Having an author website is like owning your own little corner of the internet and it’s important to set it up in a way that showcases your work while also encouraging reader engagement.

Before hitting “Publish” on your brand new author website, check out these five things you should include.

1) Email List Sign Up

Out of everything on this list, having an email sign up is probably one of the most important things to include on your author website. Social media algorithms are always changing. Ads can be expensive. It can be hard to tell if your message is reaching everyone on your friends list. Heck, one day, we might all wake up to find that Facebook has completely disappeared from the face of the Earth (cue horror music). That’s why it’s so important to have an email list.

When people sign up for your email list, you know they’re interested in your work and want to hear from you (within reason, of course). You know without a doubt that when you hit “Send,” your message will be delivered directly to your readers’ inbox (no fancy social media algorithms will stand in your way!). Plus, you can rest easy knowing that if the entirety of social media disappears one day, you will have a solid list of loyal readers you can still stay in touch with.

2) Reading Order

This one is a little obscure, but I guarantee that your readers will thank you if you include it on your website. If you’re the author of a series, or if there’s a recommended order in which your books should be read, then you should definitely include a “reading order” section on your website. This will allow your readers to fully enjoy and understand the events in your books. This type of section is especially helpful if you also have novellas in your series that are meant to be read before or after a certain book.

Not going to lie, I’ve accidentally bought a few books without knowing they were part of a series and I had no idea what was going on. Help eliminate any confusion by providing a clear reading order page on your site.

For examples of how other authors have created reading order pages on their websites, check out Terry Brooks’ website, as well as Janet Evanovich’s website.

3) Giveaways or Book Discounts

Who doesn’t love free (or heavily discounted) books? I don’t know about you, but more times than not, I absolutely can’t resist the siren call of free books. If you’re running a special sale on your books, make sure to include that information somewhere on your site (preferably using a big, eye catching headline on your home page).

Additionally, if you’re hosting any type of giveaway or contest involving your books, make sure to include any special guidelines or instructions somewhere on your site. Most importantly, after the sale or giveaway has ended, update your site. You don’t want to continue to advertise a free book if it’s no longer actually free.

4) A Consistently Updated Blog

Blogs are a fantastic way to keep your readers engaged and in the loop regarding your books and ongoing projects. However, in order to truly reap the benefits of a blog, you need to consistently keep it updated. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to post to your blog every single day (or even every other day), but you should have a content calendar and a regular posting schedule.

What should you post to your author blog? Definitely mention any new books or projects that you are working on (including cover reveals, word counts, release dates, and more). Your blog is also a great place to mention giveaways or book discounts.

If you’re really stuck, you can also try blogging about any of the following topics:

• Character Roll Call: I always love when authors share the images that inspired a certain character. You can also further engage readers by asking them to share images of what they imagine a particular character looks like.
• Author Q&A: Do readers ask you questions about the writing life, or your writing process? Write a blog post that answers those questions.
• Musical inspiration: Have a playlist that you listened to while writing your masterpiece? Use your blog to share it with your readers.

5) Reviews and Interviews

Reviews aren’t just for Amazon anymore. If another author has endorsed your book, or if you’ve received a particularly glowing review from a beta reader, don’t be afraid to share them on your website (after getting permission of course).

Just as businesses might have a “testimonials” page on their website in order to attract customers, you can have a similar section on your website in order to promote your books. The more good reviews a book has, the more likely I am to purchase it for myself, so don’t be shy about showing off how awesome your book is!

Additionally, if you have been interviewed (perhaps on another author’s blog), make sure to share and link to it on your own blog. Many authors have a “media” page on their website, where they share links to interviews, podcasts, and any public appearances.

Back to you! Do you have any tips for creating an awesome author website? Are there any author websites that you absolutely love? Share them below in the comments!

Manuela Williams is a Las Vegas-based writer and editor. She is the author of Ghost In Girl Costume, which won the 2017 Hard To Swallow Chapbook Contest. When she’s not writing, Manuela is busy drinking coffee and spending time with her blind Pomeranian, Redford. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Pinterest.

The post #5onFri: Five Things To Include On Your Author Website appeared first on DIY MFA.

Here’s how you can work toward achieving this goal:

1) Always write with passion – choose a topic you love

When it comes to blogging, never forget you’re not just writing for your audience, you’re writing for you, too. This is why it is imperative to focus your blog topic on something that you find interesting. The topic of your blog needs to be one that is well suited to you (your passions and/or your expertise) so that you can add your own unique flare and make it stand out among the masses.

With that in mind, avoid choosing a topic simply because it is trendy or popular. If you don’t find value in the topic, it doesn’t matter how popular it is, you won’t make it fly. Your readers will be able to tell if your content isn’t genuine. Stick with what you know and what you passionately want to learn more about. Readers will respect this and will be able to better connect and relate to you.

