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April 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: Authors Can’t Do It All Alone… Luckily They Don’t Have To: How & Why All Authors Should Grow Their Publishing Team

This article, written by Kate Tilton is from the April 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

When publishing a book, an author has a whole team of people to help them take that manuscript from first draft to finished product. Both traditional and indie authors will have a variety of professionals—agents, editors, formatters, cover designers, and early readers—to help the author along the way.

These days, however, everything else that goes into being a career author ends up on the author’s plate, including managing the website, social media, book events and travel, career planning and strategy, business admin and accounting, and so much more.

Whether an author publishes with a traditional house or goes indie, or does a little of both, much of the job of an author is left up to the author alone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Authors can and should grow their publishing team, as a well-rounded team will help an author with the business side as well as the craft side. Doing this can save authors valuable time and help authors earn more in the long run.

Why hire help?

Just because authors can do a task does not mean it is cost effective. This is not as cut and dry as other industries, as authors do not make an income based on hourly services but by selling their products (books). The more quality books an author produces, the greater their income can become. Hiring others to take on things that keep them from writing can mean a bigger income at the end of the year.

Teams also offer support and encouragement. Publishing, no matter what route an author takes, can be tough. Unlike family and friends, having business professionals on the team offers a different kind of support. They know what it is like to be a part of this industry and can relate better to an author’s struggle.

These professionals may also be better than the author—at least when it comes to certain things. Having insider knowledge makes publishing professionals better suited to offer guidance and problem-solve for an author’s particular needs. A consultant may be better at planning a launch strategy. An assistant may be able to make better looking newsletters or promotional graphics. A social media manager may understand policy changes better.

Avoid common pitfalls when hiring help.

The common pitfalls when hiring help boil down to one big pit with many ways to fall into it. But in essence, it’s about hiring the wrong person.

Pay attention to the five pitfalls below to help avoid this.

Pitfall 1

The author hires a consultant when they need an assistant (or a publicist when they need a consultant, or an assistant when they need a consultant, and so on).

To avoid this trap, when an author decides to hire help, first they should figure out what things they need help with.

If feeling overwhelmed by all the publishing advice out there and not knowing what to do, a publishing consultant may be the right fit.
If an author has admin and basic marketing tasks (i.e. managing a launch team, newsletters, social media), an assistant or social media manager may be who they need.
If an author wants to get on TV, radio, and/or other traditional media, they likely need a publicist.

Before beginning any search, authors should write down where they are struggling so they can identify the right type of service provider needed. Make a list of specific action items or goals, For instance, one could be to release a monthly newsletter and build a street team. Seeing the list in full will help avoid wasting time contacting the wrong type of professional and makes the entire process easier.

Pitfall 2

The author hires a person who doesn’t have the skills they need.

There are different types of professionals, but in each profession there are also different skill sets.

For example, there are a wide variety of tasks assistants can do. However, some assistants do not work on marketing strategy. If marketing is something the author needs, they may do better by looking for a consultant who can help with creating the strategy and then hire an assistant to execute the strategy.

Another example—if an author wants someone to manage their Instagram account, the author should look for someone who can post photos that will attract readers of their genre.

With the list in hand from pitfall number one, authors should take a few minutes to research the skills of each potential team member and look for those who match their needs. Most service providers will list their skills on their website. Authors can use these lists to compare the offerings of each service provider. Doing this will help an author avoid hiring someone who can’t provide the services needed, saving everyone time, money, and the headache.

Pitfall 3

An author hires someone without enough or the right kind of experience.

If a potential team member lists the skills the author is looking for on their site, the next step is for an author to see if the team member has the experience needed.

If the author needs someone who can do a task without much direction, they will want someone with more experience.

Authors should also consider the experience in terms of what type of books and authors the professional works with.

For example, an indie author may want someone who works with indies. In another example, if an author is looking for a publicist, the author will want someone with media connections relevant to the author’s genre. A publicist who works primarily with business books is probably not a good fit for a romance author. It seems like a no-brainer, but is a common pitfall.

Authors can avoid experience issues by asking other authors for recommendations, and then ask the potential team member about both current and past work experience, and any book acknowledgments. It is also a good idea to check references if possible.

Pitfall 4

The author hires a “bad apple.”

There are many wonderful professionals in publishing. There are also some bad apples. Authors should do due diligence to avoid hiring someone who is not a professional.

