Stephanie Partridge's Blog

I am a work in progress, just like this blog. Look around, subscribe to get email updates when books are released, and have an amazing day. 




Posts to come soon: 
Editing and Beta Readers, Formatting for an ebook, Useful html for an ebook, Adding artistic features to your ebook

     I know the excitement and feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you feel when you look over that finished manuscript. It's a great feeling! Pat yourself on the back- you deserve it. You've worked hard, you've edited and re-edited, you've faced the good and bad of your work and have polished it to the best of what you have to offer. You are ready to make this manuscript into a book. Sooo. . . . how does that happen? I'm going to give you some tips and some hard facts about the publishing industry, so sit back and ready yourself for the next steps of fulfilling your dream of becoming an author. 
     When I was writing my book I knew NOTHING about publishing, really nothing. I went online and googled things like, "How to make a book? How to get published? What do I do after I write a book?" There are a LOT of resources available to tell you how to do it. I encourage you to look around and familiarize yourself with the information out there. This website will be as detailed as possible because I had to search a lot of different places to get the information that I am now compiling all onto this one site. With that said, I also recognize that different experiences and viewpoints will give you different information, and that is okay, in fact, different information is great. You'll want to know all you can to prepare for the next steps you will be taking. The most important information that I will tell you right now is that you need to join a writing community. If you're uncomfortable meeting new people online, just join a community to be a fly on the wall. . . or an online forum stalker. You will learn from others and get insights and warnings that you just can't get anywhere else. KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) has great forums for amateur authors. If you're not sure where to start- Google, Facebook, and Goodreads will be your friends. Search for your genre and 'author forum.' You can get really specific with your searches if there are too many to choose from. Get to know people - what they've done and how they've done it. 
     Another GREAT education tool is to attend a writers conference. Writers conferences are equivalent to sitting at the cool table in Jr. High. If you attend a writers conference you can consider yourself 'in.' Most agents will recommend attending several conferences, because you will be able to mingle and schmooze other authors and rub shoulders with more agents and publishers. I have only attended one conference, but the things I took away are unparalleled to any blog or book you can read explaining the process. It's just a right of passage you ought to do if you intend on really pursuing authorship. One thing I learned at the Conference I attended was how much politics are in the traditional publishing industry today. Having a book published traditionally has less to do with the manuscript and more to do with who you know and how large your social media presence is. Really, that's what it all comes down to - a popularity contest at it's finest. Traditional publishers are evolving because of the self-publishing boom and they now depend on the authors and their following to pull their weight in any contract. Most authors are only signed on if they have a large following or if they have a killer query letter and commit to writing a new book every year or so. That's how it works. I just want to give you some harsh realities that you need to be prepared for, but I don't want you to be disheartened. Publishers will pick up unknown authors and one-time wonders, it is just not as likely. Often times at writing conferences traditional publishers will send 'scouts' out to listen to queries and recruit new authors. If you are an unknown- a writing conference is the best chance you have at being heard and taken into consideration by a scout.

     SO, it's decision time! You need to decide how you want your work published: self-publish an ebook, self-publish a paperback or submit to the traditional publisher lottery. HERE is another post with a more in-depth look at pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing.

     Once you've made a decision, you can now get to work while your manuscript is being edited.

Where to go next:

