Do a Little Bit Every Day

Getting Things DoneThis Blog post may not at first seem to have anything to do with writing but it has everything to do with writing and getting your book finished, edited, formatted, published, promoted and re-edited. Someone asked me some time ago, "How do you get so much stuff done?" The answer is you do a little bit every day.  It seems like that is too simplistic but that is the secret to anything you are trying to accomplish.  I remember when I was younger I wanted to conquer the world Today!  My vision of everything was for the immediate result!  Time mellows us and our views and slows things down.  Nobody conquers the world in one day!  Or even two for that matter.  I eventually realized it is the little bit I do every day multiplied by 356 days...

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Sold My First Book

I sold my first Book!  I knew immediately without asking who had purchased it.  My number one fan all along this journey has been my best friend Phillip Woody.  He bought it so he could forever say he was the first to buy my first book ever published.  We kid each other about "Why do I like you?"  He is continually harassing me about when is my next book will be finished.  He always gets to read the rough draft before it even goes to my editor.  As a matter of fact I completely finished my second book and sent it to my editor and I didn't even have a Title for it yet.  Phillip came up with the Title after reading the book.  So I will acknowledge him for picking the perfect Title for my second book.  I have received that book back from my editor...

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I am Published

Finally I am published. It is only E-published, not the traditional method of going through an agent to find a Publisher to publish my book and turn it into a bound and wonderful real book that you can purchase at a book store, take home and read to eventually end up on your bookshelf.  But then again it's 2011 and we are in a brave new world of the digital age.  I shop and buy more real books using my computer than I do by visiting book stores and browsing.  I own an Amazon Kindle and try to get Kindle versions of books where ever possible because of the ease of carrying my entire library with me in an easy to carry package.  Many of the books on my Kindle will read the story to me while I drive back and forth from work, therefore increasing my reading or listening time...

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E-Published

As of some time between midnight of Sunday January 23, 2011 to 2 something in the morning of Monday January 24, 2011 I became E-published.  It is listed on http://www.smashwords.com/ or my actual book is at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38922/ Please check it out.  If you read it please goto smashwords and write a review of it for me. Feel Free to respond here with a comment or even send me an E-mail at StorytellerTDW@Yahoo.com. One of my favorite authors asks everyone he knows to give him feed back as far as what they like or dislike about his books, characters, stories, etc.  He said this made him a better writer, more than anything else.  I really want to become a great writer so I implore you to praise, or criticize my work to help me mature and grow as a...

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Vocabulary

VocabularyI once read that the English language has more than 800,000 different words, and that the average person's normal vocabulary is barely 100,000 words.  That means most people who speak, write, and read English are only using and aware of one eighth of the words that make up their language. I have an Internet site I have signed up with that sends me a different English word every day. http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ Please check them out.  Even if you are not trying to become a writer, if you speak the language and read the more words you become familiar with the more you will understand and be able to use them.  This sight gives you the definition of the word.  Examples of how it has actually been used in writing and the origins of the word. ...

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Characterization

Coming up with believable characters.  First off make them real, and real people are flawed.  Everybody has a flaw of some sort.  It may be physical in nature, a personality trait, a bad attitude, they don't speak well, evidence of some past injury, they dress badly or oddly.  It can be any number of millions of characteristics that describe real people.  So make your character real.  Give them some flaws through your writing. A perfect place for inspiration is at your local shopping mall, or Walmart store.  Just open your eyes and remember what you see and notice about people and then give these attributes to your characters.  One of the ladies in my book club gave me a sweat shirt that says "Be Careful I may put you in my next book."  I use things...

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Admire Authors

I used to wonder why it took so long to get the next book in a series from one of my favorite authors?  I would impatiently wait for their next book to come out, wondering what could take so long?  It would take me maybe a week to read their newest masterpiece once it was published.  Having written two books now and still in the final stages of formatting my first book to E-publish it (hopefully within the week), I have the corrections back from my editor to begin the first edit/rewrite of my second book.  I am barely able to continue writing my third book because I have been so busy with the first two.  Any author who is turning out two novels a year plus holding down a day job to pay the bills is working two full time jobs and is very busy indeed.  More than...

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Introduction to Smashwords

If you have never heard of Smashwords let me be the first to introduce you to the leading platform for authors, publishers, readers and retailers for e-books.  Created in 2008 to serve authors to publish their work for free and help promote and distribute authors works via the world wide web. check out http://www.smashwords.com/ This is where you be able to view my book in a few days, try a sample of it for free, and even download it for your reading pleasure.  In the weeks and months to follow I will adding blogs about the process, future books, the characters, story ideas, the process of writing, my favorite authors, and stuff about or related to writing.  If your new to this blog, please be patient as I am just as new to posting a Blog.  Very new to writing and learn...

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Finished My First Novel

I have finished my first Novel and very soon will be E-published.  As much as I would love to see myself traditionally published and my books in real paper and bindings growing dusty on book shelves, from all the research I have done this is by far the best way to publish.  If you do not have a E-reader of some sort on your phone or PC or MAC, Please get one NOW.  There are many good ones available to download that are entirely FR...

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