Writing Techniques that Appeal to the Modern Reader

Most of us want to write what’s in our hearts and express ourselves with our unique prose without worrying about what anyone else thinks. And we can. . . if we don’t care whether our writing makes it to publication or appeals to readers.

In the last post, we talked about the importance of creating saleable books. If we want publishing houses to take an interest in our books and if we want our words to reach the largest audience possible, then we have to pay attention to what readers want and that may require us to adjust our writing techniques.

Of course no one can predict what readers will want next. All we can do is study what they want now. And of course all writers should strive to have their unique voices, special flare, and push the limits of creativity. We should write with all of the passion inside of us. But we can't ingnore the modern reader because. . .

Ultimately the reader determines what sells, not publishing houses. We often wag our fingers at agents and editors and accuse them of being too picky, of being closed to so many kinds and styles of writing. But in my experience with my agent and in-house editors, they're constantly asking questions like “will the reader like this?” or “what will most readers buy?” They make the readers' desires top priority.

As much as we may resist the idea, maybe we too need to take a closer look at what appeals to readers, particularly modern readers.

If you’re like me, when you read a classic book, you find yourself stopping and saying, “That technique would never work today.” For example, in Chapter One of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott brings the story to a grinding halt when she says, “As young readers like to know `how people look', we will take this moment to give them a little sketch of the four sisters.”

Alcott goes on to write a LONG paragraph about the appearance and personality of each of the March daughters. Alcott could have eliminated all of the description because later she brings each character to life so uniquely.

What worked for authors one hundred, fifty, or even ten years ago, won’t necessarily appeal to readers today. We don’t hang on to our outdated computers or cell phones, and we can’t cling too tightly to our writing methods either. We have to be willing to change with the times and meet the needs of the modern reader.

So, what are some of the needs of today’s readers? Well, I’m the first to admit, I’d much rather read a 21st century book than a classic. So I simply have to start by asking, what do I like in a book? Here are just a few considerations.

1. Fast pace. Most of us are living incredibly busy lives. We often go from one activity to the next with hardly a chance to breathe. We grow impatient easily, and because we don’t have time to waste, we demand that our entertainment be equally fast-paced.

And how can we make our writing fast-paced? First we can make sure our plot doesn’t drag. But in addition to that, we can stick to shorter sentences, break up our paragraphs, keep the scenes succinct, and ruthlessly eliminate unnecessary description and internal monologue.

2. Action-packed. Not only do we live with a fast-pace, but we’re also a culture that thrives on action, danger, suspense, and high adrenaline rushes. We want adventures and entertainment that take us into the wild and thrilling 3-D.

No matter what genre we write, we have to ask ourselves how we can raise the stakes, increase the conflict, and add more tension. We need to eliminate the static and replace it with action that sweeps the reader into a new dimension.

3. Emotionally charged. In a culture obsessed with reality TV shows, we long to connect with the raw emotions of everyday problems. We have our own unique joys and pains, and somehow getting a glimpse of what others are going through helps us put our own issues into perspective.

In our writing, we need to pour our hearts and souls out onto the paper. We have to bring readers into the reality of our characters lives, give them real problems and vivid emotions to which readers can connect.

In summary, I can’t help but quote James Scott Bell’s The Art of War For Writers. In reference to writing a saleable book he says: "It’s useless to be a creative original unless you can also sell what you create. . .Does this mean not writing what you love? No. But write what you love with eyes wide open.” (p. 10)

Any other needs of modern readers that I missed? Do you think it’s important to write for the modern reader or do you think it’s more important to write the way you want? Is it possible to do both?

This article originally appeared in a guest post I wrote for Author Culture.

What Does It Really Take to Get Published?

What’s the secret to getting published in today’s tough market? Is there ONE secret for unpublished writers seeking traditional publication? Or do we need to rely on a combination of a lot of different factors?

What about hard work? I love what James Scott Bell says in The Art of War for Writers. “Writing genius, like any other kind, is 99 percent perspiration.” (p. 81) Yes, anyone who’s been around the writing industry long enough can agree—writing a book takes dogged-determination, investing in the craft, and incredible amounts of writing itself. But can sweat and elbow-grease alone lead to publication?

What about talent? Some people can tell a story, but then there are those who make you feel like you’re part of the story. Sure, we can learn techniques on how to deepen character and plot, and we can develop our writer’s voice. And sure, practice makes perfect. Yet, some writers seem to have a penchant for stringing words together with natural beauty. But is talent alone enough to lead to publication?

What about persevering long enough? We all hear the stories of writers who wrote 100 books in twenty years, got 1000 rejections, but eventually went on to get published. Those types of scenarios give us hope that if we too just keep plugging away, then someday we’ll get there. But can trudging forward day after day, year after year, really lead to publication?

What about knowing the right people? We hear things like, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” We’re told to start to making connections with agents, editors, and published authors, that those relationships could help open the publishing door for us. But is having the right connection necessary for publication?

