Tag: Writers

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Tooting My Own Horn!

March 21, 2014 jcladyluv

It’s Friday and as I get prepared to work on quite a few of my projects this weekend as I know a lot of you are as well, I did not want to go into the weekend without updating and promoting some things within Write 2 Be Media and without extending an All Call to all the writers and artists out there who read my blog. As someone who is constantly working on trying to become a better marketer of my business and my brand it is important for me to have days where the focus is on the sole aspect of marketing and not so much the creativity of writing.

Upcoming Releases

Of course some things that I have mentioned before and that I am still in steady progress of, my ebook series, which is tentatively called “For the Crazy Makers, focusing on motivating and inspiring writers and artists who constantly struggle with their own fear and insecurities which holds them back from following through with their creative goals. The first book in this ebook series is set to be released this Spring and details on how to get a copy will follow soon. I also have at least two novel releases that are due out later this year, one being the re-release of my first novel, The Diary: Succession of Lies. The other novel, titled When Love Calls, will be released soon after.

How Write 2 Be Media Can Help You?

If you have recently finished your novel and are looking for an editor? If you are in the editing phase and you’re not sure how to go about getting the promotion started? If you have a blog that you just don’t have the time to maintain or promote? If you have just launched your business and have yet to create a solid social media marketing platform in order to get noticed?

Write 2 Be Media can help you with those things and much more. To read more about our services just click the “Hire Me” tab to your right or email me at jcladyluv@yahoo.com.

The Magazine

Write 2 Be Magazine is a magazine is back as of last month and I will be publishing it every month. You can go check out the latest issue of Write 2 Be Magazine and follow the magazine by clicking on this link or finding the link to the magazine to the right of your screen. You can also check out and like the Write 2 Be Magazine fan page for updates on what’s coming soon for the Magazine.

Now here is where the all call comes in. Of course a lot of you that read my blog are writers, artists, or photographers. Well Write 2 Be Magazine is looking for more writers and photographers and artists work to be able to showcase. We are also looking for authors who would like to be interviewed as well because as I stated in a previous post this week, I love author interviews and I especially love being the one who does them. So if you have poetry, short stories, articles, artwork and photographs that you want to display, please feel free to email write2bemagazine@yahoo.com or leave a comment below to inquire more. If you are an author who would like to do an email interview with me please email me at jcladyluv@yahoo.com. Also for anyone who goes and like the Write 2 Be Magazine fan page once you have liked the page you are more than welcome to promote your books, or projects on the page for free. I look forward to hearing from you and would love to see what some of you are working on!

Promoting Others

I would also like to take this time to promote the work of a great photographer. If you are looking for a photographer for your project then please go check out Rashaad Amed McNeil’s page, R&M Photography. He does absolutely amazing work for all of his clients, one of which happens to be LaMonique Hamilton, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief at PIEhole Magazine, a new magazine on the rise. So if you are in need of a photographer and want outstanding results then head on over to his page, R&M Photography, and hit the like button and find out how you can get the best photographer for your next project!

I would also like to promote Next Up Media Consulting, Inc. Founder and CEO Jocelynn Drawhorn, also a freelance photographer and the social media coordinator of WEEN (the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network), launched this company with the intention and purpose of helping to shape the innovative brands of the future. Next Up Media Consulting, Inc. provides services such as copywriting, resume, and interview services. Contact them today for a consultation!

I hope all of you out there are working hard on your projects and that they are moving forward. Have a blessed weekend and hustle hard!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

What’s Your Habit?

March 20, 2014 jcladyluv

I was reading this article this morning in preparation to get started with my work about the routines and habits of famous writers. It got me to thinking about how much my routine and habits as a writer have changed over the years. When I was younger I used to stay up all night to write (I’ve never been a morning person) because that was usually when the inspiration struck, plus I always had a hard time sleeping at night. As I became a mother I had to adjust that crazy schedule because all-nighters and motherhood just didn’t go well together (at least not for me). So when my daughter was an infant I slept (as long as she was sleeping) at night (even though I still stayed up later than I should have) and during the day I would try to write while she made gurgling noises at the cartoons on TV or when she napped.

There was even a six month period when I wrote my first novel in which I didn’t talk to anyone for that whole 6 months, to the point where people sent people to check on me because I had to get the novel out. Now as my daughter is getting older, I still feel more inspired at night and so I stay up late most nights (even though I really shouldn’t) but I also try to work in the morning hours as well (mornings still are not my thing, lol).

