Best Times To Ask Questions 

If you missed Part 1 read it here

 First thing in the morning–If you’re like me and happen to not be one of those early morning lovers, use Questions to convince your nocturnal personality that today is another amazing day even if its starting four hours before you’d like it to.

So instead of heaving the alarm clock across the room, reach for your notebook and fill your mind with positives. Then hit the caffeine!

When planning your goals–Questions line up your brain cells in a mind-mapping forum that enables you to plot your writing career. Like Google, when you enter the Question into the cranial search box, your sub conscious scans for the answer.

Before your writing session–Give your mind a 10-minute stretch like you do your muscles before a sweat session at the gym. Make a list of customized Questions for each project. Just the act of writing them out, can prepare you by attracting solution based thoughts directly related to what you’re working on.

Be prepared to receive ideas at other times as well, because they can be unpredictable and may arise when you least expect it. Keep a notepad and pen in each room and the car to jot down these inspirational nuggets.

Once a week organize your scribbles onto a single page to be either acted on or filed for future use. I keep a file folder for each blog, article site I write for, and every other segment of my business and personal life.

When I jot down an idea, name, title etc. I usually have an intended place for it to appear so that’s where it goes until I’m ready to use it. That way you don’t have notes haphazardly floating around.

To conquer writer’s block–If you hit a mental wall, step away for a few minutes and review your goals. This interrupts the frustration pattern and reminds you of what you’re working towards. Then refer to the solution Questions and add, what audience am I talking to? What do I want this project to accomplish?

Before bed–Answering a series of Questions and actually writing down the answers releases your thoughts and lets your mind complete the day so you can reach a restful state. Your sub conscious is at its most magnetic state in the morning and at night so take advantage of this force field. Read Tony Robbins book, Awaken The Giant Within, for more on this subject.

Questions help guide your mind in the direction you want it to go. When you understand how to use power Questions to change your own emotional state you can assist others with this technique. If someone you know is faced with a challenge try changing his or her focus with some of these Questions just in conversation so it happens naturally.

Dwelling on problems consumes energy. Instead use this technique to create a revolving door of challenges and solutions, and the positive light will flow into you and radiate into the universe to help others!

This chapter is an excerpt from one of my books, YES! You’re Published. A book is only as powerful as the actions you take as a result of reading it. Jump on the following exercises and put these questions to work for you.

Please get in touch and share your experiences on how this technique is working for you!

1. Write your own set of morning and evening Questions or, adapt these to your circumstances.

2. Your mind can only think one thought at a time. Write five solution- searching Questions to overcome a challenge you’re currently facing.

3. Answer these three Questions. What writing tasks can I accomplish 1)Today 2) This Week 3) This Month - that will make me ultimately more productive, profitable, and proud?

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Questions are a powerful magnetic force that reach out into the universe and invite positive or negative experiences into your life, depending on what you ask for. Want to kick your day off in a magnificent way, roll through it at maximum momentum, drift off totally at peace, and wake rejuvenated, ready to do it all again?

Here Are 21 Questions You Can Implement Right Away To Empower Your Inner Writing Muse:

 Morning Questions

- What am I happy about right now with my writing?

- What can I commit to today that will take my writing to a new level?

- What writing tasks can I accomplish today that will make me feel proud?

- How can I organize my schedule to experience as much joy and excitement as

  possible?

- What am I grateful for right now?

- What new ideas can I develop today?

- What new collaboration possibilities can I create today?

Evening Questions

- How has today furthered my future?

- What did I learn today?

- Who did I help today?

- What am I grateful for today?

- What made me feel excited?

- What made me laugh?

- How can I achieve a peaceful nights sleep so I wake full of energy and vitality

  tomorrow?

Solution Searching Questions

- What is great about this setback?

- What can I learn from other writers?

- How can I enjoy the process of writing while I do what is necessary to

  make mine the way I want it to be?

- What am I willing to do to create the most meaningful work?

- How can I help and entertain the most people?

- Where can I gain new knowledge to help me overcome this challenge?

- What changes and improvements do I need to develop within me to solve this

  dilemma?

Give these a try or adapt them to fit into your goals and individual situations. Keep in touch and let me know how they work out for you or if you develop some others I’d love to hear about it!

The next post will share the best times to ask questions! Go ahead and print this one out and keep it by your bed and on your desk!

Maneuver #3 Video – Connect face-to-face in cyberspace. An online platform for your stage, a global audience waiting to engage.

Excerpt from The Evolving Scribe:  Personalize, Perform, Promote, To Ink A Profitable Future Blending Storytelling, Poetry, And Social Marketing

The term TV star or celebrity conjours up an image of the razzle and dazzle of the red carpet draped at the foot of Hollywood. Now you can create your own version of glitz and glamour from your home theater and your spectators can enjoy a personal cinematized message from the ivory, purple, or green carpet in their own auditorium. What better way to further the relationship you have built with your readers and cultivate a new flock of fans than to customize your appreciation, promote your latest page turner, and invite loyal fans to your next book signing.

