Tips to Streamline Your Writing Life

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

10 Tips to streamline your writing life.

So often we make things harder than they have to be. Sometimes we do it because we’re used to doing things a certain way, or because it’s the only way we know how. But things change quickly these days, and it’s always a good thing to take a look at your routine with a fresh eye. Today I’m going to share some tips to streamline your writing life. Some you may already do, some you may not have ever considered. Just take a look at the list with an open mind and see if there’s anything on it that can make your life easier.

Tips to Streamline Your Writing Life

1. Take a look at your goals. It’s important to have goals—and it’s important to have written goals. It’s easy to just float along, taking things as they come. But when we do that, it’s hard to make progress—and it’s even harder to evaluate progress. Beyond that, there’s something almost magical about writing down your goals. Having them recorded somewhere gives them weight and makes it easier to make them a priority.

2. Evaluate how much time you’re spending on social media. If it’s more than thirty minutes a day, it’s time to re-evaluate. After thirty minutes, your return on investment takes a severe nosedive in the downward direction. 

Let go of your expectations—for yourself & others.

3. Let go of your expectations. No this isn’t  a contradiction of #1 above. There is a huge difference between goals and expectations. I bet if you’re honest with yourself you have quite a few expectations—from what you expect from yourself, to what you expect from others. For me, when I took a hard look, a lot of those expectations were totally unreasonable. So spend some time and take a hard look at your expectations. The ones that are reasonable, make into goals and priorities. The rest of them . . . well . . . just throw them away. 

4. Determine when, in a 24-hour period, you are most creative. Some of us are night people, some are morning people, and some of us work best in the afternoon. But we each have a specific time when the words and ideas tend to flow easier. Look at your internal clock and figure out when that time is. Then, guard it like you’re guarding gold. Really that’s what you’re doing. Our income and dreams are locked up tight with our ability to create. When we figure out the time that work best for creative work, it’s like someone has handed us pure gold.

Come up with a way to schedule your time.

5. Come up with a way to schedule your time. I know not everyone can have a detailed schedule. But truthfully, if you’re trying to carve out time to write (and who isn’t?), you need to schedule that time. There are lots of methods to help with time management from an old fashioned spread sheet to the Pomodoro Technique. Do some research and find something that works for you.

6. Commit to quit talking negative to and about yourself. When someone bashes our ability and/or our manuscript, it takes time to recover. The same holds true when we do it to ourselves. So take a page from my author friend, Alton Gansky, and QUIT IT!

7. Take care of yourself physically. This means getting enough sleep, eating well, and especially exercising. The sedentary lifestyle of a writer can quickly take its toll on us physically and mentally. Sure these things take time—often time we don’t feel we can spare. But even though this may seem counterintuitive, it will streamline your writing life. You can accomplish so much more when you are physically healthy and mentally alert.

8. Build in regular breaks. Especially when I’m on a deadline, I’ve found that taking regular breaks greatly improves my productivity. A good friend and spiritual mentor of mine Kent Pate has a saying, “Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually.”

Surround yourself with encouraging writers.

9. Surround yourself with encouraging writers. You don’t just need encouraging friends, but also encouraging writers. We writers are an odd lot, and we need others around us who understand our thought process, our struggles and our quirky joys. These writers should be active and growing—not those who just talk about writing, but those who spend time writing.

10. Engage a prayer team. This may seem odd, especially if you’re fairly new to even calling yourself a writer, much less having something published. But the truth is, this life is hard. When we answer God’s call to step out and share His message, we’re going to encounter spiritual warfare. For that, you need people to pray for you. If you’re also building a ministry, trying to grow an income and/or beginning to speak, that’s even more of a reason to surround yourself with prayer. These folks don’t have to be writers, but they should have a connection to you. 

These are just some of the things that do to help my writing life stay manageable. I’m sure there are lots of other things that would help as well. Be sure to chime in with your suggestions in the comments section below.  

