Welcome to My Worlds: A Bipolar Christian Tells All

Booooo-Yah!

Hey Gang,

Well, you may have noted the name change on my blog. It’s in honor of the humorous narrative non-fiction proposal I’m writing.

It’s my blog, and I’m gonna write what I want, when I want, how I want. No list host to answer to. No politically correct stuff. Some of you may not know, but I have opinions in a lot of areas. I’m gonna be blunt. No, I don’t wanna hurt anyone’s feelings, but I’ll state the truth according to Kelly. I look forward to posts that agree, and disagree, with mine. 

Now, you faithful bloggers get this info ahead of everyone else. Here are the directions to apply for Mortimer Literary’s Mentorship Award. What is the Mentorship Award? I designed it to take a newbie writer, and in one year, teach said writer what it takes to get published. This includes my advice, and line edits, but you gotta have the idea. At the end of 12 months I hope to represent this writer and sell their manuscript.

You must have at least 50 pages written in order to apply, and must follow the entry instructions to the letter. If ya don’t, you’re out. I have a lot of friends, and I wanna keep ‘em, so this is blind for me, like a contest entry. Any hint of who you are, and you’re out. Your directions are below.

Away we go…

Submit: Three pages as attachments in a single e-mail. Subject of the email should be:    Kelly’s Competition - (Title of Your Entry)

 ·        A cover page in Microsoft Word  (.doc). Cover page includes: entrant’s name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number (if you have one), e-mail address, and the entry title. Name the file: cover.doc .

·        The first page of your completed manuscript or work-in-progress. Font must be in either Times New Roman or Courier New, 12 pt. Page must have 1” margins, and no more than 300 words. The only identification in the header is the genre/sub genre. (eg: Paranormal Romance, Inspirational Historical, etc.) All genres accepted except Romantic Suspense, Inspirational Romantic Suspense, (Have enough great authors in these areas. Sorry!) and Erotica or Romantica). The entrant’s name must not appear anywhere in the entry file. There must be no language, symbol, or other information on the page that indicates the entrant’s identity. Name the file: entry.doc .

·        A one-page essay on why I should choose you as the winner of the Mentorship Award. If you give me a clue as to who you are, you’re out. Seems harsh, but y’all are writers. Be ingenious! Same formatting rules for this page as for the entry page. Name the file: essay.doc .
 

Send submission to: gv@brandhomework.com no sooner than midnight, September 30, Pacific Time.

Entries limited to the first 100 who follow all the rules, or close on November 15, 2008, whichever comes first. I’ll call the winner on Christmas Day (I know, but I love to be dramatic.), and offer the writer a Letter of Intent (meaning it’s my intent to represent this work if it’s up to snuff at the end of the year, and you can’t submit the work anywhere else until the year is up).

Work starts after my birthday, which is January 10^th, and will run until I feel the work is ready to submit to publishers, or December 31, 2009, whichever comes first. If the work ain’t ready by December 31, 2009, you’ll still be in better shape than you were. There’s no cost to enter. You have my permission to put this info on any loop or newsletter.

Direct any questions to the e-mail address you submitted to.

May the worst writer with the best voice win! (No, I ain’t kiddin’. This award is for someone who has no chance of publication without more help than anyone else is willing to give…)

Smiles, Kelly - The Extreme Agent  

Hope y’all are havin’ a great evening. Here’s another nugget of wisdom for ya. I’m in the less-is-more crowd. Many writers fill their verbiage with superfluous words. We covered intensifiers yesterday. Today, it’s qualifiers. Ugh. 

Definition: An unnecessary word that blurs your meaning and weakens your sentence.  

Something is, or it isn’t. No reason to shroud your sentence in the fog, to sap the strength from the meaning of it (okay, so I’m being overly dramatic. Biiig surprise!). 

Here’s your example: It was a bit cold outside. Can anyone guess what the qualifier is? “A bit.” As previously stated, something is, or it isn’t. Is it cold, or not? If it is, go back to yesterday’s lesson, where we used the word “frigid.” It was frigid outside. If your character isn’t in

Antarctica, use a descriptive word that isn’t so strong. It was chilly outside. 

I know, I don’t allow sentences to begin with “it was,” but for the sake of the example, I let it pass. I juggle two businesses in the daytime, and start working on my handbag business at 8 p.m. Last night I went to bed at 3 a.m. and got up at 6:00. “It was” is lookin’ good right now. 

Other qualifying offenders are: rather, a little, a lot, seemed, only, slightly, just, almost, nearly, sort of, kind of, etc. (No, “etc.” isn’t a qualifier.) 

Remember, there are exceptions, especially in dialogue. Every character has a different speech pattern. Some of these words are also appropriate when one character speculates on what another character is thinking.  

Night night. Hope you join me on the morrow for your last mini-lesson. 

Smiles,Kelly 

Sorry this is so late. I got all caught up in the convention speeches, and I’m on Pacific time.So, what’s an intensifier?

An intensifier emphasizes the word it modifies. What does that mean? I think an example is worth 1,000 words. Here’s a typical scenario where one might use an intensifier: What was she thinking when she traveled to

Antarctica? That place could be really cold! The intensifier is “really,” which modifies the word “cold.” You can prop up a weak word, but it’s still weak. In this instance, one-plus-one doesn’t equal two, it equals l-a-z-y. Find a stronger word. Here’s one for ya: What was she thinking when she traveled to

Antarctica? That place could be frigid. 

Other examples of heinous intensifiers are: very, totally, quite, extremely, severely, etc. (No, etc. isn’t an intensifier.) 

Note: There are exceptions. Use your head. If those words were never correct, they wouldn’t be words. And remember that intensifiers have their place in dialogue, as everyone has different speech patterns. Hope ya pop in on the morrow for lesson number three. Smiles,Kelly 

Ugh. I keep my hands off dialogue, but when it comes to the rest, I’m tough, but for a reason. To help. Tellin’ you you have the next best thing to havin’ me rep ya, won’t help if it ain’t true. So what can up your chances? Show the agents and editors you know something most writers don’t. Here’s one of four tips (the others will appear Wed., Thurs., and Friday).

