5 Things to Try on Social Media in February

I learned a lot recently about LinkedIn from reading an online article by Lucy Jones on www.Hubspot.com (https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/fatal-linkedin-prospecting-errors-and-how-to-avoid-them#sm.0001shiksp16m8e91xasmjpt77n4a) titled “4 Fatal LinkedIn Prospecting Errors and How to Avoid Them.” (To follow Lucy Jones on Twitter: @LucyJones_SIC.)

LinkedIn Terminology

Did you know that LinkedIn is a B2B prospecting resource? I didn’t have a clue what a B2B was, so I was lost from the start. Google is my new best friend. By going to that search engine I learned that B2B means business-to-business. “Prospecting” on LinkedIn apparently means looking for like-minded people or others in your field of interest. Most of the online information I found about prospecting on LinkedIn was geared to commerce. I’m interested in connecting with other historical fiction writers and fans of southern historical fiction.

Last week I had to identify my “ideal readers.” Now I find out that I must also identify my “ideal prospect” on LinkedIn. I think I’ll need two ideal prospects – one would be my ideal reader and the other would be my writing mentor.

I read that I need to start thinking of myself as an adviser on LinkedIn. I’m not supposed to “connect” with just anyone or everybody. I apparently need to solve someone’s “pain” or “buyer-pain” on LinkedIn. (I don’t know about you, but some of this LinkedIn lingo is becoming a pain for me!) From what I’ve read, I’m supposed to connect with people and tell them what “value” I can offer them from my expertise. Since I’m not an expert on anything, this is going to be a challenge!

Quoting from Lucy Jones’ article, “You’ve got to have a link with a prospect to have a successful ‘in’! There are multiple ways to leverage LinkedIn for introductions to prospective customers. But if you connect out of context, you’re doing more harm than good.”

Then there’s the LinkedIn etiquette to learn. It’s pretty much common sense or common courtesy if someone gives you a referral it’s only right to acknowledge the referrer.

Just when I thought things were beginning to make sense, Ms. Jones cautioned LinkedIn users (are users called Linkies?) as follows: “If a good fit prospect is all over your site, engaging with your non-gated content….” Whoa! The next thing I need to do is find out what non-gated content is, so I switch back to my Google window.

My Google search led me to a 2014 (It appears that I’m already three years behind!) article on www.LinkedIn.com (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140930153625-5817117-to-gate-or-not-to-gate-4-best-practices-for-using-content-for-lead-gen) titled, “To Gate or Not to Gate? 4 Best Practices for Using Content for Lead Gen,” by Shannon Rentner. As soon as I read the article title I was reminded that the more I learn, the more I have to learn. In other words, I don’t know enough to even know what I don’t know!

I was also reminded that trying to learn all the lingo of the various social media platforms at the age of 64 is probably not ideal, but here I am. Too bad I couldn’t learn all this 40 years ago! (Forty years ago I had mastered typing on an IBM Selectric typewriter and moved right along to struggle with how to write a rudimentary computer program and feed it into a keypunch machine in graduate school. When I walked out of the computer lab with my first stack of keypunch cards, I thought I’d attained the zenith of technology. Think chisel and stone tablet.)

I digress. Ms. Rentner gives the following definition of a gate: “It’s the form an online user fills out in order to access a piece of content. This is also called a “Landing Page.”

Terms such as gate, un-gate, lead capture, and organic search are sprinkled throughout Ms. Rentner’s second best practice recommendation. The takeaway for me was that I need to have a giveaway on my website’s home page and other platforms. This can be an e-book or a document I’ve written. This actually sounds doable. All I need to do is figure out the logistics.

Ms. Rentner’s third best practice was that I should have a presence for my “product” on several social media “channels” like www.JanetsWritingBlog.com. Or @janetmorrisonbk on Twitter.

The fourth best practice Ms. Rentner recommends is about landing page optimization. This includes getting my prospect to fill out the form I should have for them to fill out in order to enter my giveaway contest.

Getting back to Lucy Jones’ article, the third fatal error is not following up with a prospect at the right time. The fourth fatal flaw is, “Having a poorly optimized LinkedIn profile.” This involves sharing content via Pulse – which I know nothing about. It also involves tagging contact. Perhaps this will become clearer when I stop reading about LinkedIn and start using it.

