Telling Herstories: The Broad View

Puppies, Divorce and Memoir...There is a Connection

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #23

I'm in Connecticut this week doing a favor for two very dear friends. They had an opportunity to go to Mexico for a week but couldn't find anyone local to take care of their puppy, cat and two horses. So, I'm house, dog, cat and horse sitting.

Quinn, the puppy is a beautiful English Setter with a heart of gold. He's about eight months old and brimming with youthful energy. In short, he's into everything and driving me crazy. Yesterday he broke into the special area where we put out the cat's food. When I discovered what he'd done, it was too late. He'd eaten the cat's food...and since I couldn't find the bowl anywhere I began to think he'd eaten that too! I found the bowl about six hours later...after checking every room and under every piece of furniture. Twice. I'd forgotten how much attention a puppy requires.

Quinn likes to run into the woods where he picks up ticks. He transferred one onto me yesterday. I'm paranoid of Lyme Disease so I freaked. Today, I walked him on a leash. He chases the neighbor cat that ventures into the yard, steals my slippers and follows me wherever I go (including the bathroom). You haven't lived until you've been puppy slimed as you step out of the shower.

But what does this have to do with memoir writing and divorce? Don't worry, I'll explain. It took me awhile to see the connection too. I watch this dog all day and realize that every day he confronts something new in his life...the leaf that flutters by and scares him...the little calico cat next door who comes up to the slider and peers nose to nose at Quinn...the pumpkin on the doorstep that needed to be told off with a good barking...the stairs leading to the dark, forbidden basement.

Someone going through divorce for the first time must feel a lot like Quinn with new and frightening experiences cropping up almost daily...lawyers, settlements, custody, single parenting...and so much more. That's where DivorcedWomenOnline.com (DWO) comes in to my story. DWO is an online magazine for “women of all ages (20s-60s) who are contemplating, moving through or beyond divorce.”

Founding editor Delaine Moore contacted me last week to tell me about the site's success to date and her plans for its future. Currently, DWO gets about 25,000 views per week and reaches some 100,000 women overall. What this means is Delaine is looking for writers on a wide range of topics, including stories, health tips, fashion advice and more. Read my post "A Call for Writers: Large Online Magazine Offers You Publishing, Publicity and Platform Building Opportunities" for all the details. I posted this yesterday and already we've been able to direct one writer to DWO. If you think you have something to say to women contemplating, facing or getting over divorce, you just might find a good platform for yourself that will give your work exposure to a large audience of women. Matilda and I will be doing a monthly writing column.

And speaking of writing, I'd like to point aspiring memoir writers to my Friday column on tips for memoir writing. Women just starting to write may find themselves facing a world of scary unknowns...just like Quinn. I'm hoping this list of links will be a good place to start. You can click here for "Lists for Writers: 10 Tips for Writing Your Memoir." I've even embedded the first part of Susan Albert's and Susan Tweit's delightful reading and conversation sponsored by The Wittliff Collections.

 

Win a Copy of Diana Raab's New Memoir

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #22

On August 31st, in anticipation of the publication of Diana Raab's new memoir Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey (Loving Healing Press, 2010), Matilda and I had the pleasure of talking with Diana. This was our contribution to her Women on Writing (WOW) blog book tour.

That was then. Today, I've published the first of four posts we're doing on Diana's book. Today's post is sort of a bonus. You see, in the course of our conversation, Matilda asked Diana a question that launched Diana into her list of 10 Tips on Writing for Healing. When she finished reciting, we all three decided this would make a nice little video.

I'd like to invite you to drop by, read the post and watch the video of A Women's Memoirs Moment...with Diana Raab. I further encourage you to come back tomorrow to read Diana's guest blog and writing prompt, on Wednesday to read Matilda's review of Healing With Words, and next Monday to catch our full interview with Diana.

Win a Copy of Diana's Memoir

Diana and WOW are giving us a copy of Healing With Words to give to one lucky visitor. All you have to do is leave a comment on any (or all) of her four blog posts on Women's Memoirs. Inspire us, intrigue us...overwhelm us. It's up to you.

A Bonus Writing Prompt

When we post our Tuesday author guest blogs, we always ask our writers to include a writing prompt. It's Memoir Writing Prompt Tuesday, after all. Diana gave us three brief ones. We used one for her post, so let me share the others with you here...just to give you a little inspiration.

