Office Remodel Stifles Work-in-Progress

Here it is Friday, and I don't have something fun, witty, or interesting to share. You'd think that'd be impossible, yet here I sit, calm and relaxed, with nothing new to impart. So I'll tell you a bit about my week and make this a nice, quick read for you.

I'm remodeling my office. It started as a heroic effort to clean it up, but suddenly I'm looking at the bare stud walls and thinking how nice it would be if I had real walls with paint on them. The new paint scheme is creamy vanilla and cadet blue, and I LOVE it. Unfortunately, you can tell I did the mudding/taping by myself. But I can live with that--a few strategically hung pictures and the evidence disappears. I have most of my belongings back in my office now, and I'm stowing my crafting supplies in another part of the basement. All that's left is to clean up the school room (as we were supposed to start school this week, but I managed to blow that one by a mile).

Here's my ceiling-impared office with it's new walls and mostly-uncluttered desktop. You might not be able to see, from this horrible photo, that I'm a geek-girl with my Star Trek Barbie and Ken prominently displayed on the upper shelving. As I have three boys, I'm entitled to a Barbie or two (or six) in my personal space. 

Now that it's complete, I have no more excuses for not writing. What are some clever excuses for not writing that you've come up with lately? What's the status of your current work-in-progress? 

-Sonja

Finding an Awesome Critique Partner

Kristen Lamb's blog today is called Do You Have a Psychic Vampire Critique Partner? It deals with identifying and getting rid of awful critique partners (Kristen calls them psychic vampires because they suck the life out of you). Critique partners have been on my brain recently because one of my goals, when I go to a writer's conference (like the one I attended two weeks ago), is to find an awesome critique partner. It doesn't happen often. In fact, it's only happened once for me. I met my first critique partner, Melody, at the first writer's conference I ever attended. It was in Seattle, and she seemed even more terrified than I was. It was her first conference, too. I listened to her pitch what sounded like an awesome story to The Agent, sympathized when she was shot down (I was, too), then later I asked if she'd be interested in swapping chapters via email. She agreed, and we've been critique partners--and friends--ever since. It worked out beautifully. 

(This critique partner is brought to you by freedigitalphotos.net)

Ever since then, I've been on the look-out for another awesome critique partner. After all, if one is beautiful, two ought to be glorious. While futzing around with an on-line group of writers, I found my second critique partner. She's awesome, too! Then I got greedy. If TWO are awesome, what would life be like if I had THREE? It's incomprehensible. I've swapped chapters with a bunch of other authors over the years, but most of them don't stick around after we finish each other's first book. I've got one gentleman who's stuck around through three books, and it's looking like it might turn into a long-term thing where we both learn from each other. So there's my three great critique partners. But I think I have time for a fourth. I just have to find him/her. 

Here are the qualities I value most in My Most Awesome Critique Partners:

1) They aren't afraid to tell me the truth. "This passage feels strained," or "this metaphor stinks," or "this description made me hungry--I'm off to eat a tuna sandwich, be back in a bit." I love to hear when my writing has moved them, but even more, I like to hear when it's clunky, stiff, or too wordy. A great critique partner tells the truth with love, not cruelty. And they won't feel offended when I tell the truth in my critiques of their work.

2) They have something of value to share. I'm a pre-published author, but I'm not a newbie. I like my critique partners to be at or near the same level that I am. While a newbie writer might be able to tell me if a metaphor stinks (I'm really bad at metaphors), most likely they won't be able to identify bigger problems. They might KNOW something's wrong, but unable to put their finger on it. A great critique partner can identify the problem and maybe even offer a couple of solutions. 

3) They have words to share. When I've got a chapter ready, I want them to have a chapter ready, too. I feel selfish when I send a chapter (because I'm anxious for honest feedback), but they have nothing to send. They get that chapter back to me, I send them another... and pretty soon they've read my entire book and I've edited two chapters of their work. That's not fair. I know life's not fair, but critique partnering should be. That's just me.

4) They freely offer their time. Sometimes I get stuck on a plot point. In the outlining phase, it worked, but once I get to the scene, it's a major failure. Most of the time, I can work through these problems. But sometimes I need extra help. I can fire off an email to any of my Awesome Critique Partners and explain the difficulty I'm having. They take the time to brainstorm ideas and send me ALL of them! I can pick and choose, or maybe one of their ideas will spark a new one in my head that will work. The bottom line is, they don't feel the need for a by-line, they're just willing to help.

