When Writing a Story Are too Many Characters a Good Idea or Not?

    When first starting to write a book one of the first two things you should look at is your characters and your world building.  Now, with characters, this can be somewhat hard when you are first creating them because a lot of times you might have a particular character in mind, but usually, the supporting characters generally are the problem.  The reason I say this is sometimes you create a story for a character so that the story has everyday substance.  For example, we wouldn't want our reader to think our main character doesn't have any friends unless this is the kind of story you are writing.  The other thing you have to consider when adding characters that there has to be a reason for having them.  I have to admit sometimes when I am reading a book and find that there are a lot of characters being thrown at me all at once that I have a tendency not to want to read this book.  Now, I realize this is just my opinion, but when reading a book I like when characters are slowly presented to me.  I hate reading a book when a character is presented to me and in the end, I discover that the book didn't need the character to be successful.  In fact, I wondered why the character was even in the book.  (Here is a video below that talks about this).

     So when writing a book you need to consider if the characters that you are creating for it are really necessary, or if there is another way to tell your story without some of the characters that you want in your book.  Don't get me wrong, if you want a lot of characters I would suggest spreading them out, and also making each character with different types of characteristics.  When two characters are similar this can cause a problem as well to your reader.  Then the other thing is their names.  You've got to be careful that your names are not so similar to another character because this can cause a problem as well with giving your readers a lot of confusion.

    In my next blog article, I am going to talk about naming your characters and how important this can be to your book.

    So stay tuned!

 

How to Avoid Distractions When You are Writing a Book

        When sitting down to write often times we find that there are so many distractions that getting any writing done just doesn't happen.  I don't care where you write, whether it is your home, office, or some other place there will always be some sort of distraction which will prevent you from getting the writing done that you are attempting to accomplish.  And, if all that isn't bad enough, you have to hope that you and your family stay healthy throughout your writing project.  I can't tell you how many times being sick can interfere with whatever you are attempting to write; not to mention all the times you find yourself tired from working a long, hard day.  

     So if you want to get more writing done without too many distractions, I found a video that has helped me a great deal with doing just that. (See video below)

     And here is another video that offers 10 tips for avoiding distractions when writing that I also found has been quite helpful to me, and just might help you as well.

     Personally, some times I find that the best way to avoid distractions is to wear a pair of headphones and play some soft music as I write.  I don't know why this seems to help but it does.

     Hopefully you have found some tips and techniques from this article that you can use to help you avoid distractions when writing.  If there is something that you do that wasn't mentioned above I hope you will leave me a comment and tell me what you do.  Thanks.

     In my next blog article, I am going to discuss if it is a good idea to have a lot of characters or just a few in your story.

     So stay tuned!

Writer's: Why Do You Want to Write and Publish a Book?

   When self-publishing made a drastic change back in 2009' with the electronic, digital download of something called the eBooks the world of publishing changed.  Then self-publishing took a major turn when an author by the name of Amanda Hocking came along and took the world of self-publishing by storm.  If you don't know who she is, here is a video below of one of her earlier interviews from 2011' on her self-publishing success.

     Amanda Hocking proved that self-published authors really could make a veritable success online without a traditional publisher.  Yes, she admits she tried the route of traditional publishing without any success and decided just to try her hand at self-publishing.  She had no idea at the time that it would change her life the way it did.  Not only that but eventually a traditional publisher did come knocking and she decided to sign with them.

    So when new writers ask me if they self-publish whether it would hurt their chances of ever getting traditionally published I always refer them to the Amanda Hocking story.  There are a few other self-published authors that started with self-publishing and went on to be approached by traditional publishers.  One of the most notable self-published authors to do this was E.L. James when she first self-published "Fifty Shades of Grey", which later was picked up by Vintage Penguin Random House. 

     If you would have asked either one of these ladies if they ever thought they would have had the success in publishing their book through self-publishing, in the beginning, I am sure they could have said no.  So now as I write this today many people have self-published at least one book, if not more.  What was interesting for most people was that they now see publishing their book as a dream come true.  Although, I have heard some authors say that some people who publish are just out for the money and don't really care about the quality they are presenting to possible readers.  One item, in particular, is the writer who publishes using a ghostwriter.  (See video below about this subject).

     Now I'm here to tell you that ghostwriting has been going on even with traditional publishing and there is nothing that says you can't have someone else write your book.  So this particular self-publishing industry exists and many authors using a ghostwriter this way are making a whole lot of money.

     Some authors hate this and some have no problem with it.  I personally wouldn't use a ghostwriter because being a published author is something I had wanted to be since I was in 3rd grade.  Sharing my own stories are extremely important to me.  I'm the kind of creative person that if I ever did contemplate using a ghostwriter that it probably wouldn't help me because I would end up re-writing what the ghostwriter wrote.  (Creating a story of my own is my passion).  

