Writers in the Storm

by Jenny Hansen

This week is Valentine's Day and, all over America, hearts and flowers are on many people's minds. Perhaps you are worrying about your secret (or not so secret) love: your writing love. Have you lost that loving feeling? Do you find excuses to avoid your manuscript?

You are not alone.

Cosmopolitan magazine is known for their articles on keeping love alive, right? So I looked up what they have to say.

Crazy Cosmo offers advice like "Flash Him," "Do the dishes together," and "Outlaw Grunge Wear."

This is not helpful, even if we're talking about a human. However, this gem made me smile:

Share a Secret Code
Pick a word that's likely to come up occasionally in conversation (heat, midnight, bedroom, whipped cream...) and agree that every time someone uses it, you have to touch—anything from a kiss to a lingering thigh stroke under the table.

The Real Advice

Cosmo love expert, Esther Perel, had some real advice that can work for writers:

Forever used to mean “till death do us part.” These days, though, it seems many people interpret it as “until love dies.” It just takes work, self-awareness, and communication.

Here’s what long-haul couples [like you and your glorious manuscript] know:

1. They’re practical about what matters.

In other words, see your schedule as it is. Don't try to shoehorn writing in without a plan. If there is literally not a single hour in your schedule, then don't write that day...and plan for that. Or wake up an hour early. Give up your lunch break at work. But making a plan is better than feeling guilty over missing a vague goal.

2. They check in with each other...often.

Even if you don't have an hour to sit down at your computer, do SOMETHING related to your manuscript every day.

• Look up photos of your main characters and bookmark them.
• Write down a description for something in your scene.
• Do some research.
• Write a snippet of conversation.

3. They take responsibility.

This is your dream. It is your responsibility to achieve it. To take the time and do the work. It's hard. Some days it is wonderful and some days it sucks. But a dream is still important, and it is up to you to achieve it.

You can do this.

Ms. Perel made a point in her article that hit home with me. She recomends you work toward self-awareness to ensure that your relationship (in this case with your book) is successful.

In her book Loving Bravely, Alexandra H. Solomon writes about “relational self-awareness,” or recognizing how you act within your relationship. You know your vulnerabilities, strengths, and fears. If you want a long-term bond with the person you’re with, you’ll want to see evidence that they have self-awareness too.

4. They’re direct communicators.

I took a class once by Susan Squires where she talked about how to successfully talk back to your own brain. That you must ask yourself and your characters short, direct questions.

Not "so why does the hero fall in love with the heroine over coffee at her mother's soda fountain?" Rather, you'd ask, "What most attracted the hero to the heroine in the first place?"

You can ask yourself a simple question, and your brain will actually work on it. Let your brain do the work it can do, instead of demanding a bunch of details. That's how you get your characters to talk to you. Complaints and complexity never made anyone want to communicate better.

Perel says, "To get their needs met, lasting duos ask for what they want. They make requests instead of complaints. "

5. They try not to feel entitled.

Relationships are not always easy, and if you think yours will be, then you are setting yourself up to be disappointed and resentful of your partner. You don't want to resent your writing. You love your writing.

The article says, "You need to deal with your insecurities and find ways to feel good." (Duh.)

6. They reinvent their relationships.

Instead of thinking of forever as being rooted in the same partnership until death, think of it as having two or three relationships with the same person throughout your lives.

This one is awesome. What I hear them saying here is:

It's okay to change a process that isn't working for you. Don't cling to your old ways that aren't working and do the whole "break up and get back together" dance.

Take the time to find out what work for you, so you can enjoy your writing time.

No article on writing love is complete without quotes, right?

Keep your writing passion (quotes)

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” — Louis L’Amour

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ― Sylvia Plath

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.” — Stephen King

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any." - Orson Scott Card

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.” — Wally Lamb

"I think all writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.” — William Carlos Williams

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” — Anne Frank

and last but not least…

“I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it.” — Chinua Achebe

So, I'll leave you with that Achebe quote. The best way to keep your writing love alive is to NOT QUIT. Keep going, learning, doing, striving. At the end of that, you will have a book that you love.

