Don't Be That Author!

I will always remember the story the HR Director at my first job told me about why people should always be professional. One day, he came back from lunch, and a young woman cut him off and slid into his parking space. Then to add insult to injury, she flipped him off when he honked his horn. The pair would meet again inside the building, and I would have loved to have seen her face when she discovered that he was conducting her job interview.

We all know the divas, the complainers, the control freaks, and the hangers-on. They are in every group. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from so many different people that they treasure authors who are easy to get along with.

Here are some things to remember, so you don’t turn into that author.

• Always be professional. People talk, and you don’t want to get a reputation for all the wrong reasons.

• Pick your battles and stand up for yourself, but do it in a way that doesn’t burn bridges. I always ask myself how big a deal something is. Sometimes, things are nonnegotiable, and other times, they really don’t matter. I try to save my energy for the important things.

• Make sure you read your contracts and know all of your deadlines and obligations. Figure out the best way for you to manage your calendar and your time. You don’t want to be the unreliable one.

• If you volunteer for something, do your best to meet the commitment. Put the date/time/location on your calendar as soon as it is confirmed.

• Learn how to say no. It’s hard. You want to be included and don’t want to disappoint people, but you can’t do everything.

• Make sure you’re a contributor. We all know the lurker who reaps all the benefits, but never puts in any effort or takes on any of the work.

• If you find out you can’t make a deadline for some reason, reach out and communicate as early as possible. Sometimes, you can reschedule.

• Remember that the administrators of many Facebook groups, book reviewers, bloggers, and bookstagrammers are usually volunteers, and this isn’t their day job. You may need to extend some grace if your email isn’t answered as quickly as you would like.

Playlists for Your Books

Music is such an integral part of my writing process and my life. I listen to jazz or classical music when I’m writing or revising, and I like songs that remind me of the characters, the era, or the setting while I’m plotting. I always have background music on.

If you haven’t already, you should consider making playlists for your books. My sister mentioned that her book group always asks visiting authors if they have a playlist to share. What a great idea.

I used YouTube links for my early playlists. (Search for the song and copy the link. Then link the song title in your blog post to the music video.) I recently started listening to Spotify, and it has a lot of my audio books and podcasts available, so it was a perfect platform for me to create song lists. I named each one for a series and added all the songs that reminded me of those books. Now I can share the link with book groups and readers.

Check them out:

• The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries

• The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries

• The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries

Do you set writing goals?

My day gig is in IT, and we track a lot of performance metrics to see where we have gaps and where there are areas for improvement. I use some metrics to help me in my writing life. Here’s my list. Let me know what you would add.

Writing Goals - When I’m working on the draft of a book, I set daily writing goals. This helps me stay on track. I try to write 1,000 words on days that I work and 3,000 words on the weekends. If I know that I’ve got plans or can’t make a goal, I try to write ahead. If I stick to my schedule, I’m able to produce a first draft in 2-3 months. Make sure that your goals are doable and realistic. I use them to keep me on track, so that it doesn’t take me five years to finish a book. But, I’ve also learned to give myself some grace if I don’t hit a goal. There are just some days that you don’t feel creative.

Social Media Analytics - At least weekly, I check the analytics on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram sites. I look to see what posts resonate with my followers and which ones don’t. You can learn a lot from these numbers. Who is looking at your page? What is the best time to post? Are you posting too much of one type of content?

For Twitter/X, click More > Creator Studio > Analytics to see your metrics. For Facebook and Instagram, you need a professional page to access Meta Business Suite. It will appear in the left menu for your business page in Facebook.

Scheduling Your Writing Work - If I’m not writing a new book, I try to do some writing, editing, or book marketing every day. Here are some of the things that I do to help me meet my goals:

• I schedule my Instagram and Twitter posts for the week. That way, I can target times when my users are most active.

• To keep up with all the blog deadlines, I try to write posts in advance and schedule those, too.

• Make sure you build in some time in your schedule to peruse your social media sites. You need to be active on your sites (e.g. post regularly, answer comments, and comment on others’ posts). I check my major sites each morning and during lunch. I also check them later in the evening. People are now using Meta’s Messenger as another way to communicate, and I get a lot of messages.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

I am a beach girl, so September is always a little bittersweet when the season ends, and the tourists go home. When I was little, the stores would board up, so it was sad when the strip looked like a ghost town until next year.

