Got Something to Say? I Want to Hear It!

or, Thoughts on Motivating People to Give a Crap

Today, Irene Watson of Reader Views posted an interesting editorial on what to say to promote one's writing. In essence, the acid test is finding a way to "move the dial on the Who Gives A Crap Meter."

Trumpeting one's work, one's accomplishments, and one's undertakings can be a daunting task. Many writers were raised as I was -- on a firm foundation of "don't blow your own horn." Even those who find it easy to engage in shameless self-promotion quickly discover that telling the world about your writing and getting the people of the world to read what you've written are two wildly different things.

Too often, we forget that promotion for promotion's sake ("My book is now available! Buy it!") is just so much easily tuned-out noise.

However, promotion for the audience's sake ("Want to know how to stay wildly in love even after 20 years of marriage? My new book shows how easy it is! You'll love falling in love again!") is something else entirely. When done correctly, promoting one's writing can become akin to a Public Service instead of another annoying ad.

Want the opportunity to tell the world about your writing? It doesn't matter whether you're famous, whether you've "Made It," or whether you are just scraping by. If you write because you have to, because it moves you, or because it feeds your soul, I want to hear about it. And I'm not alone.

This modest little blog exists to encourage writers -- regardless of genre or experience -- with concrete, usable advice that they can apply to improve their craft and their careers.

Through the month of March, I plan to feature a series of Q & A interviews with working writers and other creatives. I want to focus primarily on what helps writers to stay on track, keeps them motivated, inspires them, and challenges them to improve. To that end, I'm looking for writers willing to provide interviews.

To be featured, a writer doesn't need to be a "famous author." A writer doesn't even need to be published... yet. You just need to be actively engaged in improving your craft and -- here's the key -- willing to tell others what has worked for you.

Any writers interested in providing an interview, please comment below and I'll get in touch with you. Any personal contact information will be edited out during comment moderation.

I look forward to getting to know some wonderfully creative people and can't wait to introduce them to my readers!

Thoughts On Editing and Being Edited

I have a monster labor-of-love manuscript lurking nearby that I have grudgingly agreed to edit. I'm a bit worried, because the author is quite in love with his words and had much of the draft memorized. This, as most editors can tell you, does not bode well.

I once revised and edited a book for a publisher and asked them how they wanted the manuscript mark-up done. I wondered if they wanted to show the author every suggested change.

I received the following response:

We find it horrifies many authors to see what's been done to their work. We'd rather send him the edited manuscript with all the edits in place and have him read it anew. Many times an author won't even notice that his words have been changed or rearranged. It often makes for smoother sailing for all involved.

I have found this to be true over and over again. If an author sees the red edits doing war with the original words in black, the tendency is to become defensive and / or discouraged. However, such negative emotions are unwarranted.

A good editor never looks at the manuscript as an opportunity to deface black print and replace it with red. A good editor thinks only of the project's ultimate good.

If you are fortunate enough to have someone edit your work, consider not looking at the markup. Consider, instead, only reading the results of the edit. See if any glaring problems leap at you. Read with fresh eyes, if at all possible. Remember: your responsibility is not to your original text. Your responsibility is to your reader. In most instances, your editor shares that responsibility. Revel in that support rather than rebel against it!

What are your thoughts? Any experiences with editors (good, bad, or otherwise) that you care to share?

A Voice Tweeting in the Wilderness

or, There's a Story Here Somewhere

I have officially jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.

(Ok. So that's not true. It would be more accurate to say that I have half-heartedly hailed said bandwagon and grudgingly boarded it because I didn't know what else to do when it let me get on.)

I've blogged fairly faithfully for nearly 5 years. Got on Facebook and figured out both Fan and Friend pages. Love both mediums. But the allure of Twitter has escaped me. To me, the entire concept of "tweeting" smacked of standing on a streetcorner shouting to the world and hoping people noticed you without actively abusing you. I realized, however, that I was making judgments without actual experience. Which led to the aforementioned bandwagon.

So, I became @MuseInks. Let the following begin.

This begs the question "Now what?"

