While I was on my staycation, I got an email from someone that asked why I don’t post more thoughts about writing here like I used to. That was so sweet, wasn’t it? Most of the time I feel like I babble, so a nice little message like that made my day.

I do write about my jobs or various assignments here sometimes, but I try and post most of my advice and thoughts over at my writing blog instead. That’s where people usually go to look for them. Maybe I could post some links here once in a while? I dunno. (I’m thinking out loud while I write, can you tell?)

I might start including links to my new articles every week here from the writing blog and other clients. I’ll see how you guys like that. (You always have a way of letting me know – which I thank you for!). I’m open to changing things up here. This blog has evolved and probably will continue to do so. Plus, it’s a new year, so it’s a good time to make changes.

Image: Againstar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve spoken (probably too much) that in the last couple years I haven’t taken much time off. I think the reason I stress that is because so many people think you have loads of time when you’re a writer. I know a lot of writers that do it for fun or extra income, and for them, yay. For me, I need the income to help support my family, so it’s a business. Which means… work! But I’m not complaining. I love what I do. I worked for years in jobs I hated and to have a few that I love love love? Heaven!

So to make a long story longer, I took some time off during the holidays, which I can’t even remember the last time I was able to do. Hubs had off too, so we had a nice little staycation. I still had to pop into work for some things, but we were able to do some very fun stuff around town, too. We went to:

• Lunch at a bunch of different places.
• An Impressionist exhibit at the Art Museum.
• To see Mission Impossible (which was great to see on the big screen, btw.)
• And other general milling around activities!

I also did some reading, crafting, and writing (of course!) I got the game Ticket To Ride for Christmas, and we had a blast playing that with some people.

On New Year’s Eve, we once again got back to our movie night (which we abandoned for a couple of years because we had company over). We were really looking forward to it this year, and it was probably one of the funnest (is funnest a word?) nights we’ve had in a while. We watched Esther Williams movies (because I just love her), and they were really cute. We also found this awesome deal at the grocery store where they had two steaks and two lobsters (small, but enough to satisfy you) for under $25. We got a grocery gift card for Christmas, so we also picked up a bunch of other items (along with a nice bottle of champagne) so it didn’t cost us a dime! (Is free food and drink better than stuff you pay for? It might be.)

This New Year’s might sound boring to some people, but it was so fun for us. We also had a Bûche de Noël cake (which we got from Trader Joe’s for the unbelievable price of $2.99), which capped the night off nicely.

On New Year’s Day, we watched the Packer game (and they won even with many of the second string in! yay!), watched our traditional movie (Bridget Jones’s Diary, which we watch every year), and wrote in our New Year’s book.

The book is interesting. We started this tradition when we were first dating. We were engaged, and I thought, well wouldn’t it be cool to write a few words that we reflect back on from year to year? (You know me and words…)

DH loved the idea and we’ve been doing it ever since.

As some of you know, I’m adopted. I’ve talked about various things relating to my adoption, and in an article at Life Goes Strong today I also question the thought that adopted people feel abandoned.

What do you think?

For me, I just didn’t feel this way. I know some adoptees do. I have an older sister (who was also given up for adoption), and she doesn’t feel this way. Not even close. Several of my friends who were adopted don’t either.

Check out my thoughts on the subject of adoptees and abandonment.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes it’s the small things in life that you can count on that make you most happy. This is one of mine. Every morning, two mourning doves land very awkwardly on the bird bath outside my office window. They are incredibly clumsy, which makes me smile (probably because I am incredibly clumsy myself.) Sometimes they even hit the window on their way to the bird bath. They don’t hit it hard, not hard enough where they hurt themselves, but more like they are trying to squeeze in to the bird bath and their butts slide against the window on the way to it. Again, I can probably relate.

After they sit down on the feeder (kerplunk!), the thing shakes back and forth but they just sit there and smile (in my imagination they do at least) to each other. Like, “Cool! We made it and we’re the first ones!” Then they take a drink or have a little splash in the bath before they go about their day.

