James Thayer doesn’t mince words when describing the personal habits and characteristics of writers who want to succeed. Focus and concentration, persistence in staying the course, a willingness to learn, and perhaps some luck are helpful.
The Essential Guide shows you the proven techniques of writers such as John Grisham, Tom Wolf, Jeffery Deaver, and Patricia Cornwell to name a few. These insights provide clues for creating a successful novel.
My quick take is to do what has been shown to work time and time again and you’ll be successful. However, there’s room for outliers, the incredibly talented writers whose genius places them on a literary throne of their own. Thayer talks about the rules of writing and the breaking of the rules by some authors and what that means.
Creating a timeline for your manuscript
Thayer provided proven steps for creating a timeline for completing your manuscript. He was forthcoming with examples from well-known authors. I especially liked Stephen King’s formula for having a first draft ready within a season.
I highlighted throughout the book and will place a paperback order to add to my bookshelves to keep handy. I just touched on a few of the techniques discussed. Read – then reread it to get the most out of this writer’s guide.
Quote of the Day: “I write not because I want to but because I am destined to.” Jules Haigler
Photo Credit: Pixabay
The why behind the doing!
First, let me define some of the terms I’ll be using as to not complicate the understanding of what I’m saying.
Who is a writer?
A writer is a person who uses written words in various styles and techniques to communicate their ideas. Wikipedia
What is the difference between a writer and author?
According to the dictionary, a writer is one who expresses ideas in writing or engaged in literary work. An author is a person who writes a novel, poem, essay etc., and the composer of a literary work. You become an author when your books are published, but if your writings are never published, you remain a writer.
What is the meaning of authorpreneur?
Authorpreneur is the business end of being an author. To me, it’s no different than being an entrepreneur for starting up any kind of business. Of course, the author added to the shortened entrepreneur pinpoints the exact kind of business the person is involved in.
Learning to be an authorpreneur is about positioning yourself (branding) for the best possible outcome for your writing efforts.
You may be thinking I don’t want to do this! I’d prefer to just write. You are not by yourself. Many writers turned authors who became entrepreneurs feel the same way. However, even the bestselling authors are required to participate in the marketing of their books. Many embrace this opportunity to better understand their readers and to help keep the buzz around their names.
Being a writer and authorpreneur, in the business of promoting and marketing to sell and profit from your writing, is a lifetime learning experience. To accomplish this feat as a writer you need to write, read, and study the craft of writing.
Then changing directions towards getting your book/s in the hands of readers is another challenge in of itself. The same lessons apply to learn publishing and marketing – study, read, write, and learn how to expand your brand to reach new readers.
To improve as an author, I’ve found that it’s a good idea to read books in your genre, continue your daily writing and set aside time to learn more about writing.
Today’s blog post is the result of my applying these steps to my writing life. My personal standard is to never read a book I don’t think I’ll enjoy! Hope you enjoy my review of An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt!
Joe Dillard was a criminal defense attorney who didn’t like his job. Never did. His plans after law school were to work in the District Attorney’s office as a prosecutor. The problem, the pay didn’t line up with the time and cost of the education required to practice law.
The only choice was to open a law firm. He did with a promise to himself that eventually he’d quit and become a prosecuting attorney. But, first, he had to provide for his family and see his children through school. The pay was good. Yet, knowing his clients were guilty and worse, maggots of the earth tormented him. He desperately wanted to be on the opposite side, not defending the scum of the earth.
The years passed by and he was looking forward to retirement. The income from his practice and his wife’s management of their assets was securing their future. And, when the time was right, he’d call it quits. But, for once he’d like to represent an innocent client before he retired.
He was counting down the days to his exit from practicing law when a new case was offered him. He quoted a fee much higher than normal for he’d not planned to stay for a lengthy trial.
Money wasn’t an issue and his desire to represent an innocent client came to mind. All he had to do was talk to the young, beautiful woman charged with first-degree murder and decide whether to take the case. Would he finally get a chance to represent an innocent client?
If you enjoy reading legal thrillers and mysteries, check this one out! It’s a well-written story that’ll keep your interest.
Quote of the Day: “Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.” Edward Sandford Martin
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Day in the USA is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. A United States Congressional declaration officially designated the date in 1941. Throughout November we also celebrate Native American Heritage Month. The mutual trust and collaboration of Native Americans and the New World English colonists played a significant role in U.S. history. Today we reflect and share our bounty with family and friends in the spirit of the first Thanksgiving.