5) They're supportive. When rejections pour in, we mourn with each other. When I signed with my agent, they celebrated with me. We're invested in each other's lives. We've become friends. That's even more awesome than having a good critique partner.

That's all I'm looking for in a critique partner. What about you? Do you have a writing group or a critique partner? What do you love most about him/her?

-Sonja

To Prologue or Not To Prologue

Kristen Lamb's post The Seven Deadly Sins of Prologues caught my attention this morning because my writing buddy and I have been debating the wisdom of using prologues in our stories. So far, her prologues survived the ax. Two of mine didn't. Most editors and agents say that prologues are a no-no in today's market, but some of the best-selling authors on the planet use them. So are they a no-no or not? Read Kristen's blog to find the answer--I don't think I can say it any better than she did. 

On a side note, I missed blogging yesterday because I was busy working on a full-scale remodel of my home office. I blogged two weeks ago that I was going to clean it up so I could be more productive. Silly me, I boxed everything up, moved all the furniture out, and found some scrap pieces of sheetrock in another section of our unfinished basement. (My office walls were mostly sheetrocked with a few unsightly patches of bare studs and insulation). Now all my walls have sheetrock (and that's a totally funny story for another time), they are mudded and sanded, and I'll be priming today. I chose three different paint colors for the wall. Hubby vetoed one. The others are kind of boring and I'm not really excited about slapping them up, so I may go back to the paint chips again in a day or two. All this to say, my computer is sitting on the dining room table, all my craft books and notes are in boxes, and my will to blog got stifled in the sheetrock dust. So my apologizes for missing the post yesterday. I'll do my best to hit tomorrow's on time.

Any words of wisdom regarding paint colors? I hear that shades of orange promote thinking and vibrancy (I'm thinking a shade of peach) while blue is relaxing. Hmm, maybe relaxation isn't a great idea for a home office, if I'm supposed to be writing instead of napping...

-Sonja

Marketing: Attract, Engage, Convert

I'm still dispensing wisdom I sucked out of Randy Ingermanson's class on marketing last week. I can't give away all of it, but I'm sharing the basics. I already discussed writing a vision statement for your career. Once you know where you're going, you can plan your strategy and your tactics. But what's a successful strategy?

(photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

Here are the steps to your strategy:

1) Attract

2) Engage

3) Convert

First, you attract a buyer's attention. Then you engage with them. When they see you have something worth buying, they buy it. It's that simple. You can't skip steps, you can't do them out of order, and you can't force them on anyone. But they work. And every marketing tactic you use must perform at least one of these, or it's a waste of your time.

Here's one of the examples Randy used in his class: Goldilocks had wanted to write a novel all her life. One day, she decided to do it. But she had no idea how to get started. She typed "how do you write a novel" into Google. The first Google result was a long article about the "snowflake method." The more Goldilocks read, the more excited she got. This gave her exactly the strategy she needed! At the end of the article, she read that the author was an award-winning novelist and he had software to help walk her through the process. She clicked through to read about the software. The more she read, the more she wanted it. But it was expensive. Could she afford it? Hey look! The author of the software also had a book out--and buying the book would give her a massive 50% discount on the software. Goldilocks clicked through to Amazon, bought the book, and then came back and bought the software. 

Here's how that worked;

1) Attract: Google brought Goldilocks to the web site. Tactics used: Web site with good search engine optimization.

2) Engage: Goldilocks read the article and loved it. Tactics used: Web site with strong writing.

3) Convert: Goldilocks read a sales page with strong copy and a Call to Action with a high incentive. Tactics used: Web site sales page with good copywriting, plus a link to Amazon to close the sale.

Granted, this example was for a non-fiction product, but the principles apply to selling works of fiction. A good website or a blog with excellent content will attract readers. They become intrigued with the writer's voice, or descriptions of the characters, or photos of places that appear in the book, and they want to know more. A link to Amazon or a discount will entice them to purchase the book.

