Tag: Writing resources

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The Intentional Writer

Are You Managing Your Personal Brand?

The Intentional Writer column

Did you know you had a personal brand? It’s not just for writers or entertainers or politicians. Every person has a personal brand.

Whether they are aware of it or not.

Whether they manage it or not.

The book You Are a Brand! by Catherine Kaputa tells us how to develop and manage our brands with intention, confidence, and flair. No mater where you are in your personal brand journey, this book has tips that will help you take your next step.

Why your personal brand matters

I’ll let these three quotes from the book answer this question.

“To be successful you need to create positive attitudes in the minds of other people. You can’t make yourself successful. Oly other people can make you successful.

In the same way, you can’t make a sale. Only other people can decide whether to buy from you, whether you are an induvial or a company.

In other words, you need to build a “self-brand,” a reason for people to buy from you, whether you are selling yourself for a job or selling products and services to others.” Catharine Kaputa

“A talented, hard-working person won’t do as well as a well-branded, talented hard-working person. Effective branding will tip perception in your favor and bring greater success.”

“The truth is, if you don’t brand yourself, someone else will, and it probably won’t be the brand you had in mind.”

Five helpful self-branding concepts from You Are A Brand!

You can re-brand yourself

Branding is based on perception. This may seem unfair, but in reality it’s good news, because perception can be changed. That’s really what branding is all about—managing other people’s perception. So, if you want to update or polish your brand, you can. If you want to refocus your brand in a new direction, you can. If you want others to notice all your hard work, you can work to rebrand yourself in a way that enables your skills to shine.

You have assets. Use them to be unique and authentic

“Make use of everything. You have experiences; these are brand assets. You have a point of view; that too is an asset. Make the best use of the assets and resources you have, and realize we all have hidden assets that we need to uncover.” Christine Kaputa

Know your competition and then find ways to differentiate.

Study your close competition to see how they market to your customers. But don’t simply copy what everyone else is doing. Instead, learn from them and let them help you position yourself to be similar but special in some way.

Answer this question to help you differentiate your unique brand: My brand is the only ___ that ___ .

Find your sweet spot.

The sweet spot is where your passion, skills, experience, connect with a market of audience need in a niche where the competition isn’t overwhelming. One way to identify a sweet spot is to consider this question: What is missing in my market area (genre/ministry arena/expertise) that I can provide?

Develop a memorable elevator pitch. And use it.

No matter the career or ministry niche, those who can succinctly and clearly communicate what they do and how it benefits others have an edge over the competition. An elevator pitch is a short, concise, statement that communicates what you do, for whom, and why it matters.

Craft one and practice it until you know it by heart. (Yes, really.) Then you can easily answer the question “What do you do?” at the drop of a hat. Even on an elevator.

Don’t be intimidated by this book

This book is jam-packed with branding information. And it’s written for a broad audience. Some of the material won’t apply to your situation or branding needs.

Don’t beat yourself up for not accomplishing executive-level branding when you’re a beginning writer, blogger, or podcaster. Don’t try to read if from cover to cover, digest everything the author is teaching, or try to apply it all at once. Instead, think of the book as a resource to help you to the next level—whatever that is. Choose a section that applies to your current situation and find a few practical actions you can accomplish right now.

Then, return to the book in six months and find something else to apply. Each time you open the book, you can take one more small but intentional step towards developing and maintaining an awesome, unique, memorable brand.

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and speechwriting coach. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.

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The Intentional Writer

Do you need a book proposal “cheat sheet”?

The Intentional Writer column

If you hope to pitch a book to a publisher, especially a non-fiction book, you will need to write a book proposal. A book proposal contains all the key information an acquisitions editor needs to determine if your book might be worth publishing. It’s sort of like a query letter on steroids. And if you hope to snag the interest of an editor (or an agent), you will need a professionally crafted book proposal.

Writers generally use a query letter to pitch an article. But a book is longer and more comprehensive than an article, thus authors need a full-blown book proposal to pitch a complete book. Book Proposals That Sell by W. Terry Whalin is a one-stop resource for creating a quality proposal. Whalin has decades of experience in the Christian publishing world, including serving as an acquisitions editor. He has shared his advice in many writing venues, including Almost an Author. Find his book proposal posts here.

