Just so you have *something* to read, we’ll go ahead and have the Q&A time today instead of Tuesday. (Which means now I’m out of burning questions to respond to! Don’t leave me hanging–if you wanna know something, just ask!)

Post Super Saturday Writing Conference
Bill Clark asks:

QUESTION: How does one put a url into a comment? All I could do was type out Just Books’ url, but if there’s a way to make it into a link, I’d love to know about it!

ANSWER: I actually already answered this in the post thread, but just in case someone else also wants to know, I make a link by doing this:

<a href = “http://www.ericaridley.com”> Erica’s Site </a>

(Remember to include the “http://” for the link to work correctly!)

Post Good Karma Tuesday (5/22)
Robyn L asks:

QUESTION: I so hope you are doing everything and more whilst in Costa Rica; do enjoy to the fullest!!! Is this a fun trip?

ANSWER: Actually, I’m here on business! I’m being a jack-of-all-trades, doing translating (I lurve languages!) for a family on vacation, helping with their kids (doing Spanish immersion for them–they’re conversational, so it’s fun), being somewhat of a tour guide, helping with their computers as needed (because I have sysadmin stamped on my forehead *g) etc.

In my “free” time (har, har) I am keeping up with my regular client work on my laptop (which is extra fun with a dial up connection) and totally shirking my writing. (And sleep–I seem to be shirking that, too. *g)

Post Super Saturday Writing Conference
Catherine Avril Morris says:

COMMENT: In my experience it has seemed like if you did your homework and you’re pitching something that’s relatively in their ballpark (and where’d all this baseball imagery come from, anyway???), they’ll ask for at least a partial, just out of courtesy. And if they don’t, they’ll ask about your other projects. (Which is yet another good reason to write a few mss. before you start pitching.)

RESPONSE: This actually wasn’t a question, but I wanted to point it out because I second the importance of having a manuscript ready. The first time I pitched, I did not, and it was a mistake. It’s best to pitch something you can actually send if requested. Same with querying. No sense querying an agent if you can’t follow through. Why waste their time?

Post Good Karma Tuesday (5/22)
Tempest Knight asks:

QUESTION: What have I done to kill my writing karma? Hmm… how about stop writing?

ANSWER: No no no, don’t tell me that! Why have you stopped writing? As my CP Kel famously says, we all have at least 15 minutes a day to squeeze in a few paragraphs. We waste more than 15 minutes on a regular basis, right? If at all possible, why not choose how we fritter our time, and fritter it by typing our MSS? Here’s hoping you get re-bitten by the writing bug…

Post Good Karma Tuesday (5/22)
Miri asks:

QUESTION: Do you have any tricks for keeping yourself going on days that you just don’t want to write? Favorite daydreams? Sugary rewards? A mantra?

ANSWER: Wow, what a great question. I love questions that make me think. I’m not the best example at the moment, since I may write, well, never, while I’m in Costa Rica, but in general I’m really good about sticking to it.

Although I do love me some Ghirardelli (and Cadbury eggs of all flavors, when they’re in season) the thing that typically glues me to my seat for an hour or two every morning is the following mantra: “If I want to be a professional writer, I have to act like one.”

Seriously. It’s that simple. That’s all it takes to shame me to my computer. Sometimes I don’t feel like it because I’m sick or tired or bored or persnickety or have a headache, etc, but I tell myself those are whiny excuses. After all, would I refuse to go to work because I was bored? Or had a headache? Or stayed up too late the previous night? No, I would work. And writing is fun, but it’s also work. So I try to treat it that way. As a job.

I’m not getting paid for it, so I guess right now it’s more like an internship. *g Many professions actually have a period of unpaid internship before you can climb to paid career status, so I’m putting in my time. I wouldn’t blow off an internship like that using the excuses I try to give myself for non writing, so I don’t let myself blow off my soon-to-be writing career, either.

The only person who can make my dreams happen is me, and the only person who can stand in my way is me. I’m in control of me. That’s what you’ve gotta remember, regardless of what else is going on in your life. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, ultimately you’re the one in control of you.

And if you want to be a professional, then be a professional. If writing is a hobby, if Author is something we “wanna be” but don’t want to work toward, well, then we’ve got to be honest with ourselves about that. But if Author is part of our career plan, just like “doctor” or “scientist” or “paleontologist”, then we’ve got to study and work and practice and show up on time just like everybody else.

Some days the words come easy and some days they don’t. But I suppose some days-weeks-months the paleontologist sifts through dirt without finding valuable artifacts, but he doesn’t stop sifting. To stop sifting is to guarantee he never finds the treasure. And to sift intermittently–only on days he *feels* like it–is to postpone finding the treasure indefinitely. Every time I write the words “The End”, I get a jolt of adrenaline equal to finding any treasure, lemme tell ya! =) And I’ll only get there again and again if I keep writing. (The cadbury eggs are just gravy. *g)

Post Wednesday Update (5/23)
Lady Leigh asks:

QUESTION: How can you count the number of hits to your blog?

ANSWER: I use a free invisible tracking program called StatCounter. It logs page loads (the total number of times one of your pages was accessed), unique visitors (EX: maybe 10 unique visitors accessed a total of 20 different pages), number of repeat visitors, where they came from, which pages they clicked on, what they were wearing when they were clicking—okay, maybe not the last one. *g But a lot.

Also, I make sure to put a Blocking Cookie on every computer I use (through a Stat Counter control panel link) so that MY visits aren’t counted. Otherwise, it could look like I have thousands of page loads every month, when really it’s just me editing my typos. =) The blocking cookie prevents the stat counter from logging “hits” from that computer.

Post Good Karma Tuesday (5/22)
Tessa Dare says:

COMMENT: I actually read this last night, but I didn’t comment because that Sue Grafton story gave me the kick in the butt I needed to write. I’ve got a cold and was sitting there thinking, it would be so much easier to go to bed. Then I read your blog and realized – frosh med students are low on sleep, too. So I knuckled down and wrote out my 5 pages before I turned in. Thanks!

RESPONSE: Yay! I love to hear that. (Not the part about you having a cold–the part about you writing! *g)