First Word

You’ve been sent home to work. Maybe you already work at home, so it doesn’t make much difference to your schedule. Or you have been temporarily furloughed. You have some extra time on your hands—and you have to stay indoors so it’s not exactly like a vacation. If you’re a writer, I have a great suggestion for you. Time to get to your desk and work on your project you may have put off. It’s perfect—you’re indoors and you’re productive. I’m here to help support you and get you moving forward. So, click off that NetFlix’s series you’ve been binge watching and get down to the business (and productivity) of writing. As your co-host and leader of Writers Who Mean Business, I’ll help you do any of the following services (at no charge until March 31 st ): 1.      One-hour consultation on your book project and publishing options. 2.      Analysis of your first chapter and 300-word book summary. 3.    ...

The old cliche "reach out and touch someone" has been replaced with "please don't touch," as we try to mitigate the spread of the Corona virus. How do you maintain your close, connected relationships when you have to go hands-free as much as possible? Since my personal relationship with my boyfriend has distance involved, I have become an expert on staying connected even when I can't be in the same room with someone. Facetime or Skype or any other video chat service gives you the physical cues more than texting or typing . It can be hard to stay close and connected when you can't see the other person. If you do video chatting, it comes in #1 over chat and text should always be in last place for closeness (contrary to popular habits). At least you can actually see if someone is distressed or smiling. You can get the joke much better than an "lol" any day. Next talking on the phone, which has gone out of fashion, comes in a close second . P...

Since we have to stay home and weather this "storm" it's time to get to things you can do without leaving the house (and two of them benefit our industry) - write and read. You can treat this indoor lifestyle as an opportunity to get caught up on those things you can't always focus on.   Time to get back to writing, especially if you're accustomed to flying by the seat of your pants. Take this as an opportunity to lose that commute time to write. Most industries are asking their workers to work at home. When you lose that commute time, you'll find more time to do other things. How about using that extra time to finish your book?   I like to write in the late afternoons after I've finished my main project work. I used to commute at least 60 minutes total a day. Why not use those same 60 minutes as time just to sit down and work on your book. You can do it in the morning or late afternoon like I do.   If you already write as a ca...