Edited by Karen Cioffi
Published by Writers on the Move
Writers on the Move
Spring 2011: A Compilation of Writing and Marketing Articles
Edited by Karen Cioffi
Published by Writers on the Move
Copyright © 2011 Writers on the Move
Smashwords Edition
http://www.writersonthemove.com/
EBook Digital Publishing Site/s Coordinator: Heather Paye
Welcome to the first Writer’s on the Move’s eBook. We decided to create and offer this eBook as a gift to thank you for following our authors and writers, for commenting, and for following and subscribing to our site.
We will periodically offer new informational eBooks that will hopefully help you on your writing and marketing journey.
In addition, Writers on the Move now provides monthly workshops focusing on writing and marketing, and will feature writing and marketing articles on an almost daily basis on our site:
We’d love to see you there.
For your convenience, this eBook is divided into five sections:
10 Rules To Keep in Mind When Writing for Teens by Dallas Woodburn
Tips to Writing a First Draft by VS Grenier
Solidifying a Logline by Lea Schizas
Perfecting Poetry: 12 Tips for the Beginner by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
THE SUPER WRITER’S FOUR I’S OF GREAT STORYTELLING by J.R. Turner
Theme Writing by Kevin McNamee
Create Emotion, Not Sentimentality, in Fiction by Vivian Zabel
Write On! Goal Setting & Productivity by Debra Eckerling, creator, WriteOnOnline
Final Stages of Self-editing: 4 Tips by Karen Cioffi
Rewriting a Folktale: Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi
To Market to Market by Martha Swirzinski
How to Coordinate Your Own Virtual Book Tour by Mayra Calvani
SEO and Marketing: Basic Tips and Definitions by Karen Cioffi
Book Promotion: The Foundation by Karen Cioffi
Resources
A Bit About Writers on the Move
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Writing Tips and Advice
10 Rules To Keep in Mind When Writing for Teens by Dallas Woodburn
Tips to Writing a First Draft by VS Grenier
Solidifying a Logline by Lea Schizas
Perfecting Poetry: 12 Tips for the Beginner by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
THE SUPER WRITER’S FOUR I’S OF GREAT STORYTELLING by J.R. Turner
Theme Writing by Kevin McNamee
Create Emotion, Not Sentimentality, in Fiction by Vivian Zabel
Write On! Goal Setting & Productivity by Debra Eckerling, Creator, WriteOnOnline
Final Stages of Self-editing: 4 Tips by Karen Cioffi
Rewriting a Folktale: Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi
10 Rules To Keep in Mind
When Writing for Teens
By Dallas Woodburn
1. Spend time with teens.
Volunteer at a high school.
People-watch at the mall.
Ask questions.
Build relationships.
2. Read YA lit.
Some of my favorite authors: Ellen Hopkins, Sarah Dessen, Laurie Stolarz, Joan Bauer, Mike Lupica, Ann Brashares, Libba Bray, Randy Powell, John Green, Carl Hiaasen, Ann Rinaldi, Sonya Sones, Markus Zusak
3. Recruit a “teen advisory board” of readers.
Many teens will be happy to help you.
Ask them to be honest above all else!
4. Avoid being “preachy.”
Nothing turns off a teen reader more quickly than a condescending tone.
5. Be authentic.
Inhabit your characters. Learn their details and quirks.
What do your characters love? Hate? Fear? Yearn for? Dream about?
6. If you use slang, use it correctly. Same for technology references.
Be sure to consider: what is new and popular today is tomorrow’s “old news.” Do you want to date your material?
7. Grab ’em from the first sentence.
Have teens read the first page of your manuscript, and then ask them if they would keep reading.
8. Don’t be afraid to be dark!
You don’t have to hold back. Teens can take what you want to throw at them.
Many of our adult “classics” such as Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird would be considered YA if published today.
9. Create active, vibrant characters who have something at stake.
Teens want to read about characters who are doing things, rather than just having things done to them.
10. Read your old diaries – they’re treasure troves!
Reconnect with your teen self.
Some of my most well-received YA lit has been based off my own personal experiences!
BIO: Dallas Woodburn is the author of two collections of short stories; her latest, 3 a.m., was featured on the PBS book talk show "Between the Lines" and is available at Amazon.com. Her short fiction has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Dzanc Books "Best of the Web" anthology and she has written stories, articles and essays for more than 80 publications including Family Circle, Writer's Digest, The Los Angeles Times, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Woodburn is the founder of Write On! For Literacy, a nonprofit organization that empowers youth through writing, and Write On! Books, a youth publishing company. Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today's best youth writing features the work of more than 60 kids and teens from around the world and is due for release in early 2011. Learn more at http://www.writeonbooks.org/
Tips to Writing a First Draft
By: VS Grenier
Writing a first draft for a book, short story, article or even this guest post has always been the most grueling part of writing for me. Why? Well, it’s not because I don’t have any ideas floating around in my head. I can also tell you it’s not because I can’t find anything to say. The trouble I find with writing a first draft is where to begin and/or which idea to start with. You would think the first draft would be the easiest part of writing; however, I find it requires the clearest mindset in order to finish—making it one of the hardest parts of writing.
With this in mind, the question is where do I begin in order to write my first draft? The answer is simple. First, I do research on the topic I plan to write about. Once I have the research finished I outline (loosely outline) my thoughts and information. From here, the first draft should be a simple creation of the words that convey the ideas I wish to express.
It sounds simple, but the truth is this is only the beginning. I still need to choose viewpoint, tense (past or present), develop subplots or additional ideas/topics for nonfiction and clarify my theme. I find the best way to do this is by brainstorming or doing some free writing until an idea, event, piece of dialogue, character interview or a setting sparks my muse. These first glimpses of story elements help to stimulate my imagination. Now I am ready to start writing the first draft.
