Passive vs Active Work and Why Each Matters

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Welcome back. I know things have been kind of all over the place this month, but hey, you're not here for normal. If you wanted that, there are a ton of other blogs out there that'll deliver. Ha! One thing you won't get here are pre-written blog posts created by anyone, or thing, other than me. Despite my interest in AI and what it can offer writers, I prefer to tickle the keys and bring you my winning personality. :)

All that being said, today, we're diving into the differences between active and passive work and why you should be doing both. Why do they matter? Are they really both important?

There's only one way to find out! Let's stop wasting time up here and dive on in, shall we? Get that coffee, get comfortable, and get to scrolling.

Passive Work - This is most easily defined as learning. On a more complex level, you can call it a dabble (practice), gaining education, thinking about what you need to do, or setting up preparation to complete a task. Now, let's break those down.

Thinking about your task is the first thing you should do. While it does still matter, it usually comes in the form of considering what you need to complete the task, how you'll tackle the dabble, what books you'll read or videos you'll watch, and thinking about timing/making a schedule so you know when you're ready to prepare. You can also spend this time making a playlist or ordering/buying books you'll need for the education phase.

Dabbling gives you the advantage of basically trying before buying. This is where you try the skill or get used to the tools you're about to use to perform a bigger task. In the form of art, it's trying different mediums to see how they feel or react to whatever substrate you plan to use or getting the feel of different tools in your hands. In writing, it's things like blogging or journaling. Just keep in mind that practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent, so assure you're practicing with the right form in mind. Either by holding that brush just the right way or using complete sentences.

When you're passively tackling education, it's all about reading or watching someone else do what you're about to do. Taking classes to further your education in one area or another is also considered education. Lots of folks dive into this before they start to dabble. Yeah, there could be a set path, but sometimes, you dabble, educate, then do, so nothing is really set in stone. I know I started dabbling in writing when I was about twelve, and I didn't dive into the education side until much later. :) By the way, those first stories never saw the light of day. They were just mine. I shudder to think about the reviews... You also practice here because that's learning. Read, paint, do whatever until you're good at it.Something a lot of people don't know is that MailerLite has an education course where you can become certified. If you're thinking about that newsletter, go take the course and practice using their platform.

Now, with preparation, this is your woolgathering stage. You set the circumstances, get everything together that you need to perform the task, and make a plan or schedule to get things done. A lot of folks might call scheduling active work, but it's not. It's passive. 

Active Work - This is the doing. We can break it down into creating the thing; making sure others create the thing; or diving, well prepared, into that task.

When you're creating the thing (whatever it may be), you should know exactly what to do next and be well prepared to do it. You know your stuff because you spent passive time learning how to do the task(s) needed. You're familiar with the tools. All that passive work leads to the doing.

If someone else needs guidance (if you're a manager or foreman), you're the one with the skills to show them how to do it, and you can keep people on task because you have a schedule you created during your passive time.

Active work will be a small percentage of your day unless you're already well versed on the things you need to accomplish and how to get them done. Every time you're learning a new skill, you'll have more passive time in your workflow.

I've heard of some companies giving employees up to two hours a day to spend on learning so they get better at their jobs. Something to think about. When we know more, we're more productive and have to spend less time stopping to learn what we're doing when we come upon something we're not sure how to do. You know it ahead of time.

Spend the time learning how to do everything related to the tasks you know you'll be facing, and you'll be more productive and have fewer hours of downtime from having to backtrack or look something up (which is oftentimes where writers get lost in the internet). Ha!

I feel sometimes too much emphasis is put on the active side of things because that's where actual results can be seen, but passive work is equally as important, or you lose a lot of production hours. I know you know what I mean. :P

I hope this post was informative! Do you find yourself engaged in more passive or active work? How do you find the balance? Drop me a comment and let me know. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Bluesky Social

Good morning, and happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking about Bluesky, the Twitter replacement. This little app that could has over twenty-one million users as of now, probably due to the mass exodus of X (the app formerly known as Twitter). We'll dive into all the ways it's similar to the Twitter of old, and I'll show you a few things you might not have known about. Ready? Get cozy, grab a cup of coffee, and let's get going!

So, Bluesky. What is it? Where did it come from? How can you use it? What are the awesome features it has that you may not know about? How can you sign up? These are the questions we'll answer today. If you happen to have other questions, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I'll do my level best to find out for you.

What is Bluesky?

Well, it's a mobile and web app that's rather like the Twitter of old. You can post short, to-the-point sentences and use hashtags or media to enhance said post. You can create specific feeds, follow and block, and even send DMs.

Where the heck did Bluesky come from?

According to Britannica, it's actually been around a long time (since 2019), but it's only recently (2023) become available to the public. It's biggest growth happened last year when Twitter changed its name to X and the CEO changed the company's direction. X is being changed to an "everything" platform, while Bluesky will continue to be more like Twitter (but with differences). Add to that, Bluesky is open source, meaning you can tweak it. More on that later...

Is anyone else bored with these answers? I am. Let's get into the fun stuff.

Sign up by clicking here. It's super easy and only takes a few minutes. You can also download the app for iPhone or Android, so you can use it on your phone. Once you do that, you'll be able to navigate to settings:

As you can see, you have options to change quite a few things:

• Add another account
• Account
  
• Privacy and security
• Moderation
• Content and media
• Appearance
• Accessibility
• Languages

You also have the ever-needed Help and About sections.

