For those of you just following the blog, who have missed the home page of the site, here is the book trailer for Lowcountry Bribe. My wonderful editor came up with this. It’s short, simple, and just catchy enough. Enjoy.

Today I’m doing a wonderful book signing at The Edisto Bookstore, down the street from beautiful Edisto Beach, on Edisto Island, where Lowcountry Bribe takes place. I really look forward to this event since it’s in the thick of Carolina Slade country, and people will be guessing if they can recognize the roads, the tomato packing shed, the fields and JT’s Grocery Store. Chuckle.

Love it when people try to guess what’s real and what’s not. Earlier this week, I attended a neighbor’s birthday party, and her FBI husband came up to me and said, “I can tell you really know Jesse Rawlings.” I just smiled . . . because I so totally made up that character from scratch! That’s when you know you really took a reader on a ride.

If you like the trailer, give it a thumbs up at YouTube!

I recently spoke to several small groups. In one I used a brand new presentation. In the other, I used one tested many times before. The latter fell on its face.

FundsforWriters now meshes with Lowcountry Bribe when I speak. The topics try to show how C. Hope Clark has practiced what she preaches to reach this point in her career. Thus, the new speech.

One group, however, wanted pure FundsforWriters, so I pulled out the familiar presentation, freshened it, and gave it a shot. A few sets of eyes started glazing over the minute I left the art of writing and crossed into the business of writing. Add to that the tremendous list of resources  I discussed, and then I lost several more.

Conclusion 1:

Pick a lone solid point, build on it, and give a simple, clear message in the end.

Conclusion 2:

A presentation has a lifespan, based not just on the content, but on the interest of the speaker. Once a speaker presents a talk three, four, five times, the sparkle disappears.

The same goes for your marketing as a writer. You cannot use the same delivery over and over. Uncover, develop, create as many facets to yourself as possible, but present each in an uncomplicated, basic manner.

Example 1: 

I have a piece in this month’s The Writer Magazine called “Using Contests as Stepping Stones.” Wanting to measure the strength of my novel, Lowcountry Bribe, before daring to query agents, I entered contests. Once I started placing in them, I decided the manuscript was strong enough to pitch. Of course I did other things to better my story and find a home for its publication, but this article simply addressed contests.

Example 2:

On my website, www.chopeclark.com, I do not explain my 13-year history with FundsforWriters. The copy and graphics only address Lowcountry Bribe, with only a casual reference to FundsforWriters. Why? The point is The Carolina Slade Mystery Series.

Example 3:

I love cooking (when I find time), and I collect recipes. However, even when the sender is Southern Living, my favorite recipe resource, I have no choice but to delete an email that says “80 Tasty Kitchens,” because it makes me tired just thinking about the time I’d spend looking for one or two items I’d enjoy in the list. However, send me one that says “Pork Medallions with Strawberry Glaze,” and I’m more likely to open that sucker up and read it.

When you’re trying to impress, market, or query, keep your point simple and finely honed. My time is as short and precious as yours, and you know how frustrating it can be to see hundreds of emails in your box. To open an email that has 40 links to articles is a turn off. One that has two or three important ones catch your attention.

KISS is no longer Keep it Simple, Stupid. Keep it Simple and Smart, however, makes a lot of sense.

At this very moment, I’m at Edisto Beach. Yes, I can’t go more than four months or so without craving the spray, the moist air, and the outer-reaches-of-the-world feeling of that island. Those of you who know it, understand. It’s one of the few places on the planet that could possibly draw me away from my cove on Lake Murray. It’s a getaway in its truest form.

Edisto, for those of you who’ve read Lowcountry Bribe, is the general setting for most of the book, and all of the major action. The setting is one of marsh, herons, white egrets in trees heavy with Spanish moss, hanging over pools of brackish water. The beach is still a bit rustic, and you don’t find high-rises or neon motels with gobs of two-bit commercial stores displaying seahorse towels and dolphin inner tubes. You pass rural for miles to get there, very much the setting when the action takes you to the outskirts of Charleston County, South Carolina.

