Time to Write

How much of your writing should you give away online?

If you look at my various sites (www.timetowrite.com, www.yourwritingcoach.com, www.focusquick.com, www.brainstormnet.com) as well as this blog, you'll see that I believe in giving away quite a lot of content. But can you give away so much that people are less motivated to buy what you're offering? 

Maybe, and one example might be the excellent site, www.brainrules.net. It goes with the book, "Brain Rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at home, work, and school," written by John Medina. It includes a slide/video/audio presentation that gives the key facts about each of the twelve principles. There's also a blog that goes with the book. Great stuff--but after checking it all out, I wonder whether there's enough more in the book to justify buying it. 

I'll check it out the next time I go to a book store. In the meantime, if you're interested in learning about how the brain works, visit the site--and maybe get the book. The experience might also give you some ideas about how much content you want to give away (or not) on your own website or blog.

(Another way to get information about how to use your brain to be more creative and productive is my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request now to [email protected])

Writers: how to get a say in your book title and cover image

Authors usually are 'consulted' about the final title and cover image of their books, but that doesn't mean they have much power if they don't like them. 

That was situation for Mark Penn. The publisher wanted to call his book "Minitrends" and have an image of a snowball on the cover. Penn happens to be the head of an international PR agency and an expert pollster, so he convened a focus group of about 200 book readers and asked their opinions.

Turns out they didn't like the snowball and they preferred the title, "Microtrends." Confronted with the evidence, the publisher went along with the changes (now the cover features a magnifying glass).

You can influence the publisher's marketing people if you present them with facts, rather than just pitting your opinion against theirs.

By the way, the marketing experts at Pearson decided that the cover of my current book, "Focus: the power of targeted thinking," should feature the world "Focus" in large type against a red/orange background with a sunburst pattern. It seems to be working. The most recent good news: it's going to be the Business Book of the Month for December at a major UK book store chain (I don't know whether I'm allowed to reveal yet which one--I suppose if I revealed it, it would be water under the stone, er, under the bridge...). If you're not familiar with the book, here's my mini-sales pitch:

Focus: the power of targeted thinking gives you an innovative, right-brain approach to setting and finally achieving your goals. You can find it at book stores and online. You can also find our more about it (and access free bonus material) at www.focusquick.com. 

Writing books, writing games (do they really go together?)

The New York Times recently featured an article indicating that many publishers, especially those producing books for young readers, are coming up with related online games at the same time. One author, PJ Haarsma, said that this "brings the book into their world, as opposed to going the other way around." In other words, the game pretty much comes first. 

Another example of the trend is the "The Maze of Bones," a ten-book mystery series connected to an online game. The publisher is Scholastic Books. 

Marketing gimmick or the evolution of reading? It's not clear yet but one of the critics pointed out that one of the big differences between the two formats is that games tend to be interactive--what you do affects the action--whereas in reading the author is running the show. On the other hand, with books you have a lot of leeway as to how you imagine the characters and settings, while in games the visuals are presented to you. 

I can imagine a child reading a book and then going online to play a game set in the same world, or vice versa, but as I've said before, I'm a bit skeptical about how well these two formats actually integrate. However, I have noticed how many big-budget, big-effects movies seem to be more like video games all the time, with a set of action sequences that could be presented in any order, rather than in a compelling story arc.

The other issue is that a games writer/creator is not necessarily a good book author and vice versa, so in most cases it would be up to the publisher to acquire the book or game and then commission the other format, or hire two people to work in concert.

At any rate it's a fascinating topic and you can read the entire, quite lengthy, article, here. An earlier article by the same writer, Motoko Rich, looked at the relationship of reading online to reading books and other traditional texts, and you can find it here. 

Odd jobs: the mystery worshipper (a possible character?)

One of the things I look for when I read is reports of jobs I've never heard about. I suppose it's because I'm drawn to oddities and also because you never know when you'll be able to use something like that in a script or story. In an article by Alexandra Alter in a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal I ran across an interesting one: a mystery worshipper.

You've heard of mystery shoppers, right? They go into stores and restaurants and hotels and report on the service and the products they get. The WSJ says that, according to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, there are roughly one million secret shoppers in the United States. (Can that be right? Doesn't that sound like a lot of secret shoppers?) Anyway, the secret worshipper is a secret shopper who visits churches and evaluates everything about them, from the quality of the paving in the parking lot to the sermons, to whether or not they're greeted as they arrive. 

The article mentions that some people think this is not appropriate because it reduces churches to just another consumer item. One of the pastors interviewed says that's just how it is. He says, "My competition is the Cracker Barrel restaurant down the street." Interesting idea. Redemption? Sure, would you like fries with that? I feel a story coming on...

Is it who you know that gets your script produced?

Is it who you know that is the key to getting your work produced? Jenny Lumet is the daughter of noted director Sidney Lumet, and the author of the screenplay, "Rachel Getting Married." Here's what she told The Washington Post about how her father got the script to Jonathan Demme, who eventually directed the film:

"I essentially extorted my dad. I was like: You will never see your grandson again unless you get this script to Jonathan Demme. And eventually it paid off. I live on [West] 95th Street. And there are probably 15 screenwriters on my block who are freaking geniuses, right? And they can't get the right person to read their screenplay because it's so freaking hard. So I'm not dumb. You have to have a connection and you have to use it."

You know what? She's right. I teach at various screenwriting conferences and sometimes when other teachers are asked about this they say "good work always rises to the top. If you have written a great screenplay (or novel) it will be found!" It's wonderful to see the hope that lights up the audience's eyes when they hear this.

What I tell them is less inspirational, less popular--but more honest.  

You absolutely need connections, but you can make them yourself. It will just take longer. And it's impossible to predict exactly how long.

When I first went to Hollywood, I had one connection, to film producer William Castle. He read my spec script and liked it a lot and offered to help me. The next week he died. (I don't think there was any causal connection). That was it for contacts. 

It took me another three years of pretty much full-time effort to get anybody to read my work and to get an agent. Along the way I met plenty of con artists and people with a shaky relationship to reality who promised to help my career along (including a very entertaining pathological liar who ended up being wanted for fraud). They didn't help, but eventually I made some genuine connections, first with an agent, then with producers.

I started writing for TV and eventually had a film made, 13 years after I wrote it. Which, coincidentally, is also how long Jenny Lumet was writing before hers got made--even with her connections.

(If you'd like to receive monthly tips on being a more creative and productive writer, subscribe to my Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request now to [email protected])

Where inspiration comes from (Josh Selig's experience)

At worldscreen.com there’s an interesting article about some of the new kids’ shows, including a couple created by Josh Selig. I’m always interested in how people come up with their ideas, and here’s how he does it:

 “Selig says he gets his inspiration from all different places. ‘On The Wonder Pets! I was really interested in the idea of creating superheroes [whose] only superpower is the ability to use teamwork, which is something every preschooler has. It was a very empowering idea for a show—if you work with your friends and family, you can accomplish amazing things. It’s a show without villains, which is also unusual when it comes to superhero shows. So there are these very familiar characters—pets, which most children have—who can really do these exceptional things.’

 3rd & Bird was triggered by some images Selig had seen of interesting handmade birdhouses. ‘It struck me as a great idea for the setting of a show—a very beautiful birdhouse in a tree,’ he explains. ‘I was also interested in the idea of a community and what is possible when a community looks inward to solve problems. The Wonder Pets! is a show where the pets leave their classroom to help others in outside places. 3rd & Bird is a show where the problems are solved locally.’”

(for free tips on being more creative and productive, subscribe to my monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin—just send an email request to [email protected])

Which writers earned the most? (how much?!)

Forbes magazinehas come out with its estimates of how much money the most successful authors made in the year June 2007 to June 2008. I guess it’s a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty question whether this depresses you or inspires you…The shocker on the list was Ken Follett—he’s on there because Oprah catapulted his 1989 thriller, Pillars of the Earth, onto the 2007 best-seller lists.

 1. J.K. Rowling, $300 million

2. James Patterson, $50 million

3. Stephen King, $45 million

4. Tom Clancy, $35 million

5. Danielle Steel, $30 million

6. John Grisham, $25 million

7. Dean Koontz, $25 million

8. Ken Follett, $20 million

9. Janet Evanovich, $17 million

10. Nicholas Sparks, $16 million

 What should they do with all that money? I think J.K. Rowling should buy Starbucks and provide free coffee and muffins to anyone who comes in with a half-finished novel. Stephen King should fund free phobia therapy to all. John Grisham—how about free legal aid to writers suing publishers? (Feel free to add your ideas in a comment…)

 I can’t guarantee you’ll end up on the Forbes list, but you will certainly find creative ways to market yourself and your work in my two books, “Your Writing Coach,” published by Nichoals Brealey, and “Do Something Different,” published by Virgin Books. Both available online and in good book stores. 

Why four eyes are better than two

I just had a look at a website for a new public relations agency that promises to write great press releases and make you famous. I noticed a mistake in punctuation but it wasn't a major error. Then I came across their statement that "we are all journalists so we write from that prospective."

I don't know whether they genuinely don't know the difference between perspective and prospective--maybe it was just a typo. But if you're selling your ability to write (as most of us are), it's an instant confidence-killer.

The moral (which I've violated a few times myself, of course): always have somebody else proofread your work before you send it out--or display it on the internet.

(For great advice on all aspects of writing, get a copy of "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and retail sources.)

Making your writing project distinctive

Adam Kalkin, a New Jersey architect who has come up with a variety of innovative ways to use shipping containers to create apartment buildings as well as mobile art installations, has a new book coming out about these efforts: “Quik Build” (Bibliotehque McLean/London).

 But what’s equally creative—and why I’m mentioning it here—is his unique approach to selling a limited edition of the books for $99 each. They will come scented with odors found inside such containers.

 If you have a book/ DVD/ ebook in mind, how could you make it as distinctive as Kalkin’s?

(For great tips on how to use the new media and the traditional media to market what you write, get yourself a copy of "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and retail outlets.)

How to avoid distractions when you want to write

In a short article in the LA Times, Carolyn Kellog shared a strategy used by writer Jeff VanderMeer to make sure that he works on his novel rather than allowing himself to be distracted:

 “…every morning my long-suffering yet often amused wife Ann hides the router box and my cellphone…” Then he gets down to work. He says, “Around 2:30 I call Ann on our landline and she tells me where the router box and the cellphone are (it has Internet access on it) so I can finish up the afternoon with necessary emails and other work, before going to the gym.”

 Drastic but effective!

(For more ideas on how to be more creative and productive, subscribe to my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an e-mail request to [email protected] now.)

 

Lessons for writers from Disney

As reported in the L.A. Times, Walt Disney Imagineering’s Blue Sky program hired five interns to spend the summer coming up with new ideas for attractions for the parks. The principle behind this was explained by Stanford University engineering professor Robert I. Sutton as bringing together “people who know too much and people who know too little.”

 It’s called reverse mentoring—the idea is for the experienced engineers to learn from the young people what’s hot these days. One surprise: the interns didn’t always favor interactivity over Disney’s traditional story-telling approach.

For a video report on the interns, go here. And you might also consider how you might inject some fresh thinking into your own projects by getting input from people who “know too little.”

(For free tips on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request to [email protected] now.)

 

How to reach your writing goals (lesson from S. Ettus)

This could be useful if you’re trying to get an agent or a publisher. Samantha Ettus has persuaded more than 400 experts to contribute to her books. She has written an article about getting the toughest cases to cooperate and the secret seems to be persistence and taking advantage of the times when you feel you have the most energy. She writes:

“After all this time I am still unable to predict which experts will say yes, yet I have learned how to maximize my chance of success. We all have bad days, and when mine come along I leave the phone in its cradle and turn my attention to the more solitary tasks of writing, editing, or paperwork. But on those days when my confidence is high, I put myself out there. Because when you partner unshakeable determination with unyielding persistence, you are more likely to receive a yes -- and a "no" won't have the power to bring you down.”

Samantha Ettus is the creator of the new non-fiction book, The Experts' Guide to Doing Things Faster (Clarkson Potter), the fourth in her bestselling Experts' Guide series. 

Trends that could be reflected in your writing

Would knowing the future help you decide what to write and how to market it? Trend spotters Faith Popcorn and Marian Saltzman shared their predictions with the Los Angeles Times recently. Here are some of their key thoughts:

• We’re now in the American nightmare, rather than the American dream (this probably extends beyond America);

• generational tension (recent grads will feel cheated and resent Baby Boomers);

• the entertainment industry will thrive, with a heavy emphasis on nostalgia, happy endings, and fantasy;

• a move to safer cities and an increase in escapist behaviour, including smoking and drinking;

• stronger nuclear families and families of friends (including communal living) and sharing of transportation;

• acceptance of downward mobility—going simpler, smaller, and more ecologically aware.  

Do you have a champion for your writing or creativity?

In a feature in the Sunday Times magazine, writer Amanda Foreman, who wrote the best-selling biography "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" (now a majorish motion picture) talked about what happened when she first told her brother, Johnny, about this fascinating figure:

"Johnny said, 'Amanda, this is amazing--you should turn this into a book.' And he really encouraged me. His confidence in me, his belief that I could and would do it, was extraordinary. And it sustained me when everyone around me had kind of written me off as a low achiever."

Wasn''t she lucky to have that kind of a champion in her life? I hope you have someone like that. (If you don't, consider me the virtual version...now go and create that thing that you really want to do!)

(If you'd like a free monthly supply of tips on creativity  and productivity plus a great quote every time, sign up for my Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request to [email protected] now.)