Are we truly alone?

The notion of an author sitting in a small, cramped space pounding out word after word in near darkness is one we have come to recognize. Perhaps, its one we have even come to accept and expect from those who take up the pen.

But is there any truth to it?

Isolation is a single part of being a writer. When writing we don't typically surround ourselves with other people. It is a mechanism to ensure success, and it lends itself to some misconceptions. Writers do not do it because we are anti-social but because it is the natural path to productivity and meeting the goals we set. After a period of time, it becomes second nature, and we simply continue it.

The word, isolation, however, does not necessarily mean we are sitting in a cramp, dark little room with endless cups of cold coffee and crumpled paper. No, there are times when we are sitting in a crowded space working on our projects, our focus on the story. Segregation does not require one to be separate from others, it can be a state of mind.

I have met several authors who find working around others to be too distracting. They are often drawn from their craft by other conversations, interruptions, and other distractions. Isolation, for them, is the only way to write and it is a truth they've learned the hard way. For these authors, it is a vital part of ensuring success, but for others, they find success in a different form of separation.

For example, J K Rowlins wrote The Harry Potter books - in a coffee shop. Being a public space, it is safe to assume she was not alone. Yet, her ability to meet the quotas and deadlines she had set for herself within the limits of her location and time is truly impressive. Her environment was noisy, crowded, boisterous and yet she managed to create an amazing story we can all recognize. Physically, she was part of a crowd, mentally, she was isolated and focused.

There are moments for each of us where we are writing while we are engaging with others. Even in the most minute way. For some of us, however, true isolation is needed. Where we set aside the time to write when the house is quiet, the day is done, and perhaps we are alone while everyone else sleeps. Every author is different.

You may say, there are some writers who spend their time in a crowded office working on their writing, and this is a prime example of isolation whilst included. As a professional one needs to understand their writing habits and curate healthy mechanisms to ensure deadlines can be met. Those who spend their time surrounded by others in the office setting have learned how to work within the confines of their environment. It is not something you can simply do, you have to learn how to recognize distractions and how to tune them out to ensure you're able to work.

Me and Nanowrimo by Rita Trevalyan

I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo since 2006, when my fellow writer and adopted niece Kira Cattan first told me about it.  NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, but the “National” part is a misnomer because it has spread all over the globe.  In it, you write a 50,000 word novel in a 30 day month. It used to be that if you didn’t have a plot, no problem, just writing, maybe one word 50K times, and you had it.  But these days, they’ve turned professional, and are asking us to prepare for the big event. I have had several of my NaNo novels published, once they were polished and edited.  Or was it Kira? It strikes me that it was actually my fellow Druid Michael Sharding who informed me about NaNoWriMo, and the rest is history. I got involved in it. My dearly departed the late Richard L. Fulton II called it “the Olympics for writers.”

Like many other writers, I battle writer’s block every day, so I got a book by Jenna Glazter titled Outwitting Writer’s Block  from Writer’s Digest Books.  I employed several tricks from the book, but my favorite has to be “the ugly notebook.”  From a salvage operation I participated in during a muggle gig, I acquired a 3-ringed looseleaf binder that had started its existence as an Office Services manual. I disposed of the contents, and put a package of college ruled notebook filler paper in it.  In this “ugly notebook, I warmed up and limbered my brain to do my writing. I started with the verbal form of scat singing. Scat singing is an art form started when blacks were slaves, and not allowed to own or play any musical instruments. For one thing, it’s rather difficult to play the banjo when your hands were required for picking cotton.  After they were freed, Such artists as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, and in our own era, Bobby McFerrin were known for their scat singing skills. I did it to warm up my brain. After all, dancers warm up their muscles, as do athletes. Shouldn’t we, as athletes of words warm up our writing muscles?Later, I took to asking questions pertaining to my stories.  

