Time To Tackle What’s Holding You Back

I just spent ten minutes trying to open a new document, but not because my laptop is slow.

No, I have a better reason than that, friends. A really good excuse: I DIDN’T KNOW HOW.

Crazy, right? Not knowing how to open a document when I’ve been doing it for years. But for years, I’ve been happily plugging along on Precious the Laptop. Me and Precious, we’ve been through a lot. We know each other so well! But now Precious, much like me, is showing signs of wear and tear. As much as I hate to abandon her, the time has come. Fortunately, I have a dandy, relatively new laptop, just lying around, waiting to do something. It belonged to Mister Man.

Now before you think, oh, that’s so sad. She couldn’t bring herself to work on her poor dead husband’s laptop, I’m going to stop you. Because it has nothing to do with sentimentality and everything to do with resisting change.

I don’t want to learn all the ins and outs of this new laptop. It’s Windows 112 or something while Precious is still back there on Windows 5 and three-quarters. The new one is fast and sleek and zips along with all its keys intact, and poor Precious? She weighs a ton, putters out after thirty minutes if she’s not plugged in, and don’t even get me started on her keys.

So my mind’s made up, and everything will take me twice as long until I learn all the secrets of this new laptop. And yet, I know that by the end of the month, I’ll be wondering why I waited forever to embrace this change. It will totally be worth it!

Which brings me to you, dear writers. What have you been putting off? What change are you running from? What new (or old) writing aspect has you cringing in fear?

January—that fresh start month—is the perfect time to tackle your foe. So right this minute, before the year gets any older, I want you to shout out your weakness, your downfall, your whatever-it-is that’s keeping you from meeting your full writing potential. Don’t think too much, just shout the first thought that comes to you!

Querying agents!

Writing a synopsis!

Self-publishing!

Attending a conference!

Figuring out a new laptop!

Great! Now I want you to write it down in big letters on an 8 x 12 sheet of paper. Next, post it somewhere you can see it all the time. On the refrigerator door. Across your bathroom mirror. ON THE TV.

You are not allowed to move that sheet of paper until you’ve begun to tackle whatever is on it. I promise that once you do, you’ll feel empowered! And what’s more, the sooner you act, the closer you’ll be to overcoming whatever is holding you back.

Precious the Laptop served me well, but look out, brave new writing world. Me and Precious.2 are coming for you! 

Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer and she's on her way, figuring out the new laptop! Frankly, she's amazed at all it can do! (But she keeps it on the down low around the house. Precious the Laptop is the jealous type.) Cathy also talks about writing stuff  at her blog, so come say hello and happy 2018, y'all!

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9 comments Cathy C. Hall, overcoming writing obstacles, technology, writing inspiration

Get Smart!

I resisted getting a smart phone for years.

I had excellent reasons. Like, I didn’t use a cell phone much. I didn’t want to be like so many people, paying more attention to a phone than family and friends in the flesh. It was a waste of money, right?

And then I broke down and got a smart phone because of my step counter. Yeah, technology begets more technology. It was the smartest thing I’ve ever done (no pun intended).

No more getting lost! No more sweating over missing an email. And did I mention no more getting lost? Honestly, I wondered why it had taken me so long to get a smart phone. And then I remembered.

Oh, yeah. I don’t like change. I don’t like taking the time to learn new stuff. And I especially don’t like dealing with new technology.

As a writer, I’m constantly keeping up (or attempting to keep up) with new technology in the industry. One day, I may log into my blog and find that the way I’ve always posted has changed (We’ve improved it! All you have to do now is follow these 18 simple steps!). The next week, the site I’ve used for photos decides to mix things up and now I must have an account (I’m not going to lie; I find another site because I have way too many accounts that I already can’t keep sorted).

It’s always something, whether it’s technology-related or just changes and improvements in the writing world that evolve daily. And every fiber of my being resists when a new something pops up. But I power through it.

You know that saying, “He who hesitates is lost”? In the fast-paced publishing world, that’s certainly true. If you don’t keep up with what’s going on around you—just think of all the changes in self-publishing!—you’ll be left behind. There are hundreds, thousands of writers chomping at the bit to get their chance. They’ll happily chomp right through you.

And before you think this is an age thing, think again. I know plenty of mature writers who are as sharp as tacks and extremely successful because they know how important it is to keep up with a dynamic industry.

But I also know a number of writers—young and old—who complain about change and sit on the sidelines watching their peers zip by. Their negativity and resistance ends up as their downfall.

Don’t let resistance get the best of you and your writing career. You don’t have to grab on to every new thing that comes along—Lord knows, I don’t have time for the hundreds of apps out there for my smart phone—but pay attention to this remarkable writing world we live in and keep up with the important, relevant changes. I promise, it’ll be one of the smartest things you ever did for your writing career!

Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer. When she's not busy writing, she's busy keeping up with the ever-changing writing world. And sometimes, she spends two hours fixing her printer. Whatever...

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5 comments a writing career, Cathy C. Hall, changes, resistance, technology

Friday Speak Out!: Using Evernote and Word to Organize, Guest post by Linda Brown Holt

Keeping notes on index cards is fine, but if you have Word and a good browser, you can use free technology to help you keep track of facts and ideas more efficiently as you write your historical novel. These tips apply to research conducted online as well as through print media, interviews, and so forth.

In writing my novel, The Black Spaniard, about the early years of Beethoven, I have found the following resources very helpful:

· Evernote. This free organizational system is easy to use if you stick to basics. Create notebooks for your novel and for subcategories. When you find a Web page with info that you want to refer to again, simply drop it into your novel’s main notebook or subcategory.

For example, I have a notebook called The Black Spaniard, but I also have subcategory notebooks titled 1-TBS-Friends, 1-TBS-History, etc. (TBS stands for The Black Spaniard). This also helps you avoid unintentional plagiarism, since the source URL is saved with the file. To download, go to http://www.evernote.com/ . (See example 1)



Example 1

· Word Files. This should work with other word processing programs, too. I have a file folder in My Documents titled, The Black Spaniard. For a while, I was keeping subcategory notebooks within it, but I found it was easier for me just to stash all my Word documents, such as daily work, what happened in different years, etc., rather than put them in folders. When I need a document fast, I use the Search tool. I am a rather chaotic person and that works for me; but if you are logical and organized to begin with, you may want to make subfolders for categories. (See example 2)



Example 2

· Word Documents. I am writing about the years 1770 through 1804, so I have a single Word document for most of those years. I insert a table that shows five seasons for each year (winter, spring, summer, fall, winter) and plug in reminders or data that will be helpful when my story moves to that time period. (See example 3)


· Documents Relating to Trips, Expenses. You can create notebooks in Evernote and folders/files in Word to keep track of work-related travel, expenses, and so forth. These can be stashed with your creative work and research or kept separate depending on your personal style.

While writing on index cards worked well in the past, I find that technology has enabled me to keep track of information and sources for The Black Spaniard much more quickly and efficiently. With the individual Word documents for every year covered in my novel, I find that the book is practically writing itself, and I don’t have to interrupt the creative flow to go look up a character or event. With this easy-to-use system, you’ll find that writing a historical novel has never been easier or more enjoyable!

***
 Linda Brown Holt teaches Humanities courses with Southern New Hampshire University and Thomas Edison State College. A former journalist, she is the author of two novellas under the penname, Simone Marnier, and is currently writing a novel about young Beethoven. Her Web site is www.ReligiousScholar.com, and she tweets @ReligiousSchola and @PoetOfZen .

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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4 comments Friday Speak Out, Linda Brown Holt, research, research tools, technology

Back to School Tips for Students and Writers

School bells began ringing yesterday in this area. In other states, the kiddos will be learning the 3 R's after Labor Day. If you have children or grandchildren at home, you can adapt some back-to-school tips to your routine, too.

• Read more. Even before school begins, it's good to get students into an established reading routine. Good students are good readers. Good readers make good writers. Apply this to your situation: how much time do you set aside for reading every day? And I'm not talking about the latest manuscript of yours you are polishing. Homework assignment: Set a goal to read a certain number of pages, chapters or for a period of time each day. Read with your student, too.
• Go to bed. Getting your student into a bedtime routine can be difficult, but it ultimately helps prepare them for the upcoming day. The body needs rest. Apply this to your situation: what's your bedtime routine? Do you stay up until the wee hours of the morning and then bolt (or drag) from bed at the crack of dawn? When do you unplug from technology and allow your body to rest? Homework assignment: Get into a bedtime routine and stick to it. Your energy levels will be boosted and that will improve your writing.
• Zero in on tasks. Distractions - cell phones, MP3 players, computers, TV - prevent students from focusing on assignments. Do they interrupt your writing time? Homework assignment: Unplug and write. It's that simple.

Back-to-school tips for students can easily be applied to a writer's life. Try these tips to make your writing improve and your productivity increase.

by LuAnn Schindler. Want to read more of LuAnn's articles? Read her weekly newspaper column about life in Nebraska at LuAnnSchindler.com or follow her on twitter @luannschindler.

