Category Archives: Writing Advice

Ideas for Blog Posts

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Last week, I couldn’t think of a blog post and fell back on exploiting Toby … what the heck! He doesn’t mind having his photo taken :) But the fact I had to resort to pet photos to make up a blog post made me think about both topics for blogs and especially those ideas that can generate a fast post on busy days.

For my sort of blog, which is just me being me and sharing what I’m interested in (and I have a magpie curiosity) a neat trick is to use some spare time to build a list of interesting websites, articles and images that can support a blog post. Then when inspiration is low, you call up the list and voila!

Another option is to think about things you know and write them up to share: recipes, gardening know how, car maintenance (ha! like I know anything about that), theatre, whatever. Embrace your inner guru and shine :)

I try not to be rant-y online. But other people make fun and informative, thoughtful posts on current events. Opinions draw people in and spark conversations.

It doesn’t hurt to lure in unsuspecting guest bloggers, either.

If you collect, you can share highlights from that passion. Maybe you collect inspiring quotations or teapots. Photos of teapots would work. Images catch people’s attention.

On the subject of images…take photos of the world around you. People have made great blogs photographing their meals.

And that’s me idea’d out. Do you have any tips for generating posts?

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I’ve been interviewed!

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I’m over at Romance Writers of Australia talking about my writing day. It’s nice sometimes to have someone ask you questions about your craft — when I stop to think about it, I’ve learned a lot over the last few years: Editors are human, ideas are endless, the writing/reading community is awesomely supportive, and sitting in front of a computer writing is hard work!

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Brand Promise Jargon

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Maybe those three words, “brand, promise, jargon” don’t jangle your nerves, but they do mine. I think it’s because slick jargon is hiding some important stuff I want to talk about. Stuff like, expectations, conversations, identity, reality, work, friendship and why the heck am I, Ms Hermit, spending so much time on social media?

The first thing I want to say is, You are NOT your brand.

It’s kind of complicated.

Any time you venture online you are creating people’s perception of you — and how they perceive you is your brand.

But, did you read the word I used? You are creating people’s perception of you. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, whether you believe you’re being completely unfiltered or not, what and how you share information about yourself (and that information includes how you behave) creates a version of you online. That version of you is your brand. It’s what services like Klout purport to measure.

This version of you deserves to be called your brand when you look at it and see that it is the value proposition you’re putting to people. This brand tells people it is worth their time, their attention, heck, maybe even their money, because it offers them … Well, what are you offering them? This is where brand morphs into promise.

And this is the point where I think it’s important to remember that you are not your brand. You are so much more than your brand. But there is only so much of you that you want to give away — promise — to others. This is why being conscious of the version of you that you’re putting out there is vital. People will (mostly) respect your boundaries, but you need to define those boundaries.

On the flipside, people will build expectations around your brand. They will believe your promises. So you need to make promises you can keep.

Brand You … oh jargon, how I hate thee … Brand You is not a false identity. Well, I guess it could be, but this is my take on it. Brand You is genuine. It is you, but it’s also you knowing that you’re creating yourself. It is you self-aware and acting with purpose. It is you wanting something: friendships, conversations, to share knowledge, to sell your music, books or paintings, to take a journey (literal or figurative), to amuse and be amused.

The reason why people talk so much about brand is because it’s an effective tool in the “look at me! look at me!” world of social media. There is a lot of babble, a lot of confusion, a lot of competition in social media. If you want to make genuine connections with people it really helps to offer them a coherent you. People like stories. Brand You is your story.

 

 

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Writing Advice

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Explore the world of tech options and find ones that support how you want to live your writing life.

By this I mean, take the time to set up your writing place so you’re comfortable and protected against things like RSI and whatever other health nasties you’re prone to…back ache, eyestrain, hayfever, whatever. Make the place you write a healthy one.

I also mean, face up to your tech jinxes (if you’re tech-challenged like me) and test out software/apps that will save you time. This might include learning keyboard shortcuts or how best to use MS Word or … I don’t know. But it ought to also include choosing something like Tweetdeck to help you manage your social media. Social media can chew up hours in your day. Anything, anything at all that helps you master it and not the other way round, is worth exploring. Me, I love Chromedeck (Tweetdeck that runs on the Chrome browser).

Are there any other tech things that you, as a writer, wouldn’t be without?

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Writing Advice

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Yes, but…

I don’t know about you, but I’m a reluctant adopter of good advice. This is a bad trait in anyone learning a craft. There has been a ton of advice, very good advice, that I’ve read, reread and had hit me with a hammer, but which I’ve refused for years to adopt. The only person who suffered for this stupid, stubborn behaviour is me. My writing could have improved much faster.

