5 Steps to Staying on the Writing Wagon

We writers have a tendency sometimes to talk about writing, read about writing, and listen to lectures about writing more than we are actively writing. It’s a slump we all fall into. But fear not!

Here FIVE ways that you can create some accountability to make sure you keep writing.

1. Create a Schedule - and stick to it come hell or high water. Make sure when you are creating the schedule that it allows for high-mileage, low-mileage and rest days. Burning yourself out is one of the fastest ways to fall off the writing wagon.
2. Tell Others - Humans are social, curious creatures and love knowing juicy tidbits about their fellow humans’ lives. Sharing with a coworker, neighbor, or your favorite barista that you’re writing a book will lead them to ask you, “Hey, how’s the writing going?” Make sure you have a good answer!
3. Join a Writing Group - With so many diverse writing groups available online, there is no excuse not to join a group. Writing groups keep you accountable by expecting to read your work on a semi regular basis—you better have some material ready!     
4. Self-bribery -  Want to go to that concert this week? Make sure you get your outline done. How about that awesome little restaurant that just opened down the street? Complete your first chapter and then treat yourself.  Self-bribery can be a powerful thing.
5. Post, Tweet, Share on Social Media -  Nothing like telling hordes of strangers that your book is coming along swimmingly! Author communities on social media sites are extremely supportive and inspiring during dire moments in the writing process. Sharing with others who understand a writer’s work keeps you on your toes and reminds you that you’re not entirely crazy for being a writer! 

There you have it! FIVE ways to make sure you stay on the writing wagon.

Friday's Round Up - December 7, 2012

Sean Beaudoin on how not to get published.  Even though this article is written about short stories specifically, it is still interesting.

Taking on too much that you don't have time to write? Five questions to ask yourself before saying yes.

Something that is slightly related to Malindo Lo's post on heteronormativity and fantasy: The Mary Sue has a post on sexism in fantasy and if historical accuracy is a good reason to have it in a book.

The New York Times reviews a self-published book! (found via Indie Reader)

Finished your book for NaNoWriMo? Here are some agents' perspectives on what to do now for revisions.

Book and Publishing News! S&S Create Self Publishing Program

Simon & Schuster Create Self Publishing Unit Archway Publishing

Simon & Schuster has jumped on the self-publishing bandwagon by introducing a new self-publishing program called Archway Publishing. Teaming up with Author Solutions, Inc, who owns vanity publishing outfits like Xlibris, Trafford, AuthorHouse, iUniverse and more, Archway Publishing is following their lead with high fees and, more importantly, a high cut of author royalties.

Archway aims to lure authors by providing “exclusives” like book trailers and assistance in lining up speaking engagements in addition to editing, design, and promotion. Fees vary according to genre but begin around $2,000 for fiction and nonfiction work, $3,000 for business books, and $1,600 for children’s books.

“Self-publishing has become a viable and popular route to publication for many authors, and increasingly a source of content for traditional publishers, including Simon & Schuster,” said S&S CEO Carolyn Reidy.

While true, it is the self-publishing part that makes this route viable — the ability to inexpensively create and publish content to be available on the world market. Archway’s pricing schemes take away this viability by charging authors an excessive amount of money to do what individual freelancers can do far less expensively.

Arguably many may believe that the convenience of having a book edited, designed, and promoted by a single party is worth the price tag. However, one look at Archway’s cut of author royalties is sure to send most authors running: with Archway taking a 70% cut, how are authors ever supposed to make their money back?

As has been the case for sometime, it is supremely beneficial for authors looking to self-publish to do most of the legwork in order to retain profits and control. Freelance editing is wide ranging and a solid editing job will cost an author far less than $1000 in most cases. Promotion and marketing coaching will tailor your marketing effects to ensure you get the most bang for your buck instead of generic promotion that these types of publishers almost guarantee. 