Authors can check the professional’s website and social media to look for red flags such as lots of errors or poor formatting. There are also resources like Writer Beware and the Alliance of Independent Authors’ service ratings. Not every professional is reviewed, but this step can help authors avoid bad apples.

Pitfall 5

After hiring, the author and professional do not get along/cannot communicate well.

Working with a professional is a partnership. For a successful team, communication is crucial. Authors should also want to build a team of professionals they enjoy working with.

This can be difficult to figure out before starting to work with someone, but there are steps an author can take:

Is there a written contract? If so, what does it spell out for each side? Make sure you are comfortable with the terms.
Before hiring, check out the provider’s social media, website, and newsletter to look for any similar interests and if the provider seems like someone worth working with. Is the provider professional?
If wanting to start small, consider doing a smaller project or consultation before hiring long-term. Some professionals offer free consultations, others have paid one-time consultations (often this depends on their demand and experience). This could be a good litmus test.
Make communication expectations known. Discuss how communication will happen (email, phone calls, Skype, text, messenger) and when (what days are work days). Discuss how a professional can get in touch in case of something urgent and vice versa.

How to find help to hire?

Once an author knows the kind of help they are looking for, they can begin their search by:

Asking their author friends for recommendations.

Picking up a copy of The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide by Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent, which is a directory of publishing professionals.
Using online resources like Author E.M.S. (a list of different professionals), Reedsy (an online marketplace connecting authors with professionals), Kate Tilton's author assistant resource page (for more information about assistants).
Getting connected with a free mentor through MicroMentor.
Getting free small business coaching through the SBA. Check out the Small Business Administration for more.

Please note, hiring a team is a process and can take time. Professionals, depending on experience, will have different price points and hourly/weekly rates, retainers, and billing. Be sure to discuss each before hiring.

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Kate Tilton has been helping authors since 2010. Founder of Kate Tilton’s Author Services, LLC, Tilton helps authors of all stripes navigate the publishing world and connect with readers. She is a contributor to The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide and appeared in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Novelists Inc’s Nink, Kobo Writing Life and The Book Designer. Tilton presented at Book Expo America, Penned Con, Novelists, Inc., among other venues.

March 19, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: Creativity Hacks

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the March 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Anyone who has tried and succeeded in writing a book knows that sometimes tried and true methods for keeping creativity flowing don’t always work forever. Circumstances such as illness, divorce, births, deaths, and other stressful situations can temporarily upend the ability to get words on paper. A writer doesn’t even have to experience a life-changing event for creativity to dry up. To jump start it, use new hacks.

Deadlines
If for some reason you don’t have a deadline, create one. If you find the book isn’t getting done, don’t let lack of a deadline give you an excuse to not finish. Pick a time frame you think is reasonable to finish and stick to it.

Battle buddies
Grab a battle buddy. Make a pact with another writer that you’ll email or text them every day and tell them how much you’ve written. Accountability boosts your creativity. If you want to put a page count on the commitment, that’s even better. Start slow and commit to three pages per day for a week, then consider four pages a day the next week and so on. Ease into the page count so there isn’t too much pressure but you’re still getting something accomplished.

Read
Read! The number of writers who decide not to read anything while working on their own project is astounding. Consider reading outside your genre. Focusing on something that isn’t in the same genre you’re writing can open you to fresh ideas and inspiration.

Sensory deprivation: silence and closing the curtains
Many writers listen to soundtrack music. This is excellent, but silence can prove equally golden. Experiment with noise-canceling headphones for a writing session. Extreme quiet can force your brain to concentrate on the task in front of you.

If you have a writing area with a window view, what do you see? Is it a beautiful vista? A metropolitan sprawl with tons of traffic? Beautiful scenery can help with inspiration, but it can be as distracting and counterproductive as an ugly view. Try closing the curtains. You might have to turn on the light, but the view won’t keep snagging your attention. Like the noise-canceling headphones, lack of a view can force your imagination back to work.

Observation mode
Contrary to popular belief, many writers don’t like to look at people, places or things when they venture out. The real world can sometimes be a bit too much.

If you’re one of these writers, try giving your observation mode a chance. If something catches your attention, pause and write it down. Take note of the weird, funny, or even distressing things you find—they could produce inspiration for projects. You don’t have to tote an eight-by-ten spiral notebook. Consider a petite notebook that fits in a handbag or use the notes application on your phone. Or, you can use a reminder application on your phone set to ring later in the day that reminds you of that detail you noted while out and about. Give it a try.