I don’t like it, and everyone does it. The dreaded reflexive pronoun use.

Definition: Only use pronouns ending in “self,” when the pronoun refers back to the subject. Don’t use “own” in conjunction with a pronoun when referring back to the subject.

Examples, please! Okay, okay. No worries.

Only use pronouns ending in “self,” when the pronoun refers back to the subject. Ex: “I hit myself.” A piece of cake, or pie, depending on what ya like. Right?

Here’s a format I see often: “His own brother hated him.” No, no,  no! This should read, “His brother hated him.” Why say ‘his own brother’? Like is brother isn’t his own? Clean up the little things. A lot of little things can add up to one big thing. Oops, thats, “a big thing…”

Finally! So, what is the Mortimer Literary Mentorship Award? It’s my attempt to complete my main mission in life: to help writers. I can’t help everyone, but I can help one.

The second week in January, I’ll begin by evaluating the recipient’s first chapter. From there, I’ll spend up to twelve months working with that writer, moving toward the goal of representation and the sale of the manuscript.

Here’s the deal, in advance, as the newsletter gang won’t see this until later. I’ll be accepting applications from October 1-31. Application includes contact info, the first full page (250 words in Courier New, 300 words in Times New Roman)  of your completed manuscript in any genre except erotica or Romantica, and a one-page essay on why I should chose you.

Oh, I can’t forget to mention this part. I can’t know who you are. I have lots of friends, and I’d like to keep it that way. Applications won’t go to me. I’m running this as I would a contest. I’ll want the genre and word count in the header, and the title of the manuscript. Sooo, it has to be a manuscript you’ve never submitted to me. I’ll take the first 100 applications that meet all the requirements. And if your submission comes in before midnight on Sept. 30th, we’ll disqualify you, so no jumpin’ the gun.

This program isn’t designed for the writer who has one foot in the publishing door, but for a writer who needs extra, time-consuming help, that I’ll give with a light and happy heart.

Now ya have the basics, so get ready!

Hi,

I’m here, if anyone wants ta chat…

This is, without a doubt, the most difficult sense to incorporate into one’s writing. After all, what does one taste when one isn’t eating?  

Reminders are one way to manage to insert the sense of taste into a scene. Remember my great-grandmother’s apple pie? The smell of baking apples with cinnamon triggers that taste sense in my mouth.  

Aroma and taste are closely connected. When one has a cold and cant’ smell anything, food also tends toward the tasteless or the peculiar. 

We also taste in other ways. Fear brings a flavor to our mouths, a dry, tinny sensation. Your character wakes up from a blow on the head and has a foul taste in one’s mouth. I’ve heard this described in numerous ways. Think of something nasty that goes as far in description as you like and you have it. 

Your character is traveling on a bicycle, motorcycle, or horse. The road is dusty. He tastes—what is in the area? Alkali? Copper? Or maybe she’s lying in the grass nibbling on a blade of it. Yes, this is technically eating, but it’s not a meal or snack. 

Think about licking one’s lips, or the character licking her lips in nervousness. What does she taste? Minty lip gloss from the trendy natural makeup shop, or the cheap waxy tasting stuff from the drugstore. Either way says a lot about her taste—as in fashion sense—or budget or current circumstances. 

Then, of course, when lips meet other lips, we have taste. This can go either way. If you want your characters to kiss later in the scene, don’t let them eat garlic or onions for dinner. They may taste good to the eater, but not to the kisser. Make it something delightful like chocolate cake or strawberries or baklava. 

This post is shorter, as taste is probably used less than any of the senses. If characters are tasting all the time, they’ll come across like they’re stuck on the oral faze of development when a child puts everything in its mouth. Taste is the ultimate spice, the most expensive, and must be used the least. I don’t like rules, so I won’t say one taste per scene, but one per chapter is probably a good goal to set. 

Thank you all for letting me visit here. I have received some notes that this has been helpful. If you have further questions, you can always reach me at: 

http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com 

Our olfactory sense is the first to develop, I recall learning from college biology. Smells trigger memory faster than sight our sound or touch. Even after thirty years, the smell of apple pie reminds me of my Grandma Abernathy, though she died when I was quite young. But those pies were an early childhood pleasure, and nothing has ever compared quite as favorably to them in smell or taste. 

Smell is one of our first lines of defense. I remember reading an article about this in which the wife kept saying she smelled gas. The husband smelled nothing. Finally, she grew concerned enough that they called the gas company. It took even the technician a while to find a miniscule leak in their gas line. The technician asked the man if his wife were pregnant. The husband didn’t think so, but that day, the wife found out she was. 

Apparently, pregnancy enhances the sense of smell to protect the mother from breathing toxins, get away from fire, perhaps, way back, detect wild animals getting too close. 

For myself, I use scent as an orientation tool. Think of the aromas you smell walking through a mall. Starbucks probably. One of those bath shops, and let’s not forget the candle store. We have a Coldstone ice cream shop right across the street. It doesn’t attract me, though I love ice cream. Why? Because the smell of the cakes and brownies baking is so overpowering, I get a sugar overload just walking past, setting up my gag reflex. 

Yes, smell saves us from swallowing substances that aren’t good for us. If you smell bitter almonds, don’t drink the poisoned soft drink, Heroine. 

Smell can be used as attraction. In my book Family Guardian, my heroine is a perfumer. Her nose is sensitive. She can pick the hero out of a crowd just by smell. She finds the bad guy by a peculiar aroma he carries with him. 

In case you haven’t figured this out, scent fascinates me. I’ve read a number of books on aromatherapy, as well as Diane Ackermann’s wonderful book A Natural History of the Senses. Yet incorporating it into one’s writing can be really difficult. One can only mention the hero’s aroma of sandalwood or the heroine’s lavender fragrance so many times before you annoy the reader. 

To involve scent in the story, one must get truly creative, for I believe we don’t consciously smell things as much as we see, hear, and even touch them. Scent, however, because of its importance to us as human beings, may draw the reader right into the middle of a scene more than any other sense. 

