Screenwriting

Writers! Thought that this could qualify for a good read. Comment if you like.

http://scriptshadow.net/tv-episode-review-the-who-of-you-twilight-zone-2020/

Hello Great Minds, this might be inconsequential.

Genre: TV Drama 1-hour/Supernatural Thriller
Premise: A struggling actor whose girlfriend threatens to leave him if he doesn’t find a job, robs a bank, but in the process inadvertently switches bodies with the bank teller, allowing for a unique type of getaway.
About: Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone series on CBS’s streaming service had a rough first season, with, arguably, no breakout episodes. Maybe that’s why the second season, which dropped this weekend, came in with so little advertising. But I still like the idea of a Twilight Zone series and wondered if Peele could learn from last season’s mistakes. I went to IMDB and found the highest rated episode (Episode 3, at a 7.4) and checked it out.
Writer: Win Rosenfield (created by Jordan Peele) (originally created by Rod Serling)
Details: 44 minutes

https---winteriscoming.net-files-image-exchange-2020-06-ie_51431

As you’ve heard me say before, I’m looking for a Twilight Zone type script (or two) to produce. Why? Well, a Twilight Zone idea exists in a genre that can have a big juicy concept and can be shot cheaply. It also allows you to remain marketable outside the horror genre, which is music to the ears of writers who detest horror.

However, I’m realizing after watching this Jordan Peele Twilight Zone how easy it is to get The Twilight Zone wrong. Today, I felt, was a good day to identify what they’re doing wrong on this show and how one might course-correct Peele’s errors.

Something I noticed right off-the-bat was that the ideas felt dated, at least with today’s episode and many of the episodes I saw from first season. Usually, it’s a good idea to respect the source material. But Black Mirror changed the game. It’s like they said, “What if we did Twilight Zone, but with technology and a more current approach to storytelling?” This made Black Mirror feel like The Twilight Zone 2.0. Heck, with Bandersnatch, they went 3.0. Peele’s new Twilight Zone feels like Twilight Zone 1.2. It’s very much stuck in the past.

Take today’s episode, “The Who of You.” Harry Pine is a Tootsie-like actor. He can’t catch a break and is starting to detest auditions. To make matters worse, his girlfriend can’t stand being around him. The rent is due and, once again, Harry doesn’t have the money to pay for it.

So Harry takes a rather drastic approach at solving the problem. He grabs a bag, walks into a bank, and attempts a good old fashioned stick-em-up robbery (did I tell you that this concept was dated?). However, in the process of the robbery, both Harry and Female Teller lock eyes and, boom, all of a sudden Harry is inside the Teller. Neither Harry or the woman (who’s now in Harry’s body) know what happened, but it doesn’t take Harry long to figure it out. He takes the bag of money (as the woman) and runs.

When a cop comes in the back door and spots the Teller running, he stops her and, once again, Harry locks eyes with the cop and transfers into *his* body. Harry, as the cop, takes the money bag with him and runs off. Meanwhile, ultra-macho Detective Reece comes to the bank and arrests “Harry,” who’s actually the bank teller woman in Harry’s body.

The cops sense that something is up and they start hunting Harry (in his cop body) down. But Harry has now perfected his body-jumping technique. He jumps into a barista then a jogger’s body before heading to a psychic to figure out how all this is happening.

The psychic is onto him, gets angry, then boots him out of his place. During their fight, Harry forgot to grab the bag of money! Now he’s locked out of the store. With his new power, however, Harry figures out who lives in the apartment above the psychic store and jumps into the bodies of people in the building until he gets into a little boy’s body who lives in the above apartment.

He then slips down into the psychic store to get the money back but is met by Detective Reece and whoever’s currently in Harry’s body. Detective Reece has seen enough to realize something supernatural is going on here so he knows the real Harry is in the kid’s body. Harry then does a Jedi-Level triple body swap move so he’s now in Detective Reece’s body and Reece is in Harry’s body. This makes for an interesting showdown when a squad of cops bust into the store at the last second, guns drawn.

The Who of You is a harmless fun episode. I liked the acting exercise component of it. This is a dream scenario for actors as they all get to play the lead character and they don’t usually get to play characters this varied.

I also enjoyed figuring out the rules. Obviously, I knew who was in who’s body after the first switch. But with each additional switch it became harder and harder to figure out who was who. But not in a frustrating way. It was exciting realizing how the chain of switches evolved and who was getting stuck back in who’s bodies.

Despite this, The Who of You (is it just me or does that sound like the title of a Dr. Seuss book?) still feels like a dated premise. This episode could’ve been shot in 1910, right after that famous horse film was made. That’s how back of the closet the concept is. And it’s the series’ achilles heel.

Peele seems to respect the source material so much that he’s reluctant to change it. Not only does this affect the concepts he chooses. But it affects the tone. Those original Twilight Zone episodes were from a much simpler time where TV was new and the world wasn’t nearly as complex as it is today.

The other day I was listening to some music (Jack Garrat – Circles) and it occurred to me that was the fifth song I’d heard *that week* about anxiety. I don’t think anxiety was even a thing in the 50s. But it makes sense. You don’t get any time off in 2020. There’s always a new e-mail, a new text, a new Youtube video, a new social media feed to check, a new news story. You’re always being called on by something, so of course you’re anxious. Back in the 50s and early 60s you didn’t have anything close to that level of overload.

That made an episode about people with pig-faces intense heady stuff at the time. But we’re way past that level of intensity. We require concepts with more weight, like Black Mirror Season 3’s San Junipero, another episode that plays with body-jumping but in a profoundly more interesting way. Here in Peele’s universe, the body jumping is a gag, a goof, a bouncing ball to follow along with. It’s harmless fun but I’m not sure this genre works as harmless fun anymore. There have been too many supernatural stories inspired by The Twilight Zone over the years that have elevated the genre. Peele needs to keep up.

