Writing Distractions: Making Them Work for You!

> I was off to a great start this morning. Had an awesome night with my honey. Was up and attem' this morning, looking forward to the day ahead. Of course that included hitting my writing objective of 250 words in my current novel in progress.
>
> My butt hadn't even gotten settled in my chair, let alone my coffee cooled down enough for me to drink before my daughter called.
>
> "Mom!" She whined. "I'm tired of people around eating other peoples stuff!" she said referencing her stepdad and stepsister who have just as much rudeness in common as they do DNA.
>
> I diffused that fire only to have my honey call me complaining about something my son did to his daughter. A heated argument ensued which led to nowhere but an unproductive writing day.
>
> Almost.
>
> After wasting quite a few hours stewing over anger, being totally lost on the novel I was supposed to be writing, it finally dawned on me to let the subject of my anger fuel something productive rather than unproductive.
>
> An article/essay idea was born! I took a deep breath, brought up a blank document and began typing the intro on the subject matter of blended families.
>
> Of course I don't know when I'll finish the article/essay--I'm still working on a description essay about my first cruise vacation that I started a month ago. Still it was better to have started something productive, something that could produce income in the future rather than stressing over life's challenges.
>
> Next time life gets in the way of your creative flow, I encourage you to try writing about it simply for the sake of continuing the craft of WRITING!
>
> LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
> Author, Writer, Blogger
>
> Website: www.lajefferson.blogspot.com
>
> Blogs by me:
>
> L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
>
> A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
>
> All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
>
> Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com
>
> Surviving Work @ http://survivingmydayjob.wordpress.com
>
> Follow me on Twitter @lajefferson
>

Writing Friends Rock!

After last Saturday I decided that I need more writing friends or I need to spend more time with the ones I already have. A few of my writing friends and I attended a book fair, which was more like a writing workshop, hosted by the Wayne County Community College. Since the event wasn't sufficiently advertised, there was literally no traffic of book lovers to meet and greet with so we authors had a lot of time to do what we love second best to writing--talking about writing!

Talking about writing with non-writers is like talking about raising kids with people who don't have any. In most cases they don't get it or they don't care.

Although I know I'm not alone in this self-publishing struggle, it's easy to fee like I am. Oftentimes I see my writing buds on twitter promoting their work or themselves and I think, "Man, they've really got it going on." Behind that I say something like, "And you just suck." Speaking of myself, of course.

However, after a couple of hours talking about everything I'm comforted that some of them feel just as frustrated as I do. None of us thought that becoming authors was going to be this much work! Most of us fantasized about landing a huge contract with a major publisher and just sitting back bringing our stories to life while the publishing company does all the work pushing the book.

Not only is the none of our lives another writer I met at this event gave me a perspective of being under contract that I'd never considered. As a self-published author I am in total control of what I do or don't do. If I were under contract with let's say Simon & Schuster, that would be far from the case. I'd be mandated to their schedule, not my own. National interviews, local interviews, book signings across the country, etc. Sounds awesome on one end but not on another.

Would I really want someone else dictating my time with my kids? I enjoy the time I'm able to give my kids outside of my regular work hours. I like taking my son to his soccer practice and soccer games. I like taking my daughter to work, picking her up, etc. All that parenting is, I want on my terms.

Next, I picked up a tip about the benefit of writing in other genres. It's helpful with your main genre. And it really is. I hadn't planned it this way but over the last few weeks I've detoured from the novel I'm working on and have been working on an essay project. Honest to goodness, as I've been working on descriptions for the essay, I've been coming up with better descriptions for the novel! Soon as I get a chance to join this writer's writers group, I'm going to add that to my already jam packed schedule.

Lastly, without dragging this post longer than it already is, also I received a suggestion for how to finally get my book on kindle. Yes, I know its as easy as 1-2-3 but I'd run into a problem with my document that had me delaying the process UNTIL my little chat with my writing buds.

The essence of this story: keep your writing friends closer than all others. They're a wealth of support and experiences that can help you AND you will help them too.




LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
Author, Writer, Blogger

Website: www.lajefferson.com

Blogs by me:

L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com

Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com

Surviving Work @ http://survivingmydayjob.wordpress.com

Follow me on Twitter @lajefferson

Back on the Writing Grind--Maybe Not

Two weeks ago, I was on a good writing streak. A writing everyday kind of a streak, making real progress. Then I suddenly found myself involved in planning a wedding in a very short period of time so it's easy to imagine how distracted I became. Checking out venues, orchastrating the order of ceremony, looking at dresses, planning the reception, etc. Needless to say things started getting crazy real quick. In a matter of days I realized that it was a complete waste of time opening my document up on the computer screen because I couldn't write a thing!

When the madness finally came to an end I thought I'd easily get back on track. After a couple of days, I did. I was going back over a chapter that I'd previously completed but wanted to revise because of something I'd written in a chapter further down the road. According to this article I read here Write It Sideways I wasn't writing at all. My favorite foe procrastination had reared it's ugly head, which clearly explains the frustration I've been feeling over the past week or so. Running around in circles is what I've been doing.

This article inspired me to STOP! The scene I've been working on is still not perfect--but, will it ever be? Whatever the case, it's time to move on.

Hope you find this article as helpful as I have. This looks to be a very helpful site that I'll surely be putting on my regular reading list. What do you think?

Cookies & Milk--My Writing Weekend Reward

Considering I'm participating in two weight loss challenges, cookies and milk was not the best way to reward myself but they were yummy! If you're wondering why I'm rewarding myself, let me tell you. I had a fantastic writing weekend! It all began with the Motown Writers Network monthly meeting. First meeting I've been able to get to all year. Of course, I knew exactly what I'd been missing. Networking! Knowledge! Camaraderie!

We begin every meeting with introductions. Ironically it was because of this that I attended this meeting in particular. After 3 years of being a published author I should be better at this than I am but I'm still a bit withdrawn at times. In the days before the meeting I was admonishing myself to DO BETTER! Honestly, I have more opportunity than I care to admit to telling people about myself and my work that I don't take advantage of. I knew that I couldn't get out of it if attended the meeting because Sylvia Hubbard would have none of that. I absolutely love her!

At this months meeting, there was a presentation by Stephanie Lewis on graphic design and social media for authors. Overwhelming information! I'd be typing forever if I tried to regurgitate the information this young lady provided. Let's just say, I, along with every other author needs to step up our game. Our websites need to be formatted like that of world-renowned best selling authors! We must use social media to our advantage, Tweet and Facebook the RIGHT way to find SUCCESS.

I was so amped up by the discussions with my writing peers, I skipped the trip to the mall that I planned for after the meeting and headed to the coffee shop to finish a chapter I'd been struggling with and get started on the next one! You see, that's a great purpose for belonging to a writer's group! I always leave my buds motivated to step up my game! Can't wait until next month!

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
Author, Writer, Blogger

Website: www.lajefferson.com
Blogs by me:
L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com
Surviving Work @ http://survivingmydayjob.wordpress.com
Follow me on Twitter @lajefferson

Book Giveaway

Unfinished Business Book Giveaway!!!

We are just a few months away from the publication of Reconciliation to Hell and we're willing to spread some love if you're willing to spread the word...

We've started a contest; the first 50 new followers will be eligible to receive a free autographed copy of Unfinished Business and automatically be entered to win a copy of the upcoming sequel, Reconciliation to Hell.

If you would like a chance to win an autographed copy of Unfinished Business then visit both Unfinished Business and Chrystal's Corner and become a follower/member. Also leave the following message: "Reconciliation to Hell is coming." Include your email address so we can contact you.

Wait! Everybody is a winner because even if you're not one of the 4 selected winners you will still receive a special code to get an ebook edition of Unfinished Business for only $1.99. Hurry! This contest ends March 26, 2012.

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
Author, Writer, Blogger
Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/
Blogs by me:
L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com/

Follow me on Twitter @lajeffeson

Unfinished Business Reader Review

Check out this reader review then get your copy of Unfinished Business (e-book or paperback) today!

L.A. Jefferson

From: "HARRIS, NIKKI N" <nh1565@att.com>
Date: February 9, 2012 2:27:58 PM EST
To: "lajefferson1@yahoo.com" <lajefferson1@yahoo.com>
Subject: Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business provided an excellent storyline that kept me hooked until the end (Gotta love a surprise ending!!). The writer did a great job of feeding readers tidbits of information without spoiling the ending. Ladies, you will find the main character very easy to recognize if not in yourself then in someone you know! A Great Read that I highly recommend!

