Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Killer Hooks
Have you ever been halfway through reading the blurb on the back of a book, and gotten so excited you stopped reading? This has happened to me a few times recently. I'll be plopped on the floor in the back corner of the library where the romance novels are shoved, glancing at the back blurbs, and suddenly, BAM! I'm reading through the blurb and something says, "Yes! This is a book that I want to read!"
Often, this concluded with me immediately dashing toward the check-out desk and only later realizing that I'd never finished reading the back copy to see what happened. But it didn't really matter -- the blurb had already done it's job.
It'd hooked me.
I don't know if hooks work universally -- I'm curious if you would have had the same reaction. After reading this, I was psyched to read this book and tell everyone about it after reading the first two paragraphs alone. Did it hook you?
Here's another example, from romance this time -- Mary Jo Putney's The Bargain:
I saw that, said, "He's alive? I have to read this book!"
What do you think of these blurbs? Did they work for you as hooks, or did they fail to grab you? Have any examples of books whose hook was so great you just had to read it? Have you ever thought of a hook first, and then built a book around it?
Often, this concluded with me immediately dashing toward the check-out desk and only later realizing that I'd never finished reading the back copy to see what happened. But it didn't really matter -- the blurb had already done it's job.
It'd hooked me.
I picked up a Harlan Coben novel -- he writes thrillers whose characters are ordinary people like socer moms rather than James Bond -- and found this on the back. I wonder if you can guess which sentence hooked me so much I stopped reading:
An ordinary snapshot causes a suburban mother’s world to unravel in an instant. When Grace Lawson picks up a newly developed set of family photographs, there is a picture that doesn’t belong -- a photo from at least twenty years ago. In the photo are five people, four Grace can’t recognize and one that looks strikingly like her husband, Jack.
When Jack sees the photo, he denies he’s the man in it. But later that night, while Grace lies in bed waiting, he drives away in the family's minivan without an explanation, taking the photograph with him.
Not knowing where he went or why he left, Grace struggles alone to shield her children from Jack’s absence in the days that follow. Each passing day brings only doubts about herself and her marriage and yet more unanswered questions about Jack, along with the realization that there are others looking for Jack and the photograph -- including one fierce, silent killer who will not be stopped from finding his quarry, no matter who or what stands in his way.
When the police won’t help her, and neighbors and friends alike seem to have agendas of their own, she must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past to keep her children safe and learn the truth that might bring her husband home.
I don't know if hooks work universally -- I'm curious if you would have had the same reaction. After reading this, I was psyched to read this book and tell everyone about it after reading the first two paragraphs alone. Did it hook you?
Here's another example, from romance this time -- Mary Jo Putney's The Bargain:
To keep her fortune, a beautiful heiress impulsively weds a penniless officer dying of wounds received at Waterloo. But when the blasted man hasn't the grace to die, she suddenly finds herself with a healthy, vibrant husband who wants to renegotiate the terms of their bargain--and ultimately possess the heart of his bewildered bride...
I saw that, said, "He's alive? I have to read this book!"
What do you think of these blurbs? Did they work for you as hooks, or did they fail to grab you? Have any examples of books whose hook was so great you just had to read it? Have you ever thought of a hook first, and then built a book around it?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Art and Writing and the Creative Flow
My BFF and I were emailing about a neat costume I saw and I thought she’d like. She was amazed like me, and she asked me, “Have you thought about Halloween?” As far back as I can remember, I’ve been an avid fan of Halloween. I love the whole spooky and superstitious parts of it; I love the candy; I love the dressing up and pretending to be someone else.
The problem is: I don’t know what I’ll be dressing as. Last year I was completely uninspired and dressed as Harry Potter. Again. The year before I dressed as a slutty devil—again, completely uninspired and not nearly at my level of costuming commitment I usually do. I don’t even remember 2007. I’m sure it was also uninspired as well. Since 1997, I usually come up with some elaborate costume to dress in and I get co-workers into it. I have staff and faculty who ask me around this time of year what I’ll be dressing as because I’m that well-known. I’ve been a Scottish wench, three types of pirate, a Can-Can girl, Harry Potter, Eve, and Little Red Riding Hood. People love my costumes.
And for the third year straight I’m not feeling the Halloween spirit. Something is wrong.