Despite all this, the episode *does* work. As much as I’m dogging the complexity, they do try and explore Harry’s character some. There’s this question of, “Who am I really?” And experiencing how people see you differently depending on what body you’re in. And there’s this fun little subplot where all of this is helping him become a better actor. It’s not Black Mirror level introspection but it’s enough to keep things entertaining.

To answer my original question. How do you write a Twilight Zone film that resonates in 2020? I think it’s all about depth. You can’t use a concept that’s too gimmicky, like this one. Or, if you do, you have to explore the character elements more and not get hung up on the theatrics. The Sixth Sense is a good example of that. A psychiatrist who’s lost his way after a patient’s death tries to find his way back by helping convince a young child that he doesn’t see ghosts. Without that element, you just have a kid who sees dead people and that’s not going to resonate with audiences as much.

I know Peele finally wrote an episode (Ep 2) this season (he didn’t write or direct any of last season). So I may check that out. But if that doesn’t work, it might mean sayonara to CBS’s new Twilight Zone series for me.

[ ] What the hell did I just watch?
[ ] wasn’t for me
[x] worth the stream
[ ] impressive
[ ] genius

What I learned: Today’s What I Learned is not about today’s review, but rather a question for all of you. I’m curious what the most helpful screenwriting tip is that you’ve learned from the site. While I know what *I* think are the most important screenwriting tips, I realize that everybody prioritizes things differently and it might be fun to put a post together with all the best reader-inspired tips/lessons. So, it’s time I learned from you. What is the most important screenwriting tip you learned from Scriptshadow???

Was I wrong?
Thank me later.

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Freelance Work

Readers! Figured this could probably be worth a look. Any opinions?

https://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing/time-management-for-freelancers/

How are you Geniuses, this may really be worth reading.

According to a 2019 report, 57 million Americans work as freelancers. It’s a lifestyle that comes with lots of flexibility and, with a median hourly wage of $28, the potential to outearn 70% of non-freelancers.

However, being consistently productive outside a traditional 9-to-5 office setting doesn’t happen automatically. You must learn how to manage your time effectively.

After all, as your own boss, you work on multiple projects and deal with several clients at once. In addition, you’re also continually hustling to find and secure more work.

It’s easy to see that, if you can’t make efficient use of your time, you’ll be unable to maximize your professional output and, as a result, your earning power will be limited. For any freelance struggling with time management, here are seven tips for making the most of your workday.

1. Build Detailed To-Do Lists

Arguably the most valuable tool for managing your time as a freelancer is creating to-do lists. Some best practices for creating these lists include:

  • Include specific project notes and technical requirements from different clients.
  • If your list is all-digital, link to in-progress documents.
  • Use color-coding to help visually organize your work.

To-do lists are polarizing in and of themselves. Some studies claim that these lists can be a graveyard for non-urgent tasks. But, with time being such a finite resource for so many freelancers, it’s almost never a good idea to “wing it.”

The reality is that your to-do list setup only has to work for one person: you. Whether you use apps like Evernote or Google Keep, or simply jot information down by hand, knowing exactly what you need to work on is an indispensable part of strong time management for freelancers.

Just make sure there’s enough information in your to-do list, not just titles or jumbles of words. Everything, including important links or comments from clients, needs to be at your fingertips.

2. Create a Realistic Schedule (and Stick to It)

Once you’ve got a to-do list up and running, the next logical step is to break your day or week up into time blocks by creating a schedule.

How long those individual time blocks are, and how many you fit into a single day, will vary depending on your preferences. The key is understanding how much you can realistically get done in a given amount of time.

Some time constraints are scientifically unavoidable. The general rule of thumb is that the human mind can only focus on any given task for 90 to 120 minutes at a time.

With that in mind, listen to your body’s natural rhythms and maximize what you can do in those shorter spurts. Once you find that sweet spot, stick to it by establishing a routine.

Don’t forget—you’ll also need to make time to hunt down new projects and clients, creative brainstorming, marketing, networking, and much more.

3. Find an Optimal Work Environment

Now that you’ve got the “what” and the “when” figured out, it’s time to tackle the “where.”

Your work environment, just like your to-do list and schedule, should cater to your strengths as a freelancer. Some professionals need absolute silence to do their best work. Others prefer working to the hum of a crowd in a cafe or communal workspace.

That said, some universal environmental elements, regardless of the location, must help your productivity rather than hinder it. Here are some important ones to keep in mind:

  • Make sure your chair is comfortable. These days, most freelance work involves sitting in front of a computer or mobile device for several hours a day. Back pain, leg numbness, or any other physical discomfort can be distracting and needless to say, impede your productivity.
  • Invest in a good pair of headphones. If you prefer working in public places, noise-canceling headphones are a must. They give you the ability to filter out most ambient noise if you need to.
  • Find good lighting. Working in a room that lacks natural daylight can be fatiguing, as can working next to the wrong kind of desk lamp. This may also mean investing in a computer monitor with a decent color spectrum and viewing angle.

4. Go Offline to Minimize Distractions

Even the most self-disciplined freelancer can be jarred by a sudden notification or buzz from their phone. And if they occur frequently enough, these distractions may drain several productive hours from your day.

One solution: going offline during your work hours.

Of course, setting aside time during your day to manage your various inboxes is important. But, when it’s time to settle in and knock items off your to-do list, avoiding notification pop-ups or incoming message alerts is paramount.

If you can’t help but peek at your emails or scrolling through social media, try one of these apps:

  • Freedom is the best-known option, although the features in its free version are limited.
  • Hocus Focus is a great free tool for Mac users that only lets you view one window at a time.
  • Other effective free alternatives to Freedom include FocusMe and SelfControl.

Let’s face it—any device connected to the internet hosts dozens of websites and applications that compete for your attention. Nip that timesuck in the bud and go offline when you work.

If you don’t, managing your time around all of those distractions will be nothing short of impossible.

5. Break Larger Projects Down into Smaller Tasks

Another crucial time management challenge for freelancers is mastering the art of breaking up larger projects into smaller tasks.

This practice, also called “chunking,” adds another layer of time management depth to your existing to-do list and schedule. Trying to tackle a project that’s too big or time-consuming as a whole can diminish your focus and drive.

