Writer's Logo

Lori Tiron-Pandit had an interesting post on her daily writing blog about a writer's logo. Some of the questions she asks are:

What would you have to represent you?
Do you think a writer needs a logo?
Does it make us more easily marketable, just like any other brand?
Or maybe not?

I want to answer these questions from my perspective and experience since I have been blogging. I have experimented with a few logos on my blog and have tried to come up with a logo that identifies my writing and who I am. I still have not found the one that will make me say "aha", this is it! I love the current image I am using on my blog but I think I will eventually pay for one that I can use, not only on this site, but on business cards, printed materials, gifts and that I own all the rights to.

What would you have to represent you?
I like to use images that represent what my blog is about, which is mostly about writing. Some images that come to mind are a writing notebook, journal or writing pad, a pen, a coffee mug (I usually write and read with a cup of coffee by my side), a laptop (I am finding that I like to write on the computer more these days than with pen and paper), and eyeglasses (I am blind as a bat without them). I think a memorable quote would be great to have too (I have to come up with one). I have even played around with drawing just symbols that represent pen/paper and even my initials (I do not draw very well, so I have not been too successful with this).

Do you think a writer needs a logo?
Yes, I do. A logo in my opinion connects the reader to the writer. It is a brand you create for yourself with the purpose of making it easily recognizable and identifiable to you and your style of writing.

Does it make us more easily marketable, just like any other brand?
Or maybe not?
I think it does make us more easily marketable, just like a brand. Some brands just have a symbol or word that we associate with the product. Ideally, I would like to have this sort of recognition as a writer and in my opinion, having a logo definitely helps with that. The trick is to have a logo that stands out, so that is is easily remembered. I know there is logo software out there and logo companies that can help you make a logo. I think it is worth taking a look at these if you are really serious about having a logo for your blog and/or website.


What are your thoughts about having a logo?

21 Applicable Quotes For Writers

I recently read Life's Little Instruction Book, Vol. II, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. I really enjoyed all his quotes because they relate to everyday life. I picked out 21 quotes from his book that I especially connected with as a writer.

1. "Read bulletin boards at the grocery store, college bookstore, and coin laundry. You will find all sorts of interesting things there."

2. "Own a comfortable chair for reading."

3. "Read a lot when you're on vacation, but nothing that has to do with your business."

4. "Listen to your critics. They will keep you focused and innovative."

5. "Remember that your character is your destiny."

6. "Write a short note inside the front cover when giving a book as a gift."

7. "Make a habit of reading something inspiring and cheerful just before going to sleep."

8. "Don't waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you."

9. "Deadlines are important - meet them."

10. "Read more books."

11. "When opportunity knocks, invite it to stay for dinner."

12. "Buy three best-selling children's books. Read them and then give them to a youngster."

13. "Be advised that when negotiating, if you don't get it in writing, you probably won't get it."

14. "Use a favorite picture of a loved one as a bookmark."

15. "Add to your children's private library by giving them a hardback copy of one of the classics every birthday. Begin with the first birthday."

16. "Write your pastor a note and tell him how much he means to you."

17. "Write your favorite author a note of appreciation."

18. "Don't let weeds grow around your dreams."

19. "Avoid using the word "impacted" unless you are describing wisdom teeth."

20. "Read between the lines."

21. "Never type a love letter. Use a fountain pen."


Do you have a quote (writing or otherwise) to share?

10 Writing Hooks

Writing Class Notes: Beginning Hooks - Strategies to use to catch your reader's attention


1. Begin with a simile or a metaphor.
My life has been a carnival. My family is like an open book.

2. Begin with a question.
Who is the greatest athlete of all times?

3. Begin with a definition.
Amiable is the best way to describe my personality: I am friendly and caring. Perfect is the best adjective to describe me: I am flawless in every aspect of my life.

4. Begin with a quotation.
“Learn to laugh” is something my kindergarten teacher told me after Ralph Thorsen spilled paint on my daffodil picture.

5. Begin with a comparison to a well-known person or celebrity.
I am as photogenic as Tyra Banks.

6. Begin with placing yourself in the future.
In the year 2012 I see myself as a supreme ballerina performing in Camelot at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

7. Begin with a dilemma.
Deciding to attend Hampton Roads Academy, a private school, was one of my most difficult decisions.

8. Begin with a scene.
The day of my birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at our door in Charleston, South Carolina.

9. Begin with the best advice you have ever received.
“Butch, did you practice the piano?” Since I was six years old, this has been a daily reminder from my dear mother. “Be all you can be” has been my inspiration from my grandfather who is a retired Marine Corps colonel and my mentor.

10. Begin with an anecdote.
As my cousin and I pedaled our new bikes to the beach, 6 years old, suntanned and young, we met an old, shaggy-haired man weaving unsteadily on a battered old bike.


