Creative Writing

I was blessed this weekend in that I was part of a rocking Creative Writing webinar! I was presenting the webinar, but, as most presenters will attest to, we soak up as much wisdom as we bring to the table! I want to thank Mary Nale for hosting these webinars - for providing the space and the technical expertise to make this all happen.

I am not the only person presenting with Mary - check out her blog site, and see what she is offering! (Attune Magazine). I do have two upcoming classes in February - "How To Get Your Book Published" on February 11th,and "Writing Reviews" on February 25th. Mary is open to hosting many different topics - contact her to discuss what you would like to present, and she will make it happen for you!

During my Creative Writing webinar I talked about what creative writing was, where to find creative writing prompts, how to get started writing, where to get story ideas, and a bit about how to use the Tarot with writing. We did a couple of writing exercises that truly blew my socks off! These ladies could write!

One thing I did find out in researching my presentation was something that I had never really thought about - that creative writing can be applied to both fiction and non-fiction, and that it can be applied to all genres - blogs, stories, articles, poetry, auto-biographies, biographies, literature ... you name it, you can write it creatively! I am not talking about making things up, I am talking about presenting a subject in a fresh manner. That is what creativity is all about.

There is a wonderful side effect to writing creatively - it frees your mind, and it frees your soul! It allows your ideas to flow, and when your ideas flow consistently, wonderful opportunities begin to come your way, like magic!

Happy writing!

(c) January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

Keyword Research

It is not enough to find interesting content for our blogs. It is not enough to write our blogs in a cohesive manner. For most of us, our blogs are one part of an overall strategy to get our name and work out into the public eye. What can we do to make our blogs stand out, so that they reach a larger audience, and encourage that audience to come back for more? Make best use of keywords!

Keywords? Okay, most of us recognize that keywords are a part (okay - a large part) of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). So what are they, exactly, and how do we know when we are using the right one, and using them correctly? It's called research! We do what is called keyword research. What we are looking for is the word(S) that an individual types into a search engine (such as Google) to find specific information. Making best use of these keywords in our blogs, and in the titles for our blogs, will place us higher in the search engine ratings, and drive more visitors to our blogs.

There are two groups of thought here: one group holds the position that if you write quality content with a specific audience in mind, you should not need to use keywords - that people will seek you out. The second group holds the position that you need to find the best keywords, and base your article around them. I think that most of us combine these methods - starting with defining our audience, deciding on the content, then writing the content,keeping the keywords in mind. I have written site content where I was required to use certain words a given number of times - not a heck of a lot of fun!

Sigh. Where do we start. Review what you blog is all about, and who your audience is. Make a list of words that are appropriate to your content and your audience. Keywords will change as content and intended audience changes. This will give you a good foundation for your writing.

Now life gets fun (not!). It is time to take your most prominent keywords, your strongest keywords, and run them through a keyword research tool, such as Google Keyword Tool, Keyword Tool, or Keyword Tool, all of which are free. Make a list of your results, so that you don't need to do this very often!

Have fun with this - but take it seriously, too. Make best use of your time - perhaps do this in phases, so that you don't burn yourself out. The results will be that your blog, and your work, will gain a wider audience, and you will be creating opportunities for the growth of your blog and your work!

(c) January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

Getting Things Together

I am far enough along in my second Tarot book now that I am reviewing the author's publishing guide, as the next step will be to code my manuscript for submission. The process this time is going much smoother - largely due to the fact that I have been through it once. The first time around, I didn't even know the right questions to ask! Also in my favor is that for both books, the material is flowing. I love the Tarot, and even though I do want to leave the field as a professional reader,I do want to continue writing on the subject.

Right now I am looking at general coding, and how to make bullet points look graceful. I am not including images in this book, so the interest has to be in the manner in which the text is presented. I am finding that my acquisition a few years back of the "Chicago Manual Of Style" is proving to be a good investment (even though that is not showing in my blogs yet!).

My next projects will be writing the blurbs for the book, and starting to think about what I want the cover to look like. Life is good!

(c) January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

New Year - New Voice?

Going into the new year, many things are changing ... as they should. Some projects have been brought to completion, some have been released,new ones have come into being, and thoughts are coming together on others. As my life undergoes various changes, I find my author's voice changing with it. Perhaps I should look at this as a fine tuning, rather than a massive change. I have more confidence in my writing now, and allow my muse to say whatever she wants to. Certainly makes her happy!

So, what is this thing we call our author's voice? It is, of course, simply our style of writing. This will change from genre to genre, and project to project. We work within certain inner guidelines that define who we are,and this is the over-riding quality that we see in everything that we do. We need to be authentic to who we are, and who we are is an evolving person. Therefore, our author's voice will evolve along with us.

Over the years this little Cappie person is very pleased to see that she does have a modicum of a sense of humor. Not all the time, just sometimes. But it is there. I am comfortable with letting it come out to play - as long as it doesn't get too sarcastic! I know that a writer's style is a combination of their basic personality, and a consideration for the specific audience they are writing for. (Yes, one of the things that this self-taught writer learned was to target her audience before defining a project, and before beginning to write.)

I would add one more thought to the mix - the tone of the times that the author is writing about. The tone and style that one writes in is just as much a part of the backdrop for a story as the characters personal style,and the physical world around them. Going into 2012, we are looking at huge social and economic changes, and a spiritual quickening in life on the physical plane. i never want to be afraid to express the changes around me as I see them in my work, whether it is fiction or mainstream writing.

Is your writer's voice changing? If it isn't, does it need to?

(c) January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

Ending Your Writing Year

We are very close to the end of the year. As a writer, I am looking at what I need to tie together, and how I need to tie it together. One project I needed to let go of, and I did. It was my first mystery book, and started during NaNoWriMo 2010. After many false starts, much editing, and a complete change of theme, I made the decision to scrap it, keep the main characters, move the location and revise the crime. January will see me starting anew, using the new online Hiveword novel writing software (Hiveword Novel Writing Software).

I am well into my second Tarot book, so there is nothing to "tie up" there. It is an ongoing project. The same goes for the promotion of my first Tarot book, "Tarot, Birth Cards, and You".

I have been all over the place this past year with schedules, projects, and deadlines. It is beyond trying to keep everything (or anything!) straight in my mind. I will be using Karyn Easton's "Tarot Lover's Diary" again, as it is small, and can be kept right next to my laptop.Karyn's calendar can be found here - Paranormality.com.

The other thing that I did was to go back to using my Google calendar. I have the rest of December and the month of January 2012 programmed into it. As projects and deadlines come up, they will go into the calendar, which sends me reminders via e-mail.I also found out that I could add a background to my calendar ... so I did! Go me! (And thanks to the lovely Catherine Chapman for getting me to start using the Google calendar in the first place!)

How is your new writing year shaping up?

(c) December 2011 Bonnie Cehovet

Christmas For Writers

This week's blog is all about resources for writer's - to gift themselves, or to gift other writer friends. Enjoy!

Writer's Knowledge Base Search Engine - Resources For Writers

Literature and Latte/Scrivner

Novel Writing Software

Book Trailer As A Calling Card

Organizing Your Writing - Using a 2012 PLanner

The Self-Published Author As The Self-Employed Author

30 Holiday Gifts For Journalists

Your Writing Goals - Dare To Reach Them

Book Business Plans

Write Way Writing Software

Creative Writing Software

Writer's Software and Resources

(c) December 2011 Bonnie Cehovet

'Tis The Season

I love this time of year - the music, the decorations, baking ... the whole nine yards! With three young cats, the decorations are minimal this year - only things that they can't trash! They are cute, but their three little minds can come up with all kinds of stuff to do! (Like the time I looked up from my laptop to see one of them hanging from my curtain rod!) With not too many people around, the baking is being cut way back too. A couple of things that will be gifts to neighbors, sugar cookies, and that is about it. But I am happy with this, and that is what matters. :)

I am bringing things together as far as end of year goes - looking at what works for me, at what I need to release, and what I need to bring in. I was following a conversation on setting up a doc for the #FF for Twitter. There is actually a site that will send them for you automatically! That will certainly save time! You can check it out here - LazyShoutOut.com.

Here are some links that I am going to be checking out to help me get my books out there in good form:

Pricing Strategies For e-Books

Goal Setting For Writers

How To Prep Before Interviewing

Have Passion For Your Writing

Generating Ideas For Blog Posts

How And Why To Write With Power

Re-Finding Inspiration

4 Ways To End Your Writing Year Right

Thank you to Elizabeth Spann Craig of Mystery Writing Is Murder, for sharing an amazing list of resources for writers!

The new year is starting to look really, really good!

(c) December 2011 Bonnie Cehovet