Tag Archives: Writing Career Tip

Writer’s Life Resolution Time

Writer Inspiration, ,

Writer’s Life Resolution Time. One Christmas my grandkids gave me a very special gift. A mug with these words on it. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” I had coveted that mug from the moment I saw it on a bookstore shelf.

I Used to Haunt Bookstores. Especially bookstores with a café. I clocked many contented hours at their small tables. I wrote No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells at a bookstore café and worked on many other titles in similar surroundings.

I No Longer Haunt Bookstores. Many are now out of business. The survivor nearest me has no café. They cannot afford to devote floor space to anything other than sales items. Besides, the pandemic got me into the habit of buying my books online and doing my work at home.

Things Change. We begin this new year in different circumstances than those we may have enjoyed in the past. Some of us lament these changes. None of us can benefit from focusing on their loss. That way of thinking is a drag-down against what we need most – to forge forward with the confidence and enthusiasm my precious mug is meant to inspire.

New Inspiration Needed. I love holiday movies. A writer friend suggested Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix. There I discovered another inspiring quotation that rings true to me right now. “The magic isn’t just in what you’ve lost. It’s in what you still have.”

We Still Have Our Selves. My mom said “You always take on more than you can chew.” So true of many of us. We mercilessly burden our already overtaxed shoulders. We must resolve to be gentle with our selves. We deserve a break today and every day.

We Still Have Our Good Sense. When I am sensible about my life – and especially about my work – I make a plan and write it down. We need that now. A plan. In writing. With lots of specifics. A plan for going confidently into this good year at Writer’s Life Resolution Time.

We Still Have Our Dreams. What do you want to accomplish? Gentle expectations for the next 3 months only. Brainstorm. Do not brain-strain. Write down everything that comes to mind. Be as specific as you can. Concrete goals you can realistically achieve.

We Still Have Our Good Judgement. Continue in rapid-response mode. To each item on the above list add 3 specific actions you might take to make that accomplishment happen. Do not edit or judge. Simply whale away with the brainstorming. No harpoons allowed.

We Still Have Our Priorities. Star the 3 goal categories that excite you most. Follow your gut. Still fast-tracking. Rate the stars in order of which ones brighten your imagination most. Now you have it. A plan for your next 3 months. Probably longer. A map to the direction of your dreams.

We Still Have Our Future. What Comes Next? Whether you realize it or not you have made a bold move toward living the life you’ve imagined. Let us all resolve to do exactly that from now on in our Writer’s Life Resolution Time.

Alice Orr Says – You Possess Storytelling Magic. Keep on Writing Whatever May Occur. https://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know – in your writing work and in your writer’s life? Ask your question in the Comments section at the end of this post.

Alice Orr has published 14 novels, 3 novellas and a memoir so far. She wrote her nonfiction book No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells as a gift to the writers’ community she loves. Her  novel – A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2 – is a available HERE.

Amazon.com/authors/aliceorr

Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows: “Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows has moved up to one of my favorite books.”

All of Alice’s Books are HERE.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/

Indie Publishing and You

PublishingTip, ,

Indie Publishing and You. This is the 8th anniversary year of my own 1st indie book. That memoir and the 5 following indie novels taught me many lessons. I pass the most important of those lessons on to you FYI. I hope they will be helpful if/when indie pub is your choice too.

Put Together a First Class Team. The memoir I mentioned – Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness – was a solo effort all the way from cover choice to upload. I learned a lot about the process from that experience. I also learned never to do it again. IMO it takes a Team.

Produce a First Class Story. You create that showstopper on your own and make it the very best storytelling you have in you. Then you must run it past fresh eyes – fresh and talented eyes. Which means you need a strong editor who will see the flaws you have inevitably missed.

Publish a First Class Book. Start with a topnotch cover. Unless you are a gifted artist, I advise a designer pro for this job. Also find an experienced formatter and (if you are like me) an upload expert to mount you on the digital platforms you need and make certain your hardcopy book is a beauty to behold as well. All of these functions can come from a single company if you prefer that route the way I did.

Construct a First Class Post-Pub Plan. Start gathering your mailing list the day you are born. Adopt an online presence at puberty. Only slight exaggerations. The internet is the highway via which you reach and grow your readership. School yourself in everything social media. Suss out a success story and follow her example. My personal online marketing guru is Kayelle Allen.

Create a First Class Offline Act. Readers abound in real life as well as screen life. Begin with your very own peeps right here in the writers’ community. Earn our interest. Enlist us as allies by being an ally. Serve the community however you can and it will serve you generously in return. Just rememer there is an Us in Indie Publishing and You.

Concoct a First Class Long-Range Plan. Continue to market your title by any means necessary. Keep that effort going long after launch week. Use your creativity. Brainstorm new angles and clever hooks. Loose your imagination. Be bold. But be subtle. Do not badger. Never forget to benefit others while building your own career.

Capture Us with First Class Visibility. Incorporate your title into your signature and affix it to everything. Do whatever you can inspire yourself to do. Picture becoming a star-studded author and head there. Always and forever – promotion is your new middle name.

