WbtR Members, Learn How To Build Your Audience!

Write by the Rails – 4.18.13 Meeting Notes (and updates)

OFFICERS. Cindy Brookshire – President/Treasurer; Linda Johnston – Projects Manager/Liaison to Virginia Writers Club; Katherine Gotthardt – Liaison to the PWC Arts Council; Carol Keily – Membership Coordinator

WRITERS PRESENT. We changed the meeting agenda. Writers introduce themselves at the beginning of the meeting. Cindy Brookshire, Carol Covin, June Forte, Katherine Gotthardt, Linda Johnston, Charles Sutherland, Dan Verner, Val Wallace.

CONTINUING BUSINESS. Arts Alive! 2013 went very well – we had 18 writers participating in book sales, readings and/or education sessions for children (poetry and storyboarding). Over 3,000 people attended. Rheta Van Winkle, a reviewer for BookLoons.com stopped by and picked up a copy of The Forgotten Mourners by Magdaline DeSousa (aka John’s Sister)’s to review. Rheta invited anyone with a new book coming out (or out recently) to query BookLoons.com managing editor Hilary Williamson at Editor@bookloons.com. If Hilary can interest one of her reviewers in your book, she will have one contact you. Bob Chase, manager of Prospero’s Bookstore in Old Town Manassas also stopped by the booth. He said Rodney Jordan will be signing his book, Tired of Being Black, at the store during the May 3 Gallery Walk. Local Writers Directory – 20 writers responded. Have not seen directory yet from Robin Tucker. The online Book Nook columns for Prince William Living magazine are going well. Dan is reading Charles Sutherland’s reality novel, The Poison Planters and will post a review. No new news on the Parlor Readings at Manassas Junction B&B (Katherine Gotthardt) or the Read Local QR-code poster at Grounds Central Station (Nick Kelly/Linda Johnston.)

NEW BUSINESS. The FY14 New Emerging Arts Grant application has been delivered to the PWC Arts Council. Thanks to Leigh Giza, Linda Johnston, Carole Keily and Dan Verner for their hard work on the grant and the Five-Year Strategic Plan. The grant panel will review our application in May. In June, they will give their recommendations to the Board of County Supervisors. If we receive the grant, the funds (up to $1,000) will be distributed after July 1 as soon as possible after the new fiscal year begins. Among the programming we proposed is a full-day writers conference for 60 writers in the July 2013-June 2014 time frame. Comcast grant - Boys & Girls Club summer workshop is not happening, however we may be able to do the workshop anyway if we receive the arts council grant. May 3 Gallery Walk – Author’s Alley at The Things I Love in Old Town Manassas. Dan Verner arranged our participation in this event. Writers signed up to read on the terrace behind the store from 6 pm to 9:30 pm. If you missed this signup, you may be able to participate in other upcoming events. June Kilpatrick is working with the Harris Pavilion in Old Town Manassas to have writers read from their works during “Tuesday Take Out” from 6 pm to 8 pm on July 2.) Summer Shorts Contest and Golden Nib Contest rules have been posted on the chapter website and the Virginia Writers Club website. June Forte is securing judges for the first tier of the Golden Nib, including educator Lillian Orlich, who has served the PWC Public Schools for 60 years, and Poet Laureate of Virginia Sofia Starnes. The first author announced to participate in GMU’s Fall for Book Festival event @ Hylton Center on Sept 26 is Write by the Railer Claudia LaFeve, along with her chef “hubs” who works at Market Salamander in Middleburg. Other authors and foodies to be announced.

Upcoming Events

May 3 – 6 to 9:30 pm – Author’s Alley readings at The Things I Love, Manassas

May 3 – 7 pm – Rodney Jordan (Tired of Being Black) at Prospero’s Books, Manassas

May 3 – 7 pm until – Open mic reading at Deja Brew in Haymarket

May 4 – 2 to 4 pm - Local Authors Fair, Bull Run Library

May 7 – 2 to 4 pm – WbtR Meet and Greet at Panera in Merchant Shopping Center, Lake Ridge

1st Annual Authors’ Retreat

May 18, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

At Carol Covin's House, 12510 Izaak Walton Drive, Bristow, Virginia

(703) 330-5478 (home) Everyone welcome, but RSVP please.