• Add another account - This allows you to have another handle (username) with a different email address.
• Account - If you click this one, you can change your password, birthday, etc.
• Privacy and security - You can enable two-factor authentication (recommended), and prevent users of the app from seeing you when they're logged out. Because it's an open-source platform, other apps may still be able to see your profile. Just click it and do some reading/exploring.
• Moderation - This option is rather vast, so I suggest checking it out and getting into the nitty gritty, but on a basic level, you can hide nudity (artistic--other nudity isn't allowed), block, or select keywords to unsee.
• Content and media - Manage saved feeds (more in a minute), allow auto-play for other apps, and get down in the nuts and bolts of your follow feed. This app lets you create your own experience, so learning how to use all these things can only help you.
• Appearance - Choose your color mode, size of the text (yay!), theme (dark/light), and font here.
• Accessibility - Alt texts requirements. This is for folks who use a reading app for sites. It tells them what the image is as a descriptor.
• Languages - You can choose from a bajillion languages for your feed, the app, and your content.

When you click your profile from the menu on the left:

 You'll see these options:

That partially hidden one is Lists.

This is your stuff. Your posts, replies, media, etc. HOWEVER, this is where you can have some fun! If you click on Feeds, you'll see only posts from the feeds (#) you've chosen. If you'd like to add Feeds to this section, click Feeds in the menu on the left and make some choices. Just click the + icon at the left of the feed to add it to your list. Very cool, right?

Let's go a little deeper.

If I click on the Artists: Trending feed, this is the first post:

and if I click on that, I get this:

It tells you exactly how to join and participate in that feed. There's a TON more information on that page, so scroll down and read!

Now, let's go into how you start your own kind of community. If you click on Starter Pack, it allows you to either have one begun for you or for you to create one yourself. You name it, add stuff, and invite people.

Last, but certainly not least, you can make yourself Lists. This is a throwback from Twitter, and I had a ton of lists there so I could only see the people I wanted to see. To add someone to a list, first create a new list by clicking Lists on the menu on the left, then click the three dots on the person's profile page who you'd like to add, select add to Lists, and then choose which list you'd like them on.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

There are a ton of things you can do with Bluesky as a developer, but most people I know just want to see what they want to see, so this quicky walked you through that. You can add apps on the platform to do other things, and if you're into that, by all means... This is just what I could reasonably fit into a single blog post. :)

I hope this post helps you get the most out of your Bluesky experience and that you enjoyed the read! :D

Also, if you'd like to connect on Bluesky, I'm here.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Life ABC's - A

Happy Thursday, everyone! Welcome to my new, twice-a-month Thursday feature, Author Life ABC's. Obviously, since this is the first, we're on the letter A. I thought about this one for a while, and I've decided to go with Achieve. Ready? Grab your coffee or tea, get comfy, and let's get going!

As authors, we're always trying to achieve something, make something happen, get into a good place with our writing.

I think it's important to bring up goals when talking about achievements. If you have nothing you're striving for, you can't achieve hitting a milestone, right? Right.

For the folks who've been around the blog a while, you're aware that I usually set my goals low because I like to celebrate the small achievements in my career. Those are usually gateways to bigger things, stuff I don't let myself dream about because I'm an easy one to fall off the wagon if I can't see a positive end to my journey. But that's just me. I dream small and try to do more than my goal.

When I started writing, my definition of success was set very low (in my eyes): I wanted to change the life of one person, make them look at the world in a new way, or have such a massive impact on them that they went out and did something amazing.

After all, this was never about money for me. While selling books is lovely, and reviews are awesome, I never expected to get rich and/or famous for the things I was writing. Still don't.

I wanted to change a life. Simple.

Back in 2014, I achieved that goal. I'm not going to say how or when it happened, but I will tell you that one incident changed the way I looked at my career from then on. There was no longer a burning need inside me to create words that changed minds. Instead, from those books emerged my true author self. I found my voice.

I now write to entertain and educate while still examining the human condition however I can. Characters are put in impossible situations and area asked to make a choice. It's fun and so very rewarding.

My achievement in one area of my career led to new, exciting things for me.

Over the years, I've had other goals, and still do, but the biggest one was met, and I consider myself a success. No matter what happens from here on out, I have that to hold on to.

Sure, there are other things I'd like to achieve, but nothing will ever compare to that one thing, and nothing will ever replace it. It's my most cherished achievement.

In order to be successful, you first have to define that for yourself, in whatever way you choose. Writing is your career, and you need to feel as though you're doing whatever you set out to do, achieving those goals, no matter how simple, or silly, they may seem to other people.

That's what I'll leave you with today. Go define success for yourself.

If you've already achieved that goal, drop a comment below telling me when and how it changed your life.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Living in the Authorverse

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Is it Friday yet? Ha! Just kidding. We have four whole days of awesome ahead of us; keep it up! You're going to do great things this week! While you're here, why not read through my rambling post for a few minutes? I'm gonna talk about living in the authorverse; you know, that realm where all the writers dwell, silently waiting for their chance to jump into the spotlight in some way or another. These are things I've learned over the past six years. Ready? Grab a blankie, and let's get going!

1. Authors are a Rare Breed
Seriously, if you've never met one of these formidable creatures in real life, you're missing out. One minute they're shy and hiding in a corner, and the next minute they're blowing your mind with their knowledge base, talking to you like you've been chummy forever, and breaking out their (usually pretty bad) dance moves from the 80s. Of course, that outgoing behavior may be alcohol related, which brings me to my next item.

2. Authors are Prone to Drinking Massive Quantities
This is something I didn't know was a thing until I attended my first author conference. These ladies finally get out of the house, sans kids and husbands, and go all out. I watched someone literally fall all over herself (and the floor) that year. It's related to a taste of freedom, which brings me to my next item.

