How Blogging and Solving World Peace are Similar

Within the past few months, two people have asked me about blogging. Specifically, Ruth Andrew wrote:

Any advice on what to do or not to do when starting/using a blog? I'd love a blog, love to write out notes from the seat of my pants, but it is probably is a good idea to know some ground rules first... We see so much 'advice' about blogs, and sometimes articles seem to contradict each other. I'd love to know what you'd recommend we keep in mind when starting up a blog.

I've been putting off a response because answering the question is akin to answering that of, "How do I solve world peace?"

A quick Google search about how-to-blog shows 285 million websites. It's no wonder those asking the question are as overwhelmed as those attempting to respond.

When in doubt, however, the place to start is at the beginning.


In the Beginning

As with most endeavors, people have three choices:

1. Set up and run the blog yourself, which is what most people do.

2. Hire someone to design the blog. You can even hire people to write blog entries.

3. Do a combination of both by hiring a consultant to get you started, then have at it.


Do-it-yourself

If you decide on Door #1, you again you have three choices:

1. Attend a basic how-to workshop, such as that led by Bill Belew on Saturday in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Complete Hands-On Blogging
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunnyvale, CA
$45 for California Writers Club members, $60 for nonmembers
Website registration

2. Use a basic book, such as Blogging for Dummies or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page and Blog.

3. Do both.

I particularly recommend finding blogs you like, both for their content and visual appearance, so you can determine what features you'd like and what tone you'd like to set.


What I've Learned

There's no way I'll put myself forward as an expert on this subject. But I will tell you what I've learned along the way:

1. You've just got to jump in and do it. Period. Put start blog on your calendar and on that day, start a worksheet in which you begin hashing out the what, where, when, why and how.

2. Choose a type of blog that best suits your personality and lifestyle. Do you have the time and effort to create sites like Bill's that pull in a million viewers per day and feature advertisements? Or do you want to create a small community that revolves around a very specific subject?

3. Expect your blog to morph. This means you may start out with goal that then evolves. I started out writing posts about various aspects of writing.

The more I've taught as a writer, instructor and writing coach, however, the more I've seen the need to answer questions people ask me, hence the Q & A angle.

4. Don't ever post anything you might want to take off the web someday.

This comment hopefully answers that posed by Karen Hartley:

Is it a good idea to post my novel chapters, or should I just engage in general conversation about the book, without putting any of it on the blog?

In the past I posted part of my current novel-in-progress as a way to demonstrate various concepts to those in my writing classes. I then took the segment down. Only last week, however, while checking out what's listed under my name in Google, I found the chapter segment still posted via some obscure URL route.

Once you post, other people can post your work elsewhere. Most of the time, they're using the content in a "look what she has to say" way instead of plagiarizing.

The problem is that if you change your mind about an opinion you expressed or make improvements to your work, the old material may well float around out there forever.

Therefore, don't make comments you may regret. And unless you have no intention of changing anything in your novel segment, go ahead an post it. Agents, however, usually prefer that you send them a hard copy.

Here are a few last questions from Karen:

Q: How do I go about getting people to see my blog (and read the posts)?

A: The answer to that is akin to the answer involving world peace and the subject around which the multi-billion dollar blogging industry has arisen. Consult people like Bill or the books mentioned above.

Q: How will agents see what I've posted?

A: When writing a query letter, you can invite them to visit your blog, then give the URL.

Q: How do I refer to having a blog when querying an agent?

A: You can say my blog. If you've titled your blog, and the title is pertinent to the reason you're querying the agent — Thanks for looking at my proposal on How to Get Rich Quick by Saving a Penny a Day. Feel free to visit my website, Money Secrets: What Every Millionaire Knows — use the title.

Do you have anything funny or wise to add on the subject? Do tell!

Happy writing (and blogging)!

The Art of the Tweak: Honing That Bookstore Gig

Considering last week's post regarding how to set up a bookstore gig to market your book, the next logical question is:

How do I tweak the program I'll offer to make it work in this particular venue?

I had occasion to both ask the question and receive the answer yesterday during my bookstore talk at Ink Spell Books in Half Moon Bay.

Now for a short background:

Three years ago when my Growing Great Characters book was published, I offered a free workshop for writers at Kepler's, a well-known bookstore in Menlo Park, CA. The workshop drew roughly 40 people.

Yesterday when I offered my free lecture, Globalization of the Reading World, at Ink Spell, I drew no one. Have no fear, however, since the evening turned into a real success, for reasons I'll soon explain.

What was the difference between the two events?


Three Factors to Consider

Time and date

The free workshop was offered on a Thursday evening in February. It was dark and cold out, which tends to discourage people from doing other after-work nice-weather-oriented activities such as running, cycling, etc. That time of year is also typically dead in terms of significant holidays, school events, vacations and other distractions. Lastly, the event took place during the week, when people are generally in a workweek to-do frame of mind.

In contrast, the gig yesterday took place at 4 p.m. (still light outside) on the same day as a big local event (school auction), on a Saturday (when people typically relax) that was gorgeous (thus encouraging people to be outside).


Location

The free workshop took place in a huge metropolitan area where people both live and work. The lecture yesterday took place in a small, beautiful coastal town of about 12,000 that draws a huge number of strolling tourists, especially on the weekends.


Type of book and author

The free workshop was to promote a nonfiction book, whereas the lecture revolved around my novel, The Wind Thief.

People buy nonfiction over fiction at a ratio of something like 20 to 1. Nonfiction that applies to a mass audience, such as those who want to learn how to write, is particularly appealing, even if the author is not well-known.

Whereas readers tend to be more picky about the fiction they read, especially if the author is unknown.


Concept

The free workshop offered something people want: a chance to increase their skills and so move them toward their dreams of becoming a published author.

In contrast, the lecture offered them a chance to talk about books, something they can do with friends and fellow book club members.

One appealed to peoples' dreams (immediate), while the other appealed to their intellect (less immediate).

When talking with Cindi Whittemore, owner of Ink Spell Books, she said the events that work best in her store are those that:

• Give away something people want, such as lessons, books or information that appeals to peoples' aspirations, like getting rich or becoming famous. Or you can offer a free performance, as does poet and fellow Growing Great Writers member Paul Siegell, author of Poememergency Room and two other poetry books. (If you missed the URLs he provided in the comment section of the last post, listen to this audio of his energetic poetry reading.)

• Include a how-to demonstration: Cindi, who used to work at Barnes & Noble, gave the example of a recipe book author who pulled in a huge number of people with a demonstration of how to make guacamole.

• Include a variety of sensory experiences, such as food, music, photos, etc.: My writing buddy, Martha Kendall, author of Alive in the Killing Fields: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide, said she plays her fiddle while talking about the importance of using music to stimulate her writing. Fellow writer and Growing Great Writer member Ara Hagopian can rely on his artwork, which proves a fascinating visual, as you can see in the example above.


Lessons Learned

As I said above, yesterday's experience proved marvelous for the four new lessons I learned:


1. Tweak the how and what of your event

I learned how to tweak an event to better suit the time of day, date and community where the event is being offered. I have another book signing scheduled for May, where I'll get to put into practice what I learned.


2. Develop new material

The event caused me to create a new presentation and accompanying materials, which I'll be able to use for future presentations, articles and books.


3. Get to know the know the bookstore owner

I got to know Cindi a lot better, and having talked with her more about her business, patrons and what's worked in the past, she was able to offer me two more author event opportunities while referring me to other bookstores that could offer me similar opportunities.


4. Bring your writing homies

Friends are people who offer support. So rather than go to an event by yourself, ask your friends to go with you.

I announced this event to friends in my writing group and three were able to come. We had a great time talking about books and writing and we all learned a lot from Cindi, who took time to join our discussion.

I'm used to dealing with the disparities in attendance that can occur at author events, but having friends present made the occasion into a party instead of an oh, well. We went to dinner afterward, and the conversation, along with the apple tart with goat's milk ice cream and carmel — and yes, I had doubts about the goat's milk ice cream, too — and the view of the ocean, were well worth the trip.

Happy writing!