To prepare, I covered a triptych with click-bait style posters proclaiming “Three Reasons It’s Great to Be a Writer!” “Five Things About Writers That May Surprise You” and “Seven Steps To Writing And Publishing A Story.” I planned an activity that involved each small group coming up with a story idea and figuring out how to get through the planning and drafting stages to the point of writing a query letter. I brought props with me: a box of interesting trinkets for story kernels, magazines and literary journals where I’ve been published, the plaque I got for winning first prize in an essay contest last year (kids love awards!), and a copy of the DIY MFA book so I could talk about my column on this website.

But there was one thing holding me back when I was preparing to reveal my secret writing identity: I couldn’t let the students know that I’ve never felt less like a writer.

You Are What You Call Yourself

I’m a big believer in titles. If you love to run, you can call yourself a runner even before your first 5K. If you practice piano regularly, you can call yourself a pianist even if you’ve never given a recital. I’ve been a writer ever since I started writing for myself– not just for school assignments, but my own journal entries and short stories. Even before I was published, I felt it was important to own that identity. Now that I have been published, my work has been acknowledged and I even have a literary agent (though no book deals yet) I can’t even win the argument with my self-doubt: I am a writer, the same way I’m a teacher, a mom, a daughter, a wife.

But just because I call myself something doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes feel like a charlatan or even a failure in that role. I’ve been getting very little on the page lately, and haven’t felt inspired in weeks. It’s easy to identify the cause of this identity crisis: I have too many other identities, none of them secret. I’m a full-time teacher and a mom of two little ones. Those two jobs take up almost all my waking hours. Writing gets crammed into the margins, before my kids wake up, during lunch breaks and occasional weekend binges. As a result, my writing time doesn’t satisfy me; my creativity is frustrated. It’s becoming a smaller piece of my overall identity simply because the time I spend on it has been squeezed out of my other, more demanding identities.

Identity Is Fluid

That morning at the career fair, I feared that my identity crisis would come through to the students. I watched as my first group approached the booth and sat down on the floor, looking up at me expectantly, ready to learn what it was like to be a Writer. I began to speak– hesitantly at first– about my experiences with writing and publishing. And as I did, a part of me observed that my speech was passionate and that I was wholly engaged in the conversation. I noticed that the kids’ eyes were lit and their expressions attentive. I realized that I was finding the words to talk about myself as a writer, and as I found the words, I began to strengthen my identity again. It was clear, to myself and to the students, that I loved being a writer, even if my relationship with it was currently strained.

From that experience, I learned that it’s okay to not feel secure in my writing identity all of the time. It’s funny to think that I’ve taken breaks from my other identities without it feeling like a crisis– why does it seem like the stakes are higher with my writing self? I stop teaching every summer, but don’t feel like less of a teacher. I take an afternoon off from my kids to release the yoke of parenting, but that doesn’t make me stop being a mom. There’s an easy analogy that’s often made about wearing different hats to represent your different identities, but identity doesn’t work like that. It’s not a fixed object; it’s fluid, like shifting colors of sand.

I’m still in a bit of a writing slump, but I’m no longer assigning it a deeper meaning. Just because I’m not writing well doesn’t mean I have to question my identity as a writer. I’m a writer because that’s the way I create things and process the world. That’s not something that can be thrown away as easily as taking off a hat.

Have you ever questioned your writing identity?

Leanne Sowul is a writer and teacher from the Hudson Valley region of New York. She’s the curator of the website Words From The Sowul and authors the “Be Well, Write Well” column for DIY MFA. She writes historical fiction and memoir; her work is represented by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary Agency. Connect with her at leannesowul(at)gmail(dot)com, at Facebook.com/sowulwords, or on Twitter @sowulwords.

The post How Secure Are You In Your Writing Identity? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I am delighted to have David Plante on the show!

David grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, within a French-Canadian parrish, much the same way as Jack Kerouac did in Lowell, Massachusetts, in an area which was known in the 17h century as La Nouvelle France. David has written several books rooted in La Nouvelle France, most notably in The Family, a contender for the National Book Award.