3. Authors are Chained to Their Laptops
I'm not kidding. Getting an author away from the computer is like prying a lollipop out of the hand of a toddler. Whoever referred to something easy by saying it's "like taking candy from a baby" has obviously never tried to take candy from a baby. Authors are the same way. Threaten their computer, and you may just get stabbed. This is because our laptops are literally the surrogate mothers of our children, the bearers of our blood, sweat, tears, and time stolen from our human families, which leads into item four.

4. Authors Treat Their Books like Babies
You've probably heard the term "My Book Baby," but did you ever wonder why people say that? Well, it takes nine months to grow a baby, and it takes nearly the same amount of time to write and publish a book (for most people). You care for it and feed it as it grows, clean it up, dress it properly, and then thrust it into the public eye for criticism. Can you imagine if someone took one look at your actual baby, turned to the crowd, and announced that it was the ugliest kid they'd ever seen? You'd be crushed. This is how a one-star review can feel, and it leads to item two on the list above. But when said author has nothing but three stars and up, it sometimes leads to item five, however, I've found that lots of praise isn't necessary to create this mindset.

5. Authors are Divas
Duh. They have to be. They're required to sing their own praises from dawn to dusk. No one is going to buy a book the author says sucks. I mean, if all authors were self-depreciating, this authorverse would be a very bleak place, indeed. So, we're a little stuck-up and demanding sometimes. You can't be told that you have to sing your own praises every day online but then must behave humbly in person. It doesn't work that way. I've never met an author who sold a book by calling themselves crappy writers. Just saying.

6. Authors are Spacey
Yeah, we really are. We blank out on people. Not because we want to be rude, see, but it's because we're all about the stories, and sometimes, inspiration or ideas hit us when we least expect them to. We're not ignoring you; we're plotting (yes, sometimes, it's your death as a character in the book, but it's fiction! Remember that. We don't really kill people [or do we?]) what will happen next in the story. Real life is hard on us, but we can interact! You just need a little patience (or some booze--see item two). You won't find spacey characters in our books, usually, because we like to write what we don't live. This leads me to the final item, number seven.

7. Authors are Normal People with Imaaaaaaaginations
Darn good imaginations! No, we didn't really fly a spaceship to Mars or engage in a threesome with the neighbor; but if we write it well enough so you believe we did, we've done our job! We're here to entertain you and make you feel as though what we wrote is believable and could actually happen. Don't assume we've done the things we've written about in our books or that our brains even work that way. Remember, we're stepping into the character's shoes for our novels, and we see and experience the world as they would if they were real. We don't have to actually take part in something to understand what it might be like.

So, if you meet an author in the wild, approach with a smile, tell them how excited you are to know about their books, excuse any blank outs or crazy behavior, don't assume our lives are the stories we tell, and try to remember that we're showing you, and talking about, our cherished children. We'd love it if you didn't call them trolls. With a megaphone. On national television.

This, my friends, is living in the authorverse. Know the rules. Be the exception!

Do you have anything to add?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

What the Hell is an Author Platform, Anyway?

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, we're gonna talk about that little thing called an author platform. Everyone uses the term, but few take the time to tell you exactly what it is and how to build it. Well, I'll rectify that! Get your coffee or tea, and let's get going!

When you think of a platform, you think of something you can stand on, right? Either to get a better look or to boost you up, support you. It's the same when referring to an author platform; only for authors, this also entails reach, or how loud your voice is in the social sphere.

Your platform is that which you may climb upon and scream a message to the masses that gets heard. Obscure sites don't really count when you're calculating reach--unless those obscure sites have rabid book fans that belong to you and you alone.

Social media sites, personal websites, blogs, and newsletters all add up to author platform, but a couple have more impact for you personally. Here's an example:

1. Twitter--4k followers
2. IG--13k followers
3. Blog--2k subscribers
4. Website--200 visitors per day
5. Newsletter--20k subscribers
6. Quora--2k followers
7. Facebook Page (public)--4k likes
8. Facebook Page (personal)--3k friends
9. LinkedIN--300 connections
10. Google Plus--2k connections
11. YouTube Channel--150 subscribers

Now, you're probably looking at that and saying, "Wow. That's an amazing catch of numbers at around 105k!" You'd be right, but let's break it down further. Out of those followers, subscribers, and connections, how many people actually engage with your content?

1. Twitter--5 to 10
2. IG--50-60
3. Blog--20-30
4. Website--2-4
5. Newsletter--100-200
6. Quora--2-4
7. Facebook Page (public)--2-5
8. Facebook Page (personal)--20-30
9. LinkedIN--1-3
10. Google Plus--2-5
11. YouTube Channel--50-70

That hit pretty hard, huh? On the lowest number, that took you to 254. Out of 105k. Well, you can break that down even further when you look at sales generated from each method. IG has high likes, but how many true sales?

Your bottom line number is your true platform. For every comment, click through to buy, share, plus one, like, or question asked, that's an engagement, but not a sale. You can't simply count opens of a newsletter--it needs to produce clicks. That's where the value of your platform lies.

As you can see, you need a HUGE platform to get enough sales to make a difference. This is why cross-author promotion is so helpful--but it only helps if your base platform and theirs are interested in the same genre. Imagine doubling or quadrupling those numbers above.

I know, right?

Anyway, I hope this helps to clear some of the fog off that vague "platform" term. When an agent asks about your platform, they wanna know how loud your voice is--they're looking for that second set of numbers.

What number would you say your platform is at?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Writing Sprints - What and How

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today's post is informational. If you already know what writing sprints are and how to do them, then feel free to scroll on down to the bottom for the 411 part. For those of you that aren't familiar with sprints, let's get going!

With NaNoWriMo only a month and a half away, authors are gearing up to write furiously for the thirty days of November by plotting their novels and planning how to write 50k words.

Writing sprints are a solution! What's a writing sprint? Well, let's go into that.