The book guides you through the process of creating a book proposal that has all the elements an acquisitions editor is looking for without the mistakes that flag you as an amateur. This book is aimed specifically at nonfiction books. While some of the advice pertains to fiction book proposals, it’s better to heed the author’s advice and find a fiction proposal to model rather than using the nonfiction proposal examples included in the appendices.

What’s in the book?

The book begins with an explanation of why publishers want book proposals rather than full manuscripts for nonfiction books. However, the key value comes in the 21 secrets he shares about crafting a book proposal that will sell your book concept to an editor. Here’s a sampling of the advice this book offers:

  • Be able to share the topic of your book in a few words or sentences.
  • Understand some specifics about who will read your book—your target audience.
  • Explain your credentials for writing this book. Why are you the right person to write this particular book?
  • Prove to the publisher that you are willing to be involved in the marketing process and understand something of that process.
  • Don’t promise hype you can’t deliver.

In addition to practical explanation of the various sections a proposal needs, Whalin also offers some advice on strategy, including the importance of building good relationships with editors and how to use your book proposal to snag an agent.

And the appendices are full of even more helpful information, including additional resources and two sample proposals for you to use as models.

If you’ve spent many hours of time and effort crafting a great nonfiction book, give it an equally well-crafted proposal to show potential editors that you are a professional who has what it takes to be successful. That’s your best shot for winning that coveted publishing contract.  

Book Proposal Resources

Click this link for an offer to get a free eBook version of Book Proposals That Sell.

Here are two additional resources on writing book proposals:

Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 3rd edition

How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider’s Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published, 5th edition.

Lisa E Betz

 Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and speechwriting coach. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.

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The Intentional Writer

Want The Inside Scoop on Writing Mysteries?

The intentional writer

When I sat down to write my first mystery, I knew I needed a guide. I’d written a few historical novel manuscripts, so I knew the basics of writing good scenes and solid plots. But every genre has their specific tropes and techniques. I wanted to know the particular aspects of a novel that mystery readers expected.

For guidance, I turned to Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by the bestselling mystery writer Hallie Ephron (sister to Nora, Delia, and Amy Ephron). With this book as my guide, I was able to write an award-winning mystery on my very first try. It might be a great resource for you, too.

How I created a mystery series from scratch

This comprehensive book provided me with the roadmap I needed to write a great mystery novel, and also helped me set the foundation for a series. Looking back, I see how I would have struggled to create a satisfying mystery plot if I hadn’t used this book to guide me during the planning stage. Here are some tidbits specific to crafting a mystery that I helped me develop a stronger plot:

“How many suspects do you need? At least two (plus the true villain) will keep the reader guessing. More than five and it feels like a parlor game.”

“Minor characters who are part of the wallpaper for the first twenty-eight chapters can’t be promoted to villain status at the end just to surprise the reader.”

“Hidden secrets are what propel a mystery novel forward. Everyone has them—the victim, innocent suspects, and the villain. The revelation of a secret sends the murder investigation in a new direction.”

“When you pick a profession for your protagonist, keep in mind that the less likely your sleuth is to trip over a dead body, the more you’ll have to work to establish a believable reason for him to investigate the murder.”

Since my novels are set in the New Testament era, I couldn’t take the easy route and make my sleuth a police officer or a lawyer. But the concept made me aware that I had to work extra hard to create believable scenarios that compel my sleuth to investigate murders.

Creating an awesome sleuth

In addition to advice on plotting, the book is filled with great information on developing complex, believable characters. The author provides questions and charts that help a writer consider character building from many angles—many of which could be just as helpful to writers of other genres.

Here are a few that intrigued me:

“Are there things your character has to do that he hates? A reporter who dreads making cold calls? A police officer who hates target practice? Contradictions make for interesting characters.”

“Characters who aren’t what they seem to be at first blush intrigue readers. … Create a disconnect between your character’s physical presence and true capabilities. Then mine the gap. Through plot and action, reveal who your character really is.”

“By understanding how the villain justifies the crime to himself and what events in his life triggered these crimes, you give yourself the material you need to get past a black-hatted caricature and paint your villain in shades of gray.”

Writing mysteries means characters under pressure

One of the sections I found particularly helpful focused on how characters behaved under duress. Due to the nature of a mystery novel, the main characters often find themselves in stressful situations. They will be lied to. They will be in danger. Or, they may be falsely accused or have their honesty questioned.

