Formula for Successful Writing

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This post was originally published on the Daily Writing Tips. I thought it so important I have re-posted it here.

The Winning Formula for Writing Success

When I wrote the heading for today’s post, I thought to myself, “I should be making infomercials and workshop presentations, offering my ‘secret’ for a thousand dollars.” A thousand dollars a head for even a few dozen participants? That’s what I call successful writing: With one phrase and a few platitudes, I could take a couple of years off from work.
Nah. I’ll give it to you free of charge:
Quality requires quantity.
Yes? And?
That’s it. Quality requires quantity.
Oh, all right. I’ll expound.

Getting Your Book Published

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AJ, I haven’t written anything seriously before, although I’ve scribbled for a long time. However, I found myself writing a book and it seems to me it’s as good as a lot out there. How can I get it published?
I have looked all over the web, and there are many publishing sites, but I have no idea what's good and what's not. Can you help?

Alison, I'm afraid as a new author you need be not "As Good As" published authors, you have to be BETTER! The problem is publishing houses always go for the safe bet. They're in business to make money, not make you famous. They have a limited number of books they publish each year. If your book isn't outstanding, I'm afraid you'll not get in they'll reach for one of their stable of established authors.

To achieve this, you must first of all make sure your manuscript is as good as it can possibly be. Be absolutely certain you've tied up all loose ends and followed industry standards for presentation.

Cut away ALL unnecessary pronouns and adverbs - nothing screams amateur more than overblown descriptions. Most new writers feel they need to give full descriptions of everything. DON'T. Mostly, what's left out says more than what's in....

When you've cut, cut, and cut; when you've polished it until it glistens, write a short query letter to your chosen agent. Explain any experience you may have, the genre of the work, the word-count, and present a VERY short synopsis of about 100 words (see book blurbs for examples). Only present a full synopsis IF the agent asks you to submit the first three chapters.

You'll find lists of reputable agents and publishers in several trade oriented books such as Writers and Artist's Yearbook http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/ .

Creating A Successful Book

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What makes a successful book? If publishers knew the answer to that, they would turn out a never-ending string of best-sellers. They don't of course, so there is no real answer, but we do know some of the things that should be in place.

• The plot must have structure and proportion. The story must be in equilibrium. Stories that are in balance are beautiful, when they aren’t, they start to feel ugly.
• A story should never turn into a diatribe of desolation and emotional distress. Readers soon get tired of things like that, they become worn out.
• Readers should associate with characters. You make this connection possible by ensuring events COULD happen in that type of situation.
• The pace of the story should vary. Some scenes should be calmer than others.
• After a chapter containing an important incident, give readers chance to recuperate by writing a more leisurely scene.... Not a dull scene of course, but one with fewer disparities, fewer ups and downs.
• Make your plot congruent with life but LARGER than life.

Give your readers interesting and believable variation and if you're lucky, they’ll give you time.

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The Accidental Best Seller

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RJ Rowlings eat your heart out -  

Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, as well as the upcoming book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has produced several #1-selling book campaigns.

In a recent article - http://t.co/OuD1FLO - Lynn Serafinn says, “If your book sales are amongst the Top 100 in any category on Amazon, you are technically a “bestseller.” You don’t have to be in the Top 100 of all books. There are dozens of categories and sub-categories on Amazon, and if you achieve a sales ranking in the Top 100 in any of these, you can say you are a bestseller.”

Yehhhh! According to this criterion, I’m already an Amazon Best-Seller with no less than three of my books hitting the lists - well at least in the UK - and I didn’t even know.

The only problem is no one else knows either… My grocer won't accept it, my car is still a wreck, I'm still broke...

This best-selling stuff isn't what they make it out to be... I think someone is kidding me...