I promise.

How do you keep your writing love alive? Do you have rituals or practices? Times of day when you write the best? Share them with us down in the comments!

by Jenny Hansen

Taxes are a bummer for most people, but...we have to do them every year. If you haven’t already filed your 2018 taxes , it’s time to think about them. Before you make squinchy faces at me and say “Boo-hiss…TAXES." *shudder*, consider that some of the changes from the Tax Cuts Jobs Act (TCJA) might offer you more deductions than in previous years.

And I know I lured you in with that "easy" word in the title but, at least for this year, I think everyone should engage the services of solid accountant. Even if you normally do your own tax returns. Things are a little wild this year.

That TCJA has a Section 199A that is being called “the tax cut of the century.” Here’s what it is:

The Section 199A deduction gives sole proprietors, partners in partnerships, some real estate investors, and S corporation shareholders an extra deduction equal to 20% of their business income.

[This is a big deal.]

I had some examples, but Julie Glover told me they made her head hurt so I've moved them to the end of this article.

I work with accountants at my day job and their education time this year was two or three times higher than their norm. Many, many of the deductions have changed. In fact there were updates to this 199A just last week.

My advice: Do yourself a favor and leverage the 2018 tax prep of a good CPA. Be sure you ask them how much education they've had on Section 199A. You don’t want to pay extra or leave a great deduction on the table.

Tax Checklist for Writers

1. Make an appointment with your accountant

When you make that appointment, be sure to also get that tax organizer that makes your eyes cross. It will guide you as you gather documents. Set aside as much time as you need to fill it out.

Or do what I do and get an hour into the process, and start whining until your organized friend or spouse takes pity on you.

2. Gather your receipts and download the bank statements from your personal and business accounts. Put these into a spreadsheet if you can – it’s easier.

3. Make some important decisions

Decide whether you will claim the standard deduction or itemize in 2018. The standard deduction has gone up to $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for married filing joint. This means many taxpayers will no longer itemize.

Review the changes to itemized deductions in 2018 below:

• Taxes are limited to a $10,000 deduction each year (this doesn’t include taxes related to your business or rental property).
• There’s no deduction for employee business or investment expenses.
• Interest on a home equity loan is only deductible if the loan proceeds were used to buy or improve your home.
• The interest deduction is limited to mortgages of $750,000 (post Tax Cuts and Jobs Act)

4. See if you are eligible for any bigger deductions

• Did you buy a car in 2018? If you use your car for business, this may be a huge deduction the year of the purchase.
• Do you have an education savings account for your child? 529 plans can now pay for elementary and secondary school tuition (limit $10,000 per year).
• Have your estate planning documents been reviewed in the last few years? The annual gift exemption is $15,000 per person in 2018 and 2019 and the estate tax exemption is $11.4 million per person or $22.8 million per couple. This is higher than is used to be.

Put on your Business Hat

Most writers are considered “self-employed” in regards to filing their taxes. In a taxpaying sense, this means that your “business” as a writer, and you as an individual taxpayer, are one and the same. There is no legal separation like there is in a corporation, partnership, LLC, or other legal entity. The writer usually files a “Schedule C” as part of his or her regular 1040 income tax form, which is where you report your writing income and expenses.

What expenses and income?

Thankfully, writers have a large group of basic expenses that easily fit the above criteria: education (classes and conferences), travel (hotel, meals, etc.), vehicle and transportation costs, equipment, supplies, home office expenses, legal and professional fees (includes membership fees to professional writing organizations).

A guide to keep track of income and expenses:

Expense items	Income items
Travel expenses	Sales of your work
Office rental (even home)	Income from rented or leased work
Commissions/payment to managers or employees	Wages/salary for writing (includes stipends, honorarium, speaking fees)
Equipment (computers, books)	Grants, awards, fellowship funds
Auto insurance and repairs	Copyright royalties (published or distributed works)
Supplies and materials	Advance payment for work
Legal and accounting fees or services	Sales taxes
Business and Bank fees
Utilities (ex: phone and Internet)
Equipment rental
Publications, periodicals, research materials
Fees for workshops and seminars
Membership / association dues
Shipping or mailing
Insurance
Advertising
Sales taxes

You should have the following information for each item:

• Date
• Amount
• Buyer
• Reason
  for the income or expense/description
• Check number,
  invoice, tracking number, or indication of other form of payment

The biggest question…

IS your writing a business?

