One of the biggest new author tips I can offer is to organize!  Organize your thoughts, organize your work area, organize your documents, organize your backup files.  

This is a business, despite many feeling its more a hobby.  You owe taxes on your income revenue.  You need to maintain professional presentations and advertisements.  You need to back up your files, your computer, your finances.  This can be as simple or as complex as you like. 

First.  Organize your thoughts.  Whether you take that extra few minutes to jot down an outline or simply file things away in your mind, write them on sticky notes, or put them in a "thoughts" folder, this will help your word-count reach new heights, while at the same time allowing you to have inspiration on those days when your thoughts really aren't on erotica. 

Second.  Organize your work area.  Only you know how you work.  Do you need quiet? Music? Dark? Light? Do you work best at your desk? In your bed? At Starbucks?  Is it better for your desk to be clean or cluttered?  Do you always have to get up to get a glass of water before you're done?  Setting up a work area and organizing it to your liking will take away several excuses and allow you to focus on your writing.

Third (A).  Organize your documents (Writing).  The worst thing in the world is knowing you have written something and not being able to find it.  Sure you can do a "find" and hunt for it (if you can remember the title) but the more files on your computer the more time that takes and we all know time spent not writing gets us no where.  I have 2 main file folders on my pc that hold all my erotica stuff.  

1 is in my Documents folder titled "Lesa's Stuff" (shown below).  In that single folder I have many smaller folders including books by category like "Babysitter Books."  In each of these folders are the individual titles, neatly grouped in their own folders.  I also have a folder entitled, "Interviews" that include blog interviews I've done on various sites, and probably the most important folder "Lesa's Business."  It holds things like Financial reports, agreements with my editor and other contractors, and website information like blog ideas (like this one hehe.)  It also includes my "Book Help" which is where I keep my blurbs on book titles, my author information, and my inspiration.  

Please note also the "Scrapped" folder.  Don't delete your work. . . not any of it.   Some of my favorite pieces have come from reworks of my scrapped folder.  I am noticing that my books groups are starting to get large again - so I may create a subfolder entitled simply "Books" and put the categories in each of those.

Knowing exactly where all parts of my writing are located makes it easy to grab anything I need with a single click.  I never spend time looking for a particular file because I know exactly where everything is.  Organize your writing in a way that makes sense to you.  If you find your blurbs should always be right with your individual book do it that way.  If you want a specific order to things that aren't working alphabetically ad a 1 in front of it, this will bring it to the top always.

Third (B). Organize your documents (Art).  I have a separate place for my artwork for multiple reasons, one my writing folder was quickly big, and two my art is typically done on a different time than my writing, third pictures in the "Pictures" folder makes sense to me, forth the only time I find myself working in both folders at once is when I'm actually publishing and I typically open a lot of files when I'm publishing. 

My pictures are simply loaded in under "Lesa" in my picture's documents.  I have four major sub-categories, Business Stuff, Cover Art, Inspiration, and Website, each of those is broken down further as well.

The Cover Art section is the most organized because it has the most stuff.  My "Book Covers in the Making" category has the title I am currently working on.  The photo I chose to be on my cover (in this case the canstockphoto - wacker.jpg) is saved in its original format.  I never erase the download information given with stock photo sites like CanStock or Dreamstime - often its the easiest way to look up that photo later.  After the information they send with it add the photographer's name so you can easily credit them in your book.  In this case the photographer's name is "wacker." (Hey I didn't choose it haha!) 

I also NEVER work on the original.  Because I wanted a ghost oh my cover making love with my leading lady I spent a lot of time and effort to ghost him, saving several times under different names in order for me to go back if I didn't like something I had done.  If you haven't worked a lot in Photoshop or Gimp it can be intimidating working with the layers and tweaking photos.  Saving multiples allows for adjustments should you not like it.  These stay in this category until it is fully uploaded and on sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  

Also in the cover art section are fonts.  I downloaded a package of 10,000 fonts.  This ensure that I have the rights to them and don't need to spend a lot of extra time on dafont.com looking for free fonts that aren't only free for personal use, which 90% are.  

I also have a "Possibles" folder which is filled with photos I have found and downloaded on free for you days (these still give me the rights but are entirely free.  They don't always fit or get used, but they're free and usable.)

The Used category is full of individual folders for each completed and published title that I've done.  These are uploaded fully and only here as backup or to use on various promotional sites.   