This is no reason to panic, I realize. People outgrow these things. I’d go with that—except there are other things I used to do that I don’t do now. Scrapbooking homemade cards. I have a closet full of scrapbooking materials. I haven’t scrapbooked in two years. I’ve bought blank canvases and paints—but I don’t paint. I have drawing paper, but I no longer draw.
A couple weeks ago, I went to a funeral and the preacher’s wife, who knew me when I was 16 but hadn’t seen me since then, hunted me down. “I’ve been dying to talk to you. I wanted to know if you became an art teacher.”
“Um, no.” I laughed because I get the teacher thing all the time. It’s my bane in life. I don’t want to be a teacher, yet everyone asks if I am one. “Oh,” she said, looking disappointed or sad, “do you still do something in art?” “Actually no,” I confessed. I never thought of myself as an artist. My BFF was the real artist; I was just a hack who sketched people who ended up looking cartoonish. Hardly a skill. But I remembered now why she might have thought I pursued it. I was always sketching people. I grinned at her. “I was never really that good, I thought,” I explained. “I write now. That’s my creative outlet.”
Still…the preacher’s wife brought up an interesting point: I did used to create drawings and paintings; and even back then I was a writer, but I’d write and draw. One creative endeavor fed the other. And then when I was emailing my BFF and we were discussing the costumes, I realized that my costuming is what I did with my later writing. Sewing became my Art.
Now I don’t costume. Nor do I draw. Nor do I scrapbook. And guess what? I don’t write either.
My theory is this: art is a sort of yoga. When I’m sewing or drawing or gluing pieces of paper, my hands are busy and the internal critic is busy criticizing the project in hand and not paying attention to what my real brain is doing, which is thinking about the story and writing. Then when I sit and write, I write. My internal critic is either exhausted from bitching about my other artistic endeavors, or my writing brain just doesn’t care at that point and doesn’t listen. I don’t know. But my writing seems to be tied to art hobbies.
I don’t think I’m the only writer who thinks this. Jennifer Crusie makes those elaborate collages for her stories. Art and writing. I don’t exactly make costumes that mimic my books, though the year I sewed my Elizabeth Swann pirate gown, it was included in Girl on a Grecian Urn. And that might be the last year I sewed a costume, which incidentally is the last book I finished. Coincidence? I don’t think so. I need a new costume. I need to be inspired in a physical way, not a muse way. I need some brain yoga.
Is your writing tied to any other hobby (i.e. cooking, music, art)? Are you dressing for Halloween? I need some ideas. I mean, I have an idea, but if yours is better, I may steal it. Do you like Halloween? What’s your favorite holiday?
The problem is: I don’t know what I’ll be dressing as. Last year I was completely uninspired and dressed as Harry Potter. Again. The year before I dressed as a slutty devil—again, completely uninspired and not nearly at my level of costuming commitment I usually do. I don’t even remember 2007. I’m sure it was also uninspired as well. Since 1997, I usually come up with some elaborate costume to dress in and I get co-workers into it. I have staff and faculty who ask me around this time of year what I’ll be dressing as because I’m that well-known. I’ve been a Scottish wench, three types of pirate, a Can-Can girl, Harry Potter, Eve, and Little Red Riding Hood. People love my costumes.
And for the third year straight I’m not feeling the Halloween spirit. Something is wrong.
This is no reason to panic, I realize. People outgrow these things. I’d go with that—except there are other things I used to do that I don’t do now. Scrapbooking homemade cards. I have a closet full of scrapbooking materials. I haven’t scrapbooked in two years. I’ve bought blank canvases and paints—but I don’t paint. I have drawing paper, but I no longer draw.
A couple weeks ago, I went to a funeral and the preacher’s wife, who knew me when I was 16 but hadn’t seen me since then, hunted me down. “I’ve been dying to talk to you. I wanted to know if you became an art teacher.”
“Um, no.” I laughed because I get the teacher thing all the time. It’s my bane in life. I don’t want to be a teacher, yet everyone asks if I am one. “Oh,” she said, looking disappointed or sad, “do you still do something in art?” “Actually no,” I confessed. I never thought of myself as an artist. My BFF was the real artist; I was just a hack who sketched people who ended up looking cartoonish. Hardly a skill. But I remembered now why she might have thought I pursued it. I was always sketching people. I grinned at her. “I was never really that good, I thought,” I explained. “I write now. That’s my creative outlet.”
Still…the preacher’s wife brought up an interesting point: I did used to create drawings and paintings; and even back then I was a writer, but I’d write and draw. One creative endeavor fed the other. And then when I was emailing my BFF and we were discussing the costumes, I realized that my costuming is what I did with my later writing. Sewing became my Art.