     Have you published a book?  Did you write it yourself?  Do you have any problem with using a ghostwriter? 

     There are many reasons why today people are jumping on the bandwagon to self-publishing, and believe it or not, there has never been a better time to do just that.  So whether you are writing a book yourself or using a ghostwriter the wave of self-publishing is still growing every day. 

     I found this podcast yesterday given by the owner of smashwords.com (Mark Coker) who says today has never been a better time to publish.  I've been listening to this podcast and the free information he is giving to authors, as well as upcoming authors in this podcast is invaluable.  If you would like to start listening to this see below for URL.

https://www.smashwords.com/podcast

     Whatever your reason or reasons might be for wanting to be a published author just know that as long as there are people who love to read, your book has the chance of being read by someone.  So if you are still working on writing your first book, keep plugging away because readers are waiting.

     In my next blog article, I am going to discuss how to avoid distractions when you are writing a book.

     So stay tuned!

     

  

How to Persevere as a Writer When You Want to Give Up

   I know I have said this many times on this blog, but writing a book is hard.  What makes it so hard is the time you have to devote to your creative endeavor.  Just because writing is my passion it doesn't mean that I don't have times when I doubt myself and wonder if I should continue writing.  Then I realize that I would be totally lost without it.  Yes, sometimes I have to walk away from my writing for a time, but I always find my way back to it.  I was happy to see that I am not the only author who ever felt this way.  (Here is a video of a fellow, self-published author who has felt this way at times also).
 

     I have also found that most new writers who have never published anything have a higher doubt of wanting to quit as they go through the process of writing their first book to completion, and then having to continue with fine-tuning, editing, and all the other things a writer has to do to get published.  And, if you are planning on self-publishing, then it will be even harder when you aren't sure about all the things you have to do to get published this way, and all the things you have to do after you self-published.  Believe me, you have to really have a love for writing in order to deal with all the headache that will follow you around when you are in this process.  If writing the book wasn't hard enough, the other part is just as hard.

     I have had newbie writers tell me that they have abandoned their writing of a book because they felt it was just too hard, and that in all honesty, they were just plain scared.  Yeah, I can relate.  There was a time that the thought of publishing something that I had written for the whole world to read was extremely difficult and horrifying.  Yes, horrifying!  Don't get me wrong, I always wanted to be a published author since third grade and just because self-publishing is a whole lot easier today than when I was younger, it doesn't mean that this made it easier for me.  It is one thing when you are writing a book and you love your story, but it is another thing having others read it.  Let's face it, not everything you write will appeal to everyone and that is one of the biggest reasons why writing a book is so difficult.  There will be people who read your book that will judge and analyze it to death. (Nobody likes to be judged this way, but as writer's we are subjected to this).

     I have also talked to newbie writers who have told me that they have actually finished writing their book and have fine-tuned it to perfection, but the thought of taking that next step of either trying to get traditionally published or self-published makes them drag their feet to the point of just taking their manuscript and placing it in a drawer.

     Taking that leap of faith in one's ability in anything is difficult, but taking that first step to sharing your story is another.  This is usually when I hear a writer say that they decided not to pursue publishing their book at all.  Oh, don't get me wrong, they will admit that they did go as far as having a paperback created on createspace.com and sharing it with their family, but this is usually as far as it ever goes.

     I chalk all of this up to the PERFECTIONIST WRITER syndrome.  If you haven't read my previous article about this you still can HERE!  The best advice I can give you if you are dragging your feet, and are just downright scared of publishing your book, is to just keep moving and progressing forward even if you have to take baby steps to get there.

     One last thing, don't just publish one book thinking that you will take off to a million dollar career.  I have news for you, this rarely, if ever, happens.  If you write a book and finish it...GREAT...now write another, and another, and another.  Don't stop no matter what because there will be times when you want to, but just remember if you truly love writing then just do it regardless of whether people are buying and reading your book or not!

     In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about writing and publishing a book, and why so many people today want to be published authors. Some people write for the love of it.  Some write to become rich. Some write because they want to share their story, and some don't really know why if you ask them.

     So stay tuned!

Writer's Block and How to Deal With it!

       If you are a writer then I don't have to tell you how difficult it can be when you suffer from writer's block.  In fact, I saw something funny in regards to this and it made me laugh.  It said:  "Writer's Block happens when your characters stop talking to you".  I guess in a way this is true, at least for me it is.

