Tag: content

Categories
Writers Chat

Writers Chat Recap for March Part 1

Writers Chat Recap

Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, and Melissa Stroh is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Content Writing with Holand Webb

Holland Webb, a full-time content writer, shares tips for writers wanting to start their own content-writing business. After sharing a little about his own background and personal experiences, Holland focuses on content basics including tips for finding keywords for your clients’ posts; various types of content ranging from product descriptions and social media posts to white papers, ebooks, and ghostwriting; and writing content for LinkedIn. If you’re interested in writing content for businesses and/or individuals, either full-time or part-time, then this episode is for you!

Watch the March 5th Replay

Holland Webb is an inspiring content writer who understands the elements of storytelling and how to put them to work for business. In addition to writing material for U.S. News & World Report and Focus on the Family, he has written website content for a major chain of hotels with locations in North and South America, Asia, and Europe. Holland’s other clients have included International Ministries, BestColleges.Com, MailChimp, Wiley, and Architectural Digest.

Writing Articles that Give Hope to the Questions World with Annette Marie Griffin

In a world where attention spans dictate content, truth is considered relative, and clicks prove more valuable than gold—people still crave a cure for emptiness. In this episode of Writers Chat, Annette Marie Griffin covers the felt needs of today’s seekers. She discusses where they look for answers to life’s deepest questions and dives deep into the spiritual calling that drives today’s Christian writers to the foot of the cross to obtain relevant content.

Watch the March 12th replay

Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning author and multi-generational speaker who has taught and written for adults and children for over 30 years. She began by writing story-driven curricula for youth groups and parenting classes while serving as Ministry Director at Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas. Since then, she’s written hundreds of high-ranking articles for Salem Media Group, she’s a columnist and acquisitions editor for StarLight Magazine for kids, and she teaches workshops and training classes at local and national writing conferences. When Annette isn’t writing, speaking, or teaching, she loves making memories with her brilliant husband, 3 adult children, 2 teens, and 3 adorable grands!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133

Categories
Guest Posts

How to Write an “About Me” Page for Your Blog in 2022

Guest posts

The About Us page of your blog provides the possibility to compile and express all words of gratitude and value to your readers. This page is commonly dedicated to discussing the story of the creation of your blog, your first steps in the area, the efforts you had to take to grow your audience, and why you actually decided to be a blogger.

Further, you can find helpful tips researched from reviews on the writing service Rated by Students that will make the About Us page of your blog appealing and engaging.

Specify the goal and value of your blog

The About Us page is an excellent opportunity to show the value your blog provides for your regular and potential subscribers. No matter how many competitors your niche has, your main task is to show how you differ, what is peculiar about your blog, and what goals you are following by having this blog.

For example, if you own a travel blog, which area is highly competitive, you need to write about the differentiators that make your travel blog unique. These indicators can be focused only on road trips in the car or RV, or your blog can be dedicated to exploring the culture of the most ancient nations in the world, etc. Any type of blog is also hard work which requires time, money, and effort. So the more resources you dedicate to your blog and describe it on the About Us page, the more appealing your site will look to users.

Highlight the key points of your story

The story of your blog foundation can be very exciting and long, but we recommend highlighting only the key points of your story. For instance, initially, you can write down everything you would like to tell your subscribers on the About Us page and read it several times to define the core things you would like to share with your followers.

Such stories commonly include the moment of how this idea came to your mind, how you succeeded in growing your blog and audience, who helped you and how many content writers work on your content, and what inspires you to keep developing. If you add too much information to this block, there is a huge probability that lots of your potential subscribers will just pass it, not even giving a chance to your blog.

Make an appealing and intuitive page design

The design of your About Us page is half of the success in attracting new subscribers via this page. As the About Us page consists of various blocks, they have to be placed intuitively and conveniently for subscribers. You can boldly define the structure for your page, but make sure it will be handy for readers.

For example, taken from writing reviews on Top Writing Reviews, each text block like the story or the team has to be readable from a single screen, with no need to scroll down to continue reading. Also, think of adding infographics where you can include a part of your text to make it more appealing and easy to read. The About Us page has to sound with the general design of your blog or business website.

