Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 4: The Importance of Picking a Genre by Erin Quinn

The Importance of Picking a Genre

Some authors start with a full and rounded vision of the genre they write. Others struggle. I fall into the second pool. As a young reader, I read two very distinct genres of fiction: romance and horror. I loved them both and often wished the two would meet, marry and live happily ever after. As a writer, I vowed to bring the two genres together. In my award-winning dark paranormal romances, I do just that. However, this love story of genres does not necessarily have a HEA and my career has been filled with challenges. Why? Because merging genres often leads to diluting and mixed-message marketing.

Start with the book’s cover. What is the main genre of the book? Does the cover have a couple in a passionate clench or are there images of carnage and destruction? Many readers choose the book by the cover and if the images promise a love story and deliver Walking Dead, you’ll have some unhappy readers. The problem is, how to put a cover on the book that says “Read me! I have time travel, elves, and demons in my Regency ballroom” without also saying, “I don’t know what in the hell I write so I’ve created a masterpiece of genre soup”?

Before you even deal with the cover challenge, you have to write the book, though. A romance written while the hero and heroine are on the run from monsters, evil, demons [insert your beast of choice here] is a tricky endeavor. You must tell this tale with high stakes. The above mentioned foe must be believable, scary as hell, and fearsome. Yet somewhere in between battles and chills, you have to create a credible, sustainable romance that has depth and emotion. It’s no easy feat packing I love you into a ticking-clock, on-the-run, thriller.

These are just a couple of reasons why picking a genre is so important and picking a main genre is essential. If you are writing for the romance reader, that main genre must be the romance. Period. Whatever else goes in the book, the central story must be a love story. If, at the end of the book, you could go back, remove the romance and have it end the same way, it’s not a romance. (Period, double exclamation point.) The escalating tension and emotional stakes must drive the story to its end. Only a few can divide genres down the middle with success. The best example I can give you of a story that does this is The Terminator. It’s action packed, it’s science fiction, it’s time travel and, at the core, it’s a love story. If Reece hadn’t traveled through time, Sarah Connor wouldn’t have survived the night. Reece sacrificed his own life because he’d loved Sarah from afar and felt compelled to meet her in the flesh…even when he knew he’d die trying. Oh, and there’s a Terminator trying to kill them.

Mixing genres can be done and can be done well. I’ve built a career on it. What I’ve learned is that you need to prioritize the genres you have in the book in order to keep your reader from thinking it’s a leftover goulash. Absolutely, put in more ingredients in than your romance, but remember, at some point you’ll have to boil this book down to a blurb, a tag line and an elevator pitch. If you’ve writing a high concept Tolkienesk fantasy with a Silence of the Lamb FBI heroine and a demon slaying hero in a M/M/F erotic romance, you’re going to have your work cut out for you. I’m not saying it can be done. I’m not even saying it wouldn’t be good.

What I am saying, is this: make sure YOU know what genre you’re writing and if you have multiple genres, make sure you know which is the most important to the story you’re telling.
New York Times bestselling author Erin Quinn writes dark paranormal romance for the thinking reader. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Readers Crown, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence and Holt Medallion. Go to www.erinquinnbooks.com for more information or follow Erin on Facebook or Twitter @ErinQuinnAuthor

Sign up for Erin Quinn’s newsletter or enter Erin’s monthly contest to be automatically added and eligible for free books. Also look for Erin’s scholarship to the San Diego State University Writers conference on her website. Just look for the Scholarship link on the left navigation bar.

Erin is offering up a digital copy of The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love.

Here is a look at Roxanne’s story

*****

The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love

Beyond #1

She Cheated Death…

Roxanne Love isn’t human. At least not entirely. She tries to fit in but can’t conceal her ability to defy death—not from the world, not from heaven’s darkest creatures, and not from the Reaper determined to destroy her. Now Roxanne is on the run, her only ally a compelling, dangerous detective with secrets of his own. Against her will, she’s drawn to his quiet strength and heated touch. But can she trust him with the truth?

