Amanda McDonald

2012-06-01T12:18:00.002-07:00

It's here! Yukon's Blog Carnival!

Below are our participating blogs so far. We are still welcoming bloggers as the carnival progresses, so please contact me if you'd like to see your name here and on the Carnival Main Page.

What he said, with Dave Rogers

Thinking about art and Nicole Bauberger's Paintings, with Nicole Bauberger

The Craft Project, with Amber

The Adventures of Matt, Kara, Hunter and Cavan in Faro Yukon, with Kara Went

Jackie Irvine's Landscape Art, with Jackie Irvine

Keeper of Wild Places, with Jozien Keijzer

Writing Pie, with Leonie Lemphers

Rejection = Bad Query?

2012-05-29T12:00:00.002-07:00

Well it's official.

I sent a query to the assistant of the Agent I really, really want-and after a month I got work this week that I have been rejected. I asked on artsnet whether anyone would be willing to look over my query, and I got a response. I will now send that query out to see if my hunch (that it sucks) is correct. Then, I'm going to query the agent herself.... Doesn't hurt to get annoying I guess... in the right way.

Rejected again... (sigh). Oh well, maybe I'm aiming too high on my first go?

Nah, screw that-no such thing as aiming too high! I know the Mss is good, (because I have a private little club of worker bees who have helped me edit it,) it's the query that needs work, I'm sure of it. Back to the drawing board....

Do you think that aiming high is the best launching strategy?

Parenting and Writing

2012-05-16T15:12:00.003-07:00

I recently read a blog about parenting and writing, especially as a new parent. The discussion goes on for everyone with children. Whether you write literature, genre novels, short stories, journalistic articles, or you blog to an audience: children change your life. I read this and saw that she was welcome to responses so I posted my own experience.

"I began my first book while I was on maternity leave. It's been hard since my daughter was born as I live in an area where the cost of living is high when pitted against the national average. She is now two and I am on my final polishing edit before I send out my queries.

I am a little different here too. I had a very traumatic labour that took a lot of healing but I didn't have the support I needed. I wasn't able to pick up writing again until my daughter was 5 months old. She'd fall asleep in my arms after feeding and I'd prop the laptop up on my knee whenever she was asleep. But after a month of this style of writing, I finally gave her to my ex and said, "I'm going to Starbucks to write. Don't call me. I'll come home when I'm done." I wrote for six hours until the store closed.

Too often this family thing can affect one partner more than the other, and that's a shame but the truth. Somehow I managed though. And we all do."

Too often parenting can take away in the early months of new-parenthood. It shouldn't, and both parents should support one another by offering opportunities for support and time away. Unfortunately in the Russian Roulette of circumstance, I found myself parenting alone for a long time in the beginning. This was not something that I necessarily frown upon anymore as I once did. I find it this beautiful blessing now that while I was on Maternity Leave I got to enjoy that beautiful baby girl who held my heart and enabled me to see the true beauty of creation, not only as a creation (of God's, my mother's-or whoever,) but as a co-creator.

Taking the time to enjoy that period of life's changes, at the time, was frustrating. I do believe I needed more frequent breaks, but now I look back and know I can appreciate that I got to stay at home. Feed my little girl, stare into her beautiful eyes and spend the time with her that she deserved.

Now that I'm working and dropping her off at Daycare on a regular basis, I'm left longing for the time I could just sit in my sofa chair and hold her close as she snored in a way only infants do. Only now, she's two and she'd probably just smack my face with that unbelievably strong midget hand of hers-so I'm glad I got to cuddle her while I could.

Meanwhile, the book did get finished.

When you're in the midst of the book and it feels as if something else is preventing you from being able to finish, you can sometimes resent it. I think that's what happened on those days where I didn't get enough sleep, food or alone time: I felt a tinge of resentment.

The incredible thing is that being a "New Parent," only truly happens once. Now, should I have a child in the future I know (sort-of) what to expect and how to deal with it. Also, I'll be better at articulating my needs to my child's other parent....

To all you new parents out there writing, blogging, painting or just doing that thing you do: keep with it. It does get easier, there will be more time for you in the future, and your child's life will not always depend on your continued presence... at the very least, at six months you can put that babe into a jolly jumper or exer-saucer. Yay for neck muscle development!

Novel Review

2012-05-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

I recently had my full novel printed out and shared with my reading/editing/critique group and am patiently awaiting comments, however I also passed my book on to a friend who also happens to read in the genres I write within.

I got a call last weekend that told me this: "Yeah, I finished your book, it was really good!"
To which I replied, "Yeah? Thanks!"
She continued, "Yeah I finished it last night at 3am."
MONEY SHOT!

And that's what a good review looks like.

If you are a writer, you'd almost pay to get this kind of feedback on a manuscript. Yes, okay... I'll settle down because I know it's from a friend, but there's this euphoric high you get when you write something and someone not only manages to finish it but likes it too! Then add in the whole, my-book-kept-her-up-until-3-am Syndrome! SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes.

Yes, I know.

But after over three rejection slips from agents, it's nice to get a rave review, even if it is from someone who's biased. Besides I'm kinda ready to start pitching to publishers but I think I need work on my query... Any takers out there want to help me with my query letter?

2012-05-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

Here's what Urban Yukon had to say about my Yukon Blog Carnival idea:

"Call to Action: The First Yukon Blog Carnival

Yukon writer and prolific blogger, Amanda McDonald, is organizing a blog carnival in June. Sounds like the perfect excuse for some of us that are, ahem, a little behind in our blogging.
Why not join up: The First Yukon Blog Carnival."

Thanks to Dave Rogers for the Kudos!

