If you’re a writer who struggles with self-doubt, frustration, writer’s block, fear of failure, perfectionism, disgust for your work, hopelessness, complacency, and just plain boredom — you’re normal, because all writers do!   This eBook will help you write through it all. 

Here’s what one reader says:

“After reading your e-Book I am totally charged! It’s motivational, easy to read, and speaks directly to me and every one of my writing angsts and blocks – your energy vibrates off the page. It’s like having you personally talking to me, telling it like it is and encouraging me on. It spoke to so many of my blocks – and I credit it with firing me up after being on simmer for so long.” ~ Maggie R.

I love it — that’s exactly what I was hoping would happen!

To learn more, visit 73 Ways to Fire Up (or Just Fire) the Muse: How to Write Even When You Don’t Wanna, or Think You Can’t.

And if you have any questions or thoughts, please ask below…

Last week, I submitted my sample chapters to my agent, to be forwarded to a Canadian publishing house. They’ve been considering my See Jane Soar book idea for over a year. That’s a long time to wait in human terms… but in book publishing terms, it’s but a drop in the bucket. The publishing process moves at glacial speed at the best of times! 

But I can’t sit around twiddling my thumbs and biting my nails while I wait for the publishers to decide on the fate of my book. I’ll get old and gray! Older and grayer.

Are you in the same boat? If not now, you might be soon…

Here’s a list of things for writers to do while waiting for publishers or editors to decide on book proposals, sample chapters, manuscripts, or article ideas:

• Plan a vacation
• Start a writers’ group
• Start a blog
• Start a book club
• Stop wondering what the publisher or editor thinks about your writing
• Stop thinking that this is your last chance to get published
• Explore different writing websites or blogs – I’ve recently discovered Aspiring Author and Advice to Writers and love them!
• Treat yourself to a leather writing journal (the one pictured is gorgeous, click for details)
• Plan your long and short-term writing goals
• Research new writing markets
• Learn how hobbies become money making careers
• Clean up your blog (check for broken links, jazz up your “about” page, refresh ad sizes and colors, etc)
• See if you can discern a distinct writer’s voice in your favorite books
• Find ways to recharge your batteries
• Start a new exercise program (I love the 10 Minute Solutions Pilates DVDs!)
• Go to Amazon.com and write a review of a book you’ve recently read
• Update your Facebook profile
• Improve your writing skills by taking an editing or web writing class
• Throw a Goddess party
• Spend the afternoon in the library, browsing all the sections
• Spend the afternoon in bed, reading your favorite books (or relaxing in other ways)
• Brainstorm new article or book ideas
• Declutter your Google Reader (or other RSS feed-reading device)

And finally, think about John Updike’s advice to writers…

“Try to develop steady work habits, maybe a more modest quota, but keep to it,” said John Updike. “Don’t be thin-skinned or easily discouraged because it’s an odds-long proposition; all of the arts are. Many are called, few are chosen, but it might be you.” (Courtesy of Advice to Writers)

Do you have any tips or questions about waiting for publishers or editors to decide on the fate of your book or article? What do you do while you wait? I welcome your comments below!

P.S.  These tips work for when you’re waiting for literary agents, too.

I submitted my three sample chapters to my agent last week, who delivered them to a potential publisher (my fingers and toes are crossed! See Writing Strategy #3 – Write for One Hour for details). Part of my editing process included showing my sample chapters to my writer’s group. Their feedback resulted in more work…and sample chapters that flowed.

Writer’s groups can be an effective way to improve your writing.

But don’t just plop your novel into the laps of your fellow writers. Instead, ask for specific feedback for whatever you’re showing to your writer’s group, whether it’s sample chapters, book proposals, query letters, or even blog posts. Don’t just ask, “How can I make it better?” Ask your reviewers to look for specific literary techniques or organizational problems.

Specific things to ask your writer’s group to look for:

• Wordiness, run on sentences, sentence fragments
• Redundancies, such as she put her hat on her head (“on her head” is unnecessary)
• Passive voice
• Weak verbs and limp nouns
• Repetition
• Poor punctuation
• Poor grammar
• Writing that doesn’t flow
• Clichés, tired similes, blah metaphors; no evidence that you’re writing for publication

I wouldn’t recommend asking your writer’s group to look for all those writing infractions. You could consider asking your group to look for a couple issues, a bookwork friend to look for a couple more, and your objective sister to weed out even more problems.

But…I also recommend not showing your work to too many readers, especially if they love you. You’ll get conflicting feedback, which can be confusing. And, your readers may affect your voice or style — which is what you don’t want. If you use this writing strategy, do with caution!

I welcome your comments or questions about this or any writing strategy below. And, I’d love to hear your stories of asking for feedback for sample chapters, book proposals or article pitches…how does it work for you?

My sample chapters to a publisher are due in a couple of weeks, my series of seven health articles is due in one week, an editor needs me to rewrite an introduction to an article I recently submitted (my original isn’t gripping enough), and my blog schedule may be just a little too demanding.

Aaacck! 

How do you write when you feel overwhelmed, unmotivated, or just plain not good enough?

You work for one hour.

This is one of the most effective ways to write books, articles, and book proposals: tackle your target in short bursts of time. You can get a surprising amount of work done in one hour, my friends. And even if you “just” get one paragraph or one page written in your hour, you’ll write another paragraph or page in another hour, and then another…and before you know it you’ll have a pile of writing.

