From Brain to Bookshelf - My Writing Journey

From Bookshelf to Best Seller!

2011-12-30T23:46:00.000Z

Well, it's the end of the year in which I became an author, so it's only fair I share with you how my book fared when it reached the virtual bookshelves of the web.

It's done rather well for itself! In the first place, when I was selling direct to the public without the help of Amazon, it covered its costs ... then went into (dare one even hope for such a thing with a first novel?) ... profit! Took two weeks to become profitable. Considering that most first novels don't even earn out their author's advances, I was rather chuffed with that.

Once it was in profit, I thought there was nothing to lose by uploading it to Amazon. Within a short while, it was on best seller lists for new releases in both the US and UK ... ahead of books published by big name publishers! The next step was to see whether or not I earned myself any reviews. A nervous wait.

Sure enough, reviews arrived. My book went on to become one of the top 20 best reviewed novels in its genre on Kindle in the UK.

If you've read it and would like to add to the reviews, please do! http://amzn.to/rebeccaw is the UK link and http://amzn.to/palaces-and-calluses is the US link.

Meanwhile, I've been tapping away at a keyboard all year, writing my column for Writing Magazine. Yep... they decided to turn a few articles into an ongoing arrangement. Guess what? The Word Nerd Army did that wonderful thing that the Word Nerd Army does and blooming well supported me. Not only that, but they got hooked on the magazine (because it's awesome) and ... long story short ... it was selling out, so they had to make an app version of it to keep up with demand. Woohoo!

Aside from that, I've been obsessive about learning marketing this year. Ob-sessss-ive. I've stayed up until 4am to listen to training calls from the US. Why? Because we all have to take responsibility for our own books and publicity now. Even if we're signed by major publishers, marketing is still our responsibility to a large extent. I've been through all the different methods, and sifted through endless sites and reports, so I could find the best solutions for authors. I'm going to put a course together to help other Word Nerds grab the reins and take control of their marketing and sales.

Another thing I've researched is ways that writers can earn money alongside their writing (the kinds of things that will fit around a novelist's need for time with the muse). Now, I'm pulling everything together, packaging it up, and I'm planning to help lots of aspiring authors in 2012.

I Am Now a NOVELIST!!!

2011-04-07T10:41:00.002+01:00

The book is filled with believable characters — some you’ll love and some you’ll love to hate — including smart women, handsome hunks, a nasty boss and a wonderful dog named Rock. Oh, and did I mention, the author drops us right into the English Cotswolds?
The quality of the work rises above that of much of today’s popular literature because of Rebecca’s writing. She has an easy style that makes you want to leap to the next page. She’s just a natural. Mary Louise Ruehr - Books Editor for the Record-Courier in Ohio.

The journey From Brain to Bookshelf is at an end. My book finally made it onto people's shelves. It is sitting on Kindles, iPads, Sony Readers, Nooks, and netbooks as I type. It has been reviewed in a very favourable way. People like my book. What a journey. Thank you for being part of it.

There will be further journeys from brain to bookshelf, but there will never be another 'first' journey. You have been such an important part of this first journey. I hope you like what I said on the acknowledgements page. Please pop across to my author site and check out Palaces & Calluses if you haven't done so yet.

I would love it if you'd spread the word on your blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, and share the part you have played in this journey. The short URL for tweets is bit.ly/palaces

Let me know if you'd like to interview me. I'd love to do a book launch blog tour around my chum's blogs.

Book Launch: 200 Downloads in 2 Hours!!!!

2011-04-04T01:07:00.000+01:00

Hi Wonderfuls!

Just had to pop over to tell you how the book launch is going because I know many of you aren't following my new author blog yet, so you're missing all this stuff. My author blog - where I running my book launch - is RebeccaWoodhead.com so head over there when you've read this, because something amazing happened today. I put up the first chapter of my novel and got 200 downloads in 2 HOURS!!!

I've changed the password now, but I think I might let people know it tomorrow evening, so more people can bag the free chapter. I might even throw in some of Chapter 2. What do you think?

Exciting times! Don't forget to check out Writing Magazine this month. Did you see Goldie Hawn's sister, Patti, in my last column, by the way? She's a total sweetheart, and she's written a fab book. I'm talking Facebook in my column this month, and one of the Word Nerd Knights is featured. Yep. I'm drawing attention to as many of them in as I can - of course. You knew I would! Got to spread the limelight. The Word Nerd Knights are kicking butt at the moment. Brian just got a publishing deal! Nikesh was nominated for a Costa, and Dan is now an Amazon bestseller. What in the...? Either there is some kind of pixie dust associated with being one of the knights or I ROCK at picking winners!

Subscribers should get their copies of Writing Magazine tomorrow. Everyone else can buy them from WHSmith, TESCO, etc from the 6th - which is when I plan to launch my book.

Launch Week For My Book - 31st March-6th April!

2011-03-22T21:28:00.001Z

I think that some people haven't cottoned on to what's happening yet, so here it is. My book IS COMING OUT in the next two weeks.

This blog is called From Brain to Bookshelf. Once the book hits bookshelves, it makes sense to have an official Author Blog. I've already launched that. I didn't put a follower gadget on it, but I've just put one up, so pop across and hit 'follow'. I'm posting details of my novels, my Writing Magazine articles, and my Groupon blogs on that site. When I'm looking for quotes for articles, that's where I'll put them. Keep an eye on it, because there will be MANY opportunities to get published.

I'll still post here, but it's not going to be my official author blog. Things that relate to the journey I've had, and things that are a bit quirky will go up here. News, announcements, etc will go on the new blog. The url is ... www.rebeccawoodhead.com Please go there and leave a comment. Thank you.

The launch week for my book is from 31st March to the 6th April. I will launch my book at some point in that week! :) You can support my book by grabbing the badge in the sidebar on my new blog.

THANK YOU!

HELP! Planning to Elope NEXT WEEK: Should I?

2011-03-16T14:45:00.000Z

This is the most important decision I've made in years. I NEED your advice.

Please hop across to my (new) author blog: www.rebeccawoodhead.com and tell me what you think.

Thank you!!

My Author Blog is Live!

2011-02-28T22:39:00.001Z

I've been busy. Since I plan to launch my book in the next few weeks (Yes. Seriously. Probably around the 21st March) I made an author site. I've also put together a little ebook give-away too. Check out the sidebar when you get there. Hope you like it! Please leave comments.

rebeccawoodhead.com

LOVE YOU!!!!

Rebecca.

P.S. Both my Groupon blog and Writing Magazine column are doing REALLY well.

I Am a Columnist for Writing Magazine!

2011-02-11T20:58:00.001Z

Dear wonderful blog friends,

This is such a special moment that I haven't known how or when to write it. Those of you who were with me through the hypothermia and malnutrition; the nearly-but-not-quite column disappointment; Dad's aneurysm and coma; and all the other trials and tribs will know how significant this moment is. I'm a columnist. An actual one. I get to write things in a magazine every single month this year. It is bliss.

The article I wrote for Writing Magazine went down SO well that it pretty much floored me. I hoped I'd done a passable job, but the feedback was astounding. In this month's magazine (in which I'm not featured - my column starts next issue) there was even a letter to the Editor about me! This is just beyond my dreams, somewhere in the clouds of writerly hope. I still can't quite believe it. Seeing my dear friend Brian Knight in the magazine with me was such a thrill too. Dear Brian was the first person I really connected with in the blogging community. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, even though he was a newbie himself. What a trooper! There we both were in a national magazine. Wow!

The best thing, though, wasn't going into WHSmith, buying the magazine, and telling the person behind the counter that I was in it - although that was pretty awesome: she was so obviously a word nerd - the best bit has been reading the tweets from people saying they've joined Twitter because of me, or reading their DMs about what has happened to them in their first weeks and how it has opened things up for them as writers. That's just fab. My next article will be about building marketing funnels: the nuts and bolts of the business side of writing. I have a couple of stupendous contributors for that article. You wait! Well, the deadline is Monday, and I still have some editing to do, so I'd better scoot. Just wanted to share this with you all and also say 'Happy Valentine's Weekend' because ... y'know ... I love you guys. *Blushes*

Oodles and oodles of love,

Rebecca
xxx

Drawing on Experiences for the Emotional Arc

2011-01-15T22:37:00.000Z

The Golden Rules

If you lift it straight from life, it needs to go into an autobiography, a biography, or another non-fiction book. Fiction is fictional. Don't let your imagination rust up by copying and pasting the lives of your nearest and dearest into your novels.
If you ignore '1' your friends and family will never speak to you again.
You CAN lift the EMOTION out of your life, but a better way to do it is to start with the fictional world you are constructing and, from within the character's psychological mindset, sink into those experiences you have had that resonate with the character's own.
This will hurt (if the emotions are painful).
Make sure the pain you're feeling is the character's and not your own. If it is your own, leave the room and have a piece of cake. Have a whole cake if you need to. Literature is more important than your waistline. The pen is mightier than the pin-up, and so on, and so forth. This is important stuff.
Take time away from the scene.
Go back to it when you can read it in a readerly, rather than writerly way. If, when you read it as a reader, you still cry for the character, you've got it right. If you cry for yourself, get therapy. Whatever the problem, it's not worth ruining a book over it.
You can graph the plot and emotional arcs if you desperately want to, but an easier way to test them is just to read your book. Give it time to cool. Then read.

Any other tips you can share, word nerds? Leave them in the comments section.

How to Overcome Writer's Block (and LOVE the Process)

2011-01-11T18:21:00.009Z

The oft-quoted phrase ‘writers write’ is all well and good if you can bring yourself to do so, but what if you are blocked?

Blocking comes in many forms. Some people refer to it as Writer's Block but that needs to be deconstructed because it’s not a simple malady. There are many components that could lead a writer to feel blocked.

1/ Your family does not take your writing ambitions seriously

2/ You don’t have time to write

3/ You don’t have space to write

4/ You lack inspiration

5/ You are too exhausted

6/ You need to prioritise your writing

The first and sixth points have the same root. Your family (you can substitute this word with ‘friends’, ‘colleagues’, etc) does not take you seriously, so you don’t take yourself seriously. Our views of ourselves as writers can be nurtured or harmed by those around us.

Sometimes, criticism is helpful. Constructive criticism is crucial. If you are subjected to the ‘drip, drip, drip’ of negativity, however, your confidence and creativity will be eroded.