A common misconception about freelancers is that they’re multitaskers. But multitasking implies simultaneous work, often with mediocre or average results. Productive freelancers who are efficient with their time don’t try and work on everything all at once. It’s not feasible.

Instead, here are some ways you can break your projects down into manageable pieces:

  • Create a work plan. A work plan breaks a big project into smaller objectives and deliverables, helping keep you on track when something requires more attention to detail.
  • Devote all your attention to one task at a time. Sometimes, solving your productivity issues is really that simple. By focusing on a singular task, you have far more control over the speed and accuracy of your work.
  • Avoid switching tasks often. If you fall into the trap of “task hopping,” you’re really just multitasking in a fragmented fashion. Once you begin a task, try and complete it before starting another one—or, in some cases, at least finish a rough draft.
  • Work with self-imposed deadlines. You’ve married your to-do list with a schedule for a reason: you have client-imposed deadlines. Within those timeframes, use self-imposed micro-deadlines to keep the clock ticking and your attention on point.

Once your projects become collections of bite-sized tasks, you’ll be amazing at how much you can get done in a day or week.

6. Take Enough Breaks

One of the downsides of working your own hours is that, unlike a standard 9-to-5 job, there are no built-in breaks. Instead, it’s on you to remember to take them every day.

When you get into a good rhythm, the idea of breaking away from your work can feel counterintuitive. However, stepping away from your task actually helps you consistently perform at a higher level.

In fact, even 30-second microbreaks can increase your productivity by up to 13%. Everyone can spare at least half-a-minute.

Here are just a few examples of how you can get the most out of that break time:

  • Take a walk. Getting the blood pumping for 20 minutes can increase blood flow to the brain, which brings about a surge in creative thought.
  • Eat. It should go without saying but please, don’t skip your snack time, never mind entire meals because you’re working.
  • Listen to music. Focusing on your favorite music can drastically improve your motor and reasoning skills, among other health benefits.
  • Read. If you dip into a fiction book, even better. Studies have shown those who do are better able to understand people.

Leave workaholic tendencies at the door and ensure that you pencil enough breaks into your time management strategy.

7. Avoid taking on more work than you can handle

Let’s end this post off with the most uncomfortable of these time management tips for freelancers: saying no.

By its very nature, freelancing involves dealing with the ebb and flow of available work. Sometimes saying no to a project or client is scary because you don’t know when that next call or email will come your way.

Despite this, in ideal circumstances, you owe it to yourself to say no. To bad projects that won’t pay you what you’re worth. To bad clients who don’t value your time or skills. To anything that won’t be worth your time.

This also encompasses projects that don’t align with your goals as a professional. Every piece of freelance work you produce should eventually become part of a portfolio that helps you get the next job. In that sense, projects need to help you advance your career, not just get paid.

For those who have a difficult time saying no to new projects, consider making a decision tree. This visual can help guide you in the decision-making process for each new opportunity that arises. For instance, you might want to ask yourself:

  • Do you have time to take on additional work?
  • Does this project align with your skills and/or interests?
  • Will it benefit your portfolio?
  • Does the project offer fair compensation?

Don’t just jump at every paying customer who waltzes into your inbox. Otherwise, your to-do list and calendar will be clogged with work you don’t care about. That, above all else, is a huge waste of your time as a freelancer.

The post Time Management for Freelancers: 7 Proven Tips for Success appeared first on FreelanceWriting.

Was I on the ball?
Was I on the nose?

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Freelance Work

Authors! Hoping this might qualify for a read. Any opinions?

https://www.dailywritingtips.com/too-many-shades-of-disheveled/

How goes it Wordsmiths, this might be valuable.

background image 146

A word’s original meaning often expands over time. For example, take decimate, from Latin “to take a tenth.” The element dec is from decem, the Latin word for ten. One meaning was “to tithe,” but the sense that has given us the English word related to destruction is from a Roman military practice:

To select by lot and put to death one in every ten of (a body of soldiers guilty of mutiny or other crime): a practice in the ancient Roman army, sometimes followed in later times.

From this specific meaning, decimate has expanded to mean “to destroy or remove a large proportion of; to subject to severe loss, slaughter, or mortality.”

Mad cow disease decimated English cattle herds in the 1980s and 1990s

The newspaper has been decimated by market pressures

Supreme Court’s Latest Ruling Could Decimate Public Sector Unions

Occasionally I come across comments from persnickety purists who insist that decimate must be used only in a context that has something to do with the number ten, and I shake my head. Meanings shift. They expand.

However, when it comes to the word dishevel, I find myself slipping into the ranks of the persnickety.

Like the dec in decimate, the shevel in dishevel has a Latin origin: capillus (hair).

English disheveled (Br. dishevelled), the past participle of a verb that originally meant, “To loosen and throw the hair about in disorder,” derives from the French word for “head of hair”: chevelure. French descheveler meant, ”to disarrange the hair.”

Borrowed into English with the meaning, “hair hanging loose and thrown about in disorder,” the word came to denote a disordered personal appearance that included clothing.

In its original sense of messy hair, the word has become indispensable to describe British PM Boris Johnson:

Dishevelled Boris Johnson returns to face Commons rebellion—The Irish Times

Don’t be deceived by his scruffy appearance, the Tory leadership hopeful’s strategic dishevelment is his Trojan horse. —The Financial Times

At Eton, AB Johnson became “Boris” – rather posh, very English, somewhat eccentric and the deeply distinctive, deliberately dishevelled character we know now.—BBC News

By extension, dishevel can also apply to an individual’s clothing and living environment.

a spirit in disheveled clothes lingering on the side of the road and waiting to hitch a ride.—

The police looked into the house from a sliding glass door and saw various boxes of electronic equipment and the house appeared somewhat disheveled.

Figuratively, dishevel can describe a person’s inner self:

Frankenstein’s outward poise and elegance masks his disheveled soul within.

The disheveled mind must be eschewed from the early years; the cultivated mind is the orderly one.