He then went on to live in London for fifty years where he wrote several memoirs including Becoming a Londoner and Worlds Apart. David is also the author of the nonfiction book Difficult Women which has recently been republished by The New York Review of Books Press, and has been a regular contributor to the New Yorker with short stories and profiles of people he knew.

David is calling in to the show today from his home in Lucca, Italy, to discuss his most recent novel American Stranger. Listen in as we chat about the elements that went into crafting this novel, and how writing can give you a voice and identity belonging to only you.

Also, just a quick heads up if you have not yet read American Stranger. We got so excited talking about the book that we may have disclosed a few spoilers… so SPOILER ALERT!

In this episode David and I discuss:

• How he unboxed Franco-American culture through the eyes of an outsider.
• Why not having identity can actually be liberating, and can also help you find your writing voice.
• Crafting a timeless novel by grounding the story with details.
• The best way to deal with a bad review… (all authors get them!).
• Drawing inspiration from a writer’s day in Italy.

Plus, David’s #1 tip for writers.

About David Plante

David Plante grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, within a French-Canadian parish that was palisaded by its language, a French that dated from the time of the first French colonists in the early 17th Century to what was then most of North America, la Nouvelle France. His background was very similar to that of Jack Kerouac, who was brought up in a French speaking parish in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Plante has been inspired to write novels rooted in La Nouvelle France, most notably in The Family, a contender for the National Book Award. As a young man, Plante moved to London, where he lived for some fifty years; years in part accounted for in his memoirs Becoming a Londoner and Worlds Apart and in The Pure Lover, an elegy to his forty-year relationship with Nikos Stangos.

He has published a number of novels, some referring back to his parish but also expanding into European and Russian settings. He has been a regular contributor to the New Yorker with short stories and profiles of people he knew, including the painter Francis Bacon, the aesthete Harold Acton, and the historian Steven Runciman. His renowned book, Difficult Women, a non-fiction work that profiled Jean Rhys, Sonia Orwell and Germaine Greer is being reissued by The New York Review of Books Press in 2017. He has dual nationality, American and British, but lives in Lucca, Italy, and Athens, Greece.

David’s latest novel American Stranger is out now.

American Stranger

Brought up in a secularized Jewish household on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Nancy Green knows little about her parents’ past. She knows they were World War II Jewish refugees who were able to escape Germany with precious family heirlooms that are constant reminders of a lost life and a world about which Nancy knows very little.

In David Plante’s novel, American Stranger the longing Nancy has for some kind of spiritual connection first leads her into an encounter with a Hasidic Jewish man who, unable to find meaning in his own religion, has taken vows to become a monk. She then becomes romantically involved with Yvon, a Catholic college student in Boston where she is studying for her master’s degree in English literature. Yvon, trying to escape the clutches of Catholicism and his overbearing mother, finds temporary refuge in Nancy and sees her as an escape from the insular enclave of Franco-Americans where he has spent most of his life. Their highly erotic, tempestuous relationship frightens both of them until a tragedy in Yvon’s life eventually pulls them apart.

Devastated by the breakup, Nancy ends up marrying a Jewish man from London, hoping to find herself with a man of her own religion. However, her new relationship pales in comparison to her deep emotional connection with Yvon and, sadly, ends, inspiring Nancy to go back to Boston to track down the man who, she realizes, is the great love of her life.

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 via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 192

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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 192: On Writing and Identity — Interview with David Plante appeared first on DIY MFA.

“Where do I fit in?”

“Will other people accept me?”

If these questions sound familiar, it might be because they’re part of being a teenager. Even adults can remember how challenging this period in our lives was, between school, friendships, dating, family, the pressures of responsibility, and an increasing craving for respect and freedom. But at the heart of this transition stage between childhood and adulthood lies an existential dilemma: figuring out who you are. It’s awkward, confusing, and frustrating at times – and it can wreck havoc on a teen’s self-esteem.

Luckily, YA literature abounds with novels that address identity as a literary theme. In fact, there are so many that I couldn’t choose which ones to use as case study examples. So instead, let’s take a broad look at some of the angles in which YA lit explores identity, as well as examples from across the YA spectrum.