What about platform? Non-fiction writers in particular are striving to increase visibility and popularity. This push has seeped over into the fiction-writing realm too. But can having 500 blog followers or 5000 twitter followers really give writers an advantage when it comes to getting published?

What about Providence? Some people might call it luck or coincidence, or being in the right place at the right time. I believe that God orchestrates happenings according to his providential plan. But is that all there is to publication? God’s will and timing or finally getting lucky?

So, back to my original question: Is there one secret to traditional publication? Or is it a combination of all of the above?

On the one hand, I think we need an assortment of the above factors. It definitely takes hard work, talent, and perseverance. Sometimes connections and platform can help. And I believe Providence plays a vital role.

But. . . for the unpublished author, I also think there is another “secret” ingredient. And it’s this: We have to write a saleable book—a book that a publishing house can get behind, one they think has appeal to today’s reader, one that can ultimately bring in the money necessary for a business to survive and thrive.

When I went to visit my publishing house in January, I realized they’re studying the market very closely and are striving to predict what readers want. If they decide to take on a project, they do so only after careful consideration of the saleability of that book.

All of the other factors I listed above may or may not come into consideration. Maybe the writer doesn’t have much talent. Maybe she doesn't have the slightest platform. Perhaps it’s the first book she's ever written. None of that really matters—if the book is saleable.

The hard thing about saleability is that it’s subjective. How can the average writer really predict what publishing houses think will sell?

I don’t know that there’s an easy formula for writing a saleable book, except to be a student of the market and the craft, and to write voraciously. The more we grow and the more books we write, the greater our chances of making the sale . . . eventually.

What do YOU think it really takes to get published? Do you agree that saleabiltiy is the one key ingredient? Or do you think it’s more complicated than that, involving a lot of the other factors I mentioned?

Remembering the Joys of the Writing Life

Guilt and misunderstanding are the twin companions that stalk the writer’s life. We commiserated together this week about both, but I couldn’t let this week end on a down note.

It’s all too easy to focus on the problems —there are so many writers face. The modern publishing climate is stormy and tough.

Of course we shouldn't minimize the hardships. We’re on a difficult journey together. We can warn each other about the potholes, the bumps in the road, and the danger ahead. We can lean upon one another for support up the steep climb, helping carry each others’ burdens.

But we can’t stop there. . .

Sometimes we have to take a deep breath, slow down our pace, and take a look at the passing scenery. Maybe we even need to sit on a big rock, dangle our feet, and stare up into the sky.

In other words, we need to remember to enjoy the journey. Too often we get so caught up striving hard after our dreams, that we become fixated on the destination—finishing the book, landing an agent, or acquiring a book contract. When we’re intent on the end goal, sometimes we lose out on the beauty of the journey itself.

My four year old daughter is named Joy (that's her picture above). I constantly tell her what a joy she is to our family. And because I remind her so often what a joy and delight she is to me, she believes it. Even when she’s having a typical pre-schooler melt-down moment, she can rest secure in the knowledge that she is a joy to my life.

Often, we need to choose to have joy. It isn’t some magical, ooey-gooey feeling that comes over us when we least expect it. Rather it’s a conscious decision to live in the moment, to tell ourselves what a joy and delight the little things in life and writing truly are.

When we give ourselves a message over and over, it doesn’t take long before we begin to believe it and feel it. Isn’t that true of most things? When we give ourselves positive messages about our beauty, our worth, or even about loving someone we don’t like, pretty soon it’s not just a message, but a reality.

On the converse, when we focus too hard and too long on the negatives, we find ourselves believing them: the journey is too hard, we’re not good enough, we don’t have what it takes. When we tell ourselves these things (even unconsciously), it doesn’t take too long before they become a reality.

So, how do we minimize the negative and refocus on the joy of life and writing?

I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers. I combat negativity like everyone else. But through all of the rejections, harsh critiques, and hard climbs, I try to remember to find joy in the creative process itself.

I relish words, taste phrases, and bask in the pure delight of developing a story. I reread pages I’ve already written and I smile with pleasure. I remind myself that one of the reasons I write books is because only I can develop the exact kind of story that I love to read. Creating stories is so rewarding on a personal level, I would do it without the end goal of seeing my book in print.

Sure, I’m on the path to publication, but I don’t want to get so immersed in striving toward my goals that I forget to find the simple joys of the writing journey itself.

How about you? Have you lost the joy in the journey because you’re so focused on reaching the destination? Or are you still in love with the process of creating? And if so, how do you find the smiple joys?

Sometimes People Just Don't Understand

One night when I was tucking my six year old son into bed he asked, “Mom, when are you going to be done with your writing?”

I wrinkled my brow. “What do you mean, honey?”

“Will you be finished once you’re done writing this book?”

I brushed my hand over his stubbly hair. “Nope. I have to write another after this one.”

“Oh.” His big brown eyes peered up at me and melted my heart. “I liked it better when you didn’t have to sit at the computer so much.”

How could I possibly explain to a six year old the honor of getting a three book deal with a major publishing company? How could his little mind comprehend the magnitude of my lifetime dream coming true? How could he ever conceive how hard I’d worked to get to this point?

