Getting Your Writing Out

I've been blogging about writing in a more literary fashion.  This is more about the other end of things, when you have already edited it yourself, taken it to a writers' group and edited it using the feedback, possibly paid a freelance editor to give you feedback, which you've employed, and you're ready for exposure.  There are many ways, more than I could detail here, to get exposure for your stuff.  

A lot of people are happy with getting readership through general writer's websites or specifically teen writers' websites like Wattpad or Inkitt or even a blog site like this one.  Some view these as websites as enough, especially for those who work with fanfiction, while others view them as a place to get further feedback toward publishing their writing elsewhere.  One concern about this is some publishers won't accept work that has received any kind of general exposure.  It's something to research before any decisions are made.  

Another option is self-publication, through Amazon or some other route.  Many modern writers ignore mainstream publishers and both start and end here.  Some mainstream publishers will even search among the successfully self-published works to offer a contract.  A lot of writers start to get a following by publishing short stories or other short works, offering them for free, then sell their later pieces for a small fee.  This route will require a lot of research to know how to self-publicize and get a readership.  A lot of writers go the hybrid route, following more than one path to getting a readership.  

If you decide to publish with a regular publisher, the first step is still to research.  Writer's Market, either the book form or the website, is a great resource.  It does cost money up front, but many find it well worth the cost, especially the access and ease given by a year's subscription to the website.  Writer's Market lists information for those seeking publication in one of just about every genre, along with publishers' and agents' contact information, guidelines, and instructions.  If you don't want to go with a publication like that, you can simply use Google to find lists of publishers and agents in any genre imaginable.  

There are many routes to sharing your works with others.  It depends on what you're seeking.  Any which way you go, I recommend you start by researching and getting a feel for the market, publishers, and expectations.  I wish you the best.  

Your Writer's Platform

I've been blogging about how to write in a more literary fashion.  Last time, I mentioned I would soon talk about starting a writer's platform.  A lot of publishers today are looking for you to already have a writer's platform in place.  This includes as much social media as you can manage (a FaceBook page, Instagram, Twitter, a WebPage, Linkdin, etc.)  Basically, you'll want to show the publisher you have a following, that you have a ready readership that can help a good writer show they're a worthy investment to a publisher.  It also helps you advertise to your following when you have something published.  

I started blogging about thing that meant something to me about three years ago.  I am a mother to an angel, a mother of fur babies, and a writer, so I started a free blog on blogger about child loss, this one about writing, and one from the point of view of my daughter's cat.  They have a modest number of readers every week, enough to make it worth doing.  On a writer's blog, it helps to have a theme or niche.  I started just writing about how I write, then it evolved to a specific kind of writing.  Play to your strengths.  Read other blogs to get an idea how they work.  I go to Pixabay.com for free images and use a lot of images to make my blogs more visually attractive and engaging.  It really is ideal to write in a blog once or twice a week, though I don't generally have time for more than once every other week for any but my cat blog.  

I started on Twitter a few years ago.  I started small, just reaching out to other writers, small publishers, and others, basically those eager to follow anyone who would follow them.  If possible, it helps to have more followers than you follow.  It would be good to start posting meaningful tidbits, links to your blog posts, etc, so your followers know you're worth following.  Make sure your profile is complete.  I have had roughly 15,000 views of just this writer's blog alone.  

Having a full Linkdin profile is critical to any professional, especially someone who is self-employed.  Employers and publishers can all check this profile to get a sense of who you are and what you can do.  

It's also a good idea to have a strong and regularly-updated website.  People can find your blog via your webpage and your social media through your links on  They can also get to know you as a person and a professional.  FaceBook pages can help fill in the gaps and make for easy postng. 

All of this (unless you choose to make an expensive web domain not in the name of Wix, Weebly, etc.) is free.  It can be time-consuming at first, but it can help you jump-start your writing like nothing else.  I wish you the best as you pursue your dreams to writing and publishing success.  

 

Setting Writing Goals

I've been blogging about how to write in a more literary fashion, though this post is more general.  'Tis the season most people set goals for the next year.  Many of us forget about them soon after, but a goal not written, as they say, is just a dream.  If you write your goals where you can see them and refer to them often, you're more likely to keep them.

