Tag: credibility

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

A Writer’s Bio – The Most Valuable Piece of Real Estate on the Block

Many writers assume that the value of their article is the payment they receive for writing it. The opposite may be true.

If you’re trying to make a living as a freelance writer, you may be tempted to choose which articles you write based on the compensation you receive. Fiscal sense tells us to accept the articles that pay the most and reject the ones with little financial reward. While compensation can determine if we can pay our bills, there’s often a hidden value in every article that has little to do with financial compensation. It’s a prime piece of literary real estate called a bio.

Almost without exception, magazines, compilations, devotionals, and online publications include a writer’s bio—short for biography—at the end of each article. A bio is a few lines that tell the reader about the writer. If you craft your bio well, it can be more valuable in the long term than a check.

 A well-written bio can:

1. Help convert one-time readers to followers. If your writing resonates with a reader, they’ll want to read more of your work. Be sure to include live links (if allowed) to your blog, book, or social media sites.

2. Establish your credibility. Whenever I write grandparenting articles, for example, I always say something about my four grandchildren in my bio. If you write for professional publications, mention your education or awards. If you contribute articles to Bikers Weekly, be sure to include a detail or two about your Honda Goldwing or your Harley.

3. Spark emotional connections. Years ago I read one of Lori Roeleveld’s articles on Crosswalk.com. Her message resonated with me and made me want to learn more about her. When I read in her bio she was from my home state of Rhode Island, I had to reach out. As we exchanged emails, we discovered a multitude of common interests and experiences. Her well-written bio sparked what is now a delightful friendship.

4. Open the door to other writing opportunities. When you write in your area of expertise and use your bio to share additional credentials, others in the field can find you. For years I wrote articles and devotions for homeschooling parents. One day a friend shared one of my articles on Facebook. It caught the eye of an editor seeking a writer with homeschool experience. When she read in my bio that I had homeschooled for 17 years, the editor invited me to write for their website.

As you craft your bio, make every word count. And don’t use the same bio every time. Customize it for each publication, including details relevant to that audience. Use humor or share quirky details as long as it furthers your purpose. Check with each publication for style preferences and word count.

If you found this article helpful, I hope you’ll read my bio below. If I’ve written it well, it might make you want to visit my blog, vouch for my credibility, be my friend, or invite me to write for you. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Lori Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out, Columbia magazine and the author of three devotional books including Refresh Your Faith – Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible and Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women, winner of the 2016 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year award. A blogger, writing instructor, and inspirational speaker, her goal is to help busy women connect with God in the craziness of life. You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God. . . Starving for Time . Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2), or Pinterest (Hungry for God).

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

Tropes: How to Make Them Credible, Not Cliché

You could probably name tropes from your favorite books and movies without hardly thinking about it. There’s the Reluctant Hero, the Chosen One, the Mentor, and the list goes on. As you read that list, characters probably came to mind.

But what goes into creating a trope that’s not cliché? Fantasy and Sci-fi are so popular it’s easy to fall into cliché’s without even realizing it. Today we’ll focus on two tropes and how to use backstory to make them compelling, rather than cliché.

The Reluctant Hero:

Frodo Baggins is a standout example of a reluctant hero. He never intends to take the ring to Mordor. But he ends up doing so and saving Middle Earth. Here are some questions when considering his backstory:

  • Why was Frodo reluctant to start on his heroic journey?
  • What about his character, prior to starting his journey, foreshadowed his heroism?
  • Did his reluctance show strength, or fear?

From the start, we know Frodo dreams of leaving the Shire. He spends hours in the woods, dreaming of other places. But when it comes down to it, he realizes what he has and wants to keep it.

However, he’s willing to sacrifice for his family, which is foreshadowed very well in his interaction with Bilbo. His reluctance makes him empathetic.

The Chosen One:

Harry Potter is a quite literal example of this, as the prophecies in the series talk about a “chosen one.” He was marked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and from infancy, his life is set on a path to heroism. Here are some questions to ask when considering whether his backstory makes his trope credible:

  • Does Harry live as if he is a chosen one?
  • Do his family connections lay a strong foundation to uphold him as a chosen one?
  • How does he mentally accept or reject his trope?

What’s so endearing about Harry is he doesn’t realize how famous he is. He doesn’t know he’s important, and he doesn’t realize his family backstory. A lot of his character arc is him working through his reality and trying to embrace it. This makes it credible.

When it comes to your trope…

Before deciding on your trope, ask yourself if your plot and characters lay a credible foundation. To do so, feel free to use the following questions:

  • Will your protagonist look like your chosen trope because he or she is created as one by you, the author, or as a result of their life situation?
  • Do their natural mannerisms reveal them as your chosen trope (reluctant hero, chosen one, etc.)?
  • Do secondary characters play into the credibility of your trope?

Best wishes, and happy writing!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

The Slow Build of Believability

Most of us have probably been told to “plunge your main character into terrible trouble as quickly as possible.” This is a good motto to write by, and will help as we pitch to agents, our agents pitch to publishers, and ultimately, our readers decide whether to keep reading.

But there is also a whiplash-like phenomenon when we try to dump all the terrible trouble on our MC at one time, reveal the character arc in that great, epic scene we spent three days on, and tie it all up with our final, thought-out sentence.

To be clear, terrible trouble is a necessity, character arc is needed, and that epic scene provides the great payoff to the readers that we set up at the beginning.

However, especially when it comes to fantasy and science fiction, where we’re world-building like crazy and using uncommon character names, there needs to be a level of believability.

Just like building character in the real world takes time, building characters in fiction requires time as well. This demands specificity in our writing. It demands setups we may not even realize we’re writing into our story.

Pet-the-dog Moments

Including moments when our MC shows unnecessary compassion on a person or even an animal goes a long way in building credibility. Scenes where they tip generously when no one’s looking, stop to pick up the bottle in the dirt, or listen to the homeless person when they’re in a rush, these types of scenes build character credibility. Credibility brings believability.

Appropriate On-the-Nose Moments

No one wants to read about the character answering the phone by walking through their kitchen to the bedroom, unplugging it from the charger, swiping to open, and saying hello. (Or taking the parchment from the carrier pigeon, depending on your time period!) The important thing is to show routine in an engaging way. Once readers connect with the MC at a base level, they’ll connect with their humanness. Connection brings believability.

Destroying the Status Quo

Once we’ve set up that our MC is credible, believable, and someone readers can connect with, it’s imperative we destroy the status quo again, and again, and again. After all, we need to plunge our main character into terrible trouble as quickly as possible. Not just in the first pages, but that trouble needs to follow them like a shadow until they bring their heroism into the light of the final pages.

Slowly building credibility will leave readers deeply connected with the MC. That type of connection is what makes MC’s not only credible and believable, but memorable. Memorable characters stick with readers. And when characters stick, publishers will want to publish!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Writer, working with brands to grow their audience reach. She studied Strategic Communications at Cornerstone University and focused on writing during her time there, completing two full-length manuscripts while a full-time student. Currently she trains under best-selling author Jerry Jenkins in his Your Novel Blueprint course and is actively seeking publication for two books.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com