1st Class Presentation

10,000? What's that about? Well, hang on. Let me catch you up and then I'll explain.

Alot has happened since my launch day. I've been busy getting Playground Treasures out to all who are willing to listen. Marketing a book is very different from writing, and yet almost more crucial if you want to make anything. My goal is to make up for all of my production costs and the money I need to keep writing and attacking new projects. Right now I am saving for Playground Treasures to be put in an audio book format. It's a lot of money, and honestly, I might not make it all back. But how cool is it going to be to have someone read my book with all of its voices and make it come alive. 

Today was also the first time I did something new and exciting in promotion of my book. Not only do I write, but I can also teach about writing. I started putting it out there that I could present to classes about the writing process or my book and the author life in general. So today was my 1/5 booked appointments with classes. I taught 90 sixth graders at Mountain Shadows Elementary in West Jordan. 

I taught about how to break the 10,000 hour rule and still become a better reader, writer, soccer player, etc. So what's the 10,000 rule? Well, some researchers say it takes 10,000 hours to develop and be really good at a talent or skill. Unfortunately that would take 18 years of 1 1/2 hour of practice a day. I can't afford to take that long to become a great author. I need a way of speeding up the process. So while I was researching about this rule, I also saw some researching debunking this data. That sure it might take some people this much of time, but some can develop it faster or slower than 18 years. And there are a few things they have found that can help speed up the process. Three things to be exact.

1)  Create a feedback loop....that means get feedback on what you're doing and do whatever it is you're doing better the next time. So all the beta-reading I ask for and all of the critique groups I attend are really very essential to my progress and growth in writing.

2) Deliberate practice
That means you have to pick on skill, like dribbling or shooting hoops, over and over to accomplish  the goal of getting better at your specified talent. 

3) Become a teacher. After you have learned a skill and had targeted practice, teach someone about it. Share your information and each someone the process and what you learned in your experience.

So, those three things are what I shared with the sixth graders and I really do hope something stuck. :) It was a good experience, and though I sold ONE whopping book, it was part of my feedback loop that I will deliberately practice, and then teach someone. :)