Trust me. It works. My three sample chapters of See Jane Soar are due soon and even though I’m plagued those familiar old writing demons, I’m chipping away at the chapters for an hour a day…and they’re coming to life.

Here’s what accomplished writer – and writing teacher – Natalie Goldberg says about writing (and being a wanna-bee writer).

“I hear people say they’re going to write. I ask, when?” she says. “They give me vague statements. Indefinite plans get dubious results. When we’re concrete about our writing time, it alleviates that thin constant feeling of anxiety that writers have – we’re barbecuing hot dogs, riding a bike, sailing out in the bay, shopping for shoes, even helping a sick friend, but somewhere nervously at the periphery of our perception we know we belong somewhere else – at our desk!”

If you want to be a writer, then you have to write. If you feel overwhelmed (like I do), then you have to write in smaller chunks of time. If you’re seriously struggling with procrastination, read 5 Tips for Ending Your Writing Procrastination.

If you love to write but you wrestle with your writer’s voice, you might find my Writing Strategy 1 helpful: Letting Your Writing Go.

And finally…if you’d like to learn more about my book idea that’s hooked a few publishers (but hasn’t reeled them in quite yet), visit See Jane Soar.

What are your thoughts? I welcome your comments or questions about this writing strategy – writing for just one hour – below…

Grabbing your readers (or editors, or publishers) by the throat is a fancy way of saying “write effective leads.” Hooking people will keep them reading – and ensure you get published!

Writing fascinating leads is difficult when you’re blogging, because of Search Engine Optimization. On one hand — whether you’re a blogger or print writer – you need to write effective leads or introductions that catch a reader’s eye. On the other, you have to use your keywords and key phrases properly so Google and other search engines will index your blog posts. You want surfers to find them.  

Writers can’t be as creative or playful when writing blog posts that are meant to attract new readers or internet surfers. But, here’s a writing strategy for introductions that works for both web and print writing…

Involve your readers. What do your readers want — and how can you involve them? You can appeal to their senses (the fear of never getting published, for example), solve their problems (“How do I become a more effective writer?”), or ask an intriguing question (“Would you write erotica if you were paid enough?”).

There are many more ways to hook your readers (grab them by the throat!), but the idea is to write just enough to keep your readers reading. You can do this as a blog writer even if you’re concerned about Search Engine Optimization. Give your readers a peek at your best hand…and then slowly reveal the rest.

Writing great leads is like leaving a trail of bread crumbs throughout your article, chapter, or story. Make sure your reader doesn’t rest until he’s eaten every last crumb. 

Here’s an example of a bad introduction to a blog post, which I wrote for my How Freelancers, Nonfiction Writers, and Novelists Succeed: “This website – The Adventurous Writer – isn’t just about my successes and failures as a freelance writer and book author. That’s secondary, because I dislike writing about myself. Rather, this site is about how to succeed as a novelist and nonfiction writer!”

It’s a bad introduction because instead of starting off with the blah blah about my website, I should’ve hooked readers and internet surfers with something like, “These six ways to succeed for freelancers, nonfiction writers, and novelists will help you get published faster…” Those are the breadcrumbs that keep people reading – and they’re also effective keywords for Search Engine Optimization!

But alas, that introduction isn’t playful or all that exciting. It does its job…and sometimes that’s all a writer can hope for.

To learn more about writing leads that hook readers, read Writing Great Leads and Hooking Readers on Quips and Tips for Successful Writers.

What have I missed? I welcome your comments or questions about this writing strategy – grabbing your reader by the throat – below…

And, a final word on writing: “It’s important to try to write when you are in the wrong mood or the weather is wrong,” says American poet John Ashbery. “Even if you don’t succeed, you’ll be developing a muscle that may do it later on.”

“The best writing advice I ever received was to not get attached to your words,” says editor and freelance writer Alyice Edrich of the Dabbling Mum. “When we allow ourselves to get emotionally attached to what we’ve written – which is really easy to do as a creative artist – we don’t allow ourselves to improve and grow as writers.”

As a freelance magazine writer, I’ve learned to disconnect from my writing. It’s easier when it’s a nonfiction health article (one of my favorite types to write!)…but definitely more difficult when the writing contains a little bit of my heart and soul.

For instance, I wrote Addicted to Writing for a writer’s contest…and didn’t win. That stung! Not being accepted when you get all creative and vulnerable stings more than when an editor requests an edit on an assigned article or a publisher rejects a book proposal. That’s easy.

Regarding letting your writing go, Edrich says: “While it is true that some critiques are a matter of opinion and can be easily ignored, other critiques are a matter of business. Editors, for instance, often come back with suggestions to change paragraphs, delete sentences, increase background information or sources, or overhaul certain grammatical errors. Those critiques can sting and hurt our egos; even make us feel like failures or as though we’ve been personally attacked. The problem occurs when we don’t take those critiques objectively and choose unprofessional attitude, causing the editor to wish she’d never given us a chance to work with her in the first place.”

Letting your writing go – and welcoming feedback or critiques – is crucial to your growth as a writer.

Can you let your writing go? I’m working on three sample chapters for a publisher, for See Jane Soar. I’m not worried about letting it go…I’m more concerned about getting it started! (They requested a slightly different spin and I’m stuck. Wish me luck!)

To read the article that contained Edrich’s advice, go to How to Edit, Revise, Rewrite Your Writing.

For more tips on this writing strategy, read How to Let Go of Your Writing.