Wednesday Writing Prompt: The Commonplace Book by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 24, 2013 by writenowcoach

IMG_1789When I was in my 20s, I began keeping a commonplace book for the quotes I encountered when I read. I got the idea from Madeleine L’Engle in her book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. She wrote:

“(A parenthesis here about quotations and credits. I was taught in college how to footnote, how to give credit where credit is due, and in the accepted, scholarly way. But most of the writers I want to quote in this book are writers whose words I’ve copied down in a big, brown, Mexican notebook, what is called a commonplace book. I copy down thoughts upon which I want to meditate, and footnoting is not my purpose; this is a devotional, not a scholarly notebook. I’ve been keeping it for many years, and turn to it for help in prayer, in understanding. All I’m looking for in it is meaning, meaning which will help me to live life lovingly, . . . )” (p. 29)

I’ve filled several journals like the one pictured above with quotes (as well as a few Word documents). I use them much the way L’Engle did: paging through them when I am stuck on a problem in my life, hoping for a glimmer of insight. These tools were enormously helpful when I wrote my last two books (A Generous Presence and Write-A-Thon), as I had a rich collection of quotations to use as I chose each chapter’s epigraph.

I keep those commonplace books on a shelf, together with other collections of quotes that have inspired me. Every so often I select a quote to write about for my daily writing practice.

Try this: Select a favorite quote and use it as a writing prompt. If you don’t have any, here are three from my book to inspire you. Feel free to share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Without anxiety life would have very little savor. —May Sarton, The House by the Sea

The best way out is always through. —Robert Frost

Maybe God should be a woman and have to wash the dishes more often. —Sarah Willis, Some Things That Stay

 

Challenge: Create your own commonplace book.

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How to Pitch Your Book to Bloggers by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 23, 2013 by writenowcoach

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA week ago, I spent a whole day on the sofa, clutching my unhappy stomach. When I finally checked my email at 5 PM, there were 300 messages and almost a third of those were pitches to read or review someone’s new book. I deleted most of them—not because I was feeling sick and cranky (even though I was). I deleted them because most of the authors and PR professionals had no clue about my blog, The Write Now! Coach Blogs, and what kinds of books I review. Here’s how to pitch to a blogger or editor about reviewing your book or taking on a guest post from you:

1. Do your research. Before you pitch to a blogger about reviewing your book, read their guidelines and several blog posts. Know their readers, what kinds of books the blog reviews, and how your book will fit their market. When you do not do your research, you waste both your time and mine. I edit The Word in Season (TWIS), a devotional that publishes no book reviews, author interviews, or feature articles. And yet every single day, I get at least 20 queries asking if TWIS would be interested in reviewing books aimed at a Christian audience. Clearly these authors and PR folks didn’t do their homework!
Try this: You can find most of what you need to know by checking out blogs online. To find appropriate blogs, start with lists of blogs about your topic (either on a popular blog’s blog roll or by using a blog search tool like Technorati.)

2. Tell me why you are pitching to me. I’m busy. I get a lot of email. I want to know right up front why you think your book is right for my market. Your hook might rock, but if it does not apply to my readers—who are primarily writers—it won’t work. I’ll just press delete. I don’t care that your book will reveal 17 new secret truths about the book of Revelation because the book of Revelation has little to do with writing. One recent successful pitch came to me from an author who is also a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He led with that, noting that he’d come across my name on the ASJA website. I often pitch to blog owners I’ve met on Twitter, noting that I follow them, have tweeted with them, and appreciate their blog.
Try this:
Tell the editor or blogger:
*What your book is about.
*How it will benefit their readers.
Be specific. Your book will not entertain or inform everyone.