I have what’s known as dyscalculia, or math anxiety, so it was easier for me to write 2000 words per day for 25 days than 1667 for 30.  I took 5 days off for the Veterans’ Day parade, Thanksgiving, the Scottish Ritethe Liberty Lodge Thanksgiving dinner, and spending the day with my daughter.  After Doc died, and I moved to Sacramento, my housemate Stephen couldn’t understand why I would engage in something that didn’t have an immediate monetary payoff, and would try to sabotage me in all kinds of ways, mostly by trying to distract me by his incessant chattering like a monkey.  To persuade him of my seriousness, I wrote every day, resulting in 60,000 words or more.  Once I’d polished my manuscript, I submitted it to my new publisher, and after some edits, the book would come out, in ebook format.  After I got my Dragon, It was that much easier to produce my 2000 words, since I would dictate them, and the Dragon would type them on the screen.  I wrote in the morning because the chances were greater that I would be left alone, and I would have the rest of the day to do whatever I needed to do.  

I was, by now, participating 3 times a year, because they added Camp NaNoWriMo in April and  July. At first the April Camp Nano was “Script Frenzy”, and I wrote a screenplay, and a stage play.  Then I turned back to writing novels. Lately, so that I don’t have to wake up to a blank screen with an equally blank mind, I scribble out on paper on my clipboard “(I have 10), at least a portion on my writing for the morrow.  I take that clipboard with me to the bank, the store, the bus stop, and Kaiser, so that I’m always creating, even when not at my computer.  

A warning:when you go to www.nanowrimo.org to commit to your novel and sign up, they will strongly encourage you to donate.  With the exception of one November Nano, and two camps when I either couldn’t participate at all, or had to drop out for health reasons, I participated for 13 years without donating, so you don’t need to, if you’re low fixed income like me.  But if I ever strike it big, I intend to. So get an idea, go to www.nanowrimo.org and register your novel idea. Plan and prep.  Then, starting November 1st,at 12:01 am if you’re really eager and a night owl, write your 1667 words or however many words you write, and on every day, through November 30th, then validate your novel,and join me in in the winner’s circle.       

Rita

Negative Reviews and how to deal with them.

I'm certain we've all gotten a negative review. The one-star review or a review where your book is literally torn to pieces leaving you ragged and raw. Every one of us has had to deal with such a review at one point or other in our career. It's not the review we must worry about, but how we deal with it.

Many years ago, (10 years or so) I got some amazing advice from my publisher at the time. She told me to consider how my life had altered and for me to consider what it meant to have a book on the market. For better or worse, I was a public figure, even if it was only to a select group of people. What I did was being watched closely.

Her words ring true even now after she's retired and I'm working on book number...thirteen or so. In some ways, my life altered with the first contract, in other ways, it's still the same. For me, the biggest difference is how much thought I have to put into what I say online.

Okay, I can hear you say, "Nonsense, what could possibly have changed?"

Well for starters, I had to be aware of getting into controversial arguments on social media. Not that I was into them, to begin with, but I've seen some authors who have lost their s**t over a bad review, or some percieved personal attack. I'm all for defending one's self, especially in light of some of the negatives out there such as Piracy but that's another topic for another day.

Reviews are a keystone for authors, you need them to create sales. Unfortunately, you need sales to get reviews. It becomes an endless cycle of hope and prayer, lol. But let's get back to the topic - I meandered away there, my apologies. We write this book, pour our sweat, blood, and tears into it. It becomes a living entity to us. After weeks, months even, of work, it's published and on the market. And we want people to love it, but you check and see a *gasp* review. Reading it, the anger rolls, steam's bursting from your ears, and you're ready to throw the laptop out the window.

How dare someone tear it apart? What do they mean giving it a single star?

Guess what, it happens.

The way we handle it will set the tone for ourselves and our reputation as authors. No, you don't toss out the laptop or break things. It won't change anything, and you'll have to clean up the mess. Instead, take it for what it's worth. A review is a reader's opinion, and there is very little likelihood you're going to satisfy every person who picks up your novel.

So we have to balance it out. Yes, a negative review sucks, but if we expend all our energy on that one review - what's left. In my experience, and I make no implication I'm speaking for anyone else, the best way to deal with the negative review is to pick it apart. What is the reader telling me? Was there some plot hole which I didn't see and it pulled the reader from the book? Maybe it was pacing? Is there a kernel of information within the review I can use?

If you can answer any of these questions positively, then I would say make this a positive review.
One thing an author should never do is attack the person leaving the review. If you want to lose any credibility, or gain a bad reputation then engage in an all out troll war.

