Free Ebook: 279 Days to Overnight Success

Some people achieve success. Some people achieve success and tell others how they did it. Chris Guillebeau is one of those.

Guillebeau is an entrepreneur, world traveler, and writer. His newest book is The Art of Non-Conformity: Set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world. But Guillebeau also gives away two books on his website, along with dozens of articles on writing, entrepreneurship, and the traveling life. His website is listed on Writer's Digest Top 100 Websites for Writers.

279 Days to Overnight Success: An Unconventional Journey to Full-time Writing is a book for bloggers and writers seeking to expand their presence online using social media. From Guillebeau's site, here's what you'll learn:

* How he became a full-time writer in 279 days

* How to establish your brand

* Avoiding the 'vampires' who would like to see you fail.

* Whether to use web advertising or not

* How to become a problogger in 10 months

Basically, Guillebeau shares how writers can create an online community in less than a year, without resorting to paying for advertising. He shares what he did right, along with the mistakes he made.

If you're interested in Guillebeau's other book, check out A Brief Guide to World Domination. Tour around his site for many more articles on all kinds of topics.

How important is it for you to establish an online community?

[Sentence] Variety Is the Spice of Life

 Have you ever read a paragraph of fiction and wondered what was wrong with it? Sometimes, when you can't put your finger on the problem, it may be sentence variety.

Click here for an example of a paragraph full of five-word sentences. Not pretty. Even though the paragraph is grammatically correct, the cadence gets tiring. I decided to check out a few resources to help improve my knowledge of sentence patterns. I don't want to bore my readers!

Dr. Kristi Siegel, of Mount Mary College, explains how to analyze your writing to decide if your sentences are too short, or burdensome.

Patricia Schulyar explains how to begin your sentences in interesting ways, and includes links to more articles on the topic.

This article on sentence patterns, explains the four different kind of sentence structures writers use, so you'll be able to bring in more variety.

The Purdue Writing Lab gives great examples of using both short and long sentences, and varying the way sentences start. They offer 'before and after' revisions.

And last, but not least, consider reading your work out loud, or listening to someone else read it. If your sentences are too similar, you'll notice right away.

How do you check the cadence of your writing?

Agent Friday: Weronika Janczuk

Weronika Janczuk (pronounced: Veronica Janchuck) is an agent with Lynn C. Franklin Associates. Not only is she a literary agent, but she's also a writer, student, and the editor of two literary magazines. 

I have no idea how she makes the time to blog, but she maintains Lightening + Lightning Bugs. The name comes from my favorite Mark Twain quote: "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter-- it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."
-- Mark Twain 

I discovered Janczuk through WriteOnCon, and found she had such good insights, I wanted to see what else she had to say.

From WriteOnCon 2011: On Compactness. What is compact writing? Janczuk gives multiple examples to explain the concept.

From WriteOnCon 2010: Plot and Pacing Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

And from her blog:

Writing About Terrible Things: Janczuk shares her take on a workshop at a recent conference.

On Online Platform + Web Presence

On Agencies Aiding With Self-Publication

Agency Publishing and Conflicts of Interest

On Listening to Your Gut + Having Expectations

Janczuk represents both adult and YA fiction and non-fiction. Find out more about what she's looking for on her query page. She seems to be pretty speedy on the query replies.

Need more Agent Friday? Click here.

Answer the Question: Quizzes for Writers

 When I pick up a magazine with a quiz, I can't help but complete it. There's a niggling curiosity: what will it tell me about myself? I recently saw a writer's quiz mentioned by author Megan DiMaria, who I met at a writer's group. 

It got me wondering if there were other quizzes specific to writers. Google showed me scads of them. I waded through to find the ones that would be helpful to a writer on the road to publication. Have fun with them!

What type of writer should you be? This quiz helps determine the genre you may want to consider.

 Who do you write like? Paste a sample of your writing to discover what famous writer your prose is most similar to. I came up with Anne Rice.

Which crazy writer are you? Take this quiz to see which eclectic writer you are most like. Very tongue-in-cheek!

Beginning Writer's Quiz. How much do you know about the business of writing, particularly freelance writing?

Holly Lisle has a ten-question quiz titled: Are You Right for Writing? It helps to figure out if you have what it takes to be a writer.

The Professional Writer's Aptitude Quiz A quiz for aspiring novelists.

And here are a few quizzes for bloggers:

Should you start a blog? Ten questions to help you find the answer.

What kind of blogger are you? Seven questions to narrow it down. Turns out, I'm a "link blogger".

The 23 Blogger Breeds: Which are you? This one is not exactly a quiz, but insightful descriptions of the different types of bloggers out there. You'll recognize many--maybe even yourself!

 If you'd like to come up with your own quiz, check out Charles Kelly's Online Quiz Generator.

Did you learn something about yourself today? I'd love to hear who you write like.

"I'm a Failed Writer" Video Series

Thanks to the blog of Robin Lee Hatcher, I found a funny and encouraging video series by writer Yuvi Zalkow.

I'm a Failed Writer #1-Revisions

Episode 1: Revisions (I'm A Failed Writer Series) from Yuvi Zalkow on Vimeo.

I'm a Failed Writer #2-Time Management
Episode 2: Time Management (I'm A Failed Writer Series) from Yuvi Zalkow on Vimeo.



I'm a Failed Writer #3-Bucket Writing
Episode 3: Bucket Writing (I'm A Failed Writer Series) from Yuvi Zalkow on Vimeo.

I'm a Failed Writer #4-Failed Book Trailer
NOT IN MY LIFETIME Book Trailer from Yuvi Zalkow on Vimeo.


 Other Zalkow videos to check out:

I'm a Failed Writer #5-Writing in the Cold
 
Balancing Writing and Marketing

The Coolness of Scrivener

Desk Envy: Making a Creative Space

Writing a Novel When Busy

Serious Creative Writing With a Computer

What aspect of the writing life most brings on feelings of failure for you? The actual writing? Time management? Finding an agent or publisher? Marketing?

What Determination Can Do

One man. Forty years. And an enormous amount of determination. 

On Sunday, my family and I visited a legendary site in Colorado. Bishop's Castle. Jim Bishop began building a stone cottage in 1969, and was working on it when we stopped by. The highest parts of the castle soar to over 160 feet above the ground, and are covered with elaborate ironworks. Visitors are invited to explore every inch of the castle, climbing innumerable steps to dizzying heights--at their own risk, of course. 

The most amazing thing is that Bishop has accomplished all this alone. And without the kinds of tools you'd expect. He gathers the rocks from the forest with a shovel and wheelbarrow. He hoists them up the walls with a pulley system and a pickup truck. Bishop is nearing seventy years old.

Standing in front of the massive structure made me think. One person with a dream, who never gives up, can accomplish far more than anyone imagines. Those of us who labor at writing, alone, facing the roadblocks of a giant publishing industry, can feel like giving up sometimes. 

Jim Bishop chooses stones like a writer chooses words, selecting some and discarding others. Fitting them together in just the perfect way to fashion a winding staircase or a soaring turret. He's endured ridicule, government restrictions, and (according to him) more broken fingers than he can remember.

Yet he's never given up. Not even when he burned both palms down to the bone.  I want that kind of determination. To finish each novel. To hone my craft. To leave something beautiful to inspire others.

What do you think?

For more on Bishop's Castle, check out this video, or this slideshow.

Another Year of Writing

I'm off to the airport at a ridiculous hour this morning. It's time to say goodbye again, as my daughter leaves for her sophomore year of college--far away from Colorado. It makes me feel a little better that she loves it and has wonderful friends and professors. But she also gets to study Creative Writing.

So I'll deal with missing her.

I'll be back tomorrow with a regular post, once I've dried my eyes.

(Katie just turned 20. This is a photo of her with some of her gifts: Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, and a blank journal. It sure is easy to buy gifts for a writer!)

WriteOnCon Recap, Day 3

Last day, I promise. Again, the WriteOnCon organizers and presenters have outdone themselves. Check out what happened on Thursday:

Ask A Bookbuyer by bookbuyers Faith Hochhalter and Brandi Stewart

Visual Storytelling by illustrator Eric Wright

How/When I Know A Manuscript Is Right For Me by editor Annette Pollert

10 Traits of an Author by author Amy Dominy

Moments That Matter by author Matt Myklusch

Writing A Great Query by literary agent Jim McCarthy

Respect by author Kiersten White

Live 250-word Pitch Event with literary agent Alyssa Eisner Henkin

Successful Marketing/Promo/School Visits by author Jon S. Lewis

Pacing by author Tara Hudson

Live chat with literary agents Marietta Zacker, Joan Paquette, and Michael Bourret

Revision by author Carrie Ryan

An Editor’s Perspective on What Authors Should and Should Not Talk About Online by editor Liesa Abrams

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing Live Chat with literary agent Sara Megibow

Dialogue by literary agent Tina Wexler

Live YA Query Letter Event with literary agent Roseanne Wells

Class of 2K12 Vlog

Answers to Questions by literary agent Steven Malk

The Reading Room  TOP 5 

Panel of Professionals (Natalie Fischer, Anica Rissi, Kathleen Ortiz) 

Andrea Brown Lit Chat (Jen Rofe, Kelly Sonnack, Jennifer Laughran, Caryn Wiseman) 

 Now you've got the weekend to catch up! Hopefully I will, too.

WriteOnCon Recap, Day 2

The nice thing about an online conference is that when life gets in the way, you don't have to miss out. My day was busy, but wonderful, ending with a campfire sing-a-long with my kids and their friends. But I didn't get to sit around in my pjs like Tuesday.

Not to worry! I can catch up between appointments today, and also try to keep up with the new workshops. Here's a rundown of what you may have missed yesterday--like me:

The Debut Year by Author Lindsey Leavitt

Illustration 101 by JH Everett and the Studio 5 Illustrators

 You’re Already Invited: Connecting to the Lit Community Online

 I DON’T CARE THAT HE’S HOT: Building Believable Romance

The Shakeover Makeover ? Shake Your PB Till It Shines!

Novel Beginnings, How to Know Where To Start by Author Lisa Schroeder

How to Write A Synopsis

Irresistible Picture Book Characters

Middle Grade’s Got Heart

LIVE FORUM EVENT: Pitch + 100 words with literary agents Carlie Webber and Christina Hogrebe

Are You Ready to Query?

On Compactness

Live Q&A with author Sarah Rees Brennan

Character Development

Your Own Hero's Journey: Using Intuition to Balance Writing and Life: Advice from an Editor and Life Coach for Writers

Live Q&A with literary agent Jenny Bent

Submission Basics

How Do I Know That I Really Love It? 

Live YA Q&A chat with Holly Root and Barbara Poelle

Critique Groups 101 with the YA Muses

Marketing 101 for Children’s Book Authors

Live Panel of Industry Professionals: Kate Testerman, Martha Mihalick, Joanna Volpe, Jen Rofe, Diana Fox

Wednesday Night Recap Includes the Friday schedule.

I'm looking forward to checking out The Debut Year and Your Own Hero's Journey. How about you?