I’m a huge fan of finishing a first draft as fast as possible. The main reason, I want to get my ideas and thoughts down before I forget them. I do not spend time editing as I write my first draft. I do that later and I may need to write a number of drafts in order to get to my final polished manuscript, but the first draft isn’t about that and it is best not to expect too much or too little from it.
Once I have written my first draft, I make notes of possible themes and any universal elements that may appeal to a readership. I also note my reasons for writing the story. This may help me find a hidden theme or even subplot I can develop later in my revision stage. It is very important at this time I don’t make any changes or do any editing. Why? Because it’s time to give myself a break. I let my first draft sit for at least a few days and preferably for a few weeks. This way, when I come back to it and begin the second draft, I will have a fresh eyes, more understanding and control over my story.
The thing so remember about writing your first draft is the word "first". Don’t make the mistake in thinking that once a first draft is written, the manuscript is done. The first draft is only one part of the whole writing process that leads to a finished, presentable and hopefully published book.
Bio: VS Grenier is an award-winning author and editor who learned how to hone her writing skills at the Institute of Children’s Literature, and has been a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), the League of Utah Writers (HWG chapter), and Musing Our Children. Her works include Babysitting SugarPaw, the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 1 anthology and over 30 short stories, articles, and crafts for children along with newsletter articles for writers. You can learn more about VS Grenier at http://vsgrenier.com.
Solidifying a Logline
By Lea Schizas
Now what the blazes is a logline? Simple…a logline is your story’s heart and soul summarized in one or two sentences when asked, “So, what’s your story all about?”
Writers, at times, have a hard time pinpointing the core of the story and end up rambling on and on…a logline will help perfect the answer to the question above. Although loglines are usually associated with screenplays, even novelists will find them a tremendous help in sharpening their response.
Pinning your story down to only a line or two is not easy but with practice you will be able to give your reader a true account on what your book entails. Think of loglines as flash fiction: a need to pick and choose words carefully to give a complete picture.
In order to figure out the elements to place in a logline think of your book separated into three scenes: the beginning, the middle, and the end. From each scene take the essence, or high point, and write it down. When this exercise is done look over your ‘scenes’ and simplify them by somehow combining them into one or two cliff-hanging sentences.
For example, let’s take Harry Potter:
Beginning: Harry Potter discovers he has magical powers and receives an invite to enhance these powers to a school he’s never heard of.
Middle: He discovers his parents were killed and he is in the path of Voldemort’s anger. He befriends two students who become his sidekicks.
End: With the help of his two best friends they riddle out the puzzle of the Stone and Harry faces Voldemort for possession of the Stone.
Now let’s place the above info into a ‘hooking’ logline:
A young teen’s world is turned upside down when a seemingly innocent invitation to a school soon reveals a magical world possessed with a dark force waiting to take revenge on him.
You’ll note I didn’t mention the best friends since they are secondary to the plot and not as crucial to entice a reader. Voldemort’s name and the Stone were also omitted but given a darker overall image by placing ‘a magical world possessed with a dark force’. Also, by seeding ‘the revenge’ into a reader it ups his curiosity to find out what will happen and how the teen will deal with it.
Here is a basic and simple outline to follow what a logline should contain:
Who your protagonist is, which will also answer the question who the story is about
His goal, what he/she is striving to achieve
Who/what stands in his/her way
A logline won’t explain the whole storyline nor any of its subplots but will give a good impression of its genre and what the main character’s strive is all about.
When setting up a logline instead of giving a name give the descriptive detail of your character, for example:
John Smith’s adamant belief a witch living in his neighborhood is the cause of his recent bad luck, begins to hound the old lady into submission until she suffers a fatal heart attack and now haunts his dreams to the point he takes a family as hostage to prove his sanity and her existence.
Now replace his name with ‘An eccentric loner’s…’ and it gives the reader the impression of no one coming to his aid since he isolates himself from everyone. Or even ‘a lonely man’s…’ now implies a man with nothing better to do than to come up with his own devices to give himself something to do.
Examples of fictional loglines to study:
A pair of vigilantes who believe they are cleaning up the streets in their neighbourhood only succeed in riling up the wrong gang.
Three musicians are on the ride of their life when they sign on with an agent who ends up embezzling all their money, leaving them back on the poor side of the track to make the comeback of their life.
A wealthy woman puts her life on the line when she sets herself up as bait to catch her husband’s killer.
The logline for my own soon-to-be-released paranormal/thriller “Doorman’s Creek” is”
A young teen and his friends discover a cave…and an entity that puts them in the path of a serial killer they must track down before he murders another family member.
A logline is your ad, your hook to cause a reader to pick up your book and purchase it. Offer enough of the essence of your plot to intrigue them, build their curiosity level to such an extent they ‘need’ to find out what happens.
You only have those few precious initial minutes to impress an editor/reader with your storyline so make it count.
Lea Schizas is the founder of The Muse Online Writers Conference and publisher of MuseItUp Publishing. To add to Lea’s modest byline, she is also an award winning published author.
Perfecting Poetry: 12 Tips for the Beginner
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
I believe in poetry. Not just for poets, but for writers of every ilk. The essentials of poetry are often the essentials of other great writing. So, even if you’ve never thought about writing a poem, you might try this with some of your other writing.
Take a short prose piece and think of it as a poem. Break it into lines and then apply these twelve tips. You may find the process informs your other writing.
1. Try free verse (no intentional rhyming).
2. Write dense, poetic prose, then divide it into lines or not. If you don't, you'll have a prose poem.
3. Break lines after important words. If you scan down the last words in each line of a poem, you should have a good sense of what the poem is about.