Angle #1: Identity Is a (Complicated) Choice

In many YA novels, protagonists learn that they can decide who they want to be – which sounds fantastic, until they realize how difficult that decision is. Maybe the character wants to exhibit a quality they admire, like compassion, physical strength, or honesty, but they find it challenging to do so. Or, maybe they’ve made poor decisions in the past and now aspire to be a better person. Yet as the protagonists watch adults or other teens coming to terms with their individual identities, they realize how complex and ever-changing one’s sense of self can be. And when they eventually embrace their many layers, the outcome of their choice inspires young readers and teaches them that all teens, real and fictional, yearn to understand who they are – and once they do, that knowledge can be empowering beyond words.

Examples: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Angle #2: Learning to Accept Who You Are

Self-acceptance can be a hard-fought battle for many teens and YA characters. Their circumstances at home, in school, or in certain relationships can make it difficult for them to share their traumatic pasts, sexual orientation, or gender identity with others. Protagonists who suffer from depression, social anxiety, and other mental health disorders may also isolate themselves for fear of rejection despite their craving for connection. These characters aren’t hiding who they are. Rather, their stories are about seeking acceptance from others as well as themselves and learning to be comfortable with who they are. And for many young readers, bonding with characters whose struggles are similar to their own can reassure them that they, too, can find a way to succeed.

Examples: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore, Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

Angle #3: Caught In an Identity Crisis

Some YA novels explore what happens when the protagonist is torn between who they are and who others want them to be. Sometimes their situation dictates the role they must play at that moment. Other times, supporting characters or society at large may force the character to conform in ways that make them feel uncomfortable – because those actions or behaviors aren’t aligned with their own beliefs. What often results is a painful internal conflict peppered with questions like “Am I a good person?” and “Why can’t I be who I really am?” Teen readers can relate to this struggle in real life, since they may also find themselves caught between how their parents, friends, or other influencers see them and how they see themselves.

Example: Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Angle #4: Hiding Your True Identity

Another frequent angle is the idea of hiding one’s true identity. Especially in YA fantasy and historical fiction, girls may dress and act as boys to receive education, training, and other privileges they wouldn’t normally receive because of their gender. In other cases, a character may lie about their name, country of birth, choice of religion, and other aspects of their identity to avoid persecution or to protect themselves and their loved ones. Regardless, these characters are forced to hide a part of themselves that society deems unacceptable. This further complicates their journey to understanding or accepting who they are and can lead to feelings of isolation and fear of rejection or being exposed. And if young readers relate to, admire, or sympathize with these characters, they’ll likely be hooked by the suspense of how long those characters can keep their secrets, too.

Examples: The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Angle #5: The Fantastical Twist on Identity

YA authors who write fantasy, alternate history, and other speculative genres sometimes put a creative twist on the theme of identity. They often take one of the previously mentioned angles, then incorporate magic or aspects of otherworldly creatures to complicate matters for the protagonist. See if you can guess which of those angles are explored in these novels:

• The titular heroine of Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina is half-dragon and half-human. Because the humans in her country fear dragons, Seraphina must hide her heritage and cover most of her skin, which has patches of dragon scales.
• In Ryan Graudin’s Wolf By Wolf, the protagonist Yael has the ability to skinshift after years of experimentation at a Nazi death camp. As a result of “wearing” different identities for most of her life, she no longer remembers her original appearance.
• August, one of the two protagonists in Victoria Schwab’s This Savage Song, is a monster in human form who feeds on the souls of sinners. He’s ashamed of who he is, and spends much of the novel trying to blend in and deny his true identity – which, he soon realizes, he’ll have to embrace if he wants to survive.

Surprise! Exploring Identity Requires a Blend of These Angles

If you’ve read any of the books listed above, of if you’ve written your own YA story that features identity as a theme, you might be thinking, “Doesn’t that story use more than one angle?” Great question – and the answer is, yes!

