Write Well Me

Lessons Learned from a Creative Writing Retreat

2010-03-08T10:19:00-05:00

We may not be able to sit down and write anywhere. Some people can. Yay them! For me, though, my environment is ultra important. The energy of people around me affects me. The location. The natural environment.

Maybe that sounds like I'm a diva and everything must be perfect if I'm going to write, dahling.

Not really. I'm just super-attuned to my creativity, my energy, and what's going on around me. While I can shut some things out (because I'm a mother, too, and I've learned that skill in order to maintain my sanity), the effort it takes to shut out negativity or even just neutral environmental issues takes too much energy away from my creative process.

First, you have to understand that creativity is a cycle. You can't leave it on full power all the time. It needs to cycle off and replenish.

My creative writing retreat started Friday evening. I finished some research for a short story I had been working on, and then by noon on Saturday I finished the short story. That afternoon, I worked on my writing card deck project. By late Saturday afternoon, I was cooked. I read for a bit, had a lovely dinner with friends, and then was in bed by 9:00 p.m. Sunday morning (the last day!!!) I had until 11:00 a.m. to check-out. However, by 9:00 a.m., I thought I was done. I'd pushed hard to write text for just three cards in the deck, and I didn't think I could do any more. I thought about going home. Maybe my creativity was used up for the weekend.

I decided to lie down on the bed and put on some soul-stirring music. If I napped, that was great. If I just lay there and did nothing, that was fine, too.

After just a couple of minutes, I had some ideas about one of the cards I had written earlier that morning. I got up to add those ideas and ended up writing text for eleven more cards.

Not bad for thinking I was done. Writing – really, anything – flows much better when you understand and embrace the process.

Here's what else I learned from my personal creative writing retreat:

1. Creativity takes space, nurturing, self-care, and gentleness. It doesn't get forced. It gets eased into. For me, creativity looks like this:

Space - create - space - create.

Space can look like anything: taking a walk, sleeping, talking with a girlfriend, reading a fiction book for fun sitting and doing nothing, meditating, listening to music....

You can't force it. You follow your energy. You listen to your body. You allow your intuition to come to the fore.

2. Don't put pressure on yourself. If you have a crazy life (which is why you have to get away to write in the first place), your mind and body might decide that what you really need is to sleep and watch tv. If you expect that you're going to write 50,000 words in a weekend - because that's why you came on this retreat in the first place, dammit - then you've taken the focus away from the creative process and put it on the outcome. It's awfully hard to create from that space. Allow to come what comes. Be kind to yourself. Enjoy the process. What comes out will be that much better.

3. This isn't a one-time deal. Just because you get away to write (and that takes time, energy, and resources, and therefore you can't do it all the time), doesn't mean that this is your one last chance to write. Just look at exactly what's in front of you and focus on that. Now is not the time for big picture thinking and planning. Keep your eyes on the words in front of you, so to speak.

4. Realize that creating takes energy. If you're on fire creatively, don't be surprised if you're bone tired afterward. Creating at a high level is very similar to giving birth. While it's not physical energy you're using, creativity takes a different form of energy. So prepare to be tired, and build that into your weekend with activities to rejuvenate yourself. (See #1)

5. Plan transition activities. Don't expect yourself to create 24 hours a day every day you're retreating. If you finish one project, it's just about impossible to switch gears immediately and dive right into the next. Even if you're only working one project, finishing a chapter or a major scene may require you to transition before you move onto the next. Creating is hard work. It takes a lot of energy. When you're done, you're done. Whether that's after three hours or eight or twelve.... Stop, replenish, sleep, exercise, whatever.

6. Tell people what you're doing. While this can create pressure mentioned above, you'll be surprised at how many people lovingly pay attention to you. If you're a social media fan, update your status with your progress. Getting back emails, texts, retweets, replies to Facebook statuses will buoy you and keep you going.

7. You need a mantra for your creative writing retreat. Here's mine:

Allow to come whatever comes.
Be gentle on yourself.
Embrace the process.

So if you're lucky enough to go on your own writing retreat, follow these seven steps to set your expectations properly as well as to feel good about whatever you accomplish. And it doesn't have to be perfect, dahling.

31 Days of Clearning - Days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

2010-03-05T23:18:27-05:00

This month's game is clearning: cleaning, clearing, and learning, brought to you by Stacy.

I just got a new computer (yay!!!), and it involves hours and hours and hours of getting the drivers and software installed as well as transferring all the settings.

Hours and hours.

But one of the things I love (other than the Corvette-like speed) is the opportunity to clear out old files, get rid of Outlook profiles I no longer use, and trim down the dozens of websites I've once upon a time accessed.

So I'm not only working faster, but I've removed a lot of clutter. I don't even have a microsecond of looking at all the Outlook profiles I have to scroll through before I get to the one I want. The only thing I see is what I use currently.

What have I learned? (Because Stacy insists that learning is part of clearning.) I've learned - or had reinforced - that clutter bothers me. I want things pared down to only what I use and need. Anything else takes up even a slight bit of attention. And it's not necessary.

Do You Dream of Writing a Book?

2010-03-03T15:40:45-05:00

(For people in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. area)

Lots of people do. One statistic that writing coaches and book shepherds like to throw around is that 80% of people say they want to write a book. And how many of them actually do? Something like 570,000 books were published last year. Nowhere near 80% of the population.

For a lot of would-be authors, that book idea remains a dream, one that they can turn to, daydream about, but never make any real effort around.

Are you tired of just dreaming?

Are you ready to get started on your book?

Are you willing to turn that daydream in for the real thing?

If you're in the Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. area (or if you're willing to travel to lovely Maryland), I have just the workshop for you. Your Book: From Idea to Ink will help you take that daydream and put some structure around it. Because that's really the problem. Your idea is so formless, so big, that you can't get a hold on it.

That's what Your Book: From Idea to Ink will do for your idea - it puts it in a nice container so that you can actually see the idea, how it's taking shape, and your next steps.

Your Book: From Idea to Ink takes place on Saturday, March 20, at the Glenview Mansion in Rockville, Maryland.

At the end of the day, you will

Be very clear about your purpose for writing this book (clarity informs everything - and makes the writing easier)
Identify your target audience, and, no, it's not "everyone"
Sketch the structure of your book
Set the goal of your finished book
Create a plan to get you to reach that goal

From Idea to Ink - taking that formless idea and starting to put it on paper, meptahorically speaking.

Won't you join me on Saturday, March 20? And make that book-writing dream a reality?

To find out more information and to register, click here.

P.S. The deadline to register is Tuesday, March 16. And by March 20, you could be on your way to writing your book! Register here and get started on writing that book!

Guest Post: The Truth Behind Bestseller Books & The Systems Behind New York Times and Amazon Bestsellers

2010-03-01T08:34:00-05:00

By Tanya Hall

To very loosely paraphrase the Bard, what's in a bestseller?

That which we call a New York Times bestseller by any other name (such as "underground bestseller," or "Amazon bestseller") would smell as sweet-well, maybe not.

As the number of books published each year continues to skyrocket upwards, we face an onslaught of "bestseller" claims. We see the word on marketing materials and press releases, on book covers and websites, and, at Greenleaf Book Group, on many submission forms each week. If this bestseller crown has not been awarded by one of the major publications, such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or USA Today, what kind of bestseller is it? The publisher may be partaking in sensationalist marketing-or just a stretch of the truth.

Whether the claim will benefit them or not depends on whom the publisher is targeting with this information. If the publisher intends to woo the consumer with bestseller claims on the book cover, yes, there's some chance it could help-although once your happy customer discovers the "bestseller" isn't as well-known as she thought, there may be repercussions. However, and this is a HUGE "however," a trumped-up claim of bestseller status could seriously hurt that publisher's reputation in the eyes of wholesalers, distributors, agents, and other parties in the tight-knit publishing industry, and that harm could result in books not getting on shelves. Note to all small publishers making larger-than-life bestseller claims: you're not pulling the wool over the industry's eyes.

Industry types have access to such fabulous tools as Nielsen's BookScan to research your sales history, and they will certainly consult them (amongst other resources) to corroborate your claims before making a decision to support your title. BookScan is a point-of-sale reporting service thought to reflect sales from approximately 70 percent of booksellers nationally. BookScan uses weekly data from over 6,500 retail, mass-merchant, and non-traditional outlets in combination with a statistical weighting methodology to present the most accurate information on sell-through available to the publishing industry. Certain notable accounts are missing, including Wal-mart, Sam's Club, airport bookstores, and Christian book retailers. Still, BookScan is a great gauge of sell-through, and as such, it is becoming increasingly influential in how sales are measured and bestseller lists are compiled.

While BookScan offers great insights into overall sales numbers and trends, it is not used exclusively (or sometimes at all) in building the prestigious bestseller lists. The holy grail of bestseller lists is the one published by the New York Times. The methodology behind how this list is built is kept rather hush-hush.

But most reports on the subject agree that the New York Times sends out a list of preselected trade titles (meaning titles you would find in a bookstore, not the boring academic titles like medical and law books that generally outsell them) to a selected group of close to five thousand retailers and wholesalers for them to record the books' weekly sales numbers. There are allegedly blank lines for the recipients of this survey to write in titles not included on the form. That's a quaint thought, but from what I know about inventory managers, highly unlikely to come into practice often.

With any bestseller list, it's important to note that it's a measurement of velocity of sales, not life of sales. A book that moves five thousand copies in one week is likely to make some list in some capacity when that week's numbers are run; however, a book that sells five hundred copies a week for ten weeks straight probably won't make any list at all. Lists also differ in how they categorize titles. For instance, the New York Times sorts by category (fiction, nonfiction, children's) and format (hardcover, trade paper). On the other hand, USA Today's list lumps them all together, from 1-150 by sales numbers, period. This means that a book listed at number one on the New York Times hardcover fiction list could be ranking in the triple digits on the USA Today list. Amazon.com's ranking system is a whole separate article in itself.

Differences in list-building aside, the notable bestseller lists are meant as a barometer of American culture. No list is 100 percent accurate, and none purport to be. Still, bestseller status on a major list is highly coveted, highly profitable, and highly protected specifically so that the word "bestseller" does not become meaningless. Use your sales history to support your efforts to expand your publishing endeavors, but be wary of making unsubstantiated bestseller claims lest you earn the wrath of industry types. Star-crossed lovers or not, that kind of behavior can bring a plague on all your houses.

Tanya Hall is Business Development Manager at Greenleaf Book Group, LLC: http://www.greenleafbookgroup.com. Tanya drives Greenleaf’s business development efforts, working with authors to develop their publishing programs and developing strategic partnerships to grow Greenleaf’s reputation as a leading independent publisher. Prior to her current role, she built Greenleaf's distribution organization, working directly with retailers and wholesalers to develop one of the fastest growing distribution businesses in the industry.

How to Convey Your Message with Power and Passion – Part II – 10 Writing Techniques

2010-02-24T08:53:00-05:00

Last week, in Part I of How to Convey Your Message with Power and Passion, I talked about that the clearer (and more specific) you are about your message and the results you want to achieve, the easier it is for you to write. Because then the words flow, because they're flowing from the heart. Once those words are flowing nicely and easily (because you're connecting with your passion), then you can go onto to look at the actual writing.

That's where today's Part II comes in... What are the 10 specific techniques you can use to jazz up your writing?

Strong introduction – You have to get the reader’s attention. If you don’t capture it right away, then your reader starts to doubt you, your message, and your ability to convey it. Without a strong introduction, the reader may not continue reading.
Strong conclusion – Your writing can be excellent, AMAZING, but if you don’t conclude strongly, you’ve lost all the trust you’ve built, and your reader probably won’t do what you want him/her to do.
Stories, even in nonfiction – Engage your readers. CONNECT with them. Not only do stories help you connect with your reader, but they also help adult readers really understand and SEE what you’re trying to say. They can imagine and visualize stories much better than abstract concepts.

From INC. Magazine, February 2008: Introduction to their case study section:

“Greg Watkins stood at the bar at a New York City nightclub, watching a fashion show unfold onstage and trying not to think about all the drinks his guests were charging to his credit card. He was paying for three rappers, two of whom each ordered an entire bottle of Hennessy cognac. Pretty soon the tab exceeded $600 – and that was the least of his worries.”

The reader can picture Greg and his dilemma. She's compelled to read more about Greg and all his worries.
Short, snappy sentences – I’ve seen a trend in writing where people go on and on and on. Sentences are long and rambling, as if the writer feels as if the longer the sentence, the smarter he looks. Short sentences have great impact. But use sparingly. Don’t write with all short sentences, or your writing begins to resemble the old Dick and Jane books.

Here’s a small excerpt from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love:

“I’d been attempting to convince myself that this was normal. All women must feel this way when they’re trying to get pregnant, I’d decided. (‘Ambivalent’ was the word I used, avoiding the much more accurate description: ‘utterly consumed with dread.’) I was trying to convince myself that my feelings were customary, despite all evidence to the contrary-such as the acquaintance I’d run into last week who’d just discovered that she was pregnant for the first time, after spending two years and a king’s ransom in fertility treatments. She was ecstatic.”

Notice how short the last sentence is. And how powerful.
Great words – Our standard vocabulary has dropped in the last several decades from 40,000 words used on a regular basis to 10,000 words. What that means is that people use the same words over and over, and their message fades into the background – because it looks like everyone else’s.
Active and passive voice – Don’t say “there is” or “there are.” Talk about how people struggle, stumble, crumble, collapse…. Or, conversely, soar, catapult, climb, skyrocket…
Concrete and abstract – When we’re writing, we have to be clear on what we’re trying to convey. Many times it can be somewhat abstract – a concept. Concrete would be “We apologize that the 123 Widget was damaged upon receipt. We have sent a replacement Widget, and you should receive it within three business days.” It doesn’t get more concrete than that. However, we’re usually trying to convey a message that’s a tad bit more abstract (like write with power and passion or improve your financial wealth or lose weight now!). If you’re talking about something abstract, make it more concrete for your readers.
Tighten your writing – Are there words, or even whole sections of your writing, that just aren’t crucial to your message? Are there things you’ve written that aren’t really necessary for the reader? EVERY word, EVERY sentence should have a reason for being. If you don’t know what a word or a sentence is doing, it doesn’t need to be there.
Let your reader see what it is you have to say – Don’t just say “I’ve worked with the best of the best.” Why is that even important? What is it about that sentence that you’re trying to get across to the reader? What information do you want your reader to have?
Parallel structure – This is a grad-school-writing technique. This is where you’ve done all the things you’re supposed to do – be clear on your message, your audience, and your purpose – you’ve used your checklist and applied it – and here’s where you can really shine. The best writing is that which really reaches the audience. And when you write it in such a way that it sticks in your reader’s head – you’ve done your job. And parallel structure is one way to give your writing rhythm, beauty, and power.

Here’s an example: September 2009 TCM Magazine article by Robert Osborne:

“We aim to do what we can this month to help make up for the slights to [Claude] Rains over the years, beating the drums as to how fine, how versatile, how valuable he was.”

You'll find parallel structure in the last bit: "how fine, how versatile, how valuable..." You have "how" followed by an adjective.

Apply these techniques to your passion-filled writing for a more powerful effect. Your audience will thank you.

2 License Plates for the Price of 1

2010-02-23T18:31:15-05:00

I haven't done license plates in a while because, well, there just haven't been any really good ones worth taking the time to blog about.

But that all changed Sunday. (And thanks to running partner Dawn B for pointing out the connection!)

The first license plate:

JO KNEE

Nothing spectacular, right?

The car in front of JO KNEE has the following license plate:

YANKLE

Dawn B had to say it out loud for me: "Jo knee and y'ankle..." We guess that they must be orthopaedists.

Taken together, those might be the best license plates ever!

28 Days of Love - 2/20/10

2010-02-20T01:32:43-05:00

I've had some amazing connections this week. From a two-hour creative planning session with one of my three favorite clients, to girlfriend calls that last into the night, to a work/play date with my BFF, to clients who really look out for my well-being, to conversations that make me smile....

To quote one of my favorite movies: "Love actually IS all around."

How to Convey Your Message with Power and Passion - Part I

2010-02-15T11:37:00-05:00

I’ve always been about writing. It’s just what I did. In school I was told I was a good writer. So I got lots of support, and my confidence was pretty strong.

I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, so when I went into undergrad, I figured majoring in English would be a good thing. (You have to be able to communicate well, right?) At the same time, I also worked in the law school on campus as a court runner. How better to see the inside workings of the legal system than to work in the legal department? Within a month, I figured out that I so did NOT want to be a lawyer.

Now what?

I went back to that place—what I could do well—or at least what I had been TOLD I could do well: writing and teaching. So I finished my English degree with a minor in business administration and my certification to teach.

Well, two years working in a school where my 7th and 8th graders were more concerned—and rightly so—with pregnancies, taking care of their siblings as their parents worked three jobs, and gangs—took its toll on my enthusiasm and passion. The last thing they cared about was writing.

And I couldn’t blame them.

I found myself feeling lost. This is what I thought I wanted to do—teach.

And I thought it might have been me: if I did a better job, if I connected better… Maybe I could have really helped fire their passion about writing…

So I left teaching. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Maybe I’d watched To Sir, With Love too often and thought that I could change these kids’ lives.

Fast forward a few years, and I was working with business owners to manage their businesses, and, of course, writing was a big part of what I did—and still do. I strategize, craft, and create everything from Ezines, marketing campaigns, web copy, affiliate management and campaigns.

I ran into a lot of people who really struggled with writing. And some of these people were amazing at what they did, but they couldn’t write. But, more importantly, they didn’t THINK they could write. I started to take what I could see their problems were (because, yes, there were some places where they did need some help—but it wasn’t hopeless) and begin to design solutions.

I thought it was just going to be this little thing I did on the side, you know, an eight-week writing class. Teach the class. And—poof—they’re better writers! Mission accomplished, and I’ll just go back into my life.

Unh unh.

The writing class grew from eight weeks to twenty-four weeks as I really understood where people struggled—they didn’t have a chance to really integrate what they’ve learned and techniques into their writing. Most importantly, they didn’t have an opportunity to practice and bring their own writing style into being—and hone it and polish it.

What really happened, though, was that I rediscovered my passion and my soul purpose: to connect. It’s the work I’m meant to do—and it’s my greatest gift—and my greatest need. Now I've taken that passion and gift for connection and help others connect with their passion.

So how do you convert your passion into powerful writing? It starts with confidence. If you’re not confident about your message, it’s not going to matter how well you write. Along with that, you have to be confident about getting that message out there. Remember when I talked about being in school and getting awards for my writing ability? That confidence made me THINK I was a good writer. Was I good a writer? Maybe, maybe not. But I thought I was.

Once you've got that confidence (or at least working on it), the number one thing to focus on to get big results in your writing is to be very clear about your message. Everything comes down to being clear about your message.

If you don’t know your message, if you’re not clear on what you’re trying to do, if you don’t know the results you’re hoping to get (and I’m talking about focused results—not just “I hope people read this article” or “I hope people respond on Twitter”), you’re going to struggle with writing or your writing is going to fall flat.

The clearer (and more specific) you are about your message and the results you want to achieve, the easier it is for you to write. Because then the words flow, because they're flowing from the heart.

You’re connecting with your audience.

And that power and passion comes naturally.

When we struggle with the writing, or the words just don’t seem to come easily, or you think that you fall on the “I suck” part of the writing spectrum—it’s because of two things

lack of clarity (and this covers all manner of things: purpose, audience, message)

lack of self-confidence

Now, are there tips and techniques that will help you? Absolutely, and we’ll get to those in Part II next week.

Until then, we’re going to start with what you want from your writing:

you want it to be easy

you want it to flow

you want to connect with your readers, your audience

you want those readers to do what you want them to do—there needs to be a reason WHY you’re writing

Imagine being able to sit down to write—and it’s easy. And you’re so clear on what you’re writing and the message you’re trying to convey. And the words flow…

And that being your experience with writing—over and over.

Stay tuned next week when we discuss Part II of How to Convey Your Message with Power and Passion—10 techniques to jazz up your writing—AFTER you’ve become clear on your message, purpose, and audience.

28 Days of Love - 2/15/10

2010-02-15T03:07:06-05:00

I haven't played 28 Days of Love until now for a couple of reasons. There's the old standby that I've been very busy. (A tweaked time management system and a new computer should help with that!)

It's not that I don't love or that I don't have plenty of stuff to talk about with regard to love. I compose posts in my head all the time, and I'm still looking for that technology to be invented that takes it out of my head and into my blog.

So why today to do my first love post? Wouldn't yesterday have made more sense? For some people, perhaps. I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. One day a year when your significant other professes affection? What about the other 364 days of the year? I'd prefer daily Valentine's Day.

I pick today to express my gratitude for all the love I have to give and to receive in my life. I love with all my heart, and while that can get me hurt sometimes, I'm still glad I love that way. And I'm lucky enough that I have people in my life who love me in return.

I've said before that connection and intensity are absolutely crucial for me; they're nourishment for my soul. When those are there, it's indicative of the deepest kind of love that there is - for me.

May you have much love in your life.

Action Verbs Get No Respect

2010-02-10T06:45:00-05:00

From a student in Write Well U's Writing Essential Program (used with permission):

Visiting mom in the nursing home was enjoyable today. I took my notebook to write down action verbs on my list. Mom and I started spitting out words: cooking, helping, cutting. I think it may have been because we were watching the Food Channel. It was funny when mom wheeled herself out to the nurse's station and asked the nurses, "Who knows some action verbs?"

It really goes to show people really don't listen.

They said, "Who knows where Herman is?"

Mom wheeled back in and said, "They don't even know what an action verb is."

Guest Post: What happens when your ebook is passed around?

2010-02-08T08:57:00-05:00

by Stephanie Chandler

One of the questions I am most commonly asked is, “If I sell my book in ebook format, how I can prevent it from getting forwarded around?”

Here’s what happens (and the source of so much fear around this subject):
- Someone buys your ebook and downloads it in PDF.
- They like it so much, they forward to three friends who didn’t pay for the content.
- The three friends like it so much, that they forward it to three more friends each.
- And so on…

Guess what just happened? You just landed 12 new fans of your work!

True, they didn’t pay for the right to read your materials, and that stinks. But if your material was good enough to be shared, then you have just gained exposure with a new audience. And those new readers are now familiar with the quality of your work and will be far more likely to invest in other products and services that you offer.

It’s really no different than a library book. If you have authored a traditional book, anyone can go check it out from the local library for free OR purchase your book and then loan it to a friend. That friend didn’t pay for the right to read your book, but once again, you’ve just gained a new fan.

While new technologies are emerging that promise to protect your digital content, I personally feel that it is more trouble than it is worth. My digital ebooks, reports, workbooks, etc. create a nice revenue stream for my business. Do I think it’s fair that some people receive a copy from a friend, even though it wasn’t paid for? No, it’s not fair. But I don’t stay up at night worrying about all that lost revenue.

If someone feels compelled to forward my materials around, then I will gladly reap the rewards of a new audience. This is why it is so important to create more products and services the compliment your core product or book–so that you have other revenue-generators in your arsenal of products. If a reader likes one, there is a good chance that they are going to like others (and ultimately pay for them).

The music industry is currently figuring this out. While digital downloads of music are being commodotized, and thus cost far less, and songs are being swapped and shared online for free, musicians are uncovering a whole new audience that wouldn’t have otherwise become fans of their music. In turn, the market is shifting and bands are discovering that a good percentage of their income can be made from live concert tours instead of the traditional record sales model. Smart bands are turning this shift into an opportunity.

So if you can stop viewing the swapping of your content as lost revenue and instead see the opportunity, your revenue potential can be even greater!

Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books, including LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business and From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products. She is also founder and CEO of AuthorityPublishing.com, which provides custom book publishing and internet marketing services. For hundreds of resources for entrepreneurs, visit BusinessInfoGuide.com.