So, after a solid month of twelve-hour days, I’m headed to the beach. Of course I’m going to visit the local bookstore, a little place called Edisto Bookstore what carries all the Lowcountry authors, in hopes they’ll consider me strong enough to be included. I’ll be judging novels for a contest and editing book two in the Carolina Slade Series, but I’ll be relaxing, waves crashing in my ears, wildlife making noises along the marsh at night, and a drink in my hand. If you’re down there, email me. Let’s chat.

Resumes are boring and we hate tooting our own horns. But nothing identifies your skills for employment faster than a well-honed resume.So what does this have to do with you . . . the author . . . the freelance writer?

Resumes are broken up into primary categories.

SUMMARY - What are you seeking in terms of employment? What is your goal? Who are you in a sentence?

A hungry freelance writer seeking placement in major magazines and online sites to build a credible platform.

-or-

A writer seeking author status in the field of contemporary mystery fiction.

 QUALIFICATION SUMMARY - What makes you hire-able?

Extensive clips in entry-level publications and blogs covering subjects of parenting, business and gardening. Excellent communication skills with minimal errors. Positive personality demonstrated by written feedback received from five clients. A quick study of directions and guidelines as shown in a history of meeting all deadlines on time or in advance in approximately 25 cases. 

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY – Work performed.

Article title, publisher, date, link.

-or-

Book title, publisher, date.

-or-

Contracted assignment, client (if you can name), date.

EDUCATION 

University degrees.

Workshops attended.

Retreats attended.

Conferences attended.

Mentors achieved.

AWARDS – Where have you been recognized as outstanding in your efforts?

All this is routine to the person seeking a nine-to-five job, but what do you want this to look like in one year, two years, five years, or ten as a writer? In each of these resume categories, analyze what you’d like to see. The problem with not defining our direction is that we lose our way, forget to focus, then look back and wonder where the time went with little to nothing to show for it. Instead of dancing from a novel to magazines to scripts to poems, without structure for any of them, set your number one priority with an established goal. Then number two. Then three. In each of these categories.

How will you identify and enhance your qualifications? What publishing and writing credits do you strive for? What education will you seek, and what awards will you attempt? Four simple categories.

Focus is hard for many people, often because it commands commitment, but that focus is the only way to improve. Just like a job doesn’t come looking for you, neither does writing success. You have to develop yourself to reach out and get it.

I use a thesaurus, Sisson’s Synonyms, and Webster’s New Dictionary in my writing. Admittedly, Sisson’s is the most dog-eared, plus the binding is broken and pages fall out. (I seriously need to add a new one to my Christmas list.) But if I did not have them, I’d use LOOK a gazillion times as well as a dozen other favorites.

It’s funny, though. There’s a post-it note sticky on the page that has ANGRY on it. While more people tend to hang up on eyeball exercised like LOOK, STARE, GAZE and GLARE, I find myself more entwined in how to show my characters pissed off.

Being stuck on how to exhibit anger has helped my writing, though. I’ve taken it from foot stomping to complete silence. The stereo-typical white-knuckling (caught myself using that twice in one chapter) to the tight jaw (love that on a male character). Then there’s denial (“I’m not mad”) to the flushing face. Hand on hip, quick turns, slamming doors, even throwing papers.

In my critique groups, I note the repetitions of my peers on their papers. Everybody has them. And they point out mine. It’s like our mind gets hung up on a good thing and sticks with it to speed up telling the story. Our thoughts are on the tale and forget that the individual words tell it. That’s why repetitive editing is so darn important. Such repetition of words is the first sign of an amateur, or at least a writer who doesn’t appreciate good editing. These repetitious terms can destroy the impact of a story.

Editor Mark Nichol is a freelance editor and writer and a former editing instructor for UC Berkeley’s Extension program, and edits trade and academic books for various publishers. He also is editor of the blog Daily Writing Tips. In one of his posts, Do Synonyms Exist?, he professes that “A synonym is supposed to be any word that means the same as another word. But I don’t think there is any such thing. I don’t believe that kind of synonym exists.”

