Craft

For our last post before we start in to Feb. I want to talk a bit about craft.

I am a huge advocate of "Writing the Breakout Novel" as a workbook but we're going to be even more general than that today.

What is craft? How do you develop it?

Craft is something that you have to work at. You may have natural talent [some of you may have incredible talent] but without craft you'll never reach your full potential.

One key to maturing as a writer is to recognize how much you don't know. When I wrote my first manuscript I thought it was the most brilliant set of words to ever land on paper. Truly, I was enamored with my genius. It was inconceivable that anyone could write something more riveting than that story.

When I placed in the top 20 of a writing contest...well, I knew I was already the champ. The story was destined for greatness. I stopped learning. I had arrived. Books would be written about my rise to fame. People would flock to learn from me.

That manuscript never went any further. I'm embarrassed that anyone ever saw it associated with my name!!

That is because I've grown in my craft.

As I begin to meet writers at higher and higher levels of success my belief in the greatness in humility is reinforced.

Humility is not self-depreciation. It is recognition of ones limitations and then the willingness to do what is necessary to push past them and grow as a writer. It is stepping outside your comfort zone and seeing yourself for who you really are.

It is like the scene in the movie "The Never-Ending Story" where the warrior realizes he's the boy in the attic [and vice versa]. Once he had that realization he was able to go further than he ever thought possible. He was able to do great things. Recognizing his limitations allowed him to exceed them.

That is what our craft can do. If we recognize that we are not good at writing dialog then we can recognize that limitation-and push past it. That is how we go up a notch.

Get together with a critique partner. Hire an editor to read the first 30 pages of your manuscript. Do something to find your weaknesses in craft.

Then, armed with that knowledge, get the tools to turn those weaknesses in to strengths.

Sunday starts the first day of the rest of our month. Get ready to break down barriers and push past limitations. Forget everything leading up to this moment.

Let's get going!

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Making money when the magazines aren't buying

So, I imagine that one of the goals for you guys would be earning some money. What are you going to do in Feb. to make that happen? With fewer and fewer magazines buying articles these days it can be really tough to figure out where to start.

One thing I've done is offer additional services. Of course, you need to have some knowledge about the service you're offering. I don't offer medical transcription because I don't know medical jargon. I do offer Newsletters, however.

What made me decide to write and design newsletters for others?

As I was researching on marketing I came to the conclusion that Newsletters are a great way for businesses and non-profits to keep in touch with their readership. E-newsletters are less expensive than traditional newsletters and offer the option of linking directly to a specific blog posting or website. They offer tight copy with click through options. This is what I specialize in. I'm an author. I know how to write in a way that engages readers. That is what I'm doing. I'm taking the skills I've learned in sales and marketing the Writing Career Coach and my own writing to create another stream of income.

What are skills you've developed that you could market to others?

What are some things you've learned to do that you can use to create another stream of income? What need can you meet? We're in a down economy so what skills do you have that can help advance others? Can you earn an income doing this?

What foundations can you lay now for the future?

History shows that some of the greatest fortunes were from people who sowed in a time of lack. What skills can you acquire now? What businesses can you plan? How can you set yourself up for a future with greater success than you now have. What you're doing now is setting the course for future success or failure. What you do today determines your long term results. These are facts, not cliches.

Take this slow down to reassess whether your spending is in line with your goals. Is the way you spend your time going to give you the tools you need? Have you changed what you've been doing? That is the only way you'll change what you get [unless you've already made positive change and you're simply building momentum. In that case, keep going.]

So spend some time finding out what the needs are you can meet. Maybe it is doing some website design? Maybe writing business letters for a few local businesses for $20 each. Or maybe, like me, you've discovered a way to offer a service with high quality but a lower price than what others are currently doing. Larger firms can be locked in to higher prices because of high overhead. You can be nimble. You can adapt.

So find the positive in every change of circumstance. Find the hidden money. Consider writing content for brochures or descriptions of products. All of these can build you financially and create a sphere of influence for the future.

If you'd like to know more about my low cost newsletters email me through my contact page. You'll find that keeping in touch with your clients is less expensive than you thought.


Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Get the system in place

So January has been about laying the foundation to launch your goals for 2009. This is about more than new year's resolutions. It is about actually creating an environment where you can reach your goals and build your business.

Today I'm focusing on the need to build systems in to your business.

What do I mean by a system. Well, when I go through coaching with my students we sometimes really dig in to the meat of this [depending on their own goals] but for today we're simply going to focus on the need for small systems.

The most basic system is your schedule.

