​Data. Data entry. Data collection. Data analyst. The terms conjure up images of a tiny, lifeless, colourless cubicles and endless, mind-boggling spreadsheets. There is no apparent romance in data — it feels like the complete antithesis of creativity. But don’t be fooled. Data is powerful. It is a smoking-hot Superman masquerading as a drab Clark Kent. Used effectively, data can transform your creative life.
Anyone who has taken part in NaNoWriMo knows the smile-inducing feeling of watching their daily word count graph increase. It’s a simple, visual representation of achievement, one that’s satisfying and motivating.
Popular writing software Scrivener has a similar feature, where it tracks your progress in a single session, with a tracking bar that turns from red to green as you march toward your word count goal. I can’t count the number of times that tiny box pushed me to go that little bit further, to get down those few more words. Unfortunately, the current version of Scrivener doesn’t contain a function that supports tracking writing over more than one session. This is where other apps come in.
Personally, I’m a fan of Wordly - Effortless Word and Time Tracking For Writers. It’s a free app that allows you to enter your word count each day, similar to the NaNoWriMo data entry. You can also use it for time tracking, by starting a timer at the beginning of each writing session. All of the data can be viewed as graphs, and even exported to Excel. This allows you to track:

• Words per hour
• Words per day
• Words per week
• Words per month
• Hours logged each day
• Hours logged each week
• Hours logged each month

    This is an excellent data collection tool for the beginner. It allows you to see what days of the week you are more prolific, what weeks of the month, what months of the year. Are you more prolific in summer, when the days are longer and the blood is up? Or are you too tempted by rooftop cocktails and you’re more prolific in the colder months, snuggled by a heater with your laptop nestled in a lap blanket? 

Personally, I like to go even further with my data collection, to look for other trends. I am particularly very interested in the ebb and flow of my moods, and the effects they have on all aspects of my life. I began to use an excel spreadsheet a few months ago to track my mood and related productivity, discovering not only that my writing is affected by how I feel, but that a few days of consistent creative productivity can in turn, increase my happiness levels. As part of this study, I spent time tracking what I did in the hours prior to each writing session. 


​
    Many writing coaches talk about finding the most productive time of day for your writing. While I know for a fact early in the morning is NOT it, I was mistakenly under the impression that I was most productive late at night. In fact, between 6.00pm and 8.00pm (I’m writing this sentence at 7.45pm) is my best writing time. My second best is early afternoon. I discovered this again through the use of an excel spreadsheet that charted time by productivity score.
    Two other tools I use to examine my productivity are the apps Toggl Timer and Rescue Time. Unlike Wordly and my excel sheets, these don’t examine how productive my writing time has been, but they do show me where my time goes. Toggl Timer is a free app. You set up different ‘tasks’ and hit the beginning and end button as you start and finish them. For example, my ‘tasks’ include Writing, Lesson Plans, Internet Crap and TV. The data gets collected, and again you an export it as an Excel sheet. The problem with this is that you need to remember to reset the timer each time you change tasks. It’s not a viable option long-term, but if you were to dedicate a week to tracking your time, the information you collect is gold.
    For those who just can’t remember to hit the reset button each time, there is a program called RescueTime. It runs in the background on your computer and phone, tracking the amount of time you spend using different programs or on different websites. The free version sends you a weekly report and you can access three months of data. This program is particularly useful if you are like me — you sit down to write and two hours later you’re not sure what you’ve done, but your word count isn’t looking good even if your butt hasn’t been out of the chair.
   
    But now what? How does collecting data transform your creative life? What do you do with all this information?
 
    Firstly, there’s a reason they say knowledge is power. You can’t make changes unless you know what needs changing. The sheer amount of time I spent on ‘Internet Crap’ horrified me. Horrified me to the point that I almost cancelled all of my social media accounts. Having proof of hours wasted in plain numbers on the screen in front of you… *shudders*. There’s being vaguely aware of the time suck and knowing it — a knowing that makes you super-conscious every time you open your web browser and impacts your behaviour. 
    Secondly, when you know what works for you, you can plan for productivity. For example, I gave up watching M.A.S.H on television. It aired in my prime writing time and though I desperately love it, I have seen every episode already. I also ditched The Project. My partner was informed that dinners would take place after eight o’clock and I spend the 20 minutes prior to writing doing something that makes me feel productive like tidying up, walking or yoga.
    I don’t beat myself up for not writing on Monday evenings, because the data shows Mondays suck for me. But if I’m not writing on a Thursday night, I better have a damn good excuse. When I finally have the money to attend a European writing retreat (hey, we can all dream), it will be a summer one, when I’m likely to make the most of it.
    I prioritised my Facebook feed (did you know you could do that?) so that I know I’ll see posts from my dearest friends as I cut down the time I spend on it.
    Having an idea of when I’m likely to be writing more also makes it easier to plan — how much time to I need to leave to get that competition entry done? Can I really make that blog deadline? Is a finished manuscript by the end of the year realistic? Or am I setting myself up for failure?
 
    Collecting your data and analysing trends WILL improve your word count. Most importantly, it gives you control. You will no longer be beholden to the mystical muse that governs your productivity. 
 
