My Road to Freedom

The Art of Aging

Aug 302011

I recently came to the realization that I can no longer call myself young. Maybe it’s my growing appreciation for animal prints and comfy flats and using words like “comfy” that has me convinced. The truth is I’m getting wiser and looking the part. Things they are a-changin’.

And even though getting older scares me, there are a few things about aging that I appreciate. I am grateful for the experiences I’ve had over the years and for the time I have left. I value who I am. I trust myself and most importantly, I’ve learned who I want to spend my time with and what I want to spend my time working on. The truth is time is priceless. It’s worth more than money and more than any singular object.

I’ve squandered away so much time worrying about the past. So far, it’s had no benefit on my life. In fact, it’s inhibited me from following through and moving forward. I want to create, see new places, and learn new things, but the more time I spend worrying about things I can’t control, the more control I lose over my life. So you know what? I’m not worrying about things I can’t control anymore. I’m living for myself, not for obligation.

About the only thing I can think of worth more than my time are the quality relationships I’ve created with that time. Nothing can take the place of a great confidant or a soul mate. It’s the good relationships that make life worth living.

When I was a child, I used to the think the key to life was happiness. I now think the key to life is living. Living for yourself and making the most of your time, whatever time you have left.

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From Zero to 103

Connecting, Crusade, Life, Motivation, Sales, Writing, Writing Conferences 15 Responses »

Mar 102011

A month is all it took to get 103 followers. That’s it – one month. I now know the secret to getting blog readers. All it takes is, wait for it, wait for it, PARTICIPATION. I believe that joining online events, commenting on other people’s blogs and re-posting your blog links on Twitter and Facebook increases your readership. And as much as I like to pretend that I don’t care who is reading, the truth is that I do. I want readers and I want people to comment. So, I want thank all of my followers to date. Thank you, thank you!

This week I’ve been thinking about self-belief and how so many people are scared to take the next step. Well, I say don’t let fear halt your life.

I have fallen victim to the fear monster as recently as last year when I started doubting myself and my writing. I was in a funk and I needed to get out of it quick if I was ever going to create again. And then one day I had an epiphany. I know who I am and I know what I need to do. Two weeks before the New Year, I took action and made a list. Here’s what was on it:

Join writing societies or associations
Meet more writers
Attend writing conferences
Find a mentor
Get my short stories published
Go to more Chicago literary events
Publish my collaborative children’s book
Finish my middle grade novel

I’m happy to say that I’ve already completed some of these goals including joining the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Through the SCBWI Illinois Chapter, I was able to attend a writing conference/workshop in mid January. It was all about creating your own marketing plan. There was a lot of pertinent information, but one of the most important things I learned was how to generate potential sales for your children’s book. I wanted to share some of these with you. Please note that I have not tried these, but I believe they are useful for any writer.

Here are some ways to generate sales for your book:

Network at events, through writing groups and conferences and through social networking sites like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Create relationships/connections through your personal website or blog and get blurbs written about your book.
Ask blog owners and other authors if they are interested in interviewing you about your book and offer to do the same for them.
Call bookstores and schedule readings and book signings.
Be there for the book sellers as much as possible.
Join professional or trade associations.
Go to American Library Association (ALA) Conferences.
Guerilla market through t-shirts, postcards, bookmarks, etc.
Use word of mouth to promote your book.
Talk about your book to librarians and teachers and see if they’d be open to you scheduling a reading.
Schedule 30-40 school visits per year.
Create a swag bag for school librarians and teachers. Include a copy of your signed book and postcards of your fellow author friends that are also doing the library/school visit rounds. Think about karma and the idea of what comes around, goes around.
Find connections. Can you co-market your book with another product?
Try to get your book on Tag.
Put your book on amazon and have it formatted for the Nook and Kindle. Your publisher may already do this.
Use keywords on your web site and blog to help promote your work.
Send info to local chapters (Mondo Times).
Follow up with people constantly.
Write a press release about your book and submit it.
Contact children’s indoor playrooms and schedule a book reading/signing.
Think about promoting through: http://www.authorbuzz.com/kids/
Promote your book on home schooling and mommy web sites by purchasing ad space.

