‘To Thine Own Self Be True’: What’s Your ‘Heartsong’?

013771027 william shakespeare period cloThis line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet first squirreled its way into my brain in 10th grade English class.

But why does it take so long to learn it? And what does it really mean?

The full quote is:

 “To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

 For me, it goes way beyond the “be yourself,” “be authentic” advice.

For me, it’s about following my passion. About doing the thing in life my heart is telling me to do, regardless of whether the world sees my work as a commercial success. It’s about not sitting in an assisted living center wondering what would have happened if I had written that book that was my life’s dream.

Your heart will tell you if you just listen

This week, I had an interesting conversation with someone in the book publishing industry. This person told me that I shouldn’t write a memoir. That it won’t sell because I am not a celebrity. That I should consider writing it in some other format.

And I knew in my gut that this person was wrong. That I had to do this.

“There are people out there who tell you you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn around and say, ‘Watch me.’”

To the kiddos in my elementary school classroom, I used to say, “Do the thing you didn’t think you could do” and “Figure out your own way to show me what you have learned.” That philosophy spilled over into every part of the classroom. For a social studies project, one student wrote a rap song, another created a short play with historical figures as the main characters. Someone else used mixed media to make a visual arts exhibit.

They did it their way.

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Why Am I Here?: Navel Gazing for Writers

Why Am I Here?: Navel Gazing for Writers

We writers have grand plans. Getting an A-list agent. Selling 250,000 copies of our first book. Scheduling our appearances on The Today Show and Good Morning America.

We know we have to do a lot of work—writing the book and promoting the heck out of it—but sometimes it can feel that our end goal was merely publishing a successful book.

The book is not the end goal

Now, if you know me, you know I am not into the woo-woo stuff. I’m kind of a practical girl.

But I just started an eye opener of a class. It’s a six-week online intensive course called  Build Your Author Platform from Dan Blank of wegrowmedia.com.

I’m not here to sell you on the program (so far, it’s been wonderful), and I’m not an affiliate or anything. But, rather, I wanted to share with you an epiphany I had during the first week.

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Guy Kawasaki Hits a Home Run with His New Book, ‘APE’

APEBefore you say, “But I’m not especially fond of primates,” hang on. APE stands for Author-Publisher-Entrepreneur. And I am going out on a limb here when I say that this is one of the most honest, least hypey, overall best books I have read on self-publishing in a long time.

Kawasaki and his co-author Shawn Welch walk you through the steps of writing and publishing your own book with an even-handed, comprehensive and sequential approach. Instead of falling into the trap of “Write and Publish Your Book in 5 Days!,” they admit that it’s more work self-publishing because many more things can go wrong and it’s up to you to fix them.

This book focuses on e-publishing and, while ebooks are currently no more than 10 percent of the market, it is a quickly growing trend.

At the same time, the authors offer all the resources you will need to succeed. Throughout the book, you get cool tools, including easy-to-read charts that help you digest and apply the information quickly. And, because first-time authors are at the greatest risk of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous companies that promise them the world, the section on avoiding the scams is especially valuable.

A review of APE: Author-Publisher-Entrepreneur

I’m starting you off with this hilarious 4+-minute video, called So You Want to Write a Novel. But you can substitute the word “book” for every time “novel” is used because it applies to authors of all kinds. I guarantee this is worth 4 minutes of your time:

The three parts of APE:

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The Most Unsexy Trait of Successful Writers (and Other Humans)

Note: My deepest apologies if you are a subscriber who got this post in your feed before it was finished. I’m working with a new theme and must have pressed the wrong button! Here is the real, complete version.

I am a lover of quotes. I collect them like snow globes, fountain pens and new memoirs. I marvel at the wittiness of their authors. How did they find just the right mix of words to inspire me so?

Just last week, my friend Mark Combs, blogger at Splinter in the Mind’s Eye, sent me a link to an inspiring collection of quotes by famous authors—some familiar to me, others I’d never seen.

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5 Ways to Know You’re at a Writers’ Conference

girl on boatLast weekend I hit the road—and the water—for the Whidbey Island Writer’s Conference. I have been to a bazillion conferences in my day: they were events for teachers, or direct mail copywriters, or bloggers or marketers, depending on what field I was in at the moment.

They all blur together in my mind. The thought leaders, the consultant/speakers, the trade shows, the sturdy little conference bags with the cool gifts inside. The tickets for free drinks at the end-of-day happy hours.

But, somehow, this event had a totally different feel.