Take Care and Many Blessings Lacharmine!

Nikki Harris

L.A. Jefferson Accomplishing Goals in 2012

Accomplishing goals is not something I do well. At least not as well as I'd like to. Aside from acquiring my college degrees by the time my youngest child started elementary school, I did manage to accomplish the goal of publishing my book, albeit with no time frame in mind which explains why it was a 10yr plus project. Therein lies my challenge:  Meeting goals ON TIME. However, a change appears to be on the horizon for me. Forget that I didn't make my 12/31/2011 goal for having my manuscript complete, in recent weeks I have accomplished two important personal goals.

Posted on the wall of my cubicle at work is a to-do list that I created to keep myself on track. At the top of the list was submitting my application for the 2012 Kresge Artist Fellowship due February 1, 2012. My goal was to submit my app by Friday, January 27, 2012. True to form, I missed that date, but I was on it the day the application was due! Who knew applying for a fellowship would be so stressful??? Although I didn't submit on the day I planned, I still applaud myself for seeing the application process through, not giving up considering this would be my third opportunity to apply for the $25,000 prize since learning about this opportunity for literary artist in the metropolitan Detroit four or five years ago.

The second goal I've achieved is becoming a literacy tutor for the Detroit Public Library Adult Literacy Program. I'm a week premature in declaring myself officially but it's as good as done. The Detroit Public Library requires its tutors to complete a two day training, which for me began last Saturday and wraps up this coming Saturday.

While this second goal has little to do with my building my writing career or platform, it's even more special to me than being in the running for the fellowship. For years I've been wanting to combine my love for reading with my desire to make a difference in my community. Becoming a literacy tutor will allow me to accomplish that. Because of my busy schedule as a mother of two and author, I hadn't been able to commit to the two day training session until now. Of course, there were things that I could've done on one or both of these days. But this time I'd firmly decided that NOTHING was of greater importance the training this training.

Now all I've got to do is transfer that same level of committment to completing my novel!

Reconciliation to Hell....Summer 2012
Free Excerpt

Unplanned but Necessary Writing Break

It was the last week of 2011 and I was finally taking a full week off from my day job. Talk about a long time over do. For sure, I won't let that happen in 2012. Interestingly, I was looking so forward to the time off. Mainly because I was pretty fed up with walking into my office building everday, tired of looking at that same people, tired of the work, tired of the same back and forth trip downtown on the same expressways, tired of saying the same things to my children before and after school: Have a good day at school? and How was your day at school? Get the drift that I needed a break? Although most mom's that I work with dread being off work when their kids are on break from school, for me, their Christmas break was just what I needed. It wasn't them that I was tired of, but everything else!

Right before my vacation started, I had delusions of grandeur that I just might come close--somewhere close anyway--to getting closer to the end of my manuscript that I'd planned to finish by midnight December 31, 2011. Little did I know, I was taking a break from writing as well. A much needed break, it seems. Like I said, that wasn't the plan. It simply turned out that way.

The first two days of my vacation, I sought out rest and relaxation. Ultimate goal was to not leave the house! Goal achieved on Monday. PAUSE: Special shout out to my mom, especially, who I normally talk to everyday, for not even calling me on my first official vacation day. My cell phone didn't ring all day! Plus, neither one of my children asked to go anywhere. I think they new what mom needed, too. Tuesday, I wasn't quite as lucky. Just because my son received everything he wanted on his Christmas list, it still wasn't enough to make him want to stay behind closed doors two days in a row! At this moment, I can't recall where they actually got me to go, but it was out of the house!

A few times I pulled out my laptop to check out my manuscript in progress, my blogs, my newsletter in progress and got zilch! My head just wasn't there. Unlike other times when I'd taken time off work specifically to write, this wasn't one of those times. Instead I found it much easier to pick up a book. Lord knows I have enough unread books on my shelf. Just in time for the holidays, I started with a holiday inspired story by Kristin Hannah, Comfort & Joy, followed the latest Stephanie Plum novel Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. Both good books that I'll post my personal reviews of shortly.