Audrey remained on the platform amidst a collection of trunks and valises until the locomotive’s last whistle died from the valley and pine resin scent from the planks beneath her feet overpowered the stench of coal smoke. 

With no other background here, you know this story is set somewhere in the past. Resin from the planks beneath her feet and the stench of coal smoke. The fact she can smell the resin implies heat enough to draw that out, thus using smell to suggest the sense of touch. Coal smoke is an older train. If I’d said diesel instead, the time would have moved well into the twentieth century. 

Smell is so important to us one shouldn’t even sprinkle it judiciously through one’s writing. One should use it like ground red pepper in cooking—with an extremely delicate hand. Think of its impact on the reader, but do not, under any circumstances, leave it out or you are missing an opportunity to connect your reader to your scene.

By Laurie Alice Eakes 

The sense of touch is one of the richest layers you can add to a story to enhance the reader experience of being there with the characters, of being the characters. One can use the sense of touch, of feeling the world around one, to indicate mood, attraction, even fear. It’s an excellent way to show rather than tell. 

The heat of the sun felt like a physical weight bearing down upon him. 

In fourteen words, this line conveys the sensation of temperature. We know the weather and possibly the climate, at least that it’s someplace or time of year with a hot sun. Even more, the reaction to that sensation of heat translates into mood. This guy is unhappy. He’s oppressed by the sun’s warmth, whereas someone else could be invigorated or relaxed by it. 

He brushed his thumb across her lower lip, leaving her mouth tingling with anticipation. 

Does this lady like this gentleman? Does she want another touch, perhaps a kiss? The line certainly tells us so. That brush of the thumb could have left a reaction of revulsion. She might have jerked away, scrubbed her lips in response. The word ‘brush’ conveys gentleness. He cares about her enough to want to be gentle, to hint at further contact. Yet, despite portraying attraction, the scene maintains purity of contact. 

His hard fingers clamped across her mouth with enough pressure to cut off her breath. 

In contrast, this guy’s fingers are hard, not gentle, clamping, not brushing. We have pressure blocking breathing. Lots of sensation here. We begin to feel the panic of not being able to breathe, fear of suffocation. Knowing nothing else, these few words of touch indicate this is not a nice man, and, for the moment, the woman is helpless. 

Also in touch, we fix the reader in the time and place. A character feeling the texture of rough wool against her skin shows the reader a far different image than a character enjoying the light smoothness of silk. 

A character running barefoot across a lawn is going to feel cool grass or rough stubble, or the rocks protruding from the ground, etc. A doorhandle is usually metal and perhaps slippery beneath a sweating palm, as a character is about to open the door and make an important speech, or walk out of a house for the last time. 

With judicious sprinkling, touch is a layer that enriches your writing, conveying mood, and drawing the reader deeper into your story.

Once upon a time, a friend sent me a few pages of a manuscript she was critiquing. Something was wrong with it, but she couldn’t figure out what. The writing was excellent. The author—whose name I still do not know—used action verbs, kept the pace going, and possessed an excellent command of grammar. Yet I, too, found something missing when I finished the scene. 

A second read-through told me the answer: She had no auditory words. Flames stabbed from gun barrels, snow floated from the sky, and wheels slipped on icy patches. We heard no booming of shots, no crunch of wheels, and no voices. In short, she’d produced an excellent silent movie. 

Yesterday, I suggested sprinkling visual details so as not to slow the action or bog the reader down with irrelevant pictures. Today, in discussing incorporating sound, the auditory sense, I don’t want to be repetitious in instructions; therefore, I won’t tell you to sprinkle auditory words throughout the scene. 

In fact, too many writers are so judicious in sprinkling sound in their work, they leave it out altogether. 

Dialogue can be construed as sound. Yet, without an occasional suggestion of a tone of voice, one may as well have a speech synthesizer reading. No, the words themselves are not always enough to judge tone of voice. Think of this: 

“I love you,” she said. 

Or 

“I love you.” She spoke through gritted teeth. 

The first one: Yeah, that’s nice. Second one: Whoa, what’s going on here? 

In other areas, unless someone is profoundly deaf, people live in a world of sound. Think about what you can hear right now? For me, it’s the murmur of the ceiling fan, the distant hiss of air brakes, the click of a computer keyboard, one cat giving herself a bath and the other’s bell jangling as he tries to persuade me to play with him. 

Since we are surrounded by sound, to have our characters not be surrounded by sound is cutting the reader out of experiencing the character’s world. For today’s before and after, I’m using something I have written. This is being told through the point of view of a third party not in this snatch of dialogue. I’ve changed the original as though I included no auditory sense. 

“Thank you, but I’m not leaving until I either have the keys to this practice or the money back,” Dr. Vanderleyden said.  

“You can’t have either.” Doc’s heavy footfalls stalked across the room, making the floor vibrate. 

“You’re drinking in the middle of the afternoon?” Dr. Vanderleyden asked. 

What’s lacking? Tone of voice and thus most of the emotion. Any signal that the guy pours himself a drink. Any movement. It’s talking heads. 

I have deliberately neglected the visual input here because this is through the point of view of a character who is blind, so the auditory clues are paramount. 

Here is the original:  

“Thank you, but I’m not leaving until I either have the keys to this practice or the money back.” As smooth as warm maple syrup or not, Audrey Vanderleyden’s voice held a thread of steel.

“You can’t have either.” Doc’s heavy footfalls stalked across the room, making the floor vibrate. A drawer scraped open. Glass clinked

.“You’re drinking in the middle of the afternoon?” Dr. Vanderleyden sounded appalled. 

Through sound alone, we have:  

attitude—sounding appalled

character—steel in the voice

movement—scrape of the drawer opening

action—glass clinking 

Unless your character lives in a silent world, sound is a crucial sense to add to your work.

 

Writing with Good Senses

 

Since many of the latest posts have been about the business side of writing, I am going to concentrate on the craft side of writing during my visit here. We have five days. We have five senses; therefore, I will take a different sense every day.