     So what should a writer do when this happens?  I have had some writer's tell me that they have abandoned their writing project altogether, which actually surprised me.  For me, when I hit a writer's block I do several things.  First, since I am a writer that writes every day I am here to admit that I generally work on several books throughout my day. When writer's block occurs in one book, I jump to another book that I am working on and this I have found has helped me.  Another thing I do is take a break and try to clear my head.  I have found that usually when writer's block hits me it is because I am either tired or my mind is locked on something else in the story that is further up ahead and it is stopping me from working on the current scene.  There are times I'll just work on the scene ahead in my notes which I find unlocks my brain from the current scene that I am trying to write. (Here is a video below that offers some cures for conquering writer's block).

     In all honesty, I think the biggest reason for writer's block for me and I'm sure for some others writer's is that your brain is just plain tired.  So does this mean you should stop writing?  NO!  Like I said, trying to clear the mind by doing something else and then coming back to write might just help you.  And the only other suggestion I can give you is since writer's block usually happens in your first draft just give yourself permission to write some garbage while telling yourself that you will fix it in the second draft.  When I have done this I have found when I finally got around to working on the second draft of my story I can generally fix this garbage.  The other thing I have done in the past is I just type parenthesis and make a note of what I think should be written in this scene and close the parenthesis.  Then I move on with my story.  This has worked because like I said by the time I usually get to the second draft I'm ready to write this scene, or I have an entirely different idea by then.

     Whatever you do to try to cure your writer's block, the best advice I can give you is to not ever stop writing and to never give up.  The story that you are writing came from somewhere, so believe me wherever it came from the rest of it is locked somewhere in your subconscious and if you just give it the time it needs it will get onto your paper.  Good Luck.

    In my next blog article, I am going to discuss when you are writing and you get that feeling that you just want to give up and quit writing altogether. And, what you can do to persevere through this.

    So stay tuned!

How to Stay Sane While Writing a Book

   As a self-published author, I can tell you from my own personal experience that when writing a book sometimes you feel as if for some reason you are being taken over.  Okay, maybe not exactly, but there are times when I am writing I find myself going down a path that seems to be so far from anything I would have ever thought about writing. (You see, I am more a pantser than a plotter.  I generally like to write from the seat of my pants.  Most of the time my idea of an outline consists of a beginning, a few notes, and if I am lucky I will have an idea for an ending.  Whereas, the plotter will outline every detail all the way to the end of their story.  This just doesn't work for me). 
 
     I have found that because I am a pantser that a lot of times I start writing something and then all of a sudden my story turns into the complete opposite from anything I would have ever thought.  For example my erotica book:  "The Ugly Side of Paradise", I would have never thought in a million years that this was something that I would have ever considered writing.  Yes, I generally write in the romance genre and there is usually sex in the books that I write, but to write a book like the "The Ugly Side of Paradise" filled with a whole lot of sex and foul language was just not something that if someone would have told me a few months before I ever started writing this book that I would, I most definitely would have told them NO WAY!

     So have any of you had this happen to you?  You start writing and then you're led into some other type of story?  Did this story change work for you?  Did it make you somewhat uncomfortable?  Did you write it anyway; only to not ever show it to anyone?

     Then there is the situation as you write the sick, sadistic, slimy story how to keep your sanity throughout it.  Yes, you can always stop writing it, but for me, for some reason, I felt driven to write "The Ugly Side of Paradise".  Every time I tried to abandon this story my brain wouldn't let me until this book was finished.  You would have then thought that I wouldn't have gone on to publish it, right?  Well, if you've been reading this blog then you know I did, in fact, publish this book.  You could only imagine what it was like for me to find the right beta readers to read it.  

     Anyway keeping one's sanity as you write a book like this is not too easy to do.  I knew when I decided to write this book and publish it that I was going to use a pen name.  (You can still read the article about pen names and whether they are a good idea from a previous article on this blog HERE)!

     I have to admit here that when writing a book about a subject that you generally don't write can be harder than the average story that you usually write.  In fact, I found that I had to take many breaks, and when I wrote this book I sort of had to separate myself from it.  I guess what I am saying is that sometimes when you write outside your comfort zone you have to basically become someone else.  Luckily, when I decided to use a pen name I just told myself E.S. Hart was the type to write this sort of book even if I wasn't.(lol)  I know this probably sound sort of strange since E.S. Hart and I are one in the same, but if you are a writer I'm sure on some level you understand what I am saying here, especially if you are using a pen name as well .

    So in the end, when writing a story that you wouldn't usually see yourself writing, try to take a break every hour for at least five to ten minutes and do something that would get you away from it like; taking a walk outside, reading someone else's book that is more uplifting, or what I like to do is watch an uplifting, music video like the one below:

     Sometimes this even helps when you are having writer's block and just need to clear your head.  Whatever you do breaking up the monotony this way generally will help you in the long run.  (At least it does for me).