Self-talk habits
Change what you say to yourself before you sit down to write. Replace any “I should write” statements with “I choose to write” or “I want to write.” If the nasty voice in your head tells you your writing sucks, or you are not as good as ABC writer, replace that lie with “I am a great writer” or “I’ve got this.” Design a desktop wallpaper for your computer with “I choose to write” and/or “I want to write” and display it when you’re feeling blasé. Switch it out with another wallpaper declaring you are a great writer and you’ve got this. What you say to yourself can make a difference.

Examine your writing space
Are you happy with your writing space? Many of us would love a large, glamourous area to dream up stories. Jot down ideas on what your dream space would look like. Go wild and don’t hold back. Make it as elaborate and as long as you wish.

This is where many writers throw up their hands and say, “This is ridiculous. I’m never going to get an office like that.” Just hang in there a moment. When you’re done with your fantasy writing space, see if there is any part of that dream office you can incorporate now. Each month see if there is something else that can be incorporated. Any step you can take toward making your office more of what you want increases your ability to create and believe in yourself.

Buy a new chair
Speaking of offices, is your chair lumpy from age and falling apart? You might need to treat yourself to a design that supports you in a more comfortable fashion. If the chair you have now isn’t cutting it, and you can afford it, make this investment. If you’re not currently working in a place where you’re using a real office chair, consider the dining chair/recliner/couch you’re using. Is it really supportive and comfortable? If not, try moving to a different spot in your house.

Take those breaks. Really.
Have you been denying yourself breaks because you think you can push through another hour? Every hour, take at least five minutes to leave your chair. Walk around, grab a drink or a snack. Do a couple of stretching exercises. Chances are if you move a bit and switch your mind to something else, you will feel refreshed and ready to work again within no time.

Be creative in another way
Is there another creative endeavor you long to try? Do it. Consider it play time. Want to color? Do it. Drawing or painting? Try it. Whatever it is you want to do, indulge yourself. If you’re concerned, you might do this other project rather than complete your writing, use it as a prize for accomplishing your daily writing goal.

Mind map
If you are a by-the-seat-of-the-pants writer, you might have tried mind mapping and believed it was too left-brained. A program like Scapple might be what you need. Scapple is designed to work more for the writer. It’s created by Literature and Latte, the same company that designed Scrivener writing software. You can even use it for brainstorming not related to your writing. Scapple allows you to map out ideas you have without forcing you into specific patterns or shapes to represent ideas, character names, or other story-related associations. To see if you like it, download the software and use it for a short trial.

Hang out with supportive and positive writers
Spend less time listening to naysayers and Negative Nelly people. If you feel bad about your writing or the writing profession after hanging out with another writer, consider spending less time with them. A constant or daily bombardment of negativity about the industry isn’t going to boost creativity. Try turning lists you are on to digests if they aren’t positive. This way you can scan the digest titles and scroll by if it isn’t something you are interested in.

Forget opinions
Been hearing a lot of “musts” and “shoulds" from other writers or gurus proclaiming to be experts? They might be right; but they could also be wrong. There are a ton of “how to” opinions in the writing world. Let it rip and do it your way. Forget the “should” and “musts” and discover the methods that free you to write what you want and how you want.

Accomplish a small chore
Been putting off unloading the dishwasher? Do it and then get back to writing. Be sure to do the writing first if all possible, then do the small chore.

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Denise A. Agnew is the award-winning author of over 69 novels and screenplays. Denise’s novels Love from The Ashes and Blackout were optioned for film/TV by Where’s Lucy? Productions, Bright Frontier Films and MDR Entertainment. Denise is a Writer/Producer (Where’s Lucy? Productions, Happy Catastrophe Productions, Bright Frontier Films), a paranormal investigator, Reiki Master, and Certified Creativity Coach. As a creativity coach, Denise assists anyone in the creative arts to maintain lifelong creativity. You can find her at www.deniseagnew.com and www.creativepencoaching.com.

March 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: 9 Worst SEO Habits That Can Ruin Your “Google My Business” Rankings

This article, written by Katrina Hatchett is from the March 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

In today’s digitally dominated professional world, optimizing your strategies for improved Google Rankings is an essential part of your business planning. Through Google’s Google My Business, you can get your company (your author website/brand) listed repeatedly on Google and this can be an invaluable asset for your success. But it is important to know exactly how to go about using it to your advantage and to avoid bad SEO practices.

