Quiet Keystrokes and Midnight Ramblings

I've been failing as an author. Okay, my husband would say I'm being melodramatic, and he's right. At the time of this writing, my biopunk novel,  Adaline , has been downloaded 8,500 times in just over 20 weeks. That's not failing. BUT, I have been struggling with my advertising spend. In late 2018, I figured out how to buy space on people's mailing lists and websites, which is how I got most of those 8,500 downloads. But I've had the worst luck in creating profitable ads on Amazon and Facebook. After working my butt off to do so/so with Facebook ads, (and seeking help from the book Help! My Facebook Ads Suck by Michael Cooper ), I decided to tackle AMS ad services. For months, I was running a couple of ads here, a couple of ads there, and not getting any kind of positive results. My best ad was running at a -70% return. Not good. I turned to the advice of my fellow authors on Reddit, Facebook and Kboards, and kept seeing Brian D. Meeks...

I am in the midst of writing a biography to sit alongside a project I am working on.  This is probably the fifth biography I've written because no matter what I come up with, the next time I take a look at it I feel like it's so "blah".  For some reason, I just can't fit enough honest razzle dazzle into a paragraph or two about myself to make me feel like I'm the kind of person I'd like to know. (If that sentence doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry.  It doesn't make much sense to me either.) Whenever I do get the urge to sit down and rewrite the biography blurb, in addition to feeling like it lacks the pizzazz of my wit and charm, I also tend to be a little less than honest about some things.  For example, the biography has never said anything like, "Denise is a workaholic author, business owner, office manager, caregiver and paintball enthusiast who often spends the wee hours of the morning mentally drafting new policies, procedu...

Although in the past I have helped to raise funds for grade-school kids, scouts and church groups, I think this is the first time I've ever attempted to do a fundraiser for myself.  It's been an interesting journey so far, and I hope my heart and colon can make it to the end of the Age / Sex / Location kickstarter project intact. I like to be in control of things in my life, and this project has certainly given me a life-lesson that life cannot always be organized and predictable.  There is always going to be uncertainty, anxiety, hope, elation, disappointment and suspense... it's what keeps the whole thing interesting. So, I'm doing my best to promote without groveling; trying to convince others that I believe solidly in the novel without revealing that I don't really  know what I'm doing.  There is a first for everything, and this novel is one of my firsts.  I am hopeful that the next month yields the funds I need to move forward with printing, ...

I haven't been able to blog much these days, although I have still been plodding along and making progress on the writing front one step at a time.  Unfortunately, the blogs I manage have all been taking a backseat to some other big projects and even though it only takes me 15 or 20 minutes to post something it seems like these days I can't seem to find that many minutes to rub together. These days it's all about priorities and time management, two of the most difficult things for me to keep up with.  Although having a deadline can generally spur me on to be incredibly productive, it can also lead to me being even more easily distracted by shiny objects, side projects and lots of time just standing around with my hands shoved into my pockets staring at the piles around me. And so the day begins... I'm off to drink a can of soda, and help those folks over at Gearheadz Paintball to keep marching forward towards their big spring event. Currently Reading:

There comes a time in our lives, and for me that time is now, when it is apparent that the world wants us to move on to new endeavors.  I received word from the Yahoo Contributor Network that they are discontinuing the featured writer's program that I have been blessed to be a part of and are replacing it with a "new and improved" program with stricter guidelines.  Reading between the lines I got the feeling that they realized how much money they were paying out to writers of all levels and decided to cull the herd a bit in response to Google b*tch slapping their internet ratings. While it is disappointing to be let go from the program only a few months after being accepted into it, it has given me time to reflect.  What I want to be as a writer is not a "jill of all trades", but rather someone who is known for writing a specific subject and known as a writer of books.  Truth be told I have spent so much time writing about luggage , dry feet and small bu...

This past weekend our family headed out to Spirit Mountain Casino  to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday.  It was a great time both in the casino and hanging out in the restaurants and up in the rooms (Mr. Kawaii and I rented a suite for the night so there would be room for our entire gang to hang out in), and although the excitement of the weekend left us all exhausted it was certainly a perfectly timed break from working and writing. Time and time again, Mr. Kawaii reminds me of the importance of scheduling time away from work; and time and time again he is proved right.  It is very easy as a stay-at-home worker bee to work constantly, and even easier to get burnt out when projects pile up and we get overwhelmed.  Taking a step back and living life a little helps to keep things in perspective. To all of you - keep up the good work on your own projects, and celebrate your success by taking a day or two off!

