Cutting the flab

  

Unlike the days in grade school where we threw every extra word we could to make our homework fit the required page count, professional writers need to tighten their writing. Fortunately cutting all the unnecessary words is probably easier than losing those extra pounds when we diet.

When you are telling your story make sure that everything you tell is actually relevant to that story. For instance if you are describing a setting there is no need to describe every crack in the wall or every plant in a garden UNLESS that object plays an important part in the plot — if the family photo on the wall shows a family member that no one wants to talk about because of some past secret and that secret is pursued as part of the story, then MAYBE the picture should be included in your description.

Every character in your story has a past but not everything that has happened up to the point of your story needs to be related to your readers. BUT maybe the back story is significant and you feel it is vital to know… Don’t info-dump all of the backstory at once, scatter it like memories or flashbacks throughout your story. The point is to keep your story moving along in the NOW (or whatever time period your story takes place). If you concentrate for too long in the past your readers are likely to become bored.

How many words does it really take to get your point across? Saying “she thought to herself” is unnecessary… who else is she thinking to? Stick with “she thought”. Direction can be implied, just use the words sat, stood, and turned — leave out down, up and around. Use strong descriptive words instead of weakening your writing with passive adverbs such as saying “She whispered,” instead of “She whispered quietly”.

Speak in an active voice like “Jonathan carried the suitcase” and avoid “The suitcase was carried by Jonathan”, or “Mom cooked dinner,” instead of “Dinner was cooked by Mom” (subject, action, object). Also cut out the “-ing” words to make the sentence stronger, “She was studying the history lesson” is better as “She studied the lesson”.

Have you ever been annoyed listening to someone talk who seems to begin every sentence with “you know” or “like”? Your readers don’t appreciate it either. Go through your written work and circle every repeated crutch-phrase and REMOVE IT. The only exception is in dialogue IF it helps to set the quirkiness of a character and you keep it consistent. Talking about dialogue, when there is a conversation between two or more characters it probably is not necessary to use a character’s name in every sentence either as “Tom said” or by addressing another character by name; if the conversation is flowing easily then names should be needed only every so often.

Writing Exercise:  Free write for 15-to-20 minutes, note the word count. When you are done take a pen or pencil in a different color and strengthen your writing by cutting out passive phrases and replacing them with active sentences. Circle repetitive words and read the piece aloud WITHOUT any of those words, if you don’t need them cross them out. How many words were you able to remove?

Writing Prompt:  Make a list of cringe-worthy words or phrases YOU can’t stand hearing. (Do YOU use any of these in your writing?)

Challenge Assignment:  Make a list of 15 nouns, 15 adjectives, and 15 verbs in separate columns. Using one word from column A, one from column B and one from column C make as many sentences as possible. You are NOT allowed to use any word twice and each sentence needs to make sense.

Re-post: Where the ideas come from

A writer never takes any time off – we may try, but until the day our brains cease to function, we are working. Even while we sleep, ideas flit through our heads and if we are lucky we can remember some of them In the morning when we wake.

How often do you find yourself playing “what if?” even when you don’t realize that you are doing it. What if I had made a different decision in my life? What if the young lady with the disabled vehicle hadn’t been able to pull her car to the side of the road before that truck came barreling down? What if that police car siren was headed to someone’s house that we know?

Don’t be afraid to let your mind wander. Jot down ideas even if they are only snippets. Sometimes that elusive dream will poke through when you are looking for a new twist. Spark your creativity by rewriting your day and making different choices. Read a newspaper article and turn it into fiction adding characters, settings and even props of your own creation.

Think of a TV show or movie where the ending left you feeling empty – how would you change it? What do you think might have happened if Rhett Butler had never uttered those immortal words, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” and had given Scarlett another chance?

Although it’s been disputed as to exactly how many stories there are to tell, it is generally accepted that there are a limited number of stories/plots, the difference comes in the telling of the story the twists, conflicts and external influences. Romeo and Juliet is cited often for its forbidden love story which ends in tragedy, not unlike West Side Story. Formula romance is basically boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, supposedly insurmountable conflict pulls them apart, boy wins girl back, they live happily ever after.

Obviously well written romances are not really that simplistic, but they all do seem to go through the same basic steps. Authors vary the details, they make characters who fall in love unique, they change the obstacles, they include intriguing side stories and the HEA may or may not end in marriage. Authors may write about same sex characters, imperfect role models, complications that add to the conflict and more. Each story varies in perspective and delivery.

This is not approval to plagiarize, but don’t use the excuse that the story has been written before, just make it DIFFERENT. You have to write. Let your mind loose, question everything, imagine a better way, consider problems, fantasize new worlds, explore new ideas. Just write.

Writing exercise:  We’ve all heard biblical stories, choose one. Rewrite the story in 2013. For example, what would happen if a man came across a burning bush and expected his followers to understand while he stayed there to receive a significant message? Try to keep the miracle, but with the reactions and settings of today.

Writing prompt:  Think of the most evil character you’ve ever written about, or use one that you’ve read about if you need. Describe their best childhood friend and whether they miss them today.

What are you passionate about?

          Is there something that really gets you going, the kind of thing that makes you even happier to get out of bed every morning? Have you tried telling people about it? Does your voice sound like it’s ready to bubble over with giddy excitement as you bring people into your world?

Take a pen and paper and write down the answers to these three questions:
1) What is THE something you really enjoy doing and look forward to doing? Describe it as thoroughly as possible.
2) Why do you enjoy this activity? How does it make you feel when you are doing this activity? Would you want to share the experience with someone else as a student or a fellow participant? How would you feel if you couldn’t do this anymore?
3) How do you actually DO that thing that excites you? How long have you been doing this? Why do you believe someone else might enjoy this activity as much as you do? Imagine teaching this activity to others.

