Revisit old work before the New Year!

With the New Year coming, this is a perfect time to go back to your unfinished projects and musings and see if it is time to bring them to fruition.  I know you are very, very busy getting ready for the Christmas Season, (I HOPE you are very busy), but pull out some of the ideas you have sketched out, and see if its time to work on them.

I usually do this in late November or early December, and I am happy to report after a few days of writing and tweaking, I just finished a Novella!  Its actually from a Serial 'Match Play' that I had previously written after watching the Storage Wars shows on television.  The main buyers on the shows are a microcosm of people you run into in your everyday life, except they actively travel to storage centers to place bids on unclaimed storage lockers.

I had 40 chapters prepared, but no end to the story, other projects came along and took time away from continuing the serial, which left me feeling unfinished also.  This serial was a way to stoke my brain to go back and begin editing the Peace Series that I wrote many years ago, but pulled from the shelves due to personal convictions.  It's very, very hard from someone as myself to get everyone inside on board with the fact that we don't have to spew everything we come up with out in a book, no matter how cathartic it can be.

It's a good idea to have several projects going at one time when you are an Author.  You should always be looking for new writing opportunities and ideas.  When you find yourself setting up that DVR to record a series, ask yourself what it is about it that draws you in?  Have you joined a Book Club?  Have you joined a new group online?  Draw upon your own life and strike out and write a small Novella about something once improbable, but now within the realm of reality in the world of change that we live in.

Another good idea is to find subjects that are also related to your writing and have your Social Media Feeds update you when news about those subjects comes over the wire.  Try to anticipate the directions those stories might go in, and write about them.  Many writers who can see trends and possibilities are often asked to provide commentary on local shows when their stories overlap with real life in the future.  Use your visionary skills by going over some of your ideas to determine if there is more to that small tidbit that you saw before.

This early part of December, you should be gearing up for new releases, giveaways and promoting current works for all of those new readers who will be getting electronic devices for the first time or as replacements.  I have joined a giveaway on Instafreebie, that has bundled books of the same Sci-Fi/Time Travel Genre together in one download.  My book from the same-named series, "Pharaoh Memnet" is listed as one of the books available for this giveaway.  It is better to bundle your books with a bunch of same minded authors, as you not only will get your works to readers on your Social Media Platforms but will also gain new readers from Authors who have readers interested in the same Genre that you write about.  Here is the link for this Giveaway which features Time Travel and Alternative History Novels:

https://www.instafreebie.com/gg/QgouQbnJtntrsQphSSnE

You can go to Instafreebie to check out groups that you might be able to join to showcase your book for free, to a wide audience of readers.  This is good when you have several books in a series, and does not include the exclusivity of a KDP giveaway for your book.  Look at how they are set up so you can get an idea of the reach you can gain to new readers.  Make sure you DO sign up for getting email addresses of those who download your book when you set up or join a giveaway, you CAN'T go back later and do so and get all of the emails from the start of the giveaway period, ONLY from the date you request to get emails.  Emails from readers are good to compile so you can notify readers of future books you will be releasing, your blog information, and all of your Social Media links.  You should ALSO be adding a contact page to the end of your EBooks and Paperbacks that lists all the ways potential readers can contact you.

The next blog post will cover some places you can list your books for free and paid links that will gain you more promotion.   I want you to have a Happy Christmas Season and increased royalties.  Be encouraged!