3. Offer to send me a complimentary copy of your book. Last year I met a publisher on Twitter. They were looking for reviewers for their books. I was intrigued by the format and volunteered. Then I got the follow up email: the publisher provided a link and invited me to purchase the book I would be reviewing. Guess what, readers: I deleted that email. Here’s the thing—if you want people to review your book, you have to give it to them.
Try this:
Budget how many hard copy books you want to send to reviewers. Offer some hard copies as giveaways on sites like Goodreads (where winners usually review the book). If your budget is tight, create an electronic form of your book to send to reviewers. You can do giveaways of your ebook on LibraryThing  or post a sample on ScribD.

4. Tell me what you can do for me. As a blogger, I’m most interested in writers who will provide a guest blog post about their topic for me. That’s a win-win situation: authors get to talk about the content of their book (and thus promote it) and I get a blog post that brings new ideas or information to my readers. But here’s the thing: I need you to do the work for me or, once again, I’ll probably delete the message. Take a look at the blog you are pitching to and offer at least two blog topic ideas that fit their market. When you write your pitch, tell the blogger why you think your post might interest their readers. And stay open—the blogger or editor knows their market better than you do. If they suggest a tweak on your idea—go with it!
Try this: Brainstorm 25 blog topic ideas that you could offer in relation to your book. That way, when you pitch to specific blogs, you’ll already have some ideas to choose from.

5. Be generous. Blog posts that offer giveaways often get more traffic than the average post even if it is packed with good information. A few months ago, I responded positively to a pitch and suggested that the author or publisher give away a signed copy of the book. The publisher responded that this would be fine as long as I paid to ship the books. Seriously? Writers, if your publisher can’t or won’t be generous—you need to be. When you pitch, ask if the blog does raffles and offer to give away something (and ship it): a signed copy of your book, a sample of one of your services (e.g., coaching, consulting), or a fun item that relates to your book. When In Her Shoes came out, Jennifer Weiner’s publisher gave away a closet full of shoes. (I know I’ve used this example before, but wow, I really wanted to win those shoes!) While that’s more than most of us can afford, the idea is fun.
Try this: Imagine some fun things you can give away. Even small gifts can delight readers: stickers, postcards, or tiny children’s toys.

And don’t forget!
Finally, once you get that coveted blog post or review, don’t forget to:
*Write a post that does exactly what you promised it would do AND meets the blog guidelines. (Yeah, don’t turn in a post that’s 2,000 words when the blogger asked for 500 words.)
*Turn in your post on time with all of the other information that the blogger asked for including a photo, jpeg of your book cover, a bio, and all links for the article.
*When the article or review is published, promote it through your social media networks. Get your people over to the guest blog to read and comment.
*Send prizes to the winners as soon as you can.
*Send a thank you note (via email or snail mail) to the blogger or reviewer.
*Return the favor. If your blog hosts guests, invite the bloggers you guest posted for when your book came out to guest post for you.

Your turn: What have you done to get results with promotional pitches? What promotional pitches failed miserably?

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Wednesday Writing Prompt: Write a Weather Forecast Poem by JoAnn Early Macken

Posted on April 17, 2013 by writenowcoach

Write_a_Poem_front_coverREV-330Today I’m delighted to welcome JoAnn Early Macken to the blog. She’s the amazing author of several beautiful picture books and a well-known and appreciated writing teacher. Her brand new book, Write a Poem Step by Step, offers a no-nonsense guide to writing a poem. JoAnn will be my guest speaker at the April Write Now! Mastermind class on Wednesday, April 24 at 12:00 PM CDT. I’ll be talking with JoAnn about writing poetry and picture book. The class is free but you need to sign up for the group at the Write Now! Mastermind page. Check out JoAnn’s fun writing prompt below and then enter to win a copy of her brand new book.  -Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach

Write a Weather Forecast Poem! by JoAnn Early Macken

In my neighborhood in southeastern Wisconsin, the prevailing topic of conversation is the weather. And for good reason. This spring’s temperatures have been consistently below average, and the rainfall—more than 4 inches so far this month—is several times what we used to think of as normal. But I am not complaining, for two reasons:

1. If our temperatures had been just a bit lower, we might be looking at 40 inches of snow. At least we’ve warmed up above freezing!