Query Letter Tips - for Traditional Publishing

Ebook Preparation - Self-Publishing

Writing a Book 101: Part 5 -Professional Editing
Be sure to read these posts first if you are just starting your book:Writing a Book 101-Part 1Writing a Book 101-Part2Writing a Book 101- Part 3Writing a Book 101 - Part 4
There may be someone out there that is able to write a perfect, polished book without a second set of eyes on it, but I will assume that you are not one of those people. If you've had several beta readers, made corrections, and polished the book to the best of your ability it is now time for a professional. If you ask any author where you should spend your money in making a book it will be in two place: professional editing and a professional cover. There is no going around it if you want a well done, polished book. There are different types of editing types offered by professionals. If you have gone through at least a few phases of beta readers, you will likely not need an editor for each of these. It is important to know what kind of edit you need/want before approaching an editor so that you will maximize what you are paying for and minimize their time spent weeding through layers of editing needs. 
Different kinds of editing:
Developmental Editing: This is considered "big picture" editing. This type of editing is important to your book, but several beta readers fill this need if done well. A developmental editor will read what you give them and let you know how your "voice" is, character strength, plot line  weaknesses, writing organization, and pacing. This editor will NOT tell you if something is misspelled or if your formatting is weird. When I rewrote a huge part of my book after some negative responses from some beta readers, I was feeling unconfident in my ability to write well, so I hired a well known Development Editor to take a look at my first 20 pages of rewrites. She spent a week reviewing it. I spent $50 for her time, and she sent me back with a handful of notes and a few suggestions for improvement. I don't think that having this development editing was essential. Nothing she said was groundbreaking and likely would have been picked up by a beta reader, but I was glad to have the peace of mind that a prestigious editor not only liked my changes, but she gave me encouragement that I knew what I was doing. I needed to hear it so I could move forward. 
Line Editing: Think of this as your editing for flow, voice, and clarity. A line editor will go through sentence by sentence to ensure your thoughts are clearly conveyed, your voice is consistent and heard, and sentences flow well together. A line editor may suggest moving sentences around, rewriting sections, or clarifying a thought. This edit will take your writing to the next level where your voice will shine through your work. 
Copy Editing: Think of this as your essential proofreading by your English teacher in High School. A copy editor will go through the text with a magnifying glass (okay, not really, but you get the picture) and point out mis-spelled words, grammar errors, punctuation changes, and any other mechanical error. Copy editing is your final polish before your book is ready to be formatted for publishing and the most essential editing if you are only choosing one type of edit. No matter how many spell checks you do on your computer you NEED a copy edit of your book! 
Some professional editing companies offer more editing services, but the above listed are the most common. If you feel uncomfortable getting several beta readers and just want to pay the price for a professional to edit your book, be prepared for the price tag. I researched several big editing companies. Their editing service packages ranged from $300-$4500. Yes, you read that correctly. There is a WIDE range of editing services offered-including ghostwriting. After the initial sticker shock, I decided that I didn't want to spend that much money on editing, which is why I opted for more beta readers. I had eleven volunteer beta readers total and I feel that their assessments and notes were just as good as hiring a single editor for $$$. When I completed self-editing and beta reader editing I searched for a reasonable editor in my budget that could provide a quality, detailed copy and line edit. 
How to find an editor right for you:
Ask everyone you know: Along with Aunt Lucy who loved editing all your Jr. High papers, and that guy down the street that could use a few dollars,  you may also find out that your old friend knows a college english professor that does editing on the side. This is how I found my amazing editor. Just weed through the unqualified to find the perfect editor gem among the referrals. It never hurts to ask for qualifications. If someone unqualified wants to edit- you could ask them to be a beta reader or maybe even offer them a set amount to edit the book for you, knowing it will not be your final edit. Offering $25-$50 may be reasonable depending on their credentials, but I would save your money for a professional. 
Checkout Upwork, Freelancer, or online message boards . I haven't been on Freelancer, but I've browsed through Upwork and have heard from several people who have found great editors through Upwork's networking. Once you've finished your book, now is a great time to start rubbing shoulders with other authors, if you haven't already. Go online and search for author groups in your area, find online groups with your genre, and ask around there. You will get verified reviews on editors and what to expect. Word of mouth is your friend on this one. 
Before I found my editor, there were a couple of editors on Upwork who had bios I connected with. I reached out to both them to get more information and a cost quote. One of them was booked out for the next 5 months, so that didn't happen. The other took a quick look at my book and declined editing it because of the Christian references, which she didn't feel comfortable addressing (being agnostic).  Do your research and find an editor that fits your needs, your personality, and your genre. There are a lot of editors out there, so it's okay to be picky. 
My editor Bonnie, from Bonnie's Writing Center, was the perfect editor for me. She does freelance editing and focused her edits on copy and line editing, which was exactly what I needed. She didn't have overhead fees of big editing companies so her prices were also very affordable.
Once you've found your editor, send off your manuscript. You might think it's time to sit back and relax, but not so much. There is plenty to do while you are waiting for the manuscript to return with edits. In the next installment of posts (Preparing a Book for Publishing) I will talk about cover art, book blurb, and query letters. 
Writing a Book 101 - Part 1Writing a Book 101 - Part 2
Writing a Book 101-Part 3
Writing a Book 101 - Part 4
First you need to decide How you want to publish. I encourage you to read this next post to help you decide:
Traditional Publishing VS. Self PublishingPreparing a Book for Publishing - Part 1 (Coming Soon)

I am a work in progress, just like this blog. Look around, subscribe to get email updates when books are released, and have an amazing day. 




