I Don't Have Time to Write, Part 2 by Angela Arndt

Last week’s post was about time-stealers: the things people will do instead of writing. And I love that yesterday’s post was Nine Tips for Finding Balance from Kimberly Rose Johnson, who somehow published nine books in 2017. Can you imagine having that much time? 

Handwriting is a hard way to write a book.

I hope today's list of tools, apps and/or programs will help with that and finally put an end to the excuse, “I don’t have time to write.” 

Dictation

Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal secretary to dictate your novel just like all those authors in the movies? There are a few programs that can do that. However, in order to save time, you're going to have to invest it first. 

Did you know your computer may already be set up to take dictation? Most computers have accessibility settings to handle speech-to-text. I don't need to post it here, because someone's already written anything you want to know about speech-to-text here. 

Sometimes There Are Distractions

Distraction-Free Writing

Do you ever wish for a simple program for writing? TextEdit is always available, but it's hard to write with all the dings, rings and pings. Then there's Solitaire, Friends with Words, and Candy Crush calling to you when you're stuck.

Is there a program out there to help you focus? Yes, there are several. 

A minimalist writing program has a simple screen with little distractions. Some reward you with typewriters clicks for each letter, another lets you write to the sounds of a coffee shop. If this sounds like it would be helpful, check the links below or Coffitivity for writing in a coffee shop.

• 9 Apps for Distraction-Free Writing, or 
• 5 Best Distraction Free Writing Apps

Keep Your Notes in One Place

Have you ever had a notebook overstuffed with pieces of paper, envelopes, and sticky notes? Is your computer filled with chapters, scenes, research, and images related to your latest book? How can you keep them organized?

Too Much Information

Note-taking apps are great because you can take a photo of that article you see in the doctor's office and email it to an app. Take notes in a new document in the app or take a screenshot and import it. This post lists the app, price, and platform in an easy-t0-read chart.

The key to saving time is knowing what you need. You may not need to download a distraction-free app if you work from home in a quiet office. This afternoon, take a look at everything you accomplished today, identify your obstacles and figure out what you need to let you create more easily.

I hope these posts have helped. If you've used any of these programs and liked them, leave a comment and tell us how it helped. I'd love to hear from you.

Angela Arndt is a team member for Seriously Write. For more posts by Angie, click here.

About the Author

Angela Arndt

 Angela Arndt is Jesus-follower and God-lover. She loves to write women’s fiction with a thread of romance and tell stories of strong, independent women in difficult situations. Her biggest hope is that she will encourage others to overcome their own “back roads” to find their joy in the Lord.


She and her husband, Charles, live on a bee farm in the middle of a big wood with their three furbabies: Beau, Harley, and Buddy the Wonder Dog.


She's also team-member of Seriously Write. Click here for more posts by Angie. By the way, she'd love for you to join her on herwebsite, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. 

Four Tips for Marketing While Writing by Melissa Tagg

Melissa Tagg

Happy Monday, writers. Wearing my reader hat, I had the privilege of being part of Melissa Tagg's "Tagg Team," which helped promote her first two books. Such a fun experience—both reading and sharing the books. (If you haven't read them, do!) But, from the sidelines, I wondered how Melissa, and other busy authors on deadline, both write and market their works at once. Thankfully, Melissa graciously agreed to offer some very helpful advice. Read on! ~ Annette 

Four Tips for Marketing While Writing

by Melissa Tagg

When Annette first asked me to write this post, she suggested I write about marketing one book while writing another…which is exactly what I happened to be doing at the time. My second book, Here to Stay, released in May. That same month, I had a deadline for my third book. So I did my best to wear both my writing and marketing hats at the same time. I also wore my full-time day-job hat. And my friend/sister/daughter hats.

I will admit, it was challenging.

But that’s the reality when someone with only one head tries to wear multiple hats.

Marketing while writing is difficult…but not impossible. Though I’m still figuring it out myself, I do have a few tips:

1)     Do what you can and don’t sweat what you can’t

You can’t do everything. You just can’t. Unless you’re super-human. In which case, I bet you’re not reading this blog because you could probably market, write, and save kittens stuck in trees all at the same time.

For the rest of us, it’s better to admit we can’t do it all.

Problem is, if you’re like me, you’ll be tempted to waste time bemoaning all the things you’re not doing. And that’s just not helpful. So I suggest choosing not to kick your own tail for what you’re not doing. Don’t compare yourself to the people who seem to dominate every social media platform known to man, snag all the interviews everywhere and have zillions of followers. Nurture your mental space, don’t feed it negativity…focus on doing what you can and doing it well.