4. Eliminate as many adjectives and adverbs as you can and strengthen your verbs. You poem will be more powerful.
5. Eliminate as many of the clutter words as you can. Articles, conjunctions, even some prepositions.
6. Try making different pictures on the page with the words. Your poem can be in triplets, couplets, indented unusually, even be set up in shapes. Try to make the design fit with the subject of your poem.
7. Avoid long, Latinate words.
8. Use images rather than explaining.
9. Know metaphors, similes, assonance and alliteration. Play with them. Don't strain.
10. If you want to rhyme, try to use uncommon ones. No ‘moons’ and ‘Junes’.ﾝ
11. Read and write poetry even if you don't think you want to. You may be surprised at how much you like it. It’s changed a lot since your high school English Lit days.
12. Buy a poetry book or chapbook at least once a year. It’s a way to support the arts and your learning curve!
Here is an example of what can be done with simple, everyday subjects that you experience or imagine. I imagined this while riding the wheel on the Santa Monica pier with my husband:
Death by Ferris Wheel ©
A woman who might be me, watches
roller bladers with supple bones and toddlers
with careless balloons from her seat in the
gondola. Far, far down on the pier. She opens the doors
--mini saloon doors of purple-- or
she crawls over acrylic barriers. Either way
she hesitates a moment. The lurch
of the wheel as it stops at the top finishes
the job. No scream. Even the plane floating
a campaign trail of plastic behind it, silent. Soundless
waves, too, that far up. She floats as if posing
for her close-up, delicate fingers, poised toes,
her red sunhat a Frisbee against
sky of pulled taffy clouds on blue.
Sea like scallops of Alençon lace below,
sand stretched away toward the Palisades,
the smell of sugary churros her last sensation.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Originally published in Pear Noir
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning Celebration Series of chapbooks with Magdalena Ball, director of the review site http://www.compulsivereader.com/html/
Come tweet with Carolyn at www.Twitter.com/FrugalBookPromo These 12 steps are available in a little double-fold flier for use as handouts at your next book signing. Just e-mail Carolyn at hojonews@aol.com and ask for the e-copy. Learn more about her poetry at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm.
Carolyn
Howard-Johnson
Instructor
for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program
Web
site: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com
THE SUPER WRITER’S FOUR I’S OF GREAT STORYTELLING
by J.R. Turner
Superman sees through lead, Batman has the biggest bag of techno-gadgets in the business, and Wonder Woman fights for justice with a few, well placed, bits of jewelry. Super Writers see epic adventures in the smallest details, develop their individual tricks and techniques, and with a few, well placed words and phrases, make the intangible, tangible. To be a Super Writer, however, one must first understand the nature of their power.
INSPIRATION:
Let’s face it, without inspiration, our muse is as exciting as the Hulk on a good hair day. Our muse just sits there, brooding and inscrutable, big and well . . . hulking, but overall, dull and useless. Until suddenly, inspiration strikes, goosing the muse into action, shaking the earth with the pounding thunder of creativity.
Inspiration is a tricky thing, however. One simply cannot say “Ah-ha!” and begin writing at warp speed. There must be a sound basis to pursue this idea. We must ask: can I make this unique? is it interesting? will I be able to sustain this premise for an entire novel or is it better shared through a shorter medium? and most importantly, am I passionate about this idea?
If there’s no passion this idea is likely not an option worth pursuing. Published authors are often offered ideas from non-writers. They are inspired and believe the idea so fascinating and titillating, the author will be honored to write the book. The author usually responds with a chuckle and a shake of the head. “Write someone else’s book? I’ll never live long enough to pursue my own ideas.” In this regard, we are lucky. Not many other professions create so many options you can dispose of one simply because it’s lacking emotional appeal–or passion.
Choose to expand on the ideas that grab you where you live, let the others percolate somewhere out of sight–in a folder, in a computer file–until the day the idea, perhaps combined with another, has the power of high voltage gamma rays.
INTUITION:
Okay, you’ve chosen to work on that inspired story. It’s timely, unique, and you’re passionate about the idea. This is going to be one heck of a ride! Your intuition is kicked into high gear–you’re operating on feeling, on the emotional impact that passion has on your priorities. Suddenly, you don’t care if the Tasmanian Devil erupted in your living room, it doesn’t matter if the kids are playing with Thing One and Thing Two–you are on a roll!
But wait, what’s that? An evil, ugly force driving away your ability to create. It’s taller than your muse, it’s faster than your typing speed, and it can leap pages in a single bound. It’s your internal editor. Where’s the kryptonite when you need it? Believe it or not, it’s lurking inside you–it’s that ringing bell that jangles when something is wrong, but performs with symphonic beauty when all is well. Listen for the tone, not the internal editor–that’s the bad guy, the one trying to kidnap your muse, tie him to the railroad tracks of your plot, and run him down with a freight train of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
That first draft is an exclusive party. Only your muse and intuition are invited. Who cares how many mistakes you make? This isn’t going to be published as is, there is no one watching over your shoulder saying, “you missed a spot.” It’s a joyous time of creativity.
If you’re one of those extraordinarily disciplined souls who want every paragraph perfect before moving onto the next and end with a complete manuscript that needs no revisions, count yourself lucky and blessed. For most of the writing community, however, writing is a struggle to balance creativity and technical know-how. Of course, one is just as important as the other, but to focus on technical know-how at the muse stage, can be as frustrating as getting Superman to wear a kryptonite necklace.
IMPLICATION:
“Show, don’t tell.” We hear that phrase as often as Captain Marvel hears the word “Shazam!” It’s more than a mantra, more than a symbol of mystical, magical transformation–it’s the heart and soul of great storytelling. Implication defines this notorious phrase.
