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Achieve Your 2021 Writing Goals

For the current year, my goal is to achieve 2,000 words per day. It has gone a bit slow this year thus far, but I am still working hard at it. Right now, my best day this month was around 1,000 words. So, half of what I wanted to do, but it has been better than nothing. However, there are a few things that I am doing and have done that I will continue to implement throughout my year to see what works. At the end of the year, I will follow up on this and list what worked the best.

Word Sprints

These are probably the best methods that I have used and know my average from them because I do them so well. For a 15-20-minute sprint, I can push around 300-500 words depending on how into the scene I am. Now, these are so much better to do with a group of friends and fellow writers, but you can do these by yourself as well. If I do ones by myself, I have to be mindful of myself and keep track of the time. It’s not always as engaging for me to have one by myself as I can’t compare myself and attempt to beat someone else, but it can work. Here are a few ways you can do word sprints by yourself to reach your writing goal

4TheWords

For those who love video games and having a narrative that drives you forward to write, the website 4TheWords is amazing. Instead of having specific times like 15 minutes, you get a bit more of a buffer, and in that time, you have to write a certain amount of words that can range from under 100 words to 2400 words. Each of these is accompanied by a monster that you are defeating. There are also a few quests and a full storyline you can follow that gives you challenges to defeat a certain amount of creatures. During certain times of the year, 4TheWords also contains events with other quests in them Above all, my favorite thing is I have an avatar in the game which is customized the further you get into the storyline and events.

If you join 4TheWords with my code, you get extra crystals to use toward your subscription CMEJB59943

WordKeeper

This is an iPhone/iPad app that I use as well. When I got it, I was thankful it was a one-time charge, but if you actively use it, it is so worth the monthly subscription. I use it to track my daily writing and goals. So, if I am working on a project and need to write every day, then I know I need to write a specific amount of words that day because of that app. It even celebrates when you hit your daily goal. Right now, I have about four projects on there running and have about 6 others that I have completed through it. The only piece that I don’t use in the app is the timer which I feel I should start using more often. In the app, it can time you either counting down or counting up and when you stop the timer, you input how many words you’ve written or what your total word count is now, and it will put this all into the project for you and then also include how long it took you to write the book. My favorite thing about the app is that it even tells me how many total words I have written and implemented into the app. Seeing that since I have owned the app I wrote 449,000 was amazing and awe inspiring to me because it means I am almost halfway to writing a total of 1,000,000 words which is where so many people state you are perfecting your craft.

Pomodoro

If you are a person who likes to do writing sprints by yourself and wants something with little bells and whistles, think of using a focus based app. Focus To-Do is on iPhone and Windows (I’m unsure of other platforms) and has a big red timer for about 15 minutes on 5 minutes off. You can set these to go for as long as you want. If you want something a bit more based on helping the ecosystem, Forest – stay focused is a great app to use. There is also a chrome extension. Both promote you not to touch your phone or the internet so you are forced to work on something. Through doing this, you can also have a tree grown because of your focus somewhere in the world. Other Methods I will implement

Dictation

This has been something I have worked hard to conquer. It is difficult when I have a bunch of people around me. However, when I am home alone, I turn on Dragon Dictation and start cranking out as many words as I can. I ignore as many grammatical mistakes as I can and keep going. Sometimes it doesn’t work out when a word isn’t recognized, but it also forces me to say a sentence that flows easily. I do not recommend getting their microphone. Instead, get something like a Yeti microphone that is high quality that will help the program catch your words easily, and then if you ever get on a podcast or other live event, you have something that will make you sound clear.

Leaving The House

Alright, I cannot do this right now, but I hope we all will eventually be able to do this again. I used to leave the house often just to get some words written. This was amazing when I was alone with my son. We could run off to McDonald’s or a local indoor playground area like Chuck E. Cheese and he would run around while I pumped out some words because he wouldn’t bother me nearly as much.

So what are your plans to get your own writing goals out?

Achieve Your 2021 Writing Goals was originally published on Amber Morant

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So beautiful to see. I doubt I could ever read out in the snow because I hate the cold, but if I had a window next to something like this I could sit in, I totally would.

Snow day! 😍☃️

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Book Review: The Bear and the Nightingale

I will preemptively add, this book was one I had to read for class in my MFA. However, it doesn’t change what I feel in regards to the book, just that I may not have discovered this book otherwise.

