I talked to a friend this week who reminded me to be grateful for the people who support me.

She’s absolutely right.

I witnessed that support in several ways when I launched my book.

• One thing I did to help market my book was to create a Facebook author page. Facebook encouraged me to invite my friends to like my new page. One click later, and my message was sent to all of my friends. Before the end of the day, more than 50 had “liked” my page. That was awesome!
• My friends, family, subscribers and others downloaded my book during my free promotion. Those downloads helped move my book up in rankings on Amazon for its title. Now, when I search “how to achieve goals,” my book is at the top of the page, with only two “promoted” books above it. This is fantastic!
• People have been reading and reviewing my book! That feedback is great for other readers who might not know me or my story. Writing a review helps explain what you liked and why others might like to read it. That’s wonderful!

Talking to my friend reminded me that I should be grateful for everyone who supports me.

And grateful I am.

I’m grateful for you!

Let me express my gratitude:

• Thank you for your support for my book and this blog. I’m especially thankful for those of you who subscribe.
• Thank you for downloading my book, reading it and writing a review. You are the best.
• Thank you for your comments on my blog posts, social media and by email. I appreciate it that you stay in touch and engage with me.
• Thank you for giving up a little of your time to read my work, and a little more when I ask you to read an e-book or write a review. Your time is precious. Thank you for sharing it with me.

I am grateful for your support! Obrigada! Merci beaucoup! Thank you!

---

How to Be a Better Writer Tip

Come back later or reverse it

When you write something you’ll be publishing, submitting to someone or somehow providing to a reading audience, try to give yourself time to come back to it before it goes out.

Fresh eyes will help you spot obvious trouble areas, typos and missing words.

I like to let something sit overnight, but if I’m in a pinch, an hour will suffice – if I work on something else in the meantime. It’s necessary to get away from the thoughts surrounding that piece of writing to help it appear fresh to you when you come back to it.

If you are pressed for time and can’t come back to it, try this trick:

Read it in reverse order.

Start at the bottom of the piece and read the last paragraph. Then go to the penultimate paragraph, and work your way to the top of the story.

This won’t help you find problems with how the copy flows, but it should help you spot grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

You also can read the sentences in a paragraph in reverse order. Perhaps you’ve written a short piece, with only a few paragraphs. Try reading each sentence separately, starting at the bottom and working to the top.