Using these answers as a guide, write more. Suppose your passion was dancing — What kind of dancing do you do? How does it feel to sway to music? If your dancing involves another person, does it feel “intimate”? Be sure to elaborate, describe feeling of the beat of the music INSIDE you. How does it affect your breathing?

Is there something specific that precipitates your need to dance, to move, to sway? Do you close your eyes when you dance and what do you “see”? Tell us if you feel alone or in a spotlight? Finally give us some background on how long you’ve been dancing. How did you start? Try to describe dancing so that the person reading this (or listening to you) can imagine herself doing the dance.

It doesn’t matter if your chosen activity is dancing, playing an instrument, gardening or writing, let others HEAR how passionate you are about doing THIS. What would you tell your student if you were teaching how to do this action? Tell them WHY everyone would be better for learning how to do this thing.

Writing Exercise: Use EACH of your senses in a one-sentence (per sense) description of how it feels to do this activity. Describe the visual experience, both as the person doing it and as a person watching it.

Writing Prompt: List each of the five senses and list three reasons you appreciate each sense (for instance, “I love the smell of home cooking”)

Writing Challenge: Write a 350-to-500 word blog post about the thing you are most passionate about. Edit it carefully and post it.

Re-post: The Art of Written Work

“Literature (from Latin litterae (plural); letter) is the art of written work. The word literature literally means "things made from letters". Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms—fiction & non-fiction—and two major techniques—poetry and prose.” [Wikipedia]

Writers write Literature, good writers understand that different genres fit different people. Novels are always Fiction and saying ‘fictional novel’ is redundant and unnecessary. Contemporary fiction generally takes place AFTER World War 2. It’s been proven time and time again that reading is vital to writing; although you may prefer one form of literature over another having an understanding of the various types of stories can only enhance your ability to write.

A genre consists of artistic works that fall within a certain central theme; examples of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy, erotica, and adventure, among others. There are many genres of literary fiction, here are a few that go beyond the “norm”; Paranormal includes elements beyond scientific explanation, and may be a blend of themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror:

“Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life, and paranormal abilities.” SciFi relies on WHAT IF about scientific concepts.

“Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting.” Fantasy can include wizards, witches, spells and occurrences there may be no “logical” explanation for.

“Horror fiction, horror literature and also horror fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror.” This may contain both explainable and unexplainable elements that are designed to frighten.

 [all definitions are from Wikipedia]

The beauty of writing a paranormal is that you are not confined to a set program – maybe your vampire doesn’t like the taste of blood or enjoys sunning herself on the beach. Perhaps the Lycan parents are disappointed that their son wants to be a vegetarian. Things do NOT have to be what you expect them to be. You can make your paranormal character(s) anything you want because only your imagination dictates the story.

Build your paranormal character – what is different about him/her from those around him? Understand what your character’s abilities are before fully developing the plot. How does your character interact with others? How does the character’s abilities change the way things happen? (Remember the old Bewitched series, Samantha could do the dishes like a “normal” housewife… or she could just twitch her nose.) Just like any other character, you as the author need to know the character’s background and the things that made the character the way he is.

Your plot may sound otherwise like a normal story, the paranormal elements though will alter the expected outcomes and create twists and conflicts. There will be surprising reactions from the others who do not share the same paranormal abilities. Time does not necessarily flow smoothly or even in chronological order, communication may take simple thought only, things may be seen that aren’t really there. Your paranormal story starts with anything  that doesn’t follow the normal/usual way of thinking.

Writing exercise: Think about something that may have occurred to you in the past that really had an unexpected outcome (such as a serious car accident that you did NOT get hurt in). Write a paragraph or two telling what happened and using a paranormal element to explain it. Let your imagination go.

Writing Prompt: Imagine that a ghost inhabits your house. In 140 letters or less (approx 28 words) describe the ghost – Can you give your ghost a name?

Making a Name for Yourself

A press release can open the door to your existence as far as potential readers, bookstore owners and even movie producers will know. If no one knows about you and your work then chances are no one will ever buy it or even ask to read it. In other words any effort you put into a writing project will be lost… that may be okay if you are simply writing for yourself alone BUT if you have any hopes of making a business out of your writing or even going after elusive “fame”, well, you won’t.

Writing a press release is a lot easier than you may think, just follow the recipe. Press releases are an important tool for catching the attention of various media and getting your name in front of the public. The press release serves as an introduction, provides meaningful information, allows for follow-up, and is often sent to various media outlets for distribution; press releases can also be sent directly to intended recipients (such as libraries, book stores, etc).

Ideally a press release should take no more than ONE page and be between three to four paragraphs. The body of the release should include:

Paragraph one – this should include the most important facts, Who, What, When, Where, and Why. If you are announcing a new book include the name and expected release date, include a logline to help generate interest. Include the author’s name. Mention the publishing company. If you are announcing an appearance, use the author’s name (you) and something like “author of three award-winning books” (truth only!) will be appearing at the XYZ Book Store in downtown Any City on [date and time]. Whatever the main subject is that you are announcing belongs in this paragraph with enough information to support it. It is this paragraph that should hook a reporter to want to write about it.

Paragraph two – this should include further in-depth information supporting the first paragraph. For a new book release for instance include a quote from a pre-release review (if available). Mention how previous books were received. What makes the author an “expert” on the subject? For an appearance talk about the author and the venue. If this is an author appearance will their be a specific presentation (lecture, book discussion, other authors, etc).

Paragraph three – this is a “Call-to-Action”. Where will this book be available for purchase? For an appearance what is the exact location of the venue and repeat the time. Be sure to mention if there is a fee or if reservations are necessary.

Paragraph four (optional) - this could be “An About…” description of the publishing company, the corporate description of the chain bookstore the author is appearing at… Also include a PUBLIC resource for more information, reservations, etc.

