Writers On The Move

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Each year, the days, weeks, and months seem to go by faster and faster, and so it's been for 2012. This time of year it's good to be reflective and determine if you stayed on the path you intended. This is good for life and also for your writing and marketing endeavors. Tomorrow, I'll have a post about your writing and marketing focus. For today, I'd like to simply say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

We at Writers on the Move wish you a safe and happy New Year and a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2013!

Telling Your Story

Finding Expression in Pain

We all have a story to tell. And writing our story can be therapeutic for us and our readers.

You may have faced some real difficulties or a tragedy in your life. That doesn't mean you have to write a tell all or self-help book. You may not want to openly discuss a specific situation. The pain from sorrow or loss can be told in many ways. It may be through the intricate details of a novel filled with suspense, the main character is like you, and your emotions find direction through the character's emotions. Or maybe poetry is the farthest thing from your mind, and yet out of nowhere, the flowing, soothing words are written with the ease of a conductor leading an orchestra.

Let your writing naturally flow from your soul and see where it takes you. You will discover comfort as your emotions are finding expression, and readers will benefit, too.

I have personally faced a tragedy in my life that helped me find a writing style that I didn't know was in me: allegory. I didn't have the desire to get down to the business of writing a book on the topic at hand. Instead, I found myself describing what I was feeling indirectly with shadows - not light. It helped me to write in an abstract way about the pain.

Of course, this is nothing new. Yet, the encouragement I hope to give you is not to confine yourself with always being predictable in your writing. The abrupt circumstances in our lives can abruptly change us and that's not always a bad thing.