I really find joy in this.

I’m not sure if it’s the routine that really gets me, or the fact that I can relate to these slightly less than graceful birds. I also like the fact that these birds generally are monogamous and that both the male and female care for their young. I like that fact that they would not traditionally be considered beautiful, but to me there is something in the way they relate to each other and the world that is beautiful.

I love that fact that today is Internet Day. After all, I met my husband online! I have some other reasons to love Internet Day, though.

I’ve met lots of friends that way, I have an online writing business, and I sell books online. As much as people criticize the things that the Internet has brought our way, I can’t help feeling a little grateful. Years ago (just even ten years ago) I never would have dreamed any of the great things that I’ve had happen because of the Internet. This is a true testament to letting go and letting God do His thing. He can do big things you probably can’t even imagine.

Has the Internet done some great things for you?

Image: sxc.hu

I used to post here whenever I had something to say that was related to writing. Now, I’ve sort of moved all my writing thoughts over to the Working Writers blog. So I thought I would share some recent posts in case you’re interested.

• What If Pay Is Negotiable? I get asked quite a bit about how to negotiate a salary with a potential employer so I’ve given my thoughts on this.
• How to Avoid Burnout as a Writer. People who don’t write for a living think you sit at home in your PJs and never really work up a sweat. If you’re starting a writing business, however, it can be long hours and rotten gigs in the beginning. You can easily get a little burned out  – especially when you’re blogging and writing daily.
• Working for a Corporation. If you want to write for a living but still want to work in a corporate environment, you can. I talk about how to pitch and get jobs in a consultant capacity.
• Working Part Time – Writing Part Time. People think it’s all or nothing when it comes to writing, but there are a lot of people who work a part time job and write part time. I did this myself for a while.

I’m always available to answer questions, also. So if you’d like to know something about writing, feel free to ask!

Blessings to all the writers out there!

Image: sxc.hu

I took a break from writing my newsletter for a few months until I decided what I wanted to do with it. I was writing it every month, and I think that got a little overwhelming for people. Instead, I’m going to do it quarterly, and I just sent out my first one.

If you didn’t get this, it’s probably because you’re not signed up. Do you want to be? It’s easy, and will keep you up to date and everything I’m doing. (Because you know you just couldn’t miss a thing. LOL!)

I’m pretty much new to book festivals, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Southeastern Wisconsin Book Festival. But a few writer friends asked me if I wanted to pitch in for a table, I said “sure!” I was glad I did. The conference was held Friday and Saturday, June 17-18th. It was set up in almost a trade show format, with spaces for writers to exhibit, lots of panels and lectures, and author signings.

New Connections

Sometimes these places aren’t so much about the books you sell but the connections you make. I enjoyed meeting a few new authors, and finding out what they hoped to get out of the conference. Everyone has a different take on things, and you may find out something you didn’t realize before.

Putting a Face With a Name

This was also a good way to get a visual on some of those people who are my Facebook or Twitter friends who I haven’t yet met in person. I enjoyed seeing Barbara Vey (because who doesn’t love her column – and besides I interviewed her and have wanted to meet her ever since) give a talk on social media along with a panel of writers. Barbara’s take was funny, smart, and right on target. Just like her blogs.

Talking About Your Work

We chat a lot about having an “elevator pitch” and this is something that is very helpful when you’re at a book fair. When people come up to your table, you need to give them the key points of your work quickly and in a way that is interesting. Practice a few lines before you go to one of these things. You don’t want to come off “sales-y” but you do want to be able to intelligently talk about your book.

Planning

This is where I really dropped the ball. My mind was filled up with one of my writing clients, and I even scheduled a meeting for late in the day on Friday to meet with someone else. It was poor planning on my part, so much so that while I was there thoughts of all the client work I still needed to do filled my head. I felt stressed. I wasn’t relaxed and this prevented me from enjoying the experience as much as I should have. It was all on me, too. The conference was great. My fellow writers were great. I was stressed.

