Topic 18 Mentoring

Greetings,
 
I know it's been a while since you last heard from me even though I had promised to write 2 blogs a month. But I have a darn good excuse. The end of October we sold our home and have been busy ever since gathering our belongings collected over the years from a million different hiding spots in our log home. If you've lived someplace for any length of time and then moved, you understand the process.

Of course, as soon as friends and relatives heard the news they offered a lot of sound advice just like a mentor would. Some advice was good other information not so helpful involving packing, downsizing, what moving service to use, and weather or not to hold a moving sale in Minnesota this time of year. When someone offers advice you take it with a smile. Then you take some time to think about the suggestions and decide which to follow through on and which not to. After all you're the one moving and doing all the work, not them.

Being mentored to as a writer is similar. You sort through the suggestions and then you make the final decisions, whether they're right or wrong. What should you keep of a story or discard? What writing tools should you use or publishing company? Do you feel your story fits middle school readership as well as the over twenty age bracket?

Today we gathered the things we no longer wanted, but were still in good condition, and took them to a thrift store where someone else can take possession of what we thought we couldn't live without. Some day when you're ready to mentor a fellow writer maybe you'll do the same. Don't be afraid to pass on suggestions that you've found helpful to another writer who is looking for that specific information.

In Writer Unboxed, -"Getting the Most Out of Mentoring from Both Sides of the Fence" author Sophie Masson states, "Writers experience mentoring in one way or the other at every stage in their careers." And it's true. Whether you're a new author or have been writing a long time. Most writers belong to one or more writers groups and share what they've written to get feedback. Those listening to the reader try to offer solid suggestions to the authors. Not tear them down. Trust is the essential ingredient for mentoring or being mentored to Masson says. Without trust no one would feel comfortable exposing their writing to fellow writers.

A lot of us are thin-skinned though and it's hard to swallow what others think of our work. Try to remember it's just a critique. You can heed their advice or not. It's up to you. Just smile, say thank you, and keep your thoughts to yourself.

Years ago when I joined a writers group in my area, one or two writers would really tear other writers' works to shreds. It didn't matter if the  story was great or not.  But guess what? Something amazing happened. One of the long-time writers spoke up and said, "I think there's too much negative criticism of the work being read. We need to start being more positive about our feedback." And that's when our meetings got better for the writer as well as the listener.

Well, it's time to end my blog on mentoring. Tomorrow I still have more packing to do. Friday we move to our new home in the Twin Cities.

Happy Thanksgiving A Little Early
Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot

Topic 17 Marketing

                             THE 4 P'S OF MARKETING

Greetings,
 Halloween is almost upon us here in the U.S. and I got to thinking about the way candy (the product) is priced, placed and promoted to the consumer. When you purchase your favorite candy, have you ever thought about the many hours people sat around a board room discussing the 4 P's, product, price, place, and promotion, before their candy creation even left the warehouse?
   
If the 4 P's of marketing are extremely important to top candy manufacturers, should writers take the well-formulated marketing strategy lightly when our product, in this case a novel, is ready to be seen by the public? Definitely not.
   
But why wasn't packaging included you might ask? Packaging is wrapped up with product. It keeps things simple.

Let's begin with PRODUCT. You are the builder of your product. Is the editing as good as it can be? Have you asked someone else to clean the product up, meaning the proofing and editing of your work before it leaves your personal space for good? Do you feel good about the work you've just written or were you careless here and there in order to get it off to the press on time? Be honest.

When you wrote the novel, did you take into consideration what age bracket would be reading it and which group of people would be interested in it? After your manuscript has been examined by others, did you toss around ideas for your cover, and seek help in the design if needed? Remember, the perfect cover draws people to your work not away from it. Make sure to select the right one.

PRICE. Setting the right price for your product can earn you sales. Too high and people won't purchase it. When my third novel came out in 2011, a self-published one, I had to decide whether I wanted to sell it for $.99  or $9.99 as an e-book. Wanting of course a fair amount for my book,
I chose the higher price. I don't think I need to explain how the e-book sales are doing. As proud as I am of the written word in this novel and its attractive cover, I failed to determine the right price.