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What I Learned When I Visited the AUTHORNOMICS Blog

A couple of weeks ago, I found a new blog. New to me—but not to lots of other folks. It is the brainchild of Andrea Hurst of Andrea Hurst & Associates and supported by the talented writer and blogger Katie Flanagan. What I love about Andrea’s blog is that it melds the literary agent’s view of things with practical publishing ideas in the digital age. Really, it’s the best of both worlds.

Andrea has a series going on right now called AUTHORNOMICS. I had the honor of being interviewed for it this week. The questions were smart and, as usual,  I learned more about myself and my work as I thought about the answers. I encourage you to poke around the site and would absolutely love it if you popped over to the interview and shared a thought or two in the comments. Just go here.

 

Write Better in 2012 by Reading More: What’s on Your Bookshelf?

bookshelfI hope you are finding time to refresh and rejuvenate this week between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve been reading a lot, since Bob, Mr. WordPress, gave me the best Christmas present ever. It was better than the warm, fuzzy socks. Better even than the foaming bath oil and scented candle from L’Occitane.

It was a Kindle!

Now, when you live on a ferry-only island, getting just about anywhere on the mainland—a mega-grocery store, a library, a bookstore—can take at least half a day. If you happen to miss the ferry that runs hourly, it takes even longer. But if you have a Kindle, with Amazon’s one-click buy and instant download, you can make your purchase and start reading within seconds.

It was the perfect solution.

You’ve heard me talk about why writers and bloggers should be readers, too. So, in the spirit of sharing, I offer my best reads of 2011. Note: I am not an affiliate and have no financial motivation for recommending these. I just think they are the best books I read in 2011.

My favorite reads of 2011

Personal Essays/Memoirs

Holidays on Ice– David Sedaris writes a collection of laugh-until-you-snort, holiday-themed stories and personal essays. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be  “Santaland Diaries,” his accounting of the Christmas he worked as a Macy’s elf.

Lit – I’ve been in love with Mary Karr’s storytelling since The Liars’ Club, her memoir of growing up in a hardscrabble Texas town with an unstable family. Her new book follows her journey from drunk to sober, in only the darkly hilarious way she can tell it.

Paris to the Moon – This is not a new book (2000), but it was new to me. New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik offers a collection of 23 essays and journal entries about what he learned when he, his wife and their son spent five years in Paris. Told with the observation of a reporter, with an extra dose of wit and charm thrown in.

The Craft of Writing

On Writing – Again, not a new book, but one I read at least once a year. In the first part, Stephen King gives us a peek into how his childhood shaped him as a writer. The second half gives us his best writing advice. My favorite takeaway sentence: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.

Story Engineering– My friend, the talented Larry Brooks, writes about how to build a story with a foolproof process that made more sense to me than any other book I’ve read on plotting.

The Art and Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner’s Manual – Victoria Mixon’s book has applications for storytelling—and for life. You’ll find everything you need to know about writing a story, all in one place. I haven’t read her sequel yet, but I’m going to pick it up.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing – A writer friend recommended Mark Levine’s book to me and I wasn’t disappointed. Industry professionals say it’s a must-read for anyone considering self-publishing their book. A helpful and concise breakdown of the costs, contracts and process of self-publishing.

The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-standard Text for Writing and Life – I’ll be talking about this in a separate review on my blog, but just let me say that whether you want to write life stories to give your children and grandchildren or you want to formally publish a memoir (or know someone who does), you must get this book. Marion Roach Smith shows you how to find your memoir’s theme/topic and pull only the ideas that apply to it. Brilliant stuff.

Write the Perfect Book Proposal – I can’t say enough good things about Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman’s book. They are both agents who have sold hundreds of titles to publishers. In the first part, they give you step-by-steps for writing a book proposal that editors and book publishers will notice. The second half looks at 10 actual proposals that sold and why. I followed their advice and already have  a strong first  draft of my proposal completed.

Inspirational

Dream Save Do – My friends Betsy and Warren Talbot, of the Married with Luggage blog had a dream: to travel the world for five years. Whether you want to do that, or write your book, or start that business, or whatever, you can follow the steps to your dream with this book. What I love is that it’s not just the dreaming part; it’s the doing part. They show you exactly how to raise the money to do it. Digital version only.

One Hundred Names for Love – Diane Ackerman has written an inspiring love story about her gifted writer husband Paul West’s journey back to the world of words after suffering a devastating stroke. This amazing story starts with West being unable to speak (except for “mem, mem, mem”) and ends with a return to his desk and the writing of three more novels. Very inspiring.

There they are: my recommendations for 2011. By this time next year, I plan on having a link to my first book. ,

What about you?