Now I don’t costume. Nor do I draw. Nor do I scrapbook. And guess what? I don’t write either.
My theory is this: art is a sort of yoga. When I’m sewing or drawing or gluing pieces of paper, my hands are busy and the internal critic is busy criticizing the project in hand and not paying attention to what my real brain is doing, which is thinking about the story and writing. Then when I sit and write, I write. My internal critic is either exhausted from bitching about my other artistic endeavors, or my writing brain just doesn’t care at that point and doesn’t listen. I don’t know. But my writing seems to be tied to art hobbies.
I don’t think I’m the only writer who thinks this. Jennifer Crusie makes those elaborate collages for her stories. Art and writing. I don’t exactly make costumes that mimic my books, though the year I sewed my Elizabeth Swann pirate gown, it was included in Girl on a Grecian Urn. And that might be the last year I sewed a costume, which incidentally is the last book I finished. Coincidence? I don’t think so. I need a new costume. I need to be inspired in a physical way, not a muse way. I need some brain yoga.
Is your writing tied to any other hobby (i.e. cooking, music, art)? Are you dressing for Halloween? I need some ideas. I mean, I have an idea, but if yours is better, I may steal it. Do you like Halloween? What’s your favorite holiday?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Hotties who talk like pirates
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, maties! And just to really get us into the pirate mentality, I thought some visual aids would be a good start to a Sunday.
....................................................
.....................................................
...................................................
....................................................
and just for fun....
....................................................
In the line up this week is J Perry, who always throws a fun party. So practice talking like a pirate and jump on board!
....................................................
.....................................................
...................................................
....................................................
and just for fun....
....................................................
In the line up this week is J Perry, who always throws a fun party. So practice talking like a pirate and jump on board!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A Friday Parody: Keeping a Positive Attitude
Hellion: Well, it’s the end of the week, and the headliners have been completely out of whack, haven’t they? We just like to keep you on your toes. No room for complacency on this ship, right? So in keeping with keeping on your toes, I thought we’d have a little Friday Musical Dance Parody. (That’s a really bad title. I really should work on that. *shrugs* Eh. No time.)
I’ve been a little dementor’d lately (yes, I made it up, stop picking) and I needed to come up with a little peppy song to inspire me. That this book IS going to rock. That this book IS good enough, sharp enough, and doggone it, people like it. (Yeah, I’m mixing it up, go with it, people.)
Sooo… *whips out a mock up of her novel, gesturing as music for “Greased Lightning” cues*
Well this book is scintillatin’, captivatin’, fascinatin’—
Why it could be a Best Seller!
*Marn & Hal whiz onto the ship’s deck on their office chairs*: “We’re listening!”
Hellion: We’ll get some overbuff heroes and some quick-witted broads, oh yeah
Marn & Hal: Keep talkin’, whoa keep talkin’!
Hellion: Work confrontation conflict and sexy chemistry, oh yeah,
Sin: I’m going to write this! I’m really going to write this!
Hellion: With some sex against the wall, they’ll be rushin’ to the mall
You know we will persist when we make the NYT list
Best Seller!
(Chorus: all RWR crew, in sequined pirate costumes and dancing around a float with rotating bestseller books and a cartoonish statue of a NYT editor)
Go, Best Seller,
You’re burnin’ up the New York Times!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
Go Best Seller
You’ve got those readers all standin’ in lines!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
You’re totally neat!
Success is sweet!
Best Seller
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Hellion: We’ll get some mean and nasty villain and a lot of quirky friends, oh yeah,
A disabled dashhound and perhaps a meddling mother, depends, oh yeah,
With new plot twists, guns, and sex
I can get those readers to spend their checks
You know that I ain’t braggin, but my hero’s great at shaggin’
Best Seller!
Bo’sun: Hey, where did the “chicks’ll cream” go? I don’t know about you, but if a hero had me against a wall, I’d….
RWR crew: (hanging off the editor statue and synchronized hand movements and Elvis hip movements)
(Chorus)
Go, Best Seller,
You’re burnin’ up the New York Times!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
Go Best Seller
You’ve got those readers all standin’ in lines!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
You’re totally neat!
Success is sweet!
Best Seller
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Hellion: Go, go, go—go write that bestseller. What the hell are you guys still doing on this deck? You should be writing, not screwing around, singing badly written parodies! Go, now! And don’t come back until you can tell me you’ve written at least 500 words today.
