Tip #9 in the Publish Don’t Perish Series is — TREAT WRITING AS A BUSINESS. It is a business, whether full time or part time, depending on where you are in life. Since it is a business, you should treat it as one. What does this mean?
A Multifaceted Business
My earlier article explained how writing is a multifaceted business. It’s not just about writing your story, although that is a critical piece — without the story, there is no business. With that in mind, it’s important to reach out to other writers; know where your go-to resources are with helpful tools, hints, and knowledge.
Tools of the Trade
The Author Toolbox
Your business needs to be set up with the tools of your trade. As a writer, this involves a number of electronic tools, including at a minimum, internet, a computer (unfortunately with electronic submissions, etc., the typewriter is history), printer, and smart phone. Because the author is expected to handle most of the marketing, even with a traditional publisher, additional tools include a website, social media, and access to someone who can help you in case of technical difficulties, which are guaranteed to occur.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, most people must work from home. For a writer, that’s the status quo. With more and more people working from home, there are additional considerations that can make life easier.
This incredible APODS Series, written by Amanda Cabot is a must read for not only writers, but EVERYONE and I recommend you apply APODS to your life. I am a writer and a practicing attorney, and I found it extremely useful in mine. This post will take you through a summary of each article and a link where you can find more. Even if you’ve been following along, I highly recommend reviewing this Series again. Thank you Amanda for sharing your invaluable expertise!
This article is the first in the series on time management and getting to the end. Although time management is only one part in the multifaceted solution to getting to the end, it’s an introduction to a system that goes by the acronym APODS — Analysis, Priorities, Organization, Discipline and Support. Get a quick peak at each of these five areas.
To address priorities, you need to first establish those priorities, understand the opportunity costs of those priorities, and accept the fact that we cannot do everything.
This article focuses on ideas gleamed from Marilyn Paul’s book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. Amanda discusses 4 of her points she found particularly useful.
Support is the final step in the APODS Series. You will not want to miss this article!
This Series has been an invaluable resource for so many, especially me. What did you find most helpful?
Amanda Cabot
Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.
Out of the Embers by Amanda Cabot
Out of the Embers, the first of the Mesquite Springs trilogy, has an official release date of March 3, but it’s currently available for preorder at all the major online retailers. If you prefer brick and mortar stores, your local bookseller should be able to order a copy for you.
Last week I posted L.A.’s article, My Journey As A Lesson/Inspiration/Gift. What I didn’t mention, was that last week’s article was written as the bio for this article, Retire? What are you talking about? When I read it, I felt that her journey needed to stand alone, to provide a lesson, inspiration, and gift to us all. If you missed that article, it’s worth checking out.
Retire? What Are You Talking About?
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a neighbor and telling him about my latest book when he interrupted me.
“You retired from one job, when are you going to retire from this one?”
I was absolutely flabbergasted and speechless – which is a rare occasion for me. Thinking for a minute as I was trying to decide if he was telling me something like I should consider retiring because I wasn’t getting rich from this, or gulp, that I was getting older.
Finally, I asked him what he meant.
“Why are you working so hard at this point in your life?”
“Because I love it and frankly hope to write until I can’t think of another story,” I replied without hesitation.
Retired
We chit-chatted a few more minutes and he went back to his yard, probably not giving another moment’s thought to the conversation. While I, on the other hand, thought about it for days. Then I recalled a conversation we’d had a few years ago when he mentioned that once he’d retired, he wasn’t using his brain much and his body seemed to be falling apart.
It dawned on me that I was doing what I loved, and he was bored out of his mind. Was he jealous? Maybe. Not of my income certainly, as he was wealthy already, but that I was engaged, constantly learning new things since I indie publish, and wear all the hats associated with creating and publishing a book.
And most of all I have something to look forward to every morning.
So there is a lesson in this conversation that stays with me. Find something to do that you love. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it and when you’re done with that love, find another.
Prince of Granola by L.A. Sartor
Prince Of Granola is my 7th book, and I have so many ideas and series that I want to write, I can’t imagine retiring.
I have a favorite saying, it’s not mine, but it summarizes my thinking perfectly.
To Be Happy You Need Three Things Someone To Love Something To Do And Something To Look Forward To
And I truly believe in what it says.
L.A. Sartor is a bestselling, award-winning author. She began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at L.A.’s insistence, wrote them down and L.A. illustrated them. As an adult, she writes suspense and action-adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays—she’s had a contracted adaptation! She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date. L.A. loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey. She has a blog and a mailing list.