2) Don’t rush quality – take time to build your audience

A healthy blog is one that has a strong community. That said, building a strong audience is so much more than having a large number of subscribers. It’s about growing the number of loyal readers you have who return to your blog and actively engage with it (e.g. comment, share, etc.). This is best achieved by connecting with your audience via effective marketing channels.

As Neil Patel’s guide to building your blog audience points out, this includes more than the potential members of your “blog marketing community” (e.g. your subscribers, readers, the people who comment on your posts, share them, etc.). It also includes reaching potential readers as well as the people who know your potential readers.

Take the time to reach your community via various popular channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, etc. Choose the social media channels that are most widely used by your target audience for best results. Building your audience is about quality, not speed.

3) Don’t force your content – it’s okay to post only once a week

If you think you need to post a blog every day to keep your audience happy, guess again. The reality is that posting daily will likely lead to a lot more work with very little reward. Here’s some reasons why posting everyday is a bad strategy.

For starters, unless you have the time and drive to post daily, posting this much can take the fun out of blogging. Instead of creating content you love, it’s forced, and you’ll resent it like a chore.

You’ll also reduce your social proof if you post too often. A post will receive more exposure, and people are more likely to interact with it if it’s at the top of your blog for longer than one day. Plus, if you add content daily, your subscribers aren’t likely to read every post you write.

Instead of posting every day, you might find that you’re more likely to boost your traffic, subscriber count and income goals by consistently posting once a week, on the same day, in around the same time. Be reliable.

4) Stay on top of the latest SEO trends

SEO is vital to maintain a healthy blog. It’s one of the key ways your blog will get traffic, and how potential readers find you. If you think SEO is a daunting challenge, you’ll be happy to know that there are free tips and tools for making SEO easy, readily available online.

A good idea is to check updates on Search Engine Land, which is a daily publication that covers all aspects of the search marketing industry. You can discover the latest SEO trends, discover SEO how-to guides, and more.

The bottom line is that you can’t afford to ignore SEO if you ever hope to find and maintain success with your blog.

5) Take breaks, but stay connected

Ensuring your blog remains healthy and vital means making sure you stay that way, too, both physically and mentally. If you ever reach a point where you feel the need to take a break, do it and do it guilt-free. You owe it to yourself and to your readers.

Keep in mind: taking a break from blogging doesn’t mean you necessarily have to take a break from your audience. There are still other ways you can connect and keep readers engaged and interested, such as social media and email.

Just make sure your followers know you’re taking a break. This way they won’t be left out of the loop and they can look forward to your return.

Above all, remember, forcing content doesn’t work. If your heart isn’t in what you’re writing, your readers will know and your blog’s health will suffer for it.

A freelance writer and avid blogger, Valentine Ferrari is a regular contributor to Socialnomics, VegasMaster and 60SecondMarketer. She enjoys sharing her tips, diverse interests and experience as a writer with fellow bloggers, readers and those who have a passion for writing. When she’s not typing away at her computer, you can usually find Valentine curled up on her couch with a book or planning her next travel adventure.

The post #5onFri: Five Tips to Keep Your Blog Healthy and Vital for Many Years appeared first on DIY MFA.

Before I started blogging years ago, I didn’t read a lot of blogs or spend much time on news sites. As a college sophomore who desperately wanted to change her major from Engineering to English, fiction was my jam and not much else mattered. Fast forward to 2017, and web writing has become a big deal. I realized that it never hurts to up your writing game when millions read online content every day. But is your blog a good place to write creative nonfiction?

There isn’t just one way to write for the web. Most posts floating around on Pinterest are for content marketers and business owners who want their posts to convert directly into cash. Writing blog posts from a marketing standpoint with lots of calls to action typically works well for online entrepreneurs who sell courses or services. This can be useful: if you haven’t noticed, the world of online business has for better or worse leaked into the realm of fiction writing as many writers are considering alternate ways to make a living as they publish their work.

This still begs the question: is this a good place to write about personal experience?

Write With Purpose

Short answer: Yes, but do so with purpose. If you read a lot of creative nonfiction, you know that there are an array of styles, textures, and stories that still fit under the genre umbrella. Writers for The Atlantic tell stories hooked to the news, but they aren’t opposed to a first-person pronoun. Meanwhile, authors for Hazlitt or Buzzfeed may be able to take both a personal and critical approach, especially when participating in cultural critique.

On the other hand, creative business owners don’t always write with a storied approach, but they often have a lot of personality. That draws people back to their sites. Putting it simply, blogs can be moneymakers in the best of circumstances.

Write With Personality

While personality may seem to be a shrinking quantity, readers tend to return to blogs where they like the writer. And whether you’re blogging about writing craft or your own life, personality matters.

