A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about using social media.
This is a must, nowadays, as more and more people want to connect and interact with others. Once again, I know how overwhelming it all is. Start with one and master it. Master it through excellence. Then, when you feel you can add another one, do it.
It doesn't take up that much time, but you have to make the committment to do it. Make yourself accessible through various social media means.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Etc.
Even blogging and podcasting and posting videos on YouTube will get your message out there. Do what you feel is right for your message. Do it with excellence.
For me, you can follow me on Twitter @MarkSRPeterson and I am also on Facebook at Facebook.com/mark.s.r.peterson.
You can also e-mail me too at phazerpub@yahoo.com
What other suggestions do you have to make yourself accessible to others?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Successes in self-publishing
In the past few years, self-publishing has taken the world by storm. One such author is Amanda Hocking, who hails from my home state of Minnesota. According to her Wikipedia page, Amanda started self-publishing her books in April 2010 after several failed attempts at publishing. By March 2011, she had sold over 1,000,000 books and had made over $2 million dollars from those sales.
What followed afterwards was a flood of people who tried to duplicate her success, only to find they could not because they wanted to just "get rich" while Amanda had a true love of books and writing. Nowadays, her books are published with a traditional publisher and her success is only going to grow. Very impressive.
Another success in the self-publishing world is J. C. Hutchins. He took a much different approach than Amanda as he offered his books through podcasts. And for free! His podcasts have been downloaded millions of times, and his first novel 7th Son has been optioned to be made into a movie by Warner Brothers.
If you're frustrated by not getting published, please keep in mind others have taken the reins on their life and have just done it on their own. You can too. It's a lot of work, which I can truly sympathize with as I also have an ebook coming out in less than a week--a nonfiction book that's been brewing in my mind for the past decade or more, and have been working diligently on putting it together in the past two months. There's a lot to think about and do, so don't think this ebook business is easy. Then again, getting published in general isn't easy either.
What followed afterwards was a flood of people who tried to duplicate her success, only to find they could not because they wanted to just "get rich" while Amanda had a true love of books and writing. Nowadays, her books are published with a traditional publisher and her success is only going to grow. Very impressive.
Another success in the self-publishing world is J. C. Hutchins. He took a much different approach than Amanda as he offered his books through podcasts. And for free! His podcasts have been downloaded millions of times, and his first novel 7th Son has been optioned to be made into a movie by Warner Brothers.
If you're frustrated by not getting published, please keep in mind others have taken the reins on their life and have just done it on their own. You can too. It's a lot of work, which I can truly sympathize with as I also have an ebook coming out in less than a week--a nonfiction book that's been brewing in my mind for the past decade or more, and have been working diligently on putting it together in the past two months. There's a lot to think about and do, so don't think this ebook business is easy. Then again, getting published in general isn't easy either.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Writing Prompt Wednesday - Episode #16
You wake up in the middle of the night. You can't seem to sleep.
Then, there is a knock at the door.
Happy writing.
Then, there is a knock at the door.
Happy writing.
Simplify your life
How many of you feel like your schedule is so full with commitments, that by the end of the week, you feel like you've accomplished nothing towards your goals? Between church council and sporting events/practices and piano lessons and various civic group activities, our time is slowly stripped away from us.
Each week, every single person on the planet has 168 hours to do with whatever they desire. The excuses many give for not accomplishing what they want are plenty: they don't have time because of their kids or because of their work or because their favorite sports team is on the TV or they just have to watch the latest reality show (which is typically a far cry from reality) or ______________________ (you fill in the blank).
Keep in mind, these people also accomplished their dreams with the same 168 hours:
Albert Einstein
Mother Theresa
Abraham Lincoln
The Wright Brothers
J. R. R. Tolkien
Donald Trump
Stephen King
Bill Cosby
Jerry Seinfeld
Jay Leno
Brad Pitt
And the list goes on . . .
If you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running and running yet going nowhere fast, stop and look at your life. Prioritize what's important vs. what's unimportant. I know what it's like to be stretched in fifteen different directions at once. Been there, got the T-shirt.
But there comes a point where you have to stop the madness and simplify your life. This is exactly the dilemna I've been facing this past year, and I've finally cut something from my life in order to have more time for my writing and my family--even though it was only on a part-time basis, I had to draw a line in the sand and focus on what's important for my family and my career.
Do you have any examples of activities you've cut from your life in order to simplify it?
Each week, every single person on the planet has 168 hours to do with whatever they desire. The excuses many give for not accomplishing what they want are plenty: they don't have time because of their kids or because of their work or because their favorite sports team is on the TV or they just have to watch the latest reality show (which is typically a far cry from reality) or ______________________ (you fill in the blank).
Keep in mind, these people also accomplished their dreams with the same 168 hours:
Albert Einstein
Mother Theresa
Abraham Lincoln
The Wright Brothers
J. R. R. Tolkien
Donald Trump
Stephen King
Bill Cosby
Jerry Seinfeld
Jay Leno
Brad Pitt
And the list goes on . . .
If you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running and running yet going nowhere fast, stop and look at your life. Prioritize what's important vs. what's unimportant. I know what it's like to be stretched in fifteen different directions at once. Been there, got the T-shirt.