A writing sprint is when you write as many words as you can in a set amount of time. Usually, they're set up like so and are done on some form of social media so everyone can comment their word count:

1. You find a group of authors willing to sprint.
2. Someone volunteers to be timekeeper.
3. You set an amount of time (usually 15-30 minutes).
4. Whoever the timekeeper is tells everyone to GO and starts the timer.
5. Everyone writes like crazy people.
6. Timekeeper posts STOP and requests word counts from participants (and posts their own).
7. There's a five to ten minute resting period, and it happens again.
8. Whoever has the most words gets a huge thumbs up (there are no prizes usually).
9. It repeats for one to two hours (usually--I've seen folks do three or four).

That's it. So easy, right? I've seen people log upwards of 6k words during these sprints, so I know they work. Your word count isn't really the target. This is to get you writing, to get words on the page. Progress is progress.

So, to make it a little easier to sprint, I created a group over on FB. It's kinda quiet, but I'm hoping that will change--I have big plans for that group!

If you'd like to join up, here's the linky: Writing Sprints Group on Facebook

I hope to see you there!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Readers, Sensitivity, and Mob Mentality - How Much is Too Much?

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm on yet another discussion. There are several things that have popped up over the last few weeks about right and wrong things to put in a book. Get your coffee or tea in hand, your typing fingers ready to respond, and let's get going!

We all have opinions, right? I plan to open discussion on both sides of the board with this post, and I won't be standing on either side of the fence. You all know me too well if you've been around here a while. I like to hear what you think, I'm going to try my best not to influence you with my own words, and I enjoy the verbal exchange of ideas and viewpoints.

*****That being said, please be nice when you comment. This is my blog, and I won't tolerate hatred, calling-out, or vitriol here. Got it? Okay. Let's move on.

There are a number of books that have been released lately that have spurred some pretty serious reader blowback. To be 100% transparent, I haven't read any of them. My work has revolved around writing my own book, and it's been emotional enough.

But I've seen posts and discussions on Facebook, and I know the titles of the books under fire. No, I'm not going to share those, either. If you want to know, you'll have to do your own research. This post isn't about that.

For centuries, books have been the catalyst to change in many countries. If you don't know the history, do a quick search. There isn't enough space here to discuss them all, and you should be informed. But what I'm seeing now deals directly with what the authors write.

Incest, racism, hate.

Those are the topics under fire.

From my reading experience, either an author is trying to change your way of thinking, trying to bring to light something that's horrible that needs to have light shed on it, or they're trying to tell a story that has nothing to do with their own thoughts or beliefs (a true escape).

It's difficult to tell the difference sometimes, but that doesn't stop me from reading books I don't know what's inside of. This thing where authors have to disclaim horrifying details of their books in the blurb is unsettling.

Why?

Because the things that bother one person, won't bother another. We see this with all the reviews from all the books everywhere. Some people loved the Harry Potter series, and some folks wanted to burn all the books for promoting witchcraft.

See what I'm saying?

I can see labeling it 18 and up, but I'm talking about all the other things. It's worrisome that someone might just grab a book and "read" it only so they can trash it in the review later on and have that little verified purchase ribbon to back their words. But I'm backsliding.

Anyway, the problem here isn't just that labels are being applied, because I know at least one of the novels under fire was labeled, but that it's expected in the first place.

Who are we to know what someone else is going to feel when they read our books? How are we the authorities on how something we've written will be comprehended by the reader? 

Authors may be the worst people to add warnings to their books, but then, so might readers. What some find intense, others will merely scoff at.

Let's discuss by the three topics above then.

Incest.
This isn't a new trope used in books. It goes way, wayyyyy back to novels published in the 70s even. Before you go bananas, let me say, I can see both sides of the issue here. 1) It's something that happens in real life, ergo, it can be applied to a book for real-world additions. 2) It's disturbing to read about, and the fear is there that it'll incite someone to do something they hadn't considered before. It's a touchy subject, to be sure. If an author writes about it, does that mean they're encouraging it, bringing light to an ugly, or merely writing a story?

Racism.
This also isn't a new topic. I could list several books that were racist in nature, but they've become literary classics all the same. I can, again, see both sides of the issue. Do you want to see through a racist's eyes? Get their viewpoint on things? How their brains work? Maybe. Maybe not. 1) Racism is something that's real. It's a serious problem, but it can be used as a mechanism to show what might be in a racist's mind, giving others a unique insight. 2) It's bothersome to read, and it may fuel the already present racist heart of another, making them think of doing something they'd only considered before reading it. Again, what was the point of the author writing it?

Hate.
This applies to genders, races, siblings, government, etc... An older than time topic. Dystopian worlds were borne from hate of a ruling class or laws. You could also say hate applies to books with rape in them. Both sides have weight. 1) Hate is a true problem in our society, and shining a spotlight on it can be used as an effective fuel for the proverbial fire in a novel plotline. 2) Reading about a character hating on people from any walk of life is hard, and it may, again, reinforce that the reader's mindset is the correct one. Do we care about the point if the book makes us uncomfortable?

Historically, we're strongly influenced by books (again with the search recommended above), but does that mean if we read about it, we're going to act on it?

Has the fine line between reality and fiction blurred, or are we just more attuned to the crossovers now? Do the disclaimers even matter at that point?

What bothers me most about all of this is the mob mentality that's taken hold of the world. When someone writes something that's not considered PC, they're attacked by backers of the antis. While I believe in having an opinion and stating it, isn't that what reviews are for? Why do we feel the need to attack the person (in public, no less) behind the words without understanding (or caring) what it was they were trying to say? Is that really the case, or is something else going on here?