Today, let’s talk about visual detail. This one nearly everyone gets right. We live in a visually sensory world, where everything from advertisements to the plate of food we are served at a restaurant are arranged to appeal to the eye. In writing, we want our readers to visualize the scene playing out, be able to play it in their heads like a movie unfolding on the screen. Chances are, superimposed over the computer screen or paper full of words before you, you see your characters running or sleeping; hiding or strolling through the grass; swimming or… You get the idea. But how do you convey these images to the reader without bogging them down with detail?

Spread out the descriptions. This is so basic you’d think everyone would get it. They don’t. From the local paper to bestselling novels, to manuscripts I judge in contests, I find paragraphs describing a place or event in detail. I don’t want to give a negative example of something others might recognize, so I’m making something up. It’s awful, and it’s a fair representation of what is out there.

He drove up to the house. It was big and green with gambrel windows above and picture windows below. A sidewalk bisected the front lawn, leading to a stoop.

A child sat on that stoop. She was as small as the house was big with blond pigtails and bare feet.

He got out of the car and slammed the door. “Hi,” he said to the child.

“You did come.” She bounded off the step and ran down the sidewalk.

What’s the focal point here? The house or the child or the man or the car? That depends on the story. We’ll focus on the man and child. So let’s focus on visualizing them.

He spotted the green house and parked the car in front. Sunlight reflected off the windows, blinding him, and for a moment, he didn’t see the child sitting on the front steps until she stood, shoving her bare feet into flip-flops.

“Hi.” He climbed from the car and slammed the door.

She raced down the sidewalk to the street, blond pigtails flying. “You came.”

Although setting details are minimal, the reader gains the impression it’s the only green house, a sidewalk from steps to street implies lawn or some yard, so we can presume town or suburbia or city neighborhood. It’s a house, not an apartment building or school. He’s in a car, so it’s contemporary—probably. Enough detail sprinkled throughout the narrative to let the reader visualize the setting.

Likewise, we sprinkle details about the child through the mix. She rises and puts on flip-flops. She runs and her pigtails fly. Youngish child. Excited child.

Sprinkled is the operative word. Spread your visual details out. Blend them with the action to keep the sense of sight flowing, which keeps the story moving.

Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories in her head. One day she started putting them down on paper. Lots of practice, a degree in English from Asbury College and a Master in writing from Seton Hill University culminated in the publication of her first hardcover Family Guardian, which won the 2006 National Readers choice Award for Best Regency. She has also sold essays, articles, and other novels. Her next book, Better than Gold has just been released from Barbour Publishing. 

She lives outside Washington, DC with her husband, a law student at Georgetown University, and sundry animals.

Here it is Friday already. Today, I’m opening this blog to your questions on:

parenting,
writing,
speaking, or
marketing.

I’ll springboard our “virtual workshop” by posting common questions I receive along with my answers. Afterward, feel free to post your question.

As a parenting speaker Brenda, what topics do you address?
Number one: discipline. Close behind that are toilet teaching, understanding temperament, and boosting a child’s school success. Depending on the program planner’s request, some want my Kindergarten readiness talk and others request a review of normal child development. To keep things interesting and fresh, each of my presentations is unique; some use power point, some use role-play, and some have silly jokes. When I was in Iowa last year, the event planner asked me to close an early childhood conference with “Women Are Winners” — a motivational, lighthearted talk about the volume of work women do. It’s based on the Proverbs 31 poem. For easy access, I’ve posted a menu of my topics at http://www.brendanixon.com/topics.htm.

What are little things I can do to build my daughter’s self-esteem?
Always build up your daughter’s other parent. Think about it this way; it takes two people to make one. Your daughter is a combo of her daddy and mommy. When you say negative, demeaning things about her opposite parent, you’ve insulted half of who she is. Also, value your child’s uniqueness. Kids don’t have to always agree with us or follow in our footsteps. They may have their own opinions, likes, and dislikes that differ from ours. Yet well-meaning parents often push their child to go into a sport, be an academic winner, or pursue the parent’s unmet dream. I love the little poem, “Accept Me” by Ruth Reardon.

ACCEPT ME – for what I am
Not what I could have been or even will be.
Accept me.
Acceptance must be present tense, with no conditions, and based on reality.
If windows of your heart must rosy-tinted be you have not accepted me.
See me as I am without distortion of your dreams . . .
A human being, beautiful, unique.
Free to grow according to the seen within myself.
Accept me – so I need not twist myself to fit your pattern. . .
But resting in acceptance, can grow.

Which is easier to sell, a well-written novel or nonfiction?
In today’s market — there’s less fiction selling than nonfiction. If you’re a novelist, be aware that there’s less opportunity to sell your work so write a stellar book while building strong visibility in the marketplace. All writers need visibility - or a platform - through blog tours, speaking gigs, media interviews, and a website.

What books have you contributed to?
Oh my, at last count it’s 23. Take a peek and tell me http://www.brendanixon.com/writer.htm.Okay, who is next?  

Three Tips for Improving Your Table’s Appeal
by Brenda Nixon

Wow, it’s Thursday already. This week has zipped by. Speaking of zip, do you know how to punch up your table at speaking engagements or booksignings? 

I always offer a table of childrearing resources including my CDs and books. Speaking pros refer to this as Back of Room (BOR) sales.  

Whether you’re a speaker with a BOR table or are doing a signing at a Barnes & Noble store, you must attract attention to your table. Here are three tips for a magnetic table. 

• First, bring a tablecloth and décor in case the store or program planner doesn’t provide such things. In my speaking contract, I ask the program planner to provide a tablecloth as it adds a touch of elegance and is much more attractive than placing my materials on a bare wooden - or scratched - tabletop. (However, I still tuck a white clothe inside my crate just in case a cloth is absent or the provided one doesn’t fit the table dimensions.) Table décor can be balloons, photographs, flowers, confetti, sign up sheets to receive your newsletter, and ancillary products related to your book(s) . . . whatever you like.

 

• Second, offer an affordable freebie such as individually wrapped candy. Just ask the store manager or program planner if it’s allowed. Some don’t want food indoors. For sanitation reasons, don’t lay out a bowl of M&Ms that everyone digs their dirty hands into – believe me, I’ve seen this and it’s a turn off! My friend and co-author on A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, Cathy Messecar, opts for a bowl of smiley faces to give away. She says you can buy a bag of 200 in different sizes at Hobby Lobby for about $2. Now, that’s a small investment for attracting people to your table and giving them something to remember you by . . . even if they don’t purchase your book.