Background
The history of the celebration dates back to November 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared their first harvest festival at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. The autumn harvest celebration lasted three days and is considered the “first Thanksgiving.” According to attendee Edward Winslow, there were 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims participating in the celebration. Wikipedia
The Attitude of Thankfulness and Gratitude Benefits
Family Time – Together as an extended family
Strengthens family bonds
Improves our self-esteem
Reduces depression
Increases our energy
Helps develop a stronger immune system
Decreases blood pressure
Increases sleep quality
Reduces negative stress
From my home to yours – Happy Thanksgiving! Carolyn Bowen
I hope you’ll follow my blogand connect on social media where I post daily. Here are a few of my favorites places. Drop by and say hello!
Quote of the Day: Everyone lives by selling something. Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo Credit: Pixabay
The art of marketing is solidified when you have identified your target market, folks who are interested in your products and services and provide a means to communicate. Today, social media plays an important role in connecting with like-minded people – talking and listening. But, how do you choose which platforms to use for finding your audience and potential customers?
When you are able to see the overall picture and plan your business future, you’ve just become an author, the business end of being a writer.
Answering the Question
For me, as much as I enjoy creating and sharing photos/videos when posting about mybooks, I’ve got to be aware of the conversion rate. As an author, you need to know how and where to get your books in the hands of interested readers. I asked the question, where are my potential readers hanging out and what site delivers the best return on my investment?
Having lots of followers on social media isn’t the point. Having people interested in what you say and your offerings are important and play a key role in building relationships.
Many new small businesses rush to share on most or all of the social media platforms. Take your time. Begin with two or three of the major ones and expand from there, if desired.
I would suggest sites, in the least, where everyone who follows can see your posts without advertising. I’m not saying don’t advertise, you can pick a post that’s performing well within your community, tweak it and monitor the results.
My favorite social sites for some time have been Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Google+ is phasing out this platform as currently operated. I’m sad. Second, Twitter has always been a great site for me although the news feed moves quickly. Your post most often has a shelf life of 30 minutes max. The good news is your posts are shown to everyone and advertising is affordable if desired. And, third, Pinterest is a fun place to show-off both personally and professionally. It is a behind the scenes kind of thing that allows followers to get to know the real you.
If you enjoy photos and following the trends for just about anything life has to offer, you’ll love this site. Me, I especially love the cute kitties, travel, fashion, and meeting book lovers!
I’m trying out a new site, MeWe.com, the next-gen social network. I like the idea of a site engineered with privacy in mind and the ability to connect with like-minded folks. I’m learning the ropes and will share more about my experiences in a later post.
Do you have favorite social media sites? I’d love to hear from you about what works for your business. Note: I’m on other social sites for various reasons – business and personal.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Latest Writing News
There’s a new mystery/thriller release coming up in my near future. If you’d like to become a part of my advance launch team and receive a free copy, sign-up below. Thank you!
Lee Child goes the distance with Past Tense; all the way back just asking – begging for trouble. Jack Reacher’s usual mode of transportation, hitchhiking, across America from Maine to California, brought him to a fork in the road deep in the New England woods. A place he’d never been before but the town where his father was born. Curious, he takes the detour.
Not far away as the crow flies, a young Canadian couple on their way to New York to sell a treasure has car trouble. They’re stranded and taken by the tow truck driver to a motel for the night until their car could be fixed in the morning. A friendly place at first glance, perhaps a little too friendly thought the couple.
By morning, Reacher is in the city clerk’s office looking for answers about his family’s home. He knew his father had lived there in the past, left and never returned. The city clerk’s office informed him no one by the name Reacher had ever lived there. He wondered if he was wrong about the location or if his father never lived there. Haunted by memories from the past, he had to investigate.
From day one, Reacher gets into some tight places because of his code of honor. Not that he was looking for trouble, but someone needed to take a stand. He was there, so it was left up to him. Detective Amos, a former MP, encourages him to leave town before something worse happened.
Reacher wasn’t finished exploring his father’s life and intended to stay. And, things did get worse as the Detective promised. Hidden out of sight, in a motel where the sign had been removed the young Canadians found themselves pinned into a bizarre experiment unable to leave. They wondered if and how they’d ever escape their tormentors.
Their stories converge as Reacher uncovers secrets about his family. Looking into the past can be deadly, but living in the present in Laconia was pure hell. The Reverend Patrick G would attest to this fact.
Quote of the Day: “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
Fall is finally in the air and the autumn leaves are going through a kaleidoscope of colors in the North Georgia Mountains. Over the weekend we took in the sights and sounds of Canon, GA., the homestead of family and friends. We walked in the steps of many before us as we explored the remains of the historic town and were made privy to some of the best-kept secrets from the past.
