Brain Scans meet the Bible

I have to admit, when I saw the book titled "This is your Brain on Joy" I rolled my eyes. I remember as a child watching the egg frying in a pan and the serious looking guy saying "This is your brain on Drugs, any questions?"

Since my goal with these monthly book reviews is to share with you guys things that you may not otherwise read, but will help your business nonetheless, I decided to read it.

The description starts out "Thanks to SPECT (single photon emission computerized tomography) images that are being utilized....." ZZZZZzzzzz

Oh, sorry. I dozed.

Then I started reading the book!! And I was not only pleasantly surprised but LAUGHING OUTLOUD! This book takes an incredibly boring subject and makes it ENJOYABLE, FUNNY and thus HIGHLY USEFUL.

From describing the authors background as a kid in a loving family [though not overly expressive] to giving funny names to parts of the brain [The Circular Gerbil Wheel for the Cingulate Gyrus which is the place, when overstimulated, there are constant negative and worrisome thoughts].

With this as a basis he then starts to explain how WE can recognize when areas of our brain are out of balance and foods/supplements to help.

It is simply amazing. I strongly recommend this book to ALL of you. Buy it. Borrow it. Share it. But get it and read it!

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

An example to illustrate...

One of my coaching students emailed me last week to do an edit. I gave her a very detailed critique on her opening paragraph. I then thought that what I shared might help other writers so I asked her permission to share it with you.

I have kept her anonymous to protect the innocent [and if she is entering Genesis she will want to STAY anonymous] but, if she chooses to reveal herself in the comments, I hope she'll tell you some of how she applied all of this to her full WIP. Please pay particular attention to the ways to construct questions in the reader's mind. It is not the only way, but it is one way. The key is understanding WHY you want to do that and how it will help you improve your writing.

For those of you who have wondered about my editing and coaching, this is a sample of what you get. I hope it will help all of you.

Her opening read:

I gripped the steering wheel as Nikko slept in his kennel in the back of the jeep. The phone call that interrupted dinner was from Sheriff Logan, telling me a six year old girl went missing. The longer the child is missing the more difficult to pick up the scent. So far, they have not been successful.
Before leaving Boones Creek, I drove through McDonalds at the edge of town for a cup of strong coffee. Nikko had water in his kennel, besides he sleeps while I’m driving.
***

This is what I said to her:

I really see that you've improved.

As I started the first paragraph I started some changes [suggestions] to you. Look below-

You gripping the steering wheel and Nikko sleeping aren’t related. It is better to say something like.

I gripped the steering wheel and tried to process everything Sheriff Logan had said. Behind me Nikko slept soundly in his kennel. His near silent breathing the only noise besides the thundering of my heart. Another girl missing, a six year old, and Nikko and I were needed. Every second that ticked past would make the scent harder for Nikko to pick up. How long had she been missing? How old was the scent?

Nikko let out a muffled whimper from his slumber. Was he dreaming of chasing a rabbit through the woods or was he running to escape the nightmares like I do?
***

I want to tell you what it is I was doing here and why. Gripped is a GREAT verb but we need more. Therefore I have her gripping the steering wheel PROCESSING what the Sheriff said. Immediately the reader starts to wonder what the sheriff said, what her relationship with the sheriff is, what we are going to find out next. She could have heard a loved one was dead. Maybe she is under suspicion for a crime. We don't know. So the reader will keep reading to find out the answer.

You had the dog sleeping in the kennel but it seemed like a distraction before BUT by HEARING the breathing it engages more of our senses and we start to experience the scene a bit more. Now we are in a car, there is a dog sleeping behind her and we can hear it breathe. "But what did the sheriff say and what does this DOG have to do with anything?" The reader still wonders.

Her heart is thundering. She is gripping the steering wheel. Both indicate stress or fear...hmmm, the reader wonders why.

Next, a girl is missing. And the heroine is needed with the dog. Okay, he is a service dog. A blood hound? A cadaver dog? No, the next sentence indicates that the scent could grow cold. That means we hope the girl is still alive. So the reader keeps reading because we still have the unanswered question of why the narrator is so upset? Then we learn of the time constraint. We want to yell to her "Stop sitting there!!! Go find the girl !!!"

