Recommendations and Inspirations - Tracy Krauss

I always find January to be a very inspiring month for me in terms of my writing stamina. Maybe its all the talk of 'goal setting' and 'resolutions'. Or maybe my batteries are recharged after Christmas break. In any case, I look forward to January each year and the sense of excitement I feel about what the year holds.

Last year, I told you about an excellent book called Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love  by Rachel Aaron. I read a lot of other good books on writing and marketing, but this one still stands out. One of the things I discovered after reading the book was Scrivener, a software to help you organize your manuscript. I used the trial version and subsequently bought it for $40. The best forty bucks I spent last year, I'm sure.

Another wonderful 'find' was the Emotion Thesaurus by Ackerman and Puglisi. It is basically a list of emotions with various physical and psychological manifestations for each. (Like a thesaurus, as the name implies.) What a wonderful tool. I currently have an e-version, but I think I may invest in a hardcopy as well, so it can be right at my fingertips!

I had a very productive year last year in terms of writing, but I didn't actually get a lot published. One play called HOOK'S NEMESIS released just under the wire on Christmas day, as well as an anthology that I contributed to called TASTE AND SEE Volume 2. 

However, that means I can look forward to multiple releases in 2014. (I hope!) I have a devotional and a children's book waiting on US tax documents; two finished novels with my agent; and it looks like I will be writing several serials under contract - one contemporary stand alone series and one as a contributing author to a Sci-fi series. (I'm a huge Sci-fi nerd so I am especially excited about this one!)

It is all a bit scary but also quite exciting. Good thing I work well under pressure. *smile* With everything I have on the table at the moment, I think I really will be hibernating this winter...

Tracy Krauss is a teacher, artist, author and playwright living in Tumbler Ridge, BC. She currently has four novels and six plays in print. For more, visit her website at tracykrauss.com , her blog at tracykraussexpressionexpress.com , or sign up for her monthly newsletter.