I’ve been a little dementor’d lately (yes, I made it up, stop picking) and I needed to come up with a little peppy song to inspire me. That this book IS going to rock. That this book IS good enough, sharp enough, and doggone it, people like it. (Yeah, I’m mixing it up, go with it, people.)
Sooo… *whips out a mock up of her novel, gesturing as music for “Greased Lightning” cues*
Well this book is scintillatin’, captivatin’, fascinatin’—
Why it could be a Best Seller!
*Marn & Hal whiz onto the ship’s deck on their office chairs*: “We’re listening!”
Hellion: We’ll get some overbuff heroes and some quick-witted broads, oh yeah
Marn & Hal: Keep talkin’, whoa keep talkin’!
Hellion: Work confrontation conflict and sexy chemistry, oh yeah,
Sin: I’m going to write this! I’m really going to write this!
Hellion: With some sex against the wall, they’ll be rushin’ to the mall
You know we will persist when we make the NYT list
Best Seller!
(Chorus: all RWR crew, in sequined pirate costumes and dancing around a float with rotating bestseller books and a cartoonish statue of a NYT editor)
Go, Best Seller,
You’re burnin’ up the New York Times!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
Go Best Seller
You’ve got those readers all standin’ in lines!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
You’re totally neat!
Success is sweet!
Best Seller
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Hellion: We’ll get some mean and nasty villain and a lot of quirky friends, oh yeah,
A disabled dashhound and perhaps a meddling mother, depends, oh yeah,
With new plot twists, guns, and sex
I can get those readers to spend their checks
You know that I ain’t braggin, but my hero’s great at shaggin’
Best Seller!
Bo’sun: Hey, where did the “chicks’ll cream” go? I don’t know about you, but if a hero had me against a wall, I’d….
RWR crew: (hanging off the editor statue and synchronized hand movements and Elvis hip movements)
(Chorus)
Go, Best Seller,
You’re burnin’ up the New York Times!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
Go Best Seller
You’ve got those readers all standin’ in lines!
Best Seller, go Best Seller,
You’re totally neat!
Success is sweet!
Best Seller
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Hellion: Go, go, go—go write that bestseller. What the hell are you guys still doing on this deck? You should be writing, not screwing around, singing badly written parodies! Go, now! And don’t come back until you can tell me you’ve written at least 500 words today.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Lovin' the Crazy
There's a whole lot of magic, and faith, involved in any creative endeavor, especially writing.
We show up with our tools, in this case, pen and paper, or keyboard and computer screen, along with the fervent desire to create something that doesn't yet exist. We chant the magic words, "What if?", and then we ponder and cogitate and dream, waiting for inspiration to slap us silly, convinced that brilliance is just around the corner.
Sometimes it's hard to hang on to that faith, though, because we don't really know HOW creativity works. When an idea bursts forth from deep within our brain cells, we act like cavewomen who have just seen fire for the first time. We are understandably afraid to believe that "whatever this is" will come back, that it wasn't just some sort of fluke. If only someone would give us the recipe, so we can reproduce that creative miracle whenever we need it.
What I love most about the creative process is this: it's a process. It's not called the creative schedule, or the creative checklist. It's a process, and we all have different ways of implementing it. It's about as personal as religion or politics or your favorite meatloaf recipe. Trying to force my process into a particular form would be the death knell of my creativity.
And yet. . .
I think we end up restricting our creative process all the time, without conscious intent. We conduct archaeological expeditions in the creative centers of our minds, eager to unearth fresh new ideas for our manuscripts. When our brain cooperates and coughs up all kinds of unusual nuggets, what do we do? Do we drop to our knees and thank every deity in existence for the beautiful gift of these wondrous ideas?
Yeah, not so much.
We barely give them a glance before we toss them into the trash pile, judging them as "too out there". Before an idea has had a chance to fully form, or to show its depths and nuances, we shoot it dead, declaring, "That'll never work. It's just too crazy."
It's like wishing on a star and then smashing the gift on the ground with a whiny, "I wanted something with more SPARKLES on it!" Or praying for a miracle, and then refusing it on arrival, since it wasn't preceded by blaring trumpets and hosannas from wing'd angels.
But let's go back to the idea that was instantly dismissed for being outlandish. This is the one you want to explore, because it's different, and fresh.
