SPA Girls Podcast – EP70 – Productivity Hacks for Writers
Feb21

SPA Girls Podcast – EP70 – Productivity Hacks for Writers

This week we give some of our best writer productivity hacks – ie a big ole list of tips to increase your productivity, based on things that we do each week to help us write more!

From exercise tips and the best writing apps to use, to setting routines and ways to stay in the flow, we give you the best tips that we could find to help keep you writing!

 

Preparing your mind and body

Wendy – She goes through the process every morning a routine getting her head ready by doing the things that need to be done.She uses a rake/piranha mat! Apparently helps her focus. Intense pain initially then a warm fuzzy feeling. (yeah, right)

Shar – Has also got the mat – WTH? Uses the Headspace App on her iPhone first thing in the morning for 10minutes guided meditation. Calms anxieties. Keeps her focused and makes getting on with work much easier.

Cheryl – Gets up and has breakfast, treadmill, stretches and then back to work for five days a week. If you sit a lot then you need to stretch a lot.

Trudi – No real regime but eats properly and does Karate to unwind.

Find things that you can use to move on and calm your busy mind.

 

Experimentation

Trudi – Followed Wendy’s lead by writing in the evenings by her husband with headphones on. Made her hugely productive and now they watch less TV. Also, now gets up early and find this is a better time of day to write. Is more productive.

Had an app for a year that measures how long you are on each program! ( Very big brother)

Cheryl – The queen of lists, she tries to schedule things that I can achieve in the time available. I find being flexible helps when you have more, or less, time that you thought.

I write at my PC in my office – sitting or standing. I edit at the kitchen table with a printed manuscript, a highlighter and pen plus a water bottle. It keeps me on the seat and off social media.

Shar – Likes to observe, so keeps track of how she is feeling when and where she writes. Turns out it’s anywhere but her desk is more creative for her.

Tried cafes and libraries with mixed results.

Different ways to write. Timed, working with other people in sprints, hand written, PC or Neo.

Broaden your horizons by trying something new.

Wendy – Needs a clear head – likes to be fresh so she can write anytime of the day. Will put away her work if it turns to rubbish. Writes better in the morning and edits in the afternoon.

Be aware of when you need to get off electronic devices so that you can relax before bedtime.

 

Routines

Experiment and find the best for you.

Just because something worked or works most of the time, doesn’t mean you can’t change.

Use a diary, post its or lists every day.

 

Distractions

Shar – Justifies social media as it is part of her job so needs to turn of modem and stay away from social media. Uses an alpha smart Neo which is not connected and is battery operated.

Accept you need help to do this sometimes.

Trudi – Struggles to get off Social Media

Wendy – Her distraction is different to normal people – she has to force herself to stop writing (we hate her!) and spend time on social media and other aspects of the business.

Uses noise cancelling headphones, but could write at an airport!

Cheryl – Distractions come in many forms and Cheryl gets busy with the family. Grandchildren are huge time sucks, but enjoyable, therefore compromises must be made and occasionally the word no is used when it comes to babysitting.

 

Set Daily Priorities

Cheryl – Uses a Diary for daily work and checks the day before. It’s a good idea to get your bug bears done first thing in the morning. Has a list for absolutely everything! But keeps them all together.

Trudi – Has a list so that she doesn’t have to remember things from the day before.

Shar – Has outlook tasks set up but is overwhelmed by what she has to do, she writes about three things on a post it notes and if she does those priorities she’s a happy camper.

Wendy – Also uses lists and a diary.

 

Training Yourself to work anywhere in any mood

Cheryl – Can write in sprints with friends but can’t work in front of TV. Competitiveness.

Trudi – Prefers silence but is training herself to not use her headset. Believe s you can train yourself to write anywhere if you really need to.

Wendy – Uses music to fit her book but can and does write anywhere at any time.

Shar – Has worked in noisy offices and also believes you can write anywhere.

 

Planning what you are going to write each day

There’s nothing worse than looking at a blank page with no idea what to write next.

 

Setting Targets – Daily or weekly

Just set a target, any target. Word count, pages, a scene, a chapter anything that works.