A lot of people have heard about SMART goals, goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.  SMART goals can help one achieve many things in life, but they may be particularly useful for writers.  For instance, if you simply want to get around to writing and just never find the time, sit down and write a goal right now, something alone the lines of "I will write poetry every day at 9 am for 30 minutes/5 pages/whatever for the entire year."  This goal specifically names what you'll write, is measurable, achievable (most days), relevant to a poet's career, and time-bound.

Say, you have a pile of writing already but need to edit, as I do.  Then, you may set the goal to edit your short stories for an hour every day at 10 pm for a month or until they are done.  If you need help with editing but don't have a writers' group yet, you may write that you will find a writers' group that works online by the end of the month by researching and talking to fellow writers.  Alternatively, you may set a goal to create your own writers' group by the end of the month then set out a plan to do it.

You may have a pile of writing you have already vetted through a writers' group and have already edited.  You may set goals to create a writers' platform (including a webpage, an email, a blog, a FaceBook page, a Twitter account, and any other social media platforms you can find).  Research how to do that and set a goal.  It's always a good idea for any beginning writer.  Then, you can tell an editor/publisher/agent you have a platform and a following.  In a blog soon, I'll be writing about how I went about doing this.  It would also be a good idea to set SMART goals about actually sending your materials out to agents or publishers as well, something along the lines of "I will send one short story per week out to a publisher."  I will also talk about this process as well.

Whatever your aim, you can focus better, know exactly what your plan is, and follow that plan through SMART or other kinds of goals.  But it's not a goal until you write it down.  Don't overwhelm yourself with too many goals, or you'll just get frustrated and walk away.  Go ahead and set 1-3 right now as a next step to achieving your dreams.

Finding Inspiration in the Season

I've been blogging about literary writing.  One aspect of good, profound writing is research.  A popular kind of book to read this time of year relates to one of a plethora of holidays that come up in various cultures and religions.  In order to write something meaningful, it's important to understand the culture behind whatever holiday you're going to write about. 

If you're going to write about Christmas, there are so many ways to approach it.  You could write from the mainstream cultural standpoint, including Santa, gifts, a tree, etc.  You could simply write based on your experience, but you may find that a little research behind the Christmas symbolism will give you insights you never had before that could add depth to your story.  If you're seeking to appeal to a Christian audience, make sure you know the symbolism and meanings well.  Otherwise, those who do will find themselves thrown out of the narrative. 

Stories about Christmas are very common.  However, some readers seek to write to audiences that celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, or any of a large number of December-centered holidays.  If you try to write about someone else's sacred day, even briefly, without researching it with attention to detail, you'll likely offend everyone. 

Researching any subject on which you want to write is important, but it becomes particularly critical where subjects sacred or fundamental to a reader's beliefs are concerned.  Such research will show respect and will set your writings apart. 

Borrowing external Eyes

I've been blogging about how to write in a more literary fashion.  This one is more about seeking help of others and should be a part of any writing.  As one writes, the tendency is to think everything you're writing sounds good, or you wouldn't be writing it.  You fall into habits and patterns of writing and storytelling, some of which may not work for readers outside your head.  For this reason, it's critical to seek out readers, as many readers as possible, to keep your writing making sense and flowing.  For this, one often needs to seek out writers' groups, whether they be online or in-person.  

There are several websites, many of them free, for writers to find readers.  One danger of using any old website is that a publisher may consider something shared with just anyone "published."  But finding an online writers' group helps get your pieces read without the struggles that go along with being at a certain place at a certain time.  There is freedom in being able to get things read on their own time and on yours.  I belong to a writing group wherein we say we're available then email each other our pieces.  I can read their pieces on my time as it fits in my schedule, and they can read mine as it fits in theirs.  

A lot of people prefer in-person writers' groups.  There is an advantage in being able to see body language, hear the feedback in person, and to be able to ask questions and get those questions answered in-person.  Experienced writers can give new writers a lot of wisdom and experience.  Also, this kind of group will often have speakers and presenters. Every state is likely to have such groups.  I'd recommend you find yours if you haven't already.  