Do you have any favorite reads from 2011?

Like to tell us what you loved and why?

My Public Promise: Just 59 Days Left

Last year about this time (okay, it was in December), I made a public decision. I announced it over at my other blogging home, For Bloggers, By Bloggers.

I don’t know about you, but I can weasel out of commitments to myself quite easily. But when I tell someone else I’m going to do something, well, that’s different. Because what will they think of me if I screw up, if I don’t do what I said I would do?

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A Sneak Peek (and Free Lifetime Membership) for Cat’s Eye Readers—if You Hurry

peek through fenceMany of you who hang around here are published authors. Some of you are writers with a book in the works—or on your to-do list. And even if you don’t have plans to write a book, you probably know writers in your family or social networking circles.

You know me. I’m not one to get blown away by social media sites. But two days ago, Deborah Herman (husband of Jeff Herman and co-owner of the Jeff Herman Agency), sent me an email with some pretty exciting news.

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How I Got Unstuck: Story Engineering

Larry BrooksIf you don’t tell stories, and never ever plan to, you might want to skip this post.

On the other hand, you might be a beginning fiction writer whose story is falling apart somewhere in the middle.

Or maybe you have a friend or family member who has that great American novel in him, flapping its wings, trying to get out.

Or, could be you just like to watch movies and try to figure out what makes the stories in them work.

Maybe you are fascinated by human psychology and like to understand what makes people do the things they do. What makes them tick.

Well, then, this blog post is for you.

How I got unstuck

I have read a lot of books on the craft of writing. My office library is crammed with titles.

And each one has helped me. But until now, I didn’t know what was missing.

Sure, I’ve been inspired big-time by these authors. I learned how to release my inner creativity. I did 7 years of journal (free, unstructured) writing.

I found my voice.

And what do I have to show for it? A meandering, half-finished novel. Filled with rich and interesting characters, action-packed (if disjointed) scenes and a few pieces of dialogue I’m downright proud of.

Still, it wasn’t going anywhere. Because I didn’t get the essence of story.

I didn’t get the structure.

A few weeks ago, I read Larry Brook’s new book, Story Engineering,  and all that is changing.

Brooks, a best-selling novelist, screenwriter and writing instructor, has written a book that helps writers wrap their brains around storytelling through 6 core competencies. It isn’t just another book on what needs to be done. It’s a blueprint for how to do it.

Brooks explains that there are certain things that need to happen at certain points in a story. And though I felt I had a good grasp on the content in the first third of the book—concept, character and story theme— it was in the remainder, starting with story structure, where I saw I was failing miserably.

Because no one had ever taught me that before.

Now I have a white board in my office—I call it my story board—with a map to remind me of when each of the four parts of my story should happen, when the plot points should emerge and all that other story structure stuff.

In his friendly but instructive way, Brooks takes us through story structure, using The Da Vinci Code as a case study. And from that, we see a living, breathing example of how a story works—on all levels.

In Larry’s words:

On picking the right kind of story to tell:

More authors publish romances than any other genre of fiction. So why don’t I go there? Because it’s not who I am as a writer. A better choice is to always write the kind of book you enjoy reading. The kind of book that allows who you are to surface and to touch others.

On the downside of writing your first draft “pantster” style (by the seat of your pants):

One way to develop your story is to just sit down and write the darn thing. To draft it organically. To make it up as you go along. …[but] with an organically grown draft, you have to use subsequent drafts to find the story. That’s usually a lot of extra drafts before you stumble upon it.

On the dangers of valuing voice over structure:

Narrative voice is merely, well, nice when it happens. Fluid, elegant writing is a commodity, and when it becomes the focus…it will get you absolutely nowhere, other than an A on a community college report. Agents and editors and producers are looking for great stories, well told, with solid structure at their heart.

The missing piece Brooks provides in this book is the plan—the process—for successfully getting from the set-up of our story to the resolution.

I recommend it for writers at all levels who have a story in them that needs to be told.

Larry Brooks

Larry’s special offer— for Cat’s Eye readers only

If you have gotten this far in the post, you are likely a writer, or you are interested in writing— or you know someone who is.

Larry has a special offer only for my readers: a free copy of his ebook, 101 Unpredictable Tips for Novelists and Screenwriters if you purchase a copy of Story Engineering. This idea-packed ebook is full of tips and tricks to increase your productivity, channel your creativity and, ultimately sell more of what you write.

All you have to do is purchase Story Engineering, then email Larry at storyfixer (at) storyfix dot com. Put “Judy Sent Me” in the subject line and he’ll send you a downloadable file with your very own copy of 101 Tips.

