tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24586811331748038652024-03-12T20:03:39.994-06:00Dianne E. Butts About WritingDianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-72156914659737883442018-04-02T04:00:00.000-06:002018-06-25T15:15:35.851-06:00Writer, Will You Go Anywhere God Calls You? The Problem IS the Path to the Solution<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Iq0_WMNkGgJ0aWfUkUkYNhwQ3-tAdVRciuOavGQhEnXpHrCq16SkldphYTd3m60yP3raMarJvNnRjmwADaMngkuxxBaaFHzUSRD4OBtQFjuAuzgtEP0xa3hne9Ba-yYgGRFdNI4lL9c/s1600/winding+road+1030796_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Iq0_WMNkGgJ0aWfUkUkYNhwQ3-tAdVRciuOavGQhEnXpHrCq16SkldphYTd3m60yP3raMarJvNnRjmwADaMngkuxxBaaFHzUSRD4OBtQFjuAuzgtEP0xa3hne9Ba-yYgGRFdNI4lL9c/s400/winding+road+1030796_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to <a href="http://pixabay.com/">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
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Warning: This post is for Christians only.You can read it if you want to, but don't get mad if it's too religious for your taste!<br />
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Now, for those of you who are still reading, here's the question that's on my mind: Are you willing to go anywhere God has called you? (<a href="https://ctt.ec/TSeFX" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>)<br />
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I've been reading <a href="http://ericawiggenhorn.com/" target="_blank">Erica Wiggenhorn's</a> Bible study of the first twelve chapters of the book of Acts titled <i><a href="http://ericawiggenhorn.com/bible-studies/" target="_blank">The Unexplainable Life</a></i> (Moody, 2016). In Acts 8:26, an angel tells Philip, who was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Go South to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%208%3A26-40&version=NIV" target="_blank">Acts 8:26, NIV</a>).</blockquote>
About this, Erica writes:<br />
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For Philip to take the route the angel suggested meant heading into the middle of the desert. With no means of transportation, this could easily mean death. Once Philip obeyed this unexplainable request, he now became led solely by the Spirit. God is so merciful, isn't He? Asking Philip to head out to the middle of the desert was completely contrary to anything logical. Philip was an evangelist. Who would hear the message in the middle of the desert? Was he supposed to preach to the sand? After witnessing such revival in Samaria, I'm sure Philip was eager to go to another largely populated city to see what God might do there in the hearts of the people. But God sends him an angel telling him to head out into the middle nowhere. (page 164)</blockquote>
There Philip meets an Ethiopian who becomes a believer in Jesus and is baptized on the spot. Then Philip is miraculously whisked away instantaneously to Azotus. But that unnamed, probably bewildered, Ethiopian continued on his journey.<br />
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Again, from Erica's book:<br />
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Look at the incredible intricacy of God's timing. One seeking heart, one page of Scripture, and one willing servant of God resulted in the gospel being spread to an entire nation! God sent Philip completely out of his way to present the gospel to one solitary individual... </blockquote>
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This eunuch's request to understand God resulted in the truth of the gospel being brought to another continent. (pages 164-65)</blockquote>
I'm writing this on a flight to Los Angeles. I never started out to be a screenwriter. That crazy idea came about ten years into my writing journey. It took another ten years after that for me to actually start. Now, another eight years later, I'm flying to Los Angeles to meet with people about my screenplays.<br />
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I never would have dreamed I'd be doing this. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/n4d8V" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>) Talk about God doing immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine...<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3%3A+20-21&version=NIV" target="_blank">Ephesians 3:20, NIV</a>).</blockquote>
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I'll admit some frustration in publishing. I haven't got the books written (yet) that I've wanted to write, let alone not yet getting the book publishing contracts I've wanted to get. I'm not where I envisioned I would be this many years into my writing career. Why? I ask myself that often. I guess "life" intervenes. Plus, there are practical reasons, such as learning how not to constantly under-estimate how long things will take to complete. Or how much time we actually have to write.<br />
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I work hard five to six days a week. I'm in my office early and stay late. And yet... projects remain unfinished.<br />
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What about you? Does this feel familiar?<br />
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But honestly, part of the reason, when it comes to book publishing, that I haven't written as much as I wanted to is because of this "side" journey of film and screenwriting. But when you get right down to it, this "side"journey isn't really that at all. It's right where the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> has directed my steps to bring me. When I trace the steps I've walked on my writing journey, I never could have done this or gotten here on my own. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/6cud_" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>)I could not have orchestrated this. Where I'm at now is more than I could have ever asked or imagined.<br />
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I recently discovered an interesting television show on the Sundance channel on Sunday mornings. It's called <a href="https://www.sundancetv.com/shows/close-up-with-the-hollywood-reporter" target="_blank">Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter</a>. Each show is a panel discussion with five or six Hollywood professionals, such as producers or directors or actors or writers. They discuss the challenges of their respective jobs, what they've learned, who their heroes are, etc.<br />
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On one episode, Greta Gerwig, writer and director of the film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt" target="_blank">Lady Bird</a> (with five Academy Award nominations) talked about the problems that came up on set as she was directing. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/cKDOn" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>) She concluded that (this may not be the exact quote but it's close): "The problem <i>IS</i> the path."<br />
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Interesting. How often do we, as writers or other creative professionals, strive against the problems? Buck against the obstacles? Perhaps, like the characters in our stories, we should see the obstacles in our paths not as roadblocks, but rather as directing us to the right path. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/7I3f6" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>)<br />
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What about you? Are you "detoured" too? Or are you right where you're supposed to be, even if you're not where you planned to be? (<a href="https://ctt.ec/4ecuT" target="_blank">Tweet that.</a>)<br />
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Are you fighting the direction you're going? Or could it be the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> is directing your path? Are you willing to go wherever the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> wants you to go, wherever God calls you? Even if it's different from where you thought you were headed?<br />
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Yeah, me too. I'll see you out there ... on the journey.<br />
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<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-40641525802100856932018-02-01T04:00:00.000-07:002018-02-01T04:00:27.829-07:00New Year Planning to Get Your Writing Done This Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8TueqkZ9r00nWeCESVqDCjNqgfQgafDTnpFhcxe5eD8fbgq2WOYMBARXYnoaVdKRNE7r9uIFNYZQPhhDMd8tTqdzHQqtGfZdASy-Y1IL_vpF50dw13o4Eftp51j_Kz1-Ge8ZVTlo5JA/s1600/20180131_151328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8TueqkZ9r00nWeCESVqDCjNqgfQgafDTnpFhcxe5eD8fbgq2WOYMBARXYnoaVdKRNE7r9uIFNYZQPhhDMd8tTqdzHQqtGfZdASy-Y1IL_vpF50dw13o4Eftp51j_Kz1-Ge8ZVTlo5JA/s400/20180131_151328.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I was talking with my friend, Sherry, recently when she asked me if I make goals for the new year. She's a home-schooling mom with fewer kids to school for the first time in many years and she was planning what she wanted to accomplish with her writing this coming year.<br />
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As it happened, I was just thinking along those same lines, so we had a conversation about what I do which seemed helpful, and even fun, for Sherry. So I thought it might be helpful to you too, or at least inspire some new ideas and fun ways to keep your writing goals ever before you this year. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/0K6Zc" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">New Year Planning</span></h3>
Her original question was: "So do you plan out a writing schedule and what projects you want to complete each year? That's what I'm in the process of doing."<br />
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Yes, at the first of the year I plan what I want to accomplish during the year. I don't so much make a schedule, just a to-do list.<br />
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Back when I was freelancing more magazine articles, my annual goals looked more like submitting or querying a certain number of magazine articles monthly. But several years ago now as the magazine market began to dry up--at least the paying, print magazines--or shifted to non-paying online markets, my querying and submitting to magazines waned.<br />
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That shift led me to more book writing and delving into screenwriting. With bigger projects in the works that take longer to develop and produce, I needed a place to write down which projects I wanted to work on. I needed to ask myself just how much I could accomplish in one year? And of all the half-baked ideas, or half-written projects, which one(s) did I want to focus on this year? Which could I complete? (<a href="https://ctt.ec/f7B99" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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With all the other stuff that gets in our way as writers -- the email and the social media to build our author platform and/or to promote our books or whatevers that are already out there for sale -- plus the correspondence and the workshops we need to prepare to teach and the conferences we're going to attend... Actually accomplishing the writing part of our jobs can get edged out, take a back seat, be put on hold until we have a block of uninterrupted time without all this small niggley stuff nipping at us. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/dfCUb" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Time when we can actually concentrate and get some writing done is hard to trap. It's not just me. Or you. For most writers I've talked to, the deeper into this journey we get, the less time and energy to write we have. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/SWf03" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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What helps me: <b><span style="color: #741b47;">The List</span></b>. Seeing that list of what I want to work on, and hopefully complete, this year.helps me stay on track.<br />
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Usually the list is longer than I can accomplish. But it helps me hone down to what's really important to me to do. And also to focus in on which projects are the most ready to write or to complete.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">I Use a Big White Board</span></h3>
Several years ago I purchased a large white board. Originally I used it to map out the first stories I was working to develop. But I learned that didn't work so well for me because I couldn't take the story off to reuse the board again without losing everything I'd worked on! So that white board was out of commission for several years with a story I never completed figuring out and so never wrote.<br />
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I finally took a photo of all my work on the white board in order to preserve it to use later if I wanted to, and then I could feel free to erase it all. I won't do that again.<br />
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Now that my white board is free again, I've used it for several years to list what I want to do each year. My white board is also 2' x 3'. And if you're going to go buy one, spend a little more money and get one that's magnetic.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYlb0s166uf0RLzKtAfis34N47eHPHR_PrLL1mqxZB9iiOuVWP2Cetz3kJ7zE8oFZ6Hi5E-simlZncnNwiepA32bYStZoOcqhd2KlPkAeqotNyZ-2MbyxJbsU5b4x19RtlxJtaEgaeQM/s1600/20180131_151425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYlb0s166uf0RLzKtAfis34N47eHPHR_PrLL1mqxZB9iiOuVWP2Cetz3kJ7zE8oFZ6Hi5E-simlZncnNwiepA32bYStZoOcqhd2KlPkAeqotNyZ-2MbyxJbsU5b4x19RtlxJtaEgaeQM/s320/20180131_151425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the magnates I've found.</td></tr>
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Besides being great fun, you can do a lot with magnetic boards. You can buy multi-colored magnates to hold notes. (Sherry said she uses sticky notes but sometimes they stick to the cat and get carried away.) You can also get magnates with clips to hold multiple papers or other items. I even found some magnates that are small cork boards with one pin in each of them. There are all kinds of fun and colorful magnates to use on your white board.<br />
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While you're at the store, pick up a multi-pack of different colored dry- or wet-erase markers. As creative people, we like multiple colors. They inspire us. So splurge a little and get whatever inspires you. For the best price, pick these up during the back-to-school season. This year I found a package of "2 in 1" with each of the four markers having two colors, one at each end.<br />
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Also get some white board cleaner because even the dry-erase doesn’t come off easily after it’s been there a while.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Here's What I Put On My White Board</span></h3>
I use different colors for different categories. For example, since I want to write both film screenplays and books, I use different colors for each of those categories. I might use blue for screenplays and green for novels. I use a different color, like maroon, for the list of e-books I wish to complete this year.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiipKBW8AcCEelcgDoyK_WPDfXB1SgziDKDSqBD1B6u4XsBi2GOQRVhRtIgb2QRkfu2iMdRHemnWJ3W7T39PkU4uZ4mK7Y53AGxjP536oqs5Ul13MH0lgLmitme1nmbHrITRDqrFJAD2Q/s1600/20180131_151445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiipKBW8AcCEelcgDoyK_WPDfXB1SgziDKDSqBD1B6u4XsBi2GOQRVhRtIgb2QRkfu2iMdRHemnWJ3W7T39PkU4uZ4mK7Y53AGxjP536oqs5Ul13MH0lgLmitme1nmbHrITRDqrFJAD2Q/s320/20180131_151445.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pay attention!</td></tr>
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On my white board I also note important dates as they become available, such as deadlines for submitting writing projects or entering screenplay contests.<br />
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For really important items that I want to be sure I don't miss, I use a bright, alarming color -- such as red -- so that note doesn't blend in with everything else.<br />
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Blues and greens and even maroons give me a sense of calm. Red makes me pay attention.<br />
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Like my cork boards where I plot out my stories, I do not mount my planning white board to the wall. It can sit on my table or file cabinet, or even the floor, and lean against the wall. I leave it loose so I can lay it down to write on and carry it around to different work spaces when I need a change of space.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYX-fIbEXcKXnqi-FGdIaNa6Dt3EXrQkawbJaxIpymoTjG2PTnBooDxqMrVfe5aHs13cLpuBmtsZgR9S1VSVqbm6bSzQGg_VtBfgSa1EFil-5wufejjB2cAe6VVoxaT1IW4cvI9JRGh8/s1600/20180131_151507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYX-fIbEXcKXnqi-FGdIaNa6Dt3EXrQkawbJaxIpymoTjG2PTnBooDxqMrVfe5aHs13cLpuBmtsZgR9S1VSVqbm6bSzQGg_VtBfgSa1EFil-5wufejjB2cAe6VVoxaT1IW4cvI9JRGh8/s320/20180131_151507.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still on my to-do list.</td></tr>
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I cannot tell you the great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction it gives me to put a big check mark on my white board when something listed there is finished! Each check-off is truly something to celebrate.<br />
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Again, my list usually has more items on it than I can accomplish. But it challenges me to do more than I would if I didn't have those goals and wishes always before me as the seasons and the calendar days tick away.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">In the End...</span></h3>
Have you ever heard the saying, "If it's not on the schedule, it won't get done"? (<a href="https://ctt.ec/fuv8N" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) My white board makes me look at my projects and consider <b><i>when</i></b> I'm going to schedule each one and get down to the business of making it happen. It makes me plan. Without it I drift from project to project without ever <b><i>finishing</i></b> any, or I daydream days away wondering what I'm supposed to be working on.<br />
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At the end of each year, or the beginning of the year, I update my white board. I can celebrate the erasing of all the check marks -- that is, all the projects I completed.<br />
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Then I revise the entire board for the new year. I evaluate if the projects left up there, unfinished, are still priorities. If they are, they are no doubt more developed or more ready to write. With the other priority projects finished, these can move up in priority on the list.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQGkrq4EpXNJGdiBOEY3qD2L3wlXkXfYc86jbgrm2rH-9jlHv775xrAZIegNSgfnHFZZT9k4UUNjDy8xvUs-tlF2GijY0Dz8t4PV06AcH_XMKNKXbpUd5srMMX7AlZ_3lX7Rjh8yI7Es/s1600/20180131_151632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQGkrq4EpXNJGdiBOEY3qD2L3wlXkXfYc86jbgrm2rH-9jlHv775xrAZIegNSgfnHFZZT9k4UUNjDy8xvUs-tlF2GijY0Dz8t4PV06AcH_XMKNKXbpUd5srMMX7AlZ_3lX7Rjh8yI7Es/s320/20180131_151632.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnates and colors and fun!<br />Oh my.</td></tr>
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Sometimes there are projects that I've lost interest in, or are lower priorities compared to what has happened in the year I just finished.<br />
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Sometimes, like with my e-books, the list stays from year to year with me promising myself I'm going to complete them <b><i>this year for sure</i></b>! And yet other priorities take over again. But they are still important to me so they stay on the list. Maybe I'll get them done this year. Again. Maybe.<br />
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My board also has helped me get a sense of just how much I can get done in a year and what is unreasonable for me to expect of myself. This has been invaluable. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/06zCe" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I do try to write one new screenplay each year. This requires fully developing the story, which takes time too. And I want to write one book a year -- whether nonfiction or fiction. I know I can do this much, plus some other smaller projects. My white board has helped me figure that out.<br />
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I hope your new white board can do as much for you.<br />
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How do you plan your writing projects for the new year?<br />
What do you hope to accomplish in your writing this year?<br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-50252836808194850872018-01-01T14:36:00.000-07:002018-01-01T14:36:46.830-07:002018 Challenge: Mature as a Writer and/or Storyteller<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg6rq-pcPfL4fqMH4s3KJYpcwtC74pat3GPMcEsIQkLzwBuj8pTW-fd9vyBQiLBWsE2vOWP7FXPn1ENYi0uaTN55Njunl13kaJTFa9928KuTwsblBZVpw2VPTZPDbA_eqQwo98nFonew/s1600/people-2942847_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg6rq-pcPfL4fqMH4s3KJYpcwtC74pat3GPMcEsIQkLzwBuj8pTW-fd9vyBQiLBWsE2vOWP7FXPn1ENYi0uaTN55Njunl13kaJTFa9928KuTwsblBZVpw2VPTZPDbA_eqQwo98nFonew/s320/people-2942847_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pixabay.com/">www.pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
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On January 1, 2016, I challenged writers to <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/01/calling-all-writers-novelists.html" target="_blank">"Go Rogue"</a> and use our power as writers to push the envelope for good. This year I've been thinking about how I might challenge writers for 2018. What's on my mind this January 1, 2018, is for each of us to mature as a writer and/or a storyteller. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/4_Bo0" target="_blank">Share that.</a>)<br />
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I'm thinking about this because recently I've seen comments from writers, people who wish to write, writers who wish to get their books or articles published, as well as screenwriters who'd like their scripts produced, that reveal their work might not quite be ready. I can tell by what they say that their writing has not yet matured to a place where it is publishable or producible because of comments that reveal the don't understand genres or the differences in what publishers publish or producers produce.<br />
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Discovering we're not "mature" in what we do is hard to take. I know because I've discovered myself there at times. I can see in my past where I thought my writing had matured, and yet I was not seeing the publishing results that I wanted. Now, looking back with the distance of time, I can see how my writing just wasn't ready yet. I couldn't see it for myself at the time. I thought I was mature. Have you ever thought about why we always think we're mature and then later realize we're not?<br />
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Maturity, I think, can be deceiving and elusive -- even for writers. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/chFff" target="_blank">Share that.</a>) Doesn't it seem that wherever we are in life, we think we're mature?<br />
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Think of a young child telling her Mom, "I can do it myself!" and struggling to tie her shoes. Or a first grader who is so much more mature than a kindergartner. What about the senior in high school who is so much more mature than a sixth grader, or a college senior who is light years ahead of that high school senior. By the time we're twenty (or thirty...or forty) we're sure we're really mature now. And we are... comparatively.<br />
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But maturing never stops as long as we're on this earth. And writers are no different.<br />
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I'm sure wherever we are, we think we're mature. And we are... comparatively. As long as we've continued to grow. But we also thought we were mature writers two years ago and, if we've continued to write, we have matured more. Then, of course, we think we're <i>really</i> mature now! Two years from now, what will we think? That we weren't really as mature of a writer as we thought we were?<br />
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So, what's my point? My point is, as writers we need to continue to mature -- in our ability to write well, in our ability as storytellers, in every way -- so that at some point we will cross that elusive line that puts us in the place where we are finally published or produced. (And even then the maturing should not end.) (<a href="https://ctt.ec/jPQUc" target="_blank">Share that.</a>)<br />
<br />
How do we get there? I can think of three ways all writers can continue to mature in their writing. There may be other ways to mature in our writing, but without doing these three consistently, I don't believe any writer can mature. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/aRdnT" target="_blank">Share that.</a>)<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Write</span></h2>
It is impossible to mature as a writer without actually writing. Occasionally I meet a wanna-be writer who is studying and preparing but who thinks he won't write until he knows enough that whatever he writes will be a success. Like riding a bicycle, you can't learn how to do it without actually doing it -- and failing.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRdtWICd_WLWYSRf1Kv_vGRy3oTDXxRDCxsYLHb4jyqeGGdpfZ5FMxA5ZD-1LfaDcYt1M__h4vrcmvN9qeixvvBxMGAIDLr4jjmsabf7LSoXAn5ORqJACI8CUWRDrowlt2vVCD1cfv84/s1600/generation-453136_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRdtWICd_WLWYSRf1Kv_vGRy3oTDXxRDCxsYLHb4jyqeGGdpfZ5FMxA5ZD-1LfaDcYt1M__h4vrcmvN9qeixvvBxMGAIDLr4jjmsabf7LSoXAn5ORqJACI8CUWRDrowlt2vVCD1cfv84/s320/generation-453136_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pixabay.com/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">www.pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Don't be afraid of failing in your writing. It's all profitable because it's all training on the road to success. Rejection of your writing when you submit it is never fatal. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/tHoKb" target="_blank">Share that!</a>)<br />
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I don't think it matters what you write: articles, books, fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, short stories. Just write. If you're not sure where to start, write something short, like an article, a 1,200-word true story for <i><a href="http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics" target="_blank">Chicken Soup for the Soul</a></i>, or a short fictional story. Write a children's book, either fiction or nonfiction. Any of that is great training for writing longer pieces like novels, novellas, or non-fiction books.<br />
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We learn and mature by writing.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Study</span></h2>
Study writing. Study story and story structure and how-to write books.<br />
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Study publisher's guidelines and writers market books to learn what they want to publish. Study grammar and good writing.<br />
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Take a workshop online or attend a <a href="http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/" target="_blank">writers conference</a>. Get out some old tapes or DVDs of workshops and listen to them again.<br />
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Get a new book about writing (or get one off your shelf you bought but haven't read yet. I have lots of those.). Which overlaps with the next section...<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Read</span></h2>
If we want to mature as writers, we cannot neglect learning from others who are ahead of us. Writers must make time to read.<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"> <u>Read what you want to write.</u></span></h3>
If you want to write for magazines, read the magazines you want to write for. (Or, if you love reading a certain magazine(s), that's probably a good market for you to write for!)<br />
<br />
If you want to write novels, read novels in the genre you want to write in. Learn from them. Pay attention to how the author did things, like how she presented information, introduced characters, gave backstory, grew suspense, did dialogue.<br />
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If you want to write screenplays, <a href="https://nofilmschool.com/2017/01/download-x-10-screenplays-nominated-2017-oscars-right-now" target="_blank">read screenplays</a>.<br />
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If you want to write children's books, you should <a href="https://nancyisanders.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/nf-pb-journey-more-at-your-library/" target="_blank">be reading them</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"> <u>Read how-to writing books.</u></span></h3>
I'm building a collection of writing books and products that I recommend. Find my recommendations in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/shop/dianneebutts" target="_blank">Dianne's Online Store</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"> <u>Read blogs.</u></span></h3>
There are so many great blogs out there it can be overwhelming. Here are a few of my favorites:<br />
<br />
On writing books:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/" target="_blank">Between the Lines</a> from the literary agents at Books and Such Literary Management</li>
</ul>
<br />
On marketing books:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://marketingchristianbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Marketing Christian Books</a> from Sarah Bolme at Christian Small Publishers Association</li>
</ul>
<br />
On writing children's books:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The team at <a href="http://www.reforemo.com/" target="_blank">Reading for Research</a> who offer mentor text to study for writing children's books</li>
<li><a href="https://nancyisanders.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/nonfiction-picture-book-lets-get-motivated/" target="_blank">Nancy I. Sanders' blog</a> </li>
</ul>
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Finally, join <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads Reading Challenge</a> and challenge yourself to read more this year. I love tracking what I get read each year. That helps me read more. I didn't get nearly as much reading done last year as I wanted to. I want to step it up in 2018.<br />
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I hope this coming year is a wonderful year for you of growing and maturing as a writer and/or a storyteller and making your publishing dreams come true.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">Tweetables: </span></h3>
#Writers, here's a challenge and helps for maturing in your #writing this year. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/Fefr7" target="_blank">Share this.</a>)<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">Related Article: </span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/01/calling-all-writers-novelists.html" target="_blank">January 1, 2016: Calling All Writers, Novelists, Screenwriters: Dianne's Challenge for 2016 and Beyond - Go Rogue!</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Get each monthly article by email here </span><a href="https://app.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=841217" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">"Butts About Writing</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">" or text BAW to 1-781-262-3877</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Join <a href="http://blogspot.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e0d4e3135fbde54736bb617df&id=b40739525a" target="_blank">Dianne's monthly newsletter here.</a> </span><br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-57353547732934086132017-12-01T04:00:00.000-07:002017-12-01T04:00:14.993-07:00Holidays - A Writer's Interruption?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF9XQhe5sOwzKJfpns-xNUh_PRj5W9rec6hyphenhyphenYuveI1Z9e_2NO_Zi_3r7xf2oe0j4SXu_sLMbRmOrII0LfWHKOOXMy5b-ef8BEIMyPVukrSS8qpn6Y2DcR-mMQsuojT9TdAzsYr8T3rLs/s1600/gerbera-1250287_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF9XQhe5sOwzKJfpns-xNUh_PRj5W9rec6hyphenhyphenYuveI1Z9e_2NO_Zi_3r7xf2oe0j4SXu_sLMbRmOrII0LfWHKOOXMy5b-ef8BEIMyPVukrSS8qpn6Y2DcR-mMQsuojT9TdAzsYr8T3rLs/s320/gerbera-1250287_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to <a href="https://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay.com </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's that "wonderful time of the year" again. December. Christmas is crowding in and crowding everything else out.<br />
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I used to get frustrated with holidays - any of them throughout the year. They are such an interruption to writing and usually come when I'm on a roll.<br />
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I'm changing my attitude. Holidays are good. God gave us holidays for a reason. (For you purists, yes, I know God didn't give us Christmas in the same way he gave the <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Feasts-LORD-Tabernacles-Prophecies-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B01BHE3GSA?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">Israelites Festivals and holidays</a>. But he gave those holidays and set the example.) Holidays are a time to slow down. Or stop. To think. Remember. Remember what is important. Be thankful. Re-evaluate. Re-focus.<br />
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Without holidays time just spins past and we risk not even noticing. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/f6Y2P" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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So December is a time to analyze what we've done this past year and where we're going in the next one. Are we going to get done the goals we set at the beginning of the year? Or is it another year to be disappointed? Goals unfinished. Writing projects undone.<br />
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Some of us have been doing this writing-thing for a while. We've seen many Decembers roll around in our writing lives. It can feel like December after December of unmet goals turn into years gone by and the writing projects we set out to do years ago remain unfinished. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/Sa4gL" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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When I started out in this gig, my big dream was to write a novel. Guess what is the one thing I have not done? (Well, I've written a few unpublished novels. I've learned a great deal from writing those.) I've written more than 300 published magazine articles and short stories, hundreds more online articles, six nonfiction books, contributed to twenty more books, and have written five feature-length screenplays. But not a publishable novel.<br />
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Can you relate? Does this feel familiar? What's a writer to do?<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">How to Accomplish Your Goals</span></h2>
<br />
Then the next logical question is what do we do about it? As I look ahead to this next thirteen months - December through next year - here are my thoughts about it at this moment:<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">1. Make a new plan.</span></h4>
I never subscribed to that "write every day" rule. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/iQLWv" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I much prefer to have a large chunk of uninterrupted time when I can concentrate on a big project. But I never get there. I've always thought I needed to get everything else done first so I can enjoy my big special project. But I never get everything else done.<br />
<br />
Time for a new plan. I'm going to take the advice I've heard often and try to write every day. I know the word count will add up. I know I'll be chipping away at that big goal.<br />
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Does this strategy sound like it can work for you?<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;"><br />2. Reevaluate your schedule</span></h4>
What has cluttered up your time? All that "everything" I mentioned in #1 above is just stuff. Yes, it's stuff that needs to be done. Email and platform-building and marketing, oh my. But you know what? It can wait.<br />
<br />
I'm putting my writing first this next thirteen months. Not "everything else." (<a href="https://ctt.ec/QpY7C" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">3. Start a New Job</span></h4>
Writing is a job. It's our work. Our career. (Even if you have another one with a paycheck.)<br />
<br />
So I'm going to claim my most creative time for my writing. And I'm going to guard it.<br />
<br />
My most creative time is first thing in the morning. (That is, after I read my Bible for a bit and feed the cat and give her her insulin.) If I start with Facebook, email, or something else it eats up my time. By 10:00 other things come into my world that demand attention. I need to get writing done before then. Ignore all else. Even the phone.<br />
<br />
What is your best, most creative time? How can you block off and guard that time for writing?<br />
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One day a week I must go out of town. Okay, that's worked into my schedule. I make up for it on Saturdays.<br />
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What must-dos are on your schedule? How can you work around that to still get your writing time?<br />
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Like a job you show up for or get fired. That's what writing should be. Honestly, I think most writers should be fired. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/9TG9q" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) They, or we, are not doing our jobs. Do you want to keep your job as a writer? Then get to work. (I'm talking to myself. Mostly.)<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">4. Make new goals.</span></h4>
Monthly. Weekly. Daily. We know how quickly the end of the year rolls around. Again.<br />
<br />
Do you make yearly goals? I do. But obviously these must be broken down to monitor how we're progressing.<br />
<br />
My new "write every day" goal does not have a word count attached. I have no idea how many words I'll write each day and that's okay for now. I'm making progress. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/3Xc1w" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Also without a deadline attached is research. I want to do research for some projects I've had in mind for a long time. I've always felt January is a good time to do that but I've yet to get it done. This January, I'll try again.<br />
<br />
What new or renewed writing goals are your going to make?<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">5. Never give up on your Dream</span></h4>
Don't they say dreams come true in December? Renew your dream. Your Christmas wish.<br />
<br />
For me, I'm renewing my dream of writing a novel.<br />
<br />
What's your renewed dream?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMogszAYAm7by1L01fmeJZxyZvnUwD9DHsnaxxnE5_zUUcIVWGJg7YMAlMukiv5eW6_HFnm1m9KOfMZexUn6BAtLxSeYTQ-ZvqnmZ8f1oFenphDQ9k_tIbqtnQ9WnkDEm2QSUd-cwlj3I/s1600/box+-+gift-1420830_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMogszAYAm7by1L01fmeJZxyZvnUwD9DHsnaxxnE5_zUUcIVWGJg7YMAlMukiv5eW6_HFnm1m9KOfMZexUn6BAtLxSeYTQ-ZvqnmZ8f1oFenphDQ9k_tIbqtnQ9WnkDEm2QSUd-cwlj3I/s320/box+-+gift-1420830_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to <a href="https://pixabay.com/" style="font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">Pixabay.com </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's work harder than ever before through the coming months to make our dreams come true. Let's put words away in a manuscript like savings in a bank and watch them build up. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/3gT94" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Remember I'm right there with you, saving toward the same goal. I hope my Christmas gift to me next year will be a finished novel.<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;"><br />6. Be grateful for what has gone before</span></h4>
All that other writing is not wasted at all. It was learning. Even those unpublished novels I've written were learning projects.<br />
<ul>
<li>Articles taught me how to put words on paper and how to communicate thoughts coherently and succinctly.</li>
<li>The nonfiction books taught me about publishing and the marketplace and selling books.</li>
<li>Contributions to 20 books gave me confidence and standing in the writing and book world.</li>
<li>Screenplays taught me story structure and building characters and worlds and, again, writing and communicating coherently as well as telling a story succinctly.</li>
</ul>
All of this learning has been necessary for me to get to where I know I can write the novel I've always wanted to write. So here I am. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/dDhSU" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
It's time.<br />
<br />
<br />
It has been a long journey - more than 25 years of a writing journey for me. But all of it has brought me here. And now I can't wait for the new year. I'm already writing daily. I've already started my novel. I can't wait to see where this leads in the new year.<br />