I find it fascinating when reading of others who have somehow managed to keep their routines and habits the exact same (or with very little variance) throughout their writing career because although I have tried to keep things the same (because I hate change) my routine somehow ended up changing regardless. I guess as we grow as writers, or artists so must the way that we do things but I wonder if a person’s routine has never changed does that mean that they haven’t grown as an artist.

Does the lack of change symbolize the lack of growth in your work ethic or your writing or art? Or does it just mean that the person whose habits and routines haven’t changed, that they are the more disciplined ones within their craft? And what about those of us who waste an exorbitant amount of time procrastinating, or rather productively procrastinating (which makes it a part of their routine as well) and then have spurts in which we are vigilant and pour out a novel or task in a month or two? Does this mean that the habit of procrastinating can possibly be seen as helpful to some more than others? I suppose we all have our own vices and rituals of what works and what doesn’t.

I think it’s fascinating sometimes to see or rather, to read how another person harnesses their talents and to see what kind of discipline they have in getting what they want accomplished. So what are your habits or routines? How have they changed throughout your writing career? Do you consider yourself the disciplined and diligent writer or the productive procrastinating writer? Let me know what’s your habit? I hope to hear from you….stay blessed!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

I Write Outside the Box That People Keep Trying to Put Me In

March 19, 2014 jcladyluv

I like to read author interviews, doesn’t really matter whether it’s an author who is already bestseller famous or one that is just publishing their first novel (although I tend to like the first timer interviews the best). I love when the person doing the interview poses the question of what type of writer they consider themselves because I always like to see if their answer would be anything like mine would be. Some are but a lot of writers tend to stick to the same type of book, or rather the same genre.

I once had someone tell me that I needed to write urban fiction (or street lit) because that is what is selling in the African American community. My response to that was that’s not my type of writing. I don’t write for one specific race, or cultural community, I write for everyone, but mostly I write for me. The funny thing is that thinking back, when I set out to be a writer, I mean really got into the idea of wanting to write novels and not just poetry and stories, I knew that I did not just want to stick to one genre or style of writing.

I know that a lot of some of the greats did that, they were known for one genre type or another, but I never wanted to be predictable. I wanted to surprise my readers and my fans and I didn’t want them to be able to predict what type of book I would come out with next. When I had my first novel published (in which I plan on re-releasing soon) there were some people who said “oh this is the type of book that white people read” and that was just off of reading the back of the book, before even opening to the first page. I responded with the fact that I hope that it’s the type of book that EVERYONE reads.

I write the type of things I myself would like to read, and although I’m not going to deny that I have read urban fiction in the past, those are just not the kind of books I like to read. My first novel was considered contemporary fiction, and my second may be as well, but I know I have a mystery that’s going to come out as well, a self-help book for writers (which will start come out as an ebook series first), and a historical fiction novel soon to come as well. I also still write poetry and have a huge collection of poetry that I will release as separate books soon, a children’s (mid-grade) series that I want to write, as well as I’ve been recently inspired to write some paranormal fiction but that is still up in the air.

I’m not just a one genre writer, and I don’t say that to say that there is anything wrong with those that are, but I don’t like people placing labels of what I should be writing on me either. Just because I am African American I am supposed to write this urban literature which is an insult really because it implies that it’s all that African American’s can write and I know that’s not true. I want to write for everyone and I want my messages in my articles or my novels, or my poetry, to reach everyone because that’s what it’s about for me.

Sure if I was solely in it for the money then I guess I would write whatever is popular but then I’m not being true to myself and then readers are liking an image that is made up, not the real me. So if you are feeling pressured to write something that is simply not you, don’t fall into that trap. You have to stay true to yourself because while it may take a little while longer to get to your destination this way, you can bet that you will certainly stay at the top longer by doing so. Stay blessed and don’t be afraid to write outside of the box!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

What Does the Term “Being A Real Writer” Mean Anyway?

March 12, 2014 jcladyluv

Some days I wonder, if I don’t write that day does it make me any less of a writer? There are those that will tell you that you must write every single day, whether it be one page, one paragraph, or even just one sentence. For years I felt that the periods of time when I was blocked and when I wasn’t able to write anything (not anything of any merit at least) that I was no longer able to consider myself a real writer. There was even a period of time, after having my first novel published, that I felt that because it didn’t do well that I wasn’t really a writer.

I often forget about the poetry book that I self-published and don’t even count that, although I should, just because at the time I didn’t really possess the tools that I needed to really be able to promote myself and my work. So throughout the years I have discounted my work (some of it anyway), and I have considered the times where I slacked off a bit as days when I wasn’t to be considered as a real writer. But who is to determine what a real writer is except for the writer themselves.