Fourth.  Organize your backup files.  I have my "ex" (External drive) that I upload on occasion with my books.  For anyone that's ever lost a file of any length they will attest to the importance of backups.  Typically you don't need backup upon backup - I have them saved on my laptop, my ex, and in my gmail correspondence with my editor.  The likelihood of needing more than that is slim.

Anyone that's ever had a 9 to 5 knows the curse of Monday Morning, waking up earlier than you did all weekend, frustrated you don't get the love-making with your partner because you're scheduled at work in twenty minutes and its a fifteen minute drive, and nothing feels right, tastes right, or is great. 

The weekend however. . . ah the weekend!

Yesterday we spent the day making love, preparing delicious meals, and preparing our house for winter.  My husband cleaned our chimney, all the babies toys were picked up and put away, our wood pile was straightened and organized for quick and easy fire building once the snows hit.  My book sales recovered from the inevitable slowing they do during the week.  I even broke a personal record on Deep: A Rape Fantasy.  In general it was a perfect weekend. 

The good thing about Monday's though is that it gets me back to writing, lets me contemplate the new. . . inspiration I enjoyed with my husband this weekend.  It allows me to remember that while my paycheck is not as large as I hope it will be some day I am fulfilling my dreams.  I am working toward my goals.  And my progress, while slow, is progress.

Its Halloween and what Halloween would be complete without Michael Jackson's Thriller?

Halloween has long had a tradition of scary, but there is also a general consensus growing that its sexy too.  We've all seen the barely-there sexy adult costumes around, and as Buffy said in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "its come as you aren't night."  Someone who is normally demure and innocent can totally pull out the sex.  Just as someone who is usually a bit more in touch with their sexy wiles can innocent up, in their own sexy way.

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but in Denver every weekend all weekend there are sexy parties going on.  Hallowfreakinween, Haunted Hotel, and the Victorian Fetish Ball to name a few.  

The fun of mixing sex, naughty, and scary together is its own genre, Science Fiction Horror authors like Laurell K. Hamilton and Stephen King are know for blending the three in beautiful and terrifying ways.

Bringing horror, fantasy, and science fiction together in erotica is no new trick (Did you see Delilah Fawkes' Monster Sex Bundle?) but its a fun challenge for any erotic author to take a subject that was once chosen as horror and fright and make it sex and eroticism.  Here are mine:

Being a professional writer can cause a massive headache of words.  Many writers have word goals or page goals in order to meet their novel or output goal.  Since most writers work from home those goals can sometimes be put aside in favor of laundry, taking children to the park, Facebook, dinner, and that show you've been waiting for on TV.  If your family relies on you for certain things words can be "justifiably" put on the wayside to put your family first.

I find that my output has greatly suffered since my daughter stopped taking naps, there is always more to do with a three year old on the loose.  Finding ways to stay focused while she is entertained come in spots of maybe an hour, but typically closer to 30 minutes, or the time it takes for her to watch a cartoon.  I find that I need to set up certain points in order to help me stay focused.

Here's what I do - let me know what you do to stay focused for your chance to win a $5 Gift Card to Amazon!  (Please be sure to put in your email so I can get it to you!)

1.) Set aside or fulfill your distractions.  I start my day by getting my 3 year old breakfast and a show.  While she eats I get my blog out (If I'm doing one that day.)  This ensures that she's happy and distraction free for at least a half hour, while also being happy and cared for.  Laundry is also another easy one to do throughout the day, set it and forget it for an hour.      

2.) "Go to work."  An environment change helps me remember I am at work, despite the fact that I'm still sitting in my living room.  My favorite is to turn on some music.  Something mood setting and not overpowering.  But if you aren't a music writer, try a candle, or water fountain.  Not only does will this help me remember I'm writing, but it also is an indication to my family.  They hear my music and know I'm not ignoring them, I'm working.

3.) Come up with a plan.  What piece will you work on?  What scenes are you hoping to get through? Are you introducing a new character - whats his name and stats?  If you are having difficulties staying focused during your writing period, write these out beforehand in a quick outline so you know where you are going.

4.) Open your document.  I know this is ridiculously silly, obvious, and simple, but you have to have your work available to work on it.  My biggest problem is I sit down at my computer and the first things I open are Facebook and Farmville.  Not conducive to getting words on the page.  If you are starting a new piece get it set up and organized the way you like, save it before hand so you can just hit ctrl+s on occasion without breaking your flow. 