Consider this notable example: Alana Massey, author of a book of essays called All The Lives I Want, got her start writing for xoJane. In a highly trafficked article “I’ve Never Had an Orgasm and I’m the Only Person That Doesn’t Care,” Massey took a highly personal approach that allowed her to continue writing for the site. Her voice and stories were so moving that she was able to write for major outlets like The Guardian, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic—all without an MFA. She’s written about culture, feminism, sexuality, and identity, all of these articles reliant on her self-aware, fresh voice admired by respected nonfiction writers like Leslie Jamison. It’s only because of her web writing that Massey got a two-book deal with Grand Central Publishing.

Massey is an extraordinary example. She got her start on big-name websites, brands that any writer would be proud to have in their portfolio. After all, she had powerful personal stories that could draw a large audience that worked well as cultural criticism. She had experiences that people wanted to better understand. While she has faced some criticism from rude commenters, Massey has ultimately enjoyed success by writing about her life. Never mind her solid following on Twitter. But you may still be asking how does this translate to blog writing? I thought you said that you don’t have to be the most interesting person to write creative nonfiction.

Write Your Experience

Meg Fee started blogging in 2008 about her experiences living in New York. Posts include what it’s like to turn 30, learning how to be confident, and the serendipitous encounters that have made her life in the city meaningful. Over the years, she’s gathered an audience of thousands who love her voice, originality, and gorgeous photos. Because of a novella she published online, Fee was referred to an agent. Now, she has a book deal with Icon Books for a collection of essays coming out in 2018.

Something to notice about these two writers is that they didn’t necessarily take a traditional approach to joining the arena of published authors. They didn’t get the education you’d expect a writer to have and they chose the themes they wanted to focus on. Whether through notable online outlets or through your blog, there is an opportunity to do the same.

So many writers think they have to write about craft. It’s great to offer advice, but it’s also a beautiful thing to give stories. Truly, it’s all about making your website speak for you. Don’t see a model for how you should go about this whole blogging endeavor? Make up your own; maybe it’s time to start taking a hybrid approach.

No one can promise you a writing career, but the age of the Internet enables more choice than ever. If you aren’t so proud of your blog, now is the time to assess the way you’re writing it. Are your posts too businesslike? Have they stopped speaking to your interests as a writer? Have you grown in the last year? Give your site a facelift. And don’t dwell on the layout; try to get those words squared away first. Writing in a more creative nonfiction style may be your best bet, no matter what subject.

Kayla Dean is an arts and einment writer in Las Vegas, where she has interviewed several celebrities for publications like Vegas Seven. She has several YA stories in the works and blogs about writing and creativity on her personal website, where she also hosts the Millennial Writer Series. She received her BA in English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and will pursue her Master’s in English Literature this fall. You can find her on Twitter@kayladeanwrites.

The post Is Your Blog a Good Place To Write Creative Nonfiction? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I am so excited to have Jay Swanson on the show.

Jay is the creator of the world’s first real-time fantasy blog, Into the Nanten, and has written a handful of other fantasy and science-fiction novels along the way. He’s also a daily vlogger and has been posting a photo per day for the past six and half years!

In our interview we dive into the creation of Into the Nanten, and the best ways to use different forms of media to craft a unique storytelling experience.

In this episode Jay and I discuss:

• How to craft an interactive storytelling experience for your readers.
• What the challenges of blogging a story in real time are, and how to stay ahead.
• How to use various forms of media to add an extra dimension to your story.
• Challenges that occur when creating a multimedia story, and why understanding how people read a blog versus a book can help keep more readers coming back.
• How to build your community on different platforms and across different media.
• Creative ways to raise money for your projects, and how these initiatives can make your story more real to readers.

Plus, Jay’s #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Jay Swanson has lived in six or seven countries which greatly affected his perspective and writing. He spent his early time in France teaching English and in various countries in West and Central Sub Saharan Africa volunteering on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

When he first got to South Africa six and a half years ago he decided to start posting a photo a day online, and started a daily vlog when he hit the 2,000th picture.

Jay is the author of Into the Nanten, the world’s first real-time fantasy blog as well as a handful of other science-fiction and fantasy novels. Currently he lives in Paris, France, and is embracing the cliché of being an American author in Paris.

To connect with Jay and catch up with Into the Nanten head on over to his website at: https://jayswanson.me. You can also follow him on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram both for Into the Nanten and his Photo of the Day project.

Into the Nanten

The Nanten is a jungle so hostile that to enter it willingly is considered suicide. This is the journal of Marceles na Tetrarch, a warrior currently exiled to the Nanten for murder. He goes in search of a man that he hates, who was exiled there 20 years ago: Brin Salisir.

It’s rumored that Salisir went to discover a cult risen from the darkest dredges of humanity. What Marceles doesn’t know is if the rumors are true.

