Writers On The Move

Creating Ultra-Engagement: Interview with Danny Iny

Danny Iny is one of those marketing mavens that shares his information so generously, and gets around so prolifically, that audience engagement looks natural when he does it. However it ain't necessarily so. Danny has worked very hard over the past two years to build up his business Firepole Marketing and he remains distinctively accessible, sharing information through a free e-book Engagement from Scratch (which I've reviewed here), and above all, and you'll hear about it in our interview below, by answering every email (and he gets a lot of them!). We also talk about something that's quite relevant to writers (and something I'm always grappling with), which is how you mantain the balance between creativity (writing...) and promotion. Listen in, grab a copy of the book, and let me know what you think in the comments below. I'd also love to hear your own audience engagement tips, especially as it applies to writers.

Magdalena Ball runs The Compulsive Reader. She is the author of a number of poetry books and novels, including, most recently, Black Cow, an "engrossing, poignant" novel about a family who leave behind the materialism and wealth of their high stress lives to attempt self-sufficiency on a small holding in rural Tasmania.

Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Writing Career: Be Grateful

I often receive emails from young writers asking for advice and help in various aspects of their writing, and I am always delighted to help in any way I can. To be a writer is to be a part of a community, and I am so grateful for all the writers who have offered me advice and encouragement over the years. Being a mentor and cheerleader for other writers is the best way I can think of to "pay it forward" to those people who have bettered my life with their generosity and support.

However, I am not always the quickest to respond to emails, especially when life gets busy. Like this summer: I am in graduate school working on my thesis, taking a summer literature class, and teaching a creative writing class to college students. I feel like I'm barely managing to keep my head above water by trying to write a little of my own work every day, reading and working on papers for the literature class I'm taking, and grading papers and responding to emails from my students!

Most writers I hear from are beyond patient and gracious. But occasionally, I'll receive an email from a young writer that startles me with its rude tone and unprofessionalism. Often the email will include capital "shouting" letters, strings of exclamation points and/or question marks, and phrases like, "are you ever going to get back to me????" or "hellooooo???"

I consider myself to be an advocate for writers, and young writers in particular. I love teaching writing camps and working with mentees through Write On! For Literacy. Publishing Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today's best youth writing is a great source of pride and good feelings for me. So when I get an email from a young writer that perpetuates the negative stereotypes that society foists upon teenagers, it makes my skin crawl.

I believe the very first and most important lesson in regards to being a writer and getting published is this: respect, gratitude and professionalism are a must.

If you send an email with a rude subject line to a publisher, editor or agent, I can guarantee you it would be deleted without even being read. When you send your work to a publisher, it may take six or eight months for them to get back to you about it. That's just the way publishing is -- editors are very busy and they receive hundreds of emails every single day. And if you ever do email them to ask if they have had a chance to read your work, you need to make sure you have a tone of gratitude, graciousness, and respect of their time and busy schedule.

Here's a great article with tips and examples on writing professional emails: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/email/.

But I think all you really need to remember is just to be respectful and to treat everyone with common decency. When you adopt a rude tone, you send the message that you feel entitled to the person's help, rather than that you are appreciative of any time and help they can give you.

I think it comes down to this, not just in writing but in all areas of life: people will be more eager to help you when you treat them well and are humble and appreciative of their time, knowledge, effort and support.

Dallas Woodburn is the author of two award-winning collections of short stories and editor of Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today's best youth writing. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three years in a row and her nonfiction has appeared in a variety of national publications including Family Circle, Writer's Digest, The Writer, and The Los Angeles Times. She is the founder of Write On! For Literacy and Write On! Books Youth Publishing Company and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, where she teaches undergraduate writing courses and serves as Fiction Editor of Sycamore Review. Many of her short stories are compiled online here.

Conflict is Key

OK, you’ve decided to write a story and you’ve created a character. Now you have to give her a problem to solve and put him in some kind of jeopardy.

Life is a series of choices, and every choice implies a conflict. You make one choice and the consequences are _____ or you choose the other option, and the consequences are ______.

For a reader to care about your story, there has to be something at stake—something of value to gain, something of value to lose. One writer terms it “wrestling”—two strong forces meet, one triumphs over the other, for better or for worse.

Conflict can be external: a villain, an opponent, a set of cirucmstances, the environment or landscape. It can be internal: fear, distrust, uncontrollable rage, a number of things. A book can have both. In Lord of the Flies, what’s at stake externally is survival; internally, it’s fear vs courage. Every character should have the potential to conflict with every other character, whether that potential is realized or not.

Is it a fair fight? A motivation against no opposition is boring. A character who always gets everything he wants, succeeds in every task, wins the girl/guy with no problem, has no drama. Remember PLOT is a VERB.

