Great Advice from Martina McBride: "Dream Big Anyway"

I recently attended a Martina McBride concert at the Palace Theater in Stamford, CT. For those who are not familiar with the name, Martina is a country singer who has been making hit records since 1992. She's known all over the world. She's one of my all-time favorite singers and I have seen her in concert now three times.

And in one of her songs, one I was not familiar with and unfortunately can't name, she sang the line, "Dream Big Anyway." I immediately felt a connection with the line and realized how important it was to pass along that piece of advice to other writers.

So here's what I want you to know:

You may not make the New York Times Best Seller List, or the Amazon Best Seller List, or any best seller list, but write anyway. Write for yourself and write what you want to write.

You may not have the best, fanciest computer and the most modern equipment, but don't wait until you have the means to get those things. Start writing anyway. Write on a cocktail napkin if you have to. Some of the world's best songs were written on cocktail napkins. And don't forget that Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of a paper bag. The conditions don't have to be great. They just have to work. So just write.

You may not have all the time in the world to devote to writing. But write anyway. Maybe you work two jobs. Or you're a single mom or dad raising a child. Write anyway, even if you can only devote one hour a week. One hour a month. Yes, everyone will tell you to try to set aside some time every single day for writing. I agree. But I'm telling you to start. Just start. Because if you start out by saying that a single hour is not enough and you wait until you have enough time, not only will you never finish, but you'll never start. So no matter how much or how little time you have, write anyway.

And finally, the last thing I want to say, is try anyway. Maybe you're not sure you have the talent. Maybe you aren't sure you have what it takes to be a songwriter or a novel writer or a children's book writer or what ever it is that your dream is. Try anyway. Because the you that you know today is not the whole you. The you of tomorrow is full of all the experiences and the lessons and mistakes and the ideas you picked up along the way. So try anyway, because you'll never know what you could have become if you don't. Just by trying, you're already a winner.

My thanks to Martina McBride for this wonderful song that sparked this advice.

Happy writing!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon. 

4 Things I Learned from a Literary Agent

Last night, I had the pleasure of hearing a guest speaker at the Norwalk Library. Her name was Jan Kardys, and she was amazing. She talked for 30 minutes, and if I didn't have to leave at that point, I could have easily listened to her for another hour.

She is president of Unicorn for Writers, an organization that helps writers get their books published; she also produces the annual Unicorn Writers Conference; and she has been a literary agent for about 20 years. She knows everything you need to know about polishing your book to make it saleable.

I will share with you now 4 critical things she taught us in those 30 minutes:

1) Reach out to 25 writers and ask them to reach 25 pages of your book and give you their honest feedback. In exchange, tell them you'll write them a glowing recommendation.

2) Copyright your book with the Library of Congress. Having an ISBN number assigned to your book does not automatically copyright your material. Go to to the Library of Congress website, download the TX form, write a check for $35 and follow the instructions for mailing your material to the LoB. In the case of an already published book, they request 2 copies.

3) You must get a review in three places: Publishers Weekly magazine, Kirkus and Library Journal.

4) And finally, you must be on social media. Join groups online, follow other writers, get to know other writers, and then go back to point #1.

I soaked up this information like a sponge. I think everyone there did. I was grateful to learn that I am doing some things right. I also was not surprised to learn that I have a long way to go.

For instance, to get your book represented by an agent, you need to have a marketing plan. So I suggest, if you are looking for an agent, you research book marketing plans online.

Also, there are specific dos and don't about how to write a query letter as well, so research query letters online before you sit down to write one.

I recommend that you take some time to check out the website for Unicorn for Writers. Review every service they offer, how much it costs, and consider attending their conference. There are a lot of opportunities available to us writers if we can find them. and Unicorn for Writers is one of them.

Good luck!


Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon. 

Have You Considered Self Publishing? It's Easier Than You Think

When I first considered self-publishing, I immediately went to Amazon.com. As I was scrolling down the home page, I came across a site menu—a black bar about 4 inches long filled with links that made it easy to find the departments you might be looking for on Amazon.

The second column is titled "Make Money With Us". That caught my attention, and as I scanned down the list, the 7th item down says "Self Publish With Us." So I clicked on it. It took me to a division of Amazon called CreateSpace.com.

From there, my whole life changed. CreateSpace was literally the doorway to my future. Once arriving at CreateSpace, I was asked to register. Registration is free. I registered, and from there on out, I no longer went to Amazon, I only went to CreateSpace.

Once on CreateSpace, I saw my very own dashboard. From here, I could design my book, get it approved by CreateSpace, post it to Amazon, and track sales every day.

If you are interested in self-publishing a book you've written, check it out. You can follow the steps I did, or you can go directly to createspace.com. If you should find that you have a few questions during the setup process, there is a customer service phone number available and very visible on the dashboard page.

Good luck!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.