To comply with the IRS, a writer must consider if their writing is a business or a hobby. Writers often have financial losses—expenses that exceed their writing profit, at least for the first several years.

When does the tax code determine your writing is a business as opposed to a hobby? Basically, when you are earning a profit from it.

In my humble opinion, this just means that you should make sure you do a few articles, teach a few classes or some other sort of paid writing activity each year, even if you aren’t selling books.

The IRS looks at whether you make a profit at this business three out of five consecutive years. They’d also like you to be able to answer yes to most of the following criteria (this is from the IRS site):

1. Do you carry on the activity in a business-like manner? (Refrain from sharing that you write in your pajamas. With bedhead.)
2. Does the time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable?
3. Are you depending on income from the activity for your livelihood? (Try not to laugh if someone asks you this.)
4. Are your losses from the activity due to circumstances beyond your control (i.e normal start-up losses)?
5. Do you change your methods of operation in an attempt to improve profitability? (Just say "yes." After all, sometimes you write at Starbucks in clothes, instead of at home in your pajamas.)
6. Do you have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business?
7. Were you successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past? (Yes, I made this kind of money babysitting. In the Eighties.)
8. Does the activity make a profit in some years, and how much?
9. Can you expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity?

You may have to prove to the government that you have made a genuine effort to earn a profit, so keep meticulous business-related records. 

Note: I'm terrible at being organized so I simply keep a legal-sized envelope and a receipts folder on my computer. If it is paper, it goes in the envelope. If it's electronic, it goes in the folder. I sort it out at tax time.

If your activity can be classified as a bona fide business, you may be able to deduct the full amount of all your expenses by filing a Schedule C. As rude as it is, tax law stipulates that you can’t use a “hobby” loss to offset your day job income. But as a business, you can deduct a net loss from other income you earn, such as wages and salaries.

Note: This article is not meant to constitute legal or tax advice. All situations are different, and all tax questions should be taken to a professional.

Which tax camp are you in? Done in January or waiting in the April 15th line at the post office? Do you use an accountant or do your own? Share your tax-time woes with us down in the comments!

About Jenny Hansen

Source articles:

• Tax planning: 2018 Year-end Checklist
• Artists to Reap Rewards of Major New Tax Deduction Aimed at “Pass-through” Businesses
• The 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for Creative People
• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - Insight and Analysis
• Helpful TCJA Bulletpoint List of Changes
• Tax Reform and Section 199A Deduction
• Latest 199A Update: Update On The Qualified Business Income Deduction For Individuals

Examples of deduction scenarios related to Section 199A are below.

Example 1: 

You earn $100,000 as a sole proprietor. In this case, you potentially get a deduction equal to 20% of the $100,000—or $20,000.

The only rub for the typical taxpayer? The Section 199A deduction can’t exceed 20% of your taxable income.

Example 2:

You earn $100,000 in a sole proprietorship but you use the $24,000 married-filing-jointly standard deduction and shelter $26,000 in a 401(k). In this case, your taxable income equals $50,000. You don’t get a Section 199A deduction equal to 20% of the $100,000 of sole proprietorship profits ($20,000) but instead get a Section 199A deduction equal to 20% of $50,000 ($10,000).

Julie Glover

Two months ago, I went over the basics of the new WordPress update, aka Gutenberg software. Last month, I covered formatting options. Today, let's talk about some features and plugins you might want to use.

Copying & Pasting into WordPress

I always write my posts in the WordPress editor screen, but many bloggers prefer to pen their posts in word processing software, then copy and paste into WordPress. How can you make that happen?