…Until She Felt Death’s Kiss.

Incognito as guilt-ridden cop Santo Castillo, the Reaper’s plan is simple: get close to Roxanne, uncover the secret of her immortality, and cut it at the source. Yet with his borrowed body come emotions the Reaper hadn’t expected. Now nothing is clear but his conflicted desire to protect the woman he came to kill. As destiny forces them to face an enemy hell-bent on using Roxanne to wipe out all of mankind, she and Santo must choose between love…and salvation.

To Enter for a chance to win.

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*this giveaway is sponsored by the author*

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September 3, 2014September 3, 2014

Writers Tips & Tricks Day 3: Passion & Writing by Nalini Singh

Passion & Writing

This post was inspired by a conversation I recently had on Twitter that included a new writer who was worried about where he would place his as yet unfinished work, how he would market it, and whether anyone would buy it.

Author Justine Larbalestier started the conversation off by saying: “…focus on writing and not worry about publishing.”

It’s exactly the same thing I believe: That you must write the book first. Everything else can come later.

You can’t market or sell a half-written book. Neither can you “write to the market” by chasing trends. I deeply believe that passion shows on the page.

So my tip is to write a story you’re passionate about. A story that makes you race to the computer to put down more words because you’re impatient to find out what happens, and to see your characters. A story that makes you cry, makes you laugh, makes you despair and celebrate with your protagonists.

Because if a story has that effect on you, chances are it’ll have the same impact on your readers.

So shut the door, turn off the Internet, put on your headphones if you write to music (or light a candle, whatever works!), and write. That is what you must do first of all. At the start and throughout your career.

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There’s no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.

A little more about Nalini:

I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated frequently).

So far, I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.

Find out more about Nalini and her books here: Website | Facebook | Twitter @NaliniSingh | Goodreads

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

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September 2, 2014September 3, 2014

Writers Tips & Tricks Day 2: How to handle a rejection/how to develop a thick skin by Stacey Kennedy

Huge thanks to Books-n-Kisses for letting me stop by today and take part in Writer’s Tips & Tricks.

My topic to touch on is: How to handle a rejection/how to develop a thick skin.

Rejection in the publishing industry is just a given. Does it suck? Well, of course it does. From publishers to agents to negative reviews, an author has to deal with rejection from the very early stages of a book right up until after it’s published. So, why do we, as authors, subject ourselves to this? Seems kinda crazy, doesn’t it? For me, I write because I love storytelling. That simple.

There are a few things I’ve learned along the way. The best of all, the power of the delete button. During the process of looking for an agent or finding a publisher who loves your work as much as you do, it’s likely you’ll receive a few – or more than a few – rejection letters. They are going to happen, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hitting that delete button on the rejection letter with a little more force than normal. It feels kinda good to delete the email as if it never happened and you never saw it. Even better, it’s best to stay focused on moving on and waiting for that next email, hoping for good news. Always remember, it only takes one yes to make your dreams come true!

Next up is reviews. So, you’ve gone through all the emotional ups and downs to get a book published. Now your book is out in the world. Everything is rainbows and sunshine, right? Not likely. Someone is going to hate your book – there’s no way around it. You have to accept it….or, I should say, learn to accept it. I’ll admit that when I was first published negative reviews affected me for days, sometimes even a week. It got right inside my head and I found myself believing what that reader said, more than believing in myself. Terrible thing that is. Authors always told me not to read reviews, but heck, I could never do that. Once I realized how bad reading reviews was for me, I went a different route and found a way that put reviews into perspective.

Truth is, authors can get very hung up on stars that are given – and rightly so, we want readers to love our work – but luckily, Goodreads has this little thing that makes those stars simply go away. Here’s a screenshot so you know what I mean:

See how an author could get hung up on the one stars or two stars – that’s the type of rock in the corner kinda stuff – but when you see that 94% of people liked the book, it seems those stars just don’t matter anymore. Or at least, they don’t to me.