5.) Set up "break times" typically a work day out of the home goes for 2 hours, has a 15 minute break, goes for 2 hours, has a lunch break, goes for 2 hours, 15 minute break, 2 hours and done.  Obviously the point of working at home is the flexibility, but giving yourself a gentle schedule will help you put off getting your coffee until your "coffee break"

6.) If your pen or keyboard is still not functioning take some time to look for inspiration or free write, but set a goal time of when you'll try writing for work again, I usually go about 15-20 minutes for these inspirational moments.

I LOVE the Holidays.  There I said it.  Every one of them from Christmas to Ground Hogs Day.  I love the frivolity, the decorations, the excuse to party!  So a lot of my pieces take place on or near a holiday even my fantasy pieces that take place on an entire different world include holidays.

As a writer I am inspired by and enjoy writing about them.  In most cases however they are not the driving factor to the story, A Voyeur's Gift absolutely, A Night With Them Both, not so much.  But I've received a few questions on which pieces have holiday themes, and since I am an indie publisher and do everything by myself I thought I'd try an experiment.  

So I have created "The stamp."  A simple little photo with a holiday plastered on it that I'll stamp onto my holiday themed stories.  So if you are a lover of the holidays hunt them down! 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to wander a corn maze with my lover, as we turned down aisle after aisle semi-secluded in the thick corn husks, far enough away from others that the only sounds we could hear was the wind rustling in the stalks my hubby said, "Would you ever consider wandering off the path and doing it?"

I have started my morning with a glass of nice iced coffee, a pumpkin bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and 1/3 of my collection being bought by someone on B&N.

I have lists of what I need and want to do right now.  Long, full lists.  They include everything from Halloween Costumes, to Birthday Party planning, to Christmas present making, to scrubbing and cleaning my entire house.  But at the moment all I want to do is write.

I have started a hot and steamy new erotica about a young man who was blinded during a Hockey fight.  He is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters and I haven't even reached the sex parts!  I also have a quickie series in my head based on nurses and their patients.  So look forward to both of those!

I am having to plan ahead a lot right now as many things have firm deadlines (MIL is coming tonight house MUST be clean, etc).  But even with planning ahead it seems unlikely I will be able to hit things as quickly and smoothly as I'd like and knock everything off my list.  Organization has always been a strong suit in theory and a difficulty in practice for me (haha), so we'll see how it goes.  What do you do when you feel the pressure of deadlines and too much to do?

With the latest 50 Shades' announcement: Kelly Marcel has been assigned to adapt the books for film I thought I would discuss the idea of Expanding Your Business.  

The idea that you have to spend money to make money has been around since business was created, and while writing and indie publishing erotica has cut a good portion of our costs down, there are still certain things that will tap our account.  I've already discussed my desire to keep close to the black.  I didn't want to go into debt with this business until I could ensure that I would bring in enough to break even soon enough.  Frankly I am a risk averse person and we were not in a place we could risk funds like that. 

Its been almost a year and while I'm not touring Europe on my paycheck I have completely reimbursed my initial start up fees for my lap top, editor, covers, fonts, the few pieces of advertising I have set up.  I am currently looking into hiring a web-assistant.  Someone to check through my links and ensure they're active and correct, to give me feedback, and to help me with some extra advertising here and there around the web.  But again the risk averse person within me is saying "this is stuff you do!"  But it takes away from my writing, reducing my output and creativity with more analytic type work.  

With each business decision there are pros and cons, and a level of risk, taking time to think them through before diving in and possibly wasting a bunch of money.  When I'm faced with a decision I set up a goal, a cancellation deadline, and a baseline.  

For example - another avenue I'm looking into is web ads on a popular website.  The pros are that it is relatively cheap, has no cancellation fees if it doesn't work, the trial period could be as long or as short as I like.  The cons are that while it would advertise to my web presence and help me expand my blog and my site I don't know if it will directly influence sales, plus all my advertising thus far has been free, and stepping into the world of paid advertising means that I will have more money I need to make to stay in the black.  I have decided that I will set up a 2 month trial, with the goal of reaching 500 "new" views on my pages.

In the end my decisions are based on my overall goals for my business.  Views may not instantly translate to sales, but without views people won't know about my works.  

I don't know if it is the warmth of aligning my body with my sleeping husband's at 2:30 in the morning or if insomnia and quiet make the atmosphere perfect for me.  Some of my best brainstorming comes in these early pre-dawn hours.  Letting my mind wander in and out and around dreams and books. 

Brainstorming is an important part of writing, taking the time to let ourselves dance with the muse.  Inspiration can be all around us, but if we're not taking time to allow it to seep in and truly inspire then we'll be hit by that dreaded writer's block!