Writing and what I've learned in the last 60 days

By Corbyn · Feb 2, 2018 · ·
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  1. December and now January is in the books. I'm calling a mulligan on January. We should have at least one freebie month tucked under our belt so that we can get a feel for every New Year- Who's with me?

    January was tough. I've complained about it enough, and most of you know why. So, what did December and January teach me about writing and all the things I've talked about in this new year of - do more?

    Lesson 1: Blogs. Blogs are a pain in the neck. I'm not a natural blogger. It takes me a while to come up with what I want to say. I know a lot of the time in the past this blog has probably come off as something I typed by the seat of my pants, and I probably did. However, I've made more of an effort to be more thoughtful about posts and better organized.

    I knew Monday I was in trouble because my idea for this post wasn't coming together, and I had no backup plan. This was not the first time this month that happened. So, I learned a valuable lesson. Yes, plan out ideas for posts, but be more flexible and don't announce your thoughts ahead of time. Why? Because when they fall through you won't look like such a donkey's rear end.

    Lesson 2: Limited Liability Companies (LLC's) and why you need them. From the previous job I held, I already knew doing an LLC was going to be important. Now, I understand a few of you are on the fence about this but hear me out. Each state has very different laws governing liabilities and even taxes, and in fact sometimes DBA forms (doing business as). I moved from Texas, which had no state income tax, to Michigan which taxes you on everything (literally).

    In Texas, it would've cost me 20 dollars to submit a DBA form, and I would've been able to form my company Korbyn Blake Books, with little else. I wouldn't have been protected from a lawsuit either. Am I concerned about a trial? No, but it's a good idea to have that protection and not need it than to need it and not have it. Later, having an LLC (or not) could mean the difference between me getting my finances raked over the coals versus the companies on silly matters like merchandising. Do I feel like I could write things that could warrant their own merchandising? No, but if I take the steps now to protect myself, I won't regret it later, and frankly given Michigan's laws, and what a lawsuit happy world we live in its cheaper for me to just get it out of the way. Also, Because of some state laws, it's a requirement to have DBA paperwork which tied to the LLC forms. If I hadn't taken this step I would not have been able to put items up on Amazon because my state requires these types of paperwork in order to open a business account, and your business account must be in order before you can finish out your Amazon forms.

    Long story short, if you aren't sure you need to do this check with your states (or countries) laws before you make a decision, and of course speak with an accountant or CPA.

    Lesson 3: Writing/Editing

    I was fortunate at the beginning of January to be asked to write a review for a new author who had started in a group I was still a member of down in Texas. Based on the file I received, the cover looked great, and I was excited to dig into the text. Two paragraphs in and my excitement waned. Ultimately, I had to message the writer, and apologize because I would not be able to write a fair review of the book. Why, because I couldn't finish more than five pages. I was respectful, and honest when I texted. I explained my point (the text was rife with tense problems, pov shifts, and was frankly a hot mess).

    Because of my conversation with this writer, he removed the book from Amazon where it had already gone up for sale. That made me feel horrible because I know how much effort that writer put into his work. But I also know it wasn't ready.

    Two days later I received a message from the author thanking me for my candor. He asked me to review the first chapter again. I agreed, but with one caveat. If I did the review, I wanted to do so as a critique and be able to suggest line by line edits. I asked for this because I realized that this author had never been to a writers group. His only feedback had been from people he knew, and free online writing software. He received an edit done by a "pro" who rarely gave him feedback. I've been in that position. It's horrible for a writer and doesn't help us grow.

    I'm mentioning this as a lesson because as authors (especially newer ones) it's hard for us to know what quality feedback is. I've done posts on this before, things like show don't tell, and how frustrating it can be to get no feedback at all. Or not knowing what resources will help us improve our writing.

    If you're a new author please, please, join a writing group. Look for a group of people who all share your same goal. If you want to publish, don't join a group of older people who are writing their memoir for fun. You're not going to get the critique you need to improve. Look for professionals, even if they aren't necessarily in your genre. Look for people who will rip your work to shreds, and then suggest how you could've made it better. Look for people who will give you examples.

    But above all, don't be afraid to return the favor, even if you aren't sure what you should say. Be honest, and be a reader, above all else we're readers first. If you know you do something a lot, mention it to whoever your reading for so they can look for it too. My biggest pet peeve as a reader was the overuse of the word and. I started there, and now it's passive voice. I realized I talk and write in passive voice, who does that?

    My point is, put yourself and your work out there. But in doing so, don't rush to throw it up on Amazon before you've had several people you consider professionals read over it first. If I've learned nothing else it's that no matter how many times you edit something, it can always be better, and someone will always catch something everyone else has missed. Does that mean you have to dig at your piece until there isn't anything left? No, but if you have more than a few small issues throughout the entire text of your work, it's just not ready yet.

    As always, thank you for reading. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear them, and I hope you write on!
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Comments

  1. Adenosine Triphosphate
    “I knew Monday I was in trouble because my idea for this post wasn't coming together, and I had no backup plan. This was not the first time this month that happened. So, I learned a valuable lesson. Yes, plan out ideas for posts, but be more flexible and don't announce your thoughts ahead of time. Why? Because when they fall through you won't look like such a donkey's rear end.”

    I think it’s good to save announcements for when you at least have a rough draft or two. It gives you more breathing room. In the past I often made large commitments for projects before I even started them, with predictable results.

    I also write in passive voice too often. I've been using a proofreading app to catch myself, but it's a difficult habit to break.
      Corbyn likes this.
  2. Corbyn
    I've started using an app as well. It surprised me how often I do it.

    I've been lucky and hadn't had an issue aside from the blog. But like you mentioned.. lesson learned.

    How is your writing coming @Adenosine Triphosphate
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