Technical Details

How Often Should You Back Up Your Writing?

This question was asked by Holly Doherty in the Finally Write Your Book Facebook group:

How often do you print a hard copy backup of your book? (I do an external hard drive backup about once a month) For context, I write almost every day, and add it to my Word doc 3-4x/week, so I’m adding content consistently.

Great question Holly! And GREAT to be thinking of backups.

Here’s a personal story for you…

When I was graduating from the University of Arizona – getting my degree (with honors) in Creative Writing – I had to write and submit a thesis. 270 pages of all original writing: poems, stories, plays, and an essay. It was the culmination of a year’s worth of creative work – and was the piece of writing that had to be completed and turned in so I could graduate, and graduate with honors.

That was the semester that my computer decided to be a Pain In The A$$. At Thanksgiving, I asked my dad to bring me a new one. I spent nearly the entire holiday weekend setting up programs, transferring files, and working on my thesis – it was due the next week. I missed out on making tamales with my family (our Black Friday tradition), I missed out on the U of A/ASU football game, I missed out on a precious weekend with my grandparents, great aunt and uncle, and my folks.

I had a deadline.

Then, Monday morning, when I was working on the thesis before class…

BANG!

I threw myself on the floor, convinced that somebody had just done a drive by on my aunt’s house. (It wasn’t a sketchy area of Tucson AT ALL but DAMN! it sure sounded like a gunshot!)

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Getting Ready to Publish Your Cookbook – 5 Self-Editing Steps

Cookbooks are a ton of fun to write! And they’re a great way to convey your expertise in any of the health or healthy eating fields. Even with more and more recipes being online, cookbooks are still being purchased and used – especially cookbooks that are around a single topic or theme.

You want your readers to have a great experience with your cookbook – it’s not just about yummy recipes, it’s about creating a literary culture that they enjoy.

During these 5 editing steps, you’ll want to do the step to the WHOLE book. Then do the next step. Yes, that means (at least!) 5 read-throughs of your book, but it’s been proven to be a more effective way of editing – rather than editing each recipe for ALL things and then moving on.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Standardize how you’re listing measurements
During a read-through of my first cookbook, I found that I used the following:

  • tablespoon
  • Tbs
  • TBS
  • Tbsp.

That’s four different ways to say the same thing! Decide on one standard format and will be keeping it the same throughout the book. (And using the same format for cup, pound, and teaspoon, etc.!)

It doesn’t matter what you’re using, but it needs to be the SAME for all instances in the entire book.

You can use a find & replace function to help you make this standard but you need to check EACH and EVERY place you say it – not use the “replace all” function.

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5 Ways to Beat Perfectionism in Your Writing

The author (left) in 4th grade with her best friend.When I was in elementary school, I had a teacher explain something I’d done to my parents with “Oh, Kim is such a perfectionist!” And all the adults nodded like this was the most logical thing in the world.

When I asked mom later what exactly did that mean, she said that a perfectionist always strives to be the best, to have everything perfect in her work.

And I thought to myself, “Of COURSE I want my work to be perfect! Of COURSE I want it to be my best! Who doesn’t want to be her best?”

Somewhere in my eight-year-old brain, it was like a lightbulb went on: I could be my best.

And then I spent the next decade of my schooling career striving to be the best, most perfect.

What's the difference between striving for excellence vs perfection? Click To Tweet

But here’s the thing…

I’m NOT a perfectionist in the real definition of the world. (Look it up!) Because what my mom said, and what my kiddo self, heard were different: It’s not about being The Best (as in, the best in the class, the school, the world) it’s about being the best ME.

5 reasons to beat perfectionism in your writingThere’s a huge difference between taking professional pride and striving for excellence (or perfection!) than about being somebody who falls apart when things don’t go perfectly. I’m the first to admit that flexible isn’t really a word used to describe me – I’m actually not exactly go with the flow, laid back, or spontaneous.

I love plans, deadlines, clear directions, and measurable goals.

But a lot of times people DO say I am laid back, go with the flow, and easy going.

Why?

Because I really don’t panic about having everything PERFECT.

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5 Self-Editing Steps for Your Writing – Before Calling in a Pro

I make no secret of the fact that I think ALL books need to be professionally edited before publishing.

Yes, even yours!

But there are some things you can (and should) do before hiring a professional editor.

5 self-editing tips for your #book Click To Tweet

1. Step away from the project

Have you ever noticed that when you re-read your writing after a week (or a month) away from it that typos, grammar or spelling errors, clunky sentences, etc. just LEAP off the page at you?

It’s because your brain isn’t telling you what you KNOW should be there but is showing you what’s actually on the page. Kinda nifty, right?

Whenever time allows, step away from your completed project for a week or more. Then come back and re-read with fresh eyes to catch what was hidden before. In a perfect world, I’d say give yourself 2-3 weeks of “rest” before editing it again; in the real world we rarely have that much time.