Into the Nanten is updated in real time (EST) – when he finishes an entry or illustration it appears here in our world, on this blog. He writes almost every evening. If this is your first visit to Marceles’ journal we suggest you start from the beginning, with his first entry, and follow along until you have caught up.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase DIY MFA makes a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 148

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 148: Multimedia Storytelling — Interview with Jay Swanson appeared first on DIY MFA.

In the months following my decision to interview two writers a month, I learned a lot about what it takes to launch a series  people actually want to read. Here is my to-do list for getting popular authors to agree to an interview, plus tips for making a statement with every post.

Think of a Unique Angle

If you’re familiar with reporting lingo, an angle is the spin you put on your story to make it different from what other people have written about the same topic. In other words, why are you writing the story in the first place? Why is what you have to say unique?

Last year, I published a post called “Why We Need Millennial Writers.” I received hundreds of shares on the article. While I revised the post several times since then, I knew early on that the Millennial writer angle was one I wanted to act on because it had been seemingly unexplored. That’s how my #MillennialWriterSeries was born.

Think Branding First

Since my #MillennialWriterSeries was part of my website launch, I had to tackle branding in one fell swoop, which meant that the most important first task was defining the series in a concise way.

Before I approached anyone, I wrote copy for my webpages, created a style guide, and made a quick, 100-word description of my concept. These helped me decide if my series was substantial enough to sustain itself for a minimum of several months.  I also had to make sure that my idea wouldn’t be too hard to explain in a quick email.

As part of my branding, I also had to look at my post images. The core of my series didn’t change, but my post images have. Even with months of planning, I still ended up modifying my branding style to make my images more sharable. If you tackle branding early on in the writing process, it will help you when you want to recruit more writers.

Think About What You’ll Ask

While you want all your interviews to read differently, have a few questions that you ask everyone so your posts have a cohesive theme that connects right back to the series name. Consider each question with intention, ask questions that are specific to each writer’s work, and make sure you don’t go overboard by asking too many questions. If you want to have longer interviews, give the writer more lead time to craft his or her responses.

Find People Who Best Represent Your Series

While I only have a handful of interviews on my site at the moment, my goal is to present writers from different genres, backgrounds, and education. When you plan your concept, think about what makes it so compelling and who would best convey that.

The most interesting thing about the word “Millennial” is that it encompasses such a large segment of the population. As I explain on my blog, this includes everyone from a college student to a mid-career professional. When I consider new interviewees, I always examine how they will fit with the other writers I already featured.

Plan Ahead

Writers are busy people. If you’re interested in interviewing someone, shoot them an email weeks or even months before you plan to post. They may not be able to get their responses to you right away, but writers deal in deadlines and you can be sure they’ll follow through.

Often, the writers I get in touch with request that I send my questions after they’ve completed a book launch, speaking engagement, or other deadline. If you let writers get back to you on their own time, you’re way more likely to get an affirmative response.

Ask Even If You Expect a No

One myth about writers is that they aren’t approachable. In most cases, this is totally false.  Writers love to interact with fellow creatives. I like to email writers personally, but if they have a publicist, reach out to them first. If your angle is strong enough, you may be surprised to discover that most writers are willing to do interviews. If the author declines, don’t take it personally. Sometimes it’s just a matter of scheduling that forces them to turn down a great interview.

Get Organized

Since you’re going to interview writers on a regular basis, you need to keep track of your questions, their responses, author bio, and post images. Make a folder for your series and for each person that you’re going to feature. Staying organized will keep you from going crazy.

Have Fun

Initially, I worried that I would wrongly glorify the word “Millennial.” I was reluctant for people to associate me with a word that some people connote with a supposedly entitled, lazy generation. But that’s when I realized that turning the label into an empowering definition is something that I’m passionate about. Plus, as a Millennial writer myself, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet like-minded creatives.

Remember the reason why you set out to create your series in the first place, and have fun with your concept. Don’t be afraid to ask for an interview and be excited about it! If you need a little encouragement, find your way back to those author interviews. One day it may be you on the other side of the table.

Kayla Dean is an arts and entertainment writer in Las Vegas, where she has interviewed several celebrities for publications like Vegas Seven. She has several YA stories in the works and blogs about writing and creativity on her personal website, where she also hosts the Millennial Writer Series. She received her BA in English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and will pursue her Master’s in English Literature this fall. You can find her on Twitter @kayladeanwrites.

The post What I Learned From Starting a Blog Interview Series appeared first on DIY MFA.

Because what will you write about? What if you don’t have time? And why should anybody listen to you when a bajillion successful bloggers out there have been blogging longer than you have?

It’s enough to keep anyone from making that leap from Wish-I-Was to Actually-Am a Blogger. But I don’t want that to happen to you. This time next year I want you to be looking at your list of publications or your new writing gig and saying, I’m so glad I read that article on DIYMFA and made the leap.

So here’s how to leapfrog over the five biggest fears of blogging, so you can start reaping those writing career rewards. Ready?

