Planning Your Writing AND Your Life in 2019 – by Kitty Bucholtz
September 9, 2018 by Kitty Bucholtz in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing tagged as It's Worth It, Kitty Bucholtz, organization, time management
In July 2018, I interviewed bestselling author Susan May Warren on my podcast, WRITE NOW! Workshop Podcast, about her latest romantic suspense novel. We had a great time talking about all things writing, but we had to cut things short because there was so much to talk about! I brought her back in August to focus just on her classes and writing retreats and other tools for authors.
One of those tools has had me salivating ever since she told me about it. Susie May has been creating and tweaking and recreating and tweaking some more a personal planner to organize not just her writing life, but her whole entire life. And she’s offering it for sale to other writers. She calls it My Brilliant Writing Planner, and it’s available for pre-order now with a $20 discount through October 31, 2018.
Now, I have no skin in this game – Susie May doesn’t even know I’m writing this article yet – but you might know that I’ve been teaching time management courses for over ten years and I love a great planner! I’ve been using the ARC system from Staples for the last 21 months, and I really like it. But I have my time/calendar/planner in one ARC notebook, my writing notes in another ARC notebook, and other notes in other notebooks. Susie May’s planner puts a lot of that all together in one place.
Why? Well, when aren’t we thinking about our story and needing to jot down a few notes? Or in the middle of brainstorming and realizing we forgot to make some kind of plan for dinner? Or waking up in the morning trying to remember our new First Five (if you’ve taken my course) or other healthy habits we’re trying to incorporate into each day? Or wanting to capture a motivational or inspirational line to think about more later?
My Brilliant Writing Planner puts all of this together in one place!
Yes, that means it’s big. At 490 pages, this is not a little notebook you can shove in your purse. And maybe just the thought of having everything together in one place is both a relief and…a bit daunting. For me, my question before I buy almost anything is, “Am I really going to use it and get my money’s worth?” And I had to ask that question about this planner, no matter that a part of my brain really wanted it. (Magic bullet thinking, anyone?)
Looking over the great website for the planner, seeing examples of all the pages on the Samples page, and checking out the pages that Susie May had filled in for her life – that all helped me see how helpful this could be for me. But the real kicker was when I read that Susie May also created a course for this (over 7 hours of planning help!), showing us how she uses the Planner to “live with joy and get it all done.” The course is free when you pre-order the planner!
In one of the podcast interviews, she and I talked about how to schedule a writing life to be productive, but still enjoy our friends and family and a good night’s sleep. If I’ve learned anything from my recent collision with burnout, it’s that we can plan and time-manage ourselves into a breakdown. What I’m seeing as I look over the sample pages and read the text on the website is a tool created by a writer who knows the importance of prioritizing and saying no.
We can’t do everything. But a good planner – this one, or something else that works better for you – can help us to keep our priorities front-of-mind. For me, I think that’s a key to having both a productive work life and a peaceful personal life.
I bought the planner five minutes after I got the email announcing that it was available. 😀 And I’ve already started the course. I figure it might help me finish out 2018 with a bang, but mostly I want 2019 to be my best year ever – and that’s going to require both planning (duh) and some hard questions. What will I continue doing in the next year, and what will I give up for now? What are my greatest strengths and how can I use them better next year? How can I hold myself accountable for the new healthy habits I’m developing?
For me, My Brilliant Writing Planner and the course that goes with it are going to be my most important tools, so I wanted to make sure you knew about them, too. Bring on 2019! 😀
Featuring Rebecca Forster September Author of the Month
September 7, 2018 by Rebecca Forster in category Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Finn O'Brien Thrillers, Josie Bates Thrillers, Rebecca Forster, September Featured Author
Featuring Rebecca Forster. September Author of the Month
Rebecca Forster started writing novels on a crazy dare.
Now she is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of 29 books which the CBS Legal Correspondent calls, “Perfect. . .impossible to put down.”
After earning her MBA, Forster spent 14 years as a marketing executive before taking the leap from a corporate to a creative career. A fulltime author, speaker and teacher, Rebecca focuses on legal and political thrillers, but is known for bringing an uncommon sense of character and compassion to her work. Her Witness Series, featuring attorney Josie Bates, has resided on the Amazon bestseller lists for over three years in both the U.S. and U.K. and is a featured series at Audible.com. Before Her Eyes, a cross genre thriller, captured the winning votes for Reviewers Choice for Best Mystery.
Rebecca teaches the craft of writing and the cultivation of creativity at programs that have included the acclaimed UCLA Writers Program and as a guest speaker at legal associations, writer’s conferences, women’s symposiums and philanthropic groups across the U.S. She has made repeat appearances at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and volunteers at Southern California middle schools to bring the excitement of writing into the classroom. Appointed to the Patient/Family Advisory Board at Torrance Memorial Hospital, Rebecca advocates for closer relations between patients, families and medical staff to improve care.
Rebecca lives in Southern California. She is married to a prominent Los Angeles Superior Court judge and is the mother of two grown sons. Travel is a passion and when she is not writing you can find her on a tennis court, in front of a sewing machine or on the couch with a book in her hand.
I don’t think the adventure is over yet – and I know that there are still a zillion books to be written – so I hope you’ll check back for updates. Better yet, drop me note. I would love to hear from you.
Below are just some of her books in print.
How Many Formats?
September 6, 2018 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as audio, Formats, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo
I admit I’m somewhat old-fashioned. I’ve been writing for a long time, and when I started there weren’t nearly as many formats for books to be published in as there are today.
