Writer's Creative Studio

Ways to find an audience for your blog

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:43:00 +0000

If you put up a blog and let it sit, you'll be lucky if people just happen by to see it. It's important to be proactive and implement measures to drive traffic to your blog. Here are some ways:

1. Frequently update your blog. By posting to your blog often, you offer readers variety. They are more apt to visit often if they know they'll see something new each time.

2. Keep your blog posts short so they are easy to read. Usually, posts consisting of 200 to 400 words seem to be about right.

3. Write your blog posts with search engine optimization in mind and be sure to include key words in your title. You'll want to be sure search engines pick up the key words and phrases from your post and send people to it. It's worth the while to learn about this area.

4. Be sure your blog is interesting and diverse. Humor, questions, polls, suggestions are ways to elicit the involvement of your readers.

5. Use social media sites to help increase readership of your blog. When you post a new entry, tell your Facebook followers or those on Twitter that you have new content up. Encourage them to visit your blog to see it.

6. The best way to increase readership of your blog is to write well and to check for errors before you post. Show that you care and others may return the sentiment.

The Trouble with Writing...

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:25:00 +0000

The trouble with writing is that we think it should be easier than it is. How many of you have read a good book and thought, I could have written that, or even, I cold have written that better?

When you do finally sit down to write the great American novel, you find it's not quite so easy. Here's my theory on why. Writing a novel is much more complex than just enumerating a series of events that happen to a group of people. The writing of the events is only one small part. As a writer, you are also in charge of:

1. Scenery. Your words have to not only set the mood, but create the whole scene design, backdrop, ambiance, etc., for each scene. And, you have to make the reader think it's not a set, but that they are really there. To top it off, you must do this seamlessly in order to not break the mood.

2. Characterization. You must not only convey the inner workings of your characters, you must include hair, makeup and costumes as well. Unfortunately, you don't have the luxury of showing the reader pictures of your characters; however, your readers will insist on vivid characters. They must have makeup and costumes appropriate for every scene without the benefit of a makeup artist or costume designer. It's up to you to describe what is important without it being obvious. Not an easy task.

3. Sound. Without making a peep and without the help of a sound technician, you must convince your reader that he hears the KABOOM of the mailbox that has exploded while your main character reaches toward it or the creak of a back door as it opens in the middle of the night. And without the help of a full orchestra, you must build the tension in your scenes so the reader is gripping the book tighter and tighter with each word you write.

4. Dialogue. Another component of your novel is what your characters say and how they say it. You not only have to put the words down, but you need to give each character an individual voice. This voice, which your readers will only hear through your written words, gives your characters their personalities. That's a tall order.

These are a few of the tasks of a writer. I don't make this list to discourage writers. No, I present this to encourage writers. Always remember your task is much more complex than listing a series of events. When writing, take the time to ensure you address these components (scenery, characterization, sound and dialogue) and you will make strides in blending these complexities into rich, effective text.

Your business benefits from your blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:25:00 +0000

We're always looking for ways to gain attention for our businesses. A blog has many benefits. Some of them are:

1. Informing your customers/clients about you and your business. Today, people look on the Internet first when trying to find a product or service. Be there and let people know about you. If you don't have a presence on the Internet, they will probably choose a competitor.

2. Offer information about new products or services the day you think of them. You don't have to wait to develop paper ads to mail out. Include as much detail as you want.

3. Notify customers when you have special deals going on or when you have discounted items. Keep your customers/clients informed instantly.

4. Reach more people for fewer advertising dollars.

5. Increase communication with your customers and increase customer service. Insert polls into your blog to determine what your customers want and encourage comments to open channels of communication.

6. Provide help to a customer instantly. If you receive a comment with a question in it, you can meet that customer's needs instantly by making the answer to that question the topic of your next blog.

Let's hear from you. What benefits have you found in blogging for your business?

Setting up a new blog

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Developing a good idea is the first step in setting up a new blog. Here are some of the steps in developing your blog:

1. What's the point? Do you want to share pictures with your family of the new baby? Do you want to push sales over the top for your company by offering valuable information to customers? Do you just want a spot to put all that knowledge rattling around in your head? The first step is to define what you will cover in your blog.

2. Next, set up the blog. You can do this yourself by using Blogger or Wordpress or one of the blogger sites. Or, if you want something a bit more individual, contact a web designer to put up the blog of your dreams.

3. Once the shell of your blog is up, start adding the permanent content. This includes your profile paragraph and any gadgets, such as followers, ads, pictures, etc., you may want to occur on each page.

