Word Praize

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

A note from Camy:

Well, it’s been fun for the two years I’ve been doing this column, but life (in the form of a debut novel releasing in September) has a habit of getting in the way of things. This will be my last column. Thanks for joining me these past couple years. Write on!

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Learning to get into the writing zone

I talked about left and right brain roles for writing in a previous article.

Left brain is more analytical, right brain is more creative. It's often very difficult to switch between the two completely. Usually when you switch from analytical to creative, you're not 100% into your creative mode--there are vestiges of analytical thinking going on.

That's why it's often difficult to be as creative when writers switch between editing and writing, editing and writing. The analytical side--editing--doesn't fully relinquish brain energy to the creative side for writing.

However, switching quickly--and more importantly, more completely--between sides can be trained, to an extent. This is especially important for busy writers who juggle different duties and tasks.

Set an alarm clock (your watch alarm, phone alarm, PDA alarm) at odd hours during the day. When that alarm goes off, drop everything and write for 8 minutes. Grab whatever's handy--pen and paper, computer, word processor. Immerse yourself in some scene in your current WIP.

It will be really hard, at first. If you have to write nonsense or the same words over and over, then just do it. But eventually you'll shift into right-brain creativity. And the more often you do it, the faster you'll be able to automatically switch.

Keep writing!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part four:

These days, there are plenty of ways to keep learning your writing craft through classes on the web.

Writing articles

Usually, I don’t have a lot of time to read, but I do have a few minutes here and there. Online writing articles are great for those snatched minutes.

I will often go to large writing website like Writing-World.com and Charlotte Dillon’s resources for romance writers that have tons of links to different articles. I pick a couple and read them during a break at work or while the stew is simmering on the stove.

Other times I’ll bookmark an article I come across and save it to read later. I have a bunch of articles in my browser bookmarks.

Another good place to go for articles is the Writing Tips GoogleGroup. The group is a notice-only group that gives links to writing articles every day. You can either receive the emails or go no-mail and only check the articles when you have time.

Free online writing workshops

If you belong to any organization like American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) or Romance Writers of America (RWA) and any of the RWA chapters, there are usually lots of online writing workshops given by members and available to other members to read.

ACFW has all their online workshops saved in their website archives.

For RWA, if you belong to any of the chapters, they usually have a section of their website devoted to online articles their members may have given. Or they might have a YahooGroup or GoogleGroup that was used for an email workshop, and you can check the email archives or the file sections for the lessons.

Typically, online workshop lessons are short and sweet. Take advantage of their length to read one or two lessons while you have a quick moment here and there.

You can also read short discussions on writing or critiques at Barnes And Noble Book Clubs/Writing clubs and the at Writer’s Digest forums.

Fee-based online workshops

Sometimes, I enjoy committing and paying for an online workshop so that it’ll encourage me to keep up with the lessons. These workshops are typically only for a set number of weeks, so you know that if you can block off time during that time period, you can get back to your regular scheduled life afterwards.

Many RWA chapters host fee-based online workshops, although for some workshops you must be an RWA member, or chapter member, or both. Here are a few chapters who give monthly workshops:

Kiss of Death chapter COFFIN workshops (College of Felony and Intrigue), which offers both murder/suspense related classes and general writing informational classes.

Hearts Through History (click on HHRW Mall, then Campus)

Low Country Romance Writers

RWA Online chapter From the Heart Romance Writers chapter

Orange County Romance Writers chapter

There are several other chapters who give workshops. Check the Online Workshops section of the Romance Writers Report.

There are also pricier options like WritersOnlineWorkshops.com put on by Writer's Digest.

Whichever option you like best, utilize the web to keep learning and perfecting your craft!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part three:

As writers, we need to constantly keep up with marketing industry, as well as constantly improving our craft. But the day only has 24 hours!

Blogs are like short online articles. If you're selective about the blogs you read, you can be very efficient about keeping up with the writing market and learning more about craft and marketing.