• Write for about 15 minutes about a transforming moment in your life.
• Write about your first memory. I like this one because my first memory involves my sense of smell. It was the smell of the concrete in the underground garage of our apartment building...strong, sort of pungent...and mixed with a smell of gasoline. I must have been two or three, but to this day, when I get a whiff that powerful scent I'm instantly transported to that garage. That's the power of smell.

 Enjoy, and be sure to catch all of our posts about Diana Raab and her new memoir. And leave your comments in order to have a chance to win your own copy of Healing With Words.

 

Kendra's Friday Round Up

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #21

Are you a list maker? My mother was an organized list maker. She made lists of guests and recipes she served at all her parties because she wanted to treat people to new treats each time they came to the house. We'd pick a September and start planning meals for all the holidays and birthdays from Halloween through New Year's Day. The lists of recipes, guests and food we'd have to buy all went into a notebook she called her "brain."

 

I make lists but I seldom write them down. I think it was watching my mother panic when she misplaced her notebook brain that made me decide to keep all my lists in my head. At some point, I decided that this habit would also be good exercise for my mind. Has it worked? I know that I don't usually forget things...or is it that I just can't remember what I forgot!?! Today I've posted a list of lists for writers.

I invite you to visit each Friday for a new list on a new subject.

 Making Blogging Easier

For a bunch of writers, you'd think that blogging would be as easy as...well, writing. The problem is to make a big impression and get your blog well positioned on Google, you need to blog a lot. One trick Matilda and I have found is to assign topics to different days of the week. Another good idea is to set aside a day and write as many posts as possible. You'll find that you get on a roll, and the words begin to flow.

In keeping with my penchant for collecting lists, I've found a few lists of tips for bloggers that you might find useful:

• As the name suggests, DailyBlogTips is a great resource for bloggers. Here's a list about things NOT to do. No. 1 is the best advice of all: "You must not expect results overnight." Set a schedule you can keep and commit. Give your blog six months to a year to break through.
• I'd Rather Be Writing consolidates some of the best usability tips from experienced bloggers.
• O'Reilly's Digital Media offers "10 Journalism Tips for Bloggers, Podcasters & Other E-Writers. These are great...and a little different" "No. 3 Look for the heat in your subject." And, "No. 5 Use plain speech, and talk like a real person."
• TopRank Online Marketing Blog will help you build your following with "Tips for Promoting New Blogs."
• And here's one more. Author Cory Doctorow tells InformationWeek 17 ways for you to get other bloggers to write about you. If you've got a book coming out, you don't want to miss this list.

 

What Have Your Re-Read Lately?

On Monday I posted a Writing in Five video with a writing tip from Annie Dillard. If you haven't read her little book The Writing Life, I encourage you to get a copy and treat yourself to a good read. I've this little book several times, and each time I get some new idea or inspiration. And that got me thinking about my list of books that I've not only read more than once but actually re-read every couple of years. Here's my list:

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau.
• Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson
• H.L. Mencken's Days books
• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Centennial by James A. Michener
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
• The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Okay, it probably seems like a funny list to you. But there is a theme. With the exception of the two business/marketing books and Michener's Centennial, I first read all these books in high school. In each case, I enjoyed the experience, but subconsciously I felt there was more to be learned than I was capable of comprehending at the time. I've continued to read, learn and find pleasure in these works.

 

The two business books are classics. If you want to build a better business, market and sell your work better, read these books.

 

Am I the only one who re-reads books? Maybe this practice is part of my DNA. My mother loved to read and she had a list of favorites that she re-read regularly. I also watch the same movies over and over. What about you? Do you have lists of books you re-read from time to time?

Have You Put in Your 10,000-Hours?

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #20

I have a second job. When I'm not writing, coaching, critiquing and teaching or co-managing Women's Memoirs with Matilda, I'm selling women's clothing at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. The work doesn't cut into my writing too much because I'm only on the sales floor once a week...and only at night. But that one night a week keeps me in touch with customers...the buying public. It keeps me focused on the wants and needs of the customer--the heart of good customer service.

I excel at the job. So much so that I can do the work in my sleep...literally. For apparently that's when I work at Bergdorf's. I had a dream last night so vivid that when I awoke I knew I wanted to write my Story Circle blog post all about my experiences selling at Bergdorf's and how the time I invest on the job helps me toward my objective of racking up 10,000 hours in sales experience.

About now, Dear Reader, you probably can't fathom what I'm talking about. Let me begin by assuring you that I'm not still asleep. Although it took me a couple minutes this morning to fully awake to the fact that I have never worked at Bergdorf's (nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night), I think my head is now clear enough that I can articulate the point of my dream.

