Announcement for Writers and Book Lovers

Brevard Writing and Book News

This is to announce a new free service for writers. It's called Brevard Writing and Book News. The online address for it is http://www.loubelcher.com/tip

If you have an announcement about your book, an upcoming presentation, or any other event going on in the Brevard writing and book community, Lou will post it on Brevard Writing and Book News. Postings will occur twice monthly. Send news and announcements by the 1st or 15th of the month and they will be posted on the 3rd or 18th.

Submit writing and book news by email to Lou@LouBelcher.com or by snail mail to LouBelcher, P.O. Box 61228, Palm Bay, FL; 32906-1228.

You can begin to send in your news now.

Writing Non-fiction

When finalilzing the table of contents for your non-fiction book, avoid cute chapter titles. While they may amuse, they will not serve you well in selling the book. Many people, when shopping in a bookstore or on-line, buy a book based on the table of contents. If the chapter titles reveal little or nothing about what's in your book, the shopper is apt to move on rather than dig deeper.

Tip of the Day: When writing non-fiction, make your chapter titles work for you.

Writing for the Web

Writing for the web for you might merely consist of putting your writing on your website for your family and friends to see. If you have a known audience who regularly reads your writing and you don't care whether search engines find your writing or not, have at it. Just write in bliss.

If one of your purposes in writing for the web consists of bringing traffic to your website, it'd serve you well to learn the ins and outs of search engine optimization. This is where you write while using words that will attract the right audience. There are several good books out there that will tell you the hows and the whys.

Writing right could make all the difference in the amount of traffic visiting your site.

Tip of the Day: Read a book on search engine optimization. You'll be glad you did.

Finding Ideas for Your Writing

Your assignment today is to go to the nearest mall, sit on a bench, and watch the drama unfold....

There's lots of drama out there in the world for every writer to use. As a fiction writer, observation of real people dealing with real problems of their lives is one of your richest resources. Often one of the vignettes you observe will set your imagination on a course worth pursuing.

An observation trip to the mall will improve the dialogue in your novel or short story, improve the depth of your writing, and improve the realism in your action.

Tip of the Day: Go to the mall. Instead of shopping for merchandise, observe fellow shoppers for their stories.

Be a Writer

Be a writer. Don't quibble about it. It doesn't matter if you have a day job doing something other than writing. That's what you do to make the ends meet. Your vocation is being a writer. If you write, you are a writer.

When people ask you what you do, don't say, "I want to be a writer." If you write, you are a writer.

Own it... live it... write about it.. Your writing will take on new meaning with your new thought pattern toward writing.

Tip: Be A Writer.

Write with Clarity

Don't plop your reader down in the middle of a jungle of words. Readers won't lose their way in your story, book or essay unless you don't provide a path for them to follow.

Your writing doesn't need to be simplified so much as it needs to be clarified. Compose your words so they lead your readers to the point you are trying to make. Instead of making your reader hack through a mess of weeds and vines (usually known as extra adjectives, adverbs and redundant phrases) that obliterate your message, give them a clear yet colorful path to follow.

In order to write with clarity, you need to be willing to delete some of your favorite words, phrases and even sentences that, no matter how beautiful the combination of words, don't move the story forward. Save them for another piece.

TIP: Write with clarity by deleting words and phrases that lead nowhere.

Update to Readers

It's a sunny day in Florida. Here's a picture that should inspire writers.

I've rearranged this blog a bit. I was publishing the sessions for my series Before You Write here. I have moved those sessions to my blog: Writer's Creative Studio. So, check them out by clicking on the word blog above. I have just published Session 5, so don't miss it.

Tip of the day: Writing is practice. Practice each day. Send me your thoughts on the photo above.