The Bear and the Nightingale

By Katherine Arden

Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.

Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.

But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed—to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was honestly a slower start for a fantasy book compared to what I am used to. However, once the fantastical begins to take place we are sped through like a rocketship. This speed almost completely negates my feelings for the beginning because of it.

One of my favorite things about the story is that it introduces us to a Slavic fairy tale at the very beginning. Like many fairy tales, we’re left with this story in mind as we continue throughout the story. There are a few similarities such as the step-mother who doesn’t like the daughter and Morozko existing. However much of it has also changed and gives a breath of fresh air for the reader.

One of my favorite parts about the book isn’t necesarily the actual text, but the narrator for the audiobook. She takes the deep mythology of Slavic cultures and the names of people and brings them to life. Even when I was home and didn’t need to use the audiobook format I found myself reading along while the narrator read to me.

One thing you do have to keep in mind with this book because it’s not a western European fairy tale, there are a few differences compared to what we know of fairy tales. There is no knight in shining armor, no rule of three, not even a princess. Ok, there is a princess but she is a very tertiary character that it’s not as relevant to the story.

If I had picked this book up and was trying to read it for pleasure, it is possible that I wouldn’t have completed the book. But out of the requirement for my class I did and I am glad I had to.

For those thinking about picking up this book, keep that downside in mind. It is a slow burn book, but a beautiful and rich filled slow burn.

Book Review: The Bear and the Nightingale was originally published on Amber Morant

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Why 4TheWords is the Best Writing Platforms Out There

Why I love 4TheWords

Recently I’ve been using 4TheWords to help my writing out. Although I was skeptical at first, I’ve come to love it within the last few days. I’ve been able to hit 2,000 words without any issues. My reasoning for this is because instead of doing timed sprints, I’ve been doing word count based sprints. To add to the need to write these sprints, I have monsters I have to kill! I mean, who wouldn’t be pushed to get those 300 words done to kill a giant puff monster?

Obviously the program isn’t free, but you do get a free month trial and after that it’s just $4 or less per month depending on how many crystals (in game currency for purchasing subscriptions or special items) you purchase at one time.

Writing Faster in 4TheWords

Yes, I’ve been writing so much faster because of this. Just this month I’ve written at least 10,000 more words than last month. It also saved all of the words you’ve written on the website so you can start from anywhere as long as you have internet.

From there, I can keep pushing myself because there is always another monster to kill and more points to ear. Before you know you, you may hit 3,000 words after just a few sprints.

My goal is to have Shadow of the Blade written entirely through 4TheWords and get it completed before the deadline with wiggle room to spare.

NaNoWriMo

The biggest benefit I’ve found on this website is NaNoWriMo. They have an entire celebration month for NaNoWriMo with new monsters, quests, and storylines to explore. There are even monsters that have 1,667 words worth of health that you need to beat in 24 hours (literally the amount you need to write each day to win NaNoWriMo).

If you don’t want to beat the big monsters, you can always do the smaller monsters to beat throughout the day to pace yourself a bit better and feel more accomplished.

Bonus Crystals for 4TheWords

As always, there are referral bonuses. So you can sign up with my referral link and get a free month trial AND get some extra crystals once you start paying for a membership so your first month will also be at a discount or use it towards decorating your character.

Use the referral code: CMEJB59943 on 4TheWords when you register to get your free trial and bonus crystals once you start the payments.

Why 4TheWords is the Best Writing Platforms Out There was originally published on Amber Morant

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Writing Updates: Shadow of the Crown

This year has been crazy. I’ve written a few short stories just this year alone that I will be putting out as chapbooks for the coming year and I’m a third of the way through Shadow of the Crown. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I am planning on getting it done by end of February if not earlier. I’m also at the end of my college career!

So you can say things are exciting. I will also be updating my website a bit to combine Fantasy Emporium onto here with the different book recommendations throughout the month. Obviously not all are personally recommendations as Fantasy Emporium is curated from different authors. However, I like to give every author a chance in their careers because we all started somewhere, including myself.

Speaking of starting somewhere, I got to see some crazy stuff today. On Facebook I got to see my day in history and just a few years ago I got excited for a couple sales compared to my usual 0 sales a month. Nowadays that normal would have made me depressed, so seeing this really put my life into perspective. I’ve definitely grown since then and all I can do is thank you all for being awesome readers. It is because of you all that I have grown so much.

