Every month,
I trek to our writing chapter’s meeting.
Yes, I could spend that
valuable time writing.
Yes, the workshop information
could be found on the internet.

But it is what is not ‘officially’ said
that brings value to the monthly meeting.
It is the author buddy
who whispers about a call for submission
no one is supposed to know about.
It is the mistake a buddy made
that she’d never put in writing.
It is the facial reactions
to a question no one has guts to answer.

As Sherry Turkle shares
“….we need to remember —
in between texts and e-mails and Facebook posts —
to listen to one another,
even to the boring bits,
because it is often in unedited moments,
moments in which we hesitate
and stutter
and go silent,
that we reveal ourselves to one another.”

Not everything can or should be
achieved through technology.
Face-to-Face conversations are important.

I write short stories
and novellas.
When I focused on this unusual path,
other writers told me
I HAD to write full length stories
to earn a living from writing.
My gut told me that wasn’t necessary.
My gut was right.

When Carrol Caldwell
started Wall Words,
she also went with her gut.

“I surveyed a network group
I belonged to and
none of them thought the idea
was worth pursuing.
When you believe in
your mission and product,
ignore the nos.
Do your due diligence,
but at the end of the day,
listen to your gut and go for it.”

Listen to your gut.

I have a price range for my stories.
I know how much I can increase
or decrease the selling price
before the pricing change swings sales.

Knowing your price elasticity
(how the number of units sold
increases/decreases
with price changes)
is important.

It determines profitability
and often influences
what improvements
you can add to the product.

As Leah Munsey,
Motley head manager,
explains about her coffee business

“Ethically sourced products are
on the expensive side.
But our coffee is a product
that our regulars are not willing to give up
unless the prices are outrageously high.
It is, more or less, inelastic,
meaning that the demand won’t change very much
when the price changes.
Other products we sell, however,
are more elastic.
Our Kombucha is on the expensive side,
and if we increase the price at all,
some customers would choose
to purchase another drink.”

Know your product’s price elasticity.

A buddy and I were talking about
how there weren’t a lot of lighter romances
and I thought to myself
“I could write these lighter romances.”
I already had experience in writing romance.
I made those light romances very sexy
(as there was a huge market for sexy)
and I’ve been selling every story I write.

Often the best ideas
come from irritations in your life,
irritations or pain or gaps
that other people share.

Brian Leventhal,
co-founder of Brooklyn Winery,
advises
“If you are looking for
a business idea,
think about what causes you
pain in some capacity and
how something you are familiar with
can make it better.”

What drives you crazy?
Does it drive other people crazy?
Do you have the skills
to ease that pain?

THESE are the product ideas
you should seriously investigate.

If you have 15 minutes,
you have time to take one more step
toward success.

And you have 15 minutes.
We all do.

As Jason Womack,
author of Your best Just Got Better,
shares
“Find, create, utilize
and assess the extra time
you have each day.
Arrive to an off-site meeting
somewhere early?
Other people running late?
Maybe you get a last-minute cancellation
of an appointment you had scheduled.
What can you do during that time?
Get ready for 15-minute blocks of time
(what I call “bonus time”)
throughout the day.
Why 15 minutes?
That window is long enough
to actually “do” something
and short enough to find!”

No excuses.
Divide your large goals
into smaller 15 minute steps
and make those dreams happen.

One of the questions
interviewers usually ask is
“Where do you see yourself
in three years?”

Many interviewers compare
the answer to the possible career paths.

If the answer is overly ambitious,
the prospective employee is dismissed.
“We can’t make her happy,” is the excuse.

If the answer is not ambitious at all,
the prospective employee
continues to be considered.

IMHO… this is bullshit thinking
by managers.

I’ve managed ambitious employees
and I’ve managed lethargic employees.
It is MUCH easier to tone down
an employee’s wild ambitions
than
it is to light a fire under
a lethargic employee’s ass.

Both states are also contagious.
Ambitious employees increase
the passion of others.
Lethargic employees increase
the uncaring attitude of others.

Err on the side of ambition.

When I need motivation
with the writing,
I’ll often go to my book page
on my website.
I’ll gaze at all of the covers
and remember the struggles I had
with those stories
and how I overcame them.

When I need a kick in the ass
with blogging,
I’ll look at the sidebar
and see the months and months of posts.
I’ll remind myself
that I’ve never missed a day
and I don’t want that to change.

When one of my buddies
gets irritated with her high paying day job,
she’ll pull out her investments,
reminding herself
how she’s close to making her financial goals
and how that day job is helping her
do that.

Figure out a way
to make your progress visible.
Seeing really IS believing.

There were
8,240
new romance titles
published in 2010.

This number was as intimidating
when I started writing.
Fellow unpublished writers
would point this number out
and say there was too much competition.
They’d use it as an excuse
not to try.

Today, I’m writing full time,
earning a living from writing,
and they’re still waiting.

If you’re in a healthy industry,
you’ll have competition.

You should know that competition.
You should respect that competition.
You should design your product/company
so it is unique from that competition.

You should never use
competition
as an excuse
not to try.

If I can become successful
in an industry with thousands of competitors,
you can become successful also.

There are very few hard deadlines
with writing novels.
Stories go into the submissions queue
when they’re received.
There are months, even years, gaps
between when a story is submitted
and when a writer is paid.

So one day delay doesn’t matter, right?
No one will raise a stink over it.
One day won’t make a big difference.

Except a day here or there
adds up
and days have a habit
of turning into weeks.

Many entrepreneurs,
especially during the start up stage,
are in the same situation.
It is very easy
to push that sales call off
until tomorrow.

What I do to stop this
is create artificial deadlines.

I’ll tell my editor to expect
my manuscript on a certain date.
I’ll ask friends/family
to keep me accountable.
One of my loved ones gives me
his ‘I’m very disappointed in you’ speech.

Delaying a day DOES matter.
Get it done NOW.

“Studies have shown
that people who multitask
are far less efficient,
taking up to 30 percent longer
to complete the tasks
with twice as many errors.”

In other words,
if you’re dividing your attention
between multiple tasks,
you’re doing shitty work.

So focus.
Shut down your email.
Turn off your phone.
Limit distractions.

Focus on that important task or project,
give it all of your attention,
and get it done.