To him, my writing is an inconvenience, something he’d like to go away, much like an annoying cold. And sometimes I get the feeling others in my life think the same thing as my six year old, only they have the tact not to say it those exact words.

The fact is that family and friends won’t always understand the scope of the writing life and the dreams we have. Usually they express that misunderstanding in subtle ways.

Sometimes we get a blank, disinterested look when we start talking about our writing. Other times we get the feeling they think we’re obsessed with it. Even worse is when a friend knows how excited we are about writing, but doesn’t ask us about it—as if it’s a taboo topic.

Friends and family may not "get" our love of writing on a personal level. And quite frequently they don't know much about the publishing industry, period. We’ve all heard statements like these:

“Oh you’re a writer? Where can I buy your book?” Uh, the book isn’t out yet.

“I’ve got lots of story ideas too. If only I had more time. . .” As if we write because we have SO much more free time on our hands.

“You’re getting a book published? Wow, you’re going to be rich and famous like so-and-so author!” Yep. And I’m lucky I could actually use my advance to cover the cost of my printer ink this year.

Let’s face it, most people just don’t understand what it takes to get published. There are even writers who haven’t immersed themselves into the current publishing industry and who are naïve about the process of publication. I was ignorant before I made an effort to read agent and editor blogs.

The misunderstandings come from within our close circles and without. Sometimes they sting. Other times they downright stab. So how do we deal with them?

I couldn’t expect my 6 year old to comprehend the depths of my writing passion or the ins and outs of my writing career. And I really can’t expect others too either. I didn’t try to explain to my son the details of my contract and how many years I’ve been writing. Maybe I need to take the same approach with others:

• Tell myself they probably won’t “get it.” But if they do, then I’ll make them my newest best friend for life. Seriously, is it really worth the effort to try to educate every person we talk to? Or is better just to point them in right direction with an agent blog or two?

• Keep my complaints and irritation under wraps. Yes, it's easy to want to blog about the frustrations of dealing with all the mistakes and myths people have about writing and publishing. But I have to remember humiliating people isn't the answer. So I usually commiserate and vent with a few close writing friends who can truly understand.

• Realize that I will probably misunderstand others at some point too. I won’t “get” things that are important to them. But hopefully I can use my own frustrations at being misunderstood to spur me to be more sensitive to the interests of others.

What about you? Have you experienced the frustration of having people misunderstand you and your writing? How do you deal with it?

Dealing With Writer's Guilt

Most writers carry around an invisible burden of guilt.

There aren’t a whole lot of us who can quit our day jobs, abandon everything, and write every waking hour. Whether we’re a stay-at-home-mom, college student, or working to earn our bread and butter, we often have to squeeze writing around a whole lot of other life responsibilities.

We write in the dark hours of dawn and in the black hours of night. We grab fifteen minutes here, thirty minutes there. Often it never seems like enough. We tear ourselves away from it, but carry the longing in our hearts as we go about our other tasks.

We feel guilty when we’re doing those real-life jobs because there’s a part of us that would much rather be writing. But then when we’re writing, we struggle with self-reproach because we’re taking time away from other important things in our lives.

I’ve heard writers say something like this, “When I finally get an agent or book contract, I won’t have to feel guilty anymore about spending so much time on my writing.”

What I've found, however, is that it doesn’t get any easier. In fact, it may even get harder.

Sure, the agent or book contract somehow seems to “legitimize” our writing in the eyes of all those who once questioned us. They may even begin to offer their begrudging support of the “hobby” turned “career.”

But those other life responsibilities won’t go away. We’ll still have our day jobs. AND now on top of all of the other demands, we have MORE writing work—proposals to write, edits to make, deadlines to meet, and so much more.

We find ourselves wrestling to get it all done and having to take more time away from other important things. Guilt creeps in and becomes our constant companion.

I haven’t figured out an easy method for shedding guilt. I can’t stop being a mom, and I’m certainly not earning enough with my writing to support our family. There are days when I’m running on full speed from the moment my feet hit the ground to the second I plop into bed at night. I’m attempting to juggle it all, just like so many of us are doing.

Even though guilt follows me around, here are a few ways I’m trying to keep it at arm’s length:

1. Schedule writing time. If we block out certain hours of our day or week for writing, then we can approach the rest of the day with the assurance that eventually we’ll have our coveted writing time.

It frees us up to work at our other responsibilities without the overwhelming tug of our stories. Of course, if you’re like me, the story always seems to be calling, but at least I know I can return most afternoons for my scheduled time.

2. Schedule family time. (Or time with the significant people in our lives.) We may have good intentions about spending quality time with the ones we love, but the craziness of our lives might slip in and take over. If we plan the time into our daily or weekly schedules, we’re more likely to make it a priority.

Yes, I set aside weekly tea time with my daughters, daily reading time with my little ones, Family Night every weekend, etc. Of course we have lots of spontaneous time together too. But when I’m writing, I can do it knowing I’m still making time for my relationships.