Anyways, thank you all again and hopefully I can post some more on here including a few flash fiction pieces. See you all later!

Writing Updates: Shadow of the Crown was originally published on Amber Morant

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7 Ways You Can Build Your Author Facebook Page Faster

Too often I see writers asking how to grow their author Facebook page following. Things such as “how do I get more likes” or doing a like for like with other authors. These are all well and good, but definitely not great.

Actually the like for like I would say is a horrible idea. You may cry and say that I’m denying you people who want to support you, but are they supporting you or are they just feeding your numbers so you can feed theirs. Seriously, when was the last time you went through your list of pages liked and saw many authors who you’ve never even seen show up on your timeline?

Thankfully, you have me, who can help you on building up a better author Facebook page and a better following without having to spend a single penny!

1. Make Your Page Personable

This is probably one of the easiest steps. Yea people will like some of those big companies because they buy stuff from them like Walmart. But you’re not Walmart.

Instead, I want you to think of yourself like Wendy’s or Arby’s.

Wendy’s Twitter account is full of great content where they like to be full of sass and joke with their followers. That get’s them attention because it makes it feel like you are talking to a person and not just some company.

Arby’s, on the other hand, is not as personable, but they share so many nerdy and pop culture moments that it connects you with them through a shared interest. Your friends share funny stuff and fandom based stuff, well so does Arby’s so they are now like that friend too.

Look at this, then look at your own brand. Are you a person who likes to share memes? Find ones that fit in with your brand and post them directly on your author Facebook page. Heck, make some memes too with your url so you can direct people back to you!

2. Video Content is King

I know, sticking your face in front of a camera is scary, but so is writing and you did it!

Want to know when the last time I had a huge spike in reach and interaction was? It was when I did a Facebook Live video. Seriously, I was getting 10 likes per post within minutes when usually I only got like 1 or 2.

If you don’t know what to talk about, just bring up why you’re wanting to become an author. Or read a snippet of a work in progress. Heck, maybe you want to go for a walk outside, so take a selfie stick with you and chat with people about your day. The skies the limit on this!

Not to mention, Facebook prioritizes video. Don’t believe me? Look at how memes are no longer just photos but usually videos now. It’s so they are reached by more people.

3. Invite People To Like Your Author Facebook Page

No, I don’t mean invite every single one of your Facebook friends. Unless they already are interested in your books, don’t invite them. If you ever do decide to do an ad with a lookalike audience, would you rather that audience be filled with people interested in your books or people who like to just look at porn all day? (unless of course your writing is porn then more power to you there!)

Instead, whenever you make a post on Facebook, look at the people who like the post. 

If you go to the bottom of the post you will see a place where you see all those who liked/reacted to your post. Like the image over here.

When you click that there will be a button next to each person’s name and just click invite and it sends an invite to those who haven’t liked your page. Pretty cool, right?

4. Interactions

How many people want to go somewhere and comment on a post with a question hoping for an answer? Pretty sure that’s everyone if you are asking a legit question.

So if someone comes onto your author Facebook page and leaves a comment or a post or something, reply to them. Acknowledge their existence.

That’s not that hard unless you’re a narcissist and if that’s the case well you may not do well with this then.

Anyways. If you can acknowledge them and respond to them, that boosts your reach, it promotes their friends to see a page they interact with, and it let’s people know you’re a real person. Not to mention they will be more likely to come back and that’s pretty awesome too.

5. Community Reach Out

Do you know of other authors in your same genre? Like them as your page and if you have the Facebook Creator’s app you can actually go on Facebook and act as your page and comment on those other author’s Facebook pages’ posts.

People will see you, and as long as you’re not trying to self promo in a place that’s not asking for it, you are performing an act of good faith.

Now let’s say you become close with that other author, now there is a connection there and they may want to promote you on their page. Pretty simple, and all you had to do was try to be their friend.

6. Post Natively

I don’t know how many times I have to tell someone to stop trying to send their tweets or Instagram posts to their Facebook page. It seriously looks ugly. 

If you want to share that funny quip, take out all the hashtags and go to your page and just post it. Hashtags aren’t really as important on Facebook as they are on Twitter. And when you drown posts in hashtags like you do Instagram, that just looks really bad.