It is another marketing channel, like its cousin audio, but video adds another level of interaction by providing you a vehicle to instantly have a face-to-face conversation with your viewers. You no longer have to wait to meet in person to get to know someone. Imagine how much closer your readers will feel to you if they submit questions to your website or blog and you respond on screen directly to them. Increase response rates by transforming your newsletter from text to a combination of copy and video.

According to Cisco Systems, online video is currently 40% of consumer Internet traffic and forecasts online video will reach 62% of Internet traffic by the end of 2015. Can you picture what a million minutes of video consumption per second will be like? Internet usage is expected to quadruple over the next four years with video leading the pack in the growth of bandwidth usage.

Always have a call to action in your videos. First, illustrate the benefits to your visitors. Then remind them of your expectations and what you are requesting of them. For example, you could invite them to your site for a free report.

Video commerce is an exciting tactic that makes it convenient and simple for your viewers by letting you express your video marketing message AND your call to action request inside the same media space. For example, post a clip of you promoting your latest book on your blog and insert a subscribe tab into the video screen offering a free excerpt in exchange for their name and email. Or, an info button that takes them to your website where they see all of your books.

Create a book trailer and include a buy now button. The advantage is, you are reducing the steps for your viewer by asking them to click right on the video to reach instant access to the desired destination so they can take immediate action!

To access all the other maneuvers plus learn how storytelling and poetry can reach your audience so your message resonates with them and entices their return to your site go here for the full details!

“Your book is always new to someone, so until everybody in the world has a copy of your book you’re not done promoting.” Awesome advice from Lori Tharps, author of the book, Substitute Me, a journalism professor, and freelance writer.

The last Festival of the Book in Charlottesville reminded me of how important it is to attend writer’s conferences. There’s nothing like the electrifying vibe that pulses through a live event! I captured a number of videos from the speakers there like this one of Lori participating in an interactive panel.

In this clip you’ll:

*   hear what Lori does and doesn’t do to represent her brand on two of the most popular social marketing sites

*   discover how this one strategy can rejuvenate your book to catch a new round of readers that missed the 1^st launch

*   feel more relaxed about marketing your book when you listen to her take, on this one area of timing your promotional activities.

Artist Spotlight Video: Author, Lori Tharps On Timing, Book Promotion, And Social Media from Jennifer Darden on Vimeo.

If you do not have a pocket video camera you need to put that on your Christmas list. If you have one make sure you carry it to meetings, conferences, and even daily, because you never know when you’re going to meet someone that has valuable information to share with your readers. It’s also a great opportunity to promote other writers!

In case you missed it here’s a video post on promoting your writer’s brand not just a book.

And this clip will teach you how to create an author’s brand before you’re published. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks of the authorial trade!

What did you find helpful about these videos? Do you carry a pocket video camera with you to conferences?

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Should a book teaser grip your attention like a movie trailer with special effects, reverberating music, and high speed clips? Should you share a story, run a rolling display of testimonials, do black and white, color, a combination, or none of the above? I’ve been experimenting with my own books.

I decided to use a different method for each of my first three book teasers, webtv show trailer, and new brand introduction to show a variety of techniques.

Here are 3 revelations I've discovered so far from doing my book teasers:

1.  Music makes a difference. Choosing the right tempo to weave throughout your book’s story ignites an emotional pulse in your viewers that can help you create a connection with them. Before you’re able to stream it to the world though, you must complete it. I find that testing tracks gets you in the mood and excited to see the entire project put together. For this teaser I decided on a rock selection

2.  Choosing images are one of the most time consuming and expensive part. Picking pictures for your first video may take the longest. One trick I found helpful was to buy photo CDs that have photos, fonts, and clipart on them. It’s still a rather involved process, but if you create folders for images you like, labeled by subject, then you’ll save yourself time for future trailers and other projects.

Depending on how many you need it can also be cheaper than paying for individual photos, especially when you consider how many videos, blog posts, articles, ebooks that you will need artwork for. The video here features an upbeat, energetic tune.

3. Repurpose your words. If you’ve developed a sales page or description to sell your book online then you already have some, if not all of the text you need for a book teaser. It keeps your message consistent because some people like to read and some prefer the entertainment of media. It helps you get going if you don’t have to always start from a blank slate.

 "Provocative Right Brain Branding Maneuvers For The Everyday Scribe"

Provocative branding is an attitude. It’s about possessing such a deep belief, confidence, and commitment to yourself that you take a bold stand and live your life against the grain rather than swimming with the rest of the pod. It’s shaking off the conventional nay-sayers who tell you no multi-tasking allowed. I grant you permission to be unpredictable and follow those sparks of spontaneity wherever they may soar.

Check out the trailer for this book here and let me know what you think!

Book teasers, like writing the book itself, is a subjective environment. I’ve looked at many different versions. Ultimately you design one based on what you like and feel is best for your story. It also depends on your video capabilities and whether you choose to do it yourself or hire an editing expert. I’ll cover more on this in the next couple of posts.

Do you have a book teaser? Did you create it yourself or hire someone? Have you seen a dynamic book trailer you really liked? Please share!

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