Writers: Forget the WHY. What is your HOW?
You’ve inevitably seen the “What is your why?” articles or calls to action if you’re a writer, yes? I love those! There must be a why in your life: Why did you become a writer? Why did you choose science fiction? Why did you start with this particular plot? Why do you continue to work on the same story for a decade?
But what about the how?
Writers will talk about the why all day. We love to tell you what inspires us and what drives us and what makes us stay awake until 3:00 a.m. trying to figure out how on God’s green earth secret societies make money to fund literally everything they do for the love of —
Ahem. As I was saying . . .
How are you going to start your book when it’s just an idea?
How are you going to get through the plot holes that are making you lose your temper?
How are you going to market your book so it will sell?
How are you going to sell the book you already published that is growing cyber dust bunnies?
How are you going to have JUST FIVE FRIGGIN’ SECONDS OF FREE TIME BECAUSE MOMMY IS ABOUT TO LOSE IT?
Surely you’ve thought of these things before. I know I have, and still do.
You need a plan in place. For a lot of writers, that sentence just made you cringe. A plan isn’t creative. It’s . . . stifling.
Well, sure, with that attitude!
Here are my recommendations for the previous hows:
How are you going to start your book when it’s just an idea?
I feel like this one isn’t toooooo difficult because writers can take an idea and run with it. So maybe the real question here is: How are you going to start your book in an effective manner? If you’re working on a novel, I beseech you: read this. I believe in the Save the Cat! Writes a Novel method so much that I refuse to use anything else for my novels. If you’re starting with self-help of any kind, start here. For my memoir writers, I have compiled just about everything I know on the topic right here to get you started. If you’re writing a children’s book, I detail some important notes here.
Am I missing your genre? Hit me up on Twitter so I can help!
How are you going to get through the plot holes that are making you lose your temper?
Oh my Lordt. I cried over The Suicide Tree. I remember telling my mom I was done with it and telling Curiouser Author Network members that I wanted to quit. Every time I’d take a step forward with the plot, it was a dozen steps backward. So here’s what I did, and it wasn’t easy: How I Finished My Sci-Fi Novel (When I Was Ready to Quit after 3 Years). If you don’t want to read the article, let me sum up a major reason: I joined a local writers’ group. After I did that, I sailed through my rewrites and killed it with the plot holes.
If you’re stuck in Plot Hole Canyon, I’d also like to highly recommend Beyond the First Draft: Deep Novel Revision by Laurel Yourke. I’ve been using her book as a curriculum for my writers’ group, and I have never in my life seen a book like this in terms of teaching rewriting.
How are you going to market your book so it will sell?
I’ve said it before. Yep. Imma say it again: You start marketing your book yesterday. You document the process now. That means talking about your book and its characters and the research and the drafts and the ups and downs — all of it. People are obsessed with the behind-the-scenes, with the process of achieving a goal. Show them that. If you need ideas, grab my freebies here. Everyone wants some big fat amazing plan for this. It doesn’t have to be that wild. Just talk about your book and be authentic. Then when it comes time to sell it, people feel like they’ve had a part in its conception. They’ll race to buy it because they’ve been cheering you on from the beginning.
How are you going to sell the book you already published that is growing cyber dust bunnies?
I get this request more often than you think, so you are not alone, my dust bunny breeder! Before you attempt to push for sales, though, make sure:
- Your book was professionally edited.
- Your book has a professional, captivating cover.
- Your book was designed to read well in e-book format.
- Your blurb is enticing.
- Your reviews are reassuring.
Next: I want you to try book promotion newsletters. Apply for Book Gorilla, The Fussy Librarian, Bargain Booksy, Many Books, Open Road Media, BookBub, and whatever else you can find. These will seriously boost your sales and rankings, but do not do this if your book does not meet the requirements above.
How are you going to have JUST FIVE FRIGGIN’ SECONDS OF FREE TIME BECAUSE MOMMY IS ABOUT TO LOSE IT?
My writer friends smirk when I answer with this, so I’m going to annoy you all too: Toni Morrison had 15 minutes a night to write. You know why you won’t do that? Because “fifteen minutes isn’t long enough!” I say baloney. It was long enough for Toni. The #1 thing that has been drilled into me in my writers’ group is that 1 > 0. Always. Writing for fifteen minutes is better than zero minutes.
But hear me out on another idea: Get out your calendar, find a day you’d like to write for hours on end, and ask around for a reputable babysitter. Moms don’t usually like to use babysitters for a day of writing because it would need to be used for time with the hubby. Factor that in too! Have a date night after you’ve reached your word count goal. Tip your babysitter extra.
An expert editor, best-selling author, and book marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with authors and business owners every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has edited over 400 books and has launched several Amazon best sellers for her clients.
Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.
She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, and The 10 Commandments of Author Branding. In her not-so-free time, she acts as organizer for the Yukon Writers’ Society, volunteers at the Oklahoma County Jail, and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her dogs, Chanel, Wednesday, and Baker.