We welcome back L.A. Sartor to Thyme for Writers! When I learned about L.A.’s journey in becoming a successful author, I asked that she share it for our readers, especially since her latest novel, Prince of Granola was just released. Thank you L.A. for your lessons, inspiration, and gifts!
I started writing as a child, really. A few things happened on the way to becoming a published author … a junior high school teacher who told me I couldn’t write because I didn’t want to study … urk … grammar. I went to college, moved a few times, came home and found the love of my life (that is another novel worthy story, but for later), and got married.
We were super busy with our respective careers, mine a custom jewelry business with my mom, who was also teaching metalsmithing at the time, and my husband a crazy law career. We had two fur babies, Fudge (and briefly her brother Smudge, but sadly he didn’t live very long) and Two. Our cats would sleep with us and when they’d stretch out to their full length, we’d end up sleeping on the edge of the mattress.
Fur Baby
I have always been a voracious reader and one night after throwing a particularly bad book at the wall (even putting a small ding in said wall), I realized that I could do better. I told my husband, and he said go for it. I called Mom and she revealed the junior high teacher story and she told I’d been writing all the time up to that point.
Thyme to Write
That blew me away. I didn’t remember any of it. But I started writing again, nearly the next day, pen and paper, learning, making mistakes, winning contests, nearly getting an agent, becoming disenchanted with the publishing industry and moving away from novel writing to screenwriting, getting a contract for a script and doing really well in screenwriting contests.
But none of that was making me much money. After numerous scary robbery drills I wanted to move away from my bank job (yes, this is many years later and a lot of stuff in between) and write full time for the green stuff.
Publishing
My husband told me repeatedly that independent publishing was becoming a valid way to publish a novel and people were making big dollars. I didn’t believe him even after he showed me several Wall Street Journal articles. I thought indie meant vanity press.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I started pursuing this direction seriously, retired from the bank and hit the keyboard, learned a litany of new things and published my first novel. My second book became a bestseller, and while I’m not rolling in dough, I’m absolutely on the right course in my life.
So if you have a dream, pursue it as hard as you can. Life can get in the way, but never give up.
L.A. Sartor Home Page
Please come visit me at www.lasartor.com, see my books, some pictures, some screenplays and sign up for my mailing list. I have a gift I’ve specifically created for my new email subscribers. And remember, you can email me at Leslie@LeslieSartor.com
Welcome Brad Leach to Thyme for Writers as he shares Our Five Year Mission — To Seek Out New Life and New Perspectives…
Romance writers want to entertain readers – and to help them. This is especially true with writers of faith. If something from their story encourages a reader, it gratifies the author. With the fantasy genre, I hope to do the same.
I remember how a Star Trek episode (the original series) helped me see racial issues in a new way. I attended junior high in the early 70’s, and race relations had been turbulent. Think 1960’s. StarTrek had the Enterprise come across a planet where the entire population had died, save two humanoids. Beaming up these two individuals for a rescue, Captain Kirk and his crew were surprised to discover a violent and mutual hatred existed between the two men. Each survivor demanded that Kirk intercede with his power and authority to render “justice” against the other.
Our Five Year Mission — To Seek Out New Life and New Perspectives… with Brad Leach
It was obvious that these aliens had a peculiar pigmentation pattern that divided their bodies vertically. One half of their body was black, and one half was stark white. Doctor McCoy noted that they were clearly derived from the same species. The only difference, but a major one to the aliens, was which half of their body was white or black. One alien’s right face and hand was white, while the other alien’s right hand and face was black. This minor difference over which side was black versus white festered for centuries, culminating in planet-wide violence, that killed all but these two survivors.
StarTrek Crew
Now the aliens blamed each other. The Enterprise members had to break up several assaults. The crew couldn’t understand such bigotry, while the aliens couldn’t understand how these humans accepted the differences between Asians, Blacks, Whites, and Vulcans. Someone had to be superior, someone subjugated. The episode ends with the aliens transporting back to their dead world, driven by their hate to try and kill each other.
I then imagined how earth’s racial strife might look to some alien. They wouldn’t have had the biases, the history, or the past wounds and insults that our various cultures had suffered. They would only see deep divisions over minor differences. Then I imagined how God must view such differences. He made all these places and cultures. Did He make skin of one color so it could hate another color? Star Trek didn’t solve bigotry, but it let me bypass the culture to see the issue in a different way.