Indie Book Review - Dominant Species Vol. 1 by David Coy

Dominant Species Volume One – Natural Selection

Author: David Coy

With our impending 2012 doom in mind, I chose to read the first volume of this sci-fi thriller series by David Coy. This hair-raising novel follows the lives of several characters who are abducted by aliens and made to endure a new reality of horrific experiments. The main characters in Natural Selection struggle not only with the idea that they are facing their own pain, torture, and what appears to be imminent death, but also with the realization that their abductions are the beginning of the end for human kind.

As cliché as the plot may appear at first, Coy’s vivid and detailed descriptions of the captives’ surroundings and terror, as well as his presentation of each character’s unique storylines creates a frighteningly original take on human survival in the face of fear. Though a bit tedious at times, his attention to detail is one of his writing’s greatest strengths. His alien experiment scenarios weren’t your everyday anal-probing and chip-implanting, they were far more involved, and they had purpose in regards to the goals and endgame of the alien species. Coy’s writing and original storyline made it easy to writhe and squirm in empathy while turning the page to see what torture is to come.

I look forward to reading the next volumes in the series, Edge Effects and Acquired Traits. Coy will release the 4^th volume of the series, Bio Diversity, in 2013. You can find Dominant Species Volume One on Amazon Kindle

-Joan

Friday's Round Up - November 30, 2012

After a short hiatus, we are back!  Just in time for post-NaNoWriMo book revisions and with a brand new website design!  (Check us out at www.calamusworks.com!)

So much has happened in the publishing and writing world since we last did a link post!  I will add some older things each week, but here are a some recent links that are definitely worth thinking about:

Malinda Lo on heteronormativity and fantasy: part 1 and part 2.  Lo writes about Kristen Cashore's Graceling trilogy and how Cashore deals with homosexual relationships in those books.  In addition, Lo gives really great advice on fantasy world-building both in terms of how to write about homosexual relationships in those worlds and  that building those worlds "is about much more than how magic works and drawing a map with some crazy names on it."

Writing by hand by Dystel and Goderich Literary Management (from YA Highway).  Neil Gaiman, who recently came to Pittsburgh and whom I had the pleasure of seeing, also writes by hand.  He said that writing by hand allowed his mind to think of the next part.  It's a valid point if you find yourself staring at that blinking cursor.

Friday's Round Up - October 5, 2012

Publishing: 

Regrets, I Have a Few: Frequent Mistakes Indie Authors Make When They Self-Publish by Barbra Annino at Kirkus Reviews

The Data-Driven, 21st-Century 'Choose Your Own Adventure' by Betsy Morais at The Atlantic

-How some authors are finding out what readers want by surveying on story lines.

It is Banned Books Week!
Famous Authors’ Funniest Responses to Their Books Being Banned from Flavorwire

A fun link:

 The fifteen professions that drink the most coffee from io9

Indie Book Review: The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss

Sophie Moss’s debut novel The Selkie Spell transports you to Ireland to follow American Tara Moore as she goes to Seal Island to regroup and develop a plan to evade her troubled past. This mystical romance starts slowly, but charms you with the misty island and the tight-knit community that believes Tara is the descendant of a selkie – a legendary creature who lives as a seal but transforms to a human on land. The darker themes found in fairy tales are revisited as you are introduced to Tara’s foe and the legend of Seal Island’s selkie as she finds love and friends to help set her free.

While I am usually immediately drawn into stories of old legends and fairy tales set in modern day, I did have trouble connecting with the main character at first. Eventually this connection did develop as Tara made her own connections with the islanders and more about her past was disclosed. Some experiences, for example her tumultuous relationship with her husband, were portrayed in a rather cold manner but the more fantastical elements really brought the magic of the selkie, and the story, to life.

Positively, I could not stop reading without wondering what happens next. As Tara’s past caught up with her I was swept up in the story to the point where I almost missed my bus stop. As the tale ended I found myself smiling in satisfaction and fondly picturing the shores of Seal Island.

Sophie Moss should be proud of her first book and I look forward to seeing her storytelling develop further in the last two books of the Seal Island Trilogy. You can find both The Selkie Spell and The Selkie Enchantress on Amazon. Barnes and Noble carries only book two. 

Review by SarahLearn more about the Calamus team on our website.