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Social Media Tips for the Holidays

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Let’s face it, the holidays are fun, but they’re also hectic.

It's important to not abandon our social media profiles and blogs during the holidays, but we also need to work smarter, not harder.

By planning out some holiday social media updates in advance you save your sanity and keep the momentum going. 

Here are some ideas for fun social media updates:

• Share your favorite holiday recipe and ask your friends/followers to share theirs. 
• Ask your followers to give you tips on sanity savers during the holidays.
• Share a crazy holiday faux pas and ask others to share theirs.
• Share some of your favorite holiday reads.
• Ask for decorating ideas.
• Share a holiday tradition and ask for others to chime in.
• Ask about favorite holiday movies.
• Share your favorite Christmas carol and ask your friends to share theirs. 

I think you get the idea.

Tips to Organize Updates & Get Them Ready to Go

It's as important to have the updates easy to access as it is to have them ready in advance. For me, I like to use a combination of ways to keep them organized. 

• Set up a folder on your desktop and label it holiday updates.
• Inside the folder, I have several subfolders: 
• A Word document of text updates, complete with links if I want to send them to a specific blog or site.
• A Word document with quotes that I might want to use on a meme.
• A folder of images (make sure they're legal to use. If you're not sure here's a link to a blog post about finding legal images.) I think would make good memes.
• A folder of finished memes ready to share.
• A calendar/schedule for sharing the memes. This can be in a Word document, spreadsheet or another type of file.

By already having these updates ready, you can relax and not have to spend valuable time creating them.

You can also plan some blog posts in advance. The holidays are a good time to plan a giveaway. You can also plan a holiday cookie recipe exchange and a holiday potluck recipe exchange for your blog. The easiest way to do this is through a Meme. I use Linky to do all my memes. Here's a blog post to Get Started with Memes.

Now it’s your turn, share some holiday conversation starters, and blog post ideas.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

The Writer’s Biggest Enemies—Time Thieves

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

As writers, one of our most valuable resources is time—especially time to write. We dream about it, plan for it, even run away to find it. Yet it’s often ourselves who stand in the way of having the time we need to write.

Today I’d like to share some hidden—and some not so hidden—time thieves.

The Writer’s Biggest Enemies

1. Multi-tasking. This one is a biggie. Yes, we have a lot of things we must do from, writing, to editing, to marketing. But it’s not an efficient use of our time if we try to do everything all at once. By not focusing, we often set ourselves up for failure.

2. Unlimited web-browsing. We definitely need to build an online platform, but spending hours surfing the web isn’t the way to do it.

3. Not scheduling your time.

3. Not scheduling your time. The way to get all the various tasks done that need to be done is by scheduling our time. Find the most creative time and guard it for your writing first. Then work around that time for the other tasks you have to do.

4. Avoiding the hard stuff. It’s only human nature to want to do the easy things first. But that’s not always the most efficient use of our time. Come up with a schedule, then do the tasks that are scheduled, whether they’re hard or easy.

5. Talking instead of working. Writers are like anyone else, we’re passionate about our craft. But we need to make sure we’re spending time practicing our craft, not just talking about it.

6. Not networking.

6. Not networking. We shouldn't spend all our time talking about writing, but that doesn't mean we should isolate ourselves. Others can give us much needed perspective and insight into things we're struggling with. 

7. Using cheating as a reward. It’s great to build in rewards, but make sure the rewards aren’t sabotaging your progress. For example, if I’m on a diet and I lose five pounds, I don’t want to reward myself with a calorie-laden meal. With writing, if I make my word count goal, I want to build on it, not take the rest of the week off.

8. Thinking only about the big dream. Sure we all want to write a blockbuster. But that isn’t my only goal. I have lots of goals that will lead up to that one. Don’t be a big-picture writer and lose out on the chance to fulfill your dream.

9. Over planning. Yes, we need to make plans, and follow a schedule. But if we’re so concerned with the process of planning, we’re wasting valuable time. Write down your goals, come up with a schedule and then GET TO WORK.