How cool is that?

Have you written any stories?

Which style are you: a pantster or a plotter?

Oh, and if you are serious about your writing, you might want to subscribe to Larry’s blog, StoryFix.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Larry’s book to review. These opinions are mine and mine only. I have not been compensated and am not an affiliate.

From Book to Blog to Book Again


Welcome to another edition of Top 10 Tuesdays, a semi-regular series introducing you to some of the finest bloggers around, my fellow winners of a 2011 Top 10 Blogs for Writers award.

This week, meet Larry Brooks from StoryFix.com. Larry blogs about getting real with your writing dream and the unvarnished truth about what it takes to get published.

From Book to Blog to Book Again

by Larry Brooks

People like to talk about where they came from. Their roots. As if it means something in context to the present.

Sometimes it does. Sometimes, not so much.

Blogger to blogger, I believe it does mean something in our world of writing and sharing online. Especially if, in addition to writing a blog, you are planning to write or are already writing a book.

Most bloggers encounter this notion somewhere between scoring their tenth and one thousandth subscriber.

If you are considering a book, good on ya. It’s a natural outgrowth of your evolution as both a blogger and a writer, and the field is more open than ever with the promulgation of self-publishing venues.

But, when you are about to pull that trigger, you need to know there’s a bold new criteria out there for publishing it. Something that wasn’t around ten years ago.  It’s as essential for self-published authors as it is those who snag a contract from a traditional publisher, arguably even more so.

And the good news is, it’s something bloggers have a head start in accomplishing.

To sell a book these days you need an author’s platform.

An established base of readers and followers. A place to sew the seeds of your book and create a little buzz.  A means of generating sales on Day One of your book’s shelf life.

Blogging is the best and, realistically, only way to get this done. Because nothing says “I’m here, read me!” quite like a provocative and consistently engaging blog.

I’ve recently been down this road, and I’d like to share a bit about the journey.

I came to blogging after having published four novels. Paperback originals, the kind that tend to disappear from the shelves after six months or so, relegated to the Used tab on an Amazon.com page. That didn’t exactly position me as the next Jonathan Franzen, but it did provide a foundation for my work as a writing teacher.

My blog site, Storyfix.com, leveraged both of those established identities. I was a published writer. I was an experienced writing teacher.  Both of which substantiated my brand as one who blogs about how to tell effective stories via novels and screenplays.

And a brand is a wonderful thing. Because it can take you places you didn’t originally envision.

Frankly, I didn’t launch the blog as a strategy to get a book deal.  But that’s what happened. And it’s important to note that the book deal wouldn’t have happened any other way.

The name of this game is credibility.

You need it to grow your blog, and you need it to snag a book deal or successfully launch a self-published book. Period.

There are a plethora of great blogs that aren’t based on branded credibility.  These are sharing blogs, commiserating blogs, exploratory blogs. They draw readers who seek to share the journey and swap information.

These blogs don’t often score a book deal, and they aren’t really a viable author platform, at least in the sense that publishers prefer, because they aren’t positioned as expertise-based.

Exceptions abound – including Carrie’s blog to book journey on Sex in the City – but for the most part this defines your odds.

The notion of translating my blog content into a book was an evolution of the blog itself. It made so much sense on so many levels, not the least of which was that the content for the book was two-thirds already written in the form of posts.

That, coupled with my fleeting 15 minutes as a novelist, positioned me to approach a publisher with a book pitch.

Let’s be clear: without either element – the track record and then the blog that leveraged it – the book deal wouldn’t have happened.

From that initial pitch came an invitation to present a more formal proposal.

It was a massive and intimidating document, which called for sample chapters, career background, a table of contents and a vision for why readers would flock to it.

Try writing a table of contents for a book you haven’t written yet. At least with an established blog you have a shot at completing it before you resort to Xanax.

At the heart of it, though, was something I’d heard of but not expected: they wanted a detailed explanation of my author’s platform.

Had the blog not been in play, had it not already had several thousand subscribers, the book deal wouldn’t have happened for that reason alone.

No platform, no book. That’s the way it’s done today.

Bloggers With A Book Idea, Take Notice

If your forthcoming book is non-fiction, a thriving blog is non-negotiable.

It’s the first thing they’ll look for, and when they find it, the next thing they’ll look for is your established credibility to write both the blog and the book itself.

This isn’t journalism, where you research a topic and then write about it. Rather, it’s writing from a basis of proven expertise and experience.  If that’s not the context of your blog, consider tailoring it in that direction.

