What I Learned at the Desert Dreams Writers Conference – April 2012
Patricia L. Brooks, author, speaker, book shepherd 480-250-5556 patricia@plbrooks.com president/founder Scottsdale Society
of Women Writers www.plbrooks.com and blog www.blog.brooksgoldmannpublishing.com
ONE E-Books and E-book Publishing
ü There are traditional and self-publishing e-book publishers – do your research
ü Traditional houses will want your e-book rights too
ü Get professional help, spend the money to do it correctly the first time
ü Be selective, like any other publishing – publishers work in specific genres
ü Find out how long the e-book publisher has been in business.
ü Commit to doing lots of e-books, brand yourself out there in e-books
ü Be aware – shorter stories sell well
ü Pricing an e-book is the key – $2.99 to $5.99 is a good range
ü Be contemporary – find a new way to tell your story
ü Be ready when you pitch your work tooanyone – especially an agent or editor
ü Use every emotion and think new and fresh
ü There are many opportunities for success with e-books – do your research
ü Consider offering a free 10,000 word e-story to help with your branding
ü Accept you are the marketing person for your e-book – no matter which route chosen
ü The best way to sell your e-books is to give them away – be open to new ideas
ü You will need multiple books to make money – keep writing
ü Your goal should be to have a minimum of 10 e-books – don’t stop there
ü In branding yourself think promotional pieces such as CD’s, book trailers and interviews and readings online
ü Ask yourself if you can do it
all? Do you need a partner? Can you run a business?
THANK YOU Vijaya Schartz www.vijayaschartz.com
Kris Tualla www.kristualla.com
TWO Laughter, Emotion, not Sentimentality or Cliches
ü Three Basic Components
The Reader – engage them and bond with them
The Characters – make them sympathetic, vulnerable – have a worthy goal
The Author – make it personal, relate to the reader
ü Ask yourself – why do we read?
Bond – Conflict – Complete something, closure
ü Work in author emotion
Is it me? Can I champion this subject?
What engages me? Will I put my world in a book?
Am I excited? Can I discover myself here?
ü Combine emotion with action – write over-the-top emotions
ü Understand trigger words
Hope – things will get better
Anger – can be powerful
Betrayal – feeds another form of power
Forbidden – drawn to secrets
Powerlessness – frustration to the extreme
Passion – who you really are
THANK YOU Linda Style www.lindastyle.com
THREE Your Writing Space, Your Writing and You
ü Craft your writing space – to find your muse
ü Create an environment for writing that is you
ü Learn Feng Shui – clear the clutter,purge
ü Give yourself a no stress environment to feel inspired
ü Add feel good things – pictures,plants, candles, memorabilia, visuals
ü Remind myself I have been acknowledged
ü www.healthywriter.blog – check it out
JOURNAL –What makes me feel abundant? What am I putting out there? What will be
provided? Who supports me in my writing?
THANK YOU Tawny Weber www.tawnyweber.com
FOUR Meditate and Manage your Stress
ü Try Mindful Meditation
Be Present with yourself
Take a pause
ü Press and Pause – during deadlines
ü Honor the different times of the day you are creative
ü Go to a place free of distractions
ü Put up a do not disturb sign
ü Have a dedicated practice for yourself
Yoga, meditation, a focus box, morning pages, journal
ü Stay with your negative – it may energize you
ü Stick with your Fear – make it work for you
THANK YOU Jennifer Schober
jschober@spencerhillassociates.com
FIVE The Double D’s – dialogue and description
ü Description – paint a picture
ü Dialogue – tell it well so we listen
ü What do I do well? What do I need to learn?
ü Describe how it feels – body too
ü Mood – show don’t tell
ü Dialogue – don’t give too much information
ü Voice – characters should sound different – thoughts and feelings
ü Ask yourself some very important questions:
What do I need to convey in this scene?
Do we know what they look like?
Do we know how they feel about the situation?
What matters to me?
What is my field of vision?
What about this situation matters?
THANK YOU Laurie Schnebly Campbell www.booklaurie.com
SIX Practice What You Pitch
ü What and where and when
What type of story is it? Where does it take place?
How long is it? Is it finished?
ü What is it about – the concept
ü Talk to me not at me
Have a conversation
Leave time for questions
ü Tips you Need to Remember
Calm down and smile!
Don’t take anything said to you personally
Be willing to learn – be open minded
Be positive and be humble
THANK YOU Erin Quinn www.erinquinn.info
SEVEN Those Hard-to-Write Characters
ü May not be sympathetic or likeable – Be true be fearless
Don’t be afraid and don’t hold back
Give them a history
Show us how they became who they are now
ü Give us some intrigue
Grab a reader’s attention
Make sure we want to know more
ü Always ask why
Push them out of their comfort zone
Don’t be so negative
All people aren’t all bad or all good
ü Where’s the love?
One person must have cared for them sometime
We all have our weaknesses
What will they do anything for or protect?
ü Give a glimpse of the future
What will they become?
Don’t change, but just a little, grow them
Be true to the character
THANK YOU Beth Andrews www.bethandrews.net