In the future, I’ll do a better job at planning. I’ll work ahead with clients and plan out my marketing pieces. I think it’s important to assess what you do right and wrong after every one of these types of things, and this was one area I needed to improve on.

You Find Out What You Already Know

Since I admire writers and love to learn, sometimes I believe that I don’t know as much as I do. It’s not a self-confidence issue, it’s more like I acknowledge that I don’t know everything. You know? So a conference like this can actually help reaffirm what you do already know. I realized I know a lot about blogging, promotion, and social media… and I want to share what I know.

Book Sales!

People buying your books is never a bad thing. One very sweet young girl bought my latest poetry book, New and Selected Poems, and I chatted with her about writing. She already had a good handle on writing poetry, and the number one thing she did was write every day. I suspect I’ll be at one of her book signings one day.

I recently got a chance to meet Brandilyn Collins at a dinner at book signing, and have to say how very impressed I was with her. I couldn’t help noticing a few things she did that would be helpful to other writers. By the way, that’s me (the floating head in the back) along with other wonderful Christian fiction authors, including Brandliyn.

Welcoming

At the book signing for Over the Edge: A Novel, Brandilyn greeted each and every person as they entered the signing. She shook their hand, and told them it was nice to meet them. How different that was than what I’ve usually seen (and done myself!) of sitting behind a desk and just waiting for everyone to get there. She let everyone know personally with a handshake and a smile that she was happy that they were there.

No Hiding Behind the Podium

Brandilyn was out front and center in front of the podium. I’ll admit, that when I did a book signing or talk I loved standing behind the podium because I felt more comfortable. But as an audience member, Brandilyn left an impression by standing in front of the podium to speak. She made it more of a conversation rather than a lecture.

Make Your Subject Interesting

Okay, I didn’t think I’d be interested in learning about Lyme disease, which Brandilyn has experienced and which plays heavily in her book, Over the Edge. But guess what? She MADE it interesting. I was fascinated at the way she talked about the things victims of Lyme disease go through, and how she wove it into her story.

Know Your Brand

Brandilyn described herself as “an entertainer” when she spoke, and she was good to her word, even during her book signing. She kept our attention. As a result, I bought the book and can’t wait to read it. I knew if she could hold our attention so well in her speech, she’d likely do it with her book. I haven’t read any of her other books yet, but you can be sure they are on my TBR list. (That’s “to be read” for all you folks who don’t have a pile of works next to your bed. )

Memorable

You want readers (who get hit with marketing for all kinds of books and authors) to be able to remember you? Be yourself. Let your personality come through. Don’t be afraid to show your passion as well as your compassion. Brandilyn did both, and she stood out as a speaker and writer. I’m not likely to forget her. And here I am writing a post about her, so I’d say she was successful at being memorable. Even if you are able to do one or two of these things at a book signing, it will make you stand out to readers.

Books by Brandilyn Collins:

• Deceit: A Novel
• Always Watching (The Rayne Tour, Book 1)
• Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series #1)
• Exposure: A Novel

At the beginning of this year I was asked several times if I had any New Year’s resolutions. The short answer? No. It’s not that I don’t have goals in general, it’s just that the New Year doesn’t necessarily prompt me to start new ones.

I tend to have a set of goals that I continually look at throughout the year. These are both personal and professional in nature. I look at them every quarter or so, but it’s not set in stone. I don’t mark a day on my calendar to “check goals.” But I do keep my eye on them, and if I find that I’m not meeting them I try and adjust.

One thing my family does at the start of a new year is write in a book. We’ve done it for years, and we tend to look back over the past year and write a few pages about it. It’s always so interesting to me to see what happens in a year. Sometimes the year flies by and I think, is it already another one? Wow. Time really does fly.

I think “New Year’s resolutions” in general put a lot of pressure on people. There’s so much pressure to be a “better” version of yourself in some way: physically, financially, emotionally, spiritually…. and I wish people would just give themselves a break.

What about you? Do you set New Year’s resolutions?

Image: sxc.hu