Beyond just looking tacky and lazy, it lowers your reach. Facebook hates when you post stuff from off of their website. It doesn’t matter if it’s you on another website, they hate it and will lower the reach on you.

That post that got a lot of interaction on Instagram? Crickets on Facebook. So take that extra time to post it natively.

7. Stop Stressing

Yea these are all great tips, and yea they will help you grow your author Facebook page. But don’t focus on this to the point that you can’t write anything. Seriously, that’s bad for your health.

Do what you can and just enjoy your page. It is your brand focused on you. Be yourself. That’s all I have to say on that.

If things get a little too tough for you, reach out to a friend, or if you have the money then a social media manager, and see if they will help you run your page for you. They may be willing to help you out so you can focus.

Want more ways to grow your Facebook Page? Join my Newsletter and get 5 more ways to grow your following!

7 Ways You Can Build Your Author Facebook Page Faster was originally published on Amber Morant

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The first Chapter for Shadow of the Crown is available for $5+ patrons. These will not be released to the public until the full book is available and published. So you can get early reads in now on the book before anyone else.

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Part 166 of  “A Tale of Two Rulers” (June19th- 2018)

—★ New comic comes out every Monday! *(Mostly. I’m doing my best to stop being a day late. ) And if you’re a Patreon supporter you can see it a little sooner on my Patreon page* - here

*Q&A and Charity Auction of the previous two hand painted comics are still on the way! *** update on that! *** The good news! I found a new place to move to which is a huge relief! The less than awesome news, more delays on everything because I’m currently in the process of moving!

Thanks so much to all my amazing supporters that help make this fan-comic happen! ♥ (If is wasn’t for you it would be a lot harder for me to have time to work on this and keep up with the bills so I’m super grateful.)

—★Archive below

Pages     1  -   2   -  3  -  4  -  5  -  6   -  7   -  8   -  9   -  10   -  11  -   12   -  13  -   14  -   15   -   16   -   17   -  18   -   19   -   20  -   21   -    22   -   23   -   24   -    25   -   26   -   27   -   28   -   29   -   30    -    31   -    32     -    33    -     34  -  35  -  36  -  37  -  38   -  39   -   40  -     41    -   42  -  43   -   44   -   45  -   46   -   47   -    48   -    49   -   50   -    51  -  52   -    53    -   54   -   55  -   56  -   57  -   58    -   59  -   60   -  61  -  62    -   63  -   64   -   65  -  66  -   67  -   68  -   69  -   70  -   71    -   72  -   73   -   74  -   75  -  76  -   77   -  78   -    79   -  80   -    81  -  82   -   83   -   84    -   85   -   86    -  87  -   88  -    89   -     90   -    91   -   92   -    93    -    94   -    95   -   96  -   97   -   98   -   99   -  100  -   101  -  102  -  103    -   104 -   105  -  106  -  107   -  108  -  109   - 110   -   111  -  112    - 113  -   114   -  115  -  116  -   117  -  118   -   119  -  120  -  121  -  122  -  123  - 124   -   125  -  126  -   127  -  128 -  129  -  130  -  131  -  132   -  133  -  134  - 135  -   136   -  137  -   138   -  139 -   140  - 141  -  142  -  143  - 144 -  145  - 146 - 147 -  148  -  149 -  150  - 151 -  152  -  153  -  154 -  155  -  156  -  157  -  158  - 159 -  160  - 161  - 162  - 163  -164  - 165

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LIVE! #playinspades on #twitch Join me as we journey to become legends. #giveaway during the stream & fun for all! http://thndr.me/PPDz49

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Patreon for Authors

Kickstarter was once one of the largest websites where people could support a particular creative in order to get some stuff out of it all. However, Patreon has come and taken over the scene where it is no longer about just funding something but funding the artist themselves. For many, there are incentives (or rewards)…

Patreon for Authors was originally published on Amber Morant

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Writing 100k Words in a Month and Not Fail

This month is #March100kChallenge in one of the groups I am in. Of course, being the NaNoWriMo nerd that I am, 100K words in one month was exciting. I mean who wouldn’t want to write all of that in a month to challenge yourself. We’ve had people write an entire novel in just 5 days and plenty of romance authors write a novel in a month constantly. Now, writing all of that can be difficult and even I know this, so what is someone to do when there is so much struggle?