The press release should be written in third person. This is not an advertisement, it is not an opinion piece, it isn’t even advertorial (a slanted editorial about a specific product). The press release needs to be factual and concise. While you hope that the recipient will read the entire release, you want to make sure that they don’t need to take much time knowing what is important.

Your release needs a good title, one that is relevant to the subject matter, concise and a little bit of a hook. At the top of the release should be [your] name and contact information marked for press use only, also include a release date for the information. (It is a good idea to send the release out early enough for the media to print it before the actual event). If you are not using letterhead stationery then a return address should be showing; if this is an email you do not need a letterhead but contact info should be clear. Put the heading of the press release in the subject line followed by (Press Release). Repeat the heading and/or the Sub-heading in the body.

Do your research and find out the preferred method for submitting info to a media source, some sources have online forms, others give the email address, and still others make it clear that the release needs to be mailed. Verify the correct spelling of the recipient. Also check and double-check your release for spelling and grammar. Be sure that ANY business or product names in the release are spelled and capitalized appropriately.

Writing Exercise:  Write about something important to you in 26 SHORT sentences; each sentence needs to begin with the next letter of the alphabet A-Z.

Writing Prompt:  It’s getting close to the end of the year, write a list of resolutions for 2018 — make sure that at least ten of them are about writing.

Challenge Assignment:  Write a (mock) press release about any upcoming event in your life, follow paragraphs one through three in third person. Be sure to include a call to action.

Re-post: Thinking Outside the Box

There are those who will tell you to avoid clichés like the plague.

According to the Writers Write blog, the twelve most annoying clichés are: 1. Avoid it like the plague;  2. Dead as a doornail; 3. Take the tiger by the tail; 4. Low hanging fruit; 5. If only walls could talk; 6. The pot calling the kettle black; 7. Think outside the box; 8. Thick as thieves; 9. But at the end of the day; 10. Plenty of fish in the sea; 11. Every dog has its day; and 12. Like a kid in a candy store. While the blog owners say you should never use clichés, that can be hard as some idioms are common, everyday parts of our language. The truth is that the constant use of clichés can be unsettling for a reader, but there are times when it can be a useful tool, especially in conversation/dialogue.

Mixing up patterns of speech in dialogue helps to identify who is speaking. Using signature lines and clichés in dialogue can help make a character unique and add to their personality, but not everyone should talk the same way. In The Golden Girls sitcom Sophia had a signature line, “Picture this…”, Bruce Willis in Die Hard is known for his “Yippy Kai-yay”, and George Takei has made the two words “Oh My” a brand on its own. Personal speech patterns and the consistent use of clichés and common idioms can distinguish your character and make him or her recognizable and memorable. There is o need to use every cliché or otherwise overused phrase, but choose one or two that will become a trademark for one of your characters.

Other traits you can use to help make your characters distinctive are short staccato like sentences, the constant use of words that sound like the pages of a dictionary or encyclopedia, slang expressions, the hint of a drawl or other accent. The important thing is to keep the style specific to just that one character. Depending on the region your character comes from  they may speak slowly or rapidly, their expressions may sound gruff, crude or overly polite. Conversation should sound natural and flow. The way a character speaks should be consistent with who they are, what they do, where they were raised and where they live now, and even their socio-economic status.

You might want to emphasize a regional accent or ethnicity. Research common idioms to an area (like the deep south of America) and let your character seem comfortable using those phrases. To add a foreign touch to someone’s language, just hint occasionally by using a once-in-a-while foreign word (such as mademoiselle) or emphasizing an accent occasionally but consistently (such as zee instead of the). Also understand that someone speaking a language which is not their native tongue may confuse some literal translations. Be careful not to infuse so many idioms or accents as to make reading too confusing for your average target audience reader.

Narrative should sound smooth and this is where you should avoid the excessive use of clichés. The words used to tell the story, other than dialogue, need to be accurate as to spelling, grammar and meaning. A character, if it fits their description, may use ambiguous words or abstract speech patterns. The story around the speech needs to be clear, correct and directed for reading ease by the audience. A line of dialogue may be run-on for instance if that is the normal way for a character to speak, but run-on sentences are not acceptable in the narrative.

Read your work out loud. Does it sound natural? Is it easily understood? And is it easy to know who is talking even without the character’s name being used? 

Writing exercise: Take a major character from your work and write a brief bedtime story that character was told as a young child; it’s okay to just include the highlights. Afterwards see how that story may have had an effect on who your character became.

Writing Prompt: Make a list of five people who had a significant impact on your life. For each person list a specific word or phrase that you associate with that person, perhaps something they often said to you.

Putting It Out There

There is a sweet satisfaction to typing “The End” — there is an even greater satisfaction in knowing you have an editor who is willing to give your masterpiece a look. So how do you get from A-to-B? This is where the query letter comes in.

Write two to three sentences describing your story, highlight a key phrase in your little summary. Make a note of WHO you think will enjoy and/or benefit from reading your book. Research similar books, don’t look at the story line as much as the theme (such as boy meets girl, etc.). While you are researching these similar books be sure to copy down the names of the publishing companies that produced them. And finally take a good look at the “loglines” accompanying these books (similar to the key phrase concept), this will come in handy when you write your query letter.

Choose the publisher(s) you want to submit to; bear in mind that many of the larger publishers want writers to go through agents. Check out submission guidelines for necessary formatting; how much, if any of the manuscript, should accompany the query; the standard length expected; and who (and where) to address the query to. By the way it is not uncommon for publishers to request all queries be made via e-mail, be sure to follow the directions. Now is the time to start composing your letter.

