So often when we talk about writers, we talk about their physical spaces as being crucial to what and how they write. But it seems to me that “place” where writers write is more of an internal construct than an external construct. This idea was validated for me when I read psychologist and creativity coach Eric Maisel’s terrific book, A Writer’s Space, which I reviewed here.

In our space, he says, “Like a surgeon, your goal is to focus. You want to muster your resources and canalize your energy.”

Canalize. Is that the perfect word or what?

He also says, that we are not merely seeking “a quiet room” but also “mental health.” In other words, we are seeking that sane inner space as well as the calm external space before we even start to write. And in my experience these are both prerequisites for successful productivity.

I know that I write better without interruption (although ironically I am being interrupted as I type this sentence by my daughter who wants me to come and see her latest acrobatic trick). This is why I typically get up early to write when the house is as quiet and still as it gets (with the exception of the cats, who are typically pretty active at this time).

I also like to write when the house is empty. When Jason and Samantha are at school, for example. Or in the summer mornings, if they have gone over to the high school so Jason can work at his desk there.

I know that I am a morning person. I know that I do my best and most productive writing in the morning. When all else fails. When I have to write in the afternoon or evening, I try and remove myself to the most quiet spot in the house like the basement or out on the patio under the Redwood tree. Whatever it takes.

A lot of the movies that depict mom writers portray them running away from their life circumstances. This was the case with the film “Motherhood” (2009) with Uma Thurman.

Chaotic as home life can sometimes be when you have a family, I don’t relate to this depiction of the frustrated would-be mom writer fleeing her life because my most productive years as a writer have come since motherhood, not before.

I think the premise that makes writing and life all work together under one roof for us is that everyone in the family has creative work that is important to him or her and it is the job of each person in the family, which operates as a team ideally, to support the goals and dreams of each of the other members of the family.

I suppose this requires a lot of understanding and flexibility on all of our parts, but it has also become so habitual that it feels completely natural at this point.

So if Samantha needs help mastering her bridge back-bend, we support her in that.

If Jason needs help working on his play prep for “Les Mis,” we support him in that.

And if mommy (that’s me) needs time and space to write her book, they support me, too.

There is no room for keeping up with the Jones(es) around here. We could care less what the Jones family is doing. We are not in competition with them. Nor do we wish to be like any other family other than our own.

Though, naturally, we wish them the best of luck with all of their creative projects.

How do you balance writing time and the needs of your family?

Does everyone under your roof get to have and pursue their dreams?

How does this uphold their desire for self-expression?

And is your family happier as a result of family members supporting family members?

I look forward to your insights.

Photo by afterthetone

Every three months, my blog is badly in need of an update. It’s been six months since the last update and so much has happened that many things that were posted were embarrassingly out of date. I could have let that throw me but I just used it as motivation to really dig in and get everything ship-shape.

Does this happen to you? I imagine it does. Part of the reality of the platforming writer/author is that we are building, building, building our business and networks all the time. So if we don’t stay on top of what we are communicating, it’s going to become stale quickly.

Here’s a list of the kinds of things that I fixed, maybe they will inspire you to check your blog too:

1. Blog title/subtitle: I tweaked these to a variation of what they used to be. I never wanted my blog and my e-zine to have the same name but I let that slide for a while. It feels good to finally have a separate identity for each of them. Basically my blog now says what I do. And my e-zine says who I serve. That works.
2. Consolidate Info: The information about my books was on two separate pages. In retrospect, that made no sense, so I consolidated all the relevant into onto one page.
3. Remove Out-of-date Info: Some of the information on my classes page was no longer relevant since I am not offering those classes at this time. Down the copy came.
4. Clarify Any Fuzzy Ideas: My page headers were too esoteric. Now they pretty much say what they are. I had gone with an idea that seemed clever to me at the time. But in retrospect, the vagueness of the page headers might have been impeding navigation of the site. And that’s always a bad thing. I think they are more clear now.
5. Proof All Copy Carefully: Even though I had partially updated some pages, I spotted several examples of my old e-mail address where my new one should have been and other mentions of timing that needed corrections. Always check your fine print!
6. Change Your Mind: When Author Mama came out in the Alpha edition, I raised the price from $5.99 to $9.99. In retrospect this was a bad idea, even though I suppose it must have made sense to me at the time. So back down to $5.99 it went and that’s where it’s going to stay.
7. Say What You Are Going To Do: Not what you already did. Are your upcoming appearances posted? Or do you still have your past appearances up there? Guess which I had? All better now.
8. Amplify Your Credibility: I had not listed where I’ve spoken or listed my credits. It took a bit of time to gather all this info together. But it should be shared since it’s an important part of my credibility.
9. Don’t Just Do What Google Does: On my Creds page I made an effort to compile the works that Google would not necessarily list for a person searching for me by name or book. I have, in the past, linked to a lot more online sources, but those links go out of date and need such constant updating that I’m going to let Google take care of it.
10. Share What Others Say About You: It’s difficult to remember to request testimonials from folks unless you make it a regular part of what you do. I realized that I had been collecting feedback from students but not audience members or coaching clients. So I’ve started to make this part of my routine.
11. Don’t Forget Your Mission: My Trust page is a way to let folks see what I’m all about. I want them to see both that I have a mission and that I’m a real person. I have a family and pets and a life and other responsibilities I balance with my work. I’m a person, not a brand. I’m a real person who works with real people. I want my blog to express this.
12. Comply As Necessary: I also state in my Trust page that I run a blog as part of my business and list my affiliations to comply with Federal Law.
13. Tweak Your Bio: My bio didn’t change too much except to say that I am working on my third book for Writer’s Digest. I think I must have already updated it several times since the New Year because it was pretty good.
14. Remove the Non-sustainable: I took down what is no longer sustainable for me at this time. Be careful that you don’t over-promise. Better to under-promise and over-deliver. The unsustainable was posted on both my Contact Me page and my Free page. My schedule has changed to include the writing of a 100,000-word book, so what I can freely offer has been tweaked accordingly.
15. Offer Some Things for Free: I noticed that my Free page needed a new post to share. So I decided to include this one. Please feel free to re-post it in your blog.

