Most writers want to write. They don’t like interruptions to their writing routines. However painful it is to sit in front of a laptop or computer staring at a blank screen, it is more painful NOT to be sitting in front of your laptop. It is especially painful when you can’t stick to your writing routine because, yes, for sure, that is precisely the time when you feel you would be doing your best work.
If you’re a writer, you know where I’m heading with this because the season is upon us, and the big question becomes : How to keep writing without upsetting family and friends during the five to six weeks from Thanksgiving through Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Year’s Eve? Continue reading “The Trouble With Holidays If You’re A Writer (Or Live With One)”
In all the chatter among self and traditionally published authors about how to get your novel noticed by the book-reading public, one method has gotten short shrift lately. I’m talking about getting some media attention as in getting your novel into a headline in a newspaper or magazine, or even a short feature on TV News. 
Many years ago when my son still lived at home, and was on hand to explain the mysteries of social media to me (MySpace anyone?) he advised me to forget about Facebook. “Don’t bother, Mom. It’s not for you.” Knowing me as the introverted and socially awkward person that I am, he added: “I can just see you getting a ‘friend request’ and going, “Oh my God! No!””
I don’t know what other authors do, but when my husband, Joe, recently left for five days on a trip to Florida, I spent that uninterrupted, quality writing time with another man.