I was recently reading a post by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, where he gave the flow chart for his productivity. As with every new innovation, I always try it for a month or so before I share it with my readers. This goes back to the credibility I blogged about last week. I don't recommend things to earn an affiliate fee. I don't promote things for my own gain. When I tell you about something it is because I know it works. When I know it works I feel comfortable putting my name to it and sharing it with you.

So, in the final week of January I'm going to share how I've increased my productivity in January.

1. Upgrade my to-do list. I have ALWAYS been a paper and pencil kinda gal. I have to write everything down because my scribbles and shorthand take too long to reproduce on a computer. After reading Michael Hyatt's blog posting about how he manages his day I realized the potential of using Microsoft Outlook to move my day along. I can't TELL you how much this has improved my productivity. If I get an email I need to reply to, I put it on my to-do list and copy and paste it in Outlook. [Now I have to clear out the 1,200 emails in my mailbox that were sitting there for one reason or another.] And there is something gratifying to click that little box and see all the stuff I need to do disappear...and the day ends blank. Ahhh.

2. Avoid distraction. Okay, this one has been a bit more difficult for me because I'm fascinated with what is going on around me. [Outlook has helped me a bit with this too because of its constant badgering. :-) ] You need to find a way to get rid of your distractions. I know, easier said than done. Sometimes it's simply a matter of discipline though. We wander up and down the information super hwy, reading emails, forwarding pictures, IMing about meeting at the coffee shop, etc. My way is simply to rotate where I work. I have a laptop so I work in different rooms of the house. Something about the change of venue helps me to be more productive. It is silly but works. Don't worry if it makes sense, just do what works.

3. Stop listing excuses. My biggest one is fattigue. I know how much more productive I am when I'm awake so it is difficult for me to work when I'm less productive. Isn't that silly. I'd rather do nothing than be less productive than usual. So, I look at my illogical thinking and I work in spite of it. What is your excuse? What do you do when necessary to get around these problems?

4. Create benchmarks for DAILY progress. I do things as small as "Outline plot for minor character X". That may only take 30 minutes but if I do something that small each day in my prewriting by the end of the week I have my full character sketches. When I do my scene outlines I make a day of it [usually 2-4 hrs]. Otherwise each step of my writing takes no more than 2 hrs.

5. Determine a system for follow up on emails. Mine is in outlook but yours might be to leave windows open, to write it on a list, or something else. The key is NOT to stop and start over and over. Decide when and how you will follow up on emails, housework, kids, and other follow-ups. And stick to it. Don't slide back in to your old habits. Force yourself to change.

Set up these systems. Practice this week. Get ready for next week. We will launch.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

my apologies...

I am very sorry that a number of blogs this week have been delivered to email boxes in the evening. I had commitments this week that called me out of town on normal blogging days so I scheduled them ahead. I didn't realize that I forgot to change to A.M. before I scheduled.

I try to consistently schedule all blogs so that you can know when to expect them. I'm very sorry for this oversight.

I have exciting things as we wrap up January and begin to move in to February. I hope that you will continue to watch your in box for these announcements as well as the usual blog postings that help you develop your own writing business.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter

www.WritingCareerCoach.com

Building your platform through credibility

Why do you read this blog?

Some of you may have just found me for the first time.

Others of you have met me in person at one of my public speaking event.

The rest likely have heard about me or my blog, checked me out and liked the information provided.

But only one thing will keep you coming back [and telling others to come] and that is if I establish credibility with you. You need to believe what I'm talking about. You must see results when you apply my principles to your business [notice I said APPLY and not simply READ. smile.]

The same is true with you. Sometimes individuals get so focused on how THEY will benefit from increasing their marketing that they forget that the only way to really build a strong platform [read: sphere of influence] is to give them what they need.

I couple of years ago my husband read about this in a book [I wish I could remember the name]. It is called the W.I.I.F.M principle. What's in it for me.

Whenever I write a blog I ALWAYS ask myself "What am I providing to my blog reader." I try to NEVER offer fluff to fill a day on my blog calendar. There are days that I don't have much to say but that is when I know I need to spend more time reading up on the industry. If I have nothing to say-I am not learning.

So, as you're marketing this week-whether with articles, blogs, speaking or anything else-keep your focus on what you're providing your audience. When you make your focus how to benefit others rather than ways to help yourself you will see that both are accomplished.

Take time to gain credibility, don't throw out fluff and cliches, and show people that it is worth their time to hear [or read] what you have to say.

