Writing 101: Multitasking

Do you work on more than one book at a time? Blog, tweet and edit your latest creation all at once? Keep a smartphone in one hand while you get work done on the laptop with the other? Multitasking can be a great idea...but it has definitely got its limits. Too much multitasking can be the ruination of every goal you set.

Juggling Tasks

Self-published authors tend to keep a lot of balls up in the air. They work full-time, promote their indie books and write in their spare time. They have family lives, and friends, and favorite shows to watch on TV. Multitasking is  a natural side effect of leading a busy life and to be frank, pretty much everybody does it. Those social media breaks you take when you're in the middle of a chapter is multitasking, just like maintaining a blog and writing a novel at the same time. You do it, I do it, self-published authors can't survive without it. But if keep on juggling, eventually something's going to fall. Try not to be standing under it when it does.

Multitasking is a fine art form and, for many, a way of life. Master certain tips and tricks to keep all your balls in the air successfully.

• Keep it straight: If you're going to multitask, keep notes and keep all your stuff separate. Don't confuse blog posts with book projects, and don't confuse book projects with each other. Use folders to keep everything organized. And when you go to write, get out all your stuff. I pull up notes, cast lists, outlines and everything I've got. This reinforces the project that you're working on and immerses you in that world. If you lose your way, all your stuff is right in front of you.
• Keep it casual: Setting deadlines is where many authors end up failing. It's very difficult to manage a bunch of tasks and maintain discipline. Give yourself an unreasonable deadline or writing goal on top of it all, and you're going to break. Go easy on yourself. It's important to maintain discipline and work hard, but it's also important to take breaks and get some rest. Be willing to loosen up on deadlines and put some tasks off until tomorrow. Otherwise, you're going to make yourself crazy.
• Keep it balanced: Why multitask? Wouldn't it be easier to complete one thing at a time and then move onto the next? For many authors, focusing on just one project alone can be too draining. A lot of emotion and thought goes into writing a book, and it's necessary to lose yourself in that world to write it correctly. Getting too deep in a single world for too long can make it difficult, nigh impossible, to create a wholly different world. Many authors multitask to bring a certain balance into their lives. If you're working on a dramatic tragedy novel, try spending some time on a more lighthearted project as well. Focusing too deeply on a single project can give you tunnel vision and lead you toward a whole host of problems. Multitasking is a good way to bring balance back.

A Cautionary Tale

Some researchers say that multitasking affects concentration, and that's probably true (after all, they've got evidence and everything). It's the author's job to learn how to focus deeply and concentrate intensely on the creative task at hand. If multitasking seems to interfere with that, stop. The truth is, sometimes it's necessary to take a quick break and to shut off that creative switch every once in a while. When you loosen up your thoughts a little, it's much easier for good ideas to appear.

Writing 101: The Imporance of Daydreaming

I'm behind my laptop most of the time, working (or playing around on Twitter). I usually find a way to work on it even when I'm eating dinner. And when I do put it down, I'll pick up something else. I've got a box of crafts projects just waiting for attention. I'm not idle very often...and sometimes, I have to force myself to do nothing. The importance of daydreaming just can't be neglected if you're a writer.

Daydream Believer

It's easy for an author to keep their minds busy, even if you don't have your face shoved into a laptop screen. I think about plots, imagine conversations, endlessly go through my list of stuff to do...think about all the junk I'd like to buy on Amazon, and pine for Game of Thrones (hangin' in there until March).

None of it leaves a lot of room for daydreaming, but it's important to make a point of stopping your brain every once in a while. Put down the smartphone, walk away from the TV, refuse to look at your laptop and just be still for a moment. It's in the quiet spaces that daydreams are born, and daydreaming is an important activity for any writer.

The good ideas creep in once your mind is free to daydream and wander, roam and ponder.  Great ideas rush in to fill those quiet moments, when your guard is down and your mind isn't so busy. Authors need to daydream to get the creative juices flowing, and to stay open to new ideas. Fresh thoughts create new stories. So close the laptop and put your feet up on the desk.

If anyone asks why your eyes are closed, tell them you're working on the next great American novel!

