Do Readers Love Reading Your Stories? A Hundred Years from Now?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine

Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms was published back in 1929. The story was written in the World War I era, yet readers still love reading this story. The question we want to ask is why do readers still love reading a story written almost a hundred years ago?

When Hemingway wrote this novel, there were no

Do You Want to Write?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine

If you have never written but wish you could, then let me say, now is the time to start. 

Writing is something everyone should try. It's true what they say, everyone has a story.

Although I wrote little stories as a child, I was in my early 20's when I became serious and began writing a book. I had to write whenever I could find the time.  I did finish the manuscript, however, I lost it in a move my family made not long after I finished it. 

I was upset but I knew I had to keep writing. I loved it. Whether it was telling a story, writing prayers, keeping a journal, or writing devotions I had to write. At night I would write stories in my head, but foolish me, didn’t write them down.

There is something about words coming out of your head that appear on paper. I wrote with pen and paper then. Now of course, I use a computer for the most part. But seeing a story unfold where you create the setting and fill it with characters is exciting and then to see the characters come to life is amazing.  But the adventure comes when the characters take over and begin writing the story.

Writing and reading are my passion.

Don’t put off writing. Just sit down at your computer and dive in or take pen and paper; let your words come out. No one says it must be perfect. But you do need to begin.

There are books you can read on writing techniques, classes you can take online and at universities, writing conferences, all or any of these will help your technique. You can also find writing groups in your area. Check with your local library.

Every successful author has one thing in common. They made the decision to begin writing.

What are you waiting for?

Nine Things To Help You At A Writers Conference

By Susan Reichert,  Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Do you go to conferences? To be more specific, do you go to writer’s conferences?  If you are an aspiring writer or a published author this is a place you need to be. Why? For one thing you will meet other writers just like you and you will find they want to know the same things you do. As you meet these writers you will find friendships that last long after the conference is over. In fact, most of those friendships are going to last a lifetime.

Through these friendships you will have people you can talk to about writing–discuss techniques and share thoughts and ideas. You will also have friends you can talk to when you have just received a rejection, they are going to know exactly how you feel. And they are going to be able to listen, understand and lift you up. They will know how to give you encouragement when you need it most.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being on the faculty at Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. We had 511 people I believe at the conference. We were all there to fellowship and learn. Writers of all levels attended, and the enthusiasm was pouring out into the air.

I would like to share nine suggestions that will help you get the most out of your conferences.

1.      When the names of the faculties are put on the conference website, you will want to read the background of each one.

2.      Determine which of the faculty members you want to get a one-on-one with and make a list.

3.      Visit their websites, learn all you can about what they do and decide which ones will be able to answer questions you have about meeting your goals in writing and publishing.

4.      Make a list of questions to ask each person you want to meet with. Using your time wisely and theirs is important for you.

5.      If you are going to talk to an agent or publisher, it is especially important to know what genres they work with. If you write children’s books you don’t need to talk to a publisher who takes only mysteries.

6.      Be sure you have cards with you to give out to each person you meet. Make sure you get a card from everyone you meet.

7.      Enjoy the conference. Wonderful memories are made that stay with you.

8.      When you return home, look at your list of the people you talked to. Which ones stand out being helpful? Take the time to send them an email, thanking them for their time and their help.

9.      Follow-through with instructions you were given by the faculty you met with.

Being prepared with questions assures you that you will come away with what you needed to move you forward in your journey of writing and publishing.

ARE YOU A DRAGON OR A MOUSE?

By Susan Reichert,  Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

In certain religions and cultures, dragons have spiritual significance and they are revered. To some the dragon represents nature. Some even associate the dragon with wisdom.

Mice we think of as a small mammal. To some people they are pets. To large birds, they are food. These little creatures also invade our homes for food and shelter.

What do you think of when you think of a dragon? I will admit I certainly would not think of them as having wisdom. They are big, and fire pours out of their mouth creating havoc and poisoning the air.

Of the two, I think the mouse has more wisdom, certainly smarter; it sneaks into our homes for survival.

We humans are similar… either we come on so strong it turns people off or we are so timid no one hardly knows we are around.

For a writer it is important to find balance between being a dragon and a mouse. A shy writer needs to overcome their shyness, to tell people they are writers.

If the book is at your publishers announce it to the world, give them the release date, and give updates periodically and insights on the process. Express your feelings and the thrill of anticipating the book’s release.

Be a little more ‘dragonistic’ (I like this new word)! Just don’t go totally dragon on us and forget there are others who are writing too.

Questions To Ask Before Marketing and Promoting

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Authors know they need to promote their books and market themselves.

But, before the promoting and marketing begins here are two questions authors should ask themselves and determine the answers so they can develop a profitable and successful promotion and marketing program.

“What is the value the reader will receive from reading the author’s book?”

“What is unique about the author’s book?”

By the time an author reaches this stage of promoting and marketing their understanding should be clear and concise on how their book stands apart from other books.

What does the author’s book offer that would entice the reader to choose their book over another author’s book?

Without realizing it most readers are expecting benefits from the books they read.

Readers have desires and needs and they look for books to fill these.