4. In your Profile, be sure to include a clear and concise description of the purpose of your blog. Readers often look at the profile statements first to see if they want to take time to look through the blog.

5. Make a list of topics you want to write about. Put the list into a logical order and start your post with a welcoming statement. Then, follow it with a blog each day or every couple days from your list. Keep adding to the list as ideas come to you and you have yourself a blog. Enjoy

Developing Characters of Interest

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:46:00 +0000

I know I've written about character development before. It's no accident that I'm showing you another way to look at it. The creation of rich, multi-dimensional characters is key to developing a mature novel.

To give your readers believable, full-bodied characters, it's good to look at them and develop them from different angles. So, here are two more factors to consider during characterization:

1. Develop individual actions and reactions for your characters. We all have mannerisms that are ours alone. They make us unique. Your characters need them too. Don't overload your characters with unusual actions; however, or they may become caricatures. Give them just enough unique mannerisms to set them apart from the other characters.

Through the development of unique actions and reactions for your characters, your readers will learn what to expect from them. After you have established a pattern of behavior and reaction for our characters, you can use this knowledge to increase the tension within your story. Lead a character toward an event where their predictable reaction would end in disaster. The readers will have the delight of biting their nails to see if your character reacts predictably and what happens as a consequence.

2. Another way to develop multi-layered characters is to pair the actions of your characters with their physical attributes. For example, perhaps your main character is very precise in his actions and quite methodical and deliberate. His clothes reinforce this perception by being fresh and his grooming is impeccable.

If you build a character such as this, your readers would naturally expect the character's apartment to be tidy and organized. What does it do to the picture if the person lives in a mess with dirty dishes in every room, newspapers and piles of books strewn about, etc.?

Knowing this adds another layer to that character and gives the readers a bit of information that lets them believe that this person is not quite as predictable as they appear. Without specifically telling them, your readers have been alerted that this character might indeed delight them with some aberrant behavior later in the book.

Look at your characters from many angles and you'll develop much more interesting characters.

Make your blogs entertaining

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Make your blog pop... photo by Lou Belcher

Your mother might find every word you say fascinating, but the rest of us may not want to read everything you write if you don't mix it up a bit to make it interesting.

Rather than writing your post as if giving a lecture, talk to the reader. And mix it up by: asking a question or two to give your readers something to comment on; or, spice up your topic by telling a related story or including an interesting example; and, occasionally send your reader to a related website for additional information.

Try mixing it up and you'll gain the interest of your readers. Write as if you are talking to them and get the conversation going.

Feel free to leave a comment about other ways to make blog posts entertaining.

Writing the Winning Blog Post

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:17:00 +0000

When you write your blog posts, pay attention to your style as well as to the information you are conveying. You, of course, want your blog to be interesting, informative and entertaining to gain and keep the interest of your readers. In addition, it needs to be easy to read. Here are some of the parts and qualities of winning posts.

1. Keep it short. Magazine articles and newspaper articles are much shorter than they used to be. This generation of readers are into quick consumption of information. Therefore, keep the length of your blog post to approximately 400 words.

2. Be sure there is enough white space on the page to make your post look inviting to the reader. When writers are confronted with a solid page of words, they are apt to move on to a more inviting blog. Be sure to format your post in a number of paragraphs as well as including lists or bullets to make it easier to read.

3. Check for errors and then check again. It's important to make sure your post is free of errors, so your readers can move through it without having their attention sidetracked by a spelling or grammatical error.

4. Write in a friendly voice. You may have a wonderful vocabulary, but if you are trying to attract the masses, use the vocabulary of the masses.

5. Close with a summary of the intent of your post and invite your readers to comment.

Apply these methods and you'll be writing winning blog posts in no time. If you have suggestions to add, feel free to include them in the comments section.

Bringing characters to life

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:00 +0000

There are some characters who are particularly appealing from the first page or the first scene.

When the TV show The Mentalist started, I was immediately drawn to Jane, the protagonist. I didn't think much about it in terms of character development until last Friday night when White Collar premiered. It struck me as I watched the character Nick Caffrey that he appealed to me immediately also.

What was it about them? Both are con men of sorts with a serious side disguised by an overtly mischievous side. Those characteristics made them entertaining to watch.

As a writer, I naturally thought about the fact that the writers of those shows were largely responsible for those wonderful characters. After all, they wrote the snappy dialogue.

