by lcelum@yahoo.com | Jan 2, 2021 | Blog, Creativity and the Writing Process, FAQ, Lands Uncharted
A few months ago I began a series addressing the question that I receive the most: What do I do with my story idea. In the first installments of this multi-part answer, I talked about writing down everything you know about the idea and beginning a social media presence. Today, I’m going to discuss how to proceed with the writing.
To be clear, there is never a time when you should stop writing. The ideal is to work on your story and your marketing in tandem, so that they balance each other. This will help you fend off the marketing burnout that all of us experience at one point or another.
If you are new to this series, or would like a recap of the full answer, here are the steps in brief:
As promised, here is the full list in brief:
1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. [Read more here.]
2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform. Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. [Read more here.]
3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft.
4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. [Read more here.]
5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. [Read more here.]
6. Start an e-mail list. [Read more here.]
7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback. [Read more here.]
8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it. [Read more here.]
9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run. [Read more here.]
10. Start the next story!
Presuming you’ve done step one and are working on step two, it’s time to return to your original idea and begin to give it some structure. The most common structure, and a great place to start, is the Three Act Structure. The name comes from Aristotle’s Poetics, in which he discusses how every story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Fast forward a few thousand years and incorporate the advent and growth of the movie industry, and you have a story structure that is built around Act I: the introduction and development phase; Act II: the conflict and struggle phase; and Act II: the achievement and resolution phase.
If you are anything like me, at this point you’re thinking you don’t want your writing to be formulaic. You’re concerned that your writing won’t stand out, or that it will lack a spark of life if you follow a common method. I wrestled with this for years until I thought about it from the perspective of architecture. If you’ve ever seen a house being built, you know that nothing can be accomplished until the foundation is laid and the frame is in place. So, too, with writing. Rather than being a formula, the Three Act Structure is the framework. What you build around it is up to you, and can be as original and inventive as you like.
I had originally planned to go into a discussion about the Three Act Structure here, but I’m already coming to the end of my word count, and there are countless resources out there to help with this, so I’ll list some of my favorites for you to explore:
The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermason
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
Specifically for Teens: The One Year Adventure Novel by Daniel Schwabauer. I cannot recommend this resource highly enough. It is a one-year writing curriculum that ends with a chance of publication, so if you are a teen who desires to write speculative fiction, there is no better option to pursue.
Of course, there are many more good resources out there, and I’m always looking to improve my craft, so are there any that you recommend? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
This post was originally written for Lands Uncharted on 3.12.2019.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Jan 2, 2021 | Blog, Creativity and the Writing Process, FAQ, Lands Uncharted
“I didn’t sign on for this,” I moan as I flop onto the couch. “I want to be a writer, not a marketer. If I wanted to be a marketer, I’d have gone to college for a marketing degree.”
I know I’m complaining just to vent. The fact of the matter is a writer without an audience is only half a writer. I’m tired an overwhelmed, but I know that once I’ve rested I will renew my marketing efforts. I have to. With one million new books being self-published in 2017 alone (Books and Such, Steve Laube), I have no choice but to get back on my computer and make myself known, and a social media platform is crucial to making this happen.
In my August On Writing post, I gave a list of actions I recommend for people who want to turn a story idea into a published novel and promised to go into greater detail as the opportunity arose. The full list (with links) can be found at the end of this post. In today’s post I will address the second step on that list: developing your social media platform.
At its most basic, a social media platform is simply defined as your on-line presence. IF you engage in Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other social media app, then you have a platform. If you desire to be known as an author, you just need to develop that platform a little more, to make sure it contains three key elements.
1) Social Media Apps
Since I’ve already mentioned them, let’s begin here. This is the step that will require the least amount of agony on your part—just keep doing what you’re already doing. There’s no way to be actively involved on every platform available, so pick two or three that you’re already good at and continue to build your following. Don’t post about your writing every day, though. Research shows that people are tired of being sold to on social media. They want to engage, instead. So keep regularly posting content that displays your personality and your interests, and throw in posts about your writing once a week or so.
2) A Website (with an optional blog)
In the internet-driven age in which we live, a website is absolutely crucial. People need to be able to find you in a web-based space where your writing can be showcased without having to compete with others who share the same cyberspace.
