Daily Tao ☯ 5.5.17

So I’m feeling way under the weather today, which is terrible timing, considering I have to get on a plane in two days. It’s not going to be serious—I almost always get sick the moment I finish a book. It’s my body’s way of saying “HEY! You’ve been really mean to me lately, making me sit in one place and think so hard, so na-ne-na-ne-boo-boo, see how you like this.” 

I mention this not to gain sympathy (though should you want to send tea, I’m not averse) but because Amy and I did a brief staff meeting today, and the ideas were flying fast and furious. She said, for someone who feels like crap, you’re FULL of good ideas today.

So I explained. You see, I’m used to this feeling of ick toward the end of a major project. I’ve actually finished more books than I care to admit while sick. Instead of it stopping me, I find it expands my mind, in a way. The crazy endings to my books? Very often the product of me not feeling well but sitting down to work anyway. Cool things happen, it seems. My preconceived parameters are pushed aside, and I just let it flow. 

It’s a weird part of my process, but a part nonetheless. The takeaway? My creativity is sometimes enhanced when my physical body is trying to shut down. Your mileage may vary. 

Research started today on vampires…. This is going to be a LOT of fun!

Sweet dreams! Oh, and since we might clinch the second round tonight… Go Preds!

A WORD ON WORDS with Adam Haslett

photo credit: Nashville Public Television

"I was someone who wrote endlessly in journals, not for an audience but because I needed to get stuff out, to get things in words."

One day at lunch, I remember my cohost, Mary Laura Philpott, raving about a galley she had just read called IMAGINE ME GONE, which sounded like an utterly heartbreaking yet fascinating book.

Imagine my delight when we learned Mary Laura would get to interview the author, Adam Haslett!

IMAGINE ME GONE tells the story of Michael, his family's eldest child, who suffers from depression and anxiety. The book is written from the POV of five family members, showing how Michael's life deeply affects each person. Mary Laura and Adam talk about Adam's interest in writing about the interior life, the unconventional way he came to the craft, and how he has integrated pieces of his own story into novel writing.

Author Adam Haslett talks about his new book, IMAGINE ME GONE with host Mary Laura Philpott. Watch all A WORD ON WORDS episodes here: http://awordonwords.org/ #KeepReading

Daily Tao ☯ 5.4.17

I rather miss my little daily updates, and a quick poll showed y’all did too. So to keep me accountable as I get started on a big new project (Novel #20!), off we go again!

I finished the revision of my newest standalone today. Right now, it’s called THE LOST ONE, though that might change. (And yes, I am wearing my battered Harvard T-shirt for the second time — don’t mess with a streak!) I happily only added a net 2000 words, so it comes in at 113,600. Probably 450 pages, all told. This book won't be out until next year, so it's not available or anything. But I wanted one in the hole, so to speak.  

I sent the book to a couple of alpha readers, who are going to help me address an issue I’m concerned about (yes, even 19 books in, I still need advice from trusted friends), tidied up my office, then prepared a new Clairefontaine notebook. This one has a blue cover, and I always bring out my Brother P-Touch to print out the book title and series title. 

This label reads: Brit in the FBI #5 — THE BLOOD CABAL. Cool title, right? Catherine and I are meeting up in NYC next week to get started.

Also took delivery of my new chair, which I’ve been coveting in a certain catalog for about six years. It is very pretty, and a lovely reward for writing two standalone novels in 9 months. We must celebrate all the things, right?

A little meditating and hip work to help clear out the old thoughts and welcome the new, then cracked the cover on the big fat research book! Hello, Voynich Manuscript, you sexy (heavy) beast.

Anything you want to know about, ask in the comments, and I'll get the questions queued to answer as they come. Also, check out the cool organizational system Amy and I use to keep track of our world in this morning's big blog!

XO, JT

A WORD ON WORDS with Helen Ellis

I think housewives are powerful and slightly deranged. But so am I.

 

Years ago I read a debut novel by a woman named Helen Ellis. Her book was EATING THE CHESHIRE CAT, and I loved it.

Then I heard nothing of Helen Ellis for sixteen years.

Until she resurfaced with a brilliant book of short stories last year called AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE (which you must read). And as you can see by my enthusiasm-runneth-over energy, I could not wait to interview Helen, to get a peek into her dark, humorous mind.