1) I Don’t Have Time for Blogging

Blogs aren’t big publishing (thank goodness!). You don’t have to churn out content like a multi-writer magazine. Blogging is less formal, more personal. And readers tolerate the haphazard posting schedule from blogs they’d never tolerate from Vogue or The New Yorker.

Sure, the more you post the faster you’ll rocket to success. But if you miss a post, it’s not the end of the world. And even if you post just once a month, you’ll still reap the writing career benefits of blogging. Plus, at the end of the year, you’ll have twelve more writing samples to show to publishers than you would if you hadn’t blogged at all.

2) There’s Too Much Competition

Let me ask you this, writer. Do you read only one blogger? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably no. Turns out 46% of people read blogs more than once a day, which makes blogging a HUGE market that likely won’t be full for decades.

There’s more demand for content than there are people creating content, so we need more bloggers stat. Many readers would be delighted to add you to their reading lineup, and many a writing community is looking for fresh faces and fresh content. So write decent posts + get them in front of people who’d love them. Then just try to tell me there’s too much competition. You’ll be too busy trying to keep up with your fan email.

3) It’s All Been Said Before

If this were a reason not to blog or write, then all the bloggers and writers would quit. But writers keep writing, and bloggers keep blogging. And there’s plenty success for both.

If that doesn’t convince you, consider this: The New York Times Best Seller list is at no loss for winning novels any day of the year. And more people are building writing careers from their blogs than ever before.

You may be right that there are no new stories or blog posts. But there are infinite ways to combine and write them. And no one can tell a story quite like you. In the end, it’s about finding the right blog readers, the ones who love the particular way you write and the particular things you write about. So you’ve got this, writer.

4) I’m No Expert. Why Should Anyone Listen to Me?

A few things you’re definitely an expert in: your experiences and personal perspective, what it’s like to live in your hometown, how it feels to be a new writer. So blog about them! Not everyone knows how to brew a perfect cup of tea or where all the best writing spaces are. Not everyone made that writing breakthrough you made last week or tried that creativity challenge that went so comically awry.

Through your blog, readers who haven’t come as far as you have or tried the things you’ve tried can get the inside scoop. And since writing from your unique perspective is what blogging is all about, you need only be an expert in your own journey—good thing you already are.

5) I Don’t Know What to Write About

How easy it is to forget that not everyone knows what we know. We take our skills and knowledge for granted because once we have them they seem obvious to us. But if you solve a writing problem, share it! Read a good book? Review it! Writing prompts, interviews with experts, lessons from those inevitable failures, research you’ve done, tricks you’ve picked up, products you’ve used, what you’re reading or loving this week—they all make good fodder for blog posts. And you’ll find that the more you blog, the more you’ll notice topics for blogging in your everyday life. But if your creative well does run dry, you can always search Google for blog topic lists. Easy peasy!

What did I miss? If you have a tip for overcoming a blogging fear, share it in the comments below, or on social media, using the hashtag #5OnFri!

Mandy Wallace is a writing coach and blogger with a BA in English lit and a few writing awards. She shares weekly writing tips on her website for new writers, which clocked over a half million page views last year and is listed as one of The Write Life’s 100 best websites for writers. Grab a copy of her character design guide here.

The post #5OnFri: 5 Fears of Blogging (And How to Overcome Them) appeared first on DIY MFA.

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.

Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human. You can find out more about Chuck on his website, Terrible Minds, and follow @ChuckWendig on Twitter.

I am pretty sure that there is no site on earth quite like Chuck Wendig’s. His writing craft advice is an absurd mash up of geek humor, clever wordplay, and solid craft advice. One thing is for sure: Chuck is a unique character on the writing scene.

In a recent article on world building he responded to the ol’ chestnut “write what you know” as it relates to speculative fiction. I laughed, cried, and learned something new about world building. Chuck’s humor is off-beat, but that’s part of the allure of his website (appropriately named Terrible Minds). Here’s a snippet from that article:

Chuck doesn’t limit his humor just to his site, either. His books keep me up late reading and laughing hysterically. Every night I read for about an hour under the covers with a flashlight (it’s a habit I picked up as a child and never could shake). Right now I I’m reading Chuck’s Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey and lawyer-hubby has threatened to take away my kindle because I burst out laughing so much that he can’t get any sleep. Can’t help it; Chuck’s writing is just that funny.

Besides off-beat advice and tons of humor, Chuck also shares his views on more complicated aspects of the writing life. For instance, he’s talked about book review, both receiving negative reviews (and when and how to give them), and exactly what he thinks about authors who buy their positive reviews. Some of these nittier and grittier topics in the hands of a less skilled blogger would come off as boring or preachy. Chuck does neither, nimbly addressing the issues with his own brand of humor and providing a balanced look at these issues.

