Into the New Year

 We are very close to the New Year. Here are some of the things that will help us, as writers, get off to a good start:

• Set goals for 2023 for both writing and for reading. When we read, we relax, but we also gather new ideas for what we might want to include in our own work.
• Be okay if your writing does not read well (to you). Once the words are down on paper, they can be revised.
• Block out time for both writing and revising. One of my favorite webinars from 2022 was one that Laurie King presented on Facebook about revising our work.
• This is a perennial problem for me - using social media and promoting my own work.
• Take classes - whatever classes appeal to you. There are many that are offered as digital classes on the Internet.

Here are some of the places where I look for classes on writing and writing-related content:

• Master Class
  
• Infostack
  
• Jane Friedman
  
• Gotham Writers
  

Wishing you all a stellar writing year in 2023!

(c) December 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

Writing For Amazon, Rewriting Our Books, And More

 

November was quite an interesting month for me. On Facebook I signed up for The Art Of The Rewrite with one of my favorite authors, Laurie King. It is being hosted by Mystery Writers of America - Northern California (MWA NorCal). It will be held online as a Facebook event at 1 pm PST on Saturday, December 10th.

I also came across Ty Cohen and his three-day online event Kindle Cash Flow. It is all about how to make the best use of placing your e-book on Amazon and how to promote your e-book on Amazon. I am terrible at promoting, so I signed up for the course. I am really looking forward to it.

Something else Ty Cohen addressed was Amazon Short Reads (Amazon Kindle Shorts). This interested me, too, because as an author I can get several of these short books/pamphlets out there, promote them, and have a continuing income coming in. They are listed by reading time - 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and two hours or more.

I also came across writing classes offered by publishing professional Jane Friedman (Jane Friedman). Ms. Friedman offers classes over Zoom, as well as hosting classes from other people. 

It is amazing the resources that are out there!

(c) December 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the author.

Food For Thought

 

How we approach something will have a great deal to do with how successfully we use it. I am currently looking to create multiple streams of income from my writing. I have already decided to use Amazon as my "portal". It is easy to upload written material (whether book-length or pamphlets), and Amazon has a huge audience. 

There are many programs out there that talk about different systems for making money selling books on Amazon. I recently came across one that sounded good to me, so I signed up for a multiple-day live event that will take place this coming January. That seemed a bit far ahead, but it sounded good, and the price was right, and it is something that I am looking forward to.

The downside is that I have been getting over half a dozen e-mails daily since then with videos and upsells. For the first couple of days, I was overwhelmed. Then I told myself that all I needed to do was watch what I wanted to (some of the videos were free training) and not watch the rest.

I am happy with this decision. I don't want a live phone call from an associate, although for many people, this will work well. I don't want to be pushed into anything. This is the important thing - take from any program/opportunity what you want, what works for you. If you have questions, ask. Be open to what these programs/opportunities have to offer. Check out their credibility on the Internet. Read past the sales pitch - recognize BS when you see it.

By combing through the information in the program I have signed up for, I know that I can create a solid foundation for continuing sales for many years to come. No building of a new website, no e-mail lists, just good digital content to offer and an effective way to advertise it.

Do not be afraid to take only what you want from any opportunity. Be who you are. Live a balanced life.

Wishing you all much success with your writing!

(c) November 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

Story Line - Life Experiencees Applied

 

"Story Line - Finding Gold In Your Life Story," by Jen Grisanti, is an oldie but a goodie (published in 2011). It crossed my path in its own time, in its own way. And yes, it is all about how to approach writing scripts. I am not a scriptwriter (yet), but I do believe that the information Grisanti shares is applicable to the genres I do write in - flash fiction and cozy mysteries.

Grisanti has stellar credentials - she was mentored for twelve years by Aaron Spelling, was Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount, and served as a mentor in the CBS Diversity Program. In 2008 she launched her own company, Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., and was hired as the Writing Instructor for  NBC's Writers In The Verge.

The foundation of this book is to help writers connect with their audience on a strong emotional level. This is done by writers going deep within themselves and using their personal experiences to add depth and authenticity to their writing.

The book is organized into the following categories: Setup (where the story starts), Dilemma (dilemma as used to clearly establish the character's goals), Action (the actions taken to achieve a goal, coming from the writer's own experiences), and Goal (the character's life after their goal is accomplished).

I am a pantser - I do not write out more than a bare-bones guide for my stories. What I found in reading this book is that when I use my own experiences, I write from a stronger place. I am more confident in my work, and my stories pull together easier.

Grisanti encourages the reader to take a deep dive into themselves. To look at themselves, to work with what they know. Each of us will take away something different from this book, but each of us as writers, will be better people for it.

(c) October 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

Confusion Reigns!

 

I am having a bit of difficulty finishing my Kindle Vella book. I am almost finished with episode ten, and could not remember the name of an (important) secondary character. I had gone through and created a bible for the first nine chapters, but it did not contain a name for this individual. So I had to search through the chapters to find it. Guess what ... I had not given this character a name! Well, he is the primary antagonist and the head of a global syndicate about to make some major changes in the world, so perhaps he should remain unnamed. That is exactly what I am going to do - leave him unnamed.

I feel that it will move the story forward better this way. Have you ever wanted to just not give one or more of your characters a name? To just describe them, give them a solid background, and let them talk? I have learned to listen to what my characters want - and this character, and an individual working for him, wished to remain nameless.

This goes against all writers' protocol, which says, amongst other things that all major characters should have names, that if a character provides a clue they should be named, and that if the character recurs in a story they should be named. 

What do each of you think? Do all characters need names? If the setting is present-day referencing another era (WW II), and global spying is involved, is that enough to not use names?

(c) May 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the author.

The "Magic" In The Magic Blanket

 

Wouldn't we all love to have a magic blanket? Artist/Author Judy Mastrangelo, through her amazing use of imagery and words, has created just such a blanket. I truly admire this book on many levels - for the amazing, gentle artwork, for the connection between the child taking the journey, the mother that created the blanket that takes her on the journey, and for how the journey itself encourages the use of the child's imagination.

As writers, we can look at a work like this and easily see how our stories, our books, can be tools of empowerment, gateways into other worlds. Mastrangelo does this in several ways. The first way would be the story itself. The words and the images are powerful and act to take the reader into another world. In the case of this book, it takes the reader (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, family friend) and the child/children being read to into the wonderful world of imagination.

This book includes the story (a fantastic journey in and of itself), ideas on nighttime dreaming and daytime dreaming, how to write and perform your own play about the magic blanket, coloring pages, how to bake delicious tea cookies, and more. What a marketing bonanza!

As writers, I think we can use Mastrangelo's work as a gateway, or even a guideline for how we can expand our writing into something very meaningful, into something more than a one-time read. While not a mystery, I place Mastrangelo's work on the same level as Joann Fluke's Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series (Fluke includes amazing recipes in her books), Laura Child's Tea Shoppe Mysteries (including tea lore and the history of Charleston SC), and Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mysteries (which include an incredible amount of information about sourcing and brewing coffee, as well as delicious recipes). All of these books act as gateways into other worlds through story.

If you are interested in more information on Mastrangelo's book "The Magic Blanket", click here.

(c) March 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without permission.  

Writers Resources For 2022!

 Welcome to 2022! Quite frankly, 2021 was not my best year as a writer. I have a half-finished project that I need to address, and then I can start on goals that I set last year, but did not meet. Among those goals would be my first Christmas cozy mystery, and my first cozy mystery.

To start out the year I would like to share a few writer's resources. The first two were brought to my attention by a writer friend, Jean Maurie Pullman. Thank you, Jean Maurie!

• Master Class is a paid-for Internet site that offers unlimited access to over 100 instructors, with new classes being offered monthly. 
• Open Culture is a free site that offers free movies, classes, online degrees, and more!
• Resources For Writers is part of the Writers Helping Writers site, focusing on marketing.
  
• Dragon Anywhere presents software that makes dictation easy.
  
• Medium is a place where people meet and share ideas.
  
• Vellum is a great software for creating/formatting e-books.
  
• GoodReads is a great place to create an author profile and promote your books, and leave reviews on other people's books. 
  
• Substack is a newsletter platform where writers are paid by readers for their writing.
  
• National Centre For Writing is a jackpot for writing resources!
  
• Writer's Resources This is a great site for writing contests, writing conferences, and more!
  

Wishing each of you a stellar writing year for 2022!

(c) January 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.