Today I am pleased to announce that starting in 2018, I will be offering beta reading, content editing, and copy editing services to other authors. Because I know that being an indie author can be hard, and budgets can be very tight, I'm keeping my rates low.

My beta reading service will be offered free to anyone who would like to take advantage of it, whether they are looking to someday publish their book or just want someone to read it and give some constructive feedback.

My content editing services will start at only $50, although final price will be negotiated with the author depending on the length of the work and the state of the manuscript when I receive it. I will edit the first 3,000 words free of charge before giving the author an estimate of what the rest of the work will cost.

Copy editing will start at only $75, and comes with the same first 3,000 words free service as the content editing, and final costs will be mutually determined from there.

If you're interested in any of these services, head over to my services page to learn more and fill out a contact form. Anyone who contacts me before Jan. 1, 2018 will receive a 20% discount on my services. I will also be offering a referrals program, so that anyone referred to me, or anyone who does the referring, either gets bumped to the front of the line for a beta read or 5% off of their next paid editing service, whichever they choose.

Many, many moons ago, I wrote a blog post about why author's bible's are important. The gist of the post was that it helps to keep the story consistent, so that the hair color, eye color, or background story of your different characters stays the same throughout the whole novel, and you don't have to go back and read the whole thing every time you have a question about what Brittney's life was like in sixth grade.

What I didn't address in that post is HOW to make an author's bible. The reason I'm doing that now is that, as I'm working on the sequel to The Talented, I've adapted my bible-creating method to account for that change.

One of the things that I've always done, and still do, is put my bible in alphabetical order when it comes to names and places. It makes it easier for me to find them, and it also lets me know if I'm starting every name with a K or an M, which I'm not sure why I try to do but are definitely problems of mine. Here is an example of my bible early in The Talented​ process, back when it was still draft 1 or 2.

As you can see, there isn't anything fancy about this bible. It's stream of thought lists, and at this stage pretty sparse on the details. At this point, it even had the original spelling of my main character's name, Adrian instead of Adrienne, and for some reason omitted her last name, Rydaeg, completely. 

One thing that it did right, however, is have a nice timeline at the end of my bible that I could look at for reference. This is especially important if your book is stretching months instead of years, or if it is part of a series, because if you get the timeline wrong and a reader notices, it can really through them off. Here's a sample of that timeline, without any real spoilers for those of you who haven't read The Talented yet.

Again, this is a very simplistic timeline that just lists how long it takes for different events to happen. As I read through my drafts I would check the time in the novel against the timeline at the back and adjust accordingly to make sure everything measured up. If I was doing this by hand I probably would have drawn a linear timeline, but for me working on the computer this was easier. If the visual of a traditional timeline works for you, I suggest you make that. Anything that makes keeping your story straight easier helps.

One change that I made in the bible for the second book was to put anything new in bold. This helps me find new things faster, and also lets me know what can't be changed because it's already included in a published book. Here's a snapshot of what's new this time around:

The only downside to putting the new elements in bold is that it has the effect of making the bible look sloppier, not that I care, because for me it's easier to format it that way, and that's the key to an author's bible, it's there to help you.

​On that note, if you prefer a more polished author's bible, that is entirely up to you. Many books include indices at the back of them to help readers keep track of characters and places as well, and an author's bible can easily be adapted to that purpose, just take out the unimportant (to reader) details like hair length and anything that could spoil the plot or give too much detail too soon, such as a completed timeline.

If you want a more personal touch, or something that appeals to your crafty side, you can make your own journal to carry around with you. Here's a picture of an easy(ish) DIY journal, and a picture of one I made myself so that if I'm away from my computer I can plot story ideas in the front and keep track of characters and places in the back.

Recently, my sales for The Talented​ have been reather lack-luster, so I have made the decision to try out a new cover for awhile.

Unfortunately, before launching my new cover I did not have the time or money to hire a professional cover designer, although this is something that I plan to do in the future if I find that a new cover helps sales. Therefore, I had to work with only my limited graphic design skills, which did not produce the best cover imaginably. However, I am hopefully that it is good enough to garner some feedback. So let me know in the poll or comments below whether you prefer the old cover (left) or new cover (right) for ​The Talented.

A way that this can be applied might be starting your day with writing rather than sitting around and scrolling through Facebook and Twitter. Waking up in a new bed, not having to get ready for work, and no longer being surrounded by the things that would trigger that social media habit might make it easier, according to behavioral sciences, to start a new habit. Then, when you get home, refreshed from your vacation, you can set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier and start your day with writing.

What a great reason to plan a vacation soon!

The last thing that needs to be considered when developing your writing habit is how long it will take before writing every day becomes routine rather than a struggle. You may have seen or heard that it takes 21, 28, or 30 days to develop a new habit or break an old. The idea that it takes a month or less to develop a habit is probably one of the most exciting things you've ever heard; but you may have also learned for yourself that developing a new habit is harder than that "fact" implies.

