The Value of Adaptability

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Are you adaptable as a writer? I love routine and using the systems that I’ve created to accomplish things. Maybe that love comes from my resistance to change and adaptability. Yet I know professional writers have to be flexible and adaptable to change. For example, I had a completely different article planned for today but have substituted this piece.

Living in Southern California, I’m entertained with the creative spin the weather people have to use for their broadcasts. It’s creative because for most of the year, the temperatures remain the same--which is one of the reasons people love living in this part of the country. Last week, on Monday the weather people were warning to prepare for the Santa Ana winds. They knew the ground was dry with a lack of rain and in danger of fire. 

Those warnings turned into reality on Tuesday morning when the fire broke out in Los Angeles. The regular news and programs were set aside and the news team broadcast continually for 24 hours and seven days a week from Tuesday morning at 11 am until Friday morning at 7 am. These journalists were covering the largest fire in the history of Los Angeles. The destruction and the stories were heart-breaking and will take years to restore and repair. At this writing, those fires are not out and they are predicting the Santa Ana winds can possibly return this coming week. Several of my friends and family who are unsure exactly where we live have reached out and called to check on our safety which I appreciated.

As I’ve mentioned in these entries, I’ve been booking a number of podcasts to talk about publishing myths. Before I go on these podcasts, I review the podcast and their particular audience and focus. Also I make sure I have their link to do the recording. The adaptability issue is a factor with podcasts. I scheduled a podcast for Friday morning and when I looked at the details, it was a LIVE podcast and not an edited recording. 

Whether the podcast is recorded or live, I think about my background and my lighting for my office situation. I shut my closet door and organize the background to look professional and neat. As I enter their studio, it will give me an opportunity to make sure I have my camera centered and everything looks right. These details are small but do play into the overall result.

Also as you talk with the podcast host, make sure your agenda is covered. For example, I’m doing these podcasts to promote the content of my 10 Publishing Myths book. As I talk about the book, I weave in my special offer and my free 11th Myth. Each time I give the website to encourage listeners to go to it. I’ve watched other authors appear on television or radio or a podcast and not even mention their book or where people can get it. The person interviewing you doesn’t always ask this question. As the person being interviewed, you have to make sure this information is included in the broadcast and the stories that you tell. If you miss this detail, then you are missing a potential big opportunity for your book.

Another element with adaptability is listening to feedback from others and using it to improve your work. Recently a podcast host insisted that I use an external microphone. Initially I was resistant to making these adjustments because I had already recorded a number of podcasts without an external microphone and it seemed to work well. During an exchange with this podcaster on camera, he listened to the audio from my camera then encouraged me to use an external microphone. Ironically several years ago I purchased an external microphone but had never hooked it up and used it. I connected it and now when I use my webcam, I use this external microphone to give a better recording. As you get feedback, be open to changing and improving what you are doing. As writers, we face a continual learning curve for improvement if we want to be excellent at our work and craft. I’m determined never to “arrive” and not be open to improvement and feedback. It’s another key element about the value of adaptability.

How are you open to feedback and improvement to various aspects of your life and work? For me this mindset is an important aspect of our journey as writers and continual improvement. What am I missing or other elements where we need to be adaptable? Let me know in the comments below.

Podcasts and An Upcoming Podcast

This past week, I have continued to record and book new podcasts.

I was speaking LIVE on the MinddogTV Your Mind’s Best Friend Podcast talking about publishing myths at: https://bit.ly/40fyN0k 

Monday Morning Radio - Podcast W. Terry Whalin: Harnessing the Power of Books for Profit and Influence at: https://bit.ly/40bu9Rc

This coming week a scheduled podcast will be LIVE on LinkedIN. Hope you can watch it using the details below.

Join me with Gilliam Whitney on Tuesday, January 14th at 1 pm Eastern for a LIVE event on LinkedIN: Essential Publishing Myths Authors Need to Know: https://bit.ly/40dnWnz

Forthcoming Speaking Events

Last week I added another event to my schedule. Hope to see you in person this coming year (follow the link for the details).

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Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 Publishing Myths to give authors practical help. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

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The Value of Reflection

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Some people attribute this quotation to Mark Twain, “Find a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life.” I have found the truth in this statement as a writer and editor. While there are certainly routine and boring aspects of my work (as in every job), overall I love my life in publishing and spend many hours at my keyboard or on the phone with authors and others. My work is something I love and do every day. 