30^th July 2011:

Short Moments: A collection of 10 heartwarming stories:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank

•  #9 in Books > Fiction > Women Writers & Fiction > Short Stories
• #74 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Short Stories

Yesterday: A collection of 10 heartwarming stories:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank:

• #49 in Books > Fiction > Women Writers & Fiction > Short Stories

Just About Write: A masterclass in creative writing:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank

• #11 in Kindle Store > Books > Nonfiction > Reference > Words & Language > Slang & Word Lists
• #33 in Books > Reference > Language > Slang & Jargon
• #36 in Kindle Store > Books > Nonfiction > Reference > Publishing & Books

I wish it meant my coffers overfloweth, but someone forgot to tell the bank manager...

The Amazon category-ranking system is a laugh. Why not leave it at plain old numbers-sold to determine overall ranking for best-seller. Categories mean bog-all. I only sold 6 copies of Just About Write in the UK - how the hell does that make it a best-seller...

Come on Mr Amazon - you're surely taking the p*** or is it people like Lynn Serafinn who shift the goal-posts to make something out of nothing to make it seem like they are good at their job.

Maybe I'm a little too cynical...

.

Creating Story Appeal

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AJ, how do I make my book more interesting to readers. I've invited friends to read it, but they went vacant afterwards. I realise they didn't think much of it, even though they made the right 'noises' about it.

Oh dear, Annie. You need to hook your reader’s from the opening paragraph. Look at books by successful authors to see how they achieved it and why you found them interesting. 

Remember, characters are the most important ingredient in any story. Adventure means nothing if you don’t care what happens to characters. You should burrow into each of your protagonists until they become 'real' to you. How can they feel real to others if they aren’t real to you? Develop them so they exist as people in your mind. Know everything about them, all their faults, assets, likes and dislikes, their favourite music, food, films etc.

Unless YOU feel your character's problems are real, no one else will. 

Before you start to write, go over the story in your mind until you're in the correct mood. Feel the emotions you want to generate in the story, be at one with your characters and the problems they're facing. Have empathy.

You must also make sure you have a central problem running throughout the story. It must be a problem that can't be resolved until the very last few pages of the last chapter of the book. Make the problem one that is of paramount importance to the central characters, something that affects them if it cannot be

resolved. Criss-cross this major problem with minor problems that are resolved within a few chapters.

In this way, reader's keep turning those pages to find out what happens to the story people they have come to care about.

Hope you found this useful.... and keep writing. 

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How to Create a Successful Viral Marketing Campaign for Your Novel

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Most authors despair of book promotion and marketing. It is the blight of a writer's life. I hope this post by Barry A. Densa will help drive away some of that despair and put it all in perspective.

How to Create a Successful Viral Marketing Campaign

January 24, 2011 By Barry Densa 5 Comments

On the “Ask a Question” marketing page on LinkedIn.com I often see the following question: How can I make my go viral on the web?

It could be a website selling weight loss pajamas … an eBook on fractal theory … a copywriting home-study course … or anything else the marketer wants to promote.

Of course, what the marketer is really asking is: How do I get my valuable, clever, entertaining message about my product to spread like a virus across the web – so I can make LOTS of MONEY FAST?

Viral Marketing is to Marketers What Immediate Gratification is to Consumers

Everyone wants what they want – NOW!

Fat people want a skinny pill. Skinny people want a muscle pill. Poor people want a get-rich-quick pill. And flacid male people want a blue pill from Pfizer.

And marketers want to wake up in the morning and see six zeroes added to their PayPal account overnight.

Blame it on YouTube

Whether it was a video of an embarrassing, unlikely yet subsequently wildly talented performer on a TV talent show … or an awe-inspiring video of dung beetles doing it to the beat of Eminem … which then spread virulently across the web from one person to another by text, chat, email, Facebook, Twitter, phone call or over-the-shoulder viewing on a Blackberry in the office – marketers quickly realized that viral is the new, best, must-have marketing pill!

So how do you create an emotionally and intellectually appealing promotion guaranteed to garner a gazillion views within 24 hours of it being uploaded to the web, and quickly make its creator RICH?

How do you harness the wind?

Viral by Any Other Name Would Still be…

… Engaging, stimulating, mass appealing, and ultimately ineffable!

The problem is: How does anyone know how or when the unruly, fickle and transcendent zeitgeist – or just your target market – will react to any statement, opinion, proposition, expression or product you proffer?