Most of 2011 I spent writing, networking, and trying to promote my book. All good things, of course. However, this past week and even before that I realized how much I've missed reading. Thank God being an avid reader is just as important to being a great writer as writing is! As such, I plan to do a whole lot more reading (audio books included) in 2012.

What are literary plans for the new year?

L.A. Jefferson Wishes You a Merry Christmas

Wishing you blessings and love this holiday season!

L.A. Jefferson

Don't Beat Yourself up for Missing Deadlines

Here we go again. Another self-imposed deadline quickly approaching and I'm nowhere close to meeting it. Now, it's one of two ways that I can look at this. "LOSER!" I could yell at the reflection in the mirror. But is that really necessary? Am I really a literary loser? Surely, I'm not the only writer/author to miss a deadline, let alone a deadline she set for herself? Heck, I didn't even used to set deadlines! So I've come a mighty long way on this literary journey.

The other way is to simply enjoy the rest of the journey. I still have a whopping 18 days to get even closer to the goal of completing my draft of my latest writing project. And the best part is that I'm not giving up. It's kind of like NaNoWri month. As far as I'm concerned, I have until 11:59 P.M. December 31, 2011 to make this thing happen! Everyday that God blesses me with breath in my body, I'm going to pound some words out of my head onto the work in progress and pray it comes to completion soon.

Point is, don't beat yourself up if you miss your deadline. Embrace the journey. Celebrate what you do accomplishment. And keep going!

NaNoWrMo

Right now thousands of people are in the final days of the National Novel Writing Month Challenge (NaNoWrMo) where participants challenge themselves to complete a 50,000 word manuscript in the 30 days of November. Of course, I'm no stranger to this challenge having tried it for the first time last year. I didn't come close to meeting the goal but I was proud of myself for taking on the challenge. It's a very interesting experience. Unfortunately, this year, I've been hard at work on my upcoming novel, Reconciliation to Hell, which is a spinoff to my first novel, Unfinished Business, so I didn't dare try to take the challenge. What I did do, however, was challenge myself to meet the 50,000 word count for November on my project.

Nope. Didn't come close to the goal, but not for lack of putting forth great effort!

But, I did move farther along than I would have had I not challenged myself at all. So, the moral of the story is, DON'T BE AFRAID TO SET HEFTY GOALS! And CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT EVERY LEVEL!

While November is quickly slipping away, I still have my ULTIMATE goal of completing my manuscript by 12/31. So, my challenge continues...ROOT ME ON!!!



2011 Essence of Motown Literary Jam & Conf

Awesome! Energizing! Electrifying! Educational! Phonomenal! Fun! Long. Exhausting. Irreplaceable.

Above are only some of the words that come to mind when I reflect on the day spent at the 8th Annual Essence of Motown Literary Jam & Conference hosted by the Michigan Literary Network and Motown Writers Network. Founder of the conference and the network, Sylvia Hubbard, pulled it off again, with a host of volunteers, sponsors, vendors, workshop presenters, and panel discussion participants.

A few of my personal favorite presenters today included author and motivational speaker Monica Marie Jones, who was also having a book release party for her latest book Monday Motivations, Versandra Kennebrew, author, speaker, holistic teacher, and life coach, as well as national bestselling author of 13 books, Vincent Alexandria.

Now that I'm done with my literary shout outs, let's get to the literary lessons learned. Disclosure: A literary sistah could only spread herself so thin during the course of one day. There were lots of workshops to choose from. Below are few of my takeaways from the two workshops I participated in as well as a new activity added to the conference itinerary--60 minuted write-in (i.e. lock-in, but for writers).

Motivating Yourself to Market Your Book--Workshop 1 Facilitated by Monica Marie Jones

Perfect ones 30 minute elevator speech. Make your audience want to know more about you.

Fan the fire of your project. Get a buzz going about your book BEFORE its even finished. Easily achievable by having your book cover designed early and releasing it to the public. Blog regularly about yourself, your book, or subjects related to your book. Keep yourself on folks' minds.

Don't keep your deadline to yourself. Tell your readers when you plan to have your book completed. They will keep you on target by always asking, "How's the book coming? You almost done?"

