Living, Breathing, Writing: A Lesson a Day
By Chelle Cordero
Copyright 2010 Chelle Cordero
Published by: Vanilla Heart Publishing on Smashwords
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Dedicated to the talented writers of Vanilla Heart Publishing
Introduction
Welcome to a complete month of lessons about the craft of writing and being a writer. In the BONUS Section of this book you’ll find more than 50 brain-starting exercises to help you get those words on paper.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Method Character Writing
Day 2: Getting The First Byline
Day 5: Overcoming Writer’s Block
Day 8: Market Yourself - Sell Your Writing
Day 9: Are You A Novel Or A Short Story Writer?
Day 10: A Dirty Five Letter Word – Promo
Day 11: What Do You Want To Be?
Day 13: Don’t Sabotage Yourself
Day 14: The Road To Publishing Your Book
Day 17: Finding The Time To Write
Day 21: Writing And Being A Writer
Day 22: Giving Birth To Your Characters
Day 23: Look Who’s Talking Now…
Day 24: Letting Your Characters Write The Story
Day 25: Start Building Your Writer’s Platform
Day 26: Promoting Yourself With A Virtual Tour
Day 28: Accenting Your Characters
Day 29: The Business Of Being A Writer
Day 31: Failure Is Not An Option
Bonus Writing Exercises And Prompts
Day 1: Method Character Writing
The first time I ever tried to write a fiction story, my characters seemed flat and one-dimensional. So I quickly added emotions. I added a temper tantrum here and there, a prank, a bad joke. And I successfully created cardboard robots who laughed on cue, cried on cue and got angry with no apparent reasoning.
Like all writers, I wanted to create real people that my readers could empathize with, people who were believable. The first time that a friend/pseudo critic asked me “Why did so and so do that?” I had a huge epiphany. I hadn’t spent seven years as a theater and drama student for nothing. I began to use the same philosophies I had learned under the guise of “method acting” in creating my characters.
The actor who stands on stage and nearly crumbles when a firecracker goes off knows why even if it isn’t part of the script; he knows that as a child he witnessed the gunfire at a jewelry store holdup that killed the friendly shop owner and the loud and unexpected noise is now making him replay that scene and causing a severe meltdown. The actress who bursts into real tears as she is given the news of another character’s demise is remembering the funeral of a loved one, maybe her sweet old granddad, and the finality of knowing she would never see him again.
When I envision my characters I build a dossier on them. Okay, not really a dossier, but enough to fill an index card. I know their education, what kind of relationships they had with their parents and siblings. I list a few of the vacations they took as a child and their most memorable experiences. I may include the outcome of their first serious love affair. Even their food allergies are included; it doesn’t matter if that information is never known in the story.
When I develop my story, I decide on the main characters, the basic conflict and the eventual outcome. I think of a few events that might be interesting along the way. Otherwise how I get from point A (the beginning) to point B (the ending) is totally up to my characters. I have stated in interviews that my characters write their own story and they do because their reactions and actions are all based upon their past experiences.
In one of my novels a supporting character took on such a life of his own that I had to write a story about him. In the first novel (Forgotten) the hero asked why Tom could give so much good relationship advice. The response was a mere six sentences which told of a tragic ending to a high school romance. But I knew more details and the impact it had on Tom. Tom became so real because of that paragraph and the poignant story behind it, that I had to write a story about him (Within the Law) and, in the romance genre I write, I had to give him a happy ever after ending as well.
When the character is more than just a name on paper and has a history, likes and dislikes, they can begin to live. That’s when the story becomes real.
Day 2: Getting the First Byline
So you’ve made up your mind to write for publication. Before you romanticize your newest career choice and imagine yourself rolling in royalties, let’s have a reality check.
#1- Most editors, even those who are looking for a bargain, want someone with published credits to his name. #2- And even more dismaying, many publications tell you up front that byline credit and/or a free publication copy is considered payment. While #2 doesn’t help pay the rent, it does help you build those credits to satisfy #1.
