Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, and Blog Some More

By Terry Spear

Do you blog? Why?

This is just like creating your stories. Why do your characters do the things they do?

You have to have a good reason—a goal—for blogging. Just like you should have a good reason for anything you do.

Here are some reasons for blogging, good or otherwise:

1. To promote your book
2. To share something of your life with your readers
3. To get stuff off your chest
4. Have nothing better to do
5. Like to write
6. Easier than writing the book
7. Addicted to blogging
8. Hate to do it, but know editors and agents are looking to see how well you socially network
9. To help others, ie-writing/cooking/cleaning/tips blog
10. Rarely blog, but have one to say you have one—you know, like you have a blog addy, twitter addy, FB addy, website addy, etc.

Yes, some of these are not the best reasons to blog: Easier than writing the book is probably the worst! If we intend to be published or have more books published, we need to focus on the book.

Some at face value might sound like bad choices, such as: getting stuff off your chest. Sure you don't want to write about how your boss was so mean to you, or all about your divorce proceedings, or how your neighbor sued you for your dog chewing up his rubber duckie in the backyard wading pool.

But some blogs are fine—like I talked about the frustration of web browsers and why can't they all work for everything? I know there are techies out there who can give us a good reason, but the average person just knows that it doesn't work and how annoying it can be. Case in point, I can't use Blogger on Google Chrome, but I can use Firefox. I couldn't sign into my electric company's account with Firefox, I had to sign in using Google Chrome. I can't register for RWA Nationals on one of them. And I can't update my web page on two of them. And, no matter how many times I have this trouble, I never think of it before I'm ready to pull my hair out.

With a post like this, readers and writers alike can relate.

Which brings me to another point. If you gear your blogs to a self-help site, that's great. But if you're a writer/author, you might want to focus more on readers. Yes, writers are readers, which is why we want to make it general enough that everyone will be happy.

When I've written writer-specific posts, my readers let me know they're not writers. They feel left out. So I stick to general posts.

I write daily. I copy and post to another blog which has another distribution. I share the links on FB, Linked-In, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest (the picture on the blog, but it links to my blog post).

Why do I write daily?

1. I'm goal oriented. It's my daily thing to accomplish first thing each morning.
2. It jumpstarts my writing process like a writing prompt before I get starting on my novel writing or editing.
3. It allows me to share stuff with readers. I don't think I have that many readers because I don't get that many comments, but occasionally, when the mood hits them, or I touch on a topic that they can really relate to, they comment. Recently, I was sharing what a mess my living room is with trying to paint it and we had fun sharing cleaning up when visitors come.
4. I help to jumpstart some readers' days for them. Some readers say they like to pop in on a daily basis to see what I have to say before they start their day. Now how cool is that?
5. I've had fans check my weather to see if I'm under severe thunderstorms if I'm not able to post, figuring I'm without satellite again. Who would ever have thought?
6. I can share when a new book is out, audio book version, review copies, new cover is up.
7. I share my voice with my readers in my blogs—like when I had commenters say they were laughing out loud when they read my post about how I was trying to upload a file to Createspace to create a print book and it kept telling me: You need Highspeed Internet. And then the commenters apologized for laughing but said it was just too funny. I meant it to be. It WAS funny. And that's my voice. In my blogs and in my books.
8. I love connecting with readers. I post a link on FB and connect with my fans there. It's a daily shout out to wave and say, "Good morning!" I share a picture and a blog link and a question or comment.
9. I enjoy blogging. It's not something I have to do, that I feel made to do. I have a really busy schedule with a blog tour coming up and 30 guest posts to write, another conference, edits, and deadlines on new books. But I still love to do it.
10. Blogging allows me to leave my writer's world and connect with the rest of the world for a brief moment in time.

The best reason for blogging is that you love doing it. You don't have to do it. There are all kinds of other ways to reach out to readers and writers.

That said, I've had 1100-1400 visitors on my one blog per day the last couple of weeks. I blog daily there. I have NO comments. If you have regular readers, they give up on you if you go for a time and don't bother blogging. You want to consistently blog. It really helps to get consistent readers.

Be sure to have a catchy Title. Just like a news article that screams sensationalism, you want something that helps you to catch the reader's attention. And of course, relates to what you're writing about.

Hey, and if you've written a GREAT blog and no one came to the site that day, you can always recycle it. No one will ever be the wiser. :)

So blog to your heart's content. Or not. It's truly up to you.But if so, Happy Blogging!

Terry Spear

JAGUAR FEVER BY TERRY SPEAR – IN STORES AUGUST 2013  

She's being pursued by everyone, in more ways than one.

