Writers in the Storm

Julie Glover

I recently learned that Sisters in Crime, a mystery author organization, plans to launch a new chapter in the Houston area where I live. It's pretty shocking that the fourth largest city in the United States hasn't had a chapter before, but it's finally coming and will be a welcome development for mystery writers in our area.

But I know for writers of many other genres, it's not a big deal. Which spurred me into thinking about how we find the right writer organization to join. Is it just the genre you write? Who's on your doorstep? Where you've always participated?

Genre-Based

The most common type of writing organization may be genre-specific, with the purpose being to serve members who write a particular kind of story. You probably recognize some of these groups:

• American Christian Fiction Writers
• Horror Writers Association
• International Thriller Writers
• Mystery Writers of America
• Romance Writers of America
• Romance Writers of Australia
• Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
• Western Writers of America
• Women's Fiction Writers Association

Some of those larger organizations also have chapters that address specific subgenres, like RWA's online chapters.

General

Some writing organizations are just for authors generally, though often with a focused mission.

The Authors Guild's stated purpose is to aid and protect "author's interest in copyright, fair contracts, and free expression." Across the pond, The Society of Authors is a United Kingdom trade union "for all types of writers, illustrators and literary translators, at all stages of their careers." I'm sure others exist around the world.

Then there's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which encourages writers of any background to pen a novel in the single month of November. But their writing sprints tool is open year-round, their sister organization Camp NaNoWriMo hosts a summer event, and they have a Young Writer Program. NaNoWriMo isn't really an organization as much as a community, but it can be worthwhile for many writers.

Stage of Journey

Other organizations or chapters of organizations focus on where you are in the journey: Are you a newbie? An up-and-coming author? A multipublished bestseller?

For example, Novelists Inc. is for multipublished authors who've reached a required level of income and tends to focus its programs on the publishing industry. Guppies is a chapter of Sisters in Crime that focuses on helping unpublished writers navigate to publication. And The Author's Guild mentioned above has membership levels that range from Professional to Emerging to Student.

Geography

Somehow there's nothing quite like getting in a room with other writers. As much as I treasure both my introversion and my online connections, I've found so much value in engaging face-to-face with my "tribe."

Most large genre-based organizations have chapters around the U.S. that host regular meetings and offer educational opportunities. But there are also independent writer's groups that crop up in various areas.

When I went looking, I discovered everything from Alaska Writers Guild to California Writers' Club to Wyoming Writers, Inc. In my own neck of the woods, I'm quite familiar with the Writers League of Texas (Austin) and Houston Writers Guild. You can search in your own area to see what's available.

How Should We Choose?

Let me first say that I'm not vouching for these organizations. I know some well enough to say they're quality groups, but others I don't know anything about, other than they appeared to be both professional and active. So do your homework when figuring out who to join.

What I will say is this: Many writers join groups because they're easy—the one that's nearby, convenient, where friends are members. That could well be the group you should be in! But the primary question you should be asking is: How will this organization help me reach my writing goals? If the answer is that it won't, it's time to find another group.

Look, I'm a firm believer in community, but if it's just socializing you want, put down the pen, grab some friends, and go out for dinner. Your writing organization that you pay dues to should be helping your writing goals, whether that's better marketing for the 40 books you already have out or finishing that one memoir you're writing for yourself and your family.

Also, your needs may change over time, so that the group that was fantastic for you five years ago...? Not so much now. If you need something different, acknowledge that, wish your fellow members well, and move on.

Mind you, I'm not saying that everything an organization does will cater to your needs or that every meeting you attend will further your specific career plans, but the overall experience you have should be helping you reach your goals. Take a look around and figure out what will work for you. With so many choices, you can find the right place!

What writing organizations are you in, or what are you looking for in an organization?

About Julie

Julie Glover writes cozy mysteries, young adult fiction, and supernatural suspense (under the pen name Jules Lynn). Her upcoming YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®, and her co-written Muse Island Series is available now, beginning with book one, Mark of the Gods.