If you have never been published before, here are a few things you can do to start building your publishing credits:
Check out your local publications, particularly the ones dealing with your specific community; do they have columns about community clubs, personal achievements, local schools, history and folklore? See if you can suggest a new and exciting feature or even regular column. Remember, you should be familiar with the writing style and the types of articles they regularly feature. Use the masthead to learn the managing editor’s name – if you have to call the main office number and ask. Be sure you have the right spelling. Either snail mail or email (if the email address is provided, note that some publications state they don’t want emailed inquiries) the editor with a professional looking query.
Remember, you are trying to sell yourself as a writer and the query letter is your first writing sample the editor will see.
Blogging is a wonderful opportunity thanks to current technology. Find a suitable site for the type of writing you want to do (many sites are free), blog regularly, keep it themed and keep it professional. Familiarize yourself with popular blogs at that site to see what gets the most response and how to get your blog and your name recognized. Include the link to your blog(s) in your custom signature at the end of emails or forum submissions to help advertise it. By all means, use that blog in your list of writing credits, it is an easy way for an editor to see what you are capable of.
Read the classifieds regularly. It is rare to see an advertisement for a freelance writer, however be sure to read through all of the writing and editing listings. If you see an ad for an editor who “works with freelance writers” then bingo, you have just found a local freelance market. Browse through the publication if possible, again familiarize yourself with the market, and draft a query letter to the editor (by name). Don’t get discouraged if you get a negative response or even no response at all, sometimes your info will be kept in someone’s rolodex and called up as the need arises. Do not, under any circumstances, respond negatively to a decision – you will not only burn yourself with that publication but in the small world of publishing, you are liable to ruin your chances in a much larger market.
When you send your query letters, pay attention to spelling (ESPECIALLY the name of the person you are addressing) and punctuation. Often magazines and newspapers will include detailed instructions how to make queries, who to address, and how to submit. Follow the directions exactly or your query will only wind up in a wastebasket. Make your story/idea pitch in the opening paragraph, if your letter doesn’t grab the editor, he won’t read far enough into it to give your idea any consideration. Tell the editor why you are suited to write that article – do you have relevant experience, a chance to interview an interesting personality, are you good at research, etc? Don’t make any great boastful claims, no editor wants to be told that you are the “best writer since”; if that is the truth, let them discover it for themselves.
However there does come a time when the non-paying and low-paying gigs are no longer the path of choice for you unless you have a personal passion about a particular project. The first time you are asked for your rates, be realistic, but do not underestimate yourself. Again, being familiar with the market will help when you quote your fee. If the specific periodical doesn’t post their rates, search “freelance pay rates” online and you will come up with several handy guides. Depending on your LOCAL market, the publication you are querying, and the type of project you are contracting for, advertorial rates can vary between 40-cents and 2-dollars per word; reviews can be as low as 10-cents a word; and magazine features can start at 14-cents per word. (*recent Writer’s Market quotes)
As a writer it actually pains me to hear the excuses many people make instead of following their dream to write. So many of the “reasons” people use to explain why they are not doing the very thing they say they really, really want to are decoys. People use excuses because of fear, because of false expectations, or because it just isn’t that important to them.
If you really want to “be a writer”, then write.
Making Time
“I don’t have the time to write.” That statement is a common one and often follows the declaration “I have the greatest idea for a novel, one of these days…”
Make one of these days NOW and write that book. No one expects you to finish writing all those magical words in one sitting, or even two. If you really want to write, there is time to write. Most published authors and writers have first or second jobs, families, schooling and other responsibilities. Few people can devote an eight hour work day to writing that great novel.
Part of the writing process is simply thinking – and we can think of scenes, characters and plot twists while we are doing housework, sitting in a traffic jam, riding the subway and even while we are in the shower. Keep a pad of paper in your briefcase, purse, in the kitchen. In your desk drawer, or next to your favorite TV chair to scribble notes whenever an idea occurs to you. Many writers keep a pad and pencil on the nightstand to record bits and pieces of dreams before they vanish away in foggy memories.
Keep a file folder or a large envelope near your desktop or other workstation and store these snippets. These snippets will help you organize your thoughts and begin writing your story. You can find 15-minutes, or more, to write full sentences on a legal pad or type words on a keyboard. Just fifteen minutes, the time it takes to drink your morning coffee, the time it takes to let your hair dry after a shower and you will find your story growing.
What If No One Likes It?