Any of the following ring a bell?

‘Who do you think you are?’
‘Ooh. Get you. Next JK Rowling, are you?’ followed by a snigger.
‘Great, Mum. Happy for you. Where’s my supper?'
‘Saw you writing your “novel” on your lunch hour, Tony. You’re wasting your time. Come down the pub with us.’
‘You’re a writer? *Yawn*. Fascinating. When can I expect my free, signed novel?'*
'I would write a novel too, but I haven’t got the time. You must have a lot of time on your hands.'

* TOP TIP: The answer I give is: ‘You’re an Estate Agent? *Yawn*. Fascinating. When can I expect my free, signed house?’

Of course, there are social media versions too, which tend to be variations on:

‘Call yourself a writer? You’re a nobody! *Unfollow*’

Well ... this is all very unpleasant. It is no surprise that you feel blocked, especially if you are fitting your little nuggets of writing time around work or family, and struggling to stay inspired – and awake – squashed into the corner of a sofa, with a laptop on a tray, at 3am.

Stop. Listen. Your writing deserves to be read. For it to be read, it must first be written, and edited. You need to take a stand to create a space in which it is safe for you to be a writer. It doesn’t matter if you have never been published. If you are putting pen to paper – or tapping out words on a keyboard – you are a writer.

Find Space, Time, and Your Muse

I got this idea into my head a few months ago, and I set out to look for a place that offered writing retreats. I’m not talking about the big, organised writing retreats, where you meet up with loads of other writers. What interested me was the idea of a personal retreat. A bit of personal time and space. That is what you need, to write.

I found it closer to home than I had anticipated. Not only are these wonderful cottages close to where I live, but Charles Cawley and Lorna Philip, the lovely people who run Country Holiday Lets, follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I approached them and suggested the cottages would make marvellous writing retreats, and they not only agreed, but furnished me with fascinating writerly facts that proved my hunch. Each of them helps a writer in a different way. In this first post about the retreats, I'll share two with you, along with the ways I think they will help writers the most. See which would help you.

Surround Yourself with Books

Imagine yourself in a book shop. You are breathing in the scent of beautifully bound books. On the shelves are the classics that inspired you to become a writer. Now you are in another book shop. Now another. Each one bustles with people who, like you, believe in the power of books. You buy the book that inspires you the most, go back to your retreat and, filled with the kind of self belief the writer of that book had, you write your own.

Having never been to Hay we would certainly go back again to get a proper look at all of those amazing book shops.

Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh/English border, is the location of the Hay Festival for good reason. The place is full to the gunnels with books.

Imagine staying in your own elegant retreat as the fresh air, and sounds of the river, play through your open window. That is what 25 Millrise offers.

Charles tells me that The Shepherds Teashop in Hay on Wye is a good place to sit outside and write. Click for a beautiful description of the area, and more pictures of 25 Millrise.

Millrise was one of the nicest places I think I have ever stayed! The house is really well finished, very comfortable and in a lovely location! I would go back and recommend it to others!

Write in a Cottage Where a Book Was Written

When you walk into a building in which the writer of a classic novel once breathed, something happens. You get inspired. You see what they saw when they wrote, you look out of the same windows. You inhabit the same space. Your writing echoes this.

The cottage was fantastic, so well presented and so very comfortable. The time seemed to stand still, due entirely to the relaxing atmosphere of both the cottage and surrounding countryside. An inspirational kitchen garden to look at and enjoy - everything was an absolute delight. Our first break for many years but one we shall repeat thanks to finding you on-line. All being well we shall be in touch in early 2011 to sample one of your other cottages, such is your high standard.

When I was a child, I studied the book On The Black Hill so I was elated to discover that the cottage in which Bruce Chatwin wrote some of its most brooding chapters was also one of the cottages in the Country Holiday Lets stable: The Coachman’s Cottage.

Set in an area of the South Shropshire Hills, one of the most beautiful areas in England, the cottage is perfectly located to explore the castles of the area. See more about the cottage here.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to writing retreats that inspire me. Part two will be posted shortly, but if you are inspired by either of these retreats, I advise you to act before they are booked up. First, ask yourself these questions:

How long do I deserve to give myself for my writing retreat?
Do I deserve more than one writing retreat in 2011? If so, how long will they be, and at what times of year?
What do I want to accomplish? (e.g. Write/finish a first draft; edit a manuscript; come up with an idea for a book; research for a book; immerse self in books, etc).

For more information, go to countryholidaylets.co.uk

Got an Article in Writing Magazine!

2011-01-10T18:24:00.000Z

Two amazing things happened this week. My GROUPON Blog finally went live this morning:

A Guide to Beating the Winter Blues

and my first article in Writing Magazine was published! I say 'first article' in the hopes of a second, third, etc. You never know. :)

My article on how to build a Twitter-fuelled author platform

Either tomorrow, or the next day, I'll put up a post that will help you commit to your writing in 2011. Some wonderful stuff to share with you. Make sure that you check back for that. I think you'll find it helpful and inspiring. Until then, please be a sweetheart and pass on the link for this post. Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Rebecca xxx

I am a GROUPON Writer!!

2011-01-04T18:15:00.002Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011 Is Going to Be AWESOME!

Hello, lovely people. It's me! Remember me? No? Oops. Sorry about that. Been a bit busy, but I'll make it up to you with some splendid news... I'm a blogger for Groupon!!

If you don't know what Groupon is, they are the fastest growing web company of all time. The people behind the scenes are LOVELY, and the deals are beyond amazing.

The thing I love about Groupon is that they've hit the sweet spot between paraonia about the economy and plugging your ears with your fingers and pretending it doesn't exist. Groupon acknowledges that people are looking for bargains, but they do it in a fun and positive way. No doom and gloom here. Utter luxury for next to nothing. My kind of place!

The next bit of news is that my Writing Magazine debut is in TWO DAYS! Whoop whoop! I haven't seen the finished article, so I'm curious to see what it looks like. Can't wait!

By the way, if you're not a pen pal of mine yet, you're missing out on lovely postcards...

penpals.withrebecca.com

Leave me a comment. I want to natter with my lovely word nerd chums. :)

Happy Birthday Blog, and Jane Austen!!

2010-12-16T21:44:00.002Z

Quite by chance, I just realised my blog is 2 years old today and, via an Act of Google, I discovered it is 235 years since the birth of Jane Austen. Permission to say 'O.M.G.'? I hadn't a clue. I set up my writing blog on Jane Austen's birthday. How perfect is that?

So... since my first blog post, when I worried about agents, and talked about the 'tricky middle bit' in public for the first time, what has happened?

Well, from a personal perspective: my husband was made redundant and I had to learn how to get 16 meals from a chicken; my dad got an aneurysm and had to go through endless operations, and a coma, to be with us this Christmas; I developed a sunlight allergy that kept me housebound for months, and I made stacks of chums online, who helped me through all this. BUT... None of the random trials held me back, so if you've been hit by the recession and are putting off being a writer until conditions improve... DON'T. Here's what I've accomplished in an 'impossible' market....

From a writing, blogging, and micro-blogging perspective... we are not in Kansas any more, my friends. It has been a WHIRLWIND since this day two years ago!

Wrote another novel
Edited the first
Was published in Poetry Against Cancer
Was published in The Times and The Telegraph (my tweets!) and mentioned in the Wall Street Journal
Was published in Lori Gama's Become a Twitter Pro in 20 Days
Was approached by literary scouts, agents and publishers
Decided to self publish (watch this space. It's a trickier process than anticipated, and harder to set a deadline on than anything I can imagine, but my first novel will be out early in the 2011).
Was approached by a UK publishing house and asked to write the foreword for a book that will be launched next month, called 140 Characters.
Wrote my first article for Writing Magazine (the magazine to which I was referring in my very first post). A HUGE moment for me. Will be out next month in the UK. Subscribe!
Have been approached with increasing frequency to write all manner of things next year.
Won Ms Twitter UK contest in 2009
Finalist in Shorty Awards 2010
Ms LitChat 2009
Blogger Blog of Note awarded for my new blog
Was Follow Fridayed twice, and given a quote for my site by Stephen Fry
Wrote the first half of a third book
Became one of the top 5 most influential women on Twitter in my country
Became one of the top 100 most influential women on Twitter IN THE WORLD!
Set up my own shop for writers! (US version is here)

and... I haven't told anyone this yet, but it seems a good enough opportunity. You know Groupon? The fastest growing site on the web? The one that Google tried to take over? I'm now an official blogger for them. I've gone pro! I'll post back here once my page is up.

What an AWESOME couple of years. Thank you so much to everyone who's followed me, here or on Twitter, Facebook etc. Please spread the word about my blog and I'll re-invigorate it with wonderful writerly things for you all. And... please leave a comment below. I know it's trendier now just to skip back to Twitter and DM me, but there's something so very lovely about blog comments.

Thanks for everything.

Rebecca (Word Nerd)

xxx

My Moment Has Arrived! Here I Go!

2010-12-06T17:30:00.000Z

This is what I've been waiting for, and why I turned down another publisher. Time to go!

Will Books Die Out? Will Apple Destroy the World? Will Publishers Become Extinct?

2010-12-03T18:09:00.000Z

You Will Never be Pretty

2010-11-27T02:53:00.000Z

Amen.

Word Nerd Gifts. Check Out My Shop!

2010-11-07T23:32:00.001Z

Only another couple of pay days until Christmas. Can you believe it? Now's the time to buy your pressies, and drop big hints about what you want. To help you with both, I've been a bit busy at my virtual kitchen table building a Word Nerd Gift Shop. Check it out and leave your thoughts below. Hope you like it!

The shop has a home behind the Word Nerd Gift Shop tab above. The UK version is http://zazzle.co.uk/wordnerdarmy* The US version is http://zazzle.com/wordnerdarmy* - and it looks as if the US postal service has approved my stamp!!! The Facebook version is http://bit.ly/wordnerdgifts .

Stephen Fry, The US Election, and Harmonious Existence

2010-11-04T09:59:00.002Z

The last couple of weeks, I've witnessed so much hatred, and such a lack of sense and dignity. I thought - as a feminist - that I should blog about the issues raised by Stephen Fry's recent comments. Sexuality, social cost, and cultural oppression need to be discussed. But not like this. Not with this venom. Let's work towards harmonious resolution of inequality. No bullying.

