I just got back from Idaho. My 86-year-old mother and I spent a week at my brother’s new home in the Camas Prairie watching the deer and antelope play. Well I didn’t see any antelope, but we got there during fawning season and saw a lot of does caring for their young in the tall grasses around the house. We also watched as a nest of baby blue birds took flight for the first time. We observed a pair of prairie swallows feeding their young. And I saw a couple of elk crossing the road in front of the ATV I was driving across hill and dale one bright blue-sky day.
It was a lovely setting and my mom and I had a great visit with 3 generations of family, including 4 little ones we’d never met. But boy is it a different way of life in that remote area of northwestern Idaho. Everyone grows vegetables and plants fruit trees. They go into the timber and harvest mushrooms, trek along the rivers and pick wild blackberries. And they do a lot of canning. They have television sets, but turn them on ever so seldom. My sister-in-law has a computer, but she’s still on dial-up and there’s no wireless connection anywhere near there.
I actually wrote two blog entries while in Idaho, despite the fact that I was sorta sick with a cold and struggling with laryngitis the entire time I was there (but that’s another story). Before I could post to my blog, however, dial-up failed and my blog entry disappeared. If it wasn’t such a delightfully relaxing atmosphere, I might have become terribly frustrated. I can tell you that I am very pleased to be back home at my computer where DSL keeps me connected 24/7.
As always, when I leave town for any length of time, I came home to a pile of work. I still haven’t written the July edition of the SPAWN Market Update—a meaty newsletter that appears each month in the member area of the SPAWN website. http://www.spawn.org I get a lot of publishing/writing newsletters every month and I have to tell you that, for the author and freelance writer, the SPAWN Market Update is one of the most useful, informative and readable. There are no advertisements in the SPAWN Market Update or SPAWNews, which is a free newsletter going out to anyone who subscribes. http://www.spawn.org
Last night, even though I’m still struggling to be heard (the laryngitis is still evident), I taught the first in a series of eight book proposal workshops to 4 members of a writers group called the “Yes I Can Club.” It went well. Each member is working on a book. They are all serious writers and seem willing to consider even those suggestions that may seem a little outside their comfort zone. They aren’t so attached to their projects that they balk at new ideas.
For example, last night I asked them to consider two questions:
Why are you writing this book?
What is the purpose of your book?
Eyes widened as brains began to twirl and whirl. And soon the truth in their deep down motivation rose to the surface. Almost everyone expressed surprise at their perceived purpose for their books. And some of the authors even discussed making changes in their stories in order to accommodate a greater purpose.
An author typically starts out writing for him/herself. It isn’t until he begins to consider his audience that the true story or way of story can emerge. If you are currently writing a book, maybe it’s time for you to think about your audience. What is it you’re offering them? Are you providing that in your story or text?
Maybe your book is purely for entertainment. Start looking at it from the reader’s point of view. Is it actually witty, amusing, interesting, engaging and/or enjoyable? If your book is designed to be informational, are you providing that information you promise? Does your how-to actually offer guidelines, instruction, direction, coaching? And what about your memoir? What’s the point of it? What will make someone want to read your story? Would a self-help component entice a larger audience? Or do you have too many strong elements in your book. Maybe you’re confused as to whether this is your recovery memoir, a tribute to a deceased loved one or a book on how-to overcome grief.
Start asking these questions and your book concept could transform right before your eyes. And this could be a very good thing. Consider your audience before you get too far into your book and you’re more likely to write the right book for the right audience.
For help with this, be sure to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. Despite its tremendous value, the cost is only $19.95. Pay $28.00 and get the companion workbook, as well. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html