It is possible, even likely, that you will find editors and readers who do not like your work; that doesn’t mean that it is not good. Try again with another editor or a different audience.
When you walk into your local bookstore, are you apt to want to read every book that is on the shelves? Some of the topics won’t appeal to you, sometime you just don’t like the writing. It’s the same with your writing, not everyone is going to be enamored. Send your queries out to different markets. And while you are waiting, keep writing.
Many successful authors “papered” their office walls with rejections slips before connecting with the one right person.
I Don’t Know How to Go About Publishing a Book
Most of us didn’t, some still don’t. First you have to write the book and then you have to find a publisher. Speak to other writers, read magazines or books that appeal to the market you wrote for. Take names off of magazine flags (staff listings), look up publishing names you see on book spines. Join writers’ forums and ask questions.
Most reputable publishers will take the time to explain the process. Understand that there are several different publishing methods. You can publish (if you are lucky to make the right connections) through a large house, small traditional press with small runs, small press with print-on-demand, e-publishing, and self publishing. Study the terms and again, speak to other authors. Lastly, don’t sign anything until you are sure you understand what it means.
You can use Social Network sites to help establish your presence on the internet and make your name known. Creating a profile on popular sites such as Face Book, MySpace, Twitter can give you a forum for introducing yourself to potential readers, publicizing your works, and mingling with others in the field to share tips, celebrate accomplishments and commiserate.
A few important tips to remember while you are mingling in cyber-land:
1) Don’t be a user. It is certainly okay to do some bragging and promote yourself. Be sure to return the favor by congratulating others on their deeds, commenting on their blogs, and generally being friendly.
2) Yes, you want the world to meet you – but you are representing a PROFESSIONAL. Keep the intimate details of your life off of your profiles (If you absolutely must have an outlet to talk about your marital woes, engage in online affairs, etc, do so – where permitted – in a different profile and under another name!) Remember to present the face that you want your readers to see.
3) Be careful when discussing controversial topics. You know the things your parents told you when growing up – don’t discuss money, religion or politics. Unless you are building a reputation as a political satirist, financial consultant or religious leader – be very careful what you say. These are areas where you can (unintentionally) create a maelstrom that you can’t escape and you may turn off potential readers.
4) Do NOT whine about any negative experiences you had while writing your book, finding a publisher or marketing your work. Facts are facts and that is okay, but if you whine about the tediousness of a project or disappointments people will wonder why you are doing something you so obviously dislike.
5) NEVER insult your fans/readers, no matter what. Those are the people your livelihood depends on. People will want to reach out to you – yes, you become a celebrity when your name is in print – you don’t have to be reckless, but you should be nice, thank them for their compliments and comments and don’t belittle them.
6) Be careful when disseminating personal contact information – Most social network sites will allow you to receive private messages, similar to email, through the automatic filter of the site. If you choose to publicize a more direct email, consider establishing one just for your writing persona. And NEVER post your home address – use a post office box (preferably in a nearby town and not your own) if you need to give a snail mail address.
7) Most of all - be a real person. People will want to know YOU. Keep “friendships” two-way, be nice, treat people with respect, and remain humble.
Day 5: Overcoming Writer’s Block
The dreaded "Writer’s Block" is a temporary glitch in the software of your imagination. Like a computer, sometimes it just needs a tap of the escape key or a quick restart. If you are one of those writers who still writes manuscripts longhand because you shy away from a computer, imagine the skipping of an old vinyl record and tapping the needle back on track.
The first thing you need to understand – the more worked up you get about this momentary problem, the longer it will take to get past it. It’s sort of like kicking in frustration as you are sinking into quicksand. Relax.
Relax your mind. Play a game. Read a book. Catch up on your email. Work on another project. Let your mind start moving again in another direction. Once you get that momentum going you will find it easier to return to your work-in-progress and adding to it. You just need to jump start your brain. It’s like putting gas in your car to get it going again… then you can go in the direction of your destination.
Activity: (By the way, how many analogies can you come up with? Look around you, describe the things you see and make an analogy that makes sense to you. According to the dictionary, an analogy is a comparison that allows you to see something from another perspective and perhaps with more clarity.)
