Time Management: 3 Executing

We’ve talked about prioritizing and organizing, and now it’s time to talk about getting things done. I always know what my overall priorities are, and each day I know my specific priorities for that day. If I have appointments, they are recorded on my calendar. If have deadlines to meet, they will recorded in my … Read more

Time Management 2: Organizing

In the last post, we talked about what I believe is the most important element in time management: prioritizing. Now, let’s talk about getting organized. As I have said, I’m only sharing what I do, not giving expert advice. So I won’t cover the various time management tools that are available. You can keep a … Read more

Time Management 1: Prioritizing

Like the last post, today’s post is the result of a request—or in this case two requests—in comments. Dominic Faith from P/S Public Storage wrote: Well Lillie, after reading your posts and comments, I feel that you should write a post on how to manage time. Many people want to know how you are so … Read more

Should You Follow a Style Guide for Your Blog?

An interesting discussion developed on my last post, Changing Styles. If you haven’t read, click over and read it now, and be sure to read the comments. As a result of that discussion, I’m turning the post into a series of three. One question that arose was whether bloggers should follow a style guide.  I … Read more

Changing Styles

We all know styles change. What’s fashionable today—in clothing fashion, home decor, and even writing—is passe tomorrow. Most of us would agree that some of the great classics of all time probably wouldn’t be published today because the writing style is too different from what publishers like now. But did you know that you might … Read more

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 4 – The Result and Recommendations

Now, long after Borge started recording his life story and a little more than seven months after his first phone call to me, Borge can hold his life story in his hand and share it with those he loves. Borge and Brigitte are traveling to Germany next April to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary with Brigitte’s family … Read more

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 3 – Turning a Story into a Book

As I said in the previous post, the Hansens and I were excited to have a completed story, but it existed on my hard drive and on computer printouts. Borge and Brigitte wanted the story in a book to share with loved ones. Knowing that they would want fewer than 100 copies, I explained that … Read more

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 2 – Writing the Story

In the first installment of the series, I discussed my first meeting with my client Borge Hansen, who had dictated his life story into audiotapes. I transcribed the tapes one side at a time. Understanding and spelling the names of places Borge visited and people he encountered in his world travels turned out to be a … Read more

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 1 – The Beginning

When people contact me about publishing their memoir or family history, I always encourage them to do so for a family legacy. I make sure they understand that it’s highly unlikely their story will be published by a large New York publisher and distributed in bookstores around the country—unless they were famous (or infamous). However, … Read more