Dictation

This is probably one of the best options out there. I’m not even kidding with how fast you can get words pumped out by just vocalizing it. We speak so much faster than we ever type because of the pausing and everything. Some people may type fast enough to keep up with speech but even they will have to stop for a minute so their hands wont cramp up. Dictation, your tongue will never cramp up and you can just do pure word vomit without worrying about if the sentence flows properly. You can go back and edit later, after all, that’s what a first draft is for.

Word Sprints

This is probably the best option for those who want to just type. Set up a small alarm that goes off after a bit of time and just write as much as you can. A bigger push is to make your text white so you can never backspace and don’t worry so much about your prose looking purple.

Staying Consistent

If you can write about 3k words a day you can probably get the word count out. Don’t even focus on the word count either. Seriously, that will slow you down. If you reach 3k and still want to keep writing, then keep going. If you do go above and beyond, don’t expect that to mean that you get to slow down the next day or you will fall behind. It’s just not pretty.

Plot your Writing

Getting stuck can be a pain. Thankfully, we can overcome this through even a basic outline or beat sheet. Even if you don’t stay completely close to the outline, having something to reference can be beneficial on where you should aim for. When you go out for a drive, you don’t just drive out onto the road without knowing a basic idea of the route. You may take a detour but you’re still going towards a specific goal. Yes, even you pantsers this can be important to have some goals to hit.

Personal Goal

Right now, I personally wat to finish Dragon Guardian so a challenge is pushing me to finish it. My end goal is around 125k so obviously, I need to keep writing. At day 9 I’ve only hit 555 words due to being busy and then these past few days I’ve been really sick. So obviously, I’ve hit a rut but I’m not giving up because I still want to finish Dragon Guardian. You can follow the process of how far I am in plotting and writing Dragon Guardian personally on my side bar and cheer me on.

Happy writing and good luck on getting those words out. Make your own challenge if you need to but don’t stop writing.

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  Writing 100k Words in a Month and Not Fail was originally published on Amber Morant

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Writing with Children

As a parent of a 3-year-old, I know it can be tough writing with children running around your entire house. From the constant early morning wake up calls, to scheduling play dates, and even just finding me time while in the bathroom, there isn’t really a chance to just write what you want, whenever you want. Even so, I’m here to tell you it is possible and how I managed to write and be creative while my son is still at this age.

I want to first clarify, not everything I say will be a fit for you because every parent and child is in a different scenario or temperament of kids. Sometimes it’s just those days where you won’t be able to get any writing done but that is ok.

No, I’m not telling you to be selfish either all the time but you will need to put your foot down so you can get your word count out.

Your Partner and You

Before the baby even gets here, you need to make sure your spouse and you agree on how everything will all work. From punishment methods, to general raising. You may think it’s not a big deal, but once the baby is around and you are fighting over what the child needs for punishment or if someone was too hard on the child, writing will never be on that list of needs to get done.

Sometimes it’s also acknowledging your significant other’s passions and make sure you both get to do what you love. If they see you being able to write all the time and they can’t play basketball anymore, that will bring in resentment. The same could be said for the opposite of you feeling resentment if they can go out and do what they want while you are unable to write.

Once the baby arrives, sending each other out on personal dates can be a mutual benefit.

  Getting Out of The House

If you are a stay at home mom like myself, sharing the watching of the child can be more difficult. Especially when you get trapped inside of the house all day and need sun and adult interactions. Locally we have a few parks that are off the beaten path and in safe areas (sometimes even fenced in) where I can let my son play while I have a small notebook to jot down notes on my own writing. Other places that may be good is places like Chuck E. Cheese where it is free to go in and let your child run around. They won’t even let people take your child out of the place if they don’t have the right stamp so you are safe here.

One of my favorite locations to get writing done has been the YMCA. They have a child watch for up to 2 hours. I spend usually about 30 minutes working out in a given day and then I can go to writing until I need to pick him up. This is a hit three birds with one stone for this route and the YMCA isn’t very expensive either for what it provides for a family.

Finally, sometimes just finding a few writing friends who also have kids and have a small get together of writing while the kids play can be great. It’s a lot better than having random play dates with kids when you are struggling to not write because the mom just wants to talk about the kids. Some may be understanding that you just want to write, but that’s not going to be a positive experience for them who is now forced to have no interaction at all.