SEO (search engine optimization) essentially covers any actions you take to make your online company presence easier to find. Generating great rankings relies on good SEO, but bad SEO is not uncommon and it can seriously jeopardize your Google My Business Rankings if you are not careful. Bad SEO is anything that would be considered unethical or outside the Google webmaster guidelines or using outdated techniques.

1. Don’t duplicate
Website content which is SEO-friendly must be entirely original and unique. Posting duplicate content can produce the opposite of your intended effect: the search engine algorithms will not index your content, since there already exists an entry in their index that matches.

2. Keywords
While it is obviously important to include your keywords a handful of times throughout your posts, repeating them too much can be damaging to your Google rankings for a number of reasons. First, filling your content with obviously unnecessary mentions of keywords will deter readers and decrease your traffic. Additionally, search engines are able to detect when you are trying to manipulate them. Just write naturally, using your keywords coherently when you can.

3. Guest posting
Guest posting can be a highly effective method of generating buzz and traffic if you handle it appropriately—this means sourcing high-quality websites or authors that are directly related to your company’s niche. It also means prioritizing the exposure this opportunity can offer you over simply getting more links. Publishing guest content should always be high quality, relevant to your brand, and original writing to contribute to good SEO practices—using your keywords again—by alternating between your website’s own content and guest content.

4. Cloaking
What used to be a common trick for optimizing many kinds of websites has now become definitively bad SEO practice. Deliberately hiding (cloaking) the real destination of a link or showing different versions of a page to users and search engine crawlers is no longer remotely acceptable—you should only ever offer one cohesive version of a page to crawlers and users alike and also ensure users can always differentiate between genuine content and ads.

5. Ads above the fold
Be aware of your website layout algorithms on your author’s site and make sure you don’t have many ads above the fold (the part of the web page that is visible without having to scroll). “Google search engine algorithms can recognize when your page is too crowded with ads—especially above the fold. They consider this bad SEO and will punish you accordingly,” says Erica Baehr, project manager at Britstudent and Australia2Write.

6. Paid links
Taking the time and effort to cultivate a successful author website with natural backlinks is always going to be worth it in the long run, while shortcuts like buying links will only provide short-lived success before negatively affecting your Google rankings. Buying links is considered bad SEO practice and once Google catches on to what you are doing, your rankings will suffer. It’s just not worth it!

7. Outgoing links
Both ingoing and outgoing links for your site can cause problems if you don’t handle them correctly. You should try to not have too many outgoing links throughout your website and always “no follow” tag outgoing links in ads or comments if you don’t trust them 100 percent—otherwise you could be marked as a link farm or paid directory by Google.

8. Outdated information
Listing outdated information makes it difficult and frustrating for people to get in touch with you and less likely to read your books or post reviews—consistency is vital to cultivating a trustworthy, respectable author image online, so ensure your information is listed with the same details wherever it appears online.

9. Don’t fake it
It is a bad idea to post fake positive reviews for your novels or fake negative ones for competitors, as you will likely get caught doing this and your rankings will suffer. In the words of Jeffery Wright, marketer at Write My X and NextCoursework, “For one thing, it’s immoral and bad business practice in general, but if you are exposed you could be putting your company’s reputation at stake.” If you focus on improving your writing, you will soon have many honest, positive reviews for your novels if you use a platform that allows reviews like Amazon.

Outdated techniques for improving SEO are now considered unethical and bad practice—so avoid falling into these “quick-fix” traps. Success takes time and effort, so focus on doing what you can to elevate your site through genuine SEO practices. In other words, devote your resources to improving your online presence and the rankings you desire will follow.

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Katrina Hatchett is a tech blogger at Academic Brits and a writer for Dissertation Help and PhDKingdom.com. Katrina is involved with countless business projects where she enjoys identifying potential problems and working to find solutions in her goal to improve the effectiveness of our communication.

February 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink Knowledge: Creative Tools—Alternatives

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the February 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Writers who are blocked creatively look for tools to restart their flow. Even if you aren’t blocked, your writing might feel stale and uninspired. Here are some tools you might not have considered that can give you a boost.

