Toolbox Tuesday: The Disaster Preparation Plan

Whether you write under your own name or start your career under a pen-name, you'll have to put a lot of thought into how you want to present yourself to your readers.  For a lot of writers this simply means being themselves, but for others it's not so easy.

Being a writer, especially one who makes an effort to promote their work in the public eye, requires a lot of interaction and diplomacy.  Quite often, this can catch a new author unprepared and, handled badly, could cause irreparable damage to the author's reputation or lifestyle.  You may end up with your home address or phone number posted all over the net.  You may have to deal with a belligerent reader at a signing.  Or, you may defend yourself in a blog post and it may be taken the wrong way.

The best way to prevent being taken by surprise or making a mistake is to have a "preparedness plan" for your persona.  I know it sounds cheesy, but you'll want to establish a list of exactly what your limitations are going to be, what you'll tolerate from your fans, and how you're going to interact with both the people who hate you and those who love you a little too much.  Basically, a contingent plan of "what ifs," "how tos," and "Golden Rules."

Tomorrow we'll talk about some considerations that should go into making such a plan.

Toolbox Tuesday: The Contract

Omigosh!  I completely forgot yesterday was Tuesday!  I think that whole New year's day off got my clock all messed up, LOL!  Sorry about that folks.  I guess today is imaginary Tuesday and tomorrow will be imaginary Wednesday...

So, today's tool is The Contract.

*cue ominous music* 

I felt it necessary to include the contract in the toolbox because contracts make everything wonderful.. Well, not really...they're full of language you don't understand and loopholes...But for what I'm talking about they are wonderful.  :)

What I'm talking about is expectation.  Contracts are great for working out what is and isn't expected between two parties.  AND, if someone doesn't follow a contract then you get to pwn them in all sorts of legal ways.  I am not a proponent of illicit law suits, but sometimes you just gotta fight and everyone's weakest spot is in the wallet.

So, contracts.  I'll admit I have no legal knowledge, so I can't clarify contract language and what-not.  I have a lawyer writer buddy and an agent for that.  What I can say is that a contract should be fair and you should fully understand every aspect of it before you sign it.  If it's full of language and legal terms you don't understand, get someone who does to explain it to you.  It's never a good thing to accidentally sign away your kidneys as collateral... 

If you don't like something in your contract, ask for it to be changed or try to make an agreement that both you and the party you're signing with can agree on.  If you're lucky enough to have an agent, they'll do this for you. 

Although, you're going to want to make sure you make your expectations clear to your agent so that he/she can rally for your cause.  Be aware that if you're a new author, the likelihood of getting those golden clauses in your contract is slim to none.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't educate yourself on what you should ask for or fight for what you want.  You never know...

Finally, don't ever do anything or make any kind of agreement without a contract.  This is an industry and this is your job.  We rely too heavily on other people for agents, editors, and publishers to be dragging their feet or leading you by your nose.  Get a contract, make sure they follow it, and make sure you follow it!

Toolbox Tuesday: Dreams

Short and sweet today!  DREAMS...

Simple enough!  I'm not talking about the get in bed and enter sandman dreams.  I'm talking about the waking dreams that drive us forward in life.  Everyone I know has one dream or another.  Which means you probably do to!  You might have many small dreams which, upon accomplishment, require making bigger and grander plans; or you may have a big-shiny-dream which requires making many small steps to get to.


I'm a big dream kind of girl.  My dream is to become a bestselling author.  I keep this first and foremost in my mind all day, every day.  I don't think any decision I make is made without thinking about how it will impact my dream. 

I, for one, think it's incredibly important to have a dream that you believe is legitimate and achievable within your lifetime.  It's having something to want and look forward to that keeps us on the right path, plugging forward when fate starts to throw random road-blocks in front of us.  Without this drive and desire, we plod through life and, while we may make startling achievements, I don't think they are as sweet because we didn't desire them in the first place. 

