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Has your journey as a writer been great?

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I been spring cleaning my office. It is something I have been avoiding for way too long. With it came two full cabinets stuffed with papers that I had to go through one by one. Joy, right? The bookcases were not bad. The roll cart that is dedicated to writing and etc was easy peasy. But the file cabinets not so much

But as I sorted through sheet after sheet of paper I found some awesome stuff. Cards from years and years from my husband with his message inside each one. I came across some old pictures that made me pause and smile as the memories came back alive. I came across stacks and stacks of papers concerning writing whether it was an article, an old notebook from classes I have taken, notes from a conference, pictures from conferences I been to and so on.

I have been doing this a while now, writing. It really has flown. People have asked me, “Hey, are you still writing?” I get why and yes I am. In fact one book has been ready since March of last year but life gets in the way at times.

It was awesome to find photocopies of quotes I have received or made myself. I saw an old calendar of my events, programs and speaking engagements I have done over the years. It has truly gone by so fast. But it has been a great experience for me for this is something I never expected to be doing when I was younger. Heck, even years ago.

So while it took me a number of trash bags, a lot of shredding, a lot of filing and finding room for everything my office is now in order and there is a place for everything so I am better organized. That alone was worth it. But the journey to get here was hard work but so much fun as I scanned visually the last few years as an author. It has been really great, I have met some amazing people, I have formed long-lasting friendships that go beyond writing, and I have come to be happy with this.

I hope those who are writers who follow me can say the same that the journey has been worth it,

A blog on writing

So you wrote a book: What’s next?

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What are your goals for your book? And if you have figured that out did you do it before or during the process of writing it out or after? There are many options to go with. I know a writer who just wants to write a book and is quite happy at stopping at one and is okay if it is published or not. I know another who has written a number of books but just writes for the pure pleasure of doing so.

Is this where you are at? Or do you want more? Do you want to be published traditionally? Perhaps you are going the self publish route. Maybe you will be a hybrid author. Do you want to have an agent? You could stick it out on your own and submit to those houses that don’t require you have one.

Do you plan on having an editor? If so which one? There are a number of different editors out there from copy editor, line editor, developmental editor and so on. Do you plan on having your book beta read or go through the gauntlet of a critique group?

I can go on. There is so much involved in a book and the old phrase comes to haunt me when I first started on this path. Writing is the easy part. Well folks that is so very true. The real work starts when you are done. But if you wait until the book is done before you define your goals in essence you are already behind.

A blog about the topics of writing, Choosing your book cover

How much thought do you put into your book cover?

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How important in having a decent cover for your book matters to you? Not sure? Let me ask a different way. When you are in a bookstore, yes they still exist, and going up and down the aisle what catches your eye to pick up a book? Is it the cover? Is it the synopsis on the back? Perhaps it is both. There are sooooo many books out there competing for buyers attention each wanting you to pick it up and examine it. One way is to get a cover that is pleasing to the eye.

One of my writer friends from Canada just requested her rights back and signed up with a different publisher. The graphic artist she is working with now gave her a cover that dissolved her into tears. The main reason being the design that was presented to her had nothing to do with the theme of the book. And when she asked for our honest opinion I told her how it was not very good. Well, the design was good but it did not describe the pages inside.

Creating a cover, whether you do it or a publishing house, to make your book be pleasing is the first step into finding a reader and hopefully a long life fan. It is that important. We can talk about the hook of our manuscript all day long. But if you cover turns away potential buyers they will never get to see if your hook will make them fall madly in love with the rest of your novel.

The Musings of A New Englander