I have some wonderful news. After years of not being able to participate, I’m finally going to do Nanowrimo this year!

You might be wondering why I didn’t participate the last few years. I sure talked enough about it and support it to everyone and anyone.

The reasons were pretty simple. I always seem to find myself editing when November comes around, so I normally participate in NanoEdmo. If you’re editing this November, I can’t suggest it enough.

The second reason was that in the past I was under the impression that I would need to tye up my rough draft in order to participate. Keep in mind, I have to write my rough drafts long hand. Typing rough drafts just doesn’t work for me.

So every year I wish I could participate, then decide I can’t.

This year, I decided that I wanted to do Nano, so I’m going to do it. I checked out the Nanowrimo website to see what they say about writing your rough draft long hand. Turns out they have a very specific way to deal with that sort of thing. Don’t know why I never did this before.

So, I’ll be participating in Nanowrimo this year, and I hope you are too. If so,I’ve made a rough timeline that you might like to follow, from preperation right now to December first. This is mostly what I’ll be following, with one exception. The husband and I are going on a mini vacation the weekend before Thanksgiving.

This week (What’s left of it) Take a look at your commitments for November and see what you need to do to participate.

October 15-21- Finish up any outstanding projects to clear your plate.

October 22-28- Take this week to finish up anything you couldn’t last week. Then, start outlining and brainstorming your novel.

October 29- November 4- Finish up any planning you need to do before you start your novel. Then, write 6,668 words.

November 5-11- Write 11,669 words. I’ll be doing some writing sprints on Monday and Tuseday on Facebook if you want to join me. I’ll list the times on Sunday.

November 12-18- Write 11,669 words. Again.

November 19-25- Write11,669 words. Don’t feel discouraged, you can do this!

November 26- December 2- Finish strong with the last  8,335 words. Then, reintroduce yourself to your family. They probably miss you.

So that’s it! Let me know if you’ll be joining me in Nanowrimo this year.

I’ve been learning a lot about the business side of writing recently, thanks to my sudden fascination with podcasts. I’m learning about AMS ads, how to use Instagram better, and how to write faster, tighter pieces.

The best thing I’ve learned, by far, is that I’m not a special snowflake as a hybrid writer.

If you’ve never heard me use that phrase before, or if you’re just not familiar with it, it means that I am traditionally published and self-published.

Surprise, I’m no special. But, this is so much better. First off, it means that this is a viable career path. Even better it means that I’m on the path of writers that I admire. Great writers, like Kevin J. Anderson. You know, one of the best Star War authors ever.

I love that other hybrid authors do it for the same reason I always have.

I publish traditionally because it’s a way to gain notoriety. Publishing companies also do a lot of the work for you and take on almost all of the financial risks. But they also get to make major decisions. They can dictate a lot of what you do with your work. They can get rights of first refusal for other books and even partially own your characters. Please read your contract carefully before you sign it.

I actually haven’t experienced any of this personally. My publisher, Solstice, has always done right by me. They work hard to advertise, their editors are wonderful, and they are quick to get back with me on any question. They’ve also never asked me to change a thing about my books, which was the big thing for me.

Self-publishing is a little more wild, a little more dangerous. It involves investing money, sometimes a good amount of money. It involves a lot of time doing writing work that has nothing to do with writing. It involves a lot of long days and not a lot of sleeping. For me, it involves roping a spouse in to do a ton of tech stuff.

It means that I am completely in control, though. The editing, the cover, the advertising, the distribution. It’s all on me, and whatever team I put together. Because, of course, writing requires a team. (More on that in a future blog post.)

Doing both though, it’s the best of both worlds. I can put out Station 86 books as quick as I can create them, while Woven books go through a traditional publisher.

The only problem is, this only works if you’re not writing just one continuing series. For someone like me, who gets bored, this works really well. At least it has so far.

If you have the sort of temperament to do that sort of thing, or if you don’t write series, being a hybrid author is a smart way to stay flexible. And, in a field that keeps changing day after day, flexibility is crucial for survival. (Sorry for the drama. I’m watching American Horror Story.)

So what do you think? Are you a hybrid author, or do you have a preference for one camp or the other? Let us know in the comments below.