Social Media for Authors--Workshop 2 Facilitated by Versandra Kennebrew

Utilize group lists on Facebook. Suggested groups for authors may include: fans, book club members, writers, PR professionals, virtual mentors (see description below)

Have Facebook Fan Pages targeted for each area you work in (i.e. fiction, nonfiction, motivation). In the case of our presenters, Versandra Kennebrew,  who is not only an author, but also a massage therapist, life coach, and holistic teacher, she has a Facebook fan page for each of these subjects to better engage her fans of those particular endeavors. The same should be for all authors. Create a fan page for each book you publish, every service you offer. Social media is all about connecting to as many people as possible!


Develop virtual mentors. Thanks to the power of the Internet you don't have to personally know people to learn from them. You can easily Google successful authors you admire and learn by watching. A good number of virtual mentors is 10 but you can have as many as you'd like.

Be a resource to others. It's to your advantage to help others. While you're helping them, in essence you're helping yourself. The more people who know you is greater exposure to the people in THEIR network. See how that works.

Have a target number of  Facebook fans and/or friends, Twitter followers, Blog subscribers. Without goals of where you want to go, you have no sense of growth for your business (your authors, hip, your blog, etc) or no sense of how well you're doing.

Write-In--Hosted by Venus Mason-Theus As much as I loved the workshops I participated in, this event was THE ONE I anticipated the most. It was simply a one hour free write session. Participants could start on a fresh piece or work on a project in progress. Considering I hadn't written anything on my upcoming novel the previous week, I NEEDED this hour. The goal was to write non-stop (no backspacing, no deleting, no minor editing). And what a benefit it was! In that hour, I added nearly 700 words to my novel. Plus, the exercise got my creative juices flowing for the rest of the day.

Needless to say, I had a great time! And I had company. My wonderful daughter was kind enough to man my vendor table while I was bouncing around in and out of workshops and networking, soaking up all of this knowledge! Isn't she adorable???

Yours in Literary Love,

L.A. Jefferson :)

Happy Halloween

Can you believe it's Halloween already? The last day of October! It's already my least favorite holiday--a fake holiday at that--but today it's a wake up call! On this last day of the month, I now have sixty one days to complete my upcoming novel. Did you hear me? Sixty-one days! That's not a whole lot of time BUT I'm up for the challenge! So while my coworkers are walking around reliving their childhoods, trick or treating around the office and oohhing and ahhing at each other's costumes, I'll be pounding on the keys of my computer bringing my novel thousands of words closer to completion.

Click here for an excerpt of what's next for L.A.

Celebrate National Book Club Month

Happy National Book Club Month!

Below is an article I found on how you can celebrate this wonderful month for books! Share your suggestions!

7 Book Loving Ways to Celebrate National Book Month

By Earma Brown


 October is National Book Month, according to the National Book Foundation. For me it's a book celebration all twelve months. As you may already know or can tell, I love books! I also love to honor and celebrate authors and help aspiring authors. It's a good time to honor and celebrate the authors in your life. What ways are you going to celebrate? I've come up with a few you might consider:



1. Join a book club. It's a great way to celebrate books and your literary inclined friends. Inside a book club, you can meet new friends and fellow readers of your favorite books. Most clubs choose a new book to read and discuss each month. If you want to ramp your reading up, join a book club and read a new book each month.



2. Read as a family. Use this month as the perfect month to encourage the whole family to read. Choose one to two chapters to read aloud, even three if you're ambitious. Our family did this for many years. We came to love and treasure the special moments our reading together created for us. Reading books together as a family will ignite the imagination tuner inside each of us. Even after our kids are gone, my husband and I still read together. In recent years, we now write together. Which I believe all started with us reading together as a family.



3. Swap your books. As a group, especially a writers group or book club you can meet and swap books. Gather the books you love but haven't read in years. When you meet, swap them with each other. You can organize your book swapping with a sign-in and sign out list. Or you can use the honor system. A group of friends on a low budget decided to do this with my books for sale at a writers conference. They each purchased the main book they wanted to read. Then later they swapped with each other to read the other books in the collection.



4. Have a book party. Everyone loves an excuse to party. Have a book party! This event is good for not just authors but book clubs, writer groups and even indie publishers. Invite your book loving friends and even your (not so much) book loving friends. Most people love a good party and you never know who has a secret passion for books. Be sure to prepare tasty treats and refreshments. Have lots of books on hand for your guest to browse. Consider hosting the party at a local bookstore or library. Offer support to a local author and invite them to give a talk about their work and the value of reading. Whatever you decide about your book party; relax and have fun.