A note in the entry in Merriam-Webster points out that disheveled has been used for things other than hair since the early seventeenth century, but the word is so wonderfully specific, it seems a waste to use it to describe something that doesn’t have hair or feathers or some type of excrescence that can be ruffled. I question the following uses of the word.

[a project] that would have remade the disheveled community . . .

I imagine a community made up of people with messy hair, but that’s not the intended meaning. The relevant project was to redevelop a run-down neighborhood.

Other factors such as oil development . . . have completely disheveled the wildlife and vegetation populations.

I can see how oil development might decimate wildlife and vegetation populations, but dishevel them?

The queue meanders to the west of the hotel entrance, past disheveled and crumbling statuary . . .

Statuary, even crumbling statuary, would have its hair in place.

Dishevel and disheveled, like rumpled, tousled, and unkempt, are closely associated with hair and personal appearance. In a less personal context, perhaps another word could serve instead of disheveled to indicate a state of untidiness. A few possibilities: chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disordered, jumbled, littered, messy, untidy, run-down.

Now that work is going remote/virtual, writing skills are more important than ever! Grab a premium subscription and receive our writing tips and exercises every day! Click here to start a 15-day free trial..


Original post: Too Many Shades of Disheveled?

Was I correct?
Was I correct?

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Promote Your Work

Authors! Considered this might qualify for a read. Opinions?

https://justpublishingadvice.com/livingwriter-review/

Greetings Free Spirits, this has a chance to be good.

livingwriter review

LivingWriter makes book writing software easy to use.

You don’t need to download and install any software. All you need to do is open your account and start writing within a few minutes.

The problem with many book writing apps and programs is that it takes a lot of time to learn how to use them.

With Living Writer, there is nothing you need to learn. It is an online application and the interface is clean and super easy to use. But you get all the tools you will ever need to write a book.

Living Writer review

I rarely write full reviews for individual writing programs. There are so many premium and free writing apps available now.

But this program is different, so it is worth taking a closer look at it.

Why is Living Writer different?

It is because the developers of this program seem to truly understand the writing process and what writers need to get the job done.

There is no complexity, but it is still loaded with all the writing tools and features an author of fiction or nonfiction needs.

To get started, the first screen you see gives you a few options to choose from to start your story.

You can simply start with a new blank story, select a pre-loaded template, or import your existing text in doc or docx Word format.

start screen

Once you make your selection, you are then in the main editor screen.

 

The editor screen

You don’t have to jump from one part of the program to another. Everything you need to write your book is located on this one screen.

In the left pane, you have all your stories, chapters, and story elements. These include character profiles, settings, objects and you can also add your own custom elements.

The text editor in the center pane is clear and easy to use.

If you are familiar with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any other word processor, you will have no trouble at all in using the menus.

The right side pane is where you can edit details and notes about your chapters, characters, and events.

But you can hide it at any time to avoid distractions.

living writer main screen

From this main screen, you can drag and drop chapters or outlines, add new elements, or view your boards.

From the boards, you can edit your notes for every element you have added.

board characters

board elements

One other nice touch is one click to dark mode for those who prefer it.

You can add images, and if you don’t like purple, you can change the color of your elements.

 

Other very useful features

One feature you won’t see is a save button.

It is because you never need to perform a save. Every word you type or any changes you make to your elements and objects are auto-saved.

You never have to worry about losing a single word of your work.

On top of that, you can also view a version history for all of your sessions. You can revert, copy, rename or delete any of your versions.

Two other features are standout.

The first is autocomplete for character names or objects. It is extremely useful to make sure your spelling is consistent.

The other is that the program works with both the free and premium versions of the Grammarly editing tool. All you need is the browser extension.

You can see both in action in the image below. The character name autocomplete and the familiar red Grammarly icon, as well as one-click inline corrections

features

These two features make writing much easier and more accurate.

There is another terrific feature.

You won’t need to use this until you finish writing the final draft of your book, but the export options available are excellent.

You can export to Word or PDF.

export options

You can export the entire story in a single document or individual parts of your story. This is great if you are sending a chapter or two off to your editor.

However, there is another export option that is really clever.

You can export to a selection of twelve book sizes ready for publishing on Amazon.

export to amazon

If you have used other programs such as Scrivener or yWriter, you will find all of the familiar functions, tools, and more.

But with Living Writer, there is no learning curve. You don’t need to watch long training videos or read how-to guides.

It is an extremely intuitive program with all the tools an author could need for long-form writing projects.

 

Features I would like to have

While it is an excellent program, there are a couple of features that I think could make it better.

One is a full distraction-free writing mode. It is not possible to hide the left sidebar, which is not really needed when writing.

The other is that there is no view option in the main menu.

My eyes are not as good as they used to be, so being able to zoom the text a little would make life easier for me. However, I overcame this little problem for my eyes by increasing the font size.

If you like to write on the run, there is no mobile app as yet. But it is under development, so it may be available in the near future.

 

The pros and cons of Living Writer

What I like about it.

    • Auto-save.
    • Easy drag and drop organization of chapters and elements in the left sidebar.
    • Smart text autocomplete as you type.
    • Grammarly integration.
    • Quick view and editing of notes and descriptions in the right sidebar, and that you can hide it.
    • The easy import tool.
    • The five ready to go story templates.
    • Simple sharing of chapters or your complete story.
    • Full version history.
    • Ability to export to Amazon manuscript templates.

On the negative side.

    • No full distraction-free writing mode.
    • No mobile app.
    • Lack of view options.
    • It is not suited for script and screenwriting.

Price options

There is a 30-day free trial, which is ample time to decide if the program is right for your writing needs.

You then have two subscription options.

You can pay month to month at $9.99. If you pay annually, the cost reduces to $8.00 per month.

If you decide to end your subscription, you will still have access to your work for one year. It is a great option if you only want to use the program to write one book.

 

Summary

There is a lot to like about Living Writer.

For me, it has all the tools and functions I need to write.