<br />
But first, I'm grateful for the interruption of holidays.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Related Articles:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>January 1, 2016: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/01/calling-all-writers-novelists.html" target="_blank">Dianne's Challenge - Go Rogue!</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Don't miss out on any of the great information shared in this blog. To get each monthly article by email, use the Feedblitz in the upper right of this page. Or use this link to</b></span> </span><a href="https://app.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=841217" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">subscribe to "Butts About Writing</span></a><a href="https://app.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=841217" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">."</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Or text BAW to 1-781-262-3877</span></b></span>Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-33674289757195834242017-11-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-11-01T04:00:21.133-06:003 Magic Questions for Writers that will Strengthen Your Story<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizalbeB_dNkEbw9Gg9zwstWflYQO8QgmikaKMxrbEGEFq4gshTEObdsmU6JcCgVqZZVrFEePhtR03xFQyHYe4AslJoB9ccNq6G_fo2ARjZr6sYWYsqr6UIRGIbNEu783skvkmYWc4f-HA/s1600/question-mark-2492009_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizalbeB_dNkEbw9Gg9zwstWflYQO8QgmikaKMxrbEGEFq4gshTEObdsmU6JcCgVqZZVrFEePhtR03xFQyHYe4AslJoB9ccNq6G_fo2ARjZr6sYWYsqr6UIRGIbNEu783skvkmYWc4f-HA/s400/question-mark-2492009_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past summer I had the opportunity to take an online workshop called "The Master Screenwriter" from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1580772/" target="_blank">Derrick Warfel</a>, a film producer. In the workshop he shared some wisdom from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0154665/" target="_blank">Paddy Chayefsky</a>, a three-time Academy Award winner for Best Screenplay.<br />
<br />
This is about <i>STORIES</i> - so it's not just for screenwriters but also for novelists, short story writers, or whatever story you're writing.<br />
<br />
Chayefsky kept three questions taped above his typewriter. Derrick Warfel said it's amazing how many scripts he sees that don't answer these basic questions. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/LbpU4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) He said if writers would answer these three questions, they'd be a long ways ahead of most of the other writers out there.(<a href="http://ctt.ec/pa8Ro" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
If you are participating in <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">National Novel Writing Month</a>, check your story now and see if you're answering these questions.(<a href="http://ctt.ec/65pJ4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Whatever story you're writing, maybe you need to stop now and consider these questions to make your story stronger. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/840wh" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
So what are these three magic questions?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImm_heLCVvN2f3S0ajHr61PVOS0BvHmrlOko3rZVWeH7Dt-WZFgTA09iMghbLlJlG-uxGD35X-6Qov3WfHuvQJhCeZAt6aY01MJeC912EkMSMM7dr_71kSGW_HvtTB5_37P_hoJFaDVs/s1600/question-mark-2883630_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImm_heLCVvN2f3S0ajHr61PVOS0BvHmrlOko3rZVWeH7Dt-WZFgTA09iMghbLlJlG-uxGD35X-6Qov3WfHuvQJhCeZAt6aY01MJeC912EkMSMM7dr_71kSGW_HvtTB5_37P_hoJFaDVs/s320/question-mark-2883630_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">1. Who is your main character?</span></h2>
<br />
Obviously this is not just the character's name, but who they are as a person. Their weaknesses and strengths. Their experiences. Their fears. It might include their job. Or their family. Or their connections.<br />
<br />
This is not just make up quirky character traits time. This is making wise choices about who this character needs to be to carry the story. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/5C74R" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">2. What does he/she want? (Very badly!)</span></h2>
<br />
In every story, the main character must want something. This drives the story forward. If your character doesn't want something, and want it badly, this is a warning sign. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/d60c2" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
It may mean a lot of things (that I haven't thought of), but one thing I've thought of that it might mean is that you're going to have a passive main character. By "passive character" I mean a weak character, which is uninteresting in a story. Nobody roots for a passive character.<br />
<br />
A passive character is one whom things happen to. But that character doesn't actually do anything. They don't get mad. They don't get up and fight back. They are passive. They just sit there. They are a victim. Everyone feels sorry for a victim, but we don't root for a victim until that person gets up and fights. Beware of passive characters.<br />
<br />
For more about passive characters, see my blog post from November 1, 2015: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/11/writing-stories-what-your-story-needs.html" target="_blank">Writing Stories: What Your Story Needs - Part 1</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">3. What's keeping him/her from getting it?</span></h2>
<br />
Finally, whatever your main character wants, there needs to be a barrier to him or her getting it.(<a href="http://ctt.ec/ae49h" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) It could be a big evil person or monster. It could be something monstrous in nature, such as big storm or natural disaster. Or it could be something within themselves which they need to overcome. But there has to be something or someone standing in the way of your main character getting what they want. Otherwise, they'd just go get it and the story would be over (and pretty boring), right?<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsdb-_Xgsd8Kb31O9AA3dCPflQzjK7uvmCRy_pIwA3qXDL_fj8np0utOQWIzH8-LgYig4uSzNXUtni1G0okwQTuxbS26lWhIU9Fw3AR4QDvRi98-b7DD0FtYX9o-4_3_ArYaQUJ1YLE/s1600/confused+thinking-2681494_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsdb-_Xgsd8Kb31O9AA3dCPflQzjK7uvmCRy_pIwA3qXDL_fj8np0utOQWIzH8-LgYig4uSzNXUtni1G0okwQTuxbS26lWhIU9Fw3AR4QDvRi98-b7DD0FtYX9o-4_3_ArYaQUJ1YLE/s320/confused+thinking-2681494_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So what about your story-in-progress? Have you answered these three questions? If not, maybe you should stop now and find the answers. I can pretty well guarantee you'll have a stronger story if you do.<br />
<br />
Need more help? Try this:<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">Exercise:</span></h4>
Think of your favorite novel, story, or movie and answer these three magic questions for that story. Here are some suggestions. How would you answer these questions for:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The movie <i>Lethal Weapon</i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The classic story "Cinderella"</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The movie <i>Finding Nemo</i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The movie Despicable Me</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Your favorite movie.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Your favorite novel. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The story, novel, or screenplay you're writing now.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">Here's an example: </span> </h4>
The movie: <i>Die Hard</i><br />
<br />
<b>Who is the main character?</b><br />
A hard core, street smart New York cop visiting Los Angeles where the other cops don't know him.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What does he/she want?</b><br />
He wants to reconnect and reconcile with his wife who moved to LA to take a great job.<br />
<br />
<b>What's keeping him/her from getting it?</b><br />
The terrorists who have taken over the skyscraper where his wife's office is holding its Christmas party and have taken everyone, including his wife, hostage.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, how would you answer these three questions for your story? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/adQK4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Do you find these three "magic" questions helpful to you as a story writer?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange;">RELATED ARTICLE:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>November 1, 2015: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/11/writing-stories-what-your-story-needs.html" target="_blank">Writing Stories: What Your Story Needs - Part 1</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't miss out on any of the great information shared in this blog. To get each monthly article by email, use the Feedblitz in the upper right of this page. Or use this link to subscribe to <a href="https://app.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=841217" target="_blank">"Butts About Writing."</a> Or text BAW to 1-781-262-3877</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-65380851444988690972017-10-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-10-01T04:00:06.487-06:00Be Intentional in Your Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAr1VoKa-vCDkNGh0cISL5J9vPCFqdGmb5F_xHfgKUOkYCwb6MtpHMqfaKbn47ntEs0_kGB-p6FtibfZlcg1oPrA6xWuMYnQXz0BzOXtWuRt569zvPW43uCc3bsmZeiano2Q0IpNrVOs/s1600/girl+in+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1153" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAr1VoKa-vCDkNGh0cISL5J9vPCFqdGmb5F_xHfgKUOkYCwb6MtpHMqfaKbn47ntEs0_kGB-p6FtibfZlcg1oPrA6xWuMYnQXz0BzOXtWuRt569zvPW43uCc3bsmZeiano2Q0IpNrVOs/s320/girl+in+mirror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Someone once told me there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who divide people into two groups and those who don't. Okay, well, if we can have just a little fun with that, based on my observations, I wonder if we can divide writers into two groups: (<a href="https://ctt.ec/01CBw" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Those who write because they love to write. These are the writers who say they "can't not write."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>And those who write because they have something they want to say, a message, something they desperately want to get out to the world.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">Two Kinds of Writers</span></h3>
<br />
Sure, there's definitely some overlap here. Perhaps there is some of both in most of us. But there are definite differences too.<br />
<br />
Those who write for the love of writing say they would write even if they never got published, even if nobody else ever read what they write. They write because they love to write. Maybe it's the story creation. Perhaps it's the discipline of thinking out loud, having to capture thoughts in concrete enough terms to put them on paper. I'm not sure what these writers love so much about writing that keeps them addicted. What would you fill in that blank with? The point is, for these writers, if someone could somehow tell them they couldn't write anymore — make it illegal, take away all pens, paper, computers, whatever… — they'd find a way. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/4Cd2W" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Writing for them is like breathing. They have to. They'd do it anyway… regardless.<br />
<br />
Those who write because they have something they desperately want to say might not feel the same way about writing. They write because they see writing as the best possible way to get their message out to the widest possible audience. They are not satisfied with spreading their message one on one, to the circle of people they can influence. They want more. Writing and publishing is their way of seeking that "more," that bigger audience. For these writers, if someone could somehow tell them they couldn't write anymore — if someone made writing illegal — they would find another way to get their message out. They would speak. They would go on TV or radio or the Internet or whatever, but they'd find another way to get their message out… regardless. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/U32N1" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Do you identify with one of these groups of writers more than the other? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">The Writing in Front of Our Faces</span></h3>
<br />
Do you ever look at the top sellers or suggestions for books on Amazon or Goodreads? Or what's on the first tables you see when you walk into a bookstore like Barnes & Noble? Whether it's Amazon, Goodreads (which is owned by Amazon), or a brick and mortar bookstore, when I glance at what those companies put before my face, I'm somewhat surprised.<br />
<br />
Only somewhat surprised because I know those titles represent "the world" and what, apparently, most people want to read. (Though I'm even skeptical about that. Judging by what I see on TV and hear on radio, it could very well be what companies WANT us to think is what most people want.) But most of the time it's not anything close to what I'd like to see, hear, or read.<br />
<br />
What does surprise me is the topics and types of material that tops these lists of what is selling. In fiction I see lots of titles and book covers for stories that are "romance," but they are clearly steamy, sexual, who knows what the writer has put on the pages between the covers. I don't want to find out. I don't want to read that stuff. Many of these books are unabashedly called "erotica." I don't want to read this stuff.<br />
<br />
If you're thinking these ads are coming up on my feed because that is what I search for, look at, or buy, you're wrong. I've never searched for, clicked on, looked at, or purchased "romance" of any kind or "erotica" ever. Again, I don't want to read that stuff.<br />
<br />
Then there are the stories that bash our nation, or one political party, or that portray all law enforcement officers as crooked, dirty, underhanded, and violent.<br />
<br />
Are these types of stories the most popular — not only for readers to read but is this what writers are writing? I don't want to read that stuff. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6e3Hi" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<h3>
<br /><span style="color: #674ea7;">Why Is This Important?</span></h3>
<br />
Why do you write? Do you just want to write stories that sell? So you can make money? Do you follow the trends, hoping to get in on the ride to the top? Are you a follower? Just doing what seems to be popular? Are you satisfied with indulging people's worst sides, helping them go deeper into degradation, taking their society with them?<br />
<br />
Or do you have something important to say? Something that will lift your reader to a higher place, a better place? Do you have a message that will be good for your readers? Do you have some insight or knowledge or story that will help your little corner of the world, or your society, or your nation, or your world become a better place? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/86S82" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) If so, are you intentional in writing that message or that story?<br />
<h3>
<br /><span style="color: #674ea7;">Be Intentional in Your Writing</span></h3>
<br />
However you chose to write, whatever genres you choose to indulge in, I hope you will choose the nobler side. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/EV8ae" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I hope you choose to write what might be less popular in order that you might make the world a better place, not a worse place.<br />
<br />
Have a message — a good one. Be a noble writer. Choose the good. This doesn't mean stories have to be fluff and sugar. Be a leader, not a follower. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/alB7P" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Have a good message. And be intentional about making your message known through your writing.<br />
<h3>
<br /><span style="color: #674ea7;">READ THIS RELATED ARTICLE:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>January 1, 2016: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/01/calling-all-writers-novelists.html" target="_blank">Dianne's Challenge for Writers: Go Rogue!</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-86804061348584156962017-09-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-09-01T16:51:46.145-06:00Grow as a Writer in One Week During the Coming 168’s “Write of Passage” Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6dzDqKv7WEar8mNr7g8JjHIBCgfZOSwmbYBFpVjDuYc4B0anlDNPr7UWbsk-WJDzrXR_XeB7_HI8S0QAFOMwDfsR7yWtzgqE5rvthHLXGt5SCb3bn_Z1vudgvND0cR5V2_bmy9Et4_Y/s1600/168_WOP_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6dzDqKv7WEar8mNr7g8JjHIBCgfZOSwmbYBFpVjDuYc4B0anlDNPr7UWbsk-WJDzrXR_XeB7_HI8S0QAFOMwDfsR7yWtzgqE5rvthHLXGt5SCb3bn_Z1vudgvND0cR5V2_bmy9Et4_Y/s400/168_WOP_Logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
You're familiar with <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2012/11/are-you-nanowrimo-ing-benefits-of-and.html" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo and its benefits</a>. Writers spend a month writing a 50,000 word project. Have you ever taken the challenge? For me it has been a wonderful exercise that accelerated my learning curve — because of the relatively short deadline. The challenge packs a lot of learning into a short amount of time.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">One week </span></h2>
Well are you ready for another similar challenge? How about writing a short screenplay in a week? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/bUMmb" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Mentored writing exercise</span></h2>
Not up for a one week challenge? Well what if I sweetened the pot by adding a mentor to journey through that week with you? That's right, for the price of entry you'd get a writing mentor who would look at your story and script several times throughout the week. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6c6hB" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) You'd get feedback from your mentor, someone with experience. They would make suggestions and give advice. Wouldn't that be worth the price of admission?<br />
<br />
But wait. You're thinking you have no interest in screenwriting? Ok. Think of it like this: It's all about the story. You could have a one week, mentored challenge all about story. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Iw9fZ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) And if you don't know it already, <i>STORY</i> is <i>KING</i>.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Challenge - a theme and a Bible verse</span></h2>
I'm talking about the 168 Film Project's <a href="https://www.168film.com/WriteOfPassage" target="_blank">"Write of Passage."</a> This is a short screenplay writing contest. You get to write a short screenplay — 12 pages max — in one week.<br />
<br />
You can't start early. You can't enter a script you've already written. That's not fair.<br />
<br />
You have to write your story on two things the 168 Film Project assigns you: a Theme. And a Bible verse. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/IP81d" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
That's right. You're assigned your writing topic.<br />
<br />
Does that sound intimidating?<br />
<br />
What if I gave you one of those two pieces of information right now? Would that help take the edge off? Every year the Theme of the 168 Film Project's "Write of Passage" is announced in advance. The Theme for the 2017 "Write of Passage" contest is … <drum roll, please>: "POWER."<br />
<br />
So now you have half of the information on which you would base your story. Is your imagination running wild? Got an idea? That's great. But hold on. You still need the other half of the information you'll be basing your story on. That's how they keep you from starting early (which is cheating). You'll be assigned the other piece of information at the start of the timed contest. It will come in the form of an assigned Bible verse.<br />
<br />
Once you receive your assigned Bible verse, you'll think about that and the theme "Power" and you'll come up with an idea. Then you'll brainstorm a story idea. You might run your idea past your assigned mentor, called a "Development Executive."<br />
<br />
Then you'll start to write.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">The Rules.</span></h2>
From the start of the timed contest when you receive your assigned Bible verse, you'll have 168 hours to write your script and turn it in. 168 hours? That's 7 days times 24 hours. 7 x 24 = 168.<br />
<br />
<b>One warning: </b>If you like to write stories that would be "R" rated if a movie, due to their graphic nature, this contest might not be for you. This contest is looking for redemptive stories. That doesn't mean you can't write hard stories about tough issues. You can. It just means this contest is not going to like graphic images, gratuitous sex or violence, foul language, especially using the name of the Lord as foul language, that kind of thing. It's a bigger challenge to write an in depth story without that kind of thing anyway, so that's good for us. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/89Zb1" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
There are some other Rules. You can read them here: <a href="https://www.168film.com/Contests/Write-of-Passage/FAQs" target="_blank">Write of Passage FAQs</a><br />
<br />
It's a challenge. It's not easy. It can even induce fear and trembling in writers. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/cd3O4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) But do you think you're alone? Of course not. Other writers experience the same anxiety. Similar panic. The same pressure to come up with a story. The same delete key. Just like the poor writer struggling to come up with a story in this short video:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/74TGW7baPlI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/74TGW7baPlI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">An entertaining "Write of Passage" promo video!</span></div>
<br />
But if you'll give it a try, you'll grow as a writer. That's pretty much guaranteed.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">What you'll need:</span></h2>
You may need to learn a little about screenplay format. And you'd need to grab a free screenwriting program. If you already have Scrivener, that will do the job. Scroll down on this page to find a selection of <b>Screenwriting Software</b> you can get and use for free: <a href="https://www.168film.com/Contests/Write-of-Passage/FAQs" target="_blank">Write of Passage FAQs</a><br />
<br />
You'll need a basic understanding of screenplay format. Need an example to follow? Read previous "Write of Passage" scripts here, and pay attention to the formatting: <a href="https://www.168film.com/Contests/Write-of-Passage/TopScripts" target="_blank">Write of Passage Top Scripts</a><br />
<br />
Your screenwriting software will put things where they're supposed to be, you just need to know what goes where and how to tell your program to put it there.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">The Perks. </span></h2>
You mean there are perks besides the practice in creating a story? And the feedback and critiquing and suggestions and mentoring by an experienced Development Executive (DE)?<br />
<br />
Well there's a cash prize. And your script may get produced. You writing would get exposure. You'd get some experience. You'd get some focused practice in. You'd get feedback from your mentor, that is your DE. Plus, you'll get all that in one week and then you can get on with your life and your other writing projects. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/AcqF6" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Cheap.</span></h2>
For all this focused, personal mentoring, the price of admission is pretty inexpensive when you think about it. The sooner you sign up, the lower the price. Sign up here: <a href="https://www.168film.com/Store/Product-Details/Write-of-Passage-2018-Competition-Entry" target="_blank">Write of Passage Contest Entry</a>. Enter now for the best price.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">When? </span></h2>
The writing week for 2017 is <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>October 9 - 16, 2017</b></span>. That's a Monday to a Monday. 168 hours. One week. It's coming soon. You'd better sign up now!<br />
<br />
<br />
Again, even if your interest is not in writing screenplays, this is a great opportunity to grow in your ability to develop your stories into stories that will capture the hearts of your audience, whether that is for readers of novels, stories in your nonfiction writing, your story-telling in your speaking engagements, or other opportunities. And if you are interested in screenwriting, this is an excellent opportunity to get your feet wet, get started, or advance in that desire. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/9oZ38" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Learn more about the <a href="https://www.168film.com/WriteOfPassage" target="_blank">168 Film Project's "Write of Passage"</a> contest here. I hope to see you competing this year.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Related Article:</span></h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2012/11/are-you-nanowrimo-ing-benefits-of-and.html" target="_blank">November 1, 2012: Are You NaNoWriMo-ing? Benefits of and Tips for Surviving National Novel Writing Month</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
Don't miss out on any of the great information shared in this blog. To get each monthly article by email, use the Feedblitz sign-up in the upper right of this page. Or use this link to <a href="https://app.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=841217" target="_blank">subscribe to "Butts About Writing."</a> Or text BAW to 1-781-262-3877.Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-33571389910491507302017-08-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-08-11T17:02:47.876-06:00Three New Free Sites You Can Use to Create Marketing Materials (PLUS Update on My Film)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkgSognQiwjKwo53kByYJe-ehsZbiAfDm0PWVeRkzBR70p_QonCoRSCPrC6MSLG5V7yEyfonwZAfEkrSQf3RIEwWgEZRTm0Pqw-cxfrMoc0ucoX9jJA7mAP0_btNHlEaslFhTiV581_I/s1600/The+Door+w+Laurels+ConFilms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkgSognQiwjKwo53kByYJe-ehsZbiAfDm0PWVeRkzBR70p_QonCoRSCPrC6MSLG5V7yEyfonwZAfEkrSQf3RIEwWgEZRTm0Pqw-cxfrMoc0ucoX9jJA7mAP0_btNHlEaslFhTiV581_I/s400/The+Door+w+Laurels+ConFilms.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I discovered some new sites which<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">helped me make this movie poster. They</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">might help you market your book</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">or other project.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
I want to write a follow up article about what's happening with my short documentary, "The Door," but I know some of you are looking for ideas and helps for your own writing, so I'm also excited to share some new-to-me free web sites I discovered while making my movie poster (seen on the right). I used five different sites, all free, to accomplish these techniques. Two sites you probably already use, but three are new to me. With some imagination I'm sure you can use theses sites, techniques, and ideas to come up with great posters or images to market your books, e-books, your own short films, or whatever you're creating.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">First, the update on my documentary film "The Door"</span></h3>
<br />
In my <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/05/writers-authors-screenwriters-try.html" target="_blank">May post</a> I wrote about my adventures and lessons learned while filming my short documentary, "The Door." Towards the end of the article I wrote this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As I write this, the Camera/Editor, Mike, and I spent the past two days editing the film. I couldn't be more pleased. I can't tell you a lot more about it until it competes in the 168 Film Festival in August, but I'm thinking I'll write the August post about what happens between now and then. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjASU-x2KlLpSCwiCYphU2qFcKosVSlmTrz6N2i5GYZk9cNXgyDa8ixZU_Nbi6WcHXXfJiW70FJqtKiUPo35qV79LLsi0MbYgHMzfYIkioExN-bObNYJtZLjGAFx9KrI5JLfBFQafHA0/s1600/redo+Official+Selection+crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="800" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjASU-x2KlLpSCwiCYphU2qFcKosVSlmTrz6N2i5GYZk9cNXgyDa8ixZU_Nbi6WcHXXfJiW70FJqtKiUPo35qV79LLsi0MbYgHMzfYIkioExN-bObNYJtZLjGAFx9KrI5JLfBFQafHA0/s200/redo+Official+Selection+crop.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Since then a lot has happened! The film will premier at the <a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival" target="_blank">168 Film Festival</a> at the Regal Cinemas Premiere House at LA Live in Los Angeles on August 26 - 17, 2017.<br />
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My film is scheduled to screen Saturday afternoon. You can see it on the <a href="https://www.168film.com/Schedule" target="_blank">168 Film Festival Screening Schedule in Block 5</a>.<br />
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I'm very pleased <a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival/Nominations-Awards" target="_blank">our 168 film, The Door, has now been nominated for two awards!</a> Wow!<br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDmz39iSE2TNotwTKWDARO6DLHp7Of9EloDFOO2AdSG6iXhz8L-wyWmPlHoloc58tLfLJhvEclUrBfF9soDkjOwW1V6ycNR6asjof4jHSRKgISra_2jbIUhGW0KsNUj-UxiC8gBn0aek/s1600/redo+Nom+Evangelista+gray+w+black+backgrownd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="800" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDmz39iSE2TNotwTKWDARO6DLHp7Of9EloDFOO2AdSG6iXhz8L-wyWmPlHoloc58tLfLJhvEclUrBfF9soDkjOwW1V6ycNR6asjof4jHSRKgISra_2jbIUhGW0KsNUj-UxiC8gBn0aek/s200/redo+Nom+Evangelista+gray+w+black+backgrownd.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li>Best Documentary</li>
<li>Evangelista Award </li>
</ul>
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The Evangelista Award "honors the writer for creating the tool that best facilitates the telling of the Gospel of Jesus and the Method of Salvation. Directness, Simplicity and a minimum of distraction are core values. Evangelista has raised the bar for Gospel Films. All films except Write of Passage Spotlight are eligible."<br />
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Of course if you're in the area (or not!) and want to come the film festival you may. See <a href="https://168-film-festival.ticketleap.com/168-film-festival-2017/" target="_blank">168 Film Festival ticket information here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQE695W3pVkW3SOaE2g7qkA9j-N87uHC00zYfhrwXtM1He3JMq17RqJvzzUIJhaCanywSA4Gdh4tz_qoOkISQKtHMKTKjxDurT9TqJl833QdXuvUhqxxXFAGajRk8q7JPWkq3f-4WHSk/s1600/redo+Nom+Best+Doc+crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="800" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQE695W3pVkW3SOaE2g7qkA9j-N87uHC00zYfhrwXtM1He3JMq17RqJvzzUIJhaCanywSA4Gdh4tz_qoOkISQKtHMKTKjxDurT9TqJl833QdXuvUhqxxXFAGajRk8q7JPWkq3f-4WHSk/s200/redo+Nom+Best+Doc+crop.png" width="200" /></a>If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch the movie trailer for my film here: <a href="http://bit.ly/TheDoorTrailer1" target="_blank">The Door Movie Trailer</a>.<br />
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You can also catch a few seconds of my film in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuW3t7hS2Ko" target="_blank">168 Film Festival Clip Reel 2017 here</a>. We're at 1:03 - 1:06 seconds in.<br />
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I'm so pleased to also have had a part in developing the screenplay for another film in the festival. You may know that for many years I've been a "Development Executive" for the <a href="https://www.168film.com/WriteOfPassage" target="_blank">168 Film Project's "Write of Passage" short film writing contest</a> in October. Last year one of the writers I mentored, with the help of my Assistant Development Executive Sherry M. Cook, was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2961897/" target="_blank">Laura Woodworth</a>. She wrote the script "In Tune" and this year she produced it for the 168 Film Festival! You can<a href="https://www.168film.com/Schedule" target="_blank"> see "In Tune" on the schedule</a> in Bock 7 Sunday afternoon. "<a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival/Nominations-Awards" target="_blank">In Tune" has also been nominated for five, count 'em, FIVE awards!</a> I can't wait to see the film at the festival! Learn more about "<a href="http://www.sourceentertainment.us/in-tune.html" target="_blank">In Tune" here</a>.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Three Free Sites You Can Use to Create Marketing Materials</span></h3>
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So are you wondering where I got my movie poster? I made it. It took some doing. And some learning. I'm thinking what I learned you might be able to use to create posters, postcards, images for Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, business cards, Facebook and Twitter headers, banners… or whatever else your imagination can come up with to market your own stuff — books, e-books, whatever you're doing. So here's the free sites I used to create my poster. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/r2efp" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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I took me several steps to get there. And each step took a different site. A few of these you've probably heard of or use yourself, but I'm pretty sure some will be new.<br />
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I have to confess that I did not keep notes (wish I had) and I was bouncing around so many sites trying to fix problems that were cropping up that now I can't remember everything I did. But I will do my best to reconstruct what I did here.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">CREATING THE MOVIE POSTER</span></h4>
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First, I needed to create an actual movie poster. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/0g8x7" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I know we've all seen a million of them. I was thinking of all that information on them that tells who stars in it, who directed it, who produced it, etc. Actually, I was thinking of all the formatting that would go into that and it just seemed daunting. I didn't have the time for it. But didn't I remember seeing some free movie poster templates somewhere?<br />
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I was sure I'd seen one on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a>. But when I went to look I couldn't find it.<br />
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So I went searching for a free movie poster template. Some of the sites I searched out required a payment to remove watermarks or to get a higher resolution poster so it wouldn't be blurry, which was disappointing to discover after I created one poster.<br />
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Then I found a site called <a href="https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/g/theatre-posters" target="_blank">Poster My Wall</a>. <br />
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If you go there, look at at the white poster with the woman's face. It says Recina Phalange (the woman actor's name, I assume?) at the top and the title of the movie below her chin is "Headline." That's the poster template I used for mine at the top of this page.<br />
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Obviously I switched out the photo with a slide my editor captured for me from our film. We chose a scene that captured an emotional image at a crucial point in our film and saved a frame for the poster. You could use your book cover or an image (if the rights allow) for your poster.<br />
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After I switched the image on my movie poster using the editing tools on <a href="https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/g/theatre-posters" target="_blank">Poster My Wall</a>, I edited the text to insert the information for my own film, deleting what didn't apply, copying and pasting to duplicate where I needed more.<br />
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I had a little trouble editing it to look the way I wanted. I ended up taking the project to <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> (which you probably already use) to do some more editing. I couldn't get the production team information on top of the photo (onto the pavement under the actor's feet) so I had to figure out something different. I ended up removing the image and replacing it with a plain background. I first put a white background behind the text, which didn't work because the text was in white so it disappeared. I then tried a black background and the text popped.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokRS_Ymr9jvzgJoT3y34mPcMvkihKqXEHGOsdYfBVjwKu_TgBxy-duBuCqS3kn1dTfg10dWjDBNCjUrOm-OwVoWfqjeORwRFvFeiWxpiFyibqeTchEZbNpIm8cKVG4PhkOpLD-4e7sUc/s1600/The+Door+6+for+Canva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokRS_Ymr9jvzgJoT3y34mPcMvkihKqXEHGOsdYfBVjwKu_TgBxy-duBuCqS3kn1dTfg10dWjDBNCjUrOm-OwVoWfqjeORwRFvFeiWxpiFyibqeTchEZbNpIm8cKVG4PhkOpLD-4e7sUc/s320/The+Door+6+for+Canva.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I then saved that image as a jpeg and took it over to <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey.com</a> (which you probably also already use) where I cropped the rest of the picture out so I had just the image of the text on black at the bottom of the poster.<br />
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I had wanted that info at the end of my movie trailer like the "real" movie trailers, but I didn't know how to make it happen. Now that I had it as an image, I could go over to <a href="http://youtube.com/">YouTube.com</a>, make a new copy of my trailer, and add that slide at the end. Bonus!<br />
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Again, I had a little trouble making everything happen that I wanted so I ended up doing more editing with <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a>. There I was able to get the picture as I wanted it, the movie crew info at the bottom, and the "168 Film Project" text at the top. Turns out it was very handy later to have the poster on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a>. I keep going back there for more editing.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #741b47;">ADDING LAURELS TO THE MOVIE POSTER</span></h4>
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So that's how I created my movie poster. But then something interesting happened. The <a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival/Nominations-Awards" target="_blank">168 Film Festival announced the list of award nominations</a> and my film was nominated for two awards! Before I knew it, I saw other films' posters popping up on Facebook with that little thingy we've all seen (I didn't even know what to call it!) with the leaves and the award nominations or winner inside. I learned those are laurel leaves and so these are called "laurels."<br />
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I asked the 168 Film Festival where to get them and they made them available on <a href="http://filmfreeway.com/">FilmFreeway.com</a>. But… but but but … Next dilemma: How do I get them from there onto my movie poster? Or web site? Or wherever I want them?!<br />
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Yes, download them, save them. But… but but but … they were black laurel leaves and text on a white background. I already knew black text wasn't going to show up on my dark poster. So where do you get the ones with white laurel leaves and text?<br />
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And furthermore, when I did try to add my new laurels to my poster, it made a big white square covering too much of my poster and being too loud or bold. How do people put JUST the image on top of another one without blocking out a whole square? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/943jR" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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I've always noticed the Lord gives me the hints I'm going to need when I don't even know I need them. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ThmW0" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) In the email from Mark at the 168 Film Festival letting me know where the laurels were available, he "just happened" to mention that I could "invert" the colors if I needed to on a "transparent background." Had he not said that, I wouldn't have even known what terms to google.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">INVERT COLORS</span></h4>
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So I knew I wanted to "invert" the colors. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Q3y1U" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) That's what it would be called to change the white background to black and the black text and leaves to white. (If you already know this stuff, please don't laugh.) So I googled for how to do that. I found ways to do it using MS Paint, which I knew was on my computer but that looked complicated. As usual, I was in a hurry and didn't have a lot of time for this!<br />