As a book, Harry Potter went viral. As a movie, Avatar went viral. As a marketing methodology, Mass Control went viral.

No doubt they were in the right place at the right time to strike a perfectly pitched note that resonated wide and far.

So will every fantasy novel, alien movie or marketing platform go viral – even if theme and content are duplicated exactly? Of course not.

If Harry Potter, Avatar, and Mass Control had been released one or two years earlier, or later – would they have had the same effect, the same appeal if the political, economic, or social landscape had been different?

And what if the same story line or marketing message had been crafted and delivered by someone else – not J.K, Rowling, James Cameron or Frank Kern – would they still have been a success?

If you fall in love with a blonde, tall, athletic, tanned, funny and intelligent woman, or man – will you fall in love with each and every person who looks and acts exactly that way, too?

When you gaze into your lover’s eyes – will you ever see, can you ever feel, ever be enraptured in that same way by the eyes of another person just because they may be brown or blue and almond shaped, too?

What makes a joke hysterically funny when told by one comedian and flat and stupid when told by another?

What can be taught? What can be learned? What can be patented?

The 3 Guardians of Viral’s Holy Grail

If you’re a marketer, three indispensable components must be present if your marketing message and your product will ever be disseminated at anything close to viral speed.

• One, you must have a quality product – one that eminently satisfies a proven and measurable need or hunger. It must have value beyond its price.

• Two, your marketing platform and creative has to match and cater to the personality and sensibilities of your target market. You must understand them, speak like them and walk some distance in their shoes. You must have a passion to help, not to just make money.

• Three, your target market has to be clearly defined and approachable. It can be delineated by gender, age, income or any other demographic or psychographic attribute, singularly or in combination, so long as they communicate with one another and can be reached initially by you. A communication network must be in place.

And the degree to which those three criteria are met, will determine the light speed and the distance at which your message and product will travel.

Concentrate on one component to the exclusion or the diminution of the other two will effectively produce a crashing and forgettable thud rather than a viral, self-perpetuating marketing bang.

Unfortunately, most marketers who ask: How can I make my go viral on the web … just want a magic pill that requires no effort, much less an understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

What they have yet to understand is that in the marketing world, going viral, as in getting big-buck lucky, requires the convergence of the tangible with the intangible; it is the hallowed marketplace wherein opportunity and preparation gleefully meet.

A great product, a well-planned launch and a continually evolving and adaptive marketing campaign – none of which happens magically or overnight – is marketing’s true, only, and attainable Holy Grail.

Going viral only happens, if at all, afterwards.

About Barry Densa
Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. You can view samples of his work at Writing With Personality. To receive free blog post updates sign up here.

Hash-tags for writers

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I want to make it clear that this is not my original post. It is from Daily Writing Tips  But - it is so important I want to show it to all my followers,


If you use Twitter, you’re probably already familiar with the idea of hashtags. These are simply a way of categorizing particular tweets by including within them a keyword prefixed with the hash or “pound” (#) symbol.

So, for example, tweets containing writing advice will often contain the “#writetip” tag. The point of this is to make it easier to find all tweets containing writing advice : you just search for “#writetip”. Similarly, you could find a stream of publication tips by keeping an eye on tweets with “#pubtip” in them.

Using relevant hashtags in your own tweets also increases the likelihood of others seeing your post and becoming a follower. They’re a great way to engage with a particular community of Twitter users.

The following is a list of some of the hashtags that will be of interest to writers. The list can never be exhaustive because anyone can invent a new tag at any time. Most are self-explanatory, although some need explanation : 


#amediting  posts from people who are editing
#amwriting  posts from people who are writing
#askagent  agent questions and answers
#author
#authors
#editing
#fictionfriday
#fridayflash  flash fiction on a Friday
#nanowrimo  national novel writing month
#novels
#novelists
#poem
#poet
#poets
#poetry
#pubtip  publication tips
#publishing
#scifi
#selfpublishing
#vss   very short story
#webfic  web fiction
#weblit   web literature
#wip   work in progress
#wordcount
#writegoal
#writequote
#writer
#writers
#writetip  writing advice
#writing
#writingtips  writing advice
#wrotetoday 


Some hashtags are specifically “chats” – which means they work in the same way as all tags, but are mainly used at certain agreed times : 


#journchat
#kidlitchat
#litchat
#scifichat
#scribechat
#storycraft
#writechat
#yalitchat   young adult literature chat 


Are you Serious About Writing?

