Write consistently – “Steady Eddy!”

Develop a safety net of strategies to keep your writing and marketing efforts focused and consistent

I’m running on two few cylinders today.  It could be I’m just recovering from an ear and throat infection.  It could also be my hectic schedule, all the hustle and bustle of our annual conference, then relatives visiting from out of town, a big chunk of positive stress as we try to force 30 hours of fun into 24.  Whatever the reasons, I’m dragging.

I have two safety nets against “drag.”  One is my weekly soup writing session, which keeps me in position to write new material.  The other is my bi-monthly goal group.  Two times a month, we agree to “meet” daily for ten days in a row.  We set Winner Goals, based on Margie Lawson’s Defeating Self-Defeating Behavior course material.

The key to success is consistency.  Cecil B. DeMille said this:
“Most of us serve our ideals by fits and starts. The person who makes a success of living is one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That’s dedication.”

This message reminds me of Alice, a tennis player I know.  She’s a level above me in skill, and it’s always fun to play with her, on HER side of the net, LOL.  Her mantra when she’s getting behind in the score:  she chants, “Steady Eddy.  Steady Eddy.”  To her, that means not whaling on the ball, trying to force a point by winning on brilliance, because she’s currently not connecting with those shots and is instead losing the point by trying for too much.  Her “Steady Eddy” chant tells her to calm down, get the ball in, and play consistently, instead of fitfully.

I think Alice and Cecil are saying the same thing.

What helps you stay consistent with your writing?  What strategy/ies work best for you?

RMFW Writing Conference a huge success

RMFW Conference 2009 LtoR: Prez Scott Brendel, Janet Lane, Kay Bergstrom, Susan Smith, Karen Duvall, Lawdon

(Sigh) I’m still on conference high.  The Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference was outstanding this year, a great learn-fest and hug-fest! 

My workshop on Yellow Page plotting was wonderful!  I’m so glad — can you imagine schlepping thirty-five of the hefty Metro Denver Dex Yellow Pages into a hotel and finally finding the room where you’ll present?  It was worth the effort!  We had great fun and the participants generated many very entertaining plotting ideas.  Thanks, Robin Owens and Karen Duvall!

I also did a workshop on Twitter and Social Media Marketing, and quickly realized that one hour was not enough time to devote to the topic.  The travel mic was also not “hot” enough and I couldn’t get it close enough to amplify – without swallowing it, I suppose, LOL.  Still, it was well received.

Thanks to fellow Five Star authors Patricia Stoltey and Mike Befeler for lending their support, and to Pat for moderating my workshop.

The editors and agents who attended were generous with their query and market advice.  Editor John Helfers (Tekno/Five Star Publishing) was there, enthusiastic and as informed on the market and interesting as always.

Editor Charlotte Cook  (Komenar Pub) offered an enlightening “cold critique” session.

Agent Christina Hogrebe offered insight into the market, as did Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency, and Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency.

Kudos to Conference Chair Pam Nowak, who found time to create a great conference while in the late planning stages of her Five Star release, CHOICES, which will release later this month.

And now I have a daunting in-box of over 300 emails, so I’d better get back to work.

Did you attend the conference, too?  Feel free to drop in and add a comment about it!

Rocky Mtn Fiction Writer’s Conference

It’s almost here!

One of the nation's best conferences September 11-13

The last several weeks have brought a whirlwind of activity and preparation for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s annual writer’s conference, to be held this year at the Renaissance Hotel 3801 Quebec, near the former Stapleton Airport.

The Writer of the Year event, part of the pre-conference festivities held on September 3, turned out to be a big success with attendance, prizes and entertainment. Several lucky people won free books by Writer of the Year nominees Kay Bergstrom (writing as Cassie Miles), Pam Nowak, by outgoing Writer of the Year Jeanne Stein, and newly named Writer of the Year Mario Acevedo.  Other very lucky people won breakfast with one of the agents attending this year’s conference (Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency; Christine Hogrebe of Jane Rotrosen Agency; Emmanuel Alspaugh of Judith Ehrlich Agency; Janet Reid of Fine Print; Jenny Rappaport and Kristin Nelson).  The grand prize drawing was for a free conference, and was awarded amid enthusiastic applause.

I’m one of the editorial co-chairs for Broken Links, Mended Lives, the third anthology released by RMFW Press, so I’ve been very engaged, getting to know the authors and developing promotion related to the book.

The RMFW conference hosts dozens of craft and marketing workshops, as well as a program announcing the winners of the RMFW writing contest.  The official release of Broken Links is scheduled at the Book Signing on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m, where over forty authors are scheduled to sign their novels.

I’ll be presenting two workshops during the conference, one on “Yellow Page Plotting” and another on Twitter and Social Media Marketing.  I’d love to see you at the conference, and at one or both of my workshops, if you can make it.  Hope to see you there!

Nature inspires me to write

Oh, what a beautiful morning –

Touched by a hummingbird's flight - nature's gentle gifts refresh, inspire. Courtesy of Lubos Maraz, http://www.naturfoto.cz

Nature inspires me to write

My morning walk with Gabby today proved to be an exercise in joy. We’re in Keystone, and the morning sun sparkled on the wetlands. Encouraged by the bounty of rain this summer, the mountain daisies are almost as tall as I am, profuse and gleeful with their white petals and sunny yellow hearts.

Walking across the bridge that spans the wetlands, we surprised a muskrat. The swirl of the surrounding water as she swam, the current of water running through her fur, gave a visual feast.

Five people fished on Snake River, their lines dancing on the surface, popping back and landing again in a graceful arc. I let the river sing to me, reminded of Deepak Chopra’s words to “be like the river,” to honor that which you are. A hummingbird surprised me, flying so close to me I could hear the whir of its wings.

On the walkway in front of the condos, one of the younger aspens sported a foot-long cluster of golden leaves, one of the first splashes of autumn. This, I think, is a day to write.

Following the call to write in the current market requires courage and the willingness to accept the challenges along with the joys. This morning nourished me. I’m writing book three in my Coin Forest series, set in fifteenth century England. Encouraged by the miracles of nature, I face my work in progress with fresh eyes.

What inspires you to write?  I’m wishing you a day filled with small wonders and gentle encouragements.