Is this censorship?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Remember to be nice and don't name authors or books directly. This isn't a bash-fest.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Free App to Help With Your Writing and Marketing Goals

Happy Friday, everyone! Ah, it's the end of the week, and you have a whole weekend of R&R to look forward to. Doesn't it feel good? To start your weekend off right, I'm going to introduce you to a tool that's A) 100% FREE and B) Amazingly helpful to get you organized (and keep you that way). Ready? Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Allow me to introduce you to Asana. Clicking the name will take you to the website. You can sign in with your Google account. They have an iPhone app, too, so you can manage on the go!!

Here's a screenshot of my personal tasks:

This is a place where I can put all my book writing and launching information. As you can see, there's nothing on it at the moment. I'll be spending the weekend plotting timelines for my next two book launches. It will include dates to hit word counts and dates to schedule release day promotions. I'll add a project and tasks here in a few to show you how that works.

But! I also have a page for collaborative works:

We'll get to why that matters in a moment and why there are little pictures of other folks in the top, left corner. Stay with me!

Not only can you plot out your timelines, Asana will nag you via email of your incomplete tasks per your designated release date. If you want, it'll also email you when you have something coming up. It all depends on how you set up your tasks.

Let's go through one now.

As you can see, when I hover over the Add Task button, an Add Section button appears. Since I'll be scheduling two different books, I want two different sections. Click Add Section.

Fill in the relevant information.

Now, click the ellipsis in the top, right corner and select Convert to Project.

Click Convert. Pay attention to what happened on the left.

Now you can add tasks within that project with different sections like writing and marketing.
Let's do that now. First, click on the project name on the left side. Then click add section. Type in Writing, assign the task to yourself, pick a due date (completion of actually writing the book) and then click the second button that looks like a branched t with dots.

This will allow you to put in your word count goals. Be sure you set due dates and assign the tasks to yourself to get email reminders.

Fill out as many or as few as you like. I did just four so you could see what it's like.

Now, close the window and go back to the main project board. Add another section. Call it Editing and assign the task to yourself. Add all the dates you want to have edits done by (these aren't real because I haven't gotten into due dates with anyone yet... Just for show).

Keep going until you have marketing dates setup, too. You CAN overlap them with editing or writing. Don't worry. It looks like it's all truncated now, but here's where the magic happens!
Now, all your tasks are in there, and you're ready to look at the whole. Go to the top and click on My Tasks.

Boom. There's a list of everything you have coming up. If you'd like a different view, click on Calendar.

As you scroll, you'll find items you've added to your tasks in the order they're supposed to be completed. How cool is that?

Now, if you're working with other writers or people on a project of any kind, this app reallllly comes in handy. We've used it a ton with the F5 projects we've done. It helped us set due dates for everything from book trailers to marketing to writing and beyond. Each week, it also sends out a project status email that tells everyone in the group what's been done and what's left to do.

But the best part about the whole thing? IT'S FREE for up to like 10 collaborators. You can add them via email, and their photos pop up on the top left. Plus, you can sync it to your phone's calendar or export the whole thing as a CSV or print to PDF for sharing with someone else, add files to the tasks, and soooo much more. You just click the dropdown next to the project name. See?

I love it for my own stuff, and it saves trees. I hope you find it useful!

What do you think? Plan on trying it out? Let me know how it goes!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Chapter.con London 2017 - Information and Ticket Specials

Happy Monday, everyone! I just realized it's only a month before I leave for my awesome trip to London to attend the first annual Chapter.con, and I have nothing ready. Nothing. Zilch. EEP! But it also got me thinking: WHO will I see there? So, today's post is the 411 on the conference. If I'll see you, drop me a comment below and say YES! Ready? Here we go!

 For a full schedule and to buy tickets, click here.

Authors of Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, New Adult, Young Adult, Mid-Grade, Children's, Women's Fiction, Dystopia, General.

AUTHOR, READER & BLOGGER CONFERENCE + PUBLIC SIGNING EVENT
London. Twickenham.
Friday 25th & Saturday 26th August.
Join us in the beautiful surroundings of St. Mary's University and Strawberry Hill house for an intimate 2 day reader, author and blogger conference, including a public Saturday signing event.

ALL WRITERS, AUTHORS, BLOGGERS, PUBLISHERS welcome. It's time to step up to the next level and expand your community.

Whether you are a best-selling established author, an aspiring author, a blogger, a reader, a publisher or a book seller, we would like to invite you to  Chapter.Con; one of the U.K's very first conventions of its kind designed to connect, educate and inspire.

One of the primary beliefs of Chapter.Con is inclusivity; of celebrating diversity and indviduality.

​With a series of panels hosted by some of the world's most experienced and best-selling, trail-blazing authors, two inspirational key note speakers, business consultancy workshops, mindfulness seminars, and branding analysis services,  Chapter.Con is far more than a literary festival; it's home, family and mentorship.

Chapter.Con is a chance to exchange ideas with fellow authors, giving you the time, space and forum to create a vibrant and co-operative community.

Chapter Con is open to Indie published, Hybrid published and traditionally published authors of all ages and stages of their individual journey. It is also open to new and established book bloggers, and readers who want to see behind the scenes of the author world.

For a full schedule and to buy tickets, click here.

Now for the information about the signing day tickets and the deal the conference is giving to those folks who bring teen readers with them!

There are still author tables available! Go to the link above to find out more.

So, will I see you there?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Landing Pages Spare You Headaches and Irritated Bloggers

Happy Monday, everyone! So, today's post is because I've seen a number of bloggers over the weekend talking about last minute postings showing up in their email inboxes and how it annoys the crap out of them. When given less than a day to put up a post and make it pretty, giving it to them 24-48 hours ahead of time just isn't kosher. It chains them to their blogs and email inboxes. Worse, they may simply not see it in time.