What other beginning "hooks" have you used?

Just The FAQ's With MaAnna Stephenson

MaAnna Stephenson is a nationally acclaimed author, lecturer, and woodcarver based in Nashville, Tennessee. Two decades of technical writing, web design and marketing for countless private clients and community groups have led to her new instructional series Just the FAQs, the ultimate user-friendly guide to the world of Internet marketing and promotions. You are welcome to see her other works at the following sites: www.SageAge.net and www.HeartwoodArt.com.

Today's guest interview with MaAnna Stephenson is part of her virtual tour.

1. How did you get to be a writer/technical writer?
I’m degreed in electronics and as a technician, had the opportunity to send information to the development engineering team to modify or enhance the products I repaired. I also documented my diagnostic and repair processes, which were eventually turned into training manuals for other technicians.

2. What led you to write these Just The FAQ's e-books?
I had created static websites for non-profits and small businesses for almost a decade when I took a break from it to conduct intensive research that lasted for over four years and became the material for The Sage Age – Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom. When I began developing an online marketing campaign, Web 2.0 had become the rage and I had to catch up with the current technology. I was appalled at the lack of good information on the technical aspects of using Web 2.0, so I created documentation as I began developing these resources for my own sites. These became the first of the e-book series on blogs and RSS feeds. I later wrote the e-book on websites containing information to help others create sites that actually work well for them and to help folks avoid expensive pitfalls. It contains the same printable worksheets that I gave my site clients to help them gather and organize the material for the theme and content.

3. What was the hardest thing about writing these FAQs e-books?
Actually, they were quite fun. Because these are e-books and written for non-geeks, it was the first time I could use plain language and colorful graphics in my technical writing.

4. How are your e-books unique?
They cut right to the chase and dramatically reduce the learning curve of creating an online presence. That’s why they are called Just the FAQs. They are written in language anyone can understand and follow. No prior technical skill is necessary.

5. When did you know you were a writer?
When I wrote my first novella I heard my writing voice. I had never even written a short story prior to that. I was simply so inspired by a scene in my head that I decided to write it down and the rest of the story just came pouring out after it. I’m a published composer and found that I wrote stories the same way I wrote music. It was as delightful.

6. Do you have any stories about the writing process?
My technical writing is very efficient, which doesn’t actually work well for novels. I prefer getting to the point and don’t care much for creating fluff. That preference helped me narrow down the information I chose for The Sage Age, which still turned out to be a 400 page book. It’s a four year education condensed down into one inch of paper.

7. Where do you turn to when you need inspiration?
Oh my gosh, I try to turn my inspiration meter off once in a while. I’m inspired by practically everything. So many interesting projects to explore, so little time.

8. What is your strategy for staying motivated?
Some folks think I just work, work, work and that I never sleep. Not true. My cup overfloweth with creativity and I think I would explode if I didn’t have several outlets for it, including writing. Staying motivated is not a problem. Remembering to eat and sleep once in a while is the only reason I have clocks in the house.

9. What do you like and dislike about being a writer?
I love creativity in all forms. Just being in that flow is why I breathe. I also enjoy research and learning. I’m fortunate to have so many opportunities to create non-fiction and technical writing projects that actually help folks. With technology, there’s always something to learn. That’s a two-edge sword. I could run myself in circles trying to keep up with every new whiz-bang that comes out. All techie folks have to specialize to a great extent because of that. There’s just no way to know it all and be an expert at everything.

10. In your opinion, what does it mean to be a writer today?
It means being online and using Web 2.0 for two-way conversation with your readers. That means that authors must become comfortable with their computer beyond using a word processor, email, and browser. That is really scary for some folks who consider themselves complete technophobes. But, I’ve worked with several artist, musicians, and writers who are happy with it once they receive training that’s written in language they can understand. That’s the way I wrote the Just the FAQs series and why I’m teaching classes to guide folks step-by-step with a little extra support so they can ask questions that relate directly to what they want to do with their site.

11. Please describe a day in your life as a writer
It has changed over the last few years. I’m such a night owl and had spent most of my life creating into the wee hours of the morning. But, when I started the research for The Sage Age, I found that I preferred doing it in the mornings. That trend took hold and I enjoy writing in the mornings now and being online in the afternoons interacting with folks through social media networking. I make a point to see sunset everyday and usually carve, read, visit with folks in person, or enjoy some form of entertainment for a few hours. I let my imagination run free in the late evening hours, which is usually when I hit on great ideas or receive clarity on projects that are already in progress. I go from at least 7:30 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

12. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been creating technical documentation since 1984. I wrote my first short story around 2001.

13. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A musician and composer. One of my earliest memories is sitting in my grandmother’s lap making sounds on her organ. When she played Mary Had a Little Lamb I was hooked. That was magic. There was a logic to sound and I was watching it happen. By the time I was a teenager I was a multi-instrumentalist and composer. I’m published and have international airplay with jingles and documentary types of background music. I left the music business because I just didn’t vibe with the way it was being run by corporate boards. The internet has changed that and my interest has been renewed for releasing a CD at some point. In fact, the demo was cut a couple of years ago, I just haven’t had time to pursue it since all of my books took off, especially after The Sage Age was featured in Publishers Weekly.

14. Do you have a favorite thing and/or topic to write about?
My father was an engineer and my mother is an intuitive. Being raised in that environment helped me develop skills to perceive and think wholistically. I enjoy writing that blends both. The Sage Age blends science with intuitive wisdom. Just the FAQs translates technology into language for creatively-minded folks. I have a book project simmering on the back burner that highlights aspects of our evolution with the changes in biotechnology and spirituality we are experiencing and how we will soon have to re-evaluate what it is to be fully human.

15. How do you balance your time between all your different interests?
I usually have four different projects going at one time. I find that each feeds the other. For example, wood carving is a subtractive art and taught me how to be a better writer, which is normally an additive art. I remove everything that is not the art. Watercolor veil painting taught me how to play cello. It’s all in the wrist. Researching physics material for the books balances personal research in the noetic sciences. Music is my direct connect to spirit and the source of creativity. I usually focus on only one or two projects a day and simply rotate them, round-robin style, as either inspiration or deadlines dictate. Time and I are good friends and I make very efficient use of it.

16. What is your favorite thing to do?
Sit on my back deck and watch sunset every day the weather allows. There are woods all around and the critters offer a lot of entertainment as well.

17. Please share any writing advice and/or writing tips.
Just do it. Write now, edit later. I’ve found that I can’t be in creative mode and editing mode simultaneously. Creative mode is being totally in the flow, totally consumed with the vibe of letting it come through you. Editing mode involves critical thinking and making judgments. I’ve written thousands of songs. While composing, it felt so right. When I heard it anew a few days later, it sounded so wrong. Only about thirty percent of the songs I write ever make it to publication. However, I need to create that other seventy percent to hone my craft and keep me connected to source. With books and carving, the numbers are a little different. About half of the carvings I’ve created have been placed on the market. Five of the seven books I’ve written have been published. And, one hundred percent of the things I’ve put on the market have sold, which is fortunate, but still do not provide enough income to quit my day job, yet.

I’m a little like Van Gogh about it. I must create regardless of whether it sells. In doing so, something will eventually hit, especially since I’m now receiving so much national attention from some of it and actually marketing to sell. Previously, most of my work came by word of mouth, so I had no need to advertise. The process takes time and I’m patient that way. I also realize that everything I create is not for sale, nor does it need to be to serve its purpose.

18. Do you have any other books/e-books in the works?
I’m already storyboarding a carving book I’ve been asked to write by the same publishing company that produces the magazines in which the carvings have already been featured. I’m currently working on the graphics for a class titled Acoustics for Intuitives that I plan to start teaching this fall. This summer I’ll be teaching classes on blogs and RSS feeds and will be learning all about WordPress development from the coding standpoint and writing more for Just the FAQs. Those will likely be a series of articles and tips that I’ll eventually collect into a book. Late this year or early next I’ll be turning my novella into a script and will begin the research for the previously mentioned book on our evolution and the paradigm shift we are in.

Leave a comment below to be entered in a random drawing for two free Just the FAQs classes. Not only that, but every commenter is a winner and will receive a copy of MaAnna's Quick Step Guide. If you haven't already read her books, you can pick up the series at http://www.justthefaqs.net/ebooks.shtml

Guest Post: How to Create an Online Writing Portfolio

by Susan Johnston

So you’ve written a couple of articles, and you watch to keep querying so you can break into bigger (and better paying) markets. How about creating an online portfolio?

Having an online portfolio boosts your Google-ability, raises credibility with editors, and makes it easy to organize writing clips without spending the time and money to send out paper copies. All of your clips will be quite literally at your fingertips, so you can just copy and paste the URL whenever you email a query to an editor.

Here's how to get started.

1. Find a web-hosting service. I chose VistaPrint because the small business package fit into my budget and offered my own domain name (which costs a bit more but creates a more professional impression than an AOL or Yahoo member page) along with several different templates so I wouldn’t have to design the website from scratch. Here are a few other options: Globat, Writing.com, Hosting4Writers, and iPowerWeb. Media Bistro also offers the Freelance Marketplace, which lets you display clips and a bio if you don’t want to design your own website.

2. Collect your clips. I keep all of my online clips bookmarked in my Delicious account for easy access. Then when I got to update my portfolio (see step #5), I can easily find my newest articles. As you're creating a writing portfolio from scratch, I think it's a good idea to collect as many pieces as you can. Once you see them all together (in a virtual computer folder or laid out in front of you), you can figure out which ones best represent your writing. I'd go for a mix of topics and lengths so that editors can see your versatility. But if you're just starting out, display what you have and you'll quickly be able to add or replace with newer clips.