I do a post like this occasionally, but it’s the sort of thing that needs to be updated occasionally. Blogs come and go. Sadly, some of my favorites have gone, but some great new ones have come. And, the last time I did a post like this, it didn’t include podcasts. I listen to more podcasts than anything these days, because I can do it when I’m doing other things. Like editing blog posts, for example. I’ve also been reading a few newsletters regularly for a good time now. So I’ll share those as well.

Some of these are directly related to writing and book marketing. Some are educational or inspiring. Some are just fun.

One way or another, here are the blogs and newsletters I’m reading, and the podcasts I’m listening to right now.

Blogs

Thrive is actually the most recent blog I’ve started following, after hearing about it on a podcast I’ll be telling you about later. It’s from a company called Thrive Global, founded by Arianna Huffington. Thrive is all about getting a good night’s sleep, and having a balanced, exceptional life. I love that theory, taking care of ourselves so we can be great.

Three recent posts from Thrive are I’m a divorced parent, can I raise happy kids? Why we need to talk about lawyer’s mental health now and Your environment affects this aspect of your health more than you realize.

Little Coffee Fox is a blog about bullet journals, calligraphy, and other paper arts. It’s my chill down blog, that I read pretty much only for pleasure. Bullet journals are a great way to keep your life in order, but they’re also a really fun hobby. This site has reviews, hand drawing examples, meditation advice, and bullet journal how to’s.

Three recent posts from Little Coffee Fox are A comprehensive Lamy Safari Fountain pen review, High-end highlighters, a Zebra Mildliner review, and Free October 2018 Calendar Printable for your bullet journal. I downloaded it, it’s very pretty.

I’ve been following Boho Berry for a good long time now. It’s a great resource for inspiration, business advice, journaling, calendars, and organization. I really love her stuff. She runs all sorts of challenges every month, has a book club, and posts some of the best Youtube videos about planning, fountain pens, virtual and physical planners.

Three recent posts from Boho Berry are September Book Club, Year of Yes, Boho Berry Challenge, September, and August Book Club, You are a badass.

I’m of two minds about adding Marketing Creativity to this list. On the one hand, I love this blog and have read it for years. I buy her planner every year, which means I’m looking at this woman’s work literally every single day. At the same time, she hasn’t posted anything since July. Now, she’s got kids, so maybe she’s just really freaking busy. But her work is solid, and if you’re trying to run an online business, this is one you want to follow. I just hope she’s okay.

Three recent-ish blog posts from Marketing Creativity are How The 30-90 Rule Affects Your Business, Where Do You Want To Be in One Year, and Make An Average

Finally, I’m sure you’ve seen me share The Middle Finger Project blog posts on social media all the time. I hardly know where to start with this one. Ash Ambridge is irreverent, vulgar, fearless, amazing! She lives exactly how she wants to live, isn’t afraid of literally anything, and inspires me to be the same.

Three recent blog posts from The Middle Finger Project are Sometimes Wonderful Can Still be Heavy, Know Who Your Haters Are, and One Big Sexy Question for Instant Clarification On: What the Hell Do I Want To Do With My Life?

Podcasts

I’m trying to include more science in my science fiction. 60-second science is helping. It’s a quick listen, put out by Scientific American. It’s a great, quick listen, and it helps me learn something new every weekday.

Listening to Sci-fi & Fantasy podcast is great, but it does have one serious drawback. I keep stopping whatever I’m doing to write down new marketing ideas. Hosted by three successful indie writers, this podcast has become rather an obsession of mine. Most weeks they’ll have on a guest, like Brian Meeks who talked about AMS ads!

If you’re all about the hustle, like me, you’ve got to be listening to Skimm’d From The Couch. (I’m a writer, but I want to be a well-fed writer, damn it.) The hosts have on a different businesswoman every week, talking about what it’s really like to reach the top today. I’m always learning new things from this podcast, and constantly getting new inspiration. This is the podcast that I’m constantly stopping so I can share something I’ve learned with the first person I see.