We are rolling in to the final week of January. Is that platform you're building solid so you can start implementing your goals on Feb. 1st? If not, what do you need to do next week to get there?

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

New Feature for all of you

Hello

I told you that we have a number of exciting new features coming from the Writing Career Coach this year. The first is something I hope will be a real time saver for all of you.

As I do more public speaking and webinars I am asked my opinions on resources that will help individuals grow their business. I have a suggested reading list full of foundational books that I urge every person to read [if you haven't seen that list go here].

There are a large number of books, however, that are being released right now that could be great as well. Everyone is looking for ways to save money right now so you want to know if any of these books are worth your time OR money.

I'm going to begin to read and review books and post these reviews monthly [or so]. For the most part I will stick to non-fiction. Here are some answers to some FAQ:

1. Is this blog going to turn in to just another book review site?

No. I know there are a large number of sites that do reviews on countless books. The focus of this blog will be writing, business and research. You saw an example of this when I reviewed the Kingdom of the Occult. Thanks to that review a number of people who are writing books from CBA can find out about a topic they may not feel comfortable researching in other places. Furthermore, people writing for the ABA can see how a christian would describe these groups. This helps with character development so we don't have a preacher screaming hell and damnation on people in someone's novel. The focus will continue to be helping you with plot, marketing, platform development and building your writing business.

2. But don't reviewers always say something nice?

People who know me know that I love to be encouraging. That having been said, it undermines my credibility if everything I review is "the best book I ever read". I will write a review summary where I will outline Likes/Dislikes/Benefits so that you can quickly scan the book to see if it is something you'd like to read. This will not be a 600 word plot summary. It will highlight specific features.

So, no, this won't be a fan letter-it will be an assessment of what I feel this book can do to help you with your business.

3. I heard about a book that is really good. Will you review it for me?

If you hear about a book that you'd like to have reviewed you may email me through the contact page on my website. I cannot promise to review all the books suggested, but I will read each email and see what I can do.

4. I am an author, will you review my book?

This answer is similar to the answer to question 3 with one exception. If I agree to review your book I request you or your publisher send me an influencer copy. I will do the same Like/Dislike/Benefits on your book. If you are a fiction author it is highly unlikely that I will review the book-sorry. [You can still ask though.]

I will have a book posting in just a few weeks that I really hope you'll enjoy. I also hope this will be one more time/money saver that will allow you to maximize your time and build your successful writing business.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Aspiring Writer, Big Dreams

Lauri Pierce is another aspiring writer in my coaching program. She shares what she is doing to grow as a writer in this post.

WCC: One thing you have done recently to improve your craft?
LP: I'm reading (and am almost done!) this great book called Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass.

WCC: What are some things you're doing to market even before you're published?
LP: I have started a blog and intend to send and inform family and friends of the site to get it out there and growing. I'm also planning to post the address on Facebook and Myspace, and possibly a few forums. From there, who knows where else! Perhaps bumper stickers? Lol ;)

WCC: What genre do you write and how did you become interested in it?
LP: Good question... I don't really have one specific genre though. Right now, I have a historical fiction, a thriller, a fantasy/allegory, and plain fiction in the works. I also enjoy writing nonfiction articles when a neat idea comes. Above all though, and perhaps this is what you were looking for, the similarity between them is the same. They are Christ based and/or have an uplifting message. Meaning, to me, is very important.

I became interested in these and writing in general by reading.

WCC: If you had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out as an author, what would it be?
LP: If you have a passion to write, you can do it! It will take time and effort on your part, but it is possible. And NEVER (if I could double underline this, I would) let anyone tell you otherwise.

WCC: Do you have a blog/website? What is the theme and the address?
LP: Indeed, I do! The theme is God, writing, and life (and all three combined). I might give some advice on things I've learned about writing one day, talk about something that really struck or touched me in life the next, and then share something God did in the following. The ideas are boundless -as is life. The address is http://laurislacuna101.blogspot.com/.

Lauri, Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

So what about all of you? January is nearly over, what have you been doing to build your writing. Leave a comment.

Establishing a strong writing business

Here are the details for the webinar I'm teaching for PVN. The class is limited to 25 participants so register now if you'd like to participate. To register go here.

Date: January 22, 2009

Time: 8:30 pm (EST)

Cost: $25 for members & guests


Description

“I’d like to write a book someday . . .” If you’ve ever uttered that statement, this webinar is for you. Whether you’d like to sell an article, write a biography, or become a full-time freelance writer, this one-hour webinar will help you establish yourself in the business of writing. Through exercises and action steps, participants will build a writing career road map during the course of the webinar. Webinar participants will identify specific tasks and benchmarks to reach their individual goals, and each will gain the tools to create a focused writing business plan.

