Welcome 2011--Now, what will I do with you?

I've said it before and I'll say it again and again and again :-) I enjoy setting goals. I do get annoyed when I don't meet them the way I plan to, but I've developed the ability to take pride in "Working Toward" rather than simply "Did It" and that's the spirit in which I shall report on 2010 and lay out my goals for 2011. With that in mind, here are my goals I set for 2010 and how I feel about them:

1--Lose 5 pounds --um, no. Not only did I not lose five pounds, I gained ten. I am at my biggest non-pregnancy weight of my adult life.

How do I feel about that?

I'm not even going to embarass myself by answering. How does anyone woman feel about having 10 extra pounds?

Next...



2--Run a 10K --I did not run a 10K, but I DID run a half marathon, which had been a 2009 goal I hadn't met that year.

How do I feel about that?


Stinkin' Awesome! I continued to have knee problems, but I resolved them. In March of 2010 I signed up for a triathlon and a 1/2 marathon spur of the moment ...then ended up with major surgery in July that made both events impossible. But my sister, Crystal, ran a half and watching her do it kept my fire light. Following surgery I was able to train for a November race and and not only did I complete the marathon, but I ran the whole thing. My final time was 2:22 and it was a fabulous, wonderful, confidence boosting experience.

3--Love better --I think this is the accomplishment I am most proud of. I really made it a focus to love the people around me, and learn more about love and I discovered that when I'm judging people, I can't love them. So, the root of love was not being so dang judgmental. And this lended itself toward judging myself as well.

How do I feel about that?


Really good. I'm very proud of myself for working on this--it didn't just happen. It took focus, it took prayer, and it took working through some very hard emotional baggage that was getting in the way of my ability to truly trust people, which is a big part of love for me. Not only do I feel good about what I accomplished, I am so very grateful for having set it as a goal in the first place. It was a little ambiguous and yet the results are solid and life changing.

4--Read 50 books. --I did not read 50 books. I was probably closer to 35.

How do I feel about that?


I'm disappointed. I really wanted to read more this year and instead I think I read less than I did last year. I'm only counting books I finish, and I bet I started 15 books that simply didn't hold my interest. That's disappointing, and yet I read some wonderful books that I really enjoyed. For instance, I discovered Kate Morton, who I really enjoyed. I read Train to Potevka which was wonderful, and The Message which was also very good. So, while I didn't meet my goal of 50 books, I'm still glad I set it and worked toward it.

5--Cook dinner. --I had hoped to cook dinner 4-5 times a week. I didn't do this conistently and probably averaged 2-3, which is more than it was in 2009 but not what I was shooting for.



How do I feel about that?


Frustrated. I love to cook and I love food and I love to eat with my family, so not fulfilling this goal means I missed out on three things I love. I am glad I improved and that's encouraging but I had hoped to make it more of a priority and I didn't do that.

6--Write at least 1 hour a day, 6 days a week. --HA--I did not even get close to this one. I started out strong, but it completely fell apart come March. Everything this year felt rushed and my writing was no different. I ended up doing most of my writing in chunks of time I had to carve out of regular life. Daily writing hasn't happened for me in months.

How do I feel about that?

Angry. Not sure why that's the one word answer, but that's how I feel. It should not be THAT hard for me to find 1 hour a day to write, and I know from experience that when I write this way I am much more calm and focused on my writing. I'm angry that I didn't make more time...and yet, this was a really tough year in a lot of ways and I did complete two novels and make good progress on another one. The result, therefore, was still good, but I would have liked a better process.

So, what's in store for 2011:

1--Love my body. Though I gained weight this year, and I'm not thrilled about that, I had several experiences this year that made me realize how unappreciative I am for the body I have. Both in regard to health and appearance, I am blessed and have not been kind to myself about that. This year, I'm not going to focus on weight, but instead am going to work on my fitness and my feelings toward the body I have, which is a gift from my Father in Heaven and deserves to be treated as such.

2--Run a 1/2 marathon in 2:10. That would be 12 minutes off my time, which would be almost a minute per mile faster than I did the one this year.