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Then I found the site <a href="http://pinetools.com/invert-image-colors" target="_blank">Pine Tools and its "Invert Colors Online" function</a>. It was so easy to figure out: click "Choose file." I chose the file of the laurel I had saved to my computer. Click "Invert!" Done. Save the new white text and laurels on black background to my computer.<br />
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I went back to my movie poster on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> where I wanted to add the laurels. But I discovered a problem. The laurels now had solid black background, which meant they blacked out whatever was behind them. The transparent background was gone. Now what?<br />
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Back to google.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">TRANSPARENT BACKGROUNDS</span></h4>
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I tried a couple different sites before I found <a href="http://www169.lunapic.com/editor/?action=transparent" target="_blank">Lunapic and its "transparent background</a>" at the bottom of the Edit menu.<br />
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Again, it was very easy to use and did a great job. Click "Choose file." Choose the white on black images of the laurels I'd saved to my computer. It asked me to click on the color I wanted to become transparent. I clicked on the black background. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/3q_G2" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) The background became gray and white checkerboard. Done. Save the new black on transparent laurels to my computer.<br />
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By the way: I was careful how I named each image when I saved them. "Nom Best Doc on trans bkgrnd" for example, so I could be sure of which saved image I wanted at each step. Plus each version of each laurel would be together and easy to find.<br />
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I took my new white text and laurels on transparent background images back to my movie poster on <a href="http://canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva.com</a> and put them on top of my poster. Fantastic! The inverted color to white and the transparent background worked perfectly! How<i>EV</i>er I had a very hard time getting the three of them the same size, lined up right, centered, etc. What to do now?<br />
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Then I had an idea…<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">PICMONKEY COLLAGE</span></h4>
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I went to <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">Picmonkey.com</a> and used their "Collage" feature. I used the three images lined up like ducks in a row and inserted each of my three white laurels with transparent backgrounds. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/11727" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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Oops. Problem. The laurels had a lot of space around them, especially at the top so I needed to crop each one first. I was careful to crop them to exactly the same size (in pixels). Then re-saved them.<br />
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When I put the cropped version into <a href="http://picmonkey.com/" target="_blank">Picmonkey</a>'s collage, they were perfectly sized and lined up. Then I saved <i>THAT</i> image and took it back to <a href="http://canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>.<br />
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(It seems now that somehow I had to make sure the background stayed transparent, but I can't remember now. If you can't figure that out, you can always take it back to <a href="http://www169.lunapic.com/editor/?action=transparent" target="_blank">Lunapic</a> and redo the collage with a transparent background.)<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">CANVA</span></h4>
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When I put my <a href="http://picmonkey.com/" target="_blank">Picmonkey collage</a> with my three white on transparent laurels on top of my poster, I was able to line it up and position it to look great. Then saved it to my computer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI13xSHtB7QAqiSSmXmyEx6ayeiot3wbvkqvXEkG7CT7gqDIRtR4r9-eXBYB_7z09whwHvBTYCLpwZ_VAPZbVTBql1b8t9O6YZUzTHzQruWVdDVV158HOQ6CMsEwzTNu6NJYXCdfCb5AM/s1600/The+Door+w+ConnectFilms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI13xSHtB7QAqiSSmXmyEx6ayeiot3wbvkqvXEkG7CT7gqDIRtR4r9-eXBYB_7z09whwHvBTYCLpwZ_VAPZbVTBql1b8t9O6YZUzTHzQruWVdDVV158HOQ6CMsEwzTNu6NJYXCdfCb5AM/s320/The+Door+w+ConnectFilms.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Door" movie poster before the<br />
laurels were added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whew. Yes, all this was a lot of back and forth and experimenting to figure out what worked, but I'm so pleased with my movie poster.<br />
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I can imagine ways to use these techniques to market my books. For example, when I revised one of my e-books that had become outdated, I wanted to put a "Newly Revised" image on the cover but I didn't know how. Now we can create it, invert colors if needed, make a transparent background, or keep a colored background if we need it to show up on our cover.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHTENl36pncXZytynb1vKNzC9J7_0QyP8H__5mwhpg0StaEfYuEmR3E4tEWfF04g1j_P83qUQKh_BWVi0gl290Chb-wuwm0Z3qxvNn64lxoBPKX-5mkp5hL-pY87IcvUpTDSUJvmGiuY/s1600/The+Door+w+Laurels+ConFilms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHTENl36pncXZytynb1vKNzC9J7_0QyP8H__5mwhpg0StaEfYuEmR3E4tEWfF04g1j_P83qUQKh_BWVi0gl290Chb-wuwm0Z3qxvNn64lxoBPKX-5mkp5hL-pY87IcvUpTDSUJvmGiuY/s320/The+Door+w+Laurels+ConFilms.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Door" movie poster after the<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">laurels were added.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And why not make a movie poster-style poster for your book? It could be fun! I hope you enjoy these three new free sites — Poster My Wall, Pine Tools, and Lunapic — you can use along with Canva.com and Picmonkey.com to create great marketing materials for your books, e-books, films, blogs, Facebook ads, and more.<br />
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In September I plan to post about the coming <a href="https://www.168film.com/WriteOfPassage" target="_blank">168 Film Project's Write of Passage writing contest</a>. If you're interested, sign up now for the best price.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">RELATED ARTICLE:</span></h3>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/05/writers-authors-screenwriters-try.html" target="_blank">May 2017 article about filming my documetary "The Door"</a></li>
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Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-78607584618968522712017-07-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-07-01T04:00:15.125-06:00Dusting Off Those Shelved Writing Projects<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEy4AuU6Dw74qWqCL71RIb2atRUO8t2uZayLXuXIvoh6VJ1L5gZa-ZH8_uqlD2y8nisdHk8N0NQmg_QEdlMbFx-gsEtRBa6ZecnYEpueVJA3R6PWhItIojcqbNvtsfb9Tn5uG47ZQ0KM/s1600/box+w+words+spiderweb-1835624_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEy4AuU6Dw74qWqCL71RIb2atRUO8t2uZayLXuXIvoh6VJ1L5gZa-ZH8_uqlD2y8nisdHk8N0NQmg_QEdlMbFx-gsEtRBa6ZecnYEpueVJA3R6PWhItIojcqbNvtsfb9Tn5uG47ZQ0KM/s400/box+w+words+spiderweb-1835624_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
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Last month we talked about <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/06/its-time-to-finish-writing-projects-you.html" target="_blank">finishing projects we had started or have half finished but never completed</a>. I hope you were able to work on or complete some of those projects. As usual, I didn’t get as much done as I had wished, but finishing projects is still on my agenda.<br />
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Also last month in the <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/06/its-time-to-finish-writing-projects-you.html" target="_blank">June article</a>, I promised this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“If it’s a story of your heart that you love and want to finish, but it really needs a lot of work, leave it in the closet. We’ll talk about that project next month.”</blockquote>
So here we are in July, the middle month of summer. Do you have writing time?<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Take Out that Story You Love, Dust It Off, and Finish Writing It!</span></h3>
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Do you have a project of your heart that’s been put on the shelf? Do you remember why you shelved it? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/bQedd" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) There can be a lot of reasons. Let’s talk about why writing projects get shelved. Then let’s consider taking them down, dusting them off, and finishing the stories of our hearts that we love (no matter what others say!).<br />
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It could be you didn’t have time.<br />
<br />
Maybe distractions — whether from life or other writing projects — drew you away until dust collected on the project and, eventually, it got put on the shelf just for a little while, just until you got your desk cleared. And, um, that was years ago and your desk never cleared.<br />
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Possibly it was simply “life” that got in the way. The business of taking care of family and jobs and responsibilities… Am I ringing any bells here?<br />
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Or, maybe it’s on the shelf for another reason. Maybe you got discouraged with the project. That happened to me.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">The Story of My Shelved Writing Project</span></h3>
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Once upon a time I had a story I really loved. It was a supernatural thriller. I worked on it. I plotted it out. I developed the characters. I really loved that story.<br />
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And then the long days came when I wrote out that story as a novel. I worked hard, starting early in the morning and working late into the night. I wrote the entire novel. And I loved it.<br />
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I dreamed of sequels. I didn’t have all the plots worked out for the next two books, but I had characters who could fill them and a basic idea.<br />
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Then things started to happen. Three things, to be exact.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>1.</i></span></b> I talked with an agent who loved the idea of my story. He was a well-known agent who had “discovered” another author, one who had been rejected by everyone else. This agent helped him and that rejected writer not only found a publisher but became a best-seller, sold millions of books, and became very famous. <i>This</i> was the agent who was interested in my story! He asked me to send him my book proposal and sample chapters. I couldn’t wait to send it and I did.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">2.</span></i></b> </span>Meanwhile, a friend and critiquer asked if she could read my story. I let her, eager to hear what she thought of it. When she started sending critiques, it became clear she didn’t like my main character. The farther into the story she got, the less she liked that character. This was not good.<br />
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I remember she did not like my character because this character was not great with all the new electronics coming out in the late nineties. If she can’t keep up with the times, the critiquer said, she’s not smart.<br />
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Well… But… Wait… The character’s inability to access a password-protected web site is critical to the story.<br />
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I think the intervening years have proved that not all people can keep up with today’s electronics, don’t you? Even smart people.<br />
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Her critiques became harsh and I was devastated. Eventually I quit reading her critiques. Partly because of her words, partly because I so strongly disagreed with them. But it was just one person’s opinion, right?<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i><b>3. </b></i></span>Then I received an invitation to join a small group of writers who would meet with a professional editor and former publisher for several days. Part of the program was that we would all critique each other’s first pages. That meant each of us would receive critiques from the professional plus the other six or so writers. We would go over our critiques in class. I accepted that invitation.<br />
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I prepared by sending my pages and reading the others’ pages, gave them my best critiques, and looked forward to hearing what they had to say about mine.<br />
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The time came for the clinic. I was the last of the writers to be critiqued. I had given the others as much encouragement as I could along with feedback I felt would help them. I had contributed to the conversation. When it came my turn, I was so nervous!<br />
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But then the unexpected: Total silence.<br />
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No one said anything. What did that mean?<br />
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Finally the professional said he didn’t think the reaction of my main character to the supernatural event that occurred was realistic. Well, um, it was supernatural. That itself might not be very realistic, don’t you think? I still think my scientific-minded character would be freaked out by this personal, supernatural event.<br />
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And that scene sets the stage for the whole book. Without that scene and that reaction, the story doesn’t work. It can’t.<br />
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I thought we weren’t supposed to argue but were to just listen to the critiques, so I stayed quiet and tried to take this critique to heart. Besides, I was too nervous to think and didn’t have a clue what to say. I was shocked by his words.<br />
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Did I not write the scene well? (To this day I think I did.) Did they not understand what I was trying to accomplish? (I thought it was clear.)<br />
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Then the other writers in the room chimed in, agreeing with the professional, basically saying, Yeah...what he said.<br />
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Oh, and about that agent? Never heard from him again. I followed up several times but got no reply. (I found out a few years later he did that to everyone, not just me. Even his clients. He just dropped out of agenting, I guess.)<br />
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These three whammies came close together, hitting me like staccato beats. Discouragement set in. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Y2f33" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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I put my project in a box and literally put it on a shelf in my closet. It’s still there to this day. More than eighteen years later.<br />
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Do you have a story like this of your own? Did discouragement get to you? Do you have a writing project you love that was put on a shelf and is gathering dust? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/IVfP0" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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I told you my story to encourage you. It's not just you. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/r61N0" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) These things happen. So what do we do now?<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">The Bright Side</span></h3>
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Well here’s a few more things about that project.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I still love the story. It has never left me. I think of it often. I can’t get it out of my head. I know I must write this story. It’s just a matter of when. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/WXUbB" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In the past eighteen plus years I’ve learned a lot about writing and stories and more. I’m a better writer now, so I can do a better job with it now. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/N9ObD" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I’ve started screenwriting, too, which has taught me a lot about story structure. I build better stories now. And, when I look at that story I structured it well, even before I knew much about story structure. That amazes me. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I know more about characters now. For example, even though I couldn’t articulate it at the time back in that group, I now know the main character has to react like that because she needs a character arc. I can’t start her off at the <i>end</i> of her journey, the end of her character arc. Now I understand that’s what that professional and those classmates wanted. They wanted her to already know what they know, to believe what they believe. That's because they don't know the story! I do. I couldn’t answer their protests back then, about why is this scientist at odds with Christianity? It doesn’t have to be that way, they said. Now I know the answer is because that’s her character arc. To start her out as they wanted gives her nowhere to grow! It destroys her character arc and so it destroys the story. I wrote about this in my blog post back on December 1, 2015: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/12/writing-stories-what-your-story-needs.html" target="_blank">Writing Stories: What Your Story Needs - Part 2</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I’ve developed more skills. Since I have now studied writing feature films and writing for TV, I can now write this story not only as a novel but as a movie (with series potential) or a TV, cable, or web series.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I’ve recently re-read that opening chapter and you know what? It’s not only not bad, I still think it’s quite good. Maybe not perfect, but even after it has rested this long and my writing has grown for this long I believe it doesn't stink. Re-reading it gave me encouragement and confidence. It’s a good story. I know it, regardless of what others think. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It’s a new time. Things are different now in America and in the world. I truly think this story was ahead of it’s time. I thought it was relevant back then. But oh boy it is even more relevant now. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/5cbNb" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">It's Time to Tell Your Story </span></h3>
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Maybe it’s time to take your story down off the shelf, dust it off, and finish it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6A008" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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If you’re still in love with your story, I encourage you to do it. Trust yourself. Trust your writing. Trust the story you’ve been given. Don’t listen to everyone else. This is <i>YOUR</i> story. Trust your instincts. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/0l9ZY" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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That’s what I’m going to do.<br />
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That’s my story. And I’m sticking to it.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">RELATED:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>December 1, 2015: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/12/writing-stories-what-your-story-needs.html" target="_blank">Writing Stories: What Your Story Needs - Part 2</a></li>
<li>Visit my newly revamped web site here: <a href="http://www.dianneebutts.com/">www.DianneEButts.com</a></li>
<li>Find a helpful e-book for writers here: <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Dianne on Amazon</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-3027885925475549502017-06-06T04:00:00.000-06:002017-06-30T07:57:53.703-06:00It's Time to Finish the Writing Project(s) You Started<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_M1QAewufWm7pvulGCISOe0AJpzKPz6UnrFshixuxILGOE8WzqQiM865YSWKsuTaYvprD-cfAurVslLEKLuf4GETMTTckG1zOsgyNLXkin5LaX2ZQIk0MRGstAHIoLA-UBzcsqiLx7U/s1600/books-1684417_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_M1QAewufWm7pvulGCISOe0AJpzKPz6UnrFshixuxILGOE8WzqQiM865YSWKsuTaYvprD-cfAurVslLEKLuf4GETMTTckG1zOsgyNLXkin5LaX2ZQIk0MRGstAHIoLA-UBzcsqiLx7U/s320/books-1684417_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks <a href="http://pixabay.com/">Pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Just so you know, this post is not so much for you but for me. I'm betting, however, it will have meaning for you as well. It's June and we're approaching the middle of the year, so to meet some goals by the end of the year we need to be getting things done. My question for you this month is, what writing project(s) have you started that you haven't finished? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/4ONF3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
I'm betting a bunch of writing projects just flashed through your mind, perhaps followed quickly by a flash of guilt. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/G8HA9" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Writers have stacks of stuff piled in the "writer's closet" that we never seem to go through because, well, we're too busy writing. I'm talking about the closet of unfinished projects, not a literal physical closet in our house, although those are probably just as cluttered and in needed of a thorough cleaning out which we also never get to because we're too busy writing.<br />
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So let's try to sift through our writer's closet today and see what's there and which projects we might be able to finish. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/7bo0w" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Hopefully there's an item or two we can finish well or finish quickly.<br />
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Now, mind you, I'm not talking about the failed projects that don't deserve more of our time. Not the novels or articles or short stories or NaNoWriMo works we started, or even wrote to completion, that have no potential. These are practice works. They have value because they taught us and trained us and helped us along our writing journey. But they are not worth investing more time and effort in. If you have one or more of those, or even if you're not sure about a project, leave it in the closet.<br />
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(If it's a story of your heart that you love and want to finish, but it really needs a lot of work, leave it in the closet. We'll talk about that project next month.)<br />
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If you don't have time this month, if you're already booked full, look at your calendar and decide which month isn't booked yet. Make that the month you're going to target as your time to finish this project.<br />
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For me, the project I keep saying I'm going to finish and then "life" happens and I don't get to it is my series of twelve e-books for writers. Originally I was going to release one a month and have them all done in a year. That was a couple years ago. I've completed and released four:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Cutting-Passive-Voice-Convert-Published-ebook/dp/B00Q3OB68W?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank"><i>Cutting the Passive Voice</i></a></li>
<li><i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/How-Published-Magazines-Book-Publishers-ebook/dp/B00IAV0H0E?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">How to Get Published by Magazines and Book Publishers</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Query-Letters-Magazine-Publishers-Published-ebook/dp/B01DE10EPW?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">Query Letters</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Book-Signings-Store-Getting-Published-ebook/dp/B00TWKCBLK?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc" target="_blank">Booksignings</a></i></li>
</ul>
<br />
As currently planned, I have eight in the series left. I threatened some time ago, on this blog I believe, to finish them. I don't know what happened then but I remember getting some work done on one and then… Whatever. They still are not finished.<br />
<br />
So I've been planning for some time to finish them (or at least some of them) this month. June 2017. Yet here it is the 5th of the month and I'm just now writing the post that should have been posted the first of the month. What can I say. I'm a little behind.<br />
<br />
(I'll blame it on my short film that kept lingering on as I tried to finish it. It's done and was turned in on June 1 by the deadline on June 2. I still have work to do to turn in the final documents, etc., by June 9. See <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/05/writers-authors-screenwriters-try.html" target="_blank">last month's post</a> for more info on that. I plan to write more about my short film documentary in the upcoming August 2017 post.)<br />
<br />
So what is your project you'd like to finish? Need some help deciding? Let's talk about it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/x3Tc0" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">What to Finish</span></h2>
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Now that you've thought of all those projects you <i>could</i> finish, how do we pick one to work on? First, don't think of it as picking one, just picking the one to finish <i>first</i>. You'll get to the others too.<br />
<br />
Consider:<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Closest to done</span></h3>
Which of your projects is the closest to being done? If you work on this project, it will be the quickest one to finish. It will give you a sense of accomplishment. It will give you a something to sell or share. It will be one project checked off the list.<br />
<br />
On my list of e-books, some of them I already have the manuscript written. They just need formatted and uploaded to Amazon's Kindle. One is formatted and partially uploaded, if I remember right. Others I have not written yet. I have the outline and have taught the material as a workshop, but I need to write it out to make it an e-book. It would take me very little time to finish the one that is formatted and partially uploaded. Duh. I need to start there.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Smallest/ Shortest / Easiest</span></h3>
Perhaps you have a project that would take little work to complete. Maybe it's not the most important to you. That's why you haven't finished it — everything else is more important. But if you finish this one, again you'd have an e-book to sell or an article to submit. What would it take to finish it and check it off the list?<br />
<br />
Again, my almost-finished e-book I mentioned above fits here. It needs the least amount of work to finish. I sometimes get caught up in feeling I need to finish the biggest and best. Keep it simple.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Will produce greatest income</span></h3>
Do you have a partially completed project that, when finished, you can sell as an e-book or a printed book (<a href="http://ctt.ec/0aP24" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>), an article you might sell to a magazine or a short story to a compilation book that pays well? Maybe this is the project for you to pick and complete.<br />
<br />
Hopefully a new e-book in my line for writers will spark new interest in all of them, increasing my income.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Will produce greatest joy</span></h3>
Which of your many unfinished projects is close to being done and would give you great joy to complete? Maybe it's a project just for you — you never intended to sell it or share it — and everything else in your world has kept you from it. Schedule time and put it on your calendar to finish it. Maybe you will sell or share it. That's good too. Do it.<br />
<br />
Yeah, sharing what I've learned in e-books brings me joy!<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">How to Finish</span></h2>
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Maybe you haven't finished this project for a reason. You've set it aside because there's something there preventing you from finishing it. Perfect! This is the month to tackle that challenge. Stop letting it stop you! Consider:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Roadblocks</span></h3>
You might be procrastinating because of a roadblock that you don't know how to overcome. Well this month it's time to dismantle that roadblock. I've found that often roadblocks grow bigger with time, or at least they appear to. The truth is, when I start to tackle them they shrink to something that's far easier to step over than I ever imagined. So what do you need to make this roadblock disappear?<br />
<br />
Ask someone. Find an expert in the field and see if they will help or mentor you, or at least point you in the right direction.<br />
<br />
Ask a friend for help. Sometimes people are more willing to help us than we realize. The truth is, most often the people we know really want to see us succeed. Ask. They might help.<br />
<br />
Hire some help or trade skills.<br />
<br />
Perhaps more research will help?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Stumbling blocks</span></h3>
Or maybe it's not a roadblock but just a stumbling block: something that seems difficult or time consuming. Or something you just hate to do. Maybe one of the ideas above will help. Or can you possibly make a list of nearby friends who can help you, ask them to come, throw them a party, and let them help you?<br />
<br />
Or maybe you just need time. Can these friends temporarily take some responsibilities for you to give you intensive, uninterrupted work time to finish? Ask.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Something needed</span></h3>
Perhaps you simply need something to finish it. What do you need? Where can you get it? Editing? A book cover? I recently reminded a friend of <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a> and she found the editing she needed at a great price on that site. I had the e-book covers for my twelve e-books designed there and I think they're pretty awesome. (Now, if I'd just finish formatting some, and writing others, and getting them out there!)<br />
<br />
Whatever you need, write it down. Write it in big bright letters on your big white board. Then go after it. Find it. Tackle it. Then finish your project and move on! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/f22yo" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Finally</span></h2>
<br />
This Bible verse speaks to me. I've typed it up, printed it out, and pinned it to the bulletin board in my office:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it… 1 Corinthians 8:11 NIV</blockquote>
<br />
Which writing project(s) have you started but never finished that's speaking to you saying, "It's time to finish what you've started"? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/B5z88" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
What are you working on to finish?<br />
<br />
What did you finish?<br />
<br />
Let us know in the comments section below. Include a link to your finished product if you want so we can check it out.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Related Articles:</span></h2>
<br />
If your unfinished project is making a Kindle e-book but a roadblock or stumbling block for you is that you don't know how, you can find help in the series I wrote on that topic. These posts walk you through the process:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></li>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></li>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook</a></li>
</ol>
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Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-80705498551564088592017-05-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-06-05T14:55:54.549-06:00Writers, Authors, Screenwriters: Try Something So Big God Has to Show Up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq22qOSNxqJ8Mt3gNMYvUOitsekcLxfHPdIeLvm5AY11FEmdRn9ElpCTBxir3PrH4VOT4R5nN3_g25GA57bhdZINdNMjmhDT1Q0MydN2j6CSBUJ1OP_4NV8TEbuZg9S014Yc49rTxzzU/s1600/IMAG6103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq22qOSNxqJ8Mt3gNMYvUOitsekcLxfHPdIeLvm5AY11FEmdRn9ElpCTBxir3PrH4VOT4R5nN3_g25GA57bhdZINdNMjmhDT1Q0MydN2j6CSBUJ1OP_4NV8TEbuZg9S014Yc49rTxzzU/s320/IMAG6103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filming my <a href="https://www.168film.com/" target="_blank">168 Film Project</a> Documentary<br />"The Door"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Have you ever heard that saying? “Try something so big God has to show up”? I’ve heard it. But I can’t tell you of a time I’ve really practiced it. Until this year.<br />
<br />
Whether you are writing for magazines or online outlets, writing books — either fiction or nonfiction — or writing screenplays, let me ask you some questions:<br />
<ul>
<li>Are you satisfied with where you’re at as a writer? (<a href="https://ctt.ec/dZw_q" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</li>
<li>Are you happy with where your career is right now? Or where it’s headed?</li>
<li>Are you writing what you want to write, or have you been drawn into another area because you need the pay check or byline? Or because that’s where the opportunity is right now?</li>
<li>Do you feel stale in your present course? Do you wish you could break out and do what you’ve always dreamed of doing?</li>
</ul>
If you connect with any of those questions, maybe, just maybe, a course of action you need to take is to attempt something so big God has to show up. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/oU5b8" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
NOTE: I do not recommend this course of action without a lot of prayer in advance!<br />
<br />
Even if you’re not a believer in Jesus, I hope you’ll keep reading because I still believe there is something important here for you.<br />
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My adventure in attempting something so big God has to show up didn’t start out as me purposely attempting that. I jumped into a project I wanted to do, and that I thought I could accomplish, and then I found myself there, in that situation where I needed God to show up big time or the whole project was going to fail. (<a href="https://ctt.ec/fP2oM" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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Since then I’ve toggled between sweating it out and trusting Him. It has been an adventure!<br />
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I’ve done the <a href="https://www.168film.com/" target="_blank">168 Film Project</a> before, but it has been five years. I wanted to do the project again, but I have scheduling conflicts with the dates of the project. Plus it’s a huge undertaking, especially when I don’t have a film crew put together who I’ve worked with before and who really wants to do the project with me. To have that, by the way, is a dream of mine! What better way to find that dream team than to start working with people. So I jumped in. Again.<br />
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Last fall I decided I would enter the spring contest again. Actually, I entered twice: once in the documentary category and once in the speed film making category. I started with plenty of time to find a team to work with for each entry. The documentary would be done first. The speed filming making takes place one week in mid-May.<br />
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This story is about the documentary.<br />
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I knew of a story I wanted to tell for my documentary. I would need to contact the people involved — people I did not know and didn’t know how to contact — and get their permission. This was my <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+6-7&version=NIV" target="_blank">“fleece,”</a> my way of asking God if He wanted me to proceed with the project.<br />
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Early this year I was able to track down the people and they said yes, I could tell their story. I had my answer: God said yes, do the project.<br />
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So on was on my way.<br />
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Here are four lessons I’ve learned along the journey that I hope will help you in your big writing dream:<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Do Everything You Know to Do</span></h3>
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I know the first order of business was to prayerfully and carefully do everything I could do. Some of the things this meant was:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrniSmdRJlnEvFUInCOiYJbSisJiRNxJnc9XbPF6PSIgewiY1ZYxaUIwSQDIBYFTUAe9e1nFgxMGqP4Sy0n6Q_GG2Hcb65J3kfxbcBPbhchsbx6zwFijhK6HePp2OdnxOGPXvzPmGULDs/s1600/IMAG6127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrniSmdRJlnEvFUInCOiYJbSisJiRNxJnc9XbPF6PSIgewiY1ZYxaUIwSQDIBYFTUAe9e1nFgxMGqP4Sy0n6Q_GG2Hcb65J3kfxbcBPbhchsbx6zwFijhK6HePp2OdnxOGPXvzPmGULDs/s320/IMAG6127.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The silver pickup truck (and police car) I was able to get<br />for the filming of "The Door" documentary.</td></tr>
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<h4>
<span style="color: red;">Figuring out how I wanted to present the story. </span></h4>
I wanted the people involved to tell the story. That would be far better than me telling it. That meant I would need to interview people. On camera. I also wanted to re-enact some of the scenes. For that I would need locations and actors. I would also need some specific items to re-enact the scenes, including a small red car, a silver pickup truck, and a police car. (Yeah, right. How was I going to get that?)<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: red;">Putting together the film team.</span> </h4>
I would need a camera man to capture the story on film. I would need someone to capture good sound. And I would need someone to edit the film and put it all together.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: red;">Setting about finding everything I needed.</span></h4>
<ul>
<li>I contacted a local college and found a camera guy, sound, and editor.</li>
<li>I contacted the people I wanted to interview and they were willing.</li>
<li>Now others were starting to offer help. I had an assistant. She showed me locations that really helped me out.</li>
<li>I nailed down the locations I would need and agreed with them on a filming date. Now things were really picking up.</li>
<li>I began looking for re-enactment actors.</li>
<li>I asked churches to let people know of my need for extras to come.</li>
<li>I found the red car I needed and the silver pickup truck.</li>
<li>But I didn’t have a police car. Because I hadn’t asked. More about why later.</li>
<li>I even ran a fundraiser. Didn’t raise as much as I’d hoped, but raised some and it would be enough.</li>
</ul>
So I had done, or at least was working on doing, everything I could possibly do to make this happen. It was a lot of work. But I was making good progress.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">When it all falls apart… Put it back together.</span></h3>
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It was Friday. We were a week out from filming. I had the locations. The cars (except the police car). Most of the actors. I’d put out the call for lots of extras to come. I had people excited about the project and helping me find everything I needed.<br />
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However I had an uneasiness. There was a lack of communication from some on my film team. Did I really have a team that was going to show up and get the job done? I needed to know. So I pressed them.<br />
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And then…<br />
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…my camera man let me know he wouldn’t be able to do the job. He had his reasons. But I suddenly had no camera man.<br />
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This is when I knew. I knew I had attempted something so big that if God didn’t show up to help me, it wasn’t going to happen. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/TrUNE" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) The whole project would fall apart. But God had green-lighted the project, right? So He had to help me. Right?<br />