10. Not learning. With writers, like most creative endeavors talent is a good start. BUT diligence trumps talent every single time. Doing the hard work to learn all that’s involved with becoming a professional writer will get you much farther than even a huge amount of talent.

These are the biggest time thieves I’ve found. What would you add to the list? Be sure to share your thoughts below.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Life Lessons-12 Things You Need to Give Up to Become a Successful Writer

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Successful writers sacrifice a lot to get where they are. Often we forget this and just see the end result. The dream of becoming an overnight success is just that, a dream. This post isn’t meant to discourage anyone. Rather, I want you to focus on the fact that, if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can find writing success. To that end, I’m sharing 12 things you need to give up to become a successful writer.

1. Let go of the idea that writing is easy. It’s not. It’s totally worth the effort, but it will push you and grow you in ways you never expected.

2. Give up the excuse, “I just don’t have time to write.” We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day. As a writer, it’s up to you to set the priorities to make that happen.

3. Let go of the writer friends who are holding you back. These are the people who always have an excuse for not writing, not learning, etc. Instead . . . find some mean writer friends. You want people who will do anything to help you succeed. This includes everything from calling you out when you’re letting the excuses keep you from writing to sitting with you and holding your phone to keep you from texting when you should be writing.

4. Give up the idea of easy money and quick success. This business takes time and effort. There really aren’t any shortcuts, so stop looking for one and start writing.

5. Let go of that imaginary world where writers don’t have to market their own books. That ship has sailed. We all have to do social media and marketing, so get busy learning that aspect of the publishing business. Again, see #1 Writing is Hard.

6. Give up the idea that writing is only a solitary endeavor. Sure the act of writing—putting words on paper or screen—only takes you and your computer. But getting published and becoming a writer takes a tribe. You need writer friends, mentors, editors, etc. So get out there and network.

7. Let go of the idea that everything you write is publishable as is. Most of what we write needs serious editing before it becomes publishable. Rarely (read ALMOST NEVER) is something ready for publication in first draft form. Beyond that, there are certain things you write that serve other purposes, no matter what your goal was.

8. Give up the ideal of perfectionism. If you’re trying to be perfect, you’re never going to get there. We should absolutely give our best to any project, but being perfect isn’t an option. So STOP IT!

9. Let go of the idea that there is a finite amount you need to learn to become a writer. No matter who you are or where you are, the learning never stops. Trust me, you never feel like you’ve arrived.

10. Give up talking about writing. Instead, trade it for sitting in front of your computer and actually putting words on paper.

11. Let go of the option to quit. 90% of success in this industry comes from not giving up. 

12. Give up the idea of talent. A lot of us have talent. A lot of you have more talent than me. I'm where I am because I didn't quit (see #11) not because I'm a more gifted writer than someone else.

This is my list. I’d love to know what you’d add to it. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

One Writer's Thoughts on Writing Contest

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

It’s that time in the publishing year. Conference season is definitely upon us. Everywhere we turn on social media is an announcement of yet another conference and the attending contests that surround it. Sometimes the contests even appear without a conference, put on by groups and organizations.

But you can feel the excitement in the air. Writers everywhere are honing manuscripts, blurbs, synopsis, and even one sheets in the hope that this is their chance to shine. There’s stress underlying the excitement. Each contest has an entry fee to consider, along with what happens to the winner’s manuscript.

We’re all researching those that judge the contests and asking for feedback on the amount and type of feed back received from past entrants. And although we’re all assuring each other—and ourselves—that our goal is good feedback and visibility. Secretly we want to do well.

After years in the publishing industry, on both sides of the contest door, I have a couple of theories about contests. I’m interested to see if you agree or disagree, or have other thoughts as well, so I’m hoping we’ll get a rousing discussion going.