Julie is currently a member of Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, as well as president of her local RWA chapter. You can visit her website here.

by Fae Rowen

Years ago, when I attended the UCI Summer Writing Institute, I learned about golden lines. These are the lines you go back and highlight after taking notes in a class or workshop or in a great book. These are the takeaway ideas, the ones you want to remember and implement in your writing.

Every year, after the annual RWA conference, I share my golden lines from the workshops and sessions I attended, so that those of you who were unable to take advantage of the talks presented by experts in writing and marketing are able to share in my experiences.

Here are my golden lines from this year’s conference in New York.

From Skye Warren, an indie author who accidentally grossed over seven figures in sales last year:

Your visibility = conversion (sales). More conversion gives more visibility.

If you don’t already have a closed Facebook reader group, put one together. Ask questions and run polls about your books and your characters. Let these readers in as you get ready to write a new book, with questions about names, book covers, etc.

Use reader quotes in your ads.

Mobile Only ads have the highest conversion (click through to sales site).

Do not spend on a new release or the first book in a series.

Write a bonus chapter for your previous release. Update that book the day before the release of your new book.

Marketing does make a difference.

For more info: www.skyewarren.com/rwa19

DEEP POV presented by Kristan Higgins and Sonali Dev:

Do not write description that is skippable, like, “I was nervous.”

Always tie descriptions to the story.

Use active verbs.

For deep POV, use the five sense like this:

1. Sight: intellectual sense
2. Sound: emotional
3. Smell: memory sense
4. Taste: deeply intimate; very sensual
5. Touch: experiential sense

Example: “He walked in the room and I swear I felt a baby kick in my postmenopausal womb.”

• Get
  across the character’s experiences and choices, their belief system, the
  history of impactful life events.
• What
  is your character’s deepest fear? …deepest secret?
• Think
  about the purpose of every scene. Why would the reader care about that scene?
• Characters
  have opinions. Know them and show them.
• Show
  the push/pull between what the character is thinking vs what the character
  needs.
• Does
  the story arc move the character’s voice? Does s/he have different thoughts
  than in the beginning of the book?

Penny Sansevieri of Author Marketing Experts (AME:)

95% of all books are sold through personal recommendations. The micro-influencers have a smaller base, but they are more active.

Put clickable links in your newsletters and the back of your e-books.

Always put a call to action (ask for something) in each newsletter.

Vet your street team by checking their book reviews, that they’ve read all your books.

From Eliciting Emotion Panel of Mary, Winnie, and Reese:

Google up to twenty-one emotions. Our emotions are different because of:

• Sense
  of time (distortion)
• Sense
  of equilibrium (dizzy disorientation)
• Sense
  of space (how we perceive distance and bodies)

Everything is colored by our emotions.

Your word choices can affect the mood of the scene.

The use of character tells, like in poker, are subtle, but your reader will get it.

The age of your character at their wounding will be the age they will act when the same wounding comes back to hit them again.

What’s the bulls-eye of the scene?

Emotions come from the character, not from the plot.

The external goals keep the characters together. The internal goals keep them apart.

Ramp up the story tension to ramp up the emotions.

Laurie Cooper on Facebook:

Compare your page with similar pages.

Ask your readers how they found you.

When you get a sign up, give them a call to action, like read more, which is a button that takes them to your website and excerpts.

Share teasers with text, then share link not website with the buy link.

Basic FREE marketing tutorials at www.facebook.com/business and www.facebook/business/learn.

Sign up at www.amyporterfield.com for free tutorials.

Get reader permission for anything (quotes!).

Last Three Chapters: Teri Michaels:

The HEA has to be earned.

You can do the wedding/honeymoon after the book ends—makes a great follow-up novella!

We must see the moment that both people recognize they love each other.

What is the best "golden tip" you've heard from a recent class or conference? What "golden tips" of your own do you have to share?