Writing 101: Time Management

Frankly, it would be laughable for me to make an attempt to advise anyone else about time management. I've got hours of actual work to do still, and as I write this it's 12 am on a Monday night. I have to get up at 10 am by the latest to start a new day. I don't even have time for this blog post, but the post I was going to write was all about sticking with your commitments. It was so preachy, I decided to save it and edit it down for another day (I've got to remove all none-too-subtle judgments). Honestly, if I knew a thing about time management I would get more than 5 hours of sleep a night. But here's what I can do: I can tell you how not to end up like me.

Time Can't Be Managed

First things first: admit defeat. Wave the white flag, and give in. You can stress about time, you can plan, you can make lists, you can set alarms and you can create all the rules you want, but time is still going to win. It marches on. Time can't really be managed, but you can learn how to live with it peacefully -- declare a truce, if you will. It's the best you can hope for when you're a writer, because no matter what you do (or how independently wealthy you become) there's never going to be enough time for all the stories that deserve to be written.

So now that you know you're waging a losing battle, you're in the appropriate mindset. The only way to win, or at least to escape with your dignity, is to make the most out of your time. 

• Get your priorities in order, or at least figure out what they are.

I'd rather be working on my newest book right now. I haven't touched it since Saturday and won't get 'round to it again for many days to come, I'm sure, but I'm doing this instead. I don't get much time, but I make a list of things I'm definitely going to do for the author aspect of my life. Writing blog posts is one of them, so here we are. What are your priorities and your must-dos? 

Once you know what you have to do, you'll know what's acceptable to skip. First thing off my list when I'm in a time crunch? Going through forums, naturally. This can be put off for another day, or three. 

• Say no, sometimes.

You know what takes up a lot of time? Favors and extra commitments. You don't have to beta-read, post reviews, write guest posts or even participate -- unless you said you would. Once you say yes, you're locked in (and a serious time crunch may not be far behind).

So learn how to say no. This is where I fail, because I pretty much never turn anything down. You don't want to end up exhausted like me, so just get used to saying no. Do it politely and prettily and wrap it up in great words all you want, but say it: no!

• Recognize distractions for what they are.

There are a lot of demands on your time when you're an author, and work full-time and have a life to juggle on top of all of that. When Twitter is going off and your email inbox is screaming at you and you're getting comments on your blog, it all feels very important. But is it, really? Stop taking time out of your workday to answer emails, respond to tweets, poke around on Facebook and reply to all those blog comments. All that stuff can wait, even if it feels urgent. 

They're just distractions, cleverly disguised as important stuff. There's always time to catch up on your social media and to respond to the fans; they know that you've got lots of things putting demands on your time. Getting sidetracked is a great way to waste your valuable time. 

• Keep everything organized sensibly, from dresser to desktop.

Make it easier on yourself by getting organized -- everywhere. Clean up your workspace, your dresser drawers, your desktop and even your inbox, if it's a mess. The more time you spend looking for that document or trying to find that favorite T-shirt, the less time you're spending on getting stuff done. This is one thing I excel at, and I'm still a total mess when it comes to time management.

Keep a set of review copies in a single folder in your computer, along with all your profile pictures, author biographies, book blurbs and other promotional items. This way, you can access your stuff to respond to emails quickly. Organize your drawers in the order that you get dressed: underwear, T-shirts, socks, accessories. Arrange stuff on your desk according to how often you use it, and keep important items handy. Find other ways to get organized, and clean up your life to squeeze more valuable time out of every day.

Good time management will keep you from falling behind, becoming overwhelmed with work and ending up exhausted...like me.

Writing 101: Details Come Later

Are you willing to produce really ugly writing? Sometimes, there's just no other way. There are going to be times when putting something (anything) on the page is the most important task. The details can always come later.

The Beauty of Ugly Writing

There are moments in every writer's journey where suddenly, it's all easy. The words just somehow flow magically, appearing on the page through your fingers with absolutely no effort whatsoever. Later when you go back to read it, you're amazed. 

