Missed Learning Opportunities

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we are surrounded with rich insights from other writers who are in a different place in their writing lives. If we take action, we can learn important insights for our writing. I want to tell you about some of my missed learning opportunities and my plans to make a personal course correction in this area.

First, a confession. One of the benefits from being on the faculty of a large writer’s conference like the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is the gift of all the recordings from a wide array of workshops and instructors. In 2023. I was a part of this faculty and after the conference, I carefully downloaded and organized all of the audios and handouts. Here’s my confession, during the last two years I have not listened to a single session.

Last month once again, I was on the faculty with the gift of the various recordings. I downloaded and organized all of these audios and handouts. I’m determined to take a different course of action. I’m creating a plan to consistently listen to some of these recordings and apply it to my writing life. In the last few days, I’ve started this listening process. Because I also downloaded all of the handouts, I locate the handout and print it, then as I listen to the workshop I make action notes on this handout. To get started, I’m not starting at the beginning or the end but picking the topics which are interesting or the speakers that are of interest to my writing. Each session is over an hour in length. I’ve pulled the audio to my desktop and at different moments throughout my day, I am listening to part of the workshop. 

Here’s another way to consume these audios. I don’t have to listen to them on my desktop or laptop computer. I’ve learned to send the audio file as an attachment to myself. Then I open that file on my phone and can listen to it on my mobile device which is much more portable than a laptop or desktop computer. I hope each of you are seeing the flexibility and options which open up to hear the recordings on your phone as well as your computer.

Notice how I broke down this huge task of listening to hours or recordings into bite-sized pieces that I can easily accomplish and find value for my writing life. From what I have read and experienced in publishing, I believe there are many others who never use the audios or online courses they have purchased--much less listened to the material then applied it to their writing life. If you want to be the exception, then you have to follow a different course of action.

For example, do you want to write a book over the next few months? No writer sits and writes a full book manuscript. I’ve interviewed many bestselling authors. The bulk of these writers will set a goal of how many words they want to write during a day or during a week. They establish a goal which is reasonable for them and something they can accomplish time after time. Then these writers find the time in their schedule (early in the morning or late at night or during their lunch schedule). They sit at their keyboard, move their fingers and write words. That first draft isn’t perfect and will often need rewriting and revision for it to be published. Getting your first draft down on paper moves it from your head to reality. It does not happen by “thinking” or “dreaming” about writing. It does not happen by reading and studying how-to-write books (even though I’ve written several of these books). You achieve your writing goals little by little and make continual progress toward writing that final page.  

Years ago in August 2020, I wrote an article about how to eat an elephant (follow the link to read it). Do you have a series of these audio recordings on a flash drive or on your computer? Have you listened to them and applied them to your writing life? What steps do you take in this area? Let me know in the comments and I look forward to your insights.

Tweetable:

We are surrounded with opportunities to learn about our writing craft. This prolific writer and editor confesses to his missed learning and specific actions. Read the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched:

Jon Clemence and I spoke about Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed on the Content Creators Unite! podcast. Listen at:https://bit.ly/4kyXr44 

I’m currently working for my third publisher as an acquisitions editor. Without exaggeration, I’ve spoken with hundreds of authors about their books and plans. Repeatedly, I find many authors have an unrealistic expectation for what will happen when their book gets published. I know much of the publishing process is outside of anything that an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS, which is a practical easy reading book to help you. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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The Price Tag of Innovation

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In these entries on The Writing Life, I talk about different aspects of the world of publishing. In about a week, I begin to teach a continuing class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. This event is one of the largest in the country with over 600 people last year. It’s been my honor to teach at this event a number of times. Like other aspects of publishing that I’ve mentioned, to be considered on their faculty, I have to pitch what I will teach. To give myself the best opportunity to be selected, I intentionally pitch something different than I’ve taught in the past. 

Months ago I pitched teaching a continuing session (Making Books Is Easy but Selling Books Is Hard. Unlock the Mystery: How Do Authors Sell Books?). I created a brief paragraph about each session. My personal challenge is that when I teach, I pour a great deal of time and effort into my handouts and the information which I will be giving to my class. 

Because of the size of this conference and the other classes, I never know ahead of time how many people will be at my session. Some years I have taught a full class with someone in every seat. Other years I have had two or three people (yes that number is correct). Other times I have had a dozen people in my class. I always prepare as though I will have an overflow crowd--whether that happens or not.

My challenge is finding the time to prepare for these new sessions. My handouts for the sessions are due ahead of time. Instead of printing a bunch of handouts which are not used, all of the handout information will be stored in a password protected area (just for people who have paid for the conference) to access and use. Unlike some of the other instructors, I do not use a powerpoint or an online slide deck. Through my years of attending these conferences, I  been in the audience where the instructor spends the bulk of the hour trying to get their computer to work or some other glitch prevents the audience from receiving the information. Instead when I teach, I focus on producing handouts with a lot of information (way more data than I can teach during the time period) and put it online for the participants to use when they return back to their homes.