 

Almost like clockwork, my email and interaction with others drops off from Thanksgiving until after New Year's Day. I've called these days the silent days of publishing and written about them in the past. Instead of cutting back like some, I tend to lean into the work. For example, last week before Christmas, I processed a number of submissions to Morgan James Publishing. In this process, I've located some new authors who are passionate about their writing and want to get their book published. To me, this process of discovery is fun and exciting. Will these authors get book contracts from my colleagues? Until I try it, I never know so I'm pushing their material forward through the process. If they get a contract from my colleagues, will they sign the paperwork and move forward? I never know until it happens and I've learned that it is impossible to predict. I'm only responsible for my part of the process and have leave the rest of it up to others. As the book is produced and enters the market, will it catch the attention of readers and sell? I've learned making books is easy and something many companies can do for writers but selling books is another story. Like many aspects of publishing, the selling of books is outside of my control. I've learned to take my own responsibility for my books and leave the rest of it.

 

In the quiet of these days, I find value in taking a few moments for reflection on the past year and my plans for the future. I've written this article to encourage you to  take some time for reflection and planning for your future.

 

As I think about the last year, what worked and what failed? As you consider the days ahead what changes will you make and do differently? For example, I've found I'm not reading some magazines as much as I did in the past. Recently I cancelled a weekly publication which I have been reading for decades. For my situation, it was a wise decision. What changes like those do you need to make for your writing life? Also consider your habits and routines. Which ones will you continue and which ones do you need to modify or eliminate? How can you foster your curiosity about the world around you? What do you want to learn and how can you take those courses and apply them to your writing life?

 

As you can tell from reading these article, I see the world as filled with opportunity. You need to seize the day and pitch to the right person and open those doors in your writing life. I have great expectations about the days ahead.

 

Do you take time for reflection then making some changes to your life? Let me know your process in the comments below.

 

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Reading Habits

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are creatures of habit. It is certainly true in my life in publishing. Since a small child, I have loved reading books. Yes I have a reading habit and I encourage every writer to read in many different areas and styles of books.

 

In my case, most of what I read is nonfiction. It seems natural because I've written over 60 nonfiction books. I listen to audiobook—all nonfiction.  I do most of my reading in a comfortable leather chair in my office. I have a once-a-year indulgence (which I wrote about several years ago) reading the current Daniel Silva book. The latest book, The Cellist launched last week and is the 21 Gabriel Allon book. In early May, I ordered my signed copy (still available as of this writing follow the link)  because I receive his email newsletter and knew it was available. The signed copy costs exactly the same as the regular book but includes a page called a tip-in. On a Facebook Live, I heard Silva say it took him several days to sign all these pages and return them to his publisher for the printing process. 

 

Each of these sales are pre-sales and count toward the sales of the first week of release. Daniel Silva made several television appearances like on The Today Show plus a Facebook Live interview. The Cellist will be the #1 fiction book on the New York Times bestseller list this week.

 

In my office bookshelf, I have a number of signed Daniel Silva books but only one of them was actually signed with my name on it: The Rembrandt Affair. For the release of that book, I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona and attended a signing at the Poisionous Pen Bookstore and Daniel Silva spoke and signed books. Before the pandemic, he regularly traveled to various key cities when his book releases. Hopefully this pattern will return in future years but this year he handled the release with virtual events and still landed on the bestseller list (which shows his strong fan base—including me). 

 

From listening to different author interviews, I learned Silva's parents were schoolteachers and reading has always been a part of his life and habits as well. He loves The Great Gatsby and said that 1984 by George Orwell was his favorite novel.  I enjoyed the Facebook Live interview and learning his writing routine on a legal pad with a pencil on his office floor. Plus he is already working on the next novel with about 65 pages in the works on that book.

 

I'm currently reading The Cellist. I love the storytelling and find it a page turner (hard to stop reading). I often do this sort of reading in the evenings. What are your reading habits? Do you have a particular type of book you read? Where do you read? Let me know in the comments below.

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The Importance of Systems and Habits

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer and editor, I'm involved in a number of different projects each week. Many of these tasks are routine and something I do over and over. For example using Hootsuite, I post on social media 12–15 times each day. I write and each week I post an article for The Writing Life. I read books and write book reviews. I speak with authors about their submissions to Morgan James and many other tasks.

 

One of the ways these various projects get done is tied to my habits and various systems that I've created. Do you have such patterns in your own writing life? I encourage you to create habits and systems using tools to be consistent. I've written in these articles about the importance of being consistent. How does consistency happen? From my experience, one of the key ingredients is to develop a habit or system. 