PLACE. Where will your novel be displayed? Location, location, location is just as important as the product. For Mc Donald's or any other food chain the corner of a very busy intersection is the top location choice. Where will your widest audience see your novel offered - in book stores, libraries, events or Amazon? Choose wisely.    

PROMOTION. The book is hot off the press. Is this when you promote it? Not according to all the sources I've read. You should be promoting the book six months before the printed form is in your hands. Send out press releases, search for people to write reviews. Share a snippet with your fans on your author page, website, blog, Tweet or anywhere else you can think of. It's time to toot your horn, the way only you can. Ask fans and friends to spread the word.

How have you promoted your book? What factored into where to show your book? I'd love to share your comments with those who read my blog.

Getting back to candy for a moment, which packaging grabs you the most? Ask yourself why?

Until next time
This is Marlene Chabot

Topic 16 Writing Tips from Fellow Bloggers/Writers

Greetings,
If you'e been writing for some time now, you've discovered most writers don't fly solo. What I mean by that is we attend writer groups in our area or belong to several online. Which ever group you belong to I'm sure you appreciate the welcomed advice from fellow colleagues as I do.

In my last blog I suggested we take time to read other authors' books, but don't forget about all the worthwhile writers's blogs out there. Learning about tools of the trade can be beneficial to you too. I know it's a time consuming task and to be honest I certainly don't read everyone sent my way via the Internet. I'd have no time for writing. But since I've been in limbo for the past couple weeks waiting to hear about my fifth novel being picked up for publishing, I've had tons of free time on my hands - that is in between reading, housework, and selling books at events - and I've read some interesting blogs.

Most of the blogs I've flagged for myself to read now or later can be found on Writer Unboxed. com. The authors are very talented and the majority of them hold master degrees in English or literature. The wide diversity of articles encompasses such topics as stage directions, scenes for the story, marketing plans, writing a synopsis, what motivates your character, and why book PR needs lead time.    

Let's take a look at some things I've personally gleaned recently from writers on Writer Unboxed.

The first topic that comes to mind is "Scenes for the Story - Types Add Complexity - 15 to Enliven the Plot" by Jordan Rosenfield and Martha Anderson. According to these two writers strong plots are built upon a mixture of Emotion, Theme, and Action. What I didn't realize myself was a theme takes the drivers seat, displaying itself in every scene. Although Rosenfield and Anderson say theme should be in every sentence too, I don't know if I'd be able to accomplish that with my style of writing. How about you?

Next up, Lisa Cron's article "Who Knows More About Story's Writers or the Pentagon." This article is all about the protagonist's internal struggle and how readers' brains are wired to that. "The protagonist  backstory must be present on page one," Cron says, "... it gives the reader empathy." How have you done in this area with your writing? I think I've just scored a point.

"Marketing Plan" by Jon Bard - "Build it not around your book but around how it will enhance your readers life." Good point. Will your book give them a good laugh or inspiration for the day? I like to add humor to my books. Too much suspense can put the reader on edge.

Moving on to Drew Chial - "How to Turn A Complex Story Into A Simple Synopsis". I don't know about you but I hate writing a synopsis or a query. I'm never sure how much or how little to include. Chial and others have suggested keeping the synopsis to one page which makes sense. "Start with a basic framework and build outward," Chial said. Using a "barebones structure" he recommends dividing our paragraphs into Acts 1-3. This article then gives you specific questions to answer for each act. All I can say as a writer is, "Thanks Drew Chial for such a common sense article."

I hope the snippets I've shared with you today will be as beneficial to you as they were to me  when they popped up on my laptop. Don't forget, writers can learn a lot from each other.

Do you have any interesting articles you feel would be beneficial to my readers? If so, please share.