On top of this continuing class responsibility, I’ve been invited to give one of the keynote talks to the entire conference. It’s another opportunity that I do not take lightly. I've worked and reworked my stories and what I will be saying during this time. I’ve prepared a special business sized card which I’m carrying to the event and plan to give to each person at the end of my talk. They can put this card on their computer or bathroom mirror or some other place where they will be reminded of my different key points. 

I learn a great deal as I prepare to teach and it helps me crystalize some of the actions that I take on a regular basis for my own books. Also I’m intentionally telling stories of my various experiences in publishing combined with some how-to steps for every listener. I can’t make any listener take action for their own writing life. All I can do is give them the various resources and point to where they can go on their own journey.

What do you want to accomplish? Write a specific goal and give yourself a deadline for that goal. What will it take for you to complete it? How can you break the tasks into short bursts that you can mark off and move forward? It will be your persistence and consistency that will eventually get it done. 

As authors, each of us are on this journey to find our readers, sell our books and help others. I called this article, The Price Tag of Innovation. There is definitely a cost and investment for every speaker or teacher at these events. It costs time and energy away from my office and other responsibilities. It costs time and energy away from my family. Yet from my experience of attending writer’s conferences for many years, I know the teaching to the right person can be life-changing. From my experience, the price tag of innovation is worth it.

What price tag are you paying for innovation? Maybe it’s an investment in a writer’s conference or taking an online course or maybe you are getting up an hour earlier each day to crank out some pages on your current manuscript. It could be dozens of things that need to be accomplished to reach more readers with your words. Let me know in the comments below.

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are a couple of locations where my work has been recently published.

Each month I write an article about book proposal creation for Almost an Author. This site recently was hacked and went down but is now back up. I encourage writers to Build and Maintain Editor Relationships at: https://bit.ly/4jRmRKK 

Each month I guest blog for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. In this article, I encourage authors saying: You Can Reach Your Writing Goals at: https://bit.ly/4j3uUTC

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, there is a price tag for innovation. Are you aware of this cost and how to move forward with your writing? Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

During my decades in publishing, I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. The reality is many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Celebrate The Joy of Anticipation

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As you read this article, I’m attending to one of the largest Christian writers conferences in the country--the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Last year there were 600 people at this event which translates into a wide variety of types of writers and publishing professionals. It’s been my privilege to attend this event numerous times through the years. I’m teaching a continuing class and a single workshop plus meeting one-on-one with many people throughout the event. 

In this article, I want to capture some of the preparation steps and the joy I’ve been feeling about this event. I wrote these words to give you a hint at the diverse activities and how they can be life-changing for you and your writing.  I encourage every writer to make plans to get to at least one or two of these events each year. At each one, you will make new connections and expand your worldview and resources for your writing life. Admittedly it takes effort and planning on your part to attend these events but the opportunities are priceless from them. 

For over ten years, I’ve been working with hundreds of authors through Morgan James Publishing. Many of those authors I have never met face to face. A number of them (less than a dozen) are coming to this event. It will give me an opportunity to get to know them better and strengthen a bond which is already in place. I’m excited to have such meetings. Several of them have already published their books with us and I’m bringing my copies so they can sign them for me. I’m a genuine fan of their work and I have joyful anticipation about these forthcoming meetings.

While to some the Christian publishing world seems large, it is actually a small community. I have not seen a number of people on the faculty for many years. For other faculty, I’m familiar with their name but have never spoken with them. The opportunity to talk with these seasoned professionals face to face is precious. There are things which aren’t easily put in an email or a phone call that will be said. As you go to these events, I encourage you to do what I’m doing. Be curious and be prepared to ask questions. I’m praying for the opportunity to have those conversations--early, late or during the day. These things happens at these events.

Also a conference is an opportunity meet new people and form new friendships. One of the faculty is a children’s author coming from Australia. I’ve already connected with her on LinkedIN. I noticed her book had no Amazon reviews. I purchased her book, read it and reviewed it. Since she is traveling internationally, she is limited on the number of books she can bring. I’ll be bringing my book to get her autograph. Also I’m anticipating a possible opportunity to work together. I have other Australian authors. Morgan James prints and distributes in Australia--or maybe my reason for meeting this author is to encourage her. 

During the conference, I’m teaching four parts of a continuing session on the actions every author can take to make a difference in their publishing experience. I’m taking some of my former teaching and reworking it around these themes and developing new material. This information comes from my working writer and editor perspective. I’m praying and expecting it to be life-changing for the conferees.