Start with a HOOK, make sure it really reaches out and grabs the reader. What is a hook? It says something about your story, but it is NOT the plot. The hook is about that unique feature that sets your book apart from the rest. Don’t say “this is a love story about…”, instead try something like “a jaded gigolo falls in love with a cynical gold digger.” The hook is really your logline (told you it would come in handy), it tells you much more than the plot of the story, it literally sets you up asking “now how the heck is this going to happen?” Play around with a few hooks and choose the best one to open your letter with.

Move on to the next paragraph, the short and sweet pitch commonly called the elevator pitch. Imagine you are in a small elevator with the one person you want to sell you story to and you’ve got less than a minute to entice them with your story. Start with no more than 20 words and ask a question, “What would you do if you were the only one people counted on to save the world?” Start them thinking about the conflict in your story. Be honest about the story, in other words the question should be relevant to your plot. You can add a little bit about your credibility to write about the subject (award-winning, personal experience) and/or how well the book is being received or a BRIEF testimonial.

Your third paragraph is the author’s bio, but no matter how interesting your childhood was, it doesn’t belong there unless it is directly relevant to YOU AS AN AUTHOR. Keep this brief.

Your entire query should be NO MORE than one page. Make sure that your name and contact information is included. By the way, there is no reason to use, absolutely no reason, flowery type in pastel colors, rose scented paper, tiny print, or a background that would require special glasses in order to see the writing. Make it easy on the submissions editor who receives your query.

Good luck

Writing Exercise:  Write two or three paragraphs describing a crowded elevator you are on when it gets stuck between floors (it’s your decision how long and why the elevator is stuck). Tell us about the other people who are trapped with you and how everyone passes the time.

Writing Prompt:  Write up to ten “loglines”, each one representing a major event in your own life. Make them catchy and lines that should make someone want to know more.

Challenge Assignment:  Write a brief biography about yourself (1) as an author; (2) as a member of your family; and (3) as a worker in whatever your full-time position (employment?) is. Each biography should be relevant to the role and only a short paragraph long.

Re-post: Parting Company

Sometimes even the “marriage made in heaven” between a publisher and an author comes to an end. Why when once things seemed so perfect?

There are a number of reasons why the two entities decide to move on without the other, not all of them are bad or even acrimonious. Sometimes the feeling is mutual and sometimes it is one-sided. We’ll discuss the various reasons in a moment – the main thing is to remain professional, take ownership of shortcomings (if any), learn and develop from the experience, and don’t use any “artistic differences” as an excuse for bad behavior.

Authors and publishers who feel that the “other side” is not meeting their needs should realistically look at themselves as well, there is a possibility you aren’t what your partner needs either. Publishing houses with multiple authors need to consider all of the authors and cannot (or should not) focus all of their energy and reserves (monetary especially) on just one; although it isn’t unusual for a publisher to be “a little more attentive” to authors who give their best, show effort, are willing to work as members of a team, and whose sales support their work.

Authors may want more control than working within the confines of a publishing company may permit in which case another publisher or even self-publishing may be a better alternative. Sometimes the author may feel that they have not received promises made to them – read through your contract BEFORE signing, if something is not 100% clear, question. And IF you find that the contract is being violated, don’t wait until years later to call the publisher on it. Sometimes the publisher’s specialties do not allow for a writer’s foray into another genre and it is understandable for the author to look elsewhere. One fact that a few authors fail to understand is that they are self-employed writers and the publisher is not responsible for their personal performance or guarantee of success.

Publishers also have the right to expect the author to adhere to the signed contract. Authors are normally expected to meet deadlines, cooperate with editors, self-promote, interact with the publishing group and maintain a consistent level of sales (taking into account industry fluctuations). Some publishers also require a firm marketing plan prior to a contract being issued. Authors are also expected to uphold a positive reputation and not involve themselves with anything that would reflect poorly on the publisher or the publisher’s group of authors. One fact that a few authors fail to understand, as a self-employed writer their publisher is equal to “the boss” and should be regarded as such.

Again, not every match is meant to be forever. If there is to be a parting of the ways, REMAIN PROFESSIONAL. While it may have become a pastime for some to participate in public bashing, most people do not respect it. Even if you manage to raise a few eyebrows about the other side, you also damage your reputation as well. In addition, other authors who are still with a publishing house may wind up being hurt by public negative blasts – that doesn’t bode well for an author looking to find another publisher. And if you are looking for a publisher, keep your eyes open and listen to a variety of sources. One individual’s opinion may be misleading for any variety of reasons.

Writing Exercise: Prepare a detailed marketing plan for your book. Prepare a list of media sites to send press releases to; include areas that you have any connection to such as where you live, where you grew up, where your publisher is, and any areas highlighted In your book. Compile a list of venues that you can physically visit and do book signings; don’t limit yourself to only bookstores. Research blogs that might be willing to host a guest blog from you and query them asking for the opportunity. Decide on a budget for promotion; this depends on whether you will be doing it yourself or if the publisher will be contributing. Investigate the purchase of promo items (bookmarks, etc) from inexpensive services like VistaPrint or FedEx printing services (not an endorsement).

Writing Prompt: Using a DIFFERENT sense, describe something you can touch (ie: use sight instead of touch), describe something you can taste, hear, see and smell. Make sure you rely on your OTHER senses.

Timely Writing

Are you writing just to write, dabbling as such, for no one’s eyes but your own? That’s okay if that is all you are in it for. Many writers get immense joy from simply putting words to paper

But many writers would also like to see their work published, they’d like to see an income, and they’d like to call it their most career, their work, their calling. The first, second, third… every time an author hears about someone reading her work, every time she sees her byline and especially every time she collects a check for the work, it is an amazing thrill.

If you want the thrill on top of the joy then you have to be able to produce those words AND handle the business end of finding publishers and collecting payments; in other words, promotion, marketing, negotiating and keeping records.