Leaving the kids behind can also be an option. No, I don’t mean just leave the house while they sit there alone. I mean go have a planned retreat. Whether it is a day out at a coffee shop or go out in the woods in a cabin somewhere. Just go out by yourself and focus on yourself, some self-care, and writing. In Ohio there is a place called Ravenwood Castle in Hocking Hills which lets you stay at a bed and breakfast in a castle. It is absolutely beautiful and could help you in finding some creative juices.

Dictation and Short Sessions

If you take your child out for walks a lot, try bringing your phone and a pair of headphones and start speaking out your book or general notes. Your child may get confused at first but it can be really fun to just fill your word count quota. I’ve once successfully during a half hour drive, wrote and entire chapter through dictation. It can be completely possible and once you do it enough, it can be easy. If you don’t trust your software to catch what you said correctly, just recording yourself and then transcribe it later.

Many should be familiar with the Pomodoro method. You set out a certain amount of time (say 10 minutes) and just write than entire time. You take breaks in between which could be just making sure your child is alright or even stretching out. Then you can keep going for multiple more sessions this way. Your writing will get faster and you will notice you can just sit down during nap time and get a few hundred words in before they notice you’re missing.

Overall, your child is yours and you will know what works. That doesn’t mean give up on writing entirely. It doesn’t even mean you are a bad parent for wanting to write. It is your passion and a child shouldn’t be the end all for all dreams. Rather they should be a new form of motivation for yourself. Writing with children can be difficult but I believe in you and everyone else believes as well.

If you do stumble, let me know and I can try and help.

  Writing with Children was originally published on Amber Morant

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Non-Traditional Venues Part 2: At the Event

A few weeks ago, I brought up how I would be working on more posts on going to different venues outside of the regular bookstore and now, here is the second part. First a little backstory:

I decided to go to Epic Loot in Centerville, Ohio on the 23rd of February. They were excited to have me and I was excited just to go out there. Of course, no one can predict traffic, especially when its hitting Every. Single. Red Light.

Packing List

Book bag/traveling rolling case to carry all of my supplies

All of my books (Kalla, old copy of Dragon Guardian, and the Fantastical Animals shorts)

Ink pen to sign books

Business Cards

Stands for the books

Locked box to carry money in

Phone with card reader

Receipt Book

Tablet for emails

Sign for Prices

Table Sheet

Obviously, I want to bring more for future events but this was great in itself. Next time I aim to have bookmarks and some keychains for sale as well.

Sales

So here is some data for you. Each paperback was sold for $15 and the Fantastical Animals shorts were pay what you want or free with purchase of a copy of Kalla. I sold 2 paperbacks and one e-book while I was there with someone even deciding to patron me by giving me an extra $5 which was amazing. This may not seem like much but that was a sale of about $32 total and for just 2 hours, that is a good wage. You just have to celebrate the small instances and even if you don’t make any sales, by keeping a positive outlook on it all you can leave a lasting impression.

Set Up

As you can see above, I had all of my books spread out so people could see them from any angle with a small sign that also listed prices for everything. My money case also looks like a dictionary so it fits on the table without appearing so cold. Things that I should probably have changed were the table cloth being lower to the ground in front versus so even and obviously, a higher variety of books available. I can’t do that second part yet but I aim to do that by the end of the year. Also, I would like to have a sign/banner to set up next to my table to grab more attention from others. There I only had a small white board that they let me use and being in a corner, it can be difficult. You can’t see my case that carried all of my extra supplies either which was a benefit so I wasn’t so tacky looking.

Learned Experiences

My biggest takeaway from this event is to pre-plan some more on getting a location in the building. Yes, I could find people seeing me sometimes but being in a secondary room, and away from the crowds it was disheartening. I pushed my table out more and more from the room after a while just so people could see me (I scared someone before I had done that). Perhaps it would be by asking if we could rearrange furniture or just not choosing this venue, I’m unsure but it was a big hurdle. I also needed to keep better track and learn how to write hand receipts. They are technically for tax purposes to record my profits and loss and I had problems in my excitement to fill them out.

