Local Author to Speak at February BDWN Meeting

Schuylkill County native and first-time author Tisha Tolar will speak to the Black Diamond Writers Network on "Writing in Two Genres" on Saturday, February 20 at the Tamaqua Public Library, 20 E. Rairoad St., Tamaqua.

Tisha is a full time writer of non-fiction materials for the Internet market. She makes a living providing web content for a multitude of clients in a variety of industries. She began her online writing career in 2007 by chance after meeting her now business partner, Debbie Dragon, through an online job posting. Forming a working relationship via Instant Message, the two set the stage for the writing e-course, MakeMoneyFromWriting.com which teaches others how to make money writing for the online market. Prior to establishing herself as a freelance writer, Tisha wrote her first full length manuscript in 6 weeks just to see if she could do it. She decided to dust off the manuscript on the advice of her colleagues in 2008, finally self-publishing her debut Gen X in the summer of 2009. She currently is the editor and contributor to several major websites, including Wisebread.com and actively works to promote her novel and her company, Trifecta Strategies.

Gen-X, is the story of Genevieve Xavier, a 20-something gal who is trying to get her big break in the entertainment industry. She eventually does, with a few other adventures along the way. Gen-X is the perfect read for those who like chick lit with a bit of attitude.

Keep reading--we'll have a full interview with Tisha on Wednesday!

Writerly Words

The wastebasket is a writer's best friend.
~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Interview With Rick Grant

Rick Grant, (www.rickgrant.net) principal and founder of Rick Grant & Associates, has been a writer and journalist for over 25 years. He founded RGA in early 2007 to provide businesses with customized strategic communications solutions. Prior to launching RGA, he founded Texell Interactive Media, a production company delivering electronic audio and video content for Web-based marketing. Before that, he spent more than a decade as one of the nation’s leading financial industry-focused journalists. He writes features for National Mortgage News and is a columnist for HousingWire. Rick will be facilitating the session on "Effective Self-Promotion for Writers" at the Write It Right conference. Rick took a few moments to talk with us about why marketing is important for all writers, no matter the genre.

BDWN: Thanks for speaking with us, Rick! Can you tell us a little bit about your business?

RG: I own RGA (Rick Grant & Associates) in Jim Thorpe, PA. After ten years as a trade journalist covering the US financial services industry, I now lead a team of communications professionals that serve companies operating in this space. We help firms that sell to banks and mortgage lenders do a better job of telling their stories and promoting their businesses.

BDWN: Marketing is so important, no matter what business you’re in. But why don’t more of us do it?

RG: Few of us went into business to spend all of our time selling. It's painful to realize that while you took the leap to become a full-time writer, you'll only spend part of your time actually doing that. Often, the smaller part. Too often, writers try to ignore this responsibility to their doom.

Another impediment is presented by the fact that many writers are not comfortable talking about how great they are. We tend to be somewhat more introverted than that and it is difficult to get out there and tell people how great we are.
The good news is that the more you do it, the less you have to do it, especially if you use social media so that others can begin singing your praises for you. Building a reputation can be the best form of marketing and as long as you maintain it, it will work for you.

BDWN: It seems obvious that freelance writers, who do work for others, would need to market themselves. But what about fiction writers?

RG: Oh, absolutely. It's more important now than ever. While I've spent all of my time writing in the non-fiction periodical world, I have many friends who are published authors and they tell me that the publishing world has changed. It's not just about how well you craft a story and how quickly you can churn out the next. Now, publishers want to know about your “platform.”
They're talking about the audience the author has already attracted through short story publication, Web-based social media, conference and convention attendance and their own marketing efforts. Today, unpublished fiction writers are expected to come to the table with much of the work of attracting an audience already done. This requires a thorough understanding of marketing and the discipline to get it done.

BDWN: “Marketing” sounds very overwhelming and time-consuming. What are some easy ways that writers can market themselves?

RG: There are many easy ways writers can market themselves. My favorite is to publish a blog, its free, easy to set up and will help attract an audience. Beyond that, writers should have their own website or Facebook page. They should get out into the world they want to write in (whether that be the business world at a local Chamber of Commerce mixer, the journalism world by posting stories to news websites, or the fiction world by appearing at Cons) and shake some hands. Most of the work writers get comes to them from people they know who have referred them, so start building up that network.

BDWN: Do you have any pointers for how to get started?

RG: That's exactly what we're going to be talking about during my sessions, easy ways writers can get started now promoting themselves more effectively. There are a few things that come first. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you have to think of you the writer as a business. That means getting business cards printed up, setting up your website presence and creating a simple letterhead (both print and electronic). Secondly, you really need to learn all you can about social media. That's the cheapest and fastest way to begin building out your network and it has the potential to take you on a viral wave to stardom. But don't focus on that right now, just learn about blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn (if you're a news or business freelance writer) and tools like Twitter that can be used to promote your most recent work.

BDWN: So how can writers tap into all of the social networking and technology that’s out there and use that for marketing purposes?

RG: First, develop a love for drinking out of fire hoses, because that's what it will be like it you try to tap into it all. I suggest you just start with three tools: a Facebook profile and page, a LinkedIn account and a Twitter account. With those three tools, you can begin to build up a network of contacts that will get your work noticed. And by focusing on just a few marketing tools at first, you can spend the bulk of time doing what you must do if you're hoping for long-term success: write, write, write!

BDWN: Can you give us a little sneak peek of what you’ll be talking about at the Write It Right conference?

RG: We're going to go into depth on much of what we have discussed here, answer as many questions as we can, but most importantly, we're going to help folks get set up with these basic social media tools so they can start putting them to work.
We're also going to take a step back and look at some of the more traditional ways that writers can promote themselves. Some of these techniques are so old that they're new again—and they can get a writer a lot of attention.
By the time we're done, I expect attendees to walk away with a new understanding of some of the social media tools they can use to promote themselves and their work as well as a plan for getting that job started.

Join Rick and our other facilitators at the first annual BDWN Write It Right Conference on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at the Schuylkill County Council for the Arts, Pottsville!

BDWN Members to Present Library Talks

Members of the Black Diamond Writers Network are taking our show on the road over the next few weeks and offering a series of free presentations on "Write It Right-- Get Published."

Choose from the following dates and locations:

Wed., Feb. 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Panther Valley Public Library,117 E. Bertsch St., Lansford

Mon., Feb. 22, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the Palmerton Library, 402 Delaware Ave., Palmerton

Tues., Feb. 23, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pottsville Free Public Library, 215 W. Market St., Pottsville

Tues., Feb. 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hazleton Area Public Library, 55 N. Church St., Hazleton

Thurs., Feb. 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lehighton Area Memorial Library, 124 North St., Lehighton

Thurs., Feb. 25, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Tamaqua Public Library, 30 S. Railroad St., Tamaqua.

Whether you would like to write a letter to the editor, an article in a national magazine or a book, find out how you can achieve your writing and publishing dreams.

Members of the Black Diamond Writers’ Network who have published articles and/or books will give pointers on how to write for and find the markets that will publish your work.

The informal talks are being offered as a promotion for the Black Diamond Writers Network's first annual “Write it Right” writers conference on Sat., Apr. 17, 2010, at the Schuylkill County Council for the Arts, Pottsville.

The event is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, through its regional arts funding partnership, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA). State government funding for the arts depends upon an annual appropriate by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. PPA is administered in this region by the Berks Arts Council.

For more information about the lectures, call the Palmerton Library at 610-826-3424, Pottsville Free Public Library at 570-622-8880, Lehighton Area Memorial Library at 610-377-2750 or the Tamaqua Area Public Library at 570-668-4660.

Showing Up Everyday

There’s a well-known saying that goes something like “90% of success is showing up.” This is particularly true for a pastime like writing, which so many people want to do, but very few hunker down and actually do. For some, writing is just that—a relaxing pastime that allows us to record our memories or thoughts from days gone by, or create a new world with complex characters, interesting settings, and gripping plots.

But then there are those who recognize writing for the work it really is, and make the commitment to show up and do that work.

The most successful writers do the work faithfully every day—or, as often as our busy schedules allow. These writers put in the long hours needed for researching, outlining, interviewing, revising, the actual writing, finding places to sell their work, marketing themselves and their work, and powering through even when the words simply aren’t coming…they tinker with what they have and fight with the page until the words eventually do come they way they’re supposed to. The most successful writers don’t idly wait for inspiration to strike—rather than waiting for it to come to them, they actively go after it. The most successful writers feel a real sense of accomplishment and yes, mental fatigue after a hard day’s work, just as with any other job. Despite the fatigue and exasperation that comes with the job, for the most successful writers, it’s not a pastime—it’s a true calling.

Do you show up for work every day? Is writing your relaxing pastime or a serious occupation?

5 Ways a Writing Group Can Help Your Writing

Most writers would probably agree that writing is often a lonely profession. It’s not like we casually drop by our co-workers’ cubicles to hear the latest gossip or get caught up on the goings-on in their lives. And fiction writers—well, our livelihood is creating imaginary people in imaginary worlds…few other folks can relate.

Rather than continue to work with just your computer screen for company, you may want to consider joining a writing group. You may not think you need one until you attend your first meeting—then you’ll wonder how you’ve gone this long without one.
Still not convinced? Here are just 5 reasons how a writers’ group can help your productivity:

Networking with other writers. Back to that point about “writing is often a lonely profession”…it doesn’t have to be! Writers’ groups tend to attract all kinds of writers, from all kinds of genres, including yours! They can be a wealth of information on where to submit your work, new writer-friendly products, “must-read” books, and anything else you can think of. We all share many of the same frustrations, no matter what genre we prefer. Join us—you have found your people!

Information about new opportunities. Markets, contests, agents, or plain old folks looking for help with a project—you never would have learned these things without your connections at the writers’ group!

Feedback on your work. Whether it’s a critique group that meets regularly, some time allotted at each meeting to share a work in progress, or something in between, most groups’ purpose is the same—to help their writers improve their writing! A little constructive feedback is all part of the process, and most are grateful for frank comments on their work. The trick is to give criticism that’s helpful rather than harmful.

Education. Workshops, seminars, monthly programs—different groups set different priorities, but almost all of them offer some type of educational program from time to time. The Black Diamond Writers Network features a monthly speaker discussing some element of the art or craft of writing, with occasional workshops held throughout the year to keep things interesting and offer additional skill-building. Take advantage of everything—you will learn something.

Shameless self-promotion. For those lucky few who have managed to reach their writing goals, whatever they might be, there’s no better feeling in the world than sharing it with others who may want to do the same. Whether you’ve published a book, had an article accepted by a major market, had your screenplay performed by a local troupe, or simply finished something (already a major accomplishment!), share it! Writers love to support one of their own, so if you have a book to sell, don’t forget your fellow scribes! It might also be a great motivator for a fellow member to sit down in front of the computer screen and get back to work on their own masterpiece.

More About the Write It Right Facilitators

The BDWN Write It Right Conference will include 8 breakout sessions led by professional facilitators in their respective fields. We have an amazing selection of speakers, and the toughest part for attendees will be deciding which sessions to go to!

We already introduced Kathryn Craft, our keynote speaker and facilitator for the “Get That Story Moving!” fiction session. Here’s a sneak peek at our other speakers and their topics:

Rick Grant—Effective Self-Promotion for Writers. Rick will lead one session on how writers can promote their work using traditional outlets such as media kits, book tours, and the like. His second session will focus on how social media can help writers take their marketing efforts to the next level. Grant brings more than 25 years' journalist experience with expertise in the financial industry, engineering and emerging media technologies to his audience. He most recently served as editor of Real Estate Technology Insight (RETI). Prior his work at RETI, Grant was an editor for Source Media publications (formerly Thomson Media) where he served as managing editor for Origination News magazine, Broker magazine, Mortgage Technology magazine and the HomeEquityWire electronic newsletter. He served as special reports editor for National Mortgage News and designed curricula for industry conferences.

Priscilla Y. Huff—Breaking into Magazine Writing: Beginners’ Basics and Expanding Your Freelance Writing Markets: 99+ Part-Time Writing Job Ideas for Earning Money While Writing Your Bestseller. Priscilla will offer step-by-step ways to get published in magazines, covering everything from finding ideas to identifying markets to writing the query and the all-important follow-up with the editor. In her second session, she will talk about some non-traditional ways to earn your living as a writer while you polish your novel manuscript (you know—in your spare time!) Priscilla has been a freelance business and non-fiction writer/author for over 25 years. Huff’s experience includes penning the best-selling 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women, 3rd ed., and other related books specializing in topics about small and home-based businesses and women’s entrepreneurship. She has written articles for print publications including Home Business Journal, Pennsylvania Magazine and Small Business Opportunities and is currently a feature writer for Home Business Magazine. Her business, Little House Writing & Publishing, offers business information, consulting and research services as well as e-books and other publications. Visit her website at www.PYHuff.com.

Jerry Waxler—Turning Life Into Story (Memoir Writing Session). Jerry will talk about the ins and outs of writing a memoir, the most effective methods for turning your life into a story, and how to spot meaningful material in your everyday life. Jerry holds an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Villanova University and has been a longtime advocate for the healing power of the written word. He has held numerous workshops on writing memoir throughout Pennsylvania. He is a former board member of the Lehigh Valley Writers Group, Vice President of the Philadelphia Writers Conference, and a Program Director for the National Association of Memoir Writers.