3. Remain confident. There will be a lot of people who won’t understand the writing life, including our family. But I want to rest secure that this is one of my God-given jobs at this point in my life. It’s an important job that I can’t neglect, just like I can’t neglect my other responsibilities.

What about you? Does guilt follow you around? How do you work to keep it at arm’s length?

When Dreams Come Crashing Down

I stuck the thermometer in my son’s mouth and waited for the beep.

He watched me with hopeful eyes.

I pulled it out and read the number. “You have a fever of 102.”

His shoulders sagged and he blew out a weary breath.

“I’m sorry, honey.” I brushed the hair from his hot forehead. “I know how much you were looking forward to this tournament.”

The state basketball tournament, the games he’d looked forward to playing all year, the last of the season. As point guard, his team needed him. But how could he help his team now?

Disappointment. Aching, gut-wrenching disappointment. My son felt it. We’ve all felt it at one point or another.

We’ve been talking about reaching for our dreams this week, first believing in ourselves, and second doing the hard work necessary to make those dreams come true. The fact is, even if we’re reaching high and doing everything right, sometimes we get punched in the stomach.

Heartache hits us, deflates our high hopes, and sometimes even knocks us to the ground. A rejection letter from the agent we really wanted. A “no thanks” from the editor who’s had our proposal for months. A contest entry that doesn’t final. Critique feedback that glares with all our faults. A stinging review on our book. An unfriendly reply from a fellow writer.

Our shoulders sag, we blow out a weary breath, and we hurt with the sharp stab of frustration. In all my years of writing, I’ve had plenty of painful moments—too many to count, actually.

I’ve learned to approach disappointment in several ways:

1. Allow hard times to keep us humble. If all I ever experienced were happy, high moments, I shudder to think how prideful I’d grow. I’m pretty sure God allows me moments of utter embarrassment and failure to keep me from thinking I’m “all that.”

2. Remember life’s not all about what we accomplish. When I get so busy striving after my dreams, sometimes the disappointment slaps me in the face and forces my focus back onto the things that matter most—particularly my relationships with others.

3. Don’t forget there’s always next time. When Olympic skier, Lindsey Vonn, crashed into the fence and lost her chance for a medal, she picked herself off the ground, brushed off the snow, and said something like, “I hope I can do better in the next race.” And that’s the same kind of attitude I want to have. I don’t ever want to give up hope.

4. Let the difficulty spur us to improve. After the blow, I allow myself a few seconds of pity (or few hours!). Then I remind myself that I believe I can do anything I set my mind to do. The key is to figure out a new way to move forward. Maybe that’s buying a new craft book and studying harder. Maybe it’s starting a new book and making that one even better. I challenge myself to move beyond what I've already accomplished.

Disappointment is a reality. In fact, the more we risk and the higher we reach for our dreams, the more crashes we’ll likely have. But we can’t let those tumbles define us. We have to pick ourselves back up and keep hoping and believing.

Yes, I agree, there may be times when we need to step back from our writing, take a break, or re-evaluate our goals. But all too often we let despair knock us off the writing path, when instead we should be persevering.

Perseverance is downright hard. But without it, how would we ever know what we could have accomplished if only we'd kept going?

Have you ever experienced broken dreams or crashing disappointment? How are you keeping the pain and frustration from weighing you down?

The Hard Work of Making Dreams Come True

My daughter sat at the piano and plunked at the keys. “Mom, I already know all my songs. Can I stop practicing today?”

I looked at her timer. “You still have ten minutes left.”

“But I don’t have anything else to practice.”

I cocked my head at her and gave her my you-know-what-I’m-going-to-say look.

She sighed. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

“Exactly.” I smiled. “Practice ahead. Take initiative. Surprise your piano teacher by learning a new song she didn’t assign you.”

In the last post, we talked about reaching for our dreams. To start, we have to believe in ourselves. But it’s not enough just to want something and have confidence that we can attain it. We also have to work for it. Really hard.

My daughter may never become a concert pianist, but when I teach her to work hard in her piano practicing, I’m equipping her with the lifelong philosophy that if she wants to accomplish something, then she has to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

In the wake of the Winter Olympics, I talked with my children about this very philosophy. I asked them how hard they thought each Olympic athlete had to train to even make it into the Olympics, the hours, months, and even years, most of those athletes devoted to become as good as they are.

We need to dream big and believe in ourselves. But if we have Olympic-size dreams, then we have to give it Olympic-size effort. Here are three characteristics that have helped me:

1. Diligence: I made a diligence poster for my children that outlines the definition: Work that is done hard, thoroughly, steadily, and carefully. In our modern culture, diligence is often a forgotten word. But if we can learn to cultivate daily habits of approaching our writing time with diligence, we'll have a much easier time reaching our dreams.

2. Determination: The dictionary defines determination as "the act of deciding definitely and firmly." I think of it as making up our minds to stick to the task and see it through to completion. Maybe that means we'll finish the book instead of stopping halfway. Perhaps it means we keep querying even after rejection. We decide what we're going to do, and we don't stop until it's done.

