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My Mother Asked…

  • Posted on March 23, 2012 at 6:38 am

 

…”Are you writing anything?”

I explained about getting the garden ready for spring and all the spring planting, and she said, “So you’re not writing anything.”

I am, but not nearly as much as I would like to.  I’m finishing a book that I want done by the end of this month.  I only have a couple of hours a day, and I want six hours to write.

But this is what happens.  I’m a foster mom, which means I need to set appointments, attend meetings, go to training, settle arguments, work on patience, and massive interruptions.  Even when I’ve told the family that from 9:00 until 3:00 is my time, things interfere.

To make matters worse, I’m scattered.  I don’t focus well, too easily distracted.  My brain is a bit AADD, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.  I could go on meds which would help me focus, but I might have to give up the crazy ideas that come to me constantly.  I never suffer from writer’s block.  I ALWAYS have something to write about.  And I don’t want that to end.

But EVERYTHING interests me.  I want to work on a quilting project.  I have some mending that needs attention.  I want to get my garden beds built.  (I have an all-concrete backyard and must build the beds above the concrete surface.)

In addition, I need to put up some fencing for the grape vines.

What does any of this have to do with writing?

Well, I also have four blogs.   One, ThornsAndPetals.org, is kind of a catch all.  I put in everything else, such as various projects that currently interest me.

The other two, SonShineRetreats.org, a Christian site, and HomeBusinessMindset.net, a business site, are more specific.

Plus I write articles on a whole variety of subjects.  No, I don’t want meds.  I want more time, but unfortunately we’re never given more than24 hours, so I have the same age-old problem as everyone else, how to manage the time I’ve been given.

Blessings.

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Everything Gets in the Way!

  • Posted on March 16, 2012 at 8:35 am

 

My plan is a good one.  I have the best of intentions in following my plan, and then I wake up.

Today’s schedule was supposed to look like this:

  1. Shower
  2. Walk
  3. Quiet Time
  4. Water seedlings and houseplants
  5. Clean fish tank
  6. Do two blog entries
  7. Work on I AM – The Words Jesus Said About Himself
  8. Call pharmacy for meds
  9. Pick up clinic card
  10. See church member who is going in for surgery
  11. Pick up brother to visit Mom in the nursing home.

This is what really happened.

  1. Walk, but only ten minutes.  My hip hurts.
  2. Go back to bed.  Headache.
  3. Quiet Time, sort of.  Haven’t gotten to the Bible study yet.
  4. Looked at seedlings.  Will water later.  Need to get laundry started.  Started laundry.
  5. Haven’t looked at fish tank.  They’ll probably need to be fed first.
  6. Called pharmacy, but although they’ve faxed the prescription request, the clinic hasn’t responded.
  7. Sent Dennis (husband) to pick up clinic card.
  8. Dennis returned with his card, but they wouldn’t give him mine because we’re on different programs.
  9. Called clinic.  They need me to come down.
  10. Went to clinic.  Had to wait a long time.  Card not available.  Eligibility tech went home early.  No card until Monday.
  11. Prescription was sent to another pharmacy that charges more for that prescription.  Need to change pharmacies.

I haven’t worked on my book (I AM) yet.  I haven’t blogged yet, and it’s already noon.  After I see my friend and my Mom, I think I need to spend some time (1) in DEEP prayer and (2) get another chapter in my book done.  Maybe I can get the blogs done this evening.

The problem is, these kinds of things happen all too frequently.  I try to schedule from 9:00 to 3:00 for writing and researching how to market myself.  But the laundry needs to be done, and clinics are only open at certain times.

How does your writing time go?

Blessings

 

 

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How Is A Book Signing Supposed to Go?

  • Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:28 am

 

I was told to expect around four sales, that book signings are slow and boring.  The author sits at his/her little table behind the display of books and waits for interested people to come forward.

That was not my experience.

The shop I used was Hastings, a book, video and game store that loves to advertise local authors.  In other words, they want me to sell books as much as I want to sell them.  The woman in charge gave me advice which I followed to the letter.

  1. Let the local daily newspaper know where you’ll be and when.
  2. Let the weekly paper know the same.
  3. Consider buying an ad in the local shopper.
  4. Make sure the local monthly publication knows about your book signing as well.

The only one who charged me was the shopper, and that was because I purchased an ad and ran it for two weeks before the event.

To my delight, the publisher of the Beacon, for whom I write, offered me a free booth at his upcoming event, BeaconFest, by way of apology.  I accepted.  What had happened was that I had hand delivered the press release, and most everyone else shoots theirs to him by email.  That was how it had become overlooked.  I suppose that makes it more my fault than his.  I am truly sorry that I caused him grief.  The Beacon is an excellent publication, an award-winner, and things should not have gone the way they did.

The book seller’s fifth piece of advice was the most valuable.  Had I not followed this last instruction I would have sold no more than expected, to the four or five friends who had already told me they would come to the signing and buy a book.

The Fifth Piece of Advice:

Actively promote your book during the signing.  That means, don’t sit.  Stand, interact with customers, be cute, funny, persuasive, but SELL your books.  Be animated!

To my delight, I not only sold to my five friends, but I also sold out of every book I brought, plus needed to fill out five rain checks (which I printed ahead of time, just in case I would have this problem) after I ran out.

Ahead of time I had also printed out pamphlets for the occasion, and on my home computer had printed out bookmarks.  Everyone who wanted one got a bookmark.  Giving something away was my own piece of advice to myself.  People were pleased.

Those who sort of wanted a book but weren’t sure got a pamphlet.

It was both fun and profitable, and VERY far from boring.

 

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