About Fae

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak. Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes that she can live anywhere but the present. As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

P.R.I.S.M., Fae's debut book, a young adult science fiction romance story of survival, betrayal, resolve, deceit, and love is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.Fae's second book in the series will be available for pre-order October 1, 2019.

by Colleen M. Story

If you’re looking for a way to get yourself out of a creative rut, refresh your viewpoint, and bring new life to your writing, you may want to try going on a color walk. 

What is a Color Walk? 

American writer and artist William S. Burroughs came up with the idea of the color walk to inspire his students. 

It’s really easy to do. Simply pick a color before you head out on a walk, and then let that color lead you on your route. 

Follow that yellow bicycle until it goes out of sight or until another yellow object catches your fancy. Maybe it’s a yellow Labrador taking a walk with its owner, so you go the same direction for a while until you see a yellow car turning left at the next block. 

You turn left, too. 

Little by little, let the color lead you on a route you wouldn’t normally take, all while keeping your eyes peeled for new things containing that color. 

Here are some other helpful tips: 

• Give yourself an hour of uninterrupted time. Take your watch with you. Once thirty minutes have passed, turn around and head back, or arrange for a friend to pick you up wherever you end up at the end of the hour.
• Use your intuition to pick your color. Which one speaks to you today?
• Try not to talk or interact with others on your walk. Use it solely to observe your surroundings and allow your imagination to play.
• When you return from your walk, sit down immediately and record your observations, including any ideas that occurred to you while you were out.

5 Ways Writers Can Benefit from Color Walks

Anyone can benefit from a color walk, but they can hold some special creativity-boosting benefits for writers.

1. Spices Up Your Exercise

Writing and walking go well together. (Check out our post, “What Famous Writers Know About Walking.”) But let’s face it—sometimes those daily walks can get boring, especially if you’re treading the same old route all the time. 

Focusing your mind on a particular color forces you to pay closer attention to your surroundings and creates new interest for your brain. Suddenly what’s old looks new, and that’s all it takes to make the walk more fun. 

2. Adds Unpredictability

The fact that you need to follow the color takes all the routine out of your walk and plunges you into the unknown. You don’t know where you’re going to go or how you’re going to get there, and that simple change causes your mind to wake up and pay attention.

Don’t be surprised if after a color walk your writing descriptions become a lot more detailed and rich!

3. Gets You Out in Nature

Nature inspires creativity. Several studies have shown that walking, by itself, boosts creativity (by 60 percent in a Stanford University study!), and when you add in greenery and plant life, the effects are even greater. 

If you think you don’t have time for a walk, reframe it in your mind—this is part of your creative work. You need to do what’s necessary to inspire the muse, and walking in nature is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most enjoyable ways to accommodate that need.

4. Gives You Another Way to Craft a Story 

One of the fun things you can do while on a color walk is to take the items you see and bring them together into a story. Weave together the yellow bike, the yellow dog, and the yellow car into a series of events involving a character—perhaps one you see on your walk.

Allow your imagination to play. This story doesn’t have to become anything important. Use your color walk as simply a way to exercise your imagination, then see what you can come up with for a story, essay, or poem. 

5. Livens Up Your Descriptions

We writers love to spice up our descriptions, and a color walk can help you do that. Try “interviewing” your color when you return from your walk. What did it have to say to you? What did it teach you? What do you think the color represented to you that day? 

Write down the impressions you received regarding this color in general, and then see how you might use your findings the next time you need to describe a setting or a character.

Have you tried a color walk? If you haven't, are you willing to try one?

About Colleen

Colleen M. Story inspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her first non-fiction book, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, was named Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book in 2018, and her novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, among others. 

Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, is a strengths-based guide to help writers break the spell of invisibility and discover unique author platforms that will draw readers their way. With over 20 years in the creative industry, Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness and Writer CEO. Please see her author website or follow her on Twitter.