Then we HEAR the dog again [see, how we have touch and hearing weaving through this scene]. Anyone familiar with a dog knows what this sounds like, but we add a sinister twist to it. The heroine wonders if the dog is dreaming happily or if it is tortured LIKE SHE IS!!

This question of her internal struggle is "BRIDGING CONFLICT". Go look at it in "Writing the Breakout Novel" and you'll see it's function. This is a lingering question you don't want to answer too quickly. This is ALL just the opening paragraph. The FIRST paragraph of your story. Compare this to what you wrote and you'll see that I simply added some unspoken questions to the readers mind as they read. You see some I introduced and then quickly answered. Others I introduced and left unanswered.

The big thing is add more senses. You have a great framework to do this with. You had the dog sleeping, I introduced the sound of his snores...

So read through and start to think of places you an include sensory details [the five senses]...and try to associate many of them with an emotion as well. "The comforting smell of pine pulled her back to grandma's house and the pine trees that bristled outside her window at night. It was her safe place and the one she always imagined escaping to when life at home became too terrifying." Do you see how you've learned a bit about the character, her relationship with her grandma and her childhood all because of a smell?

So, look over your MS and see how you can add those things [we don't want to over do it. Descriptions are like salt. =) ]

I hope this helps.

***
So, if you've ever wondered what I do when I coach and offer edits, now you know. I hope all of you will see a nugget in here that will help you in your writing. If you have any questions you can contact me through my website www.WritingCareerCoach.com or www.TheBalancedLife.com

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Magazine open to submissions and investors

Today it is my pleasure to interview John Raab of Suspense Magazine. This magazine is open to submissions and open to investors. For those of you who are writing and/or business minded this interview will be enlightening.

Writing Career Coach: How did you come to start this magazine?

JR: I started the magazine a little over a year ago. It was actually started as a hobby because of the lack of original stories in bookstores. I knew that there were many, many authors out there that I’ve not heard of, but should have. I thought that by starting the magazine, I would be able to find them and then in turn let other people find them. We have had the luxury of being able to interview some of the top authors in the business, to bring more awareness to the magazine.

WCC: That's true. I loved the unique interview with Stephen King last month. You’ve had some big names in your magazine, but you cater to aspiring and published authors. How do you meet the needs of such a range on people?

JR: This is a difficult one, balance in anything is tough. Suspense is a very vague word. I always get the same question when people want to send in a story. “What type of suspense are you looking for?” I’m looking for all types of suspense. Suspense comes in many forms. To be very basic I relate it to this: American Idol is as suspenseful as a James Patterson book. Why? Because both of them leave you on the edge of your seat, waiting to find out what happens next. So to meet these needs, we must first have people understand this basic point. Suspense is anything and everything that leaves you “hanging with anxiety” until the end.

WCC: Who is the target of your magazine?

JR: We target anybody that has a passion and thirst to sit on the edge of their seat. Suspense/Mystery/Thriller all of these genres are the same, with some basic differences, but the same underlying fact, you have anxiety and drama until the end. The difference in each genre is they just take a different road to excite your need for that drama.

WCC: Are you open to submissions? What is the link to your writer’s guidelines?

JR: We are open 24 hours / 7 days a week. We can never have too many submissions. Every type of story has an audience and don’t want to discourage anybody that has a great story and keeps getting rejected because it doesn’t fit that tight hole most magazines are looking for. The only guideline we have is this: 5,000 words or less, unless you write a serial story that can be broken up into parts. Your story has a “suspenseful” feel to it and if you look at the answers above, you will see that we are open to anything!

WCC: Many periodicals are folding but you just launched the print version of your magazine. What made you choose now?

JR: Good question. We decided to start now because you can’t find anything out there like we have. We are launching a print version because a certain audience likes that print version in their hands. We also have a .pdf version and will have a .epub version that can be downloaded into an I Reader device, like Kindle or Sony I reader. We have been told by the largest magazine distributor, and many of the bestselling authors that we have interviewed, that we are original and there is nothing out there like us. If you have this type of product, no matter what it is, there is an audience for it.

