First Word

Do you know what are analytics? These are measurements of what your website or blog are doing (essentially a measurement of readership). Analytics measure things such as page views, click-thrus, sites where clicks come from, and where the clicks come from (countries), and more. If you use Blogger then you know analytics are also called stats aka statistics. If you're considering starting a blog, I recommend you take advantage of FREE services like Blogger. You can pay for services such as Typepad , which is more robust; but I have found for the average user the depth of a service like Typepad isn't necessarily worth it. Typepad does have two different levels of keyword searches and allows the user to break the blog into self-created categories. For example, on World Less Traveled's blog , it is broken down into categories such as vacation, travel tips, State Parks, recreation, etc. Her analytics measure pretty much the same things as Blogger, but you cannot see the depth ...

Michelle Gamble attends the Northwest Book Festival in Portland, Oregon. I just came in off the road after traveling to the Northwest Book Festival and speaking to authors. I've realized the no. #1 thing every author should know ... writing a book means you are becoming in a sense an entrepreneur. "How is that?" you ask. Writing a book is only 50 percent of the work. Most authors get into the craft and forget that they are really embarking on a business endeavor. I named my writers' group Writers Who Mean Business to teach authors the "business of publishing" not just the craft of writing. Authors get so involved in their "craft" they often forget that the next step is for people to actually read their work -- and to get people to read their work it requires "business" activities and more specifically public relations and marketing. No one will know about your work without these business endeavors to publicize it. Marketing and publi...

I am prepping for the Northwest Book Festival  that is scheduled for July 27 in Portland, Ore. I have a great tip for you if you ever need to buy a table and chairs for your booth space: Costco . So, I went over to Costco and picked up this really cool fold-up long table with a handle to carry it like a suitcase and two (padded) folding chairs. It cost me $75 for the whole shindig. We also needed a canopy tent structure (I guess it rains or too much shines) in Portland. So I borrowed an easy-up tent from a friend. I am set for my display already ... so check! Done. Now I emphasized padded chairs ... have you ever sat for 8 to 10 hours on a metal surface? Not comfortable so make sure you get padded chairs if you're going to sit for any duration of time. We also have the standard banners and the dog-and-pony show necessities. FYI, do you have the following for your display: Poster-board signage Business cards or (in this case) bookmarks with proper contact information Drop cloth...

One of the hardest things to do when writing fiction is to create unique voices for each character. If you make all the characters sound alike it makes the writing flat and uninteresting. It also makes it difficult to get to know a character -- they all sound like the same person. When I teach my fiction writing workshops, I always teach writers the following concepts to help create a voice for each character. Phone a friend -- I'm being cute ... what I really mean is pick someone you know in real life. Hear how he or she talks. Take this person's voice and apply it to one of your characters. If you don't know someone who would "fit the part" then take an actor or actress or even a public figure and listen to how this person talks. Mimic their inflections and phrases in your character(s). My biggest insight: really listen and repeat. People have their own ways of saying things. So, you want to capture the unique essence of the voice. Formalism in modern writ...

Some writers have a bad habit of doing what we call "telling and not showing". They will do this in two different ways: #1 Underdeveloped scenes aka as impatient writing -- to progress a story faster than an ice melting on 220-degree pavement, writers will in one sentence or less tell you a major plot point. I call this impatient writing. The writer is often much more excited to get to the action and climax then to develop important plot points. For example, telling us a character got summoned to the police station for questioning and then just skipping to the after scene and briefly saying what happened. A police questioning scene is ripe for drama. Why would you skip over it, especially if it's an essential plot point. Sometimes writers just aren't as fascinated or excited about the scene so it's easier to just jump over it. This leads to... #2 Lack of story development -- when you skip really fast over important plot points, you are making your storytellin...

Many authors ask questions about self-publishers such as iUniverse or more recently Book Baby or Smashwords. Now before I explain why these "publishers" are nothing more than a "mechanism" to get your book out there, I want to be fair. Some of these services do exactly what they say -- they get your book converted to an eBook and then posted on eBook distribution service like Kindle on Amazon or Nook on Barnes and Noble. A place like iUniverse does a little more than that, but for the most part not much more.  After speaking to hundreds of authors who have used self-publishing services, I would like to clear up the confusion that seems to follow some of the more popular self-publishers.  Your book is edited by a professional -- true or false ?  False ! Some services provide ZERO editing. Other services provide an editor. Is that editor always qualified? One review of some back cover copies produced by some of these self-publishers suggests a lack of quali...

It's Friday, and I often don't feel serious. My daydreams drift to thoughts of summer fun -- swimming with my kids or going for a hike. It all sounds way more interesting than working, doesn't it? Well, you know you have to make a living. Speaking of making a living, I have an offer for readers. How would you like a cool giveaway? Send me an email and a promise you will do an Amazon review, and I will send you a complementary copy of Vengeance is Now (www.vengeanceisnow.com). This critically acclaimed thriller is being praised as the best in new fiction -- find out why! Send your email for your FREE copy to info@3LPublishing.com and pledge, "I will do an Amazon review." Vengeance is Now is also available on Kindle, iBook and Nook. Scott D. Roberts and yours truly will at the Northwest Book Festival on July 27, 2013 in Portland Oregon. I will be promoting the second book in the California Girl Chronicles series, Brea's Big Break .

The best books take interesting approaches to storytelling. I recently received a submission from a new writer who naturally and successfully broke linear storytelling structure. As her memoir unfolded it wasn't the typical "...and I was born ... and died" approach. Yes, a story needs a beginning and an end. Her story was unique. She began with an opening that defined the theme in the book. She then fluidly moved to major life events. Guess what? Not in chronological order. She began building intrigue by providing her life story through defining events. As she did so, she opened questions to be answered and pull the reader forward -- and that is what you call a page-turner. The reader wonders okay how are we going to get back to this plot point? After building, for example, a chapter where she alludes to her own "death," she then successfully plunges back into her past and how this history makes her who she is now. Brilliant! So the point? Don't take a strai...

I have been blogging and providing tips for writers. Now even the most seasoned writer can make these common mistakes. Since I have been providing the most common mistakes made by new and seasoned writers alike, I will continue that theme. Here are some of the mistakes I see the most often. Non-parallel verb structure : this is hard. The sentence can seem like it reads right, but it's not right. Non-parallel verb structure is when your verb tenses don't match. Here is an example: Wrong : He walked to the store, stopping and picking up a paper, and continued inside. Right : He walked to the store, stopped and picked up a paper, and continued inside. Shifting from present to past tense in storytelling : this one is another common mistake. The rule: pick a tense and stay in it. For example, if you decide to write your story in present tense, you have to stay in the present tense the entire story. You can only shift to past tense when referring to something that did, i...

My associate and author Scott D. Roberts calls this too much exposition. I am a little simpler: I call it too much minutia. One of the biggest mistakes I see writers make is to bog down their writing in what Roberts aptly puts as too much exposition. What this means is that writers tell the reader everything and anything to "decorate" a description -- and it has absolutely nothing to do with storytelling. For example during a critical scene you start describing what the character is eating, how he/she enjoys it, and it has absolutely nothing to do with driving the story forward, then the real question is: why is that in there? Ask this question for every scene: is it relevant to the plot? If it's nothing but an interesting piece of fluff -- or your writer's ego enjoyed writing about the pie in the window that had nothing to do with the story, take it out. Every element of every scene or chapter should be a part of the story -- and it should drive the story forwar...

I had this great writing class in college. I will never forget this excellent exercise. The professor taught us how to "trim the fat" to tighten our writing. The major tip is to look for the excess and unnecessary words. It will sharpen your writing, and it makes it easier to read. I'm going to show you an example of how it's done.  This sentenced is pulled from my own newsletter (you can sign up at www.3LPublishing.com ... look for the First Word button).  Exercise: Trim five words from this sentence: Speaking of warmth, let's discuss what isn't particularly warm, but perhaps slightly "cold" and maybe even bad for business. Speaking of warmth, let's discuss what isn't warm, but "cold" and bad for business. You can clearly see how much better that sentence is. Now here is why I didn't write it that way in the first place: voice. The "excess" "fat" in that sentence conveys my voice. In a person...

I recently began offering complementary writer's workshop for writer's groups. I was stunned over some of the reactions that were at times abrasive and borderline rude. The major concern centered around whether or not we might expect something for our time. Since the workshops are designed as information-based marketing programs, the answer was no. We just wanted the opportunity to meet, educate, and network with fellow writers. When you give information away freely and without reservation, people will naturally gravitate toward your company. I have found free information = opportunities without hard sales. The bonus for us is we love what we do and enjoy teaching and educating others about our craft. Well, this one writer's group just pushed and pushed and questioned about our genuine interest in sharing with their group. It got to the point where after several assurances we would not give an infomercial, the group leader continued what just became an offensive stance on...

“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.” ~ Paul Coelho I have learned so many valuable lessons on this road of life. You always have to look as your experiences as lessons. What do you need to learn about living, about yourself? In March 2012, I took a major leap of faith with one full swoop and made a HUGE change in my life. Not only that I invited someone very special to me to "take a journey with me," which was a bold, profound move on my part. Sometimes, though, you have to make bold, profound moves to change your life for the positive. I recently realized t...

New writers make common mistakes when they pitch their manuscripts. If you've had an occasion to actually get in front of a publisher then you better scramble and have your act together. My time is valuable. Publishers don't have time to sit and listen, so if you're fortunate enough to get that precious pitch time, take advantage and don't make these common mistakes. Free, free and free -- and what's not in it for me . Some authors will call me just to "pick my brain" even though they have no intention of working with me. They will want me to help them write a query or proposal without any idea that it's an outrageous request. We do provide proposal-writing services not for FREE. I'm just saying. Not to mention a complete stranger asking me for "favors" is slightly ridiculous, too. I don't know you, remember? Read my entire book -- another common blunder. Writers expect I am going to read their entire manuscript. I may read th...

If you're an entrepreneur or even an author (authors have to market, too) then I want to call your attention to the value of target marketing and the problem with casting too broad a net. I recently got advertised to on Facebook for a group called "Seniors Meet" ... your last chance at love LOL. Now I'm sure the demographic for Seniors Meet is naturally senior citizens. I started laughing. Looking at my picture on the blog. Do I look like I fit into the geriatric crowd? You're all now shaking your heads, "No Michelle." Casting too broad a net to market or advertise products or services is a complete waste of time, resources and money. I am not old enough to be considered a senior citizen. So what criteria did the marketers put on their social media ad? I would imagine the age range they included had to be women in their 40's. Are women in their 40's senior citizen? Um no Bob they are not quite there yet. Middle-aged perhaps but hardly ready for a...