Posts to come soon: 
Editing and Beta Readers, Formatting for an ebook, Useful html for an ebook, Adding artistic features to your ebook

______________________This is where you should be if you've completed your manuscript and finished the basic self-editing in the third segment. If you have not- please follow the instructions on THIS POST before starting.
______________________

   When you feel somewhat confident in your self-editing work, it will be time for your first phase of beta readers. Putting your work out there is tough - I know. It's hours and hours of hard work that you now need to put in someone else's hands and ask them to critically judge. Let me be clear when I say THEY ARE CRITIQUING YOUR MANUSCRIPT - NOT YOU! Don't take it personal. You will not achieve your greatest potential if you can't except, even embrace, criticisms. Learn from failure and grow.   Let me share a couple of happy failures of mine. I decided on the name of my memoirs before I  started putting the book together. The name was inspired, heartfelt, and to the point, or at least that's what I thought. The title was Prenatal Vitamins & Chemotherapy for a year and a half while I wrote and edited my memoir. I loved the title and had no intention of changing. I was asked to speak at a conference about my experiences. When they asked me to give the presentation a name I didn't hesitate to say Prenatal Vitamins and Chemotherapy. There were a few break out classes that people could attend during my time slot. There were a few hundred people in attendance and, although the room I was assigned could seat 50-75 people, only 8 people came to listen to me. I was happy to share my story and was grateful for the opportunity, but it made me wonder what it was that turned people off about my class. A few people mentioned that the class title just sounded kind of scary and sad. My title that I had held on to for 18 months was not going to work and I needed to accept that. I thought up new titles, I asked other people for their opinions, and I went to social media to have people vote on a favorite book cover/title (this is a great thing to do to help with marketing - I'll talk more about this in a later segment.) My new title: Baby Bump, Cancer Lump is a combination of a couple of people's suggestions. I am so glad I accepted failure in my perfect title, and allowed a change for the better.   I talked about this before, but when I wrote Prenatal Vitamins and Chemotherapy it was a collection of online journal entries. I put thought into what I posted online and felt that putting them together chronologically would be a sincere, real look into my life during a difficult time. After doing some editing I followed the advice of other authors and asked a handful of people to read it and give their honest opinion. A few of them responded with editing suggestions, which were very helpful. One of the beta readers sent back the first ten pages with harsh truths I needed to come to peace with. "This is great to save for your posterity, but no one else would want to read this. Most of these journal entries are boring and unnecessary. If you plan on publishing this as a book you should rewrite and add more 'story' to the experience." Another beta reader came back with similar comments and yes, it was a little hard to swallow at first. Being a memoir, this book was more than just a book to me; this was my life, my pain, my heart in word form. I spent a few weeks doing some soul searching and I swallowed my pride. It took me a few months, but I was able to take my original journal entries to write a more relatable dialogue to tell my story. The story is still very real, raw, and genuine but no longer a list of journal entries only. I tell my story and share the entries at the end of each chapter. My current book is so different from what I thought was a complete manuscript. I am SO glad I accepted harsh critiques and allowed a change for the better. Failure is just the turn in the road to something better. Embrace failure and get ready to grow!
Who to get as a Beta Reader:Family- You don't need a professional at this point, you just need readers that can give honest opinions.Social media friends - It's important to start getting people excited about your book, and talking about it early by getting help is a great way to do that. Writing groups - It is good to network with other authors in writing groups early on. You can do a search online for writing groups in your area, attend a writing conference to meet people,  and look for your writing genre on Facebook to find an author group. Most people in these groups are also looking for help, so you can straight up ask for beta readers or you can offer a swap and read their book in exchange.What should a Beta Reader be asked to do/look for:Make it clear that you are NOT asking them to edit the manuscript, but are happy with any editing suggestions they have.Take note of any parts that are confusing, inconsistent, or repetitive in the text. Take note when/if they start losing interest in the text.When finished with the manuscript, have them answer these questions: "Is this relatable? Is there anything in the manuscript that you wish were done differently? Was there anything in the text that was distracting or that you felt wasn't resolved (unless, of course, it is an intentional mystery)? Do you have any tips or suggestions for me?"   I suggest getting three to four Beta Readers to start. Review and analyze their comments and suggestions and make changes necessary. It took me a few months to completely re-write most of my book after my first group of Beta Readers. Give yourself time. This is not something you want to rush through. After you've made the corrections and changes, ask another three to four beta readers to critique your manuscript. If this group of Beta Readers are also giving a lot of suggestions/harsh critiques than make all the corrections needed and get another group of beta readers. It is not uncommon for an author to have their manuscript read by ten or more people during this phase. The more opinions and advice you can get here - the better off your work will be. 
   If you feel that asking for help is just not an option, than you can skip this step, but it will mean a less polished final product. You could also pay the price to have beta reading done by professionals. This is called a content edit, which most professional editing companies offer, just be prepared for the price tag. I'll talk some more about this in my next post about professional editing. 
   You are doing great! Keep going!
Writing a Book 101-part 1Writing a Book 101-part2Writing a Book 101- part 3

