Christina Thompson's Blog (14)

Countdown to Launch! - Part 7 - Aiming for the Target

Hello, again, 919 friends! Welcome to the second-to-last post in my series counting down from rough ideas to published book...and beyond. Today is all about reaping the benefits of careful planning, specifically, knowing my book's target market. Early in the countdown, my thoughts on book marketing were fueled by the wide-eyed excitement that comes when you've just put the finishing touches on a huge project (that could potentially help a lot of people). I started down the road of thinking, "… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on June 4, 2009 at 8:25am — 1 Comment

Countdown to Launch! - Part 6 - Events

Welcome back! Here's Part 6 in my series counting down from rough ideas to published book...and beyond. This is one of the last posts in this series, as the book's launch is imminent! One of the best ways I've found to promote my business and raise awareness about my services is to hold events. In my experience, events have been much easier to market than my company's services, simply because events give people something to do and provide participants with valuable information (often at little… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on May 13, 2009 at 12:19pm — No Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 5b - The Women Embracing Creativity Hall of Fame

Welcome back! As I described in yesterday's blog post, support from my friends and colleagues has been a vital part of my book-writing countdown. Yesterday, I shared how the 919 network lent itself to bringing my ideas to fruition, and today, I focus on the people who rolled up their sleeves and helped. Drumroll, please.... The Women Embracing Creativity Hall of Fame Inductees are:… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on May 5, 2009 at 10:26am — 2 Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 5a - An Inside919 Top Five

Greetings! Welcome to Part 5a in my series of blog posts counting down from rough ideas to published book. Today and tomorrow, we talk 919ers. One of the chief needs creative beings have is support, especially when we're in the midst of an extended project like writing a book. I'm happy to say that, throughout my writing process, I received a tremendous amount of support from this network. Inside919 has truly grown into a Chamber of Relationships, and the sense of community here has given my boo… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on May 4, 2009 at 10:33am — 2 Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 4 - CreateSpace and Lulu Pros & Cons

Hello 919 friends! Welcome to part 4 of my series of blog posts counting down from rough idea to published book. One important part of the countdown for anyone who wants to write a book is figuring out how to publish your work. Even if you know you're going the self-publishing route, you still have many choices about which self-publishing service you'll use. Today, I'll share my experience with two self-publishing companies: CreateSpace and Lulu. CreateSpace: After just a few days… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on April 28, 2009 at 9:30am — 5 Comments

Inside919 is Invited to an Economic Stimulus Potluck!

On Sunday, April 26th at 6:30 pm, we're having our first Economic Stimulus Potluck Dinner at Summerglen....and you're invited! When I was in college and completely broke, my friends and I fed and entertained ourselves on the cheap by having potluck dinners at each others' houses. Each of us invested one dish, and went home with great memories and several days' worth of food! As we Summergleners thought about ways we could help boost the economy, it became obvious that it was time to revive the… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on April 17, 2009 at 9:48am — 2 Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 3 - Getting Ready to Get the Word Out

Greetings! Here's the third in my series of blog posts counting down from rough ideas to published book. Today, I'll describe how I compiled the tools I'll need to get the word out about my book. As I revised (and revised and revised) my book, I grew more and more excited about it. I'd say, "WOW this book is getting good! I can't WAIT to tell everybody about it!! I'm gonna sell a MILLION copies!!!!" Hmm. The problem here is, I don't know a million people. To get my book out there, I need to tel… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on April 16, 2009 at 5:28pm — 3 Comments

Ten Reasons to Love Full-Time Professional Musicians

Recently, I read about a theatre company that decided to economize on its latest show by hiring amateur musicians instead of professionals for its pit orchestra. Many people reading this might say, "So? A musician's a musician, right?" The answer: no way! Music is a discipline that can be enjoyed by many people at a variety of different levels--musical hobbyists often have just as much fun as famous performers who sell out huge arenas. However, there are several key differences that set career… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on April 3, 2009 at 8:10am — 6 Comments

What Are You Doing for World Creativity and Innovation Week?

Did you know that there's an entire week devoted to celebrating creativity each year? It's called World Creativity and Innovation Week, and it starts each year on April 15 (Leonardo DaVinci's birthday) and runs through April 21st. Creativity isn't a skill that's limited to people with "talent" or those who work in the fine arts; it's a universal trait that every human being possesses! Creativity enabled early humans to invent the wheel and… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on March 24, 2009 at 10:23am — No Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 2 - From "Finished" to "A Little More Finished"

Here's the second of a series of posts counting down from rough ideas to published book! Today, it's revisions, revisions, revisions. Since I'm self-publishing, I went through a lot of trial and error in this stage. I'll share what I figured out, in hopes that it'll save you some time! When I wrote the last line of my book, I let out a huge "WOOHOO!" and treated myself to a huge Mexican dinner. After all, I was finished, right? Well, not quite! After getting all the content into the book, it wa… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on March 20, 2009 at 9:44am — 5 Comments

Countdown to Launch! - Part 1

As many of you know, I'm in the process of publishing my first book, Women Embracing Creativity - Unleashing Your Inner Artist. I've learned a lot through the experience of taking the ideas in my mind and molding them into a book, so I'd like to share what I've learned so that other people can do the same! Today, a countdown to launch--Today I'll count down from my first information-gathering experiences to writing the final sentence of the book. 1992 - My book is a collection… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on March 16, 2009 at 2:32pm — 1 Comment

Coming out of Hibernation

Hello Inside919 friends! I'm writing today because I need to get back into the loop and start contributing more to our Inside919 community. I've been in a "hibernation" of sorts, and now it's time to come out into the sun. For the past couple of months, I've been writing my first book, Women Embracing Creativity: Unleashing Your Inner Artist. Writing the book has been an exciting experience, but has also brought out one of my not-so-great quirks--when I'm busy creating something, be it… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on March 14, 2009 at 1:33pm — 1 Comment

Stretching Our Limits with Creativity

Over the past two months, I've been writing a workbook to accompany a creativity course I'm leading in January and February. I had experience with creativity as it related to music, but I was astounded at how powerfully it came into play as I wrote this workbook. Although I do not consider myself a writer, I was able to create an exciting 80-page book...and enjoy the process to boot! Such is the power of harnessing one's natural creativity. Even though many people will readily say they have no… Continue

Added by Christina Thompson on January 3, 2009 at 11:38am — 5 Comments