Time management and discipline will help you combine that creative/artistic Left brain and the organized/business Right brain. Use caution though, most Time Management advice is geared more for the standard 9-5 office job and while the tips may be useful they have to be modified appropriately.

Here are some of the best pieces of time management and writing advice from professional writers; these are ideal for the at-home freelance writer:

Don’t FIND the time to write, MAKE the time. And when you sit down to write, just WRITE. Don’t make phone calls, write emails, scan FaceBook or get your household chores done. Take the first five minutes to review your “plan”, know what your goal is, and tend to the tight deadlines first. Stress because of missed deadlines will not help creativity. List your deadlines on an online calendar which will email you timely reminders. You don’t have to write an outline for every writing project but you should have a clear idea of where your story/article is going so that you can stay on track. If you notice a pattern of writing preferences at specific times, such as advertorials in the morning and fiction at night, make a note of that and try to work it into your schedule.

Minimize your distractions. If you can find a relatively private place to work where household antics won’t interfere, then grab it. If you can ask for assistance from another household member to run interference (sit with the kids while they do their homework, etc.) then take advantage. Other ways you can arrange uninterrupted writing time is to work for an hour or two after everyone else has gone to bed, or get up early and do the same thing. If your children go to school and your spouse has an out-of-the-house job, plan your work day around that. Let the answer machine pick up the phone — if you are worried about missing an important call check your caller ID or, if you have the option, set a designated ring for the can’t miss people.

Make time to nourish and replenish yourself. Eat real foods, not junk snacks, and stay hydrated. Make sure you get adequate sleep. And remember to take breaks during your work day and actually walk away from your “desk” to relax, watch a TV show (no more than half or one hour), walk around the block, take time on a treadmill. You need to make sure your body as fuel and the endorphins are flowing. Taking a break from work should not be filled with household chores just because you are at home. If you don’t stay nourished you will feel your energy and thought process waning.

Take time every week, at least 30-minutes, to learn about your craft. Take online webinars, read writing blogs read other works in and out of your genre, and join an online writing group to share discussion and brainstorm with other professional writers. Staying on top of the industry and continually honing your skills will help keep your writing fresh. Designate promotion time on a weekly basis as well using social media, blogs and emails so you don’t “disappear” from potential fans and readers.

Writing Exercise:  Set your timer for 30 minutes and WRITE about anything, don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Write whatever thoughts are in your head at the time.

Writing Prompt:  What do you like to write and why? Do you enjoy reading the same genre? What genre have you NEVER tried writing? Why?

Challenge Assignment:  Keep a journal for one week, list WHEN you write, WHAT you write and how well you are meeting actual and self-imposed deadlines. Be sure to list any conflicts that kept you from accomplishing what you wanted to do. After the week create a schedule that takes into account when your strongest writing happens, what challenges you have to work around (and possible solutions), and include your personal feelings about your accomplishments (be kind to yourself). The following week tweak this initial plan and keep repeating until you have developed a comfortable and productive working schedule.

Re-post ~ Guest Posts and Blogging Etiquette

Virtual Blog Tours and Guest Posts are a wonderful way to promote a new book or even just spread your name as an author and raise interest in your work.

In a virtual tour you’ve received (usually through solicitation) invitations to post to multiple blogs or respond to online interviews within a brief period of time. This is a virtual way to get out and meet the public similar to going to bookstores and speaking with customers – the advantage is that your reach is far greater and your post remains available long after your appointed time.

Blog owners who make space available usually do so to pay it forward (there are some who charge a fee as a business), return a favor, as a show of support, or simply to be a “nice guy”. Despite the desire to be generous and helpful, all blog owners also appreciate the increased exposure to their own sites.

What can you do to make yourself a welcomed guest who will possibly be invited back for another chance to promote?

If you are soliciting the gig, ASK don’t just tell that you would like to be a guest blogger. Query the blog owner and ask about the possibility. Find out specifics – recommended word count, subject, graphics, etc. Be prompt in getting the requested material in on time so the recipient has time to input it without a last minute frenzy.  Make sure that your submission is edited, it’s more than just your reputation on the line when your post appears on someone else’s site. Sometimes the blog owner will ask about including a giveaway or contest – if this is possible, do so, if you can’t, ask if it would be okay to skip it, don’t just assume.

Promote the appearance, don’t leave it up to the blog owner to publicize the blog post or interview. Be sure to use FaceBook, Twitter, Google+ or whatever social media you have. The day that the post appears send emails and social media again to drive traffic to the blog site. Do NOT re-blog the post to your web or blog site and direct people there – the blog owner is hoping for the increased traffic and you will take that away from them.

Finally make sure that you log in to both thank the blog owner for the opportunity and also to answer reader comments. Log in several times that day and even check back for the next day or two. And by all means, return the favor when you can.

Writing Exercise: Pick one of the major characters in your book. Describe in detail the best OR worse day of their lives – preferably something that takes place before the book’s beginning and is not a part if the main story.

Writing Prompt:  Have you donated clothing to a charity recently? Pick any one outfit you donated and describe the person you can “picture” wearing it today and what they might be doing.

Be a Relevant Blogger

I’ll say it again, blogging is a wonderful way to promote yourself and your writing work, or actually any work. But if you are going to take the time to blog, make the time spent on it a worthwhile endeavor.

So how do you make your blog stand out among all the others?

Design & Professionalism:  Remember how we doodled all over our notebooks in middle-school, so much so that often you could barely read the title or see the background color? Well DON’T do that anymore.