Like other themes, identity requires a multifaceted approach to show the many challenges it presents to characters. Tris’s journey with her identity in Divergent, for example, isn’t limited to her choosing who she wants to be. She frequently feels insecure about and confined by her Dauntless superiors’ expectations of her (Angle #3); and she must keep her true identity as a Divergent a secret, since her society views Divergents as a threat (Angle #4). Likewise, in When the Moon Was Ours, the transgender Sam must reconcile his chosen identity as a boy with the female body he was born with – an internal journey that, when considered carefully, is essentially a merging of Angles #1 through #4.

So if you’re writing a YA story that features identity as a theme, consider 1) blending two or three of these angles (or more, if you’re so inclined) in a way that makes sense for the story you want to tell, and 2) using at least one mirror character who reflects some aspect of the protagonist’s journey with her identity. Doing both will ensure that your story’s delving into identity has the depth and repetition it needs to feel complete and be noticeable enough to readers without overdoing it. In other words, this will help your exploration meet the criteria of our working definition of “theme.” And the more kaleidoscopic your story’s approach to this theme becomes, the more likely it will resonate with young readers and empower them to make positive decisions about their own identity.

What YA novels have you read that address the theme of identity? Which of the above angles did they use? Have you written any stories (either YA or for another audience) that explore identity? If so, how does your story accomplish this?

Sara Letourneau is a fantasy writer in Massachusetts who devours good books, loves all kinds of music, and drinks too much tea. In addition to writing for DIY MFA, she is a Resident Writing Coach at Writers Helping Writers and is hard at work on a YA fantasy novel. She also freelanced as a tea reviewer and music journalist in the past. Her poetry has appeared in The Curry Arts Journal, Soul-Lit, The Eunoia Review, Underground Voices, and two print anthologies. Visit Sara at her personal blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The post Who Am I?: Identity as a Theme in YA Literature appeared first on DIY MFA.

Zinzi’s gorgeous debut novel, What We Lose, has already taken the literary world by storm establishing her as a strong new voice to watch.

Raised in the Philadelphia suburbs by a South African mother and American father, Zinzi has much in common with the main character of her novel, Thandi, so much so that What We Lose has been described as autobiographical fiction.

Listen in as we dive into Zinzi’s novel and how to craft fiction and reality in a novel that defies normal expectations.

In this episode Zinzi and I discuss:

• Autobiographical fiction, and how to decide what pieces of reality to include in your novel.
• How to weave big topics—such as race and identity—into your novel organically.
• What to do when you receive pushback about your story, and how to preserve that emotional truth.
• Why art and literature can shine a light on the grey areas of life.
• When to keep pursuing a novel and when to throw it out.

Plus, Zinzi’s #1 tip for writers.

About Zinzi Clemmons

Zinzi Clemmons was raised in Philadelphia by a South African mother and an American father. She is a graduate of Brown and Columbia universities, and her writing has appeared in Zoetrope: All Story, The Paris Review Daily, Transition, and elsewhere. She is a cofounder and former publisher of Apogee Journal, a contributing editor to Literary Hub. She has been in residence at the MacDowell Colony, Bread Loaf, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the Dar al-Ma’mûn, Morocco. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. To connect with Zinzi check out her website at www.zinziclemmons.com.

What We Lose

Zinzi Clemmons’ What We Lose is a powerful and innovative debut novel that questions the nature of identity, grief, and love through the eyes of a young woman who loses her mother to cancer. Told in visceral vignettes that draw from autofiction, online media, and encyclopedia, What We Lose is a thoughtful, poignant debut from a promising new voice.

At the beginning of the novel we meet Thandi, a second generation South African American of mixed race growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs. Thandi is raised by her South African mother, yet in Thandi’s daily life she is immersed in the culture of “American Blacks . . . my precarious homeland.” “Because of my light skin and foreign roots,” Clemmons writes, “I was never fully accepted by any race.” This feeling, of being detached from a tribe, the loneliness of a perpetual outsider, follows her throughout her life.

Her mother, a pillar of strength in their family, becomes ill while Thandi is at college, and eventually Thandi leaves school to care for her. After her mother’s death, Thandi struggles to anchor herself to a self-image and to relationships that seem increasingly tenuous to her. She falls in love and fashions an unexpected new family for herself, only to find herself uncomfortable in it—an interloper again—and still deeply disoriented by the loss of her mother.