The purpose of your website is to showcase your writing, and a blog is a great way for new authors to do this. While conventional wisdom is shifting in the majority’s opinion about the necessity of a blog, nearly everyone agrees that it can be an excellent way for readers to taste the flavor of your poetry or prose. If you wonder what to blog about, you can post some of your better writing excerpts from whatever you’re working on at the time. Or you can keep a digital journal your writing experience on a daily or weekly basis. Another option is to join a blog hop or a blogging group. There are also a ton of lists available on the internet; simply use the term “blog ideas for fiction writers” on your favorite search engine.
3) An Email List
Many book marketing experts will tell you that your email list is the single, most critical part of your platform because this is where you build your tribe—the group of readers who love your stuff so much that they can’t wait to read more. However, when you’re just starting out, this can be daunting. You don’t want to invest a lot of money into something that’s only going to reach a few people. Fortunately, there are ways to solve that. Many email providers have sliding rates based on the number of readers you send content to, and some even start out free. Utilizing the services of one of these websites would be a great way to learn the basics of email formatting and content so that, when the day comes, you will be ready to connect via this venue.
Even though I’ve only listed three aspects as the foundation of your social media platform, each aspect is so nuanced and multi-faceted that they can take a long time to master. If you need more information about any of the things mentioned here, some of the resources I access frequently are the Novel Marketing podcast, the Creative Penn podcast, and the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Marketing podcast, as well as Your first 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl, and Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers by Seth Godin.
As promised, here is the full list in brief:
1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. [Read more here.]
2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform. Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine.
3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. [Read more here.]
4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. [Read more here.]
5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. [Read more here.]
6. Start an e-mail list. [Read more here.]
7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback. [Read more here.]
8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it. [Read more here.]
9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run. [Read more here.]
10. Start the next story!
As always, you can also feel free to comment below or contact me at Lauricia.Matuska@gmail.com
This post was originally written for Lands Uncharted on 10.23.2018.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Jan 2, 2021 | #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Blog, FAQ
“I have an idea for a book I want to write. Where do I start?”
This is, by far, the number one question about writing that I get asked. My answer has two parts.
The first part is very simple: write down everything you already know about the story. Whether that means details about characters, freewriting about story elements or direction, snippets of scenes or (if you’re lucky) entire scenes, whatever you have in your mind, get it all down. Don’t edit. Don’t censor. For now, just dig and discover. Commit every. single. thing. you can think of to the page. Push to find all of the tidbits you possibly can. You’re not writing the story now; you’re just brainstorming, so you can’t do anything wrong at this point as long as you keep going. When there’s nothing left, push again. Look for more.
When you’ve exhausted all you already know and all you’ve discovered about the story, put it aside for a while. Designate a set amount of time (longer than you think is comfortable) during which you absolutely cannot write anything relating to your idea. This will achieve one of two things. It will either give you some peace because the idea is as developed as you can currently make it, or it will generate more tidbits about the idea. Repeat this process until nothing else springs up.
It is very important that you do as much as you can with this discovery process, before you do anything else. This is because everything else is hard work and is often accompanied by lots of doubt and misgiving, so you want to get the original idea down as purely and as completely as you can imagine it for those moments when you can’t seem to find which way is up. This does not mean your idea won’t change. Expect it to grow and develop as you go through the rest of the process. But completing this step before any other will help you remember why you wanted to write this particular story in the first place.
The rest of my answer is not so simple and will require a lot of focused effort and time. I’m giving you a list today, but each step is nuanced and layered. If all goes as planned, I will go into detail about each of these steps in future posts. For today, however, here’s the list. Keeping in mind that what I’ve already told you counts as step one, then:
2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform. Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. [Read more here.]
3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. [Read more here.]
4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. [Read more here.]
5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. [Read more here.]
6. Start an e-mail list. [Read more here.]
7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback. [Read more here.]
8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it. [Read more here.]
9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run. [Read more here.]
10. Start the next story!
If it sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is, but don’t worry… you’re up to it! All you need to do is take one step at a time. Start with step one… get your fabulous idea down on paper, then tune in for the next installment in this series to find out how to proceed with step two.
For those of you who are already knee-deep in any part of this cycle, I’d love to hear which parts you find easiest and/or most difficult and why. Let me know in the comments!
This post was originally written for Lands Uncharted on 8.14.2018.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Oct 23, 2018 | Blog, FAQ, Lands Uncharted
“I didn’t sign on for this,” I moan as I flop onto the couch. “I want to be a writer, not a marketer. If I wanted to be a marketer, I’d have gone to college for a marketing degree.”
I know I’m complaining just to vent. The fact of the matter is a writer without an audience is only half a writer. I’m tired an overwhelmed, but I know that once I’ve rested I will renew my marketing efforts. I have to. With one million new books being self-published in 2017 alone (Books and Such, Steve Laube), I have no choice but to get back on my computer and make myself known, and a social media platform is crucial to making this happen.