2. Poetry! Any observation is an opportunity to write a poem, right? Look at the actual Milwaukee forecast from a few days ago:

weather forecast

I tried using that forecast in a sort of stream-of-consciousness free verse poem:

 

Today, showers.

Tonight, showers.

Tomorrow and tomorrow night,

rain likely.

And after that, a chance of

—guess what—

rain, rain, rain.

This soggy forecast soaks into

my waterlogged brain.

 

All I could come up with after that was a bunch of images of waterfalls, water flowing over a dam, rivers overflowing their banks, and the urge to go back to bed. I’ll keep thinking.

 

The repetitive forecast gave me another idea, though. I’ve wanted to try a triolet for awhile now. The triolet form itself is repetitive, so I thought it might fit this rather monotonous topic. A triolet has eight lines, two of which repeat (with some variation allowed) to form five of the lines. The pattern is ABaAabAB with A and B the repeating lines and a and b rhyming with their counterparts. Here’s my triolet:

 

I don’t believe it. Not again! More showers?

This soggy spring, the sun is overdue.

They say we’ll be okay when we see flowers.

I don’t believe it. Once again, more showers

pour down outside. We’re stuck inside for hours,

staring at the same gray, dreary view.

I can’t believe it—yet again, more showers.

Oh, where is spring? The sun is overdue!

 

While I had fun playing with the form, I found the result a little dismal. I wanted to try something more fun, so I thought about who might enjoy rainy weather. Here’s my third attempt, a haiku:

 

Raincoats, umbrellas,

waterproof boots, spring puddles.

Hold my hand. Now jump!

 

So give it a try. At www.weather.gov/forecastmaps, enter your city, state, or ZIP Code, check your local weather forecast, and see what ideas soak into your brain and pour forth!

 

Your turn: Share the poem this prompt inspired or a question for our guest author, JoAnn Early Macken.

 

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8_18_12_back_yard-330-expAbout the author. JoAnn Early Macken is the author of Write a Poem Step by Step (Earlybird Press, 2012). Her newest picture books are Baby Says “Moo!” (Disney-Hyperion Books, 2011),Waiting Out the Storm (Candlewick Press, 2010), and Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008). Her poems appear in a number of magazines and anthologies, and she has also written more than 125 nonfiction books for young readers. JoAnn earned her M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She teaches at Mount Mary College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education, and UW-Madison’s summer Write by the Lake program, and she speaks about poetry and writing to children and adults at schools, libraries, and conferences. Visit her web site at www.joannmacken.com.

 

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The Book Hook: What it is, why you need it, and how to create it by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 16, 2013 by writenowcoach

file5161255831301Do you want to sell your book?

Dumb question: who doesn’t want to sell millions of copies of their book, right?

Here’s the thing: whether you want to sell your book directly to readers (self-published) or first to agents or editors (traditionally published), you must be able to articulate what it’s about in a single enticing sentence.

As a writing coach, I talk to people every single day who have written a book and cannot tell me what it’s about. Instead, I get something like: “Uh, well, uh, it’s, I guess it’s about . . . “ and they’re off on a mostly incomprehensible summary of what they’re writing. If you want to sell your book (and I know you do), you need to have a phenomenal book hook.

1. What it is. According to AgentQuery, the book hook is “a concise, one-sentence tagline for your book.” The book hook usually contains a few key elements: type of book, main character, and the central conflict or quest of the book. Here are three examples:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In this memoir, a messed up, just-divorced woman finds peace through a spiritual quest that takes her to Italy, India, and Indonesia.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. In this novel, a young rich white woman helps black maids tell their story in 1960s Mississippi.

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. This book teaches readers what factors contribute to success and how you and your children can replicate them.

2. Why you need it. While it helps to have a book hook to make sparkling conversation at dinner parties and with writing coaches, the hook really does serve as a key tool at every point in the writing process:

Before you write the book, the hook helps you test market the idea with friends, booksellers, and others. Why write a book that’s been done before or that won’t interest anyone? Take your book hook public as a conversation topic, speech, or blog post and see what kind of reaction you get.