Timed mind dump
Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way philosophy is to dedicate several minutes each morning to writing down everything in your thoughts, which can include good or bad things. The idea is to dump all of that on the page before you attempt to create. This process can be healthy not only for general life stress, but also for feeling fresh and inspired. Writing in a paper journal uses a different way of expressing yourself than an electronic one, so if you usually create on computer, give that a break and use paper. You may find it helpful to give yourself a specific amount of time to write these morning pages. If you’re feeling extremely blocked, try for just 10 minutes. Put a timer on and stick to it. Build that up and see if you can stretch it to 20 minutes and write away! Even if you are not experiencing writer’s block, you may find a 10-minute journaling session is helpful before starting your real writing work.

Oracle cards
There is a difference between oracle cards and tarot cards, which you can read about here. Whether or not you believe that oracle cards can enlighten you about everyday personal matters, the cards can help you tap into intuition and your right brain.

I own three oracle decks. If a project is giving me fits, my process is this:

I gather all three and write down whatever questions or concerns I’m wrestling with.
After closing my eyes, I consider which deck calls to me, open my eyes, and select the deck with my questions in mind.
I shuffle the cards and select three cards from various spots.
I turn over each card and note the symbolism. Does anything jump out to me? If it does, I write it down. I do this with each card.
Afterward, I consult the book that comes with the deck and look up the listed meaning for each card. If there is other wisdom contained within the book for the meaning behind each card, I also write this down.

Often I find a new kernel of inspiration each time I use the cards. There’s no requirement that you have more than one deck. Although you could use tarot cards in a similar way, I find oracle cards better for this experience because of the flexible meaning of each card.

How do you choose an oracle deck right for you? It can be a little confusing, because there are so many oracle decks available. Select a deck that appeals to you visually. Explore photos of decks on Amazon and Pinterest. New Age stores almost always have some.

Writing prompt books
Maybe you don’t have a single idea for a novel, short story or screenplay. You’re completely stumped. You may need a writing idea prompt book. There are dozens out there, including ones geared for certain genres.

As an example, I took a horror writing prompt book and went through the entire book, writing down each prompt that sounded fun. Then I selected the one that called to me to try first.

Silence or noise?
Many people write in silence, afraid music will disturb their flow. Try making a special soundtrack of music for a book. Songs with lyrics might be distracting, but often writing with soothing classical or “themed” music can inspire a writer.

Or if you’ve always had music or a noisy coffee shop in the background while you work, try using silence. That could mean noise-cancelling headphones or closing the door to the room. Change things up and disrupt the status quo so your creativity has a chance to come through.

In the category of “not music but a little noise” is something I discovered on YouTube called ASMR. These videos are visual but also include sound. I discovered these clever things watching a favorite YouTuber who likes to read with ASMR on their television. I tried one called Leaky Cauldron, a Harry Potter Ambience. Another great one is Ancient Library Room with relaxing thunder and rain sounds along with a crackling fireplace.

Read or watch a favorite
Writers are often told, especially at the beginning of their writing journey, to read in the genre they want to write. That alone might not stimulate you to pick up a pen or grab your laptop.

You could find it more creatively stimulating to reread a favorite novel or short story whenever you’re hitting a rough patch and regardless of the genre you’re currently writing. Or watching a favorite movie could do the same thing. You don’t have to experience full blown writer’s block to need that zing of inspiration. My personal favorite to boost my creativity is to read The Taking by Dean Koontz. I read the first chapter and I’m often inspired to write immediately.

Play like a child
Many writers want to create the perfect story the first time out. That means they might outline like crazy and pick away at it. The problem isn’t whether you are an outliner or a by-the-seat-of-the-pants creator. It’s the idea that your story isn’t perfect that terrifies you into fiddling with the story right out of the gate and sucking the excitement out of creation.

Give yourself permission to play like a child on the first draft and write with freedom and the singular idea it is all for you. Forget about typos, grammar, spaces … all of that. If the idea of writing that way throughout the whole story is too terrifying, set a timer. Tell yourself that the first hour is for pure play. Let it rip. Chances are you might enjoy it so much you’ll continue playing past that first hour.

When you reach the end of your manuscript, you’ll have the satisfaction of completion. If this is something you’ve never done before and it terrifies you, try it on a short story project and see if it doesn’t provide you with a jolt of creativity.

Be open minded
Creative people are often considered open minded, but sometimes they aren’t when it comes to stepping outside of the box to bolster their own chances of creating. Consider the methods above, even the ones that don’t immediately appeal to you.