Your blog should be easy to read (watch those color combinations!) and easy to navigate. Huge blocks of letters with no space between the lines is liable to turn a reader off. Use a font that is readable against a background that doesn’t blend in with the text. Put spaces between the lines and break up the paragraphs. Sprinkling a few relevant graphics will help to draw attention to your page, but be careful not to overload the page with videos or other files so that it takes forever for the page to load on the reader’s device — a few links to graphics, even animated, YouTube or audio files is okay so long as it doesn’t slow (or crash) the page loading. One easy way to load graphics is to use “thumbnails” (a small snapshot) and link it to a larger picture stored on your site so the reader can decide if he wants to see the full or higher-resolution image. For an easy to read article on making thumbnails go to http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-thumbnails-52583.html

Write about trending topics: If the topic is trending then it’s easy to get the attention of readers, after all, everybody is already talking about it. How do you know what is trending? If you are writing your blogs within the day of posting, it’s easy to find trending topics through social media, online news reports and newspaper headlines. Social media tends to be up-to-the-minute, I’ve learned about several important happenings even before the TV news broke in with an important announcement! Twitter is a popular go-to site. Google Trends allows you to customize your search based on your interest or blog theme (i.e.: entertainment, politics…). Visit REDDIT and look down the page for “trending subreddits”, you can even choose a geographical location to search.

If you are diligent and schedule your posts in advance it’s a good idea to create a blog calendar just like the editorial calendar so many magazines use. A good way to choose your upcoming topics is to use a regular calendar and note holidays and observances. A good online source is World Holidays and Observances at http://www.holidays-and-observances.com/ where you will find a list of holiday dates by month, country and topic, this list includes special events like the SuperBowl and more. Another good site for your blog calendar is through the ALA Programming Librarian at http://programminglibrarian.org/node/338.  

If you are promoting your book(s), a product then try to tie the specific topic in to your book with a SUBTLE reference to your story, but do make sure it is relevant. Remember you don’t want your blog to be a blatant advertisement. Periodically check your site to see which posts have garnered more interest.

Remember to promote your blog AND yourself:  Share your blog to all of your social media accounts. Place share buttons at the bottom of each post so that your readers can share the content as well. Visit other blogs with similar themes and comment (be polite and supportive, NOT confrontational) and make sure that your signature includes a link back to your site. Build cooperation and support from others by using the share buttons on their blogs as well and re-Tweeting and re-posting their publicity as well.

Writing Exercise: Decide on a general theme for your blog and set up a tentative blog schedule for the next two to three months. Remember to schedule regular posts (two to three a week is good). You can alternate between editorial posts, photos, snippets from a book and character interviews… remember to tie them into the scheduled topics.

Writing Prompt: Visit at least ten other blogs with similar themes to yours. Make a list of items that appeal to you and how you could use those concepts in your posts.

Challenge Exercise: part 1-If you don’t already have a blog site, create one now. And part 2-Write or create at least three to five posts for your blog.

Re-post: The Query Letter

Unless you are one of the lucky few who has all of the right connections, you’re going to have to do a lot more than just write a good book. Someone who has the power to put your book in print and has the experience and money to market it has to first be convinced that they want to read it. Then, hopefully, your writing and the story will enthuse them to make the all important investment in you.

Make your pitch with a query letter.  Query letters need to be short (they are also sometimes referred to as elevator pitches for the short time you have to sell your idea) and direct. Your first line need to hook the acquisitions editor who opened your mail or they won’t have any interest in reading more. Speak to the person reading your letter as you would a potential reader – sell your story. That’s all.

Before you even start composing your letter, make sure you are sending it to the correct publishing house for your genre and your target audience. It doesn’t make sense to send adult eroticism to a company that publishes high school text books or children’s fiction. Verify the correct spellings of the company name, the person you are addressing the letter to, and that you have the correct address. So a bit of research as well to find any available submission instructions – find out if your selected publisher or agent wants queries snail mailed or emailed, do they want a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope for return), do they want a synopsis or sample chapters included. If you can find instructions, FOLLOW THEM TO THE LETTER!

Your opening line should be the hook. Think “what would you do if”…(fiction); why (target audience) want to read about your subject… (non-fiction). Now that you hooked them, reel them in. Keep the reader interested, but use no more than two or three sentences. For a fiction book, your next short paragraph should be a very brief overview of the main story plot/conflict – don’t waste space including sub-plots, unexpected twists and turns or introducing secondary characters. If you are querying a fiction book, unless you are proposing a series and/or are well known, the work should already be complete. Include the word count.

For a non-fiction book, open the same way, with the hook. Your second paragraph should emphasize who the target audience is – be specific, you are not a one-size-fits all writer, that is unrealistic. Very, very briefly, include your qualifications for writing this book, why should people believe or listen to you. Generally for a non-fiction work , this letter should be a proposal before the book is complete. What experts are you interviewing, how will you obtain your research, will you be including step-by-step instructions, reference materials, etc.

Your third paragraph in both cases throws the ball into their court, so to speak. “I would like to submit the first three chapters, my full manuscript, a more detailed outline, sample articles I’ve written on this topic, etc. Include your full contact information and whether or not your query is snail or email, include both your street/mailing address and your email, include at least one contact phone number, and the complete spelling of your name. Unless submission instructions ask for it, do not attach a resume or list of credits. Be sure to thank the individual for the time they took to read your letter and let them know you are looking forward to their response.

The letter should be typed, spelling and punctuation should be checked and corrected, and the overall impression should be professional. Never tell the editor what they should think of your book and unless you are really sought after as a popular author or notorious subject, do not make demands of advances or conditions (and even then, don’t negotiate yourself out of a possibility).

Writing Exercise:  Write  one to two sentence sales pitches for (1) the nearest bridge; (2) the chair or couch you are sitting on; (3) the most recent meal you cooked; (4) your tell-all diary; and ((5) THIS article on writing query letters. No matter what, you need to make the sale, so really make an effective pitch.