Beyond Work...Writing from Passion

Yesterday, I spent the day working on my new Writing in Five video, which you can now watch on Women's Memoirs by clicking on this link. I think it's an important piece because Ray Bradbury so clearly illustrated the path we follow as journeyman (or in our case journeywomen) writers that for the first time I understood my own development from bored, unremarkable English student to someone who defines herself as a writer.

I never felt my transformation into an author and marketing communications writer was deliberate. In truth, I became a writer in spite of myself. But Greenwich Academy, my school for the first 14 years of my education, emphasized composition, literature, grammar, spelling, Latin and the writing of lots of essay questions. From the time I was four, we wrote, read and memorized. And we were drilled. To this day, I can recite Shylock's soliloquy, Hamlet's soliloquy, Romeo's soliloquy, a good amount of Robert Frost, Walt Whitman's O Captain! My Captain! and the first 15 lines of the Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

While I was a mediocre student through high school, I completed all my assignments and put in my hours. I received my first payoff when as a college Freshman I placed out of all English classes. I was free to take advanced classes or no English at all, if I wished. I elected to take American Lit and enjoyed the class so much I took it again that summer just for fun at a small, local college.

My breakthrough as a writer came later, in graduate school. I was writing my Master's thesis in Colonial History at The College of William and Mary when I found my voice and the words began to flow. The moment came without great revelation or fanfare but simply a sense that the writing came easier. Was I suddenly a great writer? Hardly. I still strive for that. The breakthrough simply enabled my ability to communicate. I could think less about the physical act of writing and focus more on my thoughts, my messages. I could express my ideas and write from my passion. How exhilarating.

Ray Bradbury called this the natural progression from writing as work to relaxation and not thinking. In his 2008 book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell described the same phenomenon as the 10,000-hour rule.

What's Bradbury Have to Do with Getting Read?

So back to my dream and what it means in the context of this post. I went to bed last night, thrilled with my new understanding of my own progress as a writer. But foremost on my mind was how I could relate my story and tell you about my latest Writing in Five video and still connect it to the business of writing...marketing, selling and, well, getting read.

The human brain is a remarkable thing, and as I slept it went to work resolving my dilemma. Imagine, as I slept my brain was busy selling haute couture. First, I'm impressed that my subconscious took me to one of the finest department stores in the country. My brain worked hard helping me relate to customers (to understand their wants and needs), build connections to my customers (create a platform) and gain the requisite experience for excellence comes only with work and practice.

So here's the money shot (ah, point): As writers in the 21st century, we have many roles. Our primary job is as artists striving to express our passions, emotions and ideas as clearly and eloquently as possible. Our secondary job (our night job) but one that in the end may require the majority of our time is to get our work discovered by readers. Whether you blog, social network, speak to audiences, give away free chapters, network with agents and publishers, expertise will not come overnight. And just because you wrote a good book doesn't mean that your marketing efforts will bring instant rewards.

You must put in your time. Develop a platform. Perfect your techniques of outreach. Start blogging. Keep blogging...even if it appears no one is reading you. Share with prospective readers on all manner of social networking sites. Put in your 10,000 hours. Then one day you'll realize the rewards you seek. Marketing will cease to be work and become a pleasurable means for communicating and sharing with your readers.

And that's what my brain wanted me to tell you today. I hope you'll now go visit Women's Memoirs and watch my Writing in Five video to learn more about Ray Bradbury's vision for achieving the zen in writing.

Going Viral

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #19

Do I know what it takes to go viral? Lordy no. If I did, I can assure you I wouldn't be writing about it. I'd be making videos to go viral for clients and getting rich in the process. But like Justice Potter Stewart, I do know it when I see it. In fact, here are a few viral video favorites:

We'll start with the Old Spice guy as he's one of the most recent. It's also a commercial series and deliberately created to go viral. Not all such plans succeed, but this one certainly has. These are cheeky and entertaining. The eye candy's not bad either.

Then there's the Numa Numa kid. Definitely not commercial; it's just a kid (Gary Brolsma) in his bedroom recording himself lip syncing to an Eastern European song. YouTube viewers went mad for it. Gary's been interviewed on tv and now has his own NumaNuma channel on YouTube. One way to know you've gone viral is when views surpass 1 million. Another is when people start making video responses and spin offs of your original.

One of my favorites is Judson Laipply doing his Evolution of Dance. At more than 147 million views, you bet it's viral.

