Don't Quit Writing When Things Get Tough

You are going to have bad days. I can promise you that! Everyone is going to have those days.

You will have days when you have every intention of writing that next chapter of getting a ton of pages written and yet, when you sit down at the computer, all you get is a blank screen staring back at you and taunting you, daring you to even come up with anything worthwhile to write. 

You will have days when you open your email and all of those queries you sent out that you knew would be favorable came back as "So sorry but NO!" 

You will have days when every life problem jumps in your face at the exact same time when you have all of the great ideas about your story and you can't even get near a piece of paper to write the ideas down.

So, do you quit? 

NO!

Just know good and well that tomorrow things will likely get better. Don't fight life. It will get in the way every now and then. I know it is frustrating right in the moment and there will be the temptation to scream and give up, but it is not worth it. Take a deep breath and relax. You will find time to jot those ideas down. You may find some time to get to that computer to at least get something written. It might not be much, but it may be something. 

Authors - Avoid getting sucked into the social media trap

We all get it. Social media can get addicting. And, before I go any further, I do want to say, there are a lot of good and positive things to be said about social media and what we can get out of it. We can stay connected. We can get some great advice from intelligent people. For me, as I am writing this, I can sit and enjoy someone who is walking around Walt Disney World in the sunshine while I am in the PNW where it is gloomy. 

HOWEVER...

For authors, this can be one of the worst places to hang out. 

You might be saying, "But Scott, this would be great for getting new readers and publicity!" Sure, it is a great place, but of course when you are out there, you also get a ton of people who just hate everything. You can say something totally positive or constructive and they will find some way to spin it in a direction that will ruin it for everyone. 

I think what is more discouraging is that single comment alone will ruin the flow you are in when you are writing. It might even be a single 3 star review, you know that simple "meh" review that is neither positive or negative will become the worst thing in your life ever.

And here is what will often happen. You get sucked in. You will want to respond. You will want to interact. And they want you to. 

So don't!

Just delete them. Block them. And do like I do. Turn up the volume to the parade that is coming down through Frontier Land right now and enjoy the music and keep on writing!

What Is NOT in right now!

OK, so you want trends? I can't give you those. What I can tell you are things that people are not really buying right now, or if they are, you dang well better bring something TOTALLY amazing. 

Mafia Dark Romances are going out of style - This is according to my 20 year old daughter who is a voracious reader and lives on BookTok! Can  you spin it? I think so, but you better bring something new.

Romantasy? - Right now, there is really only one big name author who has the market going. Another is trying hard to hold on but the readers on BookTok (thank you daughter) has said they don't care about the new books). At this point, everyone has done nothing but copy previous book stories, plots and trope. WE ARE EXHAUSTED!!!!!

Historicals - These are just a plain hard sell right now. Bridgerton killed the market. Readers today, I hate to say it, are not intellectual (yes, I know that sounds bad but they like easy fast reads with not a whole lot going on). I personally think that if you do Historicals it needs to be in WWII and more of a women's fiction spin but...

Women's Fiction - Sorry but mentioning Colleen Hoover is probably not the best approach right now. I am not saying she is a bad author, but... the drama she brings might not be what you want to attach to your stories. People want stories for their book clubs that they want to talk about. Do they want drama. NO, and I say that out loud! Oh, and here is a hint. Not every husband has to cheat on their marriage to get the story going.

New Adult - College kids sleeping around is a thing. I get it! But does this really make a great story? Um no. I wrote about this once before. What is the take away? If you want to do something like this, make sure you have a real message here. 

Now, here is my list of things I still do not like:

• I don't like band/rock star stories
• DO NOT pitch me duel POV stories
• If it is a time travel, the time travel MUST be integral to the storyline
• Don't pitch a Christmas story unless you are already an established Harlequin, Tule, or Hallmark author.
• Don't tell me your story is one thing and then change it when you submit. BE HONEST!

Taking Advantage of Networking Opportunities

In today's world, success is all about networking. It is about who you know and about getting your name out there. If you think about it, how many of you have heard friends getting jobs because of a friend making a connection for them. Heck, that was the original purpose of social media sites such as LinkedIn. As an author, this is something you need to invest in.

Unfortunately, too many authors simply do not do this. Part of the reason is that writing really is a solitary activity. Writers sit in their offices, working away on their laptops with their only friends being their characters on the page. The only time they may interact with someone is their critique group (if they have one) and their editors and agents (if they have those people). Outside of that, they are alone. 

Still, they are going to have to step out of that bubble and talk to people. The amazing part is, you never know where those people might show up. I remember someone talking early on with my work at Greyhaus mention this. If your neighbors don't know you are an author, you are already missing out. Sure, you might think that is TMI, but hey, if they know you are a writer, that is at least one more person who might read your book and post a review. They can be a part of "your street team." OK, I do get it when you might write erotica and you don't want you pre-school parents to know this, so leave them out, but tell everyone else.

Here is another example. One of my writers just got back from a small cruise. She was attending a chocolate and liquor tasting (OK, I want to be invited!!!!) and she started chatting with people around the table and her being a writer came up. So.... she tossed out her name but no one at the table knew her name. That's fine, there are a ton of writers out there. But then they asked for some titles to read so she tossed out a couple of titles that are doing really well and one of the women pulled out her phone. Lo and behold, one of the books was on her TBR pile at home. BINGO! NAILED IT!!!! She now has a new Reviewer! This woman had read several of her books and had loved the stories! They connected and they are off and running. 

Now here is an example of a failed networking situation. In one of my UCLA classes, I had two USA TODAY Bestselling Authors taking my class (they were doing so to get some ideas for an outside project they were working on). These two authors openly told the other class members who they were. I kept mentioning this is a great way to connect!

And no one did. 

Bummer. 

Did I? You better believe it!!!!!

The key is to keep your ears open and don't be afraid to ask. Who knows what might land in your lap!