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“Write a page a day and in one year you’ll have written a book,” they say. I’ve heard this piece of wisdom many times by many people to the point it can’t be attributed to anyone. I’ve even been known to share it myself, because it makes such simple sense. If you write alongside a day job as I do, getting that one page down is often all you can manage. But what if writing even one page a day turns out to be too much? Lots of things can happen to derail you over the course of twelve months. Last fall, I was on a roll. I spent the summer writing the first in what I hoped to be a series of six graphic novels. Just as I started work on the second book, life took an unexpected turn. My partner suddenly developed an infection in his leg, which required tons of medical appointments, two surgeries, a long hospital stay, and many months of recuperation. Plans for the graphic novel series went out the window. Overnight, I became my partner’s main caregiver and took over the entire task of running our home while keeping up with my day job. More

Gonzo journalism is a nonfiction style made famous by authors like Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson. Chaotic and crazed, Gonzo puts the journalist in the middle of their feature. Gonzo journalism uses facts, but also embraces emotion and first-hand experience. Here’s how I found my way to Gonzo journalism, and what can happen when you take the ride. Gonzo (By Definition) In 2020, I published a feature to the online site Bridge Base Online about the closure of an illegal care facility. Mainstream news had already covered the basics (Sunday Times; ‘Last Round for KZN Care Center’). My journalistic partner and I checked in as patients, two disabled writers. Within weeks, we saw owners provide a free flow of alcohol to Alzheimer’s patients. Official-looking paperwork didn’t check out. Their food made us ill, and our medical files showed that strong tranquilizers were being administered. At breaking point, we were threatened and the exits locked. As disabled writers, caregivers seemed invaluable – until we arrived. Caregivers weren’t qualified, documents were false, and the place had an illegal pub. Day-by-day, we saw more. I wrote nights, while my partner collected evidence with much risk. We submitted reports everywhere, including the Department of Social More

As an aside, my Facebook page is where you’ll see a lot me, find review requests (which means free books), hear opinions, and experience giveaways. I’m limited to 5,000 friends, and yes, I consider them friends. I hit the 5,000 mark often and have to spend crazy time getting rid of the odd closed accounts here and there to make room for new friends, but if you cannot be a friend, at least follow me. There are 2,500 of those at present. They still get the same material, opinions, and opportunity. Anyway . . . recently on Facebook I posted a call for submissions for FundsforWriters on a particular topic. In an hour I had four serious people interested. I asked two of them to entertain the opportunity seriously and send me something on spec. What I liked about both of them is that they came back with suggestions on how to cover the topic. Then one asked if he could submit a three-part series. The other asked if I would raise my rate from $60 to $75 since that was closer to what she regularly charged. Since both of these writers had websites and a history of freelancing and publishing, they More

On a whim, and since I have a book coming out this week, I asked this question on Facebook: List the top three conditions required for you to buy a book at full retail price. It didn’t take long for 250+ commenters to come forward with 426 replies. The trends popped up early and maintained their leads throughout the exercise. Several posters begged me to reveal the results. After counting and recounting, here are the reasons someone will throw down money and pay full price for a book. 110    Author 39    Topic/genre 33    Will keep for rereading/keep for research 30    Cover/cover copy/cover blurbs 26    Reviews/recommendations 24    Series 23    Support a bookstore 22    On a whim/want it now/super convenient at the time 21    Available money at the time 20    First page/content/readability 18    Format (font, ebook, audio, hardback, etc.) 16    Event/signing/autograph 10    Gift 7    Not available in the library 7    Book club read 7    Local emphasis 5    Airport purchase 4    Need something to read/TBR list is low 2    Publisher identity 2    Fundraiser purchase Number one, the author, flew out of the chute and stayed ahead the entire race. Readers love settling in with an author, developing a relationship with the author, feeling More

Part of every day, I scan newsletters, reference sites, suggestions, and requests to post markets, contests, grants, and freelance gigs in FundsforWriters. One would think that the title FUNDS FOR WRITERS would ring a bell to most, but amazingly, some do not grasp the concept that we ONLY consider opportunities that pay. In my humble opinion, or not-so-humble opinion for that matter, publications that ask that you submit and not expect payment, are engaging in thievery. They can call it a generous donation. They can promise you notoriety. They can profess to be fledgling, independent, nonprofit, or all-volunteer, but to ask you to spend hours penning a piece and send it to them for free . . . and them make even one dime on the results . . . is theft. One journal had this posted on their submissions guidelines: “(SAID PUBLICATION) is independent and non-profit-making, thus we do not make monetary payment to contributors.” And they went on to say, “If you are so kind to make a donation to (SAID PUBLICATION), please mention it in your submission that you have done so. We will then give you a more speedy (usually within a week) and personal reply.” Can More

