Defeating the Writing Dull Drums, Part 1: Get Out of Your Cubicle

If you’re like me, you spend 40 hours a week in an office, working at a computer. For most writers, the art of writing alone doesn’t pay the bills (at least not initially), so we keep other jobs to support ourselves. The rhythm of a steady job can be comfortable and enjoyable. However, the repetition can also become mind-numbing.

After staring at a computer most of the day, the last thing I often feel like doing is sitting down in front of my laptop and writing. My day job has exhausted the creativity of a fresh mind, and I feel as though I’m in the “dull drums” – my analogy for writer’s block.

Self-starting writers realize that discipline is essential if their writing career is going to clear the runway. But the question remains: How do we keep ourselves motivated? How do we peel back the glaze from tired eyes and press through the mental fatigue?

Getting out of the cubicle is the first step. It’s not just the physical relocation of your body; it’s the mental reorientation your mind. Coming home, turning on the TV and being a couch potato is not the solution.

Find a physical hobby that can stimulate your energy and help shake off the lethargy. I like to take a bike ride around my neighborhood or sit down at the piano to practice. You many enjoy playing a few games of tennis or shooting basketball hoops. Sometimes, we have to settle for mowing the lawn or making the best of our household chores.

Whatever the task, it needs to help refocus your energy so that you shake off the cubicle mentality and arouse your creativity. Then, you can return to your desk less mentally fatigued and more focused on what you are truly passionate about: writing.

Next time, we’ll look at how getting out of your comfort zone can give you a new perspective and some fresh ideas for writing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Promote Your Book by Writing Your Own Press Release

Being self-published holds its fair share of challenges. One question that often comes to mind: How can I self-promote my book without spending a lot of money?

Free press release services are a good place to start. Having a "professional" write your press release can cost you over a hundred dollars, so therein lies a motivation to write your own.

Type in “How to Write a Press Release” in your search engine, and you’ll find dozens of articles full of samples and tips. That being the case, I am not going to repeat how to write a press release.

However, if you’re looking for a place to get started, I’d like to recommend an article I found helpful when writing my first press release. In her post on The Writer’s Edge blog called “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Press Release,” Paula Margulies outlines key points for writing a good press release for your book.

To summarize, your press release should contain the following:

1.   First line: Your press release should begin with the words “For Immediate Release,” followed by the full date (month, day, year). 

2.   Headline: Think of the headline as the title of your press release. It should state in as few words as possible what is most interesting or exciting about your book.

3.   First Paragraph: Begin with the city and state where the content of your release is taking place, followed by the author's name, "hook" for your book and ISBN. Use active voice, and answer the 5 W’s. In short, give people a reason to want to keep reading.

4.   Informational paragraph: Provide a general summary and setting for your book.

5.   Quote (optional)

6.   Brief biography

There are dozens of free distribution sites available, but the one I’ve found easy to use is Free-Press-Release.com.

You simply have to create a user name and password to set up your account and opt for the “free” service. (Of course, you can upgrade for a fee.) Once you have submitted your press release, it is easy and painless to edit it and view the number of hits.

So far, I’ve used this service to submit two press releases on my book Wings of the Dawn, Book 1. If you’re looking for some press release samples, you might be interested in these two:

1.   Kristen Hogrefe Combines Adventure with a Story of Faith and Decision in Wings of the Dawn, Book 1: Captive Beneath the Bahamian Sky

2.   Fiction for the Whole Family: Wings of the Dawn, Book 1: Captive Beneath the Bahamian Sky by Kristen Hogrefe

If you are willing to invest some time and thought, you'll be able to write your own press release and use services like Free-Press-Release.com to self-promote your book without spending a dime.

Blogging with a Thesis

To be honest, I started this blog last year because I was self-publishing my first book, and after all, every author should have a blog, right?

I have since discovered that a blog just to have a blog is not a purpose in and of itself. A blog needs to have a focus, a thesis. I am apologizing that up until now, mine has been a little helter-skelter.

Live and learn. I think that through trial and error, I have uncovered my thesis.

Why do I want to blog? Well first, and selfishly, I want people to find and read my book. Authors, unless you’re the poet Emily Dickinson, want to promote what they have invested so much time and commitment into producing.