While you are writing the book, your book hook will keep you focused. When you’re tempted to jump off onto yet another meandering tangent or subplot, you can look at the book hook and remember the central theme and purpose of your book.

After you’ve written the book, your book hook will help you sell it to editors, agents, booksellers, bloggers, and the rest of your adoring public.

3. How to create a book hook.

Read. The best way to learn how to write book hooks is to read them. Look at book jacket copy, reviews, and author websites until you “get” the formula.

Know the key elements. Start by jotting down the key elements for your book hook. As you do so, remember you are writing this hook with your ideal reader in mind. What will he or she want to know? What will sell the reader on your book? What problem will you solve for him? What enticing adventure will you take her on?

If you’re a fiction writer, the key elements of a book hook often include:

*type of book

*main character

*central conflict or quest of the book

*location

*era

If you’re writing a nonfiction book, your elements include:

*central problem the book addresses or teaches readers to overcome (perhaps with some anecdotal evidence or statistics to aid you in hooking the reader)

*the ideal reader (e.g., overworked parents who need help managing tasks and children)

*the solution (you don’t have to give it all away, but let us know what you’re providing—maybe a ten-step program to help people lose weight)

 

Write and Revise. Write a draft of your own book hook. Rewrite it. Play with word order and verb choices. After you have a draft you like, test it out on a few people. Don’t worry if you have to rewrite it hundreds of times—the work will help you sharpen your understanding of both your book and how to sell it. A great hook gets used repeatedly throughout the life of a book—so it’s well worth the time and effort to get it right.

Your turn: what book hook sold you recently? Leave your comment below.

 

 

 

 

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How Tai Chi Can Improve Your Writing By Mark L. Fuerst

Posted on April 11, 2013 by writenowcoach

I’m delighted to welcome Mark L. Fuerst to the blog today. He’s a fellow member of ASJA and an award-winning health and medical writer. With 11 books under his belt, Mark knows what he’s writing about. And in this post he gives us some great tips on how Tai Chi can improve our writing life. Plus, thanks to the good folks at Shambhala, who donated a copy of the book for me to review, you have a chance to win a copy of this great book. (I’m going to have to buy my own to help me deal with creaky writing muscles!) Check out the details of the giveaway at the end of the post. And enjoy the article!

HMS GT Tai ChiHow Tai Chi Can Improve Your Writing

By Mark L. Fuerst

Mobilizing and maintaining energy plays a vital part in a writer’s success. The process of writing takes tremendous concentration and perseverance. I have found that Tai Chi exercises can enhance my energy while inducing a pleasant state of relaxation, and help me develop my ability to let my thoughts flow naturally.

Relaxation means slowing down the mind so that what the Chinese call qi (loosely translated as “energy”) can move smoothly throughout the body. The writing process flows through physical, emotional, and cognitive phases. Tai Chi movements can help me slow down/quiet my mind, relax into the process, and dissolve psychological blockages, including writer’s block.

A writer often sits long hours without moving. When I need a break from writing, I often do 10 minutes of simple Tai Chi exercises. This gets me up and moving after hours of sitting. The energy I gain from Tai Chi’s graceful movements not only can help focus my mind but also can energize my writing.

Tai Chi may be one of the keys to allow a writer to unlock creative consciousness. During Tai Chi practice, you are in a state of mind that allows creativity to flow naturally. Many writers say they feel more mental clarity after practicing Tai Chi. If you can reduce your tension and nervousness, you may be able to experience deeper thoughts and better tap into your creativity.

The creativity that derives from Tai Chi leads to integration of complementary things – left brain (logic) and right brain (intuition), form and function, and body and mind. It’s not surprising that many people who practice Tai Chi are also involved in the creative arts. And many creative arts programs draw from the East.

