Imagination Sparks Blogfest

It's here! My first-ever blogfest!

This is the IMAGINATION SPARKS BLOGFEST

What does that mean? It's easy. We all know at least one good warm up exercise to get our brain geared up and ready to write. That one creative task that gets your imagination bubbling with ideas. I thought we'd share them and try each others.

Here's what I want you to do.

1. Register your blog in the link list to show you are going to try and participate. Sign up will be available for one week.
2. On the 1st of August (hey, we won't be cross if it goes up a day or two late), post one of your favourite writing exercises that we can all try. You might want to credit the creator of the exercise if you know where you found it.
3. Read other peoples blogs and try some of those exercises.
4. Do a follow up blogpost to let people know which exercises you tried and what results you got. You can post your followup whenever you can. Visit the other blogs to see how they went with the exercises.
5. Get great new ideas and make new bloggy friends!

Google + Writing Circles

Are you Google +ing yet?

I was sceptical. I still remember the wasted moments wandering through an empty Google Wave. I questioned Google's approach of limiting the sign ups for Google + - after all, social networking only works if everyone's there.

BUT. I love the ease of adding people to your circles. Now instead of bombarding my friends and family with the endless links I find on the craft of writing, I can target those posts directly to other writers. I also feel more comfortable adding people, knowing I don't need their permission to follow them (like Twitter - you can block someone if necessary).

People will migrate from Facebook and Twitter to converge in Google +. I don't expect it to be quick, others will be wary and many will be nostalgic about the platform they've spent so much time building (remember the die-hard Myspace enthusiasts?). I'll stay in Facebook while I've still got Friends there - I'm not attached to particular platforms, but I'll go where the people are - I like the people.

If you're not in Google + but would like to start building your profile there, drop me an email and I'll try to send you an invite (I'm not sure how many I can give out, so first in first serve). If you've already started and want to add a widget to your blog to promote your Google + check out:

www.widgetsplus.com

Now, I'm thinking... BLOGFEST TIME! I've never held a Blogfest before, exciting times.

On the 31st July I'll post up details of the 'Imagination Sparks Blogfest' and how to sign up. For the blogfest we'll all share a creativity exercise that helps get our Muse revved up to write. To get you started, I'll blog about a great exercise Tom Evans, author of The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments generously shared with us.

Art and Science of Lightbulb Moments

I've come across a great read for writers, a book that provides exercises to boost creativity, but also explains how our minds work and what sparks those ideas that turn into gems.

I first came across this author on Joanna Penn's podcast The Creative Penn. Tom Evans is the author of The Art and Science of Lightbulb Moments.

I'm still getting through this book, but I'm loving it. The exercises are fun and new and prompt a different perspective for your writing. I absolutely recommend this book, but don't just buy it, make sure you try the exercises! You'll never get stuck in your novel again.

I'm also having lots of fun planning a writing workshop for primary school kids this week. My first priority is to make sure the workshops are fun, so I'm finding lots of tactile and humorous ways for us to develop story ideas together. After all, writing should be fun! The added bonus is I'll have my target audience for MY ZOMBIE DOG, so there might even be a sample reading. 

What are your writing plans this week?

Favicon Your Blog

Zombie Dog likes to blog

An author was raving recently in a podcast about the brilliance of Youtube. You can find anything there. Of course there is so much stuff online now that most people have stopped browsing and are more particular about searching for specifics. Anyway, this author was saying if you want to know how to do something you just search 'how to...' on Youtube. You can learn how to do anything, even make a favicon.

Like most of you I love words, some stick with me more than others (I especially love saying 'chihuahua' whenever I can fit it into a conversation). The original topic of the podcast became lost on me - what the heck was a favicon, and did I want to learn to make one? I rushed over to Youtube.

Well I'll be darned, I DID want a favicon! 

After only a little muddling about, I managed to put a personalise little icon in the address bar of my blog. So now, instead of seeing the orange B for blogger, you'll see a wee little pic of my head that matches my blog background. Want a favicon? Here's the Youtube clip I watched:

Anything over 2 minutes is hard for me to pay attention to, so here's the website where you can upload a picture to be turned into a tiny little favicon (favicons are an .ico file):

http://www.iconj.com/

Once you have your little favicon created and you've generated a shortcut url (the site that makes your favicon will give you a web address to use as the location for where your favicon is stored), you'll need to add it to your blogger site. 

Go to:  Blogging Tips on this page you'll see instruction on making your favicon, scroll down to:

Add the reference for your favicon to your Blogger template

Follow that section and post the favicon url in your template html. Done!

The favicon can make your blog or website appear a little more professional, and it really wasn't hard. The hardest part for me was finding the code in the template html - but only because I was being impatient, I assumed it would be near the top (like the 'head') but it was half way down. Do you use Youtube for how to videos?

The Writer's Hole

I've been hiding down a deep dark hole - and it's done my WIP wonders!

On Friday I took part in a group writing exercise on Facebook hosted by Queensland Writers Centre. The event was called The Rabbit Hole, and those lucky enough to be in Brisbane got to lock themselves into a room for the day with the intention of just writing and writing until your computer bleeds. The rest of us made do by logging into the Facebook event page and posting our progress. 

The actual goal was to reach 30,000 words in three days. Some people hit this target. I did not. Am I disappointed? No way. I hit over 15,000 words in 3 days and best of all... FINISHED my first draft of MY ZOMBIE DOG. 

