Errors, Content, and Making It Work Anyway

Happy Monday, everyone. *big stretch and yawn* That was a tiring weekend, huh? I admit, I could crawl back in bed and sleep the rest of the week away. I’m traveling, and that’s why you’re not getting AI posts right now. My laptop is in another state, and I’ve been working from my iPad. Good times. Needless to say, this keyboard thing has a trackpad, and it’s making my life hell. I disable the trackpad on my laptop because I like to use the wrist rest. You can’t do that if there’s a trackpad in the way. Anywho…

Today, we’ll talk about making your writing work, errors and all (which you’ll see more of this week), no matter where you happen to be. If you’re ready to dive in, grab a blanket and something warm to drink. You deserve it. :) Also, I may not be here Friday. We’ll have to see how travel goes. Moving on!

Remember in Friday’s post when I talked about not going back to your work until your allotted time? That’s directly related to editing. There are a few things you can do to clean up your manuscript before you go looking for an editor. This is a step you really shouldn’t skip. It may end up costing you more in the long run. After you take your MS (manuscript) out of that drawer where you put it for a couple of weeks (or months) so you’d have fresh eyes, you need to red pen the everyloving hell out of it.

Here’s a post on errors that are easy to catch, and you need to be sure you’re also looking at pacing, storyline, and character building (see the next link for a free PDF that will help). If you don’t give a crap about the character(s), your reader won’t either.

Let’s get into content now.

As a writer, your social media presence is going to matter, so it would behoove you to start building a following before you even publish. Get your handle chosen, and get those pages locked down first. I do have a packet on branding that’s free to download and print. You can find it here.

Once you’ve gotten all your ducks in a proverbial row, you can then start to plan your content. Go ahead and make sharable graphics (or find someone to do it for you) for up to three months. You can do this by making yourself a social media schedule. Decide what kind of content you’ll publish on which days. For example:

• Monday Madness
• Tuesday Funnies
• On Wednesdays, we wear pink.
• Throwback Thursdays
• TGIF Fridays
• Weekend Woes

Choose one of those days, twice a month, and make it book related. No one will hang out on your page or give you a follow if you’re always screaming, “BUY MY BOOK! IT’S THE GREATEST BOOK!” So, be sure to share posts from your fellow authors. Trust me, there are plenty of readers to go around. Scatter the balloons so we can all float down here.

Once you have your content plan, create and schedule. Now, you’re free to write. Be sure to set aside a couple days to do this every two months or so.

I’ve been terrible about it lately, but I have a plan to get my ducks back in their rows. You just have to make it work either way (hence the blog post you’re reading right now).

Speaking of…

If you’re a traveler, and you know you’ll be on the road quite a bit, invest in something you can take with you so your work doesn’t suffer. I know one author who wrote an entire novel in Notepad on her phone while she nursed her newborn. She made it work, and if she did it, you can, too. Please, for the love of all that’s holy, plan for these things and know what works and what doesn’t. You don’t want to be stressed about XYZ.

In On Writing by Stephen King, he talks about setting aside time to write every day. While I think that’s a little extreme, I do believe you can fit it in every weekday. Yes, even when you’re traveling.

Make. It. Work. Treat writing like it’s a job, and it’ll pay you back in kind.