There are other tactics you could use, like Facebook, Pinterest, Book Launches, and things like those. Choose tactics that work for you to move through the three steps listed above. If the tactics you're using don't attract, engage, or convert, then stop using it.

Randy's class went in-depth on all these concepts, but I don't feel I should share it all with you when he earns part of his living teaching these things. If you need to know more, take one of his classes. It's worth the time and money. If you have questions about any of these concepts I've covered in the past three posts, put them in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer.

-Sonja

Vision Statements

In my last post, I briefly discussed vision before launching into the more exciting stuff. Today I want to back up and look at vision a little closer. Why, you ask? Because if you don't have a vision (a goal) for your writing career, how will you know what strategies and tactics you should use to become successful? 

(This example of a financial vision is brought to you by freedigitalphotos.net)

Everyone has a different idea of what success is. Some want to hold their book, in their hand, in print format. They can hit the print button on their computer and have a copy. If they want it to look like a book published by a traditional publisher, they can go to a print-on-demand service and have a copy of their book made for them. But if your idea of success is to hit the NY Top 10 list, you'll have to do quite a bit more work than the guy in that first example.

Vision, according to Randy Ingermanson, is "a clear definition of where you want to go and what you want to be as a writer." I'm quoting him because I took a class from him last week on marketing, so I'm handing out a tiny portion of the good stuff he offered. But back to vision. Your vision statement could include the category/genre you write in, your financial goals, your fame goals, and anything else that might appeal to you. Sounds simple. It is. I whipped one out in three minutes when he told us to do it in class. Here's my vision statement:

I want to write mystery and suspense stories that have a touch of the fantastical and plenty of twists: stories like those written by Sharon Shinn, Kay Hooper, and Janet Evanovich. My target audience are men and women who like an exciting story with mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance. I want to earn enough cash to remodel my house, hire a house-keeping service, and attend a couple of writing conferences each year. I don't care if I win awards, but it's nice to have the words "award-winning" on the cover of a book. My books won't have an overt spiritual theme, but they'll reflect my love of God and my theology. I don't need to become famous, just famous enough to achieve my financial goals.

Everyone's vision statement will be different. Some people want to sell tons of copies and make boatloads of cash. Some want to win awards. Some want to be in the top 1,000 on Amazon, while others want to be on the NY Top Ten list. 

What do you want from your writing life? What kind of books do you want to write? Who are your target audience? This exercise only takes a few minutes of your time, but it's worth the effort. Identify your vision, and you'll be better equipped to plan your strategy for getting there. If you're feeling exceptionally brave, share your vision statement in the comments section. 

-Sonja 

Marketing: Vision, Strategy, and Tactics

I'm back from my writing conference and all fired up to do more writing stuff. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm hasn't translated to more words in my WIP. It'll come, as soon as life settles back down to normal. I promised last week that I'd share what I learned. (To be honest, I promised to share starting last Friday, but I missed that deadline due to unpacking, getting the house back in order, running 19 loads of laundry, herding minions to do their chores, and a host of other life necessities.) But here I am! You don't have to wait any longer for conference notes. Contain your excitement, please.

(photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

The most productive time I had was in Randy Ingermanson's class on marketing: vision, strategy, and tactics  I can't share everything he taught, as he makes money doing that and it would be unethical for me to give it away for free. However, I can share small bits of it, especially those that relate to my writing life. He began by having us write our vision for our writing future. If you have no vision (goal), you can't know if you've been successful. Once the vision is in written format, you can strategize how to get there. Only then can you identify which tactics will work for you. Without a vision and a strategy, any tactics you use could be complete wastes of time.

The Good News for me: Twitter is not a necessary tactic for my vision and strategy! But a website and a blog with excellent content are both tactics that will help me achieve my vision. (Side note: THIS blog won't help, because it's geared to writers, and I need to attract readers. So I'll be starting a new blog soon that's designed specifically to the target audience of the novel my agent is currently trying to sell. I won't quit doing this blog, as it's something I've learned to enjoy, so the new one will be in addition--I'll talk about this in a bit because I've gotten ahead of myself already.)

