especially it is about a new release!

Keep on writing!