Blogcation

I’ve been pretty quiet as far as the internet is concerned this week… because I’m on vacation! Each year my family gathers at a massive VRBO rental on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. We spend a week in the water and sun, skiing and golfing, talking and eating (so much eating) and having the most fantastic time with some of our favorite people on the planet.

So because I am doing all of these things, I am not writing anything new. But never fear! The benefit of keeping a weekly blog going for over 4 years is that I have lots of content to unearth and share with you. Some you may not have even read before!

• If you are looking for a quick fiction read, check out this three part short story, The Bedrock of Truth, that includes a bunch of my favorite things… a story about a writer, a mystery and the color green.

• Do you want to be a writer, but are feeling overwhelmed… check out this article: Stop Drinking Through the Fire Hose.

• If you are needing a little motivation, check out this post, My Dream 100, for a great (and fun!) strategy for making progress on your goals.

• If you find yourself needing to make a poster, flyer, post card, tshirt design, social media post or pretty looking powerpoint presentation, check out this post on how to easily make great graphics.

If none of these sound appealing, head over to the Blog Buffet (aka: the finest dining establishment in WordNerdopolis) and browse the menu (aka: Blog Archive).

The blog post was made beautiful by Canva.

If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

Keep Your Writing

I was that kid who – when my mom told me to go clean my room – would get lost in her collected memories. I was (okay, still am) a rule follower and had good intentions for this chore, but I’d start at my cluttered desk, put some books away on the shelf and then start on the papers… notes from friends, unopened mail, both of which I’d read and then it all went downhill from there. I’d have a lot of fun during these “cleaning sessions”, but I wasn’t super productive. (Can you relate?!?!?)

Walking down memory lane is just one of many great reasons to keep your writing.

Let me be clear, I am not advocating for hoarding. One old draft of any particular manuscript is all that is necessary (once the piece is published and you no longer legitimately need your own story breadcrumbs to see where you came from). No one should take this blog post as permission to create a fire hazard within their office. Instead, I’m encouraging you to resist the dramatic urge to burn (or recycle) old work just because it was rejected or because it no longer represents your current skill set.

Not convinced? Here are 4 reasons why you should keep your old writing.

Resale and Repurpose

I recently discovered a few binders in my family’s storage space. Inside hundreds of protective plastic sleeves I found the articles I once wrote on Yahoo.com. Writing for the Yahoo Contributor Network was my first ever writing gig. It literally paid pennies… like 1.5 cents for every 100 views the article got online. The idea was that you’d have a huge bank of articles all earning you money. This one would earn you $.17 and that one $1.30 and another $.51, but all together… your dozens (or eventually hundreds) or articles would pool together a tidy little sum each month. I wasn’t proud of the earning potential, but I was proud that others were reading something I had written. So, I printed them off. Each and every one. I put them in the binder(s), and I watched my collection of words grow.

And I’m so glad I did, because in 2014 the Yahoo Contributor Network folded. In addition to completely drying up my only source of writing income (it was small, but hey it was a start!), they also erased ALL OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE INTERNET. Had I not printed them off, my hundreds of articles (and thousands of words) would have vanished.

These articles range on topics from parenting strategies to house organization tips, from classroom management techniques to yacon syrup. The scope is wide. And as of now, they have no home, other than my office, so if I wanted, I could wade through the words and find them a new, paying, home. Once these articles were deleted from their original source, they became “mine” again, which means I can profit from them again. Pretty nice, right? Worth printing and keeping? Totally.  

See How Far You’ve Come

Often times when I was cleaning out my childhood desk, I’d find a story I’d written. Like any procrastinating tween I’d reread my work and discover it was… terrible. So cliché! So predictable! And the word choice, not to mention the excessive use of exclamation points… TERRIBLE!!!! At the time I’d feel embarrassed and shove that fourth grade notebook to the bottom-most level of my desk and pray that no one else would EVER see it.

As an adult, I look at that moment differently. I look back and say, “Hey, everybody has to start somewhere. This is your somewhere.” Now when I look back at old manuscripts from a year or two ago and cringe, I instead think, “Wow, I’ve grown a lot since then.”

Getting better at writing is a vague concept with an even vaguer judgement scale. How does one really know they are improving? How can you tell if your writing is any good? Looking back at old work and seeing noticeable differences is one concrete way to prove to yourself that you are getting better. If nothing else, that confirmation feels good. If for no other reason that this, I’d tell you, keep your writing. Writing is hard. Feeling good about your writing is sometimes even harder. This is one way, if you keep the right mindset, to affirm your growth and motivate you to keep going.

Rekindle a Passion for an Old Idea

Have you ever fallen in love with a story idea, poured all of your time, energy and heart into it and then… gotten stuck? Maybe the plot isn’t turning out on paper the way you envisioned in your head, or maybe you simply fell out of love with the concept/idea/character? Either way, you stop, stop thinking about it, stop dreaming about it, stop writing about it. It’s a pretty common occurrence for writers. You think it’s the end of the road for that particular story. Instead of trashing the idea… deleting the file, throwing away the notebook, tuck it away.

There was an initial passion there. A spark. Something exciting. One day in the future, you might light that fire again. Maybe you didn’t have the storytelling skills to pull it off the first time. Maybe you needed to live more life before you could wrangle your characters’ complex emotions and accurately put them on the page. Maybe it was just the wrong story at the wrong time. (I shared about a “Manuscript Breakup” experience here if you want to read more about walking away from a writing project.) Maybe later, it will work, or more specifically, it will work for you.

Or viewed another way, looking at your old writing can help you locate a quality story idea when you are currently idea-less. If you are feeling the urge to write, but your well of ideas appears to have run dry, go digging into your old files and notebooks and you just might be surprised at what gold you can mine from the cave of your past work.

Pride

This cubby of my floor to ceiling bookshelf is reserved for journals I have filled. It is the library of Amanda… or the unpublished library of Amanda… or perhaps the library of things I’d never want published? These notebooks are filled with personal journal entries, the rough drafts of blog posts, story musings, writing snippets from my critique group “homework” and other random bits and pieces of my days, life and thoughts. The only person I want reading these words is ME. But, I can share is that the amount of joy I feel when I pick up one of these notebooks… a book that is filled cover to cover with my words, with something I created… is immense. No one can take away these words I have written. No one can take away the fact that I am a writer… because the proof is right here… in my hands. Pride can often be synonymous with vanity, but I think there can be a purer, nicer form as well. I think that nice-kind-of-pride is what I feel when I look at this work I have done. And, so yes, I’m keeping these words, (yes, alllll of them) thank you very much.

What do you think? What words will you keep? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

If you liked this post, you might also like…

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

What I Learned From Going Viral

A few weeks ago my family and I went to a brand new park in our city. It was huge and incredible and something special. A local copany had poured a ton of money (as in 6+ million dollars) into making the park accessible for children of all abilities. Kids in wheelchairs, kids with sensory anomilies, kids who struggles with mobility or sight… anyone and everyone can play at this park.

I’d heard about the park on the radio, but wanted to show people how cool it was and all it had to offer. So, I took a few picturs and posted them on my Facebook page. And then the notifications started coming in. Links, comments and shares. So many shares… and tags! People I knew and people I’d never met were interacting with my post. People from my hometown and people from a few hours away wondering what else there was to do in La Crosse so they could fill a full day or weekend if they made the drive. Everyone was interested in this park and shouting it out to the world via my social media post.

I posted the pictures on June 19th, 2021 and as this blog post goes live on July 7th, 2021, it has 161 likes/reactions, 184 comments and 1.1K shares.

For days afterward, I’d update my husband and we’d laugh with disbelief. 76 shares. 321 shares. 700 shares. Over 1,000 shares. I posted these pictures on my personal page which doesn’t have anlaytics, so there’s no way for me to tell you how many people this post reached, but I can tell you it was A LOT. If I had to estimate, the reach would be in the tens of thousands range.

Now please don’t think what follows in this blog post is meant to take anything away from the Trane All Abilities Park. I am thrilled people are excited about it and also that many of them found out about it through my post, but.. BUT

I am a content creator.

In addition to my eleven books (and counting) I put out one blog post and one (or more) YouTube videos a week. I share these items along with helpful advice, resources, and tips almost daily on social media. Before the 2020 Election and COVID-19, my author Facebook Page reach was decent, averaging 600-800 views and occasionally, when something big was happening (like a new book release) I’d see a reach of 1,200 - 2,000. These days my numbers are dismal. 72 people reached. 248 people reached. On a great day, 511 people reached. But never, ever has my content been shared the way this park post was shared.

It is a bit of a jagged pill to swallow that my first content to go viral wasn’t content I created. I work SO HARD to provide value to readers, writers and teachers and often times it goes (largely) unseen. This is especially frustrating in the pandemic world we have been living in for the past year or so. Without conferences and school visits and sales events, the internet is one of my only (safe) ways to reach people.

Yes, like any good entrepreneur, I have email lists, several in fact, but again, without in-person events to meet new subscribers, I am relying on the internet to bring me these people.

So, okay. I went viral. It wasn’t for my first choice of content, but I am still, at the end of the day, a positive person, so I looked for the silver lining. What could I learn from this experience? What lessons could I take away and potentially apply to my content and social media feed in the future. Here’s what I figured out.

Living Our Best Life

My pictures were of a beautiful park on a beautiful day. My kids were in the picture. They were having fun as evidenced by their smiles. Parents who saw these pictures likely thought, “My family could have fun here. We could play outside (without electronics). My kids could burn off some energy and be physically active. I could take great pictures of my kids in this beautiful space too. What fun memories we will have.” My post offered them a chance to envision themselves doing something fun and meaningful. Through my pictures they could envision living their best life at this new park. They were excited. They wanted to recate the experience for themselves and their family. They wanted participate so badly that they tagged a friend or spouse to remind them so they didn’t forget. They wanted this experience so much that they shared it on their own page so others could join them or experience it for themselves.

Lesson Learned: Create and present a desireable situation or experience that others want to have for themselves.

For Authors: Maybe this is staging your book in a cozy reading experience… in front of a fireplace, on a beach chair, alongside a cup of coffee. What would make a reader melt with longing to pick up your book and engage in the reading experience you present?

Novelty and Newness reign as King

The population of La Crosse (the city in which this park resides) is 50,000 with a surrounding population of several smaller cities adding another 30,000 or so. We aren’t a huge city, but we aren’t small either. We have parks, even one (called Kids Coulee) that is 200,000 square feet and also handicap accessible. But it was built in 1994, almost 30 years ago. That park is great, but old news. Even though this new park isn’t bigger (86,000 sq. ft.) my post about the Trane All Abilities Park did well because this park, with its bright colors and modern equipment is something people haven’t seen before. New is exciting.

Kids Coulee (1994) Trane All Abilities Park (2021)

Lesson Learned: Create content that presents an old idea in a bright and shiny package.

For Authors: Take a review of one of your your olders books from Amazon over to Canva and shine it up with a great template and bright colors. Or reveal the cover of your newest book, highlighting what makes it stand out from your other books or from other books in that genre. Make it sparkle. People like shiny objects and will follow them.