 

• Third, practice the marketing motto, “Build ‘em high to make sales fly.” Create visual interest in your table by building assorted tiers. Stand books up on end or prop them up with bookstands like stores use. Never leave your book laying flat on the table. With authors, the saying goes, “flat books mean flat sales.” Sometimes I use my bright, red plastic crate and pile books or CDs on top and inside. If you emptied a box to put materials on your table, invert that box, cover with a cloth and make use of this new elevation.

 You may think you’re a writer - or speaker - first, but being a savvy marketer is part of the job description. Do you have other attention-getting techniques? Please share what you do to pull people to your table. 

©2008, Brenda Nixon.

By Brenda Nixon 

This is Wednesday and as promised I’ll share some uncommon book promotion tips. . . no, not store signings, they’re blase and not a good way to sell bunches of books anyway.

Winnie the Pooh author, A.A. Milne observed, “Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.” Well, I don’t know about the fame part, but I’ve collected money from some maverick promotion methods. Here are a few. 

• Rubber Stamp. As soon as my first book was published, I purchased a rubber stamp promoting with, “New book takes terror out of raising tots; Parenting Power in The Early Years by Brenda Nixon, order toll free,” then gave a phone number. I branded every out-going envelope and box with this stamp. I never knew who might read my information while it was in transit. Are you missing opportunities to promote your book by failing to stamp every out-going piece? True, it’s difficult to measure sales using this method, but I believe it works.

• E-mail Signature Line. At the end of every e-mail message, subtly mention your book. It’s simple to go into your e-mail options and add a standard line – the signature – that will be included in all out-going messages. At the bottom of mine I have: “Brenda Nixon, www.BrendaNixon.com. Author of The Birth to Five Book.” Don’t let one e-mail pass without utilizing this stealth promotion technique.

• Join Professional Associations. Writer’s associations are mutually beneficial; you can learn to hone your craft plus network and promote your book. If you’re an author, consider The American Society of Journalists (ASJA), 1501 Broadway #302, New York , NY 10036 ; 212-997-0947; execdir@asja.org; www.asja.org. I’m a member of other professional associations. While promoting my book isn’t my goal for joining, it happens; and I’ve sold some through this avenue.

• Published Excerpts. “I find that writers often overlook the possibility of having book excerpts published in magazines,” says Stuart. “What you get paid for the excerpt is not as important as the exposure you book will receive.” Query a publication to see if it prints book excerpts. Then select a chapter from your book that is on a topic the publication is interested in or meets its editorial calendar. Many times I’ve sold a chapter from my self-published Parenting Power in the Early Years book to a magazine. It is easier to do this with self-published works. If you have a traditionally published book, first ask your publisher the policy about excerpts — since the publisher owns it.

• Think outside the box. Even if you write in the CBA market, you can promote to ABA.  Even if you self-publish you can get your book carried in chain bookstores — I’ve done it.
  Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, creatively think of organizations, groups, and individuals who need to know about your book. Say you write a book about Tuscany. Contact travel agencies about carrying your book in their office to sell to travelers or sell quantities to the agencies to use as an incentive to those who book a trip.

• Finally, do your Independent Reading . We’re all on a learning curve about publicity. I recommend reading Sally Stuart’s Guide to Getting Published (still available directly from her). There’s some information on marketing in her book. But, in my opinion, the bibles of marketing are Carmen Leal’s You Can Market Your Book: All the Tools You Need to Sell Your Published Book and The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days! by Fern Reiss.

Now, chime in with your uncommon book promo stories.  

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Brenda Nixon, www.BrendaNixon.com
Speaker to parents & professionals who serve children.
Author of The Birth to Five Book (Revell, ‘09) Parenting Power in the Early Years (WinePress, ‘01)
Get a dose of discipline tips at http://www.brendanixon.com/newsletter.htm Co-Author of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts www.Christmas-scrapbook.info

 By Brenda Nixon

On average, bookstore shoppers spend a mere 15 seconds scanning a book’s back cover. If you’re the author, this stat means you have precious little time to grab and hold a potential buyer’s attention, and help him make a purchase decision.

How do you do that? With glowing endorsements, of course.

People love reading what others think of a book, and endorsement can persuade people to buy it. Even if you’re self-publishing, you can secure endorsements for the back cover before your book goes to the printer.

How do you get endorsements before your book is published? Do the mental gymnastics and think of authors, doctors, theologians, celebrities, politicians, or high-profile people who have a wide circle of influence.

Then email those “influencers” asking if they’d provide an endorsement for your upcoming book. Be sure to give each a deadline to respond. Hopefully, they’ll reply in the affirmative and you can send the manuscript, the galleys, or a few chapters. Then gather the ones you like or those that best fit the book and send them to your publisher (or printer if you’re self-publishing).

 I co-authored a delightful Christmas giftbook, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. Months before the manuscript was finalized, I sought endorsements from several authors and even a university professor of Christmas history. One of the endorsements came back with a rave review. . . unfortunately after deadline. Now we’re using that comment on our book’s webpage. 

My parenting title, The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start, includes a variety of endorsements. One came from a dear friend and multi-published author, Martha Bolton. She writes, “Brenda Nixon’s new book is not a ‘look at everything you’re doing wrong’ instructional guide for parents. Rather, it is an encouraging and helpful aid to get you through those challenging early years. She answers your questions, treats mom and dad as important partners in the parenting process, and she does it all with the spirit of a teacher and coach. I highly recommend Brenda’s book to all new parents.” Signed, Martha Bolton, Emmy nominated writer and author of over 50 books. Isn’t that a compliment — but more important a way to woo potential readers to buy the book?

Think outside the box. Suppose you’re working on a book about hot vacation spots. Then contact travel agencies and the American Automobile Association (AAA) about giving your book an endorsement. Remember the adage, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Think beyond your book contract. Secure your cover endorsements now.