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I had already done everything I knew to do. Or had I? I hadn’t quite tapped all my resources. So the first thing I did was sent an urgent prayer request to a group of strong pray-ers telling them of my need. They went to work praying and I went to work for the next 24 hours tapping every resource I could think of to find another camera man who could step in on short notice. People sent me suggestions. Even a friend on the prayer loop suggested her son who is a cinematographer and lived hours away, and doesn’t share our faith, but was willing to consider the project.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMqysI5s1BvFBnBdgRmgaQ6ALwMKvk3fXISq5pNHEwLMZ9nvp4PbjHEBqEGE7L7wDw9cqmsrUW1KRN6gUxliYC6bW7w-84QVFyPrOrV04cNrNAv0BTy_hrTiGVoolhNBZoocAlxKGi4E/s1600/IMAG6134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMqysI5s1BvFBnBdgRmgaQ6ALwMKvk3fXISq5pNHEwLMZ9nvp4PbjHEBqEGE7L7wDw9cqmsrUW1KRN6gUxliYC6bW7w-84QVFyPrOrV04cNrNAv0BTy_hrTiGVoolhNBZoocAlxKGi4E/s320/IMAG6134.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael DeHerrera, Camera and Editor filming<br />"The Door," a <a href="https://www.168film.com/" target="_blank">168 Film Project</a> Documentary.<br />Day 2 of filming, Saturday of Easter weekend 2017.</td></tr>
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Another friend who was praying for the project sent me the name and number of a local man. I called. He said he’d let me know by the end of the day.<br />
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I had several calls out. All I could do was wait. I was waiting as long as I could before canceling everything. Finally late Saturday evening I had to make the call. I had churches who were going to ask people the next morning in their church services to come out as extras. I had to let them know before Sunday morning if we were filming the next week or not.<br />
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At 8:30 or so Saturday evening, I finally decided I need to cancel the film shoot. I made the necessary calls to the churches and canceled the call for extras.<br />
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As soon as I finished the phone rang. It was the local camera man. He was willing to come. But I had just canceled it all.<br />
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Did I act too soon? No. For the first time I felt at peace. I had felt I was rushing everything. I’d rather meet with this new camera man. Tell him the project. Put together the film shoot again later. It was the right decision.<br />
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Long story short - we met. He’s great. He’s experienced. He has great equipment (better than we had before). He was willing to sit down with me and edit the film so I could be involved in that (as opposed to sending the footage to the other editor who lived out of town and not being involved in the editing). He was even familiar with the story I was telling. He remembered it. His assistant was also at this meeting and I learned he had witnessed the event. This felt right.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0hTjZ2_-xm2wPCLR-yS6dEM-uKls-XeSMmBwIHPdq3pCT_-rnK5sOkysYPLsVrs5fj-UyIgGQYnlDNMSLkdp-doxJQVFApv5QVaVCc9Il3qBxTK2Tsw1gvmQDduoMgTrIRE_a4l9gQ0/s1600/IMAG6104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0hTjZ2_-xm2wPCLR-yS6dEM-uKls-XeSMmBwIHPdq3pCT_-rnK5sOkysYPLsVrs5fj-UyIgGQYnlDNMSLkdp-doxJQVFApv5QVaVCc9Il3qBxTK2Tsw1gvmQDduoMgTrIRE_a4l9gQ0/s320/IMAG6104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filming the crowd scene in<br />"The Door" on Good Friday 2017.</td></tr>
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I re-scheduled the film shoot. We filmed on Good Friday night and Saturday, Easter weekend. Because that’s the only day the whole month of April family could come to be interviewed. Even that felt right. It was Easter weekend, but God was in it helping me create a film to bring Him glory and make Him known. It couldn’t be more right.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Ask for Prayer</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5dGDpUhArpYTXJb1SaLavhfpvfkyCPkpz1efuA36avdkkzLz95hxlF8RHiTlOrwvod6wOuHpgtxek3F_cHGhshj7e9YOqZQb0DmNzgQVMN5bJye8DlGmAPPa1T5hlgpO4E3Me3uKWNE/s1600/IMAG6110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5dGDpUhArpYTXJb1SaLavhfpvfkyCPkpz1efuA36avdkkzLz95hxlF8RHiTlOrwvod6wOuHpgtxek3F_cHGhshj7e9YOqZQb0DmNzgQVMN5bJye8DlGmAPPa1T5hlgpO4E3Me3uKWNE/s320/IMAG6110.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two men I interviewed for the <br />documentary: Pastor Doug Cox (L)<br />and Pastor Roy Garcia (R).</td></tr>
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It was the prayer and my prayer-warrior friends who made the difference. Their prayers created the break-through. I asked for continued prayer to put it all back together. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/456d3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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It was their prayers, I’m convinced, who found me the local camera man.<br />
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It was a lot of work to put it all back together, but the project was now bathed in prayer more than ever. <i>And</i> I’m convinced the project is going to be much better than it would have ever been before!<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Don’t Be Afraid to Ask</span></h3>
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I felt intimidated to start asking skilled camera people to help me, but what else could I do? As a result, I met many highly professional people. Who knows? Maybe we’ll work together on a project at some point in the future. Maybe the Lord is preparing another project.<br />
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And about that police car. Okay, I’ll admit it. I was afraid to ask. Not because I was afraid of the cops. That wasn’t a problem. Hey, I’m married to one (retired). I was afraid that I’d open a whole can or worms that I didn’t know how to deal with. I was afraid the city would tell me I needed a film permit. I was afraid I wouldn’t have the budget to cover the expense of a permit. I was afraid they wouldn’t let me film. I was afraid I’d need to pay the cops (which is often required on larger film shoots like in Los Angels) and I definitely didn’t have the budget for that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99oZavHWWUTmkoC9MDC6BYfKIls2d4fUtI2TYqFPH57n4mQ0KiOsLYPvEWyaPf8nm33FoDKeX4uomeiX8kiVY0wVX_HgClRyKRC-CChhkVZ1t9VGFQavIQ_i5e52jZiTKZJ-arPvLfyM/s1600/IMAG6118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99oZavHWWUTmkoC9MDC6BYfKIls2d4fUtI2TYqFPH57n4mQ0KiOsLYPvEWyaPf8nm33FoDKeX4uomeiX8kiVY0wVX_HgClRyKRC-CChhkVZ1t9VGFQavIQ_i5e52jZiTKZJ-arPvLfyM/s320/IMAG6118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pueblo (Colorado) Police Department sent<br />me police cars to use in my 168 Film Project <br />Documentary, "The Door"!<br />L-R: Camera/Editor Mike DeHerrera, Production <br />Assistant Dominick Faust, Producer/Director Dianne E. Butts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Plus, we were shooting the film on a Friday night. And, I’d learned, it was prom night. The police department would be busy enough without taking a car off the road to help me make my film.<br />
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It was the Wednesday before we were scheduled to shoot the film on Friday. My husband acted. He sent a message through a colleague to the local police department. Before the end of the day the Deputy Chief called me. Yes, he could get me a patrol car. Not only that, he went far beyond what I requested and he went to the city attorney who went to the city counsel and got me a waiver so I could use the police department logo, the uniform, and the uniform patch in my film! Wow!<br />
<br />
That Friday night we had at least <i>three</i> police cars (though some had to come and go to respond to calls) and about six police officers! It was amazing. It made my film very real. Wow.<br />
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Lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to ask.<br />
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As I write this, the Camera/Editor, Mike, and I spent the past two days editing the film. I couldn’t be more pleased. I can’t tell you a lot more about it until it competes in the <a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival" target="_blank">168 Film Festival in August</a>, but I’m thinking I’ll write the August post about what happens between now and then.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Apply these lessons to your project</span></h3>
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So back to you:<br />
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What project do you have in your heart that you haven’t yet attempted? And why haven’t you? Is it a project that is so big God has to show up to make it work?<br />
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Or, is this the type of project you need? Do you need to create a project with God that is so big He has to show up to make it work? Is that the boost you need to re-start your writing career to reach higher, to stretch, to do the type of project you've always dreamed of doing?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l9eC6ws_vQoEAZyOFVAlKpNMuU0DBJM1sue0Vmflkcodzxk9eUexAwxssNiOFoD9cCKxFiNH00JenS1RyErOtX2uKphmFyERKtZ-JUx3QLaFSmq5rsRkKIEFJPRCSK6tiezE4iF-hCg/s1600/IMAG6129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l9eC6ws_vQoEAZyOFVAlKpNMuU0DBJM1sue0Vmflkcodzxk9eUexAwxssNiOFoD9cCKxFiNH00JenS1RyErOtX2uKphmFyERKtZ-JUx3QLaFSmq5rsRkKIEFJPRCSK6tiezE4iF-hCg/s320/IMAG6129.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interviewing Pastor Roy Garcia<br />on the film set at the end of<br />Friday's shoot for "The Door"<br />A <a href="https://www.168film.com/" target="_blank">168 Film Project</a> Documentary.</td></tr>
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What steps can you take now to start the process? Here’s a hint: Prayer needs to go before everything. This is something you can start now. Then He will show you when to move. Ask others to pray also. This moves the project out from your private thoughts and into the view of others.<br />
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If you’re ready to start, what are the things you know to do toward making the project happen? Make a list. Make a plan. Begin to do what you know to do.<br />
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Make a list of all the resources you have. Perhaps make it in an Excel spreadsheet so you can keep adding to it. Gather your resources so you know what you have and what you need. Look for backups for everything, so when it all falls apart — and expect it to at some point — you have resources to put it back together. Know that every big and worthy project will have challenges. This is a test to see if you’re willing to work harder and stick with it to make it happen. Also know that when you put it back together, it will be better than it ever would have been before. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/aGsAd" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Ask for help. I found so many people were excited to help and get involved!<br />
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Do you know when I get the most scared, excited, and fascinated in a project? It's when I look around and see all these people and realize none of it would be happening if it weren't for me. I created something that gave dozens of people something to be a part of. They loved it. None of them would have had that opportunity had I not started the project. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/1JaOA" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) This, for me, is the most amazing and fulfilling aspect of a film project. When we’re in the middle of filming and I look around and I realize everyone is here because of me. It’s intimidating. It’s exciting. It’s amazing. And I love that.<br />
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So what is it you want to do? I hope you’ll attempt something so big that God has to show up to make it happen. It’s the thrill of a lifetime. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/zW1aK" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">Related Site:</span></h3>
<br />
This is a short film project which will compete in the <a href="https://www.168film.com/" target="_blank">168 Film Project</a>. By the contest rules, I may not show it until after that <a href="https://www.168film.com/Festival" target="_blank">film festival in late August</a>. Hopefully I will be able to release a movie trailer earlier than that. And hopefully also a movie poster. Stay tuned!<br />
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Learn more about this film by visiting it’s web site. Please sign up for the newsletter to receive updates: <a href="http://bit.ly/ConnectFilms" target="_blank">bit.ly/ConnectFilms</a> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/i55X3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-103470498392471772017-04-01T04:00:00.000-06:002017-04-01T04:00:04.446-06:00Lessons in Beginnings for Writers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKUYIumqcSk1RGU9kKxb2vJm7sb9Ve7lvOZL3RVGM306YgQuSOvePgoWkNeQnowxpKgs4YueZCTDiZxl2Xf8Yi_egjsgjUAalxfYZw4angYHA4DF9_QQNYCqw2paUYOX4CXgSfJSjwaA/s1600/abstract-circle-of-books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKUYIumqcSk1RGU9kKxb2vJm7sb9Ve7lvOZL3RVGM306YgQuSOvePgoWkNeQnowxpKgs4YueZCTDiZxl2Xf8Yi_egjsgjUAalxfYZw4angYHA4DF9_QQNYCqw2paUYOX4CXgSfJSjwaA/s320/abstract-circle-of-books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A swirl of books. How do you get into a story? <br />
(VisualHunt.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a writer, have you ever heard the term "throat clearing"? Over the years I've heard this term used when I met with editors at writers conferences and also in workshops. For me, this usually applied to a short piece I was showing them, like an article or devotional, but the principle applies to longer pieces like books and chapters also. The editors were telling me that I didn't really get to the heart of my piece of writing for several sentences or even paragraphs. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/nite3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) In longer pieces, you may find your real beginning pages later.<br />
<br />
I was reminded of this term recently by an article in the <i><a href="https://regaforder.wordpress.com/articles/subscribeTCC/" target="_blank">Christian Communicator</a></i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
…great beginnings often don't appear in the first draft. Or, if they do, they often aren't <i>at </i>the beginning. That's why the editing process is so important.<br />
<br />
Many times you will discover that the first couple pages of your writing are no more than "throat clearing," and you get to your point somewhere around page 3. In a short piece, like a devotional or article, those first lines you type may not be the best beginning and will probably need to be deleted and replaced with a sentence currently in your fourth paragraph. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
("Your First Impression" by Linda Taylor, March-April 2017 issue of <i><a href="https://regaforder.wordpress.com/articles/subscribeTCC/" target="_blank">Christian Communicator</a></i>, page 15.)</blockquote>
<br />
From my own experience, I find this principle very true for my non-fiction writing. And as I pursue writing fiction I find the same holds true. However I've learned a lot about beginnings and how to get started from working in screenwriting and making short films. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6Y6UX" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">How do we get into the Story?</span></h3>
<br />
One of the first short films I produced was "Air Guitar." This was actually a practice film. I was preparing to shoot the first short film I produced on my own and I wanted to run through the whole procedure once just to perform the process from start to finish — including filming, capturing sound, then the film editing. I also wanted to run through the whole process with my small film crew — camera man, sound person, actors, film editor. So one day I gathered my camera man, sound, casting and acting coach with a couple young actors and we did a run-through. I'd worked with the camera man on a short film the previous year, so we both had that experience. He would also be my film editor.<br />
<br />
In order to have something to shoot and practice with, I wrote a one-page script. It was actually a joke I'd made up and then wrote it to play it out with actors. I opened the script in a kitchen with my actors cooking brownies for a birthday party. We set up to film in my kitchen.<br />
<br />
Then my camera man hit me with a question: Yes, it's a story about a birthday party, but how do you want to open up the film? What's our first image? What do we show?<br />
<br />
Until then I didn't even realized that I had never considered how to get into the story. How do we get started? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/r270a" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) How do we introduce this world we're in and our story's characters. Thankfully my camera man also had a suggestion: he did a close shot of just our hands passing out festive-colored plates and napkins. In the editing he put jazzy music under the scene. And, of course, he added the title and opening credits. That's how we got started.<br />
<br />
Had I left it as I had it, we would have just jumped into cooking and dialog. No title. No opening credits. The audience would not have known it was a party. We would not have set the festive tone with the jazzy music. My script probably would have stumbled around with some meaningless dialog — "throat clearing" — trying to get into the story.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to see the short film we made that day, it's here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUl8YLprWCg" target="_blank">"Air Guitar" short film</a><br />
<br />
Since then I've tried to think much more about how to start my stories, articles, and books — both fiction and nonfiction — as well as each chapter. How is it best to get into them?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Establishing shots</span></h3>
<br />
In film, it used to be popular to show what is called an "establishing shot." I'm sure you've seen them, you just didn't know what they were called. An establishing shot is usually a camera shot showing a city skyline or the outside of a building or house — something that shows, and <i>establishes</i>, where we are. The tone is often also given: a storm is brewing, or a sunny day, or scary bad-guy music. But there is no dialog or anything that moves the story forward.<br />
<br />
For the film I'm currently producing, a documentary of a true-life event, so far my best thought for opening the film is to show an establishing shot of a certain street intersection in the small city where I live. Then we'll widen the shot to show more of the city skyline and mountains beyond. I'm thinking I may even superimpose the city's name, state, and population. Of course the audience won't understand the importance of any of this information at the beginning, but it's all important and relevant. It will tell them where we are (city and state). Then through the story they will learn that this busy traffic intersection is actually where the event took place, in a city of sufficient size that it's very interesting that so many people are connected to what happened that night. This establishing shot will help me introduce and get into the story. (By the way, I also plan to come full circle and end the film here at this intersection … with one important change that has taken place since the event happened.)<br />
<br />
Films and television shows don't use establishing shots as much as they used to. In writing, it may be good to have a character in this "establishing shot" or something that moves the story forward, but that is one way to get into the story. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Zk5e5" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Thesis Statements</span></h3>
<br />
In non-fiction writing, whether articles or a chapter in a book, it's good to focus the piece of writing with a focus statement or thesis statement. I wrote on this topic in a previous post so you can find more help with that here:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2014/12/keep-your-eye-on-ball-one-sentence-that.html" target="_blank">Keep Your Eye on the Ball: One Sentence that Can Elevate Your Writing to New Heights</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
The thesis statement typically goes near the beginning of the piece and then the rest of the article or chapter supports that statement. So finding an introduction that introduces or "gets to" that thesis statement is needed, and is the path to a good beginning. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/hfn1d" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) However finding that path is still challenging.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">"Throat Clearing" is Necessary to Find Your Beginning</span></h3>
<br />
You may need to do a lot of writing, allowing yourself to do a lot of "throat clearing," before you find the best path into your article, chapter, or story. That's okay. Do it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/0hC1T" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Just be sure to let it rest (days, weeks if you have the time), and then go back and edit. Let it rest. Edit. It will most likely take several rounds before you get to a great beginning.<br />
<br />
<br />
What about you? Do you struggle with great beginnings? Do you need to do some "throat clearing" in writing before you can find your best starting place? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Fjweg" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) It's not bad or wrong to write this "throat clearing." I actually think it's necessary in order to find the best starting place. We just can't leave it like that. We need to edit all the throat clearing out and find our best beginning before we turn in a project or let a prospective editor or publisher read it.<br />
<br />
That doesn't mean we can't let anyone read it. We often need the help of another writer. A friend and fellow traveler on the writing journey, because they understand what a great beginning is. And they can spot "throat clearing" in our writing far better than we can see it in our own.<br />
<br />
Take a look at the beginnings of your previously written stories or articles. Can you see any "throat clearing" going on? How would you now edit that beginning?<br />
<br />
Then take a look at your work(s) in progress. Have you found the best beginning yet? Or do you need to do some "throat clearing" to find a it? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/w2215" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
When you look at your previously written projects and your current works in progress, what lessons in beginnings can you learn?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Related Article and Link:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Thesis statements: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2014/12/keep-your-eye-on-ball-one-sentence-that.html" target="_blank">Keep Your Eye on the Ball: One Sentence that Can Elevate Your Writing to New Heights</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUl8YLprWCg" target="_blank">"Air Guitar" short film</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul></ul>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-69864077726045878932017-03-01T04:00:00.000-07:002017-03-01T04:00:08.746-07:00Helping A Writer’s Muddled Mind - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last month I was lamenting the problem I was having getting going after the first of the year. I felt muddled during most of January and felt like I wasn’t making much progress with my writing projects. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/aS47m" target="_blank">Tweet this!</a>) As a part of that muddle, I also couldn’t think of what to write about on this blog. When a friend suggested I write about that very topic — How to generate new writing ideas when we’re dry — and suggested others might be helped by my struggles, I gave it a go and, much to my surprise, ended up with such a lengthy blog post I’ve divided it into two!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you wish to read about the first three causes of my thinking and writing-muddle I identified last month: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. Not Enough Ideas </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Too Many Ideas </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. Distractions, </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you can find them here: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2017/02/helping-writers-muddled-mind-part-1.html" target="_blank">“Helping A Writer’s Muddled Mind - Part 1.”</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here are the other three causes of a writer’s muddled mind that I was able to identify:</span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. Things I Don’t Want to Do (But Need to Do)</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It seems clear to me that whenever I get overloaded with tasks I don’t like doing or dread doing, everything slows and I can’t seem to get much done. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Y3V_s" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>) I don’t think it matters if we’re creative people or business people or laborers or whatever, in every job I’ve ever held there have been tasks I enjoy doing and tasks I dislike or dread doing. It seems equally clear to me that we can all get ourselves to do those tasks we don’t like or dread. Because it’s part of the job.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But when everything on our to-do lists is stuff we don’t want to do, it can stall us out completely. We need a little bit of sugar mixed in, don’t you think?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also think sometimes I don’t want to do things because there’s something else going on. It could be that I really don’t know how to do what I need to do. That’s my next point #5 below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But it can also be that I’m stalled out on doing something I normally don’t mind doing. Such as, you ask? Last month I described how dry I was on ideas for this blog. Normally I enjoy writing this blog. I love sharing with you something I’ve learned or something I know which I think will help you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Still, there are times when I intensely don’t want to write this blog. (Sorry. It’s true.) Why? Well that’s a very good question for me to stop and think about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The “why” behind why I didn’t want to write this blog last month, once I stopped and gave some thought to it, turned out to be because I didn’t have a great idea that I felt would help you. I couldn’t think of anything new to share that you might need. I could think of things to write about, but not that I thought sounded profitable for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was stuck. Stuck for a good idea. I needed to do it. But I didn’t want to do it because nothing sounded good to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So what’s the solution? If possible either mix in some things you want to do, or figure out a way through what you don’t want to do, or both.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you’re stuck, ask for help. Ask your writer friends. Ask other friends. Ask a stranger if you must. Ask the person next to you the bus or the train or in the waiting room or standing in line.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recently read a statement from a successful author who said that early in her career an editor advised her to ask everyone (strangers included):</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“What book do you wish had been written for you to read?” </span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wow. I never thought of doing that. This author said it had served her well and had sparked many of her books. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/OvKw1" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So ask someone for help and see what you get.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Furthermore, if you’re a believer, ask God for help. He may have a great idea for you. And He just might be wishing you would ask.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. Things I Don’t Know How to Do (But Must Do)</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes I mistake a task as #4 above — something I don’t want to do — when the real problem is that I don’t know <i>how</i> to do it. And so I’m stuck. No matter how much I prod myself to get going, I can’t move forward. Then I realize the real reason isn’t because I’m lazy or don’t feel like doing it, it’s because I don’t know how to get over the mountain that is standing before me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One such recent dilemma for me was this: My writing projects this spring include two film projects. I need to do a fundraiser for both of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not a writer's usual work. I’ve never done a fundraiser before. I have so many questions. I don't know how to do this. I’ve observed others and therefore thought I knew how to do it and I have many ideas of what I can do to hopefully make it a success. But I kept not starting the project.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had questions in my mind I didn’t know how to answer. Should I do this fundraiser? Should I not? I hate asking for money. What should I offer for incentives? I’m producing not one, but two, projects this spring — one with a larger crew, one with a small crew. I couldn’t see running two separate fundraisers and making them both successful, nor could I see how to run one and divide the proceeds fairly between the two. Help!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then I asked God to help me figure out how to do this fundraiser. Before I got to bed I had an idea that could work. The next morning I spent an hour writing down all my ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Incentives? Duh. I have books. And I have expertise. I can offer consultations, phone meetings with writers and filmmakers. Others on my film teams might be willing to offer the same in their area of expertise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which film project? I could let the donor tell me by listing the same incentive three times:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Choose this one if you want your donation to go to the narrative film team. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Choose this one if you want your donation to go to the documentary film. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Choose this one if you don’t have a preference and I can use your donation wherever it is needed most.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This fundraiser had me stopped for a long time because it was something I could not figure out how to do. But I kept seeking an answer and it came. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/mEHfL" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Now I’m moving forward, excited about my FUN-Draiser!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6. A Writer’s Worries</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally, as I was trying figure out why my writer’s mind was so muddled that I was having difficulty getting anything done, I discovered that the more difficulties I had getting going on projects and finding answers to my dilemmas, the harder it was to sleep at night. I didn’t want to worry about these things through the night but they wouldn’t let me sleep. That just added to my muddled thinking the next day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So what was my solution to this? One night I made a rule: No thinking about the project allowed between the hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM. This is sleep time. I can’t do anything about any of it during those hours anyway. So why lay awake worrying? </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/xP43I" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My new rule works. Mostly. I still break it occasionally but I’m better for the rule and with practice it’s getting easier to enforce it. It’s about setting boundaries around our work and our projects. It’s about keeping good boundaries so we can have a life beyond our work.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What about you? What muddles your writer’s mind? What stops you from making progress on your writing projects? Can you identify different problems than what I did? What suggestions do you have to deal with the problem so you can get going again?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Related Article: </span></h3>
<ul>
<li>Helping A Writer’s Muddled Mind - Part 1 </li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-51465455600953558832017-02-01T04:00:00.001-07:002017-02-01T04:00:18.251-07:00Helping A Writer’s Muddled Mind - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is anyone else having trouble getting moving on writing projects this New Year? Since I slowed down for the holidays, I can’t seem to get moving again. I keep trying, but I just can’t seem to even make myself do what needs to be done. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/8SfaJ" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well wait a minute maybe that’s not quite true. When I stop and think about it, I realize I have been doing a lot. But then I’ve also been piddling around a lot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought maybe I’d stop and evaluate what’s going on and why. As with anything, the first step to solving a problems is to accurately identify what the problem is. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Uo5fn" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I did stop and evaluate, I could see that I have been working on various projects — and making significant headway in them. I can also see some of the snags that have been holding me up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Surprisingly to me, I found six areas that have been muddling my mind and my progress. I have so many thoughts and ideas about these six that it’s too much for one blog post! We’ll cover three causes of muddle in a writer’s mind this month and another three in the March 1 post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. Not Enough Ideas</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know one reason why I’ve been stymied since the first of the year. I don’t have enough ideas. More specifically, I don’t have enough ideas for this blog. I have some ideas stashed, but when I reviewed them, I went down the entire list saying, “No. No. No. Not that one. Nope…” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why? For one thing, not many of the ideas excited me. They were ideas brainstormed during a past time when I was dry on ideas. I’ve used the ideas that excited me, leaving only the ideas that now feel old or overdone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The ideas that might excite me I wasn’t sure would excite you. I mean, just because I’m into screenwriting right now and have a ton to say about that doesn’t mean that’s what the audience of this blog wants. Through my evaluation I got to thinking this blog started out being for writers of magazine articles and books, and the most popular blog posts are the ones where I’m sharing something I’ve learned with people who want or need to know that information. I’m not sure screenwriting topics fit in to that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So that left me without a great idea for this month’s blog post and I just wasn’t coming up with something new to share. I mean, I’ve already shared a lot of what I know that I can think of which others might want to know or want help with. What else can I share? I’m dry on ideas. (Right now are you screaming at your screen what you need and wish I would blog about? Let me know in a comment!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The end of January was looming and I didn’t have a single idea that excited me for this February 1 post. So I asked for help. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had the privilege of chatting with some writer friends and I told them my problem. Someone suggested that I write about how to get new ideas. I asked her if she realized she was asking me to write about the very thing I was struggling with and that I had no solutions for?! She said sometimes others are struggling with the same things we are and how we solve it can help them. Ah well. She had a point. So here I am, trying to figure it out and hoping I’m helping you as well as myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This morning I set a timer for an hour and am typing as fast as I can on this blog post. Whaddya know? It’s coming. My timer just went off and I’ve got a bunch of notes written. I just reset the timer for another hour. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/P_1lf" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And now guess what? I’ve found so much to write about I have enough for two posts!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you’re still stuck, check out this article. It’s for screenwriters, but it might help spark something no matter what you’re working on: “<a href="http://www.scriptmag.com/high-concept/" target="_blank">5 Tips to Turn Your Script Into a High Concept Idea</a>.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Too Many Ideas</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ironically, another dilemma that muddles my writer’s mind is the exact opposite of #1 above. When I start listing all the projects I would like to write, it can be overwhelming. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have a large white-board where, at the beginning of the year, I list my goals including the projects I want to write. I don’t always get them all done. But the past few years I’ve done pretty well at picking a few to accomplish that year and getting them completed — written, polished, submitted somewhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I have to choose which ones I will do. I can’t do them all. I have too many ideas. So I pick one or two major projects and get to work on them. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/fY2J4" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This also means there are many projects I cannot work on. I have projects sitting in the wings waiting for my attention. It’s hard to let them sit there. Some of them really excite me. But it’s not their turn yet. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/JkgLf" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes it is best to let them sit. One of my projects I started writing back in 1999. I still believe in that project. And I still believe it was good then, even though some things happened at the time that put it on the shelf. But now, because I’m also a screenwriter now, I can envision this project on the big or small screen (movie or TV). I couldn’t have even dreamed that possibility back in 1999. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Furthermore, the world has changed. This project will be intensely more meaningful now — with parts of it amazingly prophetic, if I may say so, given things happening in the world now. The time for this project is coming. It’s getting closer all the time. And I am far more prepared to make it great than I was seventeen years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m still not ready to re-write it and complete it, but I can see it on the horizon! It’s moving closer. And I’m excited!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I need to let it sit for a while longer, because if I pull it down off the shelf now when I already have so many projects working, it will just add to the muddle in my mind.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Make a plan. Then work your plan.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Note About Brainstorming</span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Interestingly, I think brainstorming can create problems instead of fixing them. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ab8Z5" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think writers love to brainstorm new ideas. It’s fun! Then some of those ideas rise to the top as really good ideas and we can’t wait to work on them. But if we brainstorm too often or too much, it can be a procrastination tool. Brainstorming can be the fun thing we do instead of working the projects we already have that need to be finished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Brainstorming more ideas can add to the #2 problem we: Too many ideas or projects which can muddle the mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are you using the fun work of brainstorming more ideas and projects to avoid doing the hard work of finishing the project you have before you? I have this Bible verse printed out and tacked on my wall in my office:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” 2 Corinthians 8:11, NIV</span></blockquote>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. Distractions</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ll admit it. I’m a news and political junkie. It’s not just that I like to be informed, although I do. Staying informed on what’s going on in the world also informs my writing. I write on current events whether I’m blogging on <a href="https://biblepropheciesfulfilled.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bible prophecy in the news</a> or am writing my fiction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With all that’s been going on the past few months with the U.S. presidential election, with all that’s going on now that we have a new president, and honestly with all that’s been going on the past year with the campaign…and even years before that with our former president and his decisions matched with other world events… I want to listen in and stay up on it all. I often have the radio on in the background and I’m listening to talk radio and news.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eh-hem. We cannot concentrate on two things at once. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, I know “multi-tasking” is big and many people think they are good at doing two things at once, but our <i>minds</i> cannot concentrate on two things at the same time. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/se2ej" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>) </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">We can do mindless work with our hands (filing for example). But we cannot </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">think</i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> on two things at the same time, like listening to a conversation in the background and thinking on a writing project in front of us. Nope. Doesn’t work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It may be obvious to you, but I had to be reminded that I’m not getting much done when I have talk that I want to listen to going on in the background. Either I’m listening to it or I’m not writing anything because I’m distracted by what I might be missing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Distractions muddle our minds. The obvious solution? Turn it off. Whether your favorite distraction is the same as mine or Facebook, other social media, surfing the web, music, or other, turn it off and see if your muddled mind doesn’t focus in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But then there’s the enjoying life factor. We do these “distractions” because we enjoy them and we don’t want to miss out. It’s one of the reasons we work from home as a writer, so we can do these things! Okay. Find a reasonable compromise. Schedule when you go online, respond to Facebook, do social media, listen to the radio, email, or do anything online, etc. Make sure it’s not during your most creative time. Protect that time and do your creative work — and only your creative work — then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This article may help: “<a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/10/may-i-have-another-cup-of-creativity.html" target="_blank">May I Have Another Cup of Creativity, Please?</a>” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Control the time you put into those things that distract you and control the time you devote to your writing project. You’re in the driver’s seat. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/ERq6k" target="_blank">Tweet it!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hope that help you get started with your writing again. It has me. Come back next month and we’ll talk about three more things I’ve identified which have had my writer’s mind so muddled that I’m having trouble getting my work done. These three are: </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Things I Don’t Want to Do (But Need to Do)</li>