Presenter(s)

Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. Tiffany won the 2007 Daphne du Maurier Award in the inspirational unpublished division for her manuscript “A Face in the Shadow” and was a semifinalist in Operation First Novel in 2004. A world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her. She especially loves working with teens and young adults.

Reaching your goals, multiple websites

Why would you need to have multiple websites?

This is a reasonable question. There are so many websites out there, how are you going to attract people to your particular website? And wouldn't that split your traffic to send them to a bunch of different websites?

Well, yes and no. By having a website targeted to each of your markets you can reach each of them and then point all of them to a central website.

That is why it is so important to secure domains you might need to do this-and secure them BEFORE you need them.

How will I keep the content relevant?

This will require some consistent effort on your part but you can consider simple things link integrating twitter in to your website and posting as you find articles of interest to your target market.

You can interview people whose opinion would interest your readers.

You can also write articles based on your experience and research.

Content should be the easiest part....we are, after all, writers.

How can I build traffic?

Build your readership by offering something they want to see. Write your blog and point people to articles and content on your website. Then on your website point to your newsletter. Your newsletter can provide short articles monthly and point to archived posts on your blog. You don't want to make everything a duplicate [in case you have people who check out all three]. Make sure each place has something the other two things don't provide, but it is okay to use content from each in the other.

I am personally using mailchimp and I love it. Here is a link to check them out.

MailChimp

I am not a computer person, so at first some of the work with the templates confused me. However, once I looked at the quick tutorials [most lasting no more than a minute or two] it gave me AWESOME looking newsletters. [so be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter]

What I really like is that I can either go monthly [starting at $15/month] or I can pay $15 to get 500 mails. This is great while I'm building my lists. It also allows me to work in this system for clients without relying on them for sign ups etc.

They have a free trial offer with 500 free emails so go to the link and play around with it. See what you think. If you get a newsletter, email me through my website with a description of the newsletter and we'll tell others.

Of course there are other programs but I have told you that I only tell you about what I've directly seen results from. This doesn't mean there aren't other great programs out there; this is what I'm using and I'm thrilled with their product.

Reread Tuesday's post and today's post and start to think bigger about your marketing efforts. And if you'd like help my monthly coaching program is $30/month. We can delve in to specifics for your particular writing goals and put something together

But keep moving forward. We're going to get you to your dreams.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Reaching your goals, establish a web presence

Last Thursday I taught a webinar on Writing for Small Business Owners. One thing I emphasized is the importance of establishing and maintaining a web presence. That is important for writers. Since we work with words this should be easier for us to create something that will keep people coming back...but how do we do that?

Creating blogs are always the first step. They are free and easy to update. Make sure you have a clear focus and provide consistent content that will interest people and keep them coming back.

The next thing you need to do is secure a domain. I personally use doteasy.com because I've found them very affordable and very easy to work with. They run specials from time to time but to simply buy a domain is about $25 for a year. Click this link below and check them out.

Doteasy.com

"But I don't want to start a website yet!!"

I didn't say start a website, I said purchase a domain.

I'm sure as you grow as an author you'll encounter many people who find their domain gone when the time comes to build their website. Purchase the domain so you have it in a year or two when you need it.

If you have domains that relate to the topic of your kind of writing, secure that too. "RegencywithRayann" or "SuspensewithSam"

You get the idea. I own about 4-5 domains that are not currently developed because I know that I will need them soon-and I don't want to miss out.

So, we will talk about actual websites on Friday, but for now go to that link and find out the availability of domains [it's free to check availability], secure a domain [or topic, like I'm writingcareercoach.com ], and start to think of ways to plan for success.

Don't wait until you think you'll need it, start planning ahead.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

This one is still pursuing her goals...

Today I'm pleased to have one of the individuals in my coaching program, Katt Anderson, share a bit about writing, what she's done to grow as a writer and how she is working to take her writing to the next level. I hope you will enjoy this post. I will have a couple others throughout this month as we focus on goal setting and following through.

WCC:What is one thing you have done recently to improve your craft?

Katt Anderson: This past year I have changed a lot in my writing. I always take to classes that ACFW offers and I have heard of others that I have taken. I have been working with Tiffany for over a year now and I do recommend her classes, especially the one-month intense class. It really brought my thinking to the center. Last year I attended two seminars, Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and October Writers Retreat. When I was there, I met a lot of authors and I have been networking with some of them. Conferences are a great way to meet people and don't be afraid to ask them questions.