One of the outstanding sites continuing to operate was The Bowers House, a literary center for writers. This caught my attention and I wanted to more about the activities and offerings available. A call to Ellen Bowers Davenport, Manager and Treasurer at The Bowers House provided some fascinating details about the literary retreat and family history that lead to the opening of the residence for creatives.
The Bowers House
The Bowers House Writers Retreat and Literary Center is a grand historic home in a small northeast Georgia town. According to the spokesperson Ellen Bowers Davenport, “the residence offers a quiet environment away from the everyday things in life.”
The residence was constructed in 1921 as a hotel when the railroad was active and cotton mills churned making Canon GA a leading producer of quality products for manufacturing. Located within walking distance of the mills, many cotton traders were regular guests at the hotel. With the invention of the motor car followed by the Depression, the hotel’s fate was sealed.
Later in 1997, the hotel was restored with five private rooms and a house to accommodate up to twelve overnight guests. Today the residence is active with writers taking advantage of the solitude to focus on creating their best works.
There are several opportunities to use the property exclusively, and several workshops or readings occur monthly at the facility. The Bowers House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is also the perfect venue for a writing workshop with its strong Writing Guild association and proximity to the University of Georgia and Clemson.
The magnificent family residence is now owned by writer Laura Bowers Foreman who transformed the residence into a writers retreat in 2006. The old gardens surrounding the residence have plantings from around the world dating back from its beginning. Master Gardeners would have a field day on the historic site sorting through and identifying the plants and shrubs that have lived through the passages of time.
Looking for a writer’s paradise away from the noisy world where you can enjoy a southern veranda in your rocking chair, call Ellen Bowers Davenport to schedule your stay. The Bowers House literary retreat is the perfect location to schedule your next writer’s events. The Bowers House can be reached during business hours at 706-498-6970. The Bowers House is located at 100 Depot Street, Canon, GA.
Special thanks
Thomas C. and Maurya Jones
Ellen Bowers Davenport, Manager and Treasurer, The Bowers House
I’ll be writing and sharing on social media. Hope to see you there, too! Carolyn Bowen
Social Media Hangouts!
These are a couple of my favorite social media hangouts! Drop by and say hello!
Quote of the Day: The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future. Alyson Noel
One of my favorite and most enriching social media sites is shutting down following a security breach. The consumer version of Google Pluswill no longer be available as its being phased out over a six month period.
I’ve developed relationships with some cool folks on this social platform. I’ll post alternative sites like Twitter and Facebook for us to connect and of course, my website and am hopeful many will follow. However, right now all I can do is cry!
I’ve enjoyed looking at pictures from around the world and connecting with the photographers (friends) who allowed us a peek into their lives and country.
I’ll be reading a book or watching a movie or TV series and have friends on Google+ post the exact spots where the action took place along with comments. These may be little things too many, but they’re a breath of fresh air for those interested in the variety of topics posted on Google+.
So, I’ll get busy and do my best to stay connected. If you’re following me on Google+, please hit the follow button, I want our relationship to continue. While I’m at it, a special thank you for sharing my post on other social sites. I noticed. And, it’s most appreciated. Hope to see you soon! Carolyn Bowen
I’ll be writing and sharing on social media. Hope to see you there, too! Carolyn Bowen
Social Media Hangouts!
These are a few of my social media hangouts! Drop by and say hello!
Quote for Today: “Art is innate in the artist, like an instinct that seizes and makes a tool out of the human being. The thing in the final analysis that wills something in him is not he, the personal man, but the aim of the art.” Carl Jung
When surfers hit the water, they use a technique called cross-stepping or moving their weight forward and backward to stay standing. Cross-stepping isn’t just a good idea for surfers, though – you, too, can metaphorically use the same strategy of zigzagging motions to achieve success.
In “Cross-Stepping Your Way to Success,” life coach and Author Carolyn Bowen shows you how to zig-zag your way to success one step at a time. She examines grieving, life planning, owning your power, becoming health conscious, learning to love again, and more.
Today it was brought to my attention that some folks are having difficulty reaching the career testing sites I referenced in “Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success!” I’d like to help navigate you to these career resources. I’ve used them, some more than once, and have been pleased with the results.
On page 29, “Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success!” I mentioned MAPP – Assessment.com. Type in Assessment.com into your browser and their site will pop-open. Click on the button “Take The FREE Career Test” and follow the prompts. It takes about 22 minutes to complete. The basic career information is free. A fee is required for a more in-depth look at your career possibilities.
Another good site mentioned is QuestCareer.com. Although the company focus is on providing company-sponsored outplacement services. I particularly like the free samples for writing cover letters and resumes plus educational information for pursuing a new career. The link for career testing is also an available resource.