I purely listen to Lore for entertainment purposes. Aaron Mahnke tells spooky, real-life stories that are the basis of some of our favorite horror tales. And he’s everywhere now! Not only do I look forward to every new episode of the Lore Podcast, but I also watched the whole first season of Lore on Amazon Prime in the span of a week. Season two is coming out on the 19^th of this month. But you can listen to over 95 episodes of the podcast right now.

If you’re not listening to Bad With Money, you might feel a little better about the money world than I do. But I am more realistic about money, how I handle it, and why I’m so bad about it! Listening to Bad With Money is like having a cranberry and vodka with a friend and bitching about how freaking hard it is to make money, use it well, and not spend our whole lives screwing up with it.

Finally, if you’ve been reading Paper Beats World for any amount of time, you know I love Writing Excuses. Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor teach writing so well, I would easily compare it to actually sitting in at a writing class. Each of these authors is established, traditionally published, and honored by their peers. If you want to be a writer, or if you want to be a better writer, then listen to this podcast. It’s only 15 minutes long because we’re in a hurry.

Newsletters

I already mentioned Skimm’d From The Couch. The Skimm is the daily newsletter that is the actual focus of that company. I read this newsletter every morning on the way to work, and I love it. I get a quick overview of the news of the day in an entertaining way. While I do read and watch a lot of news and political sources through the day, this is my first step into it in the morning. Kind of my version of the paper over my cup of coffee.

Finally, you might remember me talking about By Regina as a blog before. But she’s grown away from the blog and has started moving toward sending out advice packed newsletters for people who want to be professionals online. Let me rephrase that. This newsletter is for people who want to be wild, spontaneous, work all the time because you love it, be a crazy bohemian but at the same time get your job done and have money for dinner. I love everything Regina does, and have taken a ton of her classes. She’s hilarious, by the way. When you’re marketing your book, and you don’t want to feel like a boring business person or suck all the soul out of your writing, read this newsletter.

I hope this helps you find content that helps you, inspires you, or entertains you. There are so much good out there, and so many amazing voices. I’m happy that you come here twice a week to hear mine. I’m excited to share my favorite with you.

Want to be  better writer? Want to get ready for NaNoWrimo? Click here to sign up for the 10 Days Of Lists event. Starting on October 20th, we’ll learn about making creative lists, start world building, and give you writing inspiration for years to come.

Click here to sign up today.

I talk a lot about writing on this site. Duh, that’s fifty percent of why I started it. PBW is about stories, writing and reading them if you’re new.

So, today, I want to talk to you about lists.

Lists are a great tool for writers. They help you get your head in order, which can sometimes be difficult. Lists drive you past the initial thoughts, which can often be echoes of others words.

When you make a list, you are stretching your writing mind in new ways, like practicing yoga.

That’s why I’m hosting a ten-day challenge to help you learn to write lists. This will take place in the last ten days of October. So, if you’re planning to participate in NaNoWriMo, this can be a great way to get started.

Click here to sign up now.

For ten days, I’ll send you an email that gives you a prompt to create a list to 100. I’ll also be hosting the PBW Facebook page, where we can discuss our lists and grow together as writers.

I hope you’ll join me in the 10 Days of Lists writing challenge, starting on October 20th.

Animaniacs is coming back next year, did you know that? I’m so freaking excited, I might just explode! Yes, I am one of those Millennials that cling to the cartoons of their childhood. And you know what? I’m totally okay with that.

Animaniacs taught me so many life lessons that are as applicable to my life as a thirty-two-year-old woman as they were when I was a skinny kid watching the show.

So let’s spin the wheel of morality and talk about the eight lessons Animaniacs taught me.

Don’t be afraid to be who you are

Do you remember Dot’s Poetry Corner? The show would sometimes open with a visit. Dot would get up on stage, tell a satirical poem, and then everyone would clap. I want to have the courage of Dot, to get up on stage and read something I’ve written. It’s so much more direct than what I do. Sure, I post my work twice a week and publish books. That doesn’t mean that I can handle reading it in front of other people. Hell, I don’t even like watching other people read something I wrote.

Dot does not give a damn. She jumps right up there and starts reading. She and her brothers have no stage fright, no fear of anything, and no concept of personal boundaries. While I don’t really want to jump into a stranger’s arms, I would love to not feel like everyone is judging me. I see you, lady standing behind me at the farmers market. Yes, I am buying all these cheese stuffed olives. What do you have to say to me about it?