Clemmons intersperses the narrative with photography, text messages, excerpts from blogs and newspaper articles; the effect is by turns playful and haunting. The primary sources create intimate and sprawling connections between the reader, Thandi, and the novel’s larger questions: about the construct of race, injustice within social systems, the durability of love, and the ability to overcome grief. In this way What We Lose confronts the horrors and the legacy of Apartheid, and the tyranny of race in the personal and political realms.

The meditations in What We Lose are deeply felt, not least because its themes are informed by the author’s personal experiences. The breadth and skill Zinzi Clemmons demonstrates in this slim, penetrating novel—praised by early readers from John Edgar Wideman, to Angela Flournoy, to Alexandra Kleeman—establish her as a writer to watch.

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!

(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 165: Weaving Fiction from Reality — Interview with Zinzi Clemmons appeared first on DIY MFA.

This year I spent a lot more time than any other year at the actual conference portion of the event instead of on the show floor. Don’t get me wrong, my feet were still killing me by the end of BEA from all the walking and visiting booths I did. But I spent more time listening in on the panels this year, learning about where the publishing industry is going, and then connecting with the people that I wanted to meet.

Overall, two main themes stood out to me at BEA this year: Identity and Community.

During a panel on big data and the publishing industry, Scott Galloway, founder and chair of L2, talked about the four big industries in our culture: Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple. His prediction was that Amazon and Google will lose relevance while Facebook and Apple will gain relevance in the future.

When I stepped back and tried to think through why this might be the case, it occurred to me that both Facebook and Apple put community and identity front and center, while Amazon and Google don’t. It’s just not in their business model. If all the data is pointing for Facebook and Apple to continue to dominate, while Amazon and Google lose relevance, it seems to me that identity and community may be the key reasons why.

What else did I learn?

Brick and mortar bookstores are coming back!

This prediction came up on several panels and I see it happening all around. Indie bookstores are springing up everywhere again. Why? For one thing, we are what we read; books speak to a deep part of our identity. And as we share those parts of our identity, books become a center of community, a common topic to discuss and share our feelings about. It makes sense that indie bookstores would start popping up again, but with a new focus on creating individualized experiences for the customers, and serving as a center where the community can gather.

Print is not dead!

When Kindle came on the scene, a lot of people began to predict the death of the print book. People have been bemoaning the eBook revolution and dreading the day that printed books will go the way of the dodo bird. Yet a decade later, print is still alive and well.

The fact reminds that digital publishing hasn’t quite figured out how to give its customers the same experience they get from print. Physical books allow for a physical exchange of ideas, which again strengthens community. It’s so much easier to hand someone a book and say “Read this!” than it is to tell someone to click a link and download an eBook. Seriously, have you ever tried to share a book with one of your friends via Kindle? It’s a HUGE pain in the you-know-what.

Having a lot of information is not always useful.

You might think that information is power, but the truth is that having tons data is useless unless you know how to interpret it. The publishing industry is sitting on a mountain of unanalyzed data, and there aren’t common industry-wide standards for collecting, organizing and interpreting this data, so much of this information just sits there. Any stats geeks and analysts out there? This is an untapped career niche that I think will be in much demand over the next few years.

The other problem with having a lot of information is that you may get some valuable nuggets, but you also get a lot of noise, and it’s often hard to parse these out. Numerical data can only give you part of the picture. Without digging into the details you might miss valuable insights about who your customers are. Understanding your readers and how they integrate with the larger community is crucial and the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

We Need Diverse Books

After realizing the panels at last year’s BEA were sorely lacking in diversity, a new movement was born: #WeNeedDiverseBooks. This movement held its first panel exactly one year ago at BEA 2014. Now, a year later, WNDB is still going strong. I enjoyed their panel discussion, and especially love their idea that diversity equals inclusiveness. There are many diversities and they all deserve to have a share of the spotlight. Again, individuality and community go hand in hand.

Multimedia in Publishing

I was really excited to check out new developments in multimedia and while there are some interesting things happening, we still have a long way to go. Most of the multimedia still seems focused around educational resources. I was excited to see multimedia being implemented in education because it allows for different learning styles, but would love to see broader applications in the future.