I wanted to write about the dear, sweet, person that Stephen Fry is. I wanted to detail all the many ways he has gone above and beyond to help me, and others of my female friends. I wanted to scream out 'THIS IS NOT FAIR! HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS MAN A MISOGYNIST' and go into pages of explanation as to why this is not the case. It would fall on ears that are hungry for salacious gossip. It wouldn't be heard.

I've watched, as the right and left political wings of America tore each other new orifices: the personal attacks of the supporters every bit as gruesome as were the attacks in the run-up to our own recent elections. I watched, too, the added element of religious hatred, and intolerance.

The flip side? My father was dying, and people of all religions prayed for him. Services were held in the religious places of 'opposing' religious tribes. You know what? NOT ONCE did anyone try to convert me, or my family, to their faith. Not once. Atheists sent love, and kind thoughts. They did not lay into the religious people. The religious people did not lay into them. All the different notes of belief merged into one harmony: love. I didn't feel the need to pick out one note and say 'THIS IS THE PERFECT NOTE. ONLY PLAY THIS NOTE.' It was beautiful to hear all of these notes played so freely.

So. What has this to do with Stephen Fry? Sometimes, he hits a wrong note. Sometimes, we all do. We are not, however, creatures of a single note. Each of us contains an orchestra of instruments. Some are in tune with others. Some are not. This is WITHIN ourselves. We hold competing beliefs. We're a bunch of hypocrites. That's not a criticism. It's the nature of the human state. If you look at political questionnaires, it's blindingly obvious. We want free health care, and low taxes. We want governments that handle the big issues and take the tough decisions, yet we punish them when they do. The only way to handle this conflict is to see the bigger picture - hear the whole piece of music. If you focus too hard on just a single note, you miss the beauty of the whole. Aristotle said something about that, I believe. You need to step back. You need, sometimes, to let the music play without trying to control every last thing.

In time, I hope, Stephen Fry will be back. Maybe he will be moved by the extent of the reaction, to study the issues facing women. Maybe he will make a documentary, or series, on persecution faced by women around the world for expressing their sexuality. It says a lot about our own culture that some throw-away comment by him about female sexuality has got more coverage than the imminent execution of a woman (by being stoned to death) for adultery. The blood lust of certain journalists for the hide of someone who dares to be successful and wealthy is sickening in this context.

Before I go into too much detail - not my intention here - I'll end with this thought:

We are all different. We are all human. We all mess up. Religion, gender, sexuality, political beliefs... these are all areas of difference. For this reason, they are areas of battle. They need not be. If we respected difference, valued friendship and kindness over being 'right' the whole time, and looked at the bigger picture, they COULD be areas of harmony.

NaNo (No! No! No!) WriMo

2010-11-02T14:09:00.001Z

I don't do NaNoWriMo. I've watched it since it first started, but didn't jump in until last year. BIG mistake. I am NOT NaNo compliant. It screwed up my whole writing year. No exaggeration. I already had everything I needed to write a novel. I'd done it before. The interference of others during the NaNoWriMo process wrecked it for me. The perfect creative flow established over the previous years jarred into a whole year of chaos.

In a way, this was a good thing. I had a bunch of non-creative stuff to do. The last year has been about the business side of writing:

Setting things up for publication
Building a kick-ass platform
Getting smaller pieces of creative work published
Getting articles published in print media
Working out a solid business plan for my writing for the long term

This is all important stuff. The endless obstacles in the way of publishing my first novel are starting to annoy the heck out of me. I like deadlines. I can't fix a reliable deadline on this, and it is beyond frustrating. Every time I'm within an inch of publication, the giant Pigeon of Delay flies overhead and drops something smelly onto my plans. I'm not giving up though. No! No! No! The novel will come out (PLEASE let it come out by Christmas!!!)

Anyhow... back to NaNoWriMo. It is a great idea - if you're not me - and I plan to support it just as much as ever. Let me know in the comment section if you're taking part, and give me your Twitter name so I can add you to my NaNoWriMo list (the VERY FIRST EVER NaNoWriMo list on Twitter, by the way).

Is Your Writing As Important As You Think?

2010-10-27T12:59:00.000+01:00

'Be someone for somebody' - J Shroeder

Since May, my father has been fighting for his life. Part of me wanted to abandon social networks. Part of me wanted to abandon friends. Part of me wanted to abandon writing. But I didn't.

Why?

Because others hadn't. I had watched one friend write through the death of her mother, and another through the death of their father. I had watched friends write through illnesses and catastrophes. They didn't go away because things got tough. They kept writing, because it was important.

How Important Is Your Writing?

Very. It turns out that it's important for reasons that are not immediately clear. The part of us as writers that wants to throw in the towel when 'bigger' stuff happens, is the part of us that judges our own work. We forget that others are ALREADY invested in it, whether we've sold it or not.

When I was struggling to pay for heat last year, one thing kept me writing. Obviously, the people who said they wanted to buy my books were a huge motivator but even more so were the aspiring writers who wrote to me saying:

PLEASE keep writing. I watch what you go through and it gives me faith that I can succeed. If you give up, I will give up.

I got loads of emails like that. Even more surprisingly, I got loads of emails like this:

PLEASE keep writing. I am [poor/losing a family member/suffering from a chronic illness, etc, etc] and I don't know how to go on. Watching you handling all this stuff gives me faith that I can too. If you give up, I will give up.

Now... obviously the responsibility for a person's happiness and choices lies with that person, and threatening writers with emotional blackmail is not a good thing, but the point is that you have no idea who you are touching, or how, or why.

The idea of the hermit writer is fine if you are one. We are not. Even if you never leave your house physically, you do so in spirit and mind every time you connect to the web. Other people use you as a point of reference for their own lives.

To put it another way... if you have been blogging, or on social networks, consistently for more than a few months, you are a landmark. You may be a little well in a village, or you may be the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben. It doesn't matter how big you are as a landmark. If you are a point of reference for someone, you will be missed in ways that have nothing to do with your own personal world if you disappear.

If other people are important to you, and you have become important to them through writing, then your writing is important. It's not as important as YOU think. It is as important as THEY think. With all its imperfections, grammatical tensions, and flaws, it is an expression of the human condition. Whatever life brings, and however insignificant you feel, keep sharing your writing. You never know who you are helping.

In the spirit of sharing... after nearly half a year of operations, a coma, and all sorts of life-and-death drama, Dad came home yesterday. In an hour, I will see him, aneurysm-free for the first time in years. Before I went to see him, I had to write about it and share it with you. It was important.

Please Pray. Dad Just Rushed into Operating Theatre

2010-10-12T11:53:00.000+01:00

Dad was recovering well, but things suddenly changed. He's been rushed into the operating theatre for an emergency operation. PLEASE pray and/or send positive thoughts.

Thank you.

Rebecca

How to Handle Trauma

2010-10-04T12:31:00.000+01:00

Thank you to all those of you who've been praying for my dad. It isn't easy to cope when someone you love is in a coma, or not able to communicate with you. I've been through this with a friend before, and it's very stressful. That said, I've also been in a coma myself so I know that however stressful it is for me - or the family, or Dad's friends - it is way more stressful for him.

Rather than just feel sorry for myself (which helps nobody), I thought I'd try to be honest about this experience while I'm going through it, so that I can try to help anyone else going through something similar. Dad would expect me to do something like this, and I can't let him down.

If you're going through trauma...

Keep going. Breaking down is not an option when other people depend on you. As long as there is hope, there is work to do. Be honest and practical about what Covey calls your 'circle of influence'. What CAN you do?
- I can ask people to pray.
- On occasion, I am allowed to see my dad.
- I can look after my mum.
- I can take care of myself so that I'm strong enough to be there for my dad.
Expect nothing. When my brother died, people who'd been there for me all my life disappeared. My best friend never contacted me again. Expect nothing of the people around you. It's not about you. They have their own issues. Many people talk up a good game when it comes to supporting others, but flake out the moment you need them. My brother used to like the expression 'friends are like parachutes. If they are not there for you the first time you need them, chances are you won't be needing them again.' Even family members can sometimes fall into this category. Don't get involved with it. You have enough on your plate.
Wonderful things can happen. Miracles can, and do, happen. There are other good things that happen too, though. The flip side of point '2'. Some of the people you least expect to be there for you, will be there. I can't overstate how supportive some of my Twitter friends have been. Some have been more supportive than 'real world' friends or, even, family.

I hope this helps someone. There's loads more I could probably put, but I've got to rush off and see Dad. Keep saying prayers and sending positive messages.

Rebecca

† Please Pray For My Dad. Thanks.

2010-10-03T13:01:00.000+01:00

By chance, during an unrelated scan, my father was found to have an aortic aneurysm. We were told in May that there was a one in four chance he could die any day. I can't imagine how terrifying this period of time has been for my dad. The surgery to fix this problem was life-threatening but necessary.

He went through the operation, only to wake from the anaesthetic and be told they'd done nothing. A huge, painful scar showed the ordeal of the operation, but the aneurysm was still in place. It was in an awkward position, and he would need treatment elsewhere - if a doctor could be found who was willing to take on the surgery.

We waited. Eventually, a wonderful doctor stepped forward. Dad was making a good recovery from the first operation when we heard he would now go in for another. Dad was adamant that the operation should go ahead as soon as possible. A few days ago, it did.

The last couple of days have been very difficult. The operation took over eleven hours. He has been in an induced coma since then. There was a point when we thought he would have a leg amputated, but that has not happened. Yesterday, he came out of the coma but was not able to speak. He's now been sedated again. We can't communicate with him, and we don't know how he feels or what the effects of the operation have been on him.

During the last operation, so many people online prayed for my dad and when I told him of this, it meant so much to him. He can't tell me anything at the moment, but I know it would mean a lot to him if my online friends prayed for him again. Please tell people at your churches, and ask them to share his story and pray. If you are not a religious person, please keep him in your thoughts, and think positively about his recovery.

Thank you.

Rebecca

The End of September Approaches...

2010-09-25T16:33:00.000+01:00

A year ago, I set a deadline. Five days from now, I'd hoped to publish my first novel.

Extraordinary things are happening in my life. The kinds of things that make you down tools and give up. I won't give up. My deadline may have to be a bit stretchy, and it may be hard to prioritise it, but I'll do it. This book will be out, on Kindle, well before Christmas. I may or may not be able to celebrate the launch, but the launch will happen. I've worked too hard to give up now.