Make it achievable but push yourself a little.

Book in edits or other deadlines so that you can break your work into

 

How to stay in the flow

No-one wants a saggy middle. 😉 Understand when you are most creative – that’s the time you’ll be in the flow. You may need to retrain yourself!

Use a sentence or a paragraph from the day before that sets you up for the next scene or chapter.

Use dragon dictation, Notes on your phone and at the very least a notebook and pen.

Write from start to finish.

‘The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do.’

2k to 10K – Writing Efficiency

Rachel Aaron http://rachelaaron.net/series.php?SID=4

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP69 – Top Ten Romance Novels of All Time
Feb15

SPA Girls Podcast – EP69 – Top Ten Romance Novels of All Time

In honour of Valentine’s Day, the SPA Girls fought it out to come up with our list of the Best Romance Novels of All Time. Listen to this episode to see if you agree with our choices… 🙂

 Wendy’s picks:

Ransom, Julie Garwood                                                             http://amzn.to/2kNvpph

Angels Fall, Nora Roberts                                                          http://amzn.to/2kNHuLd

Mine Til Midnight, Lisa Kleypas                                             http://amzn.to/2kTNzrW

The Duchess War, Courtney Milan                                      http://amzn.to/2kYJ7YA

Trudi’s picks:

These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer                                     http://amzn.to/2kxBXtD

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell                                                           http://amzn.to/2kYHeLq

Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen                                             http://amzn.to/2kTWJ7T

Mercenary Instinct, Ruby Lionsdrake                                http://amzn.to/2lwwqlC

 

Cheryl’s picks:

Bridget Jones’ Diary, Helen Fielding                                   http://amzn.to/2k8A2gG

Outlander/Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon                        http://amzn.to/2kxLCRf

Me Before You, Jo Jo Moyes                                                     http://amzn.to/2kYSw2u

Ain’t She Sweet, Marie Force                                                  http://amzn.to/2kNBrXc

 

Shar’s picks:

Devil’s Bride, Stephanie Laurens                                          http://amzn.to/2kTTxch

Dream Man, Linda Howard                                                      http://amzn.to/2lwDmiX

Slave To Sensation, Nalini Singh                                           http://amzn.to/2kYZaWy

Secrets On The Sand, Roxanne St Claire                            http://amzn.to/2lpB5Jt

 

 

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP68 – Etiquette for Authors
Feb12

SPA Girls Podcast – EP68 – Etiquette for Authors

This week we decided to talk about etiquette for authors; or how to talk to other authors, your fans and your service providers, especially online.

It’s easy to get carried away, to start acting badly in the online space, and we wanted to give you a few tips on how to keep your online relationships strong and healthy. It’s all about treating people as you would like to be treated yourself – a good mantra to use everywhere in your life. 🙂

Be kind to each other. Respect the differences in all of us.

Dealing with people face to face is entirely different from online. Face to face, you can read both body language and expressions. You can see if you are boring them to tears of if you have insulted them!

Online is different. The tone we think we are putting into a post does not always appear that way to someone else, and your meaning can be misconstrued.

If you don’t want it written on your front gate, don’t put it out there (Social media platforms)

You may write the same genre as another writer you know, and that’s great, but your views may differ. Respect each other, and if you have a difference of opinion or don’t relate well to another person, then keep your distance. Do not even think about slandering them online! It will be there for a very long time if you regret it… and you will.

If you have never contacted another writer before, and suddenly appear up on their FB page, asking them to review or promote your book, that’s not a good look. Be a good community member, and others will start to reciprocate. Make contact first, or post positive responses to their posts.

Don’t do to others what you would hate done to you.

If something gets you hot under the collar, sleep on your reply. Don’t retaliate while you’re angry because once it’s out there, you can’t take it back!

Tim Grahl says, ‘be relentlessly helpful!’

Be kind to your readers. They’ve taken the time to buy and read your book, take the time to thank them if they contact you.

Don’t respond to reviews! Good or bad, just leave them alone. There is no win there for you, especially when you are defending your book against a negative comment.