Let the gift you have flow out of your soul and make new paths for you and your readers! Because even in life's storms, there is beauty.

~~~

Kathleen Moulton has a passion to bring hope to hurting people of all ages who are facing disappointment, discouragement, and loss. You are invited to read When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com

Article photo courtesy: PictureWendy / Foter / CC BY-NC

Hearing Voices

Do you hear voices? You should. It is important to hear the voice of each and every character in your story.

Each character is an individual, and as an individual speaks, thinks, and acts differently from the other characters. After all, that is what gives them individuality, makes them their own person. Otherwise, they would all sound alike, flat and boring. It is up to you as the author and their creator to bring your characters to live and give them substance. In other words, you have the duty to your readers to make your characters sound like real people.

How do you breathe life into a character? First I would suggest taking note of the people around you, the ones you know and don’t know. Watch them for gestures, facial expressions, favorite words they use frequently. Do they sigh frequently as they talk? Do they have a habit of laughing at times that do not call for laughter? Do they frown a lot or have a twitch? Is there a favorite word or phrase they interject often such as “oh,gosh” or “good gosh a mighty?” Does the person have a quick temper or is he/she a mouse?

Next get your character profiles for each character and study them. Once you have an idea of your character’s personality and background, you need to figure out how you can reflect the character’s personality, education, social background, birth place, gender, and even job-related way of talking. Have their grammar match education and slang match age and lifestyle.

Don’t forget dialect. This could reflect the area of the country from which the character comes. Foods they eat can show where they were raised or simply show an idiosyncrasy. Be careful, though, not to overdo dialect. It could cause your reader to stop reading your book.

Be sure to match all the elements to your character. Body language (yes, it is an unspoken voice), thoughts, and speech should all match. Otherwise you could give your reader the impression your character has multiple personalities!

Faye M. Tollison

Author of: TO TELL THE TRUTH

Upcoming books: THE BIBLE MURDERS

SARAH'S SECRET

Member of: Sisters In Crime

Writers On the Move

www.fayemtollison.com

www.fayetollison.blogspot.com

www.fmtoll.wordpress.com

www.booksinsync.com

All Best Wishes to Writers Everywhere

I have borrowed today's poster from one of my favorite writing and marketing sites. Copyblogger is always innovative, always has helpful content and is never afraid of really teaching its readers how to improve writing and marketing skills to achieve success.

Nothing is more irritating than the teasing promises made by marketers who then go on to upsell a second /third/fourth piece of magic information that you must have to achieve that five/six/ten figure income.

Yeah. Right. But sadly that's not how it works.

It works like Christmas. The secret lies in the loving--loving what you do--and the believing--believing you can do it.

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

The most appealing writing conveys a message, comes from the heart. It speaks to the reader and fills a need.

Think about the writers you love. Ask yourself why they appeal.

Then forget the pie in the sky dream of a six figure income. Just write for the love of it.

Belated Thanks

I have had a wonderful year thanks to the kindness and support of everyone here and in my other writing communities. I have read so many wonderful books and short stories, won awards and even wonderful gifts in blog give aways.

Here at last is the long promised summer photo of my dearest Woody bookworm with two of his favorite mystery reads. .

Woody the bookworm with two Jill Paterson mystery novels

Woody is a lovely eco-friendly bookmark creation of the talented Elysabeth Elderling.
He loves reading real books but, as you can see from the rolling eyes, is not so good at having his photo taken.

The Celtic Dagger and Murder on the Rocks introduced me to a new Australian detective series. So many thanks to Jill for providing me with the new stories--another blog win--wow!--, new settings, and a new sleuth to keep looking out for..

Season's Greetings

Wishing us all the happiest and healthiest of New Years and may our writing dreams come true.

Christmas snow

And more snow

Anne Duguid is a senior content editor with MuseItUp Publishing and her New Year's Resolution is to blog with helpful writing,editing and publishing tips at Slow and Steady Writers far more regularly than she managed in 2011.

Missing in action with a broken arm and worse, broken internet when trees felled the line in the November storms, she's hoping to do better in 2013.

Looking Back on 2012 and Looking Ahead to 2013

One year is coming to a close and another is about to begin. I made two lists to help me see where I have been and where I would like to go.

What I accomplished this year:

Wrote a post for the Writers on the Move blog every month
Attended three different day-long workshops and conferences
Attended SCBWI meetings
Participated in two online writing conferences
Read books, magazines and blogs on writing
Enrolled in two online writing classes
Participated in NaNoWriMo
Joined two online writing clubs
Worked on picture book
Learned about critiquing

Currently I’m reading a book written by a member of my local writer’s group before it’s published. She is in the revision process. This will finish out 2012.

What do I hope to accomplish next year?

I went to the Diy MFA website, http://diymfa.com/writing/write-it-goals-sheet, and downloaded goal sheets to assist me in this process. I tried to print my copy in color but it printed in black and white. It’s still serviceable but not as pretty!

A partial list of my writing goals: (I’m still working on this.J)

Learn Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php)
Participate in NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/)
Attend online conferences and in-person conferences
Blog for Writers on the Move
Attend more SCBWI meetings and events (http://www.scbwi.org/)
Work on picture book
Read the stack of books that has been sitting in my home office, some of which are on writing
Have professional photo taken to use for author platform

What did you accomplish this year? What are your writing goals for next year? I hope you find inspiration in my 2012 and 2013 lists.

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.

10 Gifts for Writers

Are you still finishing your holiday shopping? Here’s my top ten gifts for the writer on your list.

· A gift certificate for a writers retreat - A perfect gift for any writer.

· · Books – Writers are readers, so a good book or a gift certificate to a book store is always a good choice.

· · A subscription to writer’s magazine like Writer’s Digest or Writers and Poets

·   The 2013 Writer’s Market – If you know a writer getting ready to submit their work, this is an invaluable tool.

·   The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the perfect gift for someone who is out there marketing their book.

·    Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott – An inspirational book for any writer

·   A journal – Even if the writer you know generally works on a computer, give them a journal and they are sure to write in it.

·         An electronic reader – Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eventually, most writers will need to join the digital age.