The First Yukon Blog Carnival

2012-05-12T14:55:00.002-07:00

The First Yukon Blog Carnival

The goal of the Yukon Blog Carnival is to drive readership and traffic to Yukon Blogs and establish a yearly event that celebrates Yukon Bloggers and their interests. The Theme for the first Yukon Blog Carnival will be "Blogging in 2012." Further events will be posted here the week before the Carnival.

June 1st, 2012-June 15th, 2012

What is a “Blog Carnival?”

A Blog Carnival is a cyber-event hosted by a primary blogger. The blogger kicks off the event, based on a theme, by posting a list of all participating bloggers. All participating bloggers will also feed back to the carnival site for the duration of the carnival by either posting the carnival badge or by posting the web URL of the host blog.

For the Yukon Blog Carnival, there will be regular informative posts on the Writer Amanda McDonald Blog for participants including some audio or video logs (Vlogs.) And, a surprise, pending support.

What are the benefits to a blog carnival?

· Your blog traffic will go up. This raises the opportunity to catch and retain both traffic and a readership.

· Even if a participant is travelling for the duration of the carnival, they can still participate from their location due to the cyber nature of the event.

· Blog carnivals are online and can drive non-Yukon resident readership to Yukon bloggers.

· You will be introduced to other Yukon Bloggers.

Want to Participate? Here’s How:

· Email the host, writeramandamcdonald (at) hotmail (dot) com, and ask to participate.

· You will get a response email with instructions, follow the prompts.

· On the date of the Carnival kick off, see your name on the Blog Carnival Main Page along with a link to your blog and start blogging!

2012-05-11T10:15:00.001-07:00

Endurance, By Amanda McDonald

2012-04-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogosphere, and specifically Whitehorseians, or is it Whitehorseites?

I have an event coming up. Initially written as a full-cast play but adapted into a monologue entitled, Endurance. It's really been difficult to get the actors I need so I've rewritten it and will probably act it myself (Gasp of horror!)

No, I'm not an actress, I am a writer. That's why I am sure this is a bad idea. My only acting, true-have-my-own-lead-acting, was when I was in high school. I played Mina in Dracula: The Musical and I'm pretty sure I was cast only because I had the voice to hit the high notes they needed.

Anyhoo, Endurance is the monologue I'll be performing as part of Nakai Theatre's Homegrown Festival, May 8-13, Guild Hall. Tickets and details at www.nakaitheatre.com

Also, if any adult male would like to get involved in the Homegrown Festival, I am looking for an adult male to vocalize (from off-stage) and do three walk on and offs for the piece. Please contact me via email: writeramandamcdonald (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Non Writer Etiquette: 3 things non-writers need to know about their writer friends.

2012-02-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

The following are 3 things you need to know if you’re a friend of a writer. Mostly shared in gest, I think that these are still relevant for friends of writers, especially those that write somewhere other than home. The three items I share here are very closely related, but are cardinal rules for writers that non-writers mostly don’t understand. I try my best to explain why they are significant, but I welcome your comments about whether these are relevant to you, whether you are a writer or an artist of an alternate medium.

1) Not now Chief. I’m in the Zone.

This funny saying is based on a rather lame YouTube video my husband introduced me to of a guy who’s being told to do something and he says, “Not now, Chief I’m in the F-ing Zone.”

When people walk into Starbucks and they recognize me sitting there at my computer, they inevitably wave, smile or start talking. They usually think I’m just surfing the internet or wasting my time in some way. Not so.

Starbucks writing is my “Me” time. It’s where I go to write. If my computer’s in front of me, I’m usually in the zone. Even if my hands aren’t moving I’ve got something great going and I really don’t want to be bothered. For me it’s a laptop, but maybe your friend writes in a notebook.

In essence, if you see this behavior in your friend: an engrossing interest in his or her laptop or notebook, even if they look super confused or frustrated, don’t say hi-you’ll be interrupting something private and the writer might lose their momentum by being interrupted.

2) Don’t pop my bubble folks.

Related to the last listing, this one is slightly different. While some people get into a “zone,” while writing, others are also in separate bubbles. I myself write in a bubble and a zone. The “zone” is more of a momentum that you get into when you’re doing well. The writing is coming easily and the story is unfolding faster than you can catch it to put it down on paper. But, I can be in the zone when I’m writing non-fiction, my blog or even when I’m constructing a story.

A bubble is different in that I may not even be writing; my fingers not even on the keyboard. When I’m in this state of immobility and my eyes are flittering about the room, I’m thinking about my characters, my story world and the plot line. Most of the time I don’t even know what I’m looking at; often times I get my story bubble popped by some poor bloke at Starbucks who’s creeped out at my staring. I usually do this whole apologetic, ‘sorry for staring’ look that I quickly divert to somewhere else. It’s not so bad when it’s a stranger, but when a friend enters Starbucks and sees me looking up and my hands not moving, or maybe I’m sipping my latte, they come over and always ‘just hafta,’ say hi.

No offence, but don’t. Just: Don’t!

My bubble can get popped or rubbed the wrong way, but it’s sometimes easy to put back into place when I realize I was staring at a stranger because there’s no personal connection, no side-long thoughts that drag my mind out of the story I’m working on. When a friend walks in or looks up from their own coffee and decides to wave, I get yanked out of my story because my thoughts shift to the person, our last hang-out, our relationship-etc. My bubble and story world are crumpled, irreversibly usually.

If you, a non-writer friend, asks me “I’m not bothering you, am I?” Society has said I have to say no. But really, you are. Stop doing that. Stop ruining my zone, popping my bubble and then asking me if you’re imposing. You are, you know you are or you wouldn’t have to ask. Silly non writers…. (Shaking head.)