5. Buy a book for yourself. Support the literary community. This month, go purchase the book you've been planning to pick up but never got around to it. Take the time to relax and read your favorite classic. I'm reading the Jane Austen classics. O.k., I am an unashamed girly-girl. Treat yourself and buy an eReader. This month is a good time to purchase the latest iPad, Nook or Kindle. A couple of years ago, when I purchased my Kindle I read more books in one month than I used to read in a year. I now think of what book I will read this month instead of this year. When I see a book I'm interested in reading, I immediately check to see if it's on the Kindle or available in a PDF format. I've found that some of my older PDF books that haven't been specifically formatted for the eReader, read just fine on my Kindle.



6. Buy a book for a friend. I still get excited when I receive a good book as a gift. Don't you enjoy getting a good book for Christmas? Although, these days I may have read it already. Since technology has changed the accessibility of books. It seems every book I think I want to read I go get it because of the eReader technology. I mean why not if I can access it so fast and easy. Even so, consider adding a book gift for a friend to your celebration.



7. Help an aspiring author. Do you know an aspiring author friend? Encourage them in their book writing quest. Buy the book of their favorite author and gift it to them. Give the gift of the now popular eReader or an upgrade to their existing device. You can show your support by investing in their training or computer system. Purchase their seat in a writing course, online or offline.



Above all enjoy the month of celebrating books. Discover or rediscover the joy of reading. Remember, inside a book you can meet new people, visit new lands, get good training or just plain old take a pleasant journey. Happy Book Month!


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Birthday Celebration

"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy birthdaaayyy to meeee!" Happy Birthday to me!"
Wow! I really enjoyed that--singing to myself even though I'm a couple of days early. My birthday is actually this Saturday, October 15th. Ironically it's also Sweetest Day, a holiday celebrated in states across the Midwest! Even if it wasn't my birthday, I'd still be looking to this Saturday. It's the 3rd Annual Book Club Mix & Mingle sponsored by the Michigan Literary Network, but it'll be my 1st time attending. As an author and a book lover, I'm pretty darn excited!

Is this the way I really want to spend my birthday? Absolutely! I can't think of a better way, in fact. The only thing missing is my family, but I'm going to get with them later.

Side Note: My daughter bought me the cutesy shirt that reads, "Future Best-Selling Author" You know I can't wait to rock my shirt at the event!

LaCharmine   (L.A.)Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/

My Blogs:
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

No More Excuses, Only Results

This past Saturday, October 8, I attended the monthly meeting of my beloved writers group, Motown Writers Network. I was so proud of my determination in attending the meeting--on time, at that! Go L.A.! Go L.A.! If my memory is correct, I haven't made it to one of our meetings since the early part of the year. Anyway, on to the point of this post. As is our custom at the beginning of the meetings, all in attendance introduce themselves and share their challenges & successes. For me, as I'm in the process of writing
my second novel, I found myself expressing the same challenge that I had when I was writing my first book, Unfinished Business , over 10yrs ago--writing the book!

Now that just shouldn't be the case! I know my writing mentor and Motown Writers Network founder, Sylvia Hubbard, gets tired of hearing me say the same thing. Heck! I'm getting tired of hearing me say the same thing. It's funny, though. I hear myself saying, "I've got to do so and so with the kids." "I find myself staring at the screen and not typing enough words." "Ive got a lot of outside activities that take up my free time." Blah, blah, blah. I know full well that every other writer in my circle and beyond have the same life obligations. If they can complete their manuscripts in reasonable timeframes, so should I, right? Not to compare myself to others, but I know that I can do better.

Actually, that's the whole point of attending the meetings. You can't attend and NOT be encouraged & inspired to DO better, regardless of your personal challenge. That's why my new motto for my writing life and beyond is, "No More Excuses, Only Results!

What about you? What challenges do you need to overcome?