But, as a writer, I love back-to-school time. I am all about the school supplies. It’s time to get more notebooks, pens, and sticky notes. One of the office supply stores had a commercial with the parent singing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and the kids looked so forlorn. It heralds the school shopping season, and I do love when the stores bring out all the crayons and colored pencils.

I have a stack of notebooks for plotting and writing down cool stuff that I encounter. Sticky notes are a must for my desk. They are my go-to scratch pad. And pens. Like books, you can never have enough good pens. I like the brightly colored Paper Mate felt pens for editing. And I use fun mugs that I’ve collected through the years to hold all my pens. Right now, there are two full ones on my desk and three on my worktable. Did I mention highlighters? Writers need those too for color-coding outlines and a myriad of other things.

It’s also the season to help fill teachers’ wish lists for their classrooms and donate to back-to-school drives. All, wonderful causes that let me share my love of writing supplies.

What are your favorites that you have to every year when school’s back in session and it’s time to write?

It's All About Balance - Tips for Authors

I was involved in some group anthology projects before I started writing novels. For one series, we did almost one hundred in-person and virtual events in about a year and a half to promote the books. It was fun. I enjoyed meeting people and talking about mysteries. But I soon realized a writing life needs balance. With so much travel, there was hardly enough time to write my novel.

Writers have lots of tasks from research and writing to revising and book promotion, and that’s on top of your regular life and responsibilities.

Here are some tips that work for me. There’s no single, magic solution.

• I still have a day gig, so I have to schedule my time. I keep a calendar of key writing events and due dates. I have to stay organized, or the chaos takes over. (I write from 5:00 - 7:30 every morning and then on my lunch hour. If I hit my word goal, then I’m done for the day.)

• Try to write (or revise your work) every day. If you leave your project for a few days, it takes time to get back to the place where you left off.

• To finish a first draft in a reasonable amount of time, I need a daily writing goal. I try my best to hit it. I know if I stick to my schedule, I can have a completed first draft in about two and a half months. I keep a running tally on a sticky note to keep me motivated and to see my progress.

• When you are writing your first draft, just write it. Don’t stop to revise chapters or paragraphs. Make notes and keep going. If you fall into the rewriting trap, it’ll take you forever to finish.

• You can’t just focus on one thing. There are so many tasks for promotion, research, writing, and revising. It’s a lot of work, but you also need to take time for yourself to reenergize. Figure out what works for you. Make sure you exercise and go outside once in a while.

• When I have a new book release, I create a spreadsheet (three months before and three months after). I track all of my online and in-person events, and I make sure I have plenty of time to complete guest blog posts and interviews. Make sure you track all your due dates.

• I hate spending time searching for something I know I have, so for things I want to remember, I make spreadsheets. One has all the blogs, podcasters, book reviewers, and other contacts that I like to follow. I add to this throughout the year, and it helps when I start planning my promotions.

• I also have a spreadsheet of ideas. I used to keep file folders of newspaper and magazine clippings. Now, I keep cool names, interesting locations, weird true crime stories, and names of resources in one document. It makes it so much easier when I’m looking for story ideas.

• Make sure that you’re also reading. It’s important to keep up with what’s popular in your genre. Writers should be avid readers.

What works with your writing style? Let me know what you’d add to my list.

Another Writing Secret - What I Learned about Advice

When I decided that I wanted to write a novel, I bought every book on writing that I could get my hands on. I had quite the collection, and the advice varied greatly. I spent months reading and researching the perfect technique. Then one day, I had an ah-ha moment. I was doing a lot of reading and research, but I wasn’t writing. I was spending all my free time trying to find out the best way to write without developing my own skills. So, I went through all my shelves and weeded through my collection. I kept a few that spoke to me, and the rest went to the Friends of the Library.

Try new things. Learn new techniques, but if they don’t improve your writing process, ditch them and try something else. You have to find what works with your style and your life. When I was reading all the advice books, I was bombarded with outline, don’t outline, write every day, write when you feel like it, make a schedule, set a word count, don’t pressure yourself with daily word counts, use this style, and don’t use that style.

