Rewrite Your Profile, Rewrite Your Future: A New Year’s Post

Right around now lots of people are writing, or rewriting, or sticking to, or breaking their New Year’s Resolutions; I’m busy rewriting my online profiles.

If you do any type of writing online (and if you’re reading this you probably do), chances are you have about half-a-dozen “profiles” posted here and there: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

In addition to all those, I have professional profiles on Guru.com, Elance.com, YA profiles on Smashwords and Scribd.com, plus a few more on places like Wattpad and Inkpop.com.

So every January I make it a point to revisit each profile and look at it objectively. Short or long, professional or personal, I try to read and then re-read ALL of my profiles to make sure they’re as effective as possible.

Along the way I ask myself a few questions:


• Is this recent, current or otherwise updated?


• Is it smooth, clean, tight?


• Does it pop?


• If I was looking to find a new author, would this profile appeal to me?


• Am I intrigued enough to learn more?


Then, depending on the answers, I go to town. I tweak and update them, add to or delete from them. I tone and craft and chisel until I’m happy for them to exist, “as is,” for another year.

Some profiles, like on Guru.com and Elance.com (professional freelance writing websites), are long and intense. Others, like my Blogger.com profile, are little more than a paragraph long. Still, every word counts.

I won’t call this process “fun,” exactly, but it definitely revives my spirit of creativity and, I think, gradually and even subtly enhances my online reputation.

There are other, hidden benefits as well. Case in point: as I sat down to write this, I was tweaking my Elance.com profile and there, in the very first paragraph, I read this line: “I am a bestselling ghostwriter with over a decade of experiencing ghost writing for such publishers as…”

“Experiencing” ghost writing? Really, Russ? Ouch. Can you say unprofessional? And that’s been up since, what? This time last year? So it’s nice to catch things like that and move forward positively. It’s also nice to update certain numbers, awards, experiences, connections, etc.

It also helps to see yourself as others see you, and to look at something you thought was “impressive” a year ago and fine tune it to be even more so now, with an older, hopefully wiser pair of eyes.

So what about you? Even if you only have a few, one-paragraph profiles like on Blogger.com and Twitter, are they working for you? Can they work better? Say more? Do more? Are you happy with them? Could you be happier?

It’s a new year and that means a new opportunity for us all to revamp what we say about ourselves online. So, what will you say about yourself this year? And how will what you say affect how you move forward as 2012 dawns bright, fresh and new?

Yours in Publishing,

Rusty Fischer

What’s in Your Creative Blender? A Post About Spare Time – and How You Use It

How do you use your spare time? Do you… hang with friends and family? Go to the gym? Partake in a hobby or a night class? If you’re like most writers, you probably do all of that, sure, but also plenty of reading, and possibly listening to music, and hopefully going to movies.
 
This is a post about spare time and how, for writers, even our spare time is often spent thinking about writing, or storing away ideas, tidbits of knowledge, pop culture or inspiration that we’ll eventually write about, someday.

Case in point: if you were to look at the books stacked on my nightstand at this very moment, you might think that a second grader, a cat lady, a political professor and a wannabe filmmaker were having a slumber party.

That’s because I’ve got a few kids books, a book about the near assassination of Ronald Reagan, a Halloween cozy mystery and a collection of Tim Burton interviews stacked there, all with bookmarks halfway through them.

Lend an ear to this week’s playlist and you’ll hear Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Johnny Cash (who I’m just now rediscovering), a groovy new group called the Moon-Rays (awesome Halloween music, btw), Mark Knopfler (after recommending him to a friend) and the first of this year’s new Christmas records.

And my movie ticket stubs are just as schizophrenic; Ides of March, The Thing, Lion King, Real Steel (!), Contagion… whatever. Just give me 90 minutes of flickering lights and fresh Twizzlers and I’m there.

I used to worry that maybe my choices in reading, listening and watching material weren’t quite helping me advance in my literary pursuits. That, somehow, I needed to be reading what I was writing, or reading about writing, and possibly even writing about writing, 24/7/365.