 

Even in an exotic world of humans, jaguars, and tantalizing creatures who shift between the two, Maya Anderson stands out from the crowd. Interest from human suitors is bad enough, but when male shifters give chase, the real trouble starts.

 

Who's the hunter and who's the prey?

Investigating the black marketing trade of exotic animals keeps Wade Patterson more than busy. When he and Maya both get entangled in a steamy jungle mission, it becomes impossible to tell who is being hunted or who the hunters are. Wade is desperate to survive this deadly game of cat and mouse. But it's Maya's piercing eyes that keep him awake at night.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over fifty paranormal romance novels and medieval Highland historical romances. In 2008 Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world. She lives in Crawford, Texas. For more information, please visit www.TerrySpear.com, follow her on Twitter, @TerrySpear, and like her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/terry.spear.

Connecting with Readers in Virtuality by Lynda K. Scott

In today's world, we communicate with people we've never met in 'real' life. We may have never been close enough to shake their hands or hug them. Yet, they are our 'friends'. They are vital parts of our virtual world. 

Our real world and our virtual world are pretty much indistinguishable. My writing career is conducted in a fairly solitary manner--I sit in my office, write on my PC, and if I need to contact my agent or publishers, I'll send an email. I've never actually met any of them face to face (though I hope to do so). 

 

I have a newsletter list, a presence on a variety of social media, blogs…My readers are in front of their computers/tablets/smart phones reading my blogs (or any of my Virtuality promotional efforts) while on the other end, I might be running to the grocery store, playing with my alien kitten (Wookie) or watching my favorite hockey team. That delay doesn't make the post/email/what-have-you any less valid. Not today. 

This is our virtual world. This is our real world.  

We have to learn to use it. To command it.

To make it help us as we attempt to promote our work.  

How do we do that?  

In the real world, we have author signings or appearances. But in the virtual world, we have other resources. Many of them are just as great as the old smile-and-sign at the author's table. I'll list a few of these with what I consider to be salient points.  

The one thing I want to point out is that you are not promoting just your books. You are promoting YOU, the AUTHOR. In other words, you are bringing your pseudonym, and your author's personality, to life in this Virtuality world we inhabit. 

Virtuality Promotions:

            1. Website & Domain

-You must have a website in this Virtuality world. If you don't have a website yet, reserve your domain name (before someone else does). 

- Having your own website will give you a 'professional' email address, ie happyauthor.com, not happyauthor@snappytrails.com 

            2. Blogs

-You can use a blog for a web site (Try to get a domain name for it--you always want to bring your name forward). 

-Regularly post to your blog. Readers like routines and they'll appreciate the way you reach out to them on a regular basis. This also keeps your name in front of them and helps build your author-reader relationship. 

-Guest on other blogs (See Blog Tours. Also see my **NOTE under Blog Tours.) 

- Get your blog syndicated in as many places as you can, ie Facebook, Amazon (Author page), etc.

            3. Free reads

Doing free reads on your website or blog, or even free e-reads on Kindle, may help promote you and your books. The consensus, on how helpful it is, is still out but I often give away a copy of one of my releases on a blog. Again, this helps build name recognition, not just for your book but for YOU.

4. On-line chats

-Be prepared. Have your blurbs, links, etc, typed out so you can quickly copy and paste. Be friendly and responsive, and even if only a few people show up, be engaging. Draw them out. 

-Consider doing a chat on yahoo because those on digest will see all the excerpts. 

-Many publishers, review sites, and other authors have chats, so find out if they'll let you guest. See my **NOTE under Blog Tours.

5. On-line book-related communities. I'm just going to list a few of the more reader oriented ones:

Goodreads - This appears to be the most popular and largest. (7.3 million members) As an author, you can list your books on your page, so people can find them.  

Shelfari  - Add “book extras” on Shelfari.com that will appear inside the Kindle versions of your books and on your Amazon book buy page. 

http://www.nothingbinding.com/  - You can promote your books; connect with fellow authors, avid readers and book buyers. 

AuthorsDen   - You can reach readers by sharing your bio, books, blogs, events, stories, articles, poetry, newsletters, etc. Readers can discover, interact, track and enjoy!  

Yahoo Groups - There are yahoo groups for authors and for readers. For promotional purposes, aim at reaching the reader loops…unless your book is intended for authors. 

            6. Blog Tours

-A blog tour gets you out in front of a new audience as you guest blog at other authors sites, and promote your book to their followers. Other blogs, like one of mine, is designed to feature book reviews and guests. Blogs come in all shapes and specifics.

**NOTE: Do make sure the host site (subject) is something you want associated with you and your writing, ie an inspirational writer probably won't be interested in hosting an erotic writer or vice versa. There are exceptions but do make sure.