On top of that, a sleuth and her sidekick will be exposed to crimes. They will interact with others who have been injured, duped, or otherwise mistreated. Thus, both my sleuth and many of the people she interacts with are not behaving at their best.

Therefore, I appreciated the exercises that considered how my characters would react in hypothetical situations that would stress them. The book offers a series of questions that vary in intensity from getting a bad haircut to discovering their best friend has been embezzling.

As with many of the exercises in the book, the majority of the scenarios aren’t directly relevant to a story set in first century Rome. However, a writer can use the book’s questions as examples of the kinds of situations a character of any era or setting might find themselves in.   

In summary

Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron is a valuable resource for a writer who wants to try writing in the mystery or suspense genres. It’s filled with helpful questions, exercises, and advice that will help you as you develop characters, plots, and crimes.

Even if you aren’t planning to write a mystery, give this book a read. It provides loads of good advice on writing an intriguing plot and developing complex, satisfying characters.

Final Note: I have the original edition of this book. I’m sure the newer revised and expanded edition is even better.

All quotes from Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and unconventional soul. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.

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The Intentional Writer

Why Do Writers Need to Know About Graphic Design?

The intentional writer

We writers are good with words, but we may not be so good with images. For those of us who feel graphically challenged, creating blog post images, social media memes, and promotional images can feel daunting.

I freely admit that graphic design is not my strong suit. I am not a visual thinker like so many others seem to be. Thus, when it comes to adding graphics to my blog, social media posts, or promotional stuff, I feel out of my element.

Therefore, I was happy to discover this helpful volume, graphic design for non-designers by Tony Seddon and Jane Waterhouse. It provides clear explanations of the basic components of good graphic design, such as grouping, alignment, fonts, colors, and white space.

Why do writers need to know graphic design?

As attention spans decrease, our modern world relies more and more on images to convey information. No matter how great our writing, if we don’t have attention-grabbing images, potential readers may never stop to look at our work.   

Perhaps you think you don’t need to learn good design yourself. After all, Canva and other graphics apps offer tons of pre-made designs for you to modify for your use. Who needs to learn design when it can be done for you?

Sure, pre-made templates are great, but I still think it’s important for us to get a basic grasp of good design, so we can adapt those canned designs intelligently and confidentially.

What does the book offer?

The book provides a primer of the basic principles of design, each clearly explained and illustrated. For a non-artsy person like me, the book is very helpful because each chapter illustrates the concepts being taught with plenty of visual examples. (How could you have a book on graphic design that isn’t full of graphics, right?)

I particularly appreciate the examples in the book that show some element of an advertisement or poster evolving from lack of design to good design.

 This book was published in 2009, so some of the technology mentioned is a bit dated, but the rules of good design haven’t changed. The first section on equipment is mostly old-school. You can skip over it and focus on the rest of the book that explains design concepts followed by a host of example projects that show those principles in action.

Super helpful sample projects

The final section of the book offers a wide variety of sample projects. Some examples are business designs such as store signs, menus, and business cards. Other example projects are more promotional focused, such as posters, flyers, and brochures.

Each project lists the major design decisions that are needed to produce a good-looking product.

One example I find particularly interesting is the design of a humble form. The intro to this project states:

“Forms are generally rather dull. Nobody likes the task of completing a form … However, if a form is well designed, simple to navigate through, and easy to use, the task is far less onerous.”

from graphic design for non-designers

Good design principles help you fill out forms better. Who knew?

How else can good design take your work to the next level?

Do you need this book?

I am not suggesting that you should run out and buy this exact book. There are plenty of other graphic design books available, and I’m sure some of them are helpful for beginners like me.

However, I do recommend that all writers study at least one book on the subject. Good graphic design is an important skill that everyone in the twenty-first century should master.

Happy designing!

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and unconventional soul. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.

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Writers Chat

Writers Chat Recap for January Part 1

Writers Chat Recap

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, 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.”