After all, does cake more satisfying when you've been wanting it for a month or if someone just randomly hands you a piece?

Toolbox Tuesday: Karma Code

What goes around comes around.  You reep what you sow.   The Golden Rule.  Harm None.  Cause and Effect.

The idea of doing unto others as you would have others do unto you has been around for quite some time.  It spans every religion and every culture across the world.  Yet somehow we still manage to miss this one...

As some of you may know, one of my close friends lost her engagement ring this past weekend.  We're not entirely sure how it came off of her finger, but somehow she dropped it at a restaurant.  And someone, instead of handing in something that they surely understood had sentimental value to another, found it and kept it for themselves. 

Two things happened here.  One: Someone who might be good enough not to steal the ring noticed but didn't do anything about it.  Two: Someone noticed it and stole it. 

Notice what didn't happen?  No one cared enough to pick up the ring and bring it to management.  This got me thinking.  This whole "copping out half-way to being a good person" thing happens a lot.  People won't help a stranger in need.  Why?  What's stopping us?  Are we lazy?  Scared?  Do we intuit that there is nothing in it for us if we do help?  A little bit of everything?  Basically we say, "I'm not bad so I'm not going to take the ring."  But we don't think to expend our energy enough to save the ring from being stolen.  We say, "It's not my problem" or we don't want to be accused of stealing the ring if someone sees us pick it up.

Let's face it.  Humans are, by definition, selfish.  We have to program ourselves to be selfless and self-sacrificing.  Even then it has been a matter of philosophical debate as to whether we even help people out of a selfish need.

Why do you help people? 
"Because it feels good."
Oh, so it's about you feeling good.

Why do you help people?
"Because I'd want someone to do it for me."
Oh, so it's about you again... More specifically, this particular one is about you hoping that you can be an example to society or perhaps gain some kind of "Get Out of Jail Free" card for being a good person. 

Or, as I like to call it, you're building up good Karma. 

Which brings me to today's Tool:  The Karma Code! 

We should all have one in our Writer's Toolbox and we should live by it for the rest of our lives.  All it is is a simple promise to one's self to do whatever you can to help another.  In return, positive energy will come back and help you.  It's the basic idea that what you put in is what you get out. 

What's this all about?  The Buddhists believe Karma stretches over lifetimes and has an impact on what you will be and do in the next life.  If you are bad you will have a worse life when you are reincarnated.  If you are good, you will have a good life.  Eventually, when you've risen high enough on the karma food-chain, you reach Nirvana (the ultimate goal and Enlightenment).  (This is a very simplified version which, in this context, actually goes against the teachings of Buddhist because I'm advocating the use of Karmic theory in an effort for personal gain).

I know what you're thinking:  "I'm not a Buddhist.  I don't even believe in Heaven, for goodness sake! How does Karma help me as a writer?"

Let's be New Agey here and say that Karma is simply energy.  Good Karma is positive energy and Bad Karma is negative energy.  Like attracts like.  You conduct negative energy, you'll get negative energy.  Which means Bad Karma attracts Bad Karma.  And Good attracts Good. 

And how does that relate to the here and now?  Well, not all that good karma can go into your next life, can it?  Some of the positive energy has to impact you here in this life.  What better place than in that call from an agent who wants to represent your manuscript, or an editor who wants to buy your novel, or in reaching 10k followers on Twitter, or getting that fat check from Amazon in the mail?

So, next time you're feeling like not following another author on Twitter, or ignoring a fan at a conference, or not helping someone who has dropped their papers in the elevator.  Just remember:  "This could be the little push I need to get what I want."  No one is going to punish you for thinking about how you're going to benefit from something, especially if others benefit as well.

Alternately, try your best to keep your attitude up at all times.  The idea of Karma stretches beyond actions.  Thinking good, positive things will attract more positive energy your way!

So, try your best to integrate doing the absolute good by another that you can. It WILL come back to you in the end!