But this is so fun! Whatever way you want to “read” a book, there are probably some titles out there in whatever format(s) you choose. And I’ll also admit in advance that I’m sure there are a lot of options that I’m not familiar with.
Let’s start with print. There have been different types of print books for quite a while, including hardback, trade paperback, and mass market paperback.
And now there are also e-books in several different formats, depending on the e-reader you use: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and more.
So… there are many different ways to use your eyes to read. But you can use another sense, too–hearing. Audio books! I’m in the process now of having a couple of books in my Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series made into audio books. Looking forward to it!
Another possibility, of course, is Braille, which I assume is only used by the blind or perhaps also those with poor eyesight. And yes, people who use Braille do use a different sense: touch.
Those are the main ways of enjoying a book that I know of. Anyone want to educate me on something else?
And, yes, enjoy what you read no matter what way you do it!
Linda
I Came Up Blank
September 5, 2018 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed tagged as AutoCrit, deadlines, Self-editing, SWAG
Happy September. Hope you had a wonderful holiday.
I am stumped. I’m in the middle of cleaning up a book which is due in to my editor by Saturday morning. I thought I had a post I could replay, but when I checked my archive, I came up blank.
I couldn’t believe I didn’t have a post I could use. Of course, I’m kicking myself, because it’s almost midnight and this will be going live in a few hours. I could panic, but what would that accomplish…nothing.
So what should I talk about? I could talk about the book I’m working on, but that could stress me out. Although, I am very excited about this story. I’m working on A Southern Gentleman Book Two. It seems like the past couple of days I’ve been hit with quite a few interruptions or divine distractions as I like to call them.
I could talk about AutoCrit.com, but would anyone really want to read how excited I am about using it? Elena Dillon told me about this software. I was a little hesitant at first, but now it’s my new best friend. [I probably should have used it for this post].
When I did the test, I was very impressed. Then after my trial period, I went all in. Wow. It is something. There were a few times when I wanted to scream, because some of the parts I liked, AutoCrit deemed as repetitious. Those were some good lines, so I thought.
Using AutoCrit.com has pointed out things I hadn’t noticed. I get pissed with some of the suggestions, and then I implement them. I have to admit the book reads better. Let’s hope my editor agrees with me.
How am I using AutoCrit? Elena mentioned that she used it to polish her manuscript before sending it to the editor. I opted to use it the same way this first time. It takes a while to sift through the suggestions. However, as much as I don’t want to admit it, my book does read better. I’m seeing things I don’t think I would have in the past.
I could also talk about Swag. The subject of swag is almost a cuss word in my house. I am about to dip my toe in the swag pool and I’m overwhelmed. Apart for bookmarks, lip balm, business cards and postcards? What to get?
I have a couple of events coming up and I haven’t got a clue what to giveaway. These swag items are different from what’s in my store. In between edits, I’ve been reviewing swag. Talk about overload and I like shopping and work in retail. I’ve looked at everything from mints to pens to notepads to bags to mugs to door hangers. And lest I not forget the infamous refrigerator magnet and button.
I feel confident sharing that after reviewing swag for the past several months, I really haven’t made a decision.
What do you do for event swag?
Back to AutoCrit.
Au revoir
Tracy
Partnering at Book Events: The Two in One Challenge by Janet Elizabeth Lynn
September 3, 2018 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as autographing, book signing, bookevents, partners, Talks
My husband, Will Zeilinger, and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries. A hardboiled series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, Slick Deal, begins News Year’s Eve 1956 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The first murder and clues lead to Avalon, Catalina.
As authors, it is important to get out and meet readers, fellow writers and present your book to the world!! Thus we have a long line of public appearances we schedule each year. Since we present together (usually), the trick to present as one entity without tripping over each other. We refuse to play the “good cop, bad cop” routine so many writing couples do when giving talks. We choose to present ourselves as professionals, showing respect for each other and the profession of authorship. So here is how we work our appearances:
Author Panels: Quite often we are asked to be part of a panel with other authors. The Moderator will send a list of questions to us or ask us to submit questions. Since we write together, we are treated as one entity. So instead of repeating each other, we take turns leading the answer to the question, then the other adds a few words. This keeps us from “dominating” the panel and staying on the topic.
Book Signing Events: We often appear with other authors while signing books and meeting readers. Rather than the two of us tripping over each other, we take turns finishing each other’s sentences. Most of it is off the cuff, and readers get a kick out of it. Again the important thing is not to dominate the event since the two of us is an entity of one.
Our Book Launches: This event is just the two of us. Since our series star, Skylar Drake, is a male detective, the reading is always done by Will. After all, it’s all out of a guy’s head. I summarize the novel and give a brief character study of Skylar Drake. Then we switch off with Q & A about the inevitable question, “How exactly do the two of you work this without killing each other?” We make sure the books for sale are pre-signed, so readers aren’t strapped with trying to run both of us down for signing. We will add a personal note if requested
As keynote speakers: Our presentation always starts off with a summary of the book, a reading by Will and the journey the book took from conception to print, and we always . . . I mean always, have two to three funny stories about our research or interviews. We finish by switching off responding to Q & A.
When partnering in writing both of you must present as one entity with two different takes on things. That is how the book is written, two different takes on plots, subplots, characters and conclusion resulting in the entity of one book.
The results of our research? SLIVERS OF GLASS, STRANGE MARKINGS, DESERT ICE and SLICK DEAL and coming next GAME TOWN …and yes, we’re still married.
Website: www.janetlynnauthor.com