But now I think just the opposite: it’s all up for grabs. I consider everything I watch, listen to or read fair game now.

Then again, I make the right choices: for me. Writing YA is all about the story; the beginning, the middle, the end. The setting, the theme, the mood. Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? And why are they at odds?

The books I read, they all tell a good story; so they’re wise choices for me. Children’s books are great because they tell a good story in real-time. They also tend to be broad and help me put my older stories in perspective. Tim Burton? Great storyteller. And mysteries always feature a great “bad guy or gal,” even if you don’t know who it is until the end.

Even the music I choose is full of storytellers. Johnny Cash? Forget about it; he’s as much a writer as a musician. Same with Mark Knopfler, whose last three albums might as well be short story collections as well. And Halloween and Christmas music are full of rich legends and history.

And movies? Movies have always been my go-to source for inspiration because I have no skin in the game. I read a book I’m always wondering who published it, how much it’s sold, is this genre hot or not, who’s the author’s agent, etc.? Those kinds of things are always running in the back of my mind.

But a movie is a story in pictures, and I can just let its details and plot and characters wash over me, leaving an indelible imprint that I’m never quite sure when will surface.

And that’s the beauty of how you spend your spare time as a writer: you’ll never know when it will pop back up and pay off in a new story idea, a great bad guy or an awesome new setting. For instance, I used my love of all things movies in my latest YA supernatural romance, Ushers, Inc.

I use pop references when I’m writing for clients all the time, and those come straight from the “soup” I’m daily stuffing into my “creative blender,” otherwise known as my mind.

It’s this “blender,” I think, that makes us each unique. There is no telling how the music I’ve listened to, the books I’ve read, the movies I’ve watched – to say nothing of my upbringing, my friends, family and life experiences – affects what, how or even when I write. Same goes for you and what you write, even how you write it.

It’s why hundreds of thousands of books can come out every single year and no two be the same. As writes, we might all come equipped with the same “blender”; it’s what we stick into them that counts!

Give it enough quality ingredients, and the blender is always churning up new ideas, combinations of half-thoughts and sudden inspirations that turn into stories, poems, book titles, pages or sometimes just paragraphs or random ideas.

And that’s what’s so great about our spare time. It’s not “reading”; it’s homework. It’s not “listening to music”; it’s research. It’s not “going to the movies”; it’s on the job training.

Now, as the holidays approach and some of the year’s best Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas stories roll back around, it’s a good time to ask: What’s in your blender?

And how will it affect what you put on the page for the rest of the year?

Yours in publishing,

Rusty

Patience is Power – The Top-Three Reasons to Sleep on Your Next Submission

The other evening I sent out a query letter for a new YA project.

I had run across this hot new publisher after reading one of their tweets. The cool part is, they were totally working in my genre of choice, actively soliciting submissions.

Now, that’s rare enough in itself; but these guys were practically begging for subs all over Twitter and Facebook, on account of hiring some new editors, taking advantage of some great new interns and urging writers to beat the summer doldrums by submitting now; right now, today!

I took them at their word and submitted immediately. Only problem was, I totally botched the job.

Only AFTER I’d copied and pasted and sent out my query letter did I realize I’d written it for an entirely different publisher; and personalized it with some really insightful commentary about… them.

Which is good; I’d really researched both publishers, but in my haste to approach the second I left in the personalized parts about… the first.

Seriously, so when Publisher B gets it, they’re going to read the first three paragraphs and (hopefully) figure this writer’s really got his act together, then get to Paragraph # 4 and read some really great stuff… about Publisher A!

It’s like writing a love letter to Sally and midway through you start pledging your love to… Paula! So now I look completely stupid, and the sad thing is, my submission was right up their alley!

But it just goes to show, even after sending out thousands of query letters over the last 10 years, it never pays to rush. In other words, patience is power.