This is what worked for me. Again, if it doesn’t work for you, try another technique. Everyone is different and has his/her own preferences.

Writing is a business, and I needed to treat my work that way. It took me five years to finish my first novel and another two to get it published. I needed to be more productive, and I needed a schedule. I knew that I wanted to be serious about my writing and to have a series. I definitely needed to speed up my process. I outline each book now. I also set daily word count goals when I’m working on the first draft. If I stick with my plan, I can usually finish a complete first draft in 2-3 months. I also don’t edit as I write. I finish the first draft and then move to the editing stage.

Your first draft is not your final draft. It takes a lot of rework and reviews to get it to a publishable state. There are very few writers who can create an almost-perfect manuscript on the first try.

I think it’s important to have a network of writer friends to bounce ideas and questions off of. They are an amazing support group to help you with the disappointments and to celebrate the wins.

Again, writing is a business. Authors are required to maintain social media presences, host events, and promote their books. You need to make sure that one part of the writing life (e.g. writing, researching, revising, marketing, promoting) doesn’t take over and dominate all of your time. It’s a balance.

Remember, your job is to write your next book.

Don't Go it Alone - Tips for Writers

Writing is a solitary sport, and it can be a lonely journey sometimes. I encourage writers to find their crew and to cherish those amazing people who help you celebrate your victories and cheer you up when you need it. Your writing friends should be treasured. Here are some ideas for ways you can expand your writing network.

Find a writers’ group. There are many local, international, and virtual ones out there. I am in several, and the advice and camaraderie have been invaluable. I owe so much to Sisters in Crime. I received my first traditionally published writing credit as part of a chapter anthology. There have been so many writers who are so generous with their time and advice that have helped me along my own writing journey.

Use your crew. When you schedule book signings or events, look for writer friends who want to join you. This gives all of you an opportunity to expand your reach at events. Make sure you work with the bookseller/event coordinator to ensure there is space for everyone, and the writers meet all the criteria. Sometimes, booksellers will ask for writers to have a recent novel or for books that are returnable. I love that my writer friends always want to partner. It makes all of the book signings a party, and I get to meet their friends and fans.

Build your network. I am so fortunate to have so many writer friends. We share in-person and virtual marketing opportunities, advice, and ideas. I also reach out to these folks when I have a question that I know that collective hive can help solve. They have been a great source of information and ideas. If you’re not sure how to get started, attend the meetings and volunteer to help.

Gems are everywhere. Don’t overlook the people who share your agent and your publisher. I am so fortunate that both of mine have regular meetings to share information. I’ve found many friends in both of these groups and have partnered with them for in-person and virtual book events.

When I’m asked for writing advice from readers, I always say to find a writers’ group. I am so thankful for all my friends in Sisters in Crime National, Central Virginia, Chessie, and the Guppy chapters; James River Writers; and International Thriller Writers.

8 Computer Tips Writers and Everyone Should Know

I’ve got my technology hat on today. Here’s my list of 8 computer tips that every writer should be aware of to stay safe.

1. Always back up your work (to the cloud, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, etc.). There is nothing more heart-breaking than loosing your file (or your work in progress).

2. Do NOT click on links (in emails, on webpages, or in texts) that you don’t know where they came from. This is the easiest way to get your device infected.

3. Always update your computer, tablet, and phone with the latest patches and fixes in a timely manner. Many of these are fixes to security vulnerabilities.

4. Reboot your computer frequently. Many patches, installs, and fixes require a reboot to take effect. Plus, computers and phones (like people) need to be reset periodically.

5. When out, avoid using public computers and device chargers. You don’t know if they are infected or who is monitoring them.

6. Know which of your home devices have blue tooth connections. If there is no reason to have it on, turn it off and don’t accept pairing (requests to join) from unfamiliar devices.

7. Make sure your passwords are saved in a secure place [e.g. a software manager (software used to securely manage your information)]. They shouldn’t be in a Word file on your computer, a piece of paper, or a sticky note. It’s also not a good practice to save your passwords for websites to your internet browser.

8. Keep removable storage devices (e.g. thumb drives, external hard drives, etc.) in a secure place.