WCC: Besides stories and interviews what type of content will you provide?

JR: We are going to have different forms of suspense/thriller/mystery in the magazine. Aside from author interviews and stories, we are going to cover graphic novels, artists, writing features, movies, DVD, reviews, author spotlights, conventions, and websites. I’m sure I left some things out, but I think you get the idea. We are going to try and make this the premiere magazine that covers these topics. I just went to Barnes and Noble the other day and didn’t see one magazine that covers it all. Well, there is now!

WCC: Thank you so much for your time, John. This sounds like an exciting venture and I hope my readers will go to your website to check out more.

JR: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

***
John Raab is the editor of Suspense Magazine. He has been an accountant for 19 years and a general manager in the staffing field for the past 5. He has started up two staffing businesses in the past 5 years, one of them sold, working at number two. This magazine is my next project.

To potential investors, John says: Like any business we are looking for investors to help us take this magazine to the next level. www.suspensemagazine.com is how you can find us and you can contact me at editor@suspensemagazine.com We have just setup two partnerships that will allow us to sell on Amazon.com and be listed on 5 of the top magazine selling websites. We will also have our .epub version available to download into an I reader. You can also find us on myspace, facebook and twitter.

To potential writers this means and opportunity for growth and exposure if you write in the Suspense genre. Go to www.suspensemagazine.com to find out about subscription information and writer’s guidelines.

***
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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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 out there and do it

Do you know what is involved in getting your writing in front of your target audience?

Asking.

Yes, it's true. The fundamental skill each of us has to develop if we're going to take that wonderful piece of art and get it in front of our readers is learning how to ask.

This can come in the form of a query letter, a proposal, an email or an editor/agent appointment at conference. What it all comes down to, however, is asking.

I have to be honest, asking can be really tough. Until you ASK if someone is interested, you can continue to live in the blissful land of greatness. I've written many pages of stories, articles and blogs that I knew were simply going to REVOLUTIONIZE writing and make me rich and famous. Reality struck, however, when I asked someone if they were interested...and they said they weren't.

Those early days were tough. Since that time, however, I've found increasing success in asking how I can fill a NEED. Yes, rather than focusing on what I wanted I tried to discern the needs of a publisher or business owner, and fill them.

What is great is the focus shifts for me at that point. I no longer feel as if they are accepting or rejecting me, now they are deciding if they need my help. It softens the blow.

Even with that I've found out something very interesting...when I offer my help, most people welcome it.

I guess it boils down to the approach. I am continually ME focused or am I looking to fill a need. Our reward will come based on the size of the need we fulfill. [someone famous said that but, for the life of me, I don't remember who.]

So, get out there and do it. Write. Ask. Find a need. Fill it. Build your platform. Think up a story. Write it and let us know how it is going.

I'm very excited about Friday's blog. I have interviewed the editor of a print magazine that is currently accepting submissions. I hope you will come back and invite other writer friends to sign up for the blog so they'll receive the email as soon as the blog is posted.

I'll see you then. Until Friday, get out there and do it!!

***
April coaching spots available. $30/month for your personal writing career coach. Emailed coaching to help take your writing, and marketing, to the next level. Go to my contact page for details:

Editing. Get the first 5,000 words of your current manuscript edited for only $30 [articles up to 2,500 words for only $15.] Go to my contact page for details:
***
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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

A Unique Blog

I'm very excited to have Lisa Richardson as my guest today. She has a really unique new blog so I invited her to come over and tell you about it.

WCC:Tell us a bit about your "Inspired Adventures blog".

LR: Inspired Adventures is an interactive blog. Each week I post a chapter of a story. Reader choose what happens next. The concept is much like the old Choose Your Own Adventure stories that were around in the late 80's. Readers can choose one of two options I include in a poll each week. OR if they have a brainwave about a great twist, they can add it to the comments section. I can then add those to the poll as choices.

WCC: That is such a clever idea, how did you come up with it?