My advice to new authors wouldn’t be, “don’t read reviews”, it would be “go on Goodreads and look at that little line.” Then feel proud of yourself that you wrote a book people enjoyed! Oh, and of course, read all those gushing reviews that your loving readers send to you. Those are just good for the soul!

While there will always be rejection in the publishing industry, I think the best way to cope is to find a positive way to work around it. I’ve never developed a thick skin, and I doubt I ever will. Negative stuff bothers me. But it doesn’t mean I don’t have ways to ignore it. Whether it be focusing on the percentage on Goodreads or hitting that delete button to forever forget that rejection letter, you simply need to keep moving forward. Stay positive. Stay true to work. And more importantly, enjoy the experience of being a published author. It’s a fun ride!!

A little about Stacey:

STACEY KENNEDY is the USA Today bestselling author of the CLUB SIN series. Growing up, Stacey’s mind wandered the path less traveled and that path most often led to love. She has always broken rules and she continues to feed off emotion – staying true to her heart. Those traits are now the bones of her stories. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who puts any of the heroes in her books to shame, and their two young children. If she’s not on mom duty or plugging away at a new story, you’ll find Stacey camping in the summer, hibernating in the winter and obsessing over Penny Dreadful, Game of Thrones and Sons of Anarchy.

Learn more about Stacey and her books here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Make sure to check out Stacey’s upcoming release Freed

*****

Freed

Club Sin #4

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Amazon| B&N

Fans who can’t get enough of USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy will love this wicked, wild spinoff novel that explores how sexy life can be outside Club Sin.

Mary Schmidt knows only too well how thrilling a Master’s touch can be. Her husband, Charles, had been her ultimate fantasy, a seducer in the erotic dance of dominance and submission. She misses the sensual lifestyle they shared, but mourns him so deeply she cannot bear to embrace her submissive needs with another Dom—until a man who exudes temptation reawakens desires she can no longer deny.

Elliott Foster is dazzled by Mary. He instantly knows that she’s the woman he’s been waiting for—a woman who turns games into need. As her Master, he dares to unlock the deepest pleasures of her flesh, releasing her from pain and healing her mind. When Mary’s lithe body comes to life under his, he knows their connection goes beyond sex. Now that he has found the perfect woman, the perfect partner, the perfect submissive, he desires only to give her everything she craves.

Awakened is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Praise for the Club Sin series

“Claimed sucked me in! Stacey Kennedy weaves together the intense BDSM lifestyle with the soft touch of a sweeter, more traditional love story in a novel with an engaging heroine at its heart.”—J. Kenner, New York Times bestselling author of Release Me

“Deliciously sexy, Claimed will captivate you at once, leading you on an erotic journey that you won’t want to end. A fabulous talent, Kennedy shines in this fast-paced and exciting novel.”—New York Times bestselling author Cheyenne McCray

“Tender, emotional—and smoking hot!”—Savanna Fox, author of the Dirty Girls Book Club series, on Claimed

“Bared is a seductively haunting tale of control and surrender that will tantalize existing fans of the series while enticing new readers into the passionate world of Club Sin.”—Eliza Gayle, New York Times bestselling author of Submissive Beauty

“Bared is a hot blend of raw sensuality, and Stacey Kennedy is an author to watch!”—Eden Bradley, author of The Dark Garden and Dangerously Bound

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from other Loveswept titles.

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 1, 2014September 3, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 1 part b: 5 Tips for Crafting Realistic Dialogue by Dianne Duvall

5 Tips for Crafting Realistic Dialogue

Thank you, Book-n-Kisses, for letting me participate in this fantastic series! And thank you, writers and readers, for joining us. I’m Dianne Duvall, author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series. One of my favorite things to hear from readers is that they enjoy the banter in which my characters engage. Dialogue is a crucial part of creating likable characters and of making characters who aren’t real—such as glowing-eyed, fang-sporting, centuries-old immortal warriors—seem real. So I thought I would offer the following five tips for crafting realistic dialogue:

Word choices should be tailored to each character’s age and background.