    In my next blog entry, I'm going to talk about writer's block and how to deal with it.

    So stay tuned!

Writer's: Are You Ready for NaNoWriMo?

     If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it stands for "National Novel Writing Month", and it is a time when writers from all over the world and all ages will participate in writing a novel with at least 50,000 words in one month.  Now I have to admit here that I have never participated in this event, but if you are interested you can still sign up since this doesn't start until November 1st.

Go here:  https://nanowrimo.org

     I will not be participating again on the actual site, although I do try to write more in the month of November since it has been declared as National Novel Writing Month.  One of the reasons I've never actually participated in this is because I don't like placing a strain on my creativity.  Don't get me wrong, I think NaNoWriMo is a great event.  I think anything that helps people from all ages and all walks of life to write and enhance literacy is a good thing. It's just that as a writer, I already place enough on me to getting a book written and published that I personally don't like to have to deal with whether or not I make it to 50,000 words in one month or not.  (Here is a video below that I found on youtube from a fellow writer who feels basically the way I do about NaNoWriMo):

     Anyway, to those of you who are planning or already have registered on the NaNoWriMo.org site and will be participating GOOD LUCK!  (Here is a video that just might help you win NaNoWriMo).

     I think the Tips about Sprints are a good idea.  In fact, I'm going to start doing this when I write every day regardless of NaNoWriMo. Since I will be at least trying to write more during the month of November, I decided to start writing a new book, even though I am currently writing a historical, romance novel.  There is this book that I had written some notes on back in 2007' in longhand.  The notes are a couple of pages and I thought I would begin this book on November 1, 2017, when NaNoWriMo starts and see just how far I'll get in the one month.  I figure if I don't get to 50,000 words at the end of the month I know I will be farther than a couple of pages of notes that I currently have.  The book will be a medical romance, and since I'm not going to be registering on the Nanowrimo site, I decided that I would blog my progress here and let you know just how far I get from time to time until the end of November 2017.

     So whether you participate in NaNoWriMo or not, I hope you at least write a little bit more in the month of November like I am going to try to do.  Who knows I just might be able to do 50,000 words or more even if I don't sign up on the actual NaNoWriMo site.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about how to stay sane while writing a book.  I think this article might help you when you start down your path with writing 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo or whenever you are writing.

     So stay tuned!

     

How to Format Your Book as a Paperback

     When writing a book before you publish you have to decide if you want your book to be an eBook, a Paperback, an Audiobook, or all three.  Usually, when downloading your book to the Internet at many of the book sites for publishing, it is generally as an eBook.  But, if you want your book to be a Paperback you have to understand that the format for this type of book is somewhat different from an eBook.  

    When I first started publishing all of my books were published as eBooks.  I then discovered that, although many people could download the eBook to their computer, tablet, or various phones, that there was still a market of people who still wanted a physical paperback book.  So I decided to start making my books into paperbacks.  Little did I know, that I would have to reformat my eBook to the paperback format.  This was extremely challenging for me in the beginning.  As of this date, I still don't have all of my eBooks made into paperbacks, although I have done at least eight of them.

     If you currently have an eBook but don't have a paperback, or if you haven't yet published your first book yet you might want to think about this.  (Here is a video of someone showing you how to format your book into a paperback).

     Although the video talked about lulu.com where you can get a paperback template, you can also get a blank or a formatted template at Createspace.com here:

  https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/InteriorPDF.jsp 

(Once you are in CreateSpace just scroll to the bottom of this page and you will see the various template sizes where you will see blank templates and formatted templates that you can use for free). Here is a video below showing you how to use a formatted template from createspace.com since the previous video above showed you how to use a blank template.

     There is no right or wrong on which template you choose.  Some writer's like a blank template, and other writer's like to see a formatted template of the printed matter that all they have to do is follow the puzzle by removing the sample text, and then just pasting their text into it as the video above showed you.

     This can be somewhat time-consuming when you first do this, but as you work with the template, take my word it does start to get easier.  Once again as I've stated in other blog articles, if you don't want to do any of this you can always find this service out on fiverr.com.  Just remember when purchasing a service from Fiverr that you make sure the person has a good rating before purchasing this or any other service from them.

    In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about Nanowrimo.  If you aren't familiar with this term it stands for "National November Writing Month".

    So stay tuned.

What Does it Cost to Self-Publish a Book?

