Nicholas Bate

On Writing, 41

A starter novel is around 95K words. That’s a lot of words. That’s a lot of story to hold in your head….

Re-read your story as you edit, add and change. It’s not time wasted: the more the complete saga is in your mind, the more you can avoid plot problems, see creative possibilities and establish consistent characters. 

Meet Molly. Story. Good read. Fable. 

Without Seven

1. without a dream there is no direction;
2. without a true friend there is no universe;
3. without a notebook there is no reflection;
4. without a challenge there is no ooomph;
5. without a sunrise there is no re-boot;
6. without a seashore or mountains or desert there is no perspective;
7. without a sunset there is no 'job well done'.

Cheap, Cheerful, Kindle.

Bags of Energy Now.  Re-build all the ooomph you need.

MBA on the Go. Start or re-focus your business.

Boost your Productivity. Get it done. Take less time. Know your priorities. Don't say yes when you mean no.

Go Home E-mail Free Push back on the digital interrupt.

Make Better Decisions More Often. Career? Money? Relationships? Yes or No? Now or later?

The Most Powerful Productivity Tips, 8

The Forward View.

At the time period change (end of day, end of week, end of month…), scan the diary; review the schedule. What’s coming up? What needs to be anticipated? What needs work now to avoid stress and or crisis later?

Always more detail in You, Only Better. 

On Writing, 40

If your writing is stalling, get out of your home base. 

Go write somewhere else, preferably somewhere it’s not so easy to keep ‘putting the kettle on’.

Go write. Anywhere but home.

Meet Molly. Story. Good read. Fable. 

Friday 36 Review

1. 25 Mini Standards.
2. The Writing Primer.
3. Meet Molly is now out. A love story. A parable. A good read.
   
4. How to Start your Very Own Business.
5. Instant Productivity.
6. Seven choices.
7. 22 Essentials.
8. How to Create your Home Office.
9. plus The Start Up Myths
10. Stay STRONG
11. Crazy Bold Experiments
12. Just say NO to PPT
13. The Marketing Primer.
14. You, Only Better, the book. 
15. Redundancy
16. Hunter-Gatherer 21C
17. Tackling Stress.
18. Manage that career
19. Be Bold 101
20. You still haven’t read Being The Best?! 
21. Things They Don’t Teach at Business School
22. the secrets of success
23. Life Tips 101
24. Zen & Art of Cubicle Freedom
25. Carnage At Kodak
26. The Very Best Drugs You Need
27. Billions of Light Years Away In Another Galaxy
28. 22 Routes To Your Non Fiction Book
29. Lists For The Life You Love
30. How To Lessen E-Mail Pain
31. Professionalism 101
32. 21 Ways to Improve your Zoom Conference Call.
33. Productivity Primer
34. 101, redux
35. The Basic Basics.
36. Not a single one made the NYT best-seller list. 

The Most Powerful Productivity Tips, 7

Don’t have separate work ‘to do’ and home ‘to do’ lists.

Have a ‘life’ list; then all activities get fair and just attention, prioritisation and scheduling. 

Always more detail in You, Only Better. 

Save Money Seven

1. Analyse where your money comes from. And where it goes.  Search those statements with forensic dexterity. Accept only 100% understanding. 
2. Set up a series of virtual 'jam jars'; pots of money for each of your needs: food, utilities, cinema, clothes, college...Only spend what's in the jam jar. Negotiate between the jars. Make the budgets fit. 
3. Re-negotiate everything: from broadband services to drum-kit insurance.
4. Decide some activities can go. OR have to go.
5. Clear debts with a plan. One possibility is in order of higher interest being imposed.
6. Food shop with a list. Food plan across several days to make best use of left-overs.
7. Create a savings account. And put money into it; even if it’s minuscule to start with. 

How to Get your Business Book published, 7

1. Don't just send the pitch (which is theoretically sufficient), send a sample chapter.
2. Double the data they ask for. If you are asked to fill in a template marketing plan, do more, so much more. Send in video interviews with your target market. Take a current best-seller and position against it. Show you are passionate about your creation.
3. Follow-up. Politely and persistently. They are vastly under-staffed. You have to get their rare attention onto your manuscript. Niceness will win the day.
4. Read this.
5. Take any feed-back you get to improve your submission next time.
6. Work out a way to guarantee the sales of 1000/2500/5000 books. Ears will prick up when they realise you are serious.
7. Show that you understand that you will own 95% of the selling and marketing of your book post publication. Because you will.

On Writing, 39

Write on the bus, the train, the tram.

It’s a reason budding authors prefer public transport.

As well as an opportunity to observe characters in action.

Meet Molly. Story. Good read. Fable.