And I'll end with the ever-upbeat laughing baby. With 129 million views, this kid has something to laugh about.

So while going viral is the Holy Grail of YouTube, it's something most of us will never experience. Does that mean that we shouldn't bother? Absolutely not. Take advantage of the power of YouTube to help you and your book get known. Here are a few tips:

1. For the most part, keep it short.
2. Humor helps.
3. Have a focus, theme, or message and keep on point.
4. Include your website URL in your video...in case your video gets uploaded and embedded on another site.
5. Include key words in the title of your video...use lots of tag words too. Do everything you can to help your video come up in a search.
6. Do everything you can to help it be found by Tweeting it and posting on your Facebook page.
7. The more videos the better. You never know what will make something take off. We do Writing in Five videos every week. Where one will have trouble breaking 40 views, another quickly breaks through 100. These are not huge numbers, but we are talking about writing tips...not entertainment.
8. Be persistent. And start your own YouTube channel. It's free.

Above all, remember not to be intimidated. You don't need expensive equipment or a degree in film production from USC. In fact, I selected these clips, in part, to show you that some of the most popular stuff is strictly homemade. Originality, entertainment value, feel-good...these are what YouTube viewers prize.

Every minute, some 24 HOURS of video are uploaded to YouTube. Come on in...the water's fine. And while Matilda and I have not gone viral yet, I hope you'll join me over on Women's Memoirs to watch the latest in our Writing in Five videos. I'm celebrating because I finally created a video that's only about 3 minutes long. Today's writing tip is courtesy of Ernest Hemingway.

2 Quick Video Tips and a Link to Our Newest Writing in Five Video

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #18

Creating our Writing in Five Quick Tips has been instructive. What Matilda and I are learning as we develop our writing tips is the source of most of the video tips we've been passing along here and on our Women's Memoirs Book Business blog posts.

Because I realize that getting started creating your own videos is a big hurdle to overcome, I wanted to share a little "inside baseball" with you as well as point out a mistake I made in my most recent video. 

First, I want to acknowledge that I haven't come close to shattering Matilda's record for short videos. My latest effort is 5 minutes and 39 seconds long. But I have an excuse: I'm using content that started life as an audio recording. Back in February, when we first conceived the Writing in Five series, Matilda and I thought we'd just record ourselves discussing various aspects of writing.

The problem is, audio doesn't have the same power in Google searches (That's Tip #1). So we switched to video. Now Matilda and I are going back and converting our first three audios to video. So what you'll hear on my Stephen King hates adverbs video is our original recording. What you'll see are four slides I created for the background.

In other words, your own videos can be as simple as an audio recording with a few PowerPoint (or for Mac users, Keynote) slides for the visual. And that's Tip #2. We recorded ourselves by phone, using FreeConferenceCall.com. The only expense was the cost of the phone call.

I invite you to watch my latest video and give me your feedback. Just follow this link to Damn the -ly Words (Adverbs) in Your Writing: Learn to Show Don't Tell.

I edited the audio file (cleaned it up, cut out the flubs, etc.) using Audacity. It's free, and it's terrific.

I created the slides in Keynote, which came with my Mac. Most PC users have access to PowerPoint; if you don't, you can try OpenOffice.

And finally, I stitched it all together using Screenflow. It's not free, but I consider it reasonably priced at $99. There is a free, open source screen capture program called Jing. I haven't used it, but it's made by the same people who make Camtasia--the Number One selling screen capture program ($299).

And that's it. Oh, one more thing. I recorded a brief conclusion, which requires a microphone. Amazon is a good resource for finding a reasonably priced microphone. You should end up spending between $50 and $100 for something decent. We highly recommend microphones that connect via the USB port.

I promised to share my mistake: In stitching the video together in Screenflow I had several elements I was working with: video of the slides, audio from Matilda's and my original phone call and the audio of the new conclusion I recorded. Syncing the audio and video is easier than I thought it would be. However, I made a mistake. I was trying to stretch out the time the second slide was up on the screen. I thought I'd been successful. In fact, all I did was trigger the third slide prematurely, and then I trigger it again a few seconds later. I now know that I could have fixed this with a little copy and paste. I could have copied the video of the second screen, dropped that in and cropped it to fit. You can see my mistake at the 3:30 mark in the video.

I hope this encourages you to try your hand at video.

Video Marketing--Keeping it Short is Hard!