Follow Samara @
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​http://thesebookishdays.com/
​

​Many people think of writing that famous book. Some of us actually sit and put pen to paper or, in this modern day, we type at our computer keyboard. Everyone dreams of writing a bestseller, but as we know it’s not easy to win the interest of a large publishing house. That’s why many of us look for other avenues.
What in the past was termed ‘vanity publishing’ is now a less painful way to get our work out there. What could be easier than using Amazon to produce our hardcopy books? So much so, that many traditionally published authors are following the same path.
What many ‘new to publishing’ authors don’t know is that Amazon is not the first step to self-publishing your book.
First you must set up a profile with CreateSpace, an Amazon company designed to help you format your book before publication. I can only speak to my personal experience with this company. While their customer support skills are impeccable, they don't reveal all that they should – or could – about the hidden pitfalls of self-publishing. And the hidden costs.
When self-publishing, it’s important that we as authors understand our rights. Do we retain the rights to our own work after it is listed? Are we free to accept an offer from a big publishing house? And lastly but by no means less important, how much of our earnings will CreateSpace keep?
Let’s answer the last question first. The happy answer is CreateSpace keep only 40% on each book. And if you provide your ISBN number, Amazon has no ongoing rights to your work. You can even publish your work elsewhere whilst selling on Amazon. Also, having your own ISBN number will enable you to sell internationally.
There is no contract to sign, so anytime you wish to remove the book, you can, no questions asked.
We all know that fine print is controversial because of its deceptive nature. But how do we cope with the invisible fine print when it comes to publication?
That’s illegal, you may say. Well think again. Invisible fine print does exist and when it hits it’s like a punch in the face.
Let me explain my experience.....
While publishing Pan, Vino e Peperoncino, a highly detailed book with many photos, I needed to communicate almost daily with CreateSpace’s customer support team. If they didn’t hear from me after a few days, they’d send me a beautiful email encouraging me to keep working on my book.
So nice that they care.
CreateSpace assured me that they had my best interests at heart, and they were there 24/7 to answer the hundreds of questions I may have.
Finally my masterpiece was finished. Just before I hit “submit your book” I did a quick calculation and realised that something wasn’t right. If CreateSpace takes 40% commission, simple mathematics states I should make 60%... but alas that wasn’t the case.
For every book I sell, 40% goes to CreateSpace for helping me with the design. Old news, right? Then I went to list my book and got a nasty surprise. Amazon will keep 45% for selling my book.
Of course I didn’t have to worry about a thing. They will receive the orders, they will print the books and they will despatch the books to any country in the world.
When you do the math, I’ve given away 85% of the profit.
Now all I need to do is wait for those profits to roll in. Yes?
No. I’ll only receive a cheque if my profit as an author is $100 or more. So, let’s say for argument’s sake I make only $99.99 – I’ll never see a cent of that money.
At this stage you may ask, what’s the point?
It really depends on your reasons for wanting to be published.
Will you push that button so you can get your work out there? Or change your mind and try elsewhere?
In my case, publication wasn't about money. I wanted to share my unknown culture with whoever wanted to read it, so the invisible fine print didn't change my mind. Besides, I was sure only family members and friends would buy it.
I was wrong. To date I’ve sold 28 hardcopy books on Amazon. I’ve made my $100 and wait excitedly for my first cheque. Much as this is a thrill, the most exciting part of this process was receiving emails from two readers, one from America and one from Guatemala, neither one with any ties to Italy. They loved my book. The knowledge still makes me smile.
And more excitement – CreateSpace has given the OK to print my books locally. Since then, I’ve sold 90, but I'm still waiting for my family to buy a copy!

l​We writers tend to be an insecure bunch. We doubt our ability from day one and even publication doesn't always take away our self-doubt.  This erotic romance writer also questions her validity a a published author.
 
I recently took part in a small romance writers panel at a local library. They asked my writing group if we had members who would like to participate, I jumped at the opportunity to 'get my name out there', but as I sat at the front of the room with three fellow published romance writers I had an overwhelming feeling of inferiority.
 
They were all with well-known 'big' publishing houses. I'm with an obscure small publisher. They have full-length novels. I have short stories.
 
They are published. I am published.  Yet I felt like an imposter.
 
Ok, I'm not the most committed writer and could probably hold a world title in procrastination but I've put words on paper. I've finalled in a few competitions. An editor thought my work worthy of public consumption. Yet somehow I still feel the need to compare myself to others. To measure my achievements and find shortcomings rather than seeing them as proof of my ability and success.
 
The perceived stigma that e-publishing certainly had years ago has pretty much disappeared, especially with so many 'big' publishers now embracing ebooks and shorter story lengths. Romance today is such a melting pot of big, small and self-published. Novels, novellas, short stories.
 
If I happen to tell someone I'm a writer, and they ask if I'm published, I say 'yes'.  I don't get asked 'who with' or 'how long is your story', so why is it such a big deal in my head? Why was I sitting on that panel, feeling like I didn't have a legitimate right to be there? That I had 'aspirations above my station'. 
 
I know I don't need to become a New York Times best-selling author to feel I can truly own the title of 'published author'. None of my fellow-writers have ever made me feel less of a writer because of my (self-perceived) more meagre publishing credits. Nor do I feel that way about other writers
 
I have come to view my feelings on that night as a wake-up call for my self-esteem and self-confidence (particulary as I am now venturing down the self-publishing path). To quote that well-known ad 'it won't happen overnight, but it will happen'.
 
In the meantime I know I can rely on my fabulous writing group for reality checks. At the MRWG we have a running joke that if someone makes a self-deprecating comment about their own writing, or their ability, someone else will say 'stop talking like that or I'll slap you'.
 
Andra Ashe
www.andraashe.com
 
Andra is re-releasing one of her short erotic romance stories  – Miss Blaine's Misconduct.
Available now at Amazon.