Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

Image: Ambro Sometimes it's a picture taken at an unexpected time (you know, the one where you say to your friend, "Please don't post that on Facebook"), sometimes it's a news report about the dangers of "belly fat", and sometimes it's just another pair of pants that just won't seem to button without Herculean effort, whatever it is, it's telling you, it's time to DO Something. No, you didn't just stumble onto a weight-loss or fitness blog; I'm still the Excuse Editor, but I'm also a late 30-something woman who is realizing the importance of listening to the clues from her body, mind, and world around her. And the memo from my choice of skirts with elastic waistbands started to read much like the writing on the wall from my writing procrastination days. The Excuse Editor Steps To Writing Fitness You know you need to work out when there's too much of you to fit into YOUR jeans. You know you need to get writing wh...

During my "buzz-session" at the OWFI conference, I talked about how important it was to not squander the time and money spent on conferences, classes, and coaching. The frugal part of me related it to a gym membership. When I am paying an annual or monthly fee, I want to get my money's worth! Say I pay $50 a month. If I go 3 times a week, it's like paying about $4 each time; but if I go 5 times each week, I get the same gym benefits for only $2.50 a visit! What a bargain! I get healthier and can be a cheapskate at the same time! Here are a few hints to help you get a healthy impact from your already spent conference dollars: Start immediately. I met one writer who actually skipped a few of the Saturday sessions because he was so inspired to write and attempt to fill a whole in his novel. That may be too soon for most of us, but the idea is sound: Get moving before the afterglow starts to fade. If one of your goals was to get back into the habit of writing, do...

Flying Words You made it! You may have had to wrap up your day job duties or make sure your current deadlines were met before traveling a few hours or longer, but you are finally at the writer's conference. More than likely, the money has already been spent (or is weighing down your credit card), so do what you need to do to make it worthwhile (and get that ROI, return on investment)! To Boldly Go... Don't shy away from unfamiliar subjects. Sure, there are the tried and true topics that you are positive you will get something out of. That's great, unless it is your 3 rd " Create your own e-book " session in as many years and you have yet to reformat a single word file into html or research an e-publisher.

Last time, I gave the example of spending $1000 on a writer's conference. In this and the next few posts, I will give you some ideas of getting your money's worth (or ROI, Return On Investment), above and beyond what you learn while you are shivering in those overly air-conditioned meeting rooms. You've planned your writing conference trip. You know the location, you've browsed the break-out sessions and weighed the pros and cons of choosing one over the other. OK. What else can you do, before the conference, that will maximize your investment, and provide the best returns for your writing? Put the "Social" in Social Media Facebook , Linked In , Twitter , Goodreads, your blog ... You may have virtual friends in one or all of these. Find out if any of your writing buddies are attending. Put the word out that you are heading to the conference when you sign up, a few weeks prior, and immediately before you go. Discuss the breakout sessions. If you are truly t...