Maybe it hasn't worked before now because no one will even consider it. It's possible this particular whacky idea might be better than anything you ever imagined. Even if you don't ending up using it, it might have appeared on the scene simply to help you stretch your imagination, to prepare you for other ideas you might otherwise ignore.
So, when a notion looks like it's been wrapped in too many layers of crazy, deep fried in outrageous, and then topped off with a dollop of ridiculous. . .give the poor little nutjob a chance to explain itself. We all want recognition for what we do. Our craziest ideas are no different. If we don't give them an opportunity to speak their piece, they will continue to poke and nag, and the more we swat them away, the more persistent they will become--like a child ignored by its mom, chanting over and over, louder and louder, until it finally gets the attention it requested in the first place.
Maybe these kooky ideas won't lead to anything useful, but what if they do? Or maybe they're blocking the really brilliant idea, only you can't get to it until you've dealt with the seemingly zany stuff.
This is where faith comes in, requiring you to believe in something when it's not entirely clear how it functions. The creative process is mysterious, there's no doubt about that. Yet if you're willing to believe that ideas for books appear out of nowhere, then you have to consider the possibility that these oddball ideas were entrusted to you, for your benefit.
As crazy as that sounds.
So tell us all the crazy ideas that have led to the stories you've written. Or tell us how your creative process works, and how it delivers ideas to you. Or share your favorite meatloaf recipe. Nothing is too crazy for us today!
We show up with our tools, in this case, pen and paper, or keyboard and computer screen, along with the fervent desire to create something that doesn't yet exist. We chant the magic words, "What if?", and then we ponder and cogitate and dream, waiting for inspiration to slap us silly, convinced that brilliance is just around the corner.
Sometimes it's hard to hang on to that faith, though, because we don't really know HOW creativity works. When an idea bursts forth from deep within our brain cells, we act like cavewomen who have just seen fire for the first time. We are understandably afraid to believe that "whatever this is" will come back, that it wasn't just some sort of fluke. If only someone would give us the recipe, so we can reproduce that creative miracle whenever we need it.
What I love most about the creative process is this: it's a process. It's not called the creative schedule, or the creative checklist. It's a process, and we all have different ways of implementing it. It's about as personal as religion or politics or your favorite meatloaf recipe. Trying to force my process into a particular form would be the death knell of my creativity.
And yet. . .
I think we end up restricting our creative process all the time, without conscious intent. We conduct archaeological expeditions in the creative centers of our minds, eager to unearth fresh new ideas for our manuscripts. When our brain cooperates and coughs up all kinds of unusual nuggets, what do we do? Do we drop to our knees and thank every deity in existence for the beautiful gift of these wondrous ideas?
Yeah, not so much.
We barely give them a glance before we toss them into the trash pile, judging them as "too out there". Before an idea has had a chance to fully form, or to show its depths and nuances, we shoot it dead, declaring, "That'll never work. It's just too crazy."
It's like wishing on a star and then smashing the gift on the ground with a whiny, "I wanted something with more SPARKLES on it!" Or praying for a miracle, and then refusing it on arrival, since it wasn't preceded by blaring trumpets and hosannas from wing'd angels.
But let's go back to the idea that was instantly dismissed for being outlandish. This is the one you want to explore, because it's different, and fresh.
Maybe it hasn't worked before now because no one will even consider it. It's possible this particular whacky idea might be better than anything you ever imagined. Even if you don't ending up using it, it might have appeared on the scene simply to help you stretch your imagination, to prepare you for other ideas you might otherwise ignore.
So, when a notion looks like it's been wrapped in too many layers of crazy, deep fried in outrageous, and then topped off with a dollop of ridiculous. . .give the poor little nutjob a chance to explain itself. We all want recognition for what we do. Our craziest ideas are no different. If we don't give them an opportunity to speak their piece, they will continue to poke and nag, and the more we swat them away, the more persistent they will become--like a child ignored by its mom, chanting over and over, louder and louder, until it finally gets the attention it requested in the first place.
Maybe these kooky ideas won't lead to anything useful, but what if they do? Or maybe they're blocking the really brilliant idea, only you can't get to it until you've dealt with the seemingly zany stuff.
This is where faith comes in, requiring you to believe in something when it's not entirely clear how it functions. The creative process is mysterious, there's no doubt about that. Yet if you're willing to believe that ideas for books appear out of nowhere, then you have to consider the possibility that these oddball ideas were entrusted to you, for your benefit.