So, what can we learn from Chuck Wendig’s Terrible Mind? Aside from the obvious writing and publishing industry advice, Chuck also shows us the benefits of being your own unique self in the industry. So many writers censor who they really are because they’re afraid of how it might reflect on their careers or reputations. Chuck is a great example of how an authentic voice–with all its quirks and warped humor–will always trump a perfectly polished persona.

I’m so excited that Chuck will be speaking at Lit Loft. He’s taught me so much about the value of individuality, of embracing your weird quirky humor, and using it to connect with your readers in a powerful way. A character himself, Chuck will be speaking on crafting compelling characters.

Chuck Wendig will be speaking at LitLoft 2013.
Registration closes Thursday so sign up today!

The post What I Learned from the Terrible Mind of Chuck Wendig appeared first on DIY MFA.

This topic especially resonated with me because for a long time I had a love-hate relationship with social media. I knew I had to do something with it, but it felt like “one more thing” on my mile-long To Do list. Not only that, the task of navigating the social media landscape felt overwhelming. I was like a tiny pawn on the gigantic social media chessboard; I knew I had a role to play in the game but I had no strategy and I felt like a tiny voice amidst all the noise.

Talking to Dan about his approach to social media was a major paradigm shift for me. Dan’s take is not just practical and manageable, but he focuses on the human side of social media, which is something that most experts don’t emphasize enough

In this interview about social media, you’ll learn:

• How to reframe your thinking about social media to keep things manageable and human.
• The #1 thing writers should do when starting out with social media. (Actually, it’s two things!)
• How to use social media to create meaningful offline connections.

My favorite quote from this interview:

“Social media is just useless garbage until one random, serendipitous meaningful connection happens.”
–Dan Blank

•   •   •   •   •   •   •

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia.com, which provides writers and publishers the strategy and tactics they need to impact their communities and build their legacies.

He has worked with more than 500 writers, a wide range of publishers, and regularly speaks at conferences about branding, content strategy, social media, and marketing.

Dan recently created A Writer’s Guide to Social Media to help writers build and manage their social media presence. You can find this eBook and other great resources on his website.

The post Social Media for Writers: Interview with Dan Blank appeared first on DIY MFA.

Social networking comes down to GIVE: four simple questions you have to ask yourself.

1. Goals: What do you want to achieve with social media?
2. Inspiration: What inspires you? What strengths and talents can you offer to others?
3. Viability: How much time and effort do you want to put in?
4. Enjoyment: Are you going to enjoy doing whatever you decide to do enough to continue doing it indefinitely?

Goals

One of the classic newby mistakes of social networking is that we writers tend to start blogs about writing. Do you see me raising my hand? Yep. I have a writing blog. And a twitter feed for writers. Is that going to help me sell books? Probably not. I didn’t think through my goals before I started blogging. I went to a local Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators meeting with a friend and heard an agent tell us that all aspiring authors had to have a blog. My friend and I decided to begin a blog together. Since we were just starting down the road to publication, what interested us was writing, and ergo, that’s what we blogged about. I don’t regret that at all. I learn by writing, so writing *about* writing was my way to move up the learning curve. Eventually though, I hit the point where I wasn’t learning anything new by creating articles for beginning writers, but I didn’t feel comfortable offering writing advice that went beyond the basics. At the same time, my blog partner had personal issues that took her away from blogging, so for a year and a half, with the exception of the First Five Pages Workshop, I handled the blog on my own. I let myself get overwhelmed. Instead of being able to focus on reading other blogs or craft books or just interacting with other writers via social media, it was all I could do to keep up my “required online presence.”

The solution? I examined my goals. Over the course of my blogging journey, I have met fantastic writing friends and critique partners. I learned a lot, but there is much more I want and need to learn. I want more time to read blogs and craft books, to read everything. I want to encourage and support other writers and connect with readers so I can learn more about what they want to read. Most of all, I want more time to write.

Inspiration

There isn’t any one way to achieve your social networking goals. The most important thing is finding a vehicle that will connect you with a network of people in a way that meets your goals and inspires you as a writer.

Before investing time into any social medium, make sure it will work for you in the longterm. That includes matching the type of medium to your goals and inspiration; they all have different strengths and conventions.

