Mark Twain's Advice Works For Me

I like this quote. I like it a lot! So many writing projects we have in mind end up overwhelming us to the point that we never do more than think about the project. It's too big to actually begin working on whatever it is--a novel, your memoir of decades of your life, a series of books for young adults. 

For me, the big project I'd like to tackle this year is to publish an ebook. Maybe two! I've been thinking about it for a long time and I've looked into several 'how-to' articles. I've learned a few things. Even so, the whole task feels like it is of gigantic proportions. Possibly because there is still much I do not know. I worry that the old saying A little knowledge is a dangerous thing might apply here. 

Last week, I started reading more about publishing ebooks on your own. I decided that I needed to start somewhere, so I set myself the little task of getting the five stories that I am hoping to put into book form all in the same font, same size. In other words, the five stories now follow the same style along with the short intro and table of contents. It looked good to me when I finished and I felt like I'd accomplished something. 

My next task is a singular one but important and needing some more research. I need to create a book cover for the book. The title is going to be either Five Brave Girls or Five Strong Girls. The five stories are meant for 8-12 year olds. Each one has a strong girl as the protagonist. I'm leaning toward the second title because of the character of each of the girls. Each story has been published somewhere but I still hold the copyright so can use them again. 

Task number 3 is to decide on a selling price. Price it too high and there will be few sales. Too low and I make little to nothing. But money is not the prime purpose of publishing this book. I'd like to do it for my own satisfaction and to give children in this age group some examples of how young girls can be strong and/or brave. 

Task number 4 is to learn the ins and outs of publishing through Amazon. They make it sound so simple at first but, like so many things, I'd better read the fine print carefully and follow guidelines step by step. 

Task number 5 is to put it altogether and publish my ebook. I'm looking forward to that day.

Task number 6 will be to market the book which will be an ongoing process. 

Dividing that one huge job into smaller ones that I can accomplish one at a time takes away the feeling of it being an impossible task. We can do this with all our big projects. You can even do it with a 1200 word personal essay. Break it into sections and work on one at time. 

Thanks to Mark Twain for a great suggestion for me and for you!

Goals for 2013 For Writers and Others, Too

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

I saw this quote by famed and beloved author, Mark Twain, recently. It's the perfect piece of advice for your writing life in the fast-approaching new year. 2013! It's going to be here in a matter of only days, so now is the time to begin thinking about your hopes and dreams and real goals for this next calendar year.

In some respects, a year is a gift to us. It's ours to do with whatever we want to with those 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. We can choose to make it a do-nothing year or one that is filled with achievement using the goals we set for ourselves. 

When 2012 was about to arrive, one of the goals I set for myself was to step outside my comfort zone in submitting my writing. I can't say I was fantastically successful, but I did submit to publications I had never tried before, including a new anthology series. Only a couple of my stories were accepted in these publications, but it wasn't a total wipeout by any means.  

Another goal I set last January was to have another story published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology series. I met that goal and added #13 to my list of Chicken Soup books. A good feeling.  I also wanted to increase the traffic to this blog and that has been achieved. 

The one sentence that stands out in the quote for me is Sail away from the safe harbor. Only a few words but what power there is in them. Whether it's in your writing life or the rest of your world, consider trying it in 2013. Take a chance now and then and set out for unknown parts. Do some exploring, dreaming, and discovering as per Mark Twain's advice. It could turn out to be the best year of your life.