Think of enabling CTAs

Each page of your blog or website needs to contain call-to-action blocks. It can be placed in the page header, at the end of the text block of the page, or within the articles, and the About Us page is not an exception. The entire page needs to enable readers to subscribe to your blog or leave their contacts. If your blog is a part of the business website, then you have to enable readers to use your services or products, but if your blog is a separate resource, then the main task is to make users subscribe to your blog and newsletters.

To sum up

Finally, we would also like to note that the About Us page needs to be regularly updated according to the change in your blog or company when, for example, your team changes, your blog changes direction, etc. The information on this page has to be fresh and relevant.

Nancy P. Howard has been working as a journalist at the online magazine in London for a year. She is also a professional writer in such topics as blogging, IT and marketing.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Marching to Their Own Drum – Writing at a Pace Middle Grade Readers Love

Middle grade books are set apart from other genres by a few things. We’ve talked about these in other posts – content and voice are two important distinctives. Today I want to talk about pace. How do we pace our story in a way that connects with middle grade readers and keeps them turning pages?

Pace is the way in which your story’s elements unfold. It affects the mood of your story, the tension within your story, and sets expectations for what the reader can expect as they turn each page.

Speeding up the pace can signal humor, danger, or conflict. Slowing down the pace can signal a character’s internal growth or show us more about the character’s world. Both of these are important, because like adults, kids need variety to keep them reading.

Let’s talk about some “gas pedal” techniques to accelerate pace:

Dialogue Bursts

This is about using a short dialogue exchange and action tags to create urgency and drop important information. Example:

“Hear that?” Jack froze.

“What?” Mary stuffed the map in her pocket and grabbed another armful of jewelry from the trunk.

“Exactly. It’s too quiet.”

“You’re paranoid. Come on.”

“They’re on to us.” Jack clutched his flashlight.

“Are you gonna help me or not?” Mary tossed him an empty backpack. “Get moving.”

Cliffhangers

Create uncertainty and tension by ending a chapter with something that makes them wonder what could happen next.

Short Sentences

When you’re building tension, try shortening the sentence length. Shorten it again. It works.

Now, let’s look at ways to ‘pump the brakes.\

Internal responses

When you need to slow things down, even if only for a moment, show readers your character’s internal life. This could be as simple as a sentence or two in which the main character has an emotional reaction to their situation. It could also be a paragraph of them reflecting on a choice they made or thinking though their next action.

Description

Nobody wants to read purple prose, middle grade readers included. But that doesn’t mean your main character can’t describe anything. If your MC has a unique way of viewing the world (and they should), they probably also have a unique way of describing their world and the actions within it.

Flashbacks

Memories are a great way to add breathing room to your pace. A little backstory can serve as color and context, and it can also be a useful way to weave in clues about an event yet to come.

A few words about any kind of pace adjustment-

  1. Make sure that whatever you do moves the story forward. If you add a flashback scene, make sure it adds important information that’s relevant to a character’s motive or conflict.
  2. Read it out loud. If you can, ask a middle grade reader to read it too.
  3. Read more middle grade books to see other approaches.

Like anything else in writing, pace is a tool in a writer’s toolbox that gets more powerful each time you practice. What are some of your favorite pacing techniques? Let us know in the comments below, and happy writing!

When Kelli McKinney and her family aren’t exploring national parks, she can be found on the sidelines at her son’s tennis tournaments, brewing a cup of cinnamon spice tea, or chucking a toy across the backyard for her English Mastiff to chase.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and her graduate degree in radio/tv/film from the University of North Texas. She enjoyed an eclectic-yet-fulfilling fifteen-year career in corporate marketing before wandering off on her own to be a freelance copywriter.

Now, she is a part-time copywriter, full-time mom, and a children’s author. She lives in Texas but a huge piece of her heart belongs to Oklahoma. Her debut novel, JEFF PENNANT’S FIELD GUIDE TO RAISING HAPPY PARENTS is forthcoming in late 2022 with Chicken Scratch Books.

Kelli loves to hear from readers and writers. She can be reached through her website at www.kellmckinney.com or on Instagram @klmckinneywrites .

Categories
Guest Posts

Building Your Social Media Profile as a Writer: 5 Steps

Guest posts

Why Does It Matter?

If you’re serious about building a long-term career as a social media writer, building a robust and attention-grabbing profile is a must. With more than 80% of the U.S. population having a social networking profile, you are gaining access to a huge market of prospective customers. It would be remiss of you to miss the opportunity of reaching out to them.