I like his point.  “…when you consider the meaning of a word, you need to consider both its denotation and its connotation. The denotation is the primary, literal meaning of a word. The connotation is the suggested or implied meaning of a word.” No two words are the same in every situation.

Many new writers get caught up in eyeball movement. But GAZE isn’t GLANCE. One can change the entire meaning of character’s intention by substituting one word for the other. Using LOOK is rather benign, with little meaning other than the character saw something. No purpose, feeling or meaning. But “look” in your thesaurus and you’ll find OGLE, OBSERVE, EXAMINE and PORE. Ooooh, can’t you just feel the range of opportunity?

See what you miss repeating words? What you sacrifice by using the same word? There’s a world of action, emotion, movement and thought in simply changing from one word to another. Now you see why my thesaurus and synonym books are so worn. They open my eyes to new situations, and have even caused my characters to behave differently than originally intended, as if the word gave them new ideas in how to mold a scene.

A single word can make your character move mountains.

FundsforWriters is twelve years old. Still, when someone unsubscribes and leaves a reason why, I hesitate to open the email and read the response. I breathe a sigh of relief when they say they are backing off email and paying more attention to writing, or that they are changing email addresses, or they’ve decided they aren’t destined to write (that one is sad). Why am I relieved? They aren’t telling me I’m unprofessional, worthless, amateur, or mundane. And yes . . . I’ve been called them all.

When you enter the public eye, somebody will feel bold enough to take a shot at you. Keep this in mind . . . they are usually behind you in efforts to become a talented and decent writer. How do I know that? Because the talented and decent writers remember what it’s like to climb up the ladder. The great majority of them, and I dare estimate ninety percent, have empathy for you in your efforts. And the harder you work at being a writer, the more empathy they have for you.

When my editor called my writing minimalist, I let it sting. Then I slept on it, studied the term, and came to the conclusion that it’s a good thing. It’s who I am and how I write. I didn’t crawl in a hole and cry. Instead, I embraced the good of it.Now I proclaim it. She was a mentor, guiding me to use my ability. That’s cool.

A writing friend of mine pens children’s stories. She’s not published yet, but she’s incredibly bright. It’s only a matter of time. She took a stack of my FundsforWriters postcards to distribute at the SCBWI conference in Charlotte, NC this past weekend. She ran into another writer who knew of FundsforWriters and C. Hope Clark. The writer loved my newsletters but found me “intimidating” online. My friend told her I “had a straight forward personality but was a very warm person.” For the rest of the day, I pondered the fact that a young writer’s first impression of me was intimidating. But admittedly I am straight forward, and to some, that’s awkward. To others, however, it’s refreshing to hear an un-sugar-coated message, and it’s become one of the attractive features of the FundsforWriters newsletters.

A week ago I attended my local writer’s group. We are tight-knit and speak openly. We pick at each other, kidding one guy’s passive voice, another one’s love of adverbs, and yet another’s embellished descriptions in the midst of action scenes. At dinner afterwards, we have wine and a dose of two of fun. One particular gentleman with a cutting wit joked that I scare people away when we discussed why a couple of people had attended and not returned. I have a tough hide most of the time, and he knows it. Still, sometimes . . . words tingle, sting, ache a little.

In this business, someone is going to ridicule you, your stories, your voice, your genre, or your protagonist. They do not fully understand you. Usually they’ve never met you. If people really meet you, maybe share a meal or drink, they soften. You become human . . . like them. Maybe they felt like a lesser person because you were advancing faster  in your writing effort. Possibly they fear venturing forth, and saying something negative gives them some sense of comfort. But online especially, they point out things about you.

Don’t dwell on opinion. Take emotion out of it, study what they say, and then accept or discard it. Fear is a common emotion amongst writers. We have dreams, then we get a case of the what-ifs, and fear oozes in. When someone voices those what-ifs, saying things we already think about, fear takes hold. Fear we might be less talented than we thought, or fear we’re fooling ourselves trying to write.

Like critiques, you let the other person have his or her say. Take the rejection, ridicule or advice, let the cold edginess sit a while and warm up to room temperature, then decide whether you should retain the message or not.