Meanwhile Manage Your Expectations. Million-dollar babies are only intermittently born in this or any other creative profession. Put your psyche on your side. It sounds cliché – but you must write for the love of it. Make your work first class for the love it. Promote your books to the heavens for the love of it.

And – Celebrate. Celebrate. Celebrate. Every move forward. Every slip back. All are part of the joy of what we do. Using our noggins and our notions. If you are new to this particular path or one of the many amazing authors marking anniversaries as I am – Enjoy!! This is the Wonderful World of Indie Publishing and You.

Alice Orr says – You Possess Storytelling Magic. Keep on Writing Whatever May Occur. https://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know – in your writing work and in your writer’s life? Ask your question in the Comments section at the end of this post.

Alice Orr – Teacher. Storyteller. Former Literary Agent. Blogs for Writers. Author of 16 novels, 3 novellas and a memoir so far. Wrote No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells as a gift to the writers’ community she loves.

Alice’s novel – A Wrong Way Home – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 1 – is a free gift for you HERE.

A Wrong Way Home

Praise for A Wrong Way Home: “The story twists and turns masterfully into danger and romance.” “I highly recommend this page-turner which is romance and suspense at its best.” “The writing is exquisite.”

All of Alice’s Books are HERE.

https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/

Alice’s Survive and Thrive Secrets for Writers

Writing Life Lessons, ,

Alice’s Survive and Thrive Secrets for Writers. Whatever happens, we must make certain we survive and thrive, as writers and as humans. A learning curve to be sure, and we struggle to surmount it. Some fall by the wayside. You may worry you could someday be among them, but you can prevent that. These are my Survive and Thrive Secrets.

Secret #1 – Be the Best You Can Be In the Present. Which does not mean to bury yourself in work and anxiety-inducing responsibilities. The first step is to identify your writing career goals. Not the goals someone else makes you feel you should attain. Your own true goals, the ones that won’t stress you out and burn you down.

Brainstorm these Good Goals. Sit with a piece of paper and/or a recording device and let your imagination fly. Do not edit yourself. Do not say, “That’s a ridiculous idea.” Or, “I can’t possibly do that.” Just write everything down, and say this to your inner critic. “Get lost!” Silencing discouraging voices is crucial among Alice’s Survive and Thrive Secrets for Writers.How to Put Your Writer Psyche on Your Side - www.aliceorrbooks,com

Review your Goal Possibilities List. Do so quickly. Read – or listen – through all of the ideas you have come up with and do so in a kind of rush. Check mark each goal idea that strikes you at heart level in a positive way as something you would really love to do. Winnow those heart-struck choices down to three at most. These are the goals tailormade for you to pursue.

Secret #2 – Stay Future-Focused. Study the publishing industry to scope out trends, not so you can chase after them, but so you are savvy about what is happening in the book-buying and book-reading marketplace. Always remember that many trends are just fads. They will fade and be gone before you can scramble onto the fad train to follow them.

On the Other Hand, you may Find Something with Legs. A trend that has taken a deep hold on the book world and looks like it will last. One that suits the way you want to move forward toward your own tailormade goals. Never sacrifice those goals for any market trend.

Secret #3 – Remain Past-Perfect. Hearken back to the basics. Do this again and again throughout your career. The basics of writing art and craft are the firm foundation upon which you must always stand. The tried and true remains tried and true. Storytelling basics do not succumb to trends.

Secret #4 – Cultivate the Art of Self Re-Invention. Exercise career flexibility. This is not a contradiction of what I have said before here. Any change of career direction you may contemplate must always take into primary account your personal tailormade goals. We are talking about an alternate route to those goals, not about abandoning their highway altogether.

Before you Contemplate any Change – Re-imagine the skills you already have. Brainstorm yet again, employing the same rules I have described above. What have you done in your writing career? What have you learned? Also, what have you most enjoyed? These are your skills.

Do Not Abandon your Skills – Adapt them. If you reach a legitimately insurmountable roadblock obstructing your path toward your goals, consider altering that path. Use the skills you have already acquired to accomplish that. This way you make your fresh start already ahead.

The Ultimate Secret – Persist Till You Prevail. Practice this proverb. “Fall down seven times. Get up eight.” Or as many times as are necessary to survive, necessary to thrive. Never give up. When you are tempted to do so, brainstorm this. Goethe said, “Be bold and great forces will come to your aid.” Yet another of Alice’s Survive and Thrive Secrets for Writers and for life.

Alice Orr – www.aliceorrbooks.com

ASK ALICE Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know – in your writing work and in your writer’s life? Email aliceorrbooks@gmail.com. Or add a comment question to this post. I will be honored to respond.

Alice has published 16 novels, 3 novellas and a memoir so far. She wrote her nonfiction book No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells as a gift to the writers’ community. Her latest novel – A Time of Fear & Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5 – is available HERE.

A Time of Fear & Loving

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving: “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “The best one yet!”

Look for all of Alice’s books HERE.

https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/