My brain says

In light of all I’ve presented in today’s blog post after reading Lucy Jones and Shannon Rentner, my brain tells me to do the following: Revisit the LinkedIn account I created in 2013 and (1) improve my profile; (2) identify my ideal reader; (3) identify a writing mentor; and (4) write an article to post on LinkedIn. Also, (5) figure out how to give away a short story I’ve written.

My reasoning brain says

In a perfect world in which I would not have chronic fatigue syndrome and the energy and memory problems that are part and parcel to that illness, I might pursue the five tasks my brain is telling me I need to do in the immediate future. I don’t live in that perfect world, though. The reasoning part of my brain says, “Wait a minute. You know you aren’t able to commit the time and energy that would be necessary to accomplish those things.” I will add these five items to my to-do list but, at best, I will be able to tackle them slowly.

Hitting the reset button

Social media is not my forte. I’d rather be editing my novel manuscript, working on the sequel, and reading books I want to read. Social media demands have dominated my time and energy for the last several months. I’m doing social media because I want to get my name and brand out there as a writer. When the social media aspect of the writing process precludes me from writing fiction, though, I believe I’ve gotten my priorities out of whack.

I want feedback from writers!

As a writer, what is your experience with LinkedIn? Have you seen benefit from using LinkedIn? How much time do you devote to LinkedIn? Which social media platform have you found to be most beneficial to you and your readers?

I want feedback from historical fiction readers!

As a fan of historical fiction, do you connect with writers on LinkedIn? More importantly, what is your go-to social media platform for following your favorite writers?

I want feedback from librarians/media specialists, book editors, & book publishers!

What value have you found in LinkedIn for connecting with writers?

If you’re on LinkedIn

My account name is Janet Morrison – Freelance Writer, Aspiring Novelist.

Another way to contact me

I’m finally adding a contact form here. (I hope it works!)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time. I will still be finding my way!

Janet

The First Line from a Novel by Tom Rob Smith

“Since Maria had decided to die her cat would have to fend for itself.” — first sentence in Chapter One of Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith

Tom Rob Smith’s novel, Child 44, is about a serial child killer in Stalinist Russia. It is a compelling read, and I plan to read books two and three in this trilogy – The Secret Speech and Agent 6.

I knew the general premise of the story when I picked up Child 44, but the opening line of the first chapter intrigued me. The reader isn’t sure why Maria “had decided to die.” That’s what a good novel’s “hook” does. It pulls the reader in enough to make him or her read the next sentence, and the next sentence, until the reader is “hooked” and can’t stop reading.

My first thought when I read the first sentence of chapter one in Child 44 was that Maria was contemplating suicide. That was not the case. Maria (and lots of other people in her village) were starving to death. She knew the end was near.

Until my next blog post, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

11 Things I’ve Learned about Writing

A blogging tip

A blogging tip I read last year was that a blog post titled “11 Things. . .” will attract more readers than one whose title starts with “10 Things. . .” so that’s what I’ve started doing. I’ve been writing about 11 things I’ve learned about a different subject each month.

I worked on my list of 11 things I’ve learned about writing a couple of months ago. I easily came up with nine things. I forgot to look at that list again until last night. My sister asked me what my blog post was going to be about. When I told her it was supposed to be 11 things I’ve learned about writing but I only had nine things on my list, she said, “I guess you have two more things to learn about writing!” We laughed, and I knew I had to work her quick comeback into the post.

Funny as her response was, I realized that I don’t have two more things to learn about writing. I have 2,000 or 2,000,000 more things to learn about the craft! There will always be something to learn about writing.

11 things I’ve learned about writing

Mine will never be good enough.
Since it is unlikely that my writing will ever measure up to that of the great writers, I should compare my writing today to my writing of yesterday and always look for improvement.
If I wait until my novel manuscript is perfect, it will never be published.
If no one ever reads my southern historical novel manuscript whose working title is The Spanish Coin, I must remember that my efforts were not wasted because I had a blast doing the research and the writing!
There are many rules a novice fiction writer must follow, but established authors don’t have to always abide by those rules.
Have your second novel well underway before you start trying to get your first one published.
To be a good writer, you must be an avid reader of good writing.
There is always room for improvement, so eventually you have to stop editing your work, submit it, and move on to the next project.
Books about the craft of writing don’t all agree on the fine points of writing, so at some point you must rely on your gut and what feels right to you.
Some days words come easier than on other days.
Writing is hard work.