Sure, there’s always more you can do. I will add a slideshow by the end of the summer. I’m creating podcasts of my books for fall. I’ll have more e-products by then, as well. But for now, all we are talking about is getting everything up to speed. I hope this tour of my blog tidying helps you tidy your blog/site up, too. Give yourself some time and just go for it!

~ Photo by Pewari Naan

Apparently Seth Godin is going to help me out this week with my Starbucks analogy:

Starbucks didn’t become Starbucks by getting discovered by Oprah Winfrey or being blessed by Warren Buffet when they only had a few stores. No, they plugged along. They raised bits of money here and there, flirted with disaster, added one store and then another, tweaked and measured and improved and repeated. Day by day, they dripped their way to success. No magic lottery. [Read the entire post here.]

So this week’s question for you is: What do people already thank you for? Not what value do you think you provide. Not what would you like to be at the center of your writing career.

Later in his post Godin says:

Here’s another way to think about it: delight the audience you already have, amaze the customers you can already reach, dazzle the small investors who already trust you enough to listen to you. Take the permission you have and work your way up. Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly about finding a path and walking it one step at a time.

So what have you specifically been thanked FOR?

There is crucial information in a thank you. I’d even say that there is crucial information in every thank you, from your very first to your very last, meaning your first day in business and your last day in business and every day in between.

Because if you are doing your job well, then you should be being thanked pretty consistently. And when you are thanked, this is a great opportunity to ask for more detailed feedback or a testimonial.

And then, over time, you start to notice patterns in the feedback you receive. And the consistency either tells you what you are doing right or where you need to improve.

So you tell us right here and right now: what are you doing right? Tell us what others tell you.

~ Photo by J. Star

Last week, I asked you what was at the center of your writing career.

Some people were confused. They responded with their passion, mission, or purpose.

That’s not what I was asking for. What I was asking for is what is at the center of what you OFFER?

In other words the answer is not about you or how you feel about what you offer. The answer is about what OTHERS perceive you offering.

If you are not in business yet, or you are not successful in business yet, it’s going to be difficult to answer this question. Because the question pertains not to what you want to do or hope to do, but what you deliver.

For example, you walk into Starbucks and you perceive them offering espresso because there is a big ol’ espresso machine right there in the middle of the espresso bar. Right?

You hand them money. The barista hands you something with espresso in it. (We’re just going to stick with espresso for now, but we’ll come back to the Chai, Strawberries and Cream, etc. later.)

So whatever you are offering makes a big impression on others too, or at least you hope it does.

For example, I said creating and teaching were at the center of what I offer. I create pieces of writing. I offer them as articles, curriculum, books, blog posts, e-zines, etc. So my espresso, or what’s at the center of all of this, is the creating of pieces of writing, each with a unique purpose and intention. That’s before I even do anything with them. This is what happens first, constantly, and is the key to my humble success.

This is kind of like the way Starbucks creates espresso drinks. Will you look at what they can do?

They can give it to you hot or cold. They can give it to you with milk (or variations of milk). They can give it to you with chocolate or carmel. They can give it to you big or small. They can give it to you straight, with hot milk, steamed milk, or just foam. They can give it to you iced, iced with milk, or whipped with ice and milk-y stuff into a frappé.

Clearly, you can see, when it come to what they do with their espresso, Starbucks is not messing around.

