#1 Social Media Tip for Authors

As Jeffe mentioned on Sunday, social media isn't that new anymore. Sure, which service is the "trendy" one changes regularly as teens seek ways to communicate without being followed/stalked/annoyed by us fusty old people. Authors trying to "be where their audience is" keeps our ilk to the bigger providers like Facebook and Twitter (Reddit and Instagram are up there too).

As a curmudgeon who survived Usenet, People Connection, MySpace, and Yahoo Groups (and who is waiting for the current generation of online communities to implode like their predecessors) I have one piece of advice for authors engaging publicly--be it on social media or IRL:

Don't be a dick. 

It's a simple thing, but seemingly hard for a lot of folks to grok. Don't worry, not being a dick doesn't equate to being a doormat. You can be firm in your convictions without making shit personal. It's also okay to ignore the misanthropes. Some comments shouldn't be acknowledged, much like some people aren't worth your time. Some of the worst offenders aren't even people, they're bots.

On the internet where things never die, take the high road and don't be a dick.

Talk Less. Listen More.

Found art. Literally. I was looking at my camera uploads to choose a pic for today's post and found this. No idea what it is or how it happened, but what a gorgeous mistake. Art can be like that.

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is Author behavior tips for social media.

My first reaction was to mentally groan. Not again. But I suppose it is an evergreen topic. The challenge is to tackle a topic like this as if it's my first time addressing it.

There's a #protip for you author types out there - or for anyone who answers questions from people on a regular basis. You will hear the same questions over and over and over. The trick to being a gracious human being is to never hint that you've heard the question before, but to answer it as if it's as fresh to you as it is to the person asking it.

Of course, I've already blown past my own advice, but we could argue that I'm not truly a gracious human being.

It's amazing to realize that we are firmly a decade into social media for most of us. Maybe the most startling part to me is that it's ONLY been a decade plus a few years, considering how firmly it's taken over the world and our lives. Facebook opened to anyone over the age of thirteen in 2006. I joined in October of 2008. I joined Twitter in September of 2009. I recall using email - called A1 mail - sometime around 1989, which is when our university department adopted Gateway desktop computers, delivered in those iconic heifer-spotted black and white boxes. I tried online shopping for the first time sometime around 1993, and got spammed with internet porn for the first time when I tried to use Hotspot to search for Barenaked Ladies tickets.

Good times.

So, is the question really still about author behavior? I mean, we might as well have a topic about author behavior in ice-cream parlors or at car dealerships. We're all pretty much in this boat together at this point.

My advice, which works for ice-cream parlors and all internet spaces, maybe less so at car dealerships is: Talk Less. Listen More.

The thing about social media, especially for busy people, is it becomes a place to post stuff. Most authors remain on the social media platforms they no longer enjoy entirely because they feel like it's a part of their job. We have our Facebook profile and author pages, maybe a series page, some reader groups, and private groups. There's Twitter - sometimes several accounts there - Goodreads, Instagram, our websites, personal blogs, group blogs (*waves*), and probably several others. I have a mental list - I really should have a written checklist, but I'm resisting that - of places I should remember to post news, updates, and the latest book cover.

Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post. Post.

There. I posted to all of my social media properties. Whew!

And I just did the internet equivalent of racing around and slapping up a flyer on every bulletin board around, whether I could find a spot or not.

Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk.

Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk.

Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. 

Talk. Talk. Talk.

Talk. Talk. 

Talk.

Ever feel like the internet is just an unending roar of babbling voices? I sure do.

We change that by listening. By engaging. By asking questions, considering the reply, and giving back something to encourage the conversation.

Talk Less. Listen More. 

7 Things to Avoid When Trying to Meet a Writing Deadline

DepositPhoto

The topic for the week: Seven Deadly Sins: the list of things you MUST avoid if you want to finish a project on time…

My fellow SFF7 authors have written a series of fun and useful and deeply felt posts on the subject this week!