OMG! One of my Blogs is a Blog of Note!!

2010-09-15T23:22:00.000+01:00

The Bexter Review

Sad News for Writers

2010-09-14T17:27:00.000+01:00

You know when you wake up and think 'why did I bother?' I've had a couple of those days in a row. Yesterday ended in a giant drama-fest of sobbing and tea over a teeny tiny Facebook error. Today is much worse. I'm bored with crying though, so the eyes are dry. Every cloud..., eh?

The editor of Publish Now! emailed me today to tell me that he has decided not to go ahead with the magazine. Market changes make it less financially viable.

I think it's sad for the writing community as a whole as I've had so much positive feedback about the idea of a magazine for people interested in self-publishing. Obviously, I'm now not a columnist any more and the interview slot I had in the magazine has now disappeared, so those of you I planned to interview for the magazine will not have that opportunity any more.

This is all very sudden and a bit gutting, but this kind of thing happens. Rather than cry into my porridge, I'm putting together a plan for something a bit different. I'll keep you informed. Meanwhile, chilly weather is closing in and porridge three times a day is proving uninspiring, so if you know anyone looking for a writer, I can herd words into all kinds of reasonably priced formats. Thanks. :)

I lost 100+ (unpaid) hours, so Operation Sh*tstorm is officially back on, but now my timetable gapes open, and in the empty spaces I feel inclined to write the following words:

PUBLISH YOUR BOOK, WOMAN!

Is Privacy Meaningless?

2010-09-04T12:31:00.001+01:00

The piece I wrote for The Spectator's Arts and Culture blog spoke about this. The iPhone goes even further. Apple has plans to take photos of you without your knowledge, and to spy on your heartbeat. Seriously. (Since breaking this news the original source of it has gone down. Shenanigans?)

How much does privacy matter to you? Does it matter at all any more? More to the point, as writers, does this liberate us? The big, historical, fear about writing is surely the exposure of the self. If your iPhone and Google are already taking care of that for you, there's no longer anything to worry about. Google and Apple have your soul.

Mind you, that Hawkings chap is trying his best to convince you that you never had one of those to begin with. I retract my earlier tweet that, since his argument against any divine force hinges on one not being 'necessary' he is also questioning the existence of kittens or iPhones. Obviously, that was a fib. One of the newest patents Steve Jobs has applied for ensures that anyone questioning the existence - or necessity - of an iPhone will be tracked down by the nearest iPhone and fried. Obviously, that is a fib. Oh, and ... since this Google owns Blogger, and YouTube, and this is a Blogger blog that contains YouTube vids ... um ... GOOGLE RULES!!!!

Want to Appear in This Glossy Magazine? (Podcast)

2010-09-01T16:32:00.004+01:00

Not only could some of you appear in this magazine, there's SO much more exciting stuff that has happened and been arranged for you. I told you I was up to something - conspiring behind your backs to make great things happen for you - well here's the first part of that. It's AWESOME!

Listen to the podcast above for the AMAZING news about what has happened to me, and what I have negotiated for you as a consequence. I said I would find a way to pay you back for all your support, and I have. This is the biggest ever opportunity for the Word Nerd Army to show their stuff. Leave loads of comments!

How much would you be comfortable to pay for an annual subscription?
What about a digital version? What device do you use, what country are you from, and what do you think would be a good price?
What kind of content do you want?
What questions do you need answered?
What excites you about the idea of a regular self-publishing magazine?
Of course, as I'll have a column in the magazine, I'll be looking for people to interview. Why should you be featured in Publish Now! ?

Leave your answers in the comments section, and please ask everyone in your own blog communities, and on Twitter and Facebook, to come here and leave their own comments. The more interest there is, and the more magazines are sold from this blog, the more likely you'll get the magazine you really want, at last.

bit.ly/publishnow

Publish Now! (If You Are 1 of the Lucky 45)

2010-08-31T02:46:00.001+01:00

I found something beautiful. A new magazine for word nerds. Publish Now! I turned the pages and almost gasped with joy. Here was a magazine that looked forward and plotted out the future of books. Self-publishing was at its core.

Anyone with an eye to the digital ground will know of Seth Godin's recent comments about traditional publishing. The time is absolutely right for this publication. I hear there are even plans to produce a digital version too! This first print issue looks likely to become a collector's edition. I was so impressed with it that I phoned the editor. He told me there are only 45 left, and asked if my word nerd followers would be interested in this kind of magazine. Uh... YEAH! This is like a Word Nerd Army survival guide! Whatever kind of publishing you hope to secure, you need to be fully educated about all the options. Guys, grab this while you can. Let's all get published before this time next year. What do you say? Find out more here.

Mission Impossible?

2010-08-26T20:06:00.000+01:00

What an amazing bird! Could you write a haiku or other short poem or story inspired by this? Have you read a book with a strong animal character? What did you love about that character?

Free Books for Beta Readers

2010-08-23T15:14:00.002+01:00

Would you Like to Beta Test a Novel?

It is still possible that my novel could be out by the deadline I set myself last year - the end of September. It would be great to launch the book on 18th September but funds are still a little too low to go ahead. As many of you know, doctors discovered my father had an aneurysm a couple of months back and that has thrown many of my plans out of the window but I am a writer, and I've been told - often - that writers write. They also publish on occasion. Dad has made it clear that I'm not allowed to shelve my dreams of publication just because of a bit of medical drama so I won't. Somehow, I'll get this book out this year. It would be amazing if I could do that by the end of next month.

While I scurry around looking for things I might be able to sell to make up the rest of the budget, it would be great to get a little Beta Team of word nerds together to read my book on different devices. With the budget being as tight as it is, I may be forced to abandon the idea of a physical book for now (cost of buying and sending ISBN'd copies to all the relevant libraries is just too much) and focus on ebooks. If that goes well, it will fund the physical book launch. Seems like a sound business decision.

So - what's your device? I plan to focus on Kindle as the Kindle App can be used on iPad, iPhone etc too, but I also want to release a Sony Reader version. I have no plans for DRM, and it may be possible for me to release on all kinds of devices, but the Amazon contract could make things a litttle tricky so I'll only promise Kindle for now, then anything else will be a bonus. In any case, let me know your device. To improve your chances of being picked to receive a free book you need to be:

a fast reader
a book junkie
prepared to keep your mouth shut about the plot until the book is launched
respectful of my copyright
a reader of e-books
prepared to send me an email of your thoughts on the book
interested in reading English English (I would love it if most of my books were bought by Americans, but I want them to be read in the English of England rather than American English. I've noticed so many publishers produce American versions of English books, and I think that cheats Americans out of a great experience. I love reading books from America in American English, and I hope I can tempt Americans to read some modern books from England written in English English - the term 'British English' is misleading by the way. It annoys Scottish people. I don't like to annoy Scottish people.)

Leave your details below, or contact me through the contact form. Here's the book trailer:

Good luck!

If you want to help raise funds so I can release the book by the deadline, that would be very kind. Don't give more than you can afford. It all adds up:

Flooded Street - Writing Inspiration

2010-08-19T18:45:00.001+01:00

Watch the whole video. There is peril, courage and heroism, comedy, frivolity, anticipation. If you write, how can you use this in your writing? Otherwise, what books or films have best captured these traits for you?

AWE INSPIRING: Why you have no Excuse not to Write

2010-08-11T20:50:00.001+01:00

I experienced this for a very short time whilst in a coma, and it was horrific. How this amazing girl has coped I have no idea but what an inspiring story. What do you think of this?

The Smiley Face of Publication - Update

2010-08-10T15:01:00.001+01:00

This is what I raised. Thanks guys.

Thanks so much to everyone who took part in my funding project over the last couple of weeks. It wasn't quite enough to get me to my target - but I'm very near it now. If you didn't help, but would like to, go along to http://bit.ly/writersandreaders - every penny helps get me closer to publication.

As I didn't quite reach my target, it throws off my timing again. I may also have to reconsider what I had planned to offer. My first run of books will need to fund any further publication, so I may just release an e-book to Kindle first time around. That way, I can monitor demand for other formats and launch those that make the most sense. It seems the most intelligent approach. I may even release only on Kindle, but run competitions where I release only 5 or 10 in another format. There's stacks of different ways to approach it. The better funded I am, the more options I have. The first book is where all the set up fees go. Once this book is out in the world, it's plain sailing for books two, three and four.

Rebecca

Atlas of Universe

2010-08-04T18:34:00.000+01:00

Does this inspire you? Does it make you feel small, or immensely privileged? How do you feel?

Blind Dog Plays Fetch

2010-07-30T20:56:00.001+01:00

Isn't this dog amazing? I love how such a massive disability has not stood in the way of it enjoying its favourite game. Both the dog and the owner have found a way to negotiate obstacles and have great fun.

When have you done that? What book have you read that inspires you to conquer obstacles?

By the way, I just reached 10,000 followers on Twitter. As is the tradition, I sang a song to celebrate becoming a 'twitter whale' - you can hear it in the last post

10,000 Followers on Twitter! Celebratory Song

2010-07-30T20:28:00.005+01:00

There is a twitter tradition than you must sing a song when in the vicinity of 10,000 followers so, as I'm only about 30 away. Here's my embarrassing song:

OK... I wimped out. My bad. This is the real deal...

Want to sponsor a writer? If you'd have thrown me
some pennies for that performance had I been busking,
you can do so below.

Whether you decide to help or not, thanks for listening.
Hope you enjoyed it. xx

What if Writers and Readers Worked Together?

2010-07-29T19:48:00.014+01:00

Q/ Is is possible to be an authorpreneur if you are not wealthy?
Q/ Do readers love books enough to fund writers without receiving anything in return?

A/ Check this out. The contributors have been clear that they also intend to buy the book.

This is the smiley face of modern publication.

A couple of weeks ago

About a week ago

Today

There is still a little way to go. If you want to join in, there is a donation button under the vid. THANK YOU.

A little vid for the Word Nerd Army - my supporters and friends who prove
time and time again that...

The pen is mightier than the pin-up

The Writer Who Could Not Read (This Happened to Me)

2010-07-26T21:12:00.002+01:00

I'm a coma survivor, and I had this experience too. In my case, though, I couldn't write either. However, I had to learn each word a particular way: picture it first, then hear it spoken, then see it written, then write it myself, then read it back. I did that with every word in my vocabulary. The brain is complicated, isn't it? Have you had an experience like this? Has it changed your view of language?