LR:The idea was prompted by a couple things that I read around the same time. One newly published author was talking about his difficulty getting published. Eventually he chose to post his stories to his blog. He developed a fan base and following that eventually opened the doors to traditional publishing.

I also read a comment from an editor about author websites. She questioned why new authors put up a blog that does nothing but promote established authors, by either book reviews or giving them a forum to reach new readers. Now there is nothing wrong with that idea, (I was doing book reviews on my blog at the time), but why not put my own work out there, start building my own readership. So I began to consider putting up chapters of a story I had been assured there was no market for due to the setting (1920's). The last thread came together when I began to think of ways to build reader involvement. To give them a part in the story.

WCC:What kind of writing do you do? Where have you been published before?

LR:I write historical fiction, usually with a strong mystery element. This has worked well with the story on my blog because it naturally lends itself to a number of important decisions. With this kind of format you really have to give readers options that can change the course of the story. they will see through it pretty quickly if the questions you pose aren't going to really affect the story, and then why bother to vote?

I am currently unpubbed, but have placed in some contests and have a manuscript under consideration. I'm hopeful!

WCC: What do you most like to read? Any favorite authors?

LR: I love to read the same sorts of stories I write. Historicals with lots of intrigue and adventure. A good old-fashioned mystery is also great. I love The Scarlet Pimpernel and tales of that sort. Spies, daring-do and pompadours--What's not to love!

WCC: What are a couple of clever marketing ideas you've seen that you'd like to share?

LR: I wish I knew more about marketing than I do. Every marketing guru knows that the best thing a book can garner is word of mouth. From my own observation the personal touch can go far in turning a potential reader into a fan, well before they've even read your book.

For myself in the future, when I have a hot-off-the-presses book in my grubby little hands, I intend to contact the churches in my area which have libraries and donate a copy to each of them. Many church libraries do not have big budgets and rely on donations to stock their shelves, so a new release tends to get some attention. And hopefully I'll have made a friend in that librarian (usually a book lover) who will remember how pleasant I was. It is also an opportunity to get out information about my any upcoming book signings, speaking engagements and so on.

WCC: What advice would you give to someone interested in doing something similar?

LR: This has been a learning process for me as I've experimented to see what works and what doesn't. Here's the 'formula' I've come up with so far:
1. Keep the entries shorter than a normal book length chapter. Blog entries are typically 500-600 words, much longer and you start to lose people.
2. Every chapter has to end with a hook. With this format it has to be a story question. What should the hero or heroine do next?
3. Give viable options that really are different and could take the story in different ways
4. Keep to one POV. Since each chapter ends with a vote on action for a specific character it would be very difficult to the bounce over to another character. It could be done I suppose, but it would be difficult for readers who may be coming in at a later stage to understand what is going on. Thus making t more difficult to build a readership.
5. The format lends itself to the temptation to write in an episodic fashion. To curb the temptation and keep the story moving forward, it has helped me to have a loose outline. The story up now, Girl Sleuth, has veered completely away from my original outline, but I have modified it as I've gone along so that I don't lose sight of the overarching story I am trying to tell.
6. Be flexible. Just when I think I have pegged the way readers will vote, they do the opposite and I have to plot my way out of a hole! Don't worry, it is good mental exercise for a writer. If you really don't want something to happen, don't include it as an option.

WCC: Has this effected your traffic?

LR: The first week I began with the new format my numbers jumped by about 60% I even garnered my first follower! Some of that dropped off the next week. But I am working to keep building my numbers and to appeal to as many as possible. I have noticed that even with the interactive format, the vast majority of readers do not comment or even vote. But they keep coming back the following week to see what is happening in the story, so I'm okay with that.

WCC: Anything you would like to add?

LR: A study was done that showed blogs with posts everyday were the most popular. I have only been updating once a week. I did this to give people time to vote, and myself time to write the next chapter. But I am toying around with trying to post at least three times a week. Or else to finding something else to post in the interim. Any ideas? Anyone?

