Jun 1-8, 2003 - Write Your Book
Volume 2, Issue 21
The weekly ezine with a road map for
sidetracked writers.
"Be better writers today
than we were yesterday."
Welcome to Writer-Reminders!
Thought for the Week - Write Your Book!
OK, here we go! I want this to be an unbelievable writing
month for all of us. This month is as much for me as for
you! I have several book projects started, and my goal is
to finish at least one of them this month. So..... where
do we start?
The first thing you need to do is get a three-ring binder, some dividers and some paper (yes, this is even if you are writing fiction!). Get something new that you love (don't use a leftover binder from a previous project). How big? One-inch is a good portable size to get you started, but you may need a bigger one later, especially if you have a lot of research. Make sure the cover bends backwards so you can write in it like a spiral notebook.
I recommend either a binder with a view front or this new one I got this week from Office Depot and just love:
Avery Dennison See-Thru Binder
It has a clear cover so you can see the first page even when it's closed.
If you can afford it, get a wonderful new pen, too, just for this book project.
I'll explain more on how to set this up later, but make sure you have some paper for Day 1.
One of the best ways for me to get projects finished is to talk with others who are working on similar projects. I've set up a special area for us on the
OrganizedWriter.com message boards to
chat.
Don't forget -- Father's Day is on the 15th. Got everything ready for the fathers in your life? Present, card, meal reservations?
Your second payment of the year for self-employment taxes is due June 16th. Have you got it ready? Here's a link to
more info from the IRS.
By the way, I wanted to let you know that going forward I'm now using the Amazon affiliate program.
Amazon has a fantastic program, and I appreciate you using the links whenever you purchase from Amazon.
I've included a direct link on the bottom right at
OrganizedWriter.com. The site gets a percentage of your order, and it helps to pay for
internet hosting fees. Thanks!
If you missed last week's
issue about banning your clutter, you can still read
it online.
P.S. "Julie, I love your book. I have read (or at least opened) more than a trunk load of books about writing over the years. Yours is the first I have seen that gives readers so much in one place. For me, the Master List and putting that together was more than worth the cost."
-- David Stoddard
Motivational writer, trainer and publisher of the
Terrific Life Concepts ezine. http://djstoddard.net
==> Your Writing Challenges
==> Just for June
==> Use the Three's D's of Goal-Setting
Sun, Jun 1, 2003
Your Organizing Personality
Are you resisting the writing of a book? Do you know why?
If you are, take a few minutes to work out your reasons. Make three columns on a sheet of paper called Cool Reasons, Challenges, and Solutions. Under Cool Reasons, jot down all the cool reasons why you should write a book. Under Challenges, list all the obstacles in your way. If you know any solutions to these challenges put them in the third column (if not, don't worry about it, just skip it for now).
Here are some of mine:
Cool Reasons
-- it's fun to create
-- joy of helping others
-- money <grin>
Challenges
-- time
-- focusing on one project
Solutions
-- time: hire mother's helper?
-- focusing on one project: this month's Writer-Reminders!
Stick this little exercise in your notebook.
(Even if you are not working on a book, this little exercise can help solve your project challenges.)
Mon, Jun 2, 2003
Your Book Cover
OK... stick with me on this one... this idea is going to sound a little far-fetched!
The first thing I want you to do is get a book cover for your new book. The easiest way to do this is hop into Microsoft(R) Word, and type your title (any title will do even if you haven't finalized it yet) and your name. Use your favorite fonts. To keep it simple, you can print it on paper in your favorite color.
If you want to get a little fancy, get some of the interesting stationery papers and use those. Or include some graphics and your favorite photo.
Just make sure you love it, and it's fairly bright colors (and your name is in big letters)! Then print several copies and put one over your desk, one in the front of your notebook, one on your fridge, on the bathroom mirror, etc. The goal is to have your book cover in your face as much as possible!
I want you to be able to see a finished book in your mind (and have a reminder everywhere to work on it)!
Tue, Jun 3, 2003
Book Notebook
Today let's set up your Book Notebook.
1. Make sure your cover is in the front.
2. Add dividers for fiction:
-- Calendar
-- Summary
-- Characters
-- Chapters 1 - 10
-- My reader
-- My market
3. Add dividers for non-fiction:
-- Calendar
-- Outline
-- Table of contents
-- Dividers for each chapter
-- Appendices
-- My reader
-- My market
and put a couple sheets of blank paper in each section. You'll be printing most of your stuff, but this way you can make notes when something hits you.
Wed, Jun 4, 2003
What Works for You?
Let me tell you about my week. I've been really having a productive week this week, and on Wednesday I was really focused. Do you know the feeling I'm talking about? Where everything else is blocked out, and you are concentrating intently?
Then... I happened to glance at the clock... 11:46.
Acckkk! I'm supposed to be at my son's school at 11:45 to pick him up!
It's been a recurring fear that someday I would forget to go get him (and I never have until the last week of school!). I have even set up alarms to pull me out of my writing trance <grin>, but today they weren't on.
As exciting as it was to realize I was so intensely creative, I'm sure you can imagine the rush of adrenaline (anyway, I called the school, and it was no big deal to go get him).
I'm hoping you can also get into this intensely creative mode (just remember to set your alarms!).