- Ask if they have guidelines and try to follow them as close as possible. 

-Whatever you do, make your content both informative and entertaining. It should not be just a blurb and jpg with “Buy my book!” It is not just an infomercial. It is a way to connect with readers in the Virtuality world. 

- Offer a giveaway. Yes, it sounds like bribery but it draws readers in to see an unfamiliar author. They see your name, eventually they'll remember it. That's what counts 

            7. Social Media

 

- Social media, ie Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc is a great way to promote your name and your books. But they're huge time sinks so be careful. Stay away from Farmville!

There are many other ways to connect with Virtuality. Unfortunately, I've run out of space. I hope the few ways I've listed are helpful to you all.

Thanks for having me here today! 

MORE ABOUT LYNDA K. SCOTT-

She isn't really an alien or from another planet. If she was, she and her alien kitten, Wookie, would be headed to Alpha Centuri or Deneb to play tourist and write about what they find. Lynda is actually a 'ridge runner' from Kentucky, who likes to tell tales that entertain and amaze. Wookie, however, is an alien kitten.

Where to find Lynda on the web: 

WEBSITE      MY SPACE      TWITTER     FACEBOOK    LINKED IN

To join her newsletter, send a blank email HERE

Book Blurbs

Magical Mayhem is the first of many anthologies to come from new tween/teen publisher Ambush Books. This anthology truly has something for everyone featuring short tales that will twist your brain and wrap around your soul. "Heart of A Dragon" a heart-warming YA adventure by Lynda K. Scott. Magical Mayhem is the perfect bedtime companion for a cold autumn’s night. 

Heartstone - Eric d'Ebrur is out of time. He must find the legendary Heartstone and fulfill the ancient Gar'Ja bond he shares with the Stonebearer. But when he finds her, he discovers that love can be more dangerous than the Gawan threat. Eric can defeat the mind-controlling Gawan but will it cost him the woman he loves? After terrifying episodes of hypersensitivity, Keriam Norton thinks she's losing her mind. When handsome shapeshifter Eric d'Ebrur saves her from the monstrous Gawan, she's sure of it. But insane or not, she'll find the Heartstone and, if she's lucky, a love to last a lifetime.

Altered Destiny - Stranded on an alternate Earth, architect and Jill-of-all-trades, Liane Gautier-MacGregor must find her way back to her homeworld before she's enslaved...or falls in love with a man who is the exact duplicate of her ex-husband. Devyn MacGregor's alter ego as the Reiver Lord is the only way he can fight the Qui'arel and their nefarious Bride Bounty, a tax paid with human females...until he meets the oddly familiar woman who claims he is her husband. And who sets in motion the rebellion that will either free his countrymen or destroy them. 

Great Escapes: Valentine's Day - The heartbroken and lovelorn come to Great Escapes B&B in search of a relaxing getaway, only to embark on a weekend of sexual self-discovery, courtesy of the inn's resident ghosts, who bring to life each guest's deepest desires. In Great Escapes: Valentine's Day, Rose's best friend gives her a weekend stay, where an invisible lover helps her to rediscover her sexuality. But will she open her eyes enough to see who is right next door? 

Top Six Tips I Learned from Studying Harry Potter by S.P. Sipal

I confess.  Over the last ten years, I've had an unhealthy obsession with The Boy Who Lived. I've written editorials, presented workshop at conferences, started my own blog, and even published a Kindle book -- all with the goal of unearthing JK Rowling's secrets.

But what has been a bit on the obsessive compulsive side for me is a good thing for you! You don’t have to pore through all seven books to ferret out Rowling's tricks.

So, here for your amusement or edification, not sure which, are the top six tips I've learned from studying JK Rowling's phenomenally selling series:

6) Quirky Gamekeepers can be Captivating:

Who couldn't love Hagrid?  I mean, what's there not to love about a half-giant who hatches dragons in his fireplace and calls a three-headed monster Fluffy? 

Rowling is universally acknowledged for creating characters readers latch onto.  Fans just can't get enough of them! Which is why they create their own fanfiction and demand more and more details from the author.

So, how does Rowling do this? Her techniques for character development are too numerous to detail here, but one tip is that she created each character with exquisite detail and then gave each one their own quirky flair.

Pomona Sprout always has dirt beneath her fingers.  Sour and sneaky old Filch has an equally sneaky old cat he adores. The twins create candies that make students vomit. Mr. Weasley, who's a Muggle-lover, collects electrical cords.

These rich, interesting details are what make Rowling’s people come so alive to the fans.  Make sure you've fully envisioned your characters, right down to your batty old cat-lady squib neighbor!