3) My novel/book contents are mine until I’m ready to share them.

We both know what I’m going to put here. Most of my blog readers are other writers, artists, family members, or friends that kinda-sorta get the “whole creativity thing.” Needless to say that the last are non-writers who dabble in drawing, painting, etc. and have some form of ADD because they can’t stick to one thing for any significant length of time.

I can say that because I used to be one. I’ve painted Acrylics, water colors, made silver jewelry, sewn, created fabric art, drawn portraits, made birdhouses, written poetry, and so forth. What got me settled into writing was pushing past the boredom that settles in after the novelty wears off. These people usually like the idea of “doing that,” or “being that,” but haven’t found what really speaks to their own creative soul and muse yet. Usually they are jacks of the artistic trades, like myself; only there’s usually not one art they prefer yet, or perhaps they do and they don’t have the time to do it as well as they’d like.

As a writer I have made a commitment to my craft that felt a little uncomfortable at first; it made me really anxious when people asked me what I did in my spare time. Now, I’m pretty confidant in my writing, style and subject/genre choices. Others, not so much.

Even amongst other writers I get the whole “what are you writing about,” 21 questions and I have to admit…

“I’m writing an Urban Fantasy based in Vancouver.” Usually these people aren’t satisfied with, “A Novel.” Nope, they have to pick it apart and pull every loose thread in you conversation to get a glimpse of what I’m writing. Usually I don’t tell them because they don’t truly want to know. Honest they don’t.

Especially in Canada where non-fiction or literary fiction is the norm, to even admit genre writing is considered this sin against the whole world of Canadianna. This has to stop, and it has to stop with non-writers.

Non writers give me this look, it says… “well, aren’t you just precious?” and is accompanied by a begrudging, “That’s interesting.”

Stop it. I know you read Harry Potter. I know you watched Underworld. I know you read Margaret Atwood, but you’d admitted to me as a friend that you didn’t find it all that interesting. You’re a closeted genre reader and I’m not going to hold it against you, but guess what? Stop holding it against start up writers.

So, unless you can keep a straight face when someone says “Erotic Fantasy,” then you shouldn’t ask what their story is about…not that I write erotic fantasy (wink.)

It’s all about the story. Who’s to say that the story of a fictional character set in middle earth isn’t as significant as the story of a character on the downtown streets of Toronto? Welcome stories. Genres were only built as marketing tools to reach audiences who want to read that style of story. If that’s not your style, it’s not your style-but support your writer friends who do write in that style.

Thanks folks.

Casting Call, and good news note.

2012-02-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

I will be doing a casting call soon for the following roles in my play which will be presented at Homegrown. Right now the following positions are open and require actors/actresses. Please give me a call or email to get a partial script in order to do a dry read and try-out.

Here’s what I’m looking for, character list is below.

1 teenage girl, preferably between the following ages 15-20

1 teenage boy, preferably between the following ages: 15-20

2 Women, one in their late 30’s the other in 40’s-ish.

1 Man, middle aged-ish.

2 teenage boys, preferably between the ages of 12-22.

1 young adult woman, preferably between the ages of 17-25.

5-10 Extras: Students for Scenes Act One Scene Three, age range of 12-25.

Character List:

August: Seventeen year old girl.

Junior: Seventeen year old boy, first name is also Jackson.

Carole: August’s mother, middle aged. Married and had children young.

Lucy: Junior’s mother, middle aged, younger than Carole.

Jackson Sr.: Junior’s father, middle aged. Also plays Bill, spoken off-stage with a microphone

Sam: August’s younger brother, very close in age.

Todd: August’s older brother of two years.

Gina: Junior’s girlfriend in Act Two, Scene Six.

5-10 Extras: Students for Scenes Act One, Scene Three

With these characters in mind I would like to invite anyone to contact me. I would like to have a true casting call meeting, dependant on the response I get. If you’re unsure of whether or not you’d fit into any of these roles, I would rather you contact me than not.

I think I have a stage manager/co producer in mind, but would appreciate any help and/or suggestions. It’s my first play and my first production. It’s a fairly large cast but I think this’ll be a significant message to bring to the stage and would appreciate any help I can get making it a reality.

To contact me please send me a message

An interview.

2012-01-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Recently a fellow writer and friend asked me if she could interview me, and I thought-sure, great! Her name's Deanna Proach and we attended the same university. There are some who say, if you're a writer you need to surround yourself with people who write in the same genre or people who have the same publishing goals... I say Hooey! Deanna is a successful self-published author in the genre of Historical Fantasy and her support has meant a lot to me recently. Take a look at the interview.

It's located here if you want to read it, or copy and past this into your browser: http://desstories.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-writer-amanda-mcdonald.html

Let me know what you think...

Anthem- Video Sequencing & Ideas

2012-01-21T11:08:00.001-08:00

About two weeks ago tow of my closest friends had birthdays and during one of those celebrations we hung out with people I don't know but grew to adore! During this time we watched music videos from YouTube and viewed some of the year's funniest videos. Of course someone had to show the LMFAO's Sexy and I know it video and I was never super enthused about the song or video. Reason?

My husband came home from a poker game and he decided to set it up right before the... "Hammock swinging" scene. (Just to keep this post PG) I'd not yet heard the song and that alone clenched my ears... I was pretty grossed out, but since we were already on the topic of the music group LMFAO another party-goer said, let me put in another one. You'll love it!

They entered the music video for "Party Rock Anthem," by the same artists featuring two others.

