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Summer Lull #amediting #amwriting
I’m slowly getting back into the swing of my writing life after surgery. Back in May, during a routine exam, the doctors discovered a large mass growing in my abdomen. It had probably been growing in there the better part of four years. I was immediately referred to an oncologist who quickly determined he was 90% sure it wasn’t cancer.…
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The Writing Life #amwriting
During a conversation with a young author earlier this week, I was asked if I still get that “butterflies in the stomach” feeling with each book. You mean that apprehension and anxiety that happens just after a book’s release as I wait for reviewers and readers to praise or slam it? Yes. I’ll admit to that. I prefer to label it “anxiety” as…
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business of writing, fun, life, Magick, S. Connolly, Sephira Alchemy, social networking, the writing life
Troll-Baiting: Critics, Haters, and Death Threats
Being a public person isn’t always easy. From pretending everything is great all the time, to watching everything you say lest you be attacked for your alleged political agenda, sometimes you just can’t win in the eyes of public opinion. Especially when it comes to critics and haters, and even trolls. A few weeks back my friend and assistant Frank,…
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While It’s Sometimes a Scam – Sometimes It’s Not
It’s been a few weeks since Brent Underwood’s article What Does it Take to Be an Amazon Bestselling Author? $3 and 5 Minutes went viral through the writing community. First I want to say that Mr. Underwood makes some fantastic points. There are most certainly people out there who game the system or charge authors ridiculous amounts to game the…
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Writing Schedule #RMFW #amwriting #accountability
Inspired by Ms. Management in the RMFW Newsletter, and author Lisa Manifold, fearless newsletter editor and IPAL chairperson, I decided to play along and post my writing schedule. Last year I began writing down my schedule daily whether it be for the day job or writing job because I found I was forgetting too much, and keeping a schedule kept me on…
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To Pitch or Not To Pitch
That is the question. I started thinking about this over the weekend – whether or not to pitch one of my new series ideas to a bigger publisher at this year’s Colorado Gold. Ultimately I decided I should probably wait until 2017, when my series schedule clears up. Even then, I may just keep it to myself. So how did I come to…
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The Art of Focus
For years now I’ve had people in awe of my writing output. Some people have asked, “How do you keep it all straight?” I’m never sure how to answer this. The reality is that working on 2-4 projects at a time with more on the back burner is never easy. If I told you I navigated my chaotic writer brain flawlessly all…
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Productivity For Writers – A Few Changes That Can Increase Your Productivity
As I contemplate and research a writer productivity and scheduling workshop I’m hoping to teach next year at the RMFW conference (maybe even as a YouTube video if they decide they aren’t interested in my proposal) I wanted to share a few things I’ve found helpful to boost my productivity, and I want to share a powerful quote from another…
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Organizing Your Writing Life #writerproblems #amwriting
Let’s face it, when you’re a writer who not only writes for other publishers, but who also self publishes, you are running your own business. This means you have A LOT more to do than just writing and meeting deadlines. There’s quarterly taxes, blogs, author events/appearances, social media, and a million and one other things you have to keep track…
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Writing Conferences: 10 Questions You Could Be Asked
I actually wrote this for a newsletter for a professional writer’s association I belong to. It seems some of my article was butchered out (accidentally) so I thought I would post the whole thing here in hopes it helps someone prepare for their first writer’s conference. Ten Questions You Could be Asked at a Writer’s Conference It’s time to get your answers…