Do you have a “writer’s tool kit?” If not, I’m offering a
giveaway of a pink tool kit from Lowes and several Writers’
craft books to one of the writers who comments on this post and an e-copy of my Christmas novella, The Fruitcake Challenge, so read on ...
If you’ve been reading Seekerville for very long, then
you’ve been building and stocking your own writer’s tool kit. And craft books
are also valuable additions to a kit, such as Julie’s wonderful paperback Romanceology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Inspirational
and Sweet Markets.
I thought I’d add some additional elements to include in
your kit, as you continue on your journey in writing Christian fiction. I
recently posted a blog on ACFW about cross promotion, but I also touched on
reciprocity. So I’m going to address social relationships a little bit for your
tool kit.
Social Relationships
for Your Writing Toolkit:
1)
Do unto
others as you’d have them do unto you. The Golden Rule has a big place in
your tool kit. That means if you want people to promote you and your books (or
blogs), you need to similarly return the favor. Think about it—if you continued
to ask people to dinner at your house and they never returned the invitation,
would you continue? No, of course not—because they’d be taking advantage of you
and your good graces. Some folks may need a gentle reminder. But just like in
today’s social milieu, you’ll find people who are only interested in what you
can do for them with not even the slightest inkling that they would even
consider doing anything for you. My observation—such authors often lose their
audience because this disregard for others often shows itself in an author’s
writing voice.
2)
Be a good
guest when you do visit blogs, Facebook parties, etc. Say something kind. Snarky doesn’t have
a place in the social business world of writing. While you may enjoy that type
of humor, it is not appropriate in a writing venue with readers or, in my
opinion, other writers’ groups. Remember that what you say and do online will
be around to haunt you for a long while afterwards. Do you really want your
28-year-old snarky comments to follow you ten years later when people are Googling
your early books?
3)
Be a good
host when you have online events. Show up. If you’re part of a group and
you committed to being there, make sure you’ve marked your calendar. Engage
with your readers. Take the time to comment back individually if possible. This
is linked to another important asset in your toolkit—engage with other authors
and link up in groups. Participate in a group blog if you can.
4)
Know
yourself. #2 and #3 above might be a moot point if you know that the only
social interaction you want with readers is face-to-face at book signings and
you don’t want to deal with computers and today’s social media. But you’d
better know your readers, too! If they all hang out on Twitter and Facebook and
never at Barnes and Nobles where your book signings are, well…
5)
Engage
with those who have supported and encouraged you even when there isn’t any goal
in mind at present. For instance, if you have a great reviewer or beta
reader but have no book for them to read at present, don’t just go silent on
them. Check in. Most people who do you the favor of engaging in these
activities are inundated with requests. Why should they give you the time of
day when you vanish for months on end? Be considerate of others and their time.
And yes, I do know there are some dedicated readers/reviewers whose sole desire
is to get your book and read it without ever having any contact with you. But
those are the rare reviewers these days.
6)
Do you
like people? This is a valuable asset in your toolkit. If you love God’s
people, you’re going to want to bless others, reciprocate, spend time with
readers, engage online, and follow up with others. And if you don’t really have
that love in your heart and want to do these things—don’t give the excuse that
you “need to be in the writing cave” if it is more about not being around
others socially. Pray for God to stretch your heart so you won’t want to make
that excuse, but use it only when it is indeed critical (as in #7). I recently
heard Jeanne Wynn talk about doing what works for you, but you’ll also find
certain venues are less reader-engaged than others.
7)
About
that being in the writer’s cave—it has to happen. There has to be a
balance. Readers realize an author simply can’t get their writing done, and
hence more books out for them to read, if s/he isn’t spending time writing. Let
your social network know what you’re working on and how long you’ll be out of
the loop so they can watch for your return. Kind of like having those signs on
an office door that say “be back after lunch” only ours are “be back after
spending hours and hours writing” or editing!
QUESTION: Of all
these suggestions for the social part of your toolkit is there anything in
particular that resonates with you? Is there something you’ve done that has
blessed your socks off? Readers (not writers) do you agree with my suggestions? Leave a comment and you're entered to win a very cool writer's tool kit and an ecopy of The Fruitcake Challenge.
THE FRUITCAKE CHALLENGE:
I had the pleasure of reading Carrie's Christmas novella, The Fruitcake Challenge (only 99 cents, people!) and LOVED it! Here's my review:
The Perfect Recipe for Love! When it comes to cooking
up delectable romance, Carrie Fancett Pagels is quickly becoming a chef
extraordinaire in the Christian market, and her latest “dish”—The Fruitcake
Challenge—is downright delicious!
With a plot as fresh as the fruitcakes baked
by the ladies of the Christy logging camp, romance is in the air when a
handsome new logger dares the camp’s pretty cook to “bake a fruitcake like my
mother’s, and I’ll propose.” Toss in a hint of mischief and a whole lot of
sass, and the challenge is on! And so is the fun with a delightful Christmas
story so sweet, you’ll be savoring it long after the last bite.
ABOUT CARRIE:
Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D. “Hearts Overcoming Through Time,” is an award-winning Christian historical romance author. Carrie’s Amazon Christian Historical Romance bestselling novella, The Fruitcake Challenge, released September, 2014. Her short story, “Snowed In,” appears in Guidepost Books’ A Christmas Cup of Cheer (2013). She’s the Amazon best-selling and top-rated author of Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance (2013). Her short story, “The Quilting Contest,” appears in Family Fiction’s The Story 2014 anthology. Carrie received Honorable Mention for the 2014 Maggie Awards for Excellence for her unpublished novel Grand Exposé. Former psychologist (25 years) and mother of two.