Photo Courtesy of :
Ambro@freedigitalphotos.net

     One of the questions I constantly get is, how much does it cost to self-publish a book today?  The answer is basically Nothing!  Yes, I said basically nothing.  The truth is there really isn't an exact answer to this question because if you are self-publishing the amount of what self-publishing will cost you will be totally up to YOU!  So you might be wondering what that all means, right?  Well, how much you spend depends on how much you are willing to learn and do for yourself to keep your costs down.  If you are willing to put in the time and hard work than the cheaper this will be for you.  

     Here is a video that shows you just how costly this can become if you let it: (Note: This video was done on July 31, 2013 and a lot has changed since then).

     So I'm sure after watching this you might actually be wondering how I can say that it costs basically nothing to self-publish, right?  Like I said, it will depend on what you are willing to do for your book, or what you are willing to pay someone else to do for you.  Personally, I never spent anything close to what the young lady above spent.  My biggest expense came during the first time I self-published back in 2012'.  This is what I totally spent back then.

Book Template:  $29.99

Grammarly.com: $139.99 yearly

Images (2):  $11.95

Grand Total:  $181.93

     After my first book, I have basically paid nothing other than the yearly Grammarly.com program for $139.99.  The reason I have kept my self-publishing costs down is that I've learned to do a lot of things for myself, and I have had other people around me willing to help me where I needed it.  And, of course, the internet has come a long way with helping a person get published today for a lot less.  

     Now, if you know some people who have certain skills around you, this can be an advantage to you to keep this virtually free.  When I say people who are skilled, I mean someone that has an English Major background and would be willing to edit your book just for a chance to read it.  If you are a high school or college student you might find a teacher or professor who might be willing to do this for you for free just because they know that you are planning on self-publishing a book.  Then again, they might want to charge you something, but it might be a lot lesser than what other people have paid for in editing services.

     You might be wondering exactly all that you need if you are self-publishing for the first time, right?  (Here is a list based on an eBook).  These are the basic things:

• Book Template
• Your manuscript typed inside the template
• Book Cover - (Front is the only requirement for an eBook)
• Editing

     Now there are other things, but it will be up to you if you want them such as; Beta Readers and Reviewers for your book, and if you want your book in Paperback which you will need to create another type of template for this. (The eBook and Paperback have two different types of formatting). You can get the template for free at Createspace.com whether you use their service or not.  I have to admit that formatting a Paperback can be quite challenging more so than an eBook. 

     If you do a paperback then you might want to buy some copies of it.  I don't think you need 100 copies like the young woman in the video above talked about unless you become a highly, famous author, or you are going to do a book signing at a writer's conference or bookstore, but even at that, I don't think you need as many copies.  In the end, this is something you will have to decide.  

     If you don't want to do some of these things I can always recommend fiverr.com .  There are many people out there willing to format your book, design a book cover, and help you with editing your book for reasonable rates.  Just make sure if you use this site that you check out the person thoroughly by their ratings and see what people who have used their service say before purchasing anything from them.

     The self-publishing costs is always something that I see highly debated online, but just understand, like I said, that if you are self-publishing what you spend is really up to you!  

One last thing, it does not cost anything to download your book to a book publishing site like:  amazon, draft2digital, pronoun, or smashwords.

     In my next blog article, I am going to talk about how to format a Paperback book for print.

     So stay tuned.

    

How to Write Descriptively

     When writing a book the balance of writing description and dialogue is always a dilemma, especially for the newbie writer.  This is something that every writer on some level needs to address.  The reason is that readers can be very particular in how they view your story due to description and dialogue.  Personally, I don't particularly like books with too much description, and yet I know someone who loves lots of description in their book.  Now for me, I love dialogue and I have to admit that my books weigh heavily on this instead of description.  Yes, I have descriptions in my books but sparingly.  I guess it's what you like to read is how you will write your book.  If I loved description I would probably write a lot of it in my stories, but like I said, I don't.  For me, I think the biggest reason I don't like a book with a lot of description is that I feel like the story has a tendency of dragging, and often times I lose track of the story at hand.

     Anyway, here is a video below that explains how you can bring your description to life in your story and hopefully enhance what you are writing.  (I personally, thought the video was quite good and may attempt to add more description in the historical, romance novel I am currently writing.).

     So you might be wondering whether to have a lot of description or a lot of dialogue.  This is something you will have to decide for yourself if you are self-publishing.  If you are traditionally publishing, believe me, the literary agent will tell you before they'd even consider representing your work on what is needed in your story, or what you need to get rid of as well. 

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how much it cost to self-publish a book.

     So stay tuned!

Writer's: Have You Ever Thought About Dictating Your Book?

