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Writers Bloggers – Create a Blog

March 5, 2008 at 7:57 pm | Posted in Writers Write | Leave a comment
Tags: articles, audience, bloggers, create a blog, creating a blog, e-published, genre, mystery, publishing, self published, selling your book, suspense, thriller, true crime, Writers, Writing

I started writing because I loved to read. It was with equal parts admiration (How do they do it?) and disdain (I could do it better) that I crossed the threshold from reader to writer. What did I find on the other side? To my dismay, not a mob of eager agents or publishers clamoring to sell my book. Instead I found a crowd of cynics: aspiring authors who had been burned by con artists. I was burned too, (moderately singed), and so I can certainly understand the need to guard your most precious treasure.

Not your book.

Your HOPE.

You can sell your book, whether self published, e-published or traditionally published, but the key is to SELL your book. Even before it is published, you want to generate buzz about yourself and your work. You can do this if you create a blog and drive traffic to your site.

Your blog should be relevant and meaningful to you and to your prospective audience. Believe it or not even writers lose interested in writing if the topic is boring to them. I couldn’t write a blog about car maintenance, even if my main character is a super hero welding a wrench. It may tie into my book, but it has no long term appeal to me as a writer. Subjects that interest me are Writing, True Crime, Reading, Self Help (motivation, setting goals, positive thinking) and Reality TV. If it’s relevant to my work as a writer, I’ll post it on Fictionway. I never run out of things to write about because this interests me. My target audiences for my books are mystery, suspense and crime readers. And if they’re like me, they’re also curious about the process of writing.

Once you know the theme of your blog, you will need to drive traffic to your site. A good way to do this is to post articles that provide good information and directs your readers to your blog. Simple right? The only trick is knowing where to place your articles so you get the most exposure. There are lots of sites that allow you to post articles with links back to your site, including: Squidoo, HubPages and PeopleFuel. Some allow revenue sharing, which is icing on the cake. Explore these different sites and find a few (yes a few) that are easy to use and build links to your site. Without spreading yourself too thin you want to have links back to your web site from multiple sources. How thin is too thin?

You should probably try to write 3-4 articles a week for placement outside of your own blog. You don’t need to add fresh content every week, but it will help you build a readership. That is in addition to your own blog, which should have a minimum of 1-2 articles a week. This is where you want the bulk of your information. I started with a couple of WordPress Blogs and then PeopleFuel. This is enough for me. There is a lot of information available for creating a blog, optimizing search engines (SEO), targeting key words and creating links. This is just a way to start and I’m sure you’ll get more proficient with time.

Don’t give up hope. You dreamed of writing a book, and you achieved it. You dream of selling your book and you will achieve that too. It just takes belief, perseverance and plenty of patience.

Dean Koontz

February 7, 2008 at 7:23 pm | Posted in Writers Write | Leave a comment
Tags: Book, Brother Odd, Dean Koontz, fiction, Horror, mystery, Odd Thomas, review. Lighning, supernatural, suspense, The Darkest Evening of the Year, The Good Guy, The Husband, thriller, writer

Dean Koontz has long been one of my favorite authors. I have accompanied him on his journey from shocking horror master to supernatural guru. At times the path was messy with blood and gore and at other times, inspiring. Over time, his work has become increasingly formulaic: 2 parts ordinary hero thrust into a hopeless situation fighting omnipotent villains, 1 part supernatural activity, 1 part faithful companion and a dash of spirituality. While the recipe has created plenty of tasty treats: Odd Thomas, The Good Guy and The Husband, are all somewhat bland in their predictability. Whispers Dean Koontz

Koontz is a wonderful writer. He is a master of language, commanding words to create breathtaking images or heart thumping scenes. Similar to Stephen King, Koontz creates flesh and bone characters, so well developed they feel like friends, family or lovers. His protagonists are flawed yet brave, loners yet likeable, reluctant yet forced to take action.

“Anyway, only a fool or a madman goes looking for adventure in picturesque Moonlight Bay, which is simultaneously one of the quietest and most dangerous communities on the planet. Here, if you stand in one place long enough, a lifetime’s worth of adventure will find you.” Seize the Night

Koontz’s break through novel was Whispers published in 1980. The main character, Hilary Thomas, is repeatedly attacked by Bruno Frye, even after he is killed. Hilary represents the classic Koontz heroine: brave, alone and victorious.

The Servants of Twilight, published in 1988, is a fan favorite. The story is about a mother, Christine Scavello, who must protect her son from crazed cult members who believe her child is the Anti Christ.

His work became noticeably darker, beginning in 1991, with Hideaway. Hatch Harrison was clinically dead for eighty minutes and was brought back to life by a pioneering doctor. He begins to have violent visions of a serial killer, called Vassago. Other works published in the 90’s feature sadistic killers: Intensity, Dragon Tears and Tick Tock. By the late 1997, Koontz began to explore characters with diabilities. Chris Snow is featured in a trilogy of books beginning with Fear Nothing. Snow suffers from the rare disease called XP (xeroderma pigmentosum); he is allergic to sunlight. Supporting characters may have Down’s syndrome, they may be agoraphobic or blind.

“The girl stamped her left foot on the ground, causing the leg brace to rattle softly. She raised her left hand, which proved to be deformed: The little finger and the ring finger were fused into a single misshapen digit that was connected by a thick web of tissue to a gnarled and stubby middle finger.” One Door Away From Heaven

While the human characters are important to the story, there is often a canine character who steals the spot light. Koontz is an animal lover. His friend Trixie, a golden retriever, graced several book jackets, co authored a few books and even provided a pseudonym to which Koontz published.

Dogs played a prominent role in many of his works, including: Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, The Taking, Watchers, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Dragon Tears and One Door Away from Heaven.

“The dog also knew what the ringing meant. He padded out of the shadows into the candle glow, and stared sorrowfully at me. Unlike the others of his kind, he will hold any man’s or woman’s gaze as long as he is interested. Animals usually stare directly at us only briefly – then look away as though unnerved by something they see in the human eyes. Perhaps Orson sees what other dogs see, and perhaps he, too, is disturbed by it, but he is not intimidated.He is a strange dog. But he is my dog, my steadfast friend, and I love him.” Fear Nothing

None was more prominently featured then Nikki, a rescued golden in The Darkest Evening of the Year. I was disappointed by the book, finding the plot and character development lacking. The book is also burdened by Koontz’s own political and social agendas. Of all his works, I still love Lightning the most. Published in 1988, the story was inventive, surprising and romantic. The most important moments in Laura Shane’s life have been punctuated with lightening, which happens to coincide with the appearance of a stranger.