Likewise, pure victimization is not only dull, but depressing. Conflict doesn’t come in oppressing or being oppressed—it comes in the struggle to break free. The reader wants the final outcome to be in doubt. He likes the anticipation of conflict, a situation created where conflict is waiting to happen. (i.e. Character A is a former Nazi and B is a Holocaust survivor. Neither knows this info about the other. They sit in a room & make small talk. All the while, we wait for the conflict to erupt. Maybe it never does. Maye it’s chapters later, after they’ve become friends.)

Which leads us to the next step: Storytelling is not about giving away information, but about withholding it. Why do we prefer to sit down with a 300-page book (or in the case of Harry Potter, 800 pages), rather than just read a 2-3 page synopsis of a story? Because we want suspense, we want to go on this journey, this adventure, with someone we can care about.

Suspense is about anticipation. It is about what we do not have, what has not happened, about what might happen. It’s about the process of watching events unfold. (i.e.While the victim is being stalked, suspense looms. Once the victim is murdered, the suspense disappears.) Waiting to find out builds suspense, drama.

Creating Suspense.
1. The goal. What does the character want to achieve?
2. The stakes. What is at risk for the character?
3. Danger. remember that danger is a matter of perspective—it only needs to exist in a character’s head to create suspense.
4. The Ticking Clock. A time limit heightens suspense.
5. Inablility to take action. For example, in Hitchcock’s The Rear Window, the protagonist has a broken leg, hears the killer approaching, but is helpless to go anywhere.
6. The Unknown. We can bear almost any form of torture as long as we know what it is we are getting into. But keep us in the dark, give us time to think about the possiblities and the suspense will be unbearable.

Kurt Vonegut once said that a hero “should always want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.” An instructor in a writing class told us there should be conflict on every page, even if the character is too hot or cold.

What other ways have you written or read that create tension or conflict?

-------------------------

A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in Northwest Washington. Her first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, is based on her grandmother, and the sequel, Follow the Dream, has recently won the national WILLA Award. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing and edits, blogs, and is working on the next books in her “Dare to Dream” series.

10 Things to Know About Coffee Drinking

Writers are notorious for drinking coffee as a means to staying energized and productive. But I’ve noticed several issues lately any time I drank coffee at night in order to work late or too much at any given time. I’ve also read several articles recently concerning the health benefits of coffee. So what does this mean for those of us who need its properties or enjoy its flavor?

Liver damage

Apparently excess caffeine causes liver damage because while the enzymes used to break down the caffeine are busy doing so, they are less available for breaking down other chemicals in the bloodstream therefore causing the liver to work less efficiently at detoxifying the body. It has been recommended that anything more than two cups of coffee a day is excessive. And experts recommend replacing additional cups with water.

Hallucinations

According to a recent study reported by the BBC, people who drink too much coffee could start seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices! Students in the study who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee each day were three times more likely to hallucinate than people who drank one cup. “Any stimulant that you’re overdosing on, such as seven cups a day, will stimulate hallucinations,” Dr. Teitelbaum explains.

Pregnancy issues

A recent study [by Kaiser Permanente Division of Research] found that consuming more than two cups, of coffee a day doubled the risk of miscarriage. Another study published in the British Medical Journal in November 2008 found that more than one cup of caffeine a day while pregnant resulted in a lower birth weight for the baby.

Sleep disruption

We all know we should get eight hours of sleep every night. As writer, often combined with being parents, spouses, children of elderly parents and working other jobs as well, it is rare that we can accomplish this. Combine stress, anxiety AND coffee, those eight hours are impossible. This was my most recent issue which ended up with my being sleepy and unable to focus all day. This defeated any efforts I had made the previous night. According to experts, “We have a natural rise in cortisol in the morning to help us get out of bed and perform our daily tasks. However, if you are drinking coffee all day, then this cycle becomes disrupted, and your higher cortisol and adrenaline levels may interrupt a restful night of sleep.”

Addictive qualities

“When used at more than 12 ounces a day for energy, it becomes an energy ‘loan shark,’ crashing you later and taking more energy than it gives,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. and Medical Director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers. He notes coffee consumption becomes problematic when it’s not done in moderation and exceeds two cups each day. Plus, excessive coffee intake in someone who already tends to have anxiety may trigger other problems. It may cause palpitations, more anxiety, irritability, then rebound fatigue, depression and sleepiness once the effects of the caffeine wear off in usually three to three and a half hours.