The progression of my thinking about all this led me to wonder how, if I wanted to write a scene of either of these shows, would I describe the twinkle in the eye or the slight nod of the head that made those snappy lines snap? How could I adequately translate to paper the wonders of their acting?

After wondering about that made my head hurt, I realized that solving this dilemma would make a good writing exercise.

So.... here you have it. Your assignment is to study one character on a favorite show. Take down a few minutes of dialogue. Then, write the same scene as if writing it for a novel. Your assignment is to meld into the dialogue the movements and mannerisms of each character to bring the dialogue to life.

Don't do this just once. Repeat until you get a feel for your character inside and out.

Variety: that's one key to an interesting blog

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:15:00 +0000

There are as many types of blog posts as there are bloggers. Every blog expresses a different slant on your topic. Your readers will lose interest pretty quick if you offer the same type of blog day after day. Diversify to keep their interest.

In addition to the usual straight forward blog post, here are some of the popular formats for blog posts:

book review

product review

humor

poll or survey

contest

philosophical

photos

guest authors

how-to post

tips

demo piece

mixed media (photos/videos, etc.)

Q and A

Add a variety of formats to your blog posts to keep your readers coming back.

Promote your writing through a website or blog or both

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

Writers need to put their writing before potential readers. Life for a writer is as simple as that. There are a variety of ways to do it. Today, we are going to talk about websites and blogs.

First of all, all writers should have a blog, and most writers need a blog and a website. The difference between a blog and a website is, for the most part, that a blog is dynamic and a website is static. A blog shows the reader what the writer has to offer in his/her own words. The website tells the rest: schedules, books, how to contact; where to purchase books; etc. The website takes care of business and the blog interacts with the reader and keeps the reader interested.

Make your blog interactive. Welcome comments and interaction with the readers. Write (talk) to the reader as if he/she were sitting in your office drinking coffee. As you chat with the reader, you give out bits of your life that they wouldn’t find in an announcement about your book. In other words, engage the reader. Readers may pick up your book for the first time due to the title, the topic, the genre, etc. The reader will pick up a second book due to your voice and what he/she has learned about you.

In many cases, the title of a first book is printed in a big font and the name of the author is printed in a small font. As the author grows in popularity, so does the font that is used for the author’s name. Why? Because readers are becoming fans of you as well as your writing. A blog moves this process forward. So, use the blog to engage with the reader by letting him/her get to know you. And, use your website to tell the reader about the business of your writing.

Getting started with your blog

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Those of you who already have blogs won't need this one. For those who are thinking of setting up a blog but are afraid of it, take heart. A little bit of computer knowledge will take you a long way. If you are really a novice on the computer, grab a friend with a little bit of computer knowledge and together you'll manage just fine.

Now that you've chosen a name for your blog, it's time to get it up and going. I use blogger.com. I followed the directions to set it up and had no trouble at all. Use the name you chose for your blog when the sign-in process asks for your URL.

It would take me too long to explain each step of setting up a blog if I wrote it out here, and there's no need for me to do so. There are complete directions online. Merely put in a search for "how to put up a blog with blogger" or "how to put up a blog with wordpress" or whatever blog service you decide to use. The directions will guide you through the process. If they don't, open another browser and ask for more specific directions.

Once you have chosen a template for your blog, put up an introductory blog. It needn't be more than a couple of paragraphs about the main topic of your blog and why you chose it. Post it to your blog and you're off and running.

Give your blog topic some thought and make a list of subtopics you want to write about. Write a couple more short blog posts and put them up and we'll be ready for the next step.

Choose the right name before you sign up.

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Once you have determined why you want to blog and what you want to blog about, it's time to choose a name for your blog. Not just any name will do. With the name you choose for your blog, you are branding your blog.

So, take all the time you need to choose a good name, one that describes your blog, and one that is unique. When naming The Helpful Blogger, the name came to me quickly once I decided what I wanted to do with the blog -- I wanted to help others learn the ins and outs of blogging. I wanted to go about it in a helpful manner, so the name just rang in my ears. But, I didn't sign up on blogger.com using that name immediately. Here are the steps I went through to test out my name.

1. I went to godaddy.com and determined if TheHelpfulBogger.com domain name was available. It was. If it hadn't been, I would have returned to the naming process. I think it's important to own the name of your blog. You may not ever use the domain name. I haven't hooked it up to this blog, but I do want to maintain control of that domain name so I don't see it on some other website or blog someday. That would be too confusing.