So, I’ve introduced my stubborn brain to a new concept. A flashing neon sign that alerts it to its own stupidity. And that sign is “Yes, but…”.

When I read, hear or otherwise encounter some good writing advice and my response is “yes” because it makes a lot of sense or is said by someone I’ve learned to trust, but then followed up with “but” I’m going to take a long hard look at my response because “but” is a signal that I’m arguing with good sense.

Want an example?

I spent years (in my head) arguing against the removal of adverbs, particularly those that coloured “said”. They’re useful, I whined. I like them. They’re great words, those adverbs, and I don’t want them to feel unused and unloved. And look I’ve spotted one in this book and that book, and, and, and…

“she said stubbornly”

Yes, my rational mind knew the use of those adverbs attached to said meant my dialogue wasn’t strong enough to stand on its own, but instead of committing to rewriting and strengthening that dialogue, I hung onto those adverbs.

If I had any tech skills to speak of, I’d end this post with a flashing neon graphic:

Yes, but…

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Goal, Motivation and Conflict

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Deb Nemeth, my Carina Press editor, recommended “Goal, Motivation and Conflict. The Building Blocks of Good Fiction” by Debra Dixon. All I can say is, good karma to the two Debs :)

“Goal, Motivation and Conflict” gives you a framework to deal with your story’s conflict, making it coherent and tight.

On the other hand, the GMC framework isn’t rigid or prescriptive. When you stop to consider it, your characters do have internal and external goals, motivations and conflicts. Explicitly studying them and checking that they’re robust is just commonsense — sadly, commonsense sometimes takes a holiday in my life ;)

If you can grab a copy of GMC, I thoroughly recommend it. But don’t trust me, trust Deb!

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Writing Advice

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Invest in a good dictionary.

I know you can google or use an online dictionary. But there is something about flicking through a paper dictionary and seeing all those fascinating words.

Plus, if you keep the dictionary away from your desk, consulting it makes you get up out of your chair and move … for occupational health and safety reasons, that is a definite bonus.

My dictionary of choice?

Of course, given Carina Press is an American publisher, I then have to go through and spellcheck for American spelling … life’s little ironies.

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Writing Advice

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Borrow wisdom.

Last week, thanks to a heads up from Maria Zannini I won a copy of the Writer’s Companion by Carlos J Cortes and Renee Miller. So I dipped into it and was hit over the head by the obvious.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s the point of how-to books…to slow us down enough to think about and comprehend the basics.

Anyway, this was the bit of wisdom that fell on me: You can’t tell at what point a reader will stop reading your book, but when they pick it up again, you have to hook them again at that point.

So that means, the necessary hooks aren’t just at the first page and last pages of chapters, though these are vital. At every point, the reader must want to read more. The hook will vary (character, description, action, etc), but the need to have a hook won’t.

As authors, we are continually competing for readers’ attention. It’s real easy to put a book down to talk, to watch television, to walk the dog. We have to give the reader a reason not to do any of those things.

No pressure then :)

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Writing Advice

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READ

Well, that was easy–and probably unnecessary. I find it hard to imagine a writer who isn’t an omnivorous reader.

When you read you get information, but you also get a sense for how others tell stories and use words. I’ve given up worrying whether what I’m reading will help my writing. I read what interests me, and I try to expand my interests.

There’s one other aspect of reading that’s important to me: inspiration. Wonderful books remind me why I write: to share joy. A good book begins a conversation…an idea that is fast becoming more than a metaphor in this social media age of digital books where we can share highlights and notes. Reading may yet become a social activity :)

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Writing Advice

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Typically, Tuesdays have been for writing updates. However, there are only so many times when I can say “writing happily” before it gets boring. So, while I continue writing happily, I will share some advice, or thoughts, on the process every Tuesday. Of course, if I have any fabulous writing news, I’ll ditch the advice in favour of the news. I love sharing good news–mine or other people’s. Celebrations brighten life.

My advice today is simple: Believe in your dream.

I know that sounds like an over-used cliche, but there is an inferno of energy in the heart of it, so keep reading.

A few weeks ago, I was reading “The Heart of Christianity” by Marcus J Borg. Relax, I’m not going to discuss religion. I want to discuss a word he uses. That word is “believe“.

According to Borg, the Latin origins of “believe” mean “to give one’s heart to”.

When you give your heart to something you prize it, you commit to it, you love it. The result is your energy aligns behind that promise you make to yourself.

I’ve given my heart to writing stories that bring joy to people.

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