How to Use Tai Chi to Become Creative

Letting go and letting things happen naturally underlies any form of creativity. Many of the principles of Tai Chi can enhance your writing, including development of focus; staying in the moment; concentration of energy; economy of movement; inner stillness; development of a flexible, balanced body; unification of mind and body; and appreciation and development of discipline.

You need to be focused and pay attention to your writing to be skillful, precise, and express yourself clearly. Tai Chi can help you be in touch with what you’re feeling to engage in the writing process.

Visualization helps shape your creativity. Most writers use their “inner” vision and imagination during the creative process.

Most sedentary artists, such as writers, need to keep their bodies healthy to have the physical stamina to sustain long periods of creativity. Writers can benefit directly from the protective and restorative effects Tai Chi can have on recurrent injuries.  A relaxed posture is important for how you sit while writing. This can prevent repetitive stress injuries for a writer who spends a great deal of time sitting at the computer.

Tai Chi Breathing

Doing breathing and other Tai Chi exercises is a great way to warm up for a session of writing. Then you are already in the flow before you begin to write.

Here’s how to do what’s known as Tai Chi Breathing:

Sit comfortably, feet flat on the ground, palms resting on your thighs, eyes closed, sitting upright. Relax your mouth, tongue, and jaw. Allow your whole body to relax…allow your thoughts to relax… allow your breath to relax. Now imagine that there is a balloon in your abdomen and as you breathe in, the balloon gently inflates.  As you exhale, the balloon naturally deflates. Imagine that the air you are breathing in is mist-like and filled with a vibrant, positive, or healing nourishing energy—whatever qualities you sense will best balance your body. As you breathe in, simultaneously move your arms in front of your abdomen to mimic and encourage the expanding of the balloon. As you exhale, allow your arms to return to a more neutral position, with the palms facing inwards towards the abdomen.  Repeat this inhale-exhale cycle 9 to 36 times.  When you are done, sit comfortably in an upright position. Return your hands to rest on your thighs and simply relax, especially the abdomen and feet, and observe changes throughout your whole body.

The experience of having just done Tai Chi Breathing makes you more open to anything else, including the writing you are about to do. Practice Tai Chi Breathing and you may well see an increase in your ability to write.

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About the author. Mark L. Fuerst is an award-winning health and medical writer and co-author of 11 books, including the newly released The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, written with Peter Wayne, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at HarvardMedicalSchool. You can find Mark L. Fuerst online at:

www.marklfuerst.com

https://twitter.com/fuerstmark

https://www.facebook.com/marklfuerst

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markfuerst

 

 

 

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Wednesday Writing Prompt: Double Meanings by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 10, 2013 by writenowcoach

My daughter rushed into my office and blurted out, “We got blackberries!”

“Seriously?” I asked her.

“Yeah, Dad bought them. What do you think? Do you like blackberries?”

“Wait. Seriously? Dad went out and bought a Blackberry? For who?”

“Dad bought a bunch, for all of us. Don’t you just love them?”

“We’ve always been an Apple family. I’m surprised.”

Not long after this, I realized that my daughter was talking about the fruit while I was having a nightmare about the phones. I mean, a Blackberry would be cool and all, but I love my iPhone.

When companies started giving products the names of popular fruits, it was bound to get confusing! But product names and slogans have long brought interesting misunderstandings—especially when translated into other languages. The Chevy Nova didn’t do well in Spanish-speaking markets where no-va means “doesn’t go.” When Pepsi used its slogan, “Come alive with Pepsi”, they had no idea that their Chinese fans thought that meant the soda could bring ancestors back from the grave. Or what about the Coors Light slogan, “Turn it loose”, which convinces Spanish-speaking buyers that the beer would give them loose bowels. Yikes.

Try this: Take a product name that has a double meaning or carries a funny meaning in a different language and use it to create confusion between your characters.

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The How-to Book by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 9, 2013 by writenowcoach
A few of the how-to books discussed in this post.

A few of the how-to books discussed in this post.