It is important that you establish your presence to connect with new audiences, identify new ideas, and generate interest in your services. You also need to do this in a way that ensures your privacy and protects sensitive data. Below are the 5 key steps that will propel you to a great start.

Step 1: Choosing Your Audience

It may seem obvious, but you really need to start by determining whom you will be targeting with your profile, messaging, and services. That depends on several factors, such as your language proficiency, writing skills, past performance, type of services, etc. Whatever the combination of factors, be purposeful and strategic in your choice.

The above decision will shape your style of communication, content, and selection of services. It will also help you identify areas for your professional improvement. This audience includes your potential customers, so you need to be aware of their likes and dislikes, needs and whims, and strengths and idiosyncrasies.

Step 2: Choosing Your Username and Image

This is another building block in setting up your profile. It is worth spending quite a bit of time choosing your username, as it is a bad idea to change it afterward. It should be easy to remember and be reflective of your area of work and services.

It also needs to read and sound well. If you are targeting non-English-speaking audiences, make sure that your username does not have undesirable connotations in the respective languages or induce some awkward associations.

Pick a nice photo of yourself. You should choose professional attire. Smile! No one likes to work with a gloomy face.  Be creative with your background. If possible, make it thematically linked to your work or services.

Step 3: Selecting and Structuring Content

Next is the subject matter. This is what your business or services are about. Include data about your skills, accomplishments, and types of services.

Put together a work plan with milestones, deadlines, and types of posts to track progress. If you are an Undercover Writer, you need to keep reaching out to your audience in a systematic manner.

Make sure you take note of the feedback you get, even if unpleasant or unsolicited. It will help you adjust substance, and fine-tune your targeting strategies. If possible, pick a friend or a colleague whom you will be using as your sounding board to test ideas.

Step 4: Enhancing Your Network

Don’t be artificial and avoid looking phony. Be genuine, honest, and forthcoming. Not only would your customers want to find a top-grade professional, but they would also want to get to know you as a person.

Be fun to work with without compromising your professional approach to work. Nothing beats an advanced work ethic when it comes to attracting and working with good customers on a long-term basis.

Also, think about building relationships rather than just a network of followers or customers. Many platforms, such as LinkedIn, allow you to connect with people in the same trade. Start with the people you know, and gradually expand to those whom you would like to know and those you need to know.

Step 5: Safety & Security

Finally, none of the above makes much sense if you set up your profile in a way that compromises your privacy or the security of any sensitive or personally identifiable data. While you need to communicate actively, frequently, and substantively, make sure you do not offer the kind of information that can potentially put you in harm’s way. This may include your bank details, various identity-related numbers, pass codes, and the like.

You should exercise the same degree of prudence when posting on social media. Choose your words, sentences, and images wisely. If you work for a company, make sure you are familiar with company policies to avoid unwittingly breaching any of those. Avoid linking up with any suspicious contacts or accepting invites from dubious sources.

Bringing It Together

The need for creative writers is unlikely to diminish in the years to come. As a writer, you are tapping into a huge market where there is no room for mediocrity and slack. An imposing social media profile is your business card with which you enter that market.

Be methodical about your approach to developing your profile. Clarity of purpose and your audience also matter. Build your network and keep honing your skills to establish a reputation of a reliable, hard-working, and fun-to-work-with professional who can cater to varying needs of customers with his or her A-game.

Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Is Accurate. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun. She is also featured on Forbes,  AMA Boston, HR Exchange Network . You can connect with her Twitter | LinkedIn

Categories
Publishing Pulse

Don’t Let the Industry Dehumanize You

If you are an author, a human being writing for other human beings, you have been blessed with a precious ability. If you write fiction, you have the unique gift of storytelling. If you write nonfiction, you are no less creative, because you have devised ways to describe and explain truth to make it understandable and compelling. Don’t let it go to your head, but also don’t deny the importance of the  role you play in the publishing industry.

I feel the need to make such a warning because the publishing industry can tend to dehumanize us (a danger I suspect is found to some extent in most industries). But book publishing wasn’t always this way; the artistic and creative interaction between authors and publishers tended to keep the human factor at the forefront. It’s only in the last couple of decades that the publishing industry—or I should say, certain elements of the publishing industry—began referring to the person who writes the words as a “content provider.”