Tell Me A Story - Writing Tips

A lot of people say they want to write a story - yet most never get around to it. Are YOU serious about writing?

• If you are really serious, the first thing you should do is beg, buy, or borrow, a couple of books on creative writing. All writers need to get to grips with the basics of story telling. The idea of writing may seem like a fire burning into your soul, but unless that fire is fed with the oxygen of skill, those flames will fade and die.
• A textbook on creative writing will show you the right way to tackle your story and help you to become fruitful. You'll appreciate the why and wherefore of what you're doing.
• Artists in every genre - dancers, painters, musicians, all have to learn before they can harness their unrefined gift. They study for YEARS before they find success. They all display flair in the first place of course, but without direction that flair will flounder. Writers are just the same.
• You should stop listening to lay people. You’ll probably find a lot of friends offering advice - telling you how good you are - telling you where you're going wrong..... forget it. Listen ONLY to skilled writers or editors. Friends and family can be too enthusiastic or too critical – they won’t look at it with a qualified eye – they’re too close to you.
• If you're really serious you should join an online Writer’s Circle. They're free, friendly, and full of like minded people - some with years of experience to tap into and take advantage of.
• You should try to find a local writer's group - mixing with other writers will work wonders for your morale, they’ll offer good advice and give a professional critique to your work. you'll soon start to feel like a real writer - what more could you want?

Hope this helps you on your way a little. Don't give up, don't get dispirited - just keep writing and one day it will happen.

Essential Secrets to Planning a Story

Tell Me A Story

So just what happens with a story outline, how do you use it?  A story outline is nothing miraculous, nothing to be suspicious of. A story outline is merely a scheme that helps steer your writing - a basis for your story - a route map.

• Just like any map, a story outline makes the journey less painful. It assists in showing you where best to go, and improving the quality of the story by providing an overall understanding of its construction.
• Underpinnings are essential to a building, and whether you like it or not, you are in the business of building - building a story. You might think you’re arty-farty, but remember, artists of all persuasions have to be craftsmen as well. Devote time and consideration to a plan and your story construction will be sound.
• Foundations should be deep and strong before construction commences - your outline needs to be just the same.

Prepare

The first thing you need do is to prepare a sequential order of events, and then plan out each chapter, allowing about half a page for each. Include the most important scenes and show how they influence your protagonists.

Preparing an order of events gives you an indication of how each character progresses due to actions they become caught up in. Characters should always develop, without character development the story won’t have moved.

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

• Route maps don’t need to be prepared chronologically. You can prepare a later chapter before an earlier one.
• You won’t write yourself into a corner when you’re finally typing out that precious story – you’ll understand where the story is heading.
• All difficulties will already have been understood and sorted before you start writing.
• The WORST plan is better than no plan at all. You will always know where you're heading.
• The plan isn't set in concrete. It can be changed at any time - PROVIDING a new plan is then made.

Having recognized the problems as you make your outline, you’ll be well prepared to avoid them. When you get down to it, your actual writing will be smoother, faster and far more professional. You’ll be well on your way to being an author.

Don't Write From Experience

Tell Me A Story


Hello AJ, can you help. I'm thinking of writing my biography. I've undergone things in my life that I'm sure others will want to read. How do I go about it?

Hi Brian, thank you for sending this question in.

Please don't think I'm being a wet-blanket, but readers probably won’t be interested.  If you aren’t already a celebrity, people mostly don't want to know. It's a sad truth. I know we are told to write what we know, but it's not always a good idea to use elements of your life in a biography. Instead, think novel.

Sometimes it can be better to use the feelings and deep emotions spawned by an occurrence, rather than the occurrence itself. So I suppose I’m advocating, ‘Don’t Write What You Know’ but, ‘Write What You Felt’.