 

Here's a few of the habits and systems I've created in my writing life:

 

--I consistently read books and after reading the book, I write a short review and post it on Amazon and Goodreads. 

--Also I am consistently listening to audiobooks, writing a review and posting it. Each of these actions are intentional.

--Regularly calling people or emailing and looking for new opportunities.

--Consistently emailing or calling and inviting authors to submit their book manuscripts or proposal to Morgan James.

--Also I follow-up consistently with potential Consistent follow-up with my potential Morgan James authors.

 

The Difference Maker

 

There are many functions that I do over and over. Consistent completion is important for many of these tasks. For example, I have a number of monthly writing deadlines. I enter the task in my reminders which helps me complete the task on the deadline. Meeting deadlines is a critical element for every professional writer. You do not want to be asking your editor for more time to meet your deadline. It is not a good impression you are making on them.

 

For almost any task that I do on a regular basis, I often create a system or method which as I do it over and over and eventually it becomes a habit. I’m always looking for ways to streamline and improve the  system with a new tool. The result is these tasks get completed. Are you using systems to create these habits for your writing life? Or are you reinventing it each time?

 

Completing these tasks is important for several reasons:

1. Professionalism
2. Dependability
3. Your Reputation as a Writer
4. To Add to your body of work as a writer
5. To get additional work or assignments

 

From my experience in this business, nothing happens without taking consistent action which involves regular communication (phone or email or in the mail or text). How important are creating systems or habits in your writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

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Last week, Glyndon Greer at the Adazing Podcast published our interview about publishing and how authors can succeed with their books. Listen on Spotify or Apple. 

 

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My Necessary Daily Habit

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

 

While I've written about many aspects of the writing life in these articles, I'm going to give one today that is deeply personal and I haven't discussed yet is critical for life. One of my first actions every day is to plop my bathroom scale on the floor, stand on it and check my weight. During the early days of the pandemic, my number continued to climb. In fact, I had to go to a larger pants size and even some days squeezed into those pants.

 

A month or so ago, my wife and I decided to make changes in our eating. We got a new book about the South Beach diet and changed many of our eating habits. My daily weight number began to drop. A few days ago I got into my smaller pants so it is working. I'm not totally where I want to be for weight but I'm headed in the right direction. In the last 25 years, Christine has watched me go through this process at least four times. It is a daily decision to stay the course.

 

To be honest, I love to eat anything sweet and many other foods not on my current eating plans. Several weeks ago I saw my doctor and my blood pressure was elevated. He suggested I go on some blood pressure medicine and did not even mention about my increased weight. I have not taken the medicine and instead began to work on reducing my weight. I return to the doctor again next month to see what has happened with my intention to eat different foods and less salt and sodium.

 

Change is hard and I'm going against the genetics in my family. One of my relatives in the 1800s was over 300 pounds and it took several men to lift him in a chair for his baptism. Yes this story is a part of my printed family history. The men in my family have always been known as “big” which is code for overweight. The change is a moment by moment choice. I've also learned my weight has little to do with exercise (and movement is also important) and everything to do with what I eat.

 

Less weight affects my energy level and many other factors in my writing life. I expect my family doctor will be surprised next month when I see him. I hope you can see that accountability is important. Go through this process with someone else supporting your commitment to change. It will lengthen your life and your time on the planet to do more writing work.

 

This article tells about a personal choice I've made with my weight. What personal choices are you making? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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The Power of Words

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I live near Denver, Colorado and watch some local news on Channel 9.  Countless times I've watched Marty Coniglio give his weather forecast. He has been with the station for 16 years. Like many in journalism, Coniglio is active on Twitter. Last week, he sent out a tweet comparing federal troops to Nazis. Here's the details in the Denver Post article. He is no longer employed at the station. As I read the story, it reminded me that our words have power.

The Danger of A Habit

As a reader, I have been reading and listening to books for years. Each time I write a short review (normally less than 150 words) and post my review on Amazon and Goodreads. I've written over 1,000 Amazon reviews and over 600 reviews on Goodreads (where I have 5,000 friends and my reviews get a lot of attention and reading). I read and listen to many different types of books. Recently I listened to part of a bestselling book—which was filled with hatred (in my view every sentence). As an editor, I often evaluate a book based on a short portion. In this case, I decided not to listen to the rest of the book and wrote that information into my short review. I followed my habit and posted the review on Amazon and Goodreads. There are hundreds of reviews for this book and my review joined those reviews.