Now, if there is no way to look at the review in a positive light for whatever reason, then just getting passed the review is your only option.

Put your energy into a more positive endeavour such as writing. There is never going to be a day when you will please every person who reads your book. And it's been proven, bad publicity can work in your favour. Keep in mind, reviews are opinions, and trying to force, cajole, or otherwise please everyone so you get nothing but 5 star reviews will ultimately hurt you when you suffer burnout.

Success comes in many forms

I have often sat and wondered just what success meant.  Can I define what it means to me? Was it the balance in my bank account? Or maybe the number of followers I have? Perhaps it is something else, maybe something someone has done better at than I? To see if it was within my grasp, I first needed to define it, and to do so, I had to truly look at more than the dictionary's definition.

Recognizing how you identify success is extremely important. If you don't know what success looks like, how will you know it when you see it?  This leads into the big question: What is success to you?

If we compare our success against another person who has made more money or is better recognized, how can we really measure our success. Which is not to say we should discount those who have gained more than we have. It's human nature to feel some emotional response to another's success. Be it jealousy, anger, or joy, it impacts our ability to see our own place within the spectrum.

The answer to this question is intensely personal. At least for me it is.

My measure of success is different than my neighbors.
And that's how it should be. It's very likely two people have the same goal, or goals. What's unlikely, is if they're going to do the same in the pursuit of those goals. It is only when you get down to it that you see the differences. Like the murky waters of a lake, what lies beneath the surface is where the action is.

So what do I aim to acheive within my writing career?

Thinking big, as if I had the world at my fingertips, my successful achievement would be to see my books on the NY Times best seller list for weeks and royalty cheques  in the seven or eight digits.

Pretty lofty, isn't it?

Perhaps. If I'm honest with myself  (and that's the key here) my success is not obtainable. It is. But if I sit down and really study what I'm wanting, then it means I have to look at the whole picture, not simply the royalty cheques, or the rave reviews. But I also have to look at the road to reach said goal, then it can be overwhelming and I am ultimately setting myself up for failure.

I was read the way to eat a bear was one bite at a time. The anology works. There isn't anything you can't do if you take it step by step. Having the drive to do it, and the will to overcome the negative energy, the self-doubt, the fear, is what is needed.

So if I look at my goal of NY Times Best Seller List, then to ensure success I have to break it down.

1. Setting Realistic Goals for myself.
2. Making them clear and concise.
3. I need to be honest with myself, and accountable.
4. The goals must be trackable.

Breaking my ideal success story into smaller, more easily managed bites, ensures, I don't end up on a sinking boat in the middle of shark infested waters with no lifejacket.  How much success I get will be determined by the amount of work I put in...and if the end goal stands when I get closer to it. What do you think? What does it mean to you to be a success.

Insanity...or Determination

Insanity by its own definition is utilizing the same action time and again while expecting different results.

How often have we, as authors, tried some new-fangled promotional tool and not seen the results we want, but we continue to use it in the hope it'll suddenly net us the sales. Well, if you're anything like me, or some of my author friends, probably more times than you'd like to admit. Perhaps, its the sense of entitlement we have come to believe in, or maybe its complacency, or simply a desperate hope we cling to like a shipwrecked victim clinging to the dingy. Or perhaps, its none of those things but rather a simple lack of awareness of what we're trying to do.


Are we trying to get recognized?
Looking to boost our ranking on Amazon?
Perhaps, we are trying to attract sales?
Are we trying to compete with other authors?

Whatever the answer, it drives us forward, beating our fists against a brick wall without truly understanding what the end result is meant to be.

I've talked with a lot of people, including professional coaches about using the tools at our disposal in the pursuit of success and sales. During those conversations, the very idea of having an expectation of instant return on investment was talked over.

I had one conversation where the person I was speaking to asked me at one point a question. Instantly it had me rearing back with a gasp. How dare she ask me such a question. How dare anyone assume I wasn't looking at the big picture. 

What is this question which caused such a monumental moment of shock and horror? It was a simple question, and instantly had my defences going up.

When was I going to stop blaming everyone and everything else for my lack of sales?