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January 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink Knowledge: How to Grow Voices ~ The Subtle Art of Facilitating Workshops

This article, written by Cat Rambo, is from the January 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Teaching is an art. A good teacher can help their students infinitely more than a bad one—and one expression of that is the ability to lead discussion groups and workshops, leading the students to come to realizations that will help them understand the concepts in ways they cannot learn through one-sided lecture.

Like any art, innate talent helps, but discussion and workshop facilitation definitely can be learned. Part of that learning is aided by thinking about it beforehand, during, and after. How do you, as a teacher, create a space in which as many students as possible will flourish, one in which no one is unable to participate? How do you build a process that encourages creativity while making sure everyone has their turn?

I have taught workshops of varying sizes over the past three decades and my process continues to evolve and change. Here are some of the more important things I’ve learned through experience or observation.

Every group is different, and every group comes with its own idiosyncrasies and voices. Enjoy the mix for the happy ephemeral phenomenon that it is, while drawing conclusions from its generalities in order to apply these in future iterations of the material. Many of your attendees will be very anxious. At least a handful will surprise and delight you with their talent, and sometimes staggeringly so.

I’ve always done introductions, having the students tell me their names and a little bit about themselves, but in recent years one thing I make sure to add is their preferred pronouns. Asking for those both allows me to accommodate their needs and acknowledge who they are as much as pronouncing their name correctly does.

If it’s a workshop where students are expected to critique each others’ work, attendees should have received both manuscripts and clear guidelines about how to structure their critique well in advance. Students can feel anxious about what’s going to happen in a workshop if they don’t know what the structure will be like, so I try to include an overview that lets them know what to expect: the class will go for two hours, with a 5-10 minute break in the middle; the writer doesn’t have to reply to comments if they don’t want to; we’ll have overall questions at the end. New writers in particular can be uncertain; there’s no shame in giving them a little handholding to encourage them into the water to swim.

Facilitating discussion means making sure people understand what the guidelines for participation are and how to take turns in conversation. Don’t let people interrupt each other but don’t be nasty about it, just be polite but firm. Don’t be afraid to pause in order to let people think of questions, even though it may feel like an uncomfortably long silence, and if you need to, ask leading questions like: Can you think about examples of what we’ve been talking about in your own life/your writing/media/literature? Or: How do you think you might apply this in your own writing?

When answering questions that someone has asked, repeat the question first. That helps people who didn’t hear it the first time, as well as allowing you to clarify things that may not be immediately apparent. I prefer to have the students asking questions and myself answering them, but there is a give and take to such things that will vary with the students and the circumstances.

Overprepare. You get better at judging how long things will take as you gain experience, but there will always be that class where things go awry and no one has turned in the work. Have a couple of writing exercises up your sleeve and while the students are working on it, use that 5-10 minutes to assemble discussion questions or other points to cover in order to get yourself through the class time.

You never stop learning from other teachers. Sometimes it’s a new technique or a good metaphor. Be good about crediting your fellows for the clever sayings. It’s also handy to listen to the students and find out what worked for them or not—one of the things I’m working on is following up better in 2020, such as asking students what parts of workshops they liked/disliked, as well as what was particularly effective. Learning from other teachers also keeps you from ossifying and just spitting out the same theories and observations over and over again.

Teaching writing is, I think, one of the ways you can become a better writer yourself. Often I do the writing exercises along with the students in my classes, to the point where I think somewhere between a third to half of my published flash fiction pieces were the result of such writings. It’s also something that makes you articulate and challenges your own practice of fiction and the rules by which you write. It’s never bad to look at those with an interrogatory eye in order to move beyond them.

When leading a discussion, don’t be afraid to go with the flow. Sometimes the oddest questions may be the most fruitful, or those questions may lead to additions for the future, sometimes even inspiring entirely new classes. The question of how to maintain a fruitful writing practice in the face of increasingly grey times, for example, led to a class on hopepunk that has become one of my favorites to teach and one which was even referenced in a Wall Street Journal article on the subgenre.

Post class, encourage your students to let you know about their publications and victories as they go forward. One of the nicest things about teaching is a chance to see the coming wave, and to know some of the voices that are rising in fiction and creating new stories. Watching a student succeed is one of the most satisfying feelings I know.

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Novelist and short story writer Cat Rambo is the founder of online writing school The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. Her 200+ fiction publications include works in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s, and Clarkesworld Magazine. Her space opera You Sexy Thing appears in January 2021 from Tor Macmillan. She is a former two-term president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

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