3. Consider the file format. If my article is already available online, then I just type up the article name, publication, and date with a link. If it’s not available online, then I sometimes scan the article, save it as a PDF, and post a link to it. Most editors won't mind if you post your own article on your website, but some are sensitive to copyright concerns, so if there's any doubt, ask. Many editors prefer to read PDFs versus a jpeg or other photo format, because the text is sharper and the user can zoom in and out to read the article. Be careful about posting or emailing files that are too large, because they will take an eternity to load and could crash your editor’s computer. (In fact, many people caution against sending any attachments to editors, but that’s a discussion for another article.)

4. Decide how to display them. Some writers use a thumbnail of the magazine cover to show off their best clips. Others use text only so that the focus is on their writing, rather than fancy graphics. Some organize their clips according to topic (travel, business, parenting, etc.). Others use a chronological listing or divide them up by the type of publication (websites, trade magazines, consumer magazines, custom publications, etc.) All of these approaches are valid as long as they make it easy for editors to read your writing and for you to make updates.

5. Keep your clips updated. I’ve learned from experience that sometimes links change once an article gets archived, so I’m careful to check links frequently. If you're concerned about a website removing your article, you could take a screenshot and save it for your portfolio. Searching Google's cached pages is one way to bring dead web articles from the dead. In addition to weeding out bad links, another reason to refresh your list of clips is that the longer you've been writing, the more articles you'll have to be proud of. I don’t display everything I've ever written (frankly, that would be overwhelming to editors), but I do switch out articles as I get bigger bylines or juicier assignments. I think four or five articles per section is plenty.

What about you and your writing portfolio? Any tips I've missed?

Susan Johnston is a Boston-based freelance writer and blogger who has covered business and lifestyle topics for The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, DailyCandy.com, Yahoo! HotJobs, and many other publications. Want to know more? check out The Urban Muse or follow her on Twitter.

Thank You! Tinika - New Blog Design

I am very excited about my blog design makeover by Tinika at Me & You Plus Two. She has done an excellent job and I am very happy with it.

In Tinika's own words, she is
"...just your average everyday twenty something gal, who has been married for eleven long wonderful years to the greatest man I know- who often drives me insane, raising two incredible girls that know everything. They get that from me, I’m sure.
I work for a software company doing technical support for public safety software. It really is cooler than it sounds, trust me. And in my spare time, I have started designing blog templates. My narcissism wouldn’t allow me to purchase one. I know, right." Tinika also has a blog design blog at http://ohmyblogdesign.blogspot.com, where you can check out the services she offers.

She worked really hard and endlessly on my new blog design and gave me great customer service, making sure I was satisfied every step of the way. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to get a fresh, new "look" for their blog. Thank you for supporting her.

What do you think of my new blog look?

Review Your Platform Building Efforts: Q&A With Christina Katz

An Interview with Christina Katz
Author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform & Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).

Q: What is a platform?

CK: Long story short: Your platform communicates your expertise to others, and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform.

A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. Get Known explains in plain English, without buzzwords, how any writer can stand out from the crowd of other writers and get the book deal. The book clears an easy-to-follow path through a formerly confusing forest of ideas so any writer can do the necessary platform development they need to do.

Q: Why is platform development important for writers today?

CK: Learning about and working on a solid platform plan gives writers an edge. Agents and editors have known this for years and have been looking for platform-strong writers and getting them book deals. But from the writer’s point-of-view, there has not been enough information on platform development to help unprepared writers put their best platform forward.

Now suddenly, there is a flood of information on platform, not all necessarily comprehensive, useful or well organized for folks who don’t have a platform yet. Writers can promote themselves in a gradual, grounded manner without feeling like they are selling out. I do it, I teach other writers to do it, I write about it on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all writers to heed the trend. And hopefully, I communicate how in a practical, step-by-step manner that can serve any writer. Because ultimately, before you actively begin promoting yourself, platform development is an inside job requiring concentration, thoughtfulness and a consideration of personal values.

Q: How did you come to write Get Known Before the Book Deal?

CK: I already had a lot of momentum going when I got the deal for a very specific audience. I wrote a column on the topic for the Willamette Writer’s newsletter. Then I started speaking on platform. When I gave my presentation, “Get Known Before the Book Deal,” at the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writer’s Conference in May 2007, Phil Sexton, one of my publisher’s sales guys, saw it and suggested making the concept into a book. Coincidentally, I was trying to come up with an idea for my second book at that time and had just struck out with what I thought were my three best ideas. My editor, Jane Friedman agreed with Phil. That was two votes from people sitting on the pub board. They converted the others with the help of my proposal, and Get Known got the green light.

