Integrating Digg Buttons

It's great to learn new things! A while back I tried to integrate Digg buttons into my individual posts. I had given it up as a lost cause when I decided I'd try one more thing, and voila! It worked! (You might have seen the Digg buttons popping up here and there on my blog.)

You, too, can promote your work using buttons from the Digg Integration Tools page on Digg. It's a little tricky (at least for me; remember, I'm a writer, not a techie!) but if you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me.

Digging your blog post is a great way to get a boost in traffic. Just keep in mind that the Digg audience can be a little opinionated at times, and be prepared to receive some varied feedback. To supercharge this technique, build up a list of friends on Digg who you can share your link with once you've dugg your post.

Don't Fear The Blog

Blogging is a great method for growing your visibility in the online writing community. In addition, I've found that it helps to keep me on track with my goal of writing every day. The act of regularly writing articles that I know will be read by other people (at least, according to what I see on Google Analytics) forces me not only to write, but to write something I believe will be useful, interesting, and/or entertaining.

If you're reading this, you probably have a good grasp of what blogs are, and more than likely you have a blog of your own. However, a large segment of the population doesn't even know what the word 'blog' means, let alone how to set one up. And having at least a rudimentary knowledge of blogging doesn't necessarily guarantee comfort with the idea. There are many out there who don't know if they'll be able to contribute regularly enough to build a following, or whether the online community will have any interest in what they have to say.

I started out the same way, not knowing if writing this blog was a good idea or a terrible idea. But so far, so good. It's kept me on my toes with the whole writing thing, and new people continue to stumble across it (and sometimes even come back more than once!). Not to mention all the useful things I've learned while researching what to post on my little corner of the internet.

Bottom line is, it's worth a try to get into blogging. You might even enjoy it more than you think. Sign up for Blogger, Wordpress, or any other blogging platform you feel comfortable with, then read this article on ProBlogger for great tips for building a good blog.

Talent Vs. Publicity - Which Is The Key To Success?

I recently wrote in an email that "being a successful author has just as much to do with marketing and networking as with writing skill." I thought this might be a controversial statement to some, and so decided to expand upon my idea.

First of all, is it possible to be successful without talent? In this day and age, the answer is a resounding YES! I'm sure that as soon as I mentioned it, several names popped into your head, most likely from the pop culture arena. These people make money and stay successful simply by staying in the public eye.

Second, is it possible to be successful without publicity? I could imagine someone writing the Great American Novel while holed up in a cave and then making millions because of the sheer awesomeness of the book. However, I don't think it's very likely.

Granted, you (probably) don't want to be one of those talentless people who cling to fame long after their fifteen minutes are up. But at the same time, you can't rely on your skills alone to take you to the top, no matter how good you are. My advice is to at least consider putting decent effort into promoting your artistic pieces de resistance.

And one more note about the notion of talent - it's constantly changing. For most of the history of writing, there has been a very strict standard for what constitutes a good story. However, with the coming of the internet and the explosion of blogs and other outlets for personal expression, "good writing" isn't necessarily what it used to be. For example, I love the writing on Cracked.com (not suitable for all audiences). It's entertaining, relevant, and intelligent, despite the fact that it's probably not going to be featured in any literary magazines or take home any prestigious literary awards. The Digg ratings that most of the articles receive show I'm not the only person who appreciates the site. So if you're searching for success, stop agonizing over whether your work is the best it could possibly be, and start reaching out to the reading community - both online and off.

Three Reasons To Attend The Dreaded Networking Event

On July 22, I'll be attending a networking event in Washington, DC with other Stanford alumni and their friends and families. Once upon a time, my first reaction to a potential networking event would have been, "Ugh, do I have to?" followed by, "Ugh, I guess I should," in turn followed by me most likely skipping the event at the last minute. But after experiencing several of these events first hand, I'd like to share my new, improved attitude.

Here are three reasons to attend the Dreaded Networking Event:

1.) Networking is Fun!

People who don't like meeting new people will tell me that they'd rather have cavities filled without anesthesia than go to a networking event. I'll let you in on a secret: I'm one of you! It's not easy for me to approach strangers. I always worry that I'll do or say something wrong. But despite my shyness, I've had a great time at every event I've been to. There's often tasty, free food and drink. The people are tuned into 'friendly mode,' and so even if you don't approach anyone, someone is likely to talk to you. And if you've decided to attend/been invited to an event, you likely have something in common with other people at the event, making conversation a snap.

2.) Networking is Profitable!

Granted, the profitability of a networking event isn't as direct as, say, calling someone on the phone and trying to sell to him or her. But so far, I've had the great fortune to meet several published authors and editors, and subsequently added these contacts to my lists on Facebook, Linkedin, GoodReads, etc. An author is much more likely to write a blurb for my novel if she or he knows me, and one of those editors is more likely to read my work if I make a note of our conversation at X networking event. Building a solid network of connections is the surest way to success for almost any industry.

3.) Networking is Healthy!

Let's face it, spending hours hunched in front of your computer writing every day may be intellectually stimulating, but it's not very healthy for your body or social skills. Us writers tend to miss out on the physical activity we need and the social stimulation we crave. Attending a networking event forces us to actually, physically go somewhere, to (gasp!) stand and walk around, and to converse in person with fellow human beings. Who knows, you might even get an inspiration for your next story! Just try to go easy on those delicious high-calorie appetizers and desserts if you want to maximize the health benefits.

In order to take advantage of these benefits, find networking meetings for an organization you're in, or if there aren't any, join a new organization. Grab a drink and a plate, introduce yourself to someone, and let yourself enjoy networking.