Writing Prompt: Make a list of ten to fifteen attributes that make you the best writer for your most recent work-in-progress. In no more than one sentence (each), defend any challenge to that attribution. (For example, attribution: expert in marriage – defense: I’ve been happily married five times!)

Be Your Own Publicist

Well you wrote a book and you even got it published (either self-pubbed or small press), in any case there doesn’t seem to be funds to promote the book and it’s just not selling. You know that you need a publicist but how are you going to be able to afford it. Money begets money, right?

What can you do? Unless you are selling your book(s) you don’t have the money to promote, but unless you promote you can’t sell your book. Don’t give up, there are things that you can do yourself.

Start with Social Media — yes, that means FaceBook, Twitter, Google-plus, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Make sure that you interact with other members, especially authors and dedicated readers. Find their posts and pages and like, share, and leave friendly comments. NEVER respond to their post with a direct sales pitch for your own book! This is how you can build a community.

Make your own posts with no more than a strong HINT selling your book; post snippets, reviews or connect a relevant news story to the storyline from your own book. It’s okay to post a sales link (on FaceBook this can supply a graphic by linking to an online sales site like Amazon for instance). Talking about FaceBook, create an AUTHOR PAGE. You will need a regular timeline which you may or may not want to use for pure social interactions with family and close friends, use settings to keep it PRIVATE letting only those that you select as friends to see your posts; the advantage is you can keep your private life separate from the author persona that you want your readers to see.

Set up a blog and post regularly. There are some alternative plans for a blog, such as: Post excerpts and back stories from your books, interview your characters, interview yourself, or discuss a recent relevant news issue and tie it in to your story; ~or~ Leave your blog open to guest posts from other authors (interviews, backstories, etc.) and intersperse posts about your own book(s).

Build an author website. Your first page can be either a rolling blog with highlights about your book and you (list awards, appearances, new releases, etc.); another page should include your bio and important author info about you, possibly written as a letter from you to the reader; of course you should have a page listing your book(s), build a subpage for EACH book and include the book cover, blurb, buy links, and reviews; and do not forget to include a comprehensive MEDIA page.

Your Media page should include all of the information a reporter could/would use about you and your books — include professional and downloadable author photo and book covers. Include a professional author’s bio. List all significant awards/mentions for your book(s). Be sure to include contact information for reporters to reach you and/or your publisher for more information. Place a notice on the page that all information is used as is with your permission and a request to let you (or your “publicist”) know if and where this information is being used. Make it easy on any reporter or blogger who wants to feature you.

Improve your public reputation with Virtual Blog Tours. One author I know sent out a packet of info and graphics with excerpts,  posts about different elements of her story, and her bio to all of the bloggers she knew who host guests and asked if anyone would be able to include any of her material within a specified amount of time. Other authors send out queries to bloggers and ask if they could host and what they needed from the author. And other authors scan different blogs looking for hosts who ask for guests. Whatever route you take, “appearing” virtually will help readers learn about you and generate interest in your book.

Contact venues and offer programs such as book discussions, historical lectures relevant to your book topic, or workshops about writing; once you have gained a following simple book-signings would be enough of a draw. And send out press releases to local media about a “local author”, acclaims, and appearances. You can act as your own publicist and start attracting a following.

Writing Exercise:  Practice writing author bios of different lengths starting with one paragraph and also two-to-three paragraphs. Include important aspects of YOU as an author, include personal items only if they added to WHY you are a writer. What do you want your public to know about you?

Writing Prompt:  Write ten questions all authors should be asked in your opinion. Next “interview” yourself and answer those same questions.

Challenge Assignment:  Design your media page by writing the text, include your bio, book praise, and contact info.

Re-post: Short shorts

Writing isn’t always putting thousands of words together which seems to deter some from the field. There are many opportunities to hone your craft in a sentence or two, or just a few words.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but good captions don’t need more than a few. If possible your caption should be in the same style as any article that accompanies it – you can also study the usual style of the publication for a clue. Punctuate most captions like you would for a sentence, capitalize the first letters of the caption and proper names. If the subject in a photo has been thoroughly identified in the text of the article, you do not need to use more than a simple title, at most, and the person’s name. If there is more than one subject, provide some direction. Avoid unnecessary purple prose and speak in full sentences. Lastly, make sure to include proper attribution for each photo used.

Titles shouldn’t be more than a few words, if that many. Your title should catch someone’s attention but it should not be misleading, it needs to fit your article, story or novel. Choose a few descriptive words for your story and see if you can pull a title from those terms. For a short story or novel, you might choose a significant turning point, important phrase, reference to a location (if the location is important to the story) or even a character’s name as part of the title. Capitalization of titles may vary depending on the individual publication, but short of specific guidelines, there are two common rules: Capitalize only the first word of the title, or capitalize all proper nouns in the title.

You should always have short taglines, 25 and 50 word blurbs ready for your book. Although it might sound daunting to compress all the pages in your story down to a few sentences, think of the most important themes, the major conflict, a significant result, or historical significance to your story. Sometimes a blurb is called an elevator pitch – imagine that you have just the few minutes of an elevator ride to present (sell) your story to a publisher. Get the main thought out in as few words as possible. Romeo and Juliet, for example, could be sold with the words “A tragic and forbidden love set against the hatred of feuding families.” (12 words) Prepare these blurbs so that you can use them while you query publishers, help design your book jacket, and market your book with social media.

Writing abstracts can be a lucrative job and involves writing “summaries” of no more than 100 to 250 words. Thoroughly read the article that you need to write the abstract from, pick out key terminology. Ask basic questions for your notes like: What is the subject or study about? How was the study done? When and where did this happen? What is the overall conclusion? Use the answers to these questions to begin your abstract. Don’t re-use the title of the article as that will normally appear with the abstract anyway. Never add any information into the abstract that doesn’t appear in the original article.