©2008, Brenda Nixon.

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Brenda Nixon, www.BrendaNixon.com
Speaker to parents & professionals who serve children.
Author of The Birth to Five Book (Revell, ‘09)
Parenting Power in the Early Years (WinePress, ‘01)
Get a dose of discipline tips at http://www.brendanixon.com/newsletter.htm Co-Author of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts www.Christmas-scrapbook.info

Hello,
I’m Brenda Nixon, Kelly’s guest blogger this week. Here’s my plan. Today, I’ll introduce myself so you know a bit about me and my writing history. Tomorrow, I’m posting on how to get endorsements for your upcoming book (you’re all writing a NY Times best seller, right?). Seriously, securing “influencer” endorsements for your book cover is a strong publicity strategy. Wednesday, I’ll share some uncommon book promotion tips. . . no, not store signings, they’re too common and they’re not a good way to sell bunches of books anyway. Thursday, I’ll share a bit about dressing up your booktable when you speak or do those booksignings. You do want to get people to come up to your table, right? And Friday, I’ll field any questions y’all may have. So that day, I’ll check in a couple times and see how I can serve you individually. Sound okay?

Growing up I did not aspire to be a writer. (hear the gasps?) I did not go to college and major in English, journalism, or communication. I did earn a Masters in Education. After marriage and two kids, God nudged me to leave my school district position, where I served as a parent educator, to become a professional speaker on child behavior/parenting. Little did I know what He had in store as I launched a vertical learning curve!

Since raising kids is universal, I spoke to both corporate and faith-based organizations. Sometimes I’d keynote a childcare conference or a PTA Open House, and sometimes I’d speak to parents every night at a church’s Vacation Bible School.

After a couple years developing a local speaking reputation, I began to recognize the marriage between speaking and writing. You see, audiences wanted something beyond the platform. I began writing parenting articles in a small publication. Then I contributed to compilations like Life’s Little Rule Book. I self-published a book, Parenting Power in the Early Years, continued building my speaking career, and became the parenting expert for Kansas City’s FOX TV4 Noon News.

My passion for helping parents to be more confident and competent drove me to join the National Speakers Association, local writers groups, and learn simultaneously about these two industries. I’m still learning. Even now after 12 years, I discover new information or ways to improve my platform or writing skills.  

To date, I’ve contributed to 24 books, co-authored A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, and  Parenting Power in the Early Years was picked up by Revell to release this January as The Birth to Five Book. I try to participate in and often serve as faculty for writers conferences as well as maintain an active speaking calendar. My heartbeat is helping parents in their sacred and enormous task.

If you’re not yawning yet, you can read more about me on  http://www.shoutlife.com/parentingauthor or feel free to browse the free parenting articles and menu of my speaking topics at  http://www.brendanixon.com/

This week will be fun and full of information! So, check in every day and at the end of this week we can chat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brenda Nixon, http://www.brendanixon.com/
Speaker to parents & professionals who serve children.
Author of The Birth to Five Book (Revell, ‘09)
                Parenting Power in the Early Years (WinePress, ‘01)
Get a dose of discipline tips at http://www.brendanixon.com/newsletter.htm Co-Author of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts www.Christmas-scrapbook.info

By Robin Miller 

As a little girl, I had a dream—to be a writer. Life ensued. I went to college and graduated with a paralegal certificate, then realized I hated the legal industry. I wanted to experience life, so I went to work in the automobile industry. Stayed there, in customer service, for ten years. Let me tell you, THAT was an experience. Every now and then, I’d remember the dream and write a poem. Enter it in a contest, got a couple published. Then I got married and had my first daughter. I had such a busy life, how could I think of my dream? Until the day my little girl and I were reading, and I thought to myself, “I love reading, have always loved reading. I want to be an author, have always wanted to be an author.” I decided to do something this time. I enrolled in a Writer’s Digest fiction course. Completed it, and began work on a manuscript.  

Life interrupted again. We moved—twice. I had two more children, both girls. But the dream didn’t die. And ten years after I completed my fiction course, I decided to do something again. I bought craft books. Joined writing groups. And learned about writing conferences. Before then, I hadn’t a clue that there were conferences you could attend to take workshops and classes to learn and study. Places you could go and be taught by nationally recognized authors. Events where you could meet with *gasp* editors and agents, face-to-face. Boy, was I hungry for that. 

I attended some small, local conferences. Learned what a pitch was. Realized I was nowhere ready to pitch to an agent, much less an editor. Honed. Studied. Absorbed. It took me having gone to four conferences before I attended the “big” ones—ACFW National and RWA National.  At conferences I’ve:

• Met my critique partners face-to-face and our relationship changed from just writing partners to dear friends for life.
• Met my mentor in person and realized I loved her just as much as I did on email and telephone.
• Met my agent in person for the first time.
• Pitched to the editor who ended up contracting my first book—the one I’d pitched to her.
• Networked with editors who I just like hanging out with because they’re fun
• Been blessed to have taught and encouraged other writers
• Realized how much I NEED conferences to feed my writing spirit

 Want to advance your writing career? GO TO A CONFERENCE. Yes, it takes money to go. Plan ahead. Apply for scholarships. Sale the kids. (Ok, I’m kidding about that.) But the expense is worthwhile—you’re investing in your career. And for me? It’s investing in my mental stability to be around others in this crazy industry.

I’m often asked how I get ideas for my books. I always want to answer, “Where don’t I get ideas?” 

 I get character ideas by people watching. Now, my friends and family know I detest shopping. If I never had to walk into another mall in my life, I’d be happy. But with three daughters, that’s not gonna happen. Sigh. So when forced to brave the elements of humanity (although, I seriously question this—have you ever seen women at a 75% off sale act really human?) and venture into stores or malls, I watch people. I study them. Yes, even been known to snap a picture of one with my cell phone because of a certain hairstyle, or quirk, or expression. All of this information filters down and finds its way into a character. 