They are going to give it to you exactly the way you want it and this concept is built into their business model. It’s the sheer variety of what Starbucks can do with a shot of espresso that makes them so brilliant as an enterprise.

So.

We come back to you.

Back to question number one: What is at the center of what you offer? (What is your espresso?)

And on to question number two: How many ways are you offering what you offer?

And while we are on the topic, which ways are the most successful for you?

~ Photo by CoffeeGeek

Over the many years that I have been in business working both for myself and others, I have had to develop policies.

I think this makes perfect sense because, after all, and as I just said, I am in business. I work with lots of different people in lots of different types of situations, and naturally, when things don’t go well (meaning in a way that is win-win-win for everyone involved), the onus is on me to develop a policy so things will go better next time.

Policies of mine have arisen from the following types of questions:

Do I work with friends and family? (I have a policy for that.)

Do I want to supply the labor for your four-hour work week? (I have a policy for that.)

Do I offer refunds for my classes if a students poops out part-way through? (I have a policy for that.)

We have a conflict of interest, will I work with you/for you? (I have a policy for that.)

Most of my policies are internal policies. Which is to say that they exist in the back of the house, where I work. I don’t broadcast them in the front of the house, where I am visible. Policies are developed and brought into play on an as-needed basis.

I have found that because I have policies, I rarely need to use them.

Something important I’ve learned in the past ten years is that people have starkly differing views on how business should be conducted. In fact, I think I’ve seen the whole spectrum at this point, from those I respect and trust and want to partner with all the way to those who are presumptuous and have decided in advance what I am going to do for them and how they are going to benefit from my efforts without treating me with any kind of respect.

The hype of how the Internet has changed everything and now we are just one great big happy family has worn thin and given way to clearer and more healthy boundaries, for me and my business.

These clearer and more healthy boundaries have helped me create a clearer and more effective business. My students definitely benefit from my clearer focus. My writing also benefits. The amount of projects I can bring to completion have gone up.

I still can’t keep up with my inbox, however. And that’s even after changing my address.

Perhaps I need a policy there. Or at least a better system.

Friends respect your policies. People who don’t respect policies have words for people (particularly women) who have them. I won’t use that word here.

Some might feel that the new laws of “transparency” dictate that I reveal all of my business policies and every detail about the way I run my business in the front of the house. But that’s ridiculous.

In fact, one of my newest policies relates to preventing seemingly nice people who are “my biggest fans” from robbing me blind.

And I can tell you how to do it.

By having policies.

~ Photo By Terry Balin

Simple question, right? But perhaps not so easy to answer.

For example, creativity is at the center of my writing career.

That means the part of my work that I love the most is the creating part (often this is writing but not always).

Right after creating, I value the teaching part of what I do.

If I were Starbucks, creating would be my perfect shot of espresso.

Following closely by teaching (the perfect espresso shot plus hot milk).

After teaching, I have to pause and rub my chin for a minute. But if I’m being totally honest, platform building (aka marketing–go ahead and think I’m shallow) is another favorite job of mine.

Platform building is like my…cappucino, if we continue with the Starbucks analogy.

And by the Starbucks analogy, I mean I have one key thing at the center of what I do. Just like Starbucks has that killer shot of espresso at the center of what they do.

I don’t care if they started with drip coffee. (I’m not sure what they started with, actually.) It’s all about the espresso now.

And since my creativity is only limited by my imagination, I feel like I have infinite options of how to proceed in my writing career.

I mean how many different drinks can you make with an espresso shot?

Plenty.

Therefore, the onus is on me to make good choices.

Good choices with my topics, my audiences, my time, and my publishing partners. The same applies to making good choices as a teacher and as a platform builder.

Frankly, it’s a lot to juggle. Fortunately, last year, I pared way back to just the things that bring me the most satisfaction.

Like Simon Cowell, it got to the point in several of my endeavors where I was phoning it in. And that didn’t feel good. I felt stuck. Burdened. Over-committed.

So I made better choices and now here I am feeling as optimistic as a shot of espresso in the Pacific Northwest.

What’s at the center of your writing career? (Feel free to borrow my Starbucks analogy. I’m going to keep using it too.)

Photo by CoffeeGeek

Hooray! April is finally here. This means I am traveling to three conferences this month. I’ll give you the 411 on each one in turn.

Up first: I am moderating two panels at the AWP 2010 in Denver, Colorado.

Thursday, April 8 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) – 1:15 p.m.

What’s Your Platform? What Agents & Editors Are Looking For in Writers.

Location: Rooms 401, 402: Colorado Convention Center, Street Level

Panelists: Christina Katz, Jane Friedman, Robin Mizell, David W. Sanders

Yes, the quality of your writing still matters. But becoming visible and influential is more crucial to landing a book deal than ever, according to agents and editors in every facet of the publishing industry. Aspiring authors need to develop a platform in order to get noticed. Fortunately for emerging writers in all genres, there are more affordable, accessible tools available for platform-development and building, which make this important responsibility a pleasure and not a chore.