Niche Audience

This park has modern equipment to meet the needs of a very specific population. The park website states, “An estimated 12,190 people over the age of 5 have a disability in La Crosse County. That is 12% of the population.” My post did not specifically address this aspect of the park, but you can bet that the people who fall into this category (and their caregivers) read between the lines to see that this was a space they were not only welcomed to, but that it was designed specifically for them. THAT is exciting. That gets people talking. A secondary niche audience for this piece could be the citizens of La Crosse County. When thinking about audience, don’t count out the role that a community (either geographical or common interest) can play.

Lesson Learned: You’ve heard it before friends, NICHE DOWN TO BLOW UP. Find a target audience and get to where they are, where they spend money and where you can connect/build a relationship with them.

For Authors: I go into deep detail on this strategy in a former blog post called Commandeer a Committed Crowd. In this post I share examples and tips of how to find an audience and make the most of their already well developed passions and hobbies. Click here to read more.

Haters Gonna Hate

No matter how cool the content you share… no matter how many people love it… there’s always gonna be at least one hater.

Lesson Learned: It it is inevitable. Read the haters comments if you want, but ultimately, it’s not worth your time.

For Authors: Take away the helpful pieces of a critique or review and then, MOVE ON.

I will also note, that all of those things “they” tell you to do to increase post reach (react to comments, reply to comments, tag individuals you think might be interested) … I did’t do hardly any of that with this park post. It was truly information that people found valuable and exciting. THAT is why it went viral. So, by all means, engage with your content after you post it and interact with the people responding to what you created, BUT through this experience I’ve learned that if something is truly appealing, helpful, and valuable, it will do the work on it’s own.

I hope that through my viral experience you have been able to vicariously learn a few valuable lessons. I also hope that the next time you see one of my posts on social media, whether it’s about a book, video, course, workshop, tip or resource, that you’d consider clicking that little heart icon or share button so that the content I have created can find it’s way into the hands and heads of people who will benefit.

And now, I’ll step off my soapbox, because, as always, I have some more content to create.

Happy writing, reading and social media-ing my word nerds. I’ll see you next week.

~ Amanda

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. You can check out my blog archive collection here. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.

Stepping Up Your Author Table Game

Over the past ten-ish years I’ve spent a lot of time at craft and vendor fairs selling my books. Some events are more successful than others, but I still find it the BEST way to meet readers and build a meaningful relationship with them.

I noticed that as soon as people realized I WROTE the books I was selling, they were MUCH more interested. Often times, though, it would take until two minutes into a chatting up a prospective customer before the light bulb would go on and they’d say, “Oh… so, YOU wrote these books?” (Duh! Yes! That’s why I’m standing here!) But suddenly, they were invested. They now had a story about MEETING the author, getting their book autographed, owning a slice of the benevolence we all feel when supporting local small businesses. These factors are so much stronger than me say, “Buy my book pretty please!”

This discovery and realization was good, but I needed to figure out how to make it happen faster. Not many people, especially those distant passersby that would rather eye the wares from a distance. They don’t want to be sucked in and feel obligated to buy. But if they knew I was the author? And I was local? This might be enough to entice them to step a bit closer to my booth and see if my books might be a good fit for them.

I needed to figure out a way to communicate with my consumer audience without relying on conversation.

Side note, I love to talk. I’m definitely an extrovert. If you are reading this from your office or on your phone and are quaking in your proverbial author boots about having to talk to strangers, you are defintely going to want to hear this advice.

I thought about designing a shrit that said, “I’m the author!”, like the literary version of those “I’m with stupid —>” shirts. And I still might, but what I decided on were booth signs that had not only my book covers on them, but also my face and the words “local author”. I was putting the puzzle pieces together for them. Let me show you.

Do you know what I noticed when I used these signs? People paused. Sometimes they even backtracked their passing-by steps to read the sign a bit closer! And then, if they were readers, they stepped up to the table and I was able to engage them in a coversation… one that sometimes led to a sale or at the very least a hand off of my bookmark (aka: business card). (P.S. People do NOT keep business cards these days, but a bookmark - with your website and where your books are available - they will hang on to that baby for YEARS.)

This is just one of the impactful changes I’ve made to my author sales table that have made a positive impact. Here are a few others.

QR Codes

Everybody and their brother worth their salt as an entrepreneur will tell you you need an email list. In-person events are a great way to collect email addresses, but deciphering those handwritten letters and entering them into MailChimp (or your email service provider of choice) can be a real pain, not to mention, time consuming. Instead, I now place QR codes on my author table that people can scan with their phones and sign themselves up. Not only is this more efficient, but in post-pandemic times such as these, people will not have to touch the same pen that other have used, and that’s kinda nice. It also cuts down on “fake” email addresses that will eventually just bounce and muddy the waters of your list numbers/effectiveness tracking. I also use QR codes to prompt people to subscribe to my YouTube Channels.

You can learn how to make QR codes in this quick tutorial video.

Pro Tip #1: Laminate these so you don’t have to waste your color ink printing them each time! Personally, I like the BluSmart Laminator Starter Set and these Scotch Thermal Laminating Pockets.

ProTip #2: I have started asking for my business wish list items for Christmas, birthday and Mother’s Day gifts. Would I rather have a plant or a laminator? A manicure or a subscription to Canva Pro? Hmmmmm…

Letterboards

This simple communication tool looks trendy and let’s you share a sentiment in a way that adds a personalized flavor to your display. The best part, you can change the message to match the event or your mood. Got a new book coming out? Change your prices? No need to reprint signage, just swap out the letters and you’re good to go.

I bought my letter boards at Michaels, but there are tons out there. Here are two online shopping letterboards that I love. (Click the image to see product details/purchase.)

I hope that as we wade back into the waters of public events, these tips and ideas help you create a visually attractive and effective author table display. Do you have any techniques or tricks that work well for you? I’d love to learn from you! Contribute to our little creative community by adding your ideas in the comments below. hope that our paths cross in-person soon and that when we do, we will both have good-looking displays.

All my best, Amanda

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

Why Do We Write?

Why do we write? If I’ve learned anything over the last (near) decade I’ve spent in the industry it’s that very few are making money in the writing world, at least, not in the amount we often assume they are. Not writers, not agents, not publishers and definitely not booksellers. Sure there are a few household names who rake in good cash and I guess the BIG 5 (publishers) are doing alright, but if you’re looking for a field in which you can become rich and famous, writing isn’t really the one I’d recommend going after. So why do we do it?

I know not all people are motivated by money. Many people choose a career based on fulfillment and passion rather than the paycheck, so we writers aren’t alone. But every so often I think it’s good to remind ourselves why we do this writing thing. Like everyone else, we need to pay the bills and have funds with which to live life… so if we aren’t writing in order to do those things with lavish style, why is it? Without taking the time to reflect and remind ourselves, the whole process (and career in general) can feel pretty defeating (Especially as we watch our friends and former classmates nearing the pinacle of their dollar-earning years in a variety of other career fields - at least, that’s how I sometimes feel.)

I was reminded of all these thoughts when I saw a friend’s Facebook post a couple weeks ago. His reflection on why he writes was accurate and heartfelt and gave great insight. So I wanted to share it with you. But first, here is why I write. Here is what fuels my passion to wake up each day and try to make my way in this wonderful, perplexing, and occsionally daunting, but more often joyful, pursuit we call writing.

Why I Write

by Brett Brockman

For years, I’ve wanted to become a full-time writer. It’s every writer’s dream. Quit your day job and just write all day long. Sounds amazing!

I wrote my first book back in 2016 in only 9 months, which I thought was incredible. A whole book done in only 9 months! Yeah, I could definitely be a full-time writer. Granted, this was before I had kids and had a lot of free time on my hands. Then I found out that writing the book was the easy part.

Edits take forever and beta readers are hit-or-miss (I’ve recently found some really good ones that are worth their weight in gold…and then some!). Then once you’ve got your book ready to go you send it out to agents, hoping they will represent you and your work to get your book published. Easy, right?

Almost 80 queries later and not a single agent wanted more pages for my first book. What a kick in the gut.

But that did not deter me from writing. Oh, no. Right now, I’m working on book #4. The writing is going a lot slower than the first book because children require a lot of your time and attention, so the only time I can write is when Charlotte goes to bed. But that’s okay. She’s worth it

I’m working on querying agents for my second book after a long slog of edits, which is going about as well as the first book. Thirty queries, no requests. It could be that my writing isn’t good enough—that was the case for the first book—but it could be a million other factors. I’m a new author who’s not writing a specific genre, I don’t have a background in writing, and the book I’m querying is a bit long for the genre (it’s a 110,000 words for a YA fantasy novel…about 30,000 words over the norm). If I was an agent, I’d be hesitant to take me on, too.

That doesn’t mean I won’t ever be a published author. I could tweak the book until agents cannot find a single reason to turn it down. I could self-publish it and sell it on my own. Or I can put the book back on the shelf and try another book. The options are there. I just have to figure out which direction I want to take. Each path will require time, knowledge, and quite possibly money out of my own pocket.

When I first wanted to become a full-time writer, I had a decent job making okay money. I wasn’t rolling in the dough by any means, but I was getting by. Giving that up to be a writer full-time wasn’t that hard to envision. It wouldn’t be too difficult to replicate that income. Since then, I got another job and making good money. Not holy-crap-I’m-rich money but enough to support my family while my wife goes back to school. Something like that is HARD to pass up. Now if I want to become a full-time writer, I will either have to take a pay cut—most writers aren’t millionaires—or wait until I can replicate the income I’m making now with writing alone. Essentially, I raised the bar for myself to become a full-time writer.

There are plenty of writers out there that make really good money. I’ve been to a few conferences where the keynote speaker makes six figures. Now we’re talking! But then they discussed what they all have to do to reach that point and…holy buckets!

Don’t get me wrong, I get that being a full-time writer is a legit job, a job that demands a lot more from you than people realize. One author had to write a book a month, under multiple pen names, and her entire day was nothing but writing or editing with a few breaks here and there. This was not just writing 12 books a year.

Oh, no. They had to get them all edited, proofread, getting cover art made, and published in this timeframe. On top of that, most of these writers self-publish so a lot of those extra expenses came out of their pockets. They’re still making really good money, but the amount of time—writing from sun up to sun down—and money they have to put into makes me hesitant.

I currently work 40 hours a week on a set schedule, using the rest of my time to spend with family and writing. I have a good paying job—not quite six figures but it’s definitely above a living wage—that comes with great benefits. Being required to write a book a month to make six figures might be difficult when your family is expanding like mine.

I’m not sure what independent authors do for income when a new baby arrives, but I get 4 weeks paid leave on top of a bunch of “Time Off” I can use on whatever else I want. It’s pretty nice. And what about insurance…retirement plan…sick leave? From what I’ve found, I haven’t found a publisher that matches 6% for your 401K.

I probably sound ignorant and doing nothing but complaining because I haven’t published a book yet and not every author has to write 12 books a year to stay afloat. Those authors will probably pick apart what I just said and tell me I’m full of shit. They’re not wrong. Even I think I sound like I’m whining harder than Luke Skywalker in A New Hope. “But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.” Yeah, that’s me. That’s me to a T.

