#wqa

Hey, everyone! You may have noticed I've been relatively absent over the past couple of months. I've made the difficult decision to close down the ask box for a while, possibly permanently. This is partly because I needed to shift my priorities back toward my own writing and taking time out for myself. It's also partly because I just couldn't keep up with the inbox. It was rare there was ever less than 30 to 50 asks at any given time, and over the years questions seem to have gravitated away from general writing questions to requests for plot specific advice... which of course comes with lengthy plot rundowns. At the end of the day, those types of questions became the bulk of what was in my inbox. I realized that the needs of the community had shifted from needing general writing advice to personalized writing coaching, and that's just not something I'm able to offer here.

I have loved every single second I've put into this blog, and I am so unbelievably proud of the fact that many of you over the years have messaged me to say that you got a trad book deal or indie published your book, or were on your way to one or the other. That's something I will always hold as part of my tiny legacy on this big blue marble. Thank you, so much, for giving me the opportunity to do it.

The blog will stay up so you can access past posts and the WQA post masterlist. And maybe, periodically, I'll open the ask box up for a short period of time. Or, possibly, I may even open it back up permanently one day. Hard to say for sure. But, in the meantime, wherever you are, may your writing be fruitful, your reading be blissful, and may you stay safe and protected always.

Love,

That time I turned your beta readers into characters...

Guide: How to Promote Yourself as a Writer/Author via Social Media

1) First and Foremost, Don’t Overthink It.

I’m starting here, because this is a subject that can be very overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Some writers/authors seem to have limitless time to dedicate to social media, but most of us don’t, and that’s okay. It’s better to prioritize your writing, but there are things you can do to work social media into your routine. Also, don’t feel like everything you post has to be related to writing, your writing life, or some super interesting event or adventure. Content is content. It can be just about anything.2) Your Main Social Media Options, Just to Get Them Out there- Tumblr- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram- Pintrest- YouTube- Goodreads- Google Plus- Writer/Author Blog2) Get to Know Your FavoritesIt’s better to have good visibility on a few platforms than it is to spread yourself thin across all of them. Even if you set up accounts on all of them, you don’t have to be active on all of them. Focus on the ones that work best for you, even if it’s only two or three of them. I recommend choosing at least two, if not three, then dedicate a week to each one. Set up your account (if you haven’t already), find and follow other writers/authors, especially in your genre. (Hashtags are helpful for this. Google will provide lists of hashtags for writers/authors on each platform.) Try to spend ten to fifteen minutes a day on that week’s chosen platform. Make a post, then spend some time liking and commenting on the posts in your feed. This helps to build relationships with other writers. And don’t be bashful. Anyone who has a public writer/author page is hoping for likes and comments, even from people they don’t know yet.3) Choose a Primary Platform and Stick with ItAs the saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” The same is true of social media, so even once you’ve narrowed the field down to your favorite two or three platforms, you may want to choose one that you use daily, for ten to fifteen minutes per day. Then, try to dedicate a little time to the other two, maybe on the weekends.

4) What to Do About Content

It depends on the platform, obviously, but here are some ideas:

Re-Blogs/Re-Posts: - writing advice/tips- writing-related quotes- motivational quotes- book/reading related quotes- pictures that relate to what you write- pictures that inspire what you want to write- pictures that relate to reading/writing- posts from other writers/authors that are shareable- writing/reading related memes- aesthetics of your favorite books 

Original Posts:- personal writing-related anecdotes- writing tip/advice posts (share what you know!)- photos of your writing space/reading area- pictures of handwritten quotes or tips that you want to share- aesthetics of your WIP- photos of coffee, tea, stationery, books, pets, nature- your monthly goals- end of month review of which goals you completed and which you didn’tTags/Challenges/Questionnaires:- “tag” challenges are sort of like hashtag photo prompts. Search for an existing tag challenge or create your own and tag your followers to join you.- monthly photo challenges give you a prompt for each day. These can be related to books/reading, writing, both, or anything else.- prompt challenges inspire daily short poetry or micro fiction- you’ve seen questionanaires here and probably on facebook, too. Often you can find some geared toward reading and writing.Book Reviews, Movie Reviews, TV Show Reviews, Video Game Reviews- book reviews make for great content. It doesn’t have to be anything long and drawn out. Just a picture of the book, how many stars you give it, and a few things that you liked (or didn’t like) about it. - did you watch a movie over the weekend that you really enjoyed? Tell your followers about it in a spoiler-free review.- did you binge-watch a new TV show? Let others know about it with a spoiler-free review.- did you play a new computer, phone, or video game? Talk about it!Support Other Writers/Authors:- if a writer/author you admire or follow posts something you can help promote, do it! For example, maybe an indie author your friends with has just posted that their book is on sale this week. Sharing that can promote audience sharing between you and them, it gives you content for the day, and it’s awesome to support other writers/authors, especially indies.Arts, Crafts, DIY, Cooking, Adventures, and Other Hobbies- share your grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin pie- share a picture of the sweater you’re knitting along with your three favorite knitting tips and tricks.- share a picture of your bujo or planner layout for the month- share a picture of the cabinets you re-finished and talk about what the process was like.- share pictures and stories from the antiquing road trip you took over the weekend.- share a picture of the painting you’ve been working on.- share a picture of the room you cleaned out along with some de-cluttering tips- share a pretty picture of a flower you took on your afternoon walkSpend some time looking at the content of other writers/authors on the platform you want to focus on. This is a great way to see what’s most common, what you can mimic, and what you can jump in on.5) Set Up a Schedule

Whether you focus on one platform or three, it can sometimes help to set up a posting schedule. For example:Monday - Blog post on author blogTuesday - Re-tweet two or three writing-related tweets on TwitterWednesday - Post a writing/book related photo on InstagramThursday - Re-blog writing tip on TumblrFriday - BreakSaturday - Twitter re-tweetsSunday - Instagram tag challengeThat’s just an example, of course. If you focus on one social media platform, it might look more like this…Facebook Posting Schedule:Monday - Re-post writing adviceTuesday - Post writing/reading related quoteWednesday - Share personal writing tipThursday - Link to interesting writing-related articleFriday - Book reviewSaturday - Picture from weekend adventureSunday - Break6) Social Media Management Apps

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, you may want to look into a social media management app like Hootsuite, Pagemodo, or Sprout Social. (There are many others, too.) These sometimes cost money, but they can be well worth it if you need help managing your social media presence. Ultimately, these allow you to plan out posts in advance, so instead of worrying about it every day, you take maybe an hour every week to pre-plug in all your tweets and other posts for the week. When you see writers/authors who seem to post on all social media every day, this is generally how they do it.7) Don’t Neglect your Writer/Author Blog

Last but not least, make sure you set up a writer/author blog and try to make a post in it at least once a month. Not only will this give you content you can share on the platforms you focus on, but it’s a great way to keep track of your writing journey and to keep your growing audience up-to-date with the latest news. Even just a short post to talk about your progress for the month and your goals for the next month is better than nothing.8) Try to Relax and Have Fun with It

Inspired by an old post batting around, I wanted to make my own list of words and phrases I often hear people misusing:

Incorrect: “That documentary peeked my interest!” Incorrect: “That documentary peaked my interest!” Correct: “That documentary piqued my interest!”

Incorrect:  “He supposively wasn’t there last night.” Correct:  “He supposedly wasn’t there last night.”

Incorrect: “She supposably gave it to Ted.” Correct: “She supposedly gave it to Ted.”  

Incorrect: “I’m suppose to fly there next week.”     Correct: “I’m supposed to fly there next week.” 

Incorrect:  “She will defiantly be there at six.” Correct:  “She will definitely be there at six.”

Incorrect:  “This is fine for all intensive purposes.” Correct:  “This is fine for all intents and purposes.”

Incorrect:  “You should of come to my party last night!” Correct:  “You should have come to my party last night.” Correct: “You should’ve come to my party last night.”

Incorrect:  “Irregardless, you shouldn’t have done it.” Correct: “Regardless, you shouldn’t have done it.”

Incorrect: "It’s honestly a mute point now anyway.” Correct: “It’s honestly a moot point now anyway.”

Incorrect: “I was wondering through the woods.”   Correct: “I was wandering through the woods.” 

Incorrect: “Did they appraise you of the situation?” Correct: “Did they apprise you of the situation?”  

Incorrect: “Would you order me a large expresso?”  Correct: “Would you order me a large espresso?” 

Incorrect: “By in large, things are getting better.”     Correct: “By and large, things are getting better.”   Incorrect: “She won’t be at your beckon call.”   Correct: “She won’t be at your beck and call.”

Incorrect: “Clara listened with baited breath.”     Correct: “Clara listened with bated breath.”  

Incorrect: “The spices wrecked havoc on my stomach.”     Correct: “The spices wreaked havoc on my stomach.”  

Incorrect: “The food wasn’t expecially good.”     Correct: “The food wasn’t especially good.” 

Incorrect: “The locked door gives me piece of mind.”     Correct: “The locked door gives me peace of mind.”  

Incorrect: “The book was rather anti-climatic.”     Correct: “The book was rather anti-climactic.”  

Incorrect: “Here’s something to wet your appetite.”     Correct: “Here’s something to whet your appetite.”  

Incorrect: “I need a drink to whet my whistle!”     Correct: “I need a drink to wet my whistle!”

Incorrect: “Let’s chock it up to a coincidence.”     Correct: “Let’s chalk it up to a coincidence.”  

Incorrect: “He has a deep-seeded fear of snakes.”    Correct: “He has a deep-seated fear of snakes.”  

Incorrect: “I’m going to eek out a name for myself.”     Correct: “I’m going to eke out a name for myself.”

Incorrect: “I’ve had hunger pains all day.”     Correct: “I’ve had hunger pangs all day.” 

Incorrect: “Stop taking me for granite!”     Correct: “Stop taking me for granted!”  

Incorrect: “Please bare with me while I sort it out.”     Correct: “Please bear with me while I sort it out.” Incorrect: “I love dogs, cats, horses, ex cetera.”     Correct: “I love dogs, cats, horses, et cetera.” Correct: “I love dogs, cats, horses, etc.”

Incorrect: “Please allow me to say my peace.”     Correct: “Please allow me to say my piece.”  

Incorrect: “Case and point, he was late to my show.”      Correct: “Case in point, he was late to my show.”  

Incorrect: “Ted tows the line between boring and fun.”     Correct: “Ted toes the line between boring and fun.”

Incorrect: “The police are honing in on the truth.”     Correct: “The police are homing in on the truth.” 

Incorrect: “We’re chomping at the bit to go home.”     Correct: “We’re champing at the bit to go home.”  

Incorrect: “He came here on accident.”     Correct: “He came here by accident.”  

Wow, thank you so much! I’m so sorry I disappeared like that, but it was a much needed break, and I’m glad to be back. I’m so happy you found me again! <3

How I Plan My Novels 

1) Plot Bunny Search - The very first thing I do is flip through my “plot bunny” folder to look for ideas. If a few jump out at me, I’ll make a list to narrow down later. Sometimes I see two or three ideas that work well together, then spend a little time finding a good way to mash them up.

2) General Summary - As soon as I have my idea nailed down, I spend a little while fleshing out the idea by summarizing it from beginning to end. In this stage, I nail down the basic important facts about the main characters, note important timeline and setting details, and state important events and plot elements.

3) The Big Binder -After I get my summary written, I start a binder which is where I’ll keep any physical notes and references that are important to my story. I find it’s easier to refer to things like timelines, calendars, and character/setting details this way rather than to minimize my writing program and pull it up in my writing folder. (However, I do keep a digital copy of everything in a desktop folder as well.)

4) Fleshing Things Out - This is the fun part, for me anyway. Here’s where I flesh everything out and fill up my binder. I type out a general timeline, print out a calendar for the period during which my story takes place, draw out general maps for important locations as well as layouts for structures, rooms, etc. I do basic character profiles, nothing too in-depth. I don’t spend time on things like character interviews or trying to figure out what soda my character would like best unless it’s relevant to the story somehow. When I have my characters nailed down, I like to cast them just for fun and to give them a more solid representation in my head. I also do a scene list and a projected chapter list if I can.

Here are some things you can try that should help…1) Use real people and places as inspiration. Collect photos of these people and places so that you can refer to them when you need to describe them. Lots of writers enjoy casting their characters with real actors, and if you watch clips of these actors in a variety of different roles, it can sometimes help you start to picture what they would be like as your character. This can help bring the character to life in your head, which will make it easier to imagine what they’re doing at every moment in the story. For settings, if you can look at pictures and videos of a place that is similar to a place in your story (a high school, a neighborhood, a town, a forest), so can start to get a feel for the place in your head. The details that stand out to you in the image are a good place to start when describing it in your story.

2) Learn how to describe people and places. I’ll try to get some of my old resources on this re-posted soon (check back on this post within a week or so. You’ll be able to find it under the #wqaadvice tag), but in the mean time, you can look online for other resources. Look for posts and articles with titles like “how to describe a character,” “how to describe character actions,” and “how to describe settings.” By reading specific pointers on how to describe these things, you can teach yourself how to do it. :)