Until my next blog post

Until my next blog post, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

Two Lines I Like from a Margaret Maron Novel

“Trees and thick shrubbery hid most of the track from view and muffled the noises in summer, but in winter, when Dwight was a boy and the wind was right, the train whistle could be heard at night all the way out to the farm. A lonesome sound, yet somehow, oddly comforting.” — From Long Upon the Land (A Deborah Knott Mystery), by Margaret Maron.

These two sentences make me smile. I took hearing the Southern Railway train whistles for granted all my life until last year when the at-grade rail crossings in our town were closed and replaced by bridges. This was done to make way for “the high-speed rail” between Charlotte and Raleigh. There is no longer a need for the train whistle in Harrisburg. Twenty-five trains now almost silently pass through the small town every day. I miss that whistle.

The North Carolina Railroad

The North Carolina Railroad first laid rail lines through Harrisburg in 1854. In fact, the town came into existence because a depot was built when the railroad came. Although I lived five miles from town, I could often hear the train whistle. I could lie in bed at night and hear it. It sounded particularly close if weather conditions were just right or there was snow on the ground.

Margaret Maron summed up my feelings about the train whistle. “A lonesome sound, yet somehow, oddly comforting.” I wish I’d written that sentence. Hearing a train whistle in the quiet wee hours of the night always made me feel that way. I would think about the passengers on the train. Was the train going north to Washington, DC and New York City, or was it going south to Atlanta and New Orleans? The trains were going somewhere and I wasn’t. Sometimes I envied the people on those trains, but mostly I just felt comfort in knowing that even though I was in my nice warm bed a few miles away life was moving on.

The Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway

There is another rail line just a couple of miles in the other direction from my house. The Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway operates one train per day on that line. For the near future, at least, I will be able to hear that train whistle because there is no bridge to carry vehicular traffic over the line. No doubt, that whistle will eventually become obsolete. Train whistles are going the way of the little red caboose.

I am privileged to live on land that has been in my family since the mid-1700s. I come from a long line of farmers. I wonder how my great-great-grandparents felt the first time they saw or heard a train go through Harrisburg in 1854. How exciting the advent of the locomotive in our community must have been for my eight-year-old great-grandfather!

Space Travel

Ironically, I was eight years old when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the first manned Mercury spacecraft in 1961. The 15-minute suborbital flight piloted by Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was a milestone for the United States. Although I didn’t see the launch in person, I loved seeing the pictures on TV and in newspapers and magazines. It was a great time to be a child!

Who knew a couple of sentences from Margaret Maron in Long Upon the Land would bring such thoughts to my mind? That’s the magic of fiction!

Your favorite line(s) from a novel

Do you have a favorite line or two from a novel? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Until the next time I blog

Until the next time I blog, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time. I invite you to share my blog post on social media by using the icons below or recommend it to your friends.

Janet

Save

What I read in January 2017

Armed with my 2017 Reading Challenge, I started January with excitement to plunge into another year of reading. I was not disappointed.

Glory Over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom

The first novel I read in January was Glory Over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom. I enjoyed Ms. Grissom’s The Kitchen House last October, but this sequel was really outstanding. I’m partial to historical fiction, and Glory Over Everything delivered on all counts — history, sense of time and place, and suspense.

I recommend that you read The Kitchen House first and follow it soon with Glory Over Everything because there are lots of characters and connections to remember. The sequel is the story of a light-skinned man passing as white in the 1820s and 1830s who, while doing a good deed, is hunted down as a runaway slave in northeastern North Carolina and its Great Dismal Swamp. Numerous people aid his attempt to escape via the Underground Railroad. More details might spoil the book for you.

A Body in the Snow: A Bebe Bollinger Murder Mystery, by Christoph Fischer

I believe it was via Twitter that I learned of Christoph Fischer and his e-book, A Body in the Snow: A Bebe Bollinger Murder Mystery. Intrigued by a mystery written by a new writer, I was eager to read this book. Mr. Fischer did a good job with character development. Each of his main characters had distinguishing habits, quirks, and personalities. He managed a large cast of characters.