To imply, rather than state, is a marvelous tool. It lends depth, humor, and realism to our characters. By implying a reaction, emotion, or description, rather than stating the facts, we must dig deeper into our characters, understand each of their personalities, and choose the words that are part of that characters lexicon. For Example:
Buffy snapped her gum and eyed the guy in the red cape. “Where can I get me some?”
“Jinkies, Buffy. The last thing the universe needs is offspring from that union.” Thelma shoved her glasses higher and dragged Buffy back into the mall.
Above, it’s implied, rather than stated, that Buffy finds the guy in the red cape attractive, followed by the implication that Thelma believes their children would be dangerous. Through this type of writing, you show much more than the words tell. We can infer above that Buffy is a bit of flirt, a little boy crazy. The guy in the red cape must be good looking. Thelma is more straight-laced and disapproves, likely based on past experiences. It’s shown, in this short exchange, that they are friends with differing priorities, but enjoy each other’s company.
Great storytellers, such as Stephen King, fill their books with catch-phrases and anecdotes that build rich worlds for the reader, a hint at the life these characters have lived off the page. Through these word choices, these small revelations, you’ll give the reader a story they won’t want to put down, and won’t soon forget.
IMPLEMENTATION:
“With great power, comes great responsibility.” If Spiderman never used his powers, the bad guys would get away. If Superman took the bus, instead of flying, chances are, he’d miss saving the day. A writer who doesn’t write, doesn’t get published.
Writing the words, implementing the power of your muse, your inspiration, through implication, can help you achieve success–whatever type of success you choose. This may mean simply completing a book, or hitting the New York Times bestseller list. Setting goals, whichever ones they are, is the first step in implementing all you’ve learned.
Be specific, but be realistic. If the goal is to write every day, take the concrete steps you need to make that happen. Prepare ahead of time, set the alarm on a clock or your watch, warn your family or friends that this time is off limits. Whichever process works best for you, follow through.
Prolific writers are drawn to their books, unable to resist immersing themselves in the world they’re creating. By taking the steps above, you’ll find yourself caught in the same hypnotic spell. In fact, you may find it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than the Green Goblin of real life or the Lex Luther of distractions to drag you away.
Remember the Super Writer’s Four I’s of Storytelling: inspiration, intuition, implication, and implementation the next time you flip on the computer, click open that pen, or sharpen that pencil–you just might discover the power inside you.
Award-winning author J.R. Turner lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and three children. She began writing in high school, and after a decade working as a commercial artist, started her first novel in 1999. Aside from crafts, camping and cooking, she loves holidays. A favorite is Halloween, a combination of spooky supernatural fun and chocolate. Visit her at http://www.jennifer-turner.com to learn more!
Theme Writing
By Kevin McNamee
Any writer who has ever researched the magazine market has noticed the magazine’s theme requirements. This is usually included somewhere with the submission guidelines. I write mainly for the children’s market. Some of the most popular themes include the seasons and holidays. These themes are also very popular in the trade book market as well. Walk into any book store at any time of the year, and you are bound to see a display with holiday or season themed books. Some of them are treasured classics. Some of them are brand new to the market. But all of them represent the continuous demand for these types of books.
Now writing to fit a theme is not easy. It may be a little easier than writing a story from scratch though. At least you know the subject matter. You wouldn’t submit a story about trains when the theme is summer. But I’m sure that there are editors out there who could tell stories otherwise.
The real challenge of theme writing is trying to come up with a fresh approach to the subject. What can we do differently to a subject that has been covered thousands of times? The answer: Plenty and you can have a lot of fun in the process too.
A few years ago around Halloween, my poetry critique group, The Poet’s Garage, got together and decided to put together a poetry collection based on the theme “spooky”. Quite a few of us had written Halloween themed poems and were planning to submit them to magazines for the following year. The idea of putting together a poetry collection intrigued us. For about six months, we wrote, critiqued and revised “spooky” poems. The project was spearheaded by fellow Garage members, Laura Wynkoop and Jennifer Judd. They assembled and submitted the collection to various publishing houses. The end result was An Eyeball in My Garden: And Other Spine-Tingling Poems.
So what does this have to do with taking a fresh approach to themes, you might ask? Well, as long as a poem had anything to do with something considered spooky, it was a welcome addition to the collection. As a result, we had a great mix of the humorous, interesting, creepy and downright sinister.
There are plenty of poems about witches, but have you ever wanted to take a peek at a “Witch’s Shopping List”? Same goes for werewolves, but have you ever heard the “Love Song of a Werewolf”? Did you ever really want to find out “Where Nightmares Dwell”? All of these poems are spooky and all of them are very different.
Having trouble thinking of a new approach for a monster? No problem, make one up. That’s how the Winking Wot came to be. We also created an assortment of spell casting gargoyles, ghosts, ghost fish, and goblins on parade. The possibilities are endless.
Theme writing does present its own set of challenges. But it also can be very fun and rewarding to leave your own unique stamp on a topic that has been covered numerous times. Theme writing is a little like coloring in a coloring book. It’s better when you stay inside the lines. But choose any colors you want and make it your own.
Kevin McNamee is a writer and poet living in Yonkers, N.Y. He is the author of several children’s books and is a contributing author to the poetry collection, An Eyeball in My Garden: And Other Spine-Tingling Poems.
To find out more about Kevin, please visit his website at www.kevinmcnamee.com or his blog at www.kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com.
Create Emotion, Not Sentimentality, in Fiction
by Vivian Zabel
Good writing requires the use of emotion, both in the writing and from or in the writer. What? Emotion in the writing itself and the author? Yes, good writing does require emotion from the words and from the writer. Actually, good writing requires creative and effective use, not overuse, of emotion.