From Dale Carnegie’s now classic tome, How to Win Friends and Influence People to the new How to Think More about Sex by Alain de Botton—how-to books sell big.

What is a “how to book”? I’ve heard the how-to book called procedural nonfiction (Ouch! That sounds both technical and painful!) and prescriptive nonfiction. But basically, all how-to books have the same goal: to teach readers how to accomplish something such as building a house, sculpting the perfect body, or overcoming the fear of speaking. How-to books exist in most every section of the bookstore and, as you might have guessed, the self-help section is bursting with how-to guides (How Not to Give Up, How Proust can Change Your Life, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk). A few novelists have borrowed the “how to” spirit and created novels that sound like how-to guides: How to Train Your Dragon, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! and the brand new How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia.

What the How-to Book looks like: How-to books can be organized in a gazillion different ways, depending on your project. Here are three popular how-to book formats along with examples for each one:

1. One process, multiple projects. These books tackle a single process, such as artistic doodling (Yoga for Your Brain), present the necessary tools, teach the basic skills, and then offer multiple projects.

Example: Container Gardening by Stephanie Donaldson. Much like a recipe or an exercise book, Container Gardening includes sections on techniques and supplies and then presents many projects. Each project is accompanied by photos and instructions.

Best format for: Topics with a simple process but a whole host of expressions such as baking, cooking, crafting, and exercise.

2. One topic, multiple lessons. These books present multiple lessons centered around a single unifying topic.

Example: Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated by the Editors of The Family Handyman (Reader’s Digest Books). This book teaches readers how to fix just about anything in their home from the plumbing to the furniture. The sections cover necessary tools and then move to areas of the house, with a special section in the front for emergency repairs.

Best format for: Topics that are broad enough that they need lots of lessons such as first aid, car repair, or jewelry making.

3. One process, multiple steps. These books take a topic or skill and teach it over multiple chapters.

Example. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine and Food Pairing by Jaclyn Stuart and Jeanette Hurt. The “For Dummies” and “Complete Idiot’s Guides” publish a large number of how-to books. Both companies have created chapter templates to help the reader understand a system or topic. In this book, the writers break down the topic—wine and food pairing—into four easy-to-follow sections. The chapter titles are both descriptive and poetic (To Decant or Not Decant?) and help the reader find the information quickly.

Example: Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person’s Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half-Marathon or Marathon by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield. This book is divided into four parts with a selection of training plans in the back. It packs loads of information into each of its short chapters along with sidebar stories from real runners (called Mortal Miracles) and a checklist at the end of each chapter (Know Before You Go).

Best format for: A topic or skill that is more complicated or takes multiple steps to achieve. This is a typical structure for self-help how-to books.

Questions to ask yourself BEFORE you write that “how-to” book:

1. Does my topic fit the how-to book format?

*Do you want to teach people how to do, create, or accomplish something? Your topic can be external (how to fix a car) or internal (how to fix a broken heart) but it must be something that can be taught.

*Can my topic be adequately covered in a single book or would it be better suited to a program, audio or video class?

*Is my topic big enough for a how-to book or should it be an article, blog post, or workshop?

2. What’s my competition? No doubt you won’t be the first to write a book on this topic. No worries—other books or programs demonstrate that there’s a market for your work. Before you move forward, check out:

*How many books and programs are on the market?

*How well do they sell? Publishing houses and book distributers keep this information a secret. But you can find numbers on Nielson Bookscan. Search for the book via any major search engine and see how many pages pop up. Check Amazon bestseller rank. Visit Goodreads to see how many people have checked the book as “read” or “to-read.” Finally, visit your bookstore and talk to the booksellers about how well books in this category or on this topic sell.

*Is the market saturated? In other words, are there too many books on the market in this topic or do readers still want more information?

3. How will my book stand out? Let’s face it, most people aren’t going to buy another book on how to fix their car if they already have one UNLESS your book really rocks. Even if you plan to self-publish, you have to convince book buyers that they need  to buy your book. Ask yourself

*How is my book different from the other books and products on the market?