<li>Things I Don’t Know How to Do (But Must Do), and </li>
<li>A Writer’s Worries</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Until next month, I hope your writer’s mind gets un-muddled and you get lots done.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-70331836822532129112017-01-01T04:00:00.001-07:002017-03-27T13:15:59.718-06:00The Fear of Writing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbcWRHG1_XmAVP2fD9XOE13mNUjquKgJntg0_uTBs8HLEuP63UwshObBtx9dkVnHWOihtk73zawMDlp25soNR3WnYyAS-HuZUIz4XtLmpY3IuHXDVFUdhtv16wi-j2xTN_2MMKmlcOyI/s1600/%25C2%25A9+Maxim+Golubchikov++Dreamstime+Stock+Photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbcWRHG1_XmAVP2fD9XOE13mNUjquKgJntg0_uTBs8HLEuP63UwshObBtx9dkVnHWOihtk73zawMDlp25soNR3WnYyAS-HuZUIz4XtLmpY3IuHXDVFUdhtv16wi-j2xTN_2MMKmlcOyI/s400/%25C2%25A9+Maxim+Golubchikov++Dreamstime+Stock+Photos.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Maxim Golubchikov <br />
Dreamstime Stock Photos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was one of those email newsletters from authors for authors. I had just signed up for it and got my first edition on the first of the month. I opened it. But the lead article stopped me in my tracks.<br />
<br />
The feature article was by a well known author. I like her writing and I've even met her in person. But the title of the article screamed that I dared not write if I was "behind-the-times." If I wrote, and if I wasn't up-to-date in my understanding of how things are done today, I might as well not write or else I'll become a laughingstock!<br />
<br />
I tried reading the article. I really tried. But the first few lines told me I was doing it all wrong. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/lJWE7" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">You're Doing It All Wrong!</span></h3>
<br />
My punctuation. My point-of-view. All wrong.<br />
<br />
If I'm doing that wrong, what else am I doing wrong that I don't know about? And where do I go to find out?<br />
<br />
The idea of having to figure out how to research in order to find out all the things I'm doing wrong and learn the current "right" way to do it seemed like such a huge, mountainous learning curve. I was overwhelmed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">Then I Felt Angry</span></h3>
<br />
Then I felt angry. Who was this author to tell me I'm doing it all wrong? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/D2cwE" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I've been writing for publication since the late 80s. It angered me to have someone telling me I don't know what I'm doing. I've fallen behind. Get out of the way and let the younger people do it right.<br />
<br />
What about the novel I wanted to start writing? The one I've wanted to write for years. The novel of my heart. Is it going to be a waste of time? Because I'm so old-fashioned and out of date and times have changed so much that I'm doing it all wrong? Good grief. Why even start?<br />
<br />
I don't have a chance.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">I Don't Have a chance?</span></h3>
<br />
For heaven's sake I don't want to write the novel of my heart and then find out it has made me a laughing stock. Nobody wants to be a laughingstock, right?<br />
<br />
Can someone please tell me where does an author go to learn the so-called "right" way of writing?<br />
<br />
The fear of doing it all wrong stopped me. I was dead in the water. I feared writing a single word. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/5U56M" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Never thought that would happen to me.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">But I'm a Good Writer</span></h3>
<br />
But wait a minute. I'm a good writer. I know I am. I've been off on other adventures the past few years: screenwriting and filmmaking and all kinds of exciting things. Now that I want to come back to write one of the novels I've always wanted to write, I'm told I'll never make it because I'm "behind the times"?! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/8C272" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Have you ever felt like that? (I hope not.) But have you ever feared writing? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Ps9G9" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Maybe you've experienced it for a different reason. Like fearing what people will think of your story. Or fearing putting yourself out there. Or fearing something else.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I have a friend who calmed me down and offered to help. "Just write your story the way you want to," she said. "Forget all that stuff. Write it and show it to me and I'll show you how to fix whatever is needed. I'll help you."<br />
<br />
I melted. What a relief. What a great friend.<br />
<br />
After she talked me down off the ledge, I could see that I'm not that behind-the-times. The few things that are different from twenty years ago are easy to change. I can make the transition. I'm going to be okay!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">When the Fear of Writing Strikes, What Can We Do?</span></h3>
<br />
Looking back on my time of fear, I can see three things that can help in our time of panic when we feel afraid to write. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/D7LCJ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I hope these will help you when you need it:<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e;">1.) Find a Friend</span></h4>
<br />
Writing is a lonely business. Writers spend hours at a stretch alone with our stories. When we finally come up for air, we can discover others don't "get" what we're doing. Or they don't "get" our story. Or they think they have better ideas.<br />
<br />
Critiquing is good. It's a good way to grow and learn and help each other. But we also need a friend who isn't going to rip our writing apart. We need a writing friend who can help us.<br />
<br />
My friend and I meet regularly -- at least twice a month. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/_e60J" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) We talk about what we're working on, what difficulties we're having, and what we want to accomplish before the next time we meet. We help each other. I've been helped over stumbling blocks. I've been encouraged to try big things. I've offered her ideas which I hope help her. More than anything, I'm not in this alone. Someone is there with me, struggling along beside me. And on the rare occasion when I really need it, she talks me down on off the ledge.<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br />2.) Write it Your Way</span></h4>
<br />
This takes courage. It takes daring. But I dare you! Do it. Go for it. Try it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/b69nQ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
I learned a great lesson last fall when I had a new and exciting adventure. A film crew was filming a feature movie in a town about 30 miles from me. I applied to work as an extra on the film and was hired to work two days. What a great opportunity!<br />
<br />
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The film was based on a novel titled <i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Our-Souls-at-Night-novel-ebook/dp/B00PP3DNDI?ie=UTF8&keywords=out%20souls%20at%20night&qid=1482965542&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Our Souls at Night</a> </i>by Kent Haruf. Of course I had to find out more about this book and how it became a movie. In my research I discovered some interesting information.<br />
<br />
The author was actually born in the city I live in now. He lived in Colorado and wrote several novels about a fictional Colorado town.<br />
<br />
He also wrote without quotation marks.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">"No quotation marks – ever. He said he liked the way it looked on the page,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">” according to an interview with the author's wife in <i><a href="http://www.themountainmail.com/free_content/article_27886d02-6f8e-11e6-85f8-2f84daaa63fe.html" target="_blank">The Mountain Mail</a></i> (Salida, Colorado).</span></blockquote>
His wife did his editing before it went to his publisher, Vintage / Penguin Random House. I thought that meant she would put in the quotation marks. But when I ran over to Barnes & Nobel to get the book I discovered no, she did not put in any quotation marks. Nor did the publisher. There isn't a set of quotation marks in the book.<br />
<br />
To spoof a line from the movie <i>Back to the Future</i>: "Rules? Where we're going, we don't need rules!"<br />
<br />
This is what I mean when I say "write it your way." Ditch the so-called rules.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e;">3.) Don't Let It Stop You!</span></h4>
<br />
The other thing I learned when I researched <i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Our-Souls-at-Night-novel-ebook/dp/B00PP3DNDI?ie=UTF8&keywords=out%20souls%20at%20night&qid=1482965542&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Our Souls at Night</a> </i>is that when the author wrote the book, he was dying. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/21z66" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Kent Haruf learned it was terminal in February. Previously it had taken him six years to write a book. But he decided to write another story. He didn't tell his publisher.<br />
<br />
By August 1 he had a draft. By September 15th he was ready to send it to his editor at the publishing house, as a surprise. In late November the publisher sent back a surprise: a mock-up of the book so Kent could see it. He died the following day, on November 30, 2014. His wife finished the final edits the next day.<br />
<br />
You can read more about this story in the article, <a href="http://www.themountainmail.com/free_content/article_27886d02-6f8e-11e6-85f8-2f84daaa63fe.html" target="_blank">"'Our Souls at Night': Interview with Cathy Haruf reveals insight into author's work,"</a> <i>The Mountain Mail</i>, August 31, 2016.<br />
<br />
This author knew he was dying and yet he wrote another book. And now <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5034266/" target="_blank">his book is being made into a Netflix movie, Netflix's first theatrical release, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda</a>.<br />
<br />
Now that's a writer who didn't let anything stop him. <br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-17190613504258639822016-12-01T04:00:00.003-07:002016-12-28T12:41:00.606-07:00Have You Ever Wanted to Write for Kids? Try Tara Lazar's Picture Book Challenge in January<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMDb-FEiaKc7YP2zqr6hUlP0yt5C-DROq6JRFZKw1ROzoo-75HaQ-2CHE4-FGO6HuqNn72BwMpiKr7ICIMgJEotqlaOePC936FNLEY3hXF_sGFZLWvMcAMz6uXhCHJjFpj-DNkFk6U7M/s1600/storystorm+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMDb-FEiaKc7YP2zqr6hUlP0yt5C-DROq6JRFZKw1ROzoo-75HaQ-2CHE4-FGO6HuqNn72BwMpiKr7ICIMgJEotqlaOePC936FNLEY3hXF_sGFZLWvMcAMz6uXhCHJjFpj-DNkFk6U7M/s320/storystorm+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The former PiBoIdMo has its new name! <br />
As of December 27, 2016, it is now "Storystorm," <br />
taking place in January!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You know NaNoWriMo (<a href="http://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">National Novel Writing Month</a>). But did you discover <a href="https://taralazar.com/piboidmo/" target="_blank">PiBoIdMo</a>? It took place in November up until 2016 when it was bumped to January 2017. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/6Pf6s" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Organizers promise this event will be given a new name, but as of this writing, that new name has not been announced yet. (Once announced, I just might edit this post and add a new image...whenever that info is released. </span>But I want to post this info in December so you'll have it if you want to participate come January.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I discovered <a href="https://taralazar.com/" target="_blank">PiBoIdMo</a> last year. (That's Pie-Bo-IDE-Mo.) It's short for Picture Book Idea Month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you've ever had an interest in writing picture books for children or writing other books for kids, or if you're looking for something new and interesting to put your creative energy into, or if you just need a brain-break, you might look into participating in this challenge. </span><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/5feo3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's free to participate, of course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I learned about PiBoIdMo </span>last year, in 2015, <span style="font-family: inherit;">when my author friend, <a href="http://karenwhiting.com/" target="_blank">Karen Whiting</a>, mentioned it in an email loop for writers. I participated on a whim and had a great time with it. I had many projects going and wanted a break. Plus, secretly, I've had a number of children's books in mind to write for a long time. I hoped it would help me make headway on them.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/fiP1y" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
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Creator <a href="https://taralazar.com/piboidmo/" target="_blank">Tara Lazar</a> says, "Tired of watching novelists have all the fun in November with NaNoWriMo, I created PiBoIdMo as a 30-day challenge for picture book writers."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisK-m5oaLkm3II8LewIozeAnZalVp8n1AqCt95AWxnc80nV1mYi77DFo7pyn3wrlXJtBa1kPahanDk83gc9NNZvlOFqEmIU4eZCXVN0MRWYLYUnfZCgFa6ap1ZL8VeVhEwzevqJs6oos/s1600/piboidmo2015winner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisK-m5oaLkm3II8LewIozeAnZalVp8n1AqCt95AWxnc80nV1mYi77DFo7pyn3wrlXJtBa1kPahanDk83gc9NNZvlOFqEmIU4eZCXVN0MRWYLYUnfZCgFa6ap1ZL8VeVhEwzevqJs6oos/s320/piboidmo2015winner.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Previously held in November alongside NaNoWriMo,<br />
starting in 2017 Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo has moved to<br />
January and <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">will have a new name -- unknown </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">at the time of this post!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">The original idea for PiBoIdMo was for <b>writers and illustrators</b> to simply jot down one concept for a picture book each day. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/28RvH" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> Thirty days later participants would have </span><a href="https://taralazar.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/piboidmo-faq.pdf" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">"30 bright & shiny new ideas"</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> to spur them to create new books for kids. To "win," participants end the month with at least 30 new picture book ideas and sign the PiBo-Pledge confirming they completed the challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">The founder, <a href="https://taralazar.com/" target="_blank">Tara Lazar</a>, posts daily during the event with guest posts from successful children's authors, illustrators, and editors. I found these guest bloggers very helpful and inspiring. I learned a lot about the children's book industry through them. <a href="https://taralazar.com/" target="_blank">Tara Lazar</a> also offers give-away prizes.</span></div>
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What does it mean to "win"? This if from the FAQs:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-size: medium;">
Simply end the month of November with at least 30 new picture book ideas! Then you can sign the PiBo-Pledge... confirming you have completed the challenge. Those who register AND sign the pledge are eligible for prizes, including a consultation with a literary agent, a professional picture book critique, original signed art, plus much more!</blockquote>
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<span style="color: orange;">PiBoIdMo Participant, <a href="http://karenwhiting.com/" target="_blank">Author Karen Whiting</a>:</span></h2>
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I mentioned above that I learned about PiBoIdMo from my author friend <a href="http://karenwhiting.com/" target="_blank">Karen Whiting</a>. I thought it would be fun to do a quick interview with her about her experiences with the challenge:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXTsuL5-31Mhf0HcsUc-0ajsVU9FQD0mOSI0mZIYfvoVo3pEVpeC8rWia6XmUJhDQ5etiaghBjf8GVvX3ofdOffAR7wzOBwwud6VzjCeRW4lg4Y5lMWZkx8HEEc456BeYqIDyW2ityUQ/s1600/Karen+Whiting+Christmas+is+Coming+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXTsuL5-31Mhf0HcsUc-0ajsVU9FQD0mOSI0mZIYfvoVo3pEVpeC8rWia6XmUJhDQ5etiaghBjf8GVvX3ofdOffAR7wzOBwwud6VzjCeRW4lg4Y5lMWZkx8HEEc456BeYqIDyW2ityUQ/s320/Karen+Whiting+Christmas+is+Coming+%25281%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Coming-But-Waiting-Hard/dp/1501824724?ie=UTF8&keywords=karen%20whiting&qid=1480543907&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Karen's new Christmas book!</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 12pt;">BAW: Were any of your published children's books inspired during PiBoIdMo? </span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karen: The <a href="http://karenwhiting.com/viewproduct/5" target="_blank">One Year My Princess Devotions</a> was inspired at that time quite a few years ago. It released in 2013,</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">BAW:<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>Any struggles to participating in PiBoIdMo?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karen: Wile doing the PiBoIdMo I received a few contacts different years, including <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Coming-But-Waiting-Hard/dp/1501824724?ie=UTF8&keywords=karen%20whiting&qid=1480543907&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>Christmas is Coming, Waiting is Hard!</i></a>, which released September 2016. That cut short my completing the challenge as I needed to get writing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">BAW:<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>Do you recommend eating more pie during PiBoIdMo?</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karen: </span></span></span>I would avoid pie at that time because it’s so close to all the holidays -- in fact for me doing it helps keep me away from food! A good diet plan is to focus on creating new ideas and chatting with friends about their ideas.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 16px;">BAW:<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>What inspires you? Any inspirational tools you'd like to share?</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karen: </span></span>What inspires me? I like to look at calendar dates at <a href="https://www.brownielocks.com/" target="_blank">Brownielocks</a> (any month) like Elephant Day in September and others. I just look at random days on <a href="https://www.brownielocks.com/b3bcalendar.html" target="_blank">their calendar</a>. Those spark my imagination. <span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/c0_df" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span></div>
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And the <a href="https://www.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI</a> group in Maryland where I lived until this spring has a celebration outing at the end of the month that adds to the fun as we get together and laugh about lame titles and encourage one another on the fresh ideas.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 16px;">BAW:<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> Thank you, Karen, for sharing your inspirations!</span></span></span></h4>
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Check out <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Karen-Whiting/e/B002BMMFBW/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Karen's Amazon page here</a>.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">More PiBoIdMo Info:</span></h2>
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<li>Is there a registration?</li>
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In previous years registration in on <a href="https://taralazar.com/" target="_blank">Tara Lazar's site </a>beginning late in the month previous to the event and continuing a few days into the event month. Watch her site for dates and instructions.</div>
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<li>Any prizes?</li>
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Those who register are eligible for prizes.</div>
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<li>Must participants tell their title ideas to win?</li>
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No. It's on the honor system. If you say you have thirty new ideas, they believe you.</div>
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Look for them on Facebook here:</div>
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<li>Join the Facebook Group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/265963663444660/" target="_blank">PiBoIdMo 2011</a></li>
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For me, sometimes I just need a brain-break. So I'm thinking I'll participate again next month, which will my second time. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ZIbXJ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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I'm planning to schedule time at the bookstore perusing picture books for inspiration.<br />
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And I want to make a goal to read thirty picture books during January. That's one per day. I have some here at home which I haven't read yet. The rest I'll get from a library so I don't go broke. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/c37dd" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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What about you? Do you plan to take part in PiMoBiMo ... or whatever it's going to be called now?<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Related Resources: </span></h2>
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<li>Interested in writing children's books? Check out the <a href="http://www.reforemo.com/2016/11/think-quick-with-author-tara-lazar.html" target="_blank">Reading for Research Month</a> (<a href="http://www.reforemo.com/2016/11/think-quick-with-author-tara-lazar.html" target="_blank">ReFoReMo</a> for fun, um I mean short) event in March. Registration for the "mentor text challenge" opens February 15, but don't put off registering because it closes March 1! <a href="http://www.carriecharleybrown.com/what-is-reforemo.html" target="_blank">Learn more about this "mentor text" training for picture book writers here.</a> There's also a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1574236042820744/" target="_blank">ReFoReMo Facebook Group</a>.</li>
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<li><a href="https://girlandduck.com/blog/" target="_blank">Girl & Duck</a> is a web site about "<a href="https://girlandduck.com/blog/" target="_blank">the art of writing for children</a>."</li>
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<li><a href="https://taralazar.com/2012/02/26/how-to-become-a-childrens-author/" target="_blank">How to Become a Children's Author</a> is a helpful article by PiBoIdMo founder and published picture book author Tara Lazar.</li>
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Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-24813006549228289842016-11-01T16:41:00.001-06:002016-11-01T16:41:15.133-06:00How to Pitch Conference Directors on Teaching a Workshop<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Gto_pyD8u5Z0kJfQZh0SOCoHBap8KHxq6lQpbAsLYdMPR-yiONc2NqSulHP6cOuZsWcHw_4WBsT_ZI_PIhLZQrIiUP7xqQ1hT85b0eDVv5whtMDfM8t6yKCcU7hjtxzNlzmyTcetoo/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Gto_pyD8u5Z0kJfQZh0SOCoHBap8KHxq6lQpbAsLYdMPR-yiONc2NqSulHP6cOuZsWcHw_4WBsT_ZI_PIhLZQrIiUP7xqQ1hT85b0eDVv5whtMDfM8t6yKCcU7hjtxzNlzmyTcetoo/s320/IMG_0762.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dianne teaching a workshop for writers at the<br />
<a href="http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/" target="_blank">Colorado Christian Writers Conference</a><br />
Estes Park, Colorado, May 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm often asked how I got started teaching at writers conferences. Usually the one asking is doing so because he or she would like to be on faculty at a conference. I'll answer the question of how it happened for me. Then I'll give you tips on how you might ask a conference director to put you on staff.<br />
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I'm betting my answer to the question, how I first got on faculty at a conference, is fairly unique. The first time for me, I did not ask to teach. I wasn't comfortable standing in front of a classroom teaching -- public speaking made me nervous. So instead I told God, "If you want me to teach, then instead of me asking the conference director, I'd like you to have the conference director ask me. If that happens, I will know it's from you and I'll say yes."<br />
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Now, I had attended this particular conference for at least fifteen years and had never been on faculty. So imagine my surprise when only a few weeks later the conference director contacted me and asked me to teach a workshop.<br />
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What could I do? I had to say yes, didn't I? Well, hey. If God was asking me to teach a workshop, then he would just have to help me do it, too, don't you think?<br />
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Since then I've taught lots of workshops at several conferences. The more I do it, the less nervous I am.<br />
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If you're nervous about public speaking, I highly recommend you check out <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/" target="_blank">Toastmasters International</a> and find (or start) a club near you. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/OD154" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) This group helped me immensely.<br />
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But what if God doesn't open a door for you? How do you ask to get on faculty to teach workshops at a writer's conference? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/U8bbY" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) If I had to do it knowing what I know now, here's what I'd do:<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">Find out when to pitch your workshop ideas</span></h3>
Send a polite email to the conference director asking when would be the best time to send some workshop ideas. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/fd1w5" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I'm on faculty about every other year at the conference I first taught at, the <a href="http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/" target="_blank">Colorado Christian Writer's Conference</a>, held in May. From what I can tell, now is the time to pitch that director. I know she'll start putting the spring conference together before Christmas, so I want to pitch her before that so she'll have my info in mind when she's thinking about her conference.<br />
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The same director also gives a conference in August, the <a href="http://philadelphia.writehisanswer.com/" target="_blank">Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference</a>. I know to give the director time after a conference to rest, clean up, finish the book work, etc. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ocjfN" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) So I think it's best not to pitch right after you get home. Give the director some time to breathe.<br />
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If it's a conference you are attending (it's a really good idea to attend the conference you want to teach at!), then you might ask the director while you're there when she would want you to send her workshop ideas.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">Prepare several pitches:</span></h3>
Meanwhile, brainstorm and prepare your workshop ideas. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/B5de2" target="_blank">Tweet this!</a>) Don't just send one idea. Giving conference directors three or four options to choose from helps them shape the conference they want and gives you a better chance of success. They might even want you to teach more than one workshop (which saves them on costs for bringing in more faculty).<br />
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Here are some tips to think about when you are picking your possible workshop topics or brainstorming your ideas:<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Make it useful.</span></h4>
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I've heard some pretty boring pitches. I've also heard some pitches to teach information that is so basic probably most people there already know that much. You have something useful and unique that others need. What is that?</div>
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Check your motives. You don't want to be the person who seems to just want to be at the front of the room speaking. It's not about you. It's about:</div>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">your workshop attendees and serving them (Check out my article about serving others through your writing: "<a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/08/writing-for-publication-and-servanthood.html" target="_blank">Writing for Publication and ...Servanthood</a>.");</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">your conference director and serving her overall goals for her conference.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Make it unique. </span></h4>
Why should the director pick <i><u>your</u></i> workshop? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/enTB8" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Remember that a lot of other people are wanting to be on the faculty too. Your pitch is competing for a limited number of workshop slots in the conference. So what do you have to offer that isn't already being offered routinely?<br />
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Alternatively, what "holes" do you see in your knowledge base or in the usual conference offerings? If there is something you need to know but nobody is teaching on, maybe you can research that topic, find helpful answers, and offer that information in a workshop. In your pitch, let the director know you've needed this information so other writers probably do too.<br />
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In other words, instead of thinking about what you want to teach, think about what this audience needs or wants. Then match that with what you can offer.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Make it short </span></h4>
Write a one-paragraph (a short one!) description of the workshop you envision. Give a solid overview of your idea as well as some of the topics you'll cover. This is your pitch that you'll send with your business-letter type email to the conference director.<br />
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Then also write and send a one-sentence description to go in the conference brochure.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Make sure you have the credentials</span>.</h4>
If you haven't yet sold a book to a publisher, don't pitch a workshop on how to get multiple book contracts. Duh, right?<br />
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Also, if you've only done it once, think twice. There may be some topics where if you've succeeded once it's a major accomplishment that you can talk about. Other topics, though, need the experience and success of more than a one-hit wonder. In other words, getting a book contract from a large, respected publish is a great accomplishment. However it may take doing that more than once to know if it was your concepts which other people can employ that made it happen and will work for them.<br />
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Think about what you have experienced. What have you learned? What knowledge do you have to share that will help or interest others? Is there enough info there to teach a 45 minute (or two-hour) workshop?<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Under Promise / Over Deliver</span></h4>
Whatever you promise the conference director in your pitch, make sure you can and will deliver what you promise...and more.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">You may be asked for...</span></h3>
Recently I heard a writer ask another conference director what she wanted from people who pitched her workshop ideas to teach at her conference. She said she wanted to hear you teaching. She asked for a CD or an MP3 recording. You might want to be prepared in case a director asks you for a recording of you teaching a workshop. <br />
<br />
Many of the conferences where I've taught record workshops and give the presenter a free copy. If yours doesn't give a free one, ask politely if that can be included.<br />
<br />
Of course if you haven't taught a workshop anywhere yet, this is a problem. Perhaps you could ask to teach to a local writer's group or club and record that.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">When You're Invited...</span></h3>
You'll need a photo for the web site and brochure. You'll probably receive a contract to sign. You may be asked for a bio to put on the web site. You will probably be asked for a lot of activity. Be sure to respond promptly with quality items.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Add Value for Your Audience</span></h3>
As you prepare your outlines for the workshops you might teach, think about adding value for those in your class.<br />
<br />
At the very least create handouts - something for your attendees to take home. Perhaps you can give away other products of value to your students (that doesn't cost you a lot): maybe a checklist to help them implement your strategies when they get home, or a list of resources.<br />
<br />
You'll be giving far more than your workshop presentation. People will want to hang out with you, ask you questions, eat a meal with you, talk, tell you about their projects, etc. The conference you're speaking at may schedule you to meet with conferees one on one during hours when you're not teaching. You may be asked to critique manuscripts attendees bring or send in advance. Some conferences expect you to do these things when you're on faculty and it's all included in what you're being paid. Other items you may get paid an additional fee for doing some items, like critiques.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Add Value for Yourself</span></h3>
Think about what you would like your students to do when they get home. Would you like them to buy your books on Amazon? Visit your blog? Then put your Amazon page (<a href="https://bitly.com/" target="_blank">short URL</a>), web site, blog URL, etc., on all your handouts. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/wYzS5" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
During your class, circulate a sign-up sheet for your newsletter. You can input their email addresses yourself when you get home and your newsletter app will send them a confirmation to opt in.<br />
<br />
Think ahead about what could benefit you, and then create sign-up sheets or whatever you need for that. But of course always remember the purpose of the workshop is for the benefit the people attending, not you!<br />
<br />
If you don't have books published, make other products to sell on the faculty tables or bookstore. More than a dozen years ago I created five helpful pamphlets for writers with my teachings on several topics. These continue to sell well at conferences where I teach, adding to my income, and I've since made some of them into <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42" target="_blank">e-books</a> so more writers can benefit from them. All because I wanted to offer something of value at conferences.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Avoid these Turn-offs </span></h3>
I've experienced:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Workshop leaders walking in late.</li>
<li>Coming completely unprepared.</li>
<li>Talking about nothing but themselves.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I still have a bad taste in my mouth and am reluctant to purchase those authors' books.<br />
<br />
<br />
When you're asked to be on faculty at a conference, this is a time to <i>give</i>, not to <i>take</i>. Give to your conference director and give to your workshop attendees. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/dUS2h" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Give to others at the conference. I'm betting you'll end up receiving more than you give in the long run. And chances are good you might get invited back.<br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-81893022642554310182016-10-01T04:00:00.000-06:002016-10-01T04:00:27.511-06:00May I Have Another Cup of Creativity, Please?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Lgc2xpq97pCQA_48MjndR1tY9uUvJnofT6yYIfmkFZ-ubHwTSIGBlnvcydWcjAKLsPM3I2arllrGILJBEZ0dxjdktzNYWV203XjmR6DfX2nB0Q3bUB1DTomNE6udIWF0y-jfmdR48g/s1600/0307160859b+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Lgc2xpq97pCQA_48MjndR1tY9uUvJnofT6yYIfmkFZ-ubHwTSIGBlnvcydWcjAKLsPM3I2arllrGILJBEZ0dxjdktzNYWV203XjmR6DfX2nB0Q3bUB1DTomNE6udIWF0y-jfmdR48g/s320/0307160859b+%25281%2529.jpg" width="192" /></a><br />
Are you still learning about yourself? I tend to think I know me and then I'm astounded (or confounded) when I discover something new. Actually it's not something new. It's something that has been there all along but I'm just now identifying it. Such was the case recently.<br />
<br />
I have a hunch this is not just about me. My hunch is that it probably applies to all creative-type people. But you can let me know if I'm right on that. And if you're educated in this area or have read up on it, you may already know this. To me, it was a revelation.<br />
<br />
What I've finally figured out is: I seem to have a limited amount of creativity in me per week. Tweet that here:<a href="http://ctt.ec/jt3f7" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: I've finally figured out I seem to have a limited amount of creativity in me per week. #AmWriting http://ow.ly/QDXA304Ax7h " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a>
