Writing, Editing, Formatting Secrets...

Every writer is different and have their methods for writing, editing, formatting, and marketing. Some things work better than others, and while one thing works at one given time, it may not always work all of the time. We're always changing and evolving. Not sure if that's a secret, but I thought I'd share that tidbit lol.

Here are some of my own little secrets...

I use templates because they take the guesswork out of things. Like covers. I suck at making the spine the correct width so by using Amazon's templates I don't have to struggle with the measurements. I simply add the design and convert to PDF which is a requirement for Amazon when uploading a designed cover. There is a sample above. Anyone can use these. Go here to grab one for your next book and give it a try. I also use a template for inside the book. I found them on this site https://courses.creativindie.com/ I was given the templates for free by signing up for their newsletter. You can change the font to make it your own. I learned by using the template from the beginning, I save time later on because the story is already formatted and ready to go when it is finished with all the edits. When you keep track of page count as well as word count, you automatically know what you got. I love that.
It is a little known fact that I have a poor memory. I've lost count for how many times I've shared that little tidbit lol. I keep a journal next to my laptop to write notes for the story--things I want to remember for later like names, who the character is, relationship to the main character--things like that. I keep my planner on top of it so the space is kept tidy. And I keep the planner turned to the day it is in case I need to jot something down on that as well. I keep all of my writing and personal appointments, deadlines, etc together in one place. For memory reasons lol. I would forget which place is for which if they were in different places lol.
Most of the time, I do write quickly, getting as much as the story down as I can. I don't worry so much about things as long as I can get the basics of the story down. This is the version no one ever gets to see. Some scenes don't always make sense. Even for me sometimes lol. When I edit--that's when I can slow down and pull things out of my mind to make the story more clear. That's when the story really gets to take its shape. Some scenes are deleted or changed. It depends on how much I can make sense from what was originally written.
Though I love to organize and keep things tidy, I can't plan my stories. I tried. I love the idea of not knowing what's going to happen next. I feel like I'm reading the story for the first time just like any reader. It's kind of funny how that works. For me, this method of writing also helps me write faster because I want to know what's going to happen next. It pushes me to keep writing to gain that knowledge. I've heard the same happening for writers who plan their stories ahead of time. For them, knowing what will happen pushes them to write faster. Again, that's funny how things work out. Funny as in good funny.
I love making my ebooks available for pre-order. But I don't upload them to Amazon until I am in the editing portion of the book. This helps me secure my release date. So far, it's worked for me and I haven't missed the date. I also know my speed for editing and how much time I need to get it done, including a window for Betas and other editors. This takes time to learn your method, which can also help speed things up if you want to learn this part. It is self-learning, btw. Pay attention to how you do things, how long it takes you typically, and where you struggle. By knowing these things about yourself, you can learn to make adjustments. The more you know about your writing techniques, methods, etc; the faster you can become. Of course, you don't want to push yourself too much. That's when mistakes can happen and you don't want more than what you're already getting.