Dehydration

Caffeine is a mild diuretic, so while many people start their day with a cup of coffee, they are already at a deficit as far as the six to eight glasses of water we need to stay hydrated each day. Drinking excess amounts of coffee, which has a laxative effect, can also aggravate irritable bowel syndrome. Caffeine also promotes potassium depletion; the net effect being that the mineral balance in your body is disrupted.

Adrenal exhaustion

Coffee releases the “stress hormone” cortisol and adrenaline which help us respond to stress and provide us with energy and vitality throughout the day. Heavy coffee drinkers secrete more cortisol and adrenaline than those without a coffee habit, which may ultimately result in fatigue of the adrenal gland. Adrenal fatigue is one of the most common culprits for the feelings of fatigue and exhaustion.

Yellow teeth

According to Jennifer Zartarian, N.D., the Wellness and Research Coordinator at Long Island College Hospital of Brooklyn, coffee is not friendly to teeth. “The dark brown color of coffee that develops when it is roasted via a biochemical reaction, called the Maillard reaction, causes a stubborn stain — which is difficult enough to remove from your clothes or living room rug, so just think of what it is doing to your teeth!”

Got acid?

Caffeinated beverages like coffee have an acidic and astringent effect on the tissues of the body which prevents optimal absorption and assimilation of nutrients and fluids in the digestive tract. In fact, acid interferes with the absorption of magnesium and can cause stomach problems. It can run into the intestine and cause ulcers, burn the tissue, contribute to bowel problems.

Overall health issues

According to a University of Scranton study, while coffee is a top antioxidant in the American diet, it’s most beneficial when people consume a variety of antioxidants, not just coffee. Although there are positive aspects of drinking java, to prevent the negative health risks people should drink the beverage in moderation. Coffee contains volatile oils (seen as a film at the top of each cup), which disturb the function of the blood vessels. It contains a lot of pesticides, which can cause the body to accumulate too many toxins; it damages the immune system; it may cause osteoporosis as it depletes calcium levels in the body; and there’s an overall increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

CREATING AND BUILDING YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE

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

I'm instructing a six-week online workshop through WOW! Writers on the Move:

It'll be six-weeks of learning how to create and build your author online presence, from creating a website right on through beyond book sales.

The course will be information packed and will have at least two live screen-sharing webinars to help with understanding. Because it's so comprehensive, students are limited to 10, so if after reading what you'll be getting, and you want to learn effective book marketing strategies, click on the link.

For more details and to register:
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#KarenCioffi_AuthorOnlinePresence

HERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF EACH LESSON:

Week One: The Bare-Bottom Platform Basics: Creating an Author Website and Blog Content

Lesson One is divided into two sections:

1. 14 Steps to Creating an Effective Website, which includes:
2. Effective Blog Posting

Week Two: Article Marketing: 10 Steps to Writing for Article Directories with Properly Formatted and Optimized Content
`
Week two is an A – Z lesson on article marketing. From finding article ideas to summaries to submissions. It's all covered in this lesson.

To take it further, we’ll discuss how to properly format and optimize your content, so search engines will easily find and index it and readers will value and share it.

Week Three: How to Create eBooks for Freebies and for Sale, including creating a cover with Microsoft Office 2010

This week offers a step-by-step lesson showing how to create your own ebook and cover. The lesson is divided into two sections:

1. Creating an ebook
2. Creating an ebook cover

In this lesson you will actually create an ebook and a cover to go with it. We’ll also discuss the benefits of creating an ebook to offer as a freebie on your site.

Included in Lesson Three is a live 30-45 minute screen-sharing webinar that will demonstrate how to use Microsoft Office to create a cover.

Week Four: How to Create PayPal ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s

Lesson Four provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a PayPal Buy Button and how to upload the code onto your site.

The lesson also goes over the elements needed to create an effective landing page for your ebook, if you choose to sell it.

Week Five: How to Create a Product Line and Attracting Customers Through Information Marketing
Through lessons Two and Three you will have the foundation for creating a number of products within your market. Lesson Five is divided into two sections and discusses what products you can create and how to get visitors (potential customers) to your site. It includes:

1. How to Create and Sell Information Products:
2. Attracting Customers (Generating Visibility) Through Information Marketing

Week Six: How to Create Your Own PowerPoint Webinars

Presenting webinars is one of the top marketing tools. The final lesson will have you creating your own webinar. This lesson explains what a webinar is; what a PowerPoint webinar is; about services; preparation; presentation, and more.

Lesson six will also has a 30-45 minute live screen-sharing webinar to help demonstrate the basics of creating a PowerPoint document.

Note: A replay of the webinars will be available.