In the summer of 2021, as COVID slowed, I found myself with spare time, so on a whim I started a cancer memoir. In addition to the writing, I awoke one night, husband snoring beside me, with an original concept on how to structure the book. Lesson #1:  When the spirit moves you, record your discovery right then. I had breast cancer twice, once in 2011 and once in 2016. Last year in 2021, my oncologist “fired” me, saying I was done with treatment, and having reached the end of that journey, I felt compelled to write about cancer. I was thankful, and my memoir concept had to do with the gifts I’d been given during my cancer journey. Friends gave me tangibles such as hats, food, cards, religious jewelry, and books on cancer, but they’d also given me intangible, or spiritual, tokens of their support and love. Such intangibles included their humor, their conversation during chemo, and memorable rides to radiation. The book came out quickly, and by August, I’d completed over 12,000 words, but the length was too short for a traditional book. Most books are at least 50,000 words. It wasn’t a short story; it wasn’t a More

“Man is born as a freak of nature, being within nature and yet transcending it….The human being would indeed go mad if he did not find a frame of reference which permitted him to feel at home in the world in some form and to escape the experience of utter helplessness, disorientation, and uprootedness. There are many ways in which man can find a solution to the task of staying alive and of remaining sane. Some are better than others and some are worse. By “better” is meant a way conducive to greater strength, clarity, joy, independence; and by “worse” the very opposite. But more important than finding the better solution is finding some solution that is viable.” ~ humanistic philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm, The Revolution of Hope: Toward a Humanized Technology (public library) As writers we seek satisfaction in our work. We love doing it. We love having done it. However, there are parts of the process that are not very palatable, like marketing for some . . . and editing for others. To listen to some writers, one would think they are in agony, from beginning to end. They want an easier way to be good, be More

I joined the Chapin Chamber of Commerce this week. I used to belong to it, but they weren’t very receptive to folks who worked from home and had no brick and mortar storefront. Very old school. Well, four years later, two years of COVID later, and two chamber CEO’s later, they are welcoming everyone with an entire category of work-from-home members. Then after I saw them do the ribbon cutting at my son’s gym this week, I recognized a fresh approach. I bit the bullet and joined the chamber, feeling pretty good about it. In my area, I’m becoming more known for my books. I’ve even been called “the Chapin author.” How fun. So why not join the chamber and become a more active member of the community? I already belong to the Edisto Chamber which does a good job promoting my book signings around the beach and island. When is it a good time to join a chamber of commerce? 1) Speak to a few members and ask if they believe it’s run well. 2) Look at the meetings and scheduled events, the breakfasts and working lunches, and see if the topics as well as the attendees might be something More

A small local coffee shop advertised an author signing. Since I had to be in the area, I attended, to make a fellow author feel better. Having sat in that chair and been through that stress, I vowed to buy a book, regardless how good or bad it was. After all, it takes guts to do a signing. I walked in and felt instant pity. If she sold a book to other than me or one of her family members, I would be surprised. Walking away, I saw lessons worth mentioning in this newsletter. 1) The books were overpriced. People will ask, “How much are they?” Be prepared to answer and don’t elaborate further unless you can offer a better price for multiple books. The answer this dear lady gave me was “They are $24.95.” The books were maybe 50 pages and paperback. She launched into a soft rant (she was sweet and soft-spoken) about how books are expensive and that an author cannot make any money selling books anyway. I told her I was an author (and I stopped there, not wanting to steal any of her spotlight), and I understood how expensive the business was and the low-profit More

Recently, the president of Freelancers Union said that one of the biggest challenges for freelancers is “getting paid on time, if not getting paid at all,” noting that the majority of freelancers get stiffed by their clients from time to time! That was me once, but let’s cut to the happy ending because I don’t recall the last time I didn’t get paid or received payment more than a week late. Here are the payment terms and phrasing I use now. I haven’t changed it in years because it has been so effective. I extend credit to all clients on the simple agreement that they pay on time. I bill once a month, with payment due in 15 days of billing (checks, credit card, or PayPal accepted). I allow for late payment once. After that I require payment in advance for all work. Here’s what else I’ve learned: Set your terms. Even as a solo freelancer, you’re running a business, so act like one and set your payment terms. Be flexible. Your clients are also businesses with their own terms. Advocate for yourself, practice negotiating, but also think win-win. Get it in writing. You don’t always need a formal contract, but don’t start More