But I’ve also seen a lot of authors not make it in the business and never publish a single word they wrote. I’ve seen numerous authors try to self-publish, putting in tons of hours researching the market and writing the best damn story in existence, only for no one to buy it. I’ve seen various authors, self and traditionally published, who never quit their day job because they simply cannot live off an author’s wage alone. I’ve also seen authors rely on their significant others to make up for that difference just so they can write full-time, hoping one day to break even. It’s a tough business.

Not every author will make it. Some make it from one book. Others have to pump out a new book each and every month to stay afloat like the keynote speakers I saw. A few are able to take their time with the craft and publish 1 or 2 a year. For me, I know my limits.

Even if I wrote full-time, I’m not sure I could write a new book a month. Two a year I could probably do, maybe even three. I also know that I don’t want to give up my awesome job with fantastic benefits to work my fingers to the bone to make less than I make now.

Will I get something published one day? Probably. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop writing, and I know some of my books will make it to print either through traditionally or self-publishing. Either way, it’ll happen.

The real question I have is, will I ever become a full-time writer? I’m not sure. I want to, no doubt. But I’m realizing now that if I don’t, I won’t be heartbroken that I never “made it”. As far as I’m concerned, I already made it with the career and family I already have. Being a writer is just icing on the cake.

I write because I love it, not to get rich. While others have to rely and getting any writing gig they can get to put food on the table—the starving artist clique is a real thing--I’m fortunate enough to work on my craft when I want and write what I want. If I can make more money than I do now writing full-time, that’s would be fantastic! But it’s not a necessity.

I might not ever be a full-time writer…and I’m okay with that.

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From Life to Scene: Transforming Every Day Life into Relatable Characters

How to Write Character Development

Fiction Writing Prompts for Realistic and Relatable Characters

This week I bought each of my sons two new packs of socks. Do you know how I know there’s nothing better than brand new socks? Both my boys, ages 8 and 11, told me, on separate occasions, how much they love them. “They are so soft!” “The bottoms are so thick it felt like I was wearing shoes when I went outside.” (Thus the reason for needing new socks…) It was a simple joy at a bargain price. (Thank you Target Circle!) Something small that made them, even if for a moment, supremely happy.

Why am I telling you this? Because, for me, it is often everyday moments like this that inspire a story scene. An absolute truth (new socks are a wonderful thing and a simple pleasure) that I can use to lead me into a scene. Now, I realize an entire chapter can not be all about new socks, let alone a whole book. But a conversation about it, or a mother’s thought process about her sons’ socks while folding laundry (that resulted in throwing 3 nasty, hole riddled and stained socks away) could be a relatable beginning.

First, let me show you an example, and then I’ll give you some ideas on how to incorporate your everyday moments or simple pleasures into a story scene.

The below scene comes from Champion Chocolatier: Reality Bites (the second in that series). My scene entry point came from real thoughts I had about my own grocery spending habits. Decisions made while shopping aren’t at all relevant to the plot, but it does help me develop the character and give me a way into the real action of the story without having to hit the reader over the head.

P.S. I have the same thoughts about generic peanut butter. JIF, all the way baby.

See how that works?

As you go about your day, be aware and observant about thoughts and situations that seem honest, authentic, relatable and universal. The unwritten rules of school pick up line and fear of a double chin on Zoom meetings are two examples I used in Close Quarters.

Using your real life as fodder will not only make your storytelling authentic, but it will also have your reader nodding as they read and saying, “Yes!” “Amen, sister.” And, “Hell, yeah.” It makes them feel seen, understood, comfortable, happy.

Let’s go back to the socks for a minute. I want you to list out ten items that bring you a smile or that you consider a simple joy. The first sip of a perfectly made coffee, a delivery of fresh flowers, the first day of school, the last day of school, a band new day planner, family movie marathons, outdoor church services, a heavy down-feather comforter, the ambiance of a wood burning fireplace, the smell of my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce. It can be anything! Now look at your list and find an item or two that could be considered universal. An experience, when boiled down, that can be seen as relatable to your target reader or to humanity as a whole. How can you use that item, moment or emotion to walk yourself (and your reader) into a scene?

Here are a few more examples. I’ve bolded the simple joy or relatable moment so you can easily identify it.

Example #1

Amanda’s children didn’t give the dryer a chance to eat the socks. They killed them before they even made it that far. As she pulled them from the washer she cringed at their filthy appearance. If they looked like this after coming out of the washer, what had they looked like going in? Was the rest of the boys’ laundry dirtier for having shared the same tub of water? She stuck her finger through a hole near in the toe of one sock, sighed and then chucked it in the garbage can. Mentally she added “socks” to her every growing list of items to pick up on her next Target run.

Example #2

As she sat on the front step of her porch tying up her running shoes Mallory could smell grass, charcoal and sunscreen. Summer in the suburbs had officially arrived. And if she needed further confirmation, she received a dozen other signs before she made it to the end of the block. Sidewalk chalk, two teens washing a car, a lemonade stand and her nosy neighbor Linda checking her mailbox for what was likely the third time that day.

Example #3

The theatrical sounds of the movie’s opening scene filtered from the living room into the kitchen. Julia raced to put the popcorn in the bowl and then back to the couch before she missed another note. There was something magical about the beginning moments of a film, the way the music and wide dramatic shots gave you the first real peek inside the world you were about to vicariously enter. She made a mental note that Mason had chosen rock when she’d chosen scissors, and vowed to pick paper next time. He could have just paused the movie like she’d asked, but waiting wasn’t  in Mason’s behavior repertoire.

Example #4

Greg didn’t drink coffee, but he loved the smell of it. The aroma of the bitter beans nestled alongside the newspaper he read  each morning transported him back to 1989 and his sleepovers at his grandparents’ house. Sure, he could have read his daily dose of news at home in his apartment, instead of walking to the coffee shop, but then he would miss this… the tiny gift he gave himself before the chaos of each day started. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent, folded his paper, tucked it into his messenger bag and stood. His meeting started in fifteen minutes and being late would do nothing to improve the already complicated situation.

Alright, what have you got?

I’d love to read the items on your list or the scene they inspire. Put your ideas in the comment section below or head to the post office and email me. :)

Happy writing!

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Infostack Review (Legit or a Scam?)

A little while ago I came across a site called Infostack.io. First off, I was pretty skeptical. Infostack is a discount deal site that offers various themed bundles of digital resources worth thousands of dollars for a low price (usually $49 bucks) for a short period of time.

Here’s what went through my mind:

• Sounds like a scam...

• It can’t be legit. How can they offer so much value AND make money? Impossible...

• It sounds WAY too good to be true and we all know what that means...

• It’s probably just a bunch of bargain basement dud products no one would buy anyway... 

• There are soooooo many writing resources out there on the internet, why should I pick this one?

• It’s a scam.

Ok I know I said “scam” twice but these days getting a deal worth thousands for just $49 doesn’t feel legit. There’s got to be a catch. I marked the date for the 60-day money back satisfaction guarantee in my calednar and hit buy.

At first I was overwhelmed. There were a lot of resources. Click here, so you can see for yourself.

In fact, there were so many resources I wondered if this was by design - overloading the buyers with a bunch of crap so we can’t see we’ve been conned. Undeterred, I rolled up my word nerd sleeves and dug in - keeping a sharp eye for where the scam was so I could claim my money-back guarantee in complete vindication (and write this post).

Things didn’t turn out how I expected. Here’s why. Actually, here’s three reasons why.

#1. They actually feature truly legit contributors.

So when I first started digging into the Super Stack as they call it, I reviewed all of the contributors and all their products. I thought for sure these would be no-name scammers who are just trying to make a buck. I was proven wrong.

I discovered these are just some of the heavyweights Infostack collaborates with to create their writing bundles: 

• USA Today bestsellers

• TEDx talkers

• NYT & WSJ bestsellers

• Bram Stoker Award finalists

• Emmy nominated screenwriters 

• And even the multiple Emmy-Award winning writer and producer of HBO’s BAND OF BROTHERS. 

Sheesh. Literary rockstars left and right. As if that wasn’t enough, Steven Pressfield (author of The War of Art) and Kate DiCamillo (one of my alll time favs author of Tales of Despereaux) have given glowing testimonials for two of the products in their bundles.

#2. The products in the bundle aren’t crappy bargain basement products.

Inside the stack, I only found really good products. It’s hard to feel conned when you realize you can spend $49 to get a ton of products and scoop a whole year’ subscription to your favorite book cover creator / social media book ad template platform for half the price you pay to subscribe to a year of Book Brush!

Here’s a few of the first class products they’ve included in this writing stack…

• Storiad’s Author Book Promotion worth $280

• The Novel Factory 12 month sub worth $75 

• Bublish 12 month sub worth $120

• Book Brush 12 month sub worth $100

• ProWriting Aid 12 month sub worth $79

• 50% Discount on 100 Covers Pro Cover Design

#3. I couldn’t ignore the premium quality eCourses, masterclasses, and training programs included from leading experts

At this point I’m getting tired of having my expectations smashed, but maybe the ecourses and training programs would be cheap products no one would want. Right?  Wrong again.

I got my hands on some of the ecourses, masterclasses, and training programs Infostack have included so far in their June 8th: Write Publish Profit 4.0 deal … and you’ve probably already guessed it, but they are good. Real good.

Build Your Author Platform 

• The marketing membership that shows you how to build your author platform like a business to become desirable to publishers and sell more books! ($425 value)

• A complete series of courses to build your author platform and launch your book like a marketing pro. ($125 value)

• The course that shows exactly how to get email subscribers from your books on autopilot! ($100 value)

• The ultimate shortcut to writing a great pitch that lands tons of interviews and gets your book sold. ($347 value)

• A simple way to increase your income, influence and email list by hosting your own Virtual Summit! ($297 value)

Launch Your Next Book Like A Spacex Rocket

• An A-Z program that takes students from saying, “I want to write a book,” all the way to post-publication marketing (and maybe even a best-sellers list!) in less than five hours a week. ($497 value)

• The complete solution to build your author fan base, promote your book, and generate book sales. ($586 value)

• Everything you need to successfully launch and market your book, regardless of topic or niche. ($497 value)

Self-edit like a pro and save a ton of money, too

• Get a structured approach to editing your manuscript that teaches you how to self-edit your manuscript in organized layers, going from the big-picture editing of story arc all the way down to small-picture edits like grammar and style. ($249 value)

Perfect your story craft

• Dive into everything you need to know to write a character-driven, action-packed, world-changing novel readers will love. ($393 value)

• Craft satisfying plot twists with a self-directed workshop which will teach you how to make your story more suspenseful, unpredictable, and un-put-down-able. ($200 value)

Get the mindset to fulfill your writing dreams

• Discover how to think like a successful person, and get your mindset on board with your dreams. ($197 value)

• Transform the way you think and feel about yourself so you can write your book with confidence. ($553 value)

And this isn’t even the complete lineup. Wowza.

Infostack offers a lot for $49, and on the face of it, it really does look too good to be true. But as I discovered for myself, (and reviewed here) it’s all true. I think the evidence proves it. And it is kind of extraordinary.

So if you are a writer, or a self-published indie and anything turns up in your Inbox that has Infostack’s name on it, you can count on it being super legit and the best value you’ll ever get for $49...in maybe...ever!

Are you ready to give it a try? Go ahead and click on this link like it’s a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket and get ahead of the writing curve like a pro. You can thank me later. 