There’s this line in the movie Sister Act 2 where she told the young lady if you wake up every day and all you can think about doing is singing, then you are supposed to be singer. The same holds true for any chosen profession including writing. That is all that I think about. My craft, how I can make my writing better, how I can promote my writing and myself better, what I want my writing and my media company to be able to do for people throughout the world, what I want my words to be able to change, what story comes next, what project comes next, what I want in the bookstore/lounge that I will one day open.

Writing, many different capacities of writing, is what I eat, sleep, and breathe on a daily basis. Even if I’m not writing I am writing because I am thinking up a story in my head, a new idea for a stage play that I want to write and produce, lyrics to a song that I want to record, articles for my magazine that I might write or want to publish within my magazine, novels that I want to be turned into screenplays someday. I write in my head a lot so even when it appears that I am not writing, I am in fact writing.

So should someone say to me that because I don’t put words to paper, or type words on a computer, on a daily basis, that I am not a real writer. Because I get to do what I love to do from the comfort of my own home and make a living at it (as unsteady as it may be right now), does that make me any less of a writer? I think you are what you say you are, and even more importantly, what you prove you are and what lives in your heart.

So if there are some of you who may be experiencing writer’s block of some sort, or even if you are feeling guilty because you don’t write every single day, stop feeling guilty. There are no set rules for the profession of writing. No proven way that it works for every single writer. What works for you is what works for you and you should never let anyone else tell you that your way is wrong. It may very well be wrong for that person, but your career path is not theirs. So write in whatever fashion that you write in, in whatever time frame that you write in, without guilt and without pause. It’s your journey to travel however you see fit. Be blessed and carve out your own writer’s path!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

If Only I Could Have All the Answers

March 11, 2014 jcladyluv

If you are not someone like J.K. Rowling, Terry McMillan, Steven King, or James Patterson, then making a substantial living as a writer can be a somewhat daunting task. Admittedly there are some writers who are just starting out at trying to make a living as a writer and have it a bit easier than others. Quite frankly there are some writers whose talent and execution of their words are not nearly good enough (not saying there is no potential for it to be) to have the success that they are having right out the gate, and yet their luck seems to be iron hot.

I don’t think of myself as the best writer out there, and I consider myself to always be working on my craft trying to make my writing better. However, I do feel like this rise to the middle ground (which for now would suffice for me) is taking quite longer than even I had expected. I know the sayings and the pep talks that people give, that I myself have given. That it takes time, you have to be patient, your time will come, you just have to keep putting in the work and everything will work itself out, etc. I know all of that but I feel like I’ve been putting in the work (I only sleep 4 hours a night), I feel like I have been patient, and I feel like my time should have already been here.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jealous of anyone else’s success level. They give me someone to study. It’s more like I’m curious to know or be shown what I’m doing wrong and what I could be doing differently, or more efficiently. I study and research methods of others who seem to be having the success that I am trying to achieve (not moderate but rather steady stream) and I implement some of their methods (tailor made of course to my style) and still nothing. I know that no one can have all the answers but right now I sure wish that it was possible. I just want to know what I am doing wrong.

I’m trying to reach certain goals and achievements in my writing career and I am way off course in terms of the time that it’s going to take me to get there. Now of course, even with all of this frustration that you are probably gauging from this post, I am never going to give up on my dream and never going to stop working hard at attaining it. I just wish that I could see some of the fruits of my hard labor thus far. True I guess things could be worse and I could not be having any level of success at all but is it really wrong to want more. Is it wrong to want to have met my own expectations of myself by now if not exceeding them? Well I know that I can’t be the only one feeling this way so hopefully my venting has somehow helped someone else out there to realize that they are not alone in their struggles. Keep working at it, WE will get there!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

Can I Really Fit In Reading A Good Book?

March 6, 2014 jcladyluv

If being a good reader is what goes into making someone a better writer then I must confess that I am not the writer that I think I am. Let me just say that I love to read, so much so that when I don’t get a chance to it hurts my heart just a little bit more with each opportunity that slips through my fingers.

After all, reading is what made me want to be a writer in the first place and it is what allowed me to enhance my abilities as a writer, learning more about crafting words, and the proper structure of them, what having the write setting and time period can do to enhance a book. I read about how important small details are to a book and how to get more in touch with my characters and who they were really portraying. With reading I even got to learn about certain things that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about and about places that I have always dreamt of going but that are not a guaranteed staple of my journey.