<br />
Once I've used this week's creativity, it's gone. That's it. That's all there is. No more. Until next week.<br />
<br />
It took me a long time to grasp onto what was happening with me. It started when I noticed that every Wednesday seemed to be a "down" day for me. I don't mean down in the dumps; I mean I just couldn't seem to get anything done. I'd go great guns on Monday and Tuesday, accomplish a lot, and then came Wednesday and I couldn't seem to get anything done at all. Thursday would pick back up again and Friday could be a good day of solid work. And if I don't have any obligations for Saturday, I work that day too and so my Friday - Saturday can be as productive as my Monday - Tuesday.<br />
<br />
But what about those Wednesdays? What's happening there?<br />
<br />
When I first started noticing my "down Wednesdays," I went through what I'm guessing is probably a fairly normal cycle. I scolded myself. I pushed myself. I determined to do better. I promised myself I wouldn't dilly-dally. I swore I wouldn't mess around and waste time. I bribed myself ... I would treat myself if I accomplished a certain list of things on Wednesday. Nothing worked. (Tweet it: <a href="http://ctt.ec/tl36C" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: I couldn't make myself #write. I scolded myself. I determined to do better. I bribed myself. Nothing worked. http://ow.ly/DSig304Axl6 " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a>) <br />
<br />
The next Wednesday would come and same thing: No matter what I told myself or tried to trick myself into, I just couldn't manage to get much done.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #990000;">I have a new theory. </span></h3>
<br />
It's not that I'm being lazy or goofing off. My new theory is that we can only do so much creative work (or possibly other types of work too) before we run out of ... whatever you want to call it. Creativity? Energy? Gumption? Tweet it: <a href="http://ctt.ec/K1T6_" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: My new theory: we can only do so much creative work before we run out of creativity. What do you think, #writers? http://ow.ly/4Se1304Ay2g " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a><br />
<br />
I kept asking the creativity / energy / gumption gods:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv4M5ztL7D9mQBZuA8MuUOIbkZ1_bX1n2zJ9QH6TNXD13TpDNI483jYEKtVieoIpuF-vwFDx3JBMj2_tCX01MDbFaMhZfSZqGgvrFNTZanOQ_NXNtRKNwGpPw2JFT7Ya_KJX4tieZClw/s1600/0307160903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv4M5ztL7D9mQBZuA8MuUOIbkZ1_bX1n2zJ9QH6TNXD13TpDNI483jYEKtVieoIpuF-vwFDx3JBMj2_tCX01MDbFaMhZfSZqGgvrFNTZanOQ_NXNtRKNwGpPw2JFT7Ya_KJX4tieZClw/s320/0307160903.jpg" width="192" /></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
May I have another cup of Creativity, please?</blockquote>
<br />
The answer was clear:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
No. You may not.<br />
You may not have more creativity. Sorry.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
So I stopped scolding myself. It's a real thing. I can give myself a break. It's okay! Once I spend my creativity on something, that's it. It's gone. There is no more.<br />
<br />
Wait until next week. Then I'll get another dose.<br />
<br />
I meet with another writer-friend a couple times a month. Recently when we met at Starbucks I lamented, "I only get so much creativity per week. I can't force myself to conjure up any more. If I spend it all on the blog, I have nothing left." (<a href="http://ctt.ec/F8157" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
She nodded. She not only understood, she agreed.<br />
<br />
So, now that I recognize the reality that I only get so much creativity per week, what can I do with that bit of information? Here are some thoughts:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #990000;">Take care about where you spend your creativity.</span></h3>
I think sometimes we spend our best creative juice on the wrong things. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/nNdew" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
For example, many times we work for other people. Whether it's helping out a friend with a free critique or blog post, or doing social media or other tasks for pay to make ends meet, we're spending our week's worth of creativity. Then when it's time to work on our own project -- that magazine article, book chapter, or screenplay -- we can't seem to get going on it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Gc5na" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
That's because we've spent our creative energy on somebody else's project. If we spend it all doing work for others, there's nothing left for us.<br />
<br />
If this is where you are, this post may be of more help: <a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2014/07/when-writing-makes-you-feel-tired.html" target="_blank">"When Writing Makes You Feel Tired, Anxious, or Stressed."</a><br />
<br />
Or we may work on our own projects that aren't the most important. I tend to do this when I think I'll do all those "other things" first, clearing the way to spend large amounts of time on my current big, fun priority project. But by the time I finished all those "other things," I've got nothing left.<br />
<br />
Another place where I'm good at spending my creative capital is on worthy projects that require my regular attention. For example my <a href="https://biblepropheciesfulfilled.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bible prophecy blog</a>. I love blogging on that topic. And in these days we're living in, there's a never-ending supply of topics to write on. Each week I thought I'd quickly write the week's three posts and then move on to my priority writing project. But it hardly ever seemed to work that way. Those three posts would always take longer than I'd want them to. And when I was done, I couldn't get going on my priority project.<br />
<br />
So I'd switch it up and work on my priority project first and then at the end of the week I'd be in an anxious panic because I needed blog posts and didn't have any prepared ... and had no energy or time to get some done.<br />
<br />
At the first of the year I put that blog on hold. What a relief! I've learned I only have so much creativity in me and when it's gone, it's gone. Although I hated to put my prophecy blog on hold, it has been a time of rest for me since I did. And I've been able to get more writing done on my priority projects.<br />
<br />
So, my writer friend, I encourage you to think about this. How are you spending your creativity?<br />
<br />
Spend it wisely. It's like an allowance. That's all you get. Once you spend it, you don't get any more until next week. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/3gTN5" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #990000;">Be creative about what you do with your down days.</span></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So if it's true that we are going to have some days when we can't get anything creative accomplished, or at least very little, what can we do with that?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For me, I'm able to do other tasks that don't require as much creativity. There are so many other things that we must do as professional writers besides writing or brainstorming or creating. We can give our creativity a rest by doing other "business" tasks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are some examples of what I might spend that "down" day on: Tweet it: <a href="http://ctt.ec/F6gKf" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: #Writers: When you're having a creatively " day="" do="" down="" here:="" http:="" hxsm304aywh="" i="" ideas="" might="" nbsp="" ow.ly="" some="" src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" that="" what="" /></a> </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Catching up on emails.</li>
<li>"Mindless" tasks, such as cleaning my office or needed filing.</li>
<li>Reading emailed newsletters and the linked articles that sounded so interesting. These are usually writing-related, so I'm growing and learning as a writer.</li>
<li>Researching those points I need to know when I go back to writing.</li>
<li>Creating marketing items that don't take much creative capital but are fun (and needed), such as making a new book trailer at <a href="http://animoto.com/">animoto.com</a> or a new marketing image of a book cover at <a href="http://photofunia.com/">photofunia.com</a>.</li>
<li>Creating "share squares" to use on social media, such as a great quote from one of my books on a beautiful photo background using <a href="http://canva.com/">canva.com</a> or <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">picmonkey.com</a>.</li>
<li>Creating a new header for Facebook or Twitter.</li>
<li>Loading some posts to go live in the future on my Facebook Page or on Hootsuite for Twitter.</li>
<li>Updating a web site, blog bio, or Amazon author page bio.</li>
<li>Going to Starbuck's and having a passion iced tea. (Just kidding.)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Anything that is more automatic or business-related rather than having to create, as in putting words on paper / screen, is much easier for me to do on my down days. The creative projects listed above are fun, not hard creative work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are so many other things a writer needs to do besides write, the list of non- or less-creative items we can be working on is truly endless.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What would be on your list of things you need to do when you're having a creatively down day? Why not go ahead and make a list? Why not allow yourself to work on these on your down day? Be sure to include some fun things. Our work on down days should not be drudgery or we'll not want to take a day when we really need to.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBWyhqR959KFqSn0-4-hjCPGs86ShS0QhGAwPJr4QnRxsVpqmsOOvP8RhwIQGp6vXSDq-34rE227vDJqujLcLF5zfjkUcO9Z1oe3-N8kef8dIG15dSSWhdR6cXkB6t8LC52YE8m4lPXI/s1600/0307160901+%25281%2529+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBWyhqR959KFqSn0-4-hjCPGs86ShS0QhGAwPJr4QnRxsVpqmsOOvP8RhwIQGp6vXSDq-34rE227vDJqujLcLF5zfjkUcO9Z1oe3-N8kef8dIG15dSSWhdR6cXkB6t8LC52YE8m4lPXI/s320/0307160901+%25281%2529+cropped.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: #990000;">Get more done on your creative days.</span></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I truly believe I'm getting more done creatively since I've discovered my new theory on a limited amount of creativity each week. And I'm not scolding myself when I'm not able to make progress on a priority project. I give myself a break and know I'll be able to do more the next day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does your creative energy ebb and flow?<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Which days do you have the most creative energy? </div>
<div>
<br />
Which hours of the day are your best for creating words on paper / screen?</div>
<div>
<br />
How can you use this information to boost your creative output (while giving yourself a break)?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">"May I have another cup of creativity, please?" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">To Tweet this, click the birdie:<a href="http://ctt.ec/qAhJ7" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: May I have another cup of creativity, please? #Writers: http://ow.ly/sLkV304AwIg " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a></span></div>
<br /></div>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-78242825809668766872016-09-01T04:00:00.000-06:002016-09-01T04:00:08.866-06:00How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Page<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYFuW-j3QG_qzCo4m8dzzpTydx_FerXou-U9us8ZP34dOt2hRt0Wtv-Dtt7cOhN1qPpLbkBg7Of1bc6z6UFN25WsFYSKdSd0Jct87dX_E3A9ZJq3G9wsmtANQnmQSE_mVAcnP2kenLuc/s1600/Screenshot+Amz+Follow+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYFuW-j3QG_qzCo4m8dzzpTydx_FerXou-U9us8ZP34dOt2hRt0Wtv-Dtt7cOhN1qPpLbkBg7Of1bc6z6UFN25WsFYSKdSd0Jct87dX_E3A9ZJq3G9wsmtANQnmQSE_mVAcnP2kenLuc/s320/Screenshot+Amz+Follow+Button.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Amazon Author Page at<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://amazon.com/author/diannebutts">amazon.com/author/diannebutts</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In my July post I wrote:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">"Don't have an Amazon author page?! We're going to talk about that next month." </span></blockquote>
That would have been August but July got too busy and I didn't get that post done. So let's revisit that idea this month.<br />
<br />
I touched on Amazon author pages in my January 2015 post, "<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/01/25-free-ways-to-market-your-book.html" target="_blank">25 Free Ways to Market Your Book</a>." (See #2 in that article.) But this month let's go more in depth in how to set up your Amazon author page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">How to Know If an Author has an Amazon Page</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When you are looking at books on Amazon, pay attention to the name of the author. Sometimes it's a link. Sometimes it's not. When it is a link, that indicates the author has an Amazon author page set up. Obviously when you click the link, it takes you to the author's page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When the author's name is not a link, that author has not set up his or her Amazon author page. (Or it's possible they have but that book is not linked to it. If this is the case for you, add that book to your Amazon author page.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">You Must Have a Book on Amazon</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Before you may have an Amazon author page, you must have at least one book for sale on Amazon. If you don't, this would be a great time to write an e-book and upload it. See my series of posts "<a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/p/blog-contents.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-book on Amazon (for Free)</a>" </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">I posted in February, March, April, and May 2016. (Links are at the bottom of this post.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>If you have <a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?ie=UTF8&topicID=200777990" target="_blank">contributed to a compilation book or anthology</a>, such as a <i>Chicken Soup for the Soul</i> book or another independently published compilation, and if it is available on Amazon, that counts and you can create an Author page.<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(Tweet that! <a href="http://ctt.ec/3OB6b" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: If you have contributed to an anthology and it's available on Amazon, you can have an #Author page. Here's how: http://ctt.ec/3OB6b+ " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a> )</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span>You may need to contact Amazon and ask them how to set up your page from a compilation. Let me just say...<br />
<br />
I set up my Amazon author page about 15 years ago so I don't remember the details of how I did it, and no doubt details have changed. But it should be fairly easy for you to figure out from <a href="http://authorcentral.com/">AuthorCentral.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Amazon's <a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Author Central</a></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To get started, go to <a href="http://authorcentral.com/">AuthorCentral.com</a>. Or you can go to your book on Amazon (or other books) and find the small down-pointing arrow next to the author's name which indicates a drop-down menu. Hover over that and you'll see where it asks, "Are you an author? Learn about Author Central."</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It's going to take you <a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon's Author Central</a>. This is where you will open your Author Central account with an email address and password.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Once you do that you'll find the "Welcome to Author Central" page with instructions and links to more how-tos. Click the "Help" button in the upper right beside your name to get right to the basics.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Also on this page is "Author Central News" where Amazon posts news and updates about it's programs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Once you're in your Amazon Author Central account, you can click on four options across the top of the page. Your:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Author Page</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Books</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Sales Info</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Customer Reviews.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Click on "Books" to find the books you've authored and connect them to your Amazon author page. Simply click the yellow "Add more books" button, search for you book, and there you go.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">The Sales Info tab has sub-menus for your:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>Sales Rank:</b> </span>Shows each of your books and where they rank on Amazon. This will show green and a rise when you sell a book. That's exciting!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>Author Rank</b>:</span> Your overall ranking on Amazon. Like a golf score, the lower the number the better. I heard a long time ago if you're under 100,000 that's good. If you're just starting out you won't be that low, but as I've published more e-books that sell regularly I've been in that zone consistently...which is really cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">Nielsen BookScan:</span></b> Shows when a hard copy of your book sells and in which geographic location. Not all book sales are recorded here since not all bookstores are connected to the Nielsen BookScan. But it gives you a good idea of where sales are taking place. If you advertise in a certain region or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Signings--Store-Getting-Published-ebook/dp/B00TWKCBLK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">hold an author event</a> in a certain location you may see those sales reflected here.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">At the Customer Reviews tab you can see all the reviews on your books on Amazon. You can sort them by title, by most recent, etc. It's an easy way to see if you have any new reviews.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Finally, you can click on Author Page and set up many options on your page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">What to Set Up on Your Amazon Author Page</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It's pretty easy to figure out what you can do when you get there, but let's just go over what you can set up on your Amazon author page:</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Biography</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Of course you've seen author's bios on Amazon. This is where the author was able to enter that information. You probably already have a bio you've written for another project (or the back of your book). If not, write one now. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">I think shorter is better. Only a portion will show on your author page before visitors must click to read more. So put the most important info up front. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(Tweet that!<a href="http://ctt.ec/8o3Cf" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: Only a portion of your #AmazonAuthorBio will show on ur #author page so put the most important info up front. More: http://ctt.ec/8o3Cf+" src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Plan it as if what shows will be all that your readers ever read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Let your personality shine through. Readers enjoy that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Whenever you need to update your bio or wish to change it, come back to your Amazon Central account to do so.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Blogs</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Are you writing a blog? You can connect it here and your latest posts will automatically show up. Pretty cool huh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is a great way to direct your book readers to your blog to read more of what you write. It's also a great way to increase your blog's readership. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/2hm3f" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Events</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Are you planning a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Signings--Store-Getting-Published-ebook/dp/B00TWKCBLK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">booksigning</a>? Putting together a live author event? Attending a writer's conference or book expo? You can enter the location, hours, description of the event, and which book you're featuring here. It's similar to an event on Facebook.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/W1r9Q" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I've used this several times. I have it listed on my "to do" list when setting up an author event. It's hard to gauge whether it brings in a bigger crowd to author events. I wonder how many authors actually use this feature on Amazon ... or even know it's here. If we remember to use this feature perhaps Amazon visitors will become aware of it and check it more often.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Now that I've encouraged you to use this Events feature, I want to also caution you. As authors we should think about our personal security and that of our families and homes before we tell the whole world exactly where we will be and when. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/903xK" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Of course we want to attract as big a crowd of book buyers as we can. But we need to somehow balance that with not telling burglars we're traveling and our home is empty and waiting for their visit. Women traveling alone may not want to let the world know the details of where they'll be and when. In the current climate in our nation, if your book might be controversial, you might want to be cautious about posting the location and hours of your event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Have you ever thought about this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I don't know the answers to this dilemma, but part of the solution might be:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Don't post that "we" (your whole family) will be traveling to an event. Say "I" will be there and let people think your strong, armed husband / family is at home guarding the house.</span></span></li>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dtP_q7aIyyqS3LV__xIWs250D43E3h496GLaxV4z3vqsB0P0xXTXbYaQPKikFteHGQK7f-xSOtoLdGL3oXEvsWoYf0-Fcq0AdZCJJlCq5FTiH6Q5MNqHpUJ2_xyrn9i5vgFvDU_nCNs/s1600/9+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dtP_q7aIyyqS3LV__xIWs250D43E3h496GLaxV4z3vqsB0P0xXTXbYaQPKikFteHGQK7f-xSOtoLdGL3oXEvsWoYf0-Fcq0AdZCJJlCq5FTiH6Q5MNqHpUJ2_xyrn9i5vgFvDU_nCNs/s200/9+-+Compressed.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Signings--Store-Getting-Published-ebook/dp/B00TWKCBLK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Booksignings</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Don't post your travel plans, such as when you're leaving or arriving. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Don't Instagram yourself in the airport or post elsewhere photos, videos, and comments until after you get back home.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span></li>
</ul>
If you'd like to set up a live author event in a bookstore but don't know how, have no idea where to start, or simply want to hear my tips, experiences, and suggestions, check out my e-book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Signings--Store-Getting-Published-ebook/dp/B00TWKCBLK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Booksignings</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Author Page URL</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">When your Author Page is created, Amazon will give you a URL here. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">You can suggest a change if you want to. Make it easy to remember. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/78ZiG" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Copy and paste this URL into a place where it is easy for you to access, such as in a Word document or, better I think, an Excel document where you keep all your links (for each of you books, blogs, etc.).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Also keep it written and handy when you do radio interviews so you can state it easily. Keep it simple so people can remember it. The few times I've done</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> TV interviews I've been asked for information to put at the bottom of the screen as I talk. Your Amazon author page is a one-stop shop for all your books (assuming they're all on Amazon) so let your audience know how to find it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you wish, create an easy-to-remember short URL on <a href="http://bitly.com/">bitly.com</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">What will you want to do with this URL? If you need ideas, I'll list some below under "What Can You Do With Your Amazon Author Page?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Photos</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Add your author photo of your smiling face. A book sales expert told me a nice photo creates a "relationship" with the reader. Relationships are key to book sales.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/ek5cd" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">This is the same reason you should have your smiling face on the back cover of every print book you produce and in the back matter of your e-books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Videos</span></h4>
You cannot put a YouTube video on your Amazon page. Plus, Amazon has a lot of rules for what they do not want you to include in your video. Be sure to review those guidelines before you try putting a video on your site.<br />
<br />
To find those guidelines, click "add video." A box will open with basic guidelines including this one:<br />
<br />
<ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">For more guidelines, please visit our <a class="popup" href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200649570#guidelines" style="background: url("https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/author-central/icon-offsite._CB189385742_.gif") right center no-repeat transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #996633; margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">video content guidelines</a>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'm thinking I shouldn't upload my book trailer videos I've made on Animoto.com because the Animoto logo is embedded at the end. Also not allowed are <a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200649570#guidelines" target="_blank">"comments relating to book reviews and content visible on the Author Page and detail pages"</a> on Amazon.<br />
<br />
Amazon states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You can share video interviews, book signing videos, and other videos with readers. Your videos should focus on specific features of your books or your experience as an author. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200649570#guidelines" target="_blank">Uploading Videos</a></span></blockquote>
I never thought to take a video at an live author event. I may think about staging that (getting permission first) next time I hold one.<br />
<br />
Right now I'm thinking we could just talk to our laptop cameras and tell potential readers interesting information about ourselves or our books, why we wrote it, that sort of thing. We could also "stage" an interview: type the question on a slide for the video then look off camera and answer as if we're answering an interviewer.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">How to Create a Video for Your Amazon Page</span></h4>
If you want to create such a video, use your laptop camera. Upload the video to YouTube and edit it.<br />
<br />
While you cannot upload a YouTube video to your Amazon author page, you <b><i>can</i></b> save it in an Amazon-supported format and <b><i>then</i></b> upload it!<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/575Fr" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span>To do that go to your Video Manager on YouTube and click the drop down menu arrow next to "Edit." Choose to save your video to your computer as an MP4 file. MP4 is one of the supported files on Amazon so you can then upload your MP4 file from your computer to your Amazon author page.<br />
<br />
(Hmm. Now that I've figured all that out, I may have to try it myself and write a whole post on this topic! Wouldn't that be fun?! I'll work on it when I have time.)<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">What Can You Do With Your Amazon Author Page?</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Here are some ways you can use your Amazon author page URL:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">in your email signature, </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">in Tweets, </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">in an occasional Facebook post,</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">in all your social media bios (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Link to it on your blogs and web sites. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Be sure to put it at the end of your book trailers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Include it on your business cards. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Put it in your guest posts on other blogs and... </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">your bio at the end of your magazine articles. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Include it in the back matter of every book you write. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Anywhere you advertise yourself, your books, or your brand, you should include an easy link to your Amazon author page because your page will list all your books that you have available for sale (on Amazon). With one click visitors can go to the detail page of any of your books and purchase it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/feh7U" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman", serif; line-height: 18.4px;">One More Tip...</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you're writing under a pseudonym, you can also open an Amazon author page for your pseudonym. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/FYaiB" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) You can do so from your regular author page; you don't need a separate account. But to everyone viewing your <a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?ie=UTF8&topicID=200341570" target="_blank">pen name page</a> there will be no connection to who you are unless you put it there.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">You can manage up to three Author Pages this way, though they will not be associated in any way on Amazon.com. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?ie=UTF8&topicID=200341570" target="_blank">Managing Your Bibliography</a></span></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If you haven't yet set up your Amazon author page, or if there are some steps here you haven't yet completed, why not do so today?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Or if your Amazon author page has been set up for a while, why not schedule some time to update your bio, list an upcoming event, add a new photo, connect a new blog, or create a new video?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman", serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Tweetable:</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Why not open or update your #AmazonAuthorPage today? Here's how. Tweet that: <a href="http://ctt.ec/1b4wn" target="_blank"><img alt="Tweet: Why not open or update your #AmazonAuthorPage today? Here's how. http://ctt.ec/1b4wn+ " src="https://clicktotweet.com/img/bg-twitter.png" /></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "times new roman";">Related Articles:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-34775631548457410072016-08-02T15:08:00.002-06:002016-08-02T15:08:56.762-06:00Writing for Publication and . . . Servanthood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyq39Z459BWdj-FvvNHkyef8DjOaBdAaKdqBaqwYngUYiHC8sw8-Ilciz9-XfNfixlsxZbXrPVrOSDcHd15xZVHknrdgtdvDGJKL-wGcKwvuNJCWsWqBvtsXOjdnao2PGRKct5CLW-zA/s1600/Serving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Writing for publication means serving your reader." border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyq39Z459BWdj-FvvNHkyef8DjOaBdAaKdqBaqwYngUYiHC8sw8-Ilciz9-XfNfixlsxZbXrPVrOSDcHd15xZVHknrdgtdvDGJKL-wGcKwvuNJCWsWqBvtsXOjdnao2PGRKct5CLW-zA/s400/Serving.jpg" title="Writing for Publication and Servanthood" width="267" /></a></div>
I had some "life" happen recently that meant I wasn't able to prepare the post I had planned for August 1. So a wise friend asked if I had something I could re-run. Yes! I remembered this article I wrote a few years ago, back when this blog was a newsletter for subscribers only. I thought this might be a really good article to run this month. Sorry it's a bit late, but life happens. And when life happens, it's important not to miss it.<br />
<br />
So, I hope you enjoy this re-run article.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;">Writing for Publication and...Servanthood</span></b></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a couple of interesting conversations with writers lately. One lady
contacted me because she noticed the local writers group and she was thinking
she might like to join. Though I encouraged her to come to the writing group,
she seemed shy and uncertain. Finally she confessed what was really on her mind:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She said she wasn't sure it was right to call attention to herself through
writing. She was concerned about becoming prideful about writing in a way that
would be unbecoming for a Christian. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/60bfu" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had to be careful in my response, because I didn't want to laugh out loud.
That might have come off as rude.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Will You Be a Famous Writer?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I asked her what she meant about calling attention to herself. She looked
confused. I asked her if she thought if she started writing that everyone would
then know her and she would be famous. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/nQyfJ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">She kind of, sort of indicated yes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
asked her if she had read any magazine articles lately. She said yes. I asked
her who wrote them. She said she didn't know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wondered if she'd read anything
else lately. Articles online? Newspaper? Book? Would she have remembered any of
these writers' names? My bet is if she could have remembered any, it would have
been the name of a book's author.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I told her, Look, if you start writing, chances are extremely thin that
you'll become famous. Most people won't even notice your name on a magazine
article. I'm convinced the only people who read bylines are other writers. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/H687O" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> ("Oh,
look! My friend Linda got an article published in here. Good for her. Wait a
minute. How'd she do that? I wanna to do that.") </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/Z7fd1" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publishing is Like the NFL</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This lovely Christian lady was all worried about calling attention to herself
and becoming sinfully prideful. But what are the chances of her actually drawing
that much attention? I told her it's like playing in the NFL. A lot of kids
start out wanting to be a star in the National Football League, but first you
have to make the team. Then you have to make the high school team, the college
team, and then win a spot on a professional team. Only a few people actually
make it that far. And when you do make it that far, there are only so many slots
on a team and only so many players can be chosen to fill them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publishing is similar. There are only so many slots available for writers.
There is only so much room for so many articles in a magazine. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/iP8dX" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are only so
many slots in a publishing house for so many books to be published. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/3vVsH" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when you
get to that level, you're competing with professionals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So where is your level of skill in writing? Are you at a professional level?
If yes, then keep submitting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If not, what do you need to do to get there? Work
out more in the gym? (Write more.) Get with a Trainer? (Find a writer or group
who can teach you?) Practice your skills? (Practice your skills?!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Why Do You Want to Writer?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After I told that nice lady that she would probably never have to worry about
becoming sinfully prideful because she'd probably never be famous, I ask her why
she wanted to write. I don't think she really knew how to answer that
question. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/1nN6O" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Will it <i>Serve</i>?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a second conversation with a different writer who, basically, wants to
write what she wants to write. She has something she wants to say. It's
important stuff to her and she wants the whole world to know it and so she wants
to tell the whole world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, okay, that's all good and fine. But is it
something anyone else wants to read?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Will it help the reader? Will it
<i><b>serve</b></i> the reader's wants or needs? Or is it just a demand that
somebody listen to what she has to say? </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/6fC7j" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You see, so many people think the reason to write for publication is to
become really famous and to make a lot of money. Other people want to be heard,
to be listened to. But all of these reasons are filled with "I wants":</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to
be famous. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to be rich. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to be listened to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to tell. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want
to be known for telling you this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to be heard. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're writing for
publication, this is never going to work. When we write for publication, we're
not writing for ourselves; we're writing for someone else: our reader. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/V3bQt" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The way to write for the reader is to <b><i>SERVE</i></b> the reader. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You think you have
something to say? Okay, will it serve the reader? Is it something the reader
wants or needs to hear or know? If not, then the writer is only serving
him/herself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know what you're thinking: "Yes, but I'm writing because I have something
to say! And it's important."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, of course it is. It's on your heart, or it's in your mind, and you want
to share it so badly. And that's fine, because often we want to share what we
know because we know it will serve other people. It's a fine line, but it's a
line.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know what some of you are thinking: "But I don't have anything important to
say. I just want to tell stories [or write articles, or fill in the blank ______
]."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">It's About the Reader</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kUp4cGWrvCP1UbPfbA5t9OojyoWYnimzk2O5SlLOhffu5IaKPb5a0a8Gkkj0AixoyD2RKtFy3xn49j9cptSI11GD1NiBYAizORmtrRmjdhoqxmNsKipGbw9eNK5BntS-t7yoP73JCFw/s1600/YYQ3XBYDAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kUp4cGWrvCP1UbPfbA5t9OojyoWYnimzk2O5SlLOhffu5IaKPb5a0a8Gkkj0AixoyD2RKtFy3xn49j9cptSI11GD1NiBYAizORmtrRmjdhoqxmNsKipGbw9eNK5BntS-t7yoP73JCFw/s320/YYQ3XBYDAP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Listen to me. Are you listening? You <b><i>do</i></b> have something important to say.