Writing Exercise:  Choose a character from your book (or one from a recent book you’ve read). In your character’s words, describe a person (one who does NOT appear in the story) that had a significant impact on that character’s life.

Writing Prompt:  Pick up a daily newspaper, read each of the articles on the front page. Choose two or three words from each article that you feel are most significant; make a new heading for each of the articles using those words.

Loglines, Taglines and Blurbs

It can get so confusing! What are all of these things we writers are supposed to be so proficient with? And how do you use each thing to help promote our books AND ourselves?

Aren’t Loglines and Taglines one and the same, interchangeable with each other? No, no, they are very different even though so many folks confuse the two. Loglines and taglines are also used in the commercial world, selling merchandise, in a similar way as in the book industry.

A Logline is a VERY BRIEF synopsis telling you what the story’s main conflict is about; and yes it is brief like two to three sentences (or less) brief.

The Logline for my book Karma Visited is: Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help?

The Logline tells you just a bit about what the story is about, enough to pique the interest but not give the whole story away. It is not a full synopsis and certainly not a “Cliff Notes” version.

A Tagline is a catchy phrase of just a few words, something that will literally catch the attention of someone walking down the book aisle.

The Tagline for my book Karma Visited is: Do you believe in Karma?

It’s meant to evoke an “emotion” and make the potential reader curious, but it does not give the story away. While it really doesn’t tell anything about the main conflict or the characters of the book, it cannot make empty promises. Just because you believe asking “Wouldn’t you want to win a million dollars?” might garner some interest, it has nothing to do with the book (in this case).

A Blurb is used on the back book cover or as a description on an online retail site (like Amazon).

The Blurb for Karma Visited is: Do you believe in karma? Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams.

The Blurb can combine the Tagline and/or the Logline, but the main purpose of the blurb is to tell a reader more about the conflict(s) and the character(s). Once again, though, no spoilers should be included. The length of the blurb can vary but it should not be more than a paragraph (two AT THE MOST); some publishers want longer blurbs for inside book jackets.

Just as another example I am quoting the Tagline and Logline from Jaws: Tagline: Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water.  Logline: A sheriff must find and kill a man-eating and frighteningly intelligent shark before it murders again in his beach-front community.

These are three of the important tools you will need for promoting any of your stories using sites like Twitter, FaceBook, and Google-plus. The Tagline, Logline and Blurb should always be unique to the individual story. [I found a useful guide for writing a book synopsis called 6 Steps for Writing a Book Synopsis by Marissa Meyer  at http://bit.ly/1BYrdn0 ]

Writing Exercise: Write a brief blurb about your current WIP or most recent book; if you don’t have one of your own use one that you recently read.

Writing Prompt: Going through your current WIP choose at least ten KEY WORDS that say “something” about your story without giving it away.

Challenge Assignment: Build at least five different CATCHY Taglines using no more than 140-characters (yes, so you could Tweet them out!).

                                                                  

Re-post: Shaken, not Stirred

Challenge yourself and stretch your writing abilities – mix it up a bit.

What do you normally write? Is it straight formula? Next time change a few of the “usual” elements. Try using a different kind of hero, instead of the physically strong jock you might always use, make him a disabled vet for instance. Do you typically use a setting in New York City? Try placing your story in the deep south, Europe or the Hawaiian islands. Introduce different ethnic and religious backgrounds or socio-economic lifestyles. Force your mind to see more than the usual and often repeated safe harbors. Go even further – what genres do you typically write or read? Choose another. Do you write romance or mystery? Try a good sci-fi story or a paranormal.

Full time freelance writers often have to vary their writing jobs in order to make anything reasonable. Look for assignments that will keep you actively researching topics and learning an “expertise” that is truly new to you. One of the newspaper syndication services I write for hands out assignments based on upcoming supplements – one week I will be writing an article on choosing a prom gown and the next I’m writing about emergency road side repairs or how to finance a new home. Different topics keep a writer hopping. There are several on line services where you can post interesting articles and earn a following.

The main thing is not to allow yourself to stagnate and allow your creative writing muscles to become atrophied. Keep reaching for something different, something beyond your usual. Get out of your comfort zone and write something that is so very different from the tried and tested norm. Just like exercising, if you can do this much (like run for 3 miles), then next time try for a little bit more (run for 4 miles). You can write for yourself, it doesn't have to all be for publication; you don’t have to share your out-of-the box writing project with anyone else. The only competition is to exceed your personal best.

If you are (hopefully) doing well with your writing, it is easy to be complacent. After all, your process is working for you, right? But when you become complacent you stop reaching, exercising, and improving. Especially in our current economy, we never know if the magazine we've written for so successfully, or the publisher who has published our books, or even the local newspaper we've covered assignments for will continue to thrive. Where do you go if your highly successful writing outlet suddenly ceases to exist or need your work? If you keep yourself fresh and versatile, just like the stretching exercises you do before taking a run, you will be able to fit elsewhere and keep your writing career healthy and alive.

Writing Exercise:  Try any or all of the following – (1) Write about a recent day in a poem, any style of poetry is okay but it must be poetry.  (2) Write ad copy to go with selling your car or another possession.  (3) Choose any television show you commonly watch and write [in no more than 1000 words] a storyline for another episode.  (4) Imagine yourself in a different job, possibly an alternate choice if you had different opportunities, and write your FICTIONAL resume based on experience in that job.  (5) Describe the last big family dinner you attended in the form of a newspaper article.

Writing Prompt:  You've taken a walk on your favorite beach and as a souvenir you pick up a beautiful seashell to bring home. Now at home you are seated in your den and staring at the seashell on display. Describe the seashell and the setting where you placed it.