After sitting for a few moments doing an Emmy award worthy impression of a goldfish, I blinked, and sat back in the chair and stared at her.  Her question was a difficult one, but one I needed to answer for a couple of reasons.  One, I didn't necessarily want to accept I wasn't carrying my share of the burden of promotion. I wasn't, by the way. And two, to see the results I want to see, I needed to have the blinders taken off.

I could sit around and complain about how my sales suck, or I'm not getting anywhere, I want to make more money.

In truth, I discovered the reality of there is an endless supply of "I'm spending money on ads on social media, I hired a PA to do my scheduling for promotion etc.

Excuses are plentiful, I found, like juicy apples on a tree.

Full disclosure: I've offered my fair share of excuses, of paying the blame forward. Its not my fault the books are selling it must be someone elses. In truth, I've spoken of them numerous times, until I got the wakeup call.

Sitting at my desk, bemoaning the lack of sales, and search engine placement, I drafted an email. I could almost feel the ulcers forming as I hit send on my message and wondered if it was the right thing to do.

That email was the first smart action I took. The answer I got was a wake-up call, and one I'd tried very hard to pretend wasn't what I needed.  My correspondence was met with a hard truth, one which lifted the wool from my eyes. If I wanted to succeed I had to take a cold, hard look at what I was doing...and cut away the dead weight of repetitive action I was hampering myself with. I had to acknowledge being accountable for my own mistakes meant I needed to push aside the excuses, the laziness, the sheer lethargy I had managed to convince myself was working.

I failed to see how my actions of epeatedly, trying to gain ground by doing the same thing over and over again was in its own way insanity. Believe me, I tried the basics until it was nearly muscle memory. But, I wasn't gaining, by all accounts I was holding steady with a decline in sales as my books were superseded by new releases by other authors.

I had to do some thinking, what did I want to do? Get a head or spend my time spinning my wheels in quicksand. With every post, every missed chance, I was making the choice to walk along the path of denial.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, what does this have to do with the title of this blog?

Well, its a prime example of my experience with the insanity of inaction. I was determined to unmine myself, to make my own projects second, while I wallowed in the woe is me of lack of sales.

Taking the advice and critism from others was hard. It was shocking and bold, and what was needed. For me to succeed - for any of us to succeed, I believe we need to take a solid look at what have and what we don't have. What we know and what we don't want to know.

If I want to be sure I'm making sales, I have to accept my part in the process and step up to the plate. I need to step off the revolving door of complacency and jump into the deep end of promoting and marketing my brand, my books, and engage with my readers.

Is this going to be easy? Probably not, but then the things we want aren't always easy to obtain. When we have to work for what we desire, we appreciate it much more than if its handed to us. So, it begs the question, my fellow authors, where do you fit in the cogs of this wonderfully crazy world of publishing?

Creating Your Perfect Writing Space Part One

I firmly believe everyone has felt that sense of dissatisfaction of writing wherever we can, when we can. In today's hectic lifestyles, it is a reality our time is rarely free, and often distractions and outside circumstances prevent us from sitting and writing. The loved ones, music, t.v. all ofer something far more intriguing or mind numbing as the case may be. But these offer us something else, something far more dangerous to our writing careers - a chance to procrastinate.

A  simple way to deal with all of this is to have a desingated writing area. I know what you're thinking, I can't afford that, there's nowhere for me to put such a space... there are a lot of reasons why not, I've said them myself, and the reasons why are far more important.

For a lot of us, our writing career is a source of income which we use to pay the dreaded day to day bills. To be able to have the time and space to write is key to getting works out there. Without a space to create, we feel the impact on our wallet.

Having a designated writing space is a benefit often over looked. The benefits of having one, include an area where you can retreat to, where writing is the primary endevour and productivity is increased. It is also a space where your boundaries come into play. You know the ones which say

"Writing here - disturb at your own risk -

It's a space set aside strictly for your creative brain to engage, and the outside distractions fade way. Carving out the niche for your office space can be a challenge, but it is well worth it.

I read a lot of articles about creating a space for myself and while a number of them indicated the space needed to be big, I don't feel it needs to be.  Perhaps, because I've never lived in a home where there was a lot of extra space, so I've learned how to use the space available.

Keeping in mind, there has to be space for you to spread out, for your printer, research material, notes, computer, etc. Living in a confined area, you will need to think outside of the box. If you have the spare square footage to create an office, it still pays to be creative.

This leads to the big question of: How can one utilize the area they have? Cross-purposing comes in handy for those of us who live in a small home or apartment. As well, you can think vertically when it comes to some things. A wall can become the landing zone for all your notes, books, etc. Sticky Tac, or pins work well for this. A small shelf above the desk can hold things like your highlighters, pens, pencils, flashdrives, and any other tool you may need. I've heard of offices in basements, even a walk in closet where the author could close the door, and surround themselves with plants, light, and music as they wrote. This, to me would have two benefits. A: you can shut out the outside distractions and write with ease, and no worries. B: You won't be limited to time of day when you write. For some of us, writing during the day is a necessity, but if you're a night owl, or you work during the day, having a space you can retreat to when everyone else is in bed allows you to still meet the word count goals you set for yourself.

Once you have figured out the where you're going to put your writing space, then comes the how and when which I'll touch base on in the next blog post.

I know where I would find my ideal space for a home office if I could pick...how about you? Where would you find your creative space?

The Forsaken Series - Our Journey Began with a bang

The Forsaken Series has long been a baby of mine - and of co-author Ciara Lake. In 2010, when we first started talking about this project we had a vision of what we wanted it to look like. Unfortunately, for us, we had no idea where this project would lead us.

Ciara and I sat down and began to work on developing the series in its entirety. As we talked and plotted, and planned, we worked out a rough idea of what we were going to do. In our enthusiasm and eagerness, our vision was simple: Fill the rapidly developing, and smoking hot paranormal romance genre with a series of books. Sounds easy, doesn't it?




We discovered it wasn't quite that simple...or easy.

 Boy, did we have a lot to learn.



The journey itself has been filled with pot holes, self-doubt, frustration, anxiety, joy and euphoria. It hasn't always been an easy one, there have been learning curves, differences, and self-doubts. This project proved to be a challenge unlike anything we'd ever known, or anticipated. There were layers and layers of things we needed to do, tasks we had to master, and even when we thought we knew what we were doing. We have learned how to work as a team - even though we work independently - and overcome our own negative mentalities and egos.

I think we found the stories to be easier to write than we had anticipated, especially since both of us were familiar with writing. Ciara and I had already been published, and were familiar with the process in the sense we were comfortable with the story-telling. The characters were open and willing to allow us to tell their stories, and the worlds were fairly straight forward. It was only as we got further into the actual meat of the project where we stumbled.

However, that's for another post. As we near the release of book thirteen and the release of the second volume of our Boxed Sets, we are still learning, still developing our voices with each new book, each new character and really beginning to not only appreciate the journey for the journey's sake, but understanding the road we are on, is guiding us to yet another crossroad. As we near it, and stand upon the rocky ground, we can only trust ourselves to guide us on the next part of our journey...and we hope you'll come along with us.

Obstacles Writer's Face: Rita Travalyan

What obstacles face writers? Many people have a day job, and by the time they get home from work, they are exhausted.  Others, mostly women, but some stay-at-home men too, have small children they must care for, who would distract them from their writing. My particular obstacle is a yeller. We’re both retired, so have lots of time to pursue our passions. He writes computer programs. This would be fine, except that he yells a lot, and I'm not permitted to make a sound, because he's easily distracted. When you're writing a computer program, it is much more exacting than writing a story. Every jot and tittle has to be just so. The slightest slip can result in an error, which means that the program will crash and not run. That's what he tells me, anyway. But in this yelling disturbs me and I like peace and quiet when I write. If I had my druthers, I’d play one of my Napster playlists which puts me in the Zone. Ohl, you know what the zone is. If you're a programmer, the code is falling into place. If you're an artist, the paint is going on the canvas just so. If you’re a music composer, the notes are coming as fast as you can put them on the clephs. As a writer,. I use  Dragon, which is voice recognition software, so I speak my story, dictating into my computer so that it types the words on the screen.

To avoid the stress-producing yelling, I do my writing in the early morning while my SO sleeps. Because he's sleeping in the next room I can't play my music so it’s more difficult to get into the Zone. But it's not impossible. If you have the writing compulsion like I do you find ways of coping. He tells me he can almost hear when I'm writing about. Sometimes he even has usable suggestions for a direction to go in when I get stuck. But the yelling is hard for me to cope with. I have attempted to tell him a new way to cope. "You can't control what the people do, but you can control how you react to their actions." Why does he yell? Well, you may ask. He has enemies. He left Christianity for paganism and the church he left feels the need to punish him for leaving it. He runs an operating system (Linux) they don't like because they have money invested in Microsoft. So they hack into his system and continuously interfere what he intends to do. And he reacts predictably. He yells. He loudly utters implications and curses. It's been going on for over 11 years. One would think he would have found another way to cope with the situation; different ways of putting one over on his enemies, for example, but he hasn't. He just yells.  .Being an empath as I am, I feel the psychic pain in his yelling. But I guess I am naturally more logical and analytical than he is being as I am a Virgo ascendant. I would take pride and joy in continually foiling those bastards. I would emulate Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame. What a role model he was!

Plans have changed for the re-release of Takuhi’s Dream.  We are in the process of getting the 2nd installment, Takuhi’s Nightmare, ready for publication.  But I am doing the 3rd, and probably the final installment, Takuhi’s Daydream, for November’s NaNoWriMo, and she wants to release them in succeeding months, to take advantage of the buzz created by each book.   I am presently thing phase, to the extent that I plan any book. I am an inveterate pantser.  Outlining this makes me want to go ahead and write the book. And I find that each chapter is a new adventure.

My Books:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BKQ58Z8 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HQUR6QC 

Is It A Career or A Hobby?

I often hear people tell me, oh you write, it must be a fun hobby. But is it truly a hobby?

By the definition given on Wikipedia: A hobby is a regular activity done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time, not professionally and not for pay. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements. Participation in hobbies encourages acquiring substantial skills and knowledge in that area.

When I sit down to write, yes I do it for enjoyment, but I also do it with the expressed idea at some point I am going to make money from it. Which leads me to question my own intent. Is it a hobby I can make money from? Or is it something which I wish to actually be able to support myself and family with?
Is the money the driving force when I sit down to write? Or is simply the enjoyment and thrill of creating something which is a motivating factor. 

If its the money driving you? How much money do you need to consider it a career? What are the goals you have to meet to ensure you reach the financial benefit you want? How many sales do you have to make on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis? 

I want to be clear here, you can have a career as a hobby and vice versa, there isn't anything to say you can't. There are a lot of people who make their hobbies their primary career and do it with flair and no small amount of success. 

These are questions every author must ask. Deciding is an extremely personal and emotional path, and the answers will ultimately ensure one is faced with an even larger group of questions. Let's break it down even further. 

Is my writing a hobby? 

Writing as a hobby is not a negative in my opinion. Hobbies are healthy, productive events which allow us to have positive brain activity. But I get up every day, get ready and go to work at the day job only to come home and dabble here and there with it. 

Is it something which isn't a prime focus? If you answered yes to any of these questions perhaps your writing is a hobby. Or maybe its something you work on because you haven't decided to make it a career. 

But I only write for myself. My writing isn't good enough. I've heard these before, let me tell you a little secret I said those words myself. Writing, telling stories was something I did to relieve stress, to express myself, and yet deep within my heart, I knew at some point I wanted to share my stories. 

So I had to make a choice - do I keep considering my writing a hobby, a side venture or do I make it more? The true decision is only something, I as the author could make. I chose to try and make it a career.

Oh my goodness, a career as an author?

Have a career as an author is a major undertaking. You have to be dedicated to the hard work, the hours you'll put in, and comprehension you are your own boss. There has to be an understanding of what you need vs want from writing.

Not only in a creative manner but also in a financial one. How much do you need to make on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to ensure your bills are paid? Now, how do you take that number and equate it to how many sales you need?

Marketing and promotion will become a double-edged sword as you work to get your book title out there before readers. Remember, however, you're not simply promoting a book but the whole brand. And that is you. Connect with your readers, focus on making relationships and not simply sales. You will love it and hate it but eventually, it becomes second nature.

Awareness and desire will guide you in the direction you want to go in.  Follow your heart and it will guide you down the path best suited to what you're meant to do.