Guess what?

You just missed out. Plus, you managed to annoy bloggers that are working for free and only trying to help.

As I've always said, make it EASY for people to share your stuff. This isn't hard.

So, to help you help them, today is all about book landing pages. Get those pencils ready, and let's get going!

A book landing page is any page that showcases your book and provides buy links. It can be a page on your website or blog, but it needs to focus on just that one book. Make it pretty, and make sure there's not a lot of visual confusion.

Here are some examples of landing pages:

This is from the Frayed Fairy Tales website.

This one is from Alessandra Torre's site.

And this one is from Geneva Lee's site.

As you can see, the things all these pages have in common are buy links, book covers, and info. There's not a whole lot there because there doesn't need to be. Keep it simple. If you do a web search for "book landing page," you'll get a ton of generic ideas on layout and such.

When you're making your HTML to send to your bloggers, send them the link to that page on your blog or website (shortened with bit.ly so you can track the clicks) instead of waiting for a purchase link.

On release day, go update your site BEFORE time for those posts to go live. It's so much easier to update one website than a ton of blog posts.

Save yourself time and emails, and save your bloggers the stress of rushing. They'll thank you and be much more likely to share your stuff in the future.

I'm just going to add my own little note to go along with the above. I feel like it's important.

When a blogger shares your release stuff, go to the blog and type out a quick thank you. This goes for shares on social media, too. It takes time, YES, but it's worth it. They work hard, and they don't get paid for what they do. Show that you appreciate them. It matters.

Okay, off my soapbox for today.

Anything to add?

Well, that's all for this edition, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Worth by Numbers and Stars

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I'm just talking. No need for pen and paper, but you might want to bring your inner-voices to the party. If you're ready, let's get going!

So, I saw this image floating around on Facebook this morning, and I shared it because the message was so powerful (see it here).

But, as everything in life, it got me thinking about the author world and how we use numbers to measure our worth. When our books are selling well, we think: Wow, I must be a great author. So many people want to read what I've written!

Then comes the dreaded drop in sales or the horrific one star review.

Just like that, our worth seems to fly out the window on the wings of a fiery demon. We fall into a pit of despair, wondering who we were kidding when we thought we could write a book.

Now, I want you to look at those last five words in the sentence above: "We could write a book."

Rethink your stance right now.

You did write a book. Countless hours of your life were spent writing, editing, re-editing, editing again, formatting, and marketing that book.

Countless hours.

There are so many people in the world who say, "I have a book in me."

Do you know the difference between you and them?

You didn't talk about how you can write a book; you did it. Blood, sweat, and tears flowed from you to the page. Not once did you stop, throw down your pen/close your laptop, and give up.

No. You kept going, pushing through the doubt demons and naysayers. You published that book.

Fast-forward fifty years into the future. Your children are grown and have a couple of kids. Out there, in the book world, your words are still going strong. Even if no one is buying them, they're still existing.

It's your legacy. You've made yourself a little bit immortal. Even if people hate your story, they haven't written a book, and they won't live through the pages forever. Take every opinion with a grain of salt.

So, I leave you with this:

Don't measure yourself against your sales numbers or star ratings. Put it all in a new perspective, and remember, you did it when others wouldn't. Even if you feel like crap about it today, it will still be there tomorrow, ready to carry your words through the millenniums. Be proud (it's okay to celebrate your own accomplishments--that doesn't mean you're narcissistic).

Scream into the ether just once today:

"I am f*ck*ng AWESOME! I wrote a book!"

If you're feeling froggy, I also encourage you to jump like the woman in the image above.

Huge thanks to Chelsea Starling for giving me the first part of that battle cry!

How do you get over the measuring of yourself? Plan to scream today? Tell me about it.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Men vs Women - Author's Voice

Happy Thursday, and welcome to another writing tips post, everyone! Today, we're talking about your author voice and how it translates to the reader vs how you want it to translate. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

How about a slice of truth to start us off?

If you're a female, chances are very good that, no matter how hard you try, you'll sound like a female when you write (even if from a male POV). Same goes for you males.

While there are authors who've managed to pull off writing as the opposite sex, I'm positive their editor made a huge difference. If that editor was male and the voice in the book was male, he likely told the author that a man/boy would never think/say/do "this." Likewise for the male writing as a female, using a female editor.

So how can we, as writers, fix it?

Let's go into the male writing as a female first:

Women are emotionally driven creatures. We cry, we care, and we talk about our personal lives a lot. When we talk, we generally use softer words like "would you mind" and "what do you think about this." We're often unsure about what we say or how it will come off to other people (we care about what you hear), and we don't like to hurt feelings or be crass.

Our thought process leans toward our families or responsibilities when we're in peril, and most of us aren't as highly competitive as men. To get us interested, you have to put out a ton of feeling and market to our gentle, helpful, feminine side. We also love to be empowered.

Now, women writing as men:

Men are action and solution driven creatures. If there's no clear goal, and the character isn't fighting toward something they can achieve against all odds, men won't identify. They use clear, demanding speech, that tends to lean toward sarcasm and "taboo" topics. They don't talk about personal things, and they generally prefer confrontation to descriptive floweriness.

Their thought process leans toward the thrill of the moment, and most of them desire to win. To get them interested, you have to market to their competitive, thrill-seeking side.

How do you get to know a woman's thought process? Spend time talking with them, asking questions, and paying attention to how they interact with their peers. Same goes for how to get into a man's head. You have to really immerse yourself in the gender if you want to be believable.

Go now and take a look at ads geared toward women, and then look at some geared toward men. See any difference? That's what connecting with a gender is all about. Books work the exact same way.