3--Complete 3 novels. I'm almost half way in one, another is started and another is only a pipe dream, but I want to finish them all by the end of the year.

4--52 Thank you cards. I always have the thought to send a thank you card to people, I have lots of thoughts, but I don't send them. I've recently started using an online greeting card company that sends real cards and it makes it so easy that I can take that thought and make it into an action without too much trouble. I have so many wonderful people in my life that I'm excited to do a better job at showing them. One thank you card a week shouldn't be hard to do.

5--Keep a better house. I've really let myself and my family fall into bad habits of not cleaning up after ourselves but I have pushed it to the back burner because it's not the most important thing I've needed to deal with. However, I feel better when my house is picked up and I feel that I have the ability and the commitment to do better this year.

6--Develop and follow a menu plan. I need to organize my dinner plans and have things on hand so I can make meals without having to take a trip to the store.

7--Expand and keep up on my freelance work. I have been able to develop my writing abilities through freelance work in the past, and I really enjoy it--both the challange and the security of knowing I can write in a variety of ways. I didn't do much in 2010 and want to keep it fresh this year. I'd like to submit 4 articles in 2011 and keep my eyes open for other opportunities.

I think that will do it--if I can make progress on all of these things, I will consider 2011 a success!

Congrats to . . .

If you're a blog follower and have a new book release, we're happy to announce it here! Let us know!

Congrats to Cheri Chesley on her new book: The Peasant Queen.




Also, congrats to Kim Coates. She's released The Write Planner.

Now What?

By Julie Wright and Phyllis Towzey

So You've written A Book . . . Now What?

With Nanowrimo behind us, there are many new authors with their first books under their belts wondering what to do with all these newly written words. I belong to several online writer's groups, one of which is a teen author's group that daily gives me good information about the market and writing. recently a new author asked the question, "Now what?" And one of the other writers, Phyllis Towzey, gave such a great answer, that I'd like to repeat it here (with her permission). Phyllis is the sort of person who is always there to congratulate people and offer help when she can. She is awesome. Just sayin . . .

First off--congratulations on completing a new book!

Second, I'd advise you not to be too quick to get it out there. You should take a step back and not even look at it for at least a few weeks, then go back and read it again with an eye to polishing it, layering in more details where needed, cutting out scenes or descriptions that aren't necessary, etc.
Use the two weeks or so that you are not working on it to research agents who represent that type of book, and select 5 or 6 you like. (You can research agents through websites and blogs -- once you find a few good agent blogs, they usually link to other agent blogs, and all of those link to their agency websites). Another good way to find an agent is to subscribe to Publishers
Marketplace. It's online and costs $20 per month, and you can go to the Dealmakers section and search the type of book you write and find out what agents have made sales. Also, PM sends you emails with industry news and deals. Well worth the investment, IMO.

Then I would have a couple people "beta read" it for you. I use a friend who is an avid reader of the type of books I write, and a writer-friend, and get their input, consider it, and if you agree, make more revisions. (Little aside from Julie here: Beta readers are absolute gold! Put your ego aside and really consider the advice they give. I'm not saying you have to make all the changes they ask for, but I am saying to be honest with yourself even when it bruises your pride. Be willing to make changes. Accept it as a challenge to do better.)

While you are waiting to hear back from your beta readers, search the 5 or 6 agents you've identified on sites like Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com), and Predators and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/)to make sure there's not any bad stuff about them (if there is, cross them off your list). (You don't want to sign with an agent who charges fees, or has been identified as a 'scam' agent).

Write a synopsis of your book. (aside from Julie again: Take this one seriously too. The synopsis and the query are sometimes ALL the agent/editor will see of your writing. Be thorough. Do a good job. Make sure you get it right.)

Then follow the agents' guidelines for sending a query. Most take queries by email, but some don't. Some want you to send part of your manuscript and a synopsis with the query, but most just want the query.