Each faculty member and attender have a full life and we are stepping away from that life for a few days of different activities. It’s not easy but we do it because of the immense value each of us find from these events. 

There are many of these writer’s conferences around the country. My encouragement is for you to get it on your schedule and then plan your interactions (to a degree). Select your classes and then let the Lord guide your steps. How do you anticipate going to a conference? Let me know in the comments below. 

Tweetable:

When you attend a conference, do you celebrate the joy of anticipation? Get ideas here from this prolific writer and editor gives some insights here. (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

On The Road Again

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

After 14 months off the road, when I publish these words, I will be traveling again. Like many other people, a worldwide pandemic has changed my writing life. I want to celebrate the return to normality and in this article talk about the advantages to attending live events.

 

On the surface, publishing looks like a simple business but from my experience it is complex with many options and possibilities. What people don't say is much of it is outside of the author's control. There are active steps you can take as a writer (which has been my focus for years and what I encourage you to do as well). Who you know is often as important as what you know. A random conversation at a conference can turn into a book deal or a writing opportunity—if you are aware of it, follow-up and take action.

 

Live events are a break in your normal routine and provide opportunities for your writing. These events will be coming back and I encourage you to plan them into your writing life. I'm in a Facebook group of writers preparing for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. I've seen several people say they attended in the past but spent most of their time in their room. While I understand the majority of writers are introverts, don't hide in your room during a conference. You have to pace yourself not to get exhausted because they are intense—but I encourage you to be outside of your room with others as much as possible.

 

It might not seem natural to you but smile, greet others, start conversations and exchange business cards with as many people as you can throughout the event. Each person you meet can be an opportunity—for you to help them and for them to help you—no matter if they are a first=timer or have attended multiple conferences. Beginning and building relationships take time and you are offered this opportunity during a conference. These events are active (and at least for me) nonstop from early in the morning until late at night. They provide opportunities for me to tell people about my books and sell a few books plus even give books to key people who have influence in the publishing world.

 

I am teaching a continuing class which picked up on a key publishing buzzword: platform: What Is A Platform and how can I get one? I'm teaching about things that I do day to day but rarely teach these details to others. Conferences provide a wonderful opportunity to give back to others through your teaching and handouts. Years ago, I learned the importance of handouts in my classes and I put extra effort into providing handouts which have high value to the reader with additional links and resources.

 

The challenge I have attending these live events is to keep up (in some ways) my life as an editor and writer. The majority of my authors have no idea I'm away from my office and on the road. I will still get the regular stream of email and phone calls. Some of those emails I can put off until my return but others will require processing them on the road. The consistent communication with authors and others never stops and is a key part of my writing and editing life. Like everything, we make time for what we need to do—even on the road.

Some Recent Other Articles

 

In these articles, I've encouraged you to guest blog for others to reach new readers.  If you follow my Twitter feed, you will see that I regularly write for other places. Here's a couple of my recent articles for Writers on the Move (Why Writers Must Follow-up and Searching for a Magic Bullet)  and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog (Writer, Use the Power of Asking and Why Writers Do More Than Write). I hope you will follow the links and read these articles then apply them to your own writing life.

 

How do you handle attending a live event? Are you planning on attending some live events this year? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

What happens when you take your writing on the road? This prolific editor and author is on the road again and gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

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Platform Essentials: Time, Focus and Tools

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

At the end of this month, I will be headed to Asheville, North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. It is my first live event in over a year with this pandemic. I'm teaching a continuing workshop about a publishing buzzword—platform. My continuing class is called What's a Platform and How do I Create one? While I work at my own platform every day (in many different ways), I do not often teach others about this important publishing topic. I will be giving much more detail during my workshop—and I would encourage you to attend in person (where you get the greatest value) or virtually (still valuable in many ways).

 

I've been thinking about some of the platform essentials and in this article I want to focus on three key elements: time, focus and tools.

 

Time

 

Everyone has the same amount of time  in each day. How are you using this limited resource? Do you waste it or do you make the most of it? Your awareness of how you are using this resource is important. Are you stuck in meetings or other things which require a lot of time? Continually evaluate and make adjustments to get the most mileage from each day. As I grow older, I'm keenly aware of the value of my time and the limited nature of it. Because of this awareness and my own personal bent and curiosity, I have created an intense schedule in my life. If I'm honest, the intensity of it is something I have made and filled my day with phone calls, emails, writing projects, and much more. 

 

Focus

 

Focus is another limited commodity. Do you have a big goal in mind such as write a book or sell a book? How are you focusing your time to gain more readers or entice people to learn about your book and then buy it? There are many different paths and possibilities in this process and much of your platform size will boil down to your focus. What proactive steps are you taking each week to grow your audience and build your email list? The world is full of shiny objects to take your attention off your focus and on to their product or video or article or book or ______.  Every writer (including me) needs to keep this goal and focus in mind as you go throughout your day.