     If you are currently writing a book and struggling because you do not type fast, or maybe you feel as if your thoughts are faster than your hands can type, then you just might want to consider dictating your book.  Dictating a book can be fast and easy once you get the hang of doing it day in and day out.

     Here is a video of a person dictating their book:

     There are many devices that allow you to do this, and one of them is the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" device.  There are various versions of this device since the makers of this product keep improving it and the voice recognition features to it.  This product can run between $50 - $70 dollar depending on where you buy it.  (Here is a video showing you how this device works).

     Here is another video where a person is reviewing the "Dragon Naturally Speaking - Home Edition" version.

     There is also a way you can play with this dictation technology for free as long as you have a Gmail account.  Since Google owns Gmail this will allow you to use Google Drive where you can actually use the voice dictation feature inside this program.  (See video below showing this).

     Personally, as an author, I have to admit that I struggle with dictating my book.  I guess it's because I always feel the need to edit my book as I write.  Yes, I know that this isn't always the best thing to do.  I know that a writer should just write the first draft and not edit it until the first draft is completely finished.  But, I will admit the one time that I do use the Google Drive voice dictation feature is when I have an important scene to write.  I find that this works great for just these types of scenes because a lot of times my brain generally works so much faster than my fingers.  Although I can type between 55-60 wpm, it is in these times where I need to be able to type at least 100-130 wpm, so being able to dictate an important scene inside of Google Drive helps.  I let the voice dictation type while I just talk and talk and talk.  Then I go back to the scene and fix anything that the voice dictation didn't get right.  I also put in all punctuation and such at that point.  When I'm done with fixing the scene I cut and paste it into my original book template.  I don't know if I could write a whole book using dictation, but some writer's say that if you continue to use this technology it gets easier.  So I'll leave this up to you.

     I also discovered something really interesting when I was researching dictation and that was Evernote.  Yes, Evernote...I discovered has a way for a person to use this technology and their phone on the go so you can write while away from your desk.  (see video below where this is explained.

     So as you can surely see writing a book is becoming easier and easier with today's technology.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how to write descriptively.  This is a blog article that I am going to have to do a lot of research on.  I have to admit that I love dialogue more than description when I write, so this research I hope will not only help you but me as well since I am currently working on a historical, romance novel and I know that description will be important to this story.

     So stay tuned!

How to Balance Multiple Writing Projects

        As a writer, there will be a time when you have multiple writing projects.  For example, I write this blog, but I am also currently writing a historical romance novel, and I am editing a paranormal fantasy book.  This can be a challenge at times because along with all of this I am working on my social media and my design service that I have where I sell pre-made eBook Covers.  This was also the reason I wrote the blog article about Evernote.  If you haven't read this article yet you still can here:  "What is Evernote and How Can it Help a Person Writing a Book".  I use Evernote heavily to keep me organized and on task with all that I have to do.




     So to balance multiple writing projects can be quite challenging, especially when most of the time as an author I would rather just be writing my books.  I'm sure some of you can relate to this.

     Here is a video I discovered that has helped me a lot with how to balance multiple writing projects.  Hopefully, this will help you too:

     So you can see how Evernote, Powerpoint, Google Drive, and other online tools can help you track your schedule and make you more productive when you can see at a glance all the things you have to do per day and per week.  Keeping a good way to track the various things you have to do is critical so that you don't just end up spinning your wheels and getting nothing done.  If your schedule of things to do is staring at you, then the more chance of completing some of it, if not all of it is possible.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how to dictate your book if you struggle at typing or getting your ideas down on paper.  This is something you just might be interested in as a writer.

     So stay tuned!

How obsessed are you with writing a book? Is this you?

     As an author, the love of writing is always on my mind.  In fact, it is my passion and I can get truly lost in it.  This is where I am my happiest! The people around me don't always understand my obsession with writing.  In fact, sometimes they think I am downright crazy.  Let's face it, as a writer when I am writing an important scene in a book the last thing I want is for someone to interrupt me.  I don't know about you but when the flow of ideas is flowing great this is the time when I really don't want to be disturbed.  

     Here is a video talking about a writers problem; yes I said problem because there are those times when writing that for some strange reason the characters basically become real to you?  Most people don't quite understand you when this is happening, but I know writer's do.

     I can relate to so much that was going on in the video above.  I find that when I usually come to the end of my story and get ready to publish that as happy as I am I also feel somewhat sad.  I guess it's because I feel like I'm leaving my characters behind.  Then I have to start another story with new characters and for some reason, I find that I have a hard time getting into new characters.  