Then, there are those other moments when it physically hurts to get words on the page. When everything you write just looks terrible, and every word is difficult. But there's beauty to be found even in ugly writing. You can always come back and do your editing later, clean up that text and add all the necessary details. 

Just get down the rough bones of the story, write the stuff that's supposed to happen (no matter how ugly), and add all the descriptors later. Writers are supposed to write...right?

Forums Make Me Angry

If you could see behind the scenes of the blog, you'd probably be appalled at the vast number of Writing 101 posts I've started and stopped writing. I wrote several of them last week in multiple abortive attempts to add content to the blog. More than one of them was a thinly-disguised rant...because a single forum post ticked me off for a solid three days. 

Zen and the Art of Stress-Free Forum Maintenance

I've been working a lot lately. I've been on the job most of the time, and when not on the job I've still got stuff to do around the house. There are only two boxes remaining, so I've made a lot of progress...but I'm not done. Two of the biggest projects still loom before me; I've got to do them both tomorrow and attend a bridal shower. 

With all this weighing on my mind all week, and deadlines looming over my head, I've been getting only four to five hours of sleep a night. So I'm understandably cranky when I check my forums, which I only have time to do late at night and early in the morning.

I check them after I go through my email first thing in the morning. Early in the week, I got an email from a fellow blogger asking me to pick up one of their review responsibilities. Clearly he doesn't read the blog, or he'd know how shamefully behind I am on my own TBR pile (several authors I know could give him an earful). I was a little affronted, but I got sort of pissed when I got around to checking my forums -- where he posted, in more than one place mind you, asking for help with this same review. 

I was sort of enraged by it all, and began a heated Writing 101 lesson about commitments (which may still appear in the future once I've distanced my own feelings from it a bit more). I wrote the whole thing, and had it scheduled, but thankfully second-guessed myself an hour later and changed it to draft.

I repeated this pattern several more times throughout the week, halfway committing to new Writing 101 lessons and then giving up on them entirely. Only one such post made it to the blog this week, and that got a two-day grace period and two false starts before it went live. 

And I spent much of the rest of the week grousing to myself every time I went to read the forums, and responding to them more hatefully than ever before. The week was nearly out when I realized that I wasn't really mad about that guy, or even about the forums. 

I was mad because I wasn't getting any time to really write. I've been behind on my newest story, and I didn't realize how angry it was making me until I nearly threw my phone over a totally benign post about country-specific terminology. So on Friday, after I completed a long to-do list, I made myself take the time to write. 

Back on the Wagon

I finished chapter 4. That's the big news. My Facebook followers know that I've been wallowing in that chapter for some time now, and I'm happy to say I finally tackled it -- a little less happy to admit that I spent three hours writing two pages. Sometimes that's the way it goes. Now I'm on chapter 5, and writing from a whole new POV, so this is exciting stuff. I feel much more comfortable with this chapter. 

Surely I'll just burn right through the rest of the outline and get the book completed in record time...just kidding. That definitely won't happen, but I am in a much better mood at the week's end.

Books on Film: Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia is one of the more interesting books on film you'll watch, because it's not based on one book. It's based on two books written by authors who were worlds apart. The movie shows both stories, though they did not occur concurrently, and somehow manages to blend both together pretty seamlessly.

The Books

Julie and Julia is based on My Life in France, an autobiography by the famous chef Julia Child. It was published in 2006 and compiled with the help of Julia's grandnephew Alex Prud'homme. He completed it after her 2004 death. In the main, it takes place from 1948 to 1954. This is when Child lived in Paris, Marseilles and Provence with her husband Paul. It's when her star as a chef rose, and she became a household name. 

The book details the arrival of the Childs in Paris, and Julia's love affair with French cuisine. She began taking classes at Ecole du Cordon Bleu and learned how to master cooking. She learned how to make amazing things like souffle, gnocchi, canard a l'orange and turbot farci braise au champagne. Sounds good, right?

She was well into her 30s when she discovered her love of French cuisine, but she embraced it with unfettered devotion. Julia stubbornly pursued all the goals she set for herself, and the story is truly delightful. As most of you probably know, it ends happily. Child went on to accomplish the goals she set for herself and became one of the best-known chefs to American audiences. She was so well-known, Dan Aykroyd even spoofed her on SNL.

