Welcome to 2024! Best Wishes for your hopes and dreams and life. I’m not certain how I will deal with this page, change the content, or add to it. So here is a big DISCLAIMER for this Writers’ Help Tip Page. (This Page’s Focus is NOT for sentence structure etc., rather how to maintain small but necessary parts of your writers business set-up.)
For now, let’s get busy with the launch that I hope will help someone who is either just starting, or has written for awhile— Who knows? Maybe you will find something new to use, or you will comment with your own tips.
I am a long-term writer and here’s a little intro than what you’ll find on my ABOUT page: As a single mom, I did have a good full-time job and 3 teens. Also at one stretch in there, I had 2 major publishers (Berkley and Harlequin) who both wanted more stories and faster. Picture that?
Therefore: It is possible to write, developing a schedule to incorporate a full-time job, family and activities. If you write for a publisher, they handle covers, some promo, editing whatever. However, if as an Indie, you really do need support, either family or a set up a team to help. Many have VAs, or Virtual Assistants.
Right now, with tons of blog posts accumulated, I am debating my course of action. You’ll see as you read my tips, that keeping your blog posts, reviews, etc. are all very important.
Additionally, I hope you will follow my regular blog, because life needs to be balanced with other interests.
This image is only to address whatever expertise I may have as a continuing writer. I have not stuck with a “Brand”, which does serve for better sales. Switching “Brands” is not easy and sometimes involves another Pseudonym. (Cait London is my Pseudonym BTW.) Rather, I chose to follow my “Muse”. BTW, I do produce some of my own covers.
Here is my starting list of Writer Tips (Please note this is not CRAFT, rather small tips about settling up and keeping your career going.) Again, I’m not certain how this page will develop, but hopefully, it may be HELPFUL THINK MATERIAL for you?
PRIORITY BASIC: Try to get writing time scheduled into your daily life. I usually wrote starting at 4a, and through the a.m.s. But regularly. Yes, daily. Keep that story flowing. Or study the character mix, the conflicts, etc. Make lists and notes if not actually writing the story. It helps to have a nook, desk, or special place your characters may wish to visit.
Check the following out—
- Writers Prompts: If you’ve read my thoughts about this in a post, you’ll see that I do not believe we should have such things. Instead, writers should keep a handy-dandy notebook of ideas, titles, etc. I am a huge notebook fan, each for various purposes.
- Save your blog etc. posts or handouts. Place them in categories. You can reuse easily/repost, or you might publish them either as a book, or a giveaway, an incentive. Scrivener and others are handy for creating separate categories. With my tons of How-to-Write posts, did I ever organize them? Nay, I did not.
- Save your photos. Handy for book covers, and/or ad work
- About book covers, change after time goes by.
- Double check what fonts are free for special use, i.e. Books/Covers. Some are not free for anything but your personal desktop. I check with FontSquirrel.com. But there are others.
- Create Graphics for memes. IMPORTANT! First, get correct sizes for each: Facebook, X etc. I use Adobe Elements to create, but Canva and others work, too.
- Develop a handy reference for copy and paste links to your books etc. I use an electronic Notes. Use and reuse. Always shorten links. I use Bit.ly, but there are others.
- !!Save your reviews, per title.
- !!Save bestselling lists, if you’re on them
- Always use bookplates or labels or adwork in any books you sign/distribute, esp. contact info.
Writers, feel free to add your own tips in the comments below? Or if you have questions, please ask? And I hope you’ll visit my social media? See you there!
Cait London 
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