Especially if you are a Christian. You <b><i>do</i></b> have something to say that people in
the world out there need to hear. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/g6I89" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what's the difference? When writing for publication (not for
yourself--your journal, your exploring, your own benefit), our writing should be
about the <b><i>reader</i></b>. Not, "What do I want to say that I want
everyone to hear?" But, "What do I have to offer that will help my reader?" </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/jE6c9" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the Servanthood of writing. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/f6tg7" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> And you can sum it up in this question:
"How can I </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>SERVE</i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> my reader?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As an example, my aim with this e-zine [now a blog] is to serve those who read it. It's
not about me. Sure, there are times I mention what's going on in my writing
life... That's because I
believe many of you are interested in what I'm up to--and if you're not you can
skip that part. But the main purpose of this [blog] is to help you, to serve
you, to help you become the writer you want to be--whether that's published or
just a better writer or whatever you're longing for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're not getting published, maybe you can take a look at this area of
your writing and see if there's room here for improvement. Editors are
interested in serving their readers. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You need to not only serve your reader, but
serve your editor.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> But I guarantee you, if you're serving your reader, then
you're serving the editor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">How Do You Want to Serve Your Readers?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So this month as you write, how do you want to <i><b>serve</b></i> your
readers? What do you have to offer that will help your readers? </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/s9wfR" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now don't give
me that "nothin'" answer. I know better. Especially if you're a
Christian--because you have a knowledge of the One. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But Christian or not, you
have information for a magazine article that would help someone. You have an
experience that taught you something that would help someone else. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have a
story with a message that will bring someone closer to God. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6g635" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The delightful thing
about writing is that our serving can be done in infinite ways, unique to each
of us--which satisfies the longings of our souls to write and be heard. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/61b_4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> But in
the end, it needs to be for and about the reader, not the writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have this attitude of Servanthood, you'll never worry about becoming
sinfully prideful, because it's not about you. It's about the reader. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And for
the Christian writer, it's about Christ.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Tweetables:</span></h4>
If you are a #writer, it's all about serving your reader. <a href="http://ctt.ec/e7coU" target="_blank">Click to Tweet</a><br />
<br />
The "Servanthood" of #Writing. <a href="http://ctt.ec/uG8Hc" target="_blank">Click to Tweet</a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The way to write for the reader is to <b><i>SERVE</i></b> the reader. <a href="http://ctt.ec/Uc0qs" target="_blank">Click to Tweet</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-79758211847178597792016-07-01T04:00:00.000-06:002016-12-22T08:58:18.742-07:00Ways to Market Your Book - Amazon Followers and Giveaways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7iZyyMMAQrmfp0ElUzCcBPTlSy2dQaHp4XHIXzhGpfunGoVb1MWk9v4CFmzQSsIiD3HJBbFwddYJ65IlvhcFkpw1BhznaCDO_b8C5O2dnARujcFq-rcmsIK0SiZJOVeY5xWgE8NSsPc/s1600/Screenshot+Amz+Follow+Button+Yellow+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7iZyyMMAQrmfp0ElUzCcBPTlSy2dQaHp4XHIXzhGpfunGoVb1MWk9v4CFmzQSsIiD3HJBbFwddYJ65IlvhcFkpw1BhznaCDO_b8C5O2dnARujcFq-rcmsIK0SiZJOVeY5xWgE8NSsPc/s320/Screenshot+Amz+Follow+Button+Yellow+2.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">yellow button under my photo</a>?<br />
That's Amazon's Follow program.<br />
<a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Please Follow me on Amazon!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/06/ways-to-market-your-book-how-to-get.html" target="_blank">the previous post</a> we talked about how to get reviews for your book posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere. In the four posts before that, from February to May, we walked through the process of getting your book up and running on Kindle. This month, whether your book is on Kindle or is a print book, we are going to talk about some exciting programs Amazon has made available which can help you market your books.<br />
<br />
These programs are Amazon's "Followers" and "Giveaways" programs. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/vk7Fj" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Let's talk about Amazon Followers first, and then we'll talk about Amazon Giveaways.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Amazon Followers</span></h2>
<br />
Amazon launched its Follower program in July 2015. If you haven't noticed it, log in to your Amazon account, go to your own author page or the page of an author you'd like to follow, and click the yellow follow button under the author's image. You can see the yellow Follow button under my photo in the image above.<br />
<br />
Don't have an Amazon author page?! We're going to talk about that next month.<br />
<br />
Amazon does not let us know how many Followers we have. There's no way to find out. However to know that you have at least one, you can follow yourself.<br />
<br />
Just what does it mean to have Amazon Followers? Amazon will send out a message to your Followers whenever you release a new book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/6E8i6" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">You Might be Invited to Talk to Your Amazon Followers</span></h3>
<br />
Also, Amazon might invite you, the author, to send out a personal message to your Followers. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/eTbpS" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Right now this feature is by invitation only. However I have been invited to send that message several e-books I've released in the past year.<br />
<br />
The invitation from Amazon comes in an email. The subject line of the email says something like "a question about your book." When you open the email, you'll see Amazon is asking if you'd like to send a message to your Followers. Obviously it's a no-brainers to take advantage of this opportunity.<br />
<br />
At first I didn't really know what to write in my message, But I studied what some of the other authors have written and used that as a guideline.I try to keep my messages short. And I try to use all the best practices I know about selling to customers. (Now that's a huge topic for another time. Or another e-book.)<br />
<br />
I have noticed a few things about these messages Amazon sends to our Followers:<br />
<ol>
<li>My message goes out to my Followers a few days after I write it. (I know this because I follow myself so I get my own messages.)</li>
<li>Apparently Amazon sends the messages from authors out even at later dates. I have received messages about books that came out quite some time ago after following authors.</li>
<li>You can edit the messages you send. I assume then the edited message will go out to new Followers.</li>
</ol>
<br />
It's my understanding that not all authors are invited to send a message to their Followers, so it's possible you may not get that invitation. If you don't, it doesn't mean you've done something wrong, made Amazon mad at you, or Amazon doesn't like your book, as I've heard some authors speculate. I think it's just a program that is developing. Maybe Amazon's algorithms analyze how many books an author has available, how many sales, how many Followers ... in other words, how active the author is. I don't know, I'm just guessing.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">How to Get Amazon Followers</span></h3>
<br />
So the question I'm sure your wondering about is, how do we get Followers? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/uTMU1" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I've been letting my contacts know they can Follow me on Amazon by putting a notice in my email signature line: "Please follow me on Amazon" with a link to my Amazon page. I put the same info in a Tweet that goes out regularly. We can also put a notice on Facebook occasionally.<br />
<br />
Another way -- perhaps the best way I've found so far to gather a lot of Followers -- is to use Amazon's Giveaway program. We will talk this more in a little bit under Giveaways.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Related Articles on Amazon Followers:</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Here are a couple of articles I found helpful where you can learn more about Amazon Followers:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/07/20/amazon-follow-lets-authors-connect-with-fans/" target="_blank">Amazon Follow Lets Authors Connect With Fans</a> on The Digital Reader</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/email-to-amazon-followers-what-to-write/" target="_blank">Email to Amazon Followers: What to Write?</a> By: Chris McMullen July 23, 2015</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Amazon Giveaways</span></h2>
<br />
In 2015 Amazon started its Giveaway program. This year Amazon added e-books and products "fulfilled by Amazon" (FBA) to its Giveaway program. Go to Amazon and look at a produce, perhaps your book or e-book. Scroll down below the reviews. Look for a button that says "Set up an Amazon Giveaway."<br />
<br />
This is a great program for authors because we can give away our own books and it becomes a great advertising tool. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/17D31" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">"During the week that a contest runs, traffic to the product pages for the giveaway prizes increases by more than 40 percent in weekly growth, Amazon said." <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/new-features-added-to-amazon-giveaway-tool-for-running-online-promo-contests/" target="_blank">Geek Wire</a></span></blockquote>
Another way authors can use Amazon's Giveaway program, is to give away something that compliments their book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/144C8" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">How Amazon Giveaways Work</span></h3>
<br />
I ran my first Giveaway in May in the week before Mother's Day. I chose to give away two copies of my print book <i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Deliver-Me-Healing-Unplanned-Pregnancy/dp/0983164908/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Deliver Me</a></i>.<br />
<br />
Here's how an Amazon Giveaway works: First you will purchase the products that you're going to give away. Amazon will charge you for the estimated taxes and shipping. Amazon will also run the entire Giveaway. And when it's over, they will ship the prizes to your winners.<br />
<br />
Now that Amazon has added e-books to its Giveaway program, it's very easy and inexpensive for an author to run a Giveaway for his or her own e-book. We still earn the royalties on the e-book, so the cost is very low. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/L549o" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">"Authors can reward entrants with their work in eBook form, so they pay no shipping fees." </span></span><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/new-features-added-to-amazon-giveaway-tool-for-running-online-promo-contests/" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.4px;" target="_blank">Geek Wire</a> </span></blockquote>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">How to Set Up an Amazon Giveaway</span></h3>
<br />
Setting up an Amazon Giveaway is fairly simple. Click on the "Set up an Amazon Giveaway" button. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">You will see three choices for types of Giveaways: random, lucky number, first come first-served. I chose the random and had decided to give two copies of my book as prizes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">When I set up my Giveaway, I kept getting an error message and it took me awhile to figure out the problem. In the second box under "select a rule for winning," it seemed to me that box was already filled in according to how many prizes I had selected. So I just let it stay as it was. But I couldn't move past this page because I kept getting an error message. I finally figured out that I had to fill in a number in that box. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">I had no idea how many participants I would have in my first Giveaway so I had no idea what number to put in that box. I finally decided on 200. That meant my participants had a one in 200 chance to win. Once I figured out to put a number in that box, I didn't get an error message and I could finish setting up my Giveaway.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">I didn't know i</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">f 200 would be a low number or a high number for my first Giveaway. Now I wish I would've set a higher number because I hit more than 200 on the second day, I think. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Next time I plan to choose a much higher number -- say 2,000.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Next you can choose a requirement for everyone entering your Giveaway. This is what makes sponsoring an Amazon Giveaway a real gem for authors.</span></span> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/8zN6W" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"> There are five choices that you can select from: follow you on Amazon, follow you on twitter, watch a short video, watch a YouTube video, or no additional requirements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">I selected the requirement to Follow me on Amazon. I had 267 participants before Amazon shut down my Giveaway because all the prizes had been given away. So presumably I now have 267 new Followers on Amazon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"></span></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">"Authors using Amazon Giveaway can require contest entrants to follow them and their books on Amazon. The feature has resulted in 300,000 new Author Follows since it launched, Amazon said." </span></span><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/new-features-added-to-amazon-giveaway-tool-for-running-online-promo-contests/" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.4px;" target="_blank">Geek Wire</a></span></blockquote>
If you want to build up your Twitter platform, you might want to choose the requirement to follow you on Twitter.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">"To date, this feature has generated over 2.8 million new Twitter followers, Amazon said." </span></span><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/new-features-added-to-amazon-giveaway-tool-for-running-online-promo-contests/" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.4px;" target="_blank">Geek Wire</a></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">I haven't yet tried making a short video or YouTube video, but I can see how that would be tremendously valuable for authors. Can't you?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">You will need to choose the duration of your Giveaway. You can choose from one to seven days. I read in an article that for some products you can choose up to thirty days if your Giveaway includes an e-book. I haven't yet seen that option for myself yet, but then I haven't tried a Giveaway with an e-book yet.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">On the next page I was surprised to see that I needed to set up the Welcome page. You will also need to name your Giveaway. You can upload an image. I used the image of my book. Duh.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000; line-height: 18.4px;">Messages to Your Amazon Giveaway Participants!</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Then you have the opportunity to write a welcome message to everyone entering your Giveaway. You get from 10 to 250 characters.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">After that you get to write a message for the win page and a separate message for the lose page, also 10 to 250 characters. All of these messages can be of great value for authors to market their books and to speak directly to their readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Finally, you have the opportunity to limit who sees your Giveaways. You can reduce the likelihood that participants will share your Giveaway with their friends. I wasn't sure what to do with that. But since I was trying to reach the widest audience to let them know about my book <i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Deliver-Me-Healing-Unplanned-Pregnancy/dp/0983164908/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Deliver Me</a></i>, I did not choose that limiting option.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">The next page is where you check out and actually purchase the items that will be given away. Once you've created your Giveaway it cannot be changed.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Let People Know About Your Giveaway!</span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">It takes a little time at Amazon to go live, but when <span style="line-height: 18.4px;">your Giveaway is up and running</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Amazon will send you an email which will include a link to your Giveaway. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">You will have a Dashboard where your Giveaway is listed. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">When I have wanted to review my Giveaway, I've had a hard time figuring out how to find my Giveaway Dashboard. So far I have been able to find the link in my browser history. There is supposed to be an easier way but I haven't figured it out yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">Your Giveaway will have its own link. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">This is the link you need to share so people can find your Giveaway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><b><i>As always, if you don't let people know about it, no one will know it's there.</i></b> Use Twitter, Facebook posts, other social media, and email to tell people about your Giveaway. </span></span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/0d0eJ" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Use a hashtag like #AmazonGiveaway. And don't forget to provide the link to your Giveaway in each of your Tweets and posts! </span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">A Few More Details About Amazon Giveaways</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Amazon takes care of everything else. They make sure that people enter only once according to their email address. They do everything to run your Giveaway, and when it's finished they ship the prizes you've already paid for to the winners.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">I wish Amazon Giveaways could be set up in advance, however that option is not available. So you have to be thinking about when you want your Giveaway to run and be ready to set it up on the day that you want it to start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Amazon Giveaways are not connected to you as an author. Anyone can run them using any product on Amazon that allows it. In the same way anyone could use your book as a Giveaway ... which is not a bad thing for an author! </span></span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/H547u" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) It might be a good practice to suggest that to people or organizations that our book compliments!<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">I think Amazon Giveaways can be a powerful way to gain Followers on Amazon, Twitter followers, or to speak to potential readers and book buyers. How might you use this feature to promote your books?</span></span> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/M8sRT" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">One of the articles I read suggested authors might run an Amazon Giveaway during an Amazon Countdown promotion.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"> </span></span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/_CRYy" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"> This would generate even more traffic and attention to your book. And an added benefit would be that the cost to you as the Giveaway sponsor would be less when you're buying your own book on sale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;">(An Amazon countdown is a sale you can run if your book is an e-book in Kindle's "Select" program. For more information see the benefits of participating in Kindle Select.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Related Articles on Amazon Giveaways:</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Here are a couple of articles where you can learn more about Amazon Giveaways and how they can benefit authors:</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li>The Geek Wire article quoted above: <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/new-features-added-to-amazon-giveaway-tool-for-running-online-promo-contests/" target="_blank">New features added to Amazon Giveaway, tool for running online promo contests </a>by Madeline Vuong on March 1, 2016</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2016/the-benefits-of-an-amazon-giveaway-for-kindle/" target="_blank">The Benefits of an Amazon Giveaway for Kindle</a> by: Chris McMullen, March 2, 2016</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">If you'd like to know when I'm running specials on my books and e-books, please subscribe to my newsletter. You'll get notices when I'm releasing a new book, when my books and e-books are going to go on sale, a few Freebie documents to help you, and more: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/DiannesNews">bit.ly/DiannesNews</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">This month, why don't you have fun building up your Amazon Followers? Think about setting up a Giveaway to promote your book or e-book.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #f1c232;">Related Articles: </span></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/06/ways-to-market-your-book-how-to-get.html" target="_blank">Ways to Market Your Book - How To Get Book Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and More</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)</a> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook</a> </span></li>
</ul>
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-73745011179073275192016-06-01T04:00:00.001-06:002016-06-01T04:00:00.246-06:00Ways to Market Your Book - How To Get Book Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and More<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1RhTecwej4CJAocqOBIPnzwLNgihZw8vm1K6G2lddPR4bjPsqd59xWEZVScNwRYWagdXROokDDqdQWAYfmCHZwSbieDsIllXnSy2vJi5p_TPurzsG7Eu1sIRcxyt-3NSkq-19VePdaM/s1600/Screenshot+Amz+Customer+Reviews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1RhTecwej4CJAocqOBIPnzwLNgihZw8vm1K6G2lddPR4bjPsqd59xWEZVScNwRYWagdXROokDDqdQWAYfmCHZwSbieDsIllXnSy2vJi5p_TPurzsG7Eu1sIRcxyt-3NSkq-19VePdaM/s320/Screenshot+Amz+Customer+Reviews.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all need more book reviews, don't we?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the previous four posts we've talked through how to get your book manuscript available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book. Now that you have your Kindle e-book available, or at least are on your way to that goal, you've got another challenge: There are millions of e-books on Kindle. How do you get your e-book noticed?<br />
<br />
Last month at a writers conference I attended, a workshop speaker said the average Kindle e-book sells only seven copies. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/WZYuo" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I asked her to repeat that just to make sure I heard it right. Yep, that's what she said. Seven copies.<br />
<br />
That's pretty sad, actually. But I have a hunch I know why some Kindle e-books sell so few copies. Many authors have the mistaken idea that they can put their e-book up on Kindle and it will sell just because it's there. This is not true. Like anything else in life, nothing happens without some effort.<br />
<br />
So the question becomes, how do you let people know about your Kindle e-book? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/27anr" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
One way to get any book noticed is with book reviews. But that's not the only way. There are probably millions of ways you can accomplish this, but let's list just a few to get you started, and then we'll talk about how to get reviews of your book.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Ways to get your book noticed</span></h2>
<br />
If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know one thing I'm big on is saving time. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Df0Hs" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) So the first thing I like to do is figure out ways to get organized. At the top of that list is finding ways to cut down on repetitive tasks that take time. Why keep reinventing the wheel?<br />
<br />
As you look for ways to market your new e-book, you will be needing some of the same things over and over again. So instead of looking up a link to your book on Amazon over and over again, why not just create a place to store that and other items that you create?<br />
<br />
I use Excel spreadsheets to store my links, my Tweets, my notes, and other data that I create. You may wish to use Google docs so this information is available to you online no matter where you are. I used to use a Word document, but it got quite cumbersome to try to find what I wanted. Using an Excel spreadsheet allows me to find what I want more quickly.<br />
<br />
So what do I store in my Excel spreadsheet? Here are some ideas. I encourage you to create your Excel spreadsheet or Google doc right now and add information to it as we go down the list:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: orange;">The link for your book on Amazon.</span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
Go to Amazon.com, find your book, copy the URL at the top of the page, and paste that into your Excel spreadsheet. Now you never have to go find that link on Amazon again. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/QcDcq" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: orange;">Create a short link to your book.</span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
I like to use bit.ly.com. You can use their free program to create a short link to your book. Simply enter that long URL, and let bit.ly shorten it for you. Then you can also customize your short link to put your book's title as the short link. Keep it short. Keep it easy to remember. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/l9jc0" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Then take your new short link, copy it, and paste it into your Excel document. Bit.ly will keep statistics of how many people click your link which is fun to know.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><b>Create Tweets that lead to your book.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
You can take the time right now to create half a dozen Twitter messages that you can use over and over. Review my blog article from July 1, 2012, "<a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-2012-making-most-of-using-twitter.html" target="_blank">Making the Most of Using Twitter</a>," and be sure to use the three parts of an effective Tweet.<br />
<br />
I like to use HootSuite.com to create my Tweets. This helps me get the lengths right. HootSuite will change your links to an owl.ly.com link, which is fine because HootSuite will also keep statistics on how many clicks that link receives. However if you don't want your bit.ly link changed to an owl.ly link, simply change that part when you store it in your Excel sheet.<br />
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As you might have guessed, I suggest you save all the tweets you create in your Excel sheet.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><b>Send your Tweets out periodically.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
If you want to let people know you have an e-book on Kindle, and how to find it, you have to tell them. Duh. So send these tweets out periodically. Obviously you don't want to send out self-promotional tweets so often you drive people crazy, but in my opinion sending them out once or twice a day is not too often. Your Tweet is one drop in the fire hose that is Twitter, so to get them seen they need to be sent out repeatedly. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/01fN6" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Just don't send them out every five minutes.<br />
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If you want help keeping your Tweets rolling, you can get my free document "3 Free Low-Maintenance Ways to Keep Your Tweets Rolling!" by subscribing to my newsletter here: <a href="http://bit.ly/DiannesNews" target="_blank">bit.ly/DiannesNews</a><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><b>Use your link on Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, etc.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
You can also use the same messages as a starting point for messages on Facebook, LinkedIn, in your blog post or guest blog posts, etc. Be sure to always use a link back to your book. One of the keys to marketing a book is to make it as easy as possible for a potential buyer to complete a transaction. So make sure your links take them directly to your book on Amazon where they may purchase it.<br />
<br />
Also, if you have a Page on Facebook, as opposed to a profile, you can schedule posts to go live in the future. You can use the link you stored in your messages to create Facebook posts to run periodically in the future, such as once or twice a week or twice a month.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><b>Include your short link in your email signature line.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
Use this simple step to let people know about your e-book every time you send out an email. People who receive emails from you will be interested in the Kindle e-book you have to offer, so let them know about it.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><b>Include your short link in your online bios.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
Anywhere you have a bio online, for example on your blogs, on your website, on Facebook, on Twitter, include your short link to your book.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm sure you can think of many more ways to let people know about your book. Any time you create something new, be sure to store it in your Excel spreadsheet. That way you don't have to create it again the next time you want to use it. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/9567X" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Ways to get book reviews on Amazon… And more</span></h2>
<br />
Another way to let people know about your book is to get reviews on Amazon. These same reviews can also be posted on Goodreads and other sites, blogs, Facebook… The list is endless. But it can be a real challenge to get those Amazon reviews.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XqaE69uAmTOcHpipg6BWBgXm8B0_yM8l6ayZwZ1rq_PqaP7L0x1uFapD8dChmemTyVIAVbOh8QSvbvRDI82Db9CaEq__RqtW1llv41bc2iNHB-feRfasmdaAlTZB4nc4J7qcvYB8Kg8/s1600/Found+on+Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XqaE69uAmTOcHpipg6BWBgXm8B0_yM8l6ayZwZ1rq_PqaP7L0x1uFapD8dChmemTyVIAVbOh8QSvbvRDI82Db9CaEq__RqtW1llv41bc2iNHB-feRfasmdaAlTZB4nc4J7qcvYB8Kg8/s400/Found+on+Facebook.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seen on Facebook, shared from <a href="http://tallpoppies.org/">TallPoppies.org/</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I saw this graphic on Facebook a while back and kept it to share with you because I feel like it has such great information. As you can see getting Amazon reviews is pretty vital to your Kindle sales. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/9f6Q8" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Because getting Amazon reviews is a dilemma for me too, I recently went looking for help. I found the following article helpful, and I'm working to put it into practice.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"<a href="http://timgrahl.com/amazon-reviews/" target="_blank">How to Launch Your Book with at Least 25+ Amazon Reviews</a>" by Tim Grahl</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
I'm creating a list of people willing to review my e-books. I'm storing that list in the same Excel document. Simply use another sheet in the same Excel workbook and rename it Amazon Reviewers. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/9i40I" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is another article I found very helpful"</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"<a href="http://www.trainingauthors.com/how-to-get-book-reviews/" target="_blank">How to Get Book Reviews -- The 5 Myths</a>" by Shelley Hitz</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
If you want more, here are some other articles I found in my search: </div>
<ul>
<li>"<a href="https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/how-to-get-endless-amazon-reviews-for-your-book-or-product/" target="_blank">How To Get Endless Amazon Reviews for Your Book or Product</a>"</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.mikemichalowicz.com/how-to-get-countless-amazon-verified-reviews-and-rabid-fans/" target="_blank">"How to Get Countless Amazon Verified Reviews (and Rabid Fans!)"</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>This one has no date (which I despise) so I have no idea how old it is, but for what it's worth: "<a href="http://www.magnoliamedianetwork.com/reviews-on-amazon/" target="_blank">How to Get Reviews by the Truckload on Amazon</a>"</li>
</ul>
<br />
Finally, be sure to review these guidelines from Amazon. You might want to also share them with the reviewers you recruit.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201602680" target="_blank">Customer Review Creation Guidelines</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
I hope this gives you plenty of information to get started on your journey of letting people know about your fantastic Kindle e-book, or any other book you have out. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/73akE" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Please come back next month when we're going to talk about two exciting new programs Amazon offers: Followers and Giveaways.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Related Articles: </span></h2>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)</a> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook</a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-16766852370689493622016-05-01T04:00:00.000-06:002016-05-01T04:00:03.792-06:00How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3xl-t5ypR9clfhSihAYyOFRBeCh9wqYAhEQQaPNny6-h7NrC5jcvCWA5c1I6hT4TYcP9zsgHw9QaHpywTYIsl6XMHg4yTcJ9ZYK3TvKRQ_a7doGM5rwWBVBJullBFhfgRfbCxGWrxpc/s1600/EBooks+blog+photo+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3xl-t5ypR9clfhSihAYyOFRBeCh9wqYAhEQQaPNny6-h7NrC5jcvCWA5c1I6hT4TYcP9zsgHw9QaHpywTYIsl6XMHg4yTcJ9ZYK3TvKRQ_a7doGM5rwWBVBJullBFhfgRfbCxGWrxpc/s320/EBooks+blog+photo+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In February we talked about </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">how to format your Word doc to be a Kindle book</a>. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We covered m</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">aking your document from Word and creating your own template.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In March we discussed <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">creating templates for your Front Matter and Back Matter</a> to reuse over and over in new e-books you create, </span></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">saving you time</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Last month, in April, we talked about <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">how to create a cover for your e-book</a> or places where you can make your own, buy one, or hire someone to make it for you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Now that we have all the pieces put together for your entire Kindle e-book, let's walk through the process of u</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">ploading it on Kindle. Exciting, right?! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ITr3Y" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This month we'll fill out the Amazon forms required to upload your e-book and get it on sale or available for pre-sale. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">You'll find more in depth information in </span><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" style="font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">the instructions you printed</a><span style="font-size: 18px;"> off back in February's post. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">While, I'm going to briefly walk through the items on the upload pages, you may want to be familiar with what you'll need. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Before you go to KDP...</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">When you're ready to put your e-book online with Kindle, you'll need to have several pieces of the puzzle ready. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/R_i7K" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) It might help to give careful thought to and prepare your:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Title</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Subtitle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Description of your book</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Keywords</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Categories</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Title</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">When choosing a title, carefully choose key words so people searching for your topic will find your book. But note: when you enter your title, it must match what is on your book's cover and inside title page exactly. Amazon doesn't allow any variation here.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Subtitle</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Again, use key words to make your subtitle SEO friendly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Note: I learned the hard way that subtitles are limited to 200 characters. If you go over, Amazon's search cannot find your book making it unsearchable! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/3SZY3" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Description</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Use your best sales pitch here to convince would-be readers that your book is the one they need. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">(Authors are notoriously not good at "selling." I wasn't. I had to learn and study how to sell things. I've taught workshops on what I learned about how to sell your book. I plan to share this information in a new e-book. Please <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">watch or Follow my Amazon page</a> for a coming e-book called "10 Tools for Marketing Your Book." To Follow, click the yellow button beneath my image. Also, watch for a post on Amazon's "Follow" program coming in July.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Keywords and Categories</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal;">Search for and find several books comparable to yours. Visit their Amazon pages, scroll down, and note what categories they are in. You may want to put yours in the same categories. Also note the key words used to describe these books.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Prep Your File for Upload</span></span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">I create a folder called "Kindle Files - [my e-book title]" and put my final documents there, including my Word document and the HTML document we're about to create. Having all these in one folder makes it easy for me to find every time I need to, like when I want to update the End Matter because I'm releasing a new book, or when I find a correction I need to make.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, the first thing you'll need to do is convert your manuscript to an HTML file. You'll find the instructions on pages 12 and 13 of your printed directions from Amazon. Simply use Word's "Save As" and choose "Web Page, Filtered." If asked about "office tags" answer yes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;">If you don't have any photos, you're done. If you do have photos, follow the directions in #3 on page 13 of your printed instructions, which is easy: You now have to files with the same title for your book, a folder and an HTML file. Right-click your HTML file, hover over "Send to," and then choose "Compressed (zipped) folder." Now click and drag that folder over the zipped file and let it go. Ta da. You're done. This is the file you'll need to upload on KDP.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Open KDP</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Now open your account at <a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/">https://kdp.amazon.com</a>. If you haven't opened your account yet, do so now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;">I'm going to briefly walk through the items on the upload pages and give you hints I've learned along the way. For more in depth instructions, follow the directions in your print out and/or on the screen at KDP.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><i>A WORD OF WARNING:</i></b></span><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span>When working on the KDP site, always save your e-book as a DRAFT until you're absolutely sure it's ready to be released -- especially if you want to take advantage of pre-sales and let people pre-order your ebook before it releases. This is because once you set it to pre-order, you can't un-do that without huge penalties! If you un-do it, you'll lose your pre-sale privileges for one year! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/qGfb5" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) You don't want to do that. So always always always save as a draft...until you've walked through all the steps and understand what you need to have done before you book goes live (final edits or whatever). So always click "Save as Draft," NOT anything that says "Publish."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">New Title</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">On the kdp.amazon.com Bookshelf page, click "Create new title."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Enroll in KDP Select? </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">I recommend you DO enroll this book in KDP Select <b><i>IF</i></b>, and only if, you plan to sell your e-book <b><i>ONLY on Kindle</i></b>. You'll be able to offer special deals when your book is live, which is good for promoting your book. However, if you want to sell your e-book elsewhere, do not enroll your book in KDP Select because this program is for books that are <b><i>only</i></b> available on Kindle.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#1 Enter Your Book Details</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Title, Subtitle </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Next you can copy / paste (to avoid typo errors) your book's title and subtitle. Again, make sure your title is exactly as it is on your cover and in your book. And make sure your subtitle does not exceed 200 characters.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Series</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">If your book is part of a series, as my e-books in my "Getting Published" series are, fill in the series title, volume, and editions.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Publisher</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Enter the name of your publishing company. Yes, you are now a publisher so come up with an awesome name for your company. (One that no one else is using.) (<a href="http://ctt.ec/71dPe" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Description</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Now, copy / paste </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">into the box</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"> that awesome description of your book that you already wrote and double-checked for errors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<div>
<h4 style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: 18px;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Book contributors</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: 18px;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">That's you. This is where you "Add contributors" and add yourself as the author. The name you put here is how it will appear on Amazon. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;">If other people helped with your book that you want to add you can, but you don't have to add anyone else. Maybe if you have someone associated with your book who also has a great presence on Amazon, it might help bring you more traffic if their name shows up.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">ISBN</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Your International Standard Book Number links to the bar code that stores scan when they ring up their sales. You have to purchase an ISBN so it costs you money. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would put one on an e-book, but you can if you want to. It's optional. You may NOT use the same ISBN as on your print book (if you have one). I leave it blank.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Amazon will assign your book an ASIN automatically which is like an ID number for your book. This costs you nothing. When you're book is assigned its ASIN, you may want to make note of it and store it in your marketing materials or somewhere handy. It helps when searching for your book, such as on Goodreads.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#2 Verify Your Publishing Rights</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">Instructions are right there.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<h4 style="color: black; font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#3 Target Your Book to Customers</span></span></h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">
</span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">This is where you enter two book categories. Choose carefully because this is how readers will find your book. However if you want to change them later, you can. Later you can change this up to see if you get better results being in a different category. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">This is where I look at which categories other similar books are in and do the same.</span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">
</span></div>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Age Ranges, etc.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read the directions and see if it applies to your book.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#4 Select Your Book Release Option</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">This is where you DO NOT want to click "Make my book available for pre-order" until you're sure you're ready to do so. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px;">A lot of this you can do in stages as you have time, if you need to. Then keep saving as "draft" (at the bottom of the page). Don't put your book for pre-sale until you have everything set because you can't un-do it!!!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<h4 style="color: black; font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#5 Upload Your Cover and #6 Upload Your Book File</span></span></h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">