2)    Focus on what works for you

I am one of thirteen women in the world who doesn’t care for Pinterest. I used to feel guilty about that…but no longer.

Marketing is about building relationships. Well, if I’m going to build a relationship in my regular life, I’m not going to go hang out at a place I don’t like…say, Hooters. I’m going to go somewhere I’m comfortable and know I’ll have fun. (note: I am not comparing Hooters to Pinterest!)

If you’re in a different season where you have more time, then hey, it’s always good to branch out! For instance, when my deadlines are over, one thing I’d like to do is seek out more speaking and interview opportunities. But when in the throes of a deadline, it’s smart to gravitate toward the marketing efforts that come most naturally.

3)    Writing before marketing

This was my rule for myself this spring as I faced a deadline during release month. I want Here to Stay to do well. I want it to sell. But I have to think long-term. If one book sells well but then the follow-up is poorly written, I haven’t done myself too many favors. So while I definitely worked hard (and am still) to market Here to Stay, I prioritized writing over marketing.

4)    Trust God

More and more, in every aspect of writing, I’m realizing that to have any semblance of peace in the process, we have to trust God. He gave us our stories in the first place! So why do we obsess about marketing or not doing enough or sales numbers? Why do we—okay, I—think I need the perfect balance of writing and marketing and doing-everything to make it in this industry?

God is in control of my career and my dream.

Just like He’s in control of yours.

And when you think about it, that’s an incredibly calming thought.

Do you have any questions about marketing while writing?

 

~~~~~

Melissa Tagg is a former reporter turned author. Her second book, Here to Stay, released from Bethany House in May. In addition to her homeless ministry dayjob, she is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching old movies, and lately, obsessing over the band Needtobreathe. Connect with Melissa at www.melissatagg.com, on Facebook, Twitter (@Melissa_Tagg), Instagram (melissatagg) and G+ (+MelissaTagg).

~~~~~

 

Here to Stay by Melissa Tagg

After playing nomad for five years, Blake Hunziker has finally had enough of adventure. Not sure what reception he'll get from everyone back in Whisper Shore, he's stunned at not only a warm welcome from his hometown but also a job offer. The job is his if he can successfully pull off the annual Christmas Festival. If only he knew the first thing about coordinating events. . .

If there's one thing Autumn Kingsley knows, it's Whisper Shore. For years, she's been stuck running her family's inn when all she wants is to see the world. Now she has a visit scheduled from a potential investor who could take over the inn, as well as a dream job offer in Paris. But with just two weeks to whip the inn into shape, her chance at escape is a long shot.

The Hunzikers and the Kingsleys may not get along, but Blake knows Autumn's the only one who can help him. She agrees to a trade--she'll help with the Festival and he'll help with inn repairs. But what was meant to be a simple deal quickly becomes much more than that when the guy who's done running away joins forces with the girl who can't wait to leave.

Pass It On by Susan Tuttle

Image Courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

I was helping my son with his schoolwork recently, and we were studying about Samuel. He was a great man. An amazing prophet who God used to not only anoint Saul as King, but be a spiritual leader to Israel.

And he didn’t miss a beat. The man loved the Lord and carried his calling very seriously. He was dedicated to the Lord by his mother, Hannah, (one of my favorite stories) before he was even born. Raised under the priest, Eli, Samuel recognized God’s voice from a very early age and followed it willingly. He rallied under the passion God had given him to reach Israel and lead them as a Judge.

He pointed them to God. Helped them walk in His ways. Encouraged and uplifted the people with the sole purpose of bringing their focus to God. It was, in essence, his calling.

Except, in all his zeal, could he have missed something?

1 Samuel 8:3 says “…but his sons did not follow in his ways.”

He’d reached an entire nation, but missed his own children.

Now, I have no way of truly knowing if Samuel was a present parent or not. If he spent as much time teaching them about God as he did with Israel, and they simply chose another path. Believe me, I know this happens, and it is heart-wrenching. But as I read the story with my son, caution stepped in. A warning if you will. See, Samuel was so focused on carrying out his calling, that it’s equally as possible he missed bringing it to his family.