This story, set in Wales during a snowstorm, kept me guessing. First, I was wondering whose body would be found in the snow, and then I kept trying to figure out who the murderer way. The book was published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform last September, and it has a great cover. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but this indie book has a very eye-catching one.

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr

Yes, I finally got back to the top of the public library system’s waitlist for All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. After having read one-third of it in 2016, I had some trouble getting back into the story in January. I should have taken the time to start over instead of jumping in where I left off weeks ago.

Set in France during the German occupation in World War II, it is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about a blind girl whose father makes a miniature replica of the city they live in so she can memorize the streets and buildings and find her way around. The chapter titled, “Number 4 rue Vanborel” is several pages of exquisite prose describing what is left behind in a city after the bombs of war. It is an almost poetic list of phrases and words that illustrate the small things left behind — the pieces that someone will have to pick up someday so the city can live again.

Irena’s Children, by Tilar J. Mazzeo

Continuing in the World War II vein, I read Irena’s Children, by Tilar J. Mazzeo. It is the true story of Irena Stanislawa Krzyzanowska Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jewish children in Warsaw, Poland from certain death in the Nazi concentration camps.

Irena’s father was a physician. Unlike many Polish doctors of the day, he did not mind treating Jewish patients. Many of them were too poor to pay him anything. He was an activist for equal rights and an eight-hour workday. He died of typhoid fever when Irena was just six years old, but she had inherited his compassionate heart.

For centuries, Poland had struggled for independence from neighboring Germany and Russia. At the University of Warsaw, Jews had to sit on the left and Roman Catholics on the right. Irena chose to sit with her Jewish classmates and was, therefore, beaten along with them in the riots of 1935. She was suspended from the university for marking through “Aryan” on her student identification card.

The book chronicles the German occupation of Warsaw, their forcing all Jews in the city to move into the worse part of town — which became known as the Warsaw Ghetto. The systematic rounding up of Jews to be transported to the Treblinka concentration camp consumed Irena’s life. Being a social worker/public health specialist gave her the opportunity to visit the ghetto to see to the health of the residents. This enabled her to learn the people, identify the children, and create a network for smuggling the children out. As if that weren’t enough, on flimsy cigarette paper she made secret lists of the children’s identities in a code she developed.

Turbo Twenty-Three, by Janet Evanovich

After reading two “heavy” books about World War II, I welcomed the chance to read Janet Evanovich’s latest novel in her Stephanie Plum series. I discovered her books several years ago. Since then I have read all 23 of them. I don’t have as many laugh-out-loud moments while reading her most recent books as when reading the earlier ones, but I still look forward to them as a fun read.

Stephanie Plum is a white accident-prone bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. Her sidekick is a large black woman who used to be a prostitute. To say Lula has an attitude would be an understatement.

Stephanie is in love with two men. One is a police officer she’s known since first grade. He has trouble with commitment. The other man she is in love with has a chiseled body like a Greek god, owns a security company with resources the CIA would envy, and he has no interest in marriage and a family.

Turbo Twenty-Three includes Stephanie’s cousin the bail bondsman she works for, Stephanie’s parents, and her Grandma Mazur — who attends wakes at the local funeral home to try to pick up men. This particular novel involves a clown and the mysterious murders of several employees of an ice cream plant.

Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence, by Lane Shefter Bishop

I was so impressed with this book that I wrote my blog post about it on January 17. I won’t repeat that post, but I invite you to read it if you haven’t already done so. If you are a writer or have a curiosity about the process an author goes through in creating a book, you might enjoy reading that earlier blog post. It is an instructional book about the process of writing a logline. A logline is a single sentence that identifies a story’s protagonist, what the protagonist wants, and what’s at stake.

Other reading in January

In addition to the above books, in January I read a chapter in the Bible every day. This is something I’ve set out to do on many first days of January. I regret to admit that I have not made it through an entire year yet. I hope 2017 will be different. This time I started with the New Testament, which I believe will be easier to stick with than the Old Testament. In January I read all of the Book of Matthew and started on the Book of Mark.

I am also reading a poem every day in 2017, or at least I have so far. Reading from A Little Book of Cherished Poems, compiled by Kay Anne Carson, I read poems by such poets as Frost, Tennyson, Longfellow, and many poets and poems I had not read before.