And she was still interesting a few decades after her cooking show went off the air. The cookbook she wrote in France during the 50s was still darned good in 2002...good enough to interest a blogger living in New York City.

Julie Powell decided that she wanted to learn how to cook -- really to cook -- and began to consider her copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child. She decided to blog about it, and gave herself a deadline for cooking her way through the entire book. Later, Powell's blog became a book in its own right, and formed half the basis for the movie that would follow.

 
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen is the blog that Powell wrote, slightly reworked for print. The book was published in 2005, and later re-titled in paperback as Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

The blog took off, and Julie developed a following. For the book, she added a backstory describing her own life and her marriage to high school sweetheart Eric. The book doesn't read like a typical memoir...it reads more like chick lit, containing lurid descriptions of Julie's day-to-day life and squalid apartment. It's hard to find the bits about cooking within it all. But the book is saved by Julie's humor, which springs up often, and her persistence to finish her goal. In that, she is very much like Julia Child indeed.

Their similar personalities are made more apparent in the film that followed, aptly named Julie and Julia. 

The Film

On the big screen, Amy Adams became Julie Powell and Meryl Streep Julia Child. Streep, who stands at 5'6", was manipulated on screen to look more like a stately, 6'2" Child. Camera angles and Hollywood trickery were employed to make Streep look a little more Amazonian, like Julia.

The movie shows Julie Powell, a woman in her late 20s who is unhappy with her job and her tiny apartment. She latches onto Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961. Hilarity ensues as Julie attempts to execute complicated recipes in her itty-bitty kitchen, sometimes breaking down into hysterics when the lobsters must be boiled alive or the bone marrow burns.

Julia's story is woven equally into the narrative. We go with her to French restaurants, and futilely pursue a cookbook of French recipes written in English. We go to culinary school, and watch as each woman realizes her true fate. Julia Child is meant to be a chef...Julie Powell is supposed to be a writer. They take different journeys in different places, in vastly different times, and doggedly attempt to succeed at all costs.

Julia's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is the thread that ties them together. Each woman is obsessed with the book, and captivated by it, in different ways. Each is creating something. Each is learning. In other words, it's a movie about three books, two writers, and a ton of French recipes. Watching it without snacks is impossible. 

It's a really good movie. Both are writers of different sorts, and like most writers both face rejection and obstacles that stand in their way. 

Julia Child certainly learned how to master French cooking, and thanks to her all us Americans may attempt to do the same. Julie Powell learned how to cook, and blog. Both became published, and Julie and Julia was born on film. 

But like all good books on film, changes were made. 

What Got Adapted?

Julie Powell seems to have ambivalent feelings about the film. She wrote an online article distancing herself from the way she was portrayed on film (by Adams), while simultaneously stating that she liked the movie very much.

Powell is right about some things. Amy Adams doesn't totally capture Julie Powell's voice because she's more sanitized on film. Powell has a knack for the colorful euphemism, and only a scant amount of this remains in the film. Her use of f-bombs is cited as the main reason that Julia Child didn't like the blog, and did not consider Powell to be a "serious" cook. Powell's pets aren't shown as often, or at all, and some "characters" from the book were dropped altogether. Julie's brother Heathcliff is not present, and her friends appear only on the fringes.

However, the movie does a good job of capturing the flavor (pun intended) of both books, and showing both heroines in a  positive light. It's two stories about writers, and how can that be anything but appealing?

Lost in Justice

"Rain knows her new family is hiding something, she just doesn't know what yet."

"Pretty soon everything in her world begins to topple down like, well, a deck of cards...the unraveling is perfectly paced and skillfully executed."

Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at Lost in Books! There are some spoilers, so check it out if you've already read Justice and see if you agree with the reviewer.