Some people limit themselves to just friends and family as your readers.  The danger in this is they may be afraid to tell you their honest opinion and/or just not know what it takes to write in a professional manner.  They may tell you only what they think you want to hear.  It is good to know who you can trust to tell them their honest opinion, whether they be friends, family, or someone else.  

The critical part is to have external eyes, someone who can give you honest feedback.  Very few people can write solid pieces, literary or otherwise, without a lot of feedback.  If you can pay an editor after a lot of feedback from others, that would be better still.  One way or another, find external eyes you can trust and get your piece polished.  

It's not Shakespeare...Except It Is

I've been blogging about how to make one's writing more literary.  The backbone of Western literature, in terms of allusion, structure, story line, and so many other things, include Shakespeare and the Bible.  One cannot count the influences these texts have had on most of what we read.  Shakespearean turns of phrase and biblical allusion have become so entrenched in the culture that people don't even realize they're using them anymore.  When you talk about your character on a "wild goose chase," having "the green-eyed monster" of jealousy, or "being pure as the driven snow," you don't even realize you've just quoted Shakespeare.  When your female character offers your male character an apple, when innocent characters stand naked and vulnerable before temptation, when brother betrays brother with the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" you may not even think about the Bible.  Whether you're religious or not, ultra educated or not, or even very interested in either, it's a good idea to be familiar with both of these sources. If you are, you can consciously call on the literary strength and cultural depth of an allusion or quotation or story arc. 

Someone I know wrote a script that was supposed to be about the Christmas story, but because he didn't know the source material, it ended up being pure fiction that did not carry the emotional depth of the original.  He also wanted to write about angels without knowing what any biblical scholar could tell you about the stories.  I couldn't get this person to see the importance of knowing the original source material to tap the depth and power of the original into his works. He could still make the stories his own, use his own creativity and ingenuity to craft his stories, without ignoring the original. 

Anyone who reads great literary works like Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno knows these authors immersed themselves in the subject matter in order to spin it into something new.  Shakespeare, himself, drew on the Bible frequently.  He may question it and philosophize about it through the words of Hamlet.  But he was able to spin it into his own creations because he knew the subject matter. 

Whether Shakespeare seems like gibberish to you, or the Bible is just not your thing, much of great literature, modern and older works, draw on these mainstays.  You don't have to read these works to draw on the stories; however, reading sections before you rewrite or allude to them would give you more ideas, more strength, more specificity in your writing.  One way or another, keep these two sources in mind as you pursue your literary masterpieces. 

Stoke the Passion

I've been blogging about how to write in a literary fashion.  The beginning place for all good writing ought to be passion.  Do you have a character you love so much you can't get him/her/it out of your head?  Do you have a story that needs to be told, either real or fictional?  Do you have words bouncing around in your skull screaming to get out?  Do you have ideas and thoughts you want to share so much you can taste it?  These are good places to start any piece of writing.  If you don't feel strongly about your writing, neither will anyone else. 

The idea is to communicated that passion.  Get the reader to fall in love with your character like you love your character, the story like you love the story, see their own loves and fears in your poetry to the point that they can't put it down.  Readers and audiences still swoon over Mr. Darcy these centuries later.  People still fantasize about stepping into the plain shoes of Jane Eyre when she finally gets to say yes to Rochester.  People still ponder and discuss the ideas and thoughts suggested by To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare, and so many other pieces.  These great stories and characters transport us because they started in a place of passion.  What makes you excited?  Start there. 

The hard part is to avoid letting that passion flag when the world strikes.  Say you've come up with a character you love so deeply that you can't wait to share her with the world.  You rush to record her story, her adventure beyond the clouds, under the sea, or into the eyes of the man she loves until he opens his mouth.  But then, you fall into the editing pit.  You run into the publisher who says no, the editor who finds plot holes so deep you wonder you don't fall into them and never see the daylight again.  It's time to reread your work,  Fall in love with her and her story again.  Remind yourself of the source of your passion.  Then, never give up until you share it with the world.