What I did great at the event was keeping my eyes up and looking out to the store so people took notice of me instead of being on my phone or reclusive. This brought in conversations with two people coming over at once because of the interest. I also had Dragon Guardian out on display so although it wasn’t for sale, it did bring in interest for the next book and was a great conversation starter for many when I compared it to George R.R. Martin meets Tolkien. Having prices listed also was beneficial. Obviously, some people still asked what my price was, it let others not have to ask and could purchase the book right away without much conversation for the socially awkward out there.

  Non-Traditional Venues Part 2: At the Event was originally published on Amber Morant

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Writer's Library: the Books all Authors Need on Writing

Each of these amazing books are perfect for the author in all of us from the writing all the way to publishing and making sales. I have personally purchased copies of all of these books and many more but have found great use in these specific ones throughout my writing career. They are not listed in any particular order outside of remembering the title. So go ahead and check out these books on writing for yourself.

This is the latest to my collection of learning as I go from studying the actual craft to more of the marketing side of things. These two authors answer multiple questions and bring up different scenarios common amongst conventions and other live venues so that you see what is in store for yourself and prepare that way. I actually ended up bringing out an old book bag of mine so I could carry my books in versus multiple cardboard boxes. It feels a lot more professional and not so much strain on my own body.

I’ve been listening to Joanna Penn’s podcast “The Creative Penn” for a while now and follow her blog a lot so seeing that she had more resources available was just a no brainer for me! She wraps up a lot of information you find in multiple other “make money with your writing” style books and places into one solid book with examples of her own. It was a real mess before trying to figure out which book gave what advice so this was a blessing. Not only that but she focuses on the fiction writer for all of us versus so many who only talk about non-fiction.

Remember before when I said I was really slow at writing then suddenly pushed out a 15k short in two weeks? Yea it was because of this book. Sure it wasn’t 10k in one day. No way would I have been able to do that but writing 100 to about 1k was a big boost too. She gives great tips on how to pump out a faster writing speed and be happy with the turn out. If you want to be prepared for NaNoWriMo, this may be the option for you.

Sometimes we all just need a little humor, sometimes the humor needs to smack us in the face, sometimes it has to come from Chuck Wendig himself. He has multiple ideas broken down inside of the book that even if you don’t think it will relate to you, you still want to read to see what he has to say. It’s also a great skim through style book as each section is very short and to the point and you can flip through without being bombarded by blocks of text.

  So tell me, what books on writing have been your go to? Share in the comments below. Or if you have some books on writing, let me know and I may feature you on my Facebook page.

*Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Writer’s Library: the Books all Authors Need on Writing was originally published on Amber Morant

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Writer's Block is a Load of Poop

First, let me just say if you think you have any form of writer’s block then you need to stop lying. Writer’s block doesn’t exist, plain and simple. Yes, you can write yourself in a corner, but that’s a common issue. You could even say that big authors are dealing with writer’s block, but are they really?

Look at some of the big-name authors like Stephen King who writes multiple books a year, including short stories in between. Or some smaller authors, like Rebecca Hamilton who seems to have a new book published once a month. Even Chuck Tingle, erotica shorts author, who publishes hundreds of shorts throughout the year and many parodying current events the day of it happening. These people are capable of writing in such fast speeds, so you can too if you put your mind to it.

Steps to Get Away from The Writer’s Block Lie

First, stop blaming it for your problems. Feeding into it will just make it grow until you can’t control it anymore and you will stay perpetually stuck.

Second, get your butt in seat. I don’t care if it’s just 10 minutes or 10 hours. Just get in that chair and write anything. It doesn’t need to be your current manuscript, just write. It also doesn’t even need to be pretty or legible at the end as long as you are writing.

Third, even if you are a pantser, get a small outline set up of what you want to write for that day. You can still veer off but at least knowing the general route is better and will lead to less entrapments in the corner.

Finally, get out of the house and write. Seriously, join a writing group or go to a coffee house with no internet. The focus will let you write even more and get more words pumped out. I used to go to a local pizzeria and write while watching CNN.

  I used to be one of those who got trapped in writer’s block. Seriously, it was horrifying. it took me about a year just to write one short story! Now I’m working on doing a 100k word challenge next month because I’ve learned how to avoid that lie. I’m not at the speed of many authors out there still but I am working on it. Overall, just stop feeding in to the lie and push yourself beyond what you can do. Sometimes it is as simple as changing to a new scene or even into a new genre. Other times it’s just rewriting what you have to get the juices flowing again. Your creativity comes from your brain, and as a muscle it needs to be trained to be ready always. If you are falling flat, then start training harder.