     I bring this up because if you are a newbie writer who hasn't yet published a book and you are still on your first story, you'll eventually experience what I am talking about here when you do finally start writing your second book.  I have found when I talk to other authors who admit to only having one book published that they struggle with their second book because they feel as if they are cheating on the characters in the first book. (lol)

     Here is another video talking about the weird quirks that writers have.  See if you have any of them.  I know I do.

         Although we writers might appear strange to non-writers, the truth of the matter is I don't think we would be able to write the things that we do if we weren't a bit strange.  I mean, how else are we going to write the stories that we do?  I don't know about any of you, but when I write characters they are usually not anywhere close to the person that I am.  I guess what I am saying here is, that when I write the sky is the limit.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how to balance multiple, writing projects.

     So stay tuned.

Writer's: How to Self-Edit Your Book

   They say that the first draft of your novel when writing it should never be self-edited as you are writing until you completely finish this draft.  Now, I have to admit there are times I sort of look back and start editing my first draft before this draft is finished.  The reason I do this is sometimes I run into writer's block and by going back and self-editing I generally get an idea that gets me back to writing.  Am I telling you to do this?  Well, it's up to you.  I just know that it helps me a lot when I am not sure where my story should go.  

     So after the first draft is done, you will need to self-edit your book regardless of whether you have an editor who you plan to hire to edit your book later.  Believe me, you never want to send your first draft out to an editor before self-editing it yourself.  The reason being is you will generally be amazed at your writing when you do this.  There will be times in the first draft where you will question what you were actually trying to say when reading back this first draft. You'll even wonder if you know how to write.  You'll probably say things out loud like:  What was I thinking?  What is this sentence telling me?  Who wrote this piece of garbage, anyway? etc.  I'm sure you get the picture.  Just remember if this is your first book, this is quite normal.  It doesn't mean that you should scrap this first draft into the nearest garbage, but instead, see this as the framework to what it will become after you self-edit it into the second draft.

     Here is a video of a person showing you how she self-edits her work:

     Many of the tips talked about in the above video is something that you might want to consider entering notes into Evernote, which is something I talked about in a previous blog entry.  If you didn't read this blog article you still can by clicking here:  "What is Evernote and How Can it Help a Person Writing a Book".

     And, here is another video on this subject that goes into using Scrivener to help you with self-editing your book:

     If writing a book wasn't hard enough, the editing phase will be just as hard.  But, in the end, just think of it like you're getting closer to publishing it.  This should make you feel somewhat good.  Keep writing and keep editing.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about how writers can become obsessed when writing a book.  If you feel at times that writing a book is overwhelming, you are not alone.  Some of what I will share in this article will probably make you laugh, and I'm sure as a writer you will be able to relate to some of the situations that will be discussed.

     So stay tuned!

Writer's: How to Start Your Own Publishing Company

     If you are a self-published author or an up-and-coming author who hopes to self-publish then you know that some readers might think that you are not a legitimate published author.  Of course, this stigma has been changing as the years have progressed onward.  Believe me, back when I published my first book in 2012' this stigma was in high force.  Today, not so much.

     One of the ways self-published authors started to get around this was creating their own publishing company and then publishing under this company name.  This was something I found to be quite interesting.

     Here is a video talking about how to start a publishing company and what it will cost:

     Some of these writers actually went on to discover that they not only liked writing and publishing their work but liked running a publishing company to help other writers get published.  They discovered a whole new business that they weren't even looking for in the beginning. 

     See video below from a person who does just that, and from what I understand from this video, they are accepting manuscripts from writers to possibly get you traditionally published under their publishing label: (This is definitely worth checking out).

     So you see with technology today, the world of publishing is actually just at your fingertips.  In fact, I have actually considered starting my own publishing company, but because I'm dealing with some health issues I have decided to put this off for the time being.  But, this is something that I definitely have on my life bucket list.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how to self-edit your book.  This is a very important step that you don't want to miss.

    So stay tuned.

Writer's Have You Ever Wondered How Readers Look for Books?

     As a writer there comes a time when you have to wonder how a reader looks for a book.  Yes, most of the time reader's sort of stay with certain types of genre's, but do they look at anything else?  I know that personally I generally stick with certain genres such as; romance, science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal.  So what do you do?

     I guess the reason I have started to wonder about this is that when I am out on various social media sites I constantly see writer's marketing their books in the news feed.  I wonder if they truly sell books this way.  I know in the past many years ago I did this constantly to no avail.  Today, I just market my books every once and awhile on social media.

     Here is a video discussing this topic:

     I've heard people say in forums that if you are a self-published author that most people won't read your books.  They say most reader's view self-published authors as amateur's who couldn't get a book deal from a traditional publisher.  Now, I realize today this stigma has sort of changed?  How do I know this you might be wondering, right?  Well, for one I've asked some reader's if they look at who the publisher was when buying a book, and all of them said no.