The final portion of my habit is to post my review with the cover on social media. I have over 200,000 Twitter followers, over 18,900 connections on LinkedIn and over 4900 Facebook friends. I didn't think about my posting because it is a habit. The reaction surprised me but I should have known when I did it. I spent about 48 hours on Facebook monitoring, deleting and even blocking some people (when you have 4,900 “friends” it is no big personal loss to block some people). My short post was consuming way too much energy and time. I deleted the post on all of my social media platforms. In a few minutes, it was gone. Did lots of people see it? Yes and I learned even with a habit to think about each post.

I temporarily forgot some critical things about the Internet and social media. While you may be writing the material for yourself, other people read it. part of the social media process is other people are going to respond and react to whatever you said. Also these words are often out online forever. In this volatile, on-edge world, common sense reminds of the small talk advice: “avoid religion and politics.” It also applies to our social media. From this experience, I was reminded our words matter. In fact, our words have power and people read them. It's good to use caution and wisdom with what you put online.

As you write today, be aware your words have power to heal or to harm. Let me know your thoughts about this subject in the comments below.

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Increase Producivity. Get Organized.

As I get older, I'm more aware each of us have the same amount of time in every day. We have a lot of information and opportunity coming our direction. How do we harness these opportunities and increase our effectiveness? One important aspect is to get organized and keep organized.

If I take an honest look at myself, I tend to be a bit of a pack rat. I save magazines, articles I might write some day, books people have sent to read and review, manuscripts and proposals I've been handed at conferences, and the list goes on. This material can easily flood my office and pile up. During the last few weeks, I have been vigilant about sorting, filing and throwing most of this accumulation. At the moment, I'm much more organized than I have been during other periods.

Take Time to Eliminate & Organize Clutter

For me, it is a matter of taking a hard look at what has accumulated and asking if I will ever need this again. Most of the time that answer is “no” and I can throw it. Or can I quickly store some needed information such as an email address or phone on my computer where I can search and easily access it in the future? You can increase your effectiveness and productivity if you have less right in front of you to handle.

Use Your Smartphone Effectively

Often I meet writers who have a smartphone but only use it as a phone—and little else. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have a powerful communication device that you carry. Take the time to use various features. For example, I use the calendar to remind me of meetings and phone calls. I use the reminders section to call to my attention critical deadlines.

I also use my smartphone to post on social media. For example, I use Hootsuite to time out my posts for several social platforms. For Facebook at the moment, I post them myself using my phone. It is not the most efficient way to do it (as I know) but it does get done. 

Also I use my smartphone to quickly answer some important emails when I'm away from my office. Just a brief answer shows the other person you got it and responded. Use your phone as an effective communication tool.

If you don't know how to use these aspects of your smartphone, then take the time to learn. You can even take free classes at the Apple Store (which I have done).

Be Aware of the Time Zappers

I regularly hear from writers who spend hours scrolling through Facebook then wonder where they lost part of their day. Or they binge watch a television program or spend time at a bookstore browsing. None of these things are wrong or bad in themselves but increase your awareness of how you are using your time can help you be more effective.

Create a System to Achieve Over and Over

If there is something you need to accomplish over and over, I recommend you create a habit to accomplish it. Just writing 20 to 30 minutes a day on a project can continue to move it forward toward completion. Or set a word count for your writing then do it repeatedly. People wonder how I keep up with my social media. It's pretty simple. I've created a system where I do the functions over and over (with many different purposes and reasons).

 I still have things slip through the cracks and doesn't get done. For example, several days ago I got an email reminder the judging sheets for a contest are due right away. Yes I knew I was judging this contest and had the material for it but wasn't aware of the exact due date. I handled it and met the deadline. Each of us have these types of things which slip into our day and need to get done.

What steps are you taking to get organized and increase your productivity? Let me know in the comments below.

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Good Choices and Good Habits Are Important

We are faced with dozens of choices every day. At times these choices are complicated because of the many possibilities. For example, when you purchase toothpaste, there are endless variations even among the same brand. 

I'm keenly aware of the many choices we have as writers and editors. For example, do I answer emails from authors, do I set up phone calls with authors, do I make follow-up calls with authors who have contracts but haven't responded? Do I work on getting more conference speaking or do I write some query letters for more magazine writing? Do I create a new marketing campaign for one of my books? Do I reconnect with some agent friends to see if they have something I could contract with Morgan James? Do I send an email to my mailing list? These are only a few of a multitude of choices but you get the idea. There are many different possibilities. Which do I select and accomplish today?

