Writers in the Storm

Valentine's Day is almost here, and at Writers in the Storm, we're marking the occasion with a little "Pimp and Promote." Of course, this always costs us some money, because we have to go out and buy lots of books. But let's go for it!

How does this work?

To quote the genie in Aladdin, “There are a few provisos, a couple of quid-pro-quos…"

• Pimp out somebody else’s work – this can be a favorite author, blogger, post or book you’ve read, a wonderful teacher or just someone who had profound influence on you as a writer or a person. Please limit your comments to one work.
  AND
• Promote one of your projects that you’re excited about – a hobby, a blog, a book, or a new direction your writing is taking you. You decide. Just tell us about it in the comments! (Please restrain your enthusiasm to just one of your WIPs.) The rest of us will jump in and “ooooh and ahh” at you, and likely promote your project even further because we’re just so darn excited today.

We'll start things off by doing some P&P with the gals here at WITS...

Fae Rowen      

Pimping: Sol Stein's books have helped me edit, plan, and "fix" my books. They are all great.

Promoting: P.R.I.S.M.:Prisoner Relocation Internment Security Management, my debut YA speculative book with romantic elements. I'm working on the second book in the series for a summer 2018 release.

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Glover

Pimpage: Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, known for their thesauri collection, host an amazing subscription service with online tools for writers — which I now consider a must-have. Check out One Stop for Writers!

Promotage: If you're in the Chicago area, or just want to come for a great conference, I'll be at the Chicago Spring Fling Conference on April 20-21. Come hear a workshop on grammar that I promise you'll find interesting and useful — dare I say it, even fun.

 

Jenny Hansen

This is rough, because I love what these other ladies are pimping - particularly Julie's stuff...I heart One Stop!

Pimpage: I've learned a lot from Jeff Goins, Margie Lawson and AWAI over the last several months. I have classes I'm self-studying my way through from all of them. I look to Jeff Goins for information on building a solid brand. I depend on Margie's lecture packets for great examples of body language and strong writing. And AWAI has helped me get up to speed on copywriting and how to find paying clients for my web content and social media services.

Promotage: If you're in the Orange County area, particularly Fullerton, on February 10, stop into the Orange County Chapter of RWA meeting on the Cal State Fullerton campus for an amazing session with Lisa Cron. I'll be there, helping the meeting run smooth, and I'm so excited to see Lisa speak again. She is amazing!

 

Laura Drake

Pimpage: Colleen Story has a great book out to help writers! Overwhelmed Writer Rescue! 

Promotage: I teach classes! The most recent was 'Your First Five Pages' at Margie Lawson's Writer Academy. Check out my schedule for the rest of the year here: Laura Drake Events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See? Easy-peasy. Only one of us wrote this, but all of us are represented — that's the spirit of P&P.

Don't be shy -- tell your pals! 

We are open for as many entries as you want, and you're welcome to send anyone who reads great stuff our way. We want to hear about it! Be sure to peruse the comments. You might find a few things you like in the plethora of pimping that’s about to ensue.

Thanks again for making WITS one of the top writer’s blogs. We appreciate you!

~  Fae, Jenny, Julie and Laura

Today is Groundhog Day, when people all over the United States wait to hear if groundhog Phil's shadow in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is visible.  We've been doing this since the 1800's even though it's an incredibly weird thing to depend on a rhodent's shadow to predict when Spring will begin.

Still, when a writer hears about "Groundhog Day," most of us think of the 1993 movie with Bill Murray. Did he play the best curmudgeon weatherman in that film, or what? For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Bill Murray (Phil) is trapped in the time warp of reliving Groundhog Day over and over again...until his character stops being so sour and self-centered and learns how to love.

People magazine did an article on life lessons from Groundhog Day that inspired me. The movie isn't just about reliving your days on an endless loop of sameness, it is also chock-full of writing lessons. 

1. Write as authentically as you possibly can.

The movie examines the question: How would you act if there were nothing beyond today?

What if this was the last day you were ever able to write? Would you want to know that you stared at the page, afraid to let out what was in your heart? Wouldn't it torture you to think that you angsted over those words, instead of spilling them forth with joy and gratitude?

Whatever is inside you, just write it. Stop worrying about how it sounds, if it's good enough, what your mother/brother/spouse would think of your words. Write the story that only you can write. The world needs our stories.

2. You've gotta have a tribe.

At the beginning of the film, Murray’s character doesn’t exactly love other people. Getting trapped in the same spot, with all the same people, forces Phil to get to know all the people he’d otherwise shut out of his little world. 

A lot of writers are introverts, which means that a lot of "people time" wears them out. You don't have to wade into a crowd to build your tribe. You can find them one-on-one online, or you can join a critique group. There are smaller conferences available if the bigger ones scare the introverted pants off of you. But wade in, even if it scares you, and find your tribe.

Maybe you've already found a tribe by hanging out here at WITS, or some other blog...but do you comment and engage? (If that answer has been a resounding "no," why not change that to a "yes?")

3. Tell people they’re important to you.

One of the greatest journeys for Murray’s character is realizing what a great person he has in his producer Rita (played by Andie McDowell). But for him to tell her she's important to him? Fuggedaboutit.

Most people have trouble being vulnerable...but we're writers. We live our lives vulnerable. That's why we are amazing Emotional Ninja Warriors. So, if you haven't told your tribe lately how important they are to you, today is a good day to do that.

4. Ignore stupid rules.

This goes back to Lesson #1. If you are living and writing authentically, you are bringing your entire self to as many of your day's moments as possible. You are stretching your brain and your emotions and your ability so you can "bring it" to the page. Don't let the "shoulds" and "can'ts" and "what ifs" block you. 

Ignore them. Those three bozos stop a heck of a lot of writing.

Ignore the inner critic who tells you how bad you suck. Ignore the naysayers who tell you a book can only be done a certain way. It's not their story, it's yours. Write it the way it make sense to you and worry about the "shoulds" some other day.

5. Don’t give up.

Groundhog Day examines the life metaphor: "Most of us have at some point been trapped in a situation where no matter what we did, we couldn’t extricate ourselves from some endless cycle of lameness."

Sometimes it's tempting to give up this writing gig. If we're not selling or earning or writing -- or whatever it is that's not working out well -- we think about the benefits of spending our time on less frustrating pursuits.

It's okay to entertain thoughts of doing something else. Go ahead, entertain it for a second. We'll wait.

[If you liked that giving up fantasy a bit more than you expected, amble over to Colleen Story's amazing post on the power of giving up.]

Now think about the eternal frustration of having all those characters in your head, with no conduit onto the page. You are the conduit. Something about this crazy writing gig feeds your soul. You were put on this planet to give all those characters a voice, so giving up isn't really an option, even though we all entertain it on the crappy days.

Finally, a shout out to all of you here at WITS. We appreciate that you walk this writing road with us. It's a journey that none of us could ever undertake alone. Get ready for our first Pimp and Promote of the year on Monday!

What writing lessons were the hardest for you to learn? What things make you want to quit? Did you watch "Groundhog Day?" What lesson did you take away from the movie?

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About Jenny Hansen

By day, Jenny provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction and short stories. After 18+ years as a corporate software trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or here at Writers In The Storm.

Shana Gray

My book Working Girl has been translated into five languages, with a sixth to come. First published in English, it’s now available in Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, with Dutch coming this April. It’s difficult to know how well the book has done in the different countries, but even a year later, my book is in the top 30 for the publishing house in Brazil!

That’s great, but how do you reach international readers, aside from your book just turning up on shelf or in Amazon or, as in Brazil, Skoob?

Tailor social media

As each new translation came out, I created a Facebook page for each language, with the exception of German. I was advised not to create a German page because translations are so much tougher and could give the wrong impression with any errors. And that was the last thing I wanted to do!

In my previous life as a marketing specialist, I was in charge of creating a whole new set of promotional brochures which needed to be translated into Portuguese and Spanish. I learned quickly how bad translations can be—especially if it’s technical or engineering base.

To communicate on these pages, I use Google to translate from English. Then I transfer back between the two languages to see if any huge oops has happened —and yes, I’ve had a few! Then I have to play with the words to get the correct message. It’s not easy to maintain integrity in translation, but I keep trying. I’ve been assured by others that the attempt to communicate in a foreign reader’s language is appreciated. So I hold on to that note.

One of the first readers I met when A Entrevista (as Working Girl was retitled in Portuguese) released in Brazil was an avid reader and bookseller—Flavio. Having a local contact has made a big difference. He’s helped me with translations, understanding what certain words meant, and correcting any mistakes.

Personalize Amazon pages

Amazon Author Central pages aren’t important only in the United States. I've created Amazon pages in the countries with translations as well.

I make sure I have my bio there (translated, of course) and a profile picture. By doing this, I hope that when a reader in that country goes to Amazon and finds my page, they feel a little more connected to me.

Include foreign language in your newsletter

For my newsletter, I try and have at least a few words in each language that Working Girl has been translated into. Just to show appreciation for those readers. It's kind of like when you go away on vacation and muddle through asking for a beer in Spanish. You get the smiles and the giggles, but they appreciate your attempt.

When I was in France last Spring, I was afraid to try and speak any French. But one a day when a couple of authors and I went out exploring I decided to speak a little more. And that led to more and more, and then I suddenly felt almost Parisian! Well, far from it, to be honest. But I did try and drew on what little I remembered of my high school French, and it gave me more confidence.

I’ve also learned that different cultures appreciate different things in the book. One loves a particular aspect, and the other not so much.

Always be genuine

Overall, trying to be genuine with foreign readers is the best thing. A foundation with these readers is important for when you have more books translated. It might be none, or just one now, but there could be more coming down the road.

It is a big wide world out there full of readers. And trying to communicate with those readers is obviously a challenge if you don't speak the language. I know there are some languages I could never even begin to try and learn or translate, like Korean. One of my Harlequin books was translated into Korean, and I was thrilled to get a copy.

But love and romance crosses all barriers! Even language. So cheers to our worldwide readers and writers!

How have you connected with international readers? Or with authors who speak a different language?

About Shana

Shana Gray is a hybrid author who was first published in 2010. She has written contemporary erotic romances for multiple publishers including Harlequin Blaze, Random House, and Headline and is also an indie author. Her stories range from scorching quickie length to longer full-length novels. She's the author of international top seller Working Girl, which has been translated into six languages. Shana's passion is to enjoy life! She lives in Ontario, but loves to travel and see the world, be with family and friends, and experience the beauty that surrounds us. Visit her online at shanagray.com.
Twitter @shanagray_
Facebook: Shana Gray

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