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What are the clues? When is it official? Who determines that it is so? And then, how do you convince those people who’ve known you for years as an engineer, homemaker, secretary or dentist that you are now a writer? It’s all very mysterious and indefinable, isn’t it?

But it doesn’t have to be. I figure that you are a writer as soon as you decide that you are. For some, this might be once you sit down and start penning that first novel. Others can’t quite call themselves writers until they’ve had something published. But does it count if you pay to get published or you get published without pay? I know some people who have sold several pieces to a variety of publications and are still hesitant to consider themselves bonafide writers. I also know some who maintain blogs or who write a story now and then and introduce themselves regularly as “writers.”

I guess the label doesn’t really matter, except to the individual and the IRS. You probably can’t claim writing as your profession unless you are either making or losing money at it. And if you don’t claim profits and/or losses related to writing on your income tax return, I don’t think you can be considered a writer, can you?

Some people claim “writership” for the prestige value. I’m not sure, really, how non-writers feel about writers these days. When I started responding to the question, “What do you do?” with, “I’m a writer,” few people understood that status. Some were slightly impressed, until they discovered that I couldn’t name a publication I’d written for that they knew. This used to bother me, until I realized that I was earning a living through my writing, and it didn’t matter if it was through obscure publications. Maybe no one had heard of Woman’s Life, Columbia, The World and I, Communication Briefings, Pages, Teaching Tolerance, American Health for Women, Technology and Learning, Silicon 2.0, for example, but they were providing my bread and butter. (In fact, some of these magazines paid quite well.)

I always got the impression that people, upon learning that I am a writer, imagined me spending my days in contemplation until I felt inspired. I’m sure that most non-writers, at least pre-2000, had no idea about the energy, effort and time involved in carving out and maintaining a writing career. I spent many hours attempting to convince people that career writing is a business like any other business.

When I started writing, I didn’t know another writer. Now I know hundreds and hundreds of them. That’s partly because the Internet has brought us together&#8212made us aware of one another. And it’s also partially because there are so many more of us. I think that the general public is becoming more educated about the writing life. Even though each of us puts a little different slant on the way we pursue our writing, we, as writers, are less of a mystery. Everyone, these days, knows a writer. Even some non-writers are penning their memoirs, maintaining a blog, submitting articles in order to promote a cause or writing one (and only one) how-to, self-help or informational book reflecting their passion.

So are they writers? I guess it depends on how they feel about themselves and what the term writer means to them.

Today, I want to know, are you a writer? What criteria determine this judgment? In your mind, what more must you accomplish or what threshold must you approach before you can consider yourself a writer?

Have you checked out my array of books, lately? I talk a lot about my hallmark book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. But I rarely mention my other books. My books include:

• The Successful Writer’s Handbook
• Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book
• A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles
• How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less
• The Author’s Workbook
• The Author’s Repair Kit
• The Mainland Luau
• Quest for Truth (a metaphysical adventure)

Check them out at http://www.matilijapress.com

When you started writing, you probably were interested only in writing for yourself. You were keeping a journal, writing a story for fun or jotting down your life story. Now that you want to share your writing&#8212you are writing to be read&#8212you need to start thinking of your audience.

This concept seems like a no-brainer. Of course, you are writing your short stories and articles to be read. Certainly, you are preparing your book for a particular audience. But is this your primary focus as you write and edit your book?
• Is your message clear?
• Are your sentences succinct and understandable?
• Does your storyline make sense?
• Are you addressing the concerns and desires of your audience?
I sometimes suggest to clients and students that they write so that someone from Mars can understand it.

If it is a how-to article or book, clarity is imperative. It’s not always easy to write instructions, for example. Keep in mind that just because you know what you’re talking about and your words make perfect sense to you, doesn’t necessarily mean that your audience will understand. That’s why I suggest that freelance writers and authors keep their audience in mind while they are writing and especially during the editing process. This is one excellent reason why it is important to have another set of eyes (preferably eyes that are well-trained in editing) to read your manuscript before publication. He or she will be able to point out any problem areas: muddy writing, confusing dialog, inconsistencies and so forth.

One manuscript I edited started out with a main character named Karen. About three-quarters of the way through, the name changed to Kelly. Ooops. And the author hadn’t even noticed. Well, she knew that she changed the name, but thought she had made all of the necessary changes. I’ve read published books where the author made changes in the name of the city or a dog, for example, and didn’t make all of the changes throughout.

Another author decided to eliminate almost all references in long sections of dialog to show who was speaking. Not only was there no indication of who was speaking, she didn’t even stay true to her characters styles of talking. As an editor, I was thoroughly confused. Just imagine how her readers would react to this.

Some of my nonfiction authors love to throw around pet titles/phrases and acronyms without explanation. Some authors assume that the reader is par with them in understanding the subject matter, so they attempt to communicate in innuendoes and hints. I tell these authors, this is no way to inform and teach your readers.