This is actually a pretty easy one to remember. If you’ve ever been to a gathering that included men and women of all age groups, then you probably noticed the differences in their vocabulary. Men and women in their eighties or nineties, for instance, who don’t spend time online or watch a lot of popular TV shows, don’t use the slang of the younger generations. They instead tend to use slang that was popular in their youth. Baby Boomers may use slang that is common today because they’re more plugged in to today’s technology, but also continue to use slang from the 60s and 70s. Generation Xers likewise sometimes use words and phrases that were popular in the 80s. And keeping this in mind will help you create more realistic dialogue when you write.

How about an example? In my latest release, NIGHT UNBOUND, Zach (the hero) has been declared a traitor or enemy by Seth, the Immortal Guardians’ leader. When Zach unexpectedly appears at the home of Lisette (the heroine) after escaping months of torture, she enlists the aid of a couple of immortal friends to help her patch him up. Ethan arrives first:

“I am so glad you called,” he said, flashing her a boyish grin. “I really need to get laid tonight.”

Rolling her eyes, Lisette stepped back and waited for him to enter. “When I said I needed you, I meant I needed your help.” Closing the door, she locked it, but didn’t bother to reset the alarm.

His face fell. “Ah, hell. You mean this wasn’t a butt call?”

“Booty call, Ethan. I believe the term is booty call. Honestly, I’m a hundred and thirty years older than you and from France. How can I be more familiar with American slang than you are? You were born here.”

He shrugged. “I don’t watch a lot of television and my Second is going on sixty. Neither one of us keeps up with whatever the hip kids are saying these days.”

“First, I don’t think anyone says hip anymore. And second, Ed is going on sixty?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn. He looks like he’s in his late thirties.” He was actually pretty hot.

“I know, right? He dates more than I do.”

I could’ve just had Ethan stroll inside and ask Lisette what she needed him to do. Instead I opted for the dialogue above, which gives readers more insights into the characters, their ages, and their personalities.

People interrupt each other and talk over each other all the time.

This is especially true in the case of friends and family. (If you’d like some good examples of this, pick up just about any Woody Allen movie.) And it doesn’t only happen during arguments. It isn’t intentionally done to be rude. It just happens. One person will see where the other is going and will either finish the sentence for her or cut her off to save time or correct her. Here’s another example from the same scene mentioned above:

It appeared she was back to square one. “What should I do?”

He took in the patient once more and pursed his lips. “I think you’re going to have to call in the big guns.”

“I told you, Seth doesn’t like him. If he—”

“Not Seth. Seth isn’t the big guns. Seth is the f***ing hydrogen bomb.”

“Ethan.”

“Bastien. I meant Bastien.”

Again, I could’ve just had Ethan suggest Lisette call Bastien when she asked what she should do. But this accomplished two goals: It made the dialogue seem more realistic. Two people involved in a conversation aren’t always on the same page. And one will often interrupt the other off to clarify his or her point. This also allowed me to slip in a little background information on both Seth and Bastien for readers who may not have read the earlier books in the series.

Conversations often are not linear.

Conversations may start with one destination in mind, but frequently veer away and explore other tangents before reaching it. Case in point, how many times have you been talking with a friend or family member and said, “Oh, that reminds me . . .”? I could have continued the aforementioned scene by having Bastien arrive, ask what task Lisette wished him to perform, then either follow her instructions or deny her request. Instead, I chose to have Lisette lead Bastien to the battered and broken hero (Zach) and mistakenly assume Bastien would draw the conclusion that she was in need of his first aid skills. He didn’t. He drew the same conclusion Ethan drew upon first seeing Zach:

Bastien nodded to Ethan, then stared down at Zach. After a few moments, he looked around. “Where’s the shovel?”

Ethan coughed to cover a laugh.

“I didn’t kill him!” Lisette nearly shouted.

Bastien shifted his gaze to Ethan.

Ethan held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t kill him.”

“He isn’t dead,” Lisette snapped. “And I’m not into rough sex!”

Bastien stared at her. “Ooookay.”