Find a comfortable niche where you can write or even just daydream. Remember that what works for one person may not work for another. Make yourself comfortable. Meet your needs – if you like things to be perfectly quiet, then reduce the outside distractions. If you like music, make sure your keep that CD player nearby. Your desk may be messy or it may be sparkling clean. It is your comfort level that is important.
Some writers will work when the mood strikes, others have a strict regiment and set aside a definite number of hours to sit and write. Do what feels best for you. Just put words down on the paper knowing that you will probably thrown out three out of every four pages you write before your first edit is done. That doesn’t matter – you are still putting words on a paper and 25-percent of those words are more than you would have had if you just stared at the paper.
You may feel pressured if you have a deadline looming over you. You can meet the deadline – this is the place where writing just to write works best. Think of the thoughts you need to convey and write them as if you were writing a letter to your favorite older aunt. It’s okay if you fill your paper with adjectives, adverbs and unnecessary prepositions. The idea is to write and get your thoughts flowing. You can cut out all of the extraneous stuff after when the pressure of your deadline is not stifling your creative process.
Some writers like to read, anything and everything. Input in – Input out. My personal favorite is to play word games, I especially like hidden word games where I have to find real words out of the mumble-jumble of letters sitting there to challenge me.
Blogging is one of the easiest routes to self-publishing and is a terrific opportunity to get your feet wet in the publishing world.
Blog is short for Web-log. A web-log contains a series of short entries, or articles, that are posted to a site on the internet. Social network sites such as MySpace have a blog feature built in – other sites such as Blogspot and XANGA offer stand alone pages. Maintaining a blog can be a useful tool for any writer, new or established.
For new writers – Write an article about any subject you feel passionate about, post it to your site, and you have just self-published. The best tips about maintaining a blog is to keep it themed, post regularly and remember that this blog is representing YOU as a professional. Since your entries to the blog are not professionally edited before publication, by all means use Spell Check, read it over carefully and if possible have a friend quickly scan it. While an occasional mis-type can slip through almost any editing process, it becomes annoying to read constant misspellings and outrageous grammatical errors – a sure way to put off potential readers.
For established writers – Your blog is a way to communicate directly with your public and introduce the “author”. You can use it to promote your work but it is recommended that you include more than that on your blog. Choose a topic of interest, discuss it, and then tie it into your writings – such as your book may be a love story between a couple where one has gone off to war and returned several years later, maybe your town recently welcomed veterans returning and there was a huge amount of media coverage. Could you really ask for a better promo op?
If you have more than one topic that you would like to blog about, AND the time to maintain it, start a second blog. Maybe you have one blog about movies and you want to start a second to discuss sports – keep your blog “niche” constant because that is what your readers will come expecting to read. Post regularly, it doesn’t have to be every day, but your readers will expect regular updates. The best way to spread word about your blogs is to visit AND COMMENT on other folk’s blogs as well; also respond (kindly) to the comments left on your blogs.
Just about every writer receives multiple rejections often for each piece of work they send out. Perhaps writers are gluttons for punishment, but most of us wipe away the tears and re-submit somewhere else until we find someone willing to take a chance. We have all been treated to the stories of how M.A.S.H. (based on Richard Hooker’s novel) was turned down dozens of times before becoming a hit novel, movie and long-running TV series. J.K. Rowling, E.E. Cummings and Stephen King were also rejected many times in their careers.
While the rejection form letter is a normal part of the writing life, there are also personalized rejections. Sometimes an editor will provide a reason for the rejection and if that reason has to do with content or style, it may be good to consider the comments honestly. However there are some editors who seem to take a particular glee in criticism “just because they can”. These responses may arrive unsolicited save for the simple submission of work. These are the letters that can do the most damage if we let them.
Now before I open the doors to scores of angry responses from editors, let me clarify. When an editor takes the time to offer constructive criticism, it should be welcomed; while the criticisms offered may or may not be fitting, it behooves the writer to take an impartial and thorough look at the work and consider the recommendations made. I am not saying you have to make the suggested changes, but by all means look at it seriously. Professional critiques can cost big bucks and if you have received one for free that is indeed a bonus, give it some consideration.
Some writers may make nuisances of themselves. Some may counter an otherwise helpful rejection with a nasty comeback. And some may have done everything but follow the guidelines for submission or may make unreasonable demands in their cover letters. These are certainly instances that invite testy responses from editors. Then again, some editors are just testy.