    When I had the thought to write a book I knew nothing about writing, formatting, or publishing. 

    I remember growing up ordering things through Scholastic and roaming the aisles of Borders Books to find the best fit for my imagination. I loved looking at all the colors, the book spines, the smell of paper and dust. I loved it all. There is something beautiful about a well printed book in someone's hand. Even now I love looking at our bookshelves filled with books, like a library of my memories - places my imagination has explored. 
    I knew that traditional publishing was the only way to go if I ever wrote a book. Self-publishers were people that just didn't have the confidence to try for a traditional publisher, or just weren't good enough. Why in the world would someone elect self-publishing otherwise? Right?
    I was a bit heartbroken when I learned that Borders Books, with nearly 900 stores nationwide, and thousands of employees, shut its doors in 2011; only four years after the first Kindle went on the market one of the largest book distributors in the nation could not keep up. The digital world is changing and evolving what consumers want, and the fact is traditional publishers are dying. Over the past ten years smart publishers are evolving by creating their own platforms for ebooks. They are catching on, but not necessarily keeping up. Amazon has the largest library and the most sales of ebooks than any other traditional publisher. Amazon can sell the books cheaper and can offer greater royalties to authors, because overhead is minimum. Many authors are catching on as well. For years big name publishers were needed for the creative process and marketing, but with social media and online resources today, they are just not necessary any longer. 
    Did you know that when you submit your manuscript to a traditional publisher many will ask you this information: how many followers do you have on Facebook, do you have a blog - how many views/day, are you on Twitter, . . .  Authors don't need traditional publishers - traditional publishers NEED authors with a large following. This is what they are looking for in order to stay afloat. 
    With all that said, I would still agree to sign on with a traditional publisher if they had a contract I was happy with. Why? Traditional publishers will have established connections and resources to take a book to different audiences and place it in book stores, there are no upfront costs, and having a "brand name" is just kind of cool. They have more resources which means less work for the author.

    So, back to the original juxtaposition: self publishing vs. traditional publishing? Really, it's a personal preference. Just know there is a lot of 'politics,' red tape, kissing up, and waiting if you go the traditional publishing route. Also know there is a learning curve, a lot of work, and money that goes into self-publishing. Both have their perks and both have drawbacks. I spent months researching publishers, writing query letters, attending a writing conference, and doing everything the "right" way to have my co-authored book traditionally published. When I received feedback that publishers wouldn't even look at the book because we were not a big name, didn't have a social media marketing plan in place, and/or didn't tell the kind of story they wanted - I decided to take my fate into my own hands when I wrote my memoirs. I read Let's Get Digital (which I HIGHLY recommend reading.) and my resolve was validated. I decided to put in the time, do the work and research, and self publish with the goal of having a leg to stand on when I approach a traditional publisher in the future. 
    Yes, I lean toward self-publishing, but if you feel that the traditional route is where you want to go than here are some helpful tips:

Preparing for Traditional Publishing:
Build an author platform. What do you think this blog is? Every publisher will ask you for your blog/website/platform. You have to have a social media presence and some kind of landing page as an author. Start writing on it and getting followers. Make connections. Now is the time to join author facebook groups, participate in local writing critique groups, attend writing workshops and seminars. Most traditionally published authors consider this as paying your 'dues'. You have to rub shoulders, make friends, and learn the names of publishing scouts that attend these events. Edit. Edit. Edit - and then when you're done edit some more. There are thousands of book submitted to traditional publishers and so you need to do all you can to make yours stand out. If you have a very polished, finished book it will give it one advantage over the first time drafts.You may want to get a literary agent. This is a touchy subject for some people. I've heard many people say you should not get a literary agent, because they are costly and don't always get you what you want. Unfortunately, there are many big publishing houses that will not accept any query letters or manuscripts unless you have a literary agent. It's a catch 22 scenario. Research publishing companies to find the right fit for your book. In order to write a good query letter you need to know every publisher you write to (know books that are in your same genre, how many books in your genre they've produced in the last year, what their advertising and marketing is like) You will also need to know what their submission guidelines are and be sure to follow their rules to the T. Start writing query letters. At a writing conference I attended, I was told that manuscript submissions were judged solely on the query letter 90% of the time. If the query letter wasn't perfect, witty, moving, and brief than no one would take a second look at the manuscript attached. Do a quick google search for how to write a query letter. You will see that there is no shortage of tips and tricks to write a great query letter. Once you have sent out the query letters be prepared to wait up to six months for a response, and some won't respond at all. If you wish to go the route of self-publishing I will be posting detailed instruction on how to prepare your manuscript for publication into an ebook. Thank you for sticking around. Let me know if you have any questions.

Writing a Book 101 - part 1
Writing a Book 101 - part 2
Writing a Book 101 - part 3