2. Next, I went to twitter.com and determined if the name was available. It was. If it hadn't been, I would have gone back to the drawing board on the name thing.

3. Before you go back to godaddy. com and twitter.com to sign up for those names, test your name out on a couple of people who tell you the truth no matter what. Tell them the name without any explanation and see if they can tell you back what your blog is about. If there explanation is close, you've got yourself a name.

Since I passed all three tests with the name TheHelpfulBlogger. I was good to go.

Join me tomorrow to see what to do next.....

Why do you want to blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:37:00 +0000

When you are first setting up a blog, it's important to ask yourself why you want to blog. Your answer to that question will help you define the name and the goals and objectives of your blog.

The history behind this blog is that for a while I've been helping people find their way around Twitter. I've done everything from helping people set up their accounts to learning how to find followers and people to follow. From that, I guess my brother decided to regard me as knowing a bit more about blogging than he does. Anyway, long story short, he sent one of his students to me when she was looking for help on how to set up a blog.

In order to help her, I decided I should test myself out and set up a blog from scratch. (I have four blogs, but I've always had someone set them up for me).

So I found myself in need of a topic for a blog. I do write lots of articles on blogging, tweeting, marketing on the Internet, etc., and do share tips with others regarding how to get going online. So it just naturally came to me that I should make this experiment useful and become The Helpful Blogger.

That says it all. I know enough to help others. I have strengths in writing, editing, blogging, tweeting, and photography. I can share information on all those. Why not parlay that into a blog that could help someone else run the maze.

Here I am. I have a blog and Twitter account for The Helpful Blogger and I already have one person to help. I'm off and running.

And, I've just given you an example of what you must do first in establishing a blog. You have to determine why you want a blog and choose a burning topic you want to blog about.

The Helpful Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Welcome to the Helpful Blogger. I am just like you, unless you know how to build fancy websites and blogs. I don't know how to do that. No, when I say I'm just like you, I mean that I know a fair amount about computers -- at least enough to not be afraid of them and enough to share helpful information with you.

So, I will be blogging about blogging, telling you about what I know to work and not work, and if you want some help beyond what you read here, you only need to ask in the comments section and I'll try to help you

Go overboard then bring your story to life with authentic emotion

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Having trouble instilling emotion into your writing? Sometimes it's not enough to have a great idea for a story. Despite a well-organized outline and interesting plot and subplots, your story might not work if you don't bring it to life with authentic emotion.

If you tell your story from start to finish, you can expect that your reader will get the story. But will the reader feel the story, experience the story, love/hate the characters according to the story line... and live the story?

To instill life and authentic emotion into your story write a larger-than-life version of it. Show the action in exaggeration through the vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste of your characters. Put the reader in the middle of the action so they feel each punch as your hero is jumped from behind, so they smell the gagging scent of the rotting food in the filthy kitchen of your villain, so they hear the blood-curdling screams in the middle of the night.

Once you've written your "over-the-top" version, read it aloud several times--each time with a pen in hand. During each reading, use the pen like fine sand paper to slowly smooth the rough edges and to tone down the emotions of your story. Digest each sentence thoroughly, tweaking the images you are drawing with your words until emotions flow between well-balanced highs and lows in the vivid story that remains.

Overview of developing writing into a business.

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Freelance writing is one of those great professions that can be developed slowly into a business while you earn money at a day job. That might not be your first choice, but it is the best choice until you determine whether you can earn enough to cover your expenses and those of your family.

One way to develop your freelance writing into a business is to diversify. Maybe you want to write the next best selling novel, but while you are doing so, you can earn money in a variety of ways. And, an added advantage is that the more you write, the better you’ll write.

Here are some writing avenues to explore:

1. Fiction writing. It’s probably not a good idea to quit your day job while you write your first novel. It will take some time to find an agent, find a publisher, receive that acceptance letter, and to go through the editing and publishing process before you see your first paycheck. Therefore, continue to earn money from your day job and from other forms of writing while you go through the steps listed above.

2. Writing magazine or ezine articles. There are many types of articles that sell pretty well. You can write how-to articles, self help articles and fillers. Many magazines are looking for short items to fill out their content. You can also develop a particular specialty, such as writing a local arts column or restaurant reviews, which will give you steady work. In many cases, you can minimize the writing time for articles. Many magazine editors will buy articles on spec if you send them a query letter; therefore, you'll only have to write the article if it sells.
3. Journalism. If you provide good content and develop areas of expertise, you, most likely, can find writing work on a part-time basis with on-line news agencies and blogs. These used to be more open to freelance writers, but it’s still worth a try.