I had to say that the writer for the video sequencing and story was excellent. The video, although musical, was well written and the content changed just often enough to keep the viewer intrigued. Besides the overall humor, I found that little bits were hidden here and there and my reaction was to share it with others just like the other party-goer did with us, it was infectious. The ideas posed in this video were funny but also engaging with their demographic audience. Zombies!

There are opportunities for writers everywhere and typically ideas come from a story that creatives view within their mind's eye. Short story and novel ideas often come to me this way. I listen to a song, see breath-taking view or imagine a what-if? and begin to imagine the answers to those questions such as who would have lived in this beautiful landscape, who is singing this song and why? My stories seem to be richer when I write these as I'm connecting with an emotional chord that the view, song or question asks.

In this moment creativity has to have an outlet... Keep your writer's pad with you whenever, you never know when an idea will come barreling down at you.

Replies to Blog Comments:

2012-01-21T08:30:00.001-08:00

For some reason Blogger is listing my own comments as Anonymous, so I'll post my replies here:

Thank you J Dowell-Irvine, I appreciate the recommendation. Currently the publishing climate is changing and there's so much out there that doesn't apply anymore in the traditional education. That being said, I took three years at UNBC and am going to finish my degree with TRU's Open Learning program. There is no substitute for the education I received and the discoveries I made. I took a great deal of course work in Political Science (It was my major) and Philosophy and I wouldn't have my current novel idea if that hadn't been the case. I strongly suggest that he consider going to school because a majority of writers in the Yukon do have day jobs and the best jobs require some certification, education or experience. The other thing I could share with your son is that University and College is nothing like High School. You can pick your education, you can pick your electives, you can pick all of it... I would suggest he look into TRU's open learning. It doesn't require he move, he can get a full degree in anything he's interested in... and here's the kicker: I've declared an English major... in essence I'm reading books and telling the teacher my opinion on the piece. Although I agree you don't need a degree to be a writer, it can only help-not hinder. Thanks again for the recommendation!

In response to Murray, I am not just commenting from a fiction perspective because a lot of non-fiction is literature based, such as memoirs. The technical writer will stil create an outline, write an intro and start writing the content they already have the information for.

The goal for my post: Cout Down: 5 reasons to Write your Book" is aimed at people who have wanted to write fiction or literary non-fiction but are looking for a reason to start. If, for example someone is a technical writer then they are not my target reader for this post. The reader of this article is someone looking for a reason to write 'Their' book. As for fun, I always have fun when I'm writing. Even at work when it's technical, even when my novel is hard, it's always fun. I lament Murray that you do not have fun... because I always do! :D

Count Down: 4 Websites Self-Publishers Should Consider

2011-12-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

The Count Down: 10 Days Until New Year's Day

4 Websites Self-Publishers Should Consider

These are some websites that self-publishers should consider. Mostly due to the services they provide, but they are also worth considering because they provide a readership and the possibility to build fans. Who doesn't want some fans?

4) Wattpad: www.wattpad.com

A website that also provides a phone app for those who become addicted. It's a story sharing community that benefits the reader a fraction more than benefits the writer. I personally believe that stories should be paid for so this community, while it would be a great place to build readership- I'm not as big a fan of it as other groups on this list.

3) Lightning Source: www.lightningsource.com

A great location for lower cost print publishing, this website has fast turn around but doesn't provide ebook assistance and they don't provide publisher services that include design, editorial or marketing services. They can however, print from a digital copy from disc or download, or they can take a pre-published piece and make more of the same. It's worth considering since any person or distributor can access these books and put orders in for print copies.

2) Create Space: www.createspace.com

A website that allows you to publish either to the kindle format or in hardcover, the website assists you in designing your book and get it ready to publish. They have more information about formatting your work and tips for marketing. There are paid services but there are a whole host of options provided for free. You can review pictures and images to create a cover or, see my article about locations for great stock photos HERE.
Then you can go to the Cover Creator and review the inside of your book, it's all really easy and if you're only a little familiar with computer language then you can find comprehensive instructions on this site.

1) Smash Words: www.smashwords.com

The website where Amanda Hawking became a million dollar author, you can build your readership and charge a much lower cost for your work because it's available via ebook and you get 70% of the profits, rather than less. In traditional publishing you would earn 15% if you're lucky, it's usually closer to 7%, 1/10th of what you can make self-publishing online. It's worth going there to publish your short stories at the least to build your platform and readership. If, like me, you still want to publish traditionally, then this can be a great platform to -as I mentioned-publish your shorts, and if it does well you can mention that in your pitch. Publishing houses are really starting to pay attention to these markets and sources for readership because traditional publishers are starting to miss out and the digital market is growing... it's hard to ignore.

Hope this list was helpful, only 4 days until the New Year!

Count Down: 5 Reasons to Write Your Book

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Count Down 10 Days Until New Years presents,

5 Reasons to Write Your Book

1) If you never start, you'll never finish.

The truth is, you can think about writing all you want but until you sit at that computer or desk and start typing your words or writing by hand, you haven't started anything. Googling, researching and reading related books is all great for your research process, but it's separate from the actual act of writing. Here's the rule fellow writers: Writing means creating words and recording them on some medium either digital or paper. If new words aren't being recorded you're not writing. Do you research after the book otherwise the story itself won't come out. I get so distracted by "Research" and "Platform building," it's a wonder that I ever write anything... So get writing!

2) You'll have fun!

Believe it or not, the process of creating is so much fun. Even if the book is non-fiction, the process to create a piece of literature is a lot of fun. I write within a genre and I love creating new story worlds for these wonderful character. I feel like an archaeologist slowly (sometimes quickly) pulling or sweeping off the dust/dirt and discovering a character as I test them and throw some really horrible experiences their way. I think it's the closest to God that a human being to get to.