Q: Why was a book on platform development needed?

CK: Writers often underestimate how important platform is and they often don’t leverage the platform they already have enough. At every conference I presented, I took polls and found that about 50 percent of attendees expressed a desire for a clearer understanding of platform. Some were completely in the dark about it, even though they were attending a conference in hopes of landing a book deal. Since book deals are granted based largely on the impressiveness of a writer’s platform, I noticed a communication gap that needed to be addressed.

My intention was that Get Known would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference, and that it would increase any writer’s chances of landing a book deal whether they pitched in-person or by query. As I wrote the book, I saw online how this type of information was being offered as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can even ask your library to order it and read it for free.

Q: What is the key idea behind Get Known Before the Book Deal?

CK: Getting known doesn’t take a lot of money, but it does take an in-depth understanding of platform, and then the investment of time, skills and consistent effort to build one. Marketing experience and technological expertise are also not necessary. I show how to avoid the biggest time and money-waster, which is not understanding who your platform is for and why – and hopefully save writers from the confusion and inertia that can result from either information overload or not taking the big picture into account before they jump into writing for traditional publication.

Often writers with weak platforms are over-confident that they can impress agents and editors, while others with decent platforms are under-confident or aren’t stressing their platform-strength enough. Writers have to wear so many hats these days, we can use all the help we can get. Platform development is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Anyone can do it, but most don’t or won’t because they either don’t understand what is being asked for, or they haven’t overcome their own resistance to the idea. Get Known offers a concrete plan that can help any writer make gains in the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive publishing landscape.

Q: What is the structure of the book and why did you choose it?

CK: Writer Mama was written in small, easy-to-digest chunks so busy new moms could stick it in a diaper bag and read it in the nooks and crannies of the day. Get Known is a bit more prosaic, especially in the early chapters. Most of the platform books already out there were only for authors, not writers or aspiring authors. To make platform evolution easy to comprehend, I had to dial the concepts back to the beginning and talk about what it’s like to try and find your place in the world as an author way before you’ve signed a contract, even before you’ve written a book proposal. No one had done that before in a book for writers. I felt writers needed a context in which to chart a course towards platform development that would not be completely overwhelming.

Introducing platform concepts to writers gives them the key information they need to succeed at pitching an agent either via query or in-person, making this a good book for a writer to read before writing a book proposal. Get Known has three sections: section one is mostly stories and cautionary tales, section two has a lot of to-do lists any writer should be able to use, and section three is how to articulate your platform clearly and concisely so you won’t waste a single minute wondering if you are on the right track.

Q: At the front of Get Known, you discuss four phases of the authoring process. What are they?

CK: First comes the platform development and building phase. Second comes the book proposal development phase (or if you are writing fiction, the book-writing phase). Third, comes the actual writing of the book (for fiction writers this is likely the re-writing of the book). And finally, once the book is published, comes the book marketing and promoting phase.

Many first-time authors scramble once they get a book deal if they haven’t done a thorough job on the platform development phase. Writers who already have a platform have influence with a fan base, and they can leverage that influence no matter what kind of book they write. Writing a book is a lot easier if you are not struggling to find readers for the book at the same time. Again, agents and editors have known this for a long time.

Q: What are some common platform mistakes writers make?

CK: Here are a few:

• They don’t spend time clarifying who they are to others.
• They don’t zoom in specifically on what they offer.
• They confuse socializing with platform development.
• They think about themselves too much and their audience not enough.
• They don’t precisely articulate all they offer so others get it immediately.
• They don’t create a plan before they jump online.
• They undervalue the platform they already have.
• They are overconfident and think they have a solid platform when they have only made a beginning.
• They become exhausted from trying to figure out platform as they go.
• They pay for “insider secrets” instead of trusting their own instincts.
• They blog like crazy for six months and then look at their bank accounts and abandon the process as going nowhere.

I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say that many writers promise publishers they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver.

My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them. Get Known shows writers of every stripe how to become the writer who can not only land a book deal, but also influence future readers to plunk down ten or twenty bucks to purchase their book. It all starts with a little preparation and planning. The rest unfolds from there.

Q: Couldn’t any author have written this book? Why you?

CK: I have built a career over the past decade empowering writers. I’ve developed and built my own platform as a writing-for-traditional-publication specialist, and I’ve worked with others as a writing and platform-development instructor. Many of the people I’ve been working with are landing book deals and while the other hundred-or-so writers I work with a year are developing their skills, I notice patterns of behavior—what leads to success, where writers get stuck, and how I can be helpful in these rapidly changing times in the industry.

I’ve witnessed too many writers, who were off to a great start, hopping online and quickly becoming very lost. I started to write about platform in Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, but I quickly noticed that more details on platform development were desperately needed. My platform is based on helping others. I have a vested interest in seeing the people I work with—and those who read my book—succeed. Writers are my tribe.