Until Next Time

This is Marlene Chabot

Mystery Writer 

  

Topic 15 Reading for Inspiration

Greetings,
I hate to see summer end, don't you? But fall is officially upon us as of yesterday. Here, where I live, flowers are shedding their blooms and leaves are sailing to the ground all around us.
      At this time of year many of us shed what we don't need anymore too, including old clothing, stacks of newspapers and magazines, and items way past their expiration date. In the Midwest, the signs of this new season also reminds us it's time to clean up our yards and prepare for the fast approaching cold weather.
     For us writers this is the perfect time to catch up on new writing techniques via seminars or conferences and begin new novels. But have you given any thought to catching up on what the peers in your writing field are doing?
     I like to know what's going on in the mystery genre, my field of writing. It helps me see if I'm just tossing out another story in the same vein as someone else or really on a new path. But more importantly, when a story I'm working on becomes stagnant and boring and I think I should quit writing all together, turning to my favorite authors in my genre or even a new one, somehow magically spurs me on.
     Over the years my list has included such great authors as Agatha Christie, Robin Cook, John Grisham, Dorothy Gilman, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Tony Hillerman, Robert Parker, and Stuart Woods. But having recently read books by Louise Penny and Laura Levine, I know I'll be reaching for one of theirs soon as well.
     What do these authors offer in their novels that makes me want to return to my writing? Various things. It could be the deeper insight into their main character and how he/she interacts with others versus my presentation in this area. Sometimes it takes a riveting plot to get me fired up again or even an author's grand details of people and surroundings. At other times it's may just be an authors use of simple humor that spurs me on.
     As I settle into this new season, I plan to start a new novel and also read many fine books for inspiration. How about you?
     What books have you read that encouraged you to continue writing? Please let me know and I'll share in the next blog.

Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot
         

Topic 14 Character Names

Greetings,  

                                                                      NAMES

Most of our parents thought long and hard about what name to give their soon-to-be new arrival. They might have perused the family bible, selected a name from a phone book, or even a novel. Some claimed a name used in a movie sounded good. And for others, well, it was a sentimental reason--continuing a family name from one generation to the next. However you got your name, you're stuck with it unless you go to court to change it or use a nickname.

Authors should think long and hard about what names they give their characters too. Don't rush the process. Names make the story. Once our novel or story gets published, it's too late to change the character's name. Do you want the reader to feel sorry for the main character or hate them? Do you want their names to have a double meaning? How about a name related to their profession? For example, an orthopedic surgeon with the name of Dr. Bones. 

Would readers feel sorry for someone named Jezebel? Probably not. But give the female 

character the name of Mary, Ann, Elizabeth, or Susan and they will accept them with open arms.

The same is true for a man named Frankenstein versus a person called John or Isaac.

How do we find great names? By reading magazines, newspapers, and other author's books. And of course, meeting new people. The other day I met a woman named Cree. If you like a name you found while reading another novel, you can take a first name and make it a last so it's not the same as written or add a different last name. Over the years I've compiled a list of names. Some I've heard mentioned on radio and TV. Others pop into my head. One great source I've found is the annual list of top baby names usually published in a community newspaper. Clip it out. Save it.  

I thought about some of the great character names I've found in books over the years and compiled a short list for you. Maybe some of these would be among your choices too.

1. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens);  2. Scarlett O'Hara & Rhett Butler (Margaret Mitchell); 3. Quinn Rucker, Malcolm Bannister & Sam Stillwater (John Grisham); 4. Jaine Austen & Patti Devane

(Laura Levine); 5. Dittany Blair, Clegg, Driver, Hodson & Kahn (Betty Rowlands); 6. Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain); 7. Bishop Quill & Sean Cronin; 8. Lucian Gregory (G. K. Chesterton); 9. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte); 10. Randall Flagg (Stephen King); 11. Jay Gatsby ( F. Scott Fitzgerald); 

12. Cisco, Ezra, Zack (Fern Michaels); 13. Hester Prynne (Nathaniel Hawthorne); 14. Yuri

Zhivago (Boris Pasternak);15. Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie).   

After coming up with my list of character names above, I've discovered there are a few websites covering this same topic. To my surprise some of the names I selected are on those lists as well. One such site you might like to visit is: www.theweeklings.com ( The 50 Greatest Literary Character Names of All Time). 

If you have a great character name you'd like to share, please send it my way and I'll mention in the next blog.