Having said all of that, lately, in the last few years I have not been the best reader that I can be. That last two years it seems as though I have not read at all (unless you count the fact that it took me almost a whole year to finish one book) and it saddens me. It is not because I don’t still have the desire to always have a book in my hand and take it with me wherever I go. It is because once you really thrusts yourself into being a writer, both the creative and the business sides of it, it seems like the time to read is minimal at best.

I feel like I can’t even balance the time to write and market my business, along with taking care of my daughter and making memories with her, so by the time I sit down to read anything I am so tired that I end up in the same place I started with the bookmark lying somewhere on the floor and the pages bent because I have tossed and turned all over my book.

You see it’s not as if I never make the attempt and even squeeze in what I think will be just enough time to read a chapter before I try and get some sleep. Mind you, that I wake up most mornings at 6am and don’t usually make it to bed until 2am (sometimes later) so I am operating daily on four hours of sleep. Example, I started the book I am currently reading in January with the New Year. At the most it should have only taken me a month to finish it (used to be less) but here it is March and I am still just halfway through. So does the fact that I can’t seem to squeeze in reading to my already filled up schedule mean that I am not as good of a writer as I once was? I sure hope not.

This is a reminder to all of you out there, find the time to read if you’re not already doing it. It will not only make you a better writer overall, but a better editor for those novels you have to edit, and just a better storyteller in general. Take it from someone who can’t seem to fit in a good book and who is desperately trying to find the balance so that I can, read almost as much as you write. It will make a world of a difference. Stay curious and stay captivating!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

If I Put My All Into It Will it Really Be Enough?

March 5, 2014 jcladyluv

I’m having one of those weeks (yes I know the week isn’t over yet) where it feels like nothing I do will be enough. I’m not a very patient person and it’s something I’m working on. When I don’t see the results I want at a decent pace I get anxious about the whole process. It’s not just in my writing and my finances, but also in the area of romance (or lack thereof). This blog is not about my romantic woes so I won’t branch off too much into that except to say I feel like I could be described as the perfect person for someone and they still (somehow) wouldn’t even see me standing right in front of them.

But this blog isn’t about that though. It sort of spills over into other aspects because that love thing can be the emotion that makes you feel alive and ready to jump for joy, or ready to just go hide under the covers somewhere and wake up when someone notices all of the right things that you are doing. I know that there is always more that I can be doing (talking about writing now) but it seems like no matter how many hours of sleep I don’t get that it will never be enough. Of course that doesn’t mean that I am going to give up or slack off (okay well there’s a slight chance for slacking off here) but just wish I could see some progress. I know it’s being made and the baby steps are nice but some gigantic leaps would be a little nicer. Some major dents in my journey would be gratifying to see.

I couldn’t watch the Oscars the other night but Lupita Nyong’o’s words were posted everywhere throughout social media. “No matter where you are from your dreams are valid”. Those words and my friend Ms. L’s blog post about her acceptance speech that she will give when she gets her Oscar one day (probably sooner than even she thinks) made me think about the awards and achievements that I will one day receive (Oscar included) and what I would say and who I would speak my words to. However, at this particular moment, where I feel a little disheartened, a little discouraged, perhaps even a little less optimistic than usual about my dreams becoming a reality, all I can really think about is when am I going to start to see that light for the tunnel that’s headed that way.

It’s not as if I’m in question as to the possibility of it happening, or the fact that I still want it to happen, it’s just a matter of when. I know that my patience is probably one of the main things that I need to work on when it comes to pursuing my dream but some days, days like today, I just start to wonder if all that I am doing is good enough. Is anything I am ever going to do going to be good enough. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel a lot more definitive and sure about things but for now my lack of knowing what the outcome will be is getting the best of me. Okay ranting over with for the day, time to get back to working at making all of this happen one way or another. Stay blessed and keep hustling!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

It’s All In the Promotion of Your Brand

February 28, 2014February 28, 2014 jcladyluv

So I decided that today is promotion day. I have quite a few projects I’m working on and I want to share the details about them with you.

Ebook Series

This ebook series (tentatively called “For the Crazy Makers) will be focusing on motivating and inspiring writers and artists who are struggling with their own fears and their insecurities when it comes to following through with your creative endeavors. Sometimes we need an outside voice to quiet all of those inside voices that keep telling you the wrong things. I have been working on this ebook series for quite some time now and I am excited to finally be releasing it in the next few months. If you are interested in information on how you will be able to receive this ebook or other details in relation to the ebook simply leave a comment below with your email information or you can email me at jcladyluv@yahoo.com.