Most blogs have an RSS feed, or you can use a service like Feedblitz and have the blog's new posts e-mailed to your Inbox. They only take a few minutes a day to read and they can help keep a busy writer informed.

There are TONS of blogs out there, entertaining, informative, or both. Here are a few writing blogs:

Brandilyn Collins delves into various aspects of writing craft and business in her Forensics and Faith blog.

Terry Whalin writes blog posts from the perspective of an industry professional.

J.A. Konrath talks about self-promotion and marketing on his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing.

ChiLibris, a group of Christian novelists, has a group blog called Charis Connection where they discuss all aspects of the writing life.

Bethany House editor Dave Long discusses fiction on his popular blog, Faith In Fiction.

Novel Journey is a fabulous blog run by Gina Holmes, Ane Mulligan, and Jessica Dotta where they post interviews with other authors and marketing tips.

CAN (Christian Authors Network) has a marketing blog for writers.

The Barbour Publishing editors have a blog called The Edit Café which is a fun read as well as insight into the day-to-day workings of a publishing house.

Lynne Scanlon, a consultant in marketing and special sales to Barnes and Noble, blogs about the publishing industry at The Publishing Contrarian.

Jana Reiss, the Religion Book Review editor for Publishers Weekly, blogs at The Review Revolution.

Agent Chip MacGregor, who used to be publisher for FaithWords/Warner Faith, and who was an agent even before doing that, talks the bare truth about writing and publishing in his new blog at ChipMacGregor.com.

There are lots of other blogs, as well. Surf around the blogosphere—especially writers’ blogs, where they often list the blogs they visit the most.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part two:

Invest in workshop CDs and tapes. These can get very pricey, but if money isn't as much of an object to you, this is a perfect way to learn oodles of information. Also, the prices of workshops are going down. Many conferences offer all the workshops on MP3 for about $100-$150, which is a deal.

I have bought recordings of workshops I've both attended and not attended at writers conferences, so that I can review what I had sat in on, and learn something new from the workshops I couldn't make it to. Listening to a workshop several times can take the place of writing down notes.

It is also possible to order workshops from conferences you haven't attended: go to conference websites and check if the recording studio sells recordings after the conference ends. Most do.

For example, American Christian Fiction Writers 2006 conference in Dallas, TX has all their workshops still available for sale through the recording studio, Conference Media, at http://www.cmc-net.com/docs/conferences.html.

With the advent of iPods and other MP3 players, an audio recording of a workshop or an MP3 file of a workshop can be brought with you wherever you go. There are lots of inexpensive MP3 players and accessories to allow you to take your player with you no matter what you’re doing..

I’ve listened to workshops while standing in line at stores and the post office.

I have also hooked up my iPod to an FM transmitter so that my MP3s can be heard through my car radio and I can listen to workshops while I drive around. This is great for whether it’s a short trip to the grocery store or a long commute to and from work.

An MP3 player is small enough to be able to wear while doing housework or washing dishes.

On the rare occasions I actually exercise, I listen to workshops while I walk the dog.

If you’re into scrapbooking, knitting, or any other solitary crafting activities, workshops on MP3 are terrific to listen to without distracting you from the task at hand. I listen to workshops while I make cards.

Be creative! You could probably think of many places and situations where you could listen to a workshop on an MP3 player.

Next month: Learning from blog articles.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Sorry I’m a little late this month, but better late than never, right?

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part one:

Best-selling suspense author Brandilyn Collins once said that she is constantly learning the writing craft. This made an impression in my heart like a seal in a glob of wax. This kind of attitude from a successful writer reminds me that there's always more for me to learn.

Writing books. Everyone has a stack that people have recommended to them. Dig in.

However, if you find a book isn't doing it for you, don't waste time. Chuck it and start another one. Life is too short to waste on a non-useful book.