4. Blog writing. Many people have blogs to promote their businesses or their websites, but they aren’t writers. Consequently, there is a need for people who can quickly and efficiently put out blog posts that are interesting, informative, and entertaining.

5. Textbooks. If you have knowledge on a specific topic, you could send in a book outline within a proposal to write a textbook on that topic. It’s important to have the credentials to back up your interest in writing the textbook. Most publishers are very particular about this.

6. Non-fiction (book-length). Writing book-length non-fiction lends itself to self-publishing. If you can identify a market for the topic of your book, you may be able to make a go of selling it yourself. Just be careful to have a good plan. When wanting to find a publisher for a non-fiction book, you can often sell it without writing the whole book. Many publishers will consider your idea if you send in a good book proposal and sample chapters.

7. Editing and ghostwriting. Many writers develop editing skills and do freelance editing for others to make ends meet while developing a writing business. Be cautious with this as it takes time to develop good editing skills and the time for this takes time away from writing. Ghostwriting parallels editing, but is more involved in that you will write a book to the specifications of the person who hires you.

While developing your business, write as much as you can in any area that comes along. With each piece you write, you will improve your skills. That will help your writing and your business.

Rejection -- Use it to improve your writing

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:56:00 +0000

No writer -- no matter how seasoned -- likes rejection. You do get used to it, however, and you can learn to use it to improve your writing. How do you get to the point where you can learn from rejection? Practice....

Rejection at any stage in your writing career is tantamount to a swift whack in the knees with a sledge hammer. Recovery time decreases with repetition until it becomes routine for you to feel the sting then get back to work. Here are a few suggestions on how to use rejection to improve your writing:

1. Consider the rejection for what it is. The first time you receive a rejection letter, you feel as if the wind has been knocked out of you. You may consider quitting. You may become depressed. These are logical reactions. After all, you've sweated over your manuscript for months or years and are rewarded with a postcard saying..."Sorry, pal." Although it may seem as if the world has declared that you should find a new career, it ain't so. That rejection letter you just received came from one person at one publishing house. Don't let the opinion of one person -- someone you don't know -- change your career course. Although it hurts, put it in perspective and move on.

2. Consider the competition. With the advent of the computer, more and more people are writing books and submitting them in much less time than when writers used to write their books on legal pads and type them after they perfected them. Today, so many people have computers, the competition is greater. Have you done everything you can to ensure you're better than they are? Have you studied writing? Do you know point of view, voice, character development, back story, etc? If these terms don't mean anything to you, maybe you need to do a little more studying while you're writing. It's rare that someone can sit down and pump out a flawless book. Writing, like any profession, takes study and practice. So, be sure you have the skills of your competitors. Many writers submit two or three books before they write one that is good enough to elicit an acceptance letter from a publisher instead of a rejection letter. Don't take rejection personally. Instead, keep perfecting your craft.

3. Consider the economy. I'm not saying that you should not pursue a writing career because the economy is working against you. I'm just saying that there are fewer slots for the publication of your novel, so expect to work for your place in the sun.

4. Consider the type of rejection you've received. There are many types of rejections. Here are three:

There are form rejection letters that reaches you before you thought it physically possible for your manuscript to reach the publisher. If you receive one of these, you may want to make sure you followed the publisher's procedure in submitting your manuscript. It may have been sent back because they don't accept manuscripts from unagented writers or they want to receive a book proposal in a certain format rather than a full manuscript. Many times publishing houses send back manuscripts without even looking at them if the writer hasn't followed their guidelines. So be sure to do your homework. If you did follow the guidelines, send your book out again. The form rejection really doesn't give you any ideas of ways to revise your book.

Another type of rejection is the form letter with a handwritten note on it. Unless the note says, "Don't ever darken our door again," this is a good rejection. Someone took the time to actually write you a note. If the note says, "Good luck placing this elsewhere," move on. Send it to someone else. However, if the note says to re-submit after you revise, don't waste this invitation. Revise and resubmit.

A third type of rejection (the best rejection of them all) is a letter to you personally that tells you in detail what you should change. If the changes are in keeping with what you want for your book, make them and return the manuscript, being sure to send it to the editor who wrote the rejection letter to you. Editors don 't usually take the time to point out what should be changed in a book unless they are interested in your work. So, dry those tears...this one might lead to an acceptance.