Preparing fiction, whether in a short story or novel, without emotion results in telling rather showing. Telling a story may provide the readers with necessary information, but showing allows the reader to “see” the events, actions, and plot unfold. Showing emotion without resorting to sentimentality is a major component in writing vivid, powerful stories that readers can visualize.
In high school and college, most classes concentrate on thought, on the mind.. Teachers and professors encourage, even require, students to use big words, figures of speech, literary devices, and long, dense sentences to create emotion in writing.
Yes, figures of speech and literary devices have a place in poetry. Yes, if used sparingly and creatively in fiction, figures of speech can convey complicated emotions. However, when overused or misused, figurative language, according to Stephen King, in On Writing, “the results are funny and sometimes embarrassing.”
Yet emotions are necessary in fiction writing. According to Dianna Dorisi-Winget in “Let’s Get Physical! Writing Emotion in Fiction,” since emotions are such an integral part of the human condition, “… fiction writers must employ description that accurately expresses a character’s feelings.” However, she continues, simplistic and overused descriptions leave the reader unmoved. Using clichés (these simplistic and overused words or phrases) results in sentimentality.
When we talk or read about highly-emotional subjects like romance and death, we are tempted to use clichés. After all they are found everywhere and represent the shortcuts we use in song and word. Kristen Williams, in “No Place for Hallmark,” stresses this need to avoid these shortcuts in items we write.
Williams defines sentimentality as the exaggerated and affected use of emotion in writing. Affected is further explained as being most often connected to clichés and melodrama, which “affect” emotion, showing only the surface with no substance or justification, no foundation. These types of writing emotion no new perspective on the experience but are shortcuts.
Writers, especially beginners, use sentimentality because doing so is easy. Admitting or describing complicated situations is hard. Using sentimentality means presenting things in black and white, not delving into the complications that actually exist. “Good writers,” Williams says, “will dive right into this complexity instead of staying on the surface.”
James Scott Bell echoes this thought in his article “Leave Them With Hope”: “Delve into your character’s heart. As the author, you must feel the big emotions as much as your fictional creation does.”
Authors can avoid sentimentality without losing emotion needed to reach readers. The writer simply has to deal with the emotion in an original and complex manner by trying to avoid abstract words and ideas. This is accomplished by staying with concrete descriptions. As Bell stated, the author must experience the emotion and describe it with the five senses, write it as he “feels” it. Abstract words and ideas can be interpreted by others in different ways, relying on the readers’ definition. Details are required to make the emotion live.
How can writers avoid “sentimentality”? One exercise is to list common reactions to an emotion. Then the author examines those physical reactions that emotions produce, and simple and overused descriptions are physical reactions to emotion. However the idea is to find other ways to explain those reactions so that the reader isn’t left unmoved. “The trick,” Dorisi-Winget says, “is tapping into your ‘emotion memory.’ Get beyond the pounding heart and clenched fist.”
If describing fear, the “sick stomach” might become the tilting like the time seasickness caused lunch to want to escape. The details tell the tale; if used creatively and well, the details “show” the tale.
Writers don’t have to abandon abstract thoughts and words completely, but the majority of description should be concrete. Williams says she uses no more than twenty percent abstract and at least eighty percent detail when using emotion in her writing.
Avoiding sentimentality allows the writer’s perspective to be used, not someone else’s. Writers then create the emotion required in “good” pieces of fiction.
***
Sources:
1. Bharti Kirchner, “It’s showtime!” The Writer August 2005.
2. Dianna Dorisi-Winget, “Let’s Get Physical! Writing Emotions in Fiction,” ByLine February 2006.
3. Ellen Macaulay, “Acting Lessons,” The Writer April 2005.
4. James Scott Bell, “Leave Them With Hope,” Writer’s Digest December 2005.
5. Kristen Williams, “No Place for Hallmark,” http://www.wow-schools.net/hallmark.htm.
6. Robert Olen Butler, “The Dynamics of Desire,” The Writer October 2005.
7. William G. Tapply, “Don’t be a SHOWOFF,” The Writer November 2005.
***
Vivian Zabel is an author and publisher of children’s books. Check out 4RV Publishing (http://4rvpublishingllc.com) for submission guidelines and for quality children’s books.
Write On! Goal Setting & Productivity
By Debra Eckerling, Creator, WriteOnOnline
Goals are an essential component of productivity. It’s important to know what you are striving for if you want to achieve it. Goal-setting is not just an activity for the beginning of the year; it’s a year-round necessity. Goals should to be looked at daily, and revised and restated weekly, monthly‚ whatever it takes to get to your personal finish line.
Setting Goals:
-
Set a personal goal, as well as a professional one, especially when
you are setting your annual goals. Yes, articles, short stories,
pages, outlines, etc., are important. But so is self-improvement. You
are more likely to achieve your writing goals if certain things in
your personal life are in order. If your desk is a mess, then
organizing it should be on the top of your goal-list.
- Look at your goals every day. It’s easy to neglect your goals when you do not bother to look at them. Conversely, if you look at your goals frequently, they stay in your mind, and you are much more likely to accomplish them. Post your goals in a place you go to frequently: the bathroom mirror, the fridge, your computer “wallpaper.” I know one person who puts her goals as the wallpaper on her cell phone. That way, whenever she goes to make a call, she has to look at them.
- Set realistic goals. It’s okay to overshoot and to even change them if your project goes in another direction. If you want to write an hour a day, but you think 30 minutes is more doable, then that’s the goal you should set. When you are under less pressure, you are more likely to sit down and write.
Accomplishing Goals:
- Join a writers support group or have a goal-buddy. Set weekly or monthly check-in times. Accountability is a key motivational element in getting your goals done. If your buddy and/or the people in your writers group make their goals, you certainly will want to do so, as well. There’s a huge incentive in feeling if your friends and peers can make their goals, so can you!