She frowned. “Isn’t that what you thought had happened? That I had killed him during sex?”

“No. I just assumed he had pissed you off.”

“Oh.” Her face heated with a blush.

Bastien’s lips twitched.

And Ethan was enjoying this way too much, damn him.

She counted to ten. “Why would the two of you think I would call you over here to bury him? It’s not like I don’t have the strength to lift him and do it myself.”

Ethan shrugged. “You’re a girl.”

Lisette glared at them both. “And, what, you think I don’t want to get my pretty little hands dirty?”

No response.

“You do know I kill vampires for a living, right?”

Bastien pointed at Ethan. “He said it, not me.”

“But you were thinking it.”

He scowled. “Are you reading my thoughts again, telepath?”

“I didn’t have to. It was all over your face. Besides, I stopped peeking into your head a long time ago because all you ever think about is Melanie naked and your vampire friends.”

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up. “He thinks about Melanie naked with his vampire friends?”

Bastien popped him on the back of the head.

“Ow! Sh**!”

Lisette pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let us return to the subject at hand, shall we?

Much more entertaining than Lisette simply saying, “Can you patch up Zach’s wounds?” and having Bastien say yay or nay. This shows the rapport these characters share and gives more insight into their personalities. The dialogue meanders as conversations often do and, thus, comes across as more realistic.

Speech isn’t perfect. Sometimes people just can’t find the right words.

If your character is furious or rattled or tired or just plain doesn’t know the right thing to say in a particular situation, don’t be afraid to add a stutter or a pause. Both are great ways to show a character is upset, flustered, etc, rather than telling readers he or she is upset. Here’s a quick example.

Lisette gaped at him. “After you just . . . And all that bitching and moaning . . . You can’t . . . ” She clenched her teeth. “Tell me again why you’re here?”

I could’ve said, She was so angry that words escaped her, or She was so angry she couldn’t think straight. But that would have told readers, which is considered passive writing. This showed them instead.

Read your dialogue aloud to ensure it flows smoothly.

I have slaughtered many a foreign accent doing just that with my Immortal Guardians series, but have always liked the changes it generated.

I know a well-constructed plot is essential for writing a good book. But creating likable, relatable characters whom readers can enjoy is just as important. Crafting realistic dialogue will go a long way toward helping you accomplish that.

Thank you again for joining me here at Books-n-Kisses! I hope your writing will flow smoothly and that these tips will help.

*****
Let’s take a closer look at Dianne’s upcoming release (tomorrow) Night Unbound

Amazon| B&NDianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians protect humanity from unspeakable horrors–but their hearts are as fragile as any mortal’s. . .

For centuries, Lisette d’Alençon has been a warrior against the dark. She fights alongside her brothers and comrades. But when the dreams start coming, she can’t bear to confess them to the Immortal Guardians’ command. Dreams of a dark-haired man with soft eyes and brutal wounds, a man her heart aches for–and a man she knows has been declared a traitor.

Zach is an exile, a loner. He won’t defend himself against false accusations or grovel to those who should have faith in him. But he’ll damn sure defend the woman who kept him sane against a plague of super-vamps that seems to have appeared from nowhere. The Guardians will blame him, and that will make Lisette suspect, too. With life, death and eternity on the line, who can they really trust?

A little about Dianne:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Dianne Duvall earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of St. Thomas, where she studied fiction writing, playwriting, and poetry writing. Darkness Dawns, the first book in her Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series, was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews and for Best Paranormal Romance – Vampire by The Romance Reviews. It was also deemed a Top Pick by The Romance Reviews and a Best Book by Long and Short Reviews. Night Reigns, the second book in the series, was nominated for Best Best Book of 2011 – Paranormal Romance by The Romance Reviews and declared an “utterly addictive” Top Pick by RT Book Reviews. Phantom Shadows, the third book in the series, has been declared a Top Pick by both The Romance Reviews and Night Owl Reviews. Her Immortal Guardians novella In Still Darkness was released in the Predatory anthology on May 7, 2013, and has received many fabulous reviews. Darkness Rises, the fourth book in the series, hit the USA Today Bestseller list, has been nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews and was deemed a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick.