·         Scrivener - A great application for managing complex writing projects or keeping track of the research for that next project.

·         Voice recognition software – Dragon Naturally Speaking is a great voice recognition program that can help make the writer more productive.

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life strategist who has helped writers move their writing careers forward. Combining intuitive insights with practical know-how, Mary Jo has helped clients discover how to chart their course of action and live their authentic path—their True North. Mary Jo offers Artist Breakthrough Sessions at reduced rates. (Gift certificates are available.)

For more information check out www.donorth.biz
or folllow her at:
http://theadvantagepoint.wordpress.com
http://www.helpingchidrencope.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/do_north
http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz

Reading makes you a Better Writer

As Ray Bradbury said, “You’ve got to love libraries. You’ve got to love books. You’ve got to love poetry. You’ve got to love everything about literature. Then, you can pick the one thing you love most and write about it.”

This quote speaks volumes about what writers should make time for as part of their daily writing routine.

Another Bradbury quote that speaks volumes is, “You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”

Many say write what you know, How about writing what you want to know? This is another opportunity to read diverse books and diverse subjects.

By reading various genres, writers might chose to add some literary techniques into their present project. Writers might also try opposite gender writing.

I had such an experience while taking an online writing course. I crafted a piece where two women thought a female wrote it. I’m not female.

I’ve heard from numerous sources that there is a touch of poetry in my prose. I’ve been an avid reader of all genres for over 50-years.

It is up to writers to read books from various authors, so they can become better writers.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, Reviewer, Marketer

http://xeeme.com/RobertMedak

End 2012 With a Great Plan for 2013

As we celebrate the holiday season of 2012 and take time to enjoy family and friends most of us will also be planning ahead for success in 2013. Setting writing and publishing goals will be a big part of the plan.

The key is to look closely at what has worked this year and what has had you spinning your wheels. I mean an honest and critical view of what you have done right and what you need to do to get better. It can be similar to revising your work and it can be difficult.

When we revise, sometimes it is hard to cut out a character that we have grown to love or delete words that we just have to put in there because we like them even when they don't move our story along. The same goes for our goals. Sometimes we hate to cut out an activity or delete a routine even when it isn't moving our career along.

Now is the time to cut, hack, redo, undo, delete and make drastic changes to the way we do things especially if we don't have the results we long for.

Start with a clean slate.
List projects that need to be finished.
List projects that you have planned and decide if they are viable.
List your financial needs.
List outrageous possibilities for your writing.
List realistic possibilities for your writing.
Begin your plan.
Set specific goals for 2013.
List action steps for each week to attain those goals.
Schedule these action steps on a brand new calendar.

This is the beginning of a successful 2013. Having a plan with realistic goals goes along way to providing success. Having a plan with at least one outrageous goal that you would love to attain gives you power to succeed.

We are only held back by our own fears so make a plan, set goals, and soar.

Fight Your Censor

Intuition: that tiny voice that speaks from your gut.
Recently, I made a goal of trying to slow down and listen to my gut, listen to that voice that speaks to me about all manner of things that are good or bad for me. What have I found? The voice of intuition is much quieter that that of my writing censor.

My writer's censor is easy to hear. She comes to me loud and clear as I'm working on a first draft. Generally, she throws phases at me like: That's awful! Who would read that? That's stupid. You're not good enough!

It seems her "job" is to stop my headlong progress. It's a battle where the lines are text and I must be armored if I am to win. My censor also is present the next day, when I review my previous day's work. Once again, she gives her thoughts, none of which are positive, most are not even helpful. Sometimes she almost dares me to throw my the work away and start over.

As writers we all have that voice in our ear - the one that tells us to stop writing, that our words are not worthy. But as writers, we also have a story to tell. That story is in you, and your job is to get it down on paper. So in thinking about goals for 2013, perhaps one could be to listen to the story in you, armor yourself against your censor and get the words on paper. There will be plenty of time later to refine your work during the editing process. Fight back.

_________________________________

D. Jean Quarles is a writer of Women's Fiction and a co-author of a Young Adult Science Fiction Series. Her latest book, Flight from the Water Planet, Book 1 of The Exodus Series was written with coauthor, Austine Etcheverry.

D. Jean loves to tell stories of personal growth – where success has nothing to do with money or fame, but of living life to the fullest. She is also the author of the novels: Rocky's Mountains, Fire in the Hole and, Perception. The Mermaid, an award winning short story was published in the anthology, Tales from a Sweltering City.

She is a wife, mother, grandmother and business coach. In her free time . . . ha! ha! ha! Anyway, you can find more about D. Jean Quarles, her writing and her books at her website at www.djeanquarles.com

You can also follower her at www.djeanquarles.blogspot.com or on Facebook

Book Marketing - Bring It Up A Notch by Creating an Effective Author Online Presence

CREATING AND BUILDING YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE:
Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales

I'm conducting another online class through WOW! Women on Writing that will definitely benefit you if, you want to:

Create or increase your author online presence
Build or tweak your website for better conversion
Learn to blog for success
Learn how to do effective article marketing
Learn how to create an ebook and cover as a freebie or for sale
Learn how to use PayPal buy buttons to sell your books
Learn how to create your own product line

CHECK OUT THE LESSON TITLES

1. The Bare-Bottom Platform Basics: The Foundation and Creating an Author Website

2. Blogging for Success: Creating Effective Content

3. Article Marketing: 10 Steps to Writing for Article Directories with Properly Formatted and Optimized Content

4. How to Create eBooks for Freebies and for Sale, Including Creating a Cover with Microsoft Office 2010

5. How to Create PayPal ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s

6. How to Create a Product Line and Attracting Customers Through Information Marketing

This class is for authors and those who are trying to get a foot in the online visibility door, and for those who want to become more effective marketers.

So, go to the WOW page NOW for the details. You'll find out exactly what each Lesson includes. And, there are two bonus lessons and at least one screen-sharing webinar!

The class size is limited, so SIGN UP FOR CREATE YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE TODAY!