Saturday, April 10 at 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

The Prosperous Writer: Career Strategies for Staying Flush.

Location: Room 111, Colorado Convention Center, Street Level

Panelists: Christina Katz, Jane Friedman, Ericka Lutz, Wendy Burt-Thomas) When you fuel your writing career with prosperous thinking, partner with like-minded others, and keep long-term success in mind, navigating a professional path becomes a pleasurable, expansive process. Four traditionally published writers/editors share strategies that pay the bills and make publication more likely. Learn how to balance enough inspiration and perspiration to get the writing done with enough career planning to create ever-expanding opportunities and achieve writing goals.

Also be sure to stop by the Writer’s Digest table in the Bookfair and you just might chance to meet Writer’s Digest magazine editor, Jessica Strawser, and Publisher, Jane Friedman. They publish pretty good books, too.

Woo-hoo, I love me some Rocky Mountain highs.  Shortness of breath, hugeness of conference, here I come!

Look forward to connecting with everyone!

• Follow me on Twitter
• Find me on Facebook
• Connect with me on LinkedIn

~Photo by RaSchi

Money is what writers earn for their time and energy. Furthermore, writing careers are built over time not overnight. So don’t put your career in jeopardy by paying attention to everything else at the expense of your bottom line.

Here are nine prosperity-increasing tips that can quickly become habit and put more money in the bank for the same number of hours you already work or maybe even less:

1. Make a list of paid work vs. unpaid work, if you don’t have one already and update it monthly. Add to-dos like upcoming deadlines and prep for future efforts, to make sure you don’t have to scramble later.
2. Prioritize the work you do that is paid over the work you do that is unpaid. This doesn’t mean the unpaid work is not important or doesn’t need to get done. It simply means that you will get the paid work done first and then tackle the unpaid work.
3. Spend time with other writers who make money writing. If they are too busy (making money) to spend time with you, sign up for their newsletters, read their blogs or connect with them via social networking whenever possible. When contacting successful writers, keep your expectations realistic. There’s a reason they make the big bucks and it’s not because they are just hanging out all day. When you are working, whether online or off, be aware of folks who drain your energy or co-opt your time. You simply don’t have time for those people when you are supposed to be working.
4. Don’t confuse “nice” people with profitable people. Let’s say one writer invests all of his time trying to make sure everyone knows what a great guy he is, while another writer invests his time landing assignments, delivering on deadlines, and landing the next gig. Who is the more successful writer? I’d say it’s the more productive writer (the second example). And he’s the one I’d be more likely to trust, as well. So go ahead, broadcast your success!
5. Tackle the types of assignments that pay directly. Forget about any kind of writing job you “might” get paid for. Also don’t count writing you do for exposure as “paid.” And when someone offers you vague future money for today’s actual work, take twice as much time to carefully consider the offer. Why not just take on the sure-thing assignments, which are the projects that pay you directly for your work? If you keep things simple, you are more likely to prosper  in both the short run and the long run.
6. Spend the most time doing whatever you do best even if that means doing a few different things. For example, I don’t only write because if I only wrote all day, I’d soon be bored out of my mind, no matter how interesting the topics were that I was writing on. A restless person like me needs to do a variety of things. So I also teach and speak and the three efforts feed each other and increase my overall value as a writer.
7. However, don’t spread yourself too thin. I do a lot of different things but I’ve noticed that I can only do so many things before I hit overload, especially since I am a busy mom and wife, as well as a working professional. This overload point is going to be different for everyone and can change with your life circumstances, so adjust your expectations accordingly. You want to do everything you do well, not just scrape by.
8. Capture all of your business expense receipts as the year ticks along so that you can benefit from every deduction available to you when you pay your taxes. I am not the queen of filing things, so I just get a big basket and toss all my receipts in there until I’m ready to sort and report. If you need a primer on the specifics of what you can and can’t expense, pick up the March/April issue of Writer’s Digest magazine and check out the article, “Taxpertise For Writers” by Bonnie Lee. In fact, the theme of the issue is, “Your Economic Survival Guide,” so why not read the whole thing?
9. Be timely. Seek and adopt the simplest systems to help you meet your deadlines, pay your bills, get your taxes submitted, etc. It doesn’t matter which system you use. What matters more is that you make good use of the systems that work best for you and switch when one method stops working for you.

I bet you want to spend as little of your time as possible being inefficient, so that you can get back to writing. So keep things simple: write, earn and prosper. An efficient writer is a profitable writer.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have some writing deadlines to meet.

Photo by yomanimus