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #17

If you saw my Saturday post over on Women's Memoirs ("Web Video Has Gone…Well, Viral. What Does this Mean to Memoir Writers?"), you'll know that I'm writing a series of book business and marketing blogs about video and how we (as writers) can/should/MUST use it effectively.

I know I say in the headline that it's hard. Actually, in terms of the technology, it's not that difficult. In my own case, I found it was more a case of getting my courage up. Even though it's only video, and I'm performing in the privacy of my own home office, I get a little stage fright. Well, I used to.

In fact, as I became more comfortable recording, I found my videos getting longer and longer. And this leads to two problems. The first is the most obvious. The series is called Writing in Five. It's not called Writing in Six or Writing in Nine. YouTube, which is where we host our videos (on either our Women's Memoirs channel or our Writing Alchemy channel), limits non-commercial productions to 10 minutes. I was getting dangerously close to the cut off.

The second problem is that most people don't want to sit still for eight or nine minutes of me blabbering away. I mean, I think the content is interesting, but I have to remain realistic. In fact, according to ComScore, the videos watched on YouTube average 4.4 minutes in length. Yup, nine minutes is too long...by a factor of two.

Shaving minutes off one's video is hard. Okay, I'm not going to mince words. I'm going to come right out and say it the way I am feeling it. It's damn hard. But I'm happy to report that I'm moving in the right direction. My latest Writing in Five video has writing tips on dialogue with master dialectician Mark Twain as our guide. It's just six minutes...and a hair.

I hope you'll watch it. More importantly, I hope you'll learn from it. You'll pick up some tips about dialogue, but I want you to watch the video and listen to my words. Then compare this with an earlier video, such as my tips on writing paragraphs--from Sheridan Baker.

Do you see what I did to trim more than three minutes? I don't try to read my screens. I get double duty from image and voice. The visuals are telling part of the story, and I'm speaking the rest. Using this technique, I can cover a lot more territory in a shorter amount of time.

I'm not a master yet. I still haven't broken the five minute barrier. In fact, Matilda will be doing the next Writing in Five. I'll let you in on a little secret--she's very competitive. She's going to do everything she can to turn in a stellar video performance in under five minutes.

The pressure is on! Matilda, I can name that tune in just...

Video is a medium foreign to most writers...that is unless we're screenwriters. But the Internet, and especially the smartphones (iPhone) and tablets (iPad), are such visual platforms. It's time we push our fears aside and tackle video head on. And to tell you the truth, it's fun.

Lights...camera...action. Mr. deMille, I'm ready for my close up. Cut!

So What Does It Take to Get Read?

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #16

"So, how are you going to tie a writing video to Getting Read?" Matilda wanted to know how I could possibly make a connection between our latest Writing in Five video (this one about author/educator Sheridan Baker and his thoughts about the paragraph).

"I don't know," I said, "but I'm sure something will come to me." Okay, so on one level it is a stretch. But I had a lot of time to think while trying to upload the video to YouTube. It took me four, painfully slow tries and even then I had to use a workaround. Apparently, the slightest glitch in the download and the thing fails. That's the one thing (the only thing) I hate about YouTube.

Early and Often

So what is the connection? Let me explain this way. Matilda and I are doing our series of Writing in Five videos as a way to build awareness and a following for our Writing Alchemy book, which will be out and in everyone's hands by September. To this end, we have:

• Created a new blog category for Writing Alchemy on Women's Memoirs. Rather than start a separate blog, we decided to keep it contained within Women's Memoirs where we already enjoy a lot of traffic.
• Created a YouTube channel for Women's Memoirs (and recently a second one for Writing Alchemy).
• We have been teaching Writing Alchemy classes through Story Circle Network and, of course, we did our big workshop at the February conference in Austin. This fall we're bringing the workshop to the East of Eden conference (in Salinas, CA) and to the Association of Personal Historians at their conference in Victoria, British Columbia. 

My point is that even while we're still deep in writing mode, we're looking for ways to connect with prospective readers and not waiting until the book is in production. Matilda and I talk almost daily about what we can do to get the word out. This is what every author who wants to sell well must be doing. To borrow a phrase from the Chicago political machine of old...early and often! That's the key to success.

Do the Best Possible Job

Personally, I think it goes without saying that the product--the book--must be good. And yet, I'm often surprised by writers with aspirations to publish who become discouraged when they realize they may have to edit, revise and reorganize their work several times before it's ready for prime time. But that's part of the process. To quote Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own: "If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." I think this is why authors--anyone who has actually had the fortitude and stamina to finish a book--still inspires awe in people. It is hard work; what makes it palatable is that those of us who are writers really can't see ourselves doing anything else.