It all came about innocently enough. With the advent of ebooks (and to some extent, audiobooks, computer apps and other derivative products), publishers started realizing that they were not the purveyors of books, but of content. The author’s words were what had value, and the medium—paper and ink, a text file, or an audio file—were merely the window dressing. In a sense, they made an about-face from the 1960s chant of Marshall McLuhan that “the medium is the message” to see that the value was in the message, regardless of medium. The new refrain has become “content is king.”

I appreciate the sentiment. Of course, the content is what makes the book, the ebook, the audiobook a sellable product, but where does the content come from? It comes from the mind of the author, not from a computer with artificial intelligence, and certainly not from an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters. They really have it all wrong—the author is king, and always has been. Your words are the commodity that is for sale on the marketplace. The rallying cry of “content is king” attempts to divorce the product (the content, your words) from the creator and owner of the content—you, the author.

Consider the attitude of Amazon’s publishing arm toward authors and content. They claim to have the most content of anyone—and that is true, except they don’t own that content, they did not create that content, and (unlike most traditional publishers) they do little or nothing to develop and polish that content.

A lot of authors think it is wonderful that Amazon allows them to publish their material with little or no editorial “interference.” But the better authors, the ones that succeed, realize their creation needs polishing, and their creative ideas need an editorial sounding board—the feedback of a first reader, who may see problems that the author is blind to. You get that polishing, that sounding board, at a good traditional publisher, but you won’t get it at a self-publishing provider such as Amazon. It is unlikely that you will even have any interaction with a human being—the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) system is computer-automated. Talk about dehumanizing!

So don’t let the “content” mongers dehumanize you. Demand (or if you are self-publishing, pay for) a real, live editor who will work with you creatively to hone your manuscript into the best book it can be.

David E. Fessenden

Literary Agent, WordWise Media Services
Publisher and Proprietor, Honeycomb House Publishing LLC

David Fesseden has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.

Websites/Blogs:

www.fromconcepttocontract.com
www.davefessenden.com
www.thebookstore.info

Categories
Publishing Pulse

Publishing as a Business

Today’s book publishing market can be a dangerous place, with a lot of scam artists spouting confusing terminology. I applaud the efforts of legitimate author groups who try to dispel the confusion, especially about different types of publishing business models. And yet, in an effort to simplify, it’s easy to become simplistic. Some of the explanations I’ve seen about traditional (commercial) publishing versus so-called self-publishing (subsidized publishing), even from industry leaders, are sometimes inaccurate and do not seem to take into account some basic business principles.

Like any business, book publishing involves a capital investment (the purchase of raw materials, labor, tools and/or equipment) to produce a product or service that is marketable (able to be sold for a profit). But unlike most businesses, the “raw material” of book publishing is content—an author’s words. And this is where the disconnect between author and publisher usually begins.

Most authors are uncomfortable with viewing their creative work as “raw material” — they prefer to think of their work as a finished product. Rather than being paid a standard industry rate for their raw material, they believe they have a marketable, finished product, and so they should receive the profits.

It’s an attitude that seems to make perfect sense—until you remember what profit really is. Profit is the revenue over and above the capital investment. In writing a book, has an author made a capital investment? Not at all! As an author, you may feel you have invested your heart and soul into your book, but if you haven’t invested any cash, it’s not a capital investment that will generate profits. Certainly you should be paid an appropriate amount (in royalties) for the value of your “raw material” — or, if you prefer, for your hours of labor in writing the book. But if you haven’t paid out the money needed to publish the book, you are not entitled to the profit on that investment, no more than you would be entitled to the interest income on someone else’s bank account!

And like it or not, it costs money to publish a book. The word publish has the same root as the word public, because when you publish a book it means taking those words sitting in your computer and putting them into a form that can be distributed to a waiting public—and it costs money to do that.

Rather than limiting themselves to the role of content provider (or “raw material” supplier, if you prefer), some authors choose to wear the hat of capital investor (supplier of the cash) and publisher (doing the work involved in preparing and distributing their words to the public). The common term for this is self-publishing. Next month, I will discuss the pros and cons of this process, and why there really is no such thing as self-publishing.

 

David E. Fessenden

Literary Agent, WordWise Media Services
Publisher and Proprietor, Honeycomb House Publishing LLC

Dave has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and  A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.

Websites/Blogs:
www.fromconcepttocontract.com
www.davefessenden.com
www.thebookstore.info