~~~~~
Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Online Marketer, Affiliate Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012

To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Twelve-Twelve-Twelve

As I write this posting, I realize I'm scheduled to post on a significant date or supposedly a significant date - 12/12/12. According to the Mayan calendar, it will be a day of rebirth or the end of times as we know it. The world will not end this day or this month, but the collective of society will go through a transformation, or being reborn. Many religions around the world are also prophecizing this same thought pattern.

On that note, this past week or so, I've been trying to recreate stories featuring my protagonist, Kelly Watson, and really make her a series like the Nancy Drew series. I've printed out the winners of the MysteryNet's contests from all the months they actually held the contests; I've printed out several postings of tips on writing mysteries; and I've printed out a few "mystery story prompts/starters" to help me along the way.

The biggest problem I'm up against is having set my first tory, Finally Home, in a small town, population of under 1000, in South Carolina, which is even smaller than the town I live in which has a population of around 3500, and that my girls are only 13 or 14 - upper middle school, about to enter high school aged. They aren't driving age and therefore can't zip over to the big town to "solve mysteries" and there probably isn't much in the way of things happening in the town to be a mystery.

So, I'm looking to my readers to give me some suggestions on how to bring Kelly and Emma out in several mysteries - shoot me some ideas by way of comment and if I use your idea, I'll send you an ebook copy of Finally Home for Nook or Kindle along with an authorgraph.

See you all in the postings - E :)

----------------
Ms. Eldering is the award-winning author of the Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS), 50-state, mystery, trivia series. Her stories "Train of Clues" (available in print and as an ebook on kindle), "The Proposal" (available as an ebook), "Tulip Kiss" (available as an ebook), and "Butterfly Halves", all placed first, second, or runner up in various contests to include two for Armchair Interviews and two for Echelon Press (Fast and ... themed type contests). Her story "Bride-and-Seek" (available as an ebook) was selected for the South Carolina Writers' Workshop (SCWW) anthology, the Petigru Review. She also has written several other short stories for contests including the second place winning story, "Zombies Amuck", and "La Cave". Ms. Eldering makes her home in upper state South Carolina and loves to travel, read, cross stitch and crochet. When she's not busy with grown children still at home, working her full-time job as a medical transcriptionist or participating in virtual classroom visits, she can be found at various homeschool or book events and festivals promoting her writing.
For more information about the JGDS series, please visit the JGDS blog or the JGDS website.