Book Tour: Power by Theresa M. Jones

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Today I'm very pleased to host author and friend of the blog, Theresa M. Jones. She offers up amazing reviews on her book blog, Keepin' Up With the Joneses. Now, other bloggers will be reviewing her debut novel Power. My blog is an official stop on her book tour, so stop! Keep reading to learn more about the book and find out how to get your copy. Don't miss the amazing giveaway opportunity at the end -- you could win a signed copy of the book and a $15 Amazon gift card!

Thousands of years after the battle between the angels, when Lucifer was defeated by Michael in the Heavens, the war is still being fought on Earth by the humans who have their Power, the Angel’s Power. 

Allison Stevens is a 21 year old single mother who gets thrown into the middle of this battle when Damien, the Leader of the Rising, decides to hunt her down and kill her because he fears she is the descendant prophesied to save the world. 

David, a member of the Order, takes Allison under his wing in order to show her the ropes, and hopefully groom her into being the one they have been waiting for. The only problem is that they start to grow more attached than a teacher/student relationship should allow.

But that isn’t all. Damien wants to open the Seven Seals and bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to Allison to not only save herself and her family, but save the world, all while trying to keep her heart from breaking.

No problem… right?

POWER is the first book in a New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance Trilogy and is the debut novel for author Theresa M Jones.

Keep reading for an excerpt from the book...

Part of Chapter 15

I stepped outside into the fresh air. The sky was cloudless, and I could see all the stars. I walked to the pond and thought about putting my feet inside. It was summer, but we were high up in the mountains and the wind was chilly; so I decided against taking my shoes off and dipping my feet in the cold water. I snuggled my robe closer around me as I felt a small breeze. Being surrounded by massively tall cliffs, one would rarely feel a breeze out here, but when you did, boy was it cold. I sat leaning against a tree and looked out over the pond.

I didn’t hear him come up behind me, but I could sense him. I turned around as he greeted me the same as he always did, “Good morning, Allison.”

I chuckled, “I guess it is morning already.” He offered his hand and helped me stand. I took it eagerly, and went straight into his arms. He didn’t pull away. If anything, he held me closer.  It reminded me of the morning when I thought he would kiss me. After that morning he had distanced himself. But over the last few days he had gotten back to normal. He had even kissed my head and my cheek on a few occasions. Tonight I wanted more, though I was a little afraid to risk it. What if he started acting all weird again?

I breathed in deeply, allowing his scent to fill my nose and my lungs. He nestled his head into the crook of my neck and I could feel the scruff from his beard scratch my cheek as he started to breathe deeply as well. I could feel his breath tickle my neck and it sent shivers down my spine. It made me pull him closer still. I could feel his muscles touching mine, and I could feel the heat emanating from him, warming my skin through my clothes.

My heart started beating faster, and I felt my face flush with anticipation. He pulled away, just enough to look me in the eyes. I stared back into his, allowing him access to my soul, hoping he could see how desperately I needed him. I didn’t hold back at all.

Before I could even react his lips were on mine. The heat that I had felt when he kissed my cheek, was like a lit match compared to the forest fire I felt now. Every inch of my body was deliciously ignited.

This kiss started very slow. Tentative. Wary. Unsure.

But as my lips parted, allowing him full access to me, things changed. He deepened the kiss. His arms pulled me closer to him, wrapped around my back, and held me firm.

He tasted like heaven on earth. My arms were all over the place. On his face, on his neck, then down to his back. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t touch him enough, or smell him enough. Or… taste him enough.

This felt right. Like the ultimate goodness. My body tried to inch closer, but it appeared we couldn’t get any closer. His chest was warm and hard against mine, and fit perfectly, as if we were two pieces to a puzzle.

About the Author...

Theresa M Jones is just a regular small town, Texas girl. When she isn't at work at a local Medical Equipment provider,you can find her at home with her husband and two beautiful (and rambunctious) kiddos.

In her spare time- as if there ever was such a thing as "spare time" - she reads and reviews books on her book blog, and writes paranormal romance novels.

POWER (The Descendent Trilogy #1) is her debut New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance novel.

Twitter- @MrsTheresaJones

Goodreads: Author Theresa Jones

Blog: Keepin Up with the Joneses In the Book World

And Facebook: TheresaMJones

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