Each of us are locked into time and space limitations. We only have a certain number of work hours for each day before we run out of energy. I've recently been listening to the audiobook for Atomic Habits by James Clear. If we are honest, we have bad habits that we want to lose and some good habits that we would like to acquire. James Clear is a habit expert and in this engaging audiobook helps us understand and develop habits—yet in an uncomplicated, "everybody can do it" sort of way.

Atomic Habits opens with the story of the British cycling team who instead of huge goals decided to change things by one percent.  When most of us want to change a habit like lose weight or make more money or ???, we set a major goal then most of us fail in this process. Clear advocates and teaches how to change in small increments which is much more possible. The British cycling team made incremental one percent changes in their pillow, their clothing, the massage oil, and many other elements. It transformed the team into winning Olympic gold medals.

Clear contends to make a new effective habit means developing a system. This audiobook is loaded with insights for every reader. I listened to this audiobook cover to cover and highly recommend Atomic Habits.

What do you want to achieve with your writing? If you are writing a book, are you establishing a system (habit) which will accomplish your goal? For example, you could decide to write 1,000 words (about four pages) every day until you finish a draft of your book. You create a system that will allow you to develop a writing habit which will accomplish your larger goal of completing a book manuscript.

If you want to get the attention of a literary agent to get a book deal with a publisher. What are you doing to craft an eye-catching book proposal? Are you regularly contacting agents or going to a conference where you will meet them and develop your relationship? Create a system (habit) which moves you toward your goal. The steps can be small but your consistent effort will pay off.

Do you want to develop a social media presence? What are you doing to consistently grow that presence? Are you posting on different sites on a consistent basis and growing your audience? As you post where are you leading this audience? Does it lead to exposure for your book? Or does it lead to getting sign ups for your email list? What is your system (habit)? Without consistent effort and a system (habit), it will be a good thought but not translate into reality (at least this is true from my experience). 

Our habits and choices are important. I encourage you to make good ones—not just once but every day. If I can help you in this process, don't hesitate to email or reach out to me.

What habits and choices are you making with your writing life? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Create Writing Routines

I have a number of writing habits including writing each week for the Writing Life. Every morning I use Refollow to follow 800 new people in my target market.  I've been doing this habit for years and yes clicking my mouse 800 times is a bit boring and routine. Why do it? Because consistent use of this tool is one of the reasons that I have a large following on Twitter. This fact combined with the other habits I've created have gathered a large following or platform. Follow this link to learn the details of my every day actions on Twitter.

Every day I read and/or listen to audiobooks. As I read, I'm learning new things but also feeding into my writing life and habits. As I've mentioned before, for every book that I read or hear (good or bad). I take a few minutes and write a review. I've reviewed over 900 books and products on Amazon and over 500 books on Goodreads. This volume has happened because I've created a writing habit which I execute over and over.

Currently I am listening to an audiobook from historian Doris Kearn Goodwin called Leadership. It's a book on the current bestseller list and I got the book from my local library through Overdrive. Goodwin compares the leadership style of four different U.S. Presidents. In my listening so far, she has included Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. The background and style of each man and how they tackled the leadership issue has been insightful. Eventually when I complete the book, I will write and post a review. Listening to audiobooks is a habit I've cultivated which feeds into my writing.

Whether you write a lot of a little, consistency is one of the keys. If you begin a blog, then I encourage you to grow that blog and consitently write or post on it. Some people use guest bloggers to fill their blog. There are many different ways to do it—just be consistent as a basic principle. You can also reuse this material or a book or in a newsletter or any number of places. I have a free teleseminar about reusing your content. Also I have a 31 Day course on making money from your blog which is risk-free during the guarantee period.

Your writing routines will be different from my routines. Create patterns in your life for your writing. If you do, I believe you will be more consistent, prolific and productive. In some cases, a routine can become boring but change it up to keep it interesting—yet continue doing the action. Each of us as writers needs to be continually building our email list, completing magazine writing deadlines, getting to events and meeting new people.

In my view, the payoff for having a writing routine is completing and getting done what others just dream of doing. Many people want to write a book but if you get that book published you enter a smaller circle of people. And if your book sells (and not just a few but in a large number), then you enter even a smaller number of people who succeed in writing a bestselling book.

One of the basics is creating writing routines then sticking with those routines. What sort of writing routines do you have? Let me know in the comments below.