Until Next Time Word Nerds! Happy writing, self-publishing and books selling!

~ Amanda

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Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

A Day in the Life of an Authorpreneur

Photo Essay: a form of visual storytelling, a way to present a narrative through a series of images.

Authorpreneur: an entrepreneur that offers products and services that are based on their book(s).

As an authorpreneur and word nerd, I wear a lot of hats. I fulfill a lot of roles. I complete a lot of tasks. People often ask me, what do you actually do? I don’t think they are trying to be rude, they just aren’t quite sure what I actually do for work or how I fill my days now that I “stay home”.

So, to clear up some of the confusion and give you an inside look at a day in the life of an authorpreneur, I'm going to repeat an exercise I’ve done in the past. Remember a few years ago when I shared a photo essay of my day in a post called The Working Mother Balance Dance? Here’s a quick walk down memory lane to jog your memory. I took a photo every hour for an entire day to show you what being a “working mom” looked like.

A few things have changed since I wrote that last piece in 2017. For one thing I no longer teach full time. Also, in addition to writing my own books I coach others as they write and publish theirs. My kids are older and I’ve added a YouTube channel (actually two) to my content creation. But a lot remains the same. There is still a lot of baseball in our lives. I still write a blog post each week and of all the tasks I complete, telling stories is still my favorite.

To give you a proper update and inside look, here is a second photo essay detailing my life as an authorpreneur.

If you’re more of a linguistic kind of soul, read on for the picture descriptions and captions.

A Day in the Life of an Authorpreneur

6:30 - Exercise! I love the fitness videos my friend Andrea makes and shares on YouTube!

8:00 - Take the boys to school

8:30 - Making a plan for the day, checking email, and coaching client meeting prep

10:00 - Coaching-client Zoom meeting

11:30 - Checking in with my Western students and responsibilities. (I teach part time at our local technical college.)

12:00 - Tidy the kitchen, make a smoothie and browse the issue of Oh, Reader that arrived in the mail today. (Yay!)

1:00 - Record this week’s First Chapter Friday video

1:30 - Edit, upload and write FCF video description

2:30 - Working on this blog post!

3:30 - Welcome home the fam from their day at school :)

4:00 - Massive errand run for groceries, end of the school year teacher gifts, Goodwill drop off and a pick up of Chad Sell’s new release (Happy book birthday, Chad!)

As I write this I’m not sure what the hours after 5 PM will hold, but if I had to guess, a walk with my husband and time reading my current book (see full list here) will make the list.

When I reflect on the day through these images I see that it was A LOT of computer time. It’s probably what you’d expect of an authorpreneur, but it isn’t ALWAYS like this. There are days I meet other entrepreneurs to discuss strategy over coffee and some time spent with my notebook while I hand write a new draft. It just so happened that today was a screen-time, butt-in-chair kind of day, but it isn’t always like this.

Some times my office hours stretch beyond 3:30. It isn’t rare to find me in my office at 5 o’clock finishing up notes after a call with a client or with my computer on my lap after the boys go to bed. I’ll write fiction on the weekends and spend entire days at local maker markets… but for the most part, my days as an authorpreneur see a whole lot more balance than I experienced while teaching full time and side hustling, well, on the side. My balance isn’t perfect, but it’s gotten better. A solid calendar and daily refreshed to-do lists on post-it notes within sight help a lot. If you’ve got any questions about what a life of working for yourself looks like or you need help organizing yours, head over to the post office and send me an email. I’d love to help you.

Until next week (when I’ve got some SUPER cool news to shout out).

~ Amanda

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

Commandeer a Committed Crowd (AKA: Pick Your Readers Before You Write)

Every author wants hoards of raving fans, people who will buy their books like air they need to breathe. In addition to being good for the ego, it’s good for the bank account. But how exactly do you do that? How do you go about creating an audience of devoted supporters, especially when you are Mr./Ms. No-name from Small-town-somewhere? 

The answer is to tap into an already engaged niche audience. Take a minute and think about the diehard hobbyists in the world. Maybe you know a quilter who would drive half across the country to visit a renown fabric shop. Or a hunter who would nearly sell his soul to get a particular license just to have the opportunity to *maybe* shoot the beast of their dreams. Or perhaps a gardener who would rather dig in the dirt than do most anything else. The people have already proven that they will make a commitment (with their time, energy and money) to their hobby… that they will go to extreme lengths (and expenses) to enjoy anything within their micro-niche’s realm. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO WRITE FOR.

Writing Your Books

Many people thumb their nose up at writing “to market”, writing about what is trending or currently hot in the market, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I am suggesting is to write your book for a specific group of humans, an already defined and existing niche audience. (Bonus points if you can include two of those audiences!)

For example, in my book series Champion Chocolatier the main character (Emmy) is the owner/operator of a chocolate shop in Northern Minnesota. My niche audiences for this series are entrepreneurs, chocolate lovers and people who are fans of the Great Lakes. My Close Quaters series features a military spouse who runs a bookstore with her close knit (and humourously over involved family). My niche audiences for this book are working moms, military spouses and book lovers. Perhaps my best example of this strategy is my book, The Birthday Cache. This kids chapter book features a family who travels the country in an RV going on geocaching adventures. Chances are, if I head to a geocaching event or RV convention, I’m going to find my ideal readers and a bunch of book sales.

As I write, I keep these key audiences in mind and try to include story elements I know they would like to read. Oftentimes, these are not huge plot-impacting writing decisions, but more so inclusion of setting details, pop culture mentions and lifestyle elements. All of these tiny details are meant to appeal to a specific kind of person… my ideal reader. It will help them relate and feel seen while reading my story and thus, increase their enjoyment of it. But this is only part of the goal. 

Marketing Your Books

Including these niche audiences will also give me specific ideas of where I can sell my books (outside of selling books on Amazon), or help me to figure out where my readers hang out and spend their money. I don’t just have to stick to bookstores when approaching businesses to sell my book. Touristy gift shops in La Crosse and Duluth, chocolate shops, entrepreneur groups, and military wife book clubs, are all places I have been able to work with in selling my books. Remember that geocaching example I gave you earlier? The largest geocaching website in the world, the HUB of all geocaching activity, is selling my books on their website. Through their platform and credibility I am able to reach interested readers that without my strategic story plotting, would have been unavailable. 

My tip for you today is to think about writing books for a niche audience (or two) that you can write right into your story, so that once it is done, you can easily find and sell your book to them… and know that they will love it (and come running back for more!). 

So here’s how you do it.

1. Identify a committed crowd… a group of people who all love a particular pastime, hobby, activity, sport, location, career or niche topic. 

   • Examples (in addition to the ones included above): parrot owners, people who love going on cruises, golfers, house flippers/DIY junkies, country line dancers, ebay sellers, stamp collectors, NASCAR fans, ANYTHING SPECIFIC!

2. Write a story that thoughtfully includes characters, locations and plot elements that would appeal to and please readers of your identified niches. Remember big and obvious doesn’t always get the job done. Sometimes it is the smallest details that these readers will notice and appreciate. 

3. Publish your book through your chosen publication path.

4. Go (either virtually or in-person) where your readers hang out. 

   • Examples include: speaking at a niche topic conference, putting a flyer for your book in a niche topic convention SWAG bag, posting in a niche topic Facebook group, teaching a class for a niche topic group, speaking on a niche topic podcast. 

This is just a bite-sized piece of the Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Mini Course which will be offered in Write Publish Profit 4.0! And that is just a slice of what you could learn from the entire Take Action Author Plan Course which includes even more word nerd goodness to help you reach your writing and publishing goals! If you have any questions, head to the Post Office and send them my way. I’d be happy to help!

Happy writing!

Amanda

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May 2021 Book Releases: The Ones I'm Dying to Read

You know how sometimes you go into a store and you just can’t find a single thing you want to buy? And there are other days when everywhere you look you see something you just have to own? For me, the month of May has been the later situation when it comes to book releases. Everywhere I turn… my email inbox, instagram, magazines, the bookstore displays, Target… there are books… books I want to read, own, devour.

Maybe it’s just that my personal taste in literature is the flavor of the month in May. Maybe it’s that widening my reading preferences has introduced me to new writers who have become my favorites. Maybe it’s that finally, after a long shut down, things are starting to open up again, including the launching of big time books.

Who knows? Either way, there are a ton of amazing titles being released and I want to get my hands on ALL OF THEM. In case you are looking for a good book or want to stock up for your summer reading, here are 6 books at the top of my list.

** All of the links below will send you to Amazon. If you prefer to shop small and use an indie bookstore, contact Birdy's Bookstore for amazing and friendly service from my favorite bookseller, Alex. **

Young Adult Titles

Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

There are a dozen reasons why I want to read this book, but the two at the top of the list are:

1. I read The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly, the authors first book, and LOVED it.

2. Jamie Pacton is a Wisconsin author. Not only do I love supporting fellow Midwest writers, but this book, like her first, takes place in Wisconsin and I can’t wait to read which local spots she included in the plot.

On top of that, it sounds amazing.

58,643,129. That's how many dollars seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won in the lotto jackpot. It's also about how many reasons she has for not coming forward to claim her prize.

Problem #1: Jane is still a minor, and if anyone discovers she bought the ticket underage, she'll either have to forfeit the ticket, or worse... Problem #2: Let her hoarder mother cash it. The last thing Jane's mom needs is millions of dollars to buy more junk. Then... Problem #3: Jane's best friend, aspiring journalist Brandon Kim, declares on the news that he's going to find the lucky winner. It's one thing to keep her secret from the town, it's another thing entirely to lie to her best friend. Especially when... Problem #4: Jane's ex-boyfriend, Holden, is suddenly back in her life, and he has big ideas about what he'd do with the prize money. As suspicion and jealousy turn neighbor against neighbor, and no good options for cashing the ticket come forward, Jane begins to wonder: Could this much money actually be a bad thing?

Stay tuned because this summer I’ll be interviewing Jamie about this book, the Wisconsin connections in it, and more! To be sure you don’t miss it, subscribe to my education focused YouTube channel by clicking here.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

If you’ve been following me for a hot minute, it’s likely you know that my favorite writer on the planet is Maggie Stiefvater. Not only is Maggie and incredible wordsmith and prose-crafter, she also tells fantastical stories. When you use your logical portions of your brain the events seem to be entirely implausible, but Maggie’s story skills are so strong, that she gest you to believe every single word she deliciously prepares and feeds you. I am also in awe of her ability to craft secondary characters and they way those secondary characters take on a life of their own. I wrote about this in a piror blog post when I re-read her book, Sinner last summer, but am stoked to see her skills in action again as she takes Ronan, a secondary character from the Raven Boys Saga, and gives him his own series. Admitedly, I’m a book behind in the series. I tried to listen to the first book, Call Down the Hawk, on Audible and just couldn’t get on board with the narrator’s voice (this is a rarity for me… I listen to a book a month and barely ever have qualms with the tone/diction/accent/etc of the narrator but struggled with this one.) But no worries, I now have two new hardcovers to enjoy!