3. Drive: Not everyone has a Type A personality, but we can all still strive to excel. Instead of letting the competition scare us, we let it sharpen us. Instead of being satisfied with status quo, we shove ourselves to the next level. We sweat, cry, and ache with the pain of reaching high, always attempting to pour more into each story we write.

No Olympic athlete ever won a gold medal without putting forth incredible effort. As writers, we shouldn’t expect to reach the ultimate gold of publication without the same kind of dedication to our craft and stories.

I spent years fiercely chasing my writing dreams. And today, even with publication in my grasp, I still work long hours and push myself to be diligent, determined, and driven.

Believe in ourselves, but also expect much from ourselves.

Dream big, but work fiercely.

Are you doing the hard work necessary to make your dreams come true? If so, I'd love to hear what's helped you. And if not, what else can you do to push yourself harder?

Next post: When Dreams Come Crashing Down

Reaching For Our Dreams

In all my years of writing, I always had the mindset “when” I get published not “if.” It never occurred to me I might be a tad prideful, unrealistic, or deluded. I’ve always just believed, “If I want to accomplish something, then I’ll do what it takes to make that happen.”

Part of my mindset stems from my childhood. I had the kind of parents who allowed me the freedom to dream big and to pursue my passions, no matter how big or small.

One year, in sixth grade, I decided to run cross-country. Of course, I had Olympic-size dreams. When I think back to that stage, I chuckle. But what strikes me most is that my mother didn’t chuckle. Instead, everyday, she got on her bike and rode alongside me as I ran up and down the hilly country roads near our home. Without fail she pedaled by my side, her steady words encouraging me.

Then there was the time in eighth grade I decided to be in the school play and take up acting. Once again, my parents let me dream big. They nurtured my creativity and they were my biggest fans. Even though I never did last beyond one year with either running or acting, their faith in me never wavered.

They believed I could do anything I set my mind to. And because they believed in me, I could believe in myself.

Now as a parent of five, I find myself in the very same position. I want to give my children one of the greatest gifts of all: the ability to believe in themselves.

My children all have various talents and abilities. While I hope that I can help them discover how God uniquely designed them, I also want to give them the freedom to dream big.

When my 6 year old son says, “Someday I’m going to travel all over the world” I respond by saying, “Wow, that would be fantastic. Just imagine all of the people you might get to meet and love.”

When my 10 year old daughter says, “I’m going to write mysteries when I grow up,” I tell her “You don’t have to wait. You can start right now.”

My oldest once wanted to be an artist, and he set up an “art shop” in a cardboard box in our basement. I gave him all the supplies he needed, and he spent hours painting and coloring on the walls of his “shop.”

Even though their passions may be temporary, and they’ll likely move on to a dozen other things just like I did, each of those experiences gives me a chance to encourage them , to believe in them, to teach them that they can do anything.

The lesson is true for all of us. We can’t reach for our dreams if we don’t start by believing in ourselves. I’m not talking about a showy, prideful attitude that we can rise to the top. But rather a quiet, secure confidence in our gifts and abilities, a steadiness to pursue our passion day in and day out, the belief that we have what it takes to accomplish what we set out to do.

Doubts and insecurities may come and try to weigh on our shoulders. But an unshakable, inner confidence needs to toss them off. Instead, we must continue to stretch tall. Reach high. And never stop believing we can grasp onto our dreams.

Do you believe in yourself? Are you standing tall and reaching for your dreams? Or have you let doubt and disappointments weigh you down?

Next post: The hard work of making dreams come true.

What to do When Overwhelmed With Blogging

“I like blogging for the social connections, but I just can’t keep up.” I hear this kind of statement quite frequently.

As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, blogging won't establish a true readership for unpublished authors. It can help us begin to get our name “out there.” But for most of us, this web presence happens mostly among the writing community.

Therefore, blogging for unpublished writers becomes more about social connections with other writers. And that’s truly a fabulous blessing. I can attest that my writing journey is much richer because of all of you.

However, once we’ve blogged for a while, we may find our followers and friendships growing to the point that we can't keep up with everyone. We rush through blogs, battling to find time to read and comment on all of them.

We also might begin to struggle with what to write in our posts. Perhaps we've said everything we can think to say, and some days we don't have anything left to share. When that happens, blogging can turn into a chain around the neck that weighs us down.

What should we do when get overwhelmed with blogging?

1. Take a blogging break.

I know several writers who are on break. They wrote a post explaining why and for how long, and then pulled out of the blogging community. Whether the hiatus is for a couple of weeks or a couple of months, it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that these writers didn’t just one day fall off the face of cyberland. Instead they took the time to explain to their readers why they were taking a break and for approximately how long.

From time to time, we all need a blogging vacation. Some writers participate in the once a month “unplug” week during the third week of each month. Others, like me, pick busy holidays to take a break. We need to give ourselves permission to slow down and back away from time to time.

2. Cut back on blogging.

We all have to find a blogging schedule that works for us individually. For unpublished writers, there’s a myth that the more often we blog, the more traffic we’ll get. I’ve yet to see evidence that supports such a statement.