I don’t really have deadlines for my novels, since I’m independently published. I have exactly one hard and fast deadline each year for getting a polished, edited, complete story turned in and that’s August 1, for our Pets In Space anthology. Otherwise it’s really just about me having a desire to release a new book in a certain month and trying to work steadily toward that self-imposed goal.

The common folk wisdom for assignments of this type is to list the things that come to mind first so here’s what I’ve got for you:

DepositPhoto - cats on the keyboard can also be a problem

AVOID:

Too much time on social media – it’s so easy to get sucked into the latest drama on Facebook or twitter or wherever you like to hang out. Or to enjoy cat memes …. The time flies….

Comparing yourself to other authors – don’t get paralyzed to even touch the keyboard because you know you can’t write 10,000 words a day like Name Author XYZ says she does, so what’s the point in you struggling??? Umm, the point is, you’re YOU and you write at your speed and even one word a day adds up to a novel at some point.

Worrying whether you’re writing the book at the right time – who the heck knows what will be hot by the time you hit publish (or your publisher does if you go traditional or hybrid). And maybe you’ll be the new trendsetter the rest of us ooh and ahh over! So keep writing.

Chasing the shinier object – unless you know for sure your successful process is to work on many projects at once (and some people do), avoid the temptation to abandon your WIP to go off and start another WIP on some bright new idea that just came to you in the shower or on the drive home. Now obviously there are times when plot lightning STRIKES you and the new idea genuinely is what you need to be writing. In those cases, trust yourself and your Muse and scribble those words as fast as you can because this will be gold. This suggestion does conflict with the part of our topic today that frets over finishing a project “on time”. But in general, keep a notebook or file of the new shiny plot ideas for later and keep going with the current WIP.

Losing your file – BACK IT UP. I learned this the hard way a long time ago when I lost an entire, completed 100K novel. Luckily at the time I was on a huge software project at the day job with some of the best software guys in the business and one of them took pity on me and recovered the file in about 5 minutes from some dusty buggy back alley on the personal computer I had then. The formatting was messed up but I could fix that…

Losing yourself in the research – I adore doing research. I have an entire library of scholarly tomes on ancient Egypt and I can happily spend a lot of time researching abstruse topics like tax liabilities of the temple of Amun in Thebes in 1500 BCE. But I’m only going to insert about one sentence of all the great cool stuff I found along the way into the novel…so you have to make your research forays self-limiting.  Google is your frenemy in this regard, helping you find information but dangling other enticing avenues to also explore. Find the answer or the detail you need and hasten back to the WIP.

Failing to safeguard your health – human beings tend to have confidence they can power through anything. Beware of ergonomic repetitive stress injuries, as well as other emotional burnout hazards lurking. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST.

A word about negotiation...

I spent a long time at the day job involved with massive government subcontracts for flight hardware. (Think Mars rovers and other complicated spacecraft.) Yes, there were absolute launch windows that had to be met – the planet Mars would only be in the right place every two years for a brief span of days – but these gigantic Project schedules had slack time built into them because stuff happens.

And at the worst? A launch might need to be delayed two years. Or longer.  Which is pretty bad. But no one dies. We were not living in the movie “The Martian” with an astronaut stranded on Mars growing potatoes. Neither are you.

The part that’s relevant here is we expected our suppliers and partners to keep us apprised of emerging difficulties and challenges well in advance and there were contingency plans on our end of the project.

Even if you have a contract with a publisher and an iron clad delivery date in writing, stuff happens in the life of a human being. Tell your publisher if you’re struggling or if you’ve got family issues or health issues or whatever. (Work with your agent if you have one.) Negotiate a new due date.  

Don’t wait till the due date to do this.

Not to downgrade the importance and significance of the publication of your book but the world will not end if it doesn’t go out on a certain date. No one dies.

I understand disappointment and frustration will ensue and there may be problems for you going forward, in terms of your relationship with the publisher and their trust level with you if the situation happens more than once.

