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Quick Tips |
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Attend RWA national conference and attend the workshops. This is where you find out about the business of writing.
-- Brenda S |
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What's New |
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No entries in the last 7 days :-(
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| Quick Tip: Bookmarks |
| Posted by: CataU on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 08:57 AM |
Today's tip is to organize your bookmarks/favorites. I save things all the time and if I don't have a folder for something, I just save it without a folder. Which means that my bookmarks are really unorganized. And there's nothing more frustrating than wanting to visit a link but being unable to find it in my bookmarks even though I know I saved it... somewhere.
So, your goal for today, your mission, is to organize your bookmarks. Add more folders. Delete unused folders. Put like with like. Maybe have a writing articles folder, or how about research? If you have a ton of links on Scotland, have a folder called Scotland. You get the idea. Now go organize!
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| Quick Tip for Mondays |
| Posted by: CataU on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 03:16 PM |
It's Monday. Whether you love Mondays or hate them, here's an office organizational tip for you.
Barbara over at www.ineedmoretime.com has an easy to follow schedule that will keep your office and desk organized and clutter free. Try it at work and in your home office.
"1. on Mondays, de-clutter your office. Remove at least one item which you don't use at least monthly. Remove all personal items from your desk. Throw away pens that don't work. Reduce your ketchup/salt/napkin supply by 90%."
<p style="font-family: Arial;">Copyright 2002-2006 Barbara Myers. All Rights Reserved. <p style="font-family: Arial;">Free "50 Ways to Manage Your Time" tips booklet. Visit www.ineedmoretime.com.
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| Quick Tip: Goals |
| Posted by: CataU on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 08:32 AM |
We all have goals. But sometimes it's hard to meet them. Today's tip is to think of your goals and determine what is the next thing/goal you want to accomplish.
Send a book out to an editor?
Write a magazine article?
Finish a short story?
Update your website?
Whatever that goal is, decide on ONE. This is your active goal.Now, what is the first/next step to achieving that goal? On a piece of paper, write down this first/next step and post it somewhere you can see it... like the bathroom mirror, the fridge, or the computer if you're in front of it often enough. This is your reminder note. It will keep your goal and your next step at the front of your mind.
If your goal is to:
Send a book out to an editor?
Your first step may be to write a query letter or synopsis. It may just be to get yourself to the Post Office. Make your steps small and manageable. You'll feel better if you get to check things off your list.
Write a magazine article?
Your first step may be to decide what kind of article to write or where you'll submit it. Or who you'll talk to. The may be to write the article.
Finish a short story?
Your next step may be to write 1000 words. Or maybe 100.
Update your website?
Your next step may be to open a text file and start writing content and changes you want done. Or it may be contacting your web designer to schedule time to do an update.
Whatever your next step is, write it down and do it!
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| Quick Tip : Files |
| Posted by: CataU on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 09:56 AM |
A quick tip for your Tuesday. Take a few minutes right now and delete five files you no longer need on your computer.
Things like old drafts of a sold manuscript...
That recipe you've never gotten around to making...
Old photos and graphics that you no longer need.
Dig deep. :)
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| Weed out your writing utensils |
| Posted by: CataU on Friday, March 02, 2007 - 09:41 PM |
If you're like me there are pens and pencils and highlighters and markers and crayons.... you get the idea. The point it, there are writing utensils everywhere. But between you and everyone in the house it's a wonder if you can find one that actually works when you need it to.
So take five minutes right now and round up all the writing utensils you can find. Grab the ones from your desk, nightstand... I sometimes find them hiding in the bathroom. Remember to check the kitchen, laundry room, between the cushions, the kids rooms, and your car.
Got a nice pile? Now grab a piece of paper and scribble with each pen, pencil, and highlighter. Ones that don't work - toss. Ones that are weak - toss. Chewed items - toss. Lost the cap... you know what to do. It only takes a few minutes to do this. So do it now.
Once you're done, distribute a pen, pencil and highlighter to each room. That way you'll always have one when you need one. And while you're at it, put a notepad by each phone... like for when you get The Call.
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| Start the year off Write - part 6 |
| Posted by: CataU on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 08:35 AM |
Organize your writing magazines.
Get inexpensive magazine holders (like these from IKEA: http://cataurl.com/XwcXt ) and write the YEAR on the spine. Then, as magazines come in and you read them, put them in that years holder. If you keep all your magazines you'll have a simple way of keeping them organized.
If you get different types of mags (like RT, Publishers Weekly, Writers Digest & RWR) consider having a holder for each type of mag. IE, Romance. Business. Or, RT, Publisher's Weekly, etc.
If you only like an article or two in each mag, consider cutting them out with a razor blade, hole punching them and keeping them in a writing binder. We'll talk more about writing binders tomorrow.
If you like several articles from each mag (too much to clip out and refile) write what you like and the page numbers on an index card, staple the card to the cover of the magazine and then use one of the filing methods above. That way, they'll be organized and you can see your favorite articles at a glance.
And if you're really organized (I'd recommend this only to those souls who are naturally organized, not newbies b/c you can drive yourself crazy and go overboard easily) consider making a spreadsheet of your favorite articles (like on the cards above) but on one big spreadsheet. Include the magazine's name, article title, page number, and the month/year of publication. And if you want, the location of where the magazine is stored (like Holder 2006).
Good luck and happy organizing.