Lisa is a missionary with the United Pentecostal Church International and has been writing Christian fiction for about four years. She has been blessed with a wonderful husband, Joel, and two beautiful children, Ethan and Olivia. She writes Inspired Adventures because she loves historicals, but "sweet" stories bore her . She needs a little spice to cut the sweetness. Danger, intrigue, action--in short, Adventure. She'd love to be your friend on Facebook. You can also visit her blog at lisakaronrichardson.blogspot.com to read Girl Sleuth and decide what happens next.

Thanks Tiff, for the opportunity to share about my blog! Hope your readers find it interesting and that it inspires someone.

WCC: My pleasure. Thanks for coming.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

The power of endorsement...again

Those of you who read me regularly understand that I'm a huge advocate of word of mouth advertising. There are many reasons for this.

First, it is an extremely effective form of advertising. I hope that all of you that derive some benefit from my blog take the time to either digg it, forward it or link to it. You have more influence than you think and your continued confidence to TheWritingCareerCoach.com is what makes it possible for me to continue to bring you great content.

Recently I joined a great Networking group named PVN, the Provision Network. Since I didn't have the $175 annual fee as part of my 4th quarter budget it was a bit of a sacrifice when I joined. I saw the benefit, however, so I did it.

It is amazing how people can FIND a way to do things they didn't think they could do when they see the long term benefit to themselves. A person who has no time to run to the grocery for milk can find an hour to watch their favorite show. An aspiring author who has no time to work on their craft can wastes 30 minutes in a doctors waiting room reading outdated magazines.

And I found the money to join a powerful networking organization.

How does this tie in to endorsements? It's about giving back. By developing relationships with local business people I find a fertile place for ideas to grow my business. What I find most rewarding, however, is the opportunity it gives me to help other people. In April or May, we're still hammering out dates, I will be interviewing Grant Webster of Launch Thought. I developed a business relationship with Grant from the very first meeting when he ended up sitting behind me. Since that time I've had the pleasure of telling many of you about how he helped me with my Balanced Life website. We'll share a bit on the story of how that came about when I interview him. What I learned by talking to Grant each month at the Toledo PVN meeting is some of his great ideas and the role I can play. As a writer, I'm able to provide a service that many businesses need.

Beyond my own needs, however, has been the joy of helping other people reach THEIR goals. That should be the goal of each of us. Remember, it isn't always about where we're trying to get that matters. It is who we bring along with us on the way to the top.

That is really the power of endorsement. My endorsement and support of other professionals [and notice I said professionals. I understand the power of my endorsement and try to do due diligence before giving my endorsement]. So I encourage you to find groups like PVN, local business organizations and networking groups. The key to growing as a professional, and a person, is building each other up.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Tongue in Cheek

This is something a little different. My degree is in Political Science and so I've watched the last two years of American Politics with great interest. Regardless of your political persuasion we have seen an increase in Political involvement, or at least discussion, recently.

I found two very clever websites that remind me of the kind of satirical works Ben Franklin used during the time America was transitioning from a series of colonies to a single nation.

The first, Barack Obama's Teleprompter's blog. This is just plain funny. Poking at our Commander-in-Chief is a time honored tradition in the US. From Chevy Chase tripping all over the set of Saturday Night Live [his imitation of Ford] to Dana Carvey's imitation of Ross Perot, poking fun at those in the highest office has been celebrated. As a student of politics this is clever, as an author the writing is GREAT. I even find many of the comments incredibly amusing [I left a comment and was #43 or so...last I checked there were over 200].

The second website was the TEA'd Party. Obviously this is a play on words. The Boston Tea Party was a revolt against a tax imposed on tea. The Colonists found it simply unsustainable so they tossed the tea in the harbor. This TEA'd party draws on that tradition with the acronym "Taxed Enough Already". Check them out too. They have really funny buttons.

While I'm not trying to spark political debate I am asking authors to think about the strength of their words and the level of influence they can exert by simply expressing their opinion in a clever way.

Barack Obama's teleprompter was launched from obscurity because of the style of writing. The same can happen to your writing.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Doing Research

If you write non-fiction or articles you understand how important research is. Every detail must be checked and rechecked for accuracy and relevance.