And once you do the heavy lifting and get your book published, let the world know...not only through marketing but by putting your book up for publishing awards. There are many small, reputable organizations that judge. Win, and you have a reason to send out a press release and put a shiny metallic sticker on your cover.

Matilda and I have done this for Rosie's Daughters. In fact, even though we published in late 2008, we just won two more accolades: Indie Excellence Award (Finalist) and San Francisco Book Festival (Honorable Mention). This is after we won a 2008 IPPY. So it's never too late.

We also have a small publishing company (the imprint is Riparian Press), and the first book we have published is Dr. Greg's Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog's Health. We submitted it in several categories and it brought home the honors: It received the gold in the Animal/Pets category for the Living Now awards, Indie Excellence (Finalist), Next Generation Book Awards (Finalist) and San Francisco Book Festival (Honorable Mention). Three of those four awards provide winners with stickers for the book cover. Do you think a picture of the cover boldly displaying three prize stickers makes a difference? You bet. It may not be a Newberry or a Pulitzer, but it does make a difference. Dog Dish Diet stands out on the shelf.

Be Evergreen

As I was doing my background research on Sheridan Baker, author of The Practical Stylist, for the Writing in Five--Paragraphs, I discovered that this simple writing text had sold more than 300,000 copies. Wow. And I confess that that realization kept me up half the night...thinking. The Practical Stylist was first published in 1962. Long before the Internet. How did he sell so many copies?

I received my copy in 1966 courtesy of my high school English teacher Bayne Kelley. Obviously a lot of other people received their copies in similar fashion. But even if Baker had English teachers across the country eating out of his hand and making The Practical Stylist required reading, I was still blown away by 300,000 copies sold. It sounds less like a book and more like a hamburger stand. And again I repeat, without the benefit of the Internet.

Throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s publishers were certainly more aggressive, and that accounts for some of the success. But here's the big thing, the book was published and promoted for 35 years. It went through eight editions.

What if you've written a book that has evergreen qualities...meaning that it's not out of date in six to eight months. And what if you're a little slow to get into your selling grove. Today, if you're lucky enough to get a contract with a large publisher and if you don't produce pretty quickly, you'll be on the remainder shelf before you know it. This is one more reason to consider a small independent publisher (or some form of self publishing) so you can keep your book available long enough for you to figure out how to best sell it.

And that's how I tie the announcement of a new Writing in Five Video to my topic of Getting Read. I hope you'll watch Part I. I'll be posting Part II next Monday. I told Matilda that if I didn't cut it into two parts we were going to have to change the name of the program to Writing in Fifteen! Enjoy.

What's The Difference Between Theme and Message?

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #15

I asked one question in the headline, and before I come back to that, I want to ask a second question: What is a story?

I pose these questions because so many writing students don't seem to have a good answer. Some exceptionally good writers that I know can't always distinguish a story from a character sketch or anecdote. Nor can they express their theme and message clearly and succinctly. And this is a BIG deal. Their failings on both counts, I believe, are keeping many good writers from becoming great and leaving their work without focus. And without a real point. 

So I decided to go on a quest that took me both online and through the pages of a few of the many writing books I've amassed in the past 40 years or so. My goal was to find answers that would help clear up this confusion once and for all.

I know this post appears a little off the usual theme (oh, there's that word) of my "Getting Read" posts. I ask your indulgence. I also encourage you to visit Women's Memoirs after you read this because I have posted a blog about a marvelous new application that is both fun and instructional, but more about that later (Link Below).

I want to start this journey by trying to answer my second question first: 

What is a story?

In the third edition of his classic, college reader, Story and Structure (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1970), Laurence Perrine asks a question of his own: "With life as short as it is, with so many pressing demands on our time, with books of information, instruction, and discussion waiting to be read, why should we spend precious time on works of imagination?" Perrine answers his own question by saying enjoyment, certainly, but that the work must provide "something more than pleasure." That something is understanding. In other words, our stories must have a point.

When I queried Google, the top response took me to a page where I found this quotation from author/editor Bill Johnson: "A Story is an arrangement of words and images that re-create life-like characters and events. By how a storyteller describes and arranges a description of a story's events, issues and ideas, the storyteller gains the attention of an audience. To sustain that interest, the action of a story is often presented as revolving around resolving some human need: to feel loved, to be in control of one's life and fate, to be able to avenge wrongs, overcome obstacles, discover and understand the meaning and purpose of life. To reward the interest of an audience, the storyteller arranges the elements of their story to fulfill the issues it raises."