* Does the world really need another writer -- who follows other writers -- trumpeting and retweeting about the same nifty writers' resources? Maybe.

* Does anyone care about my latest book and movie projects? Sure, to a point. But there's only so much blowing my own horn I can stomach.

* Is it that important to my career to have a following? Possibly... Highly doubtful.

I got to thinking. What I really like about social media is the ability to connect with interesting people that I wouldn't have otherwise have met. Thanks to Facebook, I've been introduced to some really wonderful writers -- though not all of them are actively looking for ways to get their words into print. Perhaps with Twitter, I'll be able to discover even more voices.

This led me to my current brainchild. I shall use Twitter to write a multi-authored short story. I shall call this masterpiece of literary brilliance, akin to the proverbial Shakespearean sonnets produced by 100 monkeys at typewriters, a twory.

(Now, I don't pretend to be the originator of the term, but a quick search didn't indicate any online community that was actively using it who would be inconvenienced by my little experiment. I think it serves quite nicely -- unless I hear from someone who tells me that it's actually a vile underground racial epithet that could get me stoned in 15 counties.)

So... From now until the end of the month -- two weeks is plenty of time for a talented core of contributors to create stellar prose -- I'm inviting all writers who feel so inclined to add their two cents' worth to a work in progress.

I'll begin [See below for the opening line].

Any tweet that includes "@MuseInks TWORY" and comes to my attention will be added to the story. People may contribute as often as they like. Contributors are encouraged to follow me (well, of course) and to follow those who actively add to the narrative.

I'll keep a running update of the twory as it evolves on my Facebook page, for those who may be interested. Then, on March 1, I'll post the complete magnum opus on my blog, complete with credit to all contributors. Should be interesting...

The Twory may be entirely written by Yours Truly. (Kind of like the old worry "what if I give a party and no one comes?") But I hope that's not the case. I'd like this to be a group effort!

So -- let the Twory begin. I humbly offer the following as the opening line:

If a Hall of Fame for deadbeats and losers ever existed, Terry Mifflin had a candidate for induction.

Next line? Anyone?

Selling Short

Yours Truly is a guest blogger today on Literary Database. In my post, I sing the praises of Short and Sweet Queries.

The more I work with people who "live" online, the more I am struck by the importance of keeping one's query verbiage to a minimum. No lengthy "why I wrote this" nonsense. No "here's what the reader will learn" milksop. No detailed histories, character bios, or 3-Act beats. Save your writing prowess for the Piece. But don't weigh down your query with bling.

This is counterintuitive to many writers. I include myself in that group. I fight the desire to "sell myself" in my query, but that's not necessary.

A query is not supposed to sell ME. (Little known secret: A query is really not even supposed to sell an article or a book.) A query is simply supposed to bring to editors', agents', and publishers' attention that YOU have written something THEY need. They know what they need. All a query does is tell them where to go to find it.

I have completely revised how I teach writers to structure their queries. Especially when it comes to platform-building articles, I strongly encourage all writers to follow the "less is more" approach to their queries. In essence:

1.) Say how you know what they need.

I saw on "Kitchen Kookery" that you are looking for family-friendly recipes.

This is the Queryland equivalent of networking.

2.) Say what you have.

I would like to submit "Perfect Pancakes" for your consideration. In approximately 600 words, it details the art of creating flawless flapjacks.

This translates to: "This piece is for sale."

3.) Say who you are.

I am a 4-star chef with over 7 years of experience as a mother and a short-order cook.

Translation: "I am qualified."

4.) Say "Good night," Gracie.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Translation: "Good night!"

In all your brevity, however, don't forget to include your contact information.

In the last month, I have sold at least 5 pieces to new markets. None of my acceptance notes were more than 2 sentences long (with the exception of the contract verbiage). One, from a respected, well-paying market, consisted of a single word:

Sold!

Did I feel cheated because of the short communications? Hardly. I simply took it as an indicator of how the industry pros preferred their correspondence.

Just call me a new fan of selling short!

First Benchmark for "First Book"

In our house, kids and books go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like syrup and pancakes. Like ketchup on french fries. It seems like my daughter has been reading ever since she's been born.