When considering a rejection letter, learn from it. As quickly as you can, put your ego aside. Nurse your hurt feelings for a minute and a half and get busy on your writing. The more you write, the better your writing will become. So get out of your way and consider the possibility of receiving acceptance letters instead of dreaded rejection letters.

Marketing your book with an on-line newsletter (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:39:00 +0000

An on-line newsletter is an effective marketing tool for many products, but it’s especially effective for marketing your book. Here is how to go about designing, developing, and distributing your newsletter:

1. Determine the topic of your newsletter and a good name for it. Just because you are a writer, your newsletter doesn’t need to be about writing. In fact, it’s better if it’s not. There are only a limited number of writers who will buy your book. Instead, make your newsletter about a broad topic related to the book. That way, you will attract potential customers. As writers, it is only natural to want to attract our writer friends to our book, but your real market is with those who are a fan of the topic. So if your book is about turtles, find people passionate about turtles.

2. Once you have determined the topic of your newsletter, begin developing a list of subjects that will become the different sections of your newsletter. For example, since you are writing a book about turtles, you could have your newsletter about turtles as well. Or, you could make the topic of your newsletter larger (conservation, for instance) than the topic of your book in order to make room for future books on similar topics. Anyway, for within the newsletter, you might have a general conservation section (where you put in short pieces about what is currently happening in the world of turtle conservation), you might have an events section (where you list local and national events, TV shows, movies, etc., about turtles), and you could have a section about your current activities (where you would list your activities in turtle conservation as well as how you are doing on the book).

3. Email or blog. You can distribute your newsletter by email or make it into a blog and distribute an email when you have posted a new newsletter. The choice is yours. The important part is to provide information that is entertaining and useful to your readers. Pack it with information that will convince them that you are a good writer and will make them want to hang around for the publication of your book.

4. Don’t make the newsletter about selling your book. Instead, make it about providing your readers with information. The sales will take care of themselves. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore promoting your book when it’s about ready for publication and it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t put promotions in your newsletter for pre-publication sales or special sales after the book has been out a while. You should do all of those things but do them tastefully. Your readers will look forward to your newsletters if they know that it is truly a newsletter and not just another hard sell.

5. Be sure to list in the newsletter the launch of your book and book signing events. Your readers will want to keep up with you.

6. Give your readers a means to sign up for notification that the latest newsletter is out. You’ll want to build a distribution list. In the newsletter, ask your readers to send it on to others who might be interested and have new readers email you to be added to the distribution list. Through this, the list will grow and you will have a natural audience for marketing your book.

Marketing your book while you write it (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:04:00 +0000

It's never too early to start gathering fans for your writing and your upcoming book. Your friends and family, of course, will be instant fans. I'm not talking about them. I am talking about creating a buzz for your topic with the people who have a natural interest in it.

Here are some ways to get started:

1. Identify your topic and related subjects. For example, if you're a non-fiction writer and writing a book about sea turtles, then that's your topic. Related subjects might be: marine life, oceans, sailing, cruising, beaches, dolphins, whale watching, etc. Make a list of every subject you can think of related to your topic.

If you are writing a novel, do the same. Identify the main topic of your book. It might be as broad as the name of the genre or the theme of the book. Then make a list of subjects related to your book. For example, if you are writing a murder mystery where the murder occurs in a hospital, some of your subjects might be: nurses, emergency room, medical mysteries, etc. Save your list.

2. Create a blog centered on your topic. Tell those who follow your blog about the book you are writing in an occasional post. Don’t use the majority of your posts to push your book however. Instead, use most of your posts to just talk about interesting facets of your topic and its subjects. Your point here is to encourage a conversation about a like-interest and to foster a connection with folks who share your interest. When you're ready to publish your book, they may turn into customers, but for now, you're just creating a connection.

3. Writing and posting your blog entry is not enough. It's important to touch base with people who are interested in your topic. Do this by establishing a Twitter site about your topic and start following people who are interested in your topic and related subjects. If you make your tweets interesting, valuable and entertaining, those people will follow you back. When you post a blog entry, tweet the URL to your followers and tell them what you’ve posted. For example, for this blog entry, I tweeted: Just posted "Marketing your book while you write it" to http://www.loubelcher.com/blog/

4. In addition, join social media groups, such as Facebook, My Space, or ones related to your topic at ning.com to find people who are interested in your topic and subjects.

Watch for part 2: Marketing through on-line newsletters.