Let's break this down. A story deals with characters AND events that are arranged to have maximum impact and sustain the audience's interest. The storyteller rewards the audience by somehow resolving or fulfilling "the issues it raises"...in other words, a story fulfills a promise. Johnson has a workbook and DVD that he calls "A Story is a Promise." That's it, in a nutshell. 

Our writing has its roots in the oral tradition of the storyteller; we need to remember our heritage every time we sit down to write. When we tell someone a story, we focus on making a point. In fact, have you ever started to tell a story and lost your focus and ended up apologizing and saying, "Well, now, I've forgotten my point. Sorry." We can't so easily apologize to our readers.

French cinematographer Jean-Luc Godard reminds us of another critical component of story. And as the New Wave filmmaker that he is, he gives license to our creativity in the same breadth: "A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end...but not necessarily in that order." Yes! We can employ any number of literary devices and narrative techniques--flashbacks, foreshadowing, dream sequences, flashforward, historical present--but without a plot...without a beginning, middle and end, you don't have a story.

You may have a journal entry...if you're writing memoir. A character study...if you delve deep into personality types and motivations. Maybe you've set the stage beautifully...waiting for the plot to show up. You may bring your reader to tears or make her hair stand on end. But without a plot, you do NOT have a story.

I encourage you to go to Google and ask, What is a story? You'll find much has been written. I want to share just one more site. Author and editor Marilyn Singer asked, What is a SHORT story? She compiled answers from more than a dozen authors. I like this one from Andrea Davis Pinkey: "A short story is like a good meal--it gives you flavor and just enough to chew on, but leaves you completely satisfied." The reader is satisfied because the story's promise is fulfilled.

What's your theme and message?

Now to the more difficult question. What is the difference between theme and message and, more specifically, what is your theme and message? While I have my own definitions, I decided to do a little research before getting on my rant. I found that perhaps one of the reasons theme and message confuse writing students is because 1) it's not taught very well and 2) the terms are often used interchangeably.

More than one site I found described the theme as the message. I respectfully disagree and distinguish between the two this way: With our theme, we identify the fundamental and often universal idea of our writing; we then use the specifics of our story to share our very personal understanding and/or expression of that theme.

Let me give you an example using two of my favorite books: This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920) and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951). Both books are coming of age novels. Interestingly, they are also both about young men in the years after a World War. That is the theme, and there the similarity ends.

In This Side of Paradise, Amory Blaine strives to throw off nonconformity and become more like everyone else. When he finally achieves his goal and feels he fits in with his crowd, he discovers just how meaningless and empty conformity is. The book ends with Amory’s self-realization; he knows himself and that he is ready to accept his life: “’I know myself,’ he cried, ‘but that is all.’” While he had found his own way; the next generation was only beginning its quest: “Here was a new generation… dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken…”

At the ripe old age of 16, The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield is thoroughly jaded by modern society and alienated from peers and adults alike. Unable to find meaningful communication and interaction, his separation and seclusion become ever more palpable. Where Amory ultimately found comfort in the non-conformity of his lost generation, Holden finds only the loneliness of an outsider in an age of conformity and envy for the simple naiveté of innocent youth (still traveling to the beat of its own drum). Holden isn’t on a personal journey; he’s the last sane man standing…decrying the loss of honesty and integrity in postwar America.

One theme...two very different messages.

I'll conclude with a few more words from Laurence Perrine. He writes: "The THEME of a piece of fiction [and I'll add memoir] is its controlling idea or its central insight....We must never think, once we have stated the theme of a story, that the whole purpose of the story has been to yield up this abstract statement. If this were so, there would be no reason for the story..." (pages 100-101)

I hope this has helped dispel some of the confusion about story, theme and message. And lest you think I've strayed too far from my usual "Getting Read" topics, all I can say is this. Just try getting published if your story isn't a story and your theme and message are muddled!

A fun tool and a new contest

I want to close on a light note by 1) encouraging you to follow this link to my blog post about a free tool that I think you'll enjoy and 2) inviting you to enter Women's Memoirs' May writing contest. This tool will enable you to create videos quickly, easily and without any special equipment. More important, it will help you work on your plot, theme and message. Have fun.

Also, you still have 12 days to submit a vignette and a recipe for our April contest. Just 1000 words, plus a recipe, a plot, a theme and a message. How hard can that be? Matilda Butler and I look forward to your entries. 