Worst case? Maybe the publisher does cancel the contract entirely, although as a negotiator, I’d be amazed if they wouldn’t work with you at least somewhat before taking that drastic step. In this day and age, you can always self-publish when the book is ready.

But if you owe someone a book for whatever reason and are going to miss that due date, and there’s a serious issue for you in meeting the due date, open communications and negotiate.

But take care of yourself.

Tiny pitch for my newly released novella, Badari Warrior’s Baby!

The blurb:

Dr. Megan Garrison, mate to the Badari Warrior pack’s senior enforcer Mateer, is perilously close to the due date of their baby when she’s kidnapped by human malcontents in Sanctuary Valley. The kidnappers threaten to harm her and intend to ransom the half human-half Badari child to the evil Khagrish scientists in return for their own lives.

Mateer and his fellow Badari launch a desperate effort to save his mate and child but the situation is made more complicated as Megan goes into labor. Can they rescue her in time to save mother and child?

A 25K word novella…

Genetically engineered soldiers of the far future, the Badari were created by alien enemies to fight humans. But then the scientists kidnapped an entire human colony from the Sectors to use as subjects in twisted experiments…the Badari and the humans made common cause, rebelled and escaped the labs. Now they live side by side in a sanctuary valley protected by a powerful Artificial Intelligence, and wage unceasing war on the aliens.

This is the ninth book in the Badari Warriors world (and the eighth book in the numbered series) and each novel has a satisfying Happy for Now ending for the hero and heroine, not a cliffhanger. Some overarching issues do remain unresolved in each book since this is an ongoing series but romance always wins the day in my novels!

BADARI WARRIORS Timeline:

AYDARR

MATEER

TIMTUR

JADRIAN

DARIK

GABE

KIERCE

CAMRON

BADARI WARRIOR’S BABY: MEGAN AND MATEER

Amazon     Kobo

Your Tour Guide Through Procrastination Mire

And on your right, you'll note Procrastination Mire. Never understood why anyone would want to wander around in there. Big, nasty, thorns that pierce dreams and determination alike. Insecurities and time sinks that'll take the legs clean off your projects. But people wander in there all the damned time and then wonder why they get lost. There are no maps, y'all. Soon as you think you got the Mire figured out, it rejiggers. All I can say is mind the signs. DO NOT ENTER.

But if ya do, there're a couple of features you gotta look out for. They'll sneak up on ya and that'll be the end.

1. The Excuses Sands - this one comes with a bonus cause it's easy to get lost in excuses, right? Eh, not feelin' it, I'll do it later cause <insert excuse du jour>.  Presto. Ain't nothing happenin' but yer butt parked on a sofa mainlining six seasons of some shitty series you coulda written better. Fine, you say. You're a big deal adult. You'll master your excuses. That's real nice, ain't it? Now, you get hit with the bonus. Yer friends, family, and bystanders will start makin' those excuses FOR you. They'll pat you on the head and say, you've had a lot goin' on, poor dear. Whatever you do, don't agree. You read The Odyssey? Yeah, don't care if it was the Cliffnotes. You'll recall how Odysseus blocked sailors' ears so they could get past the sirens? That's you in the Excuses Sands. It's the only way out.
2. Mastering the Mundane Sinkholes - the sinkholes are sneaky and they shift under yer feet. You'll think you got it all under control. Life. The universe. Everything. The answer ain't 42 in this case. The answer flexes and bends as you navigate around it. If you want out of the Procrastination Mire, yer gonna have to master the mundane. Do ya even know what that means? It means sleeping. It means exercising. It means eating yer greens and leaving the pastries in the damned they come in. No matter how sweetly they sing, potato chips ain't yer friends. Yeah, yeah, once in a while, sure. Monks don't get outta the Mire any faster than mere mortals. But ya get me, right? Ya can't neglect any part of the life that supports yer calling and still hope to get a lick of anything done. It's seductive, though, ain't it? Cause you just know that shaky ground can support your weight for awhile - and you can neglect yer support structures for awhile and pull all-nighters. But there's always a price tag. Sometimes, that price tag is everything (or possibly you) collapsing around ya. Due diligence. Balance your fool checkbook. Patch the roof. It's easier to pay attention to your project when you ain't living in a cardboard box letting the rain in on yer head.
3. The We're All Doomed Island - Aw. This one. It's the only solid land fer miles around and it sits dead center of this danged swamp. Ya scramble up on its shores, dirty, tired, and half drowned. Ya can't leave. Where ya gonna go? You'll just sink again if ya step one toe off and wasn't that a gator that just swam past? So ya sit there, hopeless. Helpless. This one ain't no joke. It's dangerous. Flat dangerous. People die here. The only way out is to get off that island. Don't matter how. There are no maps, mind, but there IS help. Talk. Ask for help. Sing. Dance. Learn something new. Don't matter what. What matters is getting yer brain workin' for ya rather than against ya. Ain't easy, but it can be done and if ya can get that done, you'll figure that someone afore you worked out a way to harness that there gator and ride it far away from We're All Doomed Island and straight out of The Procrastination Mire. 

