Battling time....

Time, time, time, see what’s become of me....

This week it’s all about time and the battle for creative space.

Either bloggers and friends (and blogger friends ) are moaning about time suck or they are being held up as super people, for being super busy and still managing to write their novel, thereby showing the rest of us up.

So how do you set a realistic achievable goal of carving out space to be creative..? What has to give?

This question is one of the tough ones... right up there with global peace, renewable energy targets and finding the missing puzzle piece in my child’s room.

First, think seriously about what activities you are doing in your life? Can you drop something and devote that time to writing? If so great.

If not...Is there down time that you can mine....waiting in the car for children to finish activities... (I try to scribble plot points and scenes down in my writing pad...when stuck with this activity.)

Can you get up earlier... go to bed later....? (heck no... family will complain as monster from hell needs 8 hours at least.)

Unplug the phone...disconnect the internet....shut the door on the world...gag the preschooler...

When you do find the time then you have to have the dedicated space...it helps if you have a regular writing corner... (move the washing from it...) now sit down and WRITE.

AND STILL THOSE LITTLE DISTRACTIONS KEEP INTERFERING....

What to do...

Well Dr Wicked has the answer.

Shelftalker recently profiled the WRITE OR DIE programme from Dr Wicked.

You can use Write or Die for free online, or pay $10 and download the program. The download version has some perks: customizable font and font color, a fullscreen mode, the ability to keep the window on top of all other windows. You can also choose to disable certain functions on your computer—like the backspace button—to further motivate you to keep writing. No backspacing! Ack! That’s great for those endless line-by-line polishers who never seem to make it to the second chapter, or the ends of their novels; not that I personally have any experience with that. Ahem.You can also alter the consequences. Oh, okay, I’ll spill a little here. Let’s say you stop typing for more than five seconds. You can either stick with the violin skreeks or crying babies Dr. Wicked has programmed into Write or Die to annoy you back into writing, or you can set up something even worse: for example, an mp3 of a song you hate..

Shelftalker also profiles another programme that freezes up your computer only allowing you to do certain applications...available for Apple users called Freedom.

If you are being honest with yourself and you find that writing is giving way to social media exploration here are a few tips from Social Media Examiner that can help you deal with social media to stop it being a time suck...basically decide what you want and why. They also have a nifty post on finding the time to take part in social media....

It is a great day when I get an hour to write but I do feel happier... the unfolded laundry, and dusty surfaces are justified because I was WRITING.

and ten points on the oneupmanship scale if you recognise the first words of this post.....

maureen

P.S. Philipa Werry has joined the New Zealand author website community with her very cool website...so thats what you were doing over summer...nice....

Publicity heaven...

This week I have been thinking about publicity...when and how you go about letting people know that you are here.

This all came about because an organisation I know decided to have an open day....

This is a wonderful opportunity to show people what happens in our building was the internal memo to all the building residents.

“But who will come to the open day,” I asked innocently to an inmate of this building.

People who are interested in what people in this building do.

“But this building is ugly. You can’t find the front door because it is on the opposite side of the building from the car park. There is no reception. There are three floors of doors to national offices and a communal lunch room at the back on the second floor,” I said matter of factly.

People might still be interested.

“What is your publicity hook? What’s in it for them? Why would someone bother to come into the middle of the city where you can’t get a park (coz you won’t get one outside your building with the two visitors car parks which are never empty) to visit you?” I asked belligerently this time...because this was looking like an exercise in futility.

People might still be interested.

“Who is this people? Who are your target audience?” I asked pointedly

Um not sure. Anyway we’re having it. The general manager has already advertised it (without telling anyone beforehand) None of us knows what we are doing on this day so we’re just going to be working and prepared to speak to anybody who wants to talk to us in our capacity of national organisation.

“Yeah right.”

There will be pancakes....I think...

Can you see some of the problems here in this attempt at raising a profile.
No targeted audience.
No onboard involvement from the people it directly affects.
Nothing new to tell anyone.
No carrot to bring in the people....there were free pancakes as it happened...the buildings inmates enjoyed a nice lunch and some waifs and strays did too...courier drivers...the odd person who had to be there for an appointment...and discovered an open day.

Plan your publicity carefully. Have a reason. Why do you want publicity? It could be a new book...a reprint...a book launch... Your best friend, visiting author, minor celebrity, really interesting person... is coming to town and you want to celebrate with an event.

Let everyone in your target audience know...many times...make it a must be there event...

Generate gossip, if you have no publicity budget.

Think creatively.

Have a definite hook and involve everyone in planning and promoting from the beginning.

Have a timeline and work backwards from the event so that you allow yourself plenty of time to generate buzz.

Giveaways, competitions, free food, buskers...all add to the atmosphere...

Authors can write their own publicity packs. They can involve their target audience...head for the library and offer to do something public...Design a tee-shirt to promote my next book...signed copy and free food prize...then get the library to promote it by telling the local papers...win win...

Here is a sample of the different things you can do. Read Marcia Yudkin on how to get started.
Read Vocalist on the nuts and bolts of putting something together...(if you have a budding muso in the house this site is great) and go here if it all gets too hard and you want to throw money at the problem to make it go away.

In geek news I had a sneak peek at the inside of Carter Observatory today. Carter reopens in March with a brand new planetarium...even tho the builders are working, I felt like I was on the set of Star Trek...aaaaaaaahh geek heaven. (they just need to add the sound effects on the doors...)

maureen
pic is from foxnomad. com...they have a cool quiz to see what kind of star trek crew member you travel like....