Where Do Writers Fit In?

Nothing happens in the publishing industry without writers. If community and identity are the main themes for publishing, that means that as writers we need to embrace these themes as well.

This means we need to let readers into our world. We must use social media, our blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts, etc., to let our readers understand who we are and bring them into our world. Multimedia isn’t an end in and of itself. It’s one piece of a larger picture. It’s our job to think of new and creative ways for our readers to experience our stories

In the process, though, we also need to honor the ecosystem, the medium, where our story lives. We shouldn’t just copy and paste across platforms and expect our ideas to translate smoothly. Instead, we need to focus on the delivery system and target our content to how it’s delivered and who we’re delivering it to. The medium should serve the message, and not the other way around.

Finally, I always love looking forward at storytelling trends that I see on the horizon. I’ll focus on YA here, because it’s my favorite thing to read and it’s the area I know best. As far as trends go, things always seem to move in cycles. What’s important is to recognize why people are interested in certain trends at certain points in history.

From fantasy (Harry Potter) to paranormal (Twilight) to dystopian (The Hunger Games) to contemporary (The Fault In Our Stars), the last two decades have exemplified this cycle. We’ve seen a strong movement from fantastical and speculative stories to those that are grounded in the hear and now. I have a hunch that that the next step will be historical fiction because as we become grounded in the present, we start becoming interested in where we’ve come from. And of course, from historical fiction, it’s not a huge leap to to high fantasy where the whole cycle will start over again.

Through these shifts in genre popularity, I still think the themes of community and identity will crop up again and again. Look for a lot of underdog narratives and fish-out-of-water stories.

I know this is all really theoretical, not the usual nuts-and-bolts kind of predictions you might expect. But I find that those kind of predictions often really only reflect the surface of the industry. What I want is to challenge you to think about what the next big trend is going to be and–more importantly–why that will be the case and what implications it has for us as writers.

As always, I love hearing from you! Please join me in the comments section and share your insights on the future of the publishing industry with me.

Link to Episode 46

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If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 46: BEA Recap and Publishing Industry Trends appeared first on DIY MFA.

This, of course, raises an important question for writers. How much of yourself should you put out there? How much of it is who you really are, and how much of it is a crafted persona? How far can you go in manipulating how you present yourself before you lose all the “you-ness” of your identity?

Today’s guest post is by the talented fiction and non-fiction writer J.M. Cook, who addresses these very important questions and shares some guidelines that writers can use to navigate this murky territory.

“Personal Branding” feels commercial, corporate, and (paradoxically) impersonal. When I think of MBA jargon, like personal branding and platform, applied to creative endeavors, I cringe a little. Yet I recognize that, to earn a living from writing, I must take the business end of things into consideration. In an attempt to resolve the paradox, let’s look at what’s behind personal branding, and concentrate on developing how to present yourself, as a writer.

Think about your favorite writers. You know how and where to find their work, by genre or some other way that categorizes the writer or the writing, like female writers, writers who write about a subject that speaks to you (from beekeeping to stories about Egypt), or winners of a specific book award. The aspect that draws you to read more of your favorite authors’ work, the thing that sets their writing apart (making their writing a favorite) is a component of who they are as writers. This can be voice, subject matter, recurring themes or characters, and more.

An author’s name brings their personal brand to mind. For example, think of Stephen King, or Deepak Chopra. See what I mean? Now consider James Frey. Name recognition is connected to an author’s writing and reputation. But have you heard of Pittacus Lore? He is the author of the Lorien Legacy YA book series, which includes the novel I Am Number Four. He’s also, purportedly, James Frey: same writer, different pen name, different author persona, and different genre than his infamous novel.

Creating a persona, a fictitious character as the author, seems to have worked for the Lorien Legacy series. Authors use pseudonyms for various reasons. Stephen King wrote four novels under the pen name Richard Bachman, supposedly to see if his writing would sell if it were not published under the Stephen King name. Creating a persona can also be a factor in humor writing – think of David Sedaris or any comedian. The comedic persona is intertwined with the written word as a strong part of the personal brand.

