6 Things the Writer in Me Wants to Tell the Mother in Me...

6 Things the Writer in Me Wants to Tell the Mother in Me

There are times when finding the right word usurps having the last word.

Pay attention. You’ll blink and they’ll be out of the house. Small moments count.

There’s always a story. Moods, distance, erratic behavior. . .always a story.

The best investment you can make is to pour into character(s).

Growth as a parent equates to that of countless edits. Take the time needed to make necessary changes.

You can read about how to excel at your job until your eyes dry out, but the best way to learn is to practice.

6 Things the Mother in Me Wants to Tell the Writer in Me

Relationships are the pulse of a good story.

Your children have a tendency to surprise you. Characters shouldn’t be too predictable.

Like babies, solid ideas take time to incubate.

You’ll poke your eye out if you write to impress or seek validation from others.

Adjust your expectations. Your baby will poop at the most inopportune times.

Nothing compares to knowing you’ve invested your time in something meaningful. No matter if you’re bombarded with advice, cut to shreds regarding your style, and/or judged ruthlessly or relentlessly. Devotion to craft will reveal itself in time.

*Gearing up to announce GIVEAWAYS linked to THE DISAPPEARING KEY that you’ll want to write home about!

**Would love for you to visit my guest post at Married with Fiction 

***photo by stock.xchng

To Market, To Market & Defining Upmarket

Woman writes book. Woman spends copious hours editing book. Then woman gets book professionally

edited. Woman decides it sure would be nice if her aunt Sally isn’t the only one to buy book.

And so it is. Marketing is born.

But how does woman go about it? Blow horn broadcast the news to her neighbors every morning? Join every social networking site under the sun? Tweet five million messages about her beloved book (eh hem, woman will be unfollowed quicker than I can eat a pan of brownies just out of the oven).

No. Woman trusts.

Step one of marketing = Trust

Invest in relationships. Believe there’s an audience for the book. Then do everything in your power to connect with that audience.

Step two of marketing = Give

As the commercial goes, “It’s not rocket science.” The more willing you are to help others out, the more willing they’ll be to help you out when the need arises. But adjust expectations. Not the wisest idea to offer favors purely in hopes they’ll be returned. Do it because you know how arduous the road can be. Do it because it’s fun.

Step three of marketing = Develop a Plan

Strategize. Study what engages your core readers. Pay attention (cannot stress those two words enough) to what moves them. Then establish a link to your book. Plan giveaways, events, and posts with your audience in mind.

Step four of marketing = Think soft

Whenever you’re tempted to pull out the blow horn remember the following Jane Friedman quote.

“But social media is predominantly about “soft” marketing when it comes to authors and books. In my experience, the best marketing that can possibly happen centers on creating and strengthening…relationships.”

Check out both of these informative Writer Unboxed posts on the topic:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/09/08/understanding-the-five-phases-of-book-marketing/#more-24040

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/08/27/a-key-book-marketing-principle-that-authors-must-learn-or-not-forget/

~

And now for the best definition I’ve come across for the term upmarket:

“Mainstream or women’s fiction that has book club potential; blends the line between commercial and literary.” – Writer’s Digest, October 2013

Draw a circle around this post, then put your pen down on that definition of upmarket and you’ve got a bull’s-eye. That’s what I write and what you’ll read when you download my novella next month.

This little piggy went to market…

;-)

Wee, wee, wee!

Which kinds of marketing do you respect? What gets your attention?

*Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter (upper right sidebar)

**photo by stock.xchng

8 Things My Dog Would Say if She Could Talk ~ A Tribute

Korah died yesterday. I can’t think of a better tribute than to repost one of my most well-visited posts. Enjoy reading some of my favorite memories about her…

We taught our dog to talk. She can say I love you and out, though the two often get confused. We sometimes think she’s expressing her affection for us when she really just needs to hit the grass.

This got me thinking. What would our beloved canine say if she really could talk? Here are my thoughts on this I 8 Wednesday:

• I like how my mom (she calls herself that, but I’m no fool. I don’t believe I grew in her belly like those other three non-hairy ones) nestles next to me when she’s sad. Yum…salty tears.
• I’ve worked hard to master what they call “a cute puppy dog face” when I’m drooling, and dying to have a little nibble of what they’re eating. Mom caves easily. The non-hairy ones seem indifferent and usually let me take a few licks. Dad, he’s the hardest one. Gotta work on my face more.
• My family feels bad for me when I get squirted by a skunk. Sheesh, it’s happened enough times. What they don’t know is I’m the one who wins. They’ve never seen the skunk after the fiasco, have they?
• Mom must really enjoy picking up my poop. She saves it all for one day toward the end of the winter and spends over an hour scooping it up in the backyard (aka: my kingdom).
• Yes, I eat my own fur after they brush it off of me (if I can get to it in time). What they don’t know is every time I eat it it goes into my stomach and finds a way to grow on my skin again. So the brushing thing—it’s really a futile act. Wonder when they’ll wake up and smell the truth? Humans!
• The vet = public enemy #1. Cats in our neighborhood are spies for the vet. I can’t figure out what side the mail carrier is on. But I’m beginning to understand those pesky squirrels in the backyard (my kingdom) aren’t just gathering nuts. I think they’re transferring messages to the cats to take to public enemy #1.
• Yeah, so, I walked straight up to the police station where the animal control guy parks his truck? I wanted to see what it was like on the inside. Mom’s a writer. She gets this. All in the name of research, right Mom?
• I’ve been all around the country, but I’d have to say the coolest place my parents took me (other than a park in South Dakota where my parents had to chuck graham crackers out of the car…dropping some inside the car…in order to get past the enormous donkeys) was Mount Rushmore. Loved seeing those big rock heads. A little afraid they’d tumble down on us, but I tend to pick up on Mom and Dad’s anxiety and they didn’t act near as scared as when they do when they detect the first whiff of skunk.