Helen Ellis is a powerhouse, y'all, and it's time she become a household name.

In our delightful chat, Helen and I talk about living as a Southerner in "the Ultimate North," whether the New York or South is a more sinister place, when it's okay not to be nice, and why Maybelline lipstick may be the world's most frightening fashion accessory. 

Author Helen Ellis talks about her new book, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE with host J. T. Ellison. Watch all A WORD ON WORDS episodes here: http://awordonwords.org/ #KeepReading

Author Assistant 101: The Best Tool I Use to Collaborate with My Author

Hi, guys! Amy here, dreaming of all the tacos I'll be eating tomorrow on Cinco de Mayo. 🌮

Like I’ve said before, I spend most of my days in the elastic waistband heaven of yoga pants.

It’s a great time to be alive, folks.

As an author assistant (or a “virtual assistant” as some might say), I can work remotely as long as I have a Wi-Fi/4G connection. My office has been a coffee shop, countless waiting rooms, lake shores, mountain tops, and even the beautiful parking lot of a 7-Eleven (glamorous is the life I lead). 

“But, Amy,” you ask, “how do you and J.T. stay on the same page if you’re working in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven and she’s (hopefully) not?”

Fair question, dear reader. The simple answer is: the Internet is a magical thing. 

The long answer? 

During our tenure, J.T. and I have tried several organization tools and project management systems, programs of all sizes and stripes. Some were bare bones, some super robust. There's only one we still use.

Look at kate spencer! She's organized on all of her platforms and winning at life. 

I ❤️ you, Wunderlist.

Wunderlist is a cloud-based task manager that keeps our entire business running. Thankfully, it's not too robust—we’re not spending all our time organizing tasks without doing them (a problem with other platforms we’ve used).
 

So why do J.T. and I use Wunderlist? A few reasons:
 

1. Wunderlist gives a bird’s-eye view of every single project. At a glance, we can see each of our weekly and monthly to-do’s, look at each project’s workflow, or refer to our database of easy-to-access team information.

2. It updates in real time. When J.T. or I add to the list, Wunderlist will send a notification to the other user so everybody stays on the same page.

3. It doesn’t give us data fatigue. Wunderlist has three levels of organization, which mirrors our workflow setup: Project —> Tasks —> Sub-tasks. After two years of working together, we’ve discovered three levels of organization is perfect for us. Anything more, and we lose things.
 

This is how J.T. and I use Wunderlist as Author and Author Assistant.
 

We divide our business like so:

1. Weekly tasks (for each of us)

2. Monthly tasks (for each of us)

3. Reminders/Database (good for information to keep handy) 

4. Staff Meeting Agenda

5. Project To-Do’s and Workflows
 

As we go through our weeks, J.T. and I will dump items that aren’t time-sensitive and would be easier to discuss in person at our next Staff Meeting. During our Staff Meeting, J.T. and I go through the agenda we’ve curated in Wunderlist. As we talk through each bullet, we can drag the item to the appropriate person’s task list. After we plow through our agenda, we go through each task list and workflow, ensuring we’re on track to reach our deadlines.

Behold, our organizational glory! This is one of our task lists. See? Robust, but not overwhelming.
(and can you tell we love emojis? ❤️ 🙌 🌈 )

Since we put our meeting agenda in Wunderlist, fewer things slip through the cracks. If one of us is traveling and we have to meet via FaceTime, the format of our meetings is the same. And if either of us moves to a villa in Europe (a girl can dream 🏰), J.T. and I can still conduct business the same way. Again I say: the Internet is magic.

Here are a few of my favorite Wunderlist features (I sound like a used car salesman, but I don’t care—this is how much I love this thing):

1. The notifications I mentioned earlier—you can receive an alert when someone else has added or changed an item

2. Star your high-priority items so they don’t get lost in the shuffle

3. See your starred tasks and projects due today or this week—all at once.
 

Bottom line, folks—Wunderlist is flexible, provides a birds-eye or granular view of your business, whichever you need. J.T. and I plan to keep this in our arsenal forever and ever.
 

Do you use Wunderlist? Which organizational tools are your favorites? Which ones should we try? Tell us in the comments!