Writers & Social Media

As writers, what do we need to know about social media? Bluntly put, we need to know how to use it! We need to be able to get our name and our personality out there, we need to be able to build an audience before we get our work out there. Once we get our work out there, we need to be able to market it.

Each social media site works a bit differently. I do have a personal site, that carries all of my diverse interests.

I have one account on Twitter, and I share my thoughts, links to my work (books and blogs), as well as commenting on an sharing posts that have something to say.

On LinkedIn, I do the same thing. I share my thoughts, links to my work, comment on and share posts that have meaning, as well as putting up the occasional article.

On Facebook, I have a personal page that I keep private, as well as a professional author's page, and a page for my wellness blog.

I do three blogs a week - an author's blog, a wellness blog, and a blog for my flash fiction.

I also have a monthly newsletter that I put out through Mail Chimp, devoted to anything related to writing.  

Another important equivelant to a social media site is to create an author's page on Amazon, where all of your work that is published through Amazon, whether it is published by a brick and mortar publisher or self-published (Kindle Direct Publishing). 

(c) September 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

To Blog, Or Not To Blog

As writers, we are encouraged to blog. It keeps our name out there. It draws a reader audience to us, and keeps them interested in our work, and gives us a venue for promoting our work. Sounds good, eh! We get all of those benefits - how nice! So, why is it that on occasion I just don't feel like blogging, but I blog anyway? 

The major reason that I blog when I don't really want to is that I believe there are benefits to a writer blogging, and I made a promise to myself at the beginning of the year to blog once a week as a writer, and to do a flash fiction blog once a week. So far, so good. (I may even take the suggestion that friends have made and put my flash fiction into an e-book. I am not sure how that will go, because I wouldn't be using graphics in my book, as I do in my blog. I try to find copyright free graphics, but if even just one falls through the cracks, that could be a lawsuit in the making.) 

If we pay attention to what we are putting up as content on our blogs, and if we maintain high quality, it is possible to use that content in multiple venues. That is always good. We could even choose to make an e-book out of select blogs, and perhaps either sell it, or use it as a freebie in one or more promotions.

Aside from the obvious point of creating consistently good quality content, we want our content to appeal to the audience that we wish to connect with. For me that would be mystery lovers in general, and cozy mystery lovers in particular. 

Blogs that are focused on targeted readership, with specific content, will do well. It is best, IMHO, to not blog until you know who your readers are, how you want to present yourself, and what you want to focus your content on. I know who I want as readers, I know how I want to present myself, but I can wander around with the content. I had the (not so) bright idea of doing blogs along the same theme each month. That ended up looking much too contrived, so I set that thought aside. Until further notice ... you can all wander with me content wise!

(c) August 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

How I Manage My Writing - Or How It Manages Me!

How I manage my writing day is by the seat of my pants! I have a WIP, as well as a monthly committment to write a newsletter, and weekly committments to write one flash fiction article, and one writer's blog (this blog). And I am a co-writer on another project that for now will remain under wraps. I also have a 9-5 that pays the bills. (The good thing about the 9-5 is that it is not 9-5 - I work for a phone line that allows me to log on and off at will.)

I have designated seperate days of the week for the flash fiction and this blog. Monday's are for this blog - I try to find topics that interest me, and that will interest other writers. Starting in March (next week) I will be following a pre-set schedule of topics, with each months topics being connected. Tuesday's are for my flash fiction (under 100 words). I find a graphic that I like, and work from that. I love trying to fit some semblance of a story into 100 words!

My WIP, and the project that I am co-author on, I work on during the weekends. Each of the four chapters that I am writing for the book that I am co-authoring has a pre-set topic, which simply needs to be fleshed out. My WIP already has an outline, and the beginnings of a bible, with work-ups for each of the major characters. One thing that I realized this past weekend is that my bible is going to have to reflect when major events happened, and where (there is a lot of reflection to the past).

My newsletter is a WIP on its own. It's purpose is to help me build a fan base for my mystery books, and to help connect me with other authors. I am fine tuning it on a monthly basis, offering snippets from my current WIP, a flash fiction piece that only appears in my newsletter, links to my existing work, and links to reference materials for writers. I occasionally showcase work that other writers have done. For my April newsletter, I will be featuring a book give-away, with a winner chosen from my subscriber's list.

Things that I am looking into doing are writing submissions for mystery short story contests, and writing pamplet sized books (around 20,000 words) on topics of interest in a wide variety of areas. 

For all of my writer friends - how does this compare with your writing days? Share how you handle your writing - we can all stand tolearn new tricks!

(c) February 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Scheduling Blog Topics

Blogging has always been a chore for me - even when I enjoy doing it. I make a committment - as I have with this blog, and my flash fiction blog - and then find it difficult to follow through. My flash fiction blog is very spur of the moment, and I like that. It is what it needs to be. Looking back over the topics that I have covered here on my author's blog - they are all over the board! I am not happy with myself over that.

So I have decided to plan ahead - to pick topics that fit together, that make some kind of sense, and schedule them together. I am going to try and take a different theme each month, and develop content around that.

I started this blog to develop a following for my books, and I have to say that I have not done a good job at all. I am going to focus on my mystery writing, and target two audiences - other mystery writers, and readers of cozy mysteries. 

I am looking at defining a social media presence as a mystery writer, increasing my newsletter subscribers, and engaging my target audience. Publishing my blog consistently will increase traffic for each post. Adding links to my newsletter sign-up and to my personal/professional site will allow my target audience toget to know me a bit better.

Keeping to a set schedule for publishing my blogs will also allow me to see when and where I can use teasers for my upcoming work - whether it is a mystery novel, or a shorter book/pamphlet on a topic of general interest.   

Now I have an idea of where I want to go with this, and how to get there. I plan on using a calender to list blog topics, as well as teasers for upcoming work. I will also be able to look at holidays, and see how I can tie them into my work. 

Onward and upward!

You can sign up for my newsletter here: newsletter.

You can view the author's section of my site here: author's site.

(c) February 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

A Writer's View of 2016

The most important seed that I could have planted for 2016 happened at the end of October, 2015, when I finally made the physical move back to Nevada. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted, and I can now move forward with purpose. I was blessedin that the house that I rented, sight unseen, is both a lovely home, and located close to everything that I need (including thge DMV!).

I do not do New Year's resoutions, as, in my humble opinion, they are an epic fail. My version of life is to set goals for the coming year, and check in on those goals on a periodic basis, to make sure that I have not strayed from my path. My first goal for 2016 is not one that I had planned, but one that came up unexpectedly. Close to the end of February I will be getting a lens inplant in my right eye. Long story - the short version of which is that when I had the cataract surgery on that eye, the ten year study had not been finished, and my opthamologist could not implnt a lens. My second goal is to clean up my finances so that I can purchase a home before the end of the year. This is where my major energy will be going.

As far as writing goes, I will continue my work with The Cartomancer, write a column here once a month, write flash fiction on a consistent basis, and look for short story contests to enter. I need to work on myself over the next year (I am still unpacking "stuff"), so that tghe person in the mirror and the one in my mind carry the same image.

I am also contemplating doing an imspirational deck, with quotes on each card that reflect different life areas. That will evolve over time, and may take a couple of years to come into print. I already have a good idea who I will have carry this deck, and that for me is a major part of this journey.

On January 13th I will be attending a free teleclass by author Eleanor Brown on setting writing goals for 2016. I very much am looking forward to this event, which I see as a good way to firmly anchor my writing in 2016, and a way to connect with another writer. That all important networking!

Wishing you all much success in 2016!

(c) January 2016 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of he author.

Year End Roundup

This is where I am right now - allowing myself to enjoy the holidays. As far as my writing goes, this year was very uneven. I did get one of my books spiffed up for holiday sales (Surviving the Holidays), and am starting to promote it. I co-wrote another book (Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti), that I will promote again after the New Year. I am only a couple of chapters into my book on decision making - I had hoped to have it out for holiday sales too, but I am now aiming for some time in January. My mystery book - that will be my 2015 major project!

I think we have to learn to flow with things - certainly all that I had hoped to accomplish in 2014 did not get done. One project I had to let go of, others were delayed. Life interfered, and I had to be okay with that. I have (more or less) kept up with my Tarot blog, and have started writing flash fiction and placing it on my Facebook timeline. I may go back to doing that blog in 2015. Even once a month would keep it going, and I do love writing them. A bit of a chore sometimes to get a beginning, middle, and end in under 100 words!

I never did join the writers organizations that I had intended to in 2014 - that will be taken into 2015, and accomplished. If I want to move into the world of writing as something to pay the bills, then I need to network in any and all ways possible. Plus, I can look for professional gatherings that are taking place in warm climes!

For those that are still shopping for holiday gifts, I have two other books out - Tarot, Birth Cards and You , and Tarot, Rituals & You.

Wishing you all a joyous, safe holiday season!

(c) 2014 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.