So here are three great reasons to sleep on your next submission:

1. Personalize: We all use templates for our queries, i.e. we write up a really strong one and then change the agent or editor’s name at the top. This isn’t to say we’re lazy, just realistic. So if Agent A doesn’t accept it, we can move on to Agent B without writing a completely new query letter. But do you mention the agent’s name a second time later on, or talk about a book the agent handled, or use the publisher by name in the fourth paragraph? If so, you want to always make sure that paragraph is personalized for the right agent or editor, every time.

2. Proofread: There’s always something to catch, no matter how many times you read it. The other day I was re-reading a comment I left on Facebook and I ran across this little gem: “Thanks, Gemma, for friend-ing me; I enjoyed your blog to…” To? With one “o,” not two? Really, Rusty? Query letters are no different; always, always, always read it one more time, preferably the next morning so your eyes – and senses – are fresh.

3. Perfect: The thing about queries that makes them different from almost everything else you write is that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I had a really great opportunity with a great new publisher and I totally botched it! Why? Because I rushed things without taking the time to make my query perfect. Or, as close to perfect as I could. Don’t be me! Sleep on your query to make sure it’s as good as it can be – then send it!

So take my word for it: the publisher, the agent, the editor, the opportunity will still be there tomorrow. But if you rush things and ship out a query before you’ve made it as good as it can be, you might wind up being rejected tonight!

Yours in Publishing,

Rusty

Creative Loading: Fueling Up For Your Next Big Idea

In the hilarious “Fun Run” episode of the hit series The Office, Michael “carb-o loads,” as he calls it, before a friendly race with his co-workers. Of course, since this is Michael Scott we’re talking about, there are hilarious-slash-unpleasant results waiting well before the finish line.

But the scene got me to thinking of how we might “carb-o load” for our creative endeavors in addition to our physical ones. Do we take that necessary time to gear up before the marathon race of writing a new book, story, article, report or white paper?

Or, more often than not, do we start mid-stream, without pausing to consider how big of an undertaking starting a new project will be?

I know it’s not always convenient to hit the “pause” button when you’ve got a great new idea germinating in your brain pan, but it’s important to do what I call “creative loading” – the writing version of carb-o loading – before tackling any new project.

So if you’re looking for some cheap, quick, even fun “fuel” for your next creative endeavor, here are some simple tips you can follow to “creative load” and ensure that you don’t run out of steam mid-project:

• Unplug: I say it on my blog(s) all the time, “Step AWAY from the mouse!” Writing a book takes a LONG time. What’s more, since most of us have “day” jobs it takes a lot of creative energy to work all day and then come home at night and write. So for a week or two before you write – or if you can’t wait just a weekend or so – step away from the computer the laptop, the net book or whatever and just… unplug completely. Take a walk, ride your bike, go swimming, take a “stay cation.” It’s okay, your project will be waiting for you when you get back. What’s more, your mind will be clear and ready to focus on your next great idea!

• Have a movie marathon: Maybe you’re getting ready to write a cozy mystery about a bookshop owner who solves crimes in a little Maine town. Now, before you start, would be a great time to go see a few great murder mysteries, or rent some classics, or even some not-so-classics. There’s nothing like watching in your favorite genre to give you “grist for the mill,” so to speak, when it comes time to write your own ideas down on paper.

• Be a bookworm: Read in your genre. If you’re gearing up to write the next business bestseller, grab your favorites and just. Start. Reading. Being in the presence of great business language is super inspiration for writing your own classic business tome.

• Listen actively: Download or grab your favorite CDs and just chill out to some great music that inspires you. Resting your eyes and being inspired by your favorite songs is a great way to “creative load” before your next book. It can also be helpful for the book when it comes time to, you know, actually write? For instance, oftentimes when writing YA, I’ll assign a certain “theme song” to major characters. So, the “bad” guy might sound like Judas Priest, but the good guy might sound like AC/DC. The good girl may sound like Joan Jett – or Katy Perry. You just never know, but music is a great way to visualize characters, mood or place settings, whether you’re writing or just boning up.

• Stock up for the journey: Don’t let the beginning of your new book, article or story be the end of your “creative loading”! When I was writing my young adult novel Zombies Don’t Cry, for instance, whatever YA zombie books I didn’t finish reading before I started writing were right there by my bedside during the process so I could keep my creative motor running. I had pretty much EVERY zombie movie known to man queued up on my Netflix account as well, and even created a playlist on my blog to inspire me while I wrote.