Because that’s the Golden Ring of author credibility for publishers.

When credibility is in place, the thing that makes your blog soar – other than your writing chops and networking savvy – is the same thing that will make your book publishable.

If you’re writing fiction, the game shifts, but only slightly. Self-published novels absolutely and completely depend on an online author presence to find an audience beyond family and friends.

And while you can tweet and ‘friend’ your way to visibility, ala Amanda Hocking, there’s nothing like a blog to pave the way to book sales.

Is there a book lingering beneath the masthead of your blog?

Look again.

Because if you’ve proven that you’re there for a good reason, that same rationale just might translate to a publishable book.

Larry Brooks is the creator of Storyfix.com, one of the recently named “10 Best Blogs for Writers,” and the author of Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing,” which comes out this week from Writers Digest Books.

One more thing: Some of you have asked for more information on my March 15 blogging 30 Design and Content Secrets webinar. If you’d like to use your blog as a platform—to help you sell your  book, your products or your services—click on the banner below for a special offer that ends Monday, February 28.

30 Secrets to making your blog skyrocket

5 Steps To Writing And Publishing Your Non-Fiction Book

Welcome to Top 10 Tuesdays! In this extra post each week, my goal is to introduce you to some of the finest bloggers around, my fellow winners of a 2011 Top 10 Blogs for Writers award.

This week, meet Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com: Adventures in Writing, Publishing and Book Marketing.

It’s said that 80% of people want to write a book, but very few of these actually achieve that goal. As a small business owner, your time is precious but producing a book is definitely worthwhile and there are ways to speed up the process.

(1) Understand why you’re writing a book. It’s critical to look at why you’re doing this and what you want to achieve. Do you want printed material to give to existing clients locally or sell at the back of the room when speaking? Do you want to sell your book on Amazon.com? Do you want people to read it on the iPad or Kindle? Is it to boost your credibility within the industry? Is it to raise your profile internationally? Are you writing it for extra income or for marketing purposes?

These answers will help you determine your criteria for success and also guide decisions around topics and publishing options.

(2) Decide on your topic.

It’s time to brainstorm book titles as well as sub-titles for your book. For example, you might have a business in real estate but that’s too generic to write a book on. Be specific about your niche, for example, “How To Buy Your First Apartment in San Diego”. This book title identifies the ideal reader and will also come up in specific search rankings on Amazon and Google.

You might have several possible book topics in mind, but it’s important to start with one or you’ll be overwhelmed.

(3) Gather your materials and structure the book.

Most business owners will find they already have reams of material that they want to be included in a book. This might include notes from seminars they’ve taught, workbooks, handouts, ecourses or other material. Also consider audios of sessions you have spoken at as these can be transcribed and used as part of the mix. Collect all your materials and decide which fit your specific book topic. Come up with chapter titles for each section.

For example, our real estate book might have a chapter on the best locations, getting finance, mortgages, legalities etc. Structure the book so it’s a journey through the material and put any extra aside for another project. This is where you’ll identify the extra chapters that need writing and what just needs editing.

(4) Create the book.

You don’t have to write the book, you just have to create it. Some very successful authors actually speak their books. They record their thoughts and then have a transcriber create a document for them to edit. You can also hire a ghostwriter to work with you if you have more money than time.

When I wrote my first non-fiction book, I collated all the material into one master Word document under the chapter headings and then filled in the blanks. Then I printed, read, edited and rewrote several times. It’s important to use a professional editor if you want a quality finished product. You’d be surprised how much you’ll miss if you do it all yourself!

(5) Publish the book.

If you want physical books to give to clients or sell at the back of the room, you’ll need to do a small print run. You can use a freelance book designer to create a professional cover and layout, or you can do it yourself if you are happy with a more amateur product. I’ve used both options and it depends on your aim for the book.

These days you can use a print on demand publisher like CreateSpace which will mean lower upfront costs and also enable distribution through Amazon.com and other online sales. You might also consider producing an ebook that is available for sale on Amazon.com and the iPad. These options are all available to the independent publisher and will mean your book is more widely read.

So don’t be daunted by the process for creating and publishing your book. If you break down the steps you can achieve your goal in less time than you expect!

For more help with your first non-fiction book,click here for your free How To Be An Author workbook. (no signup needed)

Joanna Penn is the author of Pentecost, a thriller novel, out now on Amazon.com. as well as three non-fiction books. Joanna is also a blogger at TheCreativePenn.com : Adventures in Writing, Publishing and Book Marketing. Connect on Twitter @thecreativepenn

Image: Flickr CC Athena