In fiction research is also important. Here are a few reasons:

1. Because other people know the truth.

Yes, there are people out there who will know when you're fudging it. This is bad because it will jerk that reader out of the story world. Sloppy research, like sloppy writing, can quickly turn off readers. These may not be HUGE details [like the year a war started] but can be more subtle. Saying someone headed the wrong way down a one-way. Maybe in your historical you don't know the correct day of the week that May 5th landed on in 1847. These are important details that add depth to your stories.

2. They create a more convincing story world

People read fiction to visit other lands. When you have details you make your stories more authentic. If you'd like to see an author with rich details that transport you to another time and place visit Linore Rose Burkard. She is a master at wonderful details.

3. They are useful in marketing.

As I've said before, articles are a great way to build your platform and create readership. Don't let all these wonderful details go to waste once you find them.

Research can be an exciting way to get creative juices flowing. Take a little extra time to dig deeper in the time, setting, profession or background of your characters. Then find ways to share this information.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Overwhelmed by possibilities

Do you feel overwhelmed by possibilities.

I have to admit, many days I do. We live in an ever-moving society where it feels the next great idea is old news before we click the send button.

For a person who is trying to keep ahead of the curve it can be exhausting. Simply to keep up with the good ideas I feel there need to be three of me.

What can you do to keep from getting overwhelmed by the system? Know your goals.

We talked about this in the previous blog [and those of you who are subscribed to my free newsletter will see even more of it tomorrow when it releases] but the real focus in knowing your goals.

I have to know each day when I wake up what I'm doing and why. This is true not only as a writer and a business owner, but also as a wife, mother, friend and person.

I think so many people lose their sense of direction and purpose because they're simply overwhelmed. They begin to feel small, insignificant in the scheme of things.

Recently I learned of a suicide in Cincinnati, Ohio where the teen announced on a social networking site that he was going to commit suicide. The police officer made a comment that stuck with me. He said that teens may have 300 "friends" but they are alone behind their computer. They are surrounded by people they know but are close to no one.

We are overwhelmed with possibilities, but we are drifting along without purpose.

It is crucial that we understand our purpose, why we're here, in order to have a life that is balanced and fulfilling.

After all, if we don't have joy in what we're doing and if we're not showing love to those closest to us, what is the point of all this business growth and money?

A little philosophical, but a necessary break. Don't get so overwhelmed by possibilities that you forget the necessities.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Business Building on a Shoestring

It seems right now everyone is trying to save money wherever they can. While car dealerships are offering "Buy 1, get 1" offers and grocery stores are offering huge deals, many people are also finding that their income has dropped...substantially.

These concerns were the basis of my Money Management Site, The Balanced Life. I was tired of people earning 6 or 7 figures a year telling me how to budget my money.

But I also recognize that these financial circumstances won't be around forever. There will be a time when the economy will turn around. My ability to capitalize on the upswing will be dependent on what I do right now to position my business.

So, how can you build up your writing business with very little money? In this months "Writing Career Coach Playbook" I will talk about this [subscribe here to receive the next issue free when it's released] but I wanted to give you a few tips now.

1. Know where you want to be
Unless you know what your ultimate goals are as a writer you won't have a sense of direction. Opportunities pass you by all the time. Until you recognize hidden opportunities you'll never be able to grow as a writer as fast as you'd like to.

2. Know why you want to get there
I have to be honest, this isn't as obvious as you would think. Many people want to say "It is my dream to get there". Well, yeah, and many of us have the dream of seeing the world and going on missions trips...but few of us ever do it. Simply saying we want to do something is never enough. We must have a concrete REASON that is undeniable, or we'll quit when it gets too hard.

In the newsletter we'll delve deeper in to each of these. We'll also look at getting the money and building effectively. I wanted you to start this weekend thinking about why you want to write. What is driving you?

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Writing with a Clear mind.

It is a fact-Stress kills productivity.

I know a bunch of you are going to email me and share how you work so much better under pressure and under deadline.

Okay, I conceded some of you are born procrastinators, but that doesn't disprove my point. You may not find procrastination stressful like I do. You experience stress in other ways.