Famous people should not be intimidating

The number of people who the Animaniacs got to meet is amazing. We saw Julius Ceaser, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna. And they just didn’t treat them any differently than anyone else. They usually hit on them and made their lives miserable. But there was sure no sense of awe.

To compare this, I got giggly and nervous when I met the actors from The Scare House.

Good music is amazing

I can trace my love of music directly to Animaniacs. Let me explain why, by introducing you to a woman named Bernadette Peters. She’s a Tony award-winning Broadway singer. She also happens to play Rita, from the Rita and Runt skits. They were always my favorite. I would say Les Miseranimals was my all time favorite Animaniacs skits.

This early introduction to not only music but quality music made a difference in my life that I still feel today. It’s given me an expectation of excellence that pretty much guaranteed that I was always going to value good musical artists. It probably also led to my love of musicals. So we can blame this for my Hamilton obsession. Sorry about that.

Education doesn’t have to be boring

Public school seems designed to kill any fun learning can have. I swear the only reason my generation learned anything was Bill Nye and Animaniacs. (I have the highest respect for teachers, they’re just constrained by stupid syllabuses that they don’t get to write and shackled by shitty budgets. School boards suck, teachers are superheroes. Don’t ever forget it.)

But I learned so much History from Animaniacs! I learned about Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, Einstein figuring out E=MC2. I learned the states capitals and the countries of the world. And I had fun doing it! Why can’t we have a few songs about doing your taxes and setting up a realistic budget?

Women are horny, too

Yako and Wacko Warner were right little skirt chasers. You’d never see a character on a modern cartoon yell “Helloooo Nurse!” jump into a curvy woman’s arms, and kiss her on the cheek.

Here’s the thing, though, Dot was just as bad. She would hoot, cover an attractive male in kisses, and even made some rather raunchy jokes about fingerprints. (Finger Prince)

How often do we see that? How many times are girls taught, “Hey, sometimes you’re going to have a horny reaction to an attractive guy. And that doesn’t mean you’re wrong, bad or a slut. It just means you’re a non-asexual, straight person.”

No, we don’t teach girls that. We teach boys that and teach girls to be little ladies. Ladies, we all know, don’t want to have sex. Yay, double standards!

People in authority should be mocked, it’s good for them

Right in the opening credits, the Animaniacs made fun of Bill Clinton playing his saxophone. It’s hilarious. No one’s safe, no one. They even had the Holy Family in one Christmas episode. Though, they were nicer to Mary and Joseph than they were to Einstein.

We need to remember that mocking politicians is a long, time-honored American tradition that should never, ever be allowed to die. This goes for politicians we like and the ones we hate. We should teach all kids to mock so that they feel comfortable questioning. We should always question those who rule over us.

Hanging onto old grudges is a terrible idea.

Spoiler alert! Not really, everyone saw this coming. There was one episode that was sort of a Lifetime Achievement Awards Ceremony for the Warners. In it, we meet their old co-star, who wants to drop an anvil on them and kill them. But it turns out that they love him, and are so excited to see him again! They charmingly invite him on stage, saying he has to share this award with them because they never could have gotten where they were without him. He accepts their invitation, only to stand under the anvil himself, becoming its actual victim.

Don’t hold onto grudges, it just gets you an anvil in the head.

Being an asshole will always get you punished

This was a lesson that Slappy Squirrel taught us over and over. She takes on old villains from her cartoons, people who disturb her sleep, hippies who play music near her tree (Who is on stage! That’s what I’m asking ya’!) and anyone who threatens her nephew, Skippy. She is not cruel, or mean-spirited. She simply makes sure that people who are evil to her get what’s coming to them.

I hope I’ve given you some great reminders about a show that was canceled before its time. I can’t wait to see the new show.

Since I shared my favorite skit with you, I’d love to hear yours! Let us know in the comments what Animaniacs skit is still with you today.

Want to be  better writer? Want to get ready for NaNoWrimo? Click here to sign up for the 10 Days Of Lists event. Starting on October 20th, we’ll learn about making creative lists, start world building, and give you writing inspiration for years to come.

Click here to sign up today.