For more details on each lesson and to sign up go to:
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#KarenCioffi_AuthorOnlinePresence

AND, THERE WILL BE A BONUS LESSON AND MOST LIKELY A THIRD WEBINAR.

~~~~~~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars - signup for The Writing World newsletter on the right top sidebar!

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

~~~~~~~~~~

Making the Most of Writers' Conferences

Writers’ Conferences Are More
Than Giant Writing Classes

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

A partial excerpt from the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter

Make the most of a conference by planning in advance. You want to treat a conference like a garden and bring home all the ripe stuff that suits your palate. That means you have to organize. This section will help you do that. Without it you won’t be able to glean the most from whatever conference you choose.

Your notebook—either the old-fashioned paper kind or the one you set up on your laptop— is key to getting the most from a conference:

Bring a seven-subject notebook. Divide the notebook into sections that match your goals. These might include: Agents, Publishers, Promotion, Writing, and Other Contacts. Leave one section open for a category that crops up after you arrive.
On each separator page tape a number ten envelope in which you slip business cards, bookmarks, mini notes to yourself, and small brochures. When you arrive home, part of your filing and sorting will be done.
Take blank mailing labels to make index tabs that stick out from the edge of your notebook.
On the first night of the conference, clip and paste separate parts of the conference handouts into corresponding segments of your notebook.
At the back of your conference notebook make a directory section. Use the label index markers to delineate each one.

o The first page is a name and address list for publishers. They should be listed in conference handouts but you may glean more from seminars. Star the ones you spoke to. Make notes. What have they published that is similar to your book? Jot down anything that will help them remember you when you write to them and mention your encounter. Query letters work best when you indicate you are familiar with the person or company being queried.

Big Hint: When you talk to publishers always ask them what they do to promote their authors’ books. Pin them down to specifics.

o The second directory page is for fellow authors. Jot notes on them, too. It’s no fun to arrive home with a useless business card.

o Ditto for agents and for conference planners. You may be surprised at how often you’ll refer to this page.

o A page for “Other Resources” includes information on anything from other conferences to books you’d like to read.

o Designate a few pages for writing ideas.

o The final pages are for new promotion ideas.

Hint: Bring a small pouch of tools—I use one I received with an Estée Lauder gift-with-purchase. Toss into it color-coded pens, snub-nosed scissors (sharp ones may not get you through airport security), a small roll of cellophane tape, your index labels, paperclips, strong see-through packing tape, hammer, tacks, razor, ChapStick, hole puncher, breath mints, elastic bands, Band-Aids, and your personal medication. Don’t unpack this when you get home. You’ll need it in the future for other conferences, book signings, book fairs, and other promotional events.

You can use a conference to promote, too.

Some conferences offer tables where participants can leave promotional handouts for their books or services. Before you leave home, ask your conference coordinator how you might utilize this opportunity.

Ask the conference coordinator if they publish a newsletter or journal. If so, send the editor media releases as your career moves along.
Take your business cards to the conference.
If you have a published book, take your bookmarks to give to others. And even a few books. Authors tend not to forget to give their books to people who are in a position to recommend it.
If you have an area of expertise that would interest a conference director, introduce yourself. She may be busy, so keep your pitch very short and follow up later.

Think in terms of gathering endorsements for your book to use in the future. You are building a network.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of book for writers. Learn more about them at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She also invites you to subscribe to her writers’ resources blog, Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites pick www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com. Follow her tweets at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo. And that new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter? It just won a USA Book News award in its own right (for best business/writing book) and the e-book edition was just honored at Dan Poynter's Global EBook Awards.

The Naked Writer

I am working on putting together a workshop for next spring which I hope to present at the Mass Poetry Festival, tentatively titled "The Naked Writer," about getting past our writerly inhibitions to whatever we might dig up underneath.

I stumbled upon mine by accident, when I started writing persona poems for my recently published science fiction novel, "Relocated," and again when I invented another poet for a follow-on novel.

Two subjects, it turns out, that I normally avoid writing about are:

{drum roll}

Spirituality, or religious belief,

and

Politics.

But, I can hear you say, what's so awful or scary or intimidating about politics and religion?

Sorry, I haven't figured that one out yet. Right now, I'm working out how to get at the inhibitions in the first place.

Clearly, one way for me was to write persona poems. Another might be to free write. Perhaps another to write about a random subject.

Any suggestions?

Any subjects you know you won't write about/ don't want to write about?

Comments appreciated and encouraged.

Margaret Fieland lives and works in the suburbs west of Boston, ma. You can find her hanging out on the web at http://www.margaretfieland.com/ or http://poetic-muselings.net/

Check out her new novel, "Relocated" at http://tinyurl.com/MuseRelocated