Month: December 2015

Lessons Learned from Losing NaNoWriMo

author buried in tasks during NanowrimoI’ve been participating in National Novel Writing Month nearly every year since 2004. A couple of my favorite stories have resulted from it, including Don’t Tell Anyone. And since I had to overcome a ton of obstacles to “win” that first NaNoWriMo challenge, I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment from pulling it off. I still have the certificate tacked to a bulletin board in my kitchen. Yeah, I know. After a certain age, that’s kinda-sorta pathetic, but it’s my kinda-sorta pathetic, so it’s staying.

Considering what was going on in my life during that first try — an uber-demanding full-time job, family stress, houseguests, a double mastectomy for my mother-in-law — I had no business taking on the added responsibility of hitting the daily word quota to produce something resembling a story. And while the writing was one of my more enjoyable tasks, and an opportunity to escape for an hour and a half or so every day, it took its toll on my health, and I spent half of December recovering.

But I learned from that lesson. Maybe that’s part of the reason the certificate is still on display. It’s a reminder to take care with my commitments. I’m pretty good at juggling — little round objects as well as responsibilities — but if I have too many balls in the air, odds are that one of them is going to succumb to the laws of gravity. Continue reading “Lessons Learned from Losing NaNoWriMo”

Your Writing Business and Power of Attorney

the business of writing pixabayIf you’re a self-published author, you’re also a small business with all that entails. From deciding a business structure to filing taxes, there are multiple decisions to be made. Should I register as a DBA (Doing Business As?). An LLC (Limited Liability Company?). How should I pay taxes on income earned?

All of these are important questions to consider, but here’s another one:  As a business owner, what happens if I become incapacitated? Continue reading “Your Writing Business and Power of Attorney”

Print Book Holiday Bargains

print book HOLIDAY SALETick tock…hear the clock…counting down to the big gift-giving events. Don’t worry, we’ve got lots of  awesome print book deals today at the Indies Unlimited Print Book Party.

Want to help readers discover some fine indie writing at reasonable prices? Here’s the deal:

If you have a print book available from a major online retailer at $15 or less, follow the instructions below and post your link. If you see one you like, click over and buy it. This feature is only for print editions priced at fifteen dollars and under.

When possible, we replace some of the links with clickable book cover images. Do not attempt to insert an image in comments on your own. Just put the following information in the comment section:

1. Book title and price
2. Author name
3. A short one sentence book description (keep it tweetable in length.)
4. One AMAZON link to purchase the book.

Then let your friends and fans know your book is available here today. Use the share buttons below, or copy the link in the address bar above and share the news on your favorite social media platforms. The more, the merrier, right? So let’s give it a try, shall we? Please make sure to follow the RULES above. Now, go ahead and tell the world about your cheap read.

IU is a safe-for-work site. PLEASE do not post links to erotica, religious, or political books. That’s what the rest of the internet is for.

[Note: if the book cover images below do not display properly, please check your AdBlock settings.]

Flash Fiction Challenge: Snow in the Forecast?

Flash Fiction writing Prompt copyright KS Brooks university of va2
Photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

The little white dog had been listening to the disappointed townspeople for weeks now; this would be the first year in a century without a white Christmas. The town’s livelihood depended on snow at this time of year. The residents were despondent. So, the pup decided it was time to see if he could do anything about it.

He set off on a cold but sunny winter’s day with the hope that he could sniff out the answer to making snow. But then he smelled meat pie cooking at the local pizza place.

No, no, no, he thought. Stay on task. Snow! I must find snow. A brightness filled his big brown eyes with an idea that might solve the town’s problems…

 

Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture and the written prompt above. Do not include the prompt in your entry. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. No political or religious entries, please. Need help getting started? Read this article on how to write flash fiction.

On Tuesday night, judges will select the strongest entries, and on Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll so they may choose the winner. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Saturday morning, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms. Please note the rule changes for 2015.