secrets from the writer's chair

I’d like to welcome to my blog Alice Crider! She is my life coach and, more importantly, my friend. Plus, she’s going to be on my radio show, Living Inspired, this week.  To listen to the interview: go here and click on the player in the upper right corner of the screen. Thursday at 3:00 pm Central.

Perhaps you had a dream one day: Why don’t I write a book? I like to write, so why don’t I do it for a living? I’d get to be my own boss. When you paid attention to those thoughts, they became obsessively irresistible, didn’t they? You felt compelled to start writing and publish a book. No matter what you did to shake it off, you couldn’t get rid of this idea. If you’re like me, you envisioned yourself in a cozy home office, sipping tea and writing as your children played joyfully and free of mishap outdoors. And you imagined what it would feel like to receive that life-changing phone call—the one offering your first book contract. It wouldn’t be long before publishers and fans began to clamor for more of your wordsmith wisdom and literary delights.

Congratulations! According to Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth Revisited, you had an “entrepreneurial seizure.” The idea that you could make a living doing something you love to do gripped your heart, never to let go. From that moment on, you were never the same again.

No matter what your reasons are for establishing a publishing career, consider that God’s plan is to use your dream to grow you. He not only wants to expand your horizons, he wants to expand your heart and stretch your soul. Often his primary purpose is not to make you an overnight success, but to draw you closer to Himself, heal you, refine you, redeem your life, and transform you into a unique reflection of Him.

Every successful author I know has a strong sense of his or her unique gifts, abilities, and aspirations. They know their own voice, their passion, their calling as a writer. And they know they don’t know everything. They recognize their own need for continuing personal and professional growth. They are life-long learners who seek to know God and themselves as well as others.

So how do you start writing that first book? If you attend a writer’s conference, you’ll hear that step one is to hone your writing craft. Step two: Develop a unique concept. Step three: Build a platform. Simple enough—maybe you’re already doing those things. However, I invite you to consider that the very first step toward your writing career begins with a question. . . .

Who are you, and what do you have to offer the world?

If you’re interested in exploring that question, you may want to look into author coaching—a personalized program to help you grow into the author God wants you to be. As an author coach, my mission is to empower you to realize your book-writing dreams and live a life that glorifies God.

Do you feel called to write? If so, don’t just put it on your bucket list; take a step into your dream now. 

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To find out more about Alice and the services she provides, check out her website.

One question I get often as how I create my email newsletter. For years I did it on my own, but in the past six years my assistant Amy Lathrop has been doing it for me. Because Amy does such an amazing job she started Litfuse Publicity Group – a full service marketing, publicity and author services company. For more information visit the Expertise page at the Litfuse site. Amy and her team at Litfuse were also kind enough to share with you how they create newsletters for me and some of their other clients.

Thanks Tricia! Newsletters are a great way to connect with your audience. A well-done newsletter will boost traffic to your website, drive book sales and keep your readers up-to-date. It should be clear and concise – short, sweet, and to the point. And fun, it should be fun to read.

Below are a few ideas for a great newsletter. This isn’t a list to follow for every newsletter, but rather choose a few for each newsletter – feel free to alternate to keep your newsletter fresh. Follow these guidelines and you will be a newsletter writing pro in no time.

A few things to keep in mind: It’s important that your brand be consistent. Hire a professional to design your newsletter template so that it tastefully matches your website. This is a fairly inexpensive expense, but so worth it. Most web designers offer this service. Also, make sure your newsletter includes links to your website, social sharing links & social media sites. This is very important to stay connected and build your subscriber base. Speaking of building your subscriber list, be sure to include a button on your website that allows people to subscribe to your newsletter while at your site. Another way to build your base, is to run fun contests and offer giveaways (books, gift certificates, etc) to people who sign up to receive your newsletter.

Catchy Title 
A good newsletter will have a title that catches the eye – Maureen’s Musings, Notes from the Therapist’s Chair, Newsy News: Catching Up with Suzanne. You want the title to grab your reader’s attention and compel them to continue reading, however, at the same time you do not want a title that is confusing or lengthy.

Images
Images help break up the monotony of words. They do not have to be grand and fancy photos, but a quality photo (keep those fuzzy, out-of-focused snapshots to yourself) nonetheless. Consider including a face shot or a photo of you in your everyday life – readers always like to see the face on the other side of the computer. If you don’t have access to photos, consider purchasing stock photos from someplace like www.istock.com.

A Note from You
A note from you should always be one of the first things the reader sees. It will tell what the reader can expect from that edition of the newsletter. It should also be personal. You don’t have to bare all in the first paragraph, but be real. This is not the place to list all your recent awards, accolades, books or speaking events.

Inspiration of the Day
Inspiration of the day is a fun little tidbit to include. You can have words of wisdom, a thought provoking question, an inspiring story, an idea or two of what you could do with your husband/kids/family or something as simple as what is on your heart. The important thing to remember is to know your audience and be sure to write for them.

News
News, perhaps, is one of the easiest things to fill. Update readers on your work, recent articles published or awards received. Inform readers of upcoming speaking engagements or events, such as book signings, release dates, or blog tours. You could also include an update on what is going on with your family.

Articles/Host Giveaways
Articles are the body of your newsletter. Here you can offer a how-to, write a short article on your area of expertise and follow up with a free PDF download with ideas and links to any resources mentioned in your article (readers always love free downloads). Make this section/s readable, educational and don’t loose people with jargon.