Read more here.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Aug 16, 2017 | #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, FAQ
In regard to the writing industry, one of the areas I am questioned about the most is the arena of publishing. People often ask if they should publish traditionally or independently (see my post about that here) and how they should go about becoming traditionally published should they choose that route. If you’ve decided traditional publishing is for you, and you want to know how to get started, I recommend four things:
1. Build your on-line platform
At its most basic, this means develop an on-line presence. You must have a web page, preferably with a blog, but focused mainly around displaying your novel. If your novel is not front-and-center on your web page, then you need to reformat it. You are a writer—you sell stories. Everything else is bonus.
In addition to a web page, you want a strong presence on at least two forms of social media. Facebook and Twitter are common, as are Tumbler, Instagram, and WattPad. (If you are a writer and you don’t know about WattPad, you need to check it out. Major potential to build a following there.)
What if you’re not published yet? It’s never too early to get started. As a matter of fact, starting now will give you an advantage when your book finally hits the market. All of your social media followers will be more likely to purchase your published work so, viola, instant sales numbers!
The thing to keep in mind about an on-line platform is interaction. Don’t try to do everything, because you can’t, but also because this will spread you too thin. Pick two or three social media forums to master, then interact with others (I can’t emphasize this enough). Prospective editors are looking for the number of potential buyers your social media followers represent. It does no good to have followers in the thousands if they are not interested in purchasing your work. Demonstrable interaction with your followers is a huge draw to potential editors because it shows that you will bring a likely return on their investment.
As for what to put on your blog, I’m still learning about that. I’ve read that it’s easier for non-fiction authors because they can continue to blog about the topics of their publications. For fiction authors, however, it’s not quite so easy. If I find a good list of topics to recommend, I’ll let you know, but if you have any suggestions for blog content for fantasy novelists, I’d love to hear them in the comments below.
2. Obtain a copy of the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, published annually by Writer’s Digest. (This is not an affiliate link)
If you publish something else, like poetry, never fear… they have a plethora of different market guides. This is just the one I’m the most familiar with. However, no matter what you write, if you are seeking traditional publication, then you NEED this book in your life. It contains everything: a section of advisory articles about current topics in the publishing industry; a section on how to format query letters and manuscripts for submission to agents and editors; a section on writing competitions; another section on writer’s conferences; and, most importantly, a list of agents and a list of editors who are seeking clients, along with the specifications of how to submit your work to them.
Wait, why did I mention an agent? Do you need an agent? That depends. If, like me, your eyes tend to glaze over when it comes to fine details and deep analysis of numbers, then yes, you need an agent. Also, agents already have an “in” with publishers. They have relationships that allow them to recommend your work, which gives the added bonus of someone beside your mom who loves your work enough to recommend it to someone else. (Don’t worry, I’m not dissing moms. My mom is one of my greatest supporters. She will tell people to by my book before I even think to address the topic. So moms rock, but they are a bit biased…)
3. Follow all formatting guidelines
You are seeking professional publication. Take the time to find out what the professionals want, and tailor your submission to their specifications. This sounds easy, but you would not believe how many people disregard this advice. Trust me: following submission guidelines to the letter will set you apart and get you noticed in a good way.
4. Attend writing conferences
As a writer on a very tight budget, this one is hard for me (see my post about it here). I always struggle about whether or not the cost of a writer’s conference is a necessity or an indulgence. However, for reasons I detail in the a fore-linked post, I believe this step is crucial. Many agents and publishers are beginning not to accept manuscripts submitted from out of the blue. There is such a glut of writing in today’s market, and such an abundance of authors who want to be traditionally published, that a significant number of agents and publishers are only accepting submissions pitched at a writer’s conference.
What if you’re not pitching anything? In my opinion, this is even better because it places you in a position to meet industry professionals with no strings attached. Get to know the agents and publishers as people; build a relationship with them before you pitch to them. This will allow you to obtain insight into their work and what they are looking for without the uncomfortable 15 minute speed-query, which will save you a lot of rejections in the long-run.
This, then, is the list of things I always tell someone who asks me about getting started with traditional publishing. However, this list is not exhaustive! If there are any questions I have not addressed here that you would like me to answer, or if you have any other recommendations, please let me know in the comments below. Happy writing!
To continue hopping through other great blogs in the monthly #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, or to join in, click here.
