Friday, April 17, 2020

The Big Catch-Up Writers Tips

There comes a time...
During the sheltering-in-place slow-down, I'm working to catch up with the last 2-3 years, if that is possible. First of all, if you aren't on this enewsletter, you may wish to join it using the Subscribe button on the right.

I happen to love Blogger, which is much simpler than a full website, which I also have and it needs catching up. Did I say the last 2 or 3 years have been difficult? And now... But at blogger, an enewsletter is included. A blog, either viewable to the search engines or not, is an excellent place to start, published or not.

One Huge Tip for Blogging Beginners: Keep a folder of all your posts and someday, you may have enough to publish a book! 

Here's another big tip for writers: Use spreadsheets to keep track of your books' data, i.e. ISBNs/print/ebooks, agents, rights reverted, copyrights, contract number, publisher, pub date, agents, etc. It's easier to "grow" one as you go, than to try to compile it all at once.

Next: Get a good note keeping system, and I use notebooks, but mostly a note keeper that flows between my desktop and my tablet. I'm a Mac/IOS user, and cannot say enough about the system, a change over from PCs a few years ago. I do lots of everything on my iPad and it might be all you need, depending. NOTES is an excellent note keeper.

For ad work/published writers:  These memes and links are handy to stock up for copy/paste re-use. Thank you, Donna Fasano. But filing them properly helps, too, i.e. Romantic Suspense titles, Women's Fiction, Western, etc.

The ever important links can also be copied and pasted, i.e.:

She thought she was going mad…the whispers wouldn’t stop. And neither would he.
~Silence the Whispers~ by Cait London
#romanticsuspense #psychic #ibooks #nook #kobo

Here is 2 big ones:
1.) There is no escaping technology and Internet. While writers do not have to be high tech, they do need some know-how. Assistants etc. can be hired, but at sometime it takes ye olde self.
2. Make Pals. Do favors. Join. Unjoin (sometimes the fit doesn't fit). Learn.

That's a few tips, and I hope to add more. Just remember, if you write an article, blog post, etc., keep it. It will wait until you can revise and use it somehow....

Or you can write to me? I'd love to hear from you.




Saturday, April 04, 2020

Notes of the Day

NOW 99CENTS
"NOTES OF THE DAY" covers it all, doesn't it?

In stressful times, I have a lot of notes, notebooks full of them, stickies, whatever. I'm sure you do, too. Right now, I am trying very hard to catch up after a few years of stress. I'm in my very cluttered office, because I've moved and I am working on a WIP, and doing ad work. I recently changed computers, no small deal to get one up and running the way you want/Printers etc. Software.

My small heater is running away because it's very cold. A towel is rolled and fitted beneath the door to preserve whatever heat possible. Ordinarily, I'd have bread rising to bake later. However, bread doesn't want to rise unless the room temperature is helped. I suppose I could have brought the 2 bowls into my office. Hmm. Too late now.

I have another blog/website which is also behind, due to the last few years and I'm headed for that next. *After* I work on my WIP. The first 2 books of my new Fresh Start trilogy were out at the top of 2018 and then things got on overload.   

NOW 99cents, THE COWBOY is a re-release and still popular, one of my first books. Limited Time Offer. (Notes for writers, read below?)

I write a variety of fiction (mystery/suspense/women's fiction, romance, short stories etc.) and this one is sheer fun and quite frankly a distraction we need in these times. I hope you enjoy The Cowboy!

Here is some ad work for my current sale, and WRITERS PLEASE NOTE THE COPY/PASTE FORM useful on Twitter and Facebook. (Shorten for Twitter). The links are not hidden for demonstration. Donna Fasano has helped me so much with ad tips, and keeping a copy of copy/paste ad work was her suggestion. I'm using Mac's Notes shared on my iPad or Mac. Note the meme, made with Adobe Elements, really useful with backgrounds.


Now #99c #FunRead for Distraction Time
>>The Cowboy @CaitLondon
“Loved, loved, loved this adorable romance!” 
Oklahoma rancher Lucas Walkington will do anything for his twin teenage girls, including appearing on a dating show as The Love Bandit. To help her sister, Chastity Beauchamp substitutes as Honey, a Heartbeats Goddess. City girl Chastity knows more about filing cabinets than men, but when she sees this delicious rancher, she wants her one chance for delight. He’s soon whisking Chastity away to greater, outer Oklahoma.
Kindle: https://amzn.to/2U9D1EY
#romance #humor #sale #weekendread #romanticcomedy

WRITERS: Please check out the labels for Writers Stuff, etc. And I hope the above copy/paste tip of Donna Fasano's helps you, too! If you read/or write Sweet Romance, be sure to check out her website for that?