I've been through a lot to get to the point where I can write a book. It has taken 26 years to get this far. My final hurdle is getting it published. If you can help with funds - doesn't have to be much - please make a donation. If not, that's cool too. Look around, play PacMan, and have fun. :)

If you do decide to donate, please leave a quotable comment under this post. A UK magazine has asked me to write an article on all this when my book comes out, and many, many blogs have asked to interview me. I'll need some good quotes from the people who made it possible.

Update: Already have a stack of donations on only two days! Thanks guys. Go to the post that follows this, about the Smiley Face of (Indie) Publication , to see how the donations are piling up. I'm impressed by the number of authors and journalists who've backed me too. What a great group of people. I can't wait until I'm in the position where I can pay it forward for other writers. I do what I can with my blogs and twitter, but I'd love to help out financially too. When I'm a best selling author, track me down and ask me how I'm doing this. If I'm not, I'll need reminding.

None of us is an island. It's a cliché for a reason. It's true. When my book comes out, it won't just be a triumph for me, it'll be a triumph for my supporters as well. The publishing industry may be in shreds, but the Word Nerd Army is kicking butt - just like always.

Thanks.

Need your Help to get Book out by end of September!

2010-07-26T15:20:00.017+01:00

Update... I'll keep updating the smiley face below as funds come in, so bookmark this post if you want to keep an eye on things. We can make this happen! Ghost-written celebrity autobiographies may have the majority of the 'traditional' market but, every true word nerd knows...

the pen is mightier than the pin-up!

Progress over the last couple of days... Thought you might like to see this. Word Nerd Army kicks butt - again! :)

3 days of pretty, let's face it, slap-dash fundraising and I'm aleady 3/4 of the way there. Writers... are you watching this? Publishers don't run the show any more. Readers do. :)

The original message (before updates above):

Hi everyone. Lovely weather we're having. Look. I'm going to get to the point. I want this book published. It looked likely to happen, then my computer caught a virus and died so I had to buy another computer. Bang went my publishing budget. My goal has always been to get the novel published before the end of September this year. I need your help.

I won't go into tiny details about everything - they're in the announcement at the bottom of the page - all I will say is thank you to those of you who decide to help me reach this dream. I will do everything I can to help other writers when I'm published. You know this. I will also return this favour for other writers when I have the funds to do so. There are other options for funding I can use if this doesn't work, but wouldn't it be great if we were all part of this? Wouldn't it be great to bring this into the world together?

If I manage to do this under budget, I will use left over funds for things like buying books to send to book bloggers - something that is beyond my reach as an authorpreneur - and buying books I can sign and give away in contests to my followers online.

What do you say? Can you spare a few pennies to get this book into the world? Anything you can spare will help. If you can't spare anything at all, I understand that. If you see an ad I put out on Twitter, and it looks interesting, click on it rather than working out the original URL - I'll make a couple of cents. It's only a couple of cents, but it's something.

I'll put up the smiley face to let you see how close I am to getting the book out. It looks a bit grim right now, but I only started fund-raising today. It'll grin more as time goes on.

Thanks guys :)

Rebecca

Old Spice Ad Parody, and the State of Publishing

2010-07-26T11:02:00.000+01:00

Love this parody of the Old Spice Man library vid. I saw it a while back and forgot to put it up, but it's on the blog of amazing agent Nathan Bransford today, so get over there to see the other vid too, as well as Nathan's take on the current state of publishing, then hop back here and leave a comment. I'm not a nut. I know you'll leave a comment there first. He's an agent, after all. Go on. Scarper!

Jane Austen's Fight Club

2010-07-25T15:56:00.004+01:00

Jane Austen's Fight Club. Hysterical!

Is Losing Failing?

2010-07-22T21:02:00.004+01:00

How do you feel when you lose? Does it feel like failure? When you lose, it can be a useful lesson. When a character in a novel loses, it can show another side to their character. It can review a flaw or a strength. There are even times when you lose, only to win something better.

What do you think? Is losing 'failing'?

Nick Vujicic

How Wild is your Wildest Idea?

2010-07-20T11:31:00.005+01:00

Have you ever had a wild creative idea? One that filled you with excitement and anticipation? Did you back away from it in case it was a little bit too wild? What if you'd just gone through with it?

When you read, how wild are you? How often do you skip into a different genre and try it out? What holds you back from being a teeny, tiny bit wild?

This vid is pretty wild. Imagine if someone had applied logic, or health and safety regulations, to this idea. It would never have happened.

Be reckless and leave a comment below.

A Lesson from a Woman in her 90s

2010-07-18T15:04:00.000+01:00

Writing Inspiration

This remarkable American lady talks about the Great Depression as she shares her recipe from that time. Without those circumstances, this recipe may never have been part of her life. Now, though, it is a way to connect with new generations - and technologies - and share her story.

What foods came into your life by chance, and how have they coloured your life? If you are a writer, how important is food to your characters? If you are a reader, how much do you connect characters and food?

Even if you're not much of a reader, what about characters in other places, such as television and film. Have you noticed how writers work food into the scripts? Which FRIENDS character won't share his food, loves pizza and lasagne, and tries to eat a whole turkey? Which one is obsessed with gourmet food? Which one is vegetarian? If any of these were switched, how would that affect your perception of the character, or are they so bound into the characters that they could never be switched? Share your thoughts below, after you've watched Clara...

If This Doesn't Inspire you to Write - You're No Writer

2010-07-17T17:55:00.001+01:00

Fractured Images from Hubble Telescope

In the Agent's Office, Nobody Can Hear You Scream.

2010-07-11T15:39:00.000+01:00

For me, it won't be the agent's office because I don't want to be published by someone else. What's an agent going to do? Negotiate with me on my own behalf? Wouldn't work. Publishers are still approaching by the way, and very confused when I turn them down. Increasingly, with tech nightmares and so forth, I think I'm an idiot to try to do this alone, but I'm going to and that's all there is to it.

Anyway, leaving my own situation aside for a second, regardless of your route to publication, there will be a day when nobody can hold your hand. Maybe it's the first time you receive a rejection. Nobody is in the house. It's just you and the agent/editor/publisher's sub-sub-sub-sub assistant. How do you handle that? Let's, for fun, imagine the electricity has gone out and your phone doesn't work. You can't access any of us. You're on your own. How do you cope when you don't have back-up?

My scenario's easy to work out. I've put myself in a trickier than necessary situation because I so want to publish myself, but for you it might be the opposite. Maybe you struck a deal with an agent, who struck a deal with a publisher. Maybe wine was quaffed and plans were made. Maybe, now, the publisher can't live up to their end of the deal due to the climate. Maybe they're not returning your calls, or you're being handed around to different editors. Maybe the new editor doesn't feel the same way about your work. You're going through the motions. The buzz has buzzed off. Maybe you need to put yourself into a difficult situation. Maybe you need to leave. When you have to make a tough choice, that may not make immediate sense to others, it's only you and yourself who can decide. When you're all alone, with only yourself for back-up, what do you do?

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T01:34:00.001+01:00

Still no comments on those last two :o( Ah well. 1.30 am in England so...

Today is a special day...

Happy 4th of July American chums! xxx

The Most Expensive Tweet in the World?

2010-07-01T13:52:00.002+01:00

Prepare to Laugh at My Expense

UPDATE: Order has been restored to Trumpton. It was a tech problem. I am, indeed, one of the 5,000 most influential people in the world on Twitter (but only whisper it in case the Bragging Fairy takes it away again!) Read what follows though, and feel free to mock me. It IS pretty bloody funny.

I hope you find this as funny as I did. I honestly could not write this kind of comic timing. Nobody would believe it.

For reasons I won't go into, for fear of disappearing into Irrelevant Tangent World, I was feeling pretty shoddy about myself. I posted the following declaration:

I am so utterly, utterly cr*p sometimes. *Irons hands to make reparation*

In an attempt to cheer myself up, I thought I'd post my Twitter Grader score. Over the months, I'd noticed it sneaking closer to the top 5,000. I'd made a decision to share the news once it crossed into this magical 5k territory. I'd forgotten. At this moment of hand-ironing low self-esteem, however, it felt the perfect 'ta-da' moment to reveal my enviable status. The hope for a jolt in the ego that would make ironing my hands unnecessary was to be short-lived.

Mildly fabulous (improbable) news: am now in top 5,000 on whole of Twitter!

I announced - with the URL to prove it. To make sure I'd put the right link up - anyone else ever get that paranoia? - I clicked it. The following comedy is mainly visual. In a 'before and after gone wrong' reveal, permit me to show you the screen capture of what I THOUGHT they'd see, followed by what they ACTUALLY saw. You'll like this:

This is what they saw (screen shot taken - in disbelief - 1 minute later)

Either Twitter Grader is having technical problems or that one tweet was the most expensive - in influence terms - in the whole history of Twitter. Oh, the shame!! :P

iPad - Already a Revolution

2010-06-29T14:38:00.000+01:00

Sponsorship for Writers - Review of Options

2010-06-26T02:37:00.005+01:00

The life of a cash-strapped writer is not an easy one - and a tip jar only gets you so far - so, for the last couple of months, I've been testing out ways to bring in pennies to subsidise my writing habit.

For the benefit of my writing friends, I thought I'd share my thoughts on these. I've thrown the word 'promotion' into the tags for this post in the interests of full disclosure. None of the links that follow will benefit me if you click on them, but some will throw me a few cents if you buy full versions of things. Free trials are just that. Free. Nothing comes back to me at all if you try out all the wonderfulness of the last reviewed product for instance. I'll give you an honest review regardless of any potential return to me on anything that follows. As ever. Don't feel bad about trying out free versions either. I want to share the good stuff. :)

Magpie

When I decided to put out marketing messages - on Twitter mainly - my goal was twofold. First, I needed some cash. Second, I wanted to share cool things with my followers. Very quickly, I realised that the second point was more important to me than the first. My followers are worth more to me than a few cents for a click on an affiliate link. This is the reason I ditched Magpie so quick. It was a way to make money, but I got no sense from the company that my followers mattered. The offers were irrelevant to the community I was serving, and I found the people who ran the organisation unhelpful. Magpie may be the original but, unlike Corn Flakes, they are not the best.