Dianne has also completed two not-yet-published paranormal romance novels that are prequels to Darkness Dawns. A Sorceress of His Own is a medieval romance with paranormal elements that won awards in the Lone Star, Where the Magic Begins, Southern Heat, Picture This, Book of Your Heart and Suzannah national writing competitions. Rendezvous With Yesterday is a time travel romance and won second place in the Picture This writing contest.

In addition to writing romance, Dianne has completed a one-act play (comedy) and teamed up with an award-wining screenwriter to write a spec script for a new situation comedy. Several of her poems have also been published in anthologies.

When she isn’t writing, Dianne is very active in the independent film industry and once even appeared on screen as a machete-weilding maniac not unlike the vampires she so loves to create in her novels.

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 1, 2014September 3, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 1 part a: Organization? What’s that? by Carrie Ann Ryan

Organization? What’s that?

I’m a huge fan of spreadsheets, color coding, and calendars. I mean, come on, the word spreadsheets is actually in my author bio. I started out in the math and science area of life and though I don’t use the deep part of those daily, some of that bled into my writing.

While writing a book seems like it should just be that—writing the book—sometimes you need a bit more. I love book bibles. You can have someone make them for you—Lillie is amazing for my friends—or you can do it yourself. There are programs like Scrivener and WriteWayPro to help you for Mac or Windows. I tend to use OneNote since I can color code a bit better there.

1. Character Tables

These can include names, ages, scents (PNR romance!), jobs, tattoo placement, hair color, height, etc.

I like having a spreadsheet of my characters, characteristics, and other things I might forget six books down the line. Or let’s face it, I might forget it 6 chapters down the line. Not everything is used, but the fact that I know it is what matters. This helps me (hopefully) not have a hero with blue eyes, then green eyes, then brown eyes in the series or even the same book.

You don’t need to use a table, but you do need to write it down somewhere. I have another sheet with all my side characters. It’s always good to remember what you named a random character that one time in a store so you can maybe use them again next time.

2. Notes and organization

I like to keep notes of what I’m doing in one book and what might be a seeder for the next book. Not all of these notes are used but I at least have it in the back of my mind. I use OneNote so I can have a tab that has a timeline, character table, seeder notes, research notes, maps, character images, etc.

I also put each book in its own tab within a notebook that is the series. See? Color coding!

3. Calendars

I keep calendars that are color coded (sense a theme?) that tell me when things are due, release dates, edit dates etc. I’m lucky in that most of the time, I can set my own timeframes, but deadlines keep my sane. That is NOT how some people work so if looking at a calendar frightens you, it’s okay. I promise.

4. Outlines

I write by outline. I actually start with color coded sticky notes. Each POV gets its own color and I pull off how many sticky notes I need to get the word count I want. I know about how many words I write per chapter, so it works for me. Then I plot out the conflicts, inner and outer, and arrange the main points so I can create an outline from that. I then fill in the outline a bit more until I’m ready to write. I’m a heavy plotter that allows for some inner depth when I’m writing. Again, this works for me, not everyone.

5. Saving. Saving. Saving.

One of the main things I’ve learned from writing is I need to keep organized when it comes to my folders. Each series has it’s own folder, then book, then within that I have drafts and other files that are nicely labeled. Don’t just put your draft on your desktop and call it a day. Save it in your cloud, your Dropbox, your external hard drive etc. Keep it organized and don’t label everything the same thing so you never know where you left off.

I hope this helps you somewhat. I try my best to keep organized and keep daily goal lists of admin and writing things I need to do for the day. Those lists feed into the large monthly and yearly goal lists. It’s how I can write 8-10 books a year, own a small press, and live a life I love. Good luck and you can always ask me questions if you need to.
A little about Carrie Ann Ryan :

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.

Get in touch with Carrie Ann Ryan!

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

a Rafflecopter giveaway