Woohoo! You're done! Congratulations, you just wrote a book! Now what? 
You could go straight to Kindle Direct Publishing and submit your book right now and be done! Viola! You could start sending out letters to publishing companies to tell them about your amazing book and why they should publish it. However, there are literally hundreds of books published every day right at this point and they are junk. With the boom of self-publishing, people can now publish pretty much anything and sell it for whatever price they want, just because they can. I know you are better than that though. I know you want to send something out to the world that is the very best you could possibly produce. Do you have it in you? I think you do! Put on your brave face, and lets put in the time and work that it takes to take your book from good to great! If you can be patient with yourself, swallow your pride, and be willing to put in the time-you CAN add to the world a great work from your heart for everyone to enjoy! Let's do this thing!
Self editing checklist (not to be confused with formatting):
1. Spellcheck- I know this is obvious, but seriously - do it!
2. Read through- Read the whole book front to back. Check for missed information, repeat phrases, run-on sentences, clarity of information, and basic flow of writing. You will also want to ensure your voice stays true through the entire work. Are you speaking third person or first person? The reader shouldn't have to jump back and forth. Another big thing to do is delete, delete, delete! We often write sentences to relay our messages in ways that just bore the reader and cause them to subconsciously skim over parts that you deem as vitally important. (a.k.a. We often write sentences to relay our messages in ways that just Too many words bore the reader and cause them to subconsciously skim over parts, that you deem as very important. Get to the point, cut the rest.)
3. Find and replace- Now that you've read your whole book through-you may have noticed a few overused words. Use your Find feature to evaluate each time that word is used, deciding if it is necessary. Do NOT do the quick automatic find and replace, because that won't solve your problem. You need to replace words manually and with great care. This is when you should open up a Thesaurus and get creative. You may decide to change the word, or rephrase the whole sentence. Here are some common overused words: amazing, really, just, little, thing, that, good, awesome, bad, keep, like, more, fun, want, very, crazy, sad. When I did this the first time I found that I had used the word 'little' over 70 times in my 50,000 word manuscript! I cut it down to 29. When you do a find search for 'that' make sure to change the word to who or whom if referring to a person. This is a fun one: open your Find box and hit space two times than replace all with a single space. Yes, the world no longer accepts two spaces after each sentence. It messes up the formatting when publishing. Some publishers won't even look at your book if it has double spaces between sentences. Another tip is to be consistent with the use of numbers in the text. Many writers will say if it is under one-hundred, write it out in word. If it is greater than 100 you can use numerals. Others use the under ten rule, and 11 or greater for numerals. It's up to you, just be consistent. It's a bit harder to do a find and replace with numbers, so you'll need to go through this page by page. Grammar checking: I am horrible at this, so I guess I should follow my advice better. Do a search for common grammar mistakes and make sure they are correct. Here are common words that are misused: then/than, their/they're/there, accept/except, affect/effect, lie/lay, bring/take, ironic/coincidental, imply/infer, farther/further, done/finished. If you aren't already, you will now become great friends with my buddy Google. Okay, this is another one that I am not good at naturally. Limit contractions. It is better to say is not instead of isn't. Catch that - I said "it is" instead of it's. :)And of course, do not put emojis in your text, ever. Unless you are me and do not care about rules. ;)
4. Step away from the words, that's right. Step back! - There's this magical thing that happens after you've stared at something long enough; you see it the way it should be rather than the way it is. You simply cannot objectively look at your work when you've been in it too deep. The best thing you can do for your book is give it a rest for a few days, or even a week would be better. If you think of something that you just HAVE to fix or change, than write it in your notes, but don't open that document. When enough time has passed, your new eyes will catch things you never saw before. Trust me.
5. Phase one of editing is complete! - It's time to let someone else look at your writing. You are not quite ready for a professional yet. What you need is a few people who can give you honest critiques. If you have family members or friends that you trust to be brutally honest- ask them. (If you don't have family or friends you feel comfortable asking, try searching for writing facebook groups. Look up your genre and you will likely find some kind of writing group where people share chapters and books in exchange for you doing the same for them.) Be sure you are prepared for their brutally honest critiques too. They may point out parts that don't make sense, they may hate a paragraph that you re-wrote four times to get it just the way you liked it, they may love something that you accidentally included and they want you to expand upon it. This is the hard part. The fact is, this is your book and you can do what you want with it. You can ignore advice and keep things the way you like them. Just keep in mind that this book will be someone else's entertainment. Sometimes you have to be willing to share what other people need/want, more than what you were willing to give them. 
     I had a hard time with this at first. My first final draft of my manuscript was a series of journal entries. That was it. I was completely happy with what I had and felt that it was as good as it could get. Then I heard back from my first four beta readers. They were cordial, but it was clear - my book was crap. Nice sentimental journal entries, but nothing to keep a reader interested. Being a memoir, I felt that if I added or took away from my journal entries- the work would no longer be authentic. This was a harsh reality I needed to face. I took my journal entries back from the beta readers, made the editing changes they suggested, and then I re-wrote half of my book. I added chapters. I used several journal entries to paint a picture and tell a story, rather than just listing events. To my surprise, the changes actually made it more authentic and relatable to readers. What! They were right? Yep! I was discouraged by the analysis at first, but I am SO grateful for their critiques and the changes I made because of their brutal honesty. 
Writing a Book 101- part 1
Writing a Book 101 - part 2
Writing a Book 101-part 4