Research books. I also read books related to my brand and my genre. Since I write chick lit, I read other chick lit books, both Christian and mainstream. Since I write Asian American characters, I’ve picked up a few Asian American studies books.

If you’re targeting a certain genre such as contemporary romance, then read those books, if only to figure out what the editors are looking for.

It’s also possible to see how far the editor or publishing house will push by reading their books and studying the issues dealt with, the level of violence or sexuality, the language allowed.

Writing magazines. Short articles are gems because you can usually finish in about 5-10 minutes.

Writing workshops on CD or MP3. More about this in part two next month.

How to find time to read?

Sometimes you have to just carry the book or magazine around all day with you and read in five-minute spurts--while waiting to pick up the kids from school, during commercials, etc.

I keep a writing magazine in the car so that anytime I'm surprised by a random segment of time, I have something productive to read.

I am not ashamed to admit it, I keep a writing magazine and a writing book next to each toilet in each bathroom in my house, so that no matter where I’m sitting, I have something to peruse. I also stick a magazine next to the couch in the TV room so that I can sift through the articles during commercial breaks.

These scenarios are where the short articles in a magazine come in handiest. Often a chapter in a writing craft book is just too long.

You can also set aside one hour a week (actually schedule it in your planner so you don't skip it or do something else) for reading a writing book or magazine.

One option is that if you have a lunch break, read a writing magazine or book while you eat. Sure, it’s not very sociable, but not eating lunch with your coworkers a few times a week isn’t going to make you a pariah.

If your kids have a nap time or a quiet time, or even during a time out, read an article or a chapter in a book. Or if they have a program they’re engrossed in, snatch a few minutes to catch up on your magazine articles.

Look for times during your day that you can sneak in a few minutes to read. Sometimes those few minutes aren’t really long enough to zip to your computer and churn out a paragraph, but they’re long enough to skim an article.

Next month: Workshop CDs and tapes.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel releases in September from Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part two:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Run away! Run away!

If you have kids, dependents or spouse who won't stop pestering you, sometimes you just have to take 15 and go somewhere else: garage, backyard, bathroom (don't laugh, many writers retreat to the porcelain throne for a few minutes of quiet).

Try to find SOMEWHERE people can't find you, or a place too tedious to get to so they won't chase after you with minor issues.

Don't spend too long if you're a caregiver--set a timer for 15-20 minutes--but find that place of retreat for your sanity and your writing productivity.

Also, prepare in advance--place your pen and notebook in your retreat space, or your laptop computer, or a few writing books you intend to read. That way you can just jump into whatever you intend to do for those few minutes.

Keep pens and notebooks everywhere.

If you get a magnificent idea while changing the baby, you'll be glad you tucked that pen and notepad on the changing table. When you have a free moment, you can transpose it into the computer (and even expand on it).

Many writers tuck those notepads absolutely everywhere--purse, bathroom, car, living room, kitchen, bedroom (even the kids' bedroom, sometimes), porch, laundry room. They're very inexpensive and will make you feel profoundly grateful the next time an idea hits at an inconvenient moment.

Be sure to have a pen attached or nearby. Some writers get the small spiral-bound pads and slip a pencil into the spirals. You can also tape a pen by it's cap onto the notepad cover or backside.

The one place I have a hard time keeping a notebook is the shower, which is ironically where I get my best ideas. I’ve solved that problem with those bathtime soap-crayons they sell for children. When an idea hits, I grab one of those and write on the bath tile walls—I make sure I write on the tile or someplace washable, and I make sure I write above the shower line or water line so it doesn’t get rinsed away. Later, I can transpose and wash the soap off the tile.

I also hate fumbling for the light when that infamous 2 a.m. idea hits. I’ve solved that problem with lighted pens. Sometimes they’re just novelty pens that have fiber optics, other times I’ve seen them referred to as night time golf pens or the pens used by traffic cops at night. Regardless, they light up when you click them on and illuminate the page. I keep them near my bedside with a pad of paper.

Just write.