To access career testing from their website type the name, QuestCareer.Com into your browser and their website will open. Look on the left-hand side of the web page and click on “Career Center” then from the drop down menu click on “Career Resources” and click on “Free Online Career Test” and it will bring you to the MAPP testing already discussed.
Today I checked out another career testing site, 123test.com. It’s a FREE Career Aptitude Test that takes five to ten minutes to complete. You will see fifteen sets of four pictures that show specific work activities. You must choose only one work activity that appeals to you the most and one that appeals to you the least. It’s fun, quick and easy.
I found this treasure trove of career assessments I thought you’d like to check out! Career Testing
Career aptitude testing can show you many facets of your personality, some of which may have been hiding from your view. Take a couple of the free tests and compare the findings. Find the repeating fields of interest and research the possibilities of making a career transition.
If you have questions about specific topics in “Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success”, please let me know. I want to be a part of your success story. Thank you, Carolyn Bowen
Note: I have no affiliation with the services/companies mentioned.
Launching “Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success! ” has been a wonderful experience. Helping others live their best life now is rewarding. I’m looking forward to reading your reviews and comments about this potentially life-changing book.
Check at your favorite online bookstores and corner bookshops. Here’s today’s top picks from readers. Check out my “About Page” for the full listing of all my books. Happy reading!
Quote of the Day: “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
September is waving its magic wand inviting us into a new season when fall begins and summer ends. The quote for today honors Longfellow’s favorite month – September. May it become our best month yet!
Labor Day, is a legal holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands. Canada also celebrates Labor Day on the same day.
What Labor Day Means
For most people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and a chance to say goodbye to the summer. But why is it called Labor Day? Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to men and women in the workforce. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States (NYC) since September 5th, 1882 in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union.
Are you a Goodreads follower? Enter for a chance to win one of 50 copies of “Cross-Stepping Your Way to Success,” by Carolyn Bowen (ends September 9th). Learn how to change your world one step at a time.
As you can see, I’m pretty excited about this new personal development book. I’m looking forward to reading your reviews and comments about this potentially life-changing book.
Quote of the Day: Summertime and reading are the perfect pairings!
Labor Day will be here before we know it broadcasting the end of summer. The leaves are beginning to change acting as a harbinger for the fall season. I would have missed these telltale signs if not for enjoying nature. Time flies.
This summer I’ve done a lot of reading and writing. A much-prescribed ambition for becoming a successful author. Below I’ll reference one of my latest reviews for books I enjoyed reading.
Thank you for spreading the word about this personal development book. This little instruction book was written in hopes of helping others define and achieve their destiny. I appreciate your sharing this self-help book with your friends and family.
In the weeks ahead, I’m offering a Kindle version for everyone who follows my blog. Of course, if you have Kindle Unlimited you can read it now for free.
How to Claim Your FREE Copy!
It’s simple, just click the follow button on the upper right-hand side near the descriptions about the blog. Leave your email address and I’ll mail you a gift code for downloading Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success!
Here’s my latest review in the mystery/thriller genre – The Broker by John Grisham.
Grisham pulls out all the stops in this international legal thriller. Follow former Washington D.C. power broker, Joel Backman, as he attempts to put the pieces together about his last-minute presidential pardon.
He was now on the run with his assigned government handler. He was loaded into a cargo plane immediately after release from federal prison with a need to know the destination. Could he keep his wits about him and thwart their interrogations and possible death sentence?
Who are the people chasing him and why? He suspected U.S. government spy agencies, Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis had obtained secrets about his former client’s sophisticated satellite surveillance system, JAM.
He was provided with little details and cash from the people sent to watch over him. Learning Italian was a must for his survival or said his handler. He was diligent in his studies with the tutors provided by the government. He learned his way around the Italian city of Bologna and became adept at losing his handler.
He enjoyed early morning walks in the crisp air, the food and wines, and historical sites. His body became leaner and healthier with his outside explorations. Even he didn’t recognize the man he saw in the mirror.
The C.I.A. planned to release his whereabouts to the global spy agencies interested in his secrets and watch who’d kill him first. He was tipped off when his bag was stolen in a restaurant during a scheme caused to disrupt service. Not long afterward, he was confronted by two men from the F.B.I. near his apartment. He knew other spy agencies were probably closing in. It was time to leave Bologna but could he with no money, passport, or change of clothes?
His being on the run trying to stay ahead of deadly spy agencies proved to be daunting. Where should he go and how could he survive since they were always one step behind?
This heart-racing thriller will keep you on your toes. How many people would be killed because of his client’s secrets? Was it possible for him to broker one last deal – the most important one in his life?
The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel: A Complete and Concise Manual for Fiction Writers by James Stewart Thayer
Carolyn M. Bowen, Author 