How do I know this? Because I am passionate about writing. Can anyone here relate? And writing for the CBA market isn’t strictly about entertainment. We write with a message, with a calling. We write to encourage other Christians and point non-believers to Christ. It’s an amazing purpose that we could so easily lose ourselves in because we see the value of it.

Problem is, the people in our immediate reach are our first mission field. If I write a bestseller that reaches a million plus people for Christ, but I neglect to show Him to my family or lose them in the process, what have I gained? Oh, I desperately want to reach an unsaved world, but not at the cost of my husband feeling neglected or my children never knowing Christ.

Please hear me, I’m not saying we don’t have deadlines, or that God hasn’t called you to write what’s before you. I am saying he’s placed your family around you for such a time as this. That God holds time in his hand, and He’s capable of proportioning it into the perfect amounts if you seek Him over what those are.

And I guess that’s where all this is going. Learning to balance your calling with the people he’s placed in your immediate sphere. Being present in their lives, so they don’t miss the presence of the One who created them. What you share with them is as important as the message you’re typing with hopes of reaching the masses.

Don’t let that calling pull you from the people within arm’s reach.


Pass it on.

Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Keeping the Spark Alive During the Work Week By Susan Diane Johnson

Susan Diane Johnson

Hey writers, how often do ideas come to you? What do you do when they come? I've had some ideas drift away on the busyness of my day never to reappear. How about you? Susan Diane Johnson, our guest today, points out how writer's block and spontaneous ideas go together and how to ward off the former by collecting the latter. Enjoy!

Keeping the Spark Alive During the Work Week

By Susan Diane Johnson

Many writers work full-time at another job, including myself. I wish I had words of wisdom regarding time-management, but I don’t. I need those words myself. What I hope I can speak to is creativity and how not to lose it.

A day job can kill your creativity, even if it’s one you love. And I dearly love my job. But because of the kind of work I do, it emotionally exhausts me to the point that I don’t always feel like writing when I get home. What I’ve learned the hard way is that one day away from your manuscript turns to two days and then ten. Before you even realize it, you’ve lost the spark that fueled your imagination and it becomes a chore to write.

Writers must write every day, even if it’s just a sentence, a paragraph, or an idea.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to not put off writing down ideas as they come to me. I might think I’m going to remember the brilliant scene I dreamed while I was sleeping, or the sparkling conversation between my characters that I thought of while I was in the shower, but I won’t unless I write it down as soon as I can. I’ve lost more ideas by ignoring them, so I’ve learned to keep a writing tablet by my bed for just this purpose.

Obviously I can’t write while I’m working. So how do I handle it when I have some burning idea during the work day? That same writing tablet I wrote on when I woke up or after I showered, goes everywhere with me. The very instant I get a break, I jot down enough of the idea that I won’t lose it.

I’ve become a thought collector. The act of putting the ideas on paper keeps my thoughts alive during the day and helps me look forward to the time I can put everything into my document. It helps keep the spark growing so my manuscript can stay alive.

And if I can’t type them in until the weekend, I’ve usually collected enough thoughts during the week so when I sit down at the computer I have enough ideas to keep that old nemesis called writer’s block as far away from me as possible.

If you lose enthusiasm for your manuscript during the week, I encourage you to make it a habit to become a thought collector.

~~~~~

True North

Several months after a tragic accident that claimed their son, Lisa and Joe Kendall's marriage has fallen apart. Lisa prays every day for Joe to come back home so they can grieve their loss together.

Their marriage isn't the only thing suffering, and Joe is forced into taking time off so he can find "closure". Unsure where to spend two weeks, Joe decides to go on the Alaskan cruise they were supposed to take with their son. The last person he expects to see once the ship is well under way is Lisa, who hopes two weeks alone with Joe will help restore their marriage.

What she doesn’t know is that Joe has already decided the best thing for Lisa is for him to be out of her life.

~~~~~

Susan Diane Johnson is the author of two contemporary novels, True North, and No Substitute. Her first historical novel, Sweet Mountain Music, will be available in May. Susan is a regular contributor to the Inkwell Inspirations blog, a group blog by Christian woman and for Christian women. She is also member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and National Cancer Registrars’ Association. During the day, Susan is a cancer registrar at her local hospital and lives in northwest Washington with her husband and their naughty little cat. They are the parents of a wonderful grown son, and hope to one day become grandparents. You can contact Susan through her website (below), or at glorybooks@yahoo.com.

http://www.susandianejohnson.com

http://inkwellinspirations.com