Reading is so prevalent in "Hendricksonville" that we tend to take a passion for the written word for granted. We can't imagine our lives without the joy of books.

First Book is a non-profit organization that understands the vital importance of literacy. First Book provides free books to children in need year-round. It has earned a top rating of four-stars by Charity Navigator, with more than 92% of donations going directly to their programs and less than 8% going to administrative costs and overhead.

When Kelly Smith decided to take me up on my Goal Posts challenge, First Book is the non-profit she chose to champion in her quest to finish her historical novel this year. I am honored to be one of her charter supporters. Today, the last day of January, I was thrilled to hear that she had met her first goal!

Yay, Kelly!

Want to encourage a writer and do some good in the world? Contact Kelly and sign up to be a supporter!

Want to make your own goals count to more than just you? Make your own Goal Post commitment. Good luck! And let me know when you've made your first benchmark!

Money Matters

I recently wrote an article for Writer's Weekly on the challenges every writer faces in determining what to charge and how to estimate what a job will cost.

"For What It's Worth" is 500 words that I wish someone had told me when I started making words my business.

Too many writers I meet feel guilty or even ashamed to charge for their services.

Too many of them have given little thought to their long-term business plan.

Too many are happy to simply cash the occasional check from a publisher and dance with fervent frenzy until realize that it works out to roughly 14 cents an hour for all the time they invested in the piece.

I've been there. I used to live there, in fact. And, truth be told, some days it's a struggle not to go "back home."

Last week, I received an e-mail from a first-time published writer. The publisher wanted the writer's social security number in order to issue a check and the writer had security concerns.

My response was something along the lines of, "The publisher is a long-established one that printed your piece and wants to hire you for more. If you want to get paid and don't have an EIN, give them your SSN."

(Actually, I think my exact response was, "Give them the #. Laugh all the way to the bank. It'll be fine.")

I often find that writers get uncomfortable when talking about money. Evidently, others have noticed the tendency as well.

Last week, Freelance Writing Jobs compiled a list of 32 blog posts about writers' rates.

Some are more useful than others. "How Much Should I Charge?" by Allena Tapia is full of relevant, useful links. It also includes the caveat:

"Remember that your billable hours will generally make up only 20% to 60% of your total working hours."

Yet another thing I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out.

It's a good thing for writers to talk about money. (It's an even better thing for writers to make money, if you ask me.) The more we share ideas and strategies for making the most of our writing time, the more we'll be able to make a living doing what we love. And nothing matters more than that!

On Edits and Evergreens

I'm in the midst of a very tedious, bird-by-bird edit of an enormous project for one of my favorite clients. It's a legacy project -- one over 5 years in development that took over 2 years to write. I'm not only proofing for grammatical and punctuation errors, but I'm also looking for format, style, and layout issues. The completed project, including supplemental material is over 175,000 words -- the equivalent of 4 full non-fiction projects... I spent the entire day making sure every comma was in the right place.

The tone for the day was set when I received the news that the winners of the 3-Day Novel Contest have been announced. And they are not me. Or I am not they.

In any case -- I'm not on the list. Evidently, the writing I do while recuperating from the swine flu is not up to snuff. Most depressing.

And the edit continues.

It's a necessary thing, this edit. And I'm happy to do it. But it's slow going. It's an odd layout with thin margins, nearly no white space, and skinny, squished sans-serif font -- which means that in a very short time span, my right eye develops an irritating involuntary twitch and begins to beg for mercy. And at the end of the day, there isn't a creative cell in my body that's willing to stand up and insist that I pay attention to it.

Which means that when the edit is done, I'm going to have to spend a day or two recharging my vision and my muse.

Earlier today, I served as a guest contributor on Missy Frye's Incurable Disease of Writing blog. My piece explains how writers can use evergreens (finished, polished pieces) to keep the momentum of their careers going while still taking time to regroup after finishing a major project.

It appears that the timing is fortuitous. I'm looking forward to spending a day with my evergreens. I can't wait to take my own advice.

If I ever get this edit finished...