Writer’s Block is a Load of Poop was originally published on Amber Morant

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Book Signings at Comic Stores

On the 23rd of February, I will be at Epic Loot in Centerville, Ohio. For those unaware, this is a comic book, and tabletop based store serving the Centerville area. I am extremely excited for this as I haven’t been there in some time but love the store a lot and felt it would be a perfect fit for me to do an in person signing.

Join me from 6-8PM EST to get a signed copy of Kalla, grab an exclusive Kalla bookmark, and see a sample of the upcoming Dragon Guardian. I am also have a few copies of Fantastical Animals available for people. These will be first come, first serve so make sure you get there early to get your copy featuring an entire new short only available to live attendees.

For those who saw my post a few weeks ago, I have been looking into doing live book signing events at different non-conventional scenes. Epic Loot was one of my first choices as I won’t be competing against other books as you would in a bookstore and can be more focused on the target audience interested in fantasy and science fiction.

  After I am done at the event, I will be sharing another topic on setting up a location like this with low spending money and getting the most out of an event such as this and what I personally learned from it.

  Book Signings at Comic Stores was originally published on Amber Morant

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Building a Street Team and Make it Go Viral

In Monday’s blog post, I mentioned street teams as a great asset for helping in growing your book sales and finding new readers. So, today I want to discuss how to build a street team and how to get them involved with the process of getting the word out there about your book.

So, What’s a Street Team?

A Street Team is a group of readers, or fans, who spread the word about your products to their friends and others in the community. This could be from wearing your products in large venues to posting signs up in their local schools. Of course, for an author, a street team is extremely effective through social media and is there to help boost the reach on your pages, share posts, pin or any other outreach that advertises your books without feeling spammy.

How to Get Street Team Members Involved?

How I’ve made mine successful is through weekly missions. I’ve calmed them down right now as I try and change things in the group around. However, these are always fun and make it less of a hassle for people. Usually I provide some sort of “prize” at the end of the mission such as a $5 gift card or even a copy of my own book or one related to my genre to one lucky person who participates. This gets more interested because it shows their space they are gifting you is worth something of value.

Of course, make the missions simple to follow. You don’t want too many steps involved or people won’t be willing to put in the effort. One week you could have them set their Facebook avatar to your cover. Another week let them share your book to their social media, and another on pinning to their Pinterest. There are so many ideas you could do that are simple and will list them at the bottom of this post.

Making a Street Team More Profitable

If you have a small following, a great way is to join other authors in your genre and create a joint street team. This way you can trade out weeks for missions and grow faster than if you were by yourself. Right now, I have a few hundred people in my street team, however I am opening it up to other authors to come in as I redirect my street team to being for authors and readers alike. I welcome all fiction, especially fantasy writers and readers, to join my Facebook group to ask questions on writing you may have or to share your missions for readers on the selected date.

Getting People into Your Street Team

Some ways to grow is through setting your invitation to your street team on your initial newsletter funnel. This will be seen by everyone who joins your newsletter so you never have to worry. Then you can later send out another invitation to the entire list if they missed out. Another option is by posting and sharing it around on your Facebook page and even having your street team share the group around to invite friends. The more times someone sees a group or page, the more likely they will want to get involved with it through bandwagon mentality.

Overall: DO NOT ADD PEOPLE WITHOUT SPECIFIC PERMISSION! Seriously, it’s in very bad taste and will pull too many away from your products.

Mission Ideas for Your Street Team

Share a Facebook Page post to their personal profile

Like or comment on a post on your Facebook page

Pin your book or repin your book on Pinterest

Upvote reviews on Amazon

Add your book to Goodreads Shelf

Set profile picture to book cover

Nominate book in different page events on book review Facebook Pages

Invite friends to join street team

Follow on certain Social Media

Invite others to follow you on Social Media

Retweet a tweet on twitter

Buy a copy of the book

There are a whole lot more when it comes to missions, but those are the basic ideas. Try to be creative but simple with every mission you make.

Don’t forget to Join my Facebook Group for more help in your writing. If you are a reader, you are welcome to join too to get a chance at some new books.

Building a Street Team and Make it Go Viral was originally published on Amber Morant