Sponsored Tweets

Next, I tried Sponsored Tweets . This was much better, and I still use it. but I have some issues with it. On the bad side, the offers from advertisers - called 'opportunities' - are not always very focused. You specify the kinds of advertisers that would be most suitable for your followers, but that is not always what you get. This can be frustrating.

On the other hand, sometimes you get amazing opportunities - great deals for your followers that they would not otherwise find. I love these and can't wait to share them. It's a major pain when people miss these chances. I'm not going to jump around and point to them once they're out there. For one thing, it's annoying. For another, it's not helpful for the businesses advertising the products. If my followers don't pick them up, it's better that they don't advertise with me again. One must be grown up about these things.

Lots of celebrities use Sponsored Tweets and, if you have decent traffic, it has the potential to be fairly lucrative. The big down side to it is that they don't pay out until you hit $50. It looks like they are toying with the idea of changing this policy but, at the time of writing, it still stands. This means, for all the promotional tweets I've put out through them so far, I've not been paid a penny. That said, one day soon I will get a nice $50 bonus - very handy. Also, as the main point is to share cool things with my followers, I'm adding value for them by sharing this stuff. While I haven't made any money yet, my followers have saved a stack of cash through the offers. It's all handy karma. It's very easy to use, and clearly shows how many clicks each ad receives.

MyLikes

Finally, MyLikes . I LOVE this company. It is a much better platform for people with a smaller following too. In a week, I'd earned what it took two months to earn with Sponsored Tweets. MyLikes doesn't withhold funds. Anything over $2 is paid to you via PayPal every Friday. To be clear, I'm not talking big bucks with any of these organisations, but every pound/dollar towards ink, postage or paper is handy for a writer.

The choice of advertisers with MyLikes is bigger than Sponsored Tweets, and way more specific than Magpie. The support is better than either of the other companies. They reply to your emails. It's even fun to use. It's set up a bit like Facebook - you 'like' things and share that with the community. Unlike Facebook, the privacy policy makes sense. Unlike Facebook, your 'likes' are not used to get other people to make money from you, but to make some cash yourself. You can still 'like' things for no money. Plenty of the things I've listed as 'likes' were not sponsored; I just thought people would find them useful. The one thing I find annoying about it is that Farmville ads keep appearing. I'll never ever promote them so I wish they'd bog off. That aside, it's a good experience.

In two months of promotion on twitter, I've only had one narky comment (from a follower who'd only just started using Twitter). I've had countless 'thank you' messages though, from people who've found my recommendations useful, and appreciated the special deals etc.

If you want to have a go at this,

Be open about what you're doing. I have total disclosure on my blog and in promotional tweets (all marked #ad or 'sponsored').
I wouldn't recommend Magpie but have found both Sponsored Tweets and MyLikes easy to use.

Social Oomph

Finally, I've been promoting Social Oomph because it rocks! I'm happy to report that many of you are now using it (I don't get to see who you are - just the number of people using it via me) and I've had many messages of thanks from people who've found it invaluable. Everyone, so far, is using the free version. I earn nothing from this but, as I said before, sharing the good stuff is just as important as making pennies. It's such a useful tool for writers as it makes social media so much less of a time suck. The free version is brilliant, and I'd recommend everyone to try it out. You never need to upgrade if you don't want to. That said, I upgraded for a month to see what the professional version did for me and I hope I never have to go back. It's brilliant. At the moment, MyLikes is paying for my professional version of SocialOomph, which has given me back so much time to write. If you want to see a quick vid of what it does, I put this together: bit.ly/2busy2tweet

Have you tried any of these? How do they work for you? Do you use anything different? Leave comments below.

Amazon Drops Price of Kindle

2010-06-24T20:30:00.000+01:00

A great day for word nerds. Amazon has slashed the price of the Kindle. I can't help but wonder if they decided to take Seth Godin's advice. With the iPad invasion, have they gone far enough?

My view is that tech experts are jumpy. They want the next, shiny, thing. Whatever comes up next, they turn their backs on the last thing and big up the new one. Readers are not all tech experts, however. Kindle owners buy LOTS of books. Amazon has been clever about making Kindle accessible on different devices. Even though Kindle books are fenced in with DRM, there is a Kindle app that lets you read them on iPad, for instance. Some people want computers. Some people want the experience of the iPad. Some people want a dedicated reading device. Some people want all of these things. I think Kindle is here to stay, and the price drop is a really good move from Amazon.

What do you think?

Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device - www.businessweek.com

KINDLE - wish I'd had one of these as a student. Would have saved many trips to chiropractor. Have you got yours yet, US chums?

sponsored like

Rebecca Woodhead's profile on MyLikes

Twitter - The Insignificance Awareness Engine

2010-06-18T18:02:00.000+01:00

Why you are Fortunate

2010-06-08T17:56:00.000+01:00

From The Daily What

iPad Arrives in UK - Stephen Fry Launches App

2010-06-03T11:21:00.001+01:00

MaxBounty - Free iPad 3G - www.mb01.com

FREE APPLE iPAD with 3G service for a year, and no contract! What in the?!? Go! Go! Go!

sponsored like

Rebecca Woodhead's profile on MyLikes

If a 12 Year Old Can Do This. What Can YOU Do?

2010-05-29T08:33:00.001+01:00

Stephen Fry Wants Us All to Stop Whining. Now. Please

2010-05-27T17:06:00.000+01:00

STEPHEN FRY: WHAT I WISH I'D KNOWN WHEN I WAS 18 from Peter Samuelson on Vimeo.

Do You EVER Sleep?

2010-05-24T00:28:00.007+01:00

Every day, someone asks me: 'do you ever sleep?' Much of my time on Twitter at the moment is spent on DM-ing the answer, so I thought I'd write a post to explain.

Being Human-Shaped on Twitter

The 'rules' of Twitter pass via osmosis to newbies. They are a hodge-podge of theories by various 'social media gurus' and celebrities. My most favouritest sleb of all - Stephen Fry - described it thusly:

It is important for all of us to understand its [Twitter’s] nature. It is human shaped, not business shaped. (Telegraph)

I agreed with Mr Fry to the tips of my toes, having found it very easy to embrace the human-shaped Twitter in my early months on the network. All was well. The Twitter bird was an amusing little chum who brought light-hearted chatter into my world. After a while, however, I noticed something. People were treating me in a different way. I was becoming a channel.

Never Broadcast

One of the Laws of Twitter is that you should never broadcast, because that indicates a lack of engagement or interest in others. It is non-human. There's a problem with that. It's a fib. It's a big old fib. If you blogged twenty times a day and checked and replied to your comments every day or two, would people say you weren't engaging with the blogosphere? Heck no! Then why apply that rule to a micro-blogging platform?

It is possible to be human in a face-to-face type way while your account is a human size (up to a few hundred), but to do so when it is much larger can be de-humanising. Twitter is human-shaped, in that it is society-shaped. Society is a wonderful mix of different people with different expectations and habits. Twitter is the same. To assume that we must all use Twitter in the same way is as arrogant as assuming we must all watch the same TV shows, drive the same cars or support the same political party. It's daft.

Many of the people on Twitter are shy in 'real life.' They may start off a little more bold when they come onto social networks but, eventually, everyone becomes themselves. That's the 'human' way. Nobody can act 100% of the time, unless they have assumed a persona (Mrs Stephen Fry springs to mind given the context.)

Most people are used to being entertained. They read blogs, but they don't comment. They watch TV, but they don't expect to submit content for the shows. They listen to music, but they don't perform. Why should they? For many people, social networks are a fun place to hang out, They are great places to find interesting news or funny videos, but providing that content - or provoking debate - is not where their focus lies. They want to be entertained. They want content that they can enjoy and share with others. They don't all want to chat. Many of them want reliable broadcasts.

Celebrities have a level of immunity. They already broadcast on TV, film or radio. When they come onto Twitter, they can get away with a few 'I am having lunch now' tweets. Early in Twitter's development, people followed the 'what are you doing?' question very literally. Some yearn for the return of those days when the details of 'real life' were displayed for all:

What 'human' twitter looks like (not suitable for work -
or for those with delicate sensibilities)

Most of us can't get away with that kind of approach these days - fortunately. People want our considered opinions. They want to know that we care enough to make something special to share with them. They don't want our bubble and squeak. They want cake.

I didn't get this. I was busy chatting and throwing out things I thought people would enjoy and I didn't realise that I had established a precedent. During a few spells of recession-induced insomnia, I had picked up followers from different time zones. Now my sleep pattern approached normality they were complaining. Why wasn't I tweeting at a convenient time for their time zone? Who did I think I was?

How to Please Followers and Stay Human

For a while, I attempted to get in everyone's good books by living on Twitter. I stayed up late, hit as many time zones as was humanly possible and became crankier by the day. There was nothing 'human-shaped' about my miserable experience. I had become a robot. I looked at the tweets my followers craved - the ones that were most retweeted. They liked the goodies. They liked the trinkets I'd picked up on the net - the quotes and videos and news. The chatter got a mixed response, but the broadcast? They loved it.

I had an idea. I told my followers I planned to schedule some tweets so I could get a break. I used the service that used to be called Tweet Later - it is now called Social Oomph - and wrote some tweets ahead of time. The process of finding my tweets was way more fun that I had thought it would be. It was like Christmas shopping for friends. I had become resentful of the thousands of demanding voices. Suddenly, I wasn't. Instead, I was thinking of all my wonderful followers and the kinds of things that would excite or intrigue or amuse them. Trawling the interwebs for tweetworthy treats took a bit of work, but it was fun.

After I'd scheduled them for the next couple of days, I signed out of my Twitter account and looked. The first update appeared, all by itself! I went to search.twitter.com and put in 'rebeccawoodhead' to see if anyone had replied. They had. The tweet had gone down well. Over the next few hours, I checked back a few times. Lots of retweets, LOLs, and general frivolity. My pressies were well received. The same people who'd chided me for needing rest were now retweeting my tweets!

That night, I could barely sleep - ironically enough - I knew I'd been given permission to take this step but I felt guilt. I felt a level of empathy with the first woman in a street, back in the day, who surrendered her household's laundry to a machine. How must her neighbours have regarded that fiendish and less-than-human being? How could she turn her back on those for whom she should be providing a loving service, and surrender that work to a machine? I imagined some kind of social networking ducking stool would be waiting upon my return.