WCC: What are some things you're doing to market even before you're published?

KA: That's a good question and one I am getting started doing. I do several things. I'm a member of the Church of Christ and most of the churches have Ladies Day. That is a time where ladies from different congregations get together for a day of worship, just women. I have spoken at our Ladies Day and we are preparing for another one in May. I am also open for any other speaking engagements. I'm always introduced as a writer and I tell my progress. Another way is to write for publications, newspapers, anything. Right now I do not have anything published, but I am working on them. You can also speak to different local organizations. This has been swimming around for a while in my head and I'm ready to take the leap.

WCC: What genre do you write and how did you become interested in it?

KA: I write historical romance. I have always loved history. My best subject in school. The town I live in is very old and there is a lot of history from 1775 and on. When I was in elementary school, a historian of the town would come to our classes and tell us stories. I enjoyed it very much. Then my grandmother was raised in the coal mining towns in Southwest Virginia. She told me so many stories about the early 1900's. Her father was a sheriff and he also told me a few.

WCC: If you had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out as an author, what would it be?

KA: One piece of advice is hard. There are so many things to do such as classes, conferences, etc. My one piece of advice is to read well written novels in the genre you want to write. Study those books when you read them and learn how the author says and explains certain things. How does she/he show emotion? How do they do back story? There is so much to learn and reading is a good way to do that. Wording is different in each era.

WCC: Do you have a blog/website? What is the theme and the address?

KA: I do have a website and a blog. The address is www.kattanderson.com. My blog is www.kattscribbles.blogspot.com. The theme is the journey of writing. I do have guest interviews and the last one was with Amanda Cabot discussing her book Paper Roses. It is a historical romance.

Tiff, thanks so much for interviewing me. You know I love to talk, so I have enjoyed telling about my journey. Life is a journey and each day is a different page or scene. We make it what we want it to be and I have decided to enjoy it. Thanks so much.

Thanks for sharing from your heart, Katt. Tomorrow I'll spend some time talking about ways to build your writer's platform. I hope to see everyone there.

Setting up for success

I have never been a volleyball fan. Despite being a varsity gymnast in high school I found volleyball too brutal of a sport to be any fun.

One thing I did learn from Volleyball, however, was the power of coordinated effort. One of the positions in volleyball is called the setter [or at least I think that was what the position was called. Shows you how much I love Volleyball. ha-ha]

Okay, I love college football. Let's go with that. [The Fiesta Bowl was heartbreaking for this Buckeye!] When they call a play everyone has to know what position to go to, who to line up against and where to watch. The defense has to try to read the play and prepare to stop the person from running the ball in to the end zone [clearly, I love football more than volleyball].

As writers and business owners we have our own end zone. Our goals will determine the plays we run. We will also encounter opposition.

We must always be on offense calling out play after play...making little movements a few yards at a time until we hit the end zone PUBLICATION.

Then immediately we go RIGHT back where we started from and do the same thing all over again. Sometimes rejection will push us back and the other team will score against us [the other team being our own negative self-talk] but we still end up BACK at the 50 yard line.

I can't call your plays for you. You have to do that. Determine what your goal is. What you'll have to do to get there. And, most importantly, don't give up. Keep pushing incrementally forward.

For me college football is wrapping up. The bowl games are over. In August the teams will come out again. The winners will have to once again prove they have the stuff. The losers will have a chance to come back and have their time to shine.

As writers every day, every week, every project we prove ourselves again and again. The book is simply the culmination of years of sweat and tears.

Where will you be next year? That will be determined by what you do in the next 12 hours. And the 12 after that. and the 12 after that. Well, you get the picture.

Don't forget to share your opinion in our poll. It will only be available a few more days.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Weekly tracking guide

Good morning,

As writers there are many skills we must master. There is craft, characterization, marketing, editing, proposals and query letters...and accepting rejection graciously.

It can feel like we are making no forward progress.

Sometimes it is true, sometimes it is because you're basing success on word count.

The best solution is to keep track of what you're actually doing to advance your writing career. Students of my monthly coaching received this already [if you are in my coaching program and didn't receive it, email me and I'll get a copy right over to you.]

If you'd like to write one of your own think about the various aspects of being a writer and rank them in order of importance. Then give each a 'point value'. Determine how many points you'd like to earn each week [or how many points you NEED to earn each week if your on a deadline] and then start working.