021616-Edit2. Grab your red pen and kill a tree!

Set your manuscript up to be double spaced and 12 pt font – then print it out! (Single sided, not double.) Grab a cuppa of your favorite beverage, your red pen, and go to town. At this stage, you’re not looking for commas (the details) but for the broader strokes in the manuscript that might not be working.

And yes, really do print it! Your brain will see things differently on a paper than on screen. Plus, you can’t get “lost” on your computer (research, Facebook, etc.) as easily when you’re not on your computer!

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More than just the “facts” – How to make your articles grab your readers

I’ve been seeing a ton of people expressing interest in having an article published on major media like HuffingtonPost, MindBodyGreen, or Chicken Soup for the Soul.

030315-StoryWhile these media outlets accept the standard ‘How to’ type articles or the ‘7 Steps to a Better {blank}’ the real juicy bylines go to those people who can tell a compelling story. These are the stories that have the potential to go viral as they change lives.

But what makes these stories so great?

(And for the record, I’m not going to go into the “givens” of making sure your article length is correct, you submit according to the guidelines, and that your article has been read over for grammar mistakes!)

1. They’re compelling

It’s not JUST the facts, ma’am. It’s a glimpse not just into what you did, but how you feel. The emotions coming through the page are what turns these articles from a ho-hum accounting of an event, moment, or epiphany into something that transcends the screen and makes you feel.

2. Not a word is wasted

Not only are the best articles NOT stuffed with fluff, but they are crafted to move the reader easily from one sentence to the next; one paragraph to the next. And note, this isn’t the blogging Golden Rule of using bullets! This is the crafting of the language itself from something mundane into something beautiful.

3. You can “hear” the author’s voice

I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of writing on the internet is completely homogenous – it all sounds the same. And for a lot of it, it SHOULD. But in these stories, the author’s voice shines through and you get a glimpse into his or her head.

And how do you do this?

#Stories help people relate - How to make your #story sparkle! Click To Tweet

First off, realize that these articles aren’t exactly non-fiction. They’re not fiction by any means – they’re NOT completely made up. Think of it as the difference between a photo you snap with your phone versus one you run through Instagram. The POWER of Instagram is to take a true-to-life picture and apply filters and adjustments to turn it from something okay into something fantastic, artistic, and moving.

You’re doing the same thing with your story…

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Should I Take Writing Courses?

*** This is my 100th post! Wanted to celebrate with you! ***

 

Ah, to be BORN a good writer. No matter how much raw talent you have, nobody is BORN a good writer. Writing is like anything else all the raw talent in the world doesn’t do any good if you don’t invest the time to learn what to do with it.

Trust me, I’ve had plenty of writing training:

  • Bachelors Degree in Creative Writing from University of Arizona
  • Attended writer’s conferences all over the world
  • I have SHELF of “How To Write ____” books

062414-WritingBooks
There is value in all this knowledge. But at the end of the day, do taking classes make you a writer?

Does buying paint and an easel and canvas make you a painter? Hmm…

Here are seven questions to ask yourself before you invest in any writing class:

1. Will this class teach me something I don’t already know?

This is my Number One filter I use before I invest in another class (or book). There’s no right or wrong answer here! But I do apply this additional knowledge as well:

If yes: take the class.
If no: Is it because I am already familiar with the material or is it arrogance on my part?

 

2. Does this class advance my career?

Sometimes you need to take a class because while the material is familiar to you, the credential you get from completing the class is something that is really valuable.

Other times, the class itself has the knowledge you need.

Here’s an example from my experience: taking a class on how to create an index for a book. Did you know that you can get a certification as an indexer? I had no idea until I was researching how to create an index for my cookbook! So then the question was: Would this class (certification) set me apart from my book-publishing-competition in the markets that I work in?

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The Difference Between a Guest Blogger & a Ghost Blogger

As I’ve been marketing my ghost blogging services, I’ve been told a few times, “I don’t need a ghost blogger, I have guest bloggers.” This comment made me realize that maybe business owners don’t necessarily realize the differences between the two AND know the advantages of each.

Guest Blogger

A guest blogger is someone who has been invited (or offered) to write a guest post on your blog. Usually, a guest blogger will be an expert in their industry and will work in the same industry or a complimentary industry.

Pros:

  • Using a guest blogger from time to time can give you a much needed break in posting. Lining up a guest on your blog is a great idea when you know you’ll be too busy to writ111213-Guest

    e great content, like when you’re launching a new product or going on vacation.

  • You can offer your readers a perspective on something that is outside your area of expertise. For example, I have a guest blog post coming up that is written by a healthy lifestyle and success coach. It will be about healthy, computer friendly snacks. This relates to what I write about since I assume that most of my readers and clients spend large amounts of time at the computer.
  • You can feature a client, business associate, or vendor and build your relationship with them. It’s a great way to help somebody else build their credibility by getting in front of your people.

Cons: Keep Reading!

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