I personally think increasing blog visitor statistics has to do with a lot of other factors. In fact, if we’re posting every day, but we’re running out of things to say and not able to visit other blogs, we may even see our visitors drop away.

Frequency is somewhat irrelevant, but consistency is important. If we decide to post three times a week, twice, or even once, we’re wise to let our readers know our schedule. Pour our hearts into those few posts we do write. Quality trumps quantity.

3. Put blogging in its proper priority.

No matter where we’re at in our journeys to publication, blogging isn’t as imperative as writing our books and stories. Even though social networking is important to me and I budget blogging into my work schedule, I don’t let it interfere with my daily writing time. Those are sacred hours.

I prioritize my writing time first, then give blogging the leftover time. I never let reading other blogs take away from my scheduled writing time. Some days and weeks that means I may not get to visit friends as much as I’d like, but I’m working at keeping blogging in its proper perspective.

And just what is the proper perspective for blogging? It’s a helpful tool for our writing career, but it’s not going to make or break us. Only crafting a well-written, saleable story has the potential to help us “make it.” If we have to choose where to put our limited energy, why not channel it into something that can truly help our writing careers?

In other words, keep the main thing, the main thing.

What do you think? Have you ever felt overwhelmed with blogging? What have you done to make sure you prioritize writing and keep blogging in its proper place?

Maintaining a Professional Blog

How important is it for writers to maintain a professional blog?

In the last post, most of us agreed that blogging probably won’t give us a huge readership before publication. Even though blogging can help establish a baseline, our largest readership will develop after publication.

So if most of us are blogging for encouragement, support, education, expression, building a web presence, and a hundred other various reasons, why would we need to worry about keeping our blogs professional?

I look at blogs as our cyber home-offices. The way we decorate them is often an expression of ourselves. From our backgrounds to our layouts—we often choose designs that represent ourselves and/or our writing. That’s all part of the fun of blogging.

Personal expression is good, but once we enter the realm of querying, professional expression must enter the equation too. In other words, once we begin to make contact with industry professionals—agents and editors—I think we need to make sure our cyber offices reflect this new step in our career.

Experience has taught me that agents and editors can pop onto our blogs for surprise visits. Not only has this happened to me, I know it’s happened to other writers in the querying phase. If our queries or sample chapters perk the interest of agents or editors, they may make a quick visit to our blogs to learn more about us.

Will we be prepared? And what are some ways we can make sure that our blogs are appealing to agents and editors? After all, why wouldn’t we want to make a good impression on them, as well as all of the readers who swing by on a daily basis?

Showcase ourselves and our books:

At the very basic, a professional blog should include the writer’s name and a profile picture. I’m surprised by the number of writer blogs I stumble upon that don’t mention the writer’s name but instead say something like, “Lovely Writer” with a picture of a heart or something like that. If we’re too afraid to put our name and picture “out there” then how will we cope when our books, our very souls, are released for all the world to see?

In addition, we may consider having links to more information about ourselves and our books. Blogger now has a gadget for tabs that open into separate pages (similar to a website). I’ve set mine up at the top of this blog. It’s a great place to showcase our author bio, current projects, completed books, etc. I would recommend making it as simple and clear as possible.

Keep our blogs tidy and easy to read:

The top page of our blog, the part that shows up first in a screen, should highlight the most important parts of our blog. We may only have a few seconds to make an impression, so we should carefully consider what things our readers see first. I would recommend again, an author picture and name, along with the aspects of our writing career that are most important to us.

Keep in mind that light type set against a dark background can be more difficult to read, along with certain fonts. Even if we really like something, we also need to start thinking “hook.” What will draw the attention and keep it of anyone who might stop by.

Just like we tidy our real homes, from time to time we need to evaluate our blogs and decide if we need to clean them up, or even do a home makeover. If we’re getting serious about publication, then we need to get our blogs ready. We never know who may stop by!

How’s your blog? Have you considered what impression your blog gives to your readers? And if an agent or editor stopped by, would you be ready for their visit?

Can Blogging Help Unpublished Writers Develop a Readership?

Most writers who are serious about publication enter the blogging world at some point. I’d venture to say most of us stake a claim in cyber land because we hear things from industry professionals like:

“Unpublished writers need to begin developing their platforms.”

“The bigger the writers’ platform, the better their chance of drawing agent/editor attention.”

“Publishing houses want to see that writers are willing to partner with them in marketing.”

“Blogging is a good way to begin to develop name recognition/web presence.”

These are a sample of the kinds of things floating around blogging land. Often we jump into a blog, eager to start building a platform and gathering a following of readers, who will potentially support us and our books.

While there’s truth to each of the above statements, they can also be misleading. We need to ask ourselves: can blogging really help unpublished authors develop a future readership?

I’ve thought about that question for a while, and here’s the conclusion I’ve come to. For the average unpublished writer, blogging won’t develop our true readership. How can it? When we don’t have anything published that can attract readers who are passionate about our genre? We don’t have a product to sell yet, and let’s face it, our pretty faces alone won’t draw the crowds.