But there comes a point where you have to stop the madness and simplify your life. This is exactly the dilemna I've been facing this past year, and I've finally cut something from my life in order to have more time for my writing and my family--even though it was only on a part-time basis, I had to draw a line in the sand and focus on what's important for my family and my career.
Do you have any examples of activities you've cut from your life in order to simplify it?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
How are you doing so far this year?
It's nearing the end of the first quarter of 2012. How are you doing? What have you accomplished? Have you achieved any of your goals yet? How close are you to achieving your goals?
Keep in mind, these goals don't have to be earth-shattering. They could be as simple as reading 1 nonfiction book a month. If that's a goal of yours--and statistics show that the average millionaire reads at least 1 nonfiction book a month--then you'll have read three by now. I've actually read two nonfiction books and three fiction books so far this month, aside from the countless podcasts I've listened to and videos I've watched (see my Recommended Reading page for the list of videos/podcasts I frequent).
Goals can range across seven areas. They are:
Goals should also be:
Then, go forth and live your dream.
Keep in mind, these goals don't have to be earth-shattering. They could be as simple as reading 1 nonfiction book a month. If that's a goal of yours--and statistics show that the average millionaire reads at least 1 nonfiction book a month--then you'll have read three by now. I've actually read two nonfiction books and three fiction books so far this month, aside from the countless podcasts I've listened to and videos I've watched (see my Recommended Reading page for the list of videos/podcasts I frequent).
Goals can range across seven areas. They are:
- Financial
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Career/Job
- Family
- Social
- Spiritual
Goals should also be:
- specific, not general (to lose weight is too general but to lose 10 pounds in a month is specific)
- measureable (same example as above)
- has a time limit (want to write a 400-page novel in six months)
- written-down.
Then, go forth and live your dream.
Monday, March 26, 2012
What are you doing tomorrow?
I read a lot about successful people. And one of the reasons why one becomes successful while others do not is because successful people are more in charge of their time.
Successful people, for the most part, know what they're doing tomorrow. They've planned it out ahead of time. People who just wing through life, without a plan, are flying nowhere. They have no destinations in mind.
Oh, sure, they may say something like, "I want to be rich someday" or "I want to be published someday" but never sit down and figure out when that day will come or even plan how they're going to do it.
If you want to be successful, before you retire to bed tonight, sit with a blank piece of paper and write down five things you need to do tomorrow. Then, number them in the order of their importance. When you awaken tomorrow morning, look at the list and do the #1 thing. Not the #4 or #5 thing because they look easier. Do #1 until it is done.
As a writer, most of the time my #1 item is write X amount of pages or words. Then, once it's done, I read (for both pleasure and research) and even research what the market is like.
Do this for a week and then reflect back on your week. You'll be amazed at what you've accomplished.
Successful people, for the most part, know what they're doing tomorrow. They've planned it out ahead of time. People who just wing through life, without a plan, are flying nowhere. They have no destinations in mind.
Oh, sure, they may say something like, "I want to be rich someday" or "I want to be published someday" but never sit down and figure out when that day will come or even plan how they're going to do it.
If you want to be successful, before you retire to bed tonight, sit with a blank piece of paper and write down five things you need to do tomorrow. Then, number them in the order of their importance. When you awaken tomorrow morning, look at the list and do the #1 thing. Not the #4 or #5 thing because they look easier. Do #1 until it is done.
As a writer, most of the time my #1 item is write X amount of pages or words. Then, once it's done, I read (for both pleasure and research) and even research what the market is like.
Do this for a week and then reflect back on your week. You'll be amazed at what you've accomplished.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Editing is not always about taking things out.
The majority of the time, editing means removing the fluff--getting rid of unneccessary words, sentences, and paragraphs (or, in my case, the occasional page or chapter).
However, there is a point where too much can be taken out or you need to enhance a passage to enrich the story.
My first piece of advice when editing is what I've called macro-level editing. How does it look? How does it sound? Does it make sense? This is where large block of writing can be eliminated.
Macro-level editing is also where block of writing can be added. Do you have any descriptions? Are you telling instead of showing? How about dialogue?
Micro-level editing involves the intricate pieces of your writing. The individual word or punctuation.
What I recommend is to read slowly, out loud, and continuously ask yourself questions like:
Is what I'm thinking about in the story being drawn out in the words?
What could be done to enhance the story?
Where is the story lacking?
These questions at least could help in editing your story. Does anyone else have any tricks they'd like to share, on what's worked for them?
However, there is a point where too much can be taken out or you need to enhance a passage to enrich the story.
My first piece of advice when editing is what I've called macro-level editing. How does it look? How does it sound? Does it make sense? This is where large block of writing can be eliminated.
Macro-level editing is also where block of writing can be added. Do you have any descriptions? Are you telling instead of showing? How about dialogue?
Micro-level editing involves the intricate pieces of your writing. The individual word or punctuation.
What I recommend is to read slowly, out loud, and continuously ask yourself questions like:
Is what I'm thinking about in the story being drawn out in the words?
What could be done to enhance the story?
Where is the story lacking?
These questions at least could help in editing your story. Does anyone else have any tricks they'd like to share, on what's worked for them?
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