Writing a book 101- part 2
     You've come to the conclusion that you want to write a book. You open up your laptop, notebook, or whatever it is you use to express your words and realize that there is a lot of empty space where there should be words from the heart. This is my story after all, so why don't I know how to start? Guess what, you are not alone! Let's go back to that elephant I talked about in my last post (part 1). If you sit down thinking you are going to just magically write a book you should prepare for disappointment. Now there may be people out there who can do that. Good for them. I am not one of those people and I am going to assume that you are not either. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Lets just take our time and do this thing right. I'm going to make some assumptions about you first: you know your genre (non-fiction, mystery, romance, etc.), you don't know anything (I didn't either, that's okay.), you want to do this the "right" way (e.g. you want to put your best foot forward and put out a quality book with the best of your ability). With these assumptions in mind, I would like to give you a step by step list of what to do next. In all fairness, these are my recommendations based on experience through trial and error and success.
How to write a book:
1. Get to know your genre and subject matter. If you're writing a book about teaching children to eat healthy than you should read at least a few books about teaching children to eat healthy. Yes, get to know your competition. Learn what is out there and take notes. What did you love about their book? How could you make your book better? There are millions of books out there. You don't have to bring mind blowing new information, you just need to do the same thing-only better. 
2. Make a list. Think about what the most important things/plots you want to include in your book. Write it down and then let it simmer. I had a notes folder open on my laptop and phone designated for my book, and a notebook by my bed because the best ideas come when you least expect it. Spend a good amount of time brainstorming and adding to that list. These lists will continue to grow even after you've begun writing. No matter how amazing your ideas are, if you don't write them down there is a good chance you will miss something. When I would have a brain cloud (Joe Vs. the Volcano anyone?) I pulled up my notes and just started writing about one of the topics listed. I often didn't know how it would fit in until after I finished, but it would give me the chance to write and feel productive. 
3.  Create a writing atmosphere conducive of focused imagination. Before I start a writing session I do the dishes, sweep the floor, wipe down the table and counters and then fill a glass with water and set it next to my laptop. I like working at the table, because the chairs are comfortable enough to sit for an hour or so with good posture, but not comfortable enough to doze off in. For me, it is important to clean before writing or else I get distracted by the mess and inevitably stop what I'm doing to clean up. I also like working with quiet instrumental music playing. My "magic" productive writing sessions are between 9pm-1am, after my kids are in bed, when the house is quiet and clean.  Just do what you need to do to have a good focused place to write.
4.  Writing platform: I realize this isn't really a step, but it seemed like a good place to put this. Take some thought about what type of processor you want to actually write your book in. I use Word, because it is what I'm used to. I may experiment with other processors/programs in the future to see if they effect the difficulty/ease of formatting for publication. I have heard many writers that use and love Scrivener, which is likely what I will try next. I also know some who write their whole book on a private blog. They claim that it makes it easier to transfer it into the html format, but I cannot verify that. When I post about editing and formatting I will be giving advice based on using Word.
5.  Start writing! This may seem simple enough, but I understand how intimidating it can be to sit in front of a blank screen or paper and wonder how to harness the vivid storyline you've created in your mind onto print. Here's a tip: don't start at the beginning. Yep, the beginning of the book is always the most intimidating, so skip it! You can worry about how it all begins later. There is nothing wrong with writing several big ideas into story form and then figuring out how they all work together afterword. It may be different for fiction novels, but for non-fiction it's not too hard to piece it together later.       This may be hard for some, but try and ignore mistakes. You can correct grammar, sentence placement, capitalization, and spelling later but it is much harder to recreate a thought once it's left your brain. When you write you write. When you edit you edit.
In the next segment I will give some tips on what to do when you feel that your book is done. Here's a little hint: it's not!
Writing a Book 101 - part 1
Writing a Book 101 - part 3
Writing a Book 101 - part 4