Writing for your website or blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:10:00 +0000

Writing for a blog or content for a website is not the same as writing for print. In print, we have much more flexibility and we usually expect readers to take a bit more time.

When you’re writing for the Internet, however, you need to deliver a quick, powerful message that will catch the eye of the reader. Web copy is very different than copy for print. Here are some points to keep in mind when you write for your website or blog:

1. White space. We’ve been trained to receive information in as quick a manner as possible. Be brief. Studies have shown that a visitor to your website will usually allow you four seconds to catch their attention.

That's all. If they are faced with a huge block of print in the first paragraph, they’ll move on to another site without giving you even those measly four seconds.

Get to the point and make it easy to read by creating lots of white space around your short paragraphs. Be brief, interesting and informative.

2. Choose and use powerful words when you write.

Use action verbs rather than bland wishy-washy verbs.
Pick descriptive and specific nouns for your sentences.
Avoid using adjectives and adverbs as much as possible.

3. Use lists and bullets instead of solid paragraphs in writing your web content to make it easier to read.

4. Also, start out a section with a question or just the name of a topic. This will catch the eye of the reader.

5. Be sure when you write that you connect the dots. You must give the reader a complete thought. Give each blog entry a beginning, a middle, and an end, so your reader will go away satisfied and come back another day for more of your clear writing.

Effective web copy is clear and concise for readers who are most often in fast forward. Edit your copy before you post it and make sure it looks inviting and you’ll be sure to have return visitors.

Don't forget to edit.

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:29:00 +0000

If you are writing a story, a book, a letter, memo, an email, a press release or report, editing is a crucial step. Don’t skip it. Here are some reasons to remember to take a minute or two to edit your writing or to hire someone to edit it for you:

1. Good writing shows that you take your business seriously and that you are a professional. It shows that you intend to communicate clearly with others. Your writing is a direct reflection on you and your business. Don’t let errors reflect poorly on you.

2. At times, it will be important for you to write with flourish and to have your readers savor every word. In these cases, it is particularly important to ensure that there are no errors to interrupt the rhythm and flow of the writing.

3. At other times, our writing is more utilitarian. We use it to gain the reader’s attention and to convey a succinct message. In these cases, it’s better to keep it simple so the reader will pay attention to what you are saying rather than how you are saying it. Therefore, editing to weed out the frills is an important part of conveying your message in the most effective way. Eliminate errors and readers won't miss the message due to poor writing.

4. In addition to obscuring the message, errors in your writing may reduce your credibility. We all want to be taken seriously in our business dealings. Your client/audience will take you seriously if you show your expertise through your writing. If your writing is filled with errors, it may not matter what you are trying to say, your readers may conclude that you will make errors in other areas as well.

5. In addition to reducing credibility, errors can change the meaning of your writing. If you rush through the editing process, you might find that your writing is misunderstood. If you get into the habit of editing, you will also notice that you begin to write more carefully.

Most writers have difficulty catching their own errors. Because writers are so close to their writing, they think the words rather than read the words. Consequently, it’s easy to miss errors. It’s always a good idea to hire an editor or to at least have someone you trust read your writing before you present it to the world.

Promoting Your Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:45:00 +0000

by Lou Belcher

If you write for your eyes only, you don’t need to worry about promotion. But if you write for a living, the promotion or marketing part of it can make or break you.

Before the marketing, your first order of business is to make sure your blog entry is worth reading. Do everything you can to ensure that it is interesting and valuable to your readers. Beyond that, you might shoot for it to be entertaining as well. That can’t hurt.

When preparing your work, pushing the snooze button on your ego will help immensely. Too many times we get in our own way. We think that what we have written is so wonderful that we can’t hear constructive criticism. Take the risk. Have others look at your work and give you ideas for improvement.

That doesn’t mean that you need to implement everything that your readers say. Instead, it means that you would be wise to give some honest thought to how your writing is perceived by others.

Once you post an entry to your blog, no one will read it if you don’t do some promotion. Develop a routine system of promoting each entry that you post. For example, you can establish a Twitter account, a page on Facebook, or join a social media network, or all three. When you post an entry, put a notice on each of your announcement sites that new work is posted.

Another way to promote your blog is to establish an email distribution list of those interested in your writing. Every time you post a blog entry, put out an email to your list (even if it only consists of one or two people at first). Be sure to add the addresses of those who express interest in your blog with care. Don’t try to remember later who they are and where you put their email address.