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The Right Tools Are Critical for Every Writer

As I begin a new year (2018), I take some time to reflect on the accomplishments of last year and also look ahead to what I want to happen in the year ahead. I'm grateful for the different opportunities I've had to write and also help others. As I get into this reflective mode, I look at some of my habits. For example, over the last few years, I've focused on growing a large following on Twitter which has grown to over 220,000 last year and continues to grow. Twitter has added a graphic of twitter impressions (see this image from my twitter page)

Since 2008 when I joined Twitter, I have tweeted almost 40,000 times. In recent years, I tweet about publishing and writing almost a dozen times a day. I use a tool called Hootsuite which has a free version and also a paid version. Recently I have switched to the paid version because Hootsuite added a limit of the number of future tweets you could have on the free version. I exceeded this number.

For me, Hootsuite has been the right tool for my social media because:

--I can schedule the tweets
--I can add an image to my tweets (important for visibility)

Because of my commitment to Twitter and Hootsuite, I have developed my own system with my tweets. For example, I begin my day with an inspirational quote. As I locate these quotes in various places, I cut and paste them into my Hootsuite with a photo. I've saved many of my photos in a little folder on my desktop called Twitter photos. Rather than search each time for a photo, I often have an image saved in my folder because I've saved them and developed an easy system to keep and retrieve them.

Your writing goals will be different from mine. Maybe you want to be published in more print magazines. You will need to learn how to write a query letter and develop a pattern or habit of pitching editors on a regular basis. If they are Christian publications, I encourage you to use the Christian Writers Market Guide 2018. If they are general market publications, then use the 2018 Writers Market Guide and make sure you are contacting the right editors with your pitches. You can also find the Writers Market Guide in the reference section of most public libraries.

If you want to sell more of your books, then you will need to be reaching your audience through the radio or print or social media or your own newsletter list. Each of these venues are effective and ones where you will need to learn the right tools and develop a regular pattern or system. As I use my various regular patterns or systems, I don't have to reinvent anything but simply use what I've created earlier over and over.

What tools are you using with your writing? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

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Develop Habits for Writing Success

Happy New Year. This article is my first for 2017. When the calendar changes to another year (like this week), it provides an opportunity to evaluate the past and also to look ahead to the future. I suspect you've been doing a little of this type of thinking in your own life since I've been doing it. What actions did you take during the last 12 months for your writing life that succeeded and which ones do you need to stop or change?

As I examine my days, I'm a creature of habits. For example, I begin each day spending time reading the Bible. It's a pattern that I've done for many years. Each year I select a different version of the Bible to read throughout the year. Last year, I read The One Year Bible in the New Living Translation. This year I'll be reading Eugene Peterson's The Daily Message. It's part of my spiritual habit that feeds into my life as a writer and editor.

Besides spiritual habits, I have habits with Twitter. In past entries, I've detailed how each day I'm using tools (mostly free) to grow my presence in the market and community—and also increase my presence on social media. These habits do not take much time but have consistently grown my presence—so they will be something I will continue in the days ahead.

I have a number of other habits in my life—consistent practices and actions. During the last year, I've stepped up my consumption of books by listening to more audio books through Overdrive. Recently I completed listening to the audio book of The Power of Habit by Charles Dihigg. The book explains the science and practical nature of habits including how we form new habits and replace old ones. I found the stories fascinating and informative. Until listening to this book, I didn't know about the history of the creation of toothpaste and how brushing teeth became a habit. If you want to learn about this important aspect of life, I recommend you track down this book through your library (Overdrive like I did) or purchase a copy and read it, then apply it to your own life.

Another resource on habits that I recently read is Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi. I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal from it. Apart from the book Graziosi has created The Better Life Challenge where in 30 days you can transform your life in as little as three minutes. This resources is FREE and you don't have to read the book—but simply take action every day for 30 days. Just use this link to learn more details and sign up to learn through this tool.

The writing life is much more of a marathon than a sprint.  I often meet writers who believe that one book or one action will propel them to bestseller status. Sadly this belief is a publishing myth.  Repeatedly I hear about writers who are called an “overnight” success because they've suddenly sold a lot of books. Yet when you look into the details, you will normally discover this author has been in the trenches faithfully working for years to achieve such a position.

What skills or habits do you want to develop in the months ahead? Are you taking consistent action to gain the knowledge and insights you need to get there? Tell me about your plans in the comment below and if I can help you, let me know.

Here's wishing you a successful 2017.

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