LaCharmine Jefferson,
Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Paperback at http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/

Ebook at http://smashwords.com/books/views/40425
Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Twitter @lajefferson
Facebook @lajefferson

My Latest Writing Inspirations

As summer days crawl to an end, I'm gearing up for completing my 2nd major writing project. I'm hoping to complete the manuscript by the Christmas holiday season. Wish me luck! In the meantime, I've been filling my days listening to some very motivational writing books via Audible Books application on my iPhone. LOVE IT! Anyway, the first book I listened to was "The 30-Minute Commute" by stephanie Dickison. Ms. Dickison is a non-fiction writer on a variety of subjects including book and restaurant reviews, articles, essays, columns, profiles, etc. The book was a memoir about her writing life. Interestingly, I wasn't expecting that to be what the book was about--tells you alot about how I purchase books--but I was delighted, nonetheless. Immediately I was inspired by her recounting of the years she spent working at her day job and trying to find time in the evenings and on weekends for her writing life. I know ALL TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT! From there she goes on to explain how long she contemplated leaving the day job to writing full time. The most interesting and profound thing she said was something like this, "The time to leave ones day job is solely up to the individual. Most importantly, it's not for everyone. There are some writers who thrive off of having something else to do while writing and publishing on the side." So basically, the choice is for the individual writer. YOU choose how you want to live "the writers life!" The next writing book I purchased, which I'm currently listening to as we speak, is Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block. Now, I almost didn't buy this book because it was copywritten waaaayyyy back in 1981, but believe me when I say  its content are timeless. Right now, I'm up to chapter 9, which is all about beginner writers preparing ones self for rejection when sending out ones work for publication. Is this relevant in this "self-publishing" dominated publishing industry, you might want to know? I say yes! Because, quite frankly, self-publishing IS NOT for everyone! However, there's been one thing Mr. Block has said thus far which spoke volumes to me as an aspring SUCCESSFUL, WORLD-RENOWNED author! It was somewhere about Chapter 6 or 7 in which he's discussing whether or not an aspring writer--specifically college students, but aspiring writers just the same--should prepare for other career options as they work on their writing careers. Simply stated, Mr. Block contends that "preparing for another career when you know that you want to be a writer equates to preparing for failure as a writer." Isn't that powerful? I mean, sure, we all have to pay the bills as we pursue our writing goals BUT earning a paycheck to pay the bills is not the same as pursuing another career which will surely take a greater level of time and dedication, which should rightfully be allocated towards your writing goal IF you're serious about it. Basically, if you treat your writing as a side gig, that's exactly what it will be! After hearing those words, I made some decisions. For starters, I'm done pursuing promotions on my day job. The last thing I need is more work, responsibility, and stress during the day. My job keeps me busy enough while allowing some freedom and peace of mind to explore my writing. Secondly, I'm going to give up my Avon business. It's pretty senseless operating a business that's not making any money AND taking up pieces of my time that I could be using for my WRITING business! From now on I'm going to be writing like my life depends on it and you should too! If I come across anything else interesting in my listening I'll let you know. And feel free to let me know what you know good :)

Share your writing motivations! How are living your "writers" life?

Writing Software---What are Your Thoughts

Okay, so my little weekend haitus has come and gone AND I couldn't have enjoyed it more. For the first time, I didn't think--at least not that much--about writing or marketing.  I mean, let's be honest. From the moment you decide you, too, want to create entertaining tales along the lines of your fav authors, it's nearly impossible to read a book without some sidebar thoughts going through your head like, "Wow, where'd the author get the word from?" "Hmmm, I hope my characters are as clearly defined as these characters are." "Oh, I hope my readers are as engaged in my story as I am with this one." You know, stuff like that.

Anyway, prior to my weekend break from writing my mind got to churning about fiction writing software out there. At this particular moment--and any other moment, I'm sure--I can't think of where the thought came from, but I started Googling "fiction writing software" in hopes of finding something that assists with creating masterfully descriptive scenes. Admittedly, descriptive settings are one of my weaknesses. I'm more of a dialogue and plot focused writer.  Most writers probably are, but, heck, I don't know. Anyway, while I know that my writing can not and should not mirror anyone elses, I still want some masterfully descriptive settings in my work too! Is Fiction Writing Software the help I need? Or is simply an awesome editor that I need on my team???

Below are a few of the links---HALT! Scratch that. I found the perfect link to share. Not only does it contain some advice that I needed to hear myself whether the softwares are worth the cost, it also contains the softwares that I located through my Internet search and then some! Check it out.