When an author can answer these questions, this gives them promotional and marketing material to use in their campaign, which will standout above the other authors.

When an author delves into studying what makes people buy a particular book to read they find the best place to start is with themselves.

Interview questions for the author. (Be specific)

·         When you visit a bookstore, what books draw your attention?

·         Why do you go there first?

·         As you walk and gaze at the books on a shelf, what stands out first?

·         Why did it stand out?

·         Is that why you picked up the book to look closer?

·         Did you turn it over and read the back cover?

·         Did that interest you?

·         Did you open the book and read a paragraph or two?

·       

          What caused you to either buy the book or put it back on the shelf?

These questions, when honestly answered will tell you not only what you do, but it will give you a great understanding of what other readers do. It also gives you information you need for developing your promotion and marketing campaign.

So, grab a pen, pad and go to your bookstore.

Answer the questions above. Have fun.

Our Voice a Lighthouse

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Writers have their own voice when telling their stories.  But it occurred to me everyone has a voice. 

Me as me and you as you. We share our voice with others. With our voice we share who we are.

That brings me to this. People who meet us, know us, are they clear on who we are, or do we wear a mask? In fact, are we clear on who we are?

Tad Hargrave, who has a knack for marketing, some have called him a marketing nerd, said, “As you find your voice the world becomes less confused with you. It becomes clear about who you are, and you become not a searchlight desperately looking for people, but a lighthouse. A beacon calling your ships to safe harbor.

What struck me in that quote was how writers may sometimes feel as if they are a searchlight looking for readers instead of the beacon leading readers to them.

Marketing can seem overwhelming to some authors. They aren’t sure what a marketing plan is and are unsure how to design a plan to promote their book.

But once the author knows their niche then a plan can be made to market to that specific group.

In other words, if you wrote a book about fly-fishing your niche would be people who fish. If you wrote a book about knitting the niche would be people who like to knit.

If you wrote books about private detectives in the 1940’s your niche would be different than a book about cowhands riding the range.

So, in finding a specific niche, you can listen to people when they tell you they liked your book. 

What did they like most about your book? Ask them questions that get them to talking about their interest and passions. Especially questions about your book. Sit down and write out three questions you could ask a reader who has read your book that are important to you which would give you insight into what they liked, what they didn’t. Questions geared to their interest. This would enlighten you on what other readers might think and where and what that niche of marketing would be. Give them your card, and if you are writing another book, tell them. Ask them if they would be willing to give you their opinions on your book they’ve just read.

It’s best to remove the masks.The more you interact with your readers, the more they become invested in you and you in them. 

They tell their family and friends they met you and talked to you.  Through this, you become the lighthouse instead of the searchlight.

To Review or not to Review

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Authors want reviews of their books. Publishers want reviews of their author’s books.

Therefore, it got me to thinking about these reviews that are wanted. I think you will see some interesting facts about the meanings of reviews. Stay with me, don’t give up, and see where I am going with this.

I looked up the definition of review. The answer is “A critical appraisal of a book, play, movie, exhibition, etc., published in a newspaper or magazine.” (This is just one of many answers listed on the internet as well as Webster’s Dictionary.)

Most of us do not like people being critical of anything connected with us. Therefore, I dug further.

 Now this leads us to the definition of critical, which is “inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably”. Wow. Well it is for sure we, as humans don’t like that.

Nevertheless, I continued to follow that thread to criticize, which means, “to consider the merits and demerits of and judge accordingly”. Now that definition I can live with. That is fair.

We would all love to hear accolades concerning our writings and we should but we also have to realize there will be some “demerits” of our writings. How else will we learn to grow and write better?

The things we create are personal to us. They represent our abilities and skills and we want people to think our work is good, in fact, above average. Therefore, when someone is critical of our writing, drawing, any talent we have we may take it personal; it may sound to us as if they are saying our abilities and skills aren’t good enough.  This sometimes could translate to “you’re not good enough.” It is hard to distance ourselves and keep separate ‘we the person’ and ‘we the author or artist’.

Thinking back to when we were in the first grade the teacher would write a word on the board and wanted us to write the same word on those pages with wide blue lines. Then she would go around and look at each person’s words they had written and say, “Oh, that is very good Johnny.” But, she would say to a lot of the class “Write on the line, don’t go below the line.” Sometimes we would hear “No, Suzie, it doesn’t have a curl on the top.”

I don’t ever remember feeling the teacher was being critical of me. I felt she was helping me; teaching me to write my words, that she had my best interest at heart.

I think, when we receive a review, it would help us if we could get back in the head of that first grader.  See the review for what it is, someone’s opinion––telling us what our work needs. They are trying to help us. Good, bad or indifferent it is their opinion.

If we can do that, we may find a few nuggets of gold in their words that may help us make our writing better.

Did And Do They Have Pearls of Wisdom?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Have you ever wished you could sit down with some authors from the past, you know, the ones that have gone before us? Pick their brains, spend time talking with them, asking questions of how they did this or that?

Madeleine L’Engle said, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer who wrote young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters and An Acceptable Time.