• Google+  is Google’s big push into social connectivity, and it is trying to push participation by factoring your “author rank” from there into engine results. Joining Google + lets you build circles to push content to those who are most interested in that content. The premise is based on the idea that you will create original content that will be “shared”  by your followers and that you will, in turn, pass content created by people you follow to your followers accompanied by value-added commentary or notes. Google+ also lets you “hang out” with people via real-time chats.
• Blogging (Blogger or WordPress) is a format that works best for creating  longer, meatier posts and connecting with other writers about the process of writing and the process of publication, or with readers via book reviews and contests. The main interactivity for blogs comes from the comment mechanism that lets your readers react to what you posted or lets you react to content posted by others. This is a wonderful way to build relationships, learn, and start discussions. There are no built-in sharing mechanisms for propagating the content you create, but various “add-in” technologies or applets let you make it easier for readers to Tweet about it, add it via Google+, or share it via another network.
• Twitter lets you connect with other writers by sharing links, quotes, thoughts, or ideas. It is also great for building an audiences through humor or short, pithy commentary. Compared to other forms of social media, the shelf-life of a Tweet is very short. If your followers follow a lot of other people, it’s easy for your Tweets to get lost in the noise. On the other hand, it’s easy to gain popularity simply by tweeting or retweeting good information that people will enjoy retweeting to their own followers.
• Facebook is a more intimate venue if you like to share opinions or details of your day to day life and create personal connections. Facebook pages, a separate feature, lets you build an area where fans can connect with other fans and find information about your upcoming events. On the flip side, you can support your friends by “liking” or commenting on what they post, even if you prefer to post fairly infrequently yourself.
• Tumblr is somewhat more impersonal than Facebook, but it provides a fast, flexible, and easy interface designed for sharing photographs, links, quotes, or shorter text posts. Its strengths lie in flexibility and in the easy way it lets you share content you find interesting with people who have “followed” you.  There’s a mechanism for commenting and “liking” posts as well, but reblogging is in itself a sign that you enjoyed the content.
• Pinterest is similar to Tumblr in that it is based on the idea that you will “share” visual content that interests you. It’s designed primarily for photographs and illustrations grouped into categories called “boards,” which makes it a fantastic way to collect visual inspirations for your books and characters and share them with your readers. You can can even create private boards if you want to use them exclusively to keep track of things like character wardrobes, setting details, or whatever
• Goodreads is perhaps the most undervalued social network for authors and readers. It provides the cover image, description copy, and publishing information for virtually any book along with the cumulative “rating” provided by all the people who have already read it. You can read or provide reviews for any book and  pass your opinion along to your friends. You can find friends with similar tastes to yours and start building relationships with them. There are even online book clubs. You can enter or provide giveaways or various contests, share snippets from your blogs, and interact with readers in many different ways. Note, however, that Goodreads was just purchased by Amazon, and there’s no telling what will happen with the services they offer or what they plan to do with the information you provide. Both offer free author pages that you can personalize with your photograph, bio, and books.

Like Goodreads, any social medium is subject to change. Use the above list as a starter, not an all-encompassing menu. New social media pop up all the time, and they can fade just as quickly. Remember MySpace? Consider who you want to reach, how you want to reach them, and what kind of content you want to provide to find the vehicle that will help you achieve your goals and keep you inspired to continue.

Viability

As you can guess from the above list, users of different formats of social media have different expectations. Blogging, for example, works best on a set schedule so that your readers know when to stop by to catch their favorite feature. Tweeting too frequently can clog your readers’ feeds and result in them “unfollowing” you, but if you don’t Tweet enough, you can’t build much of a following. Writing long diatribes on Facebook is a great way to get yourself “unfriended.”

Before you jump into a particular social network, take the time to investigate what works for other people on that network, how often you will need to provide original content, and what your “followers” will expect in reciprocity.

With any form of social medium, creating original content takes little time compared to how long it takes to read other people’s blogs. For most authors, it also yields the least success. Social networking is all about being social. Sharing. Giving back. Building up others. If you don’t have the time to do that, then you aren’t creating a network and having an online presence isn’t going to do you much good. If you’re not the kind of person who wants to engage with people, put up a static website and don’t worry about the rest. Really. Chances are, if you don’t like being social–on the Internet or in real life–you aren’t going to be good at it if you force yourself to try. You also have to be careful not to take on so much that your writing time gets sucked away.

A joint blog may be a good solution for writers who may not have a ton of time, or those who are hesitant to jump into social media too deeply. I definitely prefer to have someone to share the responsibilities, the occasional aggravation, and the success. For me, assessing my goals, inspiration, and viability led to inviting a new blog partner to join me, and I am beyond lucky to have Jan Lewis sharing the workload at Adventures in YA Publishing. Clara Kensie, a long-time critique partner, is also back to host a Question of the Week segment on Sundays. And of course, the incomparable Lisa Gail Green is still critiquing the First Five Pages Workshops with me each month.

If you are considering a joint blog, or any kind of shared media, be sure to leave yourself room for branding. I have had to slowly transition my Twitter feed back to my real name, because I made the mistake of setting it up as a blog-related feed. I have also only recently discovered that we can post on the blog under separate names. Branding is critical in building relationships with your readers and potential readers. Investigate the options available for whatever kind of media you are considering, and remind yourself that you can’t build relationships on anonymity.

Enjoyment

In case you missed that last sentence, let me restate: your online presence is all about relationships. You don’t have to do it, but if you choose to be online, make sure you participate in a way that doesn’t become a chore. Have fun and don’t make it all about you. Make it about the people you like and respect. Share information. Pay it forward.

