How To Use Today’s Technology To Benefit Your Writing Career

I’m part of a generation who had to actually wait at home by the phone if I was expecting a call. Worse than that, if I sent a query to an agent, I had to wait weeks, even months, for a response by snail-mail. What torture. If I had been a nail biter back then, I’d have worked my way to my knuckles in not time.

I love that today I can sit at my computer in South Carolina and see my grandchildren in California via Skype. Now that’s priceless.  I can sit in my car, on my front porch, or at the park and read a book on my iPhone, check up on sales of my latest novel, post a blog, check in with my friends on Facebook and Twitter, or write and send an email.

So, what about you? Are you taking advantage of this technology to benefit your writing career? If not, here are a few way you can start. 

First, keep up with updating any files and programs you have. Set your computer for automatic updates and you won’t miss any. When you plug in your iPhone to charge, connect with iTunes and check for updates. I know the ‘app store’ will alert you of any updates, but make sure your entire phone is up to date. These updates not only help to speed up your computer and hand-held devices, they also keep all of your apps up to date and add any new time saving features.

Second, check your pages often. We have this technology, so let’s use it. If you have a website or blog, check for feedback and comments then respond immediately. A quick response makes the reader feel his/her comment was as important to you as it was to them. That is how you acquire loyal followers.

Third, take advantage of the perks. We have so many social networking sites (next week’s blog) that keep you connected to family, friends, readers and followers. Get on those sites and connect with the world. For example: if you are looking for a publisher, type ‘book publishers’ in the search box and be astonished at the number of results you’ll have to choose from.

Thank God for those wonderful ingenious people who invented modern technology. I love it! Today, we can connect with anyone, anywhere, and at any time. I not only find this new technology helpful and convenient, but also absolutely necessary. I, for one, would be lost without it.

What is your take on the latest technology? Have I missed anything? If so, I’d love for you to let me and all my readers know.

NOW THAT IT'S FINALLY FINISHED. . .

I’ve finished my fourth novel, MURDER IN CYPRUS HOLLOW, and it’s available for purchase. Ah, now for basking in the warm glow of achievement. I puff a sigh of relief, get comfy on my laurels, and then set my sights on the next book.  Right? 
 
Wrong! Not happening, partner. For some reason only the sun, moon and stars know, I can’t. Once again I seem to have fallen into the depths of that pit of doubt: the story isn’t good; the title isn’t ‘catchy’; the opening won’t grab the reader’s attention; people won’t like it. . . I should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. Blah, blah, blah! Yada, yada, yada.

What do I do now? I take a few moments to regroup. I know the book is finished, and done to the best of my ability. People have read and truly enjoyed the other three novels. So why is it that each novel haunts me?

Part of my regrouping process is reading the posts of other authors.  I’m glad I do because I learned most other authors go through the same emotions. Even painters go through this. It’s like a ritual. So, what should I call this ritual? Writer’s remorse? That overwhelming sensation of doubt after finishing a project we desired and slaved over for a long period of time. That’s what it feels like. 

Years ago, when I first started writing novels, I thought when I finished one I’d say, “Good. You’re done. Now, on to the next one.” That hasn’t happened yet. Well, I also learned by reading other author’s blogs that the ‘I can’t let it go’ feeling also is perfectly normal. It’s like withdrawal.

So, I go through the withdrawal and eventually move on. Obviously! If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have four novels written and waiting to be purchased. I just don’t like feeling crippled when I should feel ecstatic. Quit complaining, right?

The solution to this writer’s dilemma? Deal with it! I have too much work to do to wallow in my anxiety. Now, on to book five.

What about you? Have you experienced writer’s remorse? If so, please share your experience and what you do to get yourself back to work.

MURDER IN CYPRUS HOLLOW

My fourth novel, MURDER IN CYPRUS HOLLOW, the first in the Hattie Blitch Mystery Series, is finished and ready for publication. The book will be available for purchase in a few weeks. In the meantime, I've attached a copy of the book cover and would love to know what you think of it.

 MURDER IN CYPRUS HOLLOW

Professional blogger and amateur sleuth, Hattie Blitch along with her husband, Skyler, the sheriff of Cyprus Hollow, SC, investigate a body found floating in the waters of Carolina Carlyle’s nineteenth-century plantation. The couple returns to the plantation after Carolina’s employee finds a three hundred year old pirate flag and treasure map, then vanishes.

Carolina’s discovery of her employee’s body in the plantation woods, in addition to the first body having been found on her property, reignites the town’s rejection of her pirate ancestry.

The double murders compel Hattie to use her research savvy to discover the killer’s identity, and race to prevent Carolina from becoming the next victim.

Dealing with a Difficult Person

Button-pushers. They get on that last nerve all the while oblivious to the damage they cause in another's life. Anyone dealing with one could use a word of encouragement. They’re rude, inconsiderate, disrespectful, intrusive, self-absorbed and insensitive. They are the difficult people in life. The button-pushers.

It’s nerve-wracking to confront a difficult person or put them on the spot to find they always blame someone else. That they remain convinced it’s some other person’s fault and not theirs at all is mind-boggling.

So, what’s a person to do? Dealing with a difficult person can be frustrating and exhausting, and anyone currently in that position could use some encouragement. First, pray for the difficult person. It may be hard to pray for someone who constantly rubs the wrong nerve and drives everyone crazy, but the prayer isn’t just for the button-pusher. It’s also for the one praying. Ask the Lord to open that person’s eyes to the truth of the situation. Also, pray for healing in the relationship, whether the button-pusher is a spouse, child, friend or boss.

The most powerful weapon any Christian has is prayer. Dr. John Townsend hits the mark in, Handling Difficult People, when he writes, “The problem of all problems in a button-pusher is that he does not own, or take responsibility for, the issues that affect his life and those around him” (52). He adds that some button-pushers act as though the world revolves around them. They are constantly talking of their troubles and barely paying attention to someone else’s and, “They have a diminished capacity for empathy for the feelings of others and perceive other people as nagging, blaming, persecuting, controlling, or —worst of all— insignificant” (23).

According to Dr. Townsend, another answer is to develop a vision. To keep an image in mind that encapsulates a goal with the purpose of helping through the dark times. (50) One way that he suggests doing this is to see in the mind’s eye things a person would like from their button-pusher, “such as closeness, safety, intimacy, respect, freedom, thrust, and mutuality” (52). He goes on to mention that the vision would include an image of the button-pusher “being open to being wrong, to being sorry, to hearing how he affects you, to seeing himself as a contributor to the problem, and to entering a process of change if needed” (52).

While the struggle to make headway with a difficult person can be tiring and distressing, it’s not impossible. Dealing with one doesn’t have to be to the detriment of those around him. Instead of becoming frustrated and blowing your testimony, consider what may happen by praying for the person and developing a vision for a positive change. Chances are, the button-pusher won’t be the only one who changes.