Twice in my career I have received nasty rejection letters to work I have submitted. The first time was from a magazine that said they would accept unsolicited manuscripts. I followed the guidelines to the best of my ability. And I waited. About a week beyond the time the magazine said they would respond, I received a large envelope. My article was inside the envelope (this goes a long way back when all submissions were made in hard copies), a personalized rejection letter accompanied it. This letter did not start off with the customary “Thank you for your submission but…”; instead it said my manuscript was being returned and that “maybe you should go back to school and learn about the English language”! I was a new writer, I was devastated. I brought my manuscript to several friends including two high school English teachers and to this day cannot figure out what the editor was referring to.
More recently, I submitted a manuscript to an editor via email as per the submission guidelines after the response to my query letter was positive. The listed guidelines on the website stated that a response would be made within 6 to 8 weeks IF they were interested. Three months after my submission I still hadn’t heard anything so I sent the manuscript to another source. My work was accepted in less than a week. Long story short, two-plus months later, after my work was already in print, I received a response from the first submission. The letter included phrases like “hodge-podge” and “head-hopping”. It finished up with “The time required to properly edit this work is more than we are willing to invest.”
Writers must develop a thick skin, but not to the point of ignoring help when it is offered with good intentions. Part of the job is to learn the difference between constructive and destructive criticism and not to allow yourself to be defeated by unkind words. Most editors who take the time to personally critique work are trying to help you, most are not just spewing venom for the pure sake of it. But there are some…
Day 8: Market Yourself - Sell Your Writing
Writing full time for many is a dream job – however most new writers don’t go into this fully understanding the true business end of a writing career. For those of us who are totally right-brained and creative, that sudden yank into the left brain discipline can certainly cause some consternation.
Once we muster the discipline to actually sit down and write, whether it is a short article of 600 words or a novel of 60-thousand words, the next step is sending our words from paper to “out there” This is where marketing ourselves comes in. Yes, we market ourselves and our writing just seems to come along with the package.
Assuming that you haven’t, by some miracle, managed to walk into a readymade writing job, you are going to have to find a way of promoting yourself to an editor and proving that you have a right to write about a specific subject. As writers we have to learn to write beyond just the things we know, but an editor wants to hear that we understand what we are writing about.
Let’s start by studying the market in an area of interest – for instance if we want to write about home furnishings and decorating… Buy, borrow, or go to the library and read a few magazines on the subject. See what the articles focus on, the average length and the style of writing. Now this info may vary from magazine to magazine, but familiarizing yourself with it all will help. Write a few sample articles. Check out the staff lists and submission guidelines (often found in the editorial masthead or online). Pick the publication that accepts freelance work (or the one your writing seems closest to if you find more than one). Follow the submission guidelines, ignoring them is an almost guarantee of getting the door slammed in your face.
Most publications will ask for a query letter first. This letter is the first impression you will make on the editor, if they aren’t interested in your letter, they won’t be interested in reading your article(s). You have to hook them in the first ten to fifteen words. …”Don’t toss those old throw pillows – recover, reclaim and refresh your living room.” If the editor is interested, he or she will keep reading. Now you make your pitch – “Hi, I’m Abe Writer and my article about a quick and inexpensive way to renew your living room is perfect for today’s economy.” Expand a little bit about the unique tips you have in your article.
In your next paragraph, sell yourself. What writing experience do you have? Don’t ever lie, but don’t emphasize how you have never written professionally before; if you wrote for your school newspaper or submitted articles to your church newsletter, use those as writing credits. Why are you qualified to write an article about home decorating? Have you been hired to decorate local homes, gone to school for decorating, had your own home featured in the local newspaper for its décor? Include information about you that is relevant to the topic. Keep your words brief but interesting. And please, let the editor come to the conclusion himself that your writing is wonderful, don’t tell him or her that.
Finally ask for permission to submit this article of x,xxx words. Provide your contact info and be sure to include your email address – email is the way of the current business world, use it if that is what the editor wants. Allow time for a response – often this will be listed in submission guidelines. Follow the instructions regarding formatting (line spacing, font and size, and margins, etc) and method of submission. Again, if you ignore the directions you may as well stick a post it to your manuscript that says “Throw me out.”