The reason you may have been finding habit development difficult is because this "fact" is not a fact at all. An article by The Huffington Post, which investigates the origin of the "21 Day Habit" myth, also exposes the fact that according to a 12-week-study of people trying to develop new habits, the average length of time it takes someone to develop a new habit is 66 days. That means you'll need to consistently perform your new task of writing for two months before it becomes routine, and perhaps even longer. Don't be disheartened, though! Missing a day won't affect your habit forming long-term, as long as you jump back on that habit-horse in the next day or two.

As an added bonus, the more you enjoy a task, the quicker that habit will develop. Think about how long it took you to fall into the habit of checking your phone throughout the day, or listening to your favorite podcast on the ride home, and you'll see that it took you far less than 66 days to develop those habits. So when you sit down at your desk to develop that habit of writing, embrace the act with joy, and you'll develop that habit faster.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on writing practices or how to get into the habit of writing daily. If you have questions or something to share, please comment below.

It does not escape my attention that rather than publishing this on December 1st, or even November 30th, I am publishing this update on December 9th, which isn't ideal. That said, I do have an exciting announcement to make...

I won!

Unfortunately, I did not come anywhere close to meeting my goal of 100k words. I spent a good deal of the month sick, which slowed me down, and then disheartened by getting so far behind, which only made it worse.  However, despite falling WAY behind, I was able to make a comeback in the last week and ended up squeaking by with just 50,349 words. But hey, a win is a win.

​If you want to see just how much of a stretch my win was, here's my stats for the month:

As you can see, I spent most of the month not writing. To fill you in on those long plateaus, I spent a lot of that time taking naps due to intense headaches and watching TV when my head didn't hurt. But while some of those days I was definitely not feeling well enough to write, for much of it the lack of writing boils down to lack of ideas and utter laziness. However, I kicked it into gear on the 26th and put in at least 5k a day from there to reach that final goal of 50k by the end of the month. And while I would have liked to meet my personal goal of 100k last month, in some ways I am glad to have finished the way I did. I really pushed myself in my writing last month and really had to stretch my imagination to keep my story going, which I probably wouldn't have done had I not had that deadline to meet. I'm happy to announce that writing is going better this month, and I think I will be able to finish my rough draft this month, which has long been my goal.

In the end, although this is not the first time I have won NaNoWriMo, I think I learned the most this month about the importance of deadlines and how they can motivate you. I highly recommend participating in NaNoWriMo to anyone who is interested in writing and is looking for a support group, because those message boards are gold. I'm sad that it only happens once a year, but I might look into Camp NaNoWriMo next spring and consider participating in that, or somehow coming up with challenges myself to push my writing throughout the year.

Did anyone else participate in NaNoWriMo this year? Have any stories, tips, or questions? I'd love to hear from you so go ahead and comment below.

1. Establish a writing practice

This one seems simultaneously to be very commonsense and the most difficult step to becoming a better writer. An established writing practice requires hard work and dedication, because it means writing on a regular basis, not just when when your muse is cooperating. Some people establish a practice of writing daily for a certain amount of time, pages, or words; others establish a weekly writing practice with the same goals. Whether daily or weekly, it is important to set aside a time for writing and stick to it if you truly wish to grow in your writing abilities.​

2. Silence your inner critic

Your inner critic becomes a great resource during the editing process, but can hinder you when it comes to creating new material, such as your rough draft. Finding a way to silence the voice in your head that tells you your writing is terrible, that you need to go back and make your last scene perfect before moving on, or that you should just give up and scrap the entire project is the only way you'll be able to keep moving forward and improving.

3. Make sure to recharge

Recharging means different things for different people. For extroverts, step away from the desk and go interact with real people; for introverts, find another quiet activity to distract you from your writing for a short time, such as going for a hike or indulging in your favorite show. Spend time with your family and friends, develop new interests, and get in some physical activity, as it's good for the brain, not just the body.

4. Read for inspiration

I have yet to meet a writer who didn't enjoy reading, but I have met many writers who don't take the time to read. I've been guilty of this myself as well, but if you take the time to read, even if that time feels like an indulgence that you can ill-afford, you'll often find yourself inspired. Sometimes, the story itself is inspiring. Sometimes, the writing style or tone can inspire you. Read poetry to get in touch with figurative language, read novels currently popular in your genre to see what readers want. Read popular novels outside of your genre to see what other markets are out there and what appeals to those readers. Read classics to find out what has worked for centuries. And if you end up reading a book that you don't like, analyze it to figure out why you don't like it and how you can avoid those same mistakes in your own writing.

5. Create a support network

A support network might be an extensive online writing group, a workshop or critique buddy, or just a supportive friend or partner. Having at least one person in your corner that you can turn to when you're discouraged can be the difference between success or failure. If you're nervous about talking to someone you know in the "real world" about your writing, find someone online. There are fantastic online communities of all shapes, sizes, formats, and purposes that can provide support and encouragement. A quick Google search or a jaunt through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram can help you connect with like-minded individuals online.