 Newspapers, television, and yes, even those true-crime shows all provide fodder for my plots. No, I don’t see something or read about it and then just change minor events for my story. I play a game called what-if. For example, I’ll hear a story about a woman who shot her husband for having an affair. My mind starts the game: What if the woman had hired a private detective to get the “goods” on her husband? What if the private detective had a grudge against the husband for some wrong years ago? What if the man wasn’t having an affair, but the private detective made it look like he was, just so his wife would kill him? Oh, what if the woman didn’t even suspect her husband was having an affair, but this guy who had a grudge against the husband pretended to be a private detective and sent incriminating evidence to the wife? . . . and so my mind goes.

I also get ideas from my own life. For instance, the germ of an idea for my upcoming release, TORRENTS OF DESTRUCTION, came about due to a trip my husband went on. He went on a white-water rafting trip on the Gauley River in West Virginia. He brought home pictures and a video of his adventure. While watching it, I played The Game. What if a tropical storm hit while a guide had a group out? What if the guide was a woman? What if someone in the boat was a murderer? What if the river flooded due to the storm, and the guide had to led a group of men, whom she didn’t know and surely didn’t trust, through the area to reach safety? And the idea for TORRENTS OF DESTRUCTION was born. 

Ideas are everywhere, you just have to look for them. Now, back to The Game. What if a writer was on tight deadline? What if she kept playing on email and the internet instead of making her word count? What if . . .

 By Robin Miller

I remember the first manuscript I hacked out on a typewriter. (Showing my age, aren’t I?) It was bad, and I mean, bad. That was back in the 90s. Thank goodness I lost that manuscript in one of my moves. Yes, it was THAT BAD. Then I wrote a story I just loved. Wrote it, rewrote it, polished it until it was “ready.” Submitted it to a publisher. Um, it wasn’t ready. It now sits happily UNDER my desk. That was early in 2000. 

Between then and now, there have been many a manuscript on my computer in various stages. Some completed, some not. Some I really love, some, not so much anymore. But there is a story on my system that I love. It’s one that comes straight from my heart. It is ready for submission. Matter-of-fact, it’s been submitted to many places. Oh, I’ve gotten the personal, nice rejections, but not a contract. Again, let me reiterate, I LOVE this story. My writing buddies love this story. But for some reason, editors don’t. Or it’s not right for them. Or it’s too similar to something they’ve already contracted. Or . . . 

Know what I’m talking about? There comes a time in every writer’s career when they have a story that means so much to them, is so personal to them, that it’s almost obsessive in the way we write. And when it’s done and edited and ready to go out, we just KNOW it’s going to be snapped right up. But it doesn’t. We get rejection letters. We get depressed. We pull the story out again and revise. We resubmitted until our story has seen every editor’s desk in the business. We’ve revised until we can’t revise anymore. And still it’s uncontracted. We can spend months, years even, on this one story to no avail. No contract. No interest. 

Each writer will come to this crossroads sometime in their career. Each writer will have to cross the hurdle, much like overcoming writer’s block. Each writer will have to make that painful decision to put the story aside and move on. Yep, you heard me—put the story of our heart aside and move on to something else. 

Ouch, that hurts. For me, it was several months of pouting. Kicking the couch. (Would never kick my dog) Pouting again. Stomping around the house until the hubby and kids were cowering in closets. Depressed. Angry. Depressed again. Pouting. Watching others getting their stories of their hearts published. Pouting. Depressed again. 

And then I grew as a writer.  

I saved the story of my heart onto a disk. (Ok, two different ones—I’m obsessive, what can I say?) Then I did the hardest thing, I deleted it off my desktop. My heart pounded, I felt nauseous. But I knew I had to. And then I did the unthinkable—I started a new story. I’d learned there’s a time to put away a story and move on to something else. I’d grown. I’d become a “professional” in my career thinking because I would write something else, something that might have a chance of being published. One story does not a writer make. 

I still miss that story of my heart sometimes. Every six or seven months, I pull out the disk and read through it. I don’t save it to my computer though. I read it, then put it away. I’ve moved on to something else, and doing so got me published.

 One story does not a writer make. 

One day . . . one day it’ll be that story’s time. It’ll be its turn. And I’ll take it out, probably revise it for the millionth time, and send it out again. Who knows? It might be snapped up in a minute. But until that time, I’ll keep pressing forward. Keep writing what I can. Keep giving each current story all my attention. I’ll keep doing so because I want to be an author, because I DO have more than one story in my heart.

One story does not a writer make.

By Robin Miller

 Overall, writing contests get a bad rap. Oh, when a writer finals, places, or wins, it’s all good. But if they don’t . . . 

First, there’s the whole deal of score sheets. Really, on a scale of 1-5, you expect someone to put a point system to our works of art? And feedback? If the author is published, how good is the feedback if the book’s published? Can’t exactly change a character arc because the score sheet showed the hero’s journey was a bit too slow. 

And judges! Who are these unnamed, faceless people? If a writer gets a good score, they’re wonderful, brilliant and insightful, of course. But a bad score? Oh, the judge didn’t “get” the story. Had to be someone unfamiliar with the genre.  

But I like contests, always have. Unpublished and published. I like feedback. I like score sheets. Call me strange, but I like to know how my story interacts with the reader. A very wise person once told me that your story is just a story until a reader interacts with it. Stuck in my head. I like that—to think that readers are interacting with my story, my characters, my settings. 

How to cope with bad scores? Don’t. No, I’m serious. If you get a bad score and there’s nothing useful you can use in the feedback, shut it right out of your mind. If you can’t get it out of your head, here’s a thought—praise God that particular judge didn’t feel compelled to go write a review of your book up on Amazon!  

I’m blessed. I just finaled in the debut author category of ACFW’s Book of the Year Contest with my first book by Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense, BAYOU JUSTICE. I’m in a group of writers who are so talented, I’m awed to be listed with them. Will I place? Probably not—hey, were you not paying attention? I said those who finaled with me in that category are awesome! But it’s enough for me just to make the list. Have I NOT finaled in a contest as a published author? You bet. The Edgar Awards. Didn’t even come close. But you know what? I’m proud that I had enough guts to enter. 