Here’s what the book is about: Something is happening to the source of the dreamers' power. It is blocked. Diminished. Weak. If it goes away entirely, what will happen to the dreamers and those who depend on them? Ronan Lynch isn't planning to wait and find out. Backed by his mentor, Bryde, he is ready to do what needs to be done to save the dreamers and the dreamed . . . even if it takes him far from his family and the boy he loves. Jordan Hennessy knows she will not survive if the dreaming fails. So she plunges into a dark underworld in order to find an object that may sustain her. Carmen Farooq-Lane is afraid of the dreamers -- which is why she's agreed to hunt them down. The closer she gets, though, the more complicated her feelings become. Will the dreamers destroy the world . . . or will the world be destroyed trying to eliminate the dreamers?

In the remarkable second book of The Dreamer Trilogy, Maggie Stiefvater pushes her characters to their limits -- and shows what happens when they start to break.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

This endorsement alone hooked me… “The Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Ever After, a ‘refreshing, spot-on”’(Booklist, starred review) story of an ordinary Japanese-American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan.”

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in―it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi―or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”―and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself―back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

Adult Titles

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Last month I (obsessively) listened to Beach Read and fell in love with Emily’s storytelling style. Similar to my own “feel good fiction” approach, Emily tells stories about women’s lives, their thoughts, their ambitions and the shit that happens to them each day that makes them want to pull their hair out. If you are a fan of Jennifer Weiner, you’d love Emily too. She had previously written books for young adults, but Beach Read was her first adult title and The People You Meet on Vacation is her second. Take a quick read of the blurb below to see if you are going to be just as excited as I am to read this one this summer.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since. Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This is a book I will definitely be listening to. I am sure, just like The Martian and Artemis (a story about a high-stakes heist on the moon… it was as great as it sounds!), there will be tons of scientific words… theories and concepts my word-nerd brain might struggle to handle, hold, and process alongside the plot. Listening allows my brain to skip the "how do I pronounce that” part of reading and focus on the “what does that mean” part.

If you too are a fan of futuristic science settings and situations, check out the summary of Andy Weir’s newest Science Fiction bestseller.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
Or does he?

Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger

In the Fall of 2018 I wrote a blog post entitled Guilty Pleasure all about how I devoured Lauren’s book When Life Gives You LuLu Lemons. I was finding every possible excuse to listen a little longer. Do the kitchen floors needs scrubbing? Is there another load of laundry to fold? Maybe I’ll just drive around the block one more time… I couldn’t get enough of the witty female cast and their intertwined plights. To say I wishlisted and waited with baited breath for this new book by Lauren would be an understatement. At the time of my writing this (Saturday night) I’m counting down the hour until it releases on Tuesday and I can download it on my phone. The good thing for you, is this blog post goes live on Wednesday and you won’t have to wait at all.

A seat at the anchor desk of the most-watched morning show. Recognized by millions across the country, thanks in part to her flawless blond highlights and Botox-smoothed skin. An adoring husband and a Princeton-bound daughter. Peyton is that woman. She has it all. Until . . . Skye, her sister, is a stay-at-home mom living in a glitzy suburb of New York. She has degrees from all the right schools and can helicopter-parent with the best of them. But Skye is different from the rest. She’s looking for something real and dreams of a life beyond the PTA and pickup. Until . . . Max, Peyton’s bright and quirky seventeen-year-old daughter, is poised to kiss her fancy private school goodbye and head off to pursue her dreams in film. She’s waited her entire life for this opportunity. Until . . . One little lie. That’s all it takes. For the illusions to crack. For resentments to surface. Suddenly the grass doesn’t look so green. And they’re left wondering: will they have what it takes to survive the truth?

Alright. Which one are you going to pick up first? Or maybe you have another recommendation for me? Let me know in the comments! As a reminder, I keep track of the books I read over here in the WordNerdopolis Bookstore, so you can check back any time you are in need of a solid selection. Just like this list, my book choices typically bounce back and forth between adult and YA/MG titles, so there is likely a little something for everyone.

Happy reading!

Amanda

** All of the links above will send you to Amazon. If you prefer to shop small and use an indie bookstore, contact Birdy's Bookstore for amazing and friendly service from my favorite bookseller, Alex. **

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy…

Summer Reading Round Up

Best Books of 2019

My Reluctant Reader’s Fav Graphic Novels

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

Self-Publishing Content Round Up

Once people find out I am an author, it doesn’t take them long to tell me they have a book idea. Shortly after they share their story with me, they ask about the publishing process.

“How do I turn my story into a book?”

What they actually mean is, “How do I self publish a book on Amazon?” Or “What is the best way to self publish a book?” Or maybe even, “Is it better to self publish a book?”

These were questions I had when I first began as well. The answers can be long and complicated, but if you choose self-publishing and follow my advice, it doesn’t have to be. In today’s post I’ve gathered up my best how-to content for Self-Publishing. No matter where you are in the process, I promise you will find valuable and worth-your-time tips here!

**If you are in the “writing my novel phase”, skip today’s post and head here, to check out my Story Seedlings program, so you can get your words down on paper, because the first step in all of this is to write a good story. **

If you’ve already got a finished manuscript, scroll on…

Self-Publishing is just like any other process; it’s easier if you break it down into bite-size pieces and tackle them one at a time. Here are the 4 steps to Self-Publishing a book!

The Steps

• Polish up your words

• Format the text on the interior pages

• Design a book cover

• Upload your work to a self-publishing platform

To get an overview of the entire process, including the cost of each step, watch this video.

To go more in deplth, check out these additional videos and blog posts that will walk you through each of the steps, as well as give you tips and tricks to make your self-publishing journey as smooth as possible.

Book Cover

A book cover is the most visible part of the entire process, so it’s important that you get it right. In this video and blog post I walk you through your design options (and prices) and lay out the pros and cons of each path.

Setting Your Price and Earning Royalties

Just how much does an author earn when they sell a book? Well, it depends. In this blog post I break down the royalty ammounts I earn on my books based on the location at which they are sold. If you are curious just how much money you will make once you write and self-publish a book, this article is definitely for you!

Launching Your Book with a Party

Once you’ve written and published your book you need to tell the world all about it! (Otherwise no one will know it exists and therefore, no one will buy it!) A launch party is both a fun and fabulous way to kick start your book selling. In this video I share several ways you can celebrate the publication of your book and sell a some books while you are at it.

Subscribe to my Writing YouTube channel to stay connected to all sorts of great self-publishing content.

Want More?

These pieces of content just barely scratch the surface of Self-Publishing, but I won’t leave you hanging! I have both a mini and full course that are jam packed with information and tips to make your writing goals and dreams a reality. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, I also offer one on one coaching, so I can walk with you every step of the way. Check out the two courses below, and if you are still feeling uncertain, head over to the post office and drop me a note. I’d love to answer your questions!

If you liked this blog post, you might also enjoy:

Common Writer Question: How Many Pages Will My Book Be?

4 Reliable Sources for Writing Industry Knowledge

How to Sell More Books - 10 Unique Venues and Ideas

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. You can check out my blog archive collection here. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.

Finding Time to Write: A Guest Post by Marci Martin

How do you find time to write?

How do full time writers find time for passion projects?

As a full-time writer, the hardest thing to do is find time to write. 

That sounds backwards, I know, but read me out. 

For the last seven years, I’ve been a full-time business writer, owning and working for my own company, Write Like That. Proposal writing is intensely deadline driven, usually on a short suspense of 30 days or less, and requires a lot of planning, scheduling, and coordination in the creation of the document, which can sometimes run upward of 200 pages in multiple volumes. There are meetings and review cycles and graphics and information gathering. It challenges both the left and right side of the brain, to think logically and logistically to develop methodology to meet the contract requirements yet still be creative in the presentation and explanation. 

In short, it is like turning out a publishable quality manuscript every 30 days. A win feels like how I imagine it feels to have your book on a bestseller list. But the work to get there? A slug fest. 

On top of that, I have a company to run. I am responsible for payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, maintaining software licenses and hardware, insurance, marketing, budgeting, projections, and taxes. None of which happens unless I sit down to do it.

Outside of full-time writer and business owner, I am a wife and a mother of four. While my oldest two children are adults living outside the home, our remaining two birds in the nest are a senior in high school and fifth grader. Both are extremely active, playing soccer, basketball, tennis, and softball as well as artistic pursuits like competitive show choir and acting. I co-teach Sunday School, volunteer as a youth soccer and basketball coach, and serve on three different community boards. 

My color-coded schedule looks like someone threw handfuls of paint at it from 8 am to 7 pm every day. 

And I imagine, for most of us, regardless of the job that pays the bills, the schedule looks the same. 

So where does one find time to write creative fiction, which is the end game I’m striving for? Amanda has touched on this subject here on her blog and social media over and over again, because time is a writer’s most relatable struggle.

I have tried over and over again to use some to tips and tricks I’ve seen on her page and others and have struggled mightily. Get up earlier? Stay up later? Sprints? An hour a day? Batch write for four hours every weekend? Nope, nope, nope, nope, and nope.

Then I listened to The Creative Penn, a podcast by Joanna Penn about writing and self-publishing. She interviewed Jessie L. Kwak on the podcast about building a productivity system for artists and writers, and it was life-changing. She is also a full-time writer with business clients and her own creative writing. 

Kwak’s book “From Chaos to Creativity” helped me develop a system to incorporate creative writing into my regular schedule. Some of her suggestions mirror the list of things I tried that didn’t work but approaching them differently in a new framework has made them more successful. 

1. Brainstorm all the things you want to do.

2. Sort them in “corrals”, digital or physical folders for large categories (Book, Personal, Client Work, etc).

3. Make a “Goals List” and a “No List”.

4. Go through the tasks to see which list its on. 

5. Keep the tasks associated with goals. 

6. Prioritize the tasks.

7. Schedule the tasks in your work day/work week. 

She goes further into making sure that she schedules her creative work when she has the most energy, that she only takes client meetings during certain hours on certain days and ensuring that rest/fun time is part of the plan. She also “batches” doing similar work at the same time each day to stay in the project’s creative or productive flow.

These steps are ones I had read about or tried to implement in the past, but what made this different for me, and now maybe for you, is perspective. I have always approached my creative writing as “extra”, that thing I get to do once all my responsibilities have been met. Which almost never happens. Instead, I relied on finding space to write in my “off” time, which is already full of family activities. It has rarely worked for long and left me disappointed in myself for not being disciplined enough to get up early, stay up late, or miss out on the family game of catch in the backyard.

Instead, reading about her system made me realize that there are other things I can put on my “no list” to free up time for the priorities on the “Goal List”. And because creative writing is meant to be part of my formal business, I allocate time just as I would for meeting a potential new client. There is no guarantee such a meeting will result in paid work in the future, just as a new book may not generate revenue. But that doesn’t stop me from prioritizing it in my schedule. 

It may be that your main job doesn’t give the flexibility of adding creative writing to the work day. I believe the same steps still apply, especially knowing what tasks serve your goals and what tasks should be on the “No List”. Knowing what to focus on in the time you do have is critical. You may not be able to write every day. Maybe the best you can do right now is two hours on a Saturday morning. Focusing on those items during that time will move you forward every week, slowly but surely. 

Using my version of these steps, I have made more progress on my works in progress in thirty days than I have in the last three years. Give them a try, tweak so they fit your life and schedule, and see where it takes you. 

~ Marci Martin

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Guest Post Author Bio

Marci Martin has been fascinated with the written word her whole life. An author, business owner, mom and wife in Western Wisconsin, her days are full of computer screens, constructive criticism and kid cuddles, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s been hard to work on her next project, “Whiskey Seven” for far too long. For book updates, positive vibes and funny videos (but not cats), follow her @whi5k3ygirl on Instagram and Twitter, or on Facebook, Marci Martin - Author Page | Facebook.

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. You can check out my blog archive collection here. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.

Telling Time Literary Style

During my critique group last week we were talking about the passing of time. We were specifically discussing best practices for showing the passage of time in our stories.

It is easy to fall into the trap of telling each and every little part of our characters’ days. They woke up; they ate breakfast. They went to work and had a meaningful conversation, and then went out to happy hour with a few co-workers and blah, blah, blah. The career pivoting conversation was the important part of the scene, but if we didn’t say the character ate scrambeled eggs and was annoyed by their morning commute, did it really happen? What could you leave out? And when could you hit the fast forward button? What should you absolutely not skip? Most importantly, what kinds of signal words should you be using to tell your reader the chronology of events without boring or confusing them?

We talked for awhile, mentioning points of our own manuscripts we felt could be improved, and then I had an idea. As a middle school reading and English teacher I often employed a strategy called “using a mentor text,” and it worked GREAT! By looking at published stories we admired, we saw what the desired end result could look like, and my students were able to make better attempts at achieving the goal we’d set out to pursue. I suggested to my critque group we do the same thing. “Let’s look at how the pros do it,” I said.

It’s a simple strategy, but one I often flounder to remember until I’ve tried (and failed with) a few other options. Whether I’m formatting a book and need to know which exact page the dedication should go on, or how an author handles chapter titles or any number of other writing considerations, I walk to my shelf, pull out a book in the same genre I’m attempting and simply look at the book as a sample of what I’m trying to achieve.

Daily Beast writer and author Malcom Jones said this, “If you assiduously (conscientiously) try to copy something, you can’t help learn about what you’re replicating.” Seems pretty smart right? And you know what else? It’s super easy and FREE to access.

So we all set out to pay attention to the way the author our our current reading selection showed the passing of time. We then took these model examples and tried their phrasing within our own work. Before you get prickly about this strategy, let me be clear. What we are doing is not copying, it’s learning. It’s taking a sentence structure template and applying our own characters, plot, voice and style. By the time our work has gone through several rounds of revision and is published, it is highly unlikely that the words remaning on the page even closely resemble those that inspired them. These mentor text selections are merely the jumping off point, the “start here” point on our writing journey.

Let me show you a few examples.

In this single page of Jefferson’s Sons there are at least five ways Kimberly Brubaker Bradley shows the passing of time, but my favorite one is this sentence:

“The year Peter turned nine, three important things happened.”

Not only does it tell us how old the main character is now, and consequently how much time as passed since the beginning of the story (presuming we knew how old he was then), it also sets up the chapter brilliantly. This single sentence lets us know that three big events are going to be talked about and thus, give us a mini outline of what is to come. It keeps the chapter focused and purposeful, both for the writer and the reader.

Here is my attempt at using this line within my own work.

Three guests visited Emmy at Sweet Shores on Tuesday, each one brining a surprising piece of news. The first arrived as she flipped the store sign from closed to open.

“Gloria!” Emmy greeted her old friend warmly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning visit?”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Gloria said and laid a copy of the Duluth News Tribune down on the front counter.

See, it’s hardly the same, but studying a successful sentence written by a pro was enough of a nudge to get me going.

Here’s another one, from The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

The time telling sentence I admired from this book was,

“Twenty seven hours before seh decided to die, Nora Seed sat on her dilapidated sofa scrolling through other people’s happy lives, waiting for something to happen. And then out of nowhere, something actually did.”

Not only does this sentence give of a reference of timing, it also builds anticiaption for events to come.

Here is my attempt at replicating these effects.

Four hours into her shift Emmy wasn’t sure she could take anymore surprises, but she wasn’t counting anthing out. Her grandma had always spouted the wives tale that things, good or bad, came in threes and Emmy had already received numbers one and two. Just before closing the store for the day, number three walked through her door.

Again, let me re-state that the process I’ve described and showcased above is a step along the way. We are not trying to pay our mortgage by stealing creative work from best selling authors. We are learning. We are studying. We are copying… for now, but not forever. Eventually the nuances of quality writing, the rhythm of an enchanting sentence, the unique observations and mastery of poetic language will be our own to wield with words on the page.

Do you have any favorite literary lines or time telling techniques that you’d like to share? Drop them in the comments; I’d love to learn from you as well.

If you liked this blog post, you might also enjoy:

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. You can check out my blog archive collection here. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.

How to Decorate Your Home With Books

This week I’m pumped to welcome Hana Rehman to my blog to share tips on a combination of two topics that make my word nerd heart truly happy… books and home decor. While I’m not particularly gifted at DIY home projects, I LOVE watching HGTV and vicariously living through the visual creativity and hard work of others. Mia’s interior design goals in Close Quarters were probably born from these joys… yet another career I can write about without actually having to pursue it professionally. What is it George R.R. Martin says? A reader lives a thousand lives? Well, then what about the writer?

Anyway, I digress. I’ll turn it over to Hana, who will skillfully tell you how to effectively use books and bookshelves to spruce up your space. Take it away Hana!

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In books, we find fascinating stories that become close to our hearts.

The literature we keep and collect becomes a special part of our homes, and those we present on our shelves help show off our interests and passions. Not only do books enhance day-to-day life with words, but those with beloved covers can also serve as beautiful display pieces for our living spaces. 

However, it can be hard to decide how to decorate our homes with our favorite reads. Whether you’re looking to revamp your own collection, spice up a room with new shelves, or want to start a home library, look no further. Keep reading for some useful tips on decorating with books, along with photo inspiration from 1stDibs.

Shelving and Bookcases

Books and shelving go hand-in-hand, so finding the right shelf option for your space is of utmost importance. To decide on a shelf, take a look at your existing decor or theme and match it to the perfect new home for your books. 

For a modern and sophisticated look, opt for floating shelves to display a small portion of your book collection. Floating shelves also give you the opportunity to take advantage of extra wall space if you have it. 

If you have a larger book collection, find a tall bookcase for floor-to-ceiling shelving. Alternatively, for a smaller display, leaning or ladder shelves are a popular option. With their casual slant, ladder shelves tend to give off a more bohemian and rustic vibe. 

If you want a unique display piece as a shelving unit, geometric or cube shelves bring interesting shapes into your interior. Corner bookcases are another unique option, and they’re perfect for smaller spaces, such as apartments, that have limited wall space. 

A classic wooden or antique bookcase brings a sophisticated and cultured feel to a room. Rustic or ornate, antique bookcases will match any home with a traditional theme.

Arranging Your Books

Although it may be tempting to stack your books in any which way, there are several fun strategies to make your collection look more put-together. 

Spice up your shelves with a new arrangement. For example, you can try organizing your books by height from taller to shorter. For visual variety, stack some books horizontally. 

For traditional library lovers, organizing your books by genre or the author’s last name will help you find the books you need in record time. 

Alternatively, arranging your books by color will make your shelves look so much more organized - and it doesn’t have to be complicated! Try out fun combinations and experiment with different color palettes. For example, designate one section for the books with cool toned-covers and another for the warm toned-covers. You can also try featuring books that match your room’s accent colors.

Don’t let your books stand alone; add eye-pleasing variety by interspersing other decorative objects on your shelves. Bookends, artwork, photography, and pottery are all great choices. Plants are another great shelf addition, especially for rooms that receive lots of sunlight. 

If you have several large books with gorgeous covers, consider creating a rotating book gallery. Display several favorites on your shelf with the covers facing outward like art pieces. Make sure to rotate them out periodically for a change of scenery. 

No Shelving? No Problem!

If shelves aren't available to you or if you’re simply looking for other ways to display books throughout your home, there are lots of other options. Feel free to stack beautiful books on your mantle, nightstand, or any other surface. Not only will you disperse books naturally in other rooms, but you’ll encourage anyone to pick up a good read in all areas of the house.

Creating a book pedestal is an amazing way to showcase unique titles. On a console table, stack several books that are connected by color or theme. Then, place a vase or flower arrangement on top. A few book pedestals here and there will make your space look elevated and classy. 

The living room coffee table is an excellent place to show off large books that feature photography or art. For your coffee table display, choose several nonfiction titles that showcase your interest and hobbies. 

Decorating With Antique Books

Finally, what do you do with older books that you aren’t quite sure how to decorate with? 

If you combine antique books with newer books on the same shelf, keep in mind that hardcovers will integrate better with antiques. Old books also fit right in on wooden and antique bookcases.

Another great option for antique books is to incorporate them into a rustic display shelf. Tie a group of aging books loosely with twine and place them next to other collectibles or nostalgic items, such as family photos and old keepsakes. 

Hopefully these tips will have inspired you to spruce up your book collection in your own unique way. There isn’t any wrong way to decorate with books, so make sure to have fun with it! 

Gosh, that was nerdtastic! Thanks Hana!

If you loved this post and want to check out more on a similar topic, read this one I wrote about Literary Decor. Also, if you’d like the word nerd goodness of this blog delivered to your inbox each week, click here to subscribe.

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Hana Rehman is a content creator with a passion for all things bookish. Her background in digital marketing has led her to cover unique topics ranging from literature to interior design, and she helps 1stDibs create compelling stories worth sharing. In her spare time you’ll find her exploring, doodling, and listening to audiobooks while walking her dog.

New Website: Introducing WordNerdopolis from Amanda Zieba

I shared in my post last week that I’m a different writer today than I was five years ago, and that I recently realized (with the help of a good friend and business coach Chynna Haas) that I had outgrown my website.

I put a lot of love (and time and energy and posts and graphics and prodcuts) into that old site. I was and am still proud of that website. But it wasn’t serving me or my people anymore. In fact, it had so much STUFF on it, that no one really knew where to find what they wanted… or in some cases, that it even existed.

So, with the help of Chynna and feedback from my dear writing friend Christy (who looks at everything I create before I share it with the world) I dreamed up a new space. Then, with the talents of artist Rachel Wunsch (yes, the Rachel who painted the cover art for the Close Quarters series) and a whole lot of hours on Canva and Squarespace…

I created WORDNERDOPOLIS.

Today, I am thrilled to welcome you to my nerdy little city on the internet. I hope you wander freely and explore all the city has to offer you. Click into each of the buildings and watch the “tour” videos (each one is only a minute long, I promise). Browse the books and courses, products and resources, videos and more.

I am so proud of this place I have built and I hope you love it as much as I do.

So… without further adieux, click here to be transported to WORDNERDOPOLIS. I hope you have a wonderful visit and that you come back again soon!