Straight copy and paste. Go grab the whole text from its source (on a PC, you can use Ctrl+A and then Ctrl+C to copy it), then come over to the WordPress editor screen and paste it in (Ctrl+V). Gutenberg will convert it to paragraph blocks, and you can then change any specific block to another format choice if you want, such as Heading.

Using HTML. Some writers save their post as HTML and then paste it into WordPress. If that was your go-to method, you'll notice that you no longer have a visible place where HTML editor is shown—but it's still here!

Up at the top right corner, where you save posts, you'll see three vertical dots.

Clicking there opens up a menu with editor options. You have the Visual Editor, the default view with text, images, and so on. And then there's the Code Editor, which is the HTML Editor. Of course, the next step is clicking that second one, so that the check mark moves to Code Editor.

And when you click that, you open up the HTML editor view, which looks like this:

From here, you can paste in your HTML Code. Then, if you want, switch back over to Visual Editor to see the results.

Fullscreen Mode

Let's go back to those three vertical dots. Another option there you might want to use is the Fullscreen Mode.

Unfortunately, its promise that you can "Work without distraction" seems a bit extreme, since this mode does not address the cat walking across your keyboard, the children yelling for your attention, or spammers calling your phone every five minutes. But it does allow a cleaner look for drafting and editing your post. Namely this:

No top or left menu to contend with—just a simple screen to work from.

Reusable Blocks

I love this feature. Let's say you have a book ad that you often use to entice readers to hop over and purchase your fabulous book. You can save that as a reusable block, which you can then access and drop into any post.

First, you create whatever block you want. In this case, I added an image block and inputted the URL link to the Amazon purchase page in the right-hand side bar. Then click anywhere on the block, which brings up the block menu, and click on the three vertical dots. Among the options there is Add to Reusable Blocks.

Once you click that, you'll be asked what you want to call that block and then you'll save it, thus adding it to your list of Reusable Blocks. Then, the next time you want to use that block again, you simply click on the circled plus sign, click Reusable Blocks, and select the one you want.

WordPress will drop it right into the post for you and will remember your formatting, such as the URL link you added before. You can edit the reusable block if you need to by clicking the block and choosing Edit at the top right.

Plugins with More Block Options

While there are many formatting choices in Gutenberg already, you might want to add a few more for special purposes. For instance, wouldn't it be great to easily add a Preorder or Buy Now button for your book release? How about a profile box to feature the author of a post or the author of a book you're reviewing? Want to insert a Google map so readers can find your next book signing?

Several plugins allow you to do just that—get more block options. I tested several, and these are the ones I found easiest to use.

Atomic Blocks. If you install this plugin, you'll get several more options for block formatting. Here are all the offerings:

Just to highlight a few of these, you could add a Customizable Button after a book cover image to encourage sales:

Or you could highlight the author of a post or an author whose book or resource you're promoting with the Profile feature. (They make it so easy to add the photo and social links.)

And the Post Grid block is really cool if you want to show your most recent posts. Here's just our latest three posts, but you can choose any number you want.

Ultimate Add-ons for Gutenberg Blocks. One thing I like about this plugin is that you can deactivate any of the features you know you won't use. For instance, I deactivated the Restaurant Menu option, since our website will not be serving you a lunch buffet anytime soon.

But there are useful block options, like inserting a Google map. Here's can example showing where you can find the California Dream' Writers Conference, where I'll be presenting a young adult workshop in April.

Next up, the Timeline feature. Surely there are other uses for this, but you could let your readers know when books have been or will be released. (And yes, those are real titles of a novella series coming soon.)

You could also feature reviews left about your book with the Testimonial block.

There are more options with each of those two plugins, and if you choose to add them, play around and see what you like and don't like.

We've thrown a lot at you with this WordPress update / Gutenberg software, so all the information may feel overwhelming. But you won't use all of the options. Just choose what works for you and don't worry about the rest.

With this update, we have a lot of choices available so that we can customize our sites according to our needs and our readers' desires. I'm wishing you all the best in coming up with the best design for your website.

One more time: What questions do you have about the WordPress update? Any features you wish you had but you can't find?