No matter where you find it, or it finds you, stress will kill your ability to focus on your writing projects.

Why is stress so damaging? It pulls your attention away from the project your on and causes you to focus on other areas. If your writing doesn't have your full attention, you are not reaching your full potential. Your characters are as deep, your plot lines aren't as rich and your stories aren't as engaging as they could be.

What if you aren't writing fiction? You still aren't able to concentrate on your writing fully. How can you explain clearly to your reader and engage their interest when you have no interest in what you're writing? You need to give your writing at least as much attention as you want your reader to give it.

There are as many solutions to stress as there are stressful things. Recognizing the habits you have that increase your stress level will go a long way to reducing your stress.

Here are a couple of things I do to keep my stress level down and my creativity up.

1. Tackle big projects first. Once I get those done then everything else on my to-do list seems to go faster.
2. Don't leave lots of stuff 1/2 done. I am a person who loves to bounce from one project to another but then I end the day feeling as if I haven't accomplished anything. Instead, focus on one or two projects until they are completed. This allows you to change back and forth between projects to keep you from getting bored, but also allows you to complete projects and feel a sense of accomplishment.
3. Learn the power of no. We all do it. We overcommit. Learn to do things that are in line with your business goals. The rest is extra and should only be done as you have time.

These are only a few suggestions. I'd love for some of you to share in the comments some of the things that stress you out, and ways you've overcome it. For those of you who get the full blog delivered to your email address every day click this link to the blog and post your comment too.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Losing Time

Where are you losing time?

WAIT TIFF DIDN'T YOU ALREADY BLOG ON THIS?

Well, not exactly. While it is true I frequently blog on time wasters like email and chatting, I'm talking about something else today.

I'm in the process of revising my Time Management presentation for a webinar I will be teaching at the end of the month for PVN. While looking back through my outline I recognized that a failure to plan is a major time waster, but it still isn't the worst.

Simple inaction is the primary time waster.

I don't mean that you're doing nothing, but you're doing things that are not in line with your goals. I realized this-again-as I observed my own work habits.

As you know, two weeks ago we had a family emergency. The impact of this event affected me for more than a week. It was difficult to focus and I fell behind in my work.

Then I began wasting time...I kept rearranging my Outlook to-do list to try to figure out how to accomplish everything I had to turn in. With end of the month deadlines, client projects and blogs to write...my to-do list grew daily despite putting in ten hour days all week.

It wasn't until after midnight Sunday as I started to get my office ready for Monday morning that I looked at what I was doing. For fifteen minutes I had been moving around projects and beating myself up for things that weren't done yet. Again, I was moving my novel writing down the list of other projects.

Why didn't I have time to do all I needed to do? Because I was overplanning.

GASP!! Did I just say that?

Yes. I was over planning my day. Before each project I would try to determine if there was something else I should be doing that would be faster and more efficient. In doing that I was spending five minutes before each project second guessing myself. With over 20 things on my to-do list most days...that was a substantial time drain.

So, look at what you've been doing to increase efficiency. Are your efforts to save time really stealing your time? If you're not accomplishing all you know you could then examine these little issues.

And if you'd like to learn about Time Management I hope you'll join the PVN webinar I'm teaching.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Oh how quickly they fall

I've learned many lessons about life, marketing and writing over the last 10 days. One thing I learned was the fleeting nature of blog traffic.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about you loyal readers. What I'm talking about is how current content must remain in order to maintain a readership.

While my average readership between my three blogs is up an average of 78% over last month I saw a drop of nearly 50% in the last week.

Why? Because I wasn't updating. Without a steady stream of new content on my blog there is no reason for you to come read. When you don't read you aren't sending others to read.

Soon...my blog fades to oblivion.

SO, how can you avoid this?

1. Always learn. Make sure you are reading books [or at least chapters] as well as online information about the industry you blog on.
2. Be a reliable source of information. I try to post 3 times a week, every week on each blog.
3. Anticipate your reader's need, then fulfill them.
4. Practice what you preach! Make sure that you have credibility with your readership. For me that means applying the principles that I suggest to you. For you it might mean keeping up to date on changes in gardening techniques or the political landscape. Whatever it is, stay relevant and credible.