You are the compass directing your writing journey. Don’t let storms steer you off course. Some gusty moments will teach you how to navigate better, but you have to choose what habits and talents to adopt from these challenges. But if you have a map, and a hunger to reach your destination, then you will. Regardless of the weather in your path. And yes . . . the weather will always change. Brace yourself, and be you.

—
Remember, the deadline for leaving a comment at the post Giveaway: How to Get Your Book Reviewed is this evening.

During my recent experience with line-edits, I noted my editor asked for more transitions in places. Minor, one-liners. Nothing dramatic. But in advising me, she noted that my style was minimalist, and in a few story moments, she craved a bit more. I filled in gaps with phrasing, a sentence, at most a paragraph.

Didn’t hurt me to do so, and if it made her happy, fine. But that comment about being a minimalist stuck with me. Was that label good or bad? Should I own it proudly or keep it between her and me?

I ran to Wikipedia first. Minimalism is used in music and art more so than writing and means “work stripped down to its most fundamental features.” Hmmm. Still . . . good or bad? And what about writing . . . any other writers I may know? Or did she just call me basic? Not sure I like being called basic.

I did not study English, literature, history or journalism. I studied agriculture. Chuckle . . . yeah. Agronomy, to be specific. Soil science. We don’t talk minimalism regarding dirt. Unless you call soil stripped of nutrients minimalist. Bummer. In that case, nothing grows in it. I got worried.

But at the very bottom of the page, the definition addressed writers. “An economy of words.” Such authors hate adverbs (AMEN) and prefer the context to convey meaning rather than elaborate description. Okay, that’s me in most aspects of my life. “Readers are expected to take an active role in the creation of a story, to choose sides based on oblique hints and innuendo, rather than reacting to directions from the author.” I liked that.

The style became known in the 40s, via crime fiction. I write suspense. From then to now, such minimalist writers came to light like James M. Cain (Mildred Pierce), Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Richard Ford (Independence Day), and Samuel Beckett (1969 Novel Prize for Literature).

I liked that, too.

I Tweeted a comment last week, saying that I was a minimalist writer, and I’d decided to embrace my style. A college creative writing professor Tweeted me back, saying she wished her students would learn to readily embrace their voice.

You’d be amazed at how uplifting and energizing that is . . . knowing you have a voice and deciding to run with it. Someone a fog clears, and you see more of the road.

Your blog, whether you like it or not, is a call to action. In commercial writing terms, that means you are drawing in readers, collecting them, for an end purpose. What is your purpose?

The Book – The most obvious, as ranted by author Derek Haines in his blog The Vandal, is the purpose of selling a book. If you have a book, then wherever you are should also be a link to where the book is sold. In his post “So Where’s Your Book Then?”, Derek shows his frustration in reading a blog and not finding a link to the book. Or reading a first chapter, and not finding a link to the book. That link should be in several places, all places, wherever you post your name and blog/website, wherever you interview. But as he says, many writers are afraid to post the link in numerous places, for fear of being labeled a “hawker.” The link isn’t hawking. It’s as subtle a connection to your book as you can have. Use it. Then use it again.

Your Blog - Some make money from their blog. Therefore, that blog link ought to be all over the place. Your name and the blog. Why write anything and not sign it with . . . your name and the blog? Sign on other blogs. Guest on other blogs. And leave the breadcrumb trail of a link to your own.

Editing Services – You’re an editor. You read other blogs, visit forums, respond in listservs. Sign your name and the link to your editing website. I mean inside the blog comment itself, not just in those little blanks after the comment. You want everyone to find you. Write an article? Put your editing link in the bio. Frankly, some of the best free advertising is in blog comments, as long as you go the extra mile to form a nicely worded, smartly answered reply, with a clear link to where they can find this very talented individual.

Your Articles – Maybe you want magazine editors to see what your capabilities. At the end of every blog post and article online, leave links to your published work, website, even resume. 