3) You gain experience as a writer.

The act of writing a book is a very difference beast than writing a short story or a novella because you have to have enough content and a strong plot to write a full-length novel. Plus, there has to be over and under-arching stories that wind their way through the plot. Everything I've learned about writing a book has become some reflection of me. For example, I finished my novel (the writing, not the editing) and something didn't feel quite right. I went through the entire novel and cut approximately 30,000 words. When I did this I lost a bit of content but I also noticed that I tended to use adverbs and adjectives fairly often, so when I began to rewrite to fill the voids I found in story and content I was conscious of adverb and adjectives and going back over it was a pleasure because I didn't find a quarter of the level I was finding before the editing phase.

4) You can gain credibility and build a readership.

If you want to be a regular author then writing your first book can lead to writing a second book, gasp! Who knew? If you truly love to write then it comes down to, why aren't you? The more you write the more you'll reach people and the best platform for an author is actual readership. Whether you want to self publish, or you want to publish traditionally or you only want to e-publish, you still need to write. If you don't want to write to write but rather to build your expertise, then you can do it in this way. It's almost sad to say that being a published author in your field is almost more credibility than having initials after your name with an education behind it. There is a whole industry of self-help individuals that do not have credentials in the traditional sense, but once published had entire platforms explode! So, a book can only build your credibility, but remember that if you're going to self-publish, you need to get someone to edit it who isn't related to you.

5) If you're successful, it creates revenue.

There are a few people who find it hard to write a book because there's no immediate pay off, no check every two weeks so they can't justify their time spent away from family, friends and they have a hard time dealing with the looks they get from people after they tell them that they are writing a book. Keep your eye on the prize: publication and therefore revenue. Even if you don't want to sell your book to a traditional publisher, if you self-publish you will earn revenue from your readers when they pay for your book. Who doesn't want some extra cash?

So, get writing!

Sure there are reasons not to write a book, but if you love to write, then you might as well try a book at least once.

Count Down 6: Stock Photo Resources

2011-12-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

Count Down: Ten Days until the New Year Presents:

6 Stock Photo Resources

Whether you're a self or POD published author or you write articles and blogs online, writers sometimes need to get relevant photos at an inexpensive rate and in digital format. If this applies to you, then here are six locations where you can get stock photos, in no particular order.

6. www.dreamstime.com

5. www.morguefile.com

4. www.getteimages.ca

3. www.corbis.com

2. www.shutterstock.com

1. www.istockphoto.com

The photo for this post was provided using www.freedigitalphotos.net care of it's creator Michal Marcol. For this image, please visit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=371

Count Down: 7 Resources for Businesses & Entrepreneurs

2011-12-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Count Down: Ten Days Until the New Year Presents,

7 Resources for Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Like #9 I'm going to focus for a bit on businesses since a great deal of serious writers are freelancers with or without day jobs. These resources are quite broad for Yukoners and some a little more specific to Yukon but, in the end most persons in the rest of Canada can usually find resources in their own communities that provide similar opportunities.

7. www.bizpal.ca

Available online in both French and English I find this website on a handful of websites citing it as a resource but it's more of a one-trick pony. If you're starting a company and you need to find out if you are required to get a permit, then this is the website for you. As freelance writers it only cites one permit for use, but it's technically incorrect. It cites the Federal business permit, but it's missing two others. In order to opperate in the Yukon you have to be registered in the Yukon and you also need a municipality permit. So if you operate in Whitehorse, you need a Whitehorse Business License. Be careful on this one as it's obviously missing things.

6. YTG Business Resource Page: gov.yk.ca/services/business_resources.html

Includes Yukon-Specific information but if you require this information and do not live in the Yukon, just check our your province, territory or state's webpage and follow the prompts for businesses. This page provides information such as statistics and tenders and tendering forecast, and quite a bit more.

5. Industry Canada: www.ic.gc.ca

Includes resources for business start-up, statistics, and my favorite page is Business Tools and Resources.

4. Canada Business Service Centre: www.canadabusiness.ca

Tools for finding financing, another permits and licenses tool, and Service Centre details. Further to that there are great resources for starting your own business, tips for selling to governments, and even copyright and intellectual property details. This one is one of my favorite all-time resources just for some of the great details you can get in their resources and resource articles.

3. Dana Naye Ventures: www.dananaye.yk.net

Here in Whitehorse, DNV is a great opportunity if you qualify for their programming. They offer some of the most down-to-earth consulting on opening a business here in the Yukon and some great course options such as the Feasibility Study. For more details see them or Employment Central.

1 & 2. Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce: www.whitehorsechamber.com, and The Yukon Chamber of Commerce: www.yukonchamber.com

The best resource for entrepreneurs and business people are opportunities to network. The chambers do this. Both host events and have lists of local businesses that provide specific products or services for Yukoners or Whitehorse-ians. Great opportunities with these two chambers, and most communities either have local chambers or they'll have regional or provincial chambers.

Hope that everyone can find a resource to help them out in this list. As sole-proprietorships, writers need to also see their writing as a business because there are laws regarding income, intellectual property and business activity in the instance of owning permits and licenses.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you're all enjoying some form of cooked bird and underground tuber....

Count Down: 8 Top Websites for Writers

2011-12-24T17:00:00.001-08:00

Count Down: 10 Days Until the New Year presents:

8 Top Websites for Writers

I have written on this before so I'll keep this list brief. I'm going to try not to double up on my previous post or my recent email on ArtsNet by reiterating my favorite blogs or writers-only websites, instead I'm focusing on websites in general.