 Writing Software

Sincerely,

L.A. Jefferson

Writer's Self-Imposed Weekend Timeout

That's right! I'm taking a break from the world of writing this weekend! I really need it, too. For the last couple of months I've really upped my writing game. Constructing & tweaking my book outline, blogging, tweeting, and researching all of the above. Seriously! Just about EVERY night when I'd get home from my day job, I'd open my document on my netbook and type something. And, that's a good thing. A VERY good thing, but it's also pretty darn exhausting! By far, I'm not complaining, but I can just feel it on the inside that it's time for a break.

Over the last few days, I've found myself yearning for some pleasure reading.  I've been nastolgic about my time in Hawaii, over 15 yrs ago, when my love for reading was reignited when my mom sent me two historical romance novels by an author who would become one of my favorites Beverly Jenkins , Vivid and Night Song. As clear as the screen before me, I can envision myself laying comfortably on the couch--while my daughter slept soundly or played with her soft blocks--soaking up the history, the romance, and intrigue of those books. Presently, I'm longing for that good 'ole feeling. You know that feeling you get when you read an incredibly well-written, entertaining book! Well, summer reading--this weekend, at least--here I come!

I'm starting with the long-awaited Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva by Victoria Rowell. I've heard nothing but good stuff about this book and am excited beyond measure to dedicate this weekend to the novel. I absolutely can't wait!

Writers Benefit from Taking Their Own Advice

Ever found yourself listening to the words that were coming out of your own mouth? Have you ever done so and thought to yourself, "Wow! You're one smart cookie!"

I've had a few such occassions. Most recently I was giving a pep talk to my teenage daughter about her (our) desire to lose weight. WAIT! Before you say, "Losing weight has nothing to do with writing" and you move on to the next blog post, hold on a sec. The advise that I gave her applies just as much to ones writing goals.

1. Starting out, don't focus on your longterm goals. Instead, set small, measurable goals. For weight loss that small goal could be something like eat a fruit or vegetable with each meal. For writing, it could be a goal of writing for 15-20 minutes each day.

2. Keep your focus on what you want out of this effort. Obviously, for weight loss the BIG picture is to lose weight, but this piece of advice is about the longer term goal. For a teenager, it may be to lose at least 3 dress sizes by prom, which is anywhere from 1-4 yrs. For a writer, it may be to make it on a national bestseller list. In order to do that, you have constantly work on your craft and network. This could mean taking writing classes in the areas where you may be weak. Seeking out honest critiques of your work--not from family and friends. Attend conferences & workshops. Start out with the free ones. There are plenty to choose from in just about every city!  Don't just write stuff for the sake of publishing. Write for the sake of perfecting your craft. The more involved you get, the more work you'll see is involved in making your literary dreams come true. But, if you stay focused on what you want out of this--whatever that is for you--there'll be no doubt it's worth every effort.

3. Don't compare yourself to others. When trying to lose weight, it always seems like everyone else around you can eat whatever they want, not workout, and still have awesome bodies. Now, when we see people like this, we don't know a thing about their genetic make-up, whether they're using weight loss supplements, whether they're throwing everything up when they get home, or whether they have a plastic surgeon's number on speeddial. Point is, you'll drive yourself totally mad trying to compare apples to oranges. It's no different with writing. Don't compare how many followers you have on Twitter compared to another author or how many readers purchase the books of another author at a book event compared to yourself. On the outside looking in, you don't know the struggle of that fellow author that has gotten them to the point where they are today. For all you know, you may be comparing yourself to an author who's been in the writing & publishing game for 10+ years compared to your 3. I'm telling you, just watch a few of those episodes of Behind the Music or Unsung. Take note that most superstars didn't start out that way. Many were signed to their record labels for years before they actually gained any notoriety. It's no different for writers. The most important thing you can do is keep working towards the longterm goals.

Taking my own advice, here are a few short-term goals that I'm working on:

Work on your book, blog, newsletter, website a minimum of 3 times per week.
Forget about self-imposed deadlines for your book, just keep working on it weekly 'til it's done!
Tweet at least once a day about your current book or upcoming book.
Retweet something interesting by another author.
Comment on another's authors' website, blog, or FB page.

Your Author Friend, L.A. Jefferson
Website: http://lajefferson.com/
Follow me on Twitter @lajefferson