What are you doing to build your platform?

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Writers

Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and editing coach and the author of the popular book 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. She offers a brief and free weekly newsletter on her website. Subscribe by going to the Publication Coach.

Have you ever wondered why some people write easily and fluently, while others struggle and strain as if trying to squeeze a 185-lb body into a size six pair of jeans? In 30 years at this trade, I've noticed that effective writers tend to share seven traits. So, with apologies to Stephen Covey, here is my list.

Effective writers...

1) Separate the writing and the editing processes. When they write, they write, not worrying about the quality of their work. Writer/director Cecil Castellucci says: "The best flowers are fertilized by crap." Remember this and give yourself permission to write a really crummy first draft. Editing is a job for later. That's when you'll have plenty of time to rearrange big chunks of text, monkey around with sentence structure, obsess over word choice and fix punctuation.

2) Focus on the interesting. Effective writers (and speakers) always tell lots of stories. If they have to communicate something "theoretical," they illustrate it with real life examples and anecdotes. They know that human beings don't just crave food -- they are also starved for stories.

3) Tap into the power of metaphor. As metaphor expert Anne Miller likes to say, "metaphors lead to instant understanding." There are at least three metaphors in this short article (can you find them all?)

4) Do adequate research. There is nothing more painful than trying to write when you have nothing to say. Effective writers understand that good research is all about asking interesting questions -- of themselves, of the books, websites and reports they read and of anyone they interview. And this needs to be completed before any writing can begin.

5) Learn from the writing of others. Effective writers understand that they are lifelong apprentices. They learn by reading -- constantly. Note: this is not just passive, flip- through-a-thriller-while-sitting-on-the-pool- deck kind of reading. This is active sit-up- and-pay-attention-to-technique dissection -- similar to what a scientist would do in a lab. You won't want to read this closely all the time, of course (it's work -- although fun work, to my mind). But effective writers do some of this every week.

6) Write in small bursts. Creative work doesn't require oodles of time. That first draft you need to write? It's best done in dribs and drabs, a little bit at a time. Instead of procrastinating, effective writers persuade themselves to write a little each day, no matter how frazzled and frantic they feel. (Editing, on the other hand, usually needs space, time and quiet.)

7) Read their work out loud. Language isn't just meaning -- it's also music. The most effective writers can often be found sitting by the computer keyboards, madly whispering to the screen, repeating their words back to themselves. Yes, it looks kooky and coworkers may become alarmed. But effective writers don't care. They do it because it works.


What effective habit(s) do you have as a writer?

Writing Career: Staff Writer

I had the pleasure of meeting Venita Jenkins, a Staff Writer for The Fayetteville Observer Newspaper - Robeson County Bureau, at a community home-based business expo. She interviewed me for an article that she was writing about the expo and asked me questions related to why I was at the home-based business expo and what I hoped to learn from it. The article printed the day following the event. It was exciting to see my name in print and being quoted as well. I did not think of it at the time, but later thought that it would be interesting to know more about being a Staff Writer. Venetia was gracious enough to accept my request for an interview and it is a great start to my exploration into different writing careers.

Interview with Venita Jenkins
1. What does a Staff Writer do?
A staff writer is assigned to a particular beat. In my case, I am a member of the Region Team and I am assigned to Robeson County. I am responsible for covering any and everything that occurs in that county that is newsworthy. I cover education, crime, local government and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. I also write profiles on people in the community and stories on issues that concern residents.

2. Is there a certain amount of articles that you have to write a month?
No, there isn't a set number of articles. It depends on what is going on. I could have a day where there is a lot of breaking news or crime news and I may writing three or four small stories along with a longer piece that day.

3. What training and education do you need to be a Staff Writer?
An individual interested in becoming a staff writer should major in English or journalism and obtain a bachelor's degree. In my case, I majored in English. My college did not have a journalism program, but offered several journalism classes. I also wrote for my college paper and was a summer intern at the local daily newspaper.

4. How do you manage your time and meet deadlines?
It's important to try to use your time wisely in order to meet deadlines. I sometimes work long hours to get ahead on things . Sometimes, there are days when you may cut it close because you are trying to reach people important to the story and they are out of pocket. That is when you write like the wind to get the story in as close to deadline as possible.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a Staff Writer?
The advantage of being a staff writer is that you have something new to write about every day. You also meet a lot of interesting people and exposed to different things. One of the disadvantages maybe the long hours.

6. What is your strategy for staying motivated?
I love what I do. So, that is motivation for me. Also, I have a pretty good boss who keeps us on our toes. She makes sure we are doing the best possible stories out there, which keeps the job interesting.