Contests are what they are—subjective because each reader/judge will interact with your story differently. Good, bad, or ugly, I love ’em. I just like to know that readers ARE interacting with my story. That’s enough for me.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a Southerner to a T. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others while glorifying God. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books. Robin is the author of the 6-book bayou series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense, and the upcoming romantic suspense TORRENTS OF DESTRUCTION from Underdog Press. Robin’s debut novel, BAYOU JUSTICE, was a RT award nominee, and is a finalist in the debut author category of the Book of the Year contest.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of nineteen years, her three beautiful daughters, and their four character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else? She gives back to the writing community by serving as President of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) for 2007 and 2008. An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she’ll read just about any good story. Except historicals! To learn more about this author of deep South mysteries of suspense to inspire your heart, visit Robin’s website at www.robincaroll.com.

Why I Write for HIM 

I’m a stubborn person. Okay, all who are reading this who know me are now laughing aloud and thinking, “That’s putting it mildly.” Anyway, I’m stubborn and independent and a little headstrong. (Ok, stop laughing now.) I just knew that when I wrote my first book, it’d be published. I mean, I wrote it, right? It should be published. Wrong. I spent many a year writing stories that I thought were good, but something just wasn’t right. Wasn’t there. 

And one day I realized why. Because my stories were like the ones I’d read and finished, then been depressed or sad. While I had given my stories a happy ending, I wasn’t honoring the One who gave me the storytelling gift.  

What an aha moment that was for me. To write a story, but bring honor to God within the lines. It was a brand new concept for me. But I didn’t know how to do that, or was there even such a thing. 

My sister introduced me to Christian fiction by loaning me some of her books. I’d had no clue there was even such a thing as inspirational fiction. I was hooked from the first one. I devoured those stories. Just had to get more. And it occurred to me that I could do this—I could write a story and fill it with hope and honor My Savior in doing so. Wow, amazed me.  

So I joined writing groups that focused on edifying and teaching, directed at the Christian market. I bought craft books and attended conferences. And I prayed. A lot. I told God that published or not, I’d write to honor Him. 

I made that personal decision five years ago and have never looked back. I love writing stories of hope, of promise, of sharing the love I have for Christ with others. There’s no job I could love more. And even in the midst of tight deadlines, I remind myself to be thankful of being able to do what I love, and bring honor to God.

By Tricia Van Dockum

On my closing day of guest-blogging, I wanted to talk a little bit about the importance of a platform and whether it is helpful in launching a newly published book. The answer is YES, it can only help. A platform is anything you have already established that can help gain recognition or public exposure for your book. It can be anything from writing a weekly column in your local community newspaper to being a fill-in host on a local or regional radio show.

 

When I worked as an in-house publicist at Harcourt, this topic would come up whenever we were talking about a new title at our marketing meetings. Does this author have an existing platform? Do they already have a following due to another medium? Does this author belong to any organizations that would be interested in hosting him or her for a talk or book signing event. 

Having a platform already in place also makes you more alluring to publishers when you’re trying to get your book published.  A well-connected author is always appreciated. Just something to think about as you’re writing your book.

 

Okay, I guess that’s it for now.  It’s been fun blogging with you!  Thanks for the experience. I hope it’s been helpful.

As some of you may know after reading my bio, I have a 5-year-old daughter named Olivia who is the namesake of my business, Ollie Media, and the joy of my life. Last weekend we went to see the movie, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, as I had read numerous positive reviews and I am familiar with the book series. This movie was delightful and my daughter was glued to the screen, watching every minute of it. One of the executive producers is Julia Roberts, and she has done a beautiful job with casting and with the look of this movie. The movie takes place in the ‘30s during the depression era and makes you realize how much people struggled to survive during that time. It’s a good movie for both adults and children as it serves as a reminder of what is available to us now versus then. We are such consumers now and really have so much more than we need…thanks to Costco and WalMart.

In my work, I have done a number of publicity campaigns with YA (young adult) novels that have gone quite well. For a writer, this seems to be a growing genre with lots of opportunity thanks to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. It seems that more kids of this age are reading, which is great, and once they like what they read, they are waiting for the next book from that author. There are also more outside opportunities for YA authors, I’ve found. Once librarians and teachers know about your work and are a fan, there are speaking opportunities at schools as an “author in residence” or various conferences that pay very well as many times the library/school has received a grant for this sort of thing.

Something to keep in mind if you’re an aspiring YA author

 

In my profession, I have been blessed to work with a lot of interesting and talented authors.  There are two authors that I’m working with right now who have written books that I’m pleased to be working on as I think they’re both very good. The first one is a memoir by Boston based author, Joan Wickersham, titled, The Suicide Index: Putting my Father’s Death in Order (Harcourt, August 08). Joan has written a boldly moving account of her father’s 1991 suicide and how it affected her and the rest of her family in the aftermath. It’s not as sad as it might sound…rather it’s a loving elegy from a daughter to her father.

 

The second one is titled Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West (Houghton Mifflin, Jun 08) by author and journalist, Deanne Stillman.  Deanne is also the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, Twentynine Palms, which is a cult classic about the brutal murders of two young girls by a Marine shortly after the Gulf War. In her current book, Mustang, Deanne illuminates the epic saga of the wild horse in the American West, from it’s origins in North America to its life today.

 

I highly recommend one or both of these great reads!

By Tricia Van Dockum

As a literary publicist, I have to read a lot of books. Sometimes I have two or three going at one time as I need to know how to best pitch the book I’m working on by reading it in full. With summer thankfully being a little slower time for me, I am currently reading something that I have wanted to personally read for a while and that appears to be a runaway bestseller, The Shack, by William P. Young. I am only on page 65 of this book but am so far very moved and very impressed by how well it reads.

My Pastor at the church I attend had been encouraging the congregation to read it but it wasn’t until the author came to speak at our church one evening that I was convinced I needed to read this book too. His personal story of pain and redemption and living out the rest of his life in God’s grace is a compelling one. Plus, I just found him to be so extremely real and honest about all that he had been through that it was very refreshing.

In my experience as a publicist, there’s nothing more awkward than watching an author at a bookselling event who can’t represent their own book very well. This happens more than you know as many times writers can be uncomfortable talk