Until my next blog post

Until my next blog post, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

#Immigration and Other Issues

For days, I have struggled with what to blog about today. My blog’s editorial calendar told me to write about the progress I’ve made over the last month or so on my southern historical novel manuscript with the working title, The Spanish Coin.

“Stand on your own two feet.”

While I’m establishing my “brand” as an author, on the one hand I’m advised to stay away from politics. On the other hand, I’m advised to stay true to myself. I have decided that if my political views cause someone to stop reading my blog, to vow to never read anything I write, to “unfriend” me on Facebook, or “unfollow” me on Twitter, I can live with that. What I cannot live with is myself if I sit idly by and fail to speak out when I see injustice or abuse of political power. One of my mother’s favorite sayings was, “Stand on your own two feet.” She taught me by example to speak up when I see a wrong.

US Travel Ban

Every writing-related subject I considered blogging about today seemed trivial in light of what has transpired in the executive branch of the US government since Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. I am compelled to speak out against the travel ban he has put into effect. Choosing the seven countries he did smacks of religious discrimination. People who have lived and worked in the US for years and some who at great personal risk assisted the US military in other countries were caught up in the confusion that has resulted from the issuance of this executive order.

Immigration & Refugees

I’m surprised France hasn’t asked us to return the tear-stained Statue of Liberty as the new “leader of the free world” also put a stop to immigrants entering the US for 120 days with the promise of “extreme vetting.” The vetting protocol already in place has worked well. No refugee or immigrant has perpetrated a terrorist attack on American soil since September 11, 2001, while 28 Americans have done just that.

World Refugee Day (June 20, 2017) will bring attention to the refugee issue. I hope by then the United States of America will once again be welcoming refugees who are trying to escape religious persecution and war.

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839

Our new president’s war on the US Constitution’s 1^st Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press is most troubling of all. If reporters are shut out or merely fed a never-ending barrage of “alternative facts,” what is to become of the USA?

For at least the time being, I still have a right to have and to voice my opinion. My blog will continue to be about my journey as a writer, but as a citizen and a writer I have a responsibility to speak out. I love my country too much to keep silent.

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

3 Things to Try on Social Media in January

As with my blog post three days ago, I’m trying something new today. My plan is to blog around the middle of each month about three things I want to try on social media that month. My plan looks good on paper. Time will tell.

Today I’ve selected new things to try on Twitter, my blog, and Quora.

Twitter

In her February 23, 2013 post, “Twitter Marketing 101: For Writers” on http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/twitter-marketing-for-writers/, Kimberley Grabas gives a number of tips for writers to use. (No, that’s not a typo. She posted these tips nearly four years ago. Since I just created a Twitter account in June of 2015, I’m still learning the basics.) The new tip I chose to institute this month was “add a header photo.”

Kimberley Grabas, offers helpful information about author platform building online. In the words of her official bio on her website: “A Canadian writer and entrepreneur, Kimberley Grabas launched YourWriterPlatform.com in February 2013, where she helps a growing international community of thousands of rising “authorpreneurs” build their platforms, engage their fans and sell more books.” She can be followed on Twitter @writerplatform. Ms. Grabas recommends that you get creative with your header and to think of it as a billboard for your brand. I took this to heart on January 25, 2017, and started planning a photo I could design for my header. The operative words are, “started planning.”

Blogging

@KredBloggers Tweeted a link to “Four Tips to Boost Traffic (and Leads) With Compounding Blog Posts” by Lucy Jones on January 23, 2017, on www.marketingprofs.com. Lucy Jones is head of content at Strategic Internet Consulting, a full-service inbound marketing agency. Ms. Jones recommends that bloggers think of a post as an investment that will return compounding interest like a savings account. Such a blog post is one whose content is timeless or at least offers content that readers will still find useful for months or years to come. It will attract new followers the day it is originally posted and will still attract new followers when it is Tweeted about even at a later date.

I read Lucy Jones’ article about compounding blog posts three days ago and plan to put the idea into practice. Ms. Jones can be followed on Twitter: @LucyJones_SIC. (I can be followed @janetmorrisonbk.)

Quora.com

I created a profile on https://www.quora.com on January 24, 2017, after learning about it from Aaron Marsden’s “13 Vital Steps for Writing Blog Posts that Perform” on http://amarsden.com. He posted these steps on January 18, 2017, and the 12th step was “Answer questions on Quora.” The idea is to help someone, get my name out there, and lead people to my blog.