But with some of the features in development including split-screen viewing, a mobile app, and writing achievements, it can only improve.

The biggest plus is that it is so easy to use. Unlike other programs, you don’t need to waste any time at all learning how to use it.

If you are a new author, you can get straight down to work and start writing your book.

I have to say I would give this program a solid 9 out of 10, and think it is well worth taking for a road test.

Was I on target?
You can thank me later.

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Freelance Work

Freelancers! Kind of thought this might be worth a read through. Any ideas?

https://writersweekly.com/alerts/writersweekly-trivia-question-for-06-04-2020

How are you Scribes, this may be valuable.

Congratulations to Tatiana Claudy for being the first to correctly answer that Christy Lindsay keeps her readers updated by publishing her main character’s journal. 

According to last week’s issue of WritersWeekly, How does Christy Lindsay keep her readers updated on her main character’s thoughts, emotions, and reaction to current events?

Send your answer through the contact form here.

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NOTE: ONLY ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD PER CALENDAR QUARTER, PLEASE.

THIS WEEK’S PRIZE:
A free print or ebook of your choice from Booklocker.com!

 

 

 




90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book’s Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy



Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it – a lot more.



We know what you’re thinking. You’re an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts
and we’re going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online…and almost all of our techniques are FREE!


Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor,
which makes it fun for creative folks like you!



Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90…and beyond!

 




7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER – Revised and Expanded Edition





At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.



And of those titles–ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize–an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!



Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!




Read more here:



http://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html






 







 




It’s A Dirty Job…Writing Porn For Fun And Profit! Includes Paying Markets!

Fact is, writing porn is fun! It’s also one of the easier markets to crack and make money at while you’re still honing your skills. “It’s A Dirty Job…” is one of the only resources that can teach you everything you need to know to create your stories and target your markets.



Read more here:




It’s a Dirty Job




 




Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed





A systematic approach to writing that generates better quality quickly!




Chock full of ideas, tips, techniques and inspiration, this down-to-earth book is easy to read, and even easier to apply. Let author Jeff Bollow take you through a process that brings your ideas to the page faster, more powerfully and easier than ever before.




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http://writersweekly.com/books/3695.html






 




The Art and Craft of Writing and Editing





Writing is a constant dialogue between author and reader.




The craft of writing involves an interchange of emotions between an author and a reader. An author creates a story line, conflict, and characters, gives his characters words to speak, and then hands off these materials to a reader. This process results in a constant dialogue between the mental imagery produced by a reader and that proposed by the author.







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Was I on target?
You can thank me later.

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Fiction

Freelancers! Figured this just might qualify for a good read. Any thoughts?

https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2020/06/05/the-top-ten-writing-myths-we-still-believe-myths-1-5-by-catharine-bramkamp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-top-ten-writing-myths-we-still-believe-myths-1-5-by-catharine-bramkamp

Hey Persons of Letters, this could possibly be valuable.

The Top Ten Writing Myths We Still Believe. Myths 1-5 by Catharine BramkampLet’s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp as she shares with us “The Top Ten Writing Myths We Still Believe. Myths 1-5.” Enjoy!

***

Women Write 2020, a five-day intensive (in-person) writing workshop was quickly shifted to an online offering. 

Our goal is to deconstruct and present the how and why of creating a book by offering systems to stay on track. But before you can move forward, it’s important to leave behind many of the durable writing myths that slow progress as well as set you up for disappointment and frustration.

You can access the full talk at the end of the article.

Myth 1: Your writing is not good enough

We often compare our beginning drafts to a finished book. Don’t. To publish a book — it takes a village of experts. That book in your hand has been vetted, researched, and edited by a team of professionals. You can have the same attention and help when you get there. But first, go ahead and write, it’s very much good enough.

Myth 2: You are too old to start 

We are going to age anyway, why not create something for your own legacy? As long as you can hit the keys on a computer, go for it. 

I won’t bore you with all the stories of later-in-life-successes, but I will say that the valued distance of maturity, writing is often rich and nuanced, and publishing is more easily understood for what it really is. Also, that same  combination of maturity against time passing can encourage efficiency and focus.  

Myth 3: To write a book, you need an outline

We remember outlines from school, big Roman numbers, small letters captured by parenthesis. III, iii, a.  

For whatever reason, you may feel that in order to create a coherent story you need to begin with that kind rigid road map. You don’t. Many writers write from the hip (ahem, like me). We create stories based on characters, ideas, or a comment we overheard, and we cheerfully write from there, no outline at all.

Will you get in trouble later? Yes. Can you write from a plan? Yes,  But if you are inspired to start today — start. The plan and form will follow.  

Myth 4:  Publishing will make you happy

Publishing your wonderful book will give the project closure and will make you happy because you now hold the book in your hands and it’s finished.

Placing your book on your living room bookshelf will also make you happy.  Discovering your book on a store shelf is a genuine thrill. For a few minutes.

For sustained happiness, nothing beats the writing. Nothing is more satisfying than exercising your creativity, being in the zone of creation, and channeling the Muse.

The process of writing is what we love and what truly makes us happy. The finished project is just that, finished. 

Myth 5: Success, thy name is Oprah

This is a myth that will not die. For years it seemed that all an author needed was one interview on Oprah and their book would hit the bestseller list, and yes, that is good, even great. But it’s not a very strong marketing plan.

Your book certainly can be mentioned in Oprah’s magazine, even endorsed as a book club pick, but you have better odds playing the Powerball Lottery.

What will work is working. Create a strong marketing plan, reach out to your potential readers and find your future 1,000 fans who will buy your book and help you make it a bestseller in your category — it can work. But calling up Oprah is a long shot, although I would never discourage anyone from trying.

Myths are fun, myths are wonderful to consider and dream, and I encourage you to dream big about your book. But information will save you from watching your dreams dash on the rocks of reality.  

There is help easily available. Take advantage of classes, conferences and coaching, and find the right outlet for you and for your book!

Visit the whole workshop at www.sonomahealingpress.com and www.Catharine-Bramkamp.com for more classes and opportunities. 

