What's Up? Wednesdays -- What Works?

Well, obviously it is NOT my Internet that is working. It has been out more than it works. So far, I haven't been so bothered that I felt the need to take up all my time and sit on the phone with Verizon and fix it. It took two hours last time and it only worked a day. The issue is actually two-fold.

I have Verizon for internet and for my home phone. I have Sprint for wireless. The Sprint booster tower and the Verizon modem/router do not communicate well. Every day the Sprint tower cycles through and reboots itself (so the representative said) and it then kicks out the internet because the Verizon modem doesn't like the Sprint tower. Something like that. What it means for me is the internet isn;t working most of the time. I need internet for the Sprint tower to function and send the signal to my phone. Without internet, I also have no cell phone. This sucks!

Do I have time to drive somewhere in order to blog and tweet and post on Facebook? Not really. The other day I was able to post to Facebook and check messages while I was in Westminster doing other things. I can be in Target waiting for my daughter's prescription and "like" something on Facebook, or make a comment, but I can not write a blog post. Maybe there are people who do use the Blogger app on their iPhones to post, but I find it difficult and annoying. The phone is small. I don't have the bigger keyboard and the multiple tabs to search for photos and links to add. It seems like too much work so I don;t post. Bu then days go by… DAYS, and I don't have any blog posts. I was trying very hard to get into a routine and post every day or at least several times a week.

I blame the internet for my lack of posting!!!!

I'm also a slacker when it comes to writing. My goal was to have my WIP done by April. It is April 1st and I am not done. There is the argument about setting priorities and I have, but my priority always circles back to my family and I guess we did a bit to much over the weekend and I didm;t write as much as I wanted. I am trying!!! I promise. I have written more in the last couple months than I normally do and I hope to continue that pace. The key is in consistency and i hope that being consistent with writing will produce more books.

Also, with that in mind, I am trying to focus on WHAT WORKS for me. Getting up at 4:30 a.m. works. My mind of more focused and creative in the mornings so writing as soon as I have my coffee DOES get the most results. I am up to 76k on No! Jocks Don't Date Guys, so keep your fingers crossed  that I keep that ball rolling!

Comedy works. Light-hearted works. In order to make a career out of writing I have to focus on what readers want and what sells. YES, I want to write meaningful things that grip readers and rip their hearts out, but that is not what sells well. Happy and light-hearted sell! I will continue to write the deeper things because they mean something to me, but I think the key to being successful is learning to balance it with the happy, fluffy stuff. Since I have a history of writing ONE BOOK A YEAR, it hasn't panned out well for me. I was stuck in the deep, angsty mode for a while and so my career has been tough. I hope this year will turn it around for me.

Or, more specifically, my writing THIS year, for projected sales NEXT year. I'm not in it to be rich, but I also don't want to get cornered financially where I am forced to to a "real" job. I don't want to work at anything other than writing. I learned a lot about marketing, so now is my chance to put it to use, but I can only do that if I have books to market! Writing comes first. I need to write consistently, as well as write more light-heartedly!

That is my goal and focus right now. My "JOCK" series has potential so I'm running with it. Readers love JOCK. Cole & Ellis, and Rob & Russell are funny. I need more funny. I'm working on Chris and Alonzo right now, hoping they will be a hit. (I really like them!)

We are all familiar with the SCALE, right?

I am shooting for a "2" for No! Josks Don't Date Guys. Whether or not IS a 2, I think I will have to ask my beta readers for their assessment as compared to My Roommate's A Jock? Well, Crap!
When I originally planned it, JOCK 2 was falling closer and closer to a 4. I am not supposed to be writing angst! It is so hard not to. So I changed some things and lost some words, and reshaped the angsty parts to be less strong. I don't need to kill my readers with a supposed comedy. Right? LOL!!!!

It is lighter now. I also reread my "blurb" to remind myself what the book is about. I think Blurbs are helpful, especially when they DO describe the content.

What is a sexy soccer stud supposed to do when “following family traditions” falls 180 degrees opposite his closeted ideal?

From birth, Chris Jackson had been schooled on how to land himself a cheerleader. After all, his father married one, and his father’s father before that. Heck, even his older brother married their father’s definition of a stereotypical cheerleader the summer before Chris went off to college. For two years, Chris dodged invasive questions about relationships by blaming his lack of female companionship on grueling practices and heavy coarse loads; but really, his lack of interest in girls period should have given the family a clue. It wasn’t until Chris mentioned meeting a boy that his father’s synapses short-circuited.

Alonzo Martin was anything but a buxom blond. From his black hair, combat boots, and trench coat, to his nail polish and guyliner, the mysterious introvert was not so easily persuaded to go on a date. Alonzo’s insecurities kept Chris at arm’s length, but even his painful past couldn’t compete with the charismatic jock’s winning smile and sense of humor.

When opposites attract, only cheerleaders and gummy bears can overcome fear and family traditions.

So… what do YOU think readers? Does this WORK for you?

Stop back on Tuesday. I hope to have internet enough to post an excerpt. Or are you on FB? Have you already read one? Tell me what you think?

HUGS :)