Novel Releases

I am going to be re-releasing my debut novel, The Diary: Succession of Lies, later this year along with my second novel When Love Calls. I will keep you posted on the progress of those works periodically but for now, below I have shared with you what each book is about. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

The Diary: Succession of Lies

What if you discovered that the sins of your mother’s past will forever haunt your future? That finding out the secrets she took to her grave would turn your life upside down?

To the rest of the world Corynn Hayes was a brilliant writer and entrepreneur. To Karlee Jones, she was not only a mother but a best friend. Until Corynn’s unexpected death, Karlee thought that she knew everything there was to know about her mother. Then, Karlee receives her mother’s diary as a farewell gift. The depth of the secrets within those pages end up devastating Karlee, forever changing the memory of her mother.

The Diary: Succession of Lies is a novel that exposes the secret life of a mistress. It is a tale of love, lust, loss, and redemption as well as the trials of two generations of women. The Diary takes a new spin on the mistress image, a woman often vilified throughout literature as a harlot and a home wrecker. It tackles several questions. Why does a mistress stay? Is love possible in such a taboo relationship? Is love enough to endure the consequences that come later.

When Love Calls

Autumn Jennings had thought that she had finally put all of the mistakes that she had made in her past behind her. Her heart had finally mended from heartbreak and she was able to let go and let someone else love her again with nothing hanging over head. She never thought she would have to deal with the lies she had told so many years ago but when an old flame that she had never truly gotten over comes back into the picture she is reminded of all of the secrets she has been trying to keep buried. Those same secrets could not only disrupt the lives of everyone around her but the new life that she is trying to create for herself and her son. As her secrets begin to unravel so do the lives of the people she loves. When Love Calls is a novel about a love lost, a love that heals, and a love that was meant to be and the circumstances that can either bring two people together or tear them apart.

Write 2 Be Media Services

Just finished slaving over a novel and you’re ready to begin promoting it?

Is your blog not getting the attention you feel it deserves?

Just launched your business and need to create a social media marketing platform to make everyone take notice?

Write 2 Be Media now offers Social Media Marketing services to help your project get the attention that it deserves in addition to our creative writing resources. To read more about our services just click the “Hire Me” tab to your right.

I would also like to promote the work of a great photographer. If you are looking for a photographer for your project then please go check out Rashaad Amed McNeil’s page, R&M Photography. He does absolutely amazing work for all of his clients, one of which happens to be LaMonique Hamilton, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief at PIEhole Magazine, a new magazine on the rise. So if you are in need of a photographer and want outstanding results then head on over to his page, R&M Photography, and hit the like button and find out how you can get the best photographer for your next project!

I would also like to extend the offer for anyone who has a book coming out or already published, if you go over to the Write 2 Be Magazine fan page and hit the like button you will be allowed to promote your work on the page.

Have a blessed weekend and hustle hard!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

You’ve Already Created Who You Are In This Moment

February 26, 2014 jcladyluv

How many times have you heard someone say that they have to go and find themselves? That they have to search for that knowledge of self, for that sense of purpose? I have heard that saying a lot used by people, some who were truly lost and others who just truly needed an excuse for why they weren’t doing anything. I actually hear that phrase from writers a lot because they are always so caught up in making up a life for their characters that they sometimes forget to live the life that they already have.

I heard this quote the other day “The self is not something one finds, it is something one creates”, and it just stuck with me. People who are always trying to find themselves, trying to figure out what it is they want in life, they don’t realize that in their journey to find themselves, all of the decisions they are making, the mistakes that they are enduring, is already creating who they are meant to be. Some decisions made for us, when we are too young to know any better, they are in a sense out of our hands, but how we deal with the fallout, the end result, that is in ours.

When we choose something, be it right or wrong, little by little it shapes who we are, and eventually who we become. None of us start off knowing what kind of person we are going to be at the end of our journey. Growing up I had to learn and teach myself how to love me. I guess you could say that who I am now, I created that person and had I made a choice to continue not loving myself and to continue to think that because my mother didn’t love me, or at least didn’t express that love to me, that I was somehow unworthy of that love from others, especially from myself, had I continued down that path I suppose I would have created a whole other type of person than I am now.

So before any of you get it in your head that they need to find themselves and discover who they really are, keep in mind that the decisions you have already been making are already creating the person you were meant to be. Stop searching for who it is that you think you should be, or should have been and embrace the person that you have already created thus far. Our journey is not done yet but who we are meant to be is already inside of us, we don’t have to find it, we just have to create it. Stop waiting for some moment of revelation to come, some big moment where suddenly everything you are is so clear to you. Create the life you want, don’t sit and wait for it to be created for you to find.

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310