To quote Mr. Marsden, “Quora is a site where people ask questions and different users around the world respond with answers. Pretty simple.” I’d never heard of Quora, so I looked into it. I wrote my profile and filled out the education fill-in form. Now I wait for a history or writing question to come up that I feel qualified to answer.

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

Have you tried any of the above things on social media and, if so, did you see good results?

George Washington Ate Here

That’s quite a change from my usual blog post titles! My post a few days ago was rather “heavy” in that it was about the things I think I need to do this year to further my writing career. I’m glad that’s out of the way now, so I can get back to more interesting topics. Today I’m doing something I haven’t done before in my blog. I’m sharing a small sample of my writing.

Did You Know?

I wrote a local history column titled, “Did You Know?” in Harrisburg Horizons, a weekly newspaper here in Cabarrus County, North Carolina from May 2006 through December 2012. It was a perfect opportunity for me as it allowed me to do two of my favorite things: historical research and writing. It was my first freelance writing job. I had complete control over when I worked on the column and what topics I chose. I had a deadline every two weeks, but the day-to-day freedom the work gave me was a perfect fit for me. Once-a-month in 2017 I plan to share one of my newspaper columns or an essay or short story I’ve written. Today’s offering is a slightly edited version of my May 31, 2006 newspaper column.

geo-washington-ate-here-005

George Washington Ate Here

President George Washington didn’t sleep here, but did you know that he ate in Harrisburg? That might be a wee bit of a stretch, but on Sunday, May 29, 1791, he ate a meal where Charlotte Motor Speedway now sits. Most locals still consider the speedway to be in Harrisburg, although it is now in the Concord city limits.

Colonel Moses Alexander and his wife, Sarah, purchased the land from Henry McCulloch and built a house. Col. Alexander died around 1772. Sarah married Robert Smith and he moved into her home.

Robert Smith was a Colonel in the British Army prior to the American Revolution. He took up arms to fight for American independence and rose to the rank of Major General.

The Smiths named their plantation “Smithfield.” The house survived into the 1960s and stood just a few feet from US-29. It served as the ticket office for the Charlotte Motor Speedway for several years.

The beloved Revolutionary general and sitting United States President, George Washington, took a tour of The South in 1791. As a result of that tour, there are numerous historical markers titled, “George Washington Slept Here.” There is no such roadside marker at the corner of US-29 and Morehead Road, but there should be one that says, “George Washington Ate Here.” President Washington spent the night of May 28, 1791 in Charlotte. After noting in his diary that the village was “a trifling place,” he traveled northeast out The Great Wagon Road which was a forerunner of US-29.

Open the Gate and Roam Cabarrus With Us,” by Adelaide and Eugenia Lore, states that President Washington traveled “in a coach of pale ivory and gilt.”

C.E. Claghorn III’s book, Washington’s Travels in the Carolinas and Georgia, says the President “was accompanied by Major William Jackson, five servants, two footmen, coachmen & postilion [guide], chariot & four horses, light baggage wagon drawn by two horses, four saddle horses plus one for himself.”

The green meadows and hardwood forests of our area probably reminded the President of his Virginia homeland. Our red clay rolling hills were in stark contrast to the sandy South Carolina Lowcountry he visited on his way to North Carolina.

Can you imagine how nervous Sarah Smith was on the days leading up to the President’s arrival? It would be interesting to know the menu she planned. Being late May, the summer staples of squash and beans were not in season.

Mrs. Smith’s spring garden possibly provided turnips, radishes, and an assortment of greens and herbs. No doubt a servant retrieved a well-cured country ham from the log smokehouse for the occasion. In my mind’s eye, I see a bowl of fresh wild strawberries on the dining table or perhaps strawberry shortcake with fresh cream drizzled on top for dessert.

I would have liked to have been privy to President Washington and Gen. Smith’s conversation. Perhaps the President “broke the ice” by asking Smith about the battles he participated in during the Revolution. They probably discussed political matters of the day such as the moving of the nation’s capital from New York City to Philadelphia the previous year.

After dining at “Smithfield,” President Washington returned to his coach and traveled to Colonel Martin Phifer’s “Red Hill” tavern near the Poplar Tent section of the county. He lodged at “Red Hill” that night before continuing on toward Salisbury at four o’clock the next morning.