What's Your Platform? Another Way of Asking, Who's Going to Read Your Book?

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #14

Okay, so an aspiring author attends a writing conference and signs up to pitch her manuscript to several agents. Here's what transpires:

Aspiring Author: "I've finished writing my memoir and would like to find a publisher. Can you help me find a good publisher?"

Jaded Agent: "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that memoir is more popular than ever. Some argue that it's supplanted fiction as the most popular genre."

Aspiring Author: "Well that's great, but what's the bad news?"

Jaded Agent: "All that popularity is creating a very crowded field. To succeed you need to offer something special and you need to have an audience. What's your platform?"

So far, so good. Our aspiring author is feeling encouraged. She's starting to envision HarperCollins, Time Warner or, perhaps, Scribner as her publisher. She's worked closely with an editor; she knows her book is well written and timely. She begins to answer the agent with her well-rehearsed elevator speech. Her voice is strong; inside she's trembling with anticipation:

Aspiring Author: "I am the oldest of the 8 children adopted by Joyce and Bill BigHeart. I've written the heartfelt story about growing up in this amazing family. It's a heartwarming story; it's insightful; and above all it's inspiring because every one of my sisters and brothers has a physical, mental or emotional challenge. In spite of our problems, today we're all leading successful, happy lives thanks to the hard work, compassion and boundless optimism of our parents, Joyce and Bill. This is a book that will appeal to everyone."

Do you see the disconnect? Our jaded agent asked about the market first--platform is just another word for audience, market, readers. But as with many before her, our aspiring author is so caught up in her story that she has trouble imagining anything trumping her theme and message. The story has been her Number One focus for the past three years.

Alas, our jaded agent knows better. Given today's publishing climate and the fact that few authors can expect any marketing assistance from the publisher, she has to cut to the chase and ask first about the audience--the customer base that will buy the book--rather than the subject. It wouldn't matter if the aspiring author had said she'd written about how she was eight years old when she and her family climbed onto a raft to make their way from Cuba; only she survived (her brother drowned and her parents were eaten by sharks); and she washed up on a beach in Florida, ready to make her way in this new country with just the few silver coins her mother had sewn into the hem of her dress. It wouldn't matter because the agent needs to be able to sell prospective publishers on how many books the author can sell based on her platform (who she can reach).

It wouldn't have mattered if she'd said her story was about how she stowed away on the Space Shuttle or won the Kentucky Derby at the age of 12. Okay, that's not entirely true. These last two would be an easier pitch but only because if she'd done either of these things she'd be a celebrity, and even an agent would know something about her platform.

There's nothing wrong with any of these subjects, and I'm sure the same goes for most of your stories. A well-written book, well-organized, with a strong theme and message should appeal to some set of readers. But to whom? And how large is that market? These are the business questions every author must ask...the sooner the better.

There's No Such Thing As the "Everyone" Platform

While my little story here is hypothetical, it doesn't deviate far from the truth. When I ask an aspiring author about her audience and see a grin starting to light up her face, I know what's coming next: "Everyone will want to read my story." "It's a book for every American." "Everyone who's known tragedy will find solace this book." "Everyone. Everywhere. Forever."

I'm sorry to break the spell, but no book is for everyone. Not the Bible. Not the telephone book. This is not to take anything away from your topic, your message or your writing because I don't believe that anything, anywhere appeals to everyone. I've made lists of popular subjects and things...even of the most basic necessities...and I still can't find something with universal appeal. We must eat and drink water, but not everyone is interested in food. They fuel their bodies; nothing more. Dessert. Everyone must like dessert, right? I'll concede that the market is large, but no, not everyone likes dessert. Not sex either. And suicide proves that not even everyone loves living.

Now, with your feet planted firmly in reality, it's time to identify your platform and collect all the information you can about WHO that platform is:

• How many members of that platform.
• Median and average age of members.
• What they like to do.
• What kind of information they want/need.
• Where they hang out online.
• Organizations they belong to.
• Magazines they read.
• And more.

Let's get started. Come join me for the second half of this post over on Women's Memoirs. I want to share the last part of our interview with memoirist/therapist and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers Linda Joy Myers. She answers two questions from our audience about platform and book marketing. Her answers explain why Matilda Butler and I have focused so many of our Women's Memoirs Book Business posts on the dual topics of platform and blogging. They are the two most important topics when when it comes to marketing and selling your book today.