If you are paying someone to do work for you, then pay them on time!!! Also, treat them with respect. This is vital in this industry. If you are using a service provider, again and again, they will be more likely to help you with a deadline, rush job, if you have respected and paid them on time.

If your cover designer, editor or whatever, is asking for information from you, then give it in a concise way. They are not going to read your book, so you tell them what you want.

 

Do your due diligence, find out what kind of edit you want, and how it works. What should it cost? Make sure you have this information, and then there will be no surprises when the product is ready, and you are invoiced.

Remember Karma – good or bad luck, viewed as resulting from one’s actions. 

Be a good community member!

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP67 – Common Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Feb02

SPA Girls Podcast – EP67 – Common Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Wendy, Cheryl and Trudi talk through some common writing mistakes and give suggestions for how to avoid making them yourself.

Based around Jack Bickham’s book, The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, we talk on topics from not making excuses, lecturing your readers, dropping alligators through the transom (don’t worry, we figure that one out), stopping too soon, giving up and not just sitting there.

Filled with some great advice this is another fabulous episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. 🙂

Don’t make excuses!

-We can all make excuses, and find reasons why we don’t want to do something.

Wendy is good at this, so she makes herself write everything daily in her diary. And she must tick everything off at the end of the day, and have a good reason why it’s not done, if she hasn’t completed her tasks.

-Get organized. Make lists of what needs to be done daily.

-Put the things you don’t want to do first, and do them when you sit down at your computer in the morning.

-Take if from Wendy, you’ll feel better when it’s done.

What about if your excuse is a good one?

-Break down your day into hours, and find some time to fit your writing in there. Even an hour, thirty minutes. FIND THE TIME!

-Be prepared for when you do have writing time. Get notes jotted down of what you want to write. Use your time well and efficiently, rather than steering at the screen blankly.

-Get up 30mins earlier to write.

-Train your family to know when is your writing time, they’ll get used to it!

 Don’t Duck Trouble

-Don’t write a nice story where everything is ‘happy ever after’ from the start with no conflict. BORING!

-You need your readers to emphasize with your characters. You can make them bad, but don’t make them unlovable, show the reader glimpses of vulnerability, and why they are like they are.

-Conflict does not mean add more fight scenes. We’re talking internal/external conflict that is there from the start and builds to a resolution.

Don’t Lecture Your Reader. Don’t Let Your Characters Lecture Your Readers.  Don’t Be a Windbag.

-Don’t dump a lot of information in a block that will put the reader to sleep. Feed it in verbally, or in small steps.

-Don’t lecture your readers in your books because you have a belief you want to share. Unless it’s important to the story leave it out.

-You are entertainers, so entertain!

-You only get one shot at hooking a reader, don’t ruin it by boring them to tears.

-Be topical but not preachy.

-Show don’t tell.

Don’t Ignore Professional Advice (don’t cut corners). Don’t Take It to The Club Meeting

-Make sure your product is the best it can be. Listen and learn to what resonates with you. Get it right from the start. You only get one chance to hook a reader, as we have constantly told you.

-Yes, you will get a lot of advice. Sift through it and use what works for you. People tell you to write, write, write. But if you publish substandard work, you will lose readers, not gain them. So find the rhythm and process that works for you.

-Pick you close writing friends closely, because not everyone will be on your side.

Don’t Stop to Soon. Don’t Give U., Don’t Just Sit There.

-Keep going, don’t stop at three chapters. The middle can be difficult, but persevere, and get that first draft down.

-To make it in this business, perseverance and determination are a must.

-Be proactive.

-Don’t be arrogant and think you know everything.

-Don’t just sit back when you publish your first book, because you think it’s the best book ever written. Chances are others won’t. Look at this as the long game, get on with your next masterpiece!

-Start making your career happen.

Links

Transom meaning-

the flat surface forming the stern of a boat.
  • a horizontal beam reinforcing the stern of a boat.
  • a strengthening crossbar, in particular one set above a window or door.

Jack Bickham

https://www.amazon.com/Most-Common-Fiction-Writing-Mistakes/dp/0898798213

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