How to Self-Publish for Under $100. Cinquanta Cox-Smith

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      You need two types of people in your corner. Many people feel that writers never run out of ideas. I’m here to tell you we get stumped, and writer’s block is real.

      Everyone should have someone who can critique their writing. If you have a “yes man” or woman who constantly says they love everything you do, you need to find a new naysayer. You need someone who can critique your writing and also be able to tell you what’s wrong with it. They need to understand your vision, but also give you a list of problems you may face with that idea.

      You also need someone on your team who can read your writing and push you to the next level, someone who sees your storyline going farther. That person will help you dig deeper into scenes or character development. This person may be able to see parts or holes in your story that can be filled to make it complete.

      I don’t want you to look at these people as negative, because they are there to help you. We all need a little help, and we should never let our pride lead our careers. I get opinions, but I get them from someone I trust.

      The reality is when we create something we become attached. Most of the time we are emotionally attached to our writing. I know there are people out there who write stories and then they never read them; the story was their emotions falling out of them onto paper. It’s like therapy, and once it’s written, the process of healing is over. Reading that emotional piece is like opening an old wound.

      We don’t want someone to give negative feedback because we may not be able to handle it. The truth is, we need it. I’ve written a little over ten books now. I have no reviews that are less than four stars on Amazon. (I also wrote a blog post called “No Bad Reviews.”) I know I have areas in my writing that I can improve, but if my readers aren’t giving me their honest, unfiltered reviews, how can I improve? I have people who send me private messages with their reviews and I appreciate that, but I never want anyone to spare my feelings because of how they think I will react. Being an author, this comes with your success. Not everyone will love what you do.

      I think this is a good time to share a personal story on how I create my stories and what my process is.

      So, freewriting is basically writing what comes to your mind without an outline that provides structure.

      What would you think if I told you that many of my books or my short stories have been written without an outline, and sometimes I start a story without character names or location? I start with a plain canvas of just an idea. Then it turns itself into something I can’t even explain. I wouldn’t give you this advice and tell you this is how you should create your stories, but most of the time it works for me. When people tell me that I usually leave my stories with amazing cliffhangers that leave them wanting more, I’m always thrilled. Verbally, my storytelling skills aren’t that good, but give me a pen and paper, or let my fingers do the talking on the computer, and something magical happens. I can’t explain it, but my thoughts just flow from my head into a story, and once it’s done, it would make you feel that I’ve spent hours or months creating it.

      My most-sold book was written in two days on my cell phone while I was at work. I had an idea, and I wanted to see if I could write in a different genre; the story was born. It was supposed to be just one story, and now it has turned into this wonderful short story series that’s getting ready to end with book five.

      I often go back and read my stories, adding more things to it. This is the freedom that I have because I decided on self-publishing. I can go back and add new angles or more description into a story that I may feel like is lacking in an area. I have complete control over my books, can access all of my stories, and change, delete, or add something whenever I need to. I can easily change my cover and relaunch my book with a different edition, which is something I’ve done with two of my books. As a self-published author, you are constantly learning what works for you when it comes to writing. You can use your reviews or your interactions with your readers to figure out what needs to be tweaked in your story.

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      I want to go back and elaborate on the five creation tips I gave you. I don’t want to just tell you what to do, but I want to give you ideas and great instructions to lay out what each tip means.

      • Speak from Experiences

      Depending on the genre, this could be the easiest step of them all. I know a lot of people have interesting, “small moment” stories about their life. You can even use a “remember that time” story. When I write my realistic fiction stories, I sometimes create a story from just a small moment in my life. It could be a memory from my childhood that I turn into a short story, or it could be a life changing moment in my life that I can use, exaggerating the event or the characters to turn it into a full novel. If you have friends or family members—who don’t mind you using their life stories as a stepping stone—feel free to use a small moment from their story and turn it around. I love taking positive things from my life and changing it into a negative trait of a character. I do this because, just like in life, everything’s not going to be sunshine and roses. When you create fiction stories, you have to show the good and the bad. Sometimes, stories you create are just a small part of your life and will reach someone in your audience differently. You want to create storylines that will make people laugh, cry, or feel mad, all at the same time. A big part of original content comes from your experiences.

      • Ask Your Audience

      Whether you’re a content creator or a regular person with dreams of being a great writer, you have some type of audience. A blogger has its readers who come to her blog to read new content and leave comments. A vlogger has viewers who come to his channel to see his new content in video format. We have the social media mavens who are influencers for different brands. They all have one thing in common: they have a voice and people listen. My YouTube audience was the audience who helped me get the courage to publish my first book. They were also the first to purchase a copy. I now involve my audience in most of my new writing by giving sneak peeks on Facebook. If they love it and share it, I continue to write. If I don’t get a lot of interaction, I know I need to tweak some things. For the new writer, I advise you to share snippets of your work in different Facebook groups, look for creative writing groups at your local library, and share it wherever you see fit. Your audience will give you the feedback you need, and they will also let you know what they like to read. I often ask people on my Facebook page questions like, “What are you reading? How many books have your read? What genre do you enjoy?”

      • Set A Timer

      This is pretty much like freewriting to me, but in a timeframe you set for yourself. It could be as simple as picking two to three topics or ideas that you want to write about, and then scheduling thirty minutes to write about each. You will find your winner by noticing when a subject has a larger word count than the others. You can set the same amount of time for all three, but when you end up with a higher word count for one, this is the idea or topic you need to focus on. It’s obvious, because either you have more background with that idea or you’re more connected to that topic. I can always tell the stories that I’m more passionate about because I finish them faster. When creating your content, sometimes procrastination can come into play. So, when I know that I am on a deadline, I also set a timer or create a schedule to be finished by. Not all deadlines will be met that you set for yourself. Things like this are flexible because life happens. I suggest you get used to pulling out that timer to get some good creative writing going.

      • Write It Down

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