If you're a non-fiction writer, you may need to create two separate books; one that uses language women want, and one that appeals to men.

Male readers consume only 20% of the literary fiction read today. Know what that means? Right! Women are left with a whopping 80% of the pie.

Wow.

So what do the other 80% of men read? Sci-Fi, History, and Political. Certainly food for thought.

Have you stepped into the shoes of the opposite gender? How did it work out for you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

13 Rules for Stronger Writing

Happy Friday, everyone! Wow, it's the weekend already. I feel like I've missed out on a couple of days in here somehow. Anywho, today is all about making your writing stronger. I have thirteen tips that'll help you keep your writing flowing. Ready? Awesome. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

No dallying today. Right into it. When examples are given, what you shouldn't do will be in red, what you should do will be in green.

1. Use active voice. Don't use were. Reconstruct your sentences to read as it is. Example: There were fifteen girls standing on the field. Fifteen girls stand on the field.
2. Kill the truth. If reality is blocking, make up new rules. You're writing fiction, after all.
3. Unite common phrases. Things that go together, stay together. Example: Molly lifted her arm and then, with a roar like a lion, she began beating the door. Molly lifted her arm, roared like a lion, and beat the door.
4. Write as you see. When you're writing, think visually about the scene, and use the imagery as fodder.
5. Catch the beat. All writing has a rhythm. You know it. Use it.
6. IT is a horror story. Beware of dangling "it" in your prose. Example: I thought it was strange. I thought the chair scooting across the floor by itself was strange.
7. Sentence structure variation. Don't write the same sentence over and over. Example: I walked into the kitchen. I got a glass from the cabinet. I filled the glass with water, and I drank. I drank it in one gulp. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water. As thirsty as I was, it went down in one gulp.
8. Marry related words. Keep things together that go together. Example: Henry stared at the float in the pool that was spinning in the middle. Henry stared at the float spinning in the middle of the pool.
9. Allow the reader to infer. Don't over explain. Example: "I'll do anything I can to help," Tina said lovingly. "I'll do anything I can to help," Tina said.
10. Create parallels. Mix some ideas and compare two unrelated things.
11. Kill repetition. Don't use the same word more than once in a paragraph; your reader will feel like they're reading the same sentence again and again.
12. Use one instead of two. If you can delete a word and not lose meaning, do so. Example: A scary, creepy spider is crawling up my leg. A creepy spider is crawling up my leg.
13. Beef up with stronger verbs and concrete nouns. Use these to replace adverbs and adjectives.

I hope you got some good tips today. Any of these that you didn't know?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Amazon Author Central and You - Take Two

Happy Fridayyyyy! Wow, it's the weekend, you guys! Two days of no work. Whatever will we do with ourselves? Well, you could spend the time snazzing up your Amazon Author Central page. Yesterday's post was all about how to create an account and add books. Today, we're going into some of the clicky things you can modify. So you can take the info you find here and get to work making everything fabulous. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I'm just gonna jump right in here. Login to Author Central here so you can follow along. Be sure you're on this tab and have your bio all filled out:

After your biography, you need to set your author page URL. As you can see, mine's already done (amazon.com/author/jomichaels). Amazon lets you set this to whatever you choose, but you only get one shot, so choose wisely! It's here:

Next, you'll want to upload a photo of yourself. Click the add photo button here:

Browse through your pictures, choose an image, click the box saying you have permission to use the photo, and click Upload Photo:

You can do this more than one time so you can change your picture up now and then. When you click manage photos, you get a couple of options:

Delete or rearrange at will. First one in the row is your profile picture! The Add Video button works the exact same way as the Add Photo one. NOTE: You must have the video available on your computer to upload. You can't link or add one from YouTube. Twitter add is pretty self explanatory, too, so I won't bog you down with images for all that.

Now, you'll want to add your blog feed. If your blog isn't pushing to a feed, here's how to find it for Blogger, and how to find it for Wordpress. Write it down and keep it handy, you'll need it for Monday's post. *wink* Once you have your feed address, click here:

It'll open a popup where you can type in your feed URL. Do it and click Add.

Let's go add an event, shall we? Click here:

You'll get a popup window like this:

Yeah, that's a lot of information to fill out, but Amazon will do most of it for you. Add a description first, then click on the location and start typing the name of a venue. I've added Utopia Con. If you're going, too, start by typing Millennium Max, then choose the hotel name from the list that populates underneath. Boom! Amazon fills in all the cool details like this:

Then, choose a book (yeah, just one), and a start date and time. I chose the date fans will be allowed into the conference. Click Add. Your profile should look something like this:

You're all done for today. Monday, I'm going to show you something amazing you can do with Amazon if you have a blog. Tuesday, we'll go into the various sections on the book tabs (hopefully, your books will be listed by then if they aren't already).

Did you create one? Leave us a link so we can take a peek!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Submission to Publishers? A List of Eleven

Happy Thursday, everyone! I know how difficult it is sometimes to take the leap to traditional publishing and/or finding that perfect agent. Many of the folks I know are Indie and love it. They wouldn't change a thing. However, if you're interested in finding a publisher, here are ten that are taking submissions now (and aren't Author Solutions). As always, remember to read over ANY contract offered to you. When in doubt, CONSULT AN ATTORNEY. With those things in the back of your mind, let's get to the list!

I'm not putting my stamp of approval on any of these publishers because I don't know them from a hole in the ground. This is only meant to be a list for your perusal. As always, keep your babies (books) safe from predators.

You do NOT need an agent to submit to these houses right now.

Winter Solstice - Solstice Publishing
They're taking New Adult (and all sub-genres) submissions.
See the guidelines here.

Ichthus Publications
They want Christian fiction only.
Guidelines (their website) here.