Consider who you want to reach and what *they* want. Then GIVE.

Martina Boone writes primarily for young adults. She’s the founding member of Adventures in YA Publishing, a Writer’s Digest Top 101 Best Website for Writers site, and also has a website , a Twitter feed, and a Tumblr feed. She mainly uses her Pinterest account to help her visualize the worlds and people who populate her stories. Her Facebook and Google accounts are mostly sad and orphaned children, and she uses her Goodreads account to keep track of her TBR pile. Between the various media accounts, she has over 10,000 followers, which still makes her scratch her head in wonder, disbelief, and overwhelming gratitude. She is repped by Kent Wolf at Lippincott, Massie, McQuilkin.

The post Four Questions to Define Your Social Media Presence appeared first on DIY MFA.

Dan works with writers at all stages of their writing progress, helping them develop good writing habits and connect with their audience. In the publishing world they call this “building your platform” but I think it’s so much more than that.

The work Dan does is about helping writers create a writing life that incorporates business and marketing, but that’s also sustainable for the long haul. These days, with so many promotional options available and so many things writers “should” be doing, it’s hard for us to comb through it all and zero in on our True North. Instead, many of us try to do everything and end up burning out. This is where Dan comes in. He helps writers home in on those few essential tasks and skills so they can get the most out of social media and other online tools. Today Dan will share his insights on blogging with us and stay tuned because next week we’ll have a video interview with Dan about his take on social media.

Without further ado, here’s Dan Blank. Take it away, Dan!

Recently, social media seems to have stolen the spotlight from blogging. And while I am a huge advocate for writers engaging in social media, today I want to explore the value of blogging to help you improve your craft of writing and grow your audience.

Unlike Tweets, and Pins and status updates, blogs are often built with words. There are so many benefits for a writer to blog, but not all of them are obvious. I have blogged for years, and helped literally hundreds of writers not only get started with blogging, but turn it into the starting point for their writing career.  I have found the following four things to be powerful ways that a blog can shape your life as a writer.

Blogging trains you to hit the “publish” button.

It can be hard to fit writing into your everyday life, one filled with other personal and professional obligations. As you explore the craft of writing, you may find that the journey to sharing your work becomes more distant. What you need is to get used to hitting the “publish” button. If you have ever been in a writing group, you have likely seen writers who hide their work from the world in endless rounds of revisions, afraid of ever actually publishing it. When you blog consistently, you slowly wear down the emotional resistance to publishing. You create, you share, you repeat. You build the habit of publishing.

Blogging makes you focus not just on writing, but on getting read.

When you consistently publish work, your attention shifts from not just expressing ideas, but ensuring they are heard. Blogging is inherently about communication. When you only wait for a big book launch to get feedback from readers, you are likely missing opportunities. By sharing smaller pieces of writing consistently, you learn how to connect with readers, and what they react to. Being heard is a skill that you develop, and I have found no better way for writers to consider the interests and needs of readers than by blogging.

Blogging gives readers more ways to connect with you.

When you consistently engage with a blog, you provide so many more touchpoints to connect with potential readers. Have you ever chatted with a bookstore owner, and found that you shared an interest in a certain genre of books, or a certain breed of cat, or both loved the same TV show? And then the next time you saw them, you felt they were more a friend than a stranger, even if they haven’t read your writing? A blog does the same thing with potential readers. They are able to find new connections with you. Give people a way in to your creative world as someone they can connect with, not just a book they can buy.

Blogging builds the habit of writing.

When you blog, you live the life of a writer. A writer writes. The trick here though, is not just to write, but to let the world know that you write. Too many writers hide away, and resist that identity. When their book is eventually released, and they announce to the world that they are indeed a writer, they feel like a kid sitting at the grown-ups table for the first time. Blogging allows you to proclaim that you are indeed a writer, and do so in the best way possible: by sharing your writing every week.

I believe in blogging because I have seen it help writers again and again, oftentimes becoming the driving force for growing their audience. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talked about the 10,000 hours that someone needs to devote to any craft in order to master it. Inherent in this is the mundane task of establishing daily habits. What I love about blogging for writers is that it speaks to both sides of what you hope to achieve:

1. Master the craft of writing, by doing it consistently.
2. Master the craft of connecting with readers, by constantly understanding what engages them.

Finally, blogging in and of itself becomes a body of work, something that shares your journey as a writer, and provides nearly infinite ways to consider not just what you write, but why people will read it.

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia.com, which provides writers and publishers the strategy and tactics they need to impact their communities and build their legacies.

He has worked with more than 500 writers, a wide range of publishers, and regularly speaks at conferences about branding, content strategy, social media, and marketing.

His new book A Writer’s Guide to Blogging is available at the We Grow Media website.

The post 4 Ways Blogging Will Make You a Better Writer appeared first on DIY MFA.