It is simple things that reap huge dividends in our writing. Sometimes things as simple as a to-do list or a tracking sheet are enough to give us the accountability we need to move forward.

Don't allow yourself to get discouraged in 2009. Make this the year that you reach your goals.

More importantly, make this the WEEK that you reach a milestone on the path to your goals.

The webinar I'm teaching on Thursday can be accessed here. If you cannot attend, the ProVision Network will be recording the presentation and it will be available for sale at a later date.

I have also posted a poll on my blog. I know most of you read these directly in your email but take the time to give your thoughts on this new feature. Click straight to the blog here.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

You know what to do, but how???

Happy Monday!!

I truly mean that every time I say that. I love being a writer and I love coaching other writers and helping them to be all they can be.

So many people make New Year's Resolutions [although I haven't heard as much of that this year...guess it's because I quit listening to the News all the time.]

I don't make Resolutions because it is no more effective than making a declaration.

I make decisions and I follow them with action.

If that is you, then you're in the right place. Last week I called you all to make January a foundational month. Not only am I encouraging you to do that, but I'm going to help you with that.

We're going to lay the foundation for a successful new year in your writing business. Over this next month I will not only suggest steps to take but I'm going to allow a few of the people I coach to tell you some of what THEY'RE doing to grow their business. Some of them have ideas identical to me, others have taken what I've taught and forged their own path.

Either way, 2009 can be an opportunity for you to meet those goals.

Our economy is in a time of flux. Our government is in a state of transition.

Uncertainty can be scary.

But, history has shown us that the people who adjusted TO change are the ones who sky rocketed in growth.

Make this your month to grow!

Many of you have emailed me to ask about my coaching program. It runs 3 months starting from the day you register [so if you register January 15th it will run until April 15th] so you always get 3 full months.

Yes, if you own one or more of the products you do get a discount on that first month.

And I have a few more spots for January [only 8] so if you'd like to sign up for coaching this month, do it quickly.

One final thing, if you have high school students [homeschool, public school or private school] and they're dreading that term paper I'm teaching a semester long class on mastering the term paper. It is $30 for the SEMESTER [yes, it is a crazy cheap deal. I love teenagers and want to see them succeed]. I only have a few spots left so email me directly if you'd like your student to have the private tutoring. Or if they want to purchase the product without tutoring. I no longer do the e-loop so all tutoring is private tutoring.

See you tomorrow and we'll delve in to the year your business exceeded your expectations!

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.

Molding with change

There has been a huge hubbabaloo on a email loop I'm a part of. The group is ACFW which is a group of writers who are, or hope to be, CBA fiction authors.

The basis of this conversation rests on a NYT Article.

I'd encourage you to go read it [I linked to it above], but if you can't, here's a summary. The author talks about buying used books online. Then claims that this is leading to the decline of bookstores and back lists.

I may not be very old [early 30s]-so maybe there's something I'm missing- but what is the point of fussing about something we can't control?

Nothing.

We cannot go out and force people to purchase new books for $15 when they can get an old one for $3. It's called common sense.

So, our role as writers is to recognize this reality and find out how to build our writing income in the current environment.

Negative: Sales of back list books are down from publishers.
Positive: Sales of back list books continue through online retailers.
How we can use this: People are still buying books. The decreased cost of resale allows people who might not otherwise want to purchase our book the opportunity to buy our book.

Negative: Amazon is taking over the world.
Positive: Innovations like Kindle and Sony's version offer the opportunity to eliminate the lost revenue of the previous negative.

Negative: Brick and Mortar stores are closing.
Positive: The establishment of online purchases allows authors the opportunity to link to websites that sell their books. Instant gratification as well as increased personal interaction between author and reader.

Negative:Online resellers are driving second hand bookstores out of business.
Positive: The power of the internet allows people who previously could not earn money selling books the opportunity to resell their books. These people use their proceeds to pay gas bills, eat food and, yes, buy other books. As long as we keep money flowing in the economy we are able to keep the gears of industry moving. This is necessary to avoid depressions, recessions and other yucky things.

So, instead of trying to find ways to STOP the inevitable-we need to adapt.

For far too often people have tried to block things they don't like. UAW factories say no "foreign" cars on their property while their domestics are full of foreign parts. Oops. In France they tried to legislate the percentage of foreign language entertainment allowed on their airwaves. Now you can buy a Big Mac in the streets of Paris.

It is the innovators who rise above. Do you want to be an innovator or a Chicken Little pointing at the sky?

Find out about my coaching, editing and products from my website and make 2009 your year of innovation.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.