What are some other ways you can think of to generate sales for your books?

I’m also attending another conference/workshop this month and I can’t wait.

As far finding a mentor goes, earlier this year, I contacted an old professor of mine, Mark Costello. He is somebody I respect and one of the best teachers at the University of Illinois. He is a great writer and gives excellent writing advice. Most importantly, he believes in the craft.

Through our letter writing exchange, (who does that anymore?!) he reminded me that you can’t let anybody dampen your writing spirit, you need to self-teach and you need to go forward. It reignited the fire in me and for that I will forever be grateful.

I realized that although it would be nice to have a mentor, I can be my own and so can you. You just need to believe in yourself and your work. You need to keep reading, writing and submitting and you can’t stop. If you get the opportunity to mentor another writer and you have the time, I say do it. It’s always good to pay it forward.

You can check out Mark Costello’s work here:

The Murphy Stories

Middle Murphy

In other news, I’ve been doing a lot of reading, writing and submitting. I have a series of short stories that I am editing and two are out and about looking for homes. I have also found a trustworthy and incredible editor for my work, which will help me to complete the rest of my short stories in a timely manner.

Here’s what I’ve accomplished so far:

~~Join writing societies or associations~~
~~Meet more writers~~
~~Attend writing conferences~~
~~Find a mentor~~
Get my short stories published
~~Go to more Chicago literary events~~
Finish and submit my collaborative children’s book
Finish my middle grade novel

That leaves me with half of the things to complete by the end of this year. Will I do it? I can’t say, but I’ll try.

I wanted to leave all of my readers with a few words – make a plan, take action and keep on truckin’ no matter what. Like Mae West said, “you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

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Writers Link Together on Rach Writes

Connecting, Crusade, Motivation, Writing, Writing Tools 25 Responses »

Feb 122011

Check out and join the: Second Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade.

Here is more about Rachael Harrie’s Crusade:

“There are so many of us out there. Aspiring authors, bloggers (whether established or beginning), industry peeps, even published authors, all of whom want to build their online platforms. We write insightful posts and articles, actively blog within the blogosphere, take part in challenges, competitions, and contests galore.

We have the passion and the drive to make it, but…we could all do with a bit of support.

So I started thinking. What if we link all these people together? What if we create a way to meet people in a similar position, people who genuinely want to help build our online platform while at the same time building theirs? People who want to pay it forward in the spirit of writerly writerness and blogging beautificity (and see it come back to them in turn).

And so my Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade was born.”

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When One Door Opens …

Chicago, Journalism, Magazines, Motivation, Published Comments Off

Sep 102010

Another door will open. Believe that.

There is nothing better than getting the go ahead on a piece you’ve queried out to several publications. It feels like you’re doing something right, that somebody, the universe even, is giving you the go ahead to pursue your writing career. In other words, it feels great.

Most recently, I submitted a query about Chicago Avenue between Damen and Ashland Avenue in Chicago and it got picked up by a well-read Chicago online Chicago magazine called Gapers Block. I was excited to write about a place that I both love and admire.

When I submitted the piece, I was afraid they weren’t going to like it. There were butterflies in my stomach and my hands were sweaty. But this is how I get whenever I submit something to an editor so I just sent it out. A few hours later, my editor contacted me and told me that she liked it. Joy! Two weeks later, it was in the Arts and Culture section. Score!

It was also posted on Windy Citizen, a Chicago-centric site that I am falling in love with. It is dedicated to all things Chicago – news, blogs and entertainment. I received positive feedback about the piece and it was even posted on the Huffington Post Chicago. It’s crazy how the small pieces you write end up on other web sites. This leads me to believe that people still read.

I needed that boost. I felt like GB gave me the opportunity I was looking for – a platform. I was grateful and I still am. You can read my piece here: A Hood in Limbo.

