Time Management
To Sleep or Write?
by Tanya Dennis The kids are finally asleep. I just kicked off a second load of laundry, straightened the living room (for the fourteenth time today) and cleaned the bathroom. Exhausted, I ignored the dirty dishes in the sink. It’s 9:27 PM, but it feels like 11. I should write. I should work on that…
Marketing: 10, 100, and 1000 Dollar Work
So you’ve got a book coming out and the marketing director at your publisher calls you up, very excited about your book. You’re excited too, until she tells you all the things she wants you to do to promote your book. Put up a web site. Create a blog. Make a Facebook fan page and…
The Pomodoro Technique®: Productivity for Writers, One Tomato at a Time
by Jane Steen Like most writers, I’m constantly busy. If you’re serious about writing, there’s a never-ending to-do list: blog, read, review, draft, edit, absorb, learn, redraft. But there are times when ‘busy’ turns into ‘overwhelming.’ When I’m trying to complete a big freelance project and write a first draft at the same time, for…
Writing After a Medical Crisis Hits Your Loved One
Last month’s article, How Do You Write When a Medical Crisis Hits, discussed how to keep on writing in the midst of dealing with an elderly parent being hospitalized. Once your beloved senior has been released from the hospital though, your interrupted writing should be back on course, right? Not necessarily. Even though they are…
Balancing School with Writing
Writing fiction is, for most of us, rarely a full-time job; it’s a labor of love. And for most of us, finding the time to devote to our craft is a struggle between family and other responsibilities both inside and outside the home. It’s hard to create a balance between the life we love and…
Top Ten Ways to Find Ten Minutes to Write
No one should have to remind us that life is short. The Bible says it “fades quickly like grass.” In fact, the book of Proverbs is full of encouragement to make use of our time, to be wise with our gifts. If this is true, that we should, in fact, use every day wisely, then…
Growing your Work at Home Business
So you have all your childcare issues worked out, but you sense you’re still struggling with time management. Here are some tips to help you get back on track with your business goals. Identify the highest and best use of your time If you’re in direct sales, the highest and best use of your time…
Organize Your Writing Life
What used to be a simple routine of writing in the morning before going to work has morphed into a full-time job of writing as often as possible while also keeping track of a whole list of publicity appointments, editing, more writing projects and, of course, being a mom and a wife. I am here…
Free Online Program for Tracking Your Submissions
I just signed up for this cool free online program where I can keep track of all my submissions, word counts on manuscripts, publishers, etc. It even gives graphs of your writing progress. I’m still learning about it, but wanted to share. Anyone else use this site? Check it out: http://www.luminarypub.com/services/writersdb/
Writing Takes Discipline!
I have to sit down and work. I have to make goals. I have to meet goals. I’ve also found out that the more discipline I have in life the better my writing goes. I learned that when I have the discipline to eat right and exercise I sleep better, wake up with energy, and…