Now. If you look to the left side of the swamp buggy, you'll get a gander of I'm Not Good Enough Canyon. . .

Seven Deadly Writing Sins

All right, if you want to WRITE BOOKS and GET THEM DONE, you've got to do the work.  There's no getting around that.  So, do the work, and avoid the Seven Deadly Sins:

SLOTH- Don't be lazy. Sit down, but in chair, and do the writing.
GLUTTONY- Don't try to shove EVERYTHING into a story.  Save some ideas for something else.
WRATH- Don't get angry and destroy the work you've done when it's coming out wrong.  Walk away, cool down, look at it fresh.
PRIDE- Take your critiques with humility and grace.  Seek out critique partners who will challenge you.
LUST- Avoid the lure of the New Shiny.  Work on the project you've got going on, get it DONE.
ENVY- Eyes on your own paper. Don't worry about what other writers are doing.
GREED- ... ummmm....

Greed's fine in this business, actually.  Go after whatever money they'll pay you.  You've earned it.   Don't work for free.  Or "exposure".  Or copies that you need to sell.  GET PAID.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.


So what are you still here for?  Get down in those word mines, get to work.  I'll see you down there.

Seven productivity killers

1. Should.
2. Could.
3. Can't.
4. Shouldn't.
5. Always.
6. Never.
7. Don't.

In other words, assumptions and preconceived notions about what being a writer is all about are the things that kill productivity and sometimes even stall a career. Trust me. I know these things from the inside out.

In her Write Better Faster productivity class -- which I cannot recommend enough; it is literally life-changing -- Becca Syme encourages writers to always "question the premise" (QTP). To put a few of those aforementioned seven-deadlies through the QTP wringer:

1. I should write every day, at least 500 words.
2. I could finish a book. Real fast, even, and it would be a bestseller. Anybody could.
3. A good book can't have prologue or flashbacks or a dream sequence or a scene where the character looks into a mirror or a scene where the fantasy hero wanders off to gather herbs or ... etc.

or, perhaps worse

I can't write as well as [some other person]. I can't get an agent. I can't write in the genre I want to because it's not selling. I should put my first manuscript into a drawer, even if I think it's pretty good because the first manuscript is always crap.

and worst of all

I don't.

All the others lead to that last one, and it's a doozy. Just remember that all these premises are lies, and lies kill [productivity].