- Set a plan. Break down your project into doable parts, and put deadlines in your calendar. If you are writing a book, set due dates for the outline, each chapter, and rewrites. If you are trying to sell your book, novel, or screenplay, come up with a number of queries to send every week to agents and publishers—and stick to it. If you cheat on your goals, you are only cheating yourself—and prolonging your potential success.
- Make writing-time a priority. If you cancel a doctor’s appointment—or hair appointment—without notice, what happens? You get charged. If you cancel writing-time because something else comes up, you are only neglecting yourself. There are exceptions: sick child, day job, emergency. Yet, for the most part, writers tend to forgo their personal projects for other priorities. You can start penalizing yourself for missing your goals—have a money jar and pay yourself for missed writing-time. Or better yet, just sit down and write!
Celebrate Wins:
The
biggest win is finishing your passion-project, whether it’s an
essay to submit to a magazine, a book proposal, or full-length
manuscript. But there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to a
fancy meal out, a new DVD, or that sweater you have been eyeing for
weeks. Set goals, accomplish them, reward yourself. The biggest
reward is the pride in accomplishment! Congratulations in advance!
* * *
Debra Eckerling is the creator of Write On! Online – www.WriteOnOnline.com – a website and community for writers, which focuses on networking, goal-setting, and productivity for writers in all areas. Writers can post weekly goals on the Write On! FaceBook page – www.FaceBook.com/WriteOnOnline and monthly goals on www.WriteOnOnline.com/Goals
Debra has written for national, local, trade, and online publications. A communications specialist and “personal trainer for writers,” Debra trains individuals, experts, and entrepreneurs, so they can organize, articulate, and complete their writing projects. www.WriteOnTrackLA.com.
Final Stages of Self-editing: 4 Tips
By Karen Cioffi
There is so much involved in self-editing; the lists and checkpoints can fill a book. The very first step is to be part of a critique group and have your manuscript critiqued in its various stages. When you’re sure it’s in good shape, then you move on to proofreading and self-editing. Be sure to check grammar, storyline, punctuation, showing vs. telling . . . you know the deal. Now it’s time to do a fine tuning self-edit.
1. Read your manuscript
Read it again. Try to read it slow and watch for all the self-editing tips you’ve learned and think you’ve applied. Spotting our own errors is difficult since we know what we wrote and intended. Some of the other tips here will help with this problem.
2. Change the font and read it again.
Surprisingly, you will spot errors you just glazed over before. You won’t run through it the same way you did with the original font.
3. Read each paragraph from the last sentence to the first
This is an interesting method for an additional self-edit. It’s helpful because your brain won’t be on auto-pilot. You will spot glitches within sentences that you would glaze over when reading normally.
Note: I don’t mean reading each sentence backward; read each sentence as you would normally, but read the last sentence first and work your way to the beginning of the paragraph.
4. Print your manuscript
Okay, I know what you environmentalists are thinking . . . I’m one also. I try very hard not to waste paper in order to protect and save our trees. But, there is a difference between reading on a computer and reading paper copy. I’ll be honest, I don’t know why our brain perceives it differently, it just does.
As you’re reading your manuscript, use a colored pen or pencil and mark the text you find errors in. Once you finish, go back to your computer document and correct the errors.
The other practical aspect of this process is it’s a good idea to have a hard copy of your manuscript near its final stage. Unless you have an offsite backup, you can’t be too careful (I’d be skeptical of this also – you never know with any online system). I’ve lost a number of files when my computer broke. And, I’ve even lost files on zip drives when the drives failed. So, from experience I’m cautious when it comes to saving my work.
If you do actually utilize Step 4 and print your manuscript, be sure to recycle it if you no longer need that copy. I reuse paper I print by using the back for notes; when it can be discarded, I recycle! You can either rip it into pieces or shred it so your valuable content isn't usable to others.
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter (for businesses and individuals), and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit Karen at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by.
Rewriting a Folktale: Walking Through Walls
By Karen Cioffi
When a writer’s muse seems to be on vacation, she may be at a loss for story ideas. While there are a number of sites and tools online to help get the creative juices flowing, one tool that writers might overlook is studying folktales.
Reading folktales is a great way to spin a new yarn, especially for children’s writing. I recently did a review of a children’s picture book published by Sylvan Dell that was based on an American Indian folktale. This shows they are publishable.
Folktales, also known as tall tales, and folklore, are stories specific to a country or region. They are usually short stories dealing with everyday life that come from oral tradition that is passed from generation to generation. Most often these tales involve animals, heavenly objects, and other non-human entities that possess human characteristics.
There is Mexican folklore, Irish folklore, Chinese folklore, as well as folklore from many other countries that have tales unique to their area. There is also American folklore that encompasses stories from each of the 50 states. There is a huge supply of stories to spin and weave.
In addition to reviewing a couple of published children’s books that were based on folktales, I wrote a children’s fantasy story based on an ancient Chinese tale.
Interestingly, prior to receiving an outline of the tale from a Chinese nonfiction writer I knew from one of my writing groups, I never thought of rewriting folktales. But, once given the outline, I loved the story and the message it presented. The outline itself was very rough and written with an adult as the main character (MC), which is often the case with very old folktales.
After reading the story I knew the MC would need to become a child. I think every children’s writer is aware that children want to read about children, not adults. And, the MC needs to be a couple of years older than the target audience the author is writing for.
Based on this, I decided to make my MC a 12-year-old boy. And, since I liked the ancient Chinese flavor of the story, I kept it and made the story take place in the 16th century China. After this was set, I needed to come up with a title and the MC’s name.