Another idea is to recommend a book or product that you love and then host a giveaway for said item. Reader’s love giveaways.

Other good ideas are: book excerpts of a favorite book or what’s on your nightstand, interviews with someone you think your audience would be interested in, or share favorite recipes – always a favorite around the holiday seasons.

Conclusion 
Wrap up your newsletter with a heartfelt “Thank you for reading”, maybe give them a nibble at what is to come in your next newsletter, and always encourage them to forward your newsletter on to their friends.

One last thing – I mentioned earlier that it’s always a good idea to have links to your website and social media in your newsletter. You’ll also want to make sure you include links to the resources, books, articles, people, etc mentioned in your newsletter. That way it will be very simple for your reader to learn more about something you’ve mentioned or highlighted.

Newsletters do not have to be rocket science. They are a great tool for reaching out to your readers and increasing your fan base. Do consider your images and layout, however, and remember that your content is the key thing to consider when creating a great newsletter.

Litfuse Publicity Group exists to create noise and create a stir in the marketplace for our clients. Visit our site and you will soon discover something unique. We love our clients. We offer a wide variety of services ranging from blog tours, media PR, social media and Facebook launch parties, interactive websites, blog development, author assistants, direct mail, event planning, marketing, and more. If you need your own nest put in order, look no further. Put all your eggs in one basket. Contact one of the hens today, www.litfusegroup.com.

Hello Alison – thanks so much for visiting my blog! Tell me about your new book The Weight of Shadows– how did you come up with the title? I love it!

I wish I could take the credit for it, but that actually goes to Dudley Delffs, who was head of fiction at Zondervan at the time that we came up with it. Usually the title comes to me along with the first kernel of an idea, but for some reason I just could not think of one for this book. I called it “Guilt” as a working title, and when I turned it in I told my editor I was open to anything since I hadn’t had any luck. A few weeks later Dudley suggested wrote me with that title, and I was blown away. It was perfect, and absolutely nothing like any title I ever would have come up with. I have a trend of two-word titles (Worlds Collide, Violette Between, Reinventing Rachel) and that title went in a great, different direction.

How do you write dialogue and make sure you get it right?

I rely on a handful of tools. I read everything out loud. I think about the kinds of words people use when they’re chatting, versus the words they use if they’ve rehearsed what they want to say or want to sound smarter or more knowledgeable than they really are. I think really good dialogue is dependent on an author knowing their characters inside and out. Not just their education level, but their social standing, their family of origin, what they read, the music they listen to, where they grew up, where they live now…all that affects word choice, cadence, all that stuff. Get all that right and you’ve got dialogue that really rounds out characters and makes for not just believable conversations, but conversations that don’t remind you that you’re reading a book.

Why did you chose to write about domestic violence and abuse.

The kernel idea I started with was, “What if you carried a burden of guilt that no one else knew about? What if you carried it for years? How would it affect you in the long term?” I thought it might lead to someone welcoming pain as a means of penance for their hidden guilt. Combine that with someone who is desperate for love, who will do anything for a family–and the concept of domestic abuse seemed to fit very well.

Coupled with that is the fact that domestic abuse doesn’t show up a lot in Christian fiction, and I thought it would be a good topic to bring to readers’ attention. Unfortunately I know a number of women who were either in DV situations or currently still are in them–it’s just so heartbreaking, so gut-wrenching to hear their stories and hear how warped their sense of self-worth and reality are. There are a lot of reasons why women end up in abusive relationships–penance for guilt is not necessarily a main one–but it was a clear cause that I thought would help readers to start to understand the reasons why women stay. DV victims are really misunderstood. I think there are a lot of assumptions about their education level, their intelligence. But the truth of the matter is that any woman from any background can end up in an abusive relationship.

What is a book you’ve read recently that you loved? What do you look for in a book?

I’m in the middle of “God Alone is Enough” by Claudia Mair Burney, and it’s phenomenal. Burney is one of my favorite writers. Lisa Samson’s “The Passion of Mary-Margaret” was also excellent; read that a few months ago and it’s still “with” me.I’m a sucker for books that completely transport me. Books that make me suddenly look around and think, “Where the heck did the last five hours go?!” are the ones I buy and read over and over. I tend to seek out books that tackle “big” issues, that make me think, that challenge me, but I don’t mind a more “fluffy” book when it’s an engaging story. (You can only take those heavy books for so long without breaking them up with something lighter!)

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I really study Lisa Samson’s books when I read them, along with Jodi Picoult’s, Terry Pratchett’s, Diana Gabaldon’s, and William Gibson’s. They’re each masters in a different area (Lisa = communicating faith, grace, and mercy; Jodi = figurative language and lyricism, plotting; Terry = humor and social commentary; Diana = setting and place; William = narrative and description

What’s next for you?
Books, books, and more books, thankfully! “Reinventing Rachel” released Sept. 1, “The Heart of Memory” releases in March, and the currently titled “Trouble Child” releases next September. Also, my husband and I have written two children’s books, the first of which came out August 1, the second comes out next spring. We refer to them as “spiritual formation for the toddler set.” Soon we’ll be doing some more structured homeschooling with our oldest daughter (5 in December), and in my free time I’m learning crochet and writing some proposals so I can hopefully get some more books contracted. It’s busy over here, but we love it. God is blessing us so much. I’m so grateful for this life and this opportunity to write.
Thanks!

For more about Alison and her novels, visit her website and for more about her children’s books, go here.