The Most Important Question We Will Ever Ask
July 1, 2009 by Maria Keckler
Filed under Inspiration, The Whole Nine Yards, Writing to Serve
“Why?”
Yes, the most important question we will ever ask is “why?” Or better yet, “Can you help me understand?”
If you read my recent book review of The Noticer by Andy Andrews, and the subsequent update I added yesterday, you’ll discover that today’s post echoes the central theme of the book: “Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”
For the last five years, I have been trying to influence college students to question what they see, hear, or read. When we question — in the true spirit of wanting to know and understand — we are willing to withhold judgment until we have a complete picture or a clear perspective.
Today, with Andy’s permission, I want to share a note he wrote back when I asked “why?” At first, I tried to excerpt the note to give you the gist of his response, but then I realized that the sincerity and concern with which he wrote would be lost. So I include the entire piece.
Why share this personal note? Read on… Read more
Creative Marketing Ideas for Writers
May 27, 2009 by Maria Keckler
Filed under Habits, Publication, The Whole Nine Yards, Writing Craft
In “Golden Rule Marketing for Writers,” Emily Akin reminded us that aspiring authors should learn to love marketing and spend as much as 80% of their time marketing their writing. Still, some writers chew on this idea with apprehension, hoping they will be the exception. I think the problem is that we tend to approach marketing with the wrong perspective.
I recently ran across Meeting Needs, a blog post by Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association. She challenges Christian writers to see marketing differently. She says this: ”Promoting a book is like being a missionary. Missionaries don’t sit at home and wait for people who need Jesus to come to them. They go “into all the world” and seek the lost.” What a great perspective!
If you are beginning to feel differently about marketing, then you are ready for some new ideas to reach your readers. Here are five links to articles from creative writers and marketers that can get your creative juices flowing:
Question: How about you? Do you have some creative marketing ideas that help you reach your readers? Share them with us.
Writing for an Audience
March 31, 2009 by Maria Keckler
Filed under Publication, The Whole Nine Yards, Writing Craft
This article is the first installment on a series of tips I will offer to help you understand how to write for an audience. My goal is to provide bite-sized pieces you can ponder and begin to put into practice right away.
It may seem self-evident, but writing for an audience requires that we, writers, understand the readers that will potentially read our words. Magazine editors, for instance, have a precise knowledge of the publication’s reading demographic — they expect freelance writers to study the publication, understand its style – and their target audience.
Let’s say, for example, you want to write for Christianity Today. Do you know who reads it? Would you guess that the majority of its readership is made of married men in their mid-50s? MomSense, on the other hand, caters to mothers of preschoolers (infants through kindergarten). Of course, there are publications that reach a wider demographic. Take Reader’s Digest, for example. It aims to provoke, educate, and entertain readers from all walks of life through articles and features illustrating contemporary American life. Still, Reader’s Digest editors understand that they cater to readers who prefer excerpted features over the meatier versions published in, say, Time Magazine.
“The child as reader is neither to be patronized nor idolized: we talk to him as man to man.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Learning to write for a target audience is a skill every aspiring writer needs to learn sooner than later. Here are three skills you can begin to develop whether you are writing for a national magazine, an organization’s newsletter, or a blog: Read more
