The Writing Life: Why You Need The "Right" Help

Earlier this year I wrote about my Frog in the Kettle experience. In a very slow process, my computer and browser continued to grow slower and work poorly. I turned to the Geek Squad and they took over my computer and fixed it. Then a few weeks later, it slowed again and I was back to the same process. I could not understand what was going on and causing continual problems with the use of my computer.

Finally I got to the “right” technical person on the Geek Squad. He looked at my situation and realized I needed something additional that I did not have: a firewall. As an individual, I had never thought about needing a firewall but I did to prevent the computer attacks from others. I don't understand why others would want to install malicious material on my computer but it is definitely a part of our world. A few days ago, I had the Geek Squad install this firewall protection.

It's been a few days since I made this change and the experience has transformed my desktop computer (and the firewall helps all of my devices including my phone). My computer is more responsive and I'm getting more done without the frustration of my browser spinning on my screen. I've been doing this long enough to realize I will still have glitches in this process. Overall this change has resulted in less stress and better performance. It happened because I persisted and finally got to the right technician who could help me with my situation.

My lesson for you is to stress the importance of asking for help but in addition, you need to find the “right” help for your situation. Keep asking and looking until you find it. As writers, we are on a constant search for answers. We have many choices along the path and you need wisdom and insight to make the right choices in this process.

We are looking for the right editor, the right experienced person to guide you in the publishng process, the right marketing effort for your books, the right publisher and even the right topic for your book in the first place. Each of us have numerous choices. in this process. Last year, as an editor, I met a writer who had a well-done nonfiction book which she had professionally edited. I offered her a Morgan James Publishing contract but after numerous emails and conversations, she decided to publish with another company. I wished her well but I knew this other company. This company touts their connection to a well-known publisher but that's not the “whole” truth. In reality, this company is a part of a larger entity which is only online and publishing over 50,000 titles a year. I've met authors who have spent $20,000 with this company (something they will never earn back through book sales)—essentially a scam. My reason for telling you this story is to encourage you to be careful with these choices and get the right help.

There is no single best path for each of us in this publishing journey. Every writer has to experiment, fail and keep trying in this process. Let me know about your experiences finding the right help in the comments below.

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Every writer needs the “right” help during their publishing journey. This prolific editor and author tells about his experience and gives some ideas for your path. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)