Tag Archives: writing

Twitter Bootcamp for Writers

  By Kiersi | May 22, 2012 - 6:03 am | ,
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Twitter for Writers

So you’ve heard about Twitter, and every social media strategist worth her salt has told you to get on it! Unfortunately, you have no idea where to start, and you don’t want to make a fool of yourself by doing it wrong.

Well, follow these six Twitter Bootcamp for Writers rules, and you should be okay.

Rule no. 1: Join Twitter! It’s free and easy, and a great way to start building your author platform.

Rule no. 2: Don’t start your Twitter feed with your personal friends–pick up Twitter users who are similar to you in profession and/or interest:

- Fellow writers/authors, bloggers, and readers

- Don’t limit yourself to genre

- Twitter will make user recommendations to you once you fill out your Profile and start Tweeting, so make those first tweets relevant!

Rule no. 3: Less than 5% of your tweets should be self-promotion. What does self-promotion mean?

- Advertisements for purchases (e.g. any books you have published or anthologies in which your work has appeared)

- Advertisements for your general website (not specific blog posts or information pages), speaking gigs, or appearances

- As a general rule, don’t talk about yourself in third-person! It just makes you look like a jackass.

Rule no. 4: Make good use of that other 95%! Try the following tacks to build audience participation:

- Engage other writers on topics that interest you. Talk about your WIPs, where you’re struggling in the writing process, and try to use relevant hashtags like #amwriting.

- Don’t be afraid of replying to tweets that interest you! Engaging your audience starts with incorporating them into the conversation.

- Draw more readers into the fold by talking about books similar to yours. Use the Search functionality to find ongoing book chatter.

Rule no. 5: Take care with what you Tweet:

- It’s OK to have a personality, but avoid offensive, derogatory, or inflammatory comments (unless they serve some purpose for your brand–if you are a humor writer, for example)

- Be yourself. Your readers want to get to know the real you.

- Sometimes controversy can attract attention, but be sure to back up any outlandish claims with real, hard evidence.

- Don’t flood your followers’ feeds. Do more reading than talking.

And last but not least:

Rule no. 6: Make sure you get off Twitter from time to time and keep on writing!

 

Kiersi is a 23-year old writer living in Portland, Oregon. She writes everything from young adult and middle-grade novels to childrens’ picture books, women’s fiction to epic sci-fi, fantasy to genre-bending short stories, and everything in between. She writes every day, sometimes all day, much to her boyfriend’s disappointment. Her debut novel Fire and Brimstone is scheduled for release Spring of 2013.
In addition to authoring, Kiersi is an illustrator, a pet-holic, and an obsessive gardener. She also loves cute small things, pet rats, and video games.

How to pick an editor

  By roxanne | April 16, 2012 - 5:00 am |
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Stack of books

 

 

Congratulations; you’ve completed your manuscript! The first step in becoming a published author has been reached successfully. Now you’re considering hiring a freelance editor to take a look and work through any technical errors. How do you pick an editor?

Finding the one

Finding an editor is a very personal process. Only you can know what you are looking for in an editor. Many writers spend years on a manuscript, and they want to find someone they will be able to trust with their “baby.” Some of the things to take into consideration when hiring an editor is the financial investment, the professional experience of the editor, and the personality of the editor.

First thing

One of the first things to consider when looking for an editor, is how much of a financial investment you are willing to put into your manuscript. Most of the writers seeking freelance editors are planning on going the self-publication route. They typically don’t have a lot of disposable income, and editing can be costly. If your goal in publication is monetary, then you might be more willing to put money into a manuscript you believe will pay back in time. If your goal in publication is simply to get the story out into the world, you might be less willing to put a lot of money into editing. You might be more interested in getting a few friends to read over the manuscript for free, rather than hiring a professional.

Another consideration

Another item for consideration is the professional experience of the editor. There are many freelance editors out there who have been doing it a long time – many have experience working directly in the publishing industry – while there are still others who are just starting out. Like any job, they are looking for a few people to give them a chance to gain the experience needed. There are pros and cons with either end of the spectrum. Lack of professional experience doesn’t always equal poor quality editing. One thing you can consider, is asking the editor to provide you with a sample edit. Many will offer a sample edit of a short piece provided to them – for little or no cost. This will give you an idea on the quality of work the editor can provide, as well as an idea of what to expect from that specific editor.

Trust is important

When you are trusting your manuscript to an editor, you must feel comfortable with that person. This is why it can sometimes be important to strike up a conversation with the editor, to get a feel for his or her personality. You must determine how much of a personal relationship you would like with your editor. Do you want someone you can feel comfortable talking to on a personal level, or someone who operates on a business relationship only? Do you want someone who will give feedback throughout the project, or only at the completion of the project? Do you want someone with a heavy background in the genre of your manuscript, or someone who has edited a little bit of everything?

Only you can know for sure what you want in an editor. Some writers want a person they can form a relationship with, someone who might be available to edit future projects as well. Some want an editor who will take the manuscript, edit it, and make little to no other contact. The first step for you, as the writer, is to sit down and consider what your expectations are in the editing process. Then you can go about researching a few editors to see what strikes your fancy. Send the editor an email asking about his process, or request a sample edit. Hire him to edit just a short fiction story, so you can better understand his process and you can understand what your own expectations are.

Finding an editor doesn’t have to be stressful or confusing. There is someone out there who will work well with you; you just have to understand your own expectations first.

PhotobucketRoxanne is a single mother to a 5-year-old superhero, living in the biggest little city and blogging all about her journey at Unintentionally Brilliant. She works as a freelance editor, Tupperware consultant, and administrative assistant. She is also an editor and contributing writer at World Moms Blog. When not working like a crazy woman, she enjoy walking on curbs like they are tightropes, flying with her jacket stretched out like wings, and watching every superhero movie ever made at least twenty times in a row.

 

So I Wrote A Book; Now What?

  By E. S. Kelly | April 10, 2012 - 2:29 pm |
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In November, 2011, I finished the first draft of my first novel.  I was excited.  I was sad.  I was scared.  I was excited because, hey!  I finished my first novel.  I was sad because after working on the manuscript for two years I had gotten to know my characters, spent many, many hours of quality time with them and they had become my friends.

And I was scared because, like so many writers who finish their first novel, I had no idea what to do next.  All I knew for sure was, “I want to publish this book!”

Now what is next?

Not knowing what to do, I started searching for advice on-line reading up on what to do next.  I knew the manuscript wasn’t ready for submission, but that was among my next steps.  And the advice I read scared me.  Everyone talks about having a large social network to whom you can promote your own book.  I don’t have a large social network.  Everyone talks about sending query letters to agents.  I don’t know what a query letter is, let alone where to find agents.  And of course, common sense tells me that my manuscript needs to be pretty damn near perfect before I submit it to anyone.  I think it’s pretty great, but who’s to say that other people will?

And now “they” read it

So I set about finding people to read my manuscript, knowing that I might be less than thrilled with the feedback I got and knowing that I needed to have at least some feedback from a specific type of audience which may be harder to find than I might like.  I gave my finished manuscript to three or four personal friends and asked them to read it and give me their honest feedback.

Find people like me?

Earlier this year, on the advice of a friend of a friend, I began a writing workshop in which I can submit up to 75 pages over three separate submissions to have the group read and critique.  It’s been interesting and beneficial, but somewhat disappointing as well.  Since my manuscript is 418 pages and the participants are only seeing 25 pages at a time, it’s hard for them to get a full picture of what I’ve created and how it all ties together.  I’ve learned a lot from the group though and I believe my revisions will be valuable.

Now I just have to figure out what my query letters should include and to whom I should send them.  My one and only goal for 2012 is to publish this book and I intend to do my very best to make that happen.

E. S. Kelly is a blogger and aspiring writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He’s a big fan of all things Superman and works as Emergency Response Coordinator and safety know-it-all.  When he’s not busy saving the day, he’s the human to a 20 year old feline and mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.  E.S and his Little Brother are big movie buffs and can usually be found on Sunday afternoons at a local cinema.

Interview with Roxanne Piskel, Freelance Editor

  By Magenta | March 29, 2012 - 5:00 am |
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Today here at MagentaScribe we are joined by Roxanne Piskel. She is a writer, freelance editor and mother. We put together some questions that she was nice enough to answer for us via email.

 

MagentaScribe: How long have you been editing? How did you get started?

Roxanne:I have been editing papers for my peers for many years. I started editing professionally in November of 2011. I had built quite a following for my personal blog via Twitter, and I started marketing that way. I was participating in NaNoWriMo ’11, and I posted an advertisement on the forums there offering a discount to participants of NaNoWriMo. From there, I have relied on only word-of-mouth and Twitter for marketing

MagentaScribe: How does the process work? What do you do for the author? What do you expect from the author?

Roxanne: The first step in my editing process, is to read the work all the way through – without pausing to make note of any mistakes. This gives me a chance to get an understanding of the story as a whole (or the thesis of the paper), which I believe helps me make better suggestions on the work as a whole. I try to do the read-through in as few sittings as possible, typically only one or two depending on my schedule. Next, I go through the work line-by-line and make all my suggestions using Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature or Open Office’s “Record”. Throughout this process, I keep in contact with the writer. On some larger projects, the work is divided into sections. This helps me by breaking up the work, but also ensures the writer is not left waiting a long time for any feedback on the piece. If I have any questions along the way, I like to keep the dialogue open throughout the process. This includes after the project has been returned to the writer. My suggestions or changes may be confusing, or the writer might like to know a more detailed reasoning for a specific alteration. By keeping the dialogue open, there is less confusion.

MagentaScribe: Do you fix the problems or do you just point them out and offer suggestions?

Roxanne: I do both. Grammatical errors and typos I will often change right in the body of the manuscript. This is where Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature comes in handy. The writer is able to see quite easily all of the changes I made to the document. In addition, I make suggestions about ways to rephrase certain sentences or paragraphs, how to fix any continuity errors, or anything else I come across along the way.