The consequence can be a story that is rich with emotive issues, because you've already explored those emotional boundaries. 

Sometimes you can be simply too close to what has taken place if it was real life, and it can warp your writing. Instead, draw off the energy of the evocative experience, develop it, push it to a unique area and the result can be devastating! 

Be honest, unless you are a TV presenter, film-star, radio personality, or have achieved something incredible, who's going to be interested in reading about your life? Everyone has problems they overcame; we all do things with our lives. It can be a little narcissistic to think that others will find our own life interesting. 

Weave things you've undergone, into a piece of fiction, breathe life into a novel with experiences. Use already suffered emotion as a vertebral column, and who knows, you might have the next best-seller.

The Route To Writing

Tell Me a Story

The Route to Writing

Let’s face it, the majority of people will never write a book. Those who aspire to do so, tend to be curious about those who’ve actually done it - such as how they managed to create an entire book.

I thought it might be fun to ask any of you out there who’ve hit the spot, to share in a small way, how you go about it.

• How do you select what you are going to write about - where did you get the idea for your heroine’s lifestyle?
• Why did you choose to set your latest novel where you did?
• How you physically write - Do you write with a pen or pencil, or do you sit in front of a computer?
• Do you outline a detailed plan, or just jump in with writing?
• How do you know when your book is complete and ready for public consumption?
• Do you picture film stars in your story while you write?
• Where do you put those magic words down - in a study at home, in a corner of a bar, or while your partner watches TV.

Come on. Share your secrets with all the struggling people out there.

The Essence of Action, Plot, and Change

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I've been asked several times about action and plot. There seems to be some confusion regarding action. 

Janet W. was adamant that there would be NO action in her romantic novel. HER romance was going to be of the old-school, all hearts and roses. I had to disagree.

It is ESSENTIAL for every story to have action; be it romance, mystery, thriller or short story there must be action. Don't throw your arms up, action doesn't necessarily mean the 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' type that modern blockbuster films seem to favour.

Action

• Action does not imply that protagonists should always be on the go.
• Action does not mean constantly shifting the setting for your story.
• Action emerges out of conflict between characters and/ or circumstance.
• Action comes about through contradictory beliefs and qualities that gradually emerge and become apparent.
• Action means an escalation of circumstances.
• Action drives the story onward. A story is always about change; without change, there is no story.

 

Change, should be especially true for central characters, by the end of a story central characters should have grown in some way …. be it better or worse, they should have developed. This is action.

 So if action and change are what drive the story forward, what does the plot do?

Plot

• Plot is the arrangement of actions.
• Plot is the progression of fascinating happenings that cause change.
• Plots MUST be sensible and valid. Twists of fate and acts of God are not allowed in modern writing!

Hope this clears things up a little.

Generating Tension

Tell Me A Story - writing tips

 From time to time, I’m asked how to go about generating conflict in a story. It isn’t magic; it comes about when a certain mixture of elements in a story, are correctly balanced.

Creating Tension
I can’t claim this to be complete, but here’s a short list that might be useful as a starting point for creating tension in stories.

1. The aims of the central characters should be contradictory, and mutually exclusive.
2. The central characters should be fighting to reach their separate goals autonomously, and to the detriment of the other.
3. The path your characters take in reaching their goals becomes the foundation of action. You should exploit the actions and contradictions - take full advantage to heighten the tension.
4. The plot should have a poignant side.
5. Strong feeling shouldn’t merely be narrated in characters; show by reactions, don't tell.
6. Emotions that you invoke in your readers are what count most.
7. It’s essential you understand the feelings you wish to stir in your reader before you write. You must write with that emotion in mind at all times.
8. The theme of the story should be one about which you care deeply.
9. You must be affected by your characters, and caught up with what happens to them.
10. You should believe in your characters and empathise with their struggle. If you don’t, how can anyone else. Your work will lack the oomph that tempts people to turn pages.

As a final thought, a time restriction can also heighten anxiety. Having to complete something vital, before it adversely affects characters, is often a good way of creating tension.