Who cares if you got only 50 words today? It’s 50 more than nothing. Just keep at it.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part one:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Try a timer.

Some writers set a timer, and the kids and spouse know that until that puppy goes off, DON'T BOTHER THE WRITER. This can give you a few minutes of uninterrupted time, while the kids don't feel neglected because they're just waiting for the timer to go off so they can bombard you.

Learn to write despite the ruckus.

Some writers have actively trained themselves how to tune out the noise and bustle and write in the midst of screaming kids. If you think you'd like to try this out, first go in small steps:

1) Take a timer and set it for 10 minutes. Plop yourself in the middle of whatever domestic chaos-field you own and try writing. Once the timer goes off, you're done. Don't try to go for longer.

2) Try this every day. Increase time increments each time, or each week, whichever you're most comfortable with.

This incremental method will allow your brain to slowly adjust to the noise levels, and learn how to focus and concentrate despite them. This is something I learned from my martial arts classes: the brain's ability to focus CAN be learned, but slowly.

You can't jump into a new concentration exercise and expect to immediately be able to narrow your focus--it takes more brainpower than you realize. However, slow training over several days or weeks can allow the brain to sharpen focus despite distractions.

Once you've learned to write despite the noise around you, still make an effort to take a break once a week and go to a coffee shop, or out onto the porch, or to the park. This will help your mind rest and refresh you for more focused writing.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Time-saving equipment

What to do when you're busy with work deadlines and a starving family?

For a pre-planner:

Spend a day cooking and freezing family meals. This can be even a month in advance of the deadline. There are tons of recipes online, or try Cyndy Salzmann's book The Occasional Cook.

This does require some freezer space, and if that's at a minimum, then select certain recipes. Choose meals where you can do some pre-cooking for parts of it, and then the rest only requires a quick zap in the microwave, or chopping some veggies, or opening a few cans.

Soups are great recipes to do ahead of time. Sometimes you can do a little pre-cooking or assembling of everything that needs to go into the soup. Then freeze the ingredients so that when you're ready to make it, you just dump in some water or canned broth and heat it on the stove.

Crockpot(s):

The crockpot is a wonderful, marvelous, life-saving invention. If you're a crazy-busy mom, you can skip some of the browning steps (gasp!) and just throw everything into the crockpot in the morning. By evening, dinner is done.

They're cheap little suckers, too. A 6-quart, which is more than enough for a main dish for a family of 4, is about $60. This is even the kind with a timer, two temperature settings, AND a removable insert (very important for cleanup).

Because they're so cheap, consider investing in several so you can make a main dish and a couple side dishes at the same time--the other crockpots can be smaller or the same sizes. You'll have a healthy meal and veggies on the table with minimal work.

Tape recorder:

If you're in the car for long stretches, invest in a small tape recorder and record your writing ideas while you drive. This is perfect for commute times once the kids have been dropped off, or even if they're in the car, if they're not too demanding of your attention.

Record anything and everything--plotting ideas, character traits, scenes (both narrative and dialogue). Later you can transpose onto the computer and even expand on your ideas as you do so.

This is also a great opportunity to record stream-of-consciousness brainstorming. Just start throwing out ideas or talking yourself through a sticky scene.

Portable word processors:

If you don't have or can't afford a laptop computer, Alphasmarts and Quickpads are neat little keyboards you can take with you and whip out a few pages. Most writers like them because they're smaller than a laptop, some don't like the fact the screen is so small.

Alphasmarts are made for schoolrooms so they're incredibly durable and can handle the banging around in a diaper bag. You can take them to workshops, on visits to the doctor, to sports games, to bed, anywhere (although I wouldn't recommend using them while driving).

They're very handy and not too expensive (about $200-400). They are especially cheap if you buy them used on eBay, because sometimes schools getting rid of a bunch of Alphasmarts will put them on sale. Because they're so durable, the odds are good that even a used model will work fine.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Take care of your body

Sleep:

Sometimes the pace of working and writing gets to be too much and I feel too exhausted to write. That's when I make some time to get extra sleep.