• First, no matter how hard the creators try, a writing contest will always be subjective. It’s just not like a footrace, there’s no camera at the finish line to capture who comes in first. Our industry—the craft of writing—is subjective. No matter how well something is written technically, if that innate spark of magical something isn’t there, it falls flat. AND every single person’s definition of that certain something is different.

• Second, the fact that a writing contest is subjective is a perfect representation of the publishing industry as a whole. Every time we send off a submission, it’s judged through several filters. It’s judged through the filter of what the publisher/editor/agent thinks will sell. It’s judged through their personal likes and dislikes, and it’s judged against other manuscripts available. These judgments rarely rely on things like misplaced commas or dangling participles, although bad grammar can wreck a manuscripts chance at times, it’s that gut reaction by the reader to what’s being read.

• Three, contests that are subjective are actually fair, because they expose us to real life as a working writer. It would be grossly unfair for a contest to be so set up to be nothing at all like the publishing industry. It would lead to false hopes and expectations, and ultimately shatter dreams. Working as a writer means learning to accept the good with the bad. It’s tough, but it’s the truth.

At this point I will confess that I’ve spent more than a few hours verbally abusing that certain judge who was wholly unreasonable in the feedback on one of my manuscripts. And it’s happened more than once—actually it’s happened the majority of times I’ve entered a manuscript. I’ve come to realize I really am a poor loser.

But the issue lies in these contests trying to be more fair by using a panel of judges instead of just one. Frequently there are three. And invariably, I’d get two high marks and one incredibly low one.

Finally one day my husband stopped me in my tracks. “You just got dumped on by the Russian judge,” he said. When I asked him to explain he reminded me of the years we spent watching the Olympics. Especially in the more creative sports like gymnastics, diving, and ice skating, the judging was done in the fairest possible way—with a panel of judges from the participating countries. Invariably, the one low score for my favorite US competitor would come from the cranky Russian judge.

It wasn’t fair, but it was just the way life worked.

So what is my point to all this? Contests are great. I love to enter them, and I especially love to win. But beyond that, my contest experience has prepared me for a publishing career in ways I never imagined.

• I learned how to move on when my work was unfairly judged.
• I learned that winning was based on subjective criteria.
• And most of all…
• I learned that ultimately winning, like publishing, is up to God. He chooses whom He will, when He will. My job is to keep writing and keep submitting—yet to contests and to publications and publishers both. I’m sowing the seeds, but God brings about the harvest. 

Now it’s your turn. What are your thoughts on writing contests? Be sure to share them in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

12 Key Differences Between Successful and Unsuccessful Writers

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

As writers, we’re warned early on to avoid the trap of comparison. Each of us has a different path to success—and a different path to publication. These varying ways of living life as a writer aren’t good and bad or even better and best—they’re just different.

Today I want to encourage you to do just the opposite.

While we shouldn’t judge our value as writers by looking at one another. There are some comparisons that can make a difference between fulfilling our dreams or losing heart and quitting when success is just around the corner. These are some key differences between successful and unsuccessful writers.

1. Goals vs. Wishes

A successful writer sets goals.

An unsuccessful writer makes wishes.

2. Striving vs. Complacency

A successful writer finds others who are further along on the writing journey and strives to catch up.

An unsuccessful writer finds others who are further behind on the writing journey and relishes being ahead.

3. Taking Responsibility vs. Whining

A successful writer takes responsibility for making the dream happen.

An unsuccessful writer whines about all the reasons the dream will never happen.

4. Acting vs. Talking

A successful writer invests time, energy and money in learning how to write better.

An unsuccessful writer talks about writing better.

5. Belief vs. Unbelief

A successful writer believes in her dream.

An unsuccessful writer believes it will never happen to her.

6. Positive Companions vs. Negative Companions

A successful writer surrounds himself with others who are willing to pay the price for success.

An unsuccessful writer hangs out with others who make excuses for not attaining their dreams.

7. Talks About Ideas vs. Talks About People

A successful writer talks about ideas.

An unsuccessful writer talks about other writers.