Probably where I see the largest measure of error in communication is in the book proposal and even the query letter. If an author is also a reader and is writing with the reader in mind, he or she will usually learn what it takes in order to capture the interest, attention and comprehension of a reader. Few authors, however, really understand what it takes to communicate with a publisher or an agent.

When you write your query letter or book proposal, imagine throughout that you are communicating directly to the publisher. Address his concerns, respond to his burning questions, give him every reason to be interested in your project. How? By getting into his head. What does he want to know? What does he care about?

I can tell you that most publishers do not care one iota that you, “New Writer,” have penned a children’s book or a historical novel or another how-to/self-help book for women. This is of no interest to him. He especially doesn’t care that your friends think this book is marvelous or even that it won an award from you local, Snakepit County library. No!

He cares only about his bottom line. He wants to know whether your book is a worthwhile, valid project and if it can make his company some money. This is the mindset you must address throughout the process of writing your book proposal. He doesn’t want fluff. He wants facts. He doesn’t want a weak overview, he wants a strong synopsis that makes a case for the validity and salability of this book. He doesn’t want your brother’s opinion of the book, he wants a strong market analysis that demonstrates how your book compares to others that have done well in the marketplace. He wants to know that you have a platform (a following, a way of attracting readers) and that you will aggressively promote this book

Don’t tell the publisher that you will be available to do book signings and so forth. Say that you will get out there and make promotion happen. Don’t let him see you as a meek author who just wants to sit in her cubbyhole and write. Create a picture in his mind of an energetic marketing-savvy author with lots of creative promotional ideas and the ability and willingness to follow through.

Do you see why I harp at my readers, clients and students to keep the reader in mind every step of the way no matter their audience? Think about it, when you write a personal letter, you have the recipient in mind the entire time. This is as it should be when you are writing a book (fiction or nonfiction) and when you are writing your book proposal. Envision your target audience (be it young adult readers, women, children or publishers) and write for that individual.

For more on how to write, publish and sell your book, including a section on self-editing, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Check out Carol Denbow’s blog site, A Book Inside. She has written a great article called “The Twelve Days of Christmas for Writers, Poets, Authors and Book Lovers” in which she offers tons of resources and recommendations for anyone interested in books. She even mentions my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

This was posted November 12, 2008. I think everyone reading my blog will find her blog site relevant to your writing/reading interests.

http://abookinside.blogspot.com/2008/11/twelve-days-of-christmas-for-writers.html

Ahhhh, communication… Humans definitely have the edge when it comes to succinct, concise, clear, lucid, on-target communication, right? After all, we have so many modes of communication available to us. We can text, fax, email, chat, blog, videotape, record and speak in real time via cell or computer from anywhere at any time. We can even talk face-to-face, although, this style of conversation seems to be going obsolete. So why haven’t our communication skills improved? Why are we still missing the mark in our attempts to share our thoughts, pass along instructions, make a point, teach and inform? I see our promotional attempts fail. Simple comments are misconstrued. Written or spoken information and instructions often lack clarity. Are you noticing this in your business and personal dealings?

Have you had misunderstandings with friends or colleagues even though you attempted to discuss the situation via email, through texting and even by phone? Are the information bites you receive from your managers and coworkers sometimes confusing? If you’re like many Americans, you probably even sometimes have trouble communicating successfully with loved ones and friends.

So what makes communication so difficult in this Communication Age? Several things contribute:

• We’re an international community. Not only do we communicate with people in other countries quite frequently, many of our colleagues, friends and neighbors speak English as their second language. For the past few years, about 1/4 of my clients were from other countries and they hired me to Americanize their book manuscripts before they approached publishers.

• As Americans, we are becoming more and more colloquial in our way of communicating. We take shortcuts in the way we speak and write and we just assume that others will get it. Many people neglect to use capitalization in their emails and text messages; some shorten words or use acronyms. It has become common and accepted to use U in place of you, R in place of are and so forth. I often receive emails and manuscripts from people who can’t write clear thoughts or clarify concepts. They have large vocabularies, they use an abundance of words, but they have trouble presenting a clear and concise sentence or thought.

• We’re lazy communicators. We are not taught the fine points of communication growing up (clarity and give and take) and many of us miss the mark when attempting to share something or learn something. We don’t know how to get our point across and we don’t know how to listen. For example, it is typical for us to read or hear an evaluation of our manuscript, and take away just one things&#8212usually something negative. How many times have you been guilty of this?

Let’s say that you receive a review of your book or a rejection letter from a magazine editor. The entire review or letter is quite complimentary. Oh my, the writer tells you what a brilliant piece this is, that it is well-written and clever. She goes on to say that this could be a major contribution to humanity and that there is only one thing she would criticize. She would prefer that the book or article was written in third person rather than first. So what are you going to focus on? Yup, that single, obviously one-person’s opinion critique.