When choosing a title for your book, it’s important to keep it in line with the story and make it something that will be marketable to the age group you’re targeting. I chose Walking Through Walls.
As far as the character’s name, you will need to base it on the time period and geographic location of the story, unless the character is out of his element. Since my story was to take place in China, I used a Chinese name, Wang.
To keep the flavor of your story consistent, you will also need to give it a feeling of authenticity. This will involve some research. How did the people dress during the time of your story? What names were used? What did they eat? What type of work or schooling was available? What locations might you mention? What type of crops and vegetation would be present? What types of homes did they live in? There are many aspects of the story that you will want to make as authentic as possible. And, it does matter, even in fiction stories; it will add richness to your story.
The next time you’re in the library, ask the librarian to show you a few folktales. Then imagine how you might rewrite one or more of them for today’s children’s book market.
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter (for businesses and individuals), and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit Karen at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by.
Marketing
To Market to Market by Martha Swirzinski
How to Coordinate Your Own Virtual Book Tour by Mayra Calvani
SEO and Marketing: Basic Tips and Definitions by Karen Cioffi
Book Promotion: The Foundation by Karen Cioffi
To Market to Market
By Martha Swirzinski
We write because of our passion for words or maybe we want to educate others, motivate, or just entertain. Whatever the reason, we write because we love it. Some people may write for their own private enjoyment, but most of us want millions to enjoy our hard work. Unfortunately, that means we have to get out there and market our books and ourselves. It would be great if they all lined up around the block at our book signings or packed the house at one of our book readings. However, if you are just starting out there is a good chance that’s not going to happen. You are going to have to push up your sleeves and get busy.
I'm not on the New York Times bestseller list... just yet, but I have picked up a few tips along the way.
Don’t think just bookstores for signings. Who are your characters? Do they like to cook? Have a book signing in a kitchen store or the grand opening of a new restaurant.
I sell children’s books. You’ll find me at children’s boutiques, festivals and grand openings of any type of company that caters to children’s activities.
Are your books geared towards female readers? Pair up with women who do home shows. Think Pampered Chef, Mary Kay and so on. Around the holidays your books may be just the last minute gift they were looking for.
How about a workshop? Have something you can teach your readers? My books are geared toward getting children to move during the story, to use their imagination and their bodies to bring the story to life. I give workshops on health, exercise and nutrition. I sell most of my books at these events. Even if you don’t feel like you could give a workshop; you could pair up with an expert. Romance novels your niche? Pair up with a marriage counselor for a free workshop on building a better marriage. Murder mysteries your passion? Pair up with a police officer or marital arts expert to give a free seminar on protecting yourself. Maybe poems are your thing. Pair up with a chocolate shop and have a tasting and a reading around Valentines Day.
The only limitation is your imagination.
“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
By: Martha Swirzinski, author, presenter and teacher
www.Movementplus.com www.WholeChildPublishing.com
How to Coordinate Your Own Virtual Book Tour
By Mayra Calvani
Virtual book tours, also known as blog tours, are an effective way of book promotion. A virtual book tour puts your name and book in front of hundreds—sometimes thousands—of readers. If you hire a publicist to coordinate it for you, the price can go from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. However, if you do it yourself, it’s practically free. Best of all, you don’t need a car or an airplane to travel through the blogosphere. You can do it in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home. All you need is a computer, internet connection, and a basic knowledge of blogs. However, be prepared to spend a lot of time at the computer for the duration of the tour. A virtual book tour is time consuming because the bloggers who host you will ask you to write guest posts, articles, and answer interview questions for them.
Many new authors often ask if virtual book tours guarantee book sales. The answer is NO. A virtual book tour doesn’t guarantee sales but it does guarantee a certain amount of visibility and exposure for you and your work.
The following steps will help you coordinate your own virtual tour:
Start planning at least 3 months in advance. This will give you enough time to research blogs, contact bloggers, send review copies (if requested), and write guest posts or answer interview questions. You want readers to be entertained when they read about you and your book, so you’ll have to give them something new in every interview. Writing the same answers in the different interviews doesn’t work and you’ll only be turning readers away.
Decide how long you’ll want the tour to be and how many stops you’ll make. Virtual book tours can be as short as one week (mini book tour) or as long as several months. It depends on your schedule and on how much time you’re willing to allocate for it. Two-week and one-month tours seem to be the most popular. Usually, there are 3 stops for each week and many authors prefer the stops to be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The choice is really up to you. It all depends on how much time, work and commitment you’re willing to give.
Decide when your tour will take place. If you have a holiday book, like a Christmas children’s book or a horror novel, you’ll want to schedule your tour during December or October, respectively, in order to maximize your book’s marketing potential.
Spend some time online researching blogs and make a list of those that match the content or theme of your book. If your book is a mystery novel about a violinist, for instance, you’ll want to make a list of mystery and violin blogs. That’s were the potential readers and buyers of your book are. That’s where your audience is. If you choose general blogs, then make sure they get a decent amount of traffic a month. You can check how many hits a blog or site gets on Alexa.com.
Write a template for contacting hosts, this way you won’t have to write individual ones for each one. The message should include a brief intro, full information about your book (blurb, link to cover art, purchase page, reviews, etc.), and a polite request to be hosted on their blogs. Mention that you’re available for an interview or a guest post. As an alternative, you can request a book review, but you must be willing to send them a review copy. If you’re lucky, the blogger will accept an eBook copy, saving you the expense of a print copy and postage. Be aware, however, that not all bloggers are willing to read electronic copies unless they have eBook-reading devices. Keep in mind that reviews are one of the most effective ways of book promotion, and when you compare it to ads, they’re reasonably cheap. Let the bloggers know you’ll be aggressively promoting the tour, thus bringing traffic to their blogs.