As crazy as that sounds.
So tell us all the crazy ideas that have led to the stories you've written. Or tell us how your creative process works, and how it delivers ideas to you. Or share your favorite meatloaf recipe. Nothing is too crazy for us today!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Which Shoe Fits?
Morning! Bo’sun here! Didn’t I do a great job with our fabulous guest yesterday? I know, I’m just brilliant. I tell you all yet about buying a townhouse? The ipod? The…
Hee, hee. Just kidding, 2nd Chance here. We’re messing with the blog this week and everyone is out of whack, schedule wise. For today, pretend it’s Friday. Or don’t, since Friday has been shutting down so quickly lately!
On with the blog!
Well, as most of ya know, I signed a contract yesterday with Decadent Publishing, for The Kraken’s Mirror. Yippee!
I was figuring on something like this happening once Saritza Hernandez, my agent with the Lori Perkins Literary Agency, started shopping my story around…but really didn’t think it would happen so soon… ( No complaints!)
But, I figured on getting ready for marketing, publicizing, promoting more than a month ago. Let’s face it, we all know that authors are expected to do a whole lot of this stuff themselves nowadays. I have a website, and spoke with a wed designer about redoing it back in April, but she was slammed, and nothing is going on just yet. I started a new blog on Typepad which I intend to be my official writer’s blog eventually. (Do come by, it’s called Believing in Second Chances.)
Being the bright and going-for-it pirate writer that I am, I enrolled in an online class called Making Money with Your Writing Blog. I wasn’t really all that gung-ho about making money with my blog, I just wanted to learn how all the other things worked. Like Twitter, Mailing Lists, and all of that. It’s the stiletto heel of classes…
I mean, look at this synopsis!
CLASS SYLLABUS
WEEK 1 - Blogging and Website Basics:
* A quick overview of Setup, Domain Names, Taglines, and Themes.
* How to Blog in a way that will bring readers back.
* How to Blog in a way that appeases the Search Engine Spiders and moves your site up in the rankings.
WEEK 2 - Getting Readers for Free
* An overview of RSS and Email Subscriptions
* Social Networking Basics and why Social Networking Works
* LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
WEEK 3 - Making Money
* No-Pressure Money-Making Elements
* An Overview of Affiliate Income
* Products that will Make You Money and Help You Sell Your Books
WEEK 4 - More Readers Than Ever Before
* Building Your Mailing List
* How to Get Massive Amounts of Traffic
* How to Keep People Coming Back
Like, wow! The class started first of September and within a week I was doing great. I was dancing the tango, I was learning how to foxtrot…I was…totally overwhelmed with my head spinning and plastered to a wall, eyes wide open and wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into.
This was so fast! I needed an easier dance shoe!
So, I followed my normal course of action. I hid under the covers and sent an frantic e-mail to the Bo’sun about it. She said, “Relax! You started a blog, your publisher will help you figure out where to go, you don’t have to do it all at once…” Something like that. Very calming and practical.
I love the Bo’sun.
And I realized she is so right. All the stuff in my class that had me freaking out… RSS Feeds, LinkedIn Groups, Plug In Options, Aps and Aps and Aps…and wordtracking…
*pant…*pant
It’s nuts. And then the bulletin board of people taking the class, over 40 starting chiming in with what they did and how they did and this service and that service and…and…and…
*pant…*pant
You know, I want to do this right. I want my book to be the start of a career and know I need to be on top of doing it right from the very beginning. But I think I almost need a by-my-side tutor. I’m not ancient and I’m not a total boob with the technical jargon, but I’ve decided to take a step back. And work on making what I have pretty.
Wearing shoes I know I can dance in for now… I’m going to step back and get the website redone, get a professional to help. Work on learning Twitter. Since Scape got me started in Orland. (It just took me nearly two months to actually get a posting up…) (It sorta scared me…)
So, I’m curious. The crew be from many backgrounds and generations… (I feel so old sometimes…) How do YOU learn this stuff? What do you figure is imperative when it comes to promoting yourself and getting ready for that great call? Come on, you all know my MO, I’m looking for shortcuts! ;-)
Hee, hee. Just kidding, 2nd Chance here. We’re messing with the blog this week and everyone is out of whack, schedule wise. For today, pretend it’s Friday. Or don’t, since Friday has been shutting down so quickly lately!
On with the blog!
Well, as most of ya know, I signed a contract yesterday with Decadent Publishing, for The Kraken’s Mirror. Yippee!