I was so excited. I quickly put the draft onto everyone's kindle and iPad in my house using Scrivener to convert the file and Calibre to transfer it. Of course there's a few little things I can do to enhance the story and make it even funnier. But I love it and can't believe I got it finished so soon. 

So if you get the chance to lock the doors and commit to some serious writing time - DO IT! Better still, get a group together to keep you all honest (I have to admit to occasionally sneaking off to watch episodes of Chuck). And if you do organise a Facebook writing event? Please invite me! 

Rogue Book Launch

Beer n Book - Good Combo!

I really have been soaking up the artist's life these school holidays. Just over a week ago I attended the book launch for Nicole Murphy's newest novel in her series: Rogue Gadda. How could I resist the temptation - a book launch held in a pub!

And not just any pub, a traditional Irish pub. I was in Guinness heaven (okay, I only had one, otherwise I get a bit handsy). Nicole was a wonderful host and dutifully signed many copies of her new novel, she also delivered a very entertaining speech and shared a sample of her new book with us (but not the saucy scene, we'll have to discover that for ourselves).

I first came across Nicole's writing after attending a few of her writers workshops (you can read about my experience at her saucy scenes workshop here), the most recent one being on writing colourful characters (Zombie Dog is kind of green - does that count?), I'll post about that workshop soon.

This launch was for Rogue Gadda:

But if you want to start with the first two books for this sexy paranormal story, try:

 

I also met a couple of writers who were really nice, one gave me the inside scoop on some great gaming novels for boys (and gamer girls!) - check out: The Black Library for something a bit edgy.

Online Marketing for Offline Readers

How do you manage online marketing to those unlikely to be online?

I've been turning the cogs over in mind this week (they're a bit rusty and need a crank every now and then) about finding your customers when you self-publish. It occurred to me some markets are easier to find than others.

The first step is to work out who your average reader is. I don't mean vaguely like 'romance readers', but specifically have a stereotype in mind (in this example perhaps your particular romance appeals to women 30-40 with children). Do you know? You really need to work this out if your novel is finished and ready to go. Try visiting sites like Goodreads and Amazon for similar style novels to see who their market is.

I know not every reader will be the same, but you want to work out who your majority of readers are. For instance violent thrillers written by men are most likely to have a male readership. The more I think about this market, the more I think it's the hardest to reach if you are not a previously published author.

Some men do circulate online, but many for this market don't. They don't browse Amazon for unknown writers and don't spend a lot of time 'browsing' in bookstores. They buy a book because it won an award, because it was recommended on a reliable source, like their favourite newspaper or ABC radio-programme. Problem is, if you are a new writer, it's unlikely you'll be mentioned in these sources. But I thought long and hard. There is a way to get your book in this reluctant hand. Through a more reliable market. Women. 

Many times books my dad has loved have been novels I've purchased for him, or gifts from his female friends or my sister. He would never have gone looking for this novel, but once given it, he reads it. This market doesn't like to waste a gift. A couple of times he's enjoyed a book so much he's asked me where he can find more in the series.

My dad will never visit a blog, spend time on Facebook or even know that Goodreads exists, but people who buy books for him do. So if you have a difficult market to reach online, try reaching them through their networks instead. Market your book to those people as the perfect gift idea.

Although not talking about novels, this marketing blog, LEADSexplorers, refers to this sales approach as targeting your customer's 'trusted parties'.

I'll blog more on this topic soon, about ways to find those buyers who do circulate online. Together we might be able to find a plan :)

But first I'll be going offline. Just for a couple of days. I'm taking on a challenge to write 30,000 words in  only 3 days. I'm doubtful, but I hope to at least finish the first draft of MY ZOMBIE DOG. Wish me luck!

Writer's Platform - is it worth the hassle?

I tend to blog a fair bit about ways to promote yourself as a writer. I see a lot of writers dip their foot into building their online platform, only to lose interest after a time or become disheartened because they've sat at 13 followers for 3 months.

It's a phase that takes time. I won't say there are no short cuts, but frankly you need to organise your time to allow building your profile, by blogging, Facebooking and Tweeting (I can't recommend MySpace, but there are some that say it has value) and to keep up with your actual writing (no point building a great platform if you never finish that novel). Writing and editing will take up most of your time, and most of us find it hard enough to squeeze that in. So why spend time online? Isn't that what your publisher is for? 

Even if you are able to land a publisher, or if you even want one, you will still need to promote your work. You can market directly to your audience (romance readers, children, etc) and I've some posts you can check out with links to help you with that:

Writer's Networking Advice

Build Your Author Marketing Plan

However, if you've started out by networking with other writers, you needn't think that was a wasted target. Us writers, I've come to discover, are a very supportive bunch. Whenever I come across one of my blogging friends who has published their novel I buy it. I'm just so proud of them. I also purchase novels from any writers who have run workshops for me. Curiosity and gratitude. Those that can't run up a big bill on Amazon, may not make the purchase but will often promote your book online. I think it comes down to the fact that we all enjoy feeling like we're helping. So do reach out to other writers and blog and tweet. We learn a lot from each other and we're a reliable market.

Now, I'm off to Canberra to attend Nicole Murphy's book launch (in a pub! Yay!). AND extra yay! for school holidays, I can finally spend some time reading everyone's blogposts.