For the rest of the writing world, it’s more about being yourself. You are a writer with your own personal story, and your personal brand is how you present yourself as a writer and your work to the world. Even if you don’t set out to create your personal brand, you (or your agent, or your publisher) will consider, and likely examine, how you present yourself as a writer.

How do I determine how to present myself as a writer?

First, I look at who I am as a writer, and what I’m writing. I’m a new writer: though I’ve been writing for years, I’ve not established my platform or delved into publishing, beyond a few essays (like this one). My long term plan is to publish across genres, but I’m just starting out. I write fiction and nonfiction. My projects include a novel that classifies as realistic fiction, a book series that fits into SciFi or Fantasy, a collection of creative nonfiction stories, and nonfiction essays. That is who I am as a writer and what I’m writing. When I publish one of the larger projects, that endeavor will likely pigeonhole my writing into that genre, for that pen name.

This leads to the next question: How much personal information am I comfortable sharing with readers?

When I teach college courses, I limit the access my students have to my FaceBook profile. FB is social networking, but I don’t socialize with my students while they are my students. It’s my personal choice.

In formulating my choices, I apply these factors:

• Common Sense: Will the college/employer take issue with a photo of me with a drink in my hand, or walking in a protest march? Will my teaching effectiveness be impacted if students scrutinize and agree or disagree with my religious choices or political views?
• Tastefulness: Am I comfortable with my employers and students seeing me in a social context or knowing my personal information? Are they?
• Perception: How do I want to be perceived and known by my employers and students?

Let’s apply these factors to how you present yourself as a writer.

• Common Sense: Will your readers take issue with anything in your presentation of yourself as a writer?
• Tastefulness: Is everyone (and by everyone, I mean your prospective readers, publishers, and if you write nonfiction, those about whom you write) comfortable with the information that is part of your presentation of yourself as a writer?
• Perception: Does how you wish to be perceived by your readers coincide with how you are presenting yourself as a writer?

These three aspects (common sense, tastefulness, and perception) are about making choices to focus your personal brand, or if you prefer the non-MBA lingo, how you present yourself as a writer.

Does this mean that you don’t include anything personal? Again, let’s consider Stephen King. He sponsors scholarships. He plays in a rock band. When he sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car, he wrote about the accident and his writing process; that became part of his personal branding in nonfiction.

Consider Jodi Picoult. The tagline for her website is, “Jodi Picoult: novels about family, relationships, love, & more.” That is a summation of her personal brand. Her personal information is limited to her bio section; it’s heavy on career accomplishments, but simply mentions her family.

Who are you as a writer?

Answering that question will help you determine how to develop your presentation of yourself as a writer. What do you write? Who are your readers? Why are they drawn to your writing? After you resolve these questions, focus on your message and your personal story as a writer. Then apply common sense, tastefulness, and perception considerations to determine exactly how personal your story and presentation will be. This is who you are as a writer, also known as your personal brand.

The post How to Present Yourself as a Writer appeared first on DIY MFA.

The other panel titled eBook Marketing and Author Platform: The Author as Entrepreneur focused on branding for authors planning to enter the eBook market. This panel looked at marketing and brand-building as it applies specifically to eBooks, but again much of the advice shared would also be relevant to all authors. The marketing and social media experts on the panel included: Dan Blank (We Grow Media), Rebecca Crowley (RTC Publicity) and Colleen Lindsay (Book Country).

As you can imagine, there was a LOT of information from both panels so in this post I’ve distilled it down for you to the three most important decisions you need to make for your brand right at the beginning of your career. As I mentioned on Tuesday’s post: it all comes down to building trust by connecting with your readers on a person-to-person level. Building that trust comes down to three simple choices you make early on in your career. After that, all you have to do is stay consistent.

Decision #1: Your Name

Pick a name to publish under and be consistent with it. Use this name as your email address, your website, and your social media handles.

For me, choosing a name was a huge challenge. Actually, it wasn’t so much choosing a name as it it was choosing a version of my name that was difficult. I’m Brazilian by heritage so I have (count ’em) five names, and this is without taking my husband’s last name which would have added one more to the crazy mix. I had to decide early on that Gabriela Pereira would be my official name for the purposes of business and writing because most official forms or computers records don’t know what to do with five names.

While you’re at it, grab the URL of your name if it’s available. Even if you don’t plan to build a website, the last thing you want is someone else by the same name to use it for their site and then when people search for your name they find that other person instead.

Decision #2: Visual Elements of Your Brand

You probably won’t be able to control some visual elements, like your book’s cover design if you’re traditionally published. For things like that, you can let the publishing experts handle the branding strategy, as John Sandford, from the thriller branding panel, said he did. If you’re going the self-publishing route, then the onus for creating a strong brand falls on you and you’ll want to make sure your book has a really appealing cover. This means that if you’re not a graphic designer, you are best served by getting someone who specializes in cover design to design your cover. All the experts on the eBook branding panel agreed that self-publishing writers should get their eBook covers professionally designed so that the covers look fantastic both at full size and as a 1-inch icon on the screen.

Other visual decisions, though, are all on you. One big decision that most writers often overlook is their author photo. Many writers think a professional author photo is only necessary when you have a book being published and you need that snazzy picture to go with your author bio on the back flap. Wrong. The minute you start engaging with your readers (be it through social media, your website, or even in person) you need to consider the visual elements of your brand.

This means using a recent photo for social media that shows you in a recognizable way. Don’t use a group shot cropped to show just your face. Worse yet, don’t use some funky cropped picture of just your eye or your hand (unless that’s the specific brand you want to establish). I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve made at conferences because I’d interacted with these writers on twitter and recognized them in person from their faces in my twitter feed.

Tip: Do a real photo shoot. A photo shoot doesn’t have to be expensive, just go to a pretty locale with a friend and have him or her take a bunch of pictures of you. Avoid busy backgrounds or glaring light, like middle-of-the-day sunlight. Natural light will be more flattering than flash from a point-and-shoot camera. Wear something that’s not too busy so avoid hawaiian shirts or animal prints. Also, consider whether your brand has a signature detail. For instance, I know one author who makes sure every time she’s photographed or interviewed, she appears wearing glasses. It’s part of her brand. Think about these details and then keep them consistent.

Decision #3: Your Voice

Whether you choose to tweet, Facebook, blog or none of the above, you need to keep your voice consistent. It can take time to nail down your voice on social media, but don’t worry: when you’re in those early stages of experimentation you won’t have as many followers so you’ll have the flexibility to try new things. Voice is one of those things that is hard to define or explain, but you’ll know it when you see it.

At the same time, remember that the Internet is a big place and once you put your words out there, it’s really hard to take them back. While you want to be your authentic self, you also need to be careful about the personal opinions or information we share online. The Internet has a long memory span and while tweets and Facebook updates might seem ephemeral, once they’re out there it’s virtually impossible to make them disappear. The best rule of thumb I heard at ThrillerFest was from Colleen Lindsay on the eBook panel, who said:

These decisions will differ for each writer. I deliberately choose not to share personal opinions about politics or religion on social media, not because I don’t have opinions on these topics but simply because they are not relevant to my author brand. Also, to preserve the privacy of my family members, while I will share things on social media about myself, I try to avoid sharing details about my family (hence why I refer to my husband as “lawyer-hubby” and my son has been dubbed “the little guy.”) Many writers with an online presence choose to keep family members anonymous. For me, it’s simply a matter of privacy. If the information isn’t mine to share, I don’t share it.

The permanence of the Internet can be scary but if we over-think every little thing we share, we won’t post anything at all.  I have a simple litmus test I use every time I do anything relating to my work, be it online or off. Before sending every update, pause and ask yourself:

If the answer is a resounding “yes” then go ahead and hit send.
If the answer is even the slightest bit ambivalent, stop and think about it a little longer.

So that’s it. Three basic branding decisions you need to make early in your writing career. After that, all you have to do is choose which conversations you want to join (both online and off) and start connecting with your readers.

And don’t forget to have a sense of humor about it all. In the words of Catherine Coulter:

(Think about that for a second.)

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