   So, you have an idea for a book? Do you feel like the world is ready to hear your story, but you don't know where to start? I felt the same way two years ago. I sat in my bed thinking, "If only I could share my story. I feel like my experiences may help someone."
   I met another author, Heather Choate, who has several bestselling books on Amazon. In talking with her, she made it sound like writing a book was just like any other job. You just do it. After some consideration, I decided to start my writing adventure by organizing a group of women that were interested in sharing their stories. I thought that writing a single chapter of a book would be much easier than tackling my whole story, imagining "swallowing an elephant whole." I also felt like creating a project where others could share their stories would make me feel like, in a small way, I could help these other women release some of their pain.
   The project was much more difficult than I expected. It took a lot of time and patience working with several women whom I had never met in person. After over a year of working with these amazing women, we finally had a book ready to publish. I researched publishing companies and wrote thirty query letters (I'll talk about what that is later) to go the traditional publishing route. After waiting out the required six-month response time for publishing companies to respond, we did not have a publisher. Over a dozen publishers had responded positively but just couldn't take an "unknown," or our specific genre wasn't something they could take on at the time. It was a bit dis-heartening, but we moved on. After months and months of work and research I felt that I just didn't have it in me to learn how to self publish too. This is when I talked with Heather Choate, who also contributed a chapter to the book, and asked for her help. She was willing to take the manuscript and self publish for us. I gave her the book and she took over from there. We've sold several hundred copies, and Cancer Moms and Chemo Babies made Amazon's #11 bestselling spot for that genre.
  Going back several months while we were waiting out our traditional publisher's query responses: I started to work diligently on my own memoir (there was room in my life for an elephant then). I had been writing journal entries during my cancer treatments and I wanted to collect them and make them into a book. Seemed simple enough, right? Nope, it took months of weeding out information, re-writing things that didn't make sense without the picture attached to the entry, and filling in blanks that I somehow never recorded. After several months, I was excited to say that my journal entries were done. I found an editor, Bonnie Brien, who went over my journal entries and marked it up with a million grammar and sentence structure corrections. FYI, I am NOT a great writer, in case you haven't noticed by this unedited post. I heard that manuscripts should be reviewed by several people before you have it published. After I corrected everything, I asked several people to read and give input. (This process was completely backwards by the way, which is why I'm writing this post.) The input I got from the first handful of beta readers was not great. I took a break from my book for a couple of weeks to do some soul searching. The fact is, they were right in their assessments and I needed to go back to square one. I spent another couple of months re-writing, taking out big chunks of unnecessary information, and adding in chapters that were not conceived before. I'll talk more about swallowing my pride in a later post.
   Anyway, after a lot of work, and more beta readers, I sent the manuscript for another round of editing from the wonderful Bonnie. As soon as I sent her the new manuscript I started to spend every spare moment reading and researching how to self-publish. I'll tell you more about why I chose this route later. I learned about Amazon's analytics, marketing, KDP, coding a manuscript in html, and formatting correctly. I have come a long way and feel that the information I have gleaned can help someone like me, who knew nothing about writing a book or what to do when it was written. Over the next couple of weeks I will delve into what I have learned by study and also by trial and error. There will be step by step instructions, examples, and some free formatting elements and code I would be happy to share. You CAN do this and it's not as overwhelming as it seems, if you just take one task at at time. Thanks for reading!

Writing a Book 101 - Part 2
Writing a Book 101-part 3

     You know that one person that is always talking about something that happened forever ago? In the back of your mind you think, "Get over it already!".  I've had that thought before too. I had cancer when I was pregnant. I'm over it now. Whoop de do, right?  Well, as much as I'd love for that to be the case, it was a big changing point in my life that doesn't just go away. Asking a former cancer patient if they are over cancer is like asking an amputee if they are over the whole losing a limb thing. Sure, I didn't lose an arm or a leg, and looking at me you wouldn't know that I ever experienced what I did. I only lost the breasts that fed four of my children, the soft cushions that my babies have laid on, and a part of my body that I have become accustomed to. I only lost my reproductive organs, the place that carried my babies until I could hold them in my arms. I only had ten injections of poison, which have lasting effects on my body. I only lost the security in the assumption that I would live to raise my children and see them become adults. I've joked, "Well, at least I got a free boob job." I'll tell you now, that reconstructive surgery is not a typical elective cosmetic surgery. Everything was cut out and replaced with something that will never be what I had before. In the mirror all I see is a large incision scar across two mounds of blank skin over my rib cage. Many survivors call them foobs, reminding us of the fake appearance and feel of our cosmetic attempt to be the person we once were. I didn't chose this. This is not a sympathy attempt and I am not bitter. I am just telling you how it is.
         I will tell you what I am over. I am over allowing cancer to place fear in my mind. I am over the emotional strain cancer put on my life. I am over feelings of regret for not being able to spend as much time with my children during treatments. I am over anxiety approaching doctors offices and appointments. I am over cancer, despite the cancer stamps on my body reminding me of the battle once fought. I am over fearing the unknown. I lost more than I could have imagined, but in that loss a space opened in my heart for greater things. Cancer gifted me empathy. Cancer gifted me patience. Cancer gifted me strength and courage. Cancer gifted me confidence in my true self. Cancer gifted me appreciation. Cancer gifted me knowledge. Cancer gifted me a new start.
     This Thanksgiving I celebrate my two-year cancerversary. I am grateful for the person cancer has made me.