The next morning, I couldn't resist it. I had to check. I crept downstairs while my husband slept. I switched on the netbook and looked at my replies. All good. Not one bad comment. I glanced at the follower number, certain that many would have fled. No. Quite the opposite. I had new followers from different time zones. Shocked, but pleased, I closed the netbook and prepared for a day off. It was the first day I had ignored social networks for months. I spent it enjoying the very human company of my husband. Every now and then, I looked up from a cup of tea or a book and said 'you know I'm tweeting at the moment right?' He nodded.

Over the next month, my following doubled. Your mileage may vary, as the cliche goes, but I have found Social Oomph to be a re-humanising collection of tools. It finds me new people to follow, tells me when someone is reading a book I might like, and makes it easier for me to list the people to whom I want to give recognition. Most important, it lets me sleep. Now, when I am on Twitter in person, I have enough energy to enjoy my friends and I no longer feel like a robot. For me, Twitter is human-shaped again.

You can try it out for free here

English Chaps in a Castle - on Water

2010-05-21T21:01:00.000+01:00

Made me chortle :) By the way, I've put up another tab 'arcade' - check it out.

How to Enjoy the New Recession

2010-05-17T18:52:00.000+01:00

Before the recent recession, I put up a post that people told me they found helpful. I predict a new, and far deeper, recession. If I am right, the next little while could be very hard indeed for many people. Rather than panic, get prepared. The following helped me a great deal through the last recession - where my husband was made redundant and we often made do with a food budget of £20 a month - I hope it helps you through the next one.

---

A recession is upon us. What fun. A jolly challenge presents itself and we all get the chance to perfect a bit of old fashioned stiff-upper-lipped Britishness (whether British or not.) Dust off the brown tea pot, polish up your knitting needles, get out your baking trays, it's show time! Some of the following will only apply if you're English but the general gist of it should be of assistance regardless.

Don't be a wimp. If you need to cry about the economy taking a downturn, losing your job etc do it now and get it over with... finished? Good. Get counselling for it once the economy picks up again but for now, get over it; there's more important stuff to do. Remember something that is easy to forget in a capitalist society - you are more than the sum of your belongings - Get some lipstick and, on your bathroom mirror, write the following in 'large friendly letters': DON'T PANIC!
Edit your friend wardrobe. If you have any friends who only judge people based on what they earn or possess, they need to go. You can pick them up again when the economy picks up - if you want to - but for now they will make you spend too much and cause you all manner of hell once they lose their own money and realise their lives are empty. Get out while you can. Friends cost money and, in a recession, you can only afford the good ones. Work out their 'cost per grin' value. If it fits into your happiness budget they can stay.
Poverty doesn't kill you. Starvation kills you. Enjoy your food. Re-jig your attitude to your jiggly bits. Stop asking 'does my bum look big in this?' Start asking 'does my bum look small in this?' If it does, eat some biscuits. If this recession turns into a depression, some people will starve. Make sure you are not one of them. Carbs are your friends. Throw out the sugar substitutes. Shake that healthy butt. Camels have humps for a reason and so do you. Celebrate your body's ability to store calories for later use. Exercise them off again when the economy picks up. Until then, remember that rice and pasta keep for ages so if there is a supply problem later in the year or the price goes up due to requirements elsewhere on the planet, it won't hurt to have some in a cupboard.

If you're not in financial trouble, have oodles of cash and don't know what all the fuss is about take the following steps:

Spend some of it. Look around; think which businesses will affect the local community most if they disappear, and spend more cash there.
Pay taxes. Stop it with the tax-haven malarkey. It's just wrong in the current climate. Pay some tax in your home country. Go on, you know you want to really.
Give some away. Try giving money away to people who really need it. Who in your county or country needs some money and would do something great with it? Just give it to them. Do this with at least 10% of your worth every month. Wipe out your affluenza at a stroke.
Buy organic. Many people have to adjust their organic and green principles in favour of annoying things like avoiding starvation and hypothermia. You don't have to do that so splurge on organic, environmentally and ethically sound produce and keep these people in business. Keep partying for the greater good.

Brontësaurus and the Publishing Curs

2010-05-15T16:34:00.000+01:00

Vid by Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Publishing was never easy. Gawd love America for uncovering this hidden slice of Brontë history.

Social Media Revolution 2

2010-05-10T19:08:00.002+01:00

Can I Step Back Yet?

2010-05-07T03:43:00.001+01:00

How does this image make you feel? Do you ever yearn for the days before Twitter, Facebook or blogs? Do you miss anonymity? In a constantly connected world, do you ever want to disconnect? Is connection the new religion, and do you feel guilty if you want to step back?

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Rebecca

I AGREE WITH NICK - New Footage from LibDemFlashmob

2010-05-05T13:13:00.003+01:00

Yellow Flashmob in Trafalgar Square

2010-05-03T16:03:00.002+01:00

Click pic for source

Click for source

Harry Potter votes LibDem

2010-05-03T13:29:00.002+01:00

Nearly Election Day. The Liberal Democrats (for those not paying attention, I've been bigging them up for a couple of weeks) are doing pretty well, judging by the celebrities and newspapers - even The Guardian now - throwing their support behind them:

With support from Harry Potter, Mr Darcy, Stephen Fry, Kate Mosse, John Cleese, the Freuds and so many other intelligent, funny, wordy types, could this be the ultimate party for Word Nerds?

For a list of some of the celebrities voting Lib Dem, click here

For more about why this is such an important election, and why the Liberal Democrats need more of your votes than other parties, please read previous posts.

Whatever decision you make on Election Day, please choose to vote.

Thanks.

Rebecca

Broken Britain?

2010-05-02T22:49:00.006+01:00

I can't bear the thought of this country wandering blind into another term of being run by corrupt politicians who've lied to us, gone against our wishes, and broken the law when the guys in the picture above have integrity and are ready for government. So many people, for so many years (look at the John Cleese vid further down) have said time and again that they would vote for them if only they thought they would get in. This time (and maybe this is the only chance) they CAN get in, but only if you vote for them. If you do, our voting system will change and we will never again have the same, unrepresentative and unthinking style of government that has caused us such pain.

In our system, more people voted AGAINST the last government getting into power than voted FOR them getting into power. They were not representative of the majority. That's not democratic. If the Liberal Democrats only get in once, and change the voting system, that will be the most metamorphic change to our system since the English Revolution. Yes. We had one. We are a revolutionary country. Don't convince yourself that we are not. There was an English Republic. The idea of us as a group of staid non-thinking sheep is a bit of nonsense put about to stop us thinking. Don't believe it. We can change our country. Don't believe that we cannot.

Once in a lifetime
A metamorphic moment
Gives our freedom back.

Rebecca Woodhead

Britain is broken, in the same way that a butterfly is a broken caterpillar. The clock is ticking. We're breaking out of the cocoon. It's time to fly.

LOLCleggz

2010-05-01T21:05:00.000+01:00

Those familiar with I can has Cheezburger should appreciate this:

Thanks to LOLCleggz for the image.

Chocolate Quango Revelation

2010-05-01T01:06:00.001+01:00

The final debate has happened and it's only a week until we all make marks on bits of paper and I go back to blogging about writing. If you can't wait that long, I've put up another diary entry over at Diary of a Cotswold Novelist but if you want a laugh at the expense of all the politicians, the video below was made by an observer who's too young to vote this time. It's pretty funny. I want to be on a chocolate quango.

By QuangoGirl

John Cleese Explains Proportional Representation

2010-04-25T23:30:00.001+01:00

Old vid that explains why the Liberal Democrats have never been able to get in. This is an interesting video regardless of your political views. I didn't realise John Cleese was Lib Dem. Did you? Stephen Fry has announced he's tempted to vote Lib Dem too.

I made it clear over the last few months that I was an undecided voter, but this issue is too great for me to ignore. Our system is undemocratic. I was shocked back in the early 90s when I first realised how undemocratic. This wasn't a good enough reason to convince me to vote Lib Dem, however, so I took the following test. I went to http://voteforpolicies.org.uk and answered the multiple choice questions. They are taken from the manifestos of the parties, but you answer them blind. This means you vote on policies rather than hype or party loyalty.

I was shocked at how many of the policies I agreed with turned out to be Liberal Democrat policies. I took the test before Clegg's big TV moment, and have tried to keep an open mind since then, but I have a problem with that for a number of reasons:

I have believed for two decades that votes should all be equal. We need proportional representation.
Having taken the blind test, I discovered I agree with the Liberal Democrats on a large number of issues.
Having watched Nick Clegg on various interviews, and the debates, I think he would make a good leader.

I reserve the right to change my decision at any time. I am not into party politics, and would never back someone purely on the basis of party, but I'm pretty sure they have my vote. What are your thoughts? Did you take the test and get an unexpected result too? Are you excited by the lack of apathy this time round, or worried by the potential for change?

As I've said on Twitter, I don't choose my friends based on political party - so you're welcome to disagree with my views - but watch the vid anyhow. John Cleese always makes me grin. :)

Vote for Top Dog

2010-04-24T20:45:00.002+01:00

Are you Sitting Comfortably? Then I'll Begin... (audio)

2010-04-23T00:03:00.001+01:00

Poetry Against Cancer

Guest Blog: We are the New History

2010-04-20T22:55:00.000+01:00

The Blog Tour Bus has been dusted off and is chugging back around the web. First stop... Touching From a Distance. Click the bus to go:

Awesome Ash Cloud Pics

2010-04-18T13:15:00.000+01:00

Normal service writerly service will resume soon. First, take a look at these pictures. This is what is keeping our little island inaccessible by air:

All images from http://www.swisseduc.ch

The Calm Before the Swarm

2010-04-16T15:49:00.001+01:00

This is why planes are not in the skies over England:

This is what air traffic to our country usually looks like:

Imagine Your Dream Library... Is This It?

2010-04-10T17:55:00.000+01:00

The Times Quoted My Tweet!

2010-03-30T16:31:00.006+01:00

Today has Awesomesauce spread all over it!

First, I found out I had made it onto the Klout Top 100 list for the UK.

KloutUKTop100

Then I noticed I was on the same score as Peter Jones from that Dragon's Den programme on the telly!

Obviously - at this point - I headed to Twitter to tell all my chums about my great news, only to see a tweet claiming that I had been quoted on page 19 of....The Times!

Hubby returned from the local shop, I turned to page 19 and sure enough...

