California Writers’ Club – San Francisco Peninsula Branch

May 18, 2013, 10:00 am

Belmont Public Library (just south of Ralston on Alameda de las Pulgas), Belmont, CA

This month’s speaker, author David Corbett, will speak on “The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film and TV.” The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Belmont Public Library.  $15 for CWC members and $18 for non-members. Students get in for $10 with a valid ID.  First Meeting Free!

For more information about David Corbett, visit

For directions and more information about the meeting and CWC, visit http://cwc-peninsula.org

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California Writers’ Club – Redwood Branch

 Sunday afternoon, May 19, 2013, for the Redwood Writers 

Flamingo