For more information about Elysabeth's other writings, please visit her general writing blog or her author website.

Book Spotlight: Bible Bites and Guest Post with Shirley Kufeldt

An interesting twist to learning the Bible and great way to preserve family history!

I'm not here to share my view points on religion, however, there are many Christians in my family so when I meet author Shirley Kufeldt and she shared her little booklets with me, I was intrigued. I had never seen anything done like this and really liked the idea. I know a lot of people who would love these personal journals/devotions. So I asked her to share a bit about her books and inspiration for putting them together.

Albert Einstein stated: God always takes the simplest way.

BIBLE BITES booklets are small pocket-sized monthly journals that include current prayer requests and focused daily Scripture for journaling and reflection. This is a simple solution to a situation many would like to resolve. Through BIBLE BITES people can easily learn, memorize or meditate on Scripture as they journal regularly with direction and purpose.

TREASURE IS IN THE BIBLE with SHIRLEY KUFELDT

I’ve learned to use what God gives me and to praise Him for what He takes away because both attitudes bring glory to Him.

My working years were spent as the admin in offices where I excelled in organizing, editing and simplifying the work process. Now retired, becoming an author is a total career change for me and a chance to start something new.

While attending a Christian-based support group at my church for a number of years, I realized recovery from codependency is hard work. Too many attendees just showed up without doing the homework and missed out on what God could do for them and through them. They didn’t invest time in their own recovery from codependency. It was my desire to develop a simple method for those folks who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete homework assignments but have a sincere desire to examine God’s Word and develop a personal relationship with Him.

Many of us have received greeting cards with a Bible verse specific to the card’s sentiment. I now enjoy reading my Bible as History, using my admin skills to look for treasure, to find familiar verses in context and discover the author’s original intent. The Bible is the story of real people who lived, believed in God, disobeyed Him, experienced consequences for sin, and then amazingly found redemption in His all-consuming love for them.

In 30 years of Bible studies, I’d been encouraged to journal my personal faith walk but was never successful. For the past three years, I journaled in small booklets developed as devotionals, which include pages for prayer requests and topical verses for each title in the series.

In prayer, God gave me the name BIBLE BITES and the cover photo for the first book, Meet God and His Son. BIBLE BITES records an individual’s faith walk and connects the writer to their descendants with a record of hopes, dreams, aspirations and answered prayers. BIBLE BITES will become a treasured family legacy similar to family photo albums and heirloom items passed on to future generations.

Albert Einstein stated that Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler. Beginning the habit of regular devotions while developing a personal relationship with God can hardly be simpler than responding to His Word in BIBLE BITES.

I continue to use my admin skills compiling verses for future titles. I’m learning to promote my books and have been gratified when friends enthusiastically appreciate my efforts to make Bible verses so much more user friendly. Now I can praise God for taking something away from me—my fears because BIBLE BITES deepens my relationship with Christ and brings glory to God.

Book Titles:

MEET GOD AND HIS SON

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61244-099-6

GOALS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61244-100-9

AMERICA, LAND THAT I LOVE

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61244-101-6

THE WOW FACTOR

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61244-102-3

Publisher: Halo Publishing, Int.

Places where your book(s) are available for sale:

www.halopublishing.com

Note: Verses come from the New Living Translation

BIO:

Shirley Kufeldt is a wife, mother, grandmother and tea party activist who helped raise their two daughters with prayers that ended by Thanking God for giving us our daughters. She now searches for Bible verses for her BIBLE BITES Legacy Series so others will easily find the one verse that will cause them to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for salvation. Check out her posts at www.BibleBites.net and on Facebook.

You can find out more about Shirley Kufeldt and her Bible Bites series at http://tinyurl.com/bb3ofxd