Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

It’s very exciting and a good opportunity to reply to a journalist’s query or request for expert sources. However, there are conventional rules of procedure to follow, or you risk being labeled a pest rather than a valuable resource! Here’s how to submit your expertise, book or product to a media request. (These rules apply to “blind” pitching, too.)

1. Only respond or pitch if you are an appropriate match for the topic. Don’t try to stretch the truth or present yourself to be something you’re not or promise what you can’t deliver.
2. Give the request serious thought before dashing out your information. Read the request carefully. What is the angle of the story? Who is the audience? Then present your material in a manner that is consistent with the needs of the story and the audience.
3. Open with an introduction about why you are writing (I’m writing in response to… or to suggest…). Indicate why you are an expert, but keep to a sentence. “As a licensed physical therapist with Such and Such Medical Group, ….”
4. Present your information and specify how it is relevant to the subject of the article or show. Make your presentation to the journalist very clear; don’t assume that he or she will connect the dots between what you are sending and what they need. If this is a blind pitch, then it’s even more important to establish how your information can benefit or be of interest to the audience.
5. Put your short bio at the end, with your contact information. If you have a book, include “[your name], author of…” Always end with “I’d be happy to provide additional for this or any other article (show, etc.) that you are preparing about (the subject). Please let me know how else I can help you.”
6. Keep it short. This is not the time to submit your media kit, photo or any self-serving attachments. The purpose of your response is to feed enough information to the journalist to prompt a call or email for more information. If you are contacted, remember that the goal is to serve the press, not to get free publicity. If you help the journalist, your name or product may be cited in the newspaper, magazine or media broadcast. Although that’s the ultimate payoff for you, your purpose in replying to requests or sending pitches is to help the journalist do his or her job, which is serving the needs of the audience.
7. Be mindful of deadlines.

Be realistic. You may think you’re the perfect source or match for the journalist’s needs, but you won’t get a call every time you submit. However, if you establish a pattern of consistent quality and reliability (they call you for a quote when their deadline is in 15 minutes), then you’ll develop a valuable relationship that will pay off for you many times over.

 

We’ve all felt like we’ve been up against a brick wall at one time or another with our writing. Here are some creativity-boosting tips for busting through writer’s block.

1. Free write. Set a timer for ten minutes and just write. If you’re writing in a journal, you may want to have a prompt or ask yourself a question. Write the prompt or question at the top of the page and go. If you’re working on your book or an assignment, review your notes or what you last wrote and then write for ten minutes. Start each writing session this way. Getting started is the hardest part of the writing process for most people. Allowing yourself the freedom of free writing, without censure, lets you begin.

2. Have several projects. In the event that your novel’s characters are being totally uncooperative, switch to another writing project. This is a good time to think about headlines for a press release or to work on your query letter or proposal. Or perhaps you have an article you’re working on or an idea for an article you want to pitch to an editor. A caveat: Stick to writing projects and stay off the Internet. If you start to answer email, you’ll be pulled away from writing. Even worse is to work on “research” via the Internet. An hour will pass and you’ll have not written a word!

3. Read your journal or take out the notebook you keep with the notes you’ve jotted down for stories. If you don’t keep a notebook, begin immediately! Write down any thoughts about characters, scraps of overheard conversation, or events that stimulate an article idea. Keep this notebook with you at all times. And, always, always have a pen. Part of developing the creative habit is to be prepared. How many good ideas have you lost because you didn’t write them down?

4. Take a break. If the words are truly stuck, try something else entirely. Take a walk, sew, paint, cook, read or do some activity you enjoy. Be sure to return to the page, though, within a short period of time.

Portions of this article are reprinted from 4Ps to Publishing Success: Get Your Manuscript Off Your Desk & Into Print by Shelley Lieber. If you liked the article, you’ll LOVE the book! A complete step-by-step guide to getting published. Find out if you need 4Ps to Publishing Success>>>

The only way to make continual progress with your writing is to set goals. There’s no job description for writer and no standard measurement for advancement. So, it’s up to you to establish a framework that defines your goals and strategies for success.

It’s a good idea to set a mixture of short- and long-term goals. Ask yourself where you want to be in the next three months, six months, one year, two years, five years and ten years. Dream big dreams and don’t let “reason” restrict your vision for yourself.

Use the well-known acronym, SMART, to help you create your goals. SMART stands for:

Specific: Be precise. Instead of “I will write more often,” say, “I will write every morning.”?

Measurable: Write quantitative, rather than qualitative, goals. Make sure you can measure progress, or how will you know when you’ve attained your goal??Action-Oriented: Choose goals you can control. Rather than “I will be published in a national magazine by June of this year,” write “I will send a query letter each week to possible markets until I am published in a national magazine.”?

Risk/Realistic: Set goals that will make you stretch your capabilities, but don’t set yourself up for failure. If you have a full-time job or small children at home, writing a novel in one month is an unlikely feat.?