Good luck. And one last thing, understand that, especially new writers, more often get rejections than acceptances, don’t be discouraged. If you are fortunate enough to sell your article (and compensation is not always in the form of money, sometimes it is magazine copies…), read through any contracts offered CAREFULLY and don’t be afraid to ask (nicely) for clarification if necessary.
Activity: Make a list of your writing experience, include newsletters and local newspapers, and even volunteer writing work.
Activity: Use 10 to 15 words to pitch published articles from a magazine as if you are trying to resell them.
Day 9: Are You A Novel Or A Short Story Writer?
The difference between short story and novel is more than length, although there are acceptable and fairly standard word lengths as guidelines. Generally a short story (and this can vary by publication) is approximately 10-thousand words or less for magazines and up to 15-thousand words for anthologies. Novels (again, this varies by publisher) start at about 60-thousand words and go up from there. (*side note here, beware the too long novel – many publishers do not want to make that kind of investment unless you are established).
A short story is not merely a condensed version of a novel. Short stories will often have one major plot, a limited number of characters and revolve around a concise period of time. Novels can have intricate sub-plots woven into the thread, a cast of characters that come and go throughout the book, and the time span can be up to several years. A short story is a segment of life, the novel can depict life.
As a writer, you have to decide which you will produce. You have to breathe life into your characters; if you will bore of your characters easily, living with them day and night, then perhaps you would prefer to stay with a short story format which may take only a few days or a week to finish (before edits). But if you just can’t let go of your characters and you want to keep them going on in your life, you might want to consider a novel length work.
What if you haven’t made up your mind and just started writing? What signs should you look for? If you find you’ve told your story quickly in just a few pages, beginning to end, you might just be a short story writer. If you are trying to reach for those 60-thousand words and find that you are filling up your pages with unimportant and unrelated nonsense, you might just be a short story writer. And if you find yourself breathless after trying to come up with enough dialogue and action for a small group of characters, you might just be a short story writer.
On the other hand, if you find that your cast of characters seems overly crowded and you can’t seem to fit all of the action you need into the story and still keep it under 10-thousand words, you might just have the makings of a great novel on your hands. Less common than full length novels is a novella; “the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000” (from Wikipedia). All formats will work well as serial stories.
The short story: In my short story Not Alone which appeared in Mandinam Press' Forever Friends anthology, I told the story of two college age friends who were dealing with guilt and grief after losing one of their friends in a car accident. Told in first person narrative, the main conflict dealt with the speaker’s decision whether to stand by her friend who was being blamed for the accident. The story had one central conflict, two main characters, spanned just a few weeks in time, and was told in 2500 words.
The novel: In Final Sin the scene opens on a gruesome murder scene and as the plot unfolds through the book, it is divulged that there has been a series of murders taking place and it is up to Jake, who heads up a crime investigation unit, to solve the crime. That’s the main plot. Subplots include a burgeoning love affair between Jake and paramedic Julie, Jake’s ex-wife and her vendetta against him using their son, a secret that Julie’s best friend is keeping from her, and Jake’s career climb and obstacles. While the story doesn’t span a long amount of time, a lot happens and the cast includes at least ten identifiable characters. Final Sin was submitted with 78,240 words.
Day 10: A Dirty Five Letter Word – Promo
Most of us would not put the effort into cooking a complicated gourmet meal and then not invite friends or family to sit down with us to eat it. If you are writing a book and never let it be read, then you are basically doing the same thing. The time to start promoting your book is no later than when you type “The End”, and yes, even before you find a publisher.
Your eventual goal is to sell books – make lots of money – and be able to retire to an island retreat… maybe not. Your goal though is to let folks know about your book and interest them in reading it. If you have, or plan to, write multiple books then you want them familiar with your name and ideally they will look for new/other work by you. Realize that generally unless you have a book from a BIG publishing house, you won’t be displayed in the actual brick and mortar bookstore shelves; but you might be among the more than six-million titles carried on Amazon.com or one of the other online retailers. Chances are unless your book has hit some bestseller list, or readers know to look for you, no one is going to even realize you book is there. They don’t realize it, they don’t buy it, they don’t read it.
