Have a Schedule Yet? ... Write Already!

We’re a dozen days into the new year and I’m sure you have some writing resolutions all worked out. For me, I’m just trying to stick to a schedule and write consistently

Some of us write at a snail’s pace and others can complete books within a few months of intense writing sessions. If you’re in the hit-and-miss category, here are some tips to keep you moving in the right direction

Create a writing schedule – it’s been said many times before, but it bears repeating. Carve out sacred time each day that belongs to you and is meant to increase your word count and/or help you tidy up that manuscript.

Work with an outline – if that helps to increase your word count. I’ve had sessions where I’ve wasted time staring at the monitor when I could have brainstormed for a few minutes to decide the direction of the next chapter before I sat down to write.

Think about your fans – it’s not unheard of for fans to contact writers through Facebook or via email. One question that’s sure to be asked is ‘when’s the next book coming out?’ That question should help with your forward motion and keep you working on those plots that writers always have going.

Remember you’re building a career – If writing is more to you than a hobby, then you need to have a regular production schedule. In today’s fast-moving world, unless you’re a famous writer, fans won’t sit around waiting for your next book to drop. What’s more likely to happen is that you’ll get lost in the shuffle if you leave it too long before you produce the next book.

Relax and breathe – acknowledge that things don’t always go according to plan and that schedules get derailed. When you’re flung out of the saddle by life and its unscheduled interruptions, don’t despair, just get back to writing as soon as you can.

What are your tips for increasing your productivity in the writing department? Have you settled on a schedule yet for 2015?

Insecure Writer's Support Group - Introduce Yourself and 2015 Goals

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts today are Elizabeth Seckman, Lisa Buie-Collard, Chrys Fey, and Michelle Wallace!

To kick off a brand new year, we invite all members to introduce yourself, either on your blog or at the Facebook site. Please keep your introduction to a hundred words or less.

Let us get to know you – and get to know others in this awesome group!

Now, what are your goals for 2015?

Does Outstanding Cute Count?

If you're like me, you've struggled over the right headshot for your blog or your novel. You may have excluded a picture altogether or chosen instead a symbol that best illustrates who you are as an author.

We all struggle with this issue, an issue seldom spoken of. 

For a long time, although my hair is white, I opted for a younger face staring back at me on my profiles.

You're probably thinking: Easy for you, Joylene, but I'm not photogenic.

Trust me, I’m not either.

The publisher chose not to have my headshot on the back of my second novel, Broken But Not Dead in 2011. I never asked why.

Before Dead Witness was published in 2008, I almost had them use my initials instead of my name for the same reason I used Photoshop on my photo. My books have dark themes about war, child abuse, and the complexities of the parent/child relationship. I wanted the face on the back cover to reflect the seriousness of my subject matter.

My point?

One day I asked myself: When was the last time you judged a book by the author’s photo?

By all means, clean up. Put on your best duds. Use PhotoShop if you must. Your novel will be around for a very long time. Look your best. But know that readers, the intelligent beings that they are, could care less if your hair’s grey or you’ve got red botches around your nose or chin; or whether there’s a huge ZIT on your forehead. Okay, depends on how large the zit is. But honestly, in the end it’s about the story.

To have a headshot or not to have a headshot?

Doesn’t matter. I promise if you want to write and publish good fiction, you start by loving yourself. Start with that, and everything else will work out just fine. Maybe even outstanding.