     Here is a video talking about this subject:

     So with all of this in mind, the question still remains, how do reader's really look for books?  This will always be the million dollar question and you will probably get many different answers if you ask people what they do and why?

How to find your readers:

     Here is another video talking about how Amazon markets your book if you publish through them.

(Part 1)

     And this part talks about your readers 

and where to find them.

(Part 2)

     Obviously, this information gives a writer a lot of food for thought in marketing their book or books.  (At least it did for me).

     In my next blog entry, I am going to discuss how to start your own publishing company if you really feel the need to look authentic in the self-publishing of your book.  The great thing about considering this is that you can start another business for yourself and possibly become a book publisher for other writers.

     So stay tuned!

Author Website vs. Blog Site vs. Facebook Page, and Other Social Media Sites?

     Are authors having to work overtime in making their presence known on the Internet?  Do authors really need a personal website, a blog, a Facebook page, an Instagram, and a presence on every social media site imaginable?  Okay, I will admit that it probably does help the search engine if an author has as many backlinks going from one site to another.  But, I ask once again, is it all truly necessary?  My understanding of all of this was so that readers could find authors, right?

     Anyways, I was curious about this question so I started asking people where I work and at my church about researching an author on the internet.  Basically, I asked them if they ever looked up an author from a book that they had enjoyed reading.  From the 12 people I talked to, only two of them said that they did actually look up an author at one time.  I asked them how did they research this person.  Both of them told me they went over to Facebook to see if they had a Facebook page.  I never had any of them tell me they went to the author's website, or even to the search engine to see if they could find this author.

     I started thinking about this myself.  In all the time that I have been reading books, I've only looked up three authors.  And, I have to admit that I did the same thing as the two people above did, I went to Facebook to see if they had a Facebook page.  I have to admit, I never thought about going to the search engine, even though I use the search engine a lot for various things.

     I guess the reason I am curious about all of this is that it seems as if this is highly debated on whether an author should have a personal website.  I had a personal website at one time but after a year I decided not to renew the hosting or domain name on the site.  Why you might be wondering.  Well, the truth is I had placed a counter on my website and after a year of having the site, I checked the counter before it was time to renew my yearly website hosting and domain name and discovered that I only had 39 visitors to this site in one year.  So after having paid a little over a hundred dollars for both hosting and a domain name, I couldn't see the value here in keeping it just because someone made some sort of author etiquette out here on the Internet on having a personal website.

     Let's all be honest here, the reason any author has a website, a blog, and every social media presence is because we want our audience of readers to find us and buy our books, right?  So my question once again is do authors need ten to twenty locations for a reader to find them or not?  I know some authors will debate me on this, but for me, I say no.  

     If you are new or a continual reader to this blog I want you to know that this site wasn't created to tell you what to do, just to tell you what I've learned as an indie author since I self-published my first book back in 2012'.  I think the biggest thing I have learned since then is as an indie author I am in charge of everything, including making all decisions in my publishing journey.  If you are traditionally published your publisher will guide you in what you need to do.  But, indie authors or those of you getting ready to self-publish for the first time will need to know that you are the President and CEO of yourself.  So do you need to have an Internet presence everywhere?  This will be something you have to decide and no one else can, although there will be people trying to tell you otherwise. All I am telling you here is what happened to me and what I had decided.  Would I ever consider a personal website for E.S. Hart again?  It would depend on a few factors such as; if my popularity grew and I knew that my readers would be looking for me at a personal website.  When I become as popular as Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, E.L. James, Stephen King, or Nicholas Sparks, only then would I consider a personal website again. (But, once again, this is just me).  You will have to decide if your budget can handle a personal website, if not you might want to consider just creating other type pages on social media sites and creating an author blog.

     Once again, I am not telling you that you don't need any of these things if you are an author, or just getting ready to self-publish your first book.  Like I said, this is something you're going to have to decide for yourself and the budget you want to lay out for this.  I just feel that if you don't have the audience right now for the various sites then you are wasting your money here.  I say spend your money on where your followers, friends, and fans are at.  (But, once again this is just my personal feelings and you will have to decide this for yourself).

     One last thing to remember, authors didn't always have the Internet and many of them did fine with reaching their audience of readers way back once upon a time.  So you're going to have to decide in the end what fits you best and to stop listening to all the noise about what authors should or should not do in making their presence known to their readers.  Remember, if you are self-published or getting ready to self-publish this is something you will be in charge of and no one else.  Do what is right for you!

     In my next blog entry, I'm going to talk about how readers look for books.

     So stay tuned.