Until Next Time,

This is Mary Needy. Oops!  I mean Marlene Chabot

Topic 13 Cleaning Up

                                                                               

Greetings, 

As I cleaned out the closets to see what I could toss the other day, I thought about all the writings I've done over the years, too many to count, and I realized not one story had ever been sent out in its original form. I cleaned them up, and cleaned them up, and then cleaned them up some more. It may have been because I was raised by a perfectionist, but I'd like to think it was because I wanted the story to be accepted.

These cleanups are what we writer's refer to as rewrites. They're a necessity. It's what makes our stories more compelling, more alive, and more cohesive. No story is perfect the first time it's put down on paper. So if someone tells you otherwise, don't believe them. All great writers  be it of poetry, novels, magazines, newspapers, or script writing have fine-tuned their stories until they can't stand doing it anymore. 

Think back to your high school or college days. Do you remember the wonderful essay assignments? Sitting hunched over your desk scratching out and changing things in your notebook as you went. Many classmates of mine visited the wastebasket several times. How about you? Why did we do all the rewrites? To impress our teachers and hopefully get a great grade, right?

Well, if we want our writing to be accepted by the public and publishers we still need to rewrite and rewrite till things smooth out and fall into place. You may even have to chuck a novel if rewriting doesn't help. It wasn't until after I completed a two year writing course that I realized my first book stunk. The gist of it survived, but most was rewritten.

As a freelance writer for a local magazine, I have deadlines to meet so I understand the pressure journalists and magazine writers are under. But you still need to rewrite before handing the article off, otherwise you do a disservice to yourself and the company you're writing for.

It's important for us as writers to read the story aloud after it's completed or as you go along. Many errors are caught by reading the work out loud, not just with your eyes. Even though you have someone proofreading your work, you need to go through it too. Proofreaders don't catch every single error.  

If you find you're too tired after writing your first draft to read the story aloud and proof it, take a break. Come back to your story with fresh eyes the next day. You'll be surprised what problems 

you discover. Then what do you do? Cleanup and rewrite.

Until Next Time

This is Marlene Chabot

www.marlenechabotbooks.com 

Topic 12 Exploring Topics

Greetings,
Summertime and fairs go hand in hand What's there not to like? Fairs offer food, rides, 4H displays, talent shows, animals, concerts, and much more. No matter what your age you'll always find something of interest at a state or county fair. For a writer it's also a great place to explore new story ideas.

Yesterday began the first day of our county fair where I live in Minnesota. As I strolled through the fair with friends, I was bombarded with topics for stories, be it non-fiction, science fiction, historical, romance, or mystery.

If you're a non-fiction writer you might explore the history of carnival rides or select one in particular, the Ferris Wheel. Research how the first fair came about and how it changed throughout the years. If your fair had a huge butterfly house to walk through or exotic animals on display you could write a short story specifically about them or about the current fair in general and submit the story to a local newspaper.

For a history buff (fiction and non-fiction), besides carnivals and rides piquing your interest at the fair, you might delve into animal husbandry, 4H, or discover the wealth of history in old buildings on display. Our fair offers two to go through: the first schoolhouse from the area and a log home. But something else we found just as interesting inside the Curling building, used for artwork displays during the fair, was a photographer giving a slide presentation on kayaking from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to Iowa. His talk spanned the earliest explorers discovery of the headwaters in Minnesota and the changes made along the Mississippi due to logging, paper mill industries, and dams.

Of course there's plenty of fair topics to explore for those of you writing fiction. Is Mary having an affair with Stan while they operate the barbecue food hut owned by Stan's father-in-law?  Can a monster from outer space be captured before he destroys the fair completely? Was the footlong hot dog to blame for Troy's untimely death or something more sinister? Who kidnapped the very talented sixteen year old member of a famous rock'n roll band right before she was to appear on stage?

Well, I hope the ideas I generated today stir your imagination this summer when exploring topics at your own county or state fair. If you wish to share other writing ideas, or a snippet of a fair story on my next blog in two weeks, please leave a comment on this blog site.

Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot