From time to time things happen that irk us in regards to our jobs/careers/professions.  We’ve all been there, probably more times than any of us would like to count.

Sometimes we really need to blow off steam, vent our frustrations, and just get our irritation off our chests.  There are right ways and wrong ways to go about getting this release.

1.  Talk to someone who can do something about it.  It could be your editor, or if you don’t feel comfortable with that, you could choose me.   It is always best to go to the source of your problem first, then the next level up if you can’t come to an agreement.

2. Don’t talk about your issues in a public forum.  Doing so violates the other person’s right to privacy.  You could be accused of libel:  a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1): a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2): defamation of a person by written or representational means (3): the publication of blasphemous, treasonable, seditious, or obscene writings or pictures (4): the act, tort, or crime of publishing such a libel.

3. Don’t burn your bridges.

Decisions get made and to be blunt, the health of the company is the primary concern.  The health of Aspen Mountain Press affects all the authors and editors.  You may not like certain editorial decisions.  Unless you have a really strong, compelling argument why a decision is “wrong”, I am going to back the editors.  But you also know that I’ve really striven to be accommodating to the authors here.  This is unlike nearly every other book and e-Book company I’ve known.  Horror stories abound where authors have: received fifty pages of editorial “direction”;  been asked to rewrite the first hundred pages of a novel four and five times; given input in regards to covers and blurbs and then totally ignored.  This list can go on ad nauseam.

I’ve worked in schools and in corporate America.  I didn’t agree with all the the policies and procedures that those entities insisted I follow.  I had two choices…stay or leave.  In no case did I publicly state why I left one employer in favor of another or why I felt company XYZ was wrong.  I did what my heart insisted I do, but in doing so I took the high road which I recommend everyone here do in every aspect of their lives.  I never knew if there would arise a situation where I would need to contact that company or school again, or perhaps one of the individuals employed there.  In a couple cases, I actually went back to work for the company I left.  If I’d left complaining loudly and publicly about management, the way problems were handled, and other issues, I’d never be able to have a positive  relationship in the future.

I keep an eye on the loops, I’m on over 100, (it’s why I get so much email) and I make note of the things I read…especially of the negative things I read.  I already know there are authors I will never contract because of their lack of professionalism on the loops.  I know the same is true of other publishers.  I know agents and editors hang out in some of these groups and I know they watch the blogs.  I’ve been told by two influential NYC houses that they do a web search on potential authors and read what they’ve posted.

I attend publishers’ conferences, authors’ conferences, workshops, etc…and if you think the competition doesn’t talk with one another, you are sadly mistaken.

So, do yourself and your career a huge favor.  Think and speak positively.  And if something is really bothering you, follow some sage, ancient advice…If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  In our contemporary times cultivating the positive relationships,  is simply called “networking”. 

So, is your network strong or weak? 

We have the greatest job in the world, writing and reading stories and helping make them better.  How cool is that?

But, there are days when the words are difficult to put to the page.  I posit that perhaps we spend too much time working on writing and not enough time refilling our creative well.  To that end I propose you consider the following:

1. Know when your peak writing time is and write then.  You won’t be fighting yourself.

2. Set a timer, for five minutes less than the time you are allotting to write.  Timers help us create natural arcs in our story structure be it a paragraph, a page, or a chapter.  When time expires, you need to wrap up your work, even if you will be getting back to it later in the day.  Five minutes or five hour long timings…using this technique will help you find conflict, action, and resolution within the building blocks of your story.

3. Make a date with yourself to do something away from your desk, away from your workplace.  You might go to a garage sale, a second-hand shop, a museum, the park.  Renew yourself by changing your environment.

4. Hone your craft.  Attend classes, lectures, critique groups, read craft books, find the things that can help you be a better writer.

5. Remember writing is also a job.  Jobs have beginnings and ends every day. Jobs have responsibilities that need to be met.  You have to show up.  Writers need to show up at the page, put in their time  and then  need to end the day.  But like a job, you have to make writing a priority, just like you do when you go to work.  If you’re serious about writing, “calling in” is not an option for the days you don’t “feel like it.”

That’s it.  Pretty simple.  Don’t burn out, recharge and make use of the time you have.

There are some words authors should try their hardest to avoid.  Two of them are “very” and “that”.

“Very” is a word used for padding.  Advice often given to authors is to use one word rather than two when describing something.  What is meant by this oft repeated but little understood expression?  On the most basic level one should not describe something as “very blue” but sea blue, ice blue, battleship grey, forest green, rather than use the throwaway “very”.  If one word will suffice, use it instead.  Rather than the green stuff growing on the rock, name it precisely…moss, lichen, whatever the green stuff really is.

How good is “very good”?  Excellent, perfect, 99.9% accurate, barely above average?  Very doesn’t tell the reader anything of importance.  “Very” is an excellent word to eliminate in most circumstances.

The same can be said of the word “that”.  Frequently, the word “that” serves no real purpose in a sentence and when deleted the fundamental meaning of the sentence hasn’t changed.  There will be instances where you have to use “that”; you can’t get rid of all of them, but do try. 

All writers seem to be tempted at one time or another to include in their stories the history of their main characters.  In writer jargon this is known as backstory.

DON’T!

Start on the day that is different, in the middle of a tense conflict if at all possible.  This advice goes as far back as Aristotle who said a story should start “in the midst of things.”

Should you, the author, know backstory for your characters? Absolutely.  Just don’t tell the reader.  You see, that backstory could easily be a pivotal point in your tale, the secret that shocks the heck out of us.

Every author wants to sell books.  Loads of them.

Every publisher wants every author to sell books.  Loads of them. 

The competition is fierce.  Thousands of books are released every month.  How can anyone possibly “stick out” from all the rest?  There is no easy way to get noticed, but there are seven simple things you can do to help the process.

Have a media page on your website.  You DO have a website, right?

On your media page include a brief bio (500 words or so).  Your bio should include a photo and any special credentials you have.

Next, include information about your product…for authors that would be your book(s).

A third thing to include is to share ideas that the media could use to base a story around you.  Were you almost kidnapped in a foreign country?  Did you overcome a handicap of some sort?  Did you participate in an unusual activity or do something special at an unusual age (like Grandma Moses starting to paint late in life)?

The media also likes it when you lessen their work, so a fourth thing to include are interview questions and upcoming personal appearences if you have them.  You can use these questions to guide the media in getting the information you want covered out to the public.

Fast facts about you is yet another item to include on your media page.

Testimonials are another thing the media is interested in.  Has your novel given someone encouragement? Did a reader write in to say how much they were touched by your story?  Those are testimonials.  Gather them, ask for them, post them on your media page.

Have you had other media coverage? Blog talk radio, newspaper articles, interviews?  Other media release information is item number seven to include on your media page.  Have this information available in a number of formats…something that can be downloaded in a PDF version, stored digitally on your computer so you can send the info electronically, and on-line so someone researching you can access vital information including upcoming appearances.

No one thing can guarantee success especially in the publicity realm.  Being prepared through having information readily available to a producer looking for that special “human interest” or “local angle” for a story will put you ahead of others; those who think a writer isn’t supposed to do anything to get noticed.