3 Deadly Deadline Distractions

Wow, Jeffe's Top 7 Distractions is spot-on, especially the NO INTERWEBS. So, what, oh what, could I possibly contribute to such a great list? Three things:

1. Pets Who Want To Play
• Let's face it, it's hard to resist the puppy eyes or the entreating mew. It's damn near impossible to ignore the animal on the keyboard. Be they 5 pounds or 50, if Fluffy wants your attention, Fluffy will find a way to get it. 
2. Toppled Drinks
• That cup of coffee, stein of wine, or balloon of brandy seemed like a great idea until a Random Act of Gracelessness upended all that sweet sticky substance into the keyboard. Why, after all these years, haven't hardware manufacturers developed waterproof keyboards/bottom decks?
3. Spawns
• Dear Reader, I spent the long weekend looking after my three niblings and two fur-babies. I ask you parents, how do you do it? Up at dawn, always on, and holy moly the energy required just to get through breakfast. The wee nieces weren't ill-behaved by any reasonable measure; they were simply being typical school-aged children. But hooboy I barely had time to sit, much less turn on the laptop. Thoughts remotely related to my WiP? Didn't happen. My gray cells overheated from functioning as a surveillance system, always alert and continually revising strategies for copacetic coexistence. Hat-tip all you who do this every day.

Seven Things You Must Avoid If You Want to Write

These three books are on sale right now. THE MARK OF THE TALA, the book that started it all, first in The Twelve Kingdoms series. Also THE PAGES OF THE MIND, my RITA® Award-winning novel, which kicks off a new phase in the overall series, and PRISONER OF THE CROWN, first in a stand-alone spin off trilogy, The Chronicles of Dasnaria. If you've been thinking about reading my books or this series, it's a great time to start!

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week regards the writer's Seven Deadly Sins: the list of things you MUST avoid if you want to finish a project on time. Of course, if you're supposed to be writing, and you're reading this, you've already broken three of mine. Oops. But never fear! There is still hope for you. Read on.


1.  Avoid the internet, full stop. 

We all know this, right? And in a different world, we could avoid the time suck and distractions of the internet entirely. But with so much tied to the internet - from our phones to messages to mail - it's not viable to ignore the internet entirely. There's always the cabin in the mountains, but people still want to that you haven't been eaten by a grizzly bear.

2. If you must internet, avoid social media.

So, if you do have to check something connected to the internet, don't open Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I disable my notifications (which they really hate and are always messaging me to change) so I only see that stuff if I actually go to the site. That takes some willpower, yes, but nothing like what it takes to break free of the gravitational pull once I do look. 

3. Stay away from click bait and rabbit holes (like this).

When I inevitably see an internet something, I have to exercise additional will power not to click on links. Remember: they're designed to make you WANT to click. (I made this post title click bait on purpose to illustrate the point.) Once they have your attention in their greedy clutches, they use all sorts of tricks to keep you there and spiraling ever downward. Best not to look in the first place. If I see something I really want to know about, I save the link. 

4. Prioritize your work over peopling.

There's a good reason so many writers are introverts: because they find it easier to avoid peopling. Even then, however, socializing can really disrupt a writing schedule. For me, I have to block out more time to write than I use actually writing. I need time to settle in, to ramp up, to take breaks. People who don't write rarely understand this. They also don't understand the trancelike focus writing requires and that their "one quick question" can derail a writer for hours.

5. Ignore people who don't (or won't) get it. 

Which is why you have to draw a bright, hard line for the people in your life. Do whatever it takes to get them to understand and respect your writing time. If they still don't get it? Well, I'd venture to say that we don't need people in our lives like that. A hard stance, I know, but if they won't respect your passion and livelihood, what exactly DO they add to your life?

6. Kick other people out of the room.

Not physically, because we did this in #5, right? These are the people in your head who like to yammer on about what you're writing. Some might be positive influences. Others might be severely critical. There's always someone yelling about what you CAN'T POSSIBLY DO. How can a person write in all that noise??? That's right, we can't. So kick them all out and enjoy the blessed silence.

7. Acknowledge fear and let it go.

I have a sign over my desk that says, "What would you write if you weren't afraid?" Sometimes when I tell people this, they reply that they're not afraid of anything. Bully for them. Also, I don't believe them. Any time I worry about how something I write will be received, that's fear. Ignoring that concern does nothing. Instead, whenever I fret over something in a story, I try to acknowledge that fear, look at my poster, and then write what I would if that worry had never occurred to me.

If I can avoid these pitfalls, I just might get my book finished on time.