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catharine BramkampCatharine Bramkamp is the co-producer of Newbie Writers Podcast that focuses on newer writers and their concerns. She is a successful writing coach, Chief Storytelling Officer, and author of a dozen books including the Real Estate Diva Mysteries series, and The Future Girls series. She holds two degrees in English and is an adjunct university professor. After fracturing her wrist, she has figured out there is very little she is able to do with one hand tied behind her back.

The post The Top Ten Writing Myths We Still Believe. Myths 1-5 by Catharine Bramkamp appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

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No need to thank me.

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Promote Your Work

Readers! Figured that this just might justify a good read. Opinions?

https://www.yourwriterplatform.com/writer-platform-fiction-author/

Yo Budding Writers, this could possibly be good.

I had the opportunity (and the pleasure) of working with fiction author, Abby Arthur, a few months ago. During our one-on-one session, we worked on defining her author brand, identifying her ideal audience, and developing her online presence (building her author website, email list, and network). We uncovered some specific promotional campaigns that would entice her readers and help her meet her objectives. In this post, Abby is sharing the steps she’s taken and her results (so far), so you too can learn how to grow your audience and writer platform.


Are you an author trying to grow your mailing list and fan base? 

Are you lost at what to do?

I was right there with you. And though I’m not done with my marketing mission for the year, I’ve made some steps towards building my fan base that I’m sure can help and encourage you.

But first, who am I? 

I’m Abby Arthur. I write young adult fantasy in a fascinating modern world full of magic and adventure for teens who want an escape from reality. 

For the last twenty years, writing has been a passion and way of life for me. I can’t count how many novels I’ve written while I’ve learned to perfect my craft (not all are great, I promise). 

I used a vanity press to publish my first book at 16, and I learned the hard way to never do that again. I have now written a number of books I hope to traditionally publish, but while I wait for my literary agent to claim me, I’m focusing on growing my fan base.

This brings me to the major topic of today. What am I doing to get fans (that you can do too)? And what are the results?

What I’m Doing

First and foremost, I’m learning from people who have gone before me so I can accelerate my results. 

1 // I’ve set up a coaching call with Kimberley here at Your Writer Platform.

2 // I signed up for Nick Stevenson’s Your First 10k Readers program. 

3 // I listened to “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller from Audible. 

4 // I also listened to “Marketing Made Simple” by Donald Miller, also from Audible.

Because of these sources, I have a strong foundation to work with to achieve the following goals for this year:

What Are the Results?

Currently, I’ve had time to update my website, create my lead magnet, and implement the giveaway.

I learned the starting steps and direction for this process from Kim at Your Writer Platform, and I learned how to implement the steps through Nick Stephenson’s Your First 10k Reader course.

How I Got My Direction

My first step to start the whole process was talking with Kim here at Your Writer Platform.

That one-on-one coaching call with her was a whirlwind of information I needed to hear. I knew I needed fans. I knew I needed a brand. And I thought I knew who my target audience was, but she took it deeper.

Talking with Kim broke down everything about my author platform into small, precise steps.

Even Kim’s direction about color coordinating my brand was something I hadn’t thought of until I met her.

She also helped me put into perspective how I wouldn’t gain all my fans in one week. Building a platform takes time.

I also realized I couldn’t wait any longer. Every day that passed, I was missing out on the opportunity to get the fans I wanted. Kim helped me get direction and set my butt in gear to do the work.

// 1 // The Website

For the website, I used Nick’s “Author Cats” theme to make my site very author and book friendly.

Then, with the help of “Building a StoryBrand”, I came up with reader-oriented content to make readers interested in my work. 

It took me a week to listen to the book. After every chapter, I did exactly what Donald Miller said, and that helped me come up with great content.

Note* [You can see how it all looks on my site www.abbyarthur.com if you want a reference to help with your own site. References are a great help when you’re trying to design your site.]    

// 2 // The Lead Magnet

For the lead magnet, I wrote a Novella that ties right into my fantasy stories. I have a bunch of different series that take place in the same world, so I chose one to make a short prequel to. 

I hired Natasha Makenzie to design the cover. I found her on www.Reedsy.com*. After pitching my cover idea to 5 artists, she was the one who fit my budget and vision the best. 

I had a clear idea for what I wanted in a cover, but I told her to come up with the fonts and color schemes. I also told her I’d be using those colors and fonts as my brand theme. 

IMPORTANT: I asked my cover designer to send me the cover without text. She also gave me the separate parts (title, photo, and cover without the characters) so I could use them as background images on my site and on social media. 

My designer cost me about $550 US dollars, and the results were 100% worth it. See for yourself below:

// 3 // The Giveaway 

For the giveaway, I chose to give away a KindleFire7 with 5 bestselling Young Adult fantasy eBooks. As a bonus to everyone who signed up, I gave away my lead magnet (Twins of Shadow). 

Here’s the wording I used in the small info section of my giveaway page. You can do something like it:

BONUS: EVERY ENTRANT WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF TWINS OF SHADOW: AN UNDER THE DRAGON’S SPELL STORY by Abby Arthur.

The winner of the Kindle Fire 7 will be contacted via email – so keep your eyes open for a confirmation email from Abby Arthur. Good Luck!

// 4 // The Free Book 

The link to the free book was posted as a link in the welcome email the entrants received. In this email, I informed them that by clicking that link, I would add them to my mailing list. 

I also told the entrants if they didn’t click the link, I’d be removing them from my mailing list. (This cut back HUGELY on the unsubscribe count. If too many people unsubscribe, you get flagged as a spammer and this causes problems with your email sending service.) 

// 5 // The Ads

I made this ad below for the giveaway easily in Microsoft Word, and I’ll list the simple steps to make your own.

1 // Find the photos on amazon (where you’re buying the eBook from).

2 // Paste them into Word

3 // Organize them how you want. 