Promotion and Marketing are often intertwined, but they each have distinct functions. Marketing is focused on selling your book(s), promotion is focused on making folks aware that you and your book(s) are there – promotion will have readers looking for your name or your book title even before it’s actually available.
Easy promotion can be really inexpensive – creating a blog about your book, handing out business cards with a picture of the book jacket and your name, finding opportunities to guest blog, using Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to introduce yourself and even leaving comments on other blogs with a link back to your own site are all easy methods. There are a few companies out there where you can purchase promotional materials (fliers, magnets, business cards, T-shirts, pens, brochures, etc) for little to even no money – if you are careful all you have to pay is shipping. Get yourself personal use postcards for mailing messages to friends, use return address labels with your website on them and put a linked signature line at the end of your everyday emails. The more familiar people are with your name and the title of you book, the more often they will recognize it as they are scrolling through an online catalogue or even look specifically for it.
A few points to consider while promoting yourself, people do not want to be bombarded with advertisements – if you are blogging, make your content interesting and more than just “buy my book” – post a tantalizing excerpt, do something creative like have a character talk about himself or the situation he is in or write about a totally different topic other than your book and tie it in to your story (i.e.: Focus on your town’s main street parade and tie it in to the small town reception that your hero might receive in your book). Using social networking to promote is give-and-take – you may believe you have the next blockbuster on your hands but you are not the only writer out there – show a SINCERE interest in the people you are socializing with, make sure to comment on their blogs and be mutually supportive of each other’s promo attempts. Always remember to thank someone if they do you a favor and help promote your title.
Day 11: What Do You Want To Be?
I want to be a writer.
Unfortunately that is as much thought as some folks put into their dream of becoming a writer. In reality anyone can write, but it makes a difference what your end product will be. Will you write the beginnings of a story which will eventually wind up at the bottom of a drawer? Will you finish that “great American novel”, fit it into an envelope and then never mail it?
Being a professional writer means running a business. You have to find your market and potential clients, you have to have the discipline to write and self edit, you have to market your work, promote your name, schmooze your way onto an editor’s desk, and keep writing so you can do it all over again. If you are working at another job to pay the bills, then you have to fit the time in. If you are depending on writing to pay the bills, then you have to make it work.
This is not meant to discourage you – this is meant to enlighten you and help you on your way. If you go into the writing business with unrealistic expectations, you will find that you can become depressed and frustrated and eventually may even give up. Don’t let that happen. I have seen too many talented people who didn’t follow their dreams because they didn’t have a plan.
Being a writer means using words to communicate. You can report real life events like hard news, communicate opinions as a columnist, write short fiction stories, pen technical jargon into instructional manuals, or write full length novels. You can write words that rhyme, jokes for a comedienne, scripts, blogs, greeting card verses, speeches or business correspondence. These are all writers. Chances are if you are depending on writing to pay the bills, then you may master more than one of these descriptions.
You have the idea, the desire, a fairly decent mastery of the language, knowledge about your subject and even pen and paper… what is next?
Know WHO you are writing for? This is not the client or publisher, this is your target audience. If you are writing for a market comprised of ages 50 and over, make your topic and your style something that would interest them; it is unlikely that an article about the latest teen heart-throb would hold their attention. Most 20-year olds wouldn’t be thrilled with descriptions of retirement communities. The same precepts hold true with fiction, most people like to relate to the characters. Study your market, understand what appeals to them, read what they are reading.
Now study the paying market – who is going to want to print your piece? Familiarize yourself with submission guidelines. See what is already out there so you don’t offer the same thing that has been run over and over again. Look for a fresh angle, “reinvent the wheel” if need be.
If writing this work means learning facts, then do your research and understand the subject. Even a work of fiction needs a healthy dose of reality. And make sure that no matter how much research you need to do, in the end, use your own words. Nothing will destroy your dream of being a writer faster than plagiarism.
Now you can begin writing…
Although I am a full-time writer, part of my “other life” is a NYS EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and I VOLUNTEER in my community with our local ambulance corps. There was an interesting discussion which came up today on one of the EMS forums which I found applicable to the field of writing as well; even if you are “volunteering” and giving away your work, you are still bound to the responsibilities of professionalism.