• The Technology/Communication Age has brought with it a new brand of communication&#8212abbreviations. We are learning to speak in symbols and acronyms instead of real words, phrases and sentences. Only those trained in such language can understand these messages.

• Even with all of the opportunities for communication, some of us still tend to withhold. Is this a personality trait or, perhaps, flaw? There seem to be the communicators among us&#8212those who are constantly putting themselves out there verbally. These people are in perpetual communication with family members via cell and text. They may over-explain things to clients and colleagues and overload them with material and information. The constant communicator may be as ineffective as the non-communicator because no one, today, has the time or inclination to read such large volumes of continuous blather.

At the other end of the spectrum, of course, are the non-communicators. These people give as little as possible. I guess they don’t stay as connected to their means of communication as the communicator, for they do not respond to emails or phone calls even when they have requested something from you. The non-communicator may want to get a point across, pass along some information, get some support or collaborate on a project, but he or she provides such minimal data, that you aren’t clear as to what he or she wants. I get emails like this and it sometimes takes 2 or 3 attempts on my part to draw out of this person what they are trying to say, ask, share…

Do you see yourself in any of my examples? Where do you fit in? Where could you improve in your communication techniques or habits? I tend to be the over-communicator, myself. Those of you who know me well would probably agree. I strive to be more succinct in my communication. How about you? Can you see areas where you can improve in your communication skills?
If you’re interested in this topic, visit my website and read my articles on public speaking and communication. You might find this article useful: The 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Conversationalist.

http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/10stepstoconversation.htm

In the next blog entry, I may reveal what initiated this post.

My blog entries haven’t exactly been plentiful this week. That’s because I’m in vacation mode. I’ve been living in a lovely beach house all week, just steps from the Pacific Ocean and I’ve been taking every advantage of this fantastic opportunity to walk on the beach and just sit and watch the waves. I also enjoy watching the wildlife&#8212porpoises, terns, plovers and even the seagulls. I love this lifestyle. I’ve discovered a small neighborhood fruit and veggie stand where you can find unusual and luscious produce and even home-baked bread. I walk up occasionally to the local coffee house and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. It has been a wonderfully relaxing week and we even had great weather. But all good things come to an end and I’m leaving today, taking with me a whole bunch of lovely memories.

How did I manage to enjoy this week of luxury and adventure? It came about because I’m a writer and editor. No kidding. I’ve had some amazing experiences simply because of my profession. In this case, I was offered the beach house in exchange for some editing work. It was a bartering situation.

I think some of you know that it was my writing that got me a trip to Dubai&#8212yes, in the Middle East. The organizers of the Toastmasters annual convention in that region wanted a woman keynote speaker that year (2006). They were accustomed to seeing my byline on articles in the Toastmaster Magazine and liked what I had to say. So they invited me, all expenses paid, including the first class flight. Wow! What an experience!! (Read more about this trip in my May 2006 blog entries.) I’ve also written a book on the subject. It’s showcased at
http://www.matilijapress.com/dubai.html

I’ve met interesting people as a result of my writing&#8212professionals in all areas of expertise, amazing individuals making big marks in the world and well-known authors (David Morrell, Maxine Hong Kingston and others whose names escape me). I’ve met inventors, corporate CEOs and animal rescue volunteers. I interviewed a man who built a million dollar exercise machine business from scratch, celebrated psychologists, outstanding artists, speakers who draw $thousands for one keynote and a Miss America.

And the experiences you have as a freelance writer and author…I was allowed inside a cage with Pallas Cats at the Denver Zoo before visiting hours to photograph these unusual and shy animals for Cats Magazine. I’ve been wined and dined by interview subjects who could afford high living and hoped for a positive slant on the story I was writing. I’ve watched birds of prey being trained, toured cat rescue facilities, had a free sailing lesson and even sat inside a simulated flying saucer.

Because of my writing, I’ve traveled to cities and states I may never visit otherwise&#8212Wisconsin, Nashville, Atlanta, Hawaii, Jacksonville, Seattle, Phoenix, etc. And I’ve met new friends in each new place.

As a freelance writer, author and even an editor, I’ve had more interesting and unusual experiences than I can mention in one blog entry. And they seem to keep coming.

Are you open to the potential new experiences out there? Do you recognize them when you see them? Can you reach out to enjoy them? Let your natural writers’ curiosity pull you out of your comfort zone. Begin exploring the opportunities available.

And if you don’t know how to get a freelance business going or you need help producing or marketing your book, be sure to explore my array of books for writers and authors at http://www.matilijapress.com

In particular check out, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (for any hopeful or struggling author at any stage of their publishing project), A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles (for freelance writers and authors who want to promote their books through article-writing), The Successful Writer’s Handbook (for any writer or author who needs guidance and encouragement).