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2 comments back to school tips, LuAnn Schindler, reading, reading writers, technology, unplug

Technology: The Hiccup in the Road to Being Read

So, admittedly, I'm late posting this entry. It took my laptop a little longer than usual to warm up today.
For months, my writing has been steadily building, becoming more and more reliant on technology. I don't know about you, but I've come to rely on technology so much that my writing would be severely hampered without my computers.
I'm of the era that, although my college classmates had computers, I didn't see the need until I had my 100-page senior thesis to write. Remind me, how did they write long form without the computer? By the time I graduated, I fear I had forgotten. Plus, by then, I was dating a computer science graduate.
Bring on the technology revolution!
Until recently.
For the past several months, I've limped along with a laptop that seems to be running on its own leisurely time and pace. Generally, I wake up at 5 a.m., start my laptop, make and eat my breakfast and my tea before my technology is ready to go. My husband brought home a computer from work that no one was using. I now know why. While no one claims that it happened to them, with this computer, I've encountered more so-called "blue screens of death" than I care to remember. So many, that I've grown attracted to the bright blue and am thinking I should consider a color change to my walls to reflect my lack of fear.
Bring on the blue screens!
I can interview someone by telephone. I can take notes, make lists and doodle with my trusty pen and paper. I can write my stories and take notes long-hand. I can outline my novels on index cards. But all of it is for nothing if I can't get the information to the computer.
I know I can be creative without a computer. I just can't be as fast...or as wide read...or, ahem, paid, without using a computer.
I know that I can't do without e-mails for keeping in touch with friends, family and clients.
But for a few weekend mornings, I'd like to be able to make the decision (not have it made for me by my technology) to sit down to write. Fueled by my creativity and my pen and paper, some days I wish I could just write without thinking about Internet connections.
How about you? Do love technology so much that you're not able to write without it? Or do you look back, wistfully, wishing to tap into your creativity and share your writing with others without having to jump-start your laptop. I know I do.
Especially today.

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a creativity coach and writer living near the North Carolina coast.

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3 comments daily writing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, technology

Friday Speak Out!: Earth Shaking News, Guest Post by Connie Hebert

Earth Shaking News

by Connie Hebert

Did you feel that?

I'm certain the Earth shook last April 12, 2010, when Mark Fiore received his Pulitzer Prize.

Who's Mark Fiore and what makes his award Earth shaking?

A political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Fiore received the prestigious award for his "self-syndicated, online" animated editorials.

Most of us have opinions, one way or another, about self-publishing/self-syndicating as well as online publications. Some excellent works have been introduced in this venue, but are writers (and readers) prejudiced against "vanity press," as they used to be called?

In awarding Fiore his prize, the Pulitzer Board clearly sanctioned online and independent publications. That's earth shaking. But is it a fluke?

I don't think so. Here's why.

One Spring day in the late 1980's, the Administration at the Veteran's Hospital in New Orleans made a fateful announcement: All future documentation will be done on computers.

Ironically, the announcement came via dinosaur--the paper printed office memo.

The hospital provided one computer per department. In Social Work, ours sat on a small desk about two feet away from the Chief. This is a fluke, I thought. Soon we'll be back to communicating on something we can hold in hand.

Eventually this did come true, but the hand-held device is called an iPod. Electronic mail (email) also made its advent on the techno-scene not long after. Another idea which will never stick, I thought.

Several months later, I was eating lunch with two young men in the hospital cafeteria. Before long our conversation turned to computers.

"I think they're here to stay," one said looking toward me with a "what-do-you-think-look" in his eyes. Believe it or not, the jury was still out regarding the clunky grey monsters.

I heard myself answer as though in a tunnel, "Oh, yeah. Definitely."

In that seminal moment, I realized I'd made a revolutionary shift which gave me pause. Wasn't it just a few months ago I swore on my backstage pass to the N.O. Jazz Fest that computers would "crash (pun intended) and burn?"

Last April Mark Fiore accepted his prize and a precedent was set. I, for one, am slow to bet against the staying power of this new trend. Let's not forget the humble hand-written letter (requiring a stamp), the roll-a-dex, and, yes, the antiquated paper memo.

What might the future hold? A Pulitzer for a self-published book? A Nobel Peace Prize for an online grassroots movement? Who knows? One thing we can always count on, though, the times, they are always a-changin.


* * *

Connie Hebert, MSW, is the owner and author of her "True Inklings" website. Retired from a successful career in psychotherapy, education, and seminar training on human behavior, she now writes full-time. Her current work in progress is a nonfiction novel with the working title of "Converting the Maiden; a Memoir of Surrender." She's also published short pieces in trade magazines and in "The Shine Journal," an online publication.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Leave a Comment Connie Hebert, Friday Speak Out, Pulitzer prize, technology