8)Joe Konrath Blog jakonrath.blogspot.com Successful genre-writing tips and a great list of about 300 recommended blogs as well.
7) Preditors and Editors: http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/ A great website for ensuring you're not getting scammed by a fake or illegitimate editor or agent, etc. They are being sued right now and are looking for donations to stay afloat, I honestly think it's worth supporting because they will report when agents, editors and publishers act inappropriately. Take a look for yourself at their website.
6) Book Cover Archive: www.bookcoverarchive.com Search for book covers and the latest trends in the market. Great for Self-Publishers.
5) Twitter: twitter.com You can follow a ton of people who are in the literary world like publishers, writers, editors and agents. Each of these people pour out their knowledge daily in short snippets called tweets. Some tweet often and others once a week, but it's a great way to keep on eye on things. You can also check out the trends on hastags. Usually with the pound symbol (#) before a word is called a hashtag. Some popular ones for writers are: #amwriting, #writers, and #writing.
4) Media Bistro: mediabistro.com A website that give you information about the media publications that are open to pitches, gives feedback on writer-related items, such as how to write a resume as a writer. Worth taking a look at if you want to pitch magazines or large newspapers.
3)Places for Writers: placesforwriters.com Primarily Canadian, it posts when new opportunities to write are presented. I personally don't pitch to competitions because I would rather get published, but they also have a wonderful list of upcoming competitions that some writers will appreciate.
2) Easy Street Prompts: easystreetprompts.blogspot.com A website that posts a single photo everyday as a writing prompt. Videos are given sometimes too. Take a look if you're in a slump.
1) Blogger: blogger.com Okay a little bit silly but I've belonged to two other blogging locations before and they were so frustrating to learn and get used to that I never actually posted anything. Blogger's great because you can use your blogger dashboard to subscribe to RSS feeds. So, I've got a list of my favorite blogs and RSS feeds linked into my blogger and I couldn't be happier! One site for so much...

I hope you liked this list. If you did, I'll have another list that's similar later on in this count down. If you're a self-publisher or are interested in self or E publishing, then stay tuned for 4 days before New Years. I'll have a short list of 4 great resources for self-publishers or e publishers.

Count Down: 9 Bad Habits Businesses Need to Banish

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Count Down, 10 Days Until the New Year Presents...

9 Bad Habits Businesses Need to Banish

Some of my regular 1200 readers might be wondering, why are you all of a sudden giving out business tips? If you are a writer, then part of your job is being in business. This includes freelancers, those who do business with other corporations or writers that work within a place of business such as publishing houses, newspapers and magazines. Each of these situations you work within a business, if you're not any of the above then chances are-and knowing my readership- you are a writer who has a day job.

So, for each of your scenarios, I have these tips.

10) You say 'Yes' too much. Inherently the act of saying yes is not a bad thing, the problem arises when you don't know how to say 'no.' Most businesses or business magazines have covered this at length and perhaps you've heard it. Sometimes projects look great or they open doors, but you need to ask yourself a couple questions in order to know if you should take the assignment: a) Do I have the time to put in the work on a regular basis above my regular workload? b) Will anything else suffer? c) Can I meet the deadline? d) is there anyone else who could do this project that would do it just as well or sufficiently enough that I don't need to take this on? Once you've asked yourself these, if the answers are predominantly no, then say No.

9)You try to appeal to everyone. Not everyone can be pleased. Trust me. If you're looking to market yourself, cutting down your crowd is useful. Target your marketing or platform approaches and you'll see way more success. By trying to appeal to everyone, even in a single blog post, you're excluding everyone by having something there that doesn't appeal to them. Be direct and be succinct. The succinctness will allow people to understand where you are coming from, tells them what your goal is and whether or not the reader can do anything about it.

8) Rudeness. I face this more than some would believe. I am originally from a small town and again once more I live in a small town. When I was a teen I went into a cute store in my hometown and looked at the pretty baubles they had for girls. While looking at them I asked the lady behind the counter what the price of one without a tag was, she yelled "I don't know," instead of checking. Then, when I was looking elsewhere in the store, she said: "Listen, are you done yet? I don't like teens hanging around in my store." Not only is this rude, it shows ageism in a bad way and proves that the woman didn't know her market. I walked out of that store and plainly said to her, "See that two-hundred dollar item up there on the shelf? I was going to buy that for my mother for Christmas. If you had been nice and helped me earlier I would have bought that for my sister. Since you've been rude and offensive I'm going to spend my money elsewhere and I'll tell my friends to do the same." I left and did tell my friends. I had never been so offended in my life! Needless to say, the store closed before it reached it's first year in business

7) Bad Management. A lot of chain stores have it, hence why they have a very tough time keeping employees. There are lots of "types" of bad management. The truth is, many who hire in the retail industry for management positions rarely work that closely with the manager and rarely listen to staff feedback about the manager's performance. For a great article on this and behaviors of managers that suck, read this article "Managing Away Bad Habits," written by the Harvard Business Review.

6) Lack of Enthusiasm. Having worked for Starbucks, their motto for employees is to "Create an Enthusiastic Experience for Every Customer, Every time." This is quite high-reaching, but it works. Most employees, which they may not always be thrilled by the prospects of working in a coffee shop forever, they certainly get swept off their feet in the training process which included enthusiastic management. (That's a nod at the previous number too.) If you don't like what you do, or you don't "feel" like getting out of bed to go to work, it's time for a career change. Seriously. If you think, "Well, I just need to get more experience," or "I need to work here a full year or I'll look like a quitter," fine. But, make yourself a promise to look for and apply for jobs you think you'd love as they come up. There's no harm and the potential employer won't contact your current one until checking with you, or you can include it in your cover letter. If you are a writer and don't like what you do, perhaps you need to change genres or audiences. If you're writing for a beauty mag and you're slugging through the work, consider getting a job at a newspaper and writing your book on the side.