</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Self explanatory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I do NOT enable digital rights management (DRM). From what I've read on this topic a few years ago, DRM can cause problems so I opt out of this one. You may want to google it, read up on it, and make your own decision. But choose carefully because I believe if you choose DRM, you CANNOT undo it. Ever!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#7 Preview Your Book</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When you have it uploaded, it's always a thrill to actually see it! Take the time to scroll through your entire book on the previewer. You'll see things that need fixed -- like a chapter that didn't start on a new page or a different margin at the top of different chapters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To fix any problems, you'd go back to your Word document, make the changes, re-save it as the HTML file, zipped file, and drag photo file to the zipped file (as described above), then come back to this page on KDP (from your Bookshelf choose to "edit" your file), and re-upload your ebook. Once done, it will take a little while to be approved, but soon your changes will go live. And your book will never be off line for sales.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">At Bottom of Page </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Be sure to click "Save as Draft" until you're sure you're ready for your book to publish or be available for pre-orders.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Page 2 -- Pricing Page</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#8 Publishing Territories</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I always go with "Worldwide rights."</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#9 Pricing and Royalty</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Enter the price you want for your e-book. You really should price your book between $2.99 and $9.99 so that you will receive 70% royalties from Amazon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In special circumstances you may want to price your book outside of that range. For example, I've priced my short e-book "Cutting the Passive Voice" at $ .99. I wanted to offer it so anyone can afford it. Also because it's short, it's very helpful to writers, and I've actually given it for free off my web site in the past.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I wanted an almost-free e-book to "give" away that would help writers. Plus, at the back of this little e-book (as with all my e-books) I have a section of "More Books by this Author." So while I'm only receiving 35% royalty on my 99-cent book, every time it goes out to someone it also has the potential of making them aware of all my other books. I feel it's a win-win for me and my readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Consider: What inexpensive yet valuable e-book can you offer for a low price that can also cross-market all your other products? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/c85cA" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#10 MatchBook</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you ONLY have the e-book version of this book (not a print version), you may not enroll in MatchBook.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">#11 Kindle Book Lending (KOLL)</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I always allow my ebooks to be in the Kindle Owners Lending Library (KOLL). Unlike a regular library, you will get paid a small amount for every page a person reads of your book. So why not? Plus it gets your work out there to more readers, who just may become fans, write you a review, or buy your next book.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">At Bottom of Page </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Click "Save as Draft" until you are absolutely positive you are ready to go. Your book is proofread. You've fixed all the problems you've found. Etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At this point you can make your ebook go live soon (within 24 hours) by checking the confirmation box and then clicking "Save and Publish." HOWEVER, I think it's very wise to always take advantage of the opportunity to take pre-sale orders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: 18px;">Making Available for Pre-Orders </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you want to do so, return to page 1 and click that you want to put your ebook for pre-orders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You can set the date for your e-book to publish up to 90 days ahead. In my experience, you won't get many pre-orders until the publishing date draws closer. (Maybe if you're famous and your book is greatly anticipated...) But don't get discouraged if you don't see many pre-sales at first.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Understand you can move your date up (closer), but you cannot move your date back (farther away) without stiff penalties. That's why I say to make doubly-sure you're ready to go before you do that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Also understand that you MUST upload the FINAL draft of your e-book ten days before it publishes. That means you can't make any changes or corrections the last ten days it's on pre-order. That's another reason to make really super sure it's ready to go before you set it for pre-order.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I love using the pre-order option. It lets me get a running start on promoting my book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/fMmBh" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I can strategically pick my publishing date -- maybe to coincide with a conference I'm teaching at or a holiday that celebrates the topic of my book. While I'm waiting for the date to arrive, I can work on <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2015/01/25-free-ways-to-market-your-book.html" target="_blank">many ways to promote the book</a>, including sending out a newsletter, offering guest blog posts, posting notices on Facebook and Twitter that readers can now pre-order -- all with links to the pre-order page on Amazon. I can also <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-2012-make-your-own-book.html" target="_blank">create a book trailer</a> and other promotional products.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On that exciting day when your book finally goes live, all your pre-sales count as sales in one day. This could land you on a "best seller's list" in one of those categories you entered for your book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Ad4ev" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Keep an eye on those categories when it goes live and you might seen it go to under 100 on those lists -- and you can click on the link to see it on that list of great books. Then you can celebrate that (and use that fun event to promote your book even more!). Post a link to the list on all your social media.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Your book might also land on a "Hot New Releases" list, which you'll see when you click through to one of the category lists. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/5wsUp" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">That's probably more than enough info for this month. So what are you waiting for? Get your e-book cooking on Kindle. Next month we'll talk about ways to market your Kindle e-book so readers can find it, plus ways to get those wonderful, pretty essential Amazon book reviews. It's one thing to have your e-book available among the millions on Amazon. It's another thing to let people know it's there and how to find it!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Here it is!</span></h2>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My next e-book in the "Getting Published" series releases on May 16! You can pre-order now and get it as soon as it releases!</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Releasing May 16, 2016!</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s1600/3+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s320/3+-+Compressed.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Query-Letters-Magazine-Publishers-Published-ebook/dp/B01DE10EPW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Query Letters: </a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Query-Letters-Magazine-Publishers-Published-ebook/dp/B01DE10EPW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">How to Write the Query (and Cover) Letter You Dread to Magazine Editors and Book Publishers</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Includes my formula for writing query letters <i><b>PLUS</b></i> 9 actual query letters for you to follow as examples. Order today!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Freebies:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Get "3 Free Low-Maintenance Ways to Keep Your Tweets Rolling!"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Also get the free document "Which Rights Are the Right Rights for a Writer to Sell?" </span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Get both here: <a href="http://eepurl.com/bUizwD" target="_blank">Subscribe to Dianne's Newsletter </a></span></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "times new roman";">Related Articles:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)</a></span></li>
</ul>
<br /></div>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-60381643234727937122016-04-01T04:00:00.000-06:002018-04-05T15:26:45.671-06:00How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja386Qe_34L9AJaytrcHSDupStlIrxgEQ-gJ7IjFPqYmLUwp-CU_w4UwiC-wfb7Z_LjquKiNJ5PN8e_V0bTPwn0L_pDOpD1tt9qXQjGdwDeDT-YlkMhSthKJs20hmlweIRl3QLwD-7KI4/s1600/EBooks+blog+photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja386Qe_34L9AJaytrcHSDupStlIrxgEQ-gJ7IjFPqYmLUwp-CU_w4UwiC-wfb7Z_LjquKiNJ5PN8e_V0bTPwn0L_pDOpD1tt9qXQjGdwDeDT-YlkMhSthKJs20hmlweIRl3QLwD-7KI4/s320/EBooks+blog+photo+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I hope you're making progress on your Kindle e-book after the previous two how-to posts. But even if you have your e-book written and formatted, you're going to need a cover for your e-book.<br />
<br />
So in this Part 3 of the series about making your own Kindle e-book, we're going to explore making your own cover for your Kindle book as well as where you can find covers to purchase or hire someone to make one for you.<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">Part 1 of this series in February</a>, we covered how to format your Microsoft Word document to make it into a Kindle e-book. <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">Last month in Part 2</a>, we talked about saving yourself time and work by creating your own Templates for your Front Matter and Back Matter. This way whenever you create a new e-book, you not only can simply copy and paste your Front and End Matter into your new e-book, but you can also easily update all your existing e-books by updating your End Matter once -- including your "More Books by You" section -- and then copying that into all your existing book documents and re-uploading them to Kindle. This updates your End Matter in each of your books and lets your readers know of your new book coming out, as well as all your other books. It's called cross promoting, it's wonderful, and you should always look for opportunities to be doing this.<br />
<br />
Oh but wait. We haven't uploaded your first e-book yet because we need a book cover.<br />
<br />
There are several ways you can get a cover for your e-book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/5aSY4" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
I have both had covers made for my Kindle books and made covers for some myself. I've also done a lot of research on where to get Kindle e-book covers. So I'll share what I know with you here. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/y0770" target="_blank">Please Tweet that!</a>) There are probably many more ways but as always I share what I've learned to help you get started and you can take it from there and run with it.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMRknXb2pJib0Q5mFkNewWsUFOwlbYWaKRV1AoKQVNWjuQjaX4C0fxgbmDDiRZMvPHl3tlBBrXPoRCQPgsF9383s9Xw8S6KdHjPRMWhIbhrhSa0seB9uqNkCVj2nGIJ8SOWySIPgmFW8/s1600/DearAmerica_Cover_Front_700px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMRknXb2pJib0Q5mFkNewWsUFOwlbYWaKRV1AoKQVNWjuQjaX4C0fxgbmDDiRZMvPHl3tlBBrXPoRCQPgsF9383s9Xw8S6KdHjPRMWhIbhrhSa0seB9uqNkCVj2nGIJ8SOWySIPgmFW8/s200/DearAmerica_Cover_Front_700px.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first book, <br />
<i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dear-America-Letter-Comfort-Grieving-ebook/dp/B007IWOFI6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Dear America</a></i>, was<br />
published in print by <br />
Ampelos Press in March<br />
2002. I made it a Kindle <br />
e-book in March 2012.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">1. Use the cover from your existing books</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">(No additional cost since you already have it)</span></h2>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7LCpFLJJGkF4OHZNI-jUMUQr05m7CEb-Y69p1hwNmz7c35VbfcFiN9fspwXtx7kD798YxTidVXGtF6Q2OfZoionICLSEx_diiANZ9bBz_YqCmr6wco-dnb1ygK_iBbn7vxwKZXnlUb8/s1600/Deliver+Me+Front+Cover+-+Compressed+copy+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7LCpFLJJGkF4OHZNI-jUMUQr05m7CEb-Y69p1hwNmz7c35VbfcFiN9fspwXtx7kD798YxTidVXGtF6Q2OfZoionICLSEx_diiANZ9bBz_YqCmr6wco-dnb1ygK_iBbn7vxwKZXnlUb8/s200/Deliver+Me+Front+Cover+-+Compressed+copy+for+web.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My second book, Deliver<br />
Me, I published in print in<br />
April 2011. I made it an<br />
e-book in 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Obviously you can use the cover image you already have for your printed books. For the first two e-books I created I used the cover I already had because these were first printed books.<br />
<br />
This was many years ago and I got help from friends to create the front cover only (without the spine or back cover). From there, it was easy to upload that file to Kindle. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Available on <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Dianne's Amazon page</a>. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click the yellow Follow button to be alerted when I release a new e-book!)</span></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">2. Create your cover on Kindle</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Free)</span></h2>
<h2>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
For some of you, it might be easiest to use the cover Creator on the Kindle site. Go to your account at <a href="http://kdp.com/">KDP.com</a> and look at the top of the Bookshelf page. The second item in the New Title Checklist has a link to their Cover Creator.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
I did play around with the Cover Creator for short time and I felt the covers I was coming up with were not as good as I could get elsewhere so I haven't used Kindle's Cover Creator. And that was a few years ago too, so it might be better now. </div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
If you're really good at creating artistic projects, yours might turn out better than mine did. So don't neglect trying Kindle's built-in Cover Creator.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">3. Use <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a> (Not Free)</span></h2>
</div>
</h2>
<br />
When I decided to create a line of at least twelve e-books for writers, I went to <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a>. If you're not familiar with <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a>, it is a site where people are willing to do many tasks for you for five dollars. Their gigs, as they call them, always start with, "For five dollars I will…". On Fiverr you can also purchase upgrades for an additional fee, so I ended up paying another five dollars for an upgraded image for each of my covers. But I still felt that was a good deal to get my e-book covers for ten dollars each.<br />
<br />
It was my goal to have each of my e-books earn back the ten dollars I spent on its cover. Everything I earn from my e-book after that is pure profit, except for the time I invested in creating them. However, as it turned out, within the first couple months my first e-book earned back as much as I paid for all twelve covers! (<a href="http://ctt.ec/b73c7" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) So they are all paid for.<br />
<br />
If you have seen my e-books for writers in my "Getting Published" series, these are the e-book covers I had made at <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a>. I'll insert the covers of the books that are out so far below so you can see them. I asked my e-book cover designer on <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a> to make all twelve covers look like a series. So she inserted the "Getting Published" bar with the circle and book inside so they would all look alike. I thought she did a great job. And I think the covers I got for ten dollars each are well worth their money.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj7ZGCOy7en2RI2N_kt3GCDmLvQsBxWpbD3zDJqFvkHUv6ZDRwqlgBOHsd3t3dbXFPVVpUTH7ye9Sa22_OvAiRwPoBEjBVF_ko9w2r8LhY80Q1BT3xWUB6g5uLvvNA8CarZYGkG9xMcw/s1600/1+-How+to+Get+Pub%2527d.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj7ZGCOy7en2RI2N_kt3GCDmLvQsBxWpbD3zDJqFvkHUv6ZDRwqlgBOHsd3t3dbXFPVVpUTH7ye9Sa22_OvAiRwPoBEjBVF_ko9w2r8LhY80Q1BT3xWUB6g5uLvvNA8CarZYGkG9xMcw/s200/1+-How+to+Get+Pub%2527d.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GT2dzcLilMPgV8OE6QEqc30Q46VM396V-UCkxFvWQe4-BDzCrx73FO3qbSOs6N3209vRiP4XvYxnx9YWkj_04vBLoajU6rQ6_Q2ekwQKqdtCnvU2U1-S1Ok9-rrg4f2EhW06dKAqemI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GT2dzcLilMPgV8OE6QEqc30Q46VM396V-UCkxFvWQe4-BDzCrx73FO3qbSOs6N3209vRiP4XvYxnx9YWkj_04vBLoajU6rQ6_Q2ekwQKqdtCnvU2U1-S1Ok9-rrg4f2EhW06dKAqemI/s200/2.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcjczJFqonjMEIHSDQUuD70ZDHU-oAiNRx7SmHO2RMmaTmDoLkqPJJxuD4ka5_YKgSuRyaY4LjRlqgV0ok0UC-etleiJNd1dy5lSJcjG3KgLniIWGNrdSdRU0gGVpPZZSQn10tsVj5aI/s1600/9+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcjczJFqonjMEIHSDQUuD70ZDHU-oAiNRx7SmHO2RMmaTmDoLkqPJJxuD4ka5_YKgSuRyaY4LjRlqgV0ok0UC-etleiJNd1dy5lSJcjG3KgLniIWGNrdSdRU0gGVpPZZSQn10tsVj5aI/s200/9+-+Compressed.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s1600/3+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s200/3+-+Compressed.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(All available on <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Dianne's Amazon page</a>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click the yellow Follow button to be alerted when I release a new e-book!)</span></div>
<br />
Oh, and by the way, I did ask my cover designer if she would offer a discount since I was having her make twelve covers. She did, and I basically got two covers free or all twelve for the price of ten.<br />
<br />
So while you need to shop around on <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a>, I think you can get a very good cover for a very good price there. You can shop around by using the search box to search for e-book covers. You should see many gigs from people who will create your e-book covers.<br />
<br />
Then you can investigate each one. Their profile will tell you what country the person offering the gig is from, if they speak English, etc.. They often display several examples of e-book covers they have created. Some of them talk to you in a video that will show you more. You can also read reviews of the service from people who have purchased that gig. You can see how many gigs they have in their queue and so that will tell you how long it may take for them to get to your project. I've had a lot of fun looking through all of the different offers and people who create e-books on <a href="http://fiver.com/">Fiver.com</a> so you might set aside some time to enjoy exploring the possibilities there.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">4. Create your cover on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> (Free)</span></h2>
<br />
When it came time to create covers for the three e-books I wanted to create from my <a href="http://biblepropheciesfulfilled.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bible Prophecies Fulfilled blog</a>, I already had images that I wanted to use. For my first e-book I wanted to use a picture I took myself of the eclipsed reddish moon called a "Blood Moon." I had also already created an image of a harvest to represent the Shemitah and I wanted to use that for my book cover. For the third book in the series I already had an image from <a href="http://morguefile.com/">Morguefile.com</a> of a Jewish priest holding the Torah which I had used on my blog. Because I already knew that I could use the image from Morguefile, I wanted to use that on my e-book cover well.<br />
<br />
So I had the images I wanted, I just needed a program to help me create my e-book covers. As I was doing other projects I noticed on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> that there is an option for creating an e-book cover. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/wUPYf" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) So I checked that out, and that template already had the correct size Kindle requires so it was easy for me to use that template to create my e-book covers.<br />
<br />
Also, because I wanted all three to look similar because they are series, I created a bar that says "Bible Prophecies Fulfilled Blog Series." I put my name as author on the cover. From that point it was easy to just change the image and change the title and the bar with the type and my author name remained the same, all lined up, same font and text color and size, so all my covers go together as in a series.<br />
<br />
I have to admit that I'm not completely satisfied with the e-book covers I created on <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a>. I don't like the way the titles don't really pop. I've tried making the text thicker, bolder, whiter. But nothing I've done so far really makes the words stand out. The titles are hard to read, especially when in the smaller thumbnail. So I think I need to work on these covers some more,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlzX7iBcNfSlu07Enkw_ArZ5DJrezaFhLWsfE4iLhomMToziJZhkvndfGhyhnvDHg2kePUi6qunsfKqJe9i1H6QjcOuv2o0ScxkiE0B1eWNic7Coym0UNFL5NEn27anApu941n0BJA1U/s1600/Four+Blood+Moons+EBook+Cover+Final+-+HR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlzX7iBcNfSlu07Enkw_ArZ5DJrezaFhLWsfE4iLhomMToziJZhkvndfGhyhnvDHg2kePUi6qunsfKqJe9i1H6QjcOuv2o0ScxkiE0B1eWNic7Coym0UNFL5NEn27anApu941n0BJA1U/s200/Four+Blood+Moons+EBook+Cover+Final+-+HR.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpjcdXh_xhAemq8f2XSfIcb8Zk0bsw8fm2Ouoxf4yhZEAVVwg-euWc01KJ3OzwoxD7tCCVnUP4szLicOQwhXUhMVrqeiwigCbv7Cs-4mch5RdqH-0e41r_nav4R0hhnD2tmKXbu1knnA/s1600/The+Shemitah+EBook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpjcdXh_xhAemq8f2XSfIcb8Zk0bsw8fm2Ouoxf4yhZEAVVwg-euWc01KJ3OzwoxD7tCCVnUP4szLicOQwhXUhMVrqeiwigCbv7Cs-4mch5RdqH-0e41r_nav4R0hhnD2tmKXbu1knnA/s200/The+Shemitah+EBook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWJo2zETijyVg8hpjrXvOUZ__pyjVBFKixgotuz_JWKqEqeaO83PT6qP1hLm8J7vM10ANsx5VysEOEpr_I-vbKT-3NsL_GmZgeTkTfw1HHpwSEI_W11ozLkCeI8PBEFMwynxtNFQzcbE/s1600/7+Feasts+of+the+Lord+Ebook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWJo2zETijyVg8hpjrXvOUZ__pyjVBFKixgotuz_JWKqEqeaO83PT6qP1hLm8J7vM10ANsx5VysEOEpr_I-vbKT-3NsL_GmZgeTkTfw1HHpwSEI_W11ozLkCeI8PBEFMwynxtNFQzcbE/s200/7+Feasts+of+the+Lord+Ebook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(All available on <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Dianne-E.-Butts/e/B004KEXS42/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Dianne's Amazon page</a>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click the yellow Follow button to be alerted when I release a new e-book!)</span></div>
<br />
Please note that when using <a href="http://canva.com/">Canva.com</a> you are creating a cover for an e-book only. So if you want to also make your book available in print you won't have the spine and the back cover to go with it.<br />
<br />
If you do want to make your book available both in print and as an e-book, you will need the spine and the back cover for your print book. In all my travels around the Internet and research on looking for covers for my books I found several articles and sites where you can get covers made for both e-books and print books. I'll share those below.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">More places to get your e-book (and/or print) cover </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Not Free)</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">5. Multiple sources in this article </span></h2>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
I came across this article with an abundance of opportunities where you can get your e-book cover made. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/ub519" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.thecreativepenn.com/bookcoverdesign/" target="_blank">Book Cover Design</a> article by TheCreativePenn.com</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">6. The Book Cover Designer </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Here you can purchase pre-made book covers or have one custom made. Costs start at about $40 and go up from there. For an additional cost, you can also purchase the cover for your print book (meaning it also includes the spine and back cover).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What I found especially fun on this site is that you can choose one artist and see all of his or her covers. So when you see a style that especially catches your attention, that artist might be the special one you're looking for.</span> (<a href="http://ctt.ec/xfm3f" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<ul style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://thebookcoverdesigner.com/" target="_blank">The Book Cover Designer</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">7. Cover Design Studio </span></h2>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
This site claims that, using their templates, you can create a do-it-yourself book cover for Create Space (that's the print arm of Amazon) and Kindle in under one hour. I haven't done that and I'm pretty sure it would take me more than an hour! They have templates you can purchase starting at $19.<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/alqn8" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span></div>
<ul style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><a href="http://www.coverdesignstudio.com/choose-category/" style="font-family: 'times new roman';" target="_blank">Cover Design Studio</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<h2 style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">8. Self Pub Book Covers </span></h2>
This site offers self publishers or independent publishers book cover design, and there are lots to choose from. You can purchase a cover and then edit the text.<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">(<a href="http://ctt.ec/0VdNb" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</span> Costs start at $69.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<ul style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><a href="http://selfpubbookcovers.com/">SelfPubBookCovers.com</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">9. Cover Vault </span></h2>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Finally, if you know how to use Photoshop and if you own that program, you may be interested in this site. I'm not sure that it actually makes e-book covers, however the site owner offers many free templates for promoting your e-books. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Dpd7O" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
I don't own Photoshop, so I didn't get very far using it. I'm wondering if Gimp.org (a free software that claims to do the same as the expensive Photoshop) would work, but I haven't taken the time to play with that. At any rate, if you're interested here is that site.</div>
<ul style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://covervault.com/" target="_blank">Cover Vault</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Where you can get images for your e-book cover </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Free)</span></h2>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If you're going to create your own e-book cover you will need an image to go on the cover. Be careful that you get an image where you either own the rights or have the rights to use on your e-book cover. There are many stock photo websites where you can get images, but make sure you're allowed to use it on your e-book without any restrictions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Of course if you take the photo yourself you can use it without restrictions as long as you don't have people or property in it that you haven't received permission to use on your e-book cover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I love Morguefile.com because we can freely use those images without restrictions. You can also alter those images if you want to and Morguefile doesn't mind. By alter I mean you can put text over the image and make other alterations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Morguefile.com <b><u>Update 4/5/18:</u></b> Morguefile has changed. The last time I was there it seemed it's no longer a good place to get images that don't have copyright restrictions. Since then I've found these which I've used and enjoye:</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://pixabay.com/">Pixabay.com</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://visualhunt.com/">VisualHunt.com</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I did find this article which I thought had a lot of good sites for free images that I'd like to check out. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/_XU6V" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I haven't had the time to check them out yet, but you can have fun doing that.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="font-weight: normal;">
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://bootstrapbay.com/blog/free-stock-photos/" target="_blank">17 Amazing Sites With Breathtaking Free Stock Photos</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
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<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My best advice for a book cover</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Whether you decide to make your own book cover or hire someone to make it for you I want to share the best advice I've ever received about making a book cover. This advice came from my cover designer for my book <i>Deliver Me</i>, Jo Hardesty. Jo told me that the cover of your book needs to tell a story. That's why I love the cover image I found for <i>Deliver Me</i>. I really feel that image tells a story. </span>(<a href="http://ctt.ec/PVh2e" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">So as you design your book cover for your new Kindle e-book keep that in mind. What image can you find that tells the story of your e-book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Next month I'll give you the tips I've learned about uploading my e-books on Kindle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">There's plenty of instruction out there if you don't want to wait, or if you want to upload your e-book for pre-sale in the mean time. One Caution: Just be sure your e-book is ready or at least nearly ready before you set it up for pre-sale on Kindle, because once you do that you can un-do it! </span><br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "times new roman";">Notes:</span></h2>
<br />
<ul>
<li>My next e-book in the "Getting Published" series is available for pre-order now. I expect this e-book to release next month, in May 2016. Get it as soon as it releases! Pre-order now here:</li>
</ul>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s1600/3+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroRYXmCwGlpCK6rvUYWdgcsEsbAYB0kAmtJlU-G5hzoNAd2UKiidXmFWNOeRjoZ4e8BkdbScHiWi7zh7At3QSH_v9JbQuutX6SJbeyOVl4fS8LNuwqfXceaCVrgxzEykLmn39OcP1KEs/s320/3+-+Compressed.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Query-Letters-Magazine-Publishers-Published-ebook/dp/B01DE10EPW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Query Letters: </a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Query-Letters-Magazine-Publishers-Published-ebook/dp/B01DE10EPW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">How to Write the Query (and Cover) Letter You Dread to Magazine Editors and Book Publishers</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Includes my formula for writing query letters <i><b>PLUS</b></i> 9 of my actual query letters for you to follow as examples. Only $3.95. Order today!</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm currently offering a new document titled "Which Rights Are the Right Rights for a Writer to Sell?" for free to subscribers to my newsletter, If you've already subscribed, I'll include a link to the document in the April 2016 issue. If you'd like to sign up, you can do that here: <a href="http://eepurl.com/bUizwD" target="_blank">Subscribe to Dianne's Newsletter </a></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "times new roman";">Related Articles:</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-manuscript-into-kindle.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images</a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br /></div>
Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-49891313654796276812016-03-01T04:00:00.001-07:002016-03-01T04:00:02.049-07:00How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVEO2xPaksNQnFB3Hw7AXlC-T703F1PZs15IThJkAkurUCmqO1LSAGWJIGF5y3r_QspBik5MiJPl9cW54l_YnXdTw5CekZNR08Kn8OcDAUyLpekTSTdDOCrMuNQKSmG9Acmm_iw68fFk/s1600/EBooks+blog+photo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVEO2xPaksNQnFB3Hw7AXlC-T703F1PZs15IThJkAkurUCmqO1LSAGWJIGF5y3r_QspBik5MiJPl9cW54l_YnXdTw5CekZNR08Kn8OcDAUyLpekTSTdDOCrMuNQKSmG9Acmm_iw68fFk/s400/EBooks+blog+photo+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
My printed instructions from Kindle on how to make a</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
Word document into a Kindle e-book.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last month we talked about how to format your Word document to be a Kindle e-book. We covered how to let Word create your Table of Contents, saving your time and energy by creating your own template for your future Kindle books, and more. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Vd91a" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Find that post here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a><br />
<br />
Your homework from the previous post was to get your book written and your document formatted.<br />
<br />
This month we'll talk about creating your front matter, back matter, and inserting images. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/eB4nL" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Introducing my newest e-book: <i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Feasts-LORD-Tabernacles-Prophecies-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B01BHE3GSA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">The 7 Feasts of the LORD</a></i></span></h2>
<br />
Before we start on this month's instructions, I've been working hard on my own Kindle e-book and I now have it available for pre-order. It will release later this month in time for Easter. I hope this inspires you in what you can do with your projects.<br />
<br />
This is the third in my series, "Best of Bible Prophecies Fulfilled Blog."<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgaV_7xzaisK7tMkHOx2ZsDnRfuqRZQIc2w1cTSL4mt7rJea8lARc8rJiySdEte3UnenOm_p841quM-MDXzB7fgOuPVrlgnNri6V98tqvPNb1fpG4BxCJ66QYCLa9jS7w0VrlummM-Nw/s1600/7+Feasts+of+the+Lord+Ebook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgaV_7xzaisK7tMkHOx2ZsDnRfuqRZQIc2w1cTSL4mt7rJea8lARc8rJiySdEte3UnenOm_p841quM-MDXzB7fgOuPVrlgnNri6V98tqvPNb1fpG4BxCJ66QYCLa9jS7w0VrlummM-Nw/s320/7+Feasts+of+the+Lord+Ebook+Cover+Final+Compressed+Web.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Feasts-LORD-Tabernacles-Prophecies-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B01BHE3GSA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">The 7 Feasts of the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span></a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you've ever wondered what the seven Feasts of the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> are, what they mean, or why they're important, you'll want this e-book. Its short chapters are easy to read. It covers all 7 of the Feasts. You'll learn what each of the Feasts are, where they came from, and how they relate to Jesus. You'll see how the first four Feasts were fulfilled when Jesus came and walked the earth and in his death and resurrection.<br />
<br />
You'll also learn how the last three Feasts not only teach and prepare us for, they also predict, His second coming. Learn how these Feasts are connected to the Blood Moons you heard so much about in 2014 and 2015, which were the subject of an earlier Kindle e-book I produced.<br />
<br />
All this plus a brand new Leader's Guide is included in the e-book. You'll be equipped to easily share the information with your Bible study, friends, and family.<br />
<br />
Pre-order your copy right now. Get it the moment it releases. Please share with your friends: (<a href="http://ctt.ec/2sIeY" target="_blank">Tweet this!</a>)<br />
<br />
Order here: <i><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Feasts-LORD-Tabernacles-Prophecies-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B01BHE3GSA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">The 7 Feasts of the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span></a></i><br />
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Now, more on how to create your own Kindle e-book:<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Create a Template of Front Matter and End Matter</span></h2>
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Do you think you might create more than one e-book? You'd be wise to plan more books because the sales of your e-books increase as you create more e-books because you can cross promote all your other books in each e-book.<br />
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That's why I strongly recommend you create your Front Matter and End Matter in separate Word files on your computer. Why? Because…<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>You can copy and paste them into each new e-book without having to re-recreate them.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Why not just put them into your template? Because…<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>When you have them in separate files, you can update them whenever you want and then copy and paste them into each e-book document that you've already created.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Why would you want to do that? Because…<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>You may want to tweak your front matter. But you'll definitely want to tweak your back matter with every new e-book you publish.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Why? Because…<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>In your End Matter you will want to include "More Books by…" You'll also want to include "About the Author" which will probably need to be updated with each new book. So when you have your End Matter in one document, it's an easy thing to update it once with your new e-book's image, description, and link, and then cut / paste your entire End Matter into each of your already-published e-books' documents. Then you can re-upload each of your e-books again to Kindle and you'll have your newest e-book in your "More Books by You" section in every e-book that's downloaded from then on. Readers will see your other books, including your newest one and you'll get more sales. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/se75y" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
So create two new Word documents: one for your Front Matter and one for your End matter. I put both documents in a separate folder so I can find them easily.<br />
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We'll now create your Front Matter and then we'll create your End Matter next.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Your Front Matter Template</span></h2>
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Your Front Matter includes a:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Title page</li>
<li>Copyright page</li>
<li>Dedication (optional)</li>
<li>Acknowledgements (optional and now I'm seeing more and more at the back of a book. If you want yours at the back of your book, put this in your End Matter.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Title Page</span></h4>
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I create a title page with a placeholder for the title.<br />
<br />
I include my name, my publishing company, and anything else I want. I create these in different fonts and font sizes to make things stand out and so it looks nice.<br />
<br />
When I'm ready to create a new e-book, it's then easy to type in the title and everything else usually stays the same. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/f92C6" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) With fonts, fonts sizes, and any other formatting already set, all my e-books have the same look to them.<br />
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A word about fonts: Kindles won't do a lot of different fonts, so don't spend a lot of time creating with fonts. I make my title in a large font, my author name in a small font. My publishing company in a small font at the bottom of the title page. If you have a logo for your publishing company, you can insert it here as an image. (See below for how to properly deal with images so they work right in your Kindle e-book.)<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Copyright Page</span></h4>
<br />
Insert a page break after your Title Page and then create a copyright page for your e-books. I followed the patterns of other books to create mine. You can follow my template to create yours if you want to. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/aan9o" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) I can't remember now where I found the paragraph included below, but I do remember permission was given to copy and use it.<br />
<br />
I added "Cover image: by…" and "Cover design: by…" just because I wanted to acknowledge Morguefile.com where I often get my images, even though Morguefile allows free use of its images and giving credit or attribution is not required.<br />
<br />
I put a note in about my blog only because for this particular e-book I recycled the information in the e-book from my blog. Unless you want to make a special mention like that, you can leave that off.<br />
<br />
Here is what I put on my copyright page:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Copyright © 2016 by Dianne E. Butts<br />
A Publication of Connections Press<br />
Cover image: by Morguefile.com<br />
Cover design: by Dianne E. Butts </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This information was originally published on the <a href="http://biblepropheciesfulfilled.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://BiblePropheciesFulfilled.blogspot.com </a>blog. © 2014 – 2015 and beyond Dianne E. Butts Kindle Edition </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. This e-book may be available for Kindle Prime members in the Kindle Lending Library. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
If you include a Dedication and/or Acknowledgements, be sure to format those words at the top of your page using Heading 1 as described in the <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for your chapter titles. You want to use Heading 1 so they will automatically show up in your Table of Contents.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Your End Matter Template</span></h2>
<br />
For your End Matter, create another Word document.<br />
<br />
Put "More Books by…" at the top of the page. Use Heading 1 so this will show up in your Table of Contents.<br />
<br />
Insert images of your other books here. (Don't copy and paste them in. Use the Insert menu in Word. See below about adding images.) Add the title, price if you want to, and make the title a link to your book on Amazon. These links work so a reader can go directly to your book and make the purchase. Note that if your book is available on other e-platforms, it's not a good idea to link to them as those are Amazon's competitors. So think before you link. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/4Q1d2" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>)<br />
<br />
Once you have this part of your End Matter created, I recommend that every time you create another book (e-book or print), you:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>add it here with an image and a link. </li>
<li>Then copy / paste your new End Matter into each previously-created e-book document. </li>
<li>Then re-upload each e-book to Kindle.</li>
</ul>
<br />
That way all your books will be in the End Matter of all your books and you will always be cross-promoting your other books.<br />
<br />
Insert a page break after your last book.<br />
<br />
After your inserted page break, type "About the Author" at the top of the next page, again using Heading 1 so Word will automatically add it to your Table of Contents as we learned in the<a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank"> previous post</a>.<br />
<br />
Here you can insert your author photo (Don't paste it in. See the section below.) and a bio about yourself. Keep it fairly short. Your readers will want to know a little bit about you, but they won't read pages.<br />
<br />
Your photo is needed so readers can make an emotional connection with you. They want to see your welcoming, smiling face. This would be the same photo you'd put on the back cover of a print book. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Ut4yM" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) But you get more room to tell about yourself than you can on the back of a print book.<br />
<br />
You can also add links to your web site, blog, and social media pages. (Amazon doesn't mind these because they're not leading to competing booksellers.)<br />
<br />
You can put these "About the Author" first in your End Matter and "More Books by You" last if you want to. I continually wonder which should come first. I finally decided I'd rather put my other books first because I want to catch readers who might skip this end matter. If I can interest them in other books I have available, I want to do it right away. If they have to scroll through my Author bio, they might not and I might lose a sale.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">How to Put Images Into Your Kindle E-Book</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NZMivEYnzk67MNotBddgDm-Gbtj-ugCWKV2UF_FuwE3Z1NDzP3ixvqeL5V60v_WFvcJCEqf2RePnSESvx3O4xYza4seO1h2Zho1l8j0U6uuG2PqcMFuUHn9HhJuqtaoQtZYHEG9ecT4/s1600/EBooks+blog+photo+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NZMivEYnzk67MNotBddgDm-Gbtj-ugCWKV2UF_FuwE3Z1NDzP3ixvqeL5V60v_WFvcJCEqf2RePnSESvx3O4xYza4seO1h2Zho1l8j0U6uuG2PqcMFuUHn9HhJuqtaoQtZYHEG9ecT4/s320/EBooks+blog+photo+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pay special attention to the instructions for inserting<br />
images on page 3.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When you're working with a Word document for other uses, you can often copy and paste an image into your document. However that doesn't work for a Kindle book. So when you have an image you want to put into your book, such as your author photo in your "About the Author" section or the images of the covers of your other books, you can't just copy the image and paste it into your e-book document. Don't ask me why, it just won't work for Kindle.<br />
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For your images to work correctly in your Kindle book, you need to use the "Insert" menu on Word and select "Picture." (<a href="http://ctt.ec/Xl9bq" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Then a box opens where you can find the image and past it in. Leave it centered.<br />
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Pay close attention to this section on page 3 in the Kindle instructions which you printed out in the <a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Tips from Dianne</span></h2>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">How to Strip Annoying Codes</span></h4>
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Occasionally I want to use material from another source, such as my own blog, to put into my e-book. If you just copy from that source and then paste it into your Word document, it can carry with it all kinds of coding that can cause you headaches trying to find it and get rid of it. One way to get rid of all the coding is to use Notepad on PCs. (<a href="http://ctt.ec/1mfcw" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) Mac has a similar program.<br />
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Copy your material into Notepad first. Notepad will strip all the codes out. Then re-copy the words and paste it into your Word doc and it should behave because all that coding is gone.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Create Internal Links</span></h4>
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You can create internal links in the text of your Kindle e-book so your reader can jump around inside your manuscript and immediately go to another location you've referenced.<br />
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One use for internal links is footnotes. For example if you create a footnote in your book, your reader can click an internal link and read the footnote, and the come back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms2Ci74cQ0Og3du3giqq_Zc7FJc-UDYy6Om74UEDnAhTa6izLPyMoPhI9pnaSyOct6PYMoOw3gLWKuHAulG_e5iQKclSHY8l7SdR-IweGFc_qAeUu4i4yJB-CZdoN0KMw0wkJFqEHuA8/s1600/3+-+Compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms2Ci74cQ0Og3du3giqq_Zc7FJc-UDYy6Om74UEDnAhTa6izLPyMoPhI9pnaSyOct6PYMoOw3gLWKuHAulG_e5iQKclSHY8l7SdR-IweGFc_qAeUu4i4yJB-CZdoN0KMw0wkJFqEHuA8/s200/3+-+Compressed.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will be my next<br />
Kindle e-book ... once<br />
I figure out all the<br />
internal links it will need.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My next e-book in my "Getting Published" series for writers is going to be about writing query letters. Back in 2003 I created a printed, paper copy of this same material. In it I have a list of 18 items to include in your query letter. Then I included seven actual query letters in the pamphlet. In each of these seven query letters, I found each of the 18 items that letter included and put the corresponding number in the margin so my reader could locate examples of each item in the sample query letters.<br />
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But when I wanted to create an e-book with this same material so it would be accessible to a lot more people who need it, I was completely stymied on how to create that association between the instructions and the examples. There's no way I could put a number floating out in the margin of the sample letters and have it stay in the correct location in an e-book.<br />
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This is why I've been procrastinating on creating this particular e-book. And this is what has stopped me for so long from rolling out more e-books for writers.<br />
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I just couldn't figure out how to do it! It was a roadblock.<br />
<br />
Recently I thought about creating internal links to accomplish the same thing as my numbers in the margin of my printed pamphlet.<br />
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It seems like a lot of work. And I've struggled to figure out how to link everything I want to link together. But I think I have it in my head. Doing it feels daunting, so I've put it off. But I think the work will pay off for my readers once I get it done.<br />
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What project do you have that could hold added value for your e-book buyers if you created internal links? (<a href="http://ctt.ec/62E2k" target="_blank">Tweet that!</a>) It's something to think about.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Coming next...</span></h2>
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Next month we'll talk about e-books covers. You're going to need a cover for your e-book. We'll look at where to have one made at an affordable price, where you can create your own, and what you want to consider when creating your cover.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #741b47;">Related Article:</span></h2>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://buttsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-manuscript-kindle-e.html" target="_blank">How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />Dianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.com0