*How is my book better than the other products available?

*What will make my book irresistible to my ideal audience?

4. Why am I the right person to write this book? I’ve heard one too many entrepreneur say: “If you’ve read one book about a topic, you know more than 90 percent of the population, and you’re an expert.” You might know more than most of your friends, but do you know enough to write a book? Consider:

*Do I understand this topic well enough to explain it to readers?

*Am I so passionate about the topic that I’m willing to spend oodles of time researching, writing, publishing, marketing, and selling a book on the topic?

*Do I know the people who will be my ideal readers and do they trust my work on this topic? (Yes, this is that platform question.)

*Am I able to connect regularly with my ideal readers before, during, and after writing this book?

A final word. The how to project may seem like a fairly easy project at first glance. After all, most elementary school children write short how-to books when they are learning about nonfiction. If they can do it, we can too—right? Not so fast. Just like a great dancer can make complicated moves look easy, great writers make creating how-to books look effortless. It’s not. More than with almost any other type of book, the how-to book requires you to put yourself into the mind of the reader. You need to think: how would a novice see this? Where would a newbie get confused? How can I make this understandable for the readers? When you can do that, you are ready to write the how to book!

Your turn: What questions have you asked before deciding on the how-to book format?

 

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Wednesday Writing Prompt: The Want-Ad by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 3, 2013 by writenowcoach

file0001537269459In Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti, the loyal butler Benway dreams of writing his memoirs and planting a garden in a tropical paradise, far away from the family of seven that torments him with their shenanigans in their lighthouse-turned-home. But wait! He has an out. The oath that holds him in service is nearly up. He’ll have his freedom—once he finds his replacement. So he creates a hilarious want ad for a new butler and posts it in a shop in the city center. (“Lunatic-asylum experience is helpful.”

Try this: Write a want ad for yourself. What annoying jobs do you do that you’d like to hire out? Or write an ad for your character. What does she need a little help with? Have fun with this!

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Celebrate National Poetry Month: Play with Poetry by Rochelle Melander

Posted on April 2, 2013 by writenowcoach

file0001225471914If I read a book [and] it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the tip of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. —Emily Dickinson

Poetry heals the wounded soul. Poetry strengthens the weakened heart. Poetry offers hope for better days. The regular consumption of poetry inspires us. Writing poetry prevents and combats disease. Poetry can calm, inspire, encourage, soothe, inform, humor, comfort, entertain, challenge, delight, prod, and so much more.

Here are activities you can do alone or with others to celebrate National Poetry Month:

Write a poem a day. It does not have to be long or good—just write. Use your poems to chronicle the arrival of spring, shifts in your emotional life, or anything else that stirs your creativity. Check out my resources list below for helpful poetry-writing books.

Play with words! Using a magnetic poetry set or Haikubes, play with words to create short poems.IMG_1344

Chalk a sidewalk. Find a short poem and use colorful chalk to copy it onto the sidewalk.

Sign your poem. New York City made headlines when they added haiku poems to street signs. In Atlanta, a poet created his own Haiku signs and plastered them on lamp posts and walls. How can you turn your poetry into signage?

Find poetry. Listen to the poetry in the world around you: the rhythm of a dog barking, the melody of a bird chirping, or the sounds of the words people speak. Look for poem phrases on street signs, bumper stickers, and billboards. Collect sounds and phrases and create your own “found poetry” poem.

Copy a poem. In the early 1990s, I started a commonplace book—a journal that I filled with quotes from books and poems I loved. Start your own commonplace book by copying down one or more of the poems you love.

Read a poem to yourself. Pick up a book of poems and skim until you find one that speaks to your life experience. Make a copy and post it where you can read it daily.

Read to others. Read a poem aloud to a friend or a group of children.

Watch a poem. Stop by the Poetry Everywhere site to watch and listen to a poem.

Learn more. Go to the Academy of American Poets site for more ideas on how to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Your turn: How will you celebrate National Poetry Month?