The Wizard of Oz
And I found that equally amazing. Fiction’s power to take an issue, give it a new setting and different particulars, to produce a fresh perspective, intrigued me. Take the Wizard of Oz. Running from something – Dorothy’s black and white home, means running towards something else. In this case, technicolor trouble via a witch. Star Wars? Giving in to the dark side of our nature leads to our corruption.
So how can Christian writers put forth Biblical ideals in new ways? Can a romance novel personalize the pain adultery causes? Could ten mystery books illustrate a violation of each of the ten commandments? How about a science fiction trilogy chronicling an enslaved human race, rebelling against aliens, and after several impossible showdowns, leaving on a 40-year voyage for a new planet?
To Boldly Go…
In what ways can your story offer helpful lessons in a new light? As authors reflecting Christ’s message, let’s strive “to boldly go where no man has gone before” so that people may see what they’ve never seen before.
With the release of the second in The Hunted Series, we welcome back Dena Netherton to Thyme for Writers as she shares how she gets her ideas for her stories, her characters, and her settings!
When I tell people I’m a writer, many of them ask me, “How do you get your ideas for your stories?”
The first couple of times I was asked this, I had to think about it for a minute or two. Because ideas come from everywhere: shopping excursions, movies, books, the news, people-watching, travel.
The Hunted Series by Dena Netherton
For example, one of my most awful bad guys, Dade Colton, in the Hunting Haven three-part series, came to my mind as a conglomerate of several villains from real life, and some from horror movies I’ve watched and found particularly scary. Dade’s creepy, toothy grin whenever he is threatening Haven is something I saw a horror movie villain do to his victims. Now, wouldn’t you expect a villain to snarl and frown whenever he’s doing something bad? The smile makes me shudder, because it shows Dade’s lack of conscience, and even enjoyment while terrorizing Haven.
How about book settings? What makes you decide where to place your story?
Fear, A Foe To Be Conquered by Dena Netherton, author of Haven’s Flight
The ideas for the settings of my books come mostly from my travels. Some place sparks my imagination, either because of the town itself, its shops and museums and institutions. Sometimes, when I travel, I’ll see or overhear a fascinating person in a Starbucks or restaurant, or see him or her walking down the sidewalk, and it makes my brain begin to generate ideas. Or sometimes the scenery and the weather moves me and makes my brain begin to pop out scenarios.
But how did you come up with the idea for the Misty Mountain Retreat Center where Haven hides from Dade?
That idea came from real life. After I graduated from high school, I worked for a summer as a camp counselor at a Christian camp and retreat center in the California coastal redwood forests outside Santa Cruz. As a young woman, working with other young men and women, there was, inevitably, romantic drama. Those months in the mountains gave me fodder for stories later on.
A couple of years ago—and after I’d already written Haven’s Hope—I spent the week at a lovely Christian retreat in the Pacific Northwest, and found, to my surprise that the real-life place was incredibly similar to my fictional Misty Mountain Retreat.
What about the tall, handsome, and brilliant Dr. Petter Eriksen?
Haven’s romantic hero, Dr. Petter Eriksen, is a blend of several wonderful and godly men I have known in school and in my professional world. Making Petter Norwegian was purely a selfish decision. I’m proud of my Scandinavian heritage and wanted to pay tribute to my ancestors and their plucky resolve to immigrate in the early 20th century to America to build a better life for themselves and their children. Thank you, Oluv and Sigrid, my sweet, heart-working grandparents. I miss you!
Now that you know a bit about my process of writing, I hope you’ll read on to find out more about Haven’s Hope, which released on Feb. 6th, 2018.
Haven’s Hope: Feel the fear—Savor the romance
Haven’s Hope by Dena Netherton
HAVEN’S HOPE gives one woman’s answer to the question…
Does God still love me even when bad things happen?
Is good really more powerful than evil?
How can I be freed from guilt?
Beautiful and talented Haven Ellingsen is about to discover that evil doesn’t take a holiday. Haven has escaped the man who relentlessly hunted her in the Cascade Mountains. But when an old friend form her dangerous past shows up unexpectedly to warn her that Dade Colton is determined to re-capture her, Haven makes the only safe decision: to go into hiding once more. But where? Who can she trust? If only she could tell someone about her tragic secret. But Dade’s threat to kill any one who helps her might put that person’s life in jeopardy, too.
Dr. Petter Eriksen saves lives every day at Mercy Hospital Emergency Department. Driven by guilt after the accidental death of his little sister, he can’t believe in a good God. But when a beautiful and mysterious young woman moves into the cabin on his uncle’s Christian Retreat, Petter wonders if her love and simple faith have the power to shatter the barrier he has erected around his heart. And can he save her from a madman?
Sometimes you hide; sometimes you stand and fight.
Fear, A Foe To Be Conquered by Dena Netherton
About the author: Dena Netherton has always loved the thrill of suspense-filled movies and books. One day it dawned on her, she could actually put down on paper her own action-packed stories and life-threatened characters that had been knocking around inside her head for decades.
When she’s not writing, Dena loves to play piano and guitar, read good books, spend time with people, and hike the Cascade Mountains. Dena is active in her church as a worship leader, leader in Women’s Ministries, and director of a women’s prayer ministry. She also volunteers at a Crisis Pregnancy Clinic. Dena and her husband live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
(C) 2018 Dena Netherton
Find out more about Dena’s books through her website and newsletter: denanetherton.me.
Ann Gabhart is our guest today on Thyme for Writers. Ann is the bestselling author of over thirty novels, has been called a storyteller. That’s not a bad thing for somebody who grew up dreaming of being a writer. Ann’s historical novels have Kentucky backgrounds like her popular Shaker series and her new release, These Healing Hills set in Appalachia. She also writes about family life, love and sometimes mystery (as A.H. Gabhart) in small towns like her Kentucky hometown. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren and enjoy life out on the farm.
THYME TO THINK AND DREAM
by Ann H. Gabhart
Thyme for Writers Ann H. Gabhart, Guest
Here we are almost to November, a month of thanksgiving when we consider our blessings. At my little country church, each Sunday we take a few minutes to mention blessings. Sometimes these are what you might think of as everyday blessings. Things like sunshine and rain. Birds and flowers. A child’s smile. A good sermon. An appreciated card. Being alive. So many reasons to be thankful. A good day at work. A restful night’s sleep. Maybe a baby sleeping through the night for the first time. A new rosebush. An old rosebush blooming.
These days we’re also blessed with numerous electronic ways to be entertained. At least I think that’s a blessing. Not long ago, I came across an article about how we are swamped with electronic means to avoid the uneasy condition of being bored. You’ve seen people with a phone in their hand continually. We can watch movies and shows with the touch of a finger on various devices. We keep up with what everybody else is doing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter while sharing our own doings.
But if we continually look to some device to keep us entertained, we lose those times when our minds are just idling. Times when we might be bored. But those times might be our best daydream opportunities when our thoughts can wander while new ideas surface.
When I started writing for publication, I had two young children, so time was at a premium. That was back in the dark ages before clothes came out of the dryer ready to wear. I had to iron every week. Trust me, nothing is much more boring than pressing a pile of pants and shirts. Yet, at the same time, while my hands were busy with smoothing out wrinkles, my thoughts could take flight. I had time to think up story ideas and imagine characters I might want to meet on my writing page.
These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart
Of course, you don’t have to pull out the ironing board to have quiet time for creative thoughts. How about sitting on the back deck as the sun comes up and letting your thoughts meander? For my new book, These Healing Hills, I let my mind wander right over to the Appalachian Mountains as I considered the history of the Frontier Nursing Service. Then my character, Francine, showed up to take those mountain trails to being a midwife. One thought led to another and on until soon my fingers were on the keyboard coming up with yet one more story.
A person needs quiet moments now and again and a little boredom never hurt anybody. Unless of course you grew up on a farm and made the mistake of telling your dad you were bored. Then you might find yourself out in the field picking up rocks or chopping thistles! So hope you have some restful moments this Thanksgiving season to gather your thoughts, count your blessings and come up with some great new ideas.
When Francine’s plans for her future fall apart at the close of World War II, she discovers new purpose as a nurse midwife in the beautiful Kentucky Appalachian Mountains. Will she also find healing and perhaps discover the birth of new love? RT Book Reviews says, “Gabhart’s latest historical novel intrigues, inspires and entertains. . . Humor, grace and, of course, romance give the characters life and breath, and the message of faith is gently organic and sincere.” These Healing Hills is available at bookstores or online book sites. Find more information about the story and buy links at http://www.annhgabhart.com/books/these-healing-hills/