I am a "doer".  It has been demonstrated time and time again that it is very difficult for me to stop working on projects, even when I know I need to take a break.  This blessing/curse has become exponentially more apparent now that I work from the comfort and confines of my own home, and Mr. Kawaii and I are constantly trying to find little ways to help me switch off at the end of the day. Constantly being surrounded by work in my personal space makes it so easy to do "one more thing", remind me of a project that I wanted to get done today or give me ideas for new projects that I hadn't even thought of during my working hours.  Bits and pieces of our home business can be found in our home-office, our dining room, can be seen from the dining room and kitchen... all of the rooms that are most frequently used during the day for work and for rest.  It's as easy to get distracted by work when I'm checking my personal e-mail as it is to be distracted by it ...

Possibly the single most difficult part of being a writer is trying to come up with fresh ideas.  This is particularly difficult for me sometimes when writing for the internet because I'm essentially battling with billions of other bloggers, freelance writers and technical writers for creative space.  For me, inspiration comes in waves and I've learned that I need to capture ideas as they come in order to keep up a pace that continues to build momentum on all that I've already done. About once every few weeks as I am sitting on my bum cruising the internets, or sitting in the DMV waiting area listening to the workers drone on as I wait my turn, or picking up groceries at the store, I have a sudden burst of great ideas for things to write about.  The lightning bolt of inspiration comes at random and it's very easy to miss it if I'm not paying attention or don't have a piece of paper and pen handy.  But when the stars align and I realize what is happening in thi...

My writing has taken off this past year, and although I won't go so far as to say that I'm a writer "in demand", I have somehow begun to amass a long list of deadlines and due dates.  Now, I'm not complaining - having a list of writing assignments and requests makes me feel useful and respectable in a way that is incomparable to any other job/career I've held.  But it does make me pause during the first week of the month when I write all of the deadlines on the whiteboard above my computer and when I'm done the board runs over with colors, bullet points and underlined important projects. Managing deadlines can be tricky, especially when other opportunities pop up mid-month, a family member falls ill or the sun comes out and calls to you through the window.  It's probably the most difficult task I deal with on a week to week basis, and I have to force myself to not push things out "until tomorrow".  Some of the things that help to keep me on ...

One of the greatest things about writing about small businesses, doing reviews for products and services and doing human interest pieces in general is the unique way that these bits of writing are promoted from both ends of the spectrum. Most writers do some type of self-promotion, whether it's posting links to articles on Facebook and Twitter or lobbying for their articles to show up on the front pages of magazines and e-news bulletins, but there is rarely any other promotion that really goes on unless someone else with a big reader base finds interest in it and pushes it out to their group. With reviews, human interest and "promotional" pieces though, you get double the promoting power.  Small businesses and individuals are excited to see their name in print, and it is rare that you will run across a business owner or local celebrity who isn't proud to share their piece with their distribution network.  The "Look at Me!" promotional tactic is good for ...

What a whirlwind adventure this year has brought to me in writing!  I had hoped that this year would propel me into the world of an writer, but could never have expected just how much progress I'd be able to make in becoming the authoress I've always dreamed of being.  As I sit and reflect on how much I have to be thankful for this year, the list is astoundingly long. I've been given the blessings of a career change, the opportunity to write both online and in print, the completion of one novel and the beginnings of a second, a position creating content for a wonderful company on the verge of exploding in a joyful mess of growth and progress, the support of friends and strangers, and even more that I can't think of right now. This year hasn't been all roses and double rainbows, and it certainly hasn't been the easiest year for our family; but it has been a year of personal and professional growth, a reminder that I have an incredible family to lean on when t...

One of the hardest parts of being a writer, or doing any type of creative work, is getting it finished.  Because we type away at our own pace, get distracted by the ding of Instant Messages, have friends and family that don't see our creativity as a "real job" and have no bosses breathing down our necks... it's really easy to put off the writing until tomorrow.  Or next week.  Or a month from now. I've discovered that there are a few things that can help us to create our own deadlines, and help ourselves to actually stick to them. Deadline Tip #1: Make A Goal It doesn't matter if your goal is to submit articles to 10 magazines a month, rewrite 5 chapters of your manuscript or apply for a job in the writing/editing industry.  Take the time to figure out what it is you want to accomplish, and write it down.  I have a white-board above my monitor for such goals which makes it easy to edit them, check them off and then erase them once they've been met...

Good morning, gentle readers! June seems to have come and gone in a flash of frenzy!!  I have been busy trying to fit as much writing into my schedule as possible, which hasn't amounted to much but at least I'm back at it.  It is unfortunate that the things that we love to do, that we are attempting at making into a career, that fill our hearts and fingers with joy... always seem to be the things that get pushed onto the back burner when the going gets tough. Going through life's trials certainly points out that having a "regular" 9-5 job with a boss and a rigid schedule can be handy.  Particularly when family is ill, friends need help, the mortgage is due and our creative streaks are coming infrequently.  Yes, I can freely admit that I would have gotten far more work done this month if I wasn't able to walk 20 feet from bed to office and pound out my work wearing Spongebob Squarepants pajamas. On the other hand, when those brilliant creative streaks app...