 

Resources

Check out one of my favorite books on reading and writing poetry:

The Art and Craft of Poetry: What works, what doesn’t and why, with methods to generate poems, and examples from Shakespeare to Olds by Michael J. Bugeja

The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets who Teach edited by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell

Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher

Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making by John Fox

Writing Poetry from the Inside Out: Finding Your Voice through the Craft of Poetry by Sanford Lyne

The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to the Reading and Writing of Poetry by Frances Mayes

Poetry as Spiritual Practice: Reading, Writing, and Using Poetry in Your Daily Rituals, Aspirations, and Intentions by Robert McDowell

Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution edited by Alix Olson

Seeds from a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey by Clark Strand

Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words by Susan Goldsmith Woolridge

 

 

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Writers@Work: Copywriting for Fun and Profit by Joel Habush

Posted on March 28, 2013 by writenowcoach

Today’s guest post comes from Joel Habush, an award-winning copywriter. I met Joel a few years ago when we sat on a panel about making money from writing. I immediately knew that if I wanted to learn about copywriting, this was the guy to talk to. Thankfully, he agreed to share his wisdom with all of us. Read and learn, friends!

from gravity connect program 2 more croppedWriters@Work: Copywriting for Fun and Profit by Joel Habush

Just sit down to the computer, come up with a really clever headline; support it with equally clever subheads and body copy; send it off, get an enthusiastic response from the client; fax or email your invoice; and sit back and work on your novel, while waiting for that fat check.

Sometimes it really happens that way.

So, how do you get it to happen for you?

Simple. But it ain’t easy.

There are two things a freelance advertising copywriter is concerned with:

1. How to do the job.

2. How to get the job.

Many freelance writers, new to the field, are more concerned with the latter, and I really think that’s putting the cart before the horse. (Nothing wrong with using clichés if they work.)

Most freelance copywriters who I know graduated from college with a degree in journalism or communications, or a major in English. They then went to work full time at an ad agency or in a company’s corporate communications department.  After a few years, making their bones, they decided to pursue the life of a full time freelancer. (Sometimes the decision was made for them in an untimely manner—they were “downsized,” Corporate Speak for “kicked to the curb.”)

Of course you don’t have to go the formal education route. While one who wants to be a doctor or a lawyer has to graduate from doctor school or lawyer school, there’s no law that says a copywriter has to go to copywriter school…but it helps.

Writers who are not taking the traditional educational route today find it a lot harder to get going as a freelancer, but it can be done.

If you’ve never done any copywriting, you should familiarize yourself with exactly what will be expected of you. I’d recommend Confessions of An Advertising Man by David Ogilvy to get “The Big Picture.”

There are tons of How To books on Copywriting, one of which, The Adweek Copywriting Handbook—The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters, by Joseph Sugarman, might be a helpful start.

Finally, here are some questions you have to ask your client, her Ad Manager, or yourself.

*What’s the purpose of the piece?

*Who’s the audience?

*What’s the competition saying?

*How much space do I have for how many words in a print ad?

*How much time do I have for this radio or TV commercial? (Figure on about 2 ½ words per second.)

*What Voice should you use?

Rules for Writing Web Content

The Internet (seemingly) is sucking the life out of other media, hence out of alternate opportunities for copywriters. Most clients want to know if you can write web content. You can.

Rule Number One. Google “Rules for Writing Web Content.”

Go to a few of the sites. You’ll see a commonality of advisories, e.g., “Incorporate attention getting headlines;” “Use subheads within the body;” “Use bullets;” ”Keep your voice consistent;” “Write concise sentences;” and “Add calls to action.”

Some scary web-writing lingo can be learned easily. Don’t be put off by words like “Spiders,” “Search Engine Optimization,” and “Keywords.”

Go to a good workshop or seminar. I just signed up to attend a FREE workshop, myself, put on by Northwoods Software; I’ve gone to several of their workshops and have always taken away valuable information.

Continue reading →

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