Featuring:

Resources and Tools for Writers

Jean Wise and Johnnie Alexander host our first episode of 2023. Johnnie confesses to her Luddite tendencies while Jean keeps us firmly planted in the 21st century by talking about AI possibilities. Johnnie opens up Evernote and an Excel worksheet to show how to keep track of a to-do list and other essentials of the writing business. Jeanie gives examples of AI generated answers to specific questions and shared how AI can spark story/article ideas, plots, characters, etc. Patricia Tiffany Morris gave a spontaneous demonstration of BoredHuman.com.

Watch the January 3rd Replay

Writers Chat Wish List for 2023

Our wish list contains 5Cs ~ Caring, Challenge, Community, Creativity, Curiosity. How can you, as a writer, be inspired to grow in these areas during the upcoming year? What practical steps can you take to care for yourself and others, engage in various challenges (such as writing a haiku a day), participate in community (and make new friends!), enhance your creativity, and follow your curiosity? The Writers Chat team shares ideas and resources that will enhance your writing journey. Start off the New Year with plans and goals for living a 5C lifestyle.

Watch the January 10th replay.

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

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Fantasy-Sci-Fi

Who’s Ya Buddy?

Crashing waves.

Wild winds.

Scratchy sand between my toes.

I loved those summer days when someone’s mom would offer to take a gang of us to the beach. Our excitement and voices rose as we piled into the back of the station wagon, singing and chattering until we were hoarse. An hour later we’d tumble out like clowns at a circus and race across gravel, dried seaweed, and sand to reach the foamy shore. But before we were allowed to enter the water, we were given strict instructions:

A picture containing doll, toy, vector graphics Description automatically generated

Buddy up!

We’d pick a partner and promise to stick together. Someone would blow a whistle and we would stop, clasping hands high in the air until a second shrill tweet released us to play with abandonment in the surf.

The key to fully enjoying the day was to buddy up with someone who had compatible beach sensibilities. Ankle waders did not like being paired with dolphin wannabes. And if you wanted to dive into oncoming waves, just past the point where your feet could find the floor, you wouldn’t commit to a friend who preferred to stay where the foam slapped against wet sand.

Writing speculative fiction is like a day at the beach. There’s much excitement as you anticipate diving into your strange new world, but peril plays along that coast as well. The stinging burn of criticism, pesky attacks of self-doubt, even the undertow of research can wreak havoc with our writing life. In a sea of distractions and discouragement, a writing buddy that has your back can make a world of difference.

When you’re describing the third moon’s view of your planet, it’s not something you can research or interview past visitors about. And the emotional challenges of a banshee surviving high school aren’t readily available in the latest teen advice columns. Nor is relational advice for nuns who turn pirate.  Bringing these worlds and characters out of your head and onto the page is a solitary endeavor, but support while you are creating is necessary and available.

On the other hand, getting feedback from someone who is immersed in a different genre can be difficult, and disheartening. A compatible imagination to brainstorm with on flights of fantasy is an amazing gift. Yes, your ideas are unique, but you are not without community. Find your tribe and connect with others who share your affinity for elf, aquatic, or starship culture.

Alpha, Beta, it’s all Greek to me…

Critique partners, alpha and beta readers, write-ins and sprints are wonderful opportunities to build community—but choose your buddies with care. You want iron to sharpen iron, not dull your edge or worse, break your blade.

Here is a sampling of free online writing communities that have helped me grow as an author.

Writers Chat meets on zoom weekly to encourage, educate, and empower writers.

Realm Makers is a faith-based community dedicated to support authors, artists, and readers of speculative fiction. Prime members may apply to join a critique group and are sorted via magic hat, or perhaps questionnaire answers, into appropriate groups.

Havok publishes free speculative flash fiction online and provides feedback for all submissions. It’s a great place to read and learn as you hone your writing skills.

The 540 FB Community holds Write-Ins where members meet on zoom for mutual encouragement and writing time.

NaNoWriMo is another virtual community for writers, holding several events throughout the year. They provide local group support, forums, and fun ways to set goals.

Sophia L Hansen is an author and editor with Havok Publishing and loves to write In Other Worlds. She’s lived on a tiny island in Alaska, the bustling cities of New York and Boston, raised kids in Tennessee, and now resides just outside Birmingham, AL. After 30+ years of marriage, seven children, and numerous pets, Sophia still fits into her high school earrings.

You can follow Sophia’s words and worlds at https://www.sophialhansen.com/, Facebook, and Instagram.