5)Lack of Phone Etiquette. Too many times I call somewhere and the person is yelling at me, or answers with a "Yeah?" and I wonder: They want me to do business with them? Nope, ain't going to happen! You see, if they are that sloppy with their potential customers, how sloppy are they going to be with current customers. I usually feign a "Sorry, wrong number," and then hang up and try their competitors. Also, I can't stand automated phone lines. If you only have ten employees and your phones don't automatically go to a receptionist, you're losing customers guaranteed. I know because I hang up. If I have to press a button to contact a human being, I press the hang up button and then I dial their competitor's number... noticing a pattern? Bad phone etiquette is hard to recover from because it's so easy for someone to lie to you or just hang up if they don't like what they hear, so be sure to mind your P's, Q's, don't slam the phone to hang up and turn your volume down.

4) Review Ignorance. If you business is listed in the white or yellow pages of a phone book, then it is listed in that phone book's listing online. If that is so, then you are capable of being reviewed. I don't know why more people don't know this fact. If you get a bad review on an important site, then you are hooped my friend. Even towns as small as Whitehorse have a review outlet, consider Yukono. http://yukono.com/ And, for the love of God, do not write a counter review by yourself. It's so blatantly obvious to an actual or potential customer that it'll put them off for sure.

3) Habitual Ruts. Most people have their own personal routine of how they pick out their outfit, for example. Many businesses have a routine of how to enroll new customers, how to handle clients and case files and who to turn to for such and such information. These need to stop. These are called habitual ruts and when an office or business develop the same standard greeting in every year's Christmas Card, then it's time to make some change. Perhaps reversing roles in the office for a day, perhaps getting employees to stop approaching others for information and making that available to them instead in a form of report or resources list is a couple of ways that a business can stop its dependency on habits. Reason being that clients or customers can see the habit. How many times have you gone to a dentist or doctor's office and the secretarial assistant hands you forms without a smile with a pen and motions (silently) to a chair. Repetitive much? That's right, it's off-putting. It's the same thing in any form of business, watch your habitual ruts.

2) Poor People Skills. Just like rudeness, poor people skills gets around. Why? Poor people skills is not outright rudeness but it can be perceived as such. Also, your people skills are what's going to persuade others to partake in your business as a client or customer. If you don't know the powers of persuasion, just look at Cleopatra and Julius Cesar. That woman was persuasive and it saved her life, for a time. I've met new business people or individuals who work and wonder why they don't get raises or promotions and they whine about their lot in life. Then I suggest, why don't you smile when you talk to clients? I usually get this reply from them, "I'm not a people-person, and I don't like helping people." Well, then change jobs honey, because you are not doing well at this one. The point is, your livelihood depends on your job and your success-people pleasing is a must.

1) Procrastination. The number one bad habit, for many good reasons. First, most put stuff off because they believe they have lots of time. So what? You have lots of time? Put it to good use and get that project off your table before the next one, or worse-an emergency project- hits your desk leaving you with too little time to complete the project well or at all. When most projects are put off until the last minute, it's obvious to the reciever and if you're working in a team, you've got people counting on you to bring the quality not just a "finished product." Finishing school for young girls wasn't meant to kill them, as finishing as a verb would imply. No, it would finish them. Like a varnish it would polish them up and make them not only a good wife, but the best wife and woman they could possibly be in their instance. Many cultures had this not only for women but for men too. Every project you put out should be something that's Finished; it has to be something you would be proud to put your name on it, because finished product is what sells to potential clients.

I hope this list was enlightening. Until tomorrow!

Cout Down, Ten Synonyms for Writers

2011-12-22T17:00:00.008-08:00

Count Down: Ten Days Until The New Year presents...

Ten Synonyms for Writers

10) Ink Slinger

9) Scribbler

8) Contributor

7) Essayist

6) Poet

5) Editor

4) Author

3) Litterateur

2) Transcriber

1) Wordsmith: My personal favorite and my slogan.

Yes, yes. Some are more specific, but nonetheless, it gives you ideas as to directions to take your writing, at least if you're unsure of your writing's future or if you're seeking a writing career, no?

10 Days Until The New Year

2011-12-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

In preparation for the new year and all of those resolutions sure to be made, I have decided to do a Ten Days Until New Year's Eve count down. I think this would be fun. Later tonight I will post the first article. Stay Tuned!

Amanda

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Yule and hope everyone had a great Winter Solstice!

New Developments

2011-12-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

I will begin a publication in the new year that will be placed in coffee shops, dentist and doctor office locations and will have advertising opportunities. Business card size is going to be the average size of advertisement, however half page advertisements are available.

Pricing will be up soon, or you may contact me at the following information. The first printing will be in January for the February month.

Amanda McDonald
867-334-3966
writeramandamcdonald@hotmail.com
or, comment below.

My Experience as a Self-Published Author, Guest Post

2011-12-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Deanna Proach:

My Experience as a Self-Published Author

"It's the best time to be published," said Bob Meyer at this year's writers conference in Surrey, British Columbia. In one way, he is right. It is the best time to be a published author because there are so many new ways for aspiring authors to get their books published. Self-publishing, e-format and paperback have become the norm, to the point where other authors would have you believe that it's the only way to go.