And above all else, value your readership. Make them a priority and don't waste their time with fluff. I could have posted gibberish the last few days, but you are busy people. I'd rather post nothing that to build a reputation as someone who will do anything to have a blog post.

Don't forget to take advantage of my conference special. You have until today to email payment and until Monday to send your entries. I've received glowing reviews of my work. Here is one from someone who took me up on my offer. Jody Hedlund bragged about me on Rachelle Gardner's blog. Thanks so much Jody!

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.

Something a little fun

Today I wanted to do something a little fun. Recently a group of freelance editors, the Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network [Christian PEN] did a survey of their members. There were some very interesting things shared by their membership.

I am proud to say I am among their editors [I would also like to note that I am more than a decade younger than the average age of editors. Smile.

If you need content editing, I love to work with my loyal readers. However, if you need proofreaders or copy editing this group [and the Christian Editor Network] are GREAT places to get bids.

From a recent poll among members, we gathered the following information from 25 responders:

1) 400+ books have been edited by our editors

2) 75 books have been written by our editors

3) 249 books edited by our editors have been published

4) 198.5 Years of combined editing experience by our editors; eight years is the average number of

years our editors have been editing.

5) 22 Editors are also writers

6) 316 Years spent writing by our editors; Average 16 years

7) Two members edited four books that have become bestsellers

8) Eight editors have day-jobs, 12 do not

9) Four editors are homeschoolers

10) Five editors are stay-at-home moms

11) Six editors edit full-time; 19 edit part-time

12) 1144 is the total age of all editors who responded; 48 is the average age.

13) Our eldest editor is 84, our youngest is 22.

14) 22 responding editors were female, and 2 responding editors were male

15) 21 responding editors were married and 3 responding editors were single

16) 59 children belong to editors

17) 32 grandchildren belong to editors

18) Our editors live in 15 different states, two different countries

19) One editor met her husband on the internet.

20) One editor will probably be cycling six hundred miles in May for Wycliffe Bible

Translators.



21) One editor is an English tutor, including SAT & ACT prep and workshops.



22) Our editors spend their spare time indulging in the following hobbies: Wire art, softball, needlework, cooking, baseball – huge White Sox fan, raising animals with my girls [ducks, chickens, cats and dogs], scrapbooking, restoring our historic stone house, gardening, running, music, stained glass, jewelry making, photography, spending time with children and grandchildren, learning to knit and sew, crocheting, part-time ministering, backpacking, scuba, camping, spending time playing with my animals, knitting, bird watching, travel, missions, singing, song writing, hiking, swimming, cycling, playing bass guitar, Greek, making smoothies, fishing, playing the piano.



23) Membership in The Christian PEN is only $35/year. We offer networking, online courses, support and encouragement, and more. We even have a prayer loop.



24) PEN Points is the quarterly newsletter of The Christian PEN.



25) Kathy Ide is founder and coordinator for The Christian PEN.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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 never know

I have spent a great deal of time teaching about the need to create a system to your writing and a business focus for execution of your plan. I never realized how important full business/automation was until this last week. My family had a sudden, and totally unexpected, emergency that pulled me out of town for two days and out of the office for two more. Beyond that the complete shock of the event made my brain completely worthless for most of last week.

Friday's blog wasn't posted.
Many reader emails weren't returned.
Emails to speaking venues weren't sent

Editing slowed to a crawl.

Writing stopped completely.

But even as I was out of town with my family I thought about how I would maintain my writing schedule as my business continues to grow.

So here is my thought for your consideration, are you working your writer's schedule in such a way that you would be able to stay on deadline if something major happened? Or are you waiting to the last minute to accomplish every task? Have you automated enough of your systems so that things like newsletters, blogs and articles are able to go out on time, no matter what? Are you allowing time in your schedule to accomodate a sudden event?

I thought I had but now I realize I wasn't doing it enough. I need to have everything ready at LEAST 10 days ahead.

So, today I have to work to catch up and work ahead. I want to be ready next time. And you should be too.

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.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
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.