Amazon - A Surprising Way To Boost Your Visibility

I recently reviewed a purchase and set up my profile on Amazon. During my most recent Google search on my name, lo and behold, my Amazon profile was the second site on the list.

That's pretty impressive. My blog, which I have posted to regularly over the past three months, came in sixth place, and my Technorati profile didn't even make the first page.

This means that I've just found another way to reach people who Google me for one reason or another. I suppose that if you don't want your Amazon comments way up there on the list of sites associated with your name, you shouldn't set up a profile. But if you're a writer, and you make some thoughtful reviews of books related to your work, you can easily increase your visibility on the internet with this simple technique.

(Disclaimer - this method will be most effective for newbies with relatively low traffic to their own sites, such as me!)

Turn Words Into Money - An Easy(ish) Way To Write For Cash

Now, maybe you want to have your stories published in a magazine or have your novel published, and maybe it would be enough for you to have your name in print and not to get any compensation for it. However, most of us need some amount of money to get along in this world, and wouldn't it be nice if you could make it doing one of the things you love? Imagine seeing your name in print, AND getting paid for it! It's the best of both worlds.

So you'd like to turn your passion for writing into a side income, or even a full income. How do you start? You can submit your short fiction, poems or non-fiction stories to magazines (which I encourage you to do, regardless). But these don't often pay, and when they do, they don't pay a lot. If you want to make some decent money from writing, and you've yet to publish your best-selling novel, you've got two choices: get a job that involves writing, or freelance.

Personally, I like the freelance option because it allows you to try out different projects to find what suits you best, and it lets you test out the waters of writing for profit before you commit your whole life to it. And freelancing is easier than ever now that it's moved online, through sites such as Elance.

Five Steps to Short Story Fortune and Fame

Any writer can benefit from getting a short story published. It's great for your self esteem (and occassionaly, your pocket) to see your name in print and know that somewhere, someone chose YOUR piece to publish out of a great big submissions pile. And the benefits don't stop there. If you're interested in publishing a novel someday, getting short stories published can up your credibility. Even if short fiction isn't your final goal, publishing short stories can keep your writing skills in shape, hone your craft, and get you noticed.

So - how does one go about writing a short story for publication? I won't call myself an expert, because I'm not widely published (yet!), but my current tact is to study the themes of published short stories and try to apply what I've learned to my own writing. Here are my observations, boiled down to five easy-to-follow steps.

1.) Set the setting.

Each published short story I've read takes place in a specific place and time, be it Prehistoric Africa, a Southern U.S. farm in the early 20th century, or present-day Boston. The setting is established early on, clearly and succinctly. Know your setting from the start, and know it well.

2.) Introduce characters.

You can't have too many characters in a short story without making things confusing, so each character needs to be unique and powerful. You could create an old man with one eye who loves the opera, perhaps, or a young woman searching for fame in a big city as a yodeler.

3.) Make something happen.

It should be a new event in the life of your characters, or an old event that happens in a new way. For example, a stranger approaches the house in the middle of the night. A big producer comes to a small town and decides to buy a young man's play. The 8:05 train fails to show up at the station on schedule. This initial, unusual event acts as the catalyst for the story.

4.) Follow the characters' reactions to the story's conclusion.

The way the characters deal with the new event will determine the direction of the story. Does the man who loses his job get depressed or start a new life? Does the passenger who misses her flight find love or lose it? At this point, there are usually a series of mini-climaxes leading up to the conclusion, in which the action of the story is resolved. Or, potentially, the reader is left to furnish his or her own resolution.

5.) Give the story a flavor.

None of the above items need to be incredibly bizarre to make a good story. You can write about a Midwestern housewife coming across a bird with a broken wing on her way to the supermarket, or a tax attorney losing papers for an important account. Adding your own special twists on language, voice, theme, etc., will make the story engaging, and make it yours.

I know it's not necessarily as easy as all that, but it's a start. Give it a try and see if you can whip something up. Then grab a Writer's Market book at the library or search online for short fiction publishers and send it out. It won't do any harm, and you might end up with success before you know it!

del.icio.us: Social Bookmarking as Promotion Tool

Okay, so I'm pretty sure I'm one of the last people on the internet to discover the site del.icio.us. The tastiness of the name has caught my eye many times in the past, but I've always been too intimidated to give it a look. To me it was some scary internet phenomenon meant only for internet uber-masters, something akin to rss feeds (still trying to figure out how those work.) The mysterious url format threw me off. How would I even access it? Did I need to have a special widget to run it? Would I have to locate and install drivers off a mirror site in China? Would it hurt?

Anyways, turns out it really is just a plain old url, and it's not scary or difficult at all. So just in case you're like me and you're new to the site, here's what you need to know.

To get started, you create a profile, and then add a bunch of bookmarks for your favorite websites. You can add a button to your toolbar to simplify the process. Once you bookmark a site, you enter a description and a bunch of tags. The tags will help you in the future when you've collected links to many sites and want to search for only the ones about, say, Tolkien. Or hot dogs. Except you can't use spaces, so the tag would have to be hot.dogs or hot-dogs.

So how does this link back to promoting your writing? Well, the more times people bookmark your site, the higher it ranks on the Popular list (similar to Digg), and the more likely it is that people will find their way there. Also, you can create a network of fellow users, and share your sites with them. And here's one more thing to try: go to the Popular page, and take a look at the tags there. I'm not saying that you should add a bunch of unrelated tags to your sites, but if you see something there that applies to you, by all means use it. For example, this blog is intended to help people with writing/getting published, so I could tag it as "howto" and make it easier for people to find their way here. It's all about connecting people to the information they want as expeditiously as possible.

Thanks to this article on The Dough Roller for getting me to try out del.icio.us!