Until my next blog post, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have quality writing time. Feel free to Tweet about my blog or share it on other social media.

Janet

Sources I used as I researched this newspaper column’s subject:

Piedmont Neighbors: Historical Sketches of Cabarrus, Stanly and Southern Rowan Counties, edited by Clarence D. Horton, Jr. and Kathryn L. Bridges.

Open the Gate and Roam Cabarrus With Us, by Adelaide and Eugenia Lore, 1971.

The Historic Architecture of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, by Peter R. Kaplan, 1981.

A Light and Lively Look Back at Cabarrus County, North Carolina, by Helen Arthur-Cornett, 2004.

Washington’s Travels in the Carolinas and Georgia, by C.E. Claghorn III.

Save

My 2017 Writing Plan of Action

Here it is the end of the third week in January and I’m just now articulating my 2017 writing plan of action. The name itself sounds arrogant, but that isn’t my intention. As an aspiring author, I need a plan and I need to act. I call it a “plan of action” for my own encouragement and not to impress anyone.

My 2016 Plan of Action was short and to the point. In this year’s plan I’ve tried to get into specifics and goals for various social media. Here’s my 2017 plan:

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

In real estate, the maxim is “Location, Location, Location.” If I am to establish my “brand” as a writer, my maxim must be, “Consistency, Consistency, Consistency.” Just as a character in a work of fiction has a distinguishable voice or way of speaking, my voice on social media needs to be consistent. My style of writing needs to be authentic and not all over the place. Likewise, I need to be consistent in my presence on social media. If I just blog on a whim, my audience will fall by the wayside. If I Tweet with no regularity, I’ll lose my followers. My challenge in 2017 will be to use social media on a consistent basis while making time to write. Being a relative newbie in the world of social media and not being technologically savvy, most days I feel overwhelmed by how much I have to learn. My actual writing has been taking a back seat lately. I must strike a healthy and productive balance in 2017 as I work toward getting my novel manuscript published. If I don’t, all the years I’ve spent writing the book and all the months I’ve spent sharpening my social media skills are all for naught.

My ideal reader

Writers are instructed to identify an ideal reader. This isn’t a real person. This is an imaginary person you write for. Some writers give this ideal reader a name and they have a visual concept of what that person looks like. I’ve concluded that my ideal reader is complex. Ultimately, my ideal reader is someone who enjoys southern historical fiction, has an interest in history but also keeps up with current events. My ideal reader is a well-informed citizen and not just a spectator. My ideal reader is not offended if I occasionally reveal my beliefs or civic concerns on social media. My ideal reader is not only willing to have his or her assumptions questioned but actually seeks out such literature. Does such a person exist? I’m counting on it!

It’s easy to sit here and wax poetic about my plans, but now comes the hard part. From what I’ve read, I need to determine on which social media platform(s) my ideal reader hangs out and then concentrate my efforts there.

http://www.janetswritingblog.com

Study my end-of-year 2016 reports, stats, etc. & determine what worked & what didn’t work & what I need to do differently in 2017. (I considered blogging three times a week; however, I concluded that’s too much for me. Instead, in addition to my regular Tuesday and Friday blog posts, I will occasionally blog on other days with no set schedule for these random posts.)

Plan blog topics for the year. (By that I mean, my first blog each month will be about what I read the previous month. My second blog each month will be a line I like from a book. My third blog each month will be a list of things I’ve learned about a particular topic. In other words, there will be a pattern to my blog posts every month. If the plan doesn’t produce results, I need to make adjustments.)

Try to use my blog to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand. Set goals for number of followers & number of bloggers following my blog.

Make a list of blogs I’d like to guest blog on.

Figure out how to make necessary changes to my blog’s set up to improve its Search Engine Optimization.

By the way, if you have trouble reading my blog on your cell phone or tablet, please let me know so I can take actions to rectify the situation. Please let me know if you have difficulty seeing or downloading photos I include in some of my blog posts. I need feedback about any issues you’re having.

Twitter @janetmorrisonbk

Study my end-of-year 2016 reports, stats, etc. & determine what worked & what didn’t work & what I need to do differently in 2017.

Try to use Twitter to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand. In order to establish my brand, I need to create more original content as opposed to primarily retweeting content generated by others.