Be prepared to WRITE.

June 1 - Authors at 19th Annual Heritage Railway Festival in Old Town Manassas. Contact Doug Horhota, Manassas Museum, 703-257-8265 if you want a free table on the lawn or Stuart Schadt has a table on the street and is looking for one or two more writers to join him ($18.50 each).

July 2 – 6 to 8 pm – WbtR reads at Tuesday Takeout at the Harris Pavilion

Aug 3 – VWC “Navigating Your Writing Life” Symposium at Piedmont Virginia Community College in the Dickinson Fine & Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville.

Aug 24 & 25 – Authors at Civil War at the Junction. Contact Doug Horhota, Manassas Museum, 703-257-8265.

SPEAKER. Our speaker was June Forte, NVCC-Woodbridge instructor and former president of the Virginia Writers Club. June gave her tips on “The Art of the Interview.” It was interesting to hear June’s advice, and then watch a skype interview the next day that Carole Bellacera did with S. Luke Abaffy on Author Feast: The Writer Show – http://www.authorfeast.com/uncategorized/episode-24-carole-ballecera-talks-regaining-book-rights-and-making-audio-books/). For example, June said before the interview starts, make sure you’ve written down the title of your book, where to buy it, and have the book there to show on screen – even put a sticky note at a good selection, so you’re ready to go if you’re asked to read. Carole was very prepared.

More of June’s Tips (for radio, TV or print interviews)

· Research the media online or at library - 2013 Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media.

· Send a news release with a news angle that shows you know their audience and convince them you have what they need. Tell them you are available for last minute bookings.

· Write hometown releases to all the places you’ve lived, including your university magazine.

· Pick your best time for the interview – if you aren’t sharp until after lunch, schedule it then. If you’re a morning person, schedule it first thing. Get there early.

· Outline on paper the interview YOU want, and be ready to steer the conversation to those talking points. Talk at a 10th grade reading level.

· Dress up, whether anyone can see you or not. Wear makeup, whiten your teeth, smile. Wear solid, soft colors, not white, stripes or bold patterns. Don’t distract from your message. Don’t slump. Don’t touch the microphone. For a call in show, know that you are on the air as soon as you answer the phone.

· Use your books as props, with them facing the camera.

· Include the audience in your statements, such as “many listeners are familiar with this genre” or “well, I know this is a big farm community.” Converse like a close friend and have good eye contact.

· Bring along a media kit that includes a bio sketch of you and a copy of the book cover mounted on a black background (ready to go in front on a camera)

· Send a thank you note to the interviewer!

· Keep a tape or link to your interview and use it to promote yourself.

NEXT MEETING. Thursday, May 16 at 7 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Manassas. Speaker: Tamela Ritter, author of the recently released “From These Ashes.”

For more information, email writebytherails@gmail.com or visit www.writebytherails.org.

Local Authors Give Marketing Tips to Writers

Thirty people attended "How to Market Your Book," a panel discussion sponsored by Write by the Rails on Sept. 8 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Old Town Manassas.

Among other advice, here are five free tips that were offered by our writing pros:

1.        Bristow resident Carol Covin, author of Who Gets to Name Grandma,
detailed how social networking on websites such as Facebook.com and
GoodReads.com can build a platform and a fan base for your books
(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745659-who-gets-to-name-grandma-the-wi
sdom-of-mothers-and-grandmothers.)

2.        Lake Ridge resident Nancy Kyme set up a blog, Campfire Memories
(http://campfirememories.wordpress.com/), that both complements her book,
Memory Lake: The Forever Friendships of Summer, and drives traffic to it.
She landed a phone interview with the editor of the newspaper in the town
where she grew up, and now uses the article he published as a clip to
promote her book to others.  She also has an elevator speech to describe her
book that is attention-worthy of Twitter.

3.        Bristow resident Tee Morris talked about the value of producing a
short, compelling video trailer that will 'show, don't tell' a scene in your
book.  He ran three video trailers for his novels, including Phoenix Rising
and The Janus Affair to demonstrate.  Morris also explained how recording
your short stories on Podiobooks.com can easily pay a bill or two
(http://www.podiobooks.com/title/tales-from-the-archives-volume-one).

4.        Manassas resident Ross Murphy is both an author of You Will Never
Dance Alone and Dancing with the Devil and the acquisitions director for
Aberdeen Bay Publishing (www.aberdeenbay.com).  From a marketing standpoint,
Murphy warned "nobody cares about you, nobody cares about your book and
nobody wants to buy your book." After that splash of cold water, he advised
authors to create a marketing plan that casts both a wide natural market
(family, friends and a growing list of everyone you know and meet) and a
narrow target market (specific readers hungry for your specific subject
matter).  He also advised first-time authors to polish their product with a
professional editor before finding a mid-size press to publish it.  Don't
approach a mainstream publisher until you've sold at least 5,000 copies of
your book.

5.        Each attendee was given a handout of marketing tips from Claudia
LeFeve, author of Parallel, Paradox, unDead Dixie Debs and The Fury.  In the
handout she explained how running a free promotion for Parallel, the first
book in her series, on Amazon.com brought her 401 paid downloads of Paradox
in one week, landing her in the #2 spot in Hot New Releases in Sci-Fi on
Amazon.  Her formula for great success is limited to these essential things:
a. Write a good book; b. Have a great cover and c. Start writing your second
book.

Dan Verner, Biscuit City blogger (http://dverner.blogspot.com/) and Manassas
Observer columnist, served as moderator of the event and Leigh Giza, author
of Found and Lost,
(http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000468173/Found-and-Lost.aspx) coordinated the panel.

Our next meeting is Saturday, Sept. 15 at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal
Church, 9325 West Street in Manassas.  Our guest will be June Forte,
President of the Virginia Writers Club.

For photos, visit our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Writebytherails.

For more information on Write by the Rails, email writebytherails@gmail.com

Developing young characters?

Developing young characters can present special challenges, as most of us, by the time we are writing children's books or writing about children, are no longer children.  Author Julia White offers her advice: 

Get to know your character and make him original. According to young-adult author Ellen Wittlinger, "The most important thing about building a character is to start on the inside... and layer on all the different qualities that make the person unique." Try writing out a list of questions and answering them for your character. The list can include basic questions, like age and music tastes, or more complex ones, such as your character's deepest fear. It is crucial to make the character real in your head, so that he will be convincing to a reader.

Local writers Lily and Danny (who requested we publish only their first names) came up with some great questions to help Lily develop main characters for a children's book she is planning.

1. What would this person do if confronted by a bear in the woods?

2. If this person saw or heard about an abandoned house where the lights inexplicably go off and on, what would he or she do?

3. If this person heard about treasure hidden somewhere she is not allowed to go, would she go look for it?

4. If this person had homework to do and her friend wanted to see a movie, what would she do?

5. If there was a meteor shower, would this person want to go see it? Why or why not?

6. Does this person go for walks in the woods? Why or why not?

7. If not, does this person go for walks elsewhere? Why or why not?

8. Does this person have a pet? If so, how does he or she react to it?

9. Would this person go to the store in the rain after dark to get orange juice for his or her sick brother?

10. When this kid misbehaves, what do the parents threaten to take away?

11. Pick five kids’ TV shows. Which show would this child be most likely to watch? 

How would you answer these questions if you were writing a children's book?  Are there other questions you would ask?

For more ideas on developing characters for children's books, see

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/improve-my-writing/5-tips-for-creating-characters-for-kids 

http://www.robynopie.com/articles/writingforchildren_creatingbelievablecharacters.htm

Sheila Lamb to Teach Creative Writing Course

Starting in September, WBTR author member Sheila Lamb will be teaching a 5 week course entitled "Write Now! " at the Center for the Arts.  "Write Now!" is designed for new writers who are looking for a place to begin.   

Write Now!

Let the inspiration flow! We will work on writing fiction and non-fiction prose. This hands-on course will explore elements of the writing craft, including plot development, characters, and setting while developing your voice as a writer. We'll use prompts and free writing exercises designed to get you started on the writing path. Be prepared to share your writing with the class. Bring your notebook and the creativity will emerge!

Dates: Sept. 18 - Oct. 16, 2012
Times: Tues. 7-8:30pm
Location: Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory/Old Town Manassas

More details and registration information can be found at http://www.center-for-the-arts.org/registration/viewclass.aspx?id=FW-M1.

Sheila's stories have appeared in Monkeybicycle, Steel Toe Review, Soundzine, Referential Magazine and elsewhere. Her short story Swim was nominated for the Pushcart prize.  

An MFA candidate in fiction at Queens University of Charlotte, Sheila writes across a wide variety of genres, including short fiction, historical fiction and educational curricula. A former history teacher, she has traveled  throughout Ireland and participated in the Achill Archaeological Field School.  

Sheila began teaching at the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory in Manassas in 2010.  "Writer's Studio," a workshop for critical review and feedback of works-in-progress, will be offered in April.  

Three Cheers for the Mighty (Fun) Prompt!

Writing prompts can help get us started or continue writing, and even when they don’t quite work the way we want them to, they can be a lot of fun.  Books and websites abound with good ideas, and we’ve all got our favorites, but I think WbtR would be remiss if we ignored the power of these creative tools.    

There are several ways to utilize prompts, some of which depend on the genre.  This website, for example, has a list of lines that part of a story can be written around.  You can use the line as a launching point, a focal point or just a kick in the butt.  The lines are not especially interesting or unique, but once you get going, you can always edit out the line completely.

It was the first snowfall of the year.
He hadn't seen her since the day they left High School.
The city burned, fire lighting up the night sky.
Silk.
She studied her face in the mirror.
The smell of freshly-cut grass.
They came back every year to lay flowers at the spot.
This time her boss had gone too far.
Red eyes.
Stars blazed in the night sky.
He woke to birdsong.
'Shh! Hear that?  ' 'I didn't hear anything.'
He'd always hated speaking in public.
She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
The garden was overgrown now.
He'd never noticed a door there before.
She'd have to hitch a ride home.
'I told him not to come back, too!'
His feet were already numb. He should have listened.

A variation of this technique is to write a scene based on an already famous line or quote.  The internet is spilling with sites like this one, which can overwhelm you, so if you want to use this method, I suggest opening the webpage and selecting one random quote without even reading the entry.  You can also run your finger down a page and use whatever line your finger stops at.  Remember, though, if you keep the quote in your final version, you will have to deal with copyright law.

Need help creating interesting characters?  One way to get started is to examine an object and turn it into a human being.  For example, I have a white headband on my desk.  If my headband were a person, what would s/he be like?  What physical attributes would s/he possess?  What belief systems would s/he hold?  Write a couple of paragraphs in which your new person introduces him/herself.  Or stick your new person in a sleazy hotel room and watch what s/he does.

If you’re going for something more poetic (or weird), you can turn this technique around by anthropomorphizing the object.  Now my headband might still look like a headband but have blue eyes, long lashes and a serious acne problem.  And it might have a lot to say about me and my messy desk.  Go ahead and try it.  Give objects the power to talk.  What would the things on your desk say about you?

Now let’s hear it.  What are some of your favorite writing prompts?

_____________________________________________

WbtR member Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry in her office, which doubles as the family room.  When she is not distracted by her cat Fiona who insists on sitting on Katherine's already cluttered desk, or her other cat, Cosmo, who meows for the sake of meowing, Katherine gets a few lines written between trips to let the dogs in and out.

Stacia Kelly on "building a better base for authors and readers"

One of the many things I’ve learned through the years is that I like to tweak things, whether it be my writing or my website. As such, I do all the building, maintenance and writing on several sites. Yes, I could be using that time to write, and in many ways I probably should considering the amount of manuscripts on my hard drive waiting for final edits. However, I’ve learned that I like balance, so I have to balance my creative side with my techy side, then all the voices stay sane (keep your snarky comments to yourself on that one LOL).

Last week, I had a great social media meeting with some colleagues. We get together once a month to talk about all things Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and websites. We’d talk about LinkedIn, but once we each posted our main info up there, it’s pretty much leave it and go. (I might check in on it once in a blue moon, but even that’s rare.) It’s also a great excuse for those of us who work on our own and really only connect via Social Media or instant messenger to get OUT of the house.

One of the recommendations I came home with was to check out HubSpot Marketing Grader. Now, I don’t claim to know a lot about SEO Optimization or really working the site to make it easier/better for readers and authors to find information. I’ve had the blog for so long, I’d have to go actually look up the numbers. I entered in all my info and you know what?

I got a measly 70 out of 100.

That stinks.

Using some of their recommendations, I’m now up to an 83 on the report and steadily climbing. Why is this important? Because it means my site is now getting a broader reach. Which in turn means the more I’m connecting with people and potentially more book sales. And, as both a Publishing House author and an Indie author, this is important for all my work.

As noted, I already fixed a number of things like layering in the SEO stuff, adding int Alt tags to images.

Things I need to do? Well, hell, remember to post more often! Posts go in random cycles for me. Lately, I’ve been so focused on editing Reduce You and Ichi that I haven’t been posting. And, next on my list? I’m in the middle of reviewing JT Bock’s urban fantasy and need to get comments/edits back to her as soon as humanly possible. Plus, I’ve got to make edits from beta readers on Gaian as a number of readers are poking me with sticks asking where the next Goddess is and what’s taking me so long. (Did I tell you how long I sat on edits for Phyxe? And, no I won’t ever do that again.)

I also have to remember to tweet and post to Facebook. Now that I’ve been building my author page on FB, that should be a little easier. Plus, there are ways to automate it all now from the blog post itself. I just need to make sure that scheduling a post ALSO schedules the tweet and the link to FB.

Optimizing and orienting for mobile devices….well, this one has me a little stumped. It looks like I’ll be learning more code to layer in. Once I figure it out, I’ll make sure I post up so it’s easier for others to follow.

Next, it wants me to automate my marketing efforts. I’m not so sure about that one…I hate getting automated responses and tend to delete more of them than I read….and even the ones I delete are ones I signed up for because I wanted to read them. There just isn’t enough time in the day!

All in all, an interesting report. It’s in the beta stages, so somethings don’t quite work correctly yet. I was glad to see a few, quick changes managed to increase the marketability of the site, at least to the online world. Now, to start driving new traffic….maybe I’ll learn even more from the free materials they share?

I’d love to hear if anyone else has been using this tool and if you’ve noticed any increase in visibility, more interaction or less? Since I run things myself, I’d love to know what’s working and what isn’t.

WbtR member Stacia D. Kelly is the urban fantasy author of Phyxe: Goddess of Fire as well as the author of Muse, focus, and the upcoming book, Reduce You. You can find her work at www.sybir.com and www.studio13bymbsworks.com. She lives in Prince William County, VA with her husband, son, some crazy cats and a hyper but loveable Mini Aussie Shepherd.

Advice for Writers--Better by Half

by WbtR Member Dan Verner

Sometimes, revision means discarding a particular word that doesn't "ring" and finding one that does. Other times it might mean going through and looking for passive voice. Or the same words used in close proximity to each other. I wrote something recently and used the word "personal" three times within two sentences. Sometimes I can substitute a synonym. Sometimes I have to reconstruct the sentence(s). All these things come about when I am throwing down a first draft. Just get it down and fix it later.

For this post, I want to consider cutting parts of writing. I know, none of us wants to discard a single precious word that flows from the ends of our fingers (or however else you might produce writing--I don't want to limit anyone here). Most of the time, though, making something shorter makes it better.

I have had the good fortune to write a column for two local papers in the past four years, and typically, those columns run to about 750 words. I can write more, but I don't want to irritate my editor by forcing her to rework a piece to make it shorter. That's my job. You probably recall the inverted triangle (pyramid) structure of a news story. Important stuff in the lead paragraph (but punch it up!), other stuff in order of decreasing importance. That's so if the poor long-suffering editors needs to cut your deathless prose, they can lop it off at the end with little lost. Columns, not  so much since the last sentence where I put wisdom of the ages (or a really weak pun, whatever).

