Where Do Successful Authors Get Their Most Brilliant Writing Ideas?

Do writing ideas just fall out of the sky? Is it reasonable to sit around waiting for a great idea to land on your lap, so you can write the next big bestseller?

I don’t think so.

When it comes to developing worthwhile writing ideas, it’s either feast or famine for most of us. Some writers have so many ideas, we can’t decide which one to pursue. Other writers struggle to find something worth writing about; they don’t have enough ideas.

And even if you have a compelling idea, the idea itself might not sustain a story or a poem. It’s not enough to have a concept: you need characters, settings, plots, subplots, and themes.

When writers are at a loss for ideas, they often self-diagnose with writer’s block. I believe that’s a misdiagnosis. People struggling with writer’s block aren’t at a loss for ideas. Many are merely dismissing their own good ideas (often because they aren’t perceived as original enough), or they don’t want to put a lot of effort into looking for ideas. I also think that poor health or stress are sometimes misread as writer’s block, in which case the only cure is to take better care of oneself.

However, for the rest of us who are struggling to find the right ideas, there’s no shortage of sources we can turn to for inspiration. Why not start at the top? Why not find out where some of the most successful authors have gotten their brilliant writing ideas? If that doesn’t inspire us, I don’t know what will.

No Imagination Necessary

First, let us dispel the myth that if you want to be a writer, you must have a vivid imagination. Plenty of writers have found success by being simple observers.

Mark Twain is a shining example. His idea for Huckleberry Finn wasn’t an idea at all; he simply based the character on someone he knew from real life. It turns out that the beloved character was practically a replica of Twain’s childhood friend, Tom Blankenship:

“In Huckleberry Finn I have drawn Tom Blankenship exactly as he was. He was ignorant, unwashed, insufficiently fed; but he had as good a heart as ever any boy had. His liberties were totally unrestricted. He was the only really independent person—boy or man—in the community, and by consequence he was tranquilly and continuously happy and envied by the rest of us.” — Mark Twain

Have you ever known someone with a standout personality? Such a person can influence your work in the same way that Tom Blankenship influenced Mark Twain.

Political, Religious, and Social Commentary

Of course, Mark Twain is not the only author to successfully draw from real life. During the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of people migrated from the Dust Bowl to California and other western states. John Steinbeck (one of my literary heroes) told their story in The Grapes of Wrath, which was developed from a series of articles that ran in the San Francisco News in 1936.

But it was more than a story about people struggling with poverty in a downtrodden economic climate:

“I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects].” — John Steinbeck

Steinbeck’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel is a thoughtful commentary on social injustice and the forces behind poverty and oppression.

In today’s world, which is rampant with political, religious, and sociological commentary, one need not look far for writing ideas. If you can find an issue that matters to you, just look to the news and documentaries for true stories that you can use for inspiration.

Dreaming Things Up

Creative people from all walks of life from artists to inventors have found answers and ideas within the magical world of dreams. One of the most successful living authors of our time, Stephen King, attributes a dream as the inspiration for Misery, a novel that was also made into a film and an off-Broadway play:

“Like the ideas for some of my other novels, that came to me in a dream…I fell asleep on the plane, and dreamt about a woman who held a writer prisoner and killed him, skinned him, fed the remains to her pig and bound his novel in human skin. His skin, the writer’s skin. I said to myself, ‘I have to write this story.’ Of course, the plot changed quite a bit in the telling. But I wrote the first forty or fifty pages right on the landing here, between the ground floor and the first floor of the hotel.”– Stephen King

Unfortunately, many of us don’t remember our dreams, and if we do, they’re hazy at best. Luckily, there are some proven techniques to help us learn how to remember our dreams. Try a few of them and see if you can’t get your next big writing idea while you’re sound asleep.

Making Connections

Suzanne Collins broke the mold with The Hunger Games, arguably the most successful post-Harry Potter series to date. The books captured the hearts and minds of untold millions of young adult readers, and the films turned the story into a cultural phenomenon. So how did she do it? Where did Collins get the idea for a dystopian, young adult novel set in a future where citizens are required to tune in to an annual reality show so they can watch teenagers fight to the death in an oversized arena?

“One night, I was lying in bed and I was very tired, and I was just sort of channel surfing on television. And, I was going through, flipping through images of reality television where there were these young people competing for a million dollars or a bachelor or whatever. And then I was flipping and I was seeing footage from the Iraq War. And these two things began to sort of fuse together in a very unsettling way, and that is when I, really, I think was the moment where I really got the idea for Katniss’s story.” — Suzanne Collins

Look at the world around you. There are unimaginable things happening everywhere. Some are horrific; others are endearing or bizarre. What connections can you make in the world today to prompt yourself to imagine what the world will be like tomorrow?

No Excuses! Writing Ideas Are Everywhere

So much for writer’s block — and so much for imagination. We writers need only be influenced and inspired by the world (and the people) around us.

“You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we’re doing it.” — Neil Gaiman

You know what that means: no more excuses! You’re a writer, so go out there, find your writing ideas, and then write. Write your hearts out.

Source: Writing Forward

5 Reasons Rejection is Good for Your Growth

 

Chances are, you read the title of this post and huffed, “I hate rejection! Rejection, I will dance upon your grave!”

The good news is that if you are to sustain your growth as a writer, you’ll never stop experiencing rejection, so you won’t have to be shining up your dancing shoes anytime soon.

Wait — did I say the good news?

I did. In my career as a magazine writer, book author, content marketer, blogger, and copywriter, I’ve been rejected well over 500 times. Yes, I counted.

But instead of seeing “no-thank-yous” as a sign that I should just give up and get a real job, I see them as a tool for boosting my career success.

Here are five reasons to consider rejection your bestest friend …

#1. Rejection teaches you how to stop being rejected

In the late 90s, I was trying without success to break into the national women’s magazines. Every pitch was met with rejection.

Then, one day, I received an email from an editor at Woman’s Day. She said she liked my query — in fact, she wanted my permission to showcase it at a writers’ conference as a pitch that was almost-but-not-quite there — but that I didn’t do enough research on the topic. Why don’t I expand on the idea and send it to her again?

So I did a few interviews, added some quotes to my pitch, included a few examples of what I would include in the article, and turned it in.

Behold! My first women’s magazine assignment.

And I went on to write for Woman’s Day again, and also sold more than a dozen ideas to Family Circle (and became their highest-paid writer) using my new, well-researched query approach.

Of course, not all rejections will be full of friendly tips from prospects, but you can learn even from boilerplate “No thanks” responses.

For example, if you’re getting a lot of these impersonal rejections, that’s a sign you’re doing something wrong and need to reconsider your approach. Something about your letter of introduction, pitch, offer, or samples may be lacking.

#2. Rejection allows you into an exclusive, world class club

Ever hear of The 4-Hour Workweek — you know, that New York Times bestseller that created a worldwide movement to work less and earn more? Author Tim Ferriss was rebuffed 26 times before he found a publisher willing to take him on.

Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was turned down 30 times. King was so frustrated he chucked his manuscript into the trash. His wife fished it out and encouraged him to submit it just one more time.

JK Rowling suffered countless rejections before scoring a hit with the Harry Potter series. She’s now one of the richest people in Britain.

Take heart that the rich and famous have been where you are right now, fielding no-thank-yous left and right. When you get rejected, you have something in common with the most successful writers out there.

#3. Rejection demolishes your competition

I cannot even tell you how many wannabe writers I hear from who gave up in the face of rejection.

That makes me sad, but it offers an advantage for you: The more writers out there who let “no’s” stop them, the more opportunity there will be for you to land those content writing gigs.

In other words: Fewer writers = less competition. Yay, right?

#4. Rejection helps you cut through the crap

Think of rejection as clearing the path towards your best successes.

All those prospects who are turning down your content writing offers — they’re just obstacles you need to get past before you finally reach the prospects who will hire you.

Every rejection brings you that much closer to an acceptance. Think of those famous failures we just talked about. What if Tim Ferriss had stopped at rebuff #26, or Stephen King had given up for real at #30?

They were at their final rejections, people!

Who knows which will be the final rejection on your current marketing campaign? If you’re learning from rejection and tweaking your copy and offer in response, chances are you’re getting pretty close.

#5. Rejection brings you better clients

My take on rejection is that if someone turns me down, that means we wouldn’t be a good fit.

Sayonara, sucker!

You may be thinking — especially if you’re a newish writer — that any client would be a good client, but believe me (I know from experience) that there is such a thing as a bad client, and that you don’t want one.

So the ones who turn you down? They’re sparing you from slogging through an assignment for a client that isn’t a match for you in work style, writing style, pay, or PITA (that’s Pain In The A**) level.

Even better: When you get a rejection from one prospect, that leaves room for better ones to enter your life. (Why yes, I do believe in all that woo-woo energy stuff!)

Over to you …




Why do you love (or hate) rejection? Are you on the verge of giving up?

Can you see how rejection can be used as an ally in your work, instead of merely a hard bump in the road?

**

 

Culled from Copyblogger

• FIRST-TIME WRITERS
• FREELANCE WRITERS
• REJECTION
• WRITER'S GROWTH

Five Habits to Avoid in Fiction Writing

 

As with personal documents or academic writing, fiction writing can be challenging. Our editors have encountered five problems on a regular basis. By avoiding these habits, your fiction writing will be greatly improved.

1. Generic verbs and nouns

Imagine trying to paint everything in the world using just four colors. The results would probably look pretty generic. When you are a writer, your language is your medium. People, places, and things (i.e., nouns) have names, and it’s your job to know what they are.

Precise nouns work wonders in fiction writing because nouns have connotations or meanings that go beyond their dictionary definitions. If one character gives another character flowers, tell readers what kind of flowers. Are they tulips or columbines or snapdragons or peonies? This information could hint at what time of year it is (tulips are pretty scarce in September) and could also tell us something about the character who gives the flowers. Four dozen roses are expensive—does this person have money or like to show off? A bouquet of wildflowers might have come from the character’s backyard—perhaps this person likes to garden.  

A similar thought process should be applied to the selection of verbs. There are at least 12 synonyms for the verb to laugh, and each one evokes a specific image. A character could express amusement by cackling, chortling, chuckling, giggling, guffawing, snickering, sniggering, tittering, crowing, whooping, simpering, or smirking.

Precise verbs contribute greatly to characterization. If a man walks into a room, all your readers know is that he has entered. He could be anybody. But if he limps in, right away readers want to know if he is old or injured or tired. If he runs in, readers know he is energetic or excited about some piece of news. If he swaggers, readers wonder if he is full of himself or perhaps just drunk.

2. The exception: He said, she said

Reading good dialogue makes readers feel like they’re actually listening in on a real conversation. Because of this, it can be very disruptive if the author keeps butting in to tell readers that the speaker intoned or declared or asserted or retorted. It may seem like using “said” repeatedly in dialogue tags is repetitive, but in fact the little word is so inconspicuous, it just fades into the background—which is exactly what we want when we’re trying to listen in on a good conversation.

The rare deviation is fine (asked, in particular, seems to be okay once in a while), but if you find yourself using a colorful synonym for every dialogue tag in your manuscript or screenplay, you may be doing more harm than good.

3. Adjective/Adverb-a-rhea

Sometimes a well-placed and specific adverb or adjective strengthens or clarifies an image. However, many writers, in a misguided attempt to make their fiction writing descriptive, overuse these words. If you master the use of precise nouns and verbs (see tip number one), you’ll almost certainly avoid the bad habit of propping up a weak verb or noun with a host of intrusive modifiers, as in the following example:

Carrying a steaming and fragrant mug, she walked angrily and loudly into his office.

Why write that, when you could have simply said:

Carrying her peppermint tea, she stormed into his office.

The second sentence actually gives us more information using fewer words.

Furthermore, when editing your manuscript, be especially wary of adjectives that don’t actually convey much…

interesting, lovely, exciting, beautiful

…and adverbs that introduce redundancy…

stereo blared loudly (blared implies high volume)

scrubbed vigorously (scrubbed implies intensity)

…or contradict the meaning of the verb or adjective they modify.

slightly pregnant (with pregnancy, you either are or you aren’t!)

very unique (something is either unique or not unique)

4. Inconsistent point of view

An author of fiction must choose the perspective, or point of view, from which a story will be told. In first-person narration, one character tells the story in his or her own voice (using “I”). Third-person narration can be either limited (an objective narrator tells the story by focusing on a particular character’s thoughts and interactions) or omniscient (the narrator sees and hears all).

No single point of view is better than another, but once you have made a choice, be consistent. If your story is told in first-person, then remember that the narrator must be present in every scene he describes to the reader; otherwise, how would the character have the information?

Similarly, a limited third-person narrator who hears only Tom’s thoughts tells the story for the first four chapters, the reader should not suddenly be privy to the mailman’s daydreams in chapter five.

Of course, there are some great examples of novels that experiment with point of view by switching between narrators. But even in these stories, some kind of predictable pattern is imposed for clarity, such as a change in narrator from one chapter to the next, but not within a chapter.

5. Unnaturally expositional, stilted, or irrelevant dialogue

Read your dialogue out loud. Does it sound like the way people actually talk (without all the ums and ahs and boring digressions, of course)? Do the characters rattle off factual information you are trying to jam into the story? Are they talking about the weather? Because if they’re talking about the weather, you’d better have a good reason for it. Otherwise, the reader will feel bored, and a bored reader closes his or her book and turns on the TV.

All of this advice is important, but by far the worst habit a fiction writer can develop is the habit of giving up too easily. Keep writing every day. If you need help, remember that our manuscript editors are available 24/7 and that they can help you tackle all of your manuscript mishaps.

Culled from Scribendi

• FICTION
• GENERIC VERBS
• WRITING

The Best Ways to Create Effective Dialogue

As the author of 12 novels, including several bestsellers, I’ve found that the effective use of dialogue can greatly enhance your writing. Dialogue, when used correctly, can enhance your plot, make your characters come alive, and create tension and conflict, all key aspects in making your book a success. It also keeps your readers coming back for more.

Here are the best ways I’ve found to create effective dialogue:

Keep it Real

One of the key aspects of writing good dialogue is to make it sound like real people are talking with each other. A great way to learn this is by listening to how people talk. When I go to coffee shops and restaurants, I’ll listen to other people’s conversations. Not to spy on them, but to hear how they phrase things – you’ll notice right away that most conversations aren’t in full sentences – you’ll hear mono-syllables, half-sentences, phrases, arguments, etc. You’ll also pick up dialect and inflection. Another technique is to watch TV programs and movies, or listen to radio – here again, you can pick up memorable voices that crackle with authenticity. Lastly, read novels in the genre you write – you can learn quite a bit by how other authors write dialogue. One of my favorite authors is Robert Parker; he was a master in writing short, snappy conversations for his mystery thrillers.

Use Dialogue to Propel Your Plot

Conversations between your characters can propel your plot forward. I’ll give you an example. In the first chapter of my thriller KILLING WEST, the first two lines were dialogue:

“And if he won’t talk?” Rachel West asked.

Her CIA field officer took off his wire-frame eyeglasses and began cleaning them.

“In that case, Rachel, you kill him.”

Most people that read this will immediately want to know: What’s going on here? Intrigued, they’ll keep reading, which is what you want.

Another way to use dialogue is to disclose information – you see this all the time in TV dramas – usually two or three of the characters are discussing a case or a problem, knowing some of the facts, but not all, which is just like real life. You can dole out clues, even red herrings, as they talk, all the while creating suspense, tension, and conflict.

Create Tension and Conflict

All novels need conflict in order to be successful. Think about every great book you’ve ever read – they all had some major conflict. So how can you create conflict? One useful method is to use conversations to create that tension. It can be a lover’s quarrel, or someone being fired from their job, or a pregnant woman being told by her doctor that she’s going to miscarry. All these situations are ideally told through dialogue – if you did it through description, it wouldn’t have the impact of a people talking or arguing. I’ll give you an example from THE MEDIA MURDERS, my most recent J.T. Ryan thriller. In this novel, the FBI’s John (J.T.) Ryan and Erin Welch are investigating the suspicious deaths of several news reporters. In the book there’s a tension-filled, life-an-death conversation that takes place between the President of the U.S. and the FBI Director. I won’t give away the plot twist, but suffice it to say that this two-page-long dialogue changes the course of American history.

Don’t Forget Humor

One of the most effective ways to use dialogue is to have the characters interact humorously. My novels are serious in nature, with people often risking their lives. But I always include light-hearted moments. If you want your novel to come alive, the selective use of wit can be one of your best friends as a writer. Earlier I mentioned a couple of my main characters, J.T. Ryan and Erin Welch. Although the two admire each other for their job skills, their personalities are quite different. The beautiful and highly-intelligent Erin has a serious personality, while the John Ryan is much more laid-back, often making a joke, even when things are bleak, or if they’re in a dangerous situation. Their dialogue reflects this, creating tension between the two. An occasional use of humor and sarcasm will make your book much more readable and entertaining.

Less is More

When writing dialogue, keep these things in mind: (1) Once you establish who is speaking (especially in a two-person conversation) you don’t need to keep repeating the tag lines. An occasional ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ will suffice. (2) People don’t always answer questions when asked – sometimes when conversing, they ignore questions and stay silent. This can add drama and mystery. (3) Short conversations, using only a few words can many times be more dramatic than long, drawn-out soliloquies, which readers will find boring.

Culled from: Book Marketing Tools

How to Create a User-Intent SEO Strategy

Behind every Google search, there is an intention. People are looking for something in particular when they’re searching the web — the answers to their problems, information about the services available to them or sources for the product they want. If you want your business to be discovered by users on the web, your content needs to be optimized for user intent.

Since Google can recognize user intent, it displays pages in search results that are most relevant to what the user is looking for. Because of this, understanding user intent and creating content with the user’s intent in mind is essential to improving the relevance of your website pages and improving SEO.

If you want to drive more relevant traffic to your site and increase conversions, here’s how to create a user-intent SEO strategy.

Understand the different types of user intent.

In order to create a user-intent SEO strategy for your content, you first need to understand the different types of user intent. Start by heading over to Google. Enter the search terms your audience would be looking for; and, based on what turns up, you’ll easily be able to identify what type of content users want at each different stage of user intent. In the example below, I used Google search results to demonstrate the three stages of user intent.

1. Informational search queries

In the informational search queries stage, the user is trying to gather more information about a particular topic or product, but he or she is not ready to buy. For example, the user might search for “how to edit photos.”

Notice how all the results for that Google search are informational, like how-to blog posts and tutorials. There are no ads on the page because users are only searching for information and not a particular product they want to buy.

2. Navigational search queries

In the navigational search queries stage, the user is looking for a specific type of content to help him or her consider their options, but is still not quite ready to buy. The user will search, for example, for “What is the best photo editing software?”

In this stage of user intent, the results are lists for the top 10 photo editing software and similar comparison blog posts that help users make a decision. The options may contain links to buy, but the sites aren’t pushing the purchase too hard.

3. Transactional search queries

In this stage of user intent — transactional search queries — the user is ready to buy. He or she has got a credit card in hand ready to make a purchase. The user might then search “Where can I buy photo editing software?”

Most of the search results that show up with this query are from online stores that are selling the product the consumer wants to buy. The sites aren’t presenting informative blog posts, but product pages.

Now that you understand the different stages of user intent, you can see what types of content you need to provide for users and what types of key phrases you should be optimizing your content for in order to enhance the relevance of your posts and improve your rankings.

Determine if your existing content supports user intent.

Next, you need to determine if your existing content matches the needs of your audience. To do this simply, go to Google Analytics, and check out your top-performing keywords. If you find that your top-performing keyword phase, “buy hand-knit sweaters,” which is transactional, leads to a page with a blog post that provides tips for people who want to learn how to knit, you’re not giving users what they want.

In this instance, you should switch up your strategy so that users who search for “buy hand-knit sweaters” are led to a product page instead of an informative blog post. That way your users get what they’re looking for — and you get more conversions. Take a look at your other blog posts. If they aren’t being seen by users, incorporate more informational keywords. If your product pages aren’t showing up in transactional search results, sprinkle in some transactional keywords in order to improve your rankings for that type of user intent.

Create content for user intent.

Keywords are not the only thing you need to consider when you create a user-intent SEO strategy. You have to craft your content with user intent in mind. Since Google is capable of understanding intent, if your content doesn’t match your keyword, you won’t rank for it.

For example, if you’re targeting the long-tail keyword phrase “how to bake an apple pie,” but the blog post you write for it veers off in another direction and ends up being more about how to grow your own apple tree, you won’t show up in the search results related to baking. Instead, you’ll show up in search results related to gardening. You’ve got to make sure your content is crafted with user intent in mind. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting a bunch of traffic from users who aren’t interested in your business.

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you plan content for each type of user intent. This will help guide users through each stage of the buyer’s journey. That way, when users in the informational stage discover you, then move on to the next stage, they’ll find helpful content from you again — and you can lead them all the way to buying your product.

Knowing the intent of users will skyrocket the success of your SEO strategy. If you follow these easy tips, the useful content you provide will be found by loads of people, who will return to your site time after time because they know that your business cares about its customers. In no time, they’ll become customers too.

Syed Balkhi on Entrepreneur.com  

Post Tags:#seo#seo strategy#TRW Consult#user-intent

7 Social Media Tips for Authors

 

Social media writer’s block. It’s a thing! You have no problem hammering away at an 80,000 word novel, but when it comes to a 140 character tweet? Forget about it! You end up posting about what you had for dinner or what you did during the day, and nobody seems to be listening . . . or following. If that sounds like you, then these seven social media marketing tips are just what you need.

Who Are You Writing For?

Before you think too hard about what you’ll say, consider who you’ll say it to. You don’t start any social network with followers, after all. So where do you find your audience? Start by following people you actually want to follow. Don’t follow 5,000 people just so they’ll maybe follow you back. Follow people you genuinely want to interact with—and people who would actually interact with you. You could follow Bill Clinton because you happen to like what he says, for example—but don’t expect him to interact with you. Once you are following them, show you have interest in what they’re saying by responding to their tweets and engaging in conversations. Never forget, social media marketing is a two-way street.

Facebook and Twitter . . . Basically the Same Thing, Right?

There are a lot of ways to be lazy with your social media marketing. One way: posting the same content on Twitter and Facebook. Is that so bad? In a word: Yes! Your message on each network should change—people who regularly use Twitter are a different audience from people who use Facebook . . . so your message needs to be altered.

People tend to spend less time on Twitter than Facebook. That doesn’t mean Facebook is more important because when you look at the demographics, people on Twitter tend to be younger, college educated, and earn more money. They’re a completely different group of people, so of course you’ll want to have a different tone when engaging with them. Facebook is more about engagement. Use Twitter to talk to your fans—it’s engagement, but it tends to be more informal engagement; use Facebook to engage with them—create content they’ll absolutely want to share and like.

Twitter is in real-time. What do I mean by that? Twitter tends to be about what’s going on in the day—it’s very casual. You may talk about what you’re writing or getting ready for. Your fans tend to see you in a much more personal and intimate way. Time usually doesn’t matter on Facebook—if someone reads it today or next week, it wouldn’t really matter.

Voice Matters

You’re a writer, so you probably know all about your writing voice. That voice should carry over to social media as well. Don’t post uninspired tweets—show that you really enjoy doing this and you aren’t doing it because someone is twisting your arm.

Who Cares?

Before tweeting or posting something on Facebook, ask yourself if someone would actually care: will it benefit them in any way? Nobody will care that you had a tuna sandwich for lunch, unless you could make that sandwich a little more interesting . . . taking a picture of the sandwich, for instance, and then giving a recipe that shows why this sandwich is truly unique.

To Share or Not to Share

Sharing interesting articles is another popular thing you can tweet for engagement. But try and think of articles people may not actually have heard of. Don’t tweet an article about who won the presidential race . . . tweet an article about something a little smaller, but that needs to be read.

Don’t Talk, Converse

As you grow and start to get followers, start thinking about ways to make them get engaged with your message. Charities are one place to start. Who doesn’t want to help people? But instead of saying “here’s a great charity that helps kids read,” say “millions of kids can’t read. Here’s a charity that helps. Please retweet.” In the second example you’re asking your readers to actually respond to what you’re saying. As an author you’ll obviously want to make your message somewhat book inspired. You can do this by posting book recommendations or asking people what’s on their reading list. But you can also occasionally promote other authors. Helping other writers will help yourself in the long term.

Hashtag It!

Hashtags are one of the easiest ways to get followers quick, if you use them right. On Twitter, a hashtag is something that starts with a # sign. When a person clicks on the word after it, they see other people talking about that topic. So, for example, if you are talking about politics you might end your tweet with #politics.

Here’s a few things to remember about hashtags:

• First: don’t hashtag everything. Use them when they seem relevant, but every post doesn’t need nor should have a hashtag.
• Second: don’t be generic; posting a tweet about how happy you are about something with #excited will not find you any followers.
• Third: use hashtags relevant to your followers—if you are at a writers conference, for example, and there’s a hashtag for that conference, use it. This will connect you with other people at that same conference.
• Last: think of hashtags that build into your brand—unique hashtags that only you use. So, for example, you might have a hashtag for the book you are working on, and whenever a reader clicks on it, they can see all the tweets about that particular book; or you may ask readers and influencers to use a certain hashtag whenever they talk about your book.

You don’t grow your social network overnight; you don’t grow it over a few weeks. It’s a long process. It’s something you should be working on as you write your book—not as you prepare to release it. Be persistent, and don’t give up when it’s not growing as fast as you want it to.

Scott La Counte is the CEO of BuzzTrace, which helps authors and publishers discover new readers and sell more books. He has over 15 years experience in publishing as both an author and publisher. Writing under the name Scott Douglas, he has had several bestselling books.

3 Mistakes Screenwriters Make in Their First Acts

 

What are some of the most common mistakes screenwriters make in the first acts of their screenplays?

Hollywood script consultant and story expert Michael Hauge cover three of those problems that screenwriters struggle with:

1. Characters with Lack of Outer Motivation

“If you’re having story problems, all roads lead to the hero’s outer motivation. Because one of the biggest issues, one of the most difficult things for writers to really embrace, is this idea that at the very foundation of any story is a visible goal that the hero wants to cross at the end of the story.”

He goes on to say that so many screenwriters get so caught up in the depth of the character and their inner journey, the themes, and the plotting of a strong premise, that they lose the story by adding so many other elements and concepts to deliver those themes, plot points, and inner character developments.

“If you think about it, most Hollywood movies, in particular, are based on very simple story ideas.” 

He chooses what many would think is a very complicated story as an example — Inception. While it comes off initially as being a very complicated premise, it’s actually very simple.

“It’s very core. it’s very simple. A group of people wants to penetrate a person’s dreams down to a layer where they can change his behavior without him knowing it. That’s it… everything is built on that goal.”

When you have that simple, single goal and communicate that to the audience early on in the script, everything is built on that foundation. Most screenplays out there don’t have that.

He goes on to point out that it’s understandable why this is lost. Screenwriters want to stand out. They want to be original. They want to explore those character depths. But they lose sight of the fact that it all needs to start with a straightforward goal.

Another example would be Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now, a lot of stuff happens within that cinematic story. But the simple goal mentioned early on in the script is, “Find the Ark. Get it before the Nazis do.”

In the first act, screenwriters need to present a simple goal and finish point that everyone can see and envision, whether they read the script or watch the movie.

2. Not Showing the Character’s World Before the Story Begins 

“We have to have a setup. It can be very brief — or a character can be on the move, so to speak, they can have just arrived in a town, and we see them going to a meeting or going to meet a hitman, or whatever it might be — but nonetheless, it has to convey [that] this is who this character has been for some time and it has to create empathy.”

Another example is First Blood.

The premise of the screenplay doesn’t begin at Page 1. We first meet John Rambo as he hitchhikes to one of his Vietnam buddy’s farm, hoping to reunite with him. He sadly finds out that his friend has died due to complications from cancer.

During the exchange between Rambo and his friend’s family, we see a fun, loving, and peaceful side of Rambo — not the warrior we will eventually see wreaking havoc on a police force that wronged him. That creates empathy.

If that film had started with a vagrant disobeying a direct order to leave the town, the audience wouldn’t have empathy for the character and wouldn’t be as invested in his story and circumstances.

“That empathy must occur immediately. We have to empathize before we start seeing what the flaws of the character are. Before we start recognizing what this inner conflict is or what this identity is, or what dark places they might go. First, we just have to connect with them emotionally.”

3. Jumping From the Setup Right to the Outer Motivation

“I think because screenwriters are inundated with the idea that you gotta grab the reader right away, and you gotta get things going, and so on. All of that is true, but it doesn’t mean that you rush the story. What it means is that you start building in conflict as soon as you can. But you don’t rush the story. It’s going to take all of Act I to get your hero to the point where they really begin pursuing that visible finish line. And if you start on page 10, with them pursuing the goal, your script is going to die around Page 70.”

Yes, you do need to introduce your concept as early as possible, but that visible finish line — the protagonist’s goal — still has time to develop within the next ten pages or so.

You have to build up to that goal by showing the character in their world. Present some conflict, and let them discover what goal it is that they have to accomplish.

 

Culled from The Script Lab

• FILMMAKING
• FIRST ACTS MISTAKES
• SCREENWRITERS