Identifying my target audience is a huge piece of marketing. If I don't know who my target audience is, I can't choose the proper tactics for reaching them. My novel CASSANDRA'S CURSE is about a young Greek-American woman who bakes for a living. My target audience are young to middle-aged women who enjoy suspense with a touch of romance and a healthy dose of the fantastical. I am NOT saying that men, teenagers, or older women won't enjoy my book. I'm saying that most of my readers will be younger women, and they're the ones I'll reach out to with my marketing tactics. 

Randy and I brainstormed tactics for reaching out to this demographic, and he came up with an awesome one. He suggested my new blog offer recipes. Specifically, recipes for foods that appear in the book.  Muffins, breads, Greek dishes, etc. If I post one recipe per week, by the time my novel shows up on shelves, I'll have offered enough recipes to fill a cook book (which is another great marketing idea to reach these women). I realize that not every young woman likes to cook, but it's a good starting place. (Another side note: Randy says it's HARD to market for fiction, so sometimes you just have to take a risk and give something a shot. If it doesn't work, stop doing it. If it does work, put more effort into it.)

I have more I want to say about marketing, but this looks like a good place to stop. Come back on Wednesday for more nuggets of marketing wisdom. Comments or questions on today's topic?

-Sonja

What you get at a writing conference

I'm off to Portland, OR, for the Oregon Christian Writer's Conference tomorrow, so I'm posting Monday's stuff a day early. The conference is a whopping four days, but I can only afford to go for two. Since I'll be gone and ultra busy, there won't be a Wednesday post this week. However, there will be a dandy one on Friday when I relate some of the awesome stuff learn, and it may leak over into next week's posts, too. Since I'm gearing up for this wondrous occasion, I thought it only fitting that I talk about conferences in today's post.

Conferences are fabulous for all writers, no matter your place in the learning curve. Randy Ingermanson likes to classify writers by class: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. A senior is someone who's learned the craft and is published. If you're not published, you're in one of the other three categories. Pop on over to his site and do the quick questionnaire if you're dying to know which one you are. I'll wait for you. As far as conferences go, it doesn't matter which one you are, because everyone can benefit. It's my opinion that conferences are best for newbies (freshman) and those ready to break into publishing but haven't yet (juniors). The freshmen get all the classes on craft and learn to polish their writing into a publishable state. Juniors have the opportunity to pitch their work to editors and agents. But again, everyone benefits because of the networking: the published, the teachers, the newbies, those that have never been, those who go all the time. It's an opportunity to build community with other writers.

For what you get, conferences are worth the expense. The word expense is spot-on, because conferences are expensive. I can only afford one a year, and it's a small one. I usually attend a Seattle conference. This year I skipped it so I could go to the Portland one--but my money only got me two days. If it's not too much of a financial burden, I encourage all writers to try to attend at least one conference in their lifetime. And once you've been to one, you want to go to them all. If only I were independently wealthy...

I enjoy the classes, but the part I love the most is meeting famous people. Well, maybe not world famous, but they've published books I like, or they're agents I've queried, and I want to meet them. Randy Ingermanson will be there (I'm signed up for his marketing courses). I'm also looking forward to meeting Jeff Gerke  He and I have worked together via email, but I've never met him in person. (He's the guy behind WhereTheMapEnds and Marcher Lord Press.) I love shameless name-dropping. Here are more people I'll meet and eat lunch with: James Rubart, Karen Ball, Chip MacGregor  Jill Williamson  Mick Silva  Susan May Warren, and Nick Harrison  Some of these people I've already met at previous conferences, and it'll be fun to play the "do you remember me?" game. No, just kidding. I don't expect any of them to remember me (although Jeff may recognize my name, but I won't hold my breath). For the first time ever, I don't have a novel to pitch (that's now my AGENT'S job--boy, do I love that), but that won't stop me from introducing myself to all the editors and agents I can find in the hopes that they'll be able to put my face and my name together when they receive my manuscript from my agent. (Yes, I'm an introvert, and yes, 'm typically shy. I manage to put all that behind me for the benefits, but if you watch me closely, you'll see me retreating to quiet corners frequently to recharge my inner batteries and de-stress.)

Those are the three best things about conferences (classes, networking, meeting famous people), in my opinion. What do you think, loyal readers: are conferences worth your time, effort and cash? What's your favorite thing to do at conferences? What do you dislike? Please share with the group.

-Sonja