MagentaScribe: During this process, how do you differentiate between errors and deliberate nuances in the writing?

Roxanne: The first thing I do when I receive a manuscript for editing, is read the entire thing straight through. I don’t make any notes about typos or grammatical errors, I just read it as if it’s a regular book. I believe this helps me get a feel for the writer’s voice, as well as an understanding of the characters (if any). If there are ever any questions, I either email the writer to discuss, or I put it in a comment on my edited version.

MagentaScribe: What kind of things should an author have in mind when going through the editing process?

Roxanne: That it is one person’s opinion. Except for grammar and spelling, any suggestions coming from me are merely that – suggestions. I am also open to discussion. If the author questions why I made such-and-such correction, I will be there to clarify. If you are trusting your work to me, then I want to make sure you are happy with the results.

MagentaScribe: I know that you write as well; do you think it helps you understand the author’s perspective when it comes to the editing process?

Roxanne: As a writer, I do feel that it helps me get into the shoes of the author during the editing process. I know when I write – especially fiction – I get very attached to my characters. This makes me very sensitive when offering criticism to other writers. It makes it easier for me to find proper ways to approach honesty in my critique – to make it constructive rather than just empty criticism.

MagentaScribe: What do you do to take off your editor hat when you are writing?

Roxanne: It’s very difficult! I find myself editing as I write all the time. It’s a constant struggle to remind myself to not worry about perfection the first time around – to let the rough draft be rough.

MagentaScribe: How do you think beta readers and editors are different? Are there any ways that they are the same?

Roxanne: I’ve never personally used beta readers, but to my understanding the main difference between them and editors, is that an editor will be more focused on the technical aspect of the written work. Beta readers would pay more attention to the flow of the story, characters description, continuity, etc. Personally, I add those aspects into my professional editing. Beta readers and editors are a lot alike, however, because they both work to assist the writer make her work the very best that it can be.

I would like to thank Roxanne for taking time to answer our questions. I hope we will get a chance to work with her again. You can find more information on her editing services at:

 

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Roxanne is a single mother to a 5-year-old superhero, living in the biggest little city and blogging all about her journey at Unintentionally Brilliant. She works as a freelance editor, Tupperware consultant, and administrative assistant. She is also an editor and contributing writer at World Moms Blog. When not working like a crazy woman, she enjoy walking on curbs like they are tightropes, flying with her jacket stretched out like wings, and watching every superhero movie ever made at least twenty times in a row.

How to create content- The class

  By Magenta | March 26, 2012 - 8:13 pm |
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While MagentaScribe is for writing resources I think that this post will benefit anyone who has or is going to start a blog. I think that blogging is quickly becoming a vehicle for authors to self promote and interact with fans. Having three active blogs I can tell you that producing good content for all of them takes a huge amount of time. When I saw a description for Content Brew I could not wait to sign up. Turns out it was well worth it.

Description of the class from Momcomm site:

“In Content Brew, you’ll learn how to plan & create fresh content ideas for your blog, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll also learn ways to find content to share and tools to make doing all of this easier. At the end of this course, you’ll have anywhere from a month to a quarter’s worth of content planned out for your blog, Facebook page and Twitter (to a more-limited degree), not to mention a process that you’ll use over and over again.”

 

I know that sounds like a lot of information to be able to learn in one week. But Melissa does a great job of breaking it into manageable chunks that build momentum as you work through them. I was shocked at the amount that I learned about organizing my blogging, I have been doing this for about six years now.

Sense of Community

There is a Private Facebook group that is open to participants of each class, Melissa is available to answer questions, provide support and feedback. The group of individuals that were in my class have been great as well. It is nice to learn that you are not the only one struggling with this sort of issue, that there are others who are in the same boat.

Tools of the trade

The one thing that hit home for me was the use of technology to help make my digital world work smoothly. Now I could give you a list of all the wonderful things that are part of the class. But that would ruin the wonder that comes from finally using that app that you downloaded but never used to its fullest potential. I would not want to ruin it for you.

Tools of the trade

The one thing that hit home for me was the use of technology to help make my digital world work smoothly. Now I could give you a list of all the wonderful things that are part of the class. But that would ruin the wonder that come from finally using that app that you downloaded but never used to it fullest potential. I would not want to ruin it for you.

Up coming classes

You to can get one of these:

Content Brew Course

 

I am happy and a bit sad to report that the upcoming class is already sold-out, but if you click on the badge it will take you to a page where you can pick when the next class will take place. Also make sure that you sign up for her newsletter it is a good way to get the scoop on upcoming classes.

Moving forward

I will be the first to recommend this class to anyone who I talk to about blogging, what I learned has already made a difference in my on-line work flow. So if you are in need of a redo as to how you come up with content for your blog or are just starting out this is the class for you check it out.

***Please note that I paid for this class and the opinions shared here are my own.