Check out this article from Writer’s Digest on the elevator pitch and find a way to make it work for you.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Archive for December, 2007
Motivation: How to Get It Back
29
Dec
I was thinking of my own novel, quietly gathering dust on my fiction pile as my paying work quickly takes more of my time, wondering if I could somehow attain the determination of authors who work two full-time jobs, have children and a spouse and church activities and still somehow find time to write. I wondered if I wanted to. I mean, this story is great, it rocks and, more importantly, I think it will sell. But motivation seems to be alluding me right now. Perhaps it is just a holiday slump – perhaps it is much more.
I came across this blog and it gave me a few ideas on how to get my enthusiasm back – and forced my brain to start thinking positivity instead of negatively. Perhaps it will help you, too.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Wicked Wordsmith Question of the Week
28
Dec
The New Year is fast approaching, and with it, a slew of resolutions to lose weight, get married, get divorced, change the hairstyle, etc. Some resolutions are doable, others are way out of the ballpark.
Sit down and write out next year’s goals for each of your characters. What do they hope to accomplish in the coming year? How much is a repeat of last year’s list? What items are new? Do they think so far outside the box that the goals are unattainable, or are they so afraid of change that they list items easily accomplished?
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
Book/DVD Reviewers Needed
24
Dec
We need a few good writers.
PopSyndicate.com
is searching for talent to review the latest in books and DVDs. If you
are a writer and want to get the goods before they hit the shelves,
then submit a writing sample (an Amazon.com review works) and let us
know what you want to review. You can also visit us on MySpace.
PopSyndicate.com
started last year, averages 215,000 hits per month and continues to
grow. It’s a great place to beef up your clips and enhance your
presence on the Web.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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WW Question of the Day
21
Dec
What does your character’s MySpace page say?
Take a minute to “create” a page for your character, filling in the blanks with likes and dislikes, favorite TV shows and music, and personality profile. Think about what type of photograph your character would use, and how this character plans to use the site (networking, dating, etc.)
What fellow MySpacers are listed in the friends section? Does the character pursue friends, or wait for invitations?
You would be amazed at what types of insights you’ll get from your character – and the new plot points those lead to.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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LitMatch Upgrades
19
Dec
The creators of LitMatch have made some upgrades – and plan some more. Here’s the latest:
Chicago-based LitMatch.net, the largest and most complete directory of literary agents on the web, recently announced the launch of the first in a series of upgrades
to their agent response time reporting features.This upgrade includes a number of useful additions that display response times for
both agencies and individual agents, and provide separate stats for email and
postal mail responses.The average, fastest and slowest responses are displayed for each category. In addition, users can easily find out how many submissions to a given agent or agency result in rejections (both personal and form rejections), requests for materials, and offers of representation.
“Until now, we’ve been focused on making the site as useful as possible for
the individual user tracking submissions in our system,” said
Christopher Hawkins, President and creator of LitMatch. “But now that
we have a strong base of submission information to draw from, we’re
proud to be able to add these statistics to our ever-growing set of literary
agent research tools and offer them to our registered and unregistered users
alike!”Initially planned for January, the statistics upgrade was released a full month early,
due in large part to a strong response from LitMatch’s growing user base.“Thanks to the support and productivity of our users,” saidHawkins, “we’re able to leave this particular present under the tree just in time for the holidays.”
Additional reporting upgrades are in development for release in the near future.
For more information, clarifications and interview requests, please contact us
via email at admin@litmatch.net, or visit us online at www.litmatch.net.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
Shelfari Update
19
Dec
Check out the updates to Shelfari, one of the best book-sharing sites on the Web. They have made it much easier to add books to your shelf – which I appreciate immensely. If you don’t have a Shelfari account, get one. Readers and writers are connecting on this site simply by sharing what they love to read.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Drive Traffic to Your Sites
17
Dec
I was tooling around the Web today and found two excellent resources to help drive traffic to my Web sites. Check them out and see if they will work for you.
ineedhits.com (I recommend the free tools only. You can find better pricing for other services offered on this site.)
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Get this RSS Feed
17
Dec
I discovered a fabulous blog on writing, copywriting, marketing and PR. Check out the HigherTrustMarketing.com blog and find a wealth of information.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Wicked Wordsmith Question of the Week
16
Dec
The holiday gift-giving madness strikes. What is the worst gift your characters have received? The best? What are the worst gifts they have given? The best? What does this tell you about them? Are they selfish? Bad gift-givers?
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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