Most of us attract other writers through each other’s comments, follower gadget’s, and twitter. Sure, I have a handful of non-writers and real-life friends who read my blog. (Thanks guys. I love you!)

But the large majority of my blog readers are fellow writers. And I would guess that’s the reality for most of us. Unless we have a specific niche that targets future readers, we really don’t have any way to attract those outside the writing community.

Okay, yes it’s true, writers are readers, and will potentially buy our books someday. Many of us are friends and want to support one another’s difficult writing journeys. Whether out of kindness, curiosity, or something else, a percentage of our followers will probably buy our books.

Just last week I bought three books of fellow writers—and not within the genre I write or read, not books I’d normally buy. I did it simply because I wanted to show them my support.

Our followers will help spread some buzz, offer to do interviews, maybe post kind reviews. But. . .

Before we’re published, we don’t have the capability to develop our true readership base—people who pick up our books, fall in love with them, google us as the authors, and look for some way to connect to us.

But after publication new, true readers will come to our blogs, and that’s when our following will change. We may even need to gradually shift the focus of our blogs so we can include our reader “fans” in our amazing writing journeys.

But until that point, blogging for unpublished writers is less about developing a writing platform and readership than it is about a whole lot of other things: support, encouragement, friendships, education, expression, self-discipline, giving back to others, sharing our journeys, building a web presence, starting some buzz, and so much more.

All that to say, I believe unpublished writers put way too much pressure on themselves with blogging. Eventually, we’ll develop a real readership—people who are crazy about our books. Until then, let’s give ourselves permission to stop worrying about platforms and readerships.

Instead, let’s figure out what we like about blogging and focus on that, because when we’re truly enjoying our blogs, our readers will sense it. And likewise, they can tell when it’s become a chore, just one more thing to do in the long list of making our way to publication.

Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? If we can’t really develop our true readership until after publication, then why worry now? What can YOU do to take off the pressure and enjoy blogging more?

Going Public With Our Writing

In the last post I went “public” with my book cover. I have to admit, it was a little scary to unveil it for everyone to critique. But I can't thank you enough for all of your kind words!

Many writers are very private about their writing life, often writing for years without telling anyone, except perhaps a few close friends or family members. This was true for me. I admit, I was a “closet writer.” (Read about it here.)

Many of my real life friends knew I “liked” to write, but the writing was relegated to “hobby” status, similar to gardening or knitting. But writing isn’t the kind of “hobby” that naturally comes up in conversations. We can exchange zucchini recipes, but writing techniques? Uh-uh.

When I finished writing The Preacher’s Bride, I told some of my close friends I wanted to try to get it published and that I was hunting for an agent. But I didn’t broadcast the news to the world. After all, what if I failed? The fewer people who knew, the better (or so I thought). Then if things didn’t work out, I wouldn’t have to do so much explaining.

I believed it would be easier to be open about my writing when I actually had more positive news to share, when publication was within my grasp.

But even with publication only months away, and now with my book cover “out there,” I’ve realized it’s still not easy. When I’ve kept my writing private for so many years and have down-played its significance in my life, I still find myself minimizing it, particularly with real life friends.

How do we begin to tell people about our writing, especially if we’ve kept it private for so long? Should we throw it into a conversation: “We’re doing fine. The kids are finally finished with all their hacking and fevers. Oh, and by the way, did you know I’m a writer and that I’ve got a book coming out in the fall?”

What I’ve contracted and what many of us face is a long-lasting case of Insecurity, with a capital “I.” We walk around paralyzed and speechless, battling a lack of confidence, low self-esteem, and fear of rejection. Whether we’re starting out, well on our way to publication, or even beyond, we’re all susceptible to the nasty germs of Insecurity.

So, what is the antidote for the disease? How can we have more confidence to go public with our writing? Here are a few ideas:

1. Bring it up: Yep. How will they know if we don’t tell them? Especially, the friends we see less frequently. Most people start a conversation by saying, “So, how’ve you been lately?” Ahhh, the perfect moment to step out of our comfort zone. “Well, I’ve been pretty busy lately with my writing. . .”

A more subtle way to share about our writing is through the Internet. I have my book title, blog address, and other links in an automatic signature for all emails. I’ve had several real life friends “discover” my writing through that signature.

From time to time on Facebook, I’ll make a writing-related comment. I don’t do it often because I have so many real-life friends there. But when I do make comments, invariably I get the “I didn’t know you were a writer” reply which offers another opportunity to share.

2. Believe in ourselves: Instead of downplaying the importance of writing in our lives, we need to be honest about how vital it is. To those of us serious about publication, writing is NOT a hobby. It’s so much more. If we minimize it, then others in our lives will too. But once we respect ourselves as writers, hopefully those around us will follow suit.

3. Bless others: Often when I tell others I’m a writer, I’ll get a response like, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to write a book.” I used to think, “What do they think? Getting a book published is a cake walk? Don’t they understand how hard I’ve had to work to get where I’m at?” The fact is—a non-writer won’t understand, not until they try it for themselves.