8. Takes Responsibility vs. Places Blame

A successful writer takes responsibilities for failures.

An unsuccessful writer looks for others to blame for failure.

9. Rejoices in the Success of Others vs. Rejoices in the Failure of Others

A successful writer takes joy in the success of others.

An unsuccessful writer takes joy in the failure of others.

10. Embraces Change vs. Avoids Change

A successful writer looks for ways to embrace change.

An unsuccessful writer looks for ways to avoid change. 

11. Afraid of Mistakes vs. Afraid of Trying

A successful writer isn’t afraid to try something difficult and make mistakes.

An unsuccessful writer believes that not making a mistake is better than ever trying at all.

And ultimately... 

12. Keeps Trying vs. Gives Up

A successful writer never gives up.

An unsuccessful writer quits.

This is my list. What would you add? 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Dollars & Sense for Writers—Guidelines on Where and How to Spend Your Money—Part Four

This is an ongoing series designed to give writers guidelines on where & when to spend your money. 


If you missed the first three posts in the series you can find them here:

• Part One: Which Organizations Should I Join & Why

• Part Two: Which Books Should I Own and Which Should I get at the Library—and What About Magazines, are They Still Relevant?

• Part Three:  How to Evaluate Writing Workshops & Classes

Writing Conferences—When Am I Ready for One & Which One Should I choose

I have my favorites, of course! But just because they’re my favorites doesn’t mean they are the best choice for YOU. I’ve tried to break it all down and give you some things to consider so you can make an informed decision.

The first thing you should consider is your experience level. You need to look at where you are with your writing, that will be the biggest factor in your decision. As you look at the categories realize that your experience may overlap.

Beginner

• Never submitted anything for publication.
• Hasn’t told many people he writes.
• Has submitted a couple of things, but nothing published.

Advanced Beginner

• Has several rejection letters and a couple of acceptances.
• Is a member of a local or online writing group.
• Regularly reads articles or books about writing.

Intermediate

• Has attended a writers event (either a workshop, conference or online class).
• Has an idea of where he wants to go with his writing.
• Has been paid for his writing.

Advanced

• Spends time each day working at the craft of writing and has an income derived from writing.
• Has definite goals and aspirations for his writing.

Once you know which group you fall into, it’s easier to evaluate each individual event. There are 2 reasons to attend a writers event.

• To learn more about the craft of writing
.
• To network with professionals within the writing world
.

Here’s a general breakdown of what is usually offered at each kind of event.

These events vary slightly, so the following information is generalized. You should read all brochures and websites carefully to know what to expect.

Large, National Writing Conference

Expect lots of classes for a wide variety of writers - from beginner to advanced.

• Continuing Classes – these are classes that last for more than one class period and concentrate on one subject. Even though they are continuing, they rarely provide advanced information on a given subject.

• Workshops – these are classes that give an introduction to a concept (like dialogue, plot or setting).

• Breakouts or Panels – these are groups of professionals giving instruction on a given subject. The information here is usually very basic.

• Appointments with Faculty – most large conferences include a private appointment with a member of the faculty. This is where you would pitch a book or article idea to an editor. It can also be valuable to let a seasoned author look at your writing and give one-on-one feedback.

Regional or Local Writing Conference

These tend to have more classes for the beginner and advanced beginner writer, although there are exceptions. Depending on the length of time, the conference will follow the same basic setup as a national conference.

Workshop or Seminar

Many of these are very specific in what they offer. They aren’t for a large number of writers and generally target the intermediate or advanced writer.

The important thing to remember is that it’s never a good idea to write in a vacuum. I have always tried to attend one large conference a year—as a student—to expose myself to the writing industry, both for networking and education. I also try to attend at least one focused workshop or seminar each year I and I try to keep my eyes open for online writing courses and take at least two a year.

Let's share our experiences with specific conferences and events. Leave comments about ones you've attended and how they've helped your writing journey.

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.