Prepare a schedule. Get a weekly or monthly calendar with enough space for notes. This will help you visualize the entire tour. As the bloggers’ responses start flowing in and you agree on specific tour stop dates, record the following information on the calendar: blog name and URL, host’s name, whether it’s for a guest post, article, interview or review. In case of reviews, send the book to the blogger as soon as possible (at least two months in advance), giving him or her enough time to read and review the book.
Don’t leave writing guests posts and answering interview questions for the last minute. Take your time. Remember readers want to be entertained and informed. Give them valuable information, add a touch of humor and keep your voice fresh and interesting. Also, don’t wait until the last day to send the material to the host. Send it at least a week in advance.
A few days before the tour starts, double check your calendar to make sure all is in order, then post the complete schedule, with the correct hosts’ links, on your website and/or blog. Also, send a reminder to all your hosts. To make this easy, put your hosts’ contact info in a separate email folder and email them together when needed. Make sure you update your tour schedule on a daily basis in case of last minute changes.
Once the tour starts, promote it! Announce it to all your friends, colleagues and relatives and in all forums, groups and lists you belong to. You can also send a press release for extra exposure.
For the duration of the tour, be sure to visit your tour stops to write comments or answer questions via the ‘Leave a Comment’ feature on the blogs. Interacting with readers will make your virtual book tour more interesting and entertaining.
Final tips:
Consider offering a prize at the end of the tour to one lucky winner. This will encourage visitors to comment on your tour stops and follow you all through the tour. The prize could be a gift certificate, a goody basket, or even a free critique. It’s not recommended to offer a copy of the book you’re promoting as gift. If people think they might win it, they won’t buy it.
Once the tour is over, don’t forget to thank your hosts and offer to return their favor in the future. This makes for good internet networking and protocol.
Award-winning author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s had over 300 reviews, articles, short stories and interviews published in print and online. Visit her website at www.mayracalvani.com.
SEO and Marketing: Basic Tips and Definitions
By Karen Cioffi
In its simplest form, promotion is a tool or strategy under the marketing umbrella. The marketing umbrella covers the creation or manufacturing of a product or service, R&D, distribution, and any other elements needed to get a product from creation to the consumer. Promotion creates visibility.
Utilizing online promotion means you will be using the internet, search engines, and SEO. SEO is the process of getting the search engines to find and rank your content. You obviously want a high ranking so when a searcher (potential customer) types in a search term (keyword) your site may be one of those on that first SERP.
Marketing and especially SEO can be confusing and seem like a daunting task to undertake, but once you understand the basics it becomes less intimidating.
SEO and Marketing Definitions
1. SEO – search engine optimization: “the process of creating and adjusting website content with the goal of improving search engine rankings.” (according to Compendium.com)
2. SERP – search engine results page – the page results from a search query.
3. Keyword – “any word or phrase a searcher might use to describe or identify a desired resource on the Internet.” When using keyword in your title, it’s important to use the keyword in the beginning of the title. Rather than use “How-to-Guide for SEO,” opt for “SEO: A How-to-Guide.” (according to Compendium.com)
4. Organic Traffic or Marketing – free strategies, such as Twitter, blogging, article marketing, etc.
5. Paid Traffic or Marketing – utilizing paid/sponsored ads, such as Google adwords, etc.
6. Ranking – your position (how high up) on the SERP: the higher the better. In other words, you want to be on the first SERP, or at least within the first few pages.
7. Anchor text – linking to other websites and/or pages directly from text within your content. This strategy should be used to bring the reader to your products, to other related articles you’ve written, to another site that has useful information pertinent to your post, and/or to link to a site you’re mentioning.
Providing readily accessible information and links through anchor text will give your readers more “bang-for-the-buck.” It will give the reader a broader reading experience, and she will definitely appreciate it – this builds a relationship . . . and trust.
Using anchor text links will also help search engines, such as Google and Bing, relate your content to other relevant content, and create a target for searchers to hit.
One last note about SEO, keep your keywords simple and concise. And, often it’s of greater benefit to use long-tail keywords. These keywords may not get as many search hits, but they do get a much more targeted audience; this leaves you with less competition.
An example of a keyword might be, “allergy relief.” Allergy relief is a very generic and heavily used keyword. In order to make it more specific and hone in on a narrower audience/searcher, you might use, “allergy air cleaners,” or maybe, “remedies for allergies,” or, “allergy sinus medications.” You want to narrow the playing field.
There are free tools to test out and analyze keywords; here are three of them you might try:
http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
http://www.wordstream.com/keywords/
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter (for businesses and individuals), and freelance writer. For writing and marketing information visit Karen at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World. You’ll get 2 free e-books on writing and marketing in the process, and two more free e-books just for stopping by.
Book Promotion: The Foundation
By Karen Cioffi
Every author has thought it, said it, and heard it: promotion is the roll-up-your-sleeves, and dig-in part of writing. It’s the much more difficult and time consuming aspect of writing that every author needs to become involved with . . . if he wants to sell his books.
To actually sell a book, you need to have a quality product. This is the bare-bottom, first rung of book promotion . . . the foundation.
The Foundation
Create a Quality Product
The very first step in book promotion is to create a quality product. Hopefully, you noticed I said create a quality product, not just a good story. What this means is that all aspects of your book need to be top notch.
A. The Story
To start at the very beginning, the first factor to be dealt with is to be sure your story has all the essential elements. According to Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, there are five major elements of a story: characters, setting, plot, point of view, and theme.
All the elements of a story should complement each other, should move each other forward, draw the reader in, and end with a satisfying conclusion. They should work together to create a story that will be remembered.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-38 show above.)