Self-publishing is not the only way to go. Many writers are still querying literary agents with the goal to strike it rich on their first book. But when you're starting out and you have no platform to boost your name, you might want to consider self-publishing. There are several book services out there that help new authors with the cover art, editing and formatting of their books. Then, there are companies that specialize in book promotion and marketing.

I went that route with Day of Revenge. The one good thing about self-publishing is that it gives you control over your creative work. If you work with a company like I did, the only task you are required to do is the marketing and promotion of your book. And, believe me. That is no easy task, especially when you have a meager web presence.

My experience as a self-published author has, overall been good. I've landed a number of internet radio interviews with Blog Talk Radio hosts, two speaking gigs (unpaid) and even organized four book signings: two in Penticton and two on the Sunshine Coast, the community where I reside. I consider my book launch as one of the book signing events. Yes, I made some very good connections. I have even written a personal story that will be published in another author's book. Her name is Christina Schlachter and she is a renowned motivational speaker.

I'm so thankful to have made these connections because I know that they will provide my second novel To be Maria with a nice platform. But, it is another story for Day of Revenge. I had no help with the marketing and I had no previous experience in marketing. So, getting it to sell well has been a struggle from the word go. Regardless, I have learned a lot from this first experience and my writing skills have improved dramatically; although, that probably has more to do with the fact that I switched to contemporary young adult, a genre I discovered I was most comfortable writing in.

So, what does all this have to do with self-publishing? Let's face it. In this bad economy, most prefer to read works from well-known authors. While self publishing does offer some benefits, it is not profitable. If you feel strongly about your novel, have received positive feedback from readers and other writers and are determined to make a handsome living from your books, then I strongly encourage you to seek out an agent or small royalty-paying press.

To learn more about Deanna Proach, you can visit her blog, http://desstories.blogspot.com or her website at www.deannaproach.com.

Self Publishing

2011-12-02T16:06:00.001-08:00

I went to a writing retreat in the fall and I have to say that I learned a lot about e-publishing as well as self publishing that I didn't to begin with, but my opinion hasn't changed all that much. For my initial blog about self-publishing versus traditional please click here. I will have a few other blog posts and links below for anyone thinking about these processes or considering either.

YukonDude posted a question quite awhile ago about e-publishing and my opinion about such publishing. You can see his secondary comment by clicking on the link I have above and scrolling down to see his comment.

The thing with e-publishing is that it makes it easy to buy for the tech-savy reader, it creates a large production range for the author/writer and it produces a plethora of reading for that writer's readership because the author can publish his or her own short stories, long stories or stories too short for one or too long for the other.
What someone considering e-publishing has to consider is the marketting. Yes, it's less expensive than the marketing of paperback books but it's also very intensive. The person who has written must therefore publish but then put the book out, it cuts out distributors and the actual publishers, hence: the middle man.

I can see these things making for a really positive outlook on e-publishing, but I would like to press that this is all great if you already have a readership. If you don't you're just publishing a book that may or may not get readership. Marketing your book, going through the process of adding your book to e-bookstore locations, and then getting the odds and ends (think: book cover) done all take away time from what's most important to me: my writing.

If I do self-e-publish, then it would be in the far future after I have a large readership, but probably not.

When I truly love a book or writer, I buy their books because I know I'll want it for my permanent collection. As a writer I have to hope that I can touch readers in that way... to make a reader want to keep my book for their permanent collection.

Now, as a person who understands she has her own bias here, I have invited Deanna Proach, a self-published author, to guest post here. She wrote a historical fiction, Day of Revenge and can speak to the realities of self-publishing. We'll have her speak on Monday around 5pm. Keep an eye out for that post.

Here's the list of previous blogs regarding traditional, self or e-publishing.

Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Four things to consider if submitting traditionally

Here are some other blogs that I would recommend for writers looking at each of these forms.

Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Caution, the video is very skewed in one way because the presenter is the CEO for a self-publishing company. I would skip the video all-together! Read the article though.
Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which will make you more money? This one is great if you understand the numbers game... but let's be honest here, if you can't figure out these numbers then...
Self-Publish, or not? Brings up some good points...
Is self-publishing for you? Pros and Cons. This writer has products for sale, and usually I am hesitant to recommend anything that advertises items, but the information is good and it's proof that she self-publishes.
3 Self-Publishing Pros and Cons A little amateur and doesn't deal with every problem I would note, this blog entry has the tone of supporting self-publishing.
Traditional Publishing Pros and Cons A really great look at traditional publishing and it's pros and cons. Brings to light some things that hopeful authors might not know.
Traditional Publishing: Pros and Cons Not bad, but as the image shows, it's a bit one sided.
What are the pros and cons of traditional publishing? This website launches not only into traditional, but also e-publishing, POD (Print on Demand) and self-publishing.

I hope this help, remember to come back on Monday for Deanna Proach's guest blog on self-publishing.

Subscribers, Addicts and Readership

2011-12-01T02:32:00.001-08:00

Wow, I was only looking at the blogger count of subscribers this entire time, knowing that I have two bloggers from blogger that have subscribed. I always figured that this was a low number but it was better than 0, right? Plus, at the minimum I have two loyal readers. So, thanks to N.A. Pedde and to Neragioia who have both subscribed via blogger.

However, I think that my Karma in positive belief is returning to me because I took a look at feedburner and a couple other stat sites and they stated that I have over 27 regular viewer that have subscribed to my feed. Plus, there are over 1200 viewers on my blog every month.

Might not be much compared to the traffic that authors with 20 books published might get, but I'm stoked. Thanks everyone for the readership. Without you folks I wouldn't have a readership. ;-) Much love goes out to you!