Newsletter, Edition IX

THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION IX
January 9, 2006


"...Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:
Fool! said my Muse to me, look in thy heart and write."

Sir Phillip Sidney, Astrophel and Stella


YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!

Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into action and put your heart on the line.

Phil Jackson

Getting into Action!

“Your plan will never be perfect or complete. Get over it and go forward,” instructs Lee Silber, author of Self-Promotion for the Creative Person.

Check the Blog for more on Getting into Action…

http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/


FEATURED (Non-DPP) AUTHOR FOR THE WEEK…

An A-Musing Author

Jill Badonsky

Innerview

What is your ideal writing environment?

A cottage with a fireplace, a comfortable chair and a view… which is the place I take my writing retreats. If I can’t go there then writing in bed with my laptop is my next choice and then in cafes with loud espresso machines, reminding me when I write steam comes out of my mind.

Describe your writing routine…if you have one.

My most predictable routine is 1). Coffee 2) Meditate 15 minutes (I have a meditation that taps into my creativity) 3) walk for a half hour in nature with my writing in mind 4) write anywhere from 5 minutes to 6 hours depending on my schedule that day.

What do you do when you’re not feeling inspired or motivated to write?

If I’m not feeling inspired I walk or workout, then sit down and play with words. Or I read an author who inspires me, listen to music that does the same, or return to a work I’ve written that I really like and see if it feeds my juices. Sometimes I just pour into writing using the writing prompts I use in classes…unfinished sentences, repetition or stream of consciousness starting with.. I’m not inspired right now but…

What authors inspire you most?

I’m inspired by Bill Bryson, Anne Lamott, Douglas Adams, Karen Jones, Isabelle Allende.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing, publishing, and marketing your book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)?

Writing Challenge: The inner demon telling me my stuff wasn’t any good.
Publishing: Waiting a year and a half for the book to come out.
Marketing: President George W. Bush. He started the war in the Middle East two weeks before my book tour. Scheduled interviews, book signings and publicity were cancelled and overshadowed by the war during an author’s most crucial kick-off campaign- the first two months. After that the publishing house abandons you to the next group of authors.

What has been your greatest reward since writing and publishing the book?

Biggest reward: All of the people who email me or show up at workshops and tell me they love the book and that it has helped them. And the friends I've made as a result of the book - they're my tribe.

What has been your biggest challenge in terms of self-promotion?

Not getting enough visibility with one shot and the feeling of overwhelm with how much needs to be done.

What approach to self-promotion has been your best vehicle?

Workshops, talks, training people to use my book for classes and coaching. Magazine articles have helped too as have hooking up with other authors and people who run creative websites with a lot of visibility.

I know it’s hard to pick just one, but which Muse (from your book) is your favorite…or which one do you find yourself utilizing the most?

I don’t like to play favorites because when Muses get mad they withhold ideas. However I think I use Albert, the Muse of Imagination and Innovation the most. He gives lots of tools that make writing easier and fun.. he provides perspectives, attitudes, personas and trigger words that give a writer a starting place or a fresh angle from which to venture.

Got an inspiring quote you’d like to share?

"The mind I love must still have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody's fathomed the depth of--and paths threaded with those little flowers planted by the mind." -- Katherine Mansfield

Jill Badonsky, M.Ed., is a creativity coach, workshop leader, artist, and marketing consultant who is the founder and director of The Muse Is In, an organization devoted to coaching, teaching, facilitating, and marketing workshops and retreats for reawakening creativity. She wrote and starred in a one-woman show, I Can’t Handle Reality, But It’s Really the Only Place to Get a Good Cup of Coffee, and writes a monthly column on creativity for Blessings, a San Diego newspaper.

The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) is an entertaining, inspirational, and practical handbook for the twenty-first-century seeker. Combining the whimsical and spiritual appeal of Sark with the concrete step-by-step approach of The Artist’s Way, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) presents a fresh approach toward accessing your creativity, and is designed specifically for our frazzled and time-sensitive era. Creativity coach Jill Badonsky takes the nine classical Greek Muses and updates them for our time. Along with a little help from their no-nonsense bodyguard, Arnold, they personify ten principles designed to overcome creative blocks and embrace the wonders of self-expression.
You can read more about Jill Badonsky’s book at http://www.themuseisin.com/book.html


PUBLISHER’S PROMPT

Writing Prompt

January is a month…

Use the above to begin (put in the middle of, or end) a thought, poem, short story, or song.

If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com or nicpit@digitalpulppublishing.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/


Site-ings

Writers Weekly
http://www.writersweekly.com/
This site touts itself as “the highest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.” The site offers information about jobs, classes, news, and articles that are of interest to writers.

The Write Market
http://www.writemarket.com/
This site features articles, contests, resources, links that might be of great interest to you.

Writerfind Jobs
http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/
This site offers global freelance and telecommuting jobs for writers.

Writers Events
http://writersevents.com/
This site offers a calendar for all writers and publishers. It posts daily, weekly, monthly or annual listings of promotional events, meetings, group activities, and speakers. Writers Events has been designed to be quick and easy to use by those looking for 'What's on in Writers' events online and by those wanting to promote their Writers events online.


WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…

The Newsletter

We’re Moving…

To Wednesdays! Subsequent newsletters will be sent out on Wednesdays, beginning next week, January 18.

We’re Changing…

Formats! Beginning with our first February issue (Wednesday, February 1), you will be receiving this newsletter in a new and improved format.


Fun Facts

Book Blitz Month: (Jan. 1-31) Focuses attention on improving authors’ relationships with the media in order to create a best-selling book. Free book PR evaluation available. For info: Barbara Gaughen, Media 21, 7456 Evergreen Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. Ph: (805) 968-8567. FAX: (805) 968-5747. Email: bgaughenmu@aol.com Web: www.goodmorningworld.org

National Clean Up Your Computer Month: (Jan. 1-31) Dedicated to the education of computer users with simple tips and methods to increase the efficiency of their systems. For info: Denise Hall, 24797 State St., PO Box 658, Elberta, AL. Ph: (251) 986-6650, FAX: (251) 986-6652 Email: denise@specterweb.com Web: www.specterweb.com

This Week’s Author Birthdays:

Jack London, January 12, 1876
Andy Rooney, January 14, 1919
Ernest Gaines, January 15, 1933

All of the above was taken from Chase’s Calendar of Events, 2006©

Write on,

Nicky



Nicole (Nicky) Pitman
Authors' Advocate
DigitalPulp Publishing
(760) 327-3181
nicpit@digitalpulppublishing.com