I was figuring on something like this happening once Saritza Hernandez, my agent with the Lori Perkins Literary Agency, started shopping my story around…but really didn’t think it would happen so soon… ( No complaints!)
But, I figured on getting ready for marketing, publicizing, promoting more than a month ago. Let’s face it, we all know that authors are expected to do a whole lot of this stuff themselves nowadays. I have a website, and spoke with a wed designer about redoing it back in April, but she was slammed, and nothing is going on just yet. I started a new blog on Typepad which I intend to be my official writer’s blog eventually. (Do come by, it’s called Believing in Second Chances.)
Being the bright and going-for-it pirate writer that I am, I enrolled in an online class called Making Money with Your Writing Blog. I wasn’t really all that gung-ho about making money with my blog, I just wanted to learn how all the other things worked. Like Twitter, Mailing Lists, and all of that. It’s the stiletto heel of classes…
I mean, look at this synopsis!
CLASS SYLLABUS
WEEK 1 - Blogging and Website Basics:
* A quick overview of Setup, Domain Names, Taglines, and Themes.
* How to Blog in a way that will bring readers back.
* How to Blog in a way that appeases the Search Engine Spiders and moves your site up in the rankings.
WEEK 2 - Getting Readers for Free
* An overview of RSS and Email Subscriptions
* Social Networking Basics and why Social Networking Works
* LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
WEEK 3 - Making Money
* No-Pressure Money-Making Elements
* An Overview of Affiliate Income
* Products that will Make You Money and Help You Sell Your Books
WEEK 4 - More Readers Than Ever Before
* Building Your Mailing List
* How to Get Massive Amounts of Traffic
* How to Keep People Coming Back
Like, wow! The class started first of September and within a week I was doing great. I was dancing the tango, I was learning how to foxtrot…I was…totally overwhelmed with my head spinning and plastered to a wall, eyes wide open and wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into.
This was so fast! I needed an easier dance shoe!
So, I followed my normal course of action. I hid under the covers and sent an frantic e-mail to the Bo’sun about it. She said, “Relax! You started a blog, your publisher will help you figure out where to go, you don’t have to do it all at once…” Something like that. Very calming and practical.
I love the Bo’sun.
And I realized she is so right. All the stuff in my class that had me freaking out… RSS Feeds, LinkedIn Groups, Plug In Options, Aps and Aps and Aps…and wordtracking…
*pant…*pant
It’s nuts. And then the bulletin board of people taking the class, over 40 starting chiming in with what they did and how they did and this service and that service and…and…and…
*pant…*pant
You know, I want to do this right. I want my book to be the start of a career and know I need to be on top of doing it right from the very beginning. But I think I almost need a by-my-side tutor. I’m not ancient and I’m not a total boob with the technical jargon, but I’ve decided to take a step back. And work on making what I have pretty.
Wearing shoes I know I can dance in for now… I’m going to step back and get the website redone, get a professional to help. Work on learning Twitter. Since Scape got me started in Orland. (It just took me nearly two months to actually get a posting up…) (It sorta scared me…)
So, I’m curious. The crew be from many backgrounds and generations… (I feel so old sometimes…) How do YOU learn this stuff? What do you figure is imperative when it comes to promoting yourself and getting ready for that great call? Come on, you all know my MO, I’m looking for shortcuts! ;-)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Hottie Fireman
With huge blazes in Detroit and Colorado and San Francisco, our firemen have been working their butts off this week, and they're in need of reinforcements. So I found these Brazilian firefighters to help out. I think that we should sail down to Brazil this week, pick these guys up, and give them a ride. What do you say, Wenches?
................................................
................................................
................................................
.................................................
p.s. -- I don't understand this last picture. Why are they naked?? And in a line? Not that I'm complaining, really.
We have an exciting line up this week, starting with
guest Jeanne Adams, whose romantic suspense, Deadly Little Secrets, cane out this week! Now that is a sexy cover. I think she deserves a Brazilian firefighter too, don't you?
................................................
................................................
................................................
.................................................
p.s. -- I don't understand this last picture. Why are they naked?? And in a line? Not that I'm complaining, really.
We have an exciting line up this week, starting with
guest Jeanne Adams, whose romantic suspense, Deadly Little Secrets, cane out this week! Now that is a sexy cover. I think she deserves a Brazilian firefighter too, don't you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Books by the Crew