In your email to your distribution list, invite them to comment and get a discussion going about the topic. Also, invite them to forward the notice to someone they think will enjoy your column. And, don’t leave everything to chance. Give your readers some added reasons to visit your blog. For example, hold surveys of interest, run contests, and hold giveaway opportunities occasionally so they will want to check back from time to time to see what’s going on.

Please leave a comment and tell us ways you promote your blog...

Cross the Atlantic for Wounded Warriors

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:12:00 +0000

No, Cross the Atlantic for Wounded Warriors is not a book title... It's real life. Fellow author Bob Brown and his brother, Ralph Brown, are embarking on another daring adventure. They are launching their flat boat for another big voyage.

Last time, 2007, they made it into the Guinness Book of World Records with their trip from the coast of North Carolina to Bermuda and back. This time they are crossing the Atlantic. Bob wrote about their first adventure in his book pictured here. (The photo on the cover will give you an idea of the size of the boat they use for these challenges.)

Go to http://crosstheatlantic.com to see for yourself.

Usually we think as writers that the written world is pretty special, but this time pictures really bring home what they will be doing. Watch the videos on the site and see what they have challenged themselves to do. In addition to their sailing goal, they they have set another monumental goal: to raise $3,000,000 for scholarships for the children of fallen soldiers and for their families.

There is information on the site for potential sponsors, too. Most writers and artists can't help that way, but you can buy a t-shirt and do a little bit. I bought one, but I'm not here to push that. I'm just so interested in their project that I assume that other local artists and writers will be, too. So please indulge me while I keep you up to date on their progress from time to time.

Go look at the short video... at http://crosstheatlantic.com and I'm sure you'll be coming back to see how they are doing. Thanks.

How to create a successful home business

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:39:00 +0000

With so many writers and artists going into business for themselves, I thought this article on how to create a successful home business might be helpful. Enjoy -- Lou

How to Create a Successful Home Business
copyright 2009 Lou Belcher

Success of a home business does not come over night. It takes careful planning, a good product or service, and lots of marketing. Here is a logical way to go about creating a successful home business... read more

Writing Fiction: Session 11 - Point of View

noreply@blogger.com (Lou Belcher) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:18:00 +0000

Before you write, it's important to choose the right point of view for your story. Point of view (POV) makes a huge difference in how you will tell your story and how your audience receives it.

Who is telling your story? Once you figure that out, that's your point of view. For example, the story of a murder would be very different through the eyes of a witness than it would be through the eyes of the murderer, and very different through the eyes of the detective.

In point of view, you not only have to decide who will tell the story, but how they will tell the story. For example, there are first, second and third person orientations. There are as many different variations of point of view as your imagination can conjure up. Here are some of the most common:

1. First Person - Singular. In first person point of view, the writer has one of the characters narrate the story and tell it in terms of "I did" or "I saw" orientation. The trick of first person is that the narrator must see or at least know what has happened in order to tell it to you. Therefore, the writer must leave out the parts of the story the narrator would not logically know. The writer (narrator) only can convey what he thinks and feels about the events. A fun part of writing in the first person is that the writer writes in the voice of the character. The writer can make this humorous, sarcastic, or whatever tone he feels works best for that narrator.

2. Multiple First Persons. In some novels, the writer will write different chapters with a different character as the narrator for each. In multiple first persons points of view the readers get a broader version of what's going on beyond the scenes. In many cases, it makes a more interesting read as the reader must decide which of the narrators to believe if there is a conflict in the telling of the story.

3. Third Person - Singular. When telling your story through a third person singular point of view, the narrator is not a character. He tells the story s as what "he did" or "she did" when talking of the characters. If using the third person with singular vision, the narrator has access to one mind. As the writer you need to decide which character to show the story through.

4. Third Person - Multiple. The narrator continues to write in the third person in the third person multiple, but can switch among numerous characters with telling the story from different angles. Make sure your story requires all this insight as it is difficult to execute this method without causing confusion.

5. Omniscient - Third Person. This point of view is often called "god's eye" point of view. The narrator in this case knows everything. The good side of this is that you can provide the reader with inside information that the characters don't know. However, the trouble with it is that the writer almost becomes a part of the story and it's harder for the readers to fully immerse themselves in the story. Suspension of disbelief is important when reading fiction. It's difficult for the reader to do this with the narrator telling them the inside scoop.

The important thing to remember about point of view is that you must always keep faithful to the point of view you choose to use. You will confuse the readers and your writing will be considered immature if you pop in and out of your point of view during your story. Once you commit to a point of view, stay consistent with it and the story will come to life.