So, I had a story I had written a few years ago and had never published. Yes, I sometimes write things for the fun of writing them. I know that's an odd practice. This wonderful story ran to 1500 words, and I needed to cut it down to 750 for the column.

My practice is first to go through and eliminate paragraphs that can depart. There are usually two or three.

Next, I see if I can cut out some of the dialogue. I like to use dialogue because it speaks to me (there's your weak pun!).

Then, I chop out sentences that would enjoy a respite.

And finally, we get down to it when I cut out words that aren't necessary.

That's how I cut the story in half. Actually, it took longer to edit the column down to size than it would have to write a fresh one. But I liked the approach and message of a piece and it's worth taking the time to make it right and to make it shorter.

And that's the long and short of it.

Stacia Kelly Offers Useful Tech Tools for Writers

Every artist has tools to help them succeed, whether you are Leonardo da Vinci, or the budding artist with paper and crayons (heaven forbid they started on the wall, but who knows where they’re moved to create). In days past, most writers have paper and pen. Today, we’ve migrated to laptops, smart phones, iPads, Twitter and blogs.

Corrina Lawson wrote on Wired.com, “Top 10 Geeky Things You Don’t Know About Romance Writers.”  She stated, “Before I started reading and writing romance novels, I never would have thought there was anything remotely geeky about romance writers. Wrong, wrong, wrong. They’re some of the most geeky people on the planet.”

And is she ever so right!

What works? What doesn’t? For each writer, it can be different, but a few tools truly help revolutionize your writing process. This is a new list of the ones I’ve found to be the most helpful (I’ve deleted the obvious ones like computers, websites, Facebook and Twitter.):

• Google Docs – Don’t want to buy MS Office? Why bother? Google docs gives you access to your files anywhere and anytime. Google’s been making improvements every day. Another plus, if you’re co-writing, you truly can write in real time with your partner. I’ll do that and copy it all back into Scrivener when the writing session is done.
• TaskPaper – Mac software, your electronic to do list. Great desktop version. Remember the Milk is an online one that links to Gmail if you prefer. If you’re working with a co-author, you can try out ActionMethod. It lets you delegate tasks to others too.
• AutoCrit – an online editor, it calls out over-used words, cliches, repeated words, and more.
• Skype – I use it to carry on conversations all day long with fellow authors as well as my accountability partners.
• Scrivener – Scrivener has changed my writing LIFE. I won’t write another book without it. Although, if I were still on a PC, I’d probably test out Liquid Story Binder as an alternative. Consider this, when using MS Word, I end up closing the doc and every time, it opens back to the front of the document…I had a hard time getting back to the place I was editing. With Scrivener, where I close it is where it opens the next time. And, the programmers have built in compile features for eBooks. I highly recommend trying it out.
• Day One -  it’s a Mac based journal that syncs to your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Great when you’re away from your desk and want to get something on the page and have it be there when you get home. Yes, you could just type it up and email yourself, but where’s the fun in that?
• Simplenote  – a way to sync Scrivener with your iPhone or iPad. I’m still getting hang of this one.
• Aeon Timeline – useful when you’re darting through time and space like I do with the Goddesses. Or, the Samurai sisters.
• MindNodePro – mind mapping software for when you’re truly stuck and want to throw all the ideas out there that you can and see what sticks.

Yes, most of these apps can be replaced with pen and paper. But, as I’ve mentioned before, my handwriting is horrible nowadays so if I want to be able to read things later, it’s better for me if they’re electronic.

WbtR member Stacia D. Kelly is the urban fantasy author of Phyxe: Goddess of Fire as well as the author of Muse, focus, and the upcoming book, Reduce You. You can find her work at www.sybir.com and www.studio13bymbsworks.com. She lives in Prince William County, VA with her husband, son, some crazy cats and a hyper but loveable Mini Aussie Shepherd.