I like her advice, mainly because sometimes when we are writing it seems we are trying to put a story in a genre, and it just doesn’t fit. Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Obviously at some point in her writing journey Madeline did or she wouldn’t have given that advice. With over 60 books written, she obviously has given us sound guidance. By the way, many of her papers are at Wheaton College in Illinois. So, I would like to sit down with her and discuss many things but especially when do you make that decision to change your direction.

Now one may wonder what Harper Lee’s advice could be, since she wrote one book and it was a long time until the next. But she said, “Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself... It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” As we all know she wrote To Kill A Mocking Bird. I would like to sit down and ask her what was in the back of her mind when she was writing this book. I would like to know when she finished and after it was made into a movie and after many years of not publishing, what were her thoughts after it was made into a movie. Was she happy with it? Did she wish she had changed any of the book?

Another author, George Orwell said, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” His real name was Eric Arthur Blair, writing under the pen name George Orwell. He was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. He also said, He who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” One can’t help but wonder after reading his books, where that quote came from. He wrote such books as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier, Homage to Catalonia and Burmese Days.

His quote about writing a book is depressing and I want to ask him, why did you write if you were that miserable and in pain? I can honestly say I have never heard an author say that about writing.

We could ask them, why they think their stories resonated with readers? What would they do different? What was the one technique they fill helped them more than any other?

What questions would you like to ask writers from the past? Here are three different people, three different styles–voices and three different writing techniques. Do you by chance find one common thread among their writing?

Do You Lead A Tribe?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Everyone has heard the word ‘Tribes’.

What is a tribe? The dictionary says it’s a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader. In other words, a tribe needs to have people with common ties.

In today’s age of social media, we can build a tribe quickly. However, to do that we need to know what we stand for and what kind of tribe we want to build. What is our mission.

For an author the tribe needs people who enjoy the type of books the author writes. People want to feel they are an important part of the tribe and what they think matters.  Relationships must be built, and bonds established.

People want to feel needed, important, part of and we can offer that as authors.

Once this is established, your tribe is going to tell people about you as an author, about you as a person and they are going to tell people about your books.

It must be a win-win for everyone however if it is to succeed.

Did you know you can also create a tribe around a book series? Think about it.

Seth Grodin, wrote a book called Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. He is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth founded both Yoyodyne and Squidoo. His blog (which you can find by typing "seth" into Google) is one of the most popular in the world.

Obviously, he has built a tribe!

Here is a summary from Samuel Thomas Davies about Grodin’s book Tribes.

Tribes are an important part of our lives. We have this need to belong.

Your Loyal Reader Base

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, said, “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

I was reading this statement and thought about authors, their books, and their readers.

Do you wonder what your readers tell others about your books?

We’ve been preached to on how important it is––branding. By now, don’t we know pretty much all there is to know?

No! We don’t. The reason is we package our branding but we have no control over how the reader perceives it because it filters through their minds.

The most important thing about branding is creating name recognition.

Why this is done is simple, we want a loyal reader base who wants to read our books we write and expectantly wait for the next one.

So how does successful branding come about? By understanding your readers––what they want to read. Look at your books, what are they about? What is the core? Then ask yourself what kind of reader wants to read this type of book? What would the needs of readers who want to read this type of book be? The more layers you can peel back the deeper you will see what your book offers, which will help you in your writing, promoting and selling your books.

I read somewhere that branding is an expression of who we are and what we offer.

Our reader has to identify with us then they become a loyal fan and reader.

I think Bernard Kelvin Clive, Ghana’s foremost authority on Personal Branding, says it best, “Author branding is the process of positioning an author as the center of attraction and influence, to be the preferred choice in a given theme, style, category, niche or genre”.

Stories from a Cemetery

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Historic Elmwood Cemetery is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1852 as one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South. A funeral scene in Paramount's 1993 legal thriller The Firm was filmed here. 

There is a dramatic entry bridge, a Carpenter–Gothic office cottage along with 80 acres. All of which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also an official Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum.

Can you imagine the stories that can be created using this cemetery as a setting? Even as a character?

Beneath ancient elms, oaks and magnolia trees you will find the famous and infamous, those who were loved and feared. You will find veterans of every American war, including the Revolutionary War. There are generals, governors, mayors and madams, side-by-side.

All you need do is choose a character, do your research, decide your plot, and begin your story. There are archives waiting for you, here at Elmwood.

Functions are held every year at this cemetery. You can also take a guided tour of this magnificent cemetery. Here you will find the history of Memphis is told through the residents of Elmwood Cemetery. The city fathers, early mayors and the everyday people who lived in Memphis and helped shape its history.

One of the functions coming up in January is the “Stories and Secrets of Elmwood Cottage where you will learn what’s hiding in the archives. The story of the Victorian Gothic Cottage and furnishings; and you will hear about the “Frozen Charlottes”, mysterious little dolls left on the graves more than 100 years ago.

If you walk through this cemetery you will find your mind reacting to this place. Perhaps stories will begin creating themselves, not just one, but many.

Look around your towns, what do you have that is very old, and has a history to it? Do your research, and in the process you too may just find “your Elmwood Cemetery” full of stories. Who knows, you might just find your next series waiting for you there.

Happy Writing!