 

Tools

 

I don't want to overwhelm you in this section but I use a number of tools every day. The key is to try these tools and use the ones which are effective for you. No one can be everywhere or do everything. You will have to make wise choices in this process and keep doing these things bit by bit. As I've written in the past, that's how you eat an elephant (one bite at a time).

 

One of my continued interest is communication and using different tools to become a more effective communicator. It has always been ironic to me that editors and agents are in the commuication business yet many of these people take a lengthy time to communicate. It's one of the ways I've been different in this business is to step up my own communication ability. While I can't control the speed of communication from others, I can control my own patterns—and I use a variety of tools in this proces. I encourage you to be aware of the different tools and use them effectively. Here's a few of the tools I use (some of them many times each day): Hootsuite (my main social media tool), my email list, mock up shots (a tool for creating various images), a variety of lead magnets or generators (follow this link to learn more details), various websites, websites, pop ups (I am not a huge fan but know they work so I used them), guest blog posts, comments on other blogs and many other things.

 

Here's some other wise details to consider in this process. No one can do everything. Every day you (and I) are making choices in this process—so make wise ones which will lead to your goals for your writing life. It's not easy or simple for any of us. Also keep working on building and maintaining your relationships with others (readers, editors, agents and other publishing professionals). Who you know is often as important as what you know. I encourage you to keep knocking on new doors and seeing what will open for your life and work.

 

These details are some of the platform essentials. I will be teaching in much more detail at the conference. I'd love to hear your comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Platform essentials boil down to three elements according to this prolific editor and author. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

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What Is Your Writer's Legacy

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

This week I learned one of my long-time writer friends, Mark Littleton, died. Mark has written over 98 books that have collectively sold over a million copies. It's just one of the many contributions Mark made to our world. As I look through the listing of his books on Amazon, I noticed the diversity in Mark's books: nonfiction for adults, nonfiction for children, Bible related books, novels and much more. Some of the books are Christian while others are general market books. He also wrote for a wide range of magazines including Reader's Digest and many others.

For over 30 years, Mark and his wife, Jeanette, were the early leaders of the Heart of America Christian Writers Network, a community of writers in and near Kansas City. Also this group has held an annual writers conference. I have been honored to teach at this event several times over the years. It's another part of Mark's legacy: training other writers in the craft of writing. Mark had been ill for months and I had been a part of the multitude praying for him and his family. He was only a few years older than me.

This experience got me thinking about our legacy as writers. It's a truth most of us don't want to think about: every one of us will eventually die. It's a part of our humanity. After we are gone, what are we leaving for others?

Books.  Since 1992, I've written over 60 books with many different publishers. A number of these titles are out of print but still in libraries and sold on the used market around the world. They are a part of the legacy you are creating as an author and will continue after you are no longer on the planet.

Magazine Articles. While not as permanent as books, magazines are not just for that particular issue in print. Many magazines are online and these articles continue to be available and read—long after printed.

Blogs and other Website Information. My blog on The Writing Life has over 1500 searchable entries. It amounts to pages and pages of information which will be available online forever. From the beginning I've been aware of this aspect. Also I have a number of products and domains. Some of these are depend on the renewal of the domain (by hand and not automated) so if not handled they will eventually disappear but are another part of our legacy as writers. 

Social Media Feeds. Some of my author friends have no social media presence. Others (like me) have a large and growing social media presence. I have tweeted 51.8 thousand times since 2008 (as of today). Now that is a lot of information. Don't forget (as some people do), these posts are around forever and never disappear. They show up on search engines. People read them and respond to them—often long after you have posted them. If you are active on social media (and I hope you are), then this is also part of a writer's legacy. 

Personal Teaching at Workshops. For many years, I've been teaching at conferences. While not always, often these workshops are recorded. People purchase the CDs or cassette tapes and listen to them later. Some people listen to these recordings over and over to glean information and insights. I'll be teaching at several conferences this year. I maintain my speaking schedule at this link. For example, I learned this week that I will be teaching a continuing class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in May (the largest Christian writers Conference in the US) and also
doing a single workshop tied to my new book, 10 Publishing Myths and a workshop with the same name. Each of these workshops is a part of a writer's legacy and will be around for many years. When I teach at these workshops, I work hard at having excellent handouts which contain online resources and links. This information lasts for years.

Each of us have the same amount of time in a day but different times on the planet. I encourage you to live with intention and be taking consistent action in your writing life. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are building a writer's legacy.

Am I missing something which will last longer than your lifetime? Or maybe you have other feedback? Let me know in the comments below.



Tweetable:

Are you creating a writer's legacy? Get ideas from this prolific writer and editor. (ClickToTweet)