Are You Conditioning Yourself for Success? by Dora Hiers

After months of freezing temperatures and dreary drizzly days this winter, on the first warm sunny day in April, I loaded up my dog and headed for the park. 

With over a mile of wonderful sniffing trails and lots of grass for scratching his back, Bruiser doesn't like to miss his walks. Who could blame him? But on this day, he seemed a bit reluctant to get out of the car. Eighty five scorching degrees and thirty minutes later, we were both out of breath, exhausted, and even I was glad to reach the car and the a/c.

After hardly walking for months, we were out of condition. The long winter left us with weak lungs and stiff joints. The winter blah's.

Maybe you're experiencing the winter blah's in your writing, where days, sometimes months go by without a word ever making it onto a page. Or perhaps you're going through a winter season with your writing. Whether you're working a full time job, rearing children, or caring for an elderly parent, there just isn't any available time for consistent writing. Are you out of condition? Do you need to flex your writing muscles? 

Here are a few ideas to work out the stiff joints:

Blog. A blog is an online journal or diary where individuals or groups of users record their thoughts or opinions. People blog on anything and everything: pets, books, cooking, travel and the list goes on. In case you didn't realize it, you're reading a writing blog right now. I'm the Thursday hostess here on Seriously Write, but I also manage my personal blog, Heart Racing, God-Gracing Romance, where I post book reviews and devotionals. Blogging is fairly easy and doesn't require much technical expertise. Two popular user-friendly platforms are Blogger and WordPress. Find your passion and blog.

Plot. Practice writing a few blurbs along with skeletal plots to go with them. There's no reason why you couldn't plot several books to keep on hand until your current season passes. 

Ideas. Don't let a good idea slip by without jotting it down. Record ideas as they burn in your brain, whether that's with a paper and pen or a voice recorder or notetaker app on your smartphone, and then transfer it to a computer file later. Keep a physical file with newspaper clippings of possible story ideas.

Create a Character Portfolio. Develop characters and maintain a character portfolio. When your spring blooms, bright and sunny, your characters will be ready to hit the first page of your book.

Write Short. Several publishers, like Pelican Book Group, accept submittals for short stories. They accept romances as short as 10k words. Also, publications/magazines like Woman's World contract 800 word romances, and Flash Fiction and Splickety Magazine accept stories between 500-1k words. And did you know that Ellie's Escape, just published with Splickety in the 6/20/14 edition, was written by our very own sweet Wednesday hostess, Sandy Ardoin? Way to go, Sandy! Write short.

Whatever it is, flex your writing muscles on a daily basis and you'll soon discover that you've conditioned yourself for success.

What about you? Are you going through the winter doldrums?

What would you add to this list?

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Five years ago, Emily Mannerson escaped small town living and moved to the big city where nobody knew "poor little Emily" and her miserable background. Now an attorney, Emily longs for what she left behind…her adopted mother and high-school sweetheart. Fire captain Matthew Westerly treasures his small town of Journey Creek and values faith, family, and friendships. When he rescues Emily from a horrific car accident, he's determined to win her back and make up for the lost years. Can a big city girl and a small town boy discover their true treasure? Will they trust God to work a miracle?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Romancing the Library by Dora Hiers

Me ~ Dora Hiers

Dora here. Sending a huge thanks to Sandy Ardoin for moderating comments for me over the last couple of weeks while we were away. We enjoyed a fabulous time on our cruise, but it's great to be back!

A couple weeks ago, Myra Johnson shared a great post on what works and what doesn't for library events. If you missed it, you can read it here. Today, I'm following up with Romancing the Library, something I love to do. :) 

When our local library contacted me about speaking right after Journey's End, my first inspirational romance, released, I balked. What would I say? Who would listen? Hubby, an integral part of my writing journey, encouraged me, even offered some basic topics to tackle. 

Thankfully, the library manager allotted me a few months to hammer out a presentation and bolster my confidence. When I stepped to the podium, my knees buckled and my voice trembled. My nerves finally settled, and I actually found that I enjoyed the interaction with readers.

Over breakfast a few weeks later, I mentioned visiting a friend who lived a couple hours away.

“Why don’t you visit the library and donate a copy of Journey’s End?” Hubby asked. “The library gets a new book, and for a minimal investment, you’re getting your book in the hands of readers who may buy future books. The way I see it, it’s a win-win.”

Did I mention how supportive and encouraging my hubby is? His suggestion opened up the door for many library invitations.

Here are some tips on Romancing the Library:

Plan your trips and vacations. Map out your route and check library systems in

York County, VA

advance to make sure they don’t already stock your book. I have a better success rate with smaller-to-mid-sized branch libraries, so I target them as much as possible. If you’ll be vacationing, email the local librarians to let them know the dates you’ll be visiting. A librarian in Virginia invited me to speak while we stayed in the area for a fire conference. -> 

Bring your smile and your one sheet. Your enthusiasm breeds excitement. Smile and introduce yourself, trailing your finger along the book covers on your one sheet as you talk.

Inquire if they are receptive to author events and procure the manager’s email address/contact info. Many library managers complain that their readers aren’t interested in straight book signings, but their eyes light up when you offer information their

Steele Creek Library,
Charlotte, NC

patrons can use. A skeletal presentation can be expanded to cover many topics, depending on the library’s needs. One library director requested a Christian writer expo, so I convinced Myra Johnson and Jennifer Hudson Taylor to join me, and for the last couple of summers, Myra Johnson and I have offered several presentations for our local library system.

Request a tax donation form. This will ensure that you receive credit for your investment at income tax time.

Follow up. Email a few days after your visit, reminding the library manager of your donation and your presentations offering. Specify a target time frame, i.e. fall or early 20xx. Attach your one sheet so they can remember you.

Recognize that library opportunities take time. You may not hear from a library for months, or even a year (which just happened to me!). Don’t get discouraged. Writers know all about waiting, don’t we?

Don’t discount the contacts you’ll make in a library. A newspaper reporter wrote about a library’s summer reading program and mentioned my program. Another presentation prompted an invitation for a radio interview. In another, a patron invited me to speak elsewhere. Our joint library presentations were promoted with a local radio station.

Romancing the Library is a win-win. Hubby was right.

What about you? Does your loved one support and encourage your writing journey? 

Have you considered romancing the library?

Small Town Treasure
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Five years ago, Emily Mannerson escaped small town living and moved to the big city where nobody knew "poor little Emily" and her miserable background. Now an attorney, Emily longs for what she left behind…her adopted mother and high-school sweetheart. Fire captain Matthew Westerly treasures his small town of Journey Creek and values faith, family, and friendships. When he rescues Emily from a horrific car accident, he's determined to win her back and make up for the lost years. Can a big city girl and a small town boy discover their true treasure? Will they trust God to work a miracle?