Just when I thought the day could not improve, the postie arrived and this fell through my front door:

A minute ago, I noticed the Australian Prime Minister has just started to follow me. How the heck did he find out about me? Today is just getting curiouser and curiouser. What a great day!

Rebecca xxx

P.S. You can follow any or all of the Top 100 here - bit.ly/KloutUKTop100

How to Make Big Decisions - Stephen Fry

2010-03-28T17:45:00.001+01:00

Have to include this one too! The next three vids have only been watched by a handful of people.

Creative Thinking:
How To Make Big Decisions

Stephen Fry - It is Easy to be Good if you are Happy

2010-03-28T17:39:00.000+01:00

The following two vids have only been watched by a few hundred people. Enjoy a little dash of Stephen Fry while we wait for him to return to Twitter.

Being A Good Friend:
How To Live Up To Your Responsibilities

Stephen Fry - How do we know what to Believe?

2010-03-28T17:29:00.000+01:00

Stephen Fry:
Stephen Fry: How To Know What To Believe

Poetry Against Cancer

2010-03-26T23:09:00.002Z

Poetry Against Cancer is a collection of poetry from writers around the world; all the money raised from the book goes to St John's Ward at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, the Haemotology and Oncology ward.

A number of writers, including Brian Knight - of The New Author - and myself have contributed to this book. The Editor is a wonderful chap called Paul Carroll. He is an Irish student and you can find him on Twitter as @WriterAnonymous

Please buy this book to help out the Children's Hospital. Click the image to go to the sales page. If you can't afford the book, maybe you could blog or tweet about it - or just put up the book and link back to Lulu.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the 21st Century...

2010-03-22T18:50:00.000Z

What can Publishers Learn from the Music Industry?

DRM, Digital Content and the Consumer Experience from Kirk Biglione on Vimeo.

Publishing is Dead... Or is it?

2010-03-17T14:42:00.002Z

If you like this post, or blog, please share it. Thank you.

10 Easy Steps to Becoming a Published Writer

2010-03-06T19:17:00.004Z

If you like this, please tell your friends. Thanks. :)

Thank You - Why My Followers Rock

2010-03-06T15:22:00.001Z

The Academy Agreed

The Shorty Awards are over, and The Academy agreed with your votes. I finished third!

There were 250,000 competitors. Only 78 made it into the top 3.

This is a huge accomplishment. How amazing are my followers that they could vote me into the final with legends like Neil Gaiman, and ahead of JK Rowling? Pretty bloody amazing! There is no way on earth I could have done this without you. Not a chance.

It needs to be put into perspective - because you need to realise how much you should be patting yourselves on the back for this. Look at the stats above. Can you believe you did that? What an amazing group of people. I'm not even a published author! Not even Britney Spears made it into the top three.

These are the most prestigious awards for micro-blogging and I feel very honoured to be placed. There was a big awards ceremony in New York (footage two posts down) and huge brands were fighting to be finalists, as the page detailing finalists remains up all year. It is good marketing. This was not an easy contest. Wall Street Journal live tweeted it from the ceremony for goodness sake!

Please accept my thanks for all you did. I may not have the greatest number of followers but I believe they are some of the most determined and supportive there are and, yet again, you have proved me right. Don't know how I got so lucky.

Twitter Comes to England and Puts Shorty Awards in Danger

2010-03-03T19:37:00.000Z

I made this about the Shorty Awards and Twitter. It was inspired by Neil Gaiman's kind words of encouragement, and understanding of the complexities of life with goldfish.

Shorty Awards Tonight! Grab some Champers and Join Me!

2010-03-03T16:09:00.001Z

Watch The Shorty Awards 2010 Here!

The Shorty Awards honor the best people and organizations on Twitter. These unique awards are for the Twitter community, by the Twitter community. The awards will be streamed live from the TheTimesCenter in Times Square, New York City on March 3, 2010 at 7pm. - from The Shorty Awards team.

It hasn't quite sunk in that I'm a finalist in this. Neil Gaiman once again said he wants me to win the Literature category award - highly unlikely to happen but really sweet of him to back me - and the press is buzzing about the awards. My name even appeared in a Wall Street Journal online publication!! Craziness. Well, anyhow, I'll be watching from the comfort of my sofa tonight on the live stream below. Hope you can join me. What's 7pm in English money? Midnight or 1am isn't it? Sheesh. Will have cocoa too. :)

See you then. Wear tiaras.

Rebecca
www.rebeccawoodhead.com

shortyawards on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Book Trailer for Palaces & Calluses

2010-02-22T22:57:00.000Z

The Book Trailer for my First Novel - ALMOST

2010-02-21T18:23:00.007Z

Palaces and Calluses by Rebecca Woodhead

UPDATE - If you arrived here from the short URL, sorry, nothing to see here. Everything below is the 'first draft' madness of my first vid. The polished book trailer you seek is in the post above. The short URL for it is http://tiny.cc/RWbookvid Thanks for your interest. Hope you like it. :)

*edit* (21st) Video removed for polishing :) Thanks for all the feedback. There have been many DMs on Twitter about this trailer. People seem split over whether they find it intriguing and want to buy my book (a satisfying number said this) or are just confused (a smaller, but still significant group.) Confusion's not the best response, so I've pulled the vid and am putting together a less confusing one. It will be less of a 'teaser' and have more of the plot in it - which worries some - but I'll try to keep spoilers out as much as possible. Not an easy task. As ever, thanks for all your feedback. Every day's a school day!

*edit* (22nd) After 10 hours work on a vid formatted to the specifications required by the criticisers of the last vid, I asked my husband's opinion on the new creation. His laughter nearly burst my eardrums. I protested that it is absolutely the kind of trailer the big publishers are putting out (it was - I got proper images and everything) and he said it was sterile and, whilst all trailers are cheesy by nature, it was cheesy in a bad way. Idiosyncratic cheese is good. Processed cheese is bad. The processed cheese has been binned. I daren't put it up here in case anyone likes it and I'm forced to keep it here. It's very polished. It's not very 'me' though. *Sigh* Back to the cheese board.

*edit* This is confusing. Going to start a new blog post and... put up the next 'first' book trailer (hopefully The One).

Big Announcement - Book on its Way!

2010-02-21T15:31:00.000Z

Time to fess up. I made a decision a few months ago - round about October or November - that I would self-publish. It wasn't a new idea. It was Plan A back in 2006, but I wanted to snoop around the traditional publishing world first, to see what was on offer. The idea of my writerly self and my entrepreneurial self being let loose on the same project excited me. As the new and shiny world of e-publishing got newer and shinier, I lusted after it even more. When I pulled together statistics about the earnings of traditionally published writers, and the time-frame for publication, the shininess of the alternative was almost blinding, and I gave in to my guilty longing to be an indie author.

I sent out some missives. 'Dear ***, Thank you for considering my manuscript but I am no longer seeking representation. Yours etc...' It was unexpected - and flattering - to be challenged on this, but I stood by my decision. Brave or idiotic? Too soon to say.

There are so many reasons behind this choice. Some are general and others are personal to me. It certainly is not the path for everyone, and there is much work to be done that I could have avoided if I chose the traditional route, but I am learning every day. I planned to keep it to myself until the last second but then I realised I'm cheating everyone out of the journey. The blog is From Brain to Bookshelf, after all. Any advice on ISBNs, etc would be very gratefully received.

The first bound galley is on its way here. Doubtless, there will be much editing to do when it arrives. The cover is complete, but I need to see how it looks on the physical book, and I have a book vid! Wanna see?

I Finished THIRD in the Shorty Awards for Literature!

2010-02-05T20:29:00.002Z

Thanks for all the votes. The Academy are judging them between now and 3rd March, so I could end up in a higher or lower position, but I am definitely a finalist, and by their calculations (votes+content) at the close of the voting portion of the awards, I was third. You know when they say 'the nominees are...'? One of those will be me :)

It has been an exhausting process - less so than for the Ms Twitter contest because we went crazy on that and fewer people were involved, but exhausting none-the-less. There have been developments through the last couple of months. I may have a writing-related announcement to make soon. Keep an eye on the blog.

Thanks again everyone,

Rebecca

www.rebeccawoodhead.com

Am Official Shorty Awards Finalist! Only 2 Days to Vote.

2010-02-03T13:29:00.001Z

Only two days left of the Shorty Awards. My hands have been slapped for suggesting it's enough to be in the finals. My followers on Twitter have decided they want me to win. If you would like to help, go to http://shortyawards.com/ and vote for me in the literature category or just tweet 'I nominate @rebeccawoodhead for a Shorty Award in #literature because...' and put a reason. If you click on my avatar there you will go to my personal Awards page where you can read my Shorty Awards interview. It's pretty funny. Hope you like it.

The best help anyone can give is to blog about it and send more voters across. It is a huge deal that we managed to get an unpublished writer into the most prestigious awards on Twitter - and I am honoured that I am the one carrying that flag. We convinced the Awards Academy to raise the profile of literature to an official category. It is a great achievement.

At the moment, I am in third place. Any help you can give to keep me there would be much appreciated. This is a way bigger deal than Ms Twitter was, and it is helping me reach more readers. The more readers I reach, the better chance I have of writing my way out of poverty.

PLEASE use the share button below to share this post with your networks, as time is running out.

Thanks everyone,

Rebecca.

A Difficult Meeting

2010-02-02T20:19:00.000Z

The air was tense with expectation as I walked into the office and sat down.

'I need an extension,' I said.

'OK,' I replied.

After much chatter, about the weather and the price of porridge, a new deadline was set. We both agreed on it. We also agreed it would be more fun if we kept it to ourselves.

In other news... Watch this space. There's a reason I need an extension. I think you'll like it...

Did We Make the Final of the Shorty Awards?

2010-01-30T09:20:00.002Z

This is the screen shot when the contest closed this morning. All those in the first five of each category go through to the finals. It looks as if we are all through, as are Stephen Fry and my friend Anne (of Izzibag) but it's not that simple. Over the weekend, MC Hammer and his chums at The Academy will judge things. Any one of us could yet be booted out.

For a moment, let's just enjoy this screen shot. We are all placed and - more amazingly - we are all placed higher than Britney Spears. If that's not an indication of Twitter Power I don't know what is.

Must sleep and write but I'll be back soon. Don't forget to sign up to my newsletter at the top, and feel free to forward it to friends.

Thanks for all your support,

Rebecca xxx
www.rebeccawoodhead.com