Instead, I use those occasions to encourage them to pursue their dreams, give them resources that may help, try to point them in the right direction, and offer to help in any way I can.

What about you? How public are you with your writing life? Are you battling Insecurity? Or are you gaining confidence, and if so, what’s helped you go public?

Here It Is! The Cover of my Debut Book!

This is the official cover of my first book, The Preacher’s Bride! What do you think?! ?!

The first time I saw it, I was absolutely thrilled. More than anything I was overwhelmed to see my name, right there, on the front of a book—MY book.

In the last post, I shared in detail how the Bethany House Creative Team designed the cover. If you missed it, click here. I’ll summarize by saying this: A LOT of work went into it!

And no, I’m not taking up Amish fiction. My heroine is wearing a bonnet because she’s a young English Puritan woman, not because she’s Amish. However, I’ve been told “bonnet books” are selling well, so if someone is drawn to mine because they think it’s Amish—hey, I won’t complain!

The talented graphic designer who developed the cover took care with every single detail. The loose hairs and turned up edge of the collar show the inattention the heroine pays to her outward appearance. The tilt of her head shows her modesty as well as her uncertainty. The paper she’s hiding behind her back plays an integral role in the plot.

You may be wondering, like I did, why my cover is ready so far in advance. Even though the official release isn’t until October 1, the Bethany House sales department is already busy at work. They had a meeting last week and are gearing up to begin selling the fall books to their distributors.

The sales team will present my book as one of four historical romances that Bethany House will release at the beginning of October. They can sell my debut book to distributors much better if it’s paired with other authors with established readerships.

Thus the cover, an excerpt of my book, and information about me as the author—it’s all necessary this far ahead as part of the beginning process of getting my book into stores. But it also means my cover is “out there” now in cyberland too—available for everyone to see. Believe it or not, it's already on Amazon for pre-order.

At first, I had a few doubts. If my book cover is out so far in advance, won't it be "old" or anticlimactic when the book actually releases? Will some people see the cover and assume the book is already released? And what about doing interviews this far in advance--will that help or hurt?

I posed these questions to the head of Marketing and the summary of her wise response was this: It won't hurt anything to start some "chatter" or "buzz" now, but it's more important do the promotion closer to the release of the book.

I’m curious to know what you think about publicizing a book cover months in advance of the actual release. Do you think it can help build anticipation? Or do you think it detracts from the glory of the actual release itself?

How My Book Cover Was Designed

When I visited my publishing house a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with the Creative Director of the Design Team and talk with him about my book cover. He led me step by step through fascinating process of how they developed it.

Before I describe this process, however, I need to issue a disclaimer. Not all publishing houses develop book covers the same way. I’m sure even within Bethany House, covers are not all designed in an identical manner.

In addition, the process of cover development may vary between genres. As most of us know, historical romance is currently a popular genre. The costume and designs of past eras often fascinate modern readers. Thus the covers of historical romances may elicit more time and money than other genre covers.

All that to say, the Bethany House Design Team worked very hard on my book cover, and during my visit, I got a glimpse of how it was made.

First, the Creative Director showed me three large bulletin boards in his office. One board was filled with replicas of all the book covers he had developed for spring releases. Another board contained the book covers for summer. And the last board was still mostly empty, waiting for fall covers.

He rubbed his hand over a spot on the fall board and said, “Yours will go right here.” And I just melted. “Really?”

To prove it, he pulled out the file for my book and opened it. There were the initial sketches and plans for the cover, the notes describing the heroine, and all the other information that would help in the design.

Next he explained that they’d looked through the portfolios of models they have on file, found one similar to my heroine, and arranged a photo shoot. They rented the appropriate clothing for the time period, met with the model, and took over 500 pictures.

Fortunately I had the opportunity to sit down in the office of the graphic designer who was at that very moment working on my cover. She showed me several of the possibilities she’d already designed as well as the one she was currently focusing on. Fonts, swirls, background colors, facial expressions, the countryside setting—I was amazed at the attention they give to every detail.

Of course I didn’t get to see the finished product before I left, but I did get to take home a souvenir—a picture of the model, the woman who would now represent my heroine to the world. And for the record, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect model if I’d tried.

In the ensuing weeks, a committee met and discussed the pros and cons of each cover option. They settled upon the one they all liked best and emailed it to me and my agent for our thoughts.

More about my reaction in the next post . . .

We all hear how important the cover is, especially for debut authors. Our names won’t attract readers to pick up our books. The cover has to catch the reader’s eye first. Once the reader picks it up, then the back cover blurb and first page have to seal the deal. But without a compelling cover, we may not get a chance to tempt readers at all.

When my book sits on the shelf next to all of the other books with beautifully designed covers, I can only speculate what will draw someone to pick mine up or pass over it for someone else’s. I hope my cover draws readers, but I have no guarantees.

But I want to thank the very talented Bethany House Creative Team for all their hard work on my cover. The beauty of their design at least gives The Preacher’s Bride a fighting chance.

What do you think of how my book cover was made? Surprised by anything? What makes you pass over some covers and draws you to others?