Turn your waiting time into productive time

How many times have you found yourself waiting – in a queue, in traffic, to pick someone up, for a delivery, for a repair company to arrive, or for a phone call to be returned. Add up just how much time you spend “waiting” in a typical month?

When you add up the 15 minutes here and 10 minutes there with the occasional 30 minute waiting to pick up a teenager or spouse who is “just coming,” you can easily waste 6 hours a month doing nothing except feeling frustrated. Now imagine if you were given an extra 6 hours to spend on your writing – could you make use of that?

In order to make use of your 6 hours you need to:

1. Identify when and where you regularly have to wait, even if only for 5 minutes, e.g. in the supermarket.
2. Work out what you could do during these times, e.g. think about a character and make notes in a note book or using a phone app, make a to do list, note some ideas for your next blog post, take photos that would help you create dramatic settings. In some cases you may even be able to write out an entire scene. Note that if you are waiting in traffic you may only be able to think about your writing as using equipment would be inappropriate or illegal.
3. Be prepared – have a list of tasks to do and have the right equipment to hand. Always carry a small bag or backpack containing your mobile office which might only consist of your mobile phone, pen and notebook.

Even if you can only make use of half of your waiting time that is like being given an extra morning to work on your writing.

You never know – next time you are sat in the car waiting for someone you might even start wishing they would take a little longer.

Happy writing.

Editing for increased book sales

Extract from Write it!

Engage, enthuse and inspire – as a writer this is what you aim to do, get this right and your readers will not only stay with you but they will come back for more. They will want each and every one of your books; they will recommend your work to their friends and, as real fans, will support you on your journey to success.

For any book you need to allow at least as long for the editing stage as for the writing stage. You will make three passes of your work, each with a different purpose. This helps you focus only on what you should be doing and therefore speed the whole process up. Do not be tempted at this stage to do a major rewrite or add additional information. If you do you will take considerably longer to complete your book as you may need to go back and look at your structure. If you have ideas as you go through makes notes in your notebook and then either use them to write a second book or, at a much later date, use them to update your original book and publish as a new edition.

There are at least three stages to editing; the first is to ensure you are writing using words and phrases that hook your readers. You want your readers to invest their time in you, to trust you, to believe in your knowledge and, ultimately, because you have made a positive difference to their lives, purchase future titles. Do this and you will watch your sales rise.

The second is to check and correct any typing, spelling or grammatical errors. Mistakes say one thing to your readers “I am an amateur.” If you want to be considered a professional then your book needs to be error free. One sure fire way to turn off your readers is to introduce spelling errors or include a misplaced apostrophe.

The third is to ensure consistency of formatting and remove any formatting that may not be displayed when your book is converted for publication. If you publish for ereaders the reader can choose the font size and other formatting features so any work you do to make your book look professional will be lost; keep it simple.

Power words and emotion

To ensure your readers keep coming back for more you need to write sentences and use words that speak to the reader; words that draw on their emotions, dreams and fears.

Work on one paragraph at a time, read it aloud, does it flow, does it send the right message. If not – rewrite it.

Look at each word; does the word add the right amount of emotion and intensity? Will your reader feel that this book relates to and is relevant to them?

Here are some examples of words that mean almost the same thing but give very different messages:

Erased/eradicated/obliterated

Big/vast

Flawless/perfect/excellent

Hard/difficult/challenging.

Note that the words have “almost” the same meaning, change the word and you may change the message so read aloud again. You may find it useful to have a thesaurus and dictionary to hand. Whether fiction or non-fiction your aim is to add passion to your writing; if you believe in what you are saying then so will your readers.

Tell a story, even in non-fiction, if you write a guide to a local town you might write something like this “standing in the narrow alleyway I could almost feel the vibration of the soldiers’ footsteps as they passed through on their way to such an unpleasant death.” Two points here; could you use a more emotional word than unpleasant – painful, predictable, dramatic, untimely, tortuous - and have you done enough to hook the reader to find out how they died?

Spelling and grammar

Most spelling errors are actually typing errors and you just need to correct them. Do be aware of commonly misspelt words and ensure you are using the correct spelling, for example - their, there, they’re.

Use a dictionary to check spellings and usage.

It may be useful to print your work and check the paper copy. This can make it easier to see spelling errors that you may have missed on the screen. Highlight errors and then return to the computer to make changes. You will print your work when you have completed your book to undertake a final check.

Formatting – keep it simple

Follow these simple rules:

 - One space after a full stop

 - For emphasis only use bold, underline or italic

 - Do not use tabs

 - Use a soft return if you want an extra line space (if publishing an ebook).

At this stage you have a completed book that is ready for those final elements required before publication.

Happy writing.

5 Free iPhone and iPad Apps for Writers

Increase your productivity using these useful free apps. Wherever you are make notes, record ideas, outline plots and develop character sketches. And when you get back home some apps will even synchronise with PC/Mac/Laptop software. Using these apps you can work wherever you like and pull everything together when you get back to base.