Then wait to hear back, and meanwhile start working on your next book. :)

And above all, don't get discouraged. It takes a while to find an agent, and even longer to find a publisher. If you aren't getting any requests on your queries, then look at your query and ask other writers to review it for you -- maybe it could be stronger. (That's why I say start with just 5 or 6 agents -- you don't want to send out a hundred queries, then realize your query sucked, and meanwhile all those agents have passed on your project).

Hope this helps!

- Phyllis

Julie again: See what I mean? Phyllis is awesome, and her advice absolutely spot on. If you've just finished a book, don't be too anxious to jump into submissions. Make it the best you can first. I would only add that it is important to hook into writing communities. Get involved in online communities, go to a conference or two, get a critique group. the friendships you build in the community will make all the difference. I promise you that.

Does anyone else have any advice for new writers? This is a good time to be putting that advice out there.

Using Trademarks in Fiction

by Annette Lyon

Writers often wonder whether they're allowed to use trademarks in their work, and if so, how to use them properly?

I'm no lawyer, so everything below is simply my understanding of what I've gleaned from articles on the topic, especially from Writer's Digest. (Don't have a subscription? GET ONE.)

First, Why Do Trademarks Matter?

If a company's trademarked name becomes a common noun, ANYONE can use it in advertising, calling their own product Jell-O or Hershey's or Betty Crocker, because the company's brand has lost its unique meaning tying it to a particular product.

When that happens, it's the kiss of death from a company's standpoint. Consider: If someone says they're wearing a Rolex, that means something. But what if "rolex" became a generic term for any watch? "Rolex" would no longer imply status or quality, and consumers might well forget that a specific company bears the name.

To prevent that kind of thing from happening, companies spend huge amounts of money in an effort to protect their trademarks. Those efforts include running ads begging writers to use trademarks properly, sending cease and desist letters to people/organizations abusing their trademarks, and more.

If a company has a paper trail proving they've worked to protect their trademark, they can sue another company trying to cash-in by unauthorized use of their brand.

As far as writers are concerned, two general rules apply with trademarks, one for non-fiction, and the other for fiction.

Trademarks in Non-fiction

In non-fiction, particularly with works like magazine and newspaper articles, trademarked products should be recognized as such.

Writers can do this two ways:

• Simply add the trademark symbol after the name (Kleenex®)

• Use the trademarked name as a name. That means it's capitalized and NOT used in place of a common noun (such as tissue). And include the word "brand" in the description: (Kleenex® brand tissue). Note that while the trademark symbol isn't required here (since you're being pretty clear that the brand is a brand) it can be safer to add the symbol anyway just so there's absolutely no confusion. This keeps the company happy and gives the writer added protection.

More examples (without the symbol, but showing brands as names along with common nouns):

• Jell-O brand gelatin
• Levi's brand jeans
• Rollerblade brand in-line skates.

Trademarks in Fiction

Don't use the trademark symbol in fiction. It just doesn't happen, likely because the symbol would pull a reader out of the story world. Go ahead; use trademark names as much as you like.

Yes, companies still encourage fiction writers to use the generic term with their mark and the word brand, and if it works with your story, fine. But doing so can lead to seriously clunky fiction.

Imagine our hero Joe wearing Levi's brand jeans, riding a Harley-Davidson brand motorcycle and drinking a Coca-cola brand soda.

(Beautiful prose, no? Er . . .)

Rather: Joe wore Levi's, rode a Harley, and drank Coke.

Trying to protect a trademark can be a losing battle (yo-yo used to be a trademark, if you can believe it), and others are losing the fight (think Rollerblade, Chapstick, and Xerox), but if a company can prove that they've put forth the effort to protect their mark, and you didn't use it properly in your non-fiction piece, they can sue you for infringing on it.

They have to; if a company does not try to protect their mark, they have no recourse.

That means Brand Z can call their stuff Jell-O if the term is so common that it's lost brand meaning. If the Jell-O company hasn't gone out of their way to protect their mark, their hands are tied.

Bottom line:

Companies continue to push for proper trademark usage, and writers who work in non-fiction should try to respect the basic trademark rules of the industry.

But if your fictional character has cool wheels, you don't need to call it a Mustang-brand car.