Spend a few minutes today thinking about a time when you were happiest with your writing. When did it bring you the most joy? When were you so into the flow of writing that you lost of track of time or jumped out of bed because you were so excited about a project? What were you doing? What was your life like?
For the rest of the month, let's try to get back there as much as possible.
For those of you working on fiction, especially, I want you to find a trigger that instantly carries you into your story. Maybe it's music. Maybe it's a special routine with tea or coffee. Or I think M.J. Rose uses her scrapbooks about her characters. Or maybe you have a big coffee table book with photos from the setting you are using. Whatever works for you. Try some different ideas to see what transports you into your story.
For those of you doing non-fiction, I highly recommend some kind of routine that tells your brain, "Now it's time to write."
One last suggestion for today -- what is your perfect reader like? Start trying to describe him or her. As you are flipping through magazines this week, watch for a photo that appeals to you. It's so much easier to write when you know who you are writing to. Put notes about your reader in your notebook under the My Reader section.
Your assignment for the rest of the week is to get your trigger routine worked out and put together a profile of your perfect reader.
Thurs, June 5, 2003
Time Map
June is such a perfect month to be writing... as summer vacations kick in, hopefully, your regular work responsibilities ease a bit. The TV sweeps month is over so it's only reruns. The weather is either gorgeous enough to go get inspired at the park or rainy so it's perfect to hole up in your office or at the library.
OK, I can hear several moms saying, "But what about summer vacation? My kids are home from school." Yep, but guess who else is also home from school? Kids who are itching for summer jobs. They can be wonderful (and inexpensive) mother's helpers do some chores for you or even play with your children a bit if they get bored.
For the rest of June, I want you to repeat this phrase for me, Just for June.
Just for June... I turn off the TV, especially the news, and write.
Just for June... I'll let a few of the chores slip.
Just for June... I'll get up early to write.
Just for June... I'll spend some of my free time on my book.
Just for June... I'll bring lunch to work more often. I can eat quickly and then work on my book.
Squeeze book time out of your schedule. And when your internal I-don't-wanna machine kicks in, respond with:
This is Just for June.
Fri, June 6, 2003
Goals? Who Me?
Have you set any goals for your current writing/book project? Are they any good? Use the three D's to determine if your goals are achievable.
Have you DEFINED exactly what you want to accomplish? "Write a book" is vague; "write a mystery novel about ...." is better. "By December" is even better.
Have you DIVIDED your goal into pieces? If you are working on a book, create an outline or table of contents to see how big your initial feeling for the project is.
Are the individual pieces DO-ABLE in the time you have assigned?
The best way to determine this is to do one piece and measure the time it takes you. Then multiply the length times the number of pieces. So if you have a 25-chapter book, do one or two chapters and see how long it takes you. Then multiply that number times 25. Take a quick look through your chapters to see if any look long or short, and make adjustments.
Once you have an estimate of the total amount of time needed, compare it to how much time you have available to make sure your project is DO-ABLE.
Then start filling in your calendar with your writing goals. This gets a little tricky. You want a big enough goal that it inspires you, but a small enough goal that it is easily DO-ABLE. Try taking what you want to write each day (say 1,000 words) and dividing it in half or one-third. Or try assigning x words per week instead of every day. Just make it easy to succeed.
For me, there's nothing worse for my motivation than to set a goal for the day, and then not be able to reach it. Once I miss a couple days, I have a terrible time getting back on the wagon. It's much more productive for me to set tiny goals, and see consistent success.
Sat, June 7, 2003
Your Market and Book Proposal
Before we get too much deeper into your book, please spend some time thinking about how you are going to market it.
Who is your target reader?
How will you reach them?
Even if you plan to sell your book to a big publisher, you'll need to do some promotion, too.
In How to Write a Nonfiction Book
Proposal, Stephen Blake Mettee says "Most nonfiction books are sold to a publisher before they are written--even those by first-time authors." So if you are considering non-fiction and don't plan to publish it yourself, you'll want to start putting your proposal together.
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal is the perfect place to start. It has 5 stars on Amazon, and I can see why. Watch for a full review coming in a future issue.
Did you post your book cover all over your home? Make sure you can see it every day! If you want to share your goals for the month (and check out mine) or need help finding solutions to your challenges, visit the
message boards.
-- Julie
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M T W T F S S
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1. Declutter (only 5 minutes)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2. Read (only 5 minutes)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. Assess (30 seconds to 5 minutes)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4. Write (at least 5 minutes)
Weekly Checklist
For freelance writers: Use this weekly checklist to find, write and send a query every week of 2003!
Monday
__ Make notes on a new idea.
Tuesday: Accounting Day
__ Post your accounting records.
__ Pay bills.
__ Follow up on outstanding invoices and queries.
Wednesday
__ Find a new market using links below.
Thursday: Errand Day
__ Make copies.
__ Return books to library.
__ Make deposit at bank.
Friday
__ Finish query and submit.
__ Match your query to the market.
Saturday Weekly Review
__ How was this week?
__ What's up next week?
__ Review your Projects list in your planner and check the
status.
__ Jot the next action steps for your projects on next week's
calendar.
__ Backup your computer files.
__ Virus scan your computer.
Sunday
__ Relax and enjoy!
__ Do something fun today!
Thanks for visiting Writer-Reminders! If you have comments,
success stories, or suggestions, reply to this message or e-mail
me at :julie@writer-reminders.com
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