A-ha!

Do You NaNo?

Well, here it is, almost National Novel Writing Month (So named by founder Chris Baty, author of No Plot, No Problem) and while most people consider NaNoWriMo for those fiction writers out there, I can't see any reason why any writer with a book inside him or her can't participate.

I have had a "street smart e-mail (etiquette) book" in me for quite some time but never seem to get around to doing anything with it. So this year, I have committed myself to participating in -- and completing -- the whole month of November and at the end I will have a 50,000 word rough draft of my work.

This year, I am so committed to the month that I have joined up as a Municipal Liaison for the Rochester, NY area.

Who knows, maybe you have had a book idea in your head but have put it off waiting for that "perfect" moment, when all of the stars align, the laundry is done, the dog is walked... you get the picture. For years I have waited, and believe it or not once those chores are done, there are dishes to be washed, floors to scrub, and children to taxi around... the "perfect" time to get your words down on paper -- whether fiction or non -- will never come.

So, for 2007, I have made my perfect time be from November 1 to November 30. I will meet up with my co-ML Robin and we will motivate the writers who gather for our kick-off, the write-ins, and the thank goodness it's over party! Why not make November your time to get that book idea out of the ether and down on paper? (The Nano site even has a place to track your word count -- nothing like a little accountability to keep those fingers moving!)

 

Who is your audience?

The question of "who is your audience" is something that I think is in the back of my mind with each article I write but the idea was driven home in a class I was taking from Mary Ann Donovan at Writers & Books. It was a business writing class, but the basics remain the same. You need to know who you are writing for before you can craft a compelling piece of work whether an article or a book.

Once you've made the determination that you are going to write that book, take a step back and figure out who your audience is. A publisher -- whether you go the self published or traditional publisher route -- will want to know that. Publishers want to make sure your book is as successful as it can be and if you don't know your own audience (market) the publisher's hands could be tied in helping you get the word out about your book.

What need will your book fill for the reader? What questions will you be answering for them as they thumb through the pages in your book? What is your title? Whether your title is changed in the final process isn't really the question here, the question is, what title calls to you? Write it down. Heck, go into your computer and make a mock-up of your bookcover. What color will the cover be? What does the font look like? Figure it out, hang it up, and be inspired everytime you look at it!

When you compiled your research and decided what information was going to into each chapter, look and see if there is a question that can be raised (and answered) within each chapter.

Can your chapters have a "call to action" in each one? Could you raise a question that would leave the reader thinking about the words he or she has just read? Could there be an exercise at the end of each chapter?

Remember, who is your audience? What kind of questions/exercises would be relevant? Perhaps, your audience just wants the facts and exercises aren't applicable, in that case, leave them out. After all, you know your audience and what they want, don't you?

The Writing Process: Part 3

Okay, you've got your idea, you've narrowed it down (or fleshed it out, depending on how long or short you plan for the finished product to be) you've decided on a tentative title and you simply know you are the best person (the authority) to write this book. Now what?

Over the course of your career, you have likely gathered a lot of information on your subject, researched it, lived it, but now when you are looking at the stacks of research and reference material before you, it's overwhelming. You know you need to "begin at the beginning." Where is the beginning? It's not at the beginning of your life, or even the beginning of your career in the subject area. It's where you want your reader to begin his or her journey with you. Why should they pick up your book and stick with it until the end? Give them a reason. "Hook" them from page one. Is there an "A-HA" moment that your reader can relate to? Find that and start there.

While the process is different for every writer, many find it helpful to gather research materials, separate it into chapter piles, or set up a three-ring binder system and sort materials by chapters in a binder. If Chapter 1 looks like it will be too long or covers too many topics, shave it down and slide some of the material into Chapter 2. Conversely, if one chapter looks too short, do a bit more research to flesh it out a bit.

Go back to your high school days and write an outline. What is the major topic for each chapter? What are the subtopics you will cover under that major topic? You don't have to use the standard Roman Numeral I, subtopic A, B, C, etc. but you get the picture.

Getting started actually begins before you type the words Chapter 1 on a blank piece of paper. 

It's all about the networking

We writers are purported to be a shy bunch but in reality, if you want to sell a book you need to get out, shake hands, make acquaintances. Whether you attend a writers' group, a gathering over coffee, or take advantage of the many conferences that are held virtually year 'round all across the country, you need to get out there and get yourself and your name known.

I recently attended a Communication Central meeting in Rochester, NY. The gathering was a mixed bunch of multi-published writers in various genres and disciplines and those who really wanted to get their foot in the door and learn to make a living -- or at least enough to buy a cup of coffee -- with their craft.

While I boast no skills in telling who will or will not make it in the writing world, it is rather easy to predict that those individuals I met at the meeting who introduced themselves, handed out business cards, and/or made small talk between sessions and over lunch, will likely go farther than the shrinking violets.

I've found that if I want people to know who I am and what I do, I need to tell them. In a perfect world, everyone I meet will know that I co-authored a book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to 30,000 Baby Names" but chances are, they won't unless I tell them -- and tell people I do, every chance I get. 

In a perfect world, people would be knocking at our doors, asking what we are writing/publishing next and would camp out until that book or article was released, but (sigh!) we, as writers who want to get our names known, have to get out there and knock on their doors and announce, "Here I am, read my book!"

It takes a while (hey, I failed high school public speaking classes) but shameless self promotion is something every writer must learn to embrace. Take baby steps. When you receive a check for something you've written and you take it to the bank to deposit, make sure the bank teller knows why/how you got that check. Take every opportunity to introduce yourself and make sure you say, "I am a writer, or editor, or whatever your speciality." Get your name known whether you are seeking writing jobs, editing gigs, or have written a book and want to get it in the hands of the reading/buying public. Remember, if they don't know about it, they can't buy it.

Okay, say it out loud with me, "My name is (insert your name here) and I am a writer!"