4 // Copy them

5 // Re-paste them into Word as a “special paste” (turning them into a PNG file)

6 // Save it to your computer as a photo

Note* Copyright is sometimes difficult to navigate, and I’m not qualified to guide you in whether using the photo of another author’s book you’re giving away is strictly legal or not. 

This quote from Tara at The Librarian Who Doesn’t say SHH! blog may prove useful:

Use thumbnail images (150 pixels). These small images are generally considered fair game for artwork and photography, so a book cover in this size should be legal under copyright law based on precedence set in court cases.

You can read more on her post on the topic here: Book Cover Images and Copyright.

// 6 // How I advertised 

Nick, from Your First 10K Readers, advises using the King Sumo plugin, so I bought that for my website and followed the setup instructions from the company. 

I chose to run the giveaway for 3 weeks, and I advertised the giveaway on GiveawayFrenzy.com. I bought the $90 package and they promoted the giveaway on over 100 sites. 

It was fun to watch all those emails come into my MailChimp, but I was also nervous the whole month since I wasn’t sure how many people would click my link and stick around. 

Some things I did to increase clicks:

  • Sent an email 48 hrs before the giveaway ended.
  • Told entrants the winner would be announced soon.
  • Offered “Twins of Shadow” download link again with bonuses (see image below).
  • Bonuses were “for a limited time” with instructions on the download page.
  • Bonuses were available on a password protected part of my site, and the password was the last 3 words of “Twins of Shadow”. 

NOTE* I made all of the bonus content on Canva. The books (‘Songs That Inspired Twins of Shadow’ and ‘My Top YA Fantasy Must-Reads and Why’) ended up being Canva share links because they had YouTube videos in them, and I couldn’t download them as a PDF from Canva.

My Results

After running the giveaway:

  • I had a little over 3000 people enter.
  • 300 people clicked my links and chose to stick around.
  • About 20 people clicked the link, downloaded my book, and unsubscribed. (No hard feelings! It was bound to happen.)
  • I also had over 40% open rate on my emails, which was amazing! I heard the industry standard is 20%. So awesome!
  • Spent a total of $220 in adds, prizes, and shipping.

Some things I learned:

  • Don’t buy the prize first. Just buy it on Amazon after the contest ends and let them ship it to your winner. (You save on shipping if you have Amazon Prime, so that’s why.)
  • You can’t pre-download books to kindles anymore, so if you giveaway books in your genre (which was the way I attracted my ideal fan) you will need to buy each book individually and gift it to the winner’s email.

A Mistake I Made…

After I announced the winner, I sent one final email that said: “be sure to click the download link for my book” (which I included in the email again). I let the readers know I would remove their email from my list if they chose not to click the link. 

When I sent this, I forgot to remove people from my mailing list who had already downloaded my book. I annoyed them and lost about 30 would-be subscribers. (Darn it!). 

NOTE from Kimberley: to increase the likelihood of your ideal reader choosing to initially opt-in OR stick around after they’ve received their freebie, give them multiple reasons to stay. Allow them a sneak peek of future content, describe the community and vibe that you’re hoping to build, or create open-loop email content that draws people into a story or concept over several emails. In short, make it worth their while to remain a part of your community. 😉

Conclusion

My overall thoughts regarding the giveaway…. Maybe not the most cost-efficient way to gain followers.

But I only had 30 people in my mailing list beforehand, so I didn’t feel right about asking an established author to promote me to their 3000 fans when I had no fans to promote them to. 

And that’s what I’ve accomplished so far this year. But I’m busily working on my other marketing plans!

The most important upcoming plan is my weekly email to keep my current follower’s aware of my existence. 

Behind the scenes, I’m drilling out a short story series to sell later this fall. But I want to build my mailing list to over 2K before I launch it. 

The next few months will be quite the adventure, and I look forward to a future post so you can follow along as I share how these endeavors go!


About Abby Arthur

Many teens are looking for an escape from reality; that’s why I write young adult fantasy in a fascinating modern world full of magic and adventure that lingers even after the last page. 

With over 20 years of writing experience, it’s my pleasure to take you to a world with magic, villains, and heroes you will love in a place you can’t forget. Join my VIP mailing list and get “Twins of Shadow” FREE by clicking Here Now!


* Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk. If you click through to one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission. Thank you for your support in this way. For more information on our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, click here.


Believe, Plan, Act: A Platform + Productivity Planner for Writers

A complete platform + productivity planning system for your author business.

Everything you need to discover, plan and execute your writing and business goals – so you can finally remove the word “aspiring” from all your profiles…

The post Build Your Writer Platform & Fanbase: A Fiction Author Case Study appeared first on Your Writer Platform.

Was I right?
Maybe it was just me.

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Content Writing

Persons of Letters! Kind of thought that this could probably be worth a look see. Comment if you like.

https://blog.alexa.com/b2b-buyer-personas/

Hello Reluctant Readers, this should be readable.

6 minute read

B2B buyer personas are one of the most important things your marketing department is likely getting wrong.

According to an article from Aberdeen, when persona expert Adele Revella contacted some of her clients hoping to put together case studies from her work, she was astounded. It seems her customers had appreciated her insights, but they couldn’t speak to how the personas had improved performance — because they hadn’t used them. It turned out that her clients didn’t know what to do with their B2B buyer personas once they had them.

For others, the process goes awry much earlier. According to B2B marketing strategist Ardath Albee, many people start out by collecting the wrong information.

getting the most from your b2b buyer personas

Done right, B2B buyer personas help your company connect better with its customers. But too many companies fall prey to costly mistakes. Let’s see how you can make sure your buyer personas become the incredible resource they are meant to be.

The Importance of B2B Buyer Personas

B2B buyer personas deepen your understanding of your audience.

Creating and using personas can have a powerful financial impact on your company. A study by marketing data company Cintell found a correlation between companies that use personas and the likelihood of meeting goals for leads and revenue. They found that “companies that exceed lead and revenue goals are 2.2 times more likely to have and document personas than companies that miss these targets.”

So, what goes wrong when it comes to B2B buyer personas?