I hope these ideas help; any or all of them. I have learned over time that even when I’m chomping at the bit to get started on a project, the good ones will always wait!

Yours in publishing,

Rusty

3 Ways to Tell If Your Title Is Working (Or Just a Working Title)

This morning I was getting ready to post an excerpt from my work in progress to Scribd.com when I looked at it and, for the first time, thought: “Man, that’s a really lame title.”

The thing is, I wrote this book nearly two years ago and the title has always been the same: The Good Vampire.

It’s about a high school kid who gets a summer job for… you guessed it… a vampire. But it turns out his new boss is a “good” vampire, one who’s fighting this kind of Creature from the Black Lagoon style monster and, well, not to give too much away, I just always thought The Good Vampire worked.

Then I was looking through it today, and I was just like, “Meh, I can’t put this up with that title.”

So I started reading the first few chapters and it was all summertime and classifieds and help wanted ads and resumes and interviews and suddenly, it clicked: Summer Jobs Suck! It’s got what the book is really about, plus implies vampires with the “suck” in the title and, eureka; done deal.

PS: Here’s the cover I designed for it…

Now, you can debate whether or not that’s really a “better” title, but the exercise was a good one because it helped me dust off tired ideas and make them fresh; at least, for myself! And it started me thinking about titles that work versus working titles, aka ones that are just sort of “place holders,” and how to tell the difference:

Step 1: Read it Again

Go to the source material.

Read the first few chapters.

Read your query.

Read your blurb.

Read your synopsis.

See if the title you’ve chosen really reflects the book you’ve written. In my case, it did; and it didn’t. Even if you’ve always “loved” your title, like I did; read the piece over again and see if something else doesn’t pop up.

If you have to, set it aside and read it later. I’m not saying shove it in a drawer for two years like I did, but… let it sit over a weekend and then come back to it fresh and see what you think. You never know; a new title might be staring you dead in the face, smack dab in the middle of page 41!

Step 2: Road Test It

Ask your friends.

Say it out loud.

Post several versions on your blog or Facebook page and let fans vote.

Write it down somewhere other than your title page.

Design a book cover!

Do something, anything, to take it to the street and test it out before you decide it’s the right one for you. Writing often happens in a vacuum; titling is part of writing. But it can be really helpful to step outside of your office and just do a quick poll of one, two or three titles side-by-side and see which works the best.

I can tell you that last month I uploaded two excerpts at about the same time. One was called Soil City; the other was called Panty Raid @ Zombie High. So far, “Panty Raid” has twice as many reads as the other title.

Now, I’m not saying to put “panty” or “thong” or “bra” or “jock strap” in EVERY title, but we all know certain words are certainly going to get a second glance. Take your title to the masses and see which one they like most. It’s okay to get a vote by popular opinion!

Step 3: Cool It On the Keywords

Too often, we get so caught up in filling our titles with keywords or source clues or cleverness or snark that we lose sight of the book we’ve written. For two years, I kept The Good Vampire because, duh, it had “vampire” in it. I knew if kids were looking for a vampire book, eventually, they’d come across it in a keyword search.

But… is that enough to base a title on? Sure, if keywords are all that matter to you, but you have to remember: kids don’t pick a YA book just because it has vampire or werewolf or zombie in the title. Okay, it might get their foot in the door, but that’s about it. They’re still going to dig on the cover, read the blurb, see what other kids think, check out the four- and (hopefully) five-star reviews, whatever, before they actually pick YOUR book, title or no title.


There are a million reasons why a kid buys a book, but probably only one or two reasons why you chose a particular title. So lay off the keywords and trust your inspiration to come up with a title that not only reflects what’s actually inside the book you wrote, but that will also appeal to your target audience.

So, that’s a process that worked for me.

Will it work for you? I don’t know, but it couldn’t hurt!

Yours in publishing,

Rusty