God has taught me so many lessons as I continue on this long journey of being a writer. Just like anything in life, if we’re observant, we’ll see lessons everywhere.Continue reading “The Pain and Opportunity of Starting Over”
A Panster’s Guide to Planning
Have you heard the term pantster? In the world of writing, authors usually identify with being a pantster (as in, fly by the seat of your pants) or a planner (uh, obvious).Continue reading “A Panster’s Guide to Planning”
[Grace Is…] Radical, Beautiful, Different
Grace is…
(Really, Teresa? Again with this grace thing?)
Yea, I know. I talk about it here a lot. That’s why last month I started this monthly series [Grace Is…] to talk about what’s so central to my faith. And something occurred to me just yesterday about grace that I wanted to share with you.Continue reading “[Grace Is…] Radical, Beautiful, Different”
Confession of a Newbie Author
Well, crud…
This is how I’m feeling today. I had another post idea for today already written and scheduled. But I’ve got something else on my heart.
Being new at something means taking some missteps, being a bit overeager at times, and learning the hard way. But, man, it stinks when you realize how you’ve fumbled, despite best intentions.
At some point in every author’s career, she has to decide she means business and is committed to doing what it takes. One of those things, I’ve learned, is building platform. A following of potential readers through your website/blog, social media, newsletter subscribers, etc. Every follower represents a potential one-day customer. Good numbers are important for publishers to see your “reach” to be able to partner with them to sell your book(s).
In the past month or so, I’ve kicked up my platform building into high gear. I’ve planned a regular blogging schedule (every Tuesday and Thursday). I’ve made changes to the site so my newsletter sign-up shows up in the main navigation bar and on my Facebook page. I’ve hosted guest writers and have guest posted on other relevant blogs. I’m participating in more weekly hashtag conversations on Twitter, like #1linewed with other authors. I’ve seen growth in a lot of areas and have been excited to welcome lots of new followers. Time to celebrate, right?
But I have a confession. In my quest for growing numbers, I’ve sort of forgotten the most important key element, without which everything else becomes obsolete in this whole “game” of building platform. Connection. Let me give you an example.
On Facebook, I personally follow a lot of authors whom I’ve met or connected with over the last few years. My goal as an author is to have more readers and fellow writers follow my author page. Without thinking it through, I started sending Friend Requests to authors whom I saw were connected to other authors I already follow (you know, Facebook’s neato “You May Also Like…” suggestions that indicate how many of your already-friends follow that person). So I’ve gone a bit overboard sending Friend Requests out willy-nilly regardless of if I’ve read that author or even heard of her. A bit crazy, right? But that’s not the worst of it.
Whenever another author accepts my friend request, I have been sending a “Thanks for following” message that immediately includes a link to also follow me on my author page. Um…rude. Right? Some of you might not think of this as inappropriate. However, I started thinking how that might make me feel. Someone friends me. “Aw, how sweet. A new author friend to connect with!” Then I get a generic “Follow me here for great tips on writing and follow my writing journey…” Oh. She wants me to just be another tick on her followers count.
No connection.
I want so badly to be successful at this author thing that I started to lose sight of what’s really important to me. I want my stories to connect people. I want readers to eventually find messages of grace and hope and encouragement not only in my books (which, who knows, may never grace shelves) but also in all interactions I have with them. I want to know their names. Their joys and challenges. Their hopes and dreams.
If I’ve recently “friended” you on Facebook and subsequently sent you a follow request, I’m sorry. I do, in fact, want to KNOW you.
Want to read your books and hear your stories. If you feel welcome and interested to follow any of my platforms, great! But that’s not a requirement for being my friend.
Any potential agent or publishers might cringe at this post. But I’ve got to do this in a way that feels natural, real, genuine. I’ll keep trying and working hard, of course. Being intentional is important and ultimately I write so that people will hopefully one day READ it. But first and foremost, I want to connect with PEOPLE, regardless of whether or not they’ll one day buy my books. If a community of people forms here or on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest, I trust God will bless it and the connections.
That’s my prayer and my hope.
Today, I’m also sharing my thoughts on SURRENDER with a guest post on Julie Arduini’s blog about how surrendering my marriage to God saved it. I hope you’ll take a moment and venture over there, too.
TODAY’S TWEETABLE:
Confession of a Newbie Author…how one author forgot the real goal. — Tweet This!
Hunting & Gathering Ideas
I’ve written a few times about inspiration. I guess it makes sense that it’s on my mind when I’m in the early stages of a new WIP. Lately, I’ve been inundated with inspiration. I’m like a hunter and gatherer…sniffing out possible prey on a gentle breeze, pouncing when the time is right, and storing the day’s reward away for safe keeping. Writing a new book is like planning for the unknown. You’d better have provisions for a variety of scenarios.
I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my latest (and in some cases odd-ball) research methods and inspired ideas. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll start to see wispy fragments of a story start to take shape in your mind. It’s the greatest joy of the creative process! The risk is getting stuck in this fun phase of possibility.
- Google/Library — I needed a name for the town’s doctor…something with roots to the area. So I Googled “Appalachian Surnames” and browsed history records until the right one hit me. This is more traditional research for facts that help make your story credible.
Listening to Radio — I heard a song that totally spoke to how my heroine might be feeling…suddenly, she became a lover of classic rock music. (Tip: if you use your voice recording app while driving, be prepared to decipher your own notes!)- Asked Around — I recently took to Facebook to ask followers of my author page to help me name the dog my heroine adopts along her hike. I couldn’t decide, and they had some great ideas emerged!
- Recycle — While outlining book two, I thumped a finger on my chin waiting for an idea to strike for a certain scenario. Then, BAM! I remembered an idea I had for the last book that ended up on the cutting room floor (and in my idea notebook). It’ll fit great in this story. Done and done!
- Be Aware at All Times — You never know when you will randomly run across something that stops you in your tracks and magically screams at you, “That’s my character!” Scrolling through Instagram a while back, I stumbled on a photo of a girl that instantly became inspiration for how my heroine looks in a final scene.
- Pay Attention to Detail and Document — I am one of those people often taken by nature. I’ve been known to step outside into my yard in the early morning or at dusk and just take in the details of a beautiful sunrise or sunset. As a writer who greatly values offering my readers rich setting/scenery, I have learned not to trust my own memory when writing something from nature. Instead, I snap lots of photos of anything I find inspiring — sunset, blade of grass with dew on it, the fur of my dog up close, the perfect foam on a latte, I’ve even been known to ask my husband if I can snap a picture of his eye ball super close up so I can refer to it when writing the description of a character’s eyes. You never know when you’ll need a subject to study for just the perfect description.
- Study the Experts — Of course, don’t copy. But I have lots of earmarks and flags sticking out of the pages of some of my favorite authors’ books marking passages that really spoke to me. Thick, memorable descriptions that drew me in to a scene. A paragraph that helped make a character 3-dimensional to me. I pull those out when I need help being inspired to do better.
Where do you find inspiration for ideas?
If you’re a writer, what’s the most unique way you collect ideas?
TODAY’S TWEETABLE:
Tips for hunting and gathering ideas for your next book! — Tweet This
Teresa Tysinger, Author 