Mistake #1: Collecting the Wrong Information

Albee reports that she noticed that B2B marketers who had created buyer personas were keeping them in the closet. When she took a look at the personas, she understood why. They contained the wrong information.

Albee noted that when the information in a B2B persona is simplified and too high level, it does nothing to help you differentiate your company and connect better with target audiences.

The information you need on a B2B buyer will be very different from that on a B2C customer. This is because most B2B purchases are inherently different than a B2C purchase. According to Dun & Bradstreet, B2B purchases are typically for a much higher purchase amount than B2C. The purchase can affect an entire organization or department, so the buying process involves more people and takes longer. As many as 5-12 people can play a role in the B2B buying process, and it may span months or even years.

A B2B purchase is also more likely to be driven by relationships with suppliers and logical evaluation than a B2C purchase, which tends to be more emotionally driven.

A B2B persona needs information you can act on

A B2B buyer persona should include information related to the targeted person’s role and attitudes during the purchase process. To produce actionable insights, you need to understand what influences their decision-making.

  • How are they hoping to use or interact with your product during their work, and how frequent is their use case?
  • How do they feel about your products or services compared to your competitors’?
  • What role do they play in the buying process?
  • What resources do they consult while considering the purchase?
  • When and how do they prefer to interact with vendors?

Who should be involved in creating your personas?

Collaborate with any team at your company that has contact with your customers. This means sales, customer service, and product teams at many organizations. Each team will add a slightly different perspective.

Getting your personas right can feel daunting. A buyer persona cheat sheet can help. Get our buyer persona template plus check out these examples of B2B buyer personas.

Mistake #2: Failing to Use Your Personas

Revella says that buyer personas should lead to action and generate business for your company. But many B2B marketers fail to use their buyer personas once they have created them, as she discovered.

How should you use them, exactly? The Cintell study has the answer. The research shows that companies exceeding their revenue goals use buyer personas in these three ways.

1. Adapt your marketing messaging

Well-crafted B2B buyer personas hold information that will help you segment customers. When you segment your customers into groups represented by personas, you can tailor words and themes to their needs and attitudes in your messaging.

Consider creating segments according to their role in the purchase decision. Here’s what that might look like.

Thrive, an executive recruiting software company, shows what a recruiting firm goes through to get buy-in from different groups internally when adopting a new applicant tracking system. The firm must involve end users, get buy-in from upper management, enlist the marketing team, and possibly engage HR to plan for training. In addition, with any software purchase, an IT team will weigh in, too.

Each of these groups has its own concerns and wants. You can segment according to end user, marketing, IT, and HR buyer personas, so you can speak directly to them in your marketing content.

According to Revella, this personalization includes what NOT to say as much as what to say. When you learn that CIOs really don’t care to hear about branding benefits, for example, then you should make sure not to talk about that in your messaging to them.

2. Plan your campaigns

Good target persona B2B research surfaces information that points the way to the most effective channels to reach customers at different points in the buyer journey. You can see which trade publications carry weight with different target personas, which buyers conduct research on their own, and which will welcome calls from a sales rep, for example.

You might discover that end users in an organization are the first to recognize the need for your product, and when they approach their manager, they come with a shortlist in hand. Their research may start with Google searches, progress to downloading a few white papers to study the problem and solutions, and then start vetting providers by reading customer reviews.

This knowledge lets you know which content will be most impactful at which stage of the journey, so you can determine where and how to advertise your marketing assets. In this example, you can see that SEO will be an important vehicle to reach end users who are starting to research the problem, while retargeted advertising with your white papers can reach them as they become better informed.

3. Train your salespeople

Personas make an excellent orientation and training tool for departments outside of marketing, too.

Personas are not new to the sales arena, however. For years, sales departments have identified six different types of buyers. These typically refer to the style of the individual. Are they analytical? Skeptical? Are they more decisive or collaborative? Are relationships their main driver?

However, sales departments are now catching onto the power of personal profile-style B2B buyer personas. Jesse Davis at ringDNA, a sales AI platform, says that training sale reps to tailor-fit their messaging to specific buyer personas can lead to “a powerful advantage.” He notes that these marketing personas can help new B2B sales reps onboard faster, reducing the overwhelm for someone new to the job. In addition, they can help build cold-calling lists to make the practice more effective.

Collaborating with departments outside of marketing is not only important for creating and using your personas but also for keeping them up to date.

Mistake #3: Letting Your Personas Become Stale

Attitudes, buying processes, and competing offerings will change over time. Revisiting your B2B buyer personas gives your company a great way to stay plugged into what’s happening in your industry.

This market research appears to be well worth the effort. According to Cintell’s study, companies that exceed their lead and revenue goals are 7.4 times more likely to have updated their personas in the last six months than those that missed their goals.


Companies that exceed their lead and revenue goals are 7.4 times more likely to have updated their personas in the last six months.
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Keep it fresh

High-performing teams, according to the study, stay abreast of changes in the world of their buyers. Check out new technologies and regulations, for example. Once you have the initial personas prepared, the following rounds of research will be simpler since you’ll already have a structure in place you can follow.

Consider saving your B2B digital personas research in a centralized place to provide a single source of truth that your organization can update and rely on across different teams.

Alexa Helps You Connect with Your B2B Buyer Personas

B2B buying decisions involve several people, each with their own “language” and concerns. B2B marketers face a challenge when it comes to crafting communications that will appeal to each of those segments. How can you get to know the person’s “language” when you have no domain expertise?

Audience Analysis tools help you get to know the content and wording that appeal to each of your segments when creating a persona for B2B marketing. Alexa can help you answer these questions and more:

  • What sites, topics, and keywords attract my personas?
  • What keywords do they use when they’re ready to buy?
  • Which sites lead in search results for topics my personas care about?

Alexa tools can help you find topics your audience loves and optimize them for your readers. Sign up for a trial of our Advanced plan to get full access to all our tools today.

The post B2B Buyer Personas — 3 Big Mistakes You’re Probably Making appeared first on Alexa Blog.

Was I on target?
No need to thank me.

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