Harper Collins Christian
Theology, biblical studies, and so forth.
See the whole list here.

Crossbooks
Another seeking Christian fiction, biblical studies, and children's bible stories.
Check it out here.

Tinder Press
Fiction. Seems like all genres. Must not be published.
Guidelines can be found here.

Forest Avenue Press
Looking to publish two literary fiction novels (no short story collections).
Submit by following these guidelines.

JMS Books
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, all of that (LGBT). These fiction genres: romance, YA (must be over 10k words), erotica, erotic romance.
See their guidelines here.

Leap Books
They want novellas for their SHINE line! Commercial YA with romantic elements.
Guidelines are here.

Bibliomotion
Trade business novels with high commercial appeal. Yeah, that means non-fiction.
Submit using guides here.

Vinspire Publishing
Ethnic Romance, Historical Romance, Amish Romance, Romantic Suspense. That's the whole list.
See their guide for submission here.

Sinful Press
You have very limited time here. Erotic novels 60-100k words in length.
Check it out here.

There you have it! If you're gonna take the leap, good luck!

Do any of these appeal to you? Are you planning to submit? Tell me about it.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

How Writers Can Use Google Chrome Remote Desktop

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, you get a digital goodie that's all about productivity and collaboration. So, sit back, grab a cup of Jo, and let's get rolling!

I'm sure you're all familiar with Google Chrome, right? Well, if you don't use that, this post isn't for you. But, if you do, and you have an iOS device...

Google Chrome Remote Desktop is now available for your Apple device. It's free, and you can get it here.

Why am I so excited about it? Well, as you may know, I recently published a book titled Fractured Glass with four other ladies. When it came time to edit the novel, we had a ton of back and forth between myself and Tia Silverthorne Bach (the editors). It was difficult to collaborate with the miles between us.

The Remote Desktop app would've allowed us to share our desktops and edit that novel together. It would've cut our editing time in half (at least), and given us the opportunity to make decisions about structure and consistency on the fly. Those two things set us back a couple of times.

But, if you're writing a novel with a second person, this app could be of even more use. Tell me you wouldn't love to be able to co-edit right in MS Word! Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You can both be writing your novel at the same time.

As a disclaimer, I'm not being paid to tell you about this (I never am), and I'm not sure how many people can share at once with this app. I just heard about it over the last week.

When you click on the link above, it'll give you screenshots to show you how the app works, and you can read the reviews of users taking advantage. It's sitting at four stars, which means it can't be terrible or difficult to use.

So, if you're someone who likes to try new things that may save you time, check it out. If not, just keep doing what you're doing. Like I said, I just found out about it. Once I get some use under my belt, I'll be back to let you all know my thoughts about how it works/doesn't work. So, we'll see!

Do you use it? How? Has it helped you? If not, will you give it a shot?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Your Blog's Big Event

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Since Thursday is writing tips day, I thought I'd give a little to the bloggers out there about planning and hosting an event. So, get your pens and notebooks ready, grab your coffee, and let's get rolling!

As you may know, every year I do a little thing here on the blog called the 12 Days of Review Requests. This event not only gets me great books to read and review over the next year, it also helps me expand my network, meet new (awesome) people, and connect with other book bloggers and reviewers.

I spend all year thinking about what I'll do next and planning my marketing for December. I have to choose days, invite awesome bloggers, and gather donations from other authors. 2014 was the biggest year yet, and I intend to make it even more epic in 2015.

Over on My Book Addiction, Toni Lesatz has her zOctober event that focuses solely on zombie novels and the authors who write in that genre. She sent me information three months out about my guest post, what was expected of me, and what I needed to do to take part. That told me she spends a ton of time setting her event up, too.

So, if you went through my how to become a book blogger series, you'll know there's a lot more to running a blog than just choosing a name and typing stuff up once in a while. You need a plan and a big event of some kind that'll take your blog to a new level. After all, what good is a blog if no one reads it, right?

But, before you get all crazy, you have to first decide what kind of event you're going to hold and what you're gonna call it. Here's a quick list of things to consider:

• Why should people attend?
• What's in it for them?
• What's in it for you?
• How will it be run?
• Where can you market your event?
• What if (what can go wrong)?
• Will you accept donations? If yes, what kind?
• How long do you have to plan?
• How long will your event run?
• Is there another blog with a huge event running in the same time frame?
• Could you partner to make both events a little bigger?
• How will you handle donations? Will you deliver the goods or will the donator?

After you answer all those questions, you're ready to start planning. Take these steps:

1. Form a marketing plan for the event based on the type (I'll get to that in a moment).
2. Plan for snafus.
3. Ask for donations (if you plan to take them).
4. Set up your Rafflecopter forms.
5. Design stuff for your theme.
6. Pre-write your posts or gather guest posts and get them formatted.
7. Prepare your invites.
8. Take a deep breath and dive in!

Here are some types of events:

• Blog challenges: Many bloggers join and plan to post each day--and visit posts by others--for a set period of time (do a search for the A-Z challenge, and the Author Blog Challenge).
• Author/theme spotlights: Guest authors appear and highlight their books. Can be in one genre or many (zOctober).
• Book Celebrations: Readers gather together to talk books, and/or authors can join in and pitch books (12 Days Review Requests).

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that roll off the top of my head. Your imagination is your only limit here.

You can also join up with a couple of memes. I know there's a few out there like Waiting on Wednesday (books you're looking forward to reading), Stacking the Shelves (books you've bought over the last week), and many, many more. That'll drive some traffic to your blog and help you discover other bloggers to network with.

Above all else, make your blog something people will want to stick around to look at again and again.

So, talk to me! What big events are you planning? Have you ever considered running something like this?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo