Prompt 8: Get Controversial

Goal:  Create some publicity.

Strategy:  Take a position on a controversial subject.

Prompt:  Let loose and shout it out!

Many things in life are controversial.  Many of us have opinions.  Some of our opinions are stronger than others.  Some of our opinions are more relevant than others.

In the U.S., and perhaps in other parts of the world, there is a trend toward extremes.  Extreme positions get more attention than non-extreme positions.  People, therefore, recommend taking an extreme position in order to get attention.  It works.  It’s also very unpalatable.  If all you care about is getting attention than this strategy works just fine.

I’m going to assume you care about more than that.  I am going to assume you care about things like integrity, honesty, and maybe even being constructive.  It could happen, right?

Yet, even in caring about those things, you can take an (honest) position that is also controversial, act with integrity (i.e. don’t use logical fallacies, ect.), and make a point—and get yourself some attention in the process.  Who knows, you might even start a trend of constructive dialogue.  (Don’t hold your breath.)

The point is that part of your personal value is who you are, what you believe, and why.  Whether you write from a soapbox or not, these things influence your writing and attract readers.  So, talk about them!

Prompt 7: Talk About Yourself

Goal:  Build your skill.

Strategy:  Develop your self-marketing skills.

Prompt:  Talk yourself up.

First, I recognize this is an uncomfortable sort of thing for many writers.  It’s uncomfortable for me, too.  I’m uncomfortable with other people praising me, let alone me praising myself.

But…it’s an important skill.  A writer should be able to honestly and attractively describe him or herself.

I am an intelligent, well-educated, talented writer and thinker, and I also happen to be a dedicated mother of children with special needs.

This is an honest appraisal of myself.  I can back this up with facts and other people’s opinions.  I can put forward logical proof to support each of these statements.  In fact, most people who know me well would take this much, much farther.  Again, this is a fact.

It’s taken me a long time to be able to come out and say this.  I am an intelligent, well-educated, talented writer and thinker.  I am a dedicated mother who works hard, often successfully, on behalf of my children with special needs.  I’ve built a career and a lifestyle out of these two sets of attributes.

And yet, admitting them like this is difficult for me.  It takes practice.  It takes saying it in your head and writing it in private until you build up an immunity to the squirmmies inside of you.  If you can’t say three things about yourself that will honestly attract readers, then you need to start practicing now.  Start by listening to what other people say about you—the good stuff, mind.  Say it to yourself.  Try to believe it.  Try to say it like you believe.

I know it’s difficult.  Go ahead and squirm.  If you keep at it, though, you’ll get to the point where you can share it with the world.

Prompt 6: Reach-Out Reviewing

Goal:  Build your audience.

Strategy:  Reveal yourself as a reader.

Prompt:  Review a book you’ve read lately.

Okay, first, there’s a certain skill to reviewing and not everyone has it.  Most people will tell you to couch any bad things you have to say between two good things.  Most people will tell you that you should be more generous with praise, especially if you want good reviews in return.

I take an entirely different philosophy with regard to reviews.  It begins by considering your audience.  I don’t write reviews to communicate with the author of the book I am reviewing.  If that’s why you’re writing the review, then write a fan letter instead.  My philosophy is that you write reviews to communicate with fellow readers.  As a writer this form of communication can be especially valuable, because you communicate your values as a writer when you write reviews that are read by your readers.

Think of it this way:  If you read a book of poor quality, and you tell your readers it’s a good book, then you’re telling your readers that you don’t know a bad book when you read one.  So, why the hell would they trust you to write a good book when you write one?

I encountered this problem with a particular book.  I read a book with a MAJOR flaw.  As a writer, I didn’t want to trash the book, because it was an engaging story up until I encountered that flaw.  As a writer, I also had to be clear to potential readers (of hers and my own work) that I saw it as a flaw, recognized it as a flaw, and wouldn’t dare do it myself.

Reviewing a book to communicate your writing values to your readers doesn’t mean you have to be mean or nasty when you encounter a bad book.  You can choose not to review the book or you can find some way to couch it.  I’ve done both.

But it also means that you may have a reason to be honestly nasty, or respond in a way that a select group of others might perceive as nasty.  I’ve done that, too.  It won’t destroy you, especially—I should say, only if—you can support your nastiness and be right about it.

Sometimes, however, what you want to communicate isn’t nastiness at all.  You want to make an honest review that isn’t all praises, but is essentially promising.  This is the kind of review I wanted to be able to write for that first example, but couldn’t because it wasn’t true.  When I read LaMonte M. Fowler’s The Watchers of Ur: Cradle, I knew I wanted to write an honestly favorable review, because that’s exactly what the book deserved.  This is the kind of author I want to support and the kind of author I want my readers to know I support.

So, if you’ve read a book that help you show your readers what kind of writer you are, review honestly.

Prompt 5: Connect as a Fan

Goal:  Build your reading audience.

Strategy:  Make a friend.

Prompt:  What do you like to read?  Think of a living writer whose work you enjoy and reach out to that person in a non-stalker-like fashion.

Writing is a lonely business.  Most of us want to connect with others, especially other writers.

Sure, there’re leagues involved.  You don’t pitch yourself as a friend to a bestselling writer if all you have in common with them is that you write and you’re one of their millions of readers.

If you reach out to someone who is more on par with your writing league, you’re much more likely to strike a match of friendship.  Fueling the fire can help you develop a lasting and gratifying friendship, but can also help you both enhance your readerships by exposing your own readers to each other’s work.

The key here is to be genuine.  Reach out to someone’s whose work you’ve actually read and genuinely enjoy.  They don’t have to write in the same genre as you do.  But you do need something that draws you to connect.

Prompt 4: Your Next Book

Goal:  Build an audience for your next book.

Strategy:  Tease potential readers.

Prompt:  What surprising (to you) turn is your next book taking?  Give readers a hint.

Does this really need explanation?

Prompt 3: Yourself

Goal:  Build a relationship with your current readers.

Strategy:  Share a bit of yourself.

Prompt:  When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?  Why?  Tell your readers on every social media site you’ve established yourself on.

Many readers dream of being writers.  Admittedly, they don’t all have the talent, the drive, or the commitment to actually do it.  But they like to know the stories of those who do, because it brings them closer to the dream, if only empathetically.  So, share your dream with your readers!

It makes you human, but it also shows your perseverance.  You are doing something others only dream about.  Share your passion!

Prompt 2: Your Book

If you have a published book, this prompt is for you.

Goal:  Build your reading audience.

Strategy:  Raise awareness about your website.

Prompt:  Pick one great thing about your website that readers will like and tell them about it.

Alternative Prompt:  If you take a look at your website and don’t see anything great, then think of something great to put on your website and get it up there!

Building your reading audience is a long-term goal.  A lot of writers I’ve seen like to jump right to selling their book.  This seems like a fine idea, except it’s not.

Most writing careers are built on a body of work.  This body of works sells to a body of fans.  These fans buy those books because they believe in the author.

In order to build your career, then, you need two things:  1) a body of work and 2) a body of fans who believe in you.

Nowadays, you have a great tool to build a relationship with current and potential readers:  Your website.  Use it!  Draw people to it!  Satisfy them when they get there.  Make it worth their while to come.