What would your pet say if they could talk?

Also, I'm guest posting about being 14 over at Heather Sunseri's today. So grateful, Heather! 

The Story for You…

In a little over a month my novella releases out into this world.

It seems like the ideal time to share my story.

Today I’m dedicating this song to you.

“All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I’ve been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don’t mean anything

When you’ve got no one to tell them to

It’s true. . . ”

Thanks for reading!

*Here is the original if you’d like to listen longer or how want to hear a different version

Brave or Unexpected?

Hanging out with this lady…

& working hard on edits for this...

 Because I can’t wait until you read it!!!

What have you been up to lately? Have you done anything brave or unexpected?

While You Wait

I like to pay attention to the unique kinds of offerings that are made available during waits. Companies are getting more and more creative. You won’t believe it when I share what’s located in my daughter’s orthodontist’s office.

I like this idea. I like the thoughtfulness behind it.

And I’m catching on.

First, let’s view a few of the aforementioned offerings…

The Classic Coffee

Magazines

Hors d'oeuvres & Desserts

and in my daughter’s orthodontist office…

 A Theater!

While you wait for my novels, in October I’m releasing my novella, THE DISAPPEARING KEY. And while you wait for October,  I’m offering you this…

No, not a baby. But a Pinterest board dedicated entirely to the project!

Enjoy!

*Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter (upper right sidebar) (Thanks to those who’ve already subscribed!

**Also, I’m in the midst of scheduling blog posts for the next few months. If you’d like to feature me as a guest, please contact me as soon as possible.

***photos by stock.xchng

8 Explanations for Your Broken Book Club (+ Solutions)

Everything has a tendency to break at one point or another. I’m swooping in as the book club “Wolf” toda

y to clean up any messes. Is your book club threatening to crack in two?

No fear, the Book Club Wolf is here.

Here are eight reasons your book club might be faltering and some solutions to help…

The Books

I have no idea how your book club makes its selections but after partaking in several book clubs for years, I’ve come to understand the value of assessing a book’s conversation quotient. What’s a conversation quotient? The degree to which a book incites quality, enriching, and meaningful dialogue. Some books are fantastic but just don’t lend themselves to this type of discussion.

Solution:  Visit sites like Goodreads and bookmovement to read what people are saying about books. Ask friends what their book clubs have enjoyed. It’s worth these small acts to figure out if your group is reading books with optimal conversation quotient potential.

Books that have stirred engrossing conversations in book clubs that I’ve attended…

Gone Girl, Still Alice, Mudbound, Defending Jacob…to name a few.

Lack of Lead

This role need not be assigned to one person, but book clubs begin to weaken when no one wants to step up and begin asking probing, thought-provoking questions.

Solution:  Many authors have book club discussion questions listed on their websites or often if you Google discussion questions or the book title a dozen options will pop up for your club to explore.

Dynamic

This one is the hardest to pinpoint. But it happens. Eager Emma doesn’t mix well with Shy Cheryl. Hyper-opinionated Halle causes friction every time she sits next to super open-minded Opal. Hundreds of these group dynamics could be misfiring.

Solution: Invite new members. Discern commitment level. Break off into two separate groups within the same meeting (or not).

Lack of Commitment

Only two or three members show up.

Solution:  Change the meeting to daytime hours, or evening if you previously met in the day. Coordinate best times that would work. Write up a mini-questionnaire to get opinions on what would help strengthen the book club. Everyone likes to feel heard.

Hungry and Thirsty Members

Bowl of stale popcorn and water won’t entice many members.

Solution: I’m not suggesting you break the bank, but there are many ways to creatively tie in the theme when you provide a few light snacks (brownies are an inexpensive classic) and maybe a drink or two. I make a blueberry sangria whenever I host (because it’s yummy + cost effective).

Feed the troops. They’ll thank you for it and it will improve the overall experience.

Too Serious

Getting right down to business the second everyone walks in the door is sure to breed irritation. Book clubs are meant for discussing books. But let’s not fool ourselves, they’re also about socializing, and carving out time for our minds to relax + recharge.

Solution: Incorporate ways to lighten up the meetings. Gag gifts (possibly related to the book), icebreakers, discuss ideas of what each of you envision a book club to be, play background music and shut it off to help create a divide between socializing cocktail hour and time devoted to the book.

Not Serious Enough

It can get frustrating if you’re hoping to get into a hearty discussion about a book and the entire time is devoted to jabbing about Laura Lynn’s new dining room set.

Solution: Here’s another example where a print-out of discussion questions can help. And the music (see above). Assign everyone a month when they are to “lead” to help guide conversation. Allot an half hour, hour, or however long you all agree to visit before then transitioning into another room (this always works with my clubs…it’s a given when we move from the kitchen into the living room it’s time to go to the book).

Dominant Party

Mayday, mayday, we’ve got a book club takeover on our hands. She shows up extra early, brings sugar free snacks, then spends the entire evening interrupting everyone  and preaching her opinions to the group. She might as well be saying, “Off with their heads.”

Solution: Group dynamics 101. Do you kick her to the curb? Of course not. But, the Wolf says it’s essential to regroup your group. Begin a meeting addressing the interruption issue (without pointing fingers). Vary who hosts or leads the group and have other members demonstrate clarity over who is in the lead each week. And of course, there’s always direct confrontation which, when done well, I feel is always best.

So there you have it. Your bloody book club is all tidied up. Thanks to the this here Book Club Wolf. ;-)

Have you ever witnessed the fall of a group? Ever put thought into how to make it better? Did it get better? Worse? Why?

*photo by morguefile