7. What are your sources of inspiration?
My grandmother is my biggest source of inspiration. She was not a writer. She was a woman I greatly admired.

8. What type of stories do you cover?
I cover a little bit of everything -- crime, education issues, government meetings, profiles on individuals in the community, etc.

9. Are you assigned the stories or do you get to pick which stories to write about?
It is a combination of both. My editor may call me about a story idea. Sometimes I receive tips from the public, which may lead to a story. An idea for a story may come out of a meeting.

10. How do you become a Staff Writer?
You basically apply for a position and sit through several interviews with various editors.

11. How long have you been a Staff Writer?
I have been a staff writer for 10 years.

12. Walk me through a Day In The Life Of A Staff Writer, what is your day like?
Well, I start off with making phone calls to local law enforcement agencies to see if there is anything going on. I touch base with some of my sources to see is there is anything happening that is newsworthy. From there, I work on any stories that may be on tap for the day and conduct interviews. Then, I sit at my desk and knock out the story.

13. What types of articles have you written?
Recently, I wrote a four-day series on an American Indian tribe in Texas and its struggle for federal recognition. I compared the tribe's plight with a tribe here in North Carolina. It was a very educational project.

14. Please share any advice about being a Staff Writer or writing in general.
The market is tough right now for reporters because of the economy. So, be sure you are up on multimedia, blogging and just being internet savvy. More people are turning to the Internet for their news.

15. Do you have a favorite topic you like to write about?
I like writing about really interesting people.


Would you like to be a Staff Writer?

Why Rest Is Critical To Become A Better Writer

Article written by Sean D'Souza
===============================================

Every day at a certain point in my day my brain is exhausted.
And this tiredness has nothing to do with writing.
It's rather got something to do with walking. And listening.

===============================================
And yes, let me explain.
===============================================
Every day I take a brisk walk for about an hour. And I almost
always have my iPod and I'm almost always listening to a course,
some educational stuff, or learning a language.

But about 45 minutes into the walk, something weird happens. My
brain shuts down. No matter how much I try to focus, whole sections
of the audio seem to drop out. I get easily distracted. I try
harder than ever to concentrate, but despite my best efforts the
information seems to have no hold on me.

===============================================
My brain is overwhelmed with information
===============================================
And it doesn't even have to be new information. New information is
extremely exhausting, because my brain has to work out:
1) the relevance of the information.
2) the applications to my every day life.
3) how to use the information in the right manner (and not goof it
up).

This mental calisthenics takes enormous computing power. And by
the 45 minute mark, I'm exhausted.

===============================================
But when I go through the same information the next day I'm
refreshed
===============================================
And this is because my brain has rested. And it's had time to
absorb, sort out and tidy the information into tiny little brain
cupboards. Now I start to build on the previous day's work. And so
every day, a new layer is added.

And this brings me to writing articles daily instead of once a week.

===============================================
You are wasting your time if you try and write once a week
===============================================
When you're learning new concepts, the brain needs to struggle and
sizzle a bit every day. Then it needs a rest. The next day it
builds on that information it learned the previous day. The frying
and sizzling goes on.

And then it rests again. However, if the brain goes through working
on one factor day after day, for a week or so, it learns on a daily
basis. It adds to the knowledge, so that by the time the week has
ended it's pretty confident about the new learning.

===============================================
So let's take an example...
===============================================
Let's say you're in the Psychotactics Article Writing Course. And
on the first week, you only work with creating structure by
answering the questions: How, what, why, when etc.

You keep at it, day after day. The first few days are pure torture.
Then something seems to settle. By week three or four, the
structure issues concerning what, why, when etc. doesn't faze you
at all.

Nope, you've got something else that drives you nuts. Like creating
angles. Or creating drama. Or flow.

===============================================
If your brain tries to take on all of the concepts together it goes
into a state of confusion
===============================================
But if it handles one form of structure a week, day after day, then
you know what happens, right?

Yes, you get better. And the reason you get better is because the
brain gets time to rest. It gets time to resolve glitches. It gets
time to store. It gets time to layer the information without having
the burden of learning and applying it all.

===============================================
But surely you don't have time to write every day
===============================================
You probably don't. And I don't. And no one has time to write every
day. But we believe we can indeed have one big chunk of time in the
week, and that's when we'll get things done. And of course you know
what comes next. Not only will that chunk of time come and go, but
you'll be under more pressure than ever. And you're more confused
than ever.

Setting aside even fifteen minutes will get you to write three-four
paragraphs. It doesn't matter if they're crappy paragraphs. It
doesn't matter if the headline stinks. It doesn't matter if there's
no flow.

What matters is that you do the every day discipline. What
matters is that you're giving your brain the best chance to succeed
by giving it a break between successive sessions.

===============================================
Of course there's a story why I started writing once a day
===============================================
At one point I wasn't writing once a week. I was writing once a
month. And writing was torture. I'd struggle over an article for a
day or two, and there was no guarantee that I'd complete the
article.