Now, that might seem like a Well, duh! suggestion, but I'm serious here--Make a few extra hours of sleep a priority, especially if you've been getting less than normal because of writing.

You're working two jobs, here. You need to keep your body in top shape or else you'll have a few days, a few weeks, a few months of horrendously inefficient writing time, when a few days of 10 hours a night can get you back on track.

Comfortable workstation:

There's nothing like an uncomfortable workstation to reduce efficiency. If you're too cold, or your back/wrist/neck hurts, or it's too noisy or too quiet, you can't really use your writing time to its maximum potential.

Invest money in an ergonomic, comfortable workplace--new keyboard and/or mouse, backrest for your chair, footrest, space heater, music to listen to, earplugs or those special headphones that completely deaden sound.

Find a place to write, or maybe several places. Go out to a coffeeshop or bookstore or library to work.

Make sure your body is happy, and your mind will be able to write well.

Manipulate your body

Walk at lunch--exercise pumps blood to the brain and can act as a stimulant for creativity.

Shower--heat improves blood circulation also. Extended time of relaxation, conducive toward right-brain free flow brainstorming.

Focus on efficiency.

Try Susan Meier's 10-minute solution to increase efficiency in housework, chores, social obligations, etc.

Pray for productivity

There are hours, days, weeks when I don't feel motivated to write during my designated writing time. Often I know this is spiritual warfare. Your time is precious and Satan knows it.

I have a group of writer friends and we all pray for each other. And when I feel the lethargy or un-motivated-ness hit, I sit and pray for God to motivate me, I pray against Satan's lies and attacks, I pray for God to use me for His glory.

God may have given me this talent, but I need to make sure I use it for Him and not myself. When I'm feeling unmotivated, sometimes it's because I'm feeling myself and not God.

Fight that non-writing feeling and just do it.  Please Him and not yourself.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Some tips for fighting writer's block

Many times, a stressful work or family situation can sap creativity and motivation. That's okay. Everyone has seasons in their lives when it's too difficult to write.

These times don't have easy answers. Before you do anything, pray for guidance. Any action you take or solution you try won't mean anything unless it's God's hand guiding you. As for practical advice:

--You can take measures to improve the situation at work or in the home.

--Try to compartmentalize your life so that your work stress doesn't bleed into your private life, or your family stress doesn't bleed into your writing time.

Are you easily distracted, unmotivated? Can't initiate or complete a project? Can't prioritize or pace yourself? While there's no one answer for these types of psychological roadblocks, there are several suggestions:

--Look at your expectations, write them down. They might need to be revised to something more manageable.

--Break your project into smaller chunks, smaller goals, such as: finish this scene today, or write for ten minutes without checking at email. Setting a timer can also help with this.

--Remember to reward yourself for goals accomplished, even small goals like 10 M&Ms for every page completed. Another option is the punishment system, like no bathroom break until you finish the chapter.

--Is your workplace cluttered and distracting you? Clear it.

--Do you feel unprepared information-wise? A bit of time spent in research might make you feel more confident in writing.

--Try creative exercises such as those found in writing books. Also "freewrites" often work very well: write for a specified amount of time, such as 8 or 10 minutes. Don't stop, just write gibberish if you have to, but let your mind go wherever it wanders. Take a short break and try it again. It may not work right away, but most writers discover their stalled creativity reawakens after a few freewrite sessions.

--Find a support group to talk about your problems and your writing. Sometimes all we need is a sympathetic ear, someone who understands your writing problems. There are several good online writers groups such as American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers (for both fiction and nonfiction), and the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. You can also participate in writing communities like Faithwriters.com and Writing.com to find a kindred writer-friend.

--Take a break from writing. Make it a limited duration, such as a week or a month, and use it to just relax, do the things you enjoy most, read, take the stress of writing off of you.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.