Timed: Deadlines help you pace yourself to complete your goals within a specific period of time. The publishing world rises and falls on making deadlines, so push yourself to hold firm to your commitment. ? ?

Other Tips

1. Put your goals in writing.
2. Post your goals where you can see them or make it a point to read them at least three times a day: when you awake in the morning, mid-day and before you go to sleep.
3. Share your goals with a supportive friend or relative. Your writers’ group may be your support group. The act of sharing your intentions releases them to the Universe and also will help keep you accountable–you will want to perform to expectations.
4. Celebrate your successes! When you can cross off a goal or make a check mark on your list, buy yourself a new journal, pen or book. See a movie or have lunch with a friend. Schedule a manicure or massage.
5. Get back to work after your celebration. Keep going.
6. Be flexible and adjust your goals when necessary. New opportunities always arise and you may find yourself attracted to magazine writing when you thought you wanted to write screenplays. Be open to possibilities that are as yet unseen.
7. Never beat yourself up or consider yourself a failure for not completing a goal in a specified time. Review your setbacks and revise your strategy. Never, never, never give up!

Portions of this article are reprinted from 4Ps to Publishing Success: Get Your Manuscript Off Your Desk & Into Print by Shelley Lieber.  Find out if you need 4Ps to Publishing Success>>>

Are you tired of making lists: things to do, goals to make, promises to keep…? I am. It seems it never ends and there’s always another list to make. So, I decided to take a good, honest look at why I haven’t lost the weight, made the money or gone on the trip.

This is what I discovered. I’ve accomplished far more than I had thought, but there are still important milestones I’ve yet to reach. So, what is the difference between what I have accomplished and what I have not?

At first I thought is was a matter of belief. But I truly do know I can lose five pounds, make more money and go on a vacation, because I’ve done that all before. So I looked again at my list of what I’ve done and what I haven’t done–and something jumped out at me with serious “aha” velocity.

The single distinguishing factor between my lists was that on one I had let go of my old ideas about how to do something and tried something new. Where I was stuck in the mud, I was holding on to how I’ve always done it. So, it was no surprise that what hadn’t worked in the past still did not.

And so, I have made an Ultimate Resolution that I believe will change my life. I am open and receptive to all possibilities. That means never saying (or thinking) I can’t do that, I’m too old for that, I don’t have enough money for  that…and so on. It means never dismissing any idea just because it challenges my comfort zone.

In the past year, just changing my attitude about social networking (that it’s only for kids) has revolutionized my business. And once I decided that I would just play around with it, suddenly it wasn’t so hard to navigate the websites. The know-how seemed to come to me in all sorts of ways: tips online, people who knew how to do it, and my relaxed attitude about it all seemed to make the instructions easier to follow.

Several business strategies I wanted to employ but hadn’t because of the costs become possible when I decided that I’d find a way to do it without spending the money. Suddenly people who could provide what I needed showed up and wanted to partner with me for an exchange of services. 

Do you see how simply opening your mind to all possibilities can change your whole world? No big visible big effort needed, just an ongoing gentle reminder to yourself not to reject anything or anyone without first looking with open eyes and open mind.

How many opportunities have you dismissed just because it didn’t fit your current view of reality? The only reality is that things change, so why not go with the flow instead of resisting?

Say it out loud. “I am open and receptive to all possibilities.” 

Doesn’t that feel good? Much better than “I can’t,” which makes you feel yucky. And it applies to everything on your to-do list and goals sheet. 

Join me this year in a creative thinking exercise. What’s really holding you back from achieving what you want? The circumstance, or how you think about the circumstance? Let’s all employ the Ultimate Resolution–I am open and receptive to all possibilities–and meet back in a year to tell our stories.

Are you in? Write your comments below. Do it now!

When did you start your blog, Stories for Invisible Friends?

I officially started in Summer 2005 when I was moving from South Florida to take a faculty position as a history professor in Tallahassee.  Before that I had a website where I published the articles I wrote for parenting magazines.

Why did you start your blog?

The first time I heard the word “blog” and became aware of their existence was in Summer 2005 when I read about a New York Beauty editor/blogger losing her job for writing about work while at work.

Minutes after I read that article I followed a few links and had my own blog up.  I had no specific intentions, no desired audience. It felt very much like buying a new leather journal – exciting, inspiring, fresh and new.

What is the significance of turning 40 and posting your 1000th blog entry on the same day for you?

About two months ago when I logged on to Blogger,  I saw that I was at post 950, and decided to pace myself to hit 1,000 on my 40th birthday.

Honestly, I’m amazed at how effortlessly the stories have come, and how they show how my perspective and voice have evolved over the past three years.  One thousand sounds like a huge number, but really, it works out to less than a story a day, reflecting only a tiny corner of my life.

At first I thought I would write about turning 40, but I have a bigger story to write –  one that doesn’t involve me at all. It’s called “Hearts: Broken and Hopeful.”  Read the rest of this entry »

You probably started your blog as a way to communicate with your audience, perhaps hoping that an Internet presence would help increase your readership and ultimately sell your book or service.

How’s it working out for you so far? Do you sometimes feel you are pouring your heart out on the page (or onto the computer) and you’ve no idea if anyone even knows you exist? Do you ask yourself if you’re wasting your time when you could be writing your book instead? If you’re not getting any feedback in the form of reader comments or trackbacks from other blog writers, it may be time to ask yourself, “Is my blog creating a buzz or putting people to sleep?”

Like books, blogs are meant to educate and entertain. To be successful with your blog (or your book), ask yourself these three questions before beginning:

1. Who will read what I write? Identifying your audience before you begin will get you focused on communicating your message and help eliminate writer’s block. Having a clear picture of your reader will also help you figure out how and where to reach them in the real and virtual worlds. 
2. What new information or solution am I bringing to the marketplace? This may be the single-most important factor in determining whether you will keep and grow your blog readership. Certainly a pleasant design and good writing helps, but if you’re not educating, offering new information or providing a solution to a problem, then there’s little reason for readers to follow your blog.
3. How can I balance creating value for my readers with marketing my book, product or service? Readers understand that you have a book or service that may help them; that’s why they read your blog or newsletter. They appreciate hearing about your new offerings, especially if there’s a special reward, such a discount, bonus or gift. The key is balance your promotion with real value to the customer. If ever in doubt, go with this maxim: The more you give, the more you will receive.

Blogging can be an effective and fun way to spread your news and your views. The most popular blogs are the ones where the author keeps a clear and authentic voice. So be who you are: funny,chatty,  radical, serious, intense–just don’t be boring and your readership (and sales) will grow.

Gratitude Rocks My World

I am so happy and grateful for these wonderful blessings in my life:

• My loving, supportive husband
• My two children who have grown into adults I admire and respect
• A warm home in a beautiful setting
• Good health for myself and loved ones
• A vocation that I love so much it’s pleasure, not work
• True friends
• Freedom
• Reliable transportation
• My clients
• The opportunities that arrive daily to meet and interact with creative, interesting people

Happy Thanksgiving, Wordy Women and Men! I am thankful for you.

Many thanks to my talented husband, Joe Gemignani, for providing the beautiful image above (our friend’s backyard, for real). Enjoy more of his work at Visual Impressions Art and Joe Gemignani Photography.

Until very recently, I used social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn for professional reasons only. So, it made sense to keep my profile picture and information completely businesslike. Even though I’ve begun connecting with friends on these sites socially, I still prefer maintain a level of formality.

Many people are more casual about their web appearance, even in business. I’ve noticed photos posted with spouses, partners, children, grandchildren and even pets. It’s very acceptable on social networking sites, especially since the key word here is “social.” However, I am curious about what some people were thinking when they posted photos that included a roll of toilet paper or a basket of laundry in the background. Not even your friends want to see that.

Being married to a photographer has made me very conscious of photo composition, and I’m going to share some tips with you on how to take better photos and work with photos you already have. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in the days when I toiled in advertising, those people who were locked in their offices, hunched over desks either writing copy or designing the layouts for the ads were called “creatives.” The “beautiful people” were the account execs who got to wine and dine the clients as part of their job to sign and keep the accounts.

And that is how “creative” can be perceived: The starving artist, reclusive writer and temperamental actor.

I don’t like clichés or stereotypes, so today’s myth-busting message is that authors can be both creative and entertaining. Here are three examples of writers who extended their imaginations past the page to the public’s eye.

The first two were clever enough to tie their work to the event foremost in most Americans’ minds right now–the presidential election.

Mark LaFlamme, author of the novel, Dirt: An American Campaign, put his protagonist, Frank Cotton, in the race with a website and blog for the fictitious character. Those who want to help promote Frank Cotton and the book can download a banner to post on their own websites or blogs and get the good deed reciprocated with their links listed on the “candidate’s” site as a Friend of Frank Cotton.

My client, Feng Shui expert Pat Heydlauff, wrote and posted a press release/article analyzing the colors worn by First Lady Laura Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton, Cindy McCain and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during their presentations at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. This was not a fashion article, but a commentary on how color helped deliver the speakers’ messages with respect to both the outfit and the contrast against the background. The article was picked up by newspapers around the country, with Pat’s short bio, website link and mention of her upcoming book, Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It.

Author Deb Sharp overcame her resistance to what she calls “shameless promotion” by poking fun of herself both in her personal blog and in Ask Mama, the blog she created for her title character in Mama Does Time and Mama Rides Shotgun. Deb has even created some radio essays for Tampa’s National Public Radio station WUSF-FM that detail the “horrors” she has faced getting ready to be a published author.

I could write a book (and maybe I will) about clever ways to promote yourself. But, you’re a writer, too, so you don’t need me to tell you how to be creative. Just get in the shower, take a walk, drive your car or whatever gets your muse working and think of ways to get your work in front of readers. And then send me your story so I can tell everyone here.