The bigger picture of why I want to blog is to tell other self-starting writers that it is possible to self-publish your book. Self-publishing is truly its own story and its own adventure. It is also a discipline. Every writer has to start somewhere, and self-starting writers need accountability. I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.  

So here is my thesis, this blog’s statement of purpose, if you will: to share the challenges, adventure and achievability of self-publishing.

Ultimately, every writer has to have a purpose, a reason for writing. Mine is simple. I want everything I write to define who I am – a follower of Christ. I don’t want to be didactic or preachy. I just want to tell His story. In my fictional book Wings of the Dawn, Book 1, Captive Beneath the Bahamian Sky, I do this through believable characters who experience the mixed joys, failures and challenges of life, who learn that the only place to find satisfaction is in Christ alone.

So there you have my blog’s purpose and my motivation in a nutshell.  Here’s to a future of purpose-driven blogging. I hope the following posts will challenge and encourage other self-starting writers who aspire to be authors.

Try New Things

A must for any writer, and really for anyone who wants to expand their outlook, is to “try new things” – a phrase that parents love to use and kids hate to hear. Sorry, kids, but the parents are right on this one.

I admit that it’s not easy to do all the time, especially when by nature you are a vanilla ice cream and cheese pizza, no toppings, kind of person like I am. But getting out of your comfort zone and trying something that scares you a little is not going to kill you, will likely give you something to write about, and will possibly turn into something you actually enjoy.

A perfect “case in point” happened this weekend when I went kayaking with my friend Sarah down the Weeki Wachee River.  My friend is one of those try anything, go anywhere kind of girls. I tend to be more cautious and responsible. In high school, she was the one who broke down the hotel room door – after I had locked her out.

On one of the river bends, someone had nailed wooden boards to the side of a tall tree. Ten and twelve year olds were climbing up like monkeys and fearlessly jumping into the deep blue pool below.

My friend decided that if kids can do it, so can we. She climbed up high, slightly hesitated and then let go. Then, it was my turn. I think I made it up three of four steps and decided that was far enough. I counted to three and jumped.

My landing was awful. Instead of keeping my feet together, I must have been flailing, because my legs were red for ten minutes afterward. But the fleeting moment of falling before crashing into the cool water below was something I haven’t experienced since I was ten or twelve. So I climbed up the steps again, this time with much less hesitation.

We as adults tend to lose that sense of fearlessness and abandon. Twelve year olds don’t worry that they might break a leg if they miss the water – they just jump. Adults often won’t even take the first step, because all they see is a possible trip to the hospital instead of thinking about the enjoyment and adventure of the experience itself.

I’m not saying you should throw caution out the window. What I am saying is that you will likely discover that what you fear won’t happen and that instead, you will find yourself doing something you truly enjoy.

So take the leap. Try something that scares you a little. You might find yourself going back for round two.

Just Add Glitter

With just a little over a month to go, Team Nicaragua met this afternoon to share craft and Vacation Bible School lessons. The lessons will involve quite a bit of improv from team members to help act out the story presented by the narrator. Noah's Ark will be quite creative - with team members volunteering to dress up as everything from monkeys to elephants.

Each story will be accompanied by a craft, and our supplies must work for up to 200 children! The moral of the story? Keep it simple, and oh, just add glitter. By the end of the meeting, several team members were already covered in glitter from illustrating their crafts, so I can only imagine what we are going to look like in Nicaragua.

On a more serious note, we also reviewed our discipleship lesson material, which will focus on the character of the Christian.

The countdown has begun. My team and I covet your prayers as we prepare for this exciting adventure.

Follow Me to Nicaragua

In just a little over a month, I will be traveling to Nicaragua with a group from Spring Hill Baptist Church and Clearwater Community Church through Chosen Children's Ministries. My passport is in hand, so now I am brushing up my Spanish and starting a list of things to bring.

Follow me over the next month as I prepare for the journey! You are welcome to share any ideas and tips you have on traveling and missions trips. I am excited to see how God is going to work through my team and me - and ultimately grow us closer to Him.

Lifeway Christian Bookstores - Online!

Book One is now available online at lifewaystores.com.

http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=1612154204&mscssid=SAFS9TL4KWDU8PSV50E7T3HLSN12BCMD