A few days later, I checked my e-mail and there was a request from a DJ asking if I would be interested in being interviewed for his radio show all about Chicago. I said yes and if you ever get the opportunity to be on a radio show you should say yes too. Why? Why not? Opportunities will always present themselves, but will you be aware enough to notice? Luckily, this time I was. You can check out the radio show here: Outside the Loop Radio.

Keep on truckin’ my writing pals.

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You Ought to Listen to Yourself

Motivation Comments Off

Nov 302009

A few years ago, I decided to make my own rejection postcard, which had boxes for editors to check off when they were going to send me a rejection. It was more of a tool for me, but I could see the benefit for editors as well.

All editors needed to do was check off the reason for the rejection. I also had a space for comments. When I told other writers about my postcard a lot of them were super negative about it. They said that editors wouldn’t take the time to fill it out or that they’d probably just pitch it. Regardless of what they thought, I did it anyway.

Today as I was checking the mail and I came across one of my postcards! It was a rejection, but still, I was excited. It worked.

This was written many years ago. Today, all submissions are online and I’ve gotten rid of the postcards, but I still stand by doing things differently than others even if they don’t understand it.

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Focus

Life, Motivation Comments Off

Sep 162009

I think I have my life under control again. I was a little unfocused for a while, but I feel a lot better about things and I know where I’m going. Nobody ever tells you that you need an intense amount of discipline to be a writer, but you do.

The road isn’t easy and there aren’t any shortcuts. Believe me, I’ve looked. That doesn’t mean you stop looking for them though. At least I don’t. I’m always looking for the easiest way to get there but it just doesn’t exist.

I have so many projects and so many dreams. I worry that I won’t be able to finish them all. I feel whole when I finish projects, so I will push on.

Lately, I’ve been feeling better about interviewing people. I wonder if I miss that human adult connection. You see, I work from home. Some would call me a stay at home mom, but I consider myself more than that. I am a creative, a communicator.

I’m also a partner in a web design business and I have my own jewelry line in addition to being a freelance writer. How do I find the time? I don’t. And the things I love to do are beginning to suffer. I wish there were more like 40 hours in a day. Then I’m sure I could get most of it done.

I measure my success by happiness, but lately, I’ve been reverting to income. I wonder if there are any writers out there that are doing what they love and are able to make a living doing it. If you do, then how do you do it and how did you get there? I want to know the secret.

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Taking the Initiative

Motivation, Organization, Writing Comments Off

Dec 182006

After weeks of waiting, the last few responses in reference to my short story Foiled finally arrived. Each letter contained a depressing, but standard rejection. After talking to my sister about it, she gave me this great idea. I am going to make postcards that give editors a chance to respond in a way that will help me re-work my piece for publication. What this means is that I will create a postcard, which will say something like so:

We thank you for your submission however; we feel your piece needs:

–More character development.

–Work on the dialogue.

–Work on either the tone of the piece or the timing.

–Plot development.

–To be submitted elsewhere because we do not publish this type of fiction.

Thank you and good luck in the future.

Sincerely,

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One Reject to Another

Literary Mags and Journals, Motivation Comments Off

Oct 242006

I get home, throw my bag to the floor and pick up the mail. While sorting through it I spot an envelope that looks strikingly familiar. Oh yes, it’s the SASE I sent with my short story for their response. They’ve finally written back. YES! Soon, all of the excitement is washed away by the awful unknown. What if they hated it? Ugh. I graciously tear open the envelope and pull the slip out. It says, “Thank you so much for submitting your fiction piece to our fine publication, however we are not interested at this time. Good luck in the future.” Damn!

Four rejection slips later, I’m sitting in my office pouring myself another glass of cheap red wine, (dare I say the name) staring at a very sharp X-acto Knife sitting to my left. I should just end it all! I have no talent. What am I doing? Who wants to hear what I have to say anyway? But then I think damn it, I do. So, I’ve decide to look for other avenues.

I only need one magazine to like it anyway. At the very least I’d like some sound writing advice about my piece. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe the plot isn’t strong enough, the dialogue too dry. Who knows? But I want answers. So, I’ve decide not to wait around any longer. I’ve sent it out to two more publications. Hey, you never know.

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