And I'll tell you I wasn't having any fun at all. I did it
because I had to. I did it because it was helping our business get
more clients. But I hated the process of writing the article. Of
course once it was done, I'd preen around the words and be all
happy with my work of 'art', but the process, arrrrrrrgh I hated
the process. So I did something quite weird.

===============================================
I started writing more often
===============================================
I started up a membership site at 5000bc.com. There was absolutely
no content at 5000bc when I first started. So in a moment of
bravado I promised the members five articles a week. And though I
was petrified about meeting this deadline, I went about it
systematically and turned out an article or two a day.

Most of the early articles weren't long and structured. They were
short --a bit like blog posts. They had interesting pieces of
information, but there was nothing dramatic about the style and
structure. And then an amazing thing happened.

===============================================
I was able to write five-seven articles a week with more ease than
an article a month.
===============================================
It didn't make sense. Surely I was going to run out of material, I
thought. Surely that stupid Writer's Block would head-butt me
sooner than later, I thought. But instead my brain took over. The
discipline of writing every day forced my brain to think of
innovative ways to have an endless run of content and no fear of
writing whatsoever.

===============================================
Your brain is a lot like my brain
===============================================
It works. Then it shuts down.
Then it needs its siesta, so it can wake up refreshed and live to
write another day.

Try the discipline of writing every day, and resting every day. Not
because I say so, but because without it there's only struggle and
frustration.

=======================================
Product Offers: Links you should visit
========================================
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I bet there are not many you have read many times over?

The Brain Audit really teaches you the art of persuasion because
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submissions for a judge!

But the best bit about the Brain Audit is that it actually works.
The principles are easy to understand.

Would I recommend it to people serious about getting on in business?
Absolutely."

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Judge for yourself http://www.psychotactics.com/brainaudit


2)"I started listening on my PC, and found it so compelling
that I downloaded the audio files, and put them on my
PDA to keep listening when I went out."

Eric Graudins, Webangel, Australia
Find out Why the Website Trilogy Series is so compelling?
http://www.psychotactics.com/website-secrets


3) How to Create Powerful Testimonials To Sell Your Internet
Marketing Product. Find out the sec'rets...
http://www.psychotactics.com/testimonialsecrets

©2001-2009 Psychotactics Ltd. All rights reserved.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a sec'ret library of small
business ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas, on
copywriting, public speaking, marketing strategies, sa'les
conversion, psychological tactics and branding.
Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge
for yourself.


Has not getting enough rest affected your writing?

Writing Creation: Handmade Journal

I occasionally visit my local library to write and check out the free classes they offer on different crafts. I was intrigued by the “Handmade Journal” class they advertised, so I signed up and attended last week. I was very excited to learn how to actually make a journal to use as a diary, sketch book, or small scrapbook. The class had 12 students, both young adults (ages 12 and up) and adults (mostly parents).

I was a little apprehensive at first because I am not very crafty, but I enjoy crafts and making things. The instructors had all the supplies ready and explained everything step by step. This particular handmade journal was “sewing-over-tape”. When I heard sewing was involved, I got a little nervous. The only thing I can sew is a button (I did not acquire my mother’s talent for sewing, she was a great seamstress). However, I surprised myself and did not do too bad after all. The finished size of the handmade journal was 4 ¼” x 5 ½”, you can see the finished product in the pictures above.

This class gave me the idea to make handmade books/journals as gifts for my family and friends and use my poems, pictures, quotes or stories to fill the pages. I feel I would be sharing a part of me with the special people in my life. There are many other handmade books and journals you can make besides the one I did, so I am looking forward to making others on my own. It was very rewarding for me to make this journal because in addition to creating words, I now know how to create the book to put them in. Who says that being a writer only limits you to write?

Handmade Books and Journals: References and Resources
-Bookcraft by Heather Weston
-Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. I: Books Without Paste or Glue, by Keith A. Smith
-Expressive Handmade Books, by Alisa Golden
-Cover To Cover: Creative Techniques For Making Beautiful Books, journals, and albums, by Shereen LaPlantz
-Bookbinding: A Manual Of Techniques, by Pamela Richmond

“Sewing onto tapes” method
(***This is similar to the book/journal I made***)
http://www.csparks.com/Bookbinding/index.xhtml

The Crafts Connection: Instructions for making a one signature hand bound book
http://www.papergoods.com/bookmaking.shtml

How to make a simple hardcover book
http://www.mothteeth.com/bookmaking

How to make a “zine” (a small, folded book)
http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-a-zine/?ALLSTEPS

Bind It Fast – Make blank books, sketch books or repair paperback books with this technique
http://www.sff.net/people/Brook.West/bind/bindit.html


What writing related things have you made?