1. A Novel Idea - record ideas, outline your novel, develop characters and locations and start outlining and writing scenes. I use this myself and mind it particularly useful when I have an idea or want to start developing a new novel.
2. Evernote – capture pictures and attach notes about them, make notes, photograph a passage from a book and  record any other snippets that are needed for your writing.  Use this when researching a location or using books in a library; you can add reference details as you go. Everything is stored in the cloud so when you get back to base all of these notes can be accessed on your main computer.
3. Dragon Dictation – a great app that converts short voice recordings to text. These can then be emailed to yourself.
4. Dragon Recorder – whilst similar to other voice recorders this has the advantage that if you have the Dragon Naturally Speaking software you can convert the voice recordings into text. Great for writing that novel, article or blog entry whilst you are on the go.
5. CloudOn – create, access and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Save your files in the cloud and then access them when needed. Useful if you want to check a detail or notes whilst out and about.

Happy writing.

Do you need to illustrate books aimed at young children?

There's no doubt that pictures add value to books for young children; they provide opportunities to:

• Introduce unfamiliar environments, real or fictional, to children. This might include places, animals, cultural practices or people. 
• Reduce any fear a young child might feel when about to engage with a new experience such as attending nursery or flying in an airplane.
• Link objects to words. This is useful for both extending the vocabulary of young children and also supporting children when they are learning to read.
• Increase engagement with books and reading. Young children enjoy looking at images.
• Provide opportunities to extend the reading time beyond the words on the page. Parents and children can discuss the images beyond the actual story.

However, using illustrations is not essential. Young children enjoy the experience of being read to and the attention given to them during this time with or without pictures. 

Many books are now read from a mobile device such as a mobile phone, iPad or Kindle. All of these devices will support pictures however the parent, or other reader, may not be sharing the device with the young child, they may choose to read aloud in a cafe or car whilst facing, or perhaps not even looking at, their child.

In short, if you have a great idea for a children's story but are worrying about the illustrations then go ahead a write it anyway. Read it aloud to ensure it works as a "words only" story and then publish it.

For an example of this type of book have a look at George and his Dragon, available on Amazon.

Click here to view.

Happy writing.

Should you ever write for free?

Recently I have been reading a lot of comments about how writers who write articles and short stories for free do all writers a disservice by devaluing the profession and preventing other writers from earning a decent living.  On the other side many new writers appear to have little opportunity of gaining any paid work until they have been published.

It’s funny how, in nearly every other type of business, it would seem absolutely normal for a newcomer to cut prices, offer free samples and aim to take market share away from competitors. And, as with writing, if the product isn't good enough then the customers will not buy. In any other type of business no-one says that you are “devaluing the profession” or consider you irresponsible if you “prevent others from earning a living” because you charge less than your competitors.

Let's be absolutely clear that only good quality writing will get published regardless of whether it is offered for free or not. Editors would rather pay a high price for quality or, if they are unable to pay, will reduce the written content in their publications. One poor piece of writing can ruin the reputation of any publication.

Also be aware that editors will always pay a rate based on their publication’s policy which might include no fee for an unpublished writer or indeed no fee for any writer. As you demonstrate reliability and produce work of a consistently high quality you will be able to negotiate a better fee. Think of it as investing in your own future. If you are worried that you will be taken advantage of then do some research into your chosen magazines.

If you feel really strongly about writing for free for magazines that make a profit then why not write for local magazines or charity publications. These still require high quality material and you might still receive a rejection slip but you can consider the article or short story as both an investment in your future and a donation to the community or charity.

Whether you get paid for your work or not, if you are published always keep a copy of your work in print so that you can start building a portfolio.

Happy writing.

Make money writing about your holiday

Have you just enjoyed your annual holiday? Or maybe you are still planning it. Either way have you considered making extra income from your experiences? 

There are a multitude of opportunities available to you including a personal experience piece, letters to magazines, short fillers and full length articles. There are even opportunities to get paid to write reviews about hotels you have stayed in.

You could write a traditional travel piece however you will increase your chance of publication and payment if you look for a less obvious angle that will appeal to the readers of your chosen publications.

Here are some suggestions:

• Tips for travelling abroad with a disabled child – finding hotels, public transport, medical facilities
• Pack light for less stress and costs – whether driving, flying or using public transport packing the absolute minimum can make travelling easier and cheaper
• Eat well for less – tips for saving money when eating out whilst on holiday
• The hidden attractions at your holiday location – shops, restaurants, museums, buildings, parks, beaches
• Interesting people who live or have lived where you are holidaying
• Keeping children amused on long journeys
• Tips for travelling alone
• What to take on a walking holiday
• Wildlife in the area
• Taking pets on holiday
• Cooking whilst camping.

As you can see there are a multitude of topics relating to your holiday so take a break, have fun, and come home with a host of ideas to earn you some extra income.

Happy writing.