5) You've Got to Have a Snape:

And speaking of well-loved characters, there is no character in Potterverse more discussed and dissected than Snape.  Not even Harry.  Harry, the reader knows and understands. Harry, for the most part, was always on the side of right.  But Snape....

Snape was a mystery, an enigma.  And beyond his mystery, he most definitely was a man of ambiguity.  Because the readers could never pin this gray Potions master down for sure, he captivated their attention.

Have you written a character who flits between your dark and light sides, whose backstory will not be fully revealed until the end, who is in every way an ambiguous anti-hero?

Explore the full breadth of your most important themes with a character who inhabits the outer reaches.  After all, a Snape can go where both hero and antagonist fear to tread!

 4) The Dark Lord's in the Detail:

The level of detail with which Rowling creates her world is amazing, and that’s truly one of the great secrets of writing.  Solid details breathe life into your characters and world.

I liken it to pregnancy when women are told to make sure every bite counts because every morsel that goes into your mouth contributes to the health of your growing baby.  In writing, every word you create should provide as powerful an impact on your developing story as possible. Don't just toss words around.

JK Rowling created a character whose leather boots are the size of small dolphins (Hagrid), a family home where a petrified gnome decorated the Christmas tree (courtesy of Fred and George), a plot that hinged on the loyalties of wands (the Elder Wand).  Your own details can be just as fascinating.

If you do your job right, you'll have more details than you can realistically work onto the paper.  The details you choose to insert should be carefully chosen to carry the greatest amount of impact with the least amount of words.  Because, like Voldemort, lack of interesting detail is truly a killer!

3) Be like Dumbledore -- Withhold your backstory until the very end:

J.K. Rowling has said that if you were to put all the multiple drafts of the first chapter of Philosopher's Stone together, you'd have the whole story from the very beginning.  The fact that she got wise and so judiciously cut out all that backstory from the start is a huge reason as to why her novels became the phenomenal success they did.

Donald Maass, the great literary agent, says "Backstory is called backstory because it belongs in the back of the story."  J.K. Rowling intuitively aced this lesson.

What would Harry Potter fandom have been without the search for what actually happened in Godric's Hollow? Who was Snape truly loyal to? And how would Harry defeat the greatest dark wizard who had ever lived?

All these questions were dragged out until the end of the series because they all involved backstory which had been withheld until the reader was dying to know.

Don't dump it all on your first page, your first chapter. Weave in enough backstory to keep your reader from getting confused, but then withhold it until they are begging for the knowledge only you can give.

2) Engage the Reader...like J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling so thoroughly engaged her reader that they brag about how many times they've read each book.  Not only that, her works have birthed several smaller spinoffs: fanfiction, fanart, wizard wrock, theme parks (if you can call that small), and of course, we can't forget the movies.

Why all this action outside her text?  Because in almost every aspect of storytelling JKR gave the reader MORE than they were expecting.  More fascinating characters, more complex plots, more mysteries that threaded throughout the series, more fascinating worlds to explore, more intriguing subtext.  And each one of these categories invited the reader in to explore and interact with the story.  By giving them more, and challenging their abilities, she engaged their interest.

Do whatever you can to make your story interactive and engage your reader's interest, and this starts by giving them more than they are expecting.

1) Above all...Have fun like you're Ron (or the Twins)!

It is evident on every page of each story that JK Rowling was enjoying herself immensely crafting Harry Potter.  She played with her reader from The Boy Who Lived (1^st chapter of Philosopher's Stone) until The Flaw in the Plan (final chapter of Deathly Hallows), and they eagerly joined into her game.

I'm sure there were many down times (especially during the lawsuits) for Jo, but the stories stayed exciting and passionate.  Something like that can only come from an author thoroughly immersed in her world and characters.

Why are you writing if you're not having fun?  Enjoy yourself!  Take the time to refill your own well so that you will have the water of life to give back into your stories.  Chose your worlds and your people from an imagination full of stories only you can tell and desire passionately to do so.

Then do it with every skill and trick you possess!

Check out the FF&P Workshop being given by S.P. Sipal this October:  A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter

BIO:   Susan Sipal
Published in fiction and non-fiction through essays, short stories and a novel, Susan has presented multiple workshops, both at home and abroad, to help writers develop their craft as they analyze the mysteries of Harry Potter. She is now thrilled to be an editor with Musa Publishing. As an author, her most recent release is “Running Raw” in Sweeter Than Tea from BelleBooks and has an upcoming story, "Lighting the Sacred Way" appearing in Journeys of Wonder, vol 2, from Fuzzbom Publishing in the fall. She Tweets at @HP4Writers and blogs at Myth, Magic, and Mystery (http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/)