Set goals for number of Tweets and number of followers.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/janet5049

Study my end-of-year 2016 reports, stats, etc. & determine what worked & what didn’t work & what I need to do differently in 2017.

Try to use Pinterest to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand. As with Twitter, I need to create more original Pins. Janet’s Writing Blog is my only Pinterest board that is 100% original content.

Evaluate my boards and the order in which I display them.

Set goals for number of followers for these boards: The Writing Life; Novel in Progress: The Spanish Coin; Blue Ridge Mountains; Great Smoky Mountains; I Need the Light; Sequel to The Spanish Coin; Janet’s Writing Blog; and Blog Odds & Ends.

Facebook: Janet Morrison, Writer

Try to use Facebook to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand. My personal page is just what it sounds like. My “Janet Morrison, Writer” page is where people who are interested in my writing can “Like” me.

Set goal for number of “Likes” by Dec. 31, 2017.

Goodreads.com

Goodreads.com is a website I enjoy as a writer and as a reader. It’s free to create an account and then to participate as much or as little as you wish. You can search for books or authors and create a list of books you’ve read, are currently reading, or want to read. Book reviews and book ratings on a one- to five-star system are encouraged but not mandatory. I have been lax in writing reviews, and I don’t always rate books I’ve read. I need to increase my activity in 2017 in order to get the most benefit from this completely free website. Oh – and there are a multitude of book giveaway contests for account holders.

LinkedIn

Learn about the potential LinkedIn holds for a writer. (To say I rarely use LinkedIn now would be a huge understatement.)

Try to use LinkedIn to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand.

Google+

Learn about the potential Google+ holds for a writer. (As with LinkedIn, I rarely use Google+.)

Try to use Google+ to increase my exposure as a writer & establish my brand.

Website: www.JanetMorrisonBooks.com

Review analysis for end of 2016.

Figure out which changes I can make and how to accomplish them.

The Spanish Coin southern historical mystery novel manuscript

Get 2 beta readers to give me feedback.

Hire a professional editor to do a developmental edit.

Pursue getting a literary agent or self-publishing.

Only time will tell how successful I am in carrying out this grandiose plan. All these social media activities are touted as being necessary for authors. Truth be told, I’d rather just write!

If you took the time to read this entire blog post, you deserve a prize. I don’t have any to offer, but you do have my sincere appreciation.

Until my next blog post . . .

I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

In your chosen work, do you make an annual written plan?

Janet

What is a logline, and why do I need one?

I’m still learning the terminology used in the publishing business. The publishing business is changing every day, so I’ll always be playing catch up.

Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence

A library book caught my attention last week, so I checked it out. Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence, by Lane Shefter Bishop turned out to be one of the most helpful writing books I’ve read. Perhaps I feel that way because it was timely. It would have been even more beneficial if I could have read it a decade ago before I started writing my southern historical novel manuscript with the working title, The Spanish Coin. (Since Ms. Bishop published the book in 2016, that would have been impossible — but you get my point.)

Speaking of getting to the point . . .

Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence is an excellent “how to” book about the process of writing a logline. A logline is a single sentence that identifies a story’s protagonist, what the protagonist wants, and what’s at stake. Sounds easy? Actually, it’s quite a process that involves many revisions and lots of rewriting.

When to write your logline

If I had known to create a logline before writing my novel’s manuscript, it would have helped me focus. Writing the logline after the fact, though, will help me evaluate my 97,000-word manuscript. I’ll have to make the best of having the cart before the horse. Next time I write a book, I’ll know to start with the logline.

Why do I need a logline?

I need a logline so I can precisely answer the question, “What’s your book about?” I will also need it to open my query letters to prospective literary agents or publishers. In that respect, the logline is like the “hook” or first line of a novel. If well written, it grabs the agent’s attention and makes him want to hear more. Ultimately, it makes a literary agent want to read my manuscript — or not read it.

My logline for The Spanish Coin

The following sentence is my logline in progress for The Spanish Coin:

When a widow is accused of her husband’s murder in the Carolina backcountry in 1771, she will stop at nothing to save herself and her unborn child.

Until my next blog post . . .

I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have quality writing time.

Janet

P.S. Does my logline make you want to read The Spanish Coin? I would love to have your comments!

Save

Thank you for your response. ✨

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: