Writers in the Storm

by Jenny Hansen

Last month, I talked about "the How and Why of a Strong Author Brand," and the comments were amazing. So many of you said, "I've been meaning to do this for ages!" This month's post is for any of you who felt like the Mysterious Branding Forest was just way too confusing to navigate based on that big picture overview.

This post divides your questions into seven distinct areas. You're invited to do them all at once, or (even better) to divide them up and do one every week. This would mean you'd have a much stronger author brand by the end of the summer. How awesome would that be?!!

7 Types of Branding Questions

Remember: Your brand is what builds recognition, loyalty, and trust.

Without those three emotions, no one will be moved to spend time or money on your stories. Marketing is largely a waste of your time and money if you don't build it around a strong, consistent author brand.

Taking the time and energy to build your brand thoughtfully is a love letter to your readers.

The 7 Question Groups

Below is what it would look like if you divided the groups into weekly tasks:

• Week 1: Core Identity and Voice
• Week 2: Mission, Message and Impact
• Week 3: Audience Clarity
• Week 4: Style, Aesthetic and Vibe
• Week 5: No-Cringe Marketing
• Week 6: Positioning and Differentiation
• Week 7: Bonus: Brand Personality Deep Dive

Let's go-o-o-o-o!

Your "Quick Guide to Author Branding"

This guide is for indie authors and solopreneurs who want to build a strong brand, but don't really know where to start. These questions are designed for writers looking to define a clear, authentic author brand without sounding salesy or sleazy, or (even worse) desperate or fake.

These 30+ questions are meant to keep you on track, especially if you decide to do a "branding extravaganza" this summer.

I've grouped these prompts into themed sections, mostly so none of you get too tired out. Maybe it's my ADD talking, but I need to break big projects into small pieces if I want to finish them.

Core Identity & Voice

This is the heart of everything about your author brand. What you write is a reflection of who you are. And most of us have an emotional impact that we wish to make on our readers. Keep in mind that most readers just want to be entertained, or have their heartstrings tugged.

Some questions:

• What kind of stories (or knowledge) do I feel most compelled to share?
• What topics, themes, or values keep showing up in my writing?
• What emotional experience do I want readers to have during or after reading my work?
• If my writing voice were a personality at a dinner party, who would it be?
• What 3 adjectives do I want people to use when they describe me or my books?

Mission, Message & Impact

Many writers have a message, whether it's personal or social or emotional. And if you do have a mission that is central to your life and you want to bring it into your writing, then do it. But do it with the knowledge that you are self-selecting (and narrowing down) your audience to readers who also hold that mission dear.

Note: I recommend that you keep political messages out of your brand, unless your brand is politics or unless that is a mission that is deeply entwined in your entire online platform. Politics can be a polarizing topic, and you don't want to drive away readers over something that's easy to leave off the pages.

Some questions:

• What do I want to be known for, beyond just book titles?
• Why do I write? Is there a personal or global problem I am trying to help solve?
• What transformation do I want to create for my readers?
• How do I want people to feel after interacting with my brand (not just my books)?
• What message would I put on a billboard (for free) to attract my readers?

Audience Clarity

This is a hard puzzle piece for most authors to define. If you're established and you know this answer already...awesome. But for a newer writer, this particular section of questions is going to take some extensive thought and research, and probably a LOT of asking around.

Some questions:

• Who is my ideal reader? What are their demographics, worldview, humor, hopes?
• What are they frustrated by or searching for? Why might they be attracted to me because of this?
• What inside joke, quote, or reference would make them instantly feel seen?
• Where are they hanging out online—and how can I show up as myself there?
• What t-shirt could I design that my reader would proudly wear? Is there a mantra, slogan, or photo on it (and what is it)?

Style, Aesthetic & Vibe

This is your "gimme" section. You know what you like, and you should absolutely share what you like with your readers. They'll feel your authenticity and love you all the more for it.

An example that applies to the third question below: I am a Gen Xer who grew up in the 70s and 80s. If a disco song comes on anywhere, I start dancing. Can't help it. It's part of my vibe.

Some questions:

• What visual style or color palette reflects my writing tone?
• If my brand were a season, what would it be—and why?
• What music, movies, or cultural references feel like part of my brand DNA?
• What type of book covers, merch, or graphics naturally fit my voice?
• If I had to distill my brand into one Instagram carousel post, what would it say?

No-Cringe Marketing

Most writers hate marketing. Like in the neighborhood of 80-90% of writers at least dislike marketing, if I were to take a guess.

But what if your marketing didn't feel like marketing? What if your marketing was just hanging out with your pals who liked the same stuff you do? And what if you shared some of the same stories you would tell your friends over coffee? Wouldn't it be fantastic if those stories made your readers laugh too?

Some questions:

• What’s a fun or weird way I can connect with readers without selling?
• How can I give readers a taste of my world before they buy a book?
• What kind of behind-the-scenes or “real talk” content could build trust?
• What’s a recurring content theme I’d actually enjoy posting about regularly?
• What email or post has gotten the most unexpected love from readers?

Positioning & Differentiation

Just so you know, it's okay if your genre and positioning is the same as someone else's. People like familiar things, whether it's people, music, books, or movies. But your differentiation focuses on the things that are unique to you.

Three examples:

1. Maybe you grew up in a small town and you now like to set books there?
2. What if you were adopted, and "found family" is a theme for you?
3. Perhaps you're an 80's kid, and you wish you saw more books with characters and cultural references from that decade. Write that book!

The more you do the things YOU like, the more you will find an audience that loves your books. Every single one of us is a product of our times, whether we've evolved or not. Have fun with this part!

Some questions:

• What do I offer that’s hard to find elsewhere in my genre or niche?
• What non-writing skills or quirks make me more relatable or memorable?
• How does my life story or path to writing help shape my author identity?
• If a reader had to choose between me and 10 other authors, why me?
• What do readers or friends say is “so you” when they describe your brand?

Bonus questions (Because you deserve some EXTRA)

• If my brand had a mascot, theme song, or tagline, what would it be?
• What pop culture reference or metaphor perfectly sums up my author vibe?
• What “hot take” do I have about writing or publishing that sets me apart?
• What story would I share on a podcast to win over new fans instantly?
• If my brand were a drink, would it be a cocktail, a coffee, or something else? What’s in it?

Final Thought

At the end of the day, thinking about branding is deciding how you want to show up in the world. Is it scary to be "seen?" Sometimes. But is it worth it if it puts your books in the hands of more readers? I say YES.

A thousand times YES.

What sections of questions above seem the easiest for you to answer? Conversely, what section is the hardest? Is there anything else you'd like to ask me? Lay it on me down in the comments!

About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for accountants and financial services firms. By night, she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20+ years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

Find Jenny here at Writers In the Storm, or online on Facebook or Instagram.

Top featured photo created in Canva.

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

How do you show a non-POV character’s priorities, motives, thoughts, etc? Deep POV (and even limited 3^rd person POV) only allows the reader to know what the POV character knows. This can make showing what other characters are feeling, or giving information that only the non-POV character knows, is really tricky sometimes. Limited third- person will allow for the author voice to fill in the gaps, but deep POV wants to remove the author voice entirely, adding extra layers of complexity.

The answer is to go deeper – yes, that nebulous, endlessly-frustrating advice that’s only helpful if you know what that means. So let’s see what ‘going deeper’ really looks like.

This is part of one of the 20+ lessons from my four-week deep POV masterclass that’s running in three weeks.

The Role of Non-POV Characters

A non-POV character who is familiar with or knows the point of view character can share information, make an observation about the POV character’s behaviour or attitude, etc. They can mirror or reflect back, respond or challenge the POV character’s attitudes, actions, or decisions and this can show readers if the POV character is behaving as expected, is being rude, over-reacting, suppressing emotions, etc.

Don’t miss how important this role can be to your story.

This can help readers know if the point of view character is being rational or acting out of the ordinary for that story world. The opposite is also true if the non-POV character is trying to alienate, bully, or gaslight the POV character.

They can create scenarios and situations for your POV character to react to. They can discuss things the point of view character doesn’t know or wouldn’t think of on their own. The non-POV character plays a vital role, so don’t underestimate the value they provide.

The catch is that these styles of point of view (limited/deep third and deep POV – not the same thing) don’t want the reader to access the non-POV character’s thoughts, internal sensations or inward feelings. This all has to be shown with spoken dialogue, body language (gestures, posture, expressions, tone of voice, movement) and subtext. The great pitfall is falling into the trap of telling, over-using the author voice, or breaking point of view.

Examples of Using Subtext to Show Non-POV Character Thoughts

Let’s look at some common scenarios and workarounds to avoid using the author voice or breaking POV.

Shane knew Sara was lying.

Shane is the POV character in this line. How can Shane know Sara is lying? As it’s written, this is a POV break. What we need to do instead is use subtext to provide evidence to the reader for why Shane thinks this of Sara. Is this an assumption or interpretation based on a gesture or body language to mean something? Is this a result of past experience with Sara? Does Shane know Sara well enough to know when she’s lying – we need to show what’s tipping him off in that instance.

This is ‘going deeper.’ Next time you get that feedback, think about how to break down the information the POV character uses to reach that conclusion. Give that raw information to the reader instead of the conclusion.

Let’s look at a couple of different rewrites still from Shane’s perspective:

Sara crossed her fingers before hiding her hand behind her back, just like she’d done when they were kids. She was lying.

Sara couldn’t meet his gaze, kept staring at the floor and shuffling her feet. Shane’s brows knit together and his jaw clenched. She was lying to him.

Make sure the reader understands why/how your POV character came to land on that opinion, that thought, that judgement. This doesn’t have to be a long explanation nor does your character always have to get it right.

Dan focused on picking the lock, frustrated by the child screaming behind the closed door.

Dan isn’t the POV character, so then how would the POV character know Dan was fazed or unfazed? The POV character can only interpret what they see. Dan could seem unfazed, he can appear calm – but the POV character can’t know what’s going on in Dan’s head.

How to get more out of this example…

With subtext, you can leverage whatever relationship Dan and the POV character have to show readers a deeper insight, but you still have to give a reason for this leap in assumptions.

Dan glanced at me, the corner of his mouth pulled to the side. I gave him a thumbs up. He focused on the lock once more, making tiny adjustments with his lock-pick set. I clapped my hands over my ears to dull Alan’s shrill screams from the other side of the door.

Do you see how vital body language is to subtext?

Use Subtext to Show Familiarity

Early on, build in the ability for the POV character to read the body language of another character, one they’re close to. This set up doesn’t have to be long, nor do the insights gained need to be significant, but it does need to be intentional.

Consider the wife sitting down to have tea with her husband and prepares his drink just the way he likes it, different from hers, without request or instruction. Show a well-rehearsed routine that’s done without words. Show them finishing each other sentences. Micro-expressions and tiny gestures that point to a shared history or inside joke. Little things like this show readers the familiarity they share.

With this set up, it’s easier for the non-POV character to point out something’s off, to comment or react to whatever is out of the ordinary, show what’s routine, share backstory, or ask the question to prompt the POV character to share or think about information the reader needs.

Let’s look at an example:

Laurel is the POV character, but we do we learn about her from Paul here?

Laurel dropped a teabag in each mug and poured in the hot water. Paul’s signature three-knuckled rap sounded on the screen door. “Laurel? Are the kids ready?”

No more delaying. “In here.” She turned to face him, too tired to hide the droop in her shoulders or put on a fake smile.

He stared at her a moment longer than normal. “You OK?”His voice dropped two tones, and he met her gaze as though he could read her mind that way.

Warmth filled her chest. “Can we talk?” She held up the two mugs. “I’ve got tea ready.”

He pulled his hands from his pockets and wiped them down the legs of his pants. “Yeah. Of course.” He sat, leaning forward in his chair. “What’s up?”

She set the mugs in front of him. Paul removed the teabag from one mug and slid it across the table to meet her as she sat down. Laurel slid the sugar closer to him. He used to tell her how his day had gone, asked about hers.

She tapped the side of her mug with a chipped-polish fingernail to fill the silence. Just tell him. “I lost my job.”

He measured two spoonfuls of sugar into his mug and stirred it in. “Couple of weeks ago. I heard.”

“You heard?” There were just the usual lines on his face made deeper by fatigue, no judgement. “You never said anything.”

“Kids told me.” He lifted a shoulder. “Figured you’d tell me eventually.” His mouth pulled to the side like it did when he was beating himself up for something. “Or not. I lost the privilege of knowing what’s going on in your life.”

What Can We Learn From the Subtext of a Non-POV Character?

There’s a lot of communication happening in this short passage, but there’s not a lot of dialogue. I’ve had to cut this scene by almost two-thirds for brevity, so hopefully it still makes an impact, but the familiarity with each other’s routines and expressions shows a past history. The interactions, the hesitation, the measured words (hopefully) show there’s a past hurt.

This is going deeper. Two characters meeting for the first time, would approach this interaction very differently. There might be less at stake emotionally. There’s no history of past hurts, old arguments, or bruised egos to tip toe around. There’s no elephant in the room.

When we’ve been hurt, deeply hurt, we become hypersensitive to small nuances, change in voice tone, every small twitch. We’re on alert. I’ve tried to use that to show she’s extending an olive branch and his openness and willingness to listen lends her some courage.

How can your non-POV characters do more of the work of moving the story ahead without using the author voice or telling?

Interested in mastering Deep Point Of View? Lisa is running two classes this summer at https://deepdiveauthorclub.vipmembervault.com/. (June 11-30, and August 18 - Sept 19).

About Lisa

Lisa Hall-Wilson is a writing teacher and award-winning writer and author. She’s the author of Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers. Her blog, Beyond Basics For Writers, explores all facets of the popular writing style deep point of view and offers practical tips for writers. 

Other Recent Deep POV Posts by Lisa:

• The Essential Deep POV Checklist: 11 Tips For Better Writing
• 4 Tips To Master Backstory In Deep Point Of View

Top featured photo created in Canva.

by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

We’ve all met secondary characters who threatened to take over the entire story from the main characters. They were just so exciting, so intriguing, so compelling that we skimmed through scenes featuring solely the protagonist because we wanted to see more of the sidekick. Or the new partner. Or the feisty grandpa. Or the loyal dragon.

And okay, maybe the sidekick / partner / grandpa / dragon wasn’t actually the star of the book...but, boy, they were sure a treat to read about! Plus, according to most of their authors, a treat to write about as well.

Why ARE secondary characters such fun to write?

First, you can make them a lot more extreme without stretching the reader’s credulity. A protagonist who’s constantly pulling pranks, cracking jokes, turning cartwheels in every parking lot would get tiresome pretty quickly. But a sidekick or brother-in-law or first-grader next door who does that can be entertaining instead of annoying: “Wow, what’re they gonna do next?!”

Same thing with a protagonist who automatically goes by Standard Procedure in every thought, word and deed with never a moment of hesitation -- they’d get a bit boring after several chapters. But a boss or bodyguard or attorney who does that can be reassuring instead of discouraging: “Whew, we can always count on good old L.J.!”

What else makes secondary characters fun to write?

They’re not as much work in terms of a character arc. Their job isn’t to grow & learn & change and emerge a wiser / happier / stronger / better person. They CAN do that, sure, especially if they’ve got their own subplot, but they can also plod (or cartwheel) through the entire book without changing their personality one bit from beginning to end.

Think of series characters you’ve enjoyed. For every Han Solo, there’s a Chewbacca. For every Scarlett O’Hara, there’s a Melanie Wilkes. For every Sherlock Holmes, there’s a Dr. Watson. For every Eve Dallas, there’s a Roarke.

And, sure, Roarke and Hermione and Granny Weatherwax have evolved a bit as their series unfold. But they haven’t changed their fundamental core. Readers know they can depend on this secondary character to deliver what we expect from them, book after book after book. They’re crucial to the story, even though they’re not the primary character. Which leads to the question of:

What MAKES a character secondary?

Their job in the book is to support the main character, whether they’re this person’s best friend or worst enemy.

They could be the silver-tongued banker who’s concerned about the loan, or the adorable toddler who brings Teddy everywhere, or the savvy co-worker who always knows where to get the best coffee. They could even be the love interest, or the villain who must be defeated, or the quirky new housemate whom nobody can quite figure out. As long as they’re supporting the story, they’re doing their job.

How can you tell whether the love interest or the villain or the housemate is a primary or a secondary character?

Think about this book being made into a movie. Think of EACH character’s actor/actress being nominated for the Academy Awards...during a year which (very conveniently) allows for more than one Best Actor/Actress and more than one Best Supporting Actor/Actress winner.

Which award will they be nominated for?

Best Actor/Actress means they’re a primary character. Best Supporting means they’re secondary. But even if they’re secondary, they’re still so important that if they were removed from the story, it flat-out wouldn’t work.

If you COULD remove ‘em, like you could replace the waitress whose only function is to say “the robber had a mustache” or the neighbor whose only function is to accidentally block the driveway, they’re a tertiary character and don’t need any development. Slap a waitress uniform on ‘em, or drop ‘em in the house next door, and they’re as complete as they’ll ever need to be.

As somewhat better-developed secondary characters, though, they’ll help drive the plot. They’ll make the main characters’ lives easier or harder. They might offer someone for your protagonist/s to talk to. They might provide helpful or harmful advice. They might inspire an action that’ll make things better, or make things worse, for the main character and maybe for themselves as well.

In short, they’re a significant asset to the story.

Even if your main characters don’t appreciate everything these secondaries do, the readers will. Maybe not consciously -- after all, you don’t often hear people raving “didn’t you love how the butler moving that telegram turned the whole story upside down?!” -- but readers do value what they contribute.

Contributions like:

• Obstacles, well-intentioned or otherwise.
• A more credible story world.
• A contrast that highlights some quality of the protagonist.
• Suggestions that make things better or worse.
• Someone to worry about or fantasize about.
• Someone to provide comic relief or a sigh of relief.
• Someone to heighten a sense of danger or excitement.

Every reader (and every writer) has secondary characters they remember with a special fondness. Characters they enjoyed more than usual. Maybe someone who appeared just once, or someone who became a regular. Maybe a best friend, maybe a villain, maybe a mentor, maybe a relative, maybe a cute kid, maybe an animal...

What secondary character do you enjoy remembering? Whether or not you remember the book title / author / character’s name, although by all means mention it if you do, what is it ABOUT this secondary character that’s stayed with you?

Opportunity:

Someone who answers will win free registration to Those Secondary Characters, my June 2-13 email class on creating those very people. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll have random-org draw a name and post it at the end of the comments -- so check back then, because class will start next Monday morning!

About Laurie:

After winning Romantic Times’ “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts, Laurie Schnebly Campbell discovered she loved teaching every bit as much as writing...if not more. Since then, she’s taught online and live workshops, including the upcoming Those Secondary Characters, and keeps a special section of her bookshelves for people who’ve developed that particular novel in her classes. With 50+ titles there so far, she’s always hoping for more.

Featured post photo (top) purchased from Depositphotos.