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| Asilomar Beach Tidepools |
Today’s MONDAY MOOD is tired, but with post-Asilomar SCBWI Conference inspiration to off-set it. The conference is at the Pacific Ocean’s backdoor, so before or after sessions there’s nothing better than a stroll across Hwy. 1 to peer into a few tidepools.
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| Dan Yaccarino and Naomi Kinsman |
As usual the faculty gave excellent presentations filled with encouragement and helpful information for writers. At the final panel, Media Presence: Go Social in 2012 here’s what they had to say about writers who blog:
- If you’re going to blog be professional.
- The first thing most agents do if they are interested in a manuscript is Google the author.
- Never post anything you don’t want others to know. Realize that anything on any forum should be treated as public information.
- Blogging is an excellent tool for promoting, but doing only promotion for your books is deadly. Give something your readers need or enjoy; don’t just push your work with “buy” messages.
- Being a blogger doesn’t replace writing an excellent book.
We’ve all heard these comments before, but it’s good for those who’ve been at this a while to be reminded; then there are always new writers/bloggers who might not have. What did I miss?
Another thing to remember: be persistent and consistent. Give your blog followers a regular diet of your material, and keep that quality and topic in roughly the same vein. Sure, you can experiment once in a while, push the envelope, but in the end people follow a blog because they know generally what they're going to get.
Oh that gorgeous picture. I'd love to jump into it. Good blog points.
Yes, it's so important to remember that anything you say online should be considered public.
Thanks for the reminders! And what a beautiful location 🙂
What a lovely backdrop to the conference. Sounds wonderful.
Great advice! I love the tide pools 🙂 And now to figure out today's blog post…
Oh yes, how often I forget that last one!
Oh, how I'd love to go to a conference with that kind of scenery! I answered your tag questions on my blog today. 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Lee! It sounds like you had a great time. 🙂
Wow, seeing that photo of the tide pools makes me wistful for CA. I have friends who go to that conference, and it always sounds great. Good social media tips, all.
Join us out here, Catherine. I'm a good tour guide in that area. 🙂
I think pay it forward is always a goodie. Even if it's just giving recognition to books you've enjoyed or blogs you love.
That is a good addition, Stina. Thanks.
Hi all,
Thanks for the visit as always and a big thanks for adding your advice. All of it is helpful and, as many have said, we need reminding.
What excellent advice! It is always good to be reminded of these tips. Sometimes in the online world you can forget that what you write is available to everyone. I like to google myself every now and then to see what shows up. Another great piece of advice I got at a conference was to comment on people's blogs regularly (build a relationship). I try to comment back whenever someone comments on my blog. 🙂
Looks like you were in a beautiful setting!
~Jess
http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/
Great advice – and not just for writers (I remind my teens about this, too). It's not a bad idea to google your own name once in a while…sometimes I'm surprised by what pops up!
All great advice and reminders. Some authors make a public outcry over a negative review of their book, but they forget that anything said online stays online forever! It's just a matter of finding it!
Yup, that fourth one is the one to remember. I should never feel guilty for not blogging or leaving comments, only guilty for not writing.
Excellent advice, especially the fourth bit.
I'd add have all your information on your blog where people can find it.
That last is one heck of a good reminder; I tend to substitute blogging for any other writing,even though the blog isn't what my heart is longing to write. Thanks for posting that!