Wait, what if you aren’t selling anything? Tell me then. Why are you blogging? If it’s purely for fun and social reasons, no worry. If you claim to like selling your writing, then your blog posts are calls to action. Use them properly. When someone reads you, and likes what they see, what can they buy to see more? Where can they go to enjoy more of your talent?

If you are a writer, and don’t see your online presence as a call to action, you’re missing the whole idea of being online. Make it obvious. When people see your name, a secondary tagline should immediately come to mind so that they recall who you are and what you stand for, and of course, where to make a purchase.

Those important links are the difference between you being a hobbyist and a professional.

Dana Lynn Smith is a whirlwind, and founder of The Savvy Book Marketer. I’ve watched her from afar for a while, but when she announced her book How to Get Your Book Reviewed, I perked up. After all, I have a novel release coming up in February. Admittedly, I wondered what could she teach me other than the standard of finding book reviewers who read my genre. What else was there to know about book reviews?

I asked for a review copy – e-book form – and started reading. I was humbled. First of all, the book is designed well and reads easily. That’s always a first for me. But the initial open-your-eyes part of this book came for me in Chapter 2, when Dana started putting me in the reviewer’s shoes. She bluntly stated that the odds of your book getting reviewed go up based upon the quality of your book’s appearance, the accompanying promo material, the match between the book and the reviewer’s interests, and who you are. Of course, it can also depend on whether the reviewer is having a bad day or just read a book similar to yours.

You are offering the book as a gift. You may or may not get reviewed. Face it. Don’t question the reviewer’s choice of book to review. She’s usually overwhelmed with books, and somebody’s will be cast aside.

Dana does an excellent job telling you how to organize a list of reviewers, the material to send, and when to send it. Some want to review three months in advance – others around release – others up to a year after release. Don’t confuse them, or it’s like sending your child rearing feature article to a Popular Mechanics or National Geographic magazine editor. Follow reviewer guidelines, just like you would anyplace else you pitch your work.

I was intrigued by the promotional material and the best ways to submit it with the book. You will see samples and templates and guidance on how to complete your own. Don’t forget your website that should link to all these pieces, that in essence serves as your online media room. She likewise gives you all the items to post there as well.

This is a hands-on, excellent guidebook for getting your book reviewed. I devoured it, and post-it-noted it and intend to use the heck out of it. I’m always for a book that nails a point and avoids the fluff. This is my kind of read.

—

Giveaway: Toby Lynne won the giveaway for How to Get Your Book Reviewed.

I met Kelly L. Stone at a writer’s conference a few years ago, and my first impression was that she was a totally put-together, collected lady. Then I learned she was a professional counselor, which made me nervous for a few moments while I wondered if she read my body language or dissected my sentences. But the wall came down, and we chatted. She was coming out with her first book, Time to Write.

Today, however, I’m touting her third book on writing, Living Write, published by Adams Media. If you want a book that talks to you, about you, about being a writer, this is it. Kelly speaks directly to you about the feelings that jumble up inside as you’re trying to admit you’re a writer, envision success, and establish a habit to where you “write with your eyes closed.”

She tells you how to act like you would like to be – steady, polished, creative, confident, prepared. The more you act like you’d like to be, the sooner you become. I do that when I am speaking, which isn’t a natural experience for me. Before I step up on a stage, I picture myself as this innovative, bubbly person who’s interesting to hear. Even as I’m speaking, if I see people nodding off, I raise it up a notch, pretending to be better. Funny thing is…it’s really not pretending. It’s you, allowing yourself to project and become the quality product you’ve always wanted to be. Fake being someone long enough, and you turn into him.

But back to Kelly’s book, Living Write. Here you learn about how to identify and create a self-image that propels your writing career. I loved it. And guess what? It comes with a CD developed by L. Michael Stone, also a counselor, on how to use your subconscious for self-improvement.

This book is a solid investment in yourself as a writer. For a change, here is a book that helps you feel better and improve your image, inside and out, as a professional, without telling you how to market, write better or pitch. This is purely about how you feel about what you love to do.

NOTE:
Cathy C. Hall won the drawing for the 2012 Guide to Literary Agents. Go Cathy!