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| Start the New Year off Write Part 5 |
| Posted by: CataU on Tuesday, January 09, 2007 - 09:48 AM |
Published authors, do you do a lot of your own promo? Then it's time to get organized. If you're constantly printing out promotional materials, stickers, and sending off packages, consider putting together a promo kit. It should contain all the materials you use to promote yourself all in one handy place so you don't go crazy looking for things.
Do you print up your own return address labels or envelopes? How about stickers for your promo items? Have a stack of business cards, postcards or bookmarks waiting to be passed out?
Consider designating a shelf in the nearest closet or getting a big plastic box to store your stuff together. If you send cards to editors, agents, etc. put those (a few stamps and a pen) in the box. Make your own promo material, put the “ingredients” in the box.
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| Start the New Year off Write Part 4 |
| Posted by: CataU on Monday, January 08, 2007 - 01:38 PM |
Now is also a perfect time to organize your file system on your computer. No doubt theres plenty of junk you no longer need, stuff that you do want to keep and things that need to be more organized. You might want to start by removing programs that you no longer use. In Windows there is a Add/Remove Programs icon that will help you do this.
Next up, organize your photos and graphics. I always start there just because it's easiest and my photos and graphics tend to get placed all over the place.
Once that's done, start with your files. Consider having a WRITING folder with all your books inside in folders of their own. You can get as detailed as you want and move things all around. Again, consider how you used your computer and your file system last year. Do you have a ton of unused icons on your desktop. Clear those off and organize the remaining ones. Add a favorite background. Feel better already? I do.
Have you backed up your files lately? Now is a great time to do it. You might even want to print out a hard copy. You could also print out your contracts and organized those. Get a folder out. Write CONTRACTS on the tab. Insert contracts and there you go. If you really want to be organized... take a Post-it and write 2007 on it. Stick the post-it off the edge of a 2007 contract. Use paper clips or staples to keep contracts together and put all 2007 contracts behind the first one. If you have contracts in 2006, 2005, etc. do the same thing and just keep piling them behind 2007.
Have old book ideas that you want to keep. Do they have a folder of their very own? If so, yay! If not, shame on you. Those ideas need a space of their own. Somewhere you can stick all those little snippets. Now... get out a new folder. Write IDEAS. Insert all those little napkins and other snippets of paper. Good. You're getting more organized by the minute!
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| Start the New Year Off Write! part 3 |
| Posted by: CataU on Friday, January 05, 2007 - 08:19 AM |
Do you have a writing procedure in place? How about for submissions or promo. Read on...
Do you have procedures in place for your writing/submitting/promoting? If not, consider creating procedures, then tape them to your monitor where you can see them and repeat them and get into the habit. What kind of procedure? Consider how you write. Do you like to print out your chapters as you write them? Then edit them and then input your changes? If so, then consider writing up a procedure like this to help you stay organized:
1.Complete chapter.
2.Print chapter. Use headers to indicate chapter number, page count, and print date. (This will help you stay organized and keep your pages together.
3.Place chapter in the folder marked Current Chapter.
4.Make edits in red pen. (Clip the red pen to the folder so it's always handy)
5.Once edits are made, put them back into the computer and save the file. Save a backup too. (You have space to do so on yahoo – the briefcase – or your personal website space. Or use disks, CDs, or a flashdrive.)
6.Take the printed chapter and paper clip it. Put it in the folder called (whatever your title is).
7.Put the Titled folder back in your filing cabinet and put the other folder by the printer for your next chapter.
Having steps and procedures in place really helps me stay organized. Thinking the whole process through and writing it down and keeping it where I can see it helps me follow it and life is more stress free because I know just where everything is. And if I've followed my steps, everything is in order.
You can do this with any sort of writing process. Even submitting. It might look something like this.
1. Write first draft.
2. Send draft to critique partner.
3. Make changes.
4. Proof
5. Write synopsis
6. Write query letter
7. Research editors/publishers (visit CataU for editor/publisher inteviews)
8. Print chapters, synopsis, and query letter
9. Send package out.
Or for promo you might do something like this once you're under contract.
1. Give book a title
2. Write a blurb about the book.
3. Pull an short excerpt and a long excerpt for promo purposes.
4. Compile info on the book (such as title, author, publisher, page count, ISBN, price, a buy it link, release date. Keeping this info in a file makes it easier to copy and paste later.)
5. Update your website and blog with the news about the new book.
6. Send out review requests
7. Send out interview requests (give interviewers an angel they can use!)
8. Arrange guest author days on various websites and blogs
9. Arrange advertising for the book.
10. Display cover art on website and blog.
11. Set up chats and author days as release date gets closer.
12. Make announcements in your newsletter.
13. Get with the PR person at your publisher to see what advertising and promotion they're doing.
14. Start arranging book signings, coordinate with fellow authors.
15. Set up a contest for the book. Announce the contest.
16. Update your website weekly as the release date gets closer. Give people a reason to come back and tell them to come back.
17. If you've corresponded with readers about your books, write them a personal note announcing your new release.
18. On release date, kick it into high gear and sing from the mountain tops about your new release. Send out a newsletter. Participate on your blog. Remind reviewers and interviewers about the release. Send out remaining promo materials and finish off with a favorite meal and a glass of wine and a big pat on the back. :)
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2008, 2007, 2006 Mignon Fogarty, Inc. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Mignon Fogarty, Inc.
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