All my best to you my favorite word nerds,

Amanda

P.S. If you see a typo or discover a link that doesn’t work, would you pretty please screenshot it and tell me? Despite all the help I had with the concept of this place, I’m still a one woman show when it comes to actually pulling it off. I’m certain there are tiny errors here and there, but I’d rather have you, my friend, tell me, than show up poorly for strangers on the internet. Thank you in advance! :)

Work in Progress

In the writing world people often talk about their “work-in-progress.” It's a vague title that can mean a lot of different things… a manuscript, a story, a chapbook of poems, a movie script… it can be anything! By lableing a task a “work-in-progress,” it gives the creator flexibility and freedom to work on it without really having to define specific parameters, goals or results. It gives you space while also clearly stating: I AM WORKING. I love this. I shouldn’t be surprised that a profession of wordsmiths were able to pick precisely the right descpriptive phrase.

For all it’s greatness, I think we under utilize the idea of “works-in-progress”. We are happy to apply it to the concept of projects on paper, but beyond that realm, we just want to be D-O-N-E, done. When we think about our careers, for example, we are hesitant to identify with the notion that we are not stepping into a position fully qualified and at the top of our game. When we realize that isn’t the casee (that we do have some room to grow and improve) we struggle with doubts and imposter syndrome. But I would argue that our careers (and maybe even our lives) are our biggest and most important works-in-progress.

I am currently amidst several works-in-progress. I’ve started the manuscript for Champion Chocolatier #4. I’m about 20,000 words into helping a client write a book about the space where business and life intersect. I’m waist deep in curating a series of read aloud and author interview videos. AND, I’m about to embark on the next phases of an exciting website redesign.

It is the website project in particular that got me thinking about the term “works-in-progress”, especially in realtion to careers. The website on which you are reading this blog is five years old. It is safe to say that I am a different writer than I was five years ago. I have come to realize that I have outgrown my current corner in the internet, or at the very least, my space could stand to be renovated and reorganized. This is exciting, but also a lot of work, a work-in-progress that I’ll be giving my full attention to in the week (possibly weeks) to come.

Because of the size of this website work-in-progress, I’m going to keep today’s post brief, but I am looking forward to unveilng this new version of me, of showcasing my current status of my career-in-progress. I (enthusiastically!) invite you to come back and check it all out. (To subscribe to this blog, if you don’t already, click here so you won’t miss out on any big announcements!)

For now, I’d love to hear from you. What is your current “work-in-progress,” either in writing or career or life? Tell me in the comments below and then get to work, because the first part of making progress, is, you guessed it, WORK.

Until next week my word nerds, happy working and writing!

Amanda

My Dream 100

I was listening to my favorite entrepreneur podcast (Goal Digger) the other day when Jenna Kutcher mentioned an Instagram strategy that perked my ears right up. She gives credit to her buddy Russel Brunson for coming up with it, but she shared it with me (and her hundreds of thousands of listeners) and now I’m sharing it with you. The goodness goes around and around!

The strategy, called Your Dream 100, can actually be used far beyond Instagram, and that’s just one thing I like about it. Before I go into all of that, let me first tell you what it is.

Your Dream 100 is a list of people and organizations you’d love to work with. They are people you admire, with careers and statuses you are striving to achieve. They are solid humans who exemplify in their words and deeds the kind of person you want to become and the career you want to have. Your Dream 100 is like your dream-birthday party invitation list, if everyone on the list could teach you something amazing, help you level up your career or inspire you in a big way. This list is more than an A-List celebrity line up, although certain celebrities may find their way onto your list if their achievements mirror goals of your own. Your Dream 100 should include people, accounts, brands and businesses you want to connect and work with in the future.

Jenna says that to help you populate your list, you can ask yourself the following questions.

1. Who are the people that I’ve looked to in the past for advice and strategy?

2. Who are the people that THEY’ve looked up to on their journey?

3. Who has stories that I find really, really inspiring?

4. What could we do for each other? What value could I offer?

5. How can I magnetize these people towards me, too?

6. How can I magnetize these people towards me, too?

Even before the episode (3 Easy Strategies to Help You Rock Instagram in 2021) ended, I began making mentally selecting people for my list. I’m going to share it here, for two reasons. First of all there are some seriiously amazing people on my list and I know that because I’ve learned a ton from them, I know you can too. Also, I’m a big vicarious learner… meaning, I learn through seeing examples, rather than just hearing theories. So, perhaps by seeing my list, you might get a few ideas for your own Dream 100. (Totally feel free to snag a few of my people for your own list if you’ve got some open spots!)

After you scroll through this list, check out my tips for creating your list and making the most of this strategy.

My Dream 100

Writing

Kristen Kieffer

Angela Ackerman

Johnathan Rand

Jennifer Weiner

Maggie Stiefvater

Jennie Nash

Oh Reader (Magazine)

BJ Hollars

Susanna Kearsely

Austin Kleon

Jennifer Donnelly

Douglas Preston

Erika Johansen

Ken Follett

Lauren Weisberger

Ernest Cline

Andy Weir

TeacherTube/Teacherpreneur

Colby Sharp

Pernille Rip

Learning with LaFrenz

Commas and Cultures

The Colorful Apple

The Steller Teacher Co

TeacherGolz

Lauren Thompson

TeachingBooks.Net

The Ravenclaw Teacher

Head Over Heels for Teaching

Fifth in the Forest

The Itsy Bitsy Classroom

Teacher to Teacher

Writer-Teacher-Crossover List

**Authors I’d like to work with on videos/products/etc.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Lynda Mullualy Hunt

Kwame Alexander

Jason Reynolds

Kelly Yang

Jennifer Nielsen

Kate DiCamillo

Kate Messner

Marissa Meyer

R.J. Palacio

Jarrett Lerner

Chad Sell

Margi Preus

Wendelin VanDraanen

Helen Frost

Jamie Pacton

Dan Gemeinhart

Highlights

Lisa Fipps

Rajani LaRoca

Freadom USA

Story Monster

StoryWorks

Scholastic

Business

Jenna Kutcher

Midwest Mompreneurs

Steph Burdett

Coffee Confessions TMD

BadAxe Enterprises

The Jillian Fernandez

Ilana Griffo

Ruth Soukup

YouTube

Thomas Frank

Shaelin Writes

Andrea Jean

iWriterly

Alex Rainbird Music

Book Reviewers

Zibby Owens

The Booksish Mom

The Clean Read Club

Awholelattebooks

SelfPublished Shoutout

Lacey’s Library

He Read She Read

Fiction in the Kitchen

Belles Middle Grade

Booked for Lunch

Iowa Amber Reads

Paiges Reads Things

Reading is my Cardio

Momfluencer

Jordy’s Book Club

2 Babes and a Bookshelf

General Celebrities

Anna Kendrick

Jennifer Lawrence

Annie Agar

Glennon Doyle

Kristen Bell

Taylor Swift

Meghan Markle

Eminem

Justin Beiber

Here are a few tips I discovered while creating my list.

1. Since my authorpreneur life is multi-facted, I divided it up into categories. This helped me organize the actions I plan to take with the people on my list.

2. Remember, making the list is only the first step. You have to DO something with your list to make gains with this strategy. You better believe I am sending this blog post to each person on this list as a way to kickstart it’s usefulness!

3. Write the ways you plan to engage/connect in your planner so they actually get done! Keep in mind that this strategy doesn’t have to stay in the Instagram corner of the internet. For example: This week I am going to comment on 5 Dream 100 Instagram posts, drop into the DM’s via stories of 3 Dream 100 members and watch/comment on 2 YouTube videos.

4. Make your scrolling purposeful! Instead of aimlessly wandering around the platform, I now strategically visit the instagram profiles of people on my Dream 100 list and engage in their content. If, in the future, I’d like to reach out with an “ask” my name will hopefully register (at least subconciously!) making it easier for them to say yes to whatever fun idea I propose.

5. For some of the people on this list, I have very specific ideas in mind. For example, I’d love for Kwame Alexander to someday publish my novel-in-progress about gymnast in foster care. I’d love to create a series of virtual panel videos in which several of the educators on this list share their best practices. I pretty much just want to BE Laruen Tarshis.

6. It’s okay if you don’t get to 100. It’s just a nice round number. (P.S. If you were counting, my list is only at 94 and has a little room to grow!) Getting to 100 is not the important part. If you only have 50, it’s all good! Focus on those people and your relationships with them and make the most of it!

Do you have a writer, author, youtuber, educator or other rockstar human you think would be a great addition to my list? I’d love to hear your suggestions. Please add your recommendations in the comments. I wish you the best as you create your dream list and working towards making impactful and career changing connections.

Getting Out of a Writing Rut

How do you get out of a writing rut?

How do you beat writer’s block?

I have a confession. I’ve been in a bit of a writing rut.

Let me explain. My writing cycle follows three distinct phases: WRITE. PUBLISH. PROMOTE. I write a manuscript, publish it as a book and then promote it. Writing usually takes 5-9 months, publishing 6-8 weeks and then, I promote it until I die. It’s the last step that holds me up. Because I’ll never be done promoting a book. I could (and will) forever be in promotion mode. It is the fact that this job never ends that makes it so hard for me to move back to the beginning of the cycle again. Which is sooooo strange, but because as soon as I start writing again I say, “Ohh, yeeahhh, THIS is why I do this. THIS is what makes it all so fun.”

For me, the initial idea dumping on paper is my favorite part. So, why-oh-why, do I take so long to get back to it!?!?! Likely it is because there are just so many tasks involved in the job of being an authorpreneur and it is very easy to think that those tasks, NEED to be done and are MORE important than writing. But those are just lies we let ourselves believe.

Hear me when I tell you, WRITING IS THE IMPORTANT PART.

I needed this reminder, BIG TIME. There are a dozen different excuses I could give… but the honest truth is that up until two weeks ago, I hadn’t written anything (fictional) since I published Close Quarters: A Pivotal Pause - IN NOVEMBER! I went 4 months… a quarter of a year… without starting a new manuscript. But two months ago, I decided enough was enough. Here are 5 strategies I have employed to pull myself out of a writing rut and get back in the saddle again.

1. Find an accountability friend

The first step I made in geting out of my writing rut was to confess my writing sins (or lack of writing) to a friend. Good friend that she is, she said, “I expect an outline on my desk in three days.” It wasn’t exacty 3 days and it wasn’t a full outline, but dang it if I didn’t text her a picture of crudely listed plot elements within a week. Praise Jesus for good writing friends. I don’t know where I’d be without them. If you don’t have a writing friend, find one! Look for local writing organizations, join writing groups on Facebook, do an all call on Instagram. Often times writers are quiet about their pursuits, but if you shout out you desire to connect with another word nerd soul, I think you’ll be surprised at the number of people in your life who’ll come out of the woodwork and identify themselves as writers!

2. Writing Sprints

The only way I make real progress on a manuscript in the word count department is by giving myself TIME to do it. I know this sounds obvious, but the act of finding (and then productively using) a block of time is a real skill and takes discipline. I am most successful when I set a timer (usually 30-60 minutes), turn off the volume on my phone (and flip it over so I can’t see the notifications popping up!), and write. It’s amazing the amount of words you can commit to the page when you commit to the goal. I wrote all about writing sprints in this post, so if you’d like to learn more about this strategy, check it out!

3. Instrumental Playlists

Another trick that increases my productivity when doing a writing sprint is to listen to instrumental music. This is especially effective when I choose music that matches the mood of the writing I’m trying to produce. I’m in the process of making several of these playlists, so save yourself some searching and head on over to my YouTube channel and give one a try.

4. Word Count Calendar

I’m a pretty disciplined human. I give full credit to my parents for instilling great habits and mindsets in this department, not to mention incredible list making skills. If I have a writing goal, creating a simple checkmark calendar (think potty training sticker chart!) I increase my success big time. For more details on this strategy, check out this prior post.

5. Try a non-writing strategy

Sometimes I’ve tried a non-writing strategy like creating a character mood board. This activity allows me to flex my creativity muscles on a project and gets my mind really thinking about what I am going to write. You can learn more about this strategy here.

6. A Pre-Writing Workbook

Another similar strategy I’ve employed is doing some deep thinking about my story, it’s world and my character’s motive through direct questioning. My favorite pre-writing workbook the Pre-Write Project created by Kristen Kieffer. One year I spent an entire October working through it before I dove into NaNoWriMo. It totally prepared me to pound out the words without having to pause and figure things out along the way… because I already knew it all!

Which of these strategies do you think will work best for you?

Don’t be afraid to try a combination of a couple. If one of them doesn’t work well for you, don’t feel bad. Dismiss it and try another. We all write differently… you need to find what works for you and it is okay if that takes time. It is my hope that one of these strategies works for you… but if not, don’t give up. Experiment until you find your perfect writing process.

I am happy to say that as of this week, I have two very solid chapters to my newest manuscript (Champion Chocolatier #4) and am making progress on the third. I feel confident that I’ll be able to get this book done by this fall and maybe even by this summer if I get my butt in gear. (See, there’s that accountability creeping back in. Promise you’ll hold me to this deadline?!?!?!) What are you working on? What is a struggle you are currently facing in your writing life? Shout them out in the comments below and I’ll offer up a piece of writing wisdom or advice to help you through it.

Until next week word nerd, Happy Writing!

~ Amanda

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. You can check out my blog archive collection here. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.

Writers as Time Travelers

I’m thrilled to host my friend and fellow Wisconsin writer, Tracy Helixon on the blog today. Our circles overlap so many times, it’s hard to keep track. Tracy and I teach writing at Western Technical College and are wives to collegiate coaches of spring seasons. (Her husband coaches softball and mine, baseball… so we both also spend a fair ammount of time at the ball field.) We both write feel-good fiction for women and books for kids. We are both members of SCBWI and MVWG. It’s no wonder we are friends!

In addition to sharing Tracy’s insight and writer wisdom today, I’m excited to celebrate the release of her newest book! After you read today’s post, click here to sign up for her virtual launch event and learn how you can snag a copy of her Irish inspired book, Fields of Promise. Congratualtions Tracy and best of luck to you and your launch on a very fitting St. Patrick’s Day!

Once upon a time, I sat on a rock. And it changed my life.

The rock was on a bay in Ireland. When the tide came in, that rock was the only one left uncovered on the shore. I can’t remember how many times I climbed it during the four months I spent living and studying there, but I do remember soaking it in every single time. The crash of the waves. The cool, damp seaside air. The smells of fish and salt water. The unique blend of colors in each and every sunset. Nearly thirty years later, memories of my time in Ireland are still with me. In fact, my historical romance, Fields of Promise, would not exist without them.

As a fiction writer, I get to be a time-traveler, constantly jumping back and forth between the world I’m creating on the page and the real-world experiences that inspired it.

Care to join me?

Life Experience
In Ireland, we lived in tiny seaside cottages heated with peat fireplaces and coin-operated electricity. Once in a while, we forgot to put coins in the meter and would find ourselves suddenly sitting in the dark! A couple miles down the road from our cottages stood Spiddal, a Gaelic-speaking village in County Galway.

Scene in Fields of Promise

Iowa, 1890

Half-way down the field, the horses brayed, stopped, dug in their hooves, and snorted. Katherine Murphy, however, kept going. In fact, her own momentum nearly launched her over the top of the hand-held plow. She tightened her grip on the handles to steady herself, then pushed her heels in the soil, snapped the reins, and urged the animals forward. They did not budge.

What now? She gripped the handles tight enough to make her knuckles shake. If sheer will could propel the plow forward, they’d be at the end of the field by now. Katherine huffed out a frustrated breath and let go. She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead, then placed her hands above her hips. A gust of wind billowed her white blouse and long tan skirt.

“Spiddal and Galway!” she scolded. Da had named the horses after two of their beloved Irish towns. “Stubborn as mules, you are!” She tugged off her work glove and placed the side of a blistered palm inside her mouth to soothe it. How would Da solve this?

She pictured him, tall and strong, standing where she was now. In the distance, a simple wooden cross marked his resting place. Each square inch of the land whispered his memories.

“I’m keeping my promise, Da,” she muttered. Her thoughts wandered back to the day she had made that promise.

Still with me? Okay, one more!

Life Experience

I never would have traveled to Ireland without the influence of my Irish-American grandparents. My grandfather was the son of an Irish immigrant from County Donegal. Grandma’s family came from County Cork.

As newlyweds, my husband and I made a six-hour trip to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa in their small town of Onawa, Iowa – a town that helped inspire the setting for Fields of Promise. One summer night, we sat around the kitchen table with Grandma and Grandpa and asked how they met.

They both agreed that they first saw each other inside the town mercantile. Grandpa shared that Grandma had a kerosene can, plugged with a potato piece instead of a cork. Grandma, however, was quite adamant that she would never. The playful argument went back and forth for a few minutes before Grandpa ended it with one simple statement: “You had a potato.”

I still have the notes from that night, scratched in pen on a paper plate because it was the first thing I could find when I realized the treasures I was hearing.

Scene in Fields of Promise

Mr. Jakobsen . . . turned back to Katherine. “I’ve filled your kerosene can. And here is a new piece of licorice for Timothy. We can’t have him eating one that rolled about on the floor.”

 “Thank you for that kindness, Mr. Jakobsen.”

“You are welcome, Miss Katherine. And with the eggs you brought in today, you still have a credit balance on your account. Do say hello to your mother for me. May I help you take these things out to your buggy?”

The stranger rushed to the counter. “Please, let me–.” Suddenly, he stopped talking and stared curiously at the kerosene can.

Looking down at the can herself, Katherine felt her face flush, then scolded herself for caring half a penny about what this stranger thought.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but right there, plugging the top of your can—well, it doesn’t look like the corks we used before they brought the electricity to us in New York. Do folks use something different around these parts?”

“No. Most folks here use cork, too.”

The stranger looked at the can more closely. “Is this some new kind of cork, then?”

Had he truly asked about this? How was she to help it if her cork had been misplaced? “No. It would be a potato piece. You do have potatoes out in New York now, don’t ye?”

This time, the man’s face flushed. “Of course, we do. I’ve just never seen one used to plug a kerosene can, that’s all.”

“Right. Well, it’s called resourcefulness. Something we’re quite familiar with here in Iowa. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am most capable of carrying these things to my buggy, and I must get to it before this storm blows in.”

And with that, she gathered her things, turned on her heels, and marched out the mercantile door.

So, there you have have it. Time travel! For me, it’s one of the very best parts of being a writer. Thanks for coming along! I posted two more examples of time travel on my author Facebook page today. I hope you’ll stop by! Click here to find Fields of Promise, published by the Winged Publications Forget Me Not Romance line.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

America, 1880: After the death of her beloved father, Irish immigrant Katherine Murphy is consumed by one singular goal. She will keep her promise to protect the family and save their Iowa homestead.

Worlds away in New York City, Jonathan Schoon’s controlling father has groomed him to take over the family business, a stifling future that gives Jonathan neither peace nor purpose. This summer, he will have one last adventure. During a visit with Uncle Heinrick on the Schoon family farm in Iowa, he plans to make enough memories to last a lifetime.

When Katherine meets Jonathan in the town mercantile, she refuses to let the handsome city boy distract from her promise to Da. But when love unfolds, both must make heart-wrenching decisions, all while summer’s clock is ticking. Fields of Promise is a heartwarming story of family, community, faith, and purpose.

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Tracy Helixon began her writing career at age five, when her parents found her writing all over her little brother. When they asked why, the answer was simple: "Timmy thought he was a piece of paper." Clearly, her stories started early! To Timmy's relief, Tracy now uses a computer to write. Along with writing stories for children, she also teaches writing and speech at a two-year college in Wisconsin.

Tracy is a passionate teacher and award-winning author who seeks out creativity, goodness, and chocolate and can't stop smiling each time she finds it. Her first picture book, Little Isaac's BIG Adventure (2012), won a Literary Classics International Book Award. Her historical fiction chapter book, Caleb's Lighthouse (2017), was described by reviewer Rosi Hollinbeck as "an early middle grade book that is about as sweet as they come." Tracy's debut novel, Fields of Promise (Winged Publications, 2021) is a Christian historical romance inspired by her adventures in Ireland and her own Irish-American family. Learn more at www.tracyhelixon.com .

Tracy's favorite things include books; travel; church; sunny days; rainy days; crunchy, colorful fall leaves; Christmas tree lights; family adventures; Ireland; and chocolate chip mint ice cream.

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If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)

Irish Strong William: A Story for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and so I wanted to take some time to highlight one of my older stories, Irish Strong William.

William has traveled to America from Ireland with the hope of finding a better life. Unfortunately, things do not go well for William in the new country and he is separated from his family. Will William be Irish Strong enough to ride on the orphan train a new home in a new country?

The Orphan Train Riders stories were the first books I ever wrote and published, and just like the trips children took on the orphan trains, my own journey seems a long time ago! Back in 2013 my kiddos were toddlers, I was still working as a full time reading teacher and my author dreams were just starting to bloom. I think knowing that these books were my beginning will always reserve them a special place in my heart.

I also love that these stories are a great addition to classrooms, especially around the holidays. While St. Patrick’s Day is considered a minor holiday in the United States, recognizing it can still add a touch of fun and fanfare to your classroom. Using this story and its accompanying resources can be an easy way for you to do just that! And bonus, not only will you be adding a wee bit of fun, you’ll also be able to teach your students about interesting aspects of our country’s past including facts about Ellis Island, immigration, the Children’s Aid Society, railroads and of course, the orphan train riders.

The newest addition to my line up of resources for this book is a read aloud/along video. Accessible for both in person and distanced leraning classrooms, this 30 minute audio recording of William’s journey is the perfect way to experience the story… either all in one shot or broken up into bitesized pieces.

Another resource available is The Orphan Train Riders Unit Study which offers up comprehension questions, vocabulary work, journal writes and extension activities not only for William’s story, but for Charles and Joanna’s as well.

And finally, enjoy this free coloring sheet. Students can fill in the picture on the front and record interesting facts they learn from the story on the back. Then, when they take it home, they can easily share what they’ve learned instead of saying “nothing” when asked what they did in school today.

Either right click and save this image or email me and I can send you a printable copy!

No matter how you choose to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or or what leprechaun shenanigans take place in your classroom, I’m sending you all the luck in the world for a wonderful week.

This post and video were made beautiful by Canva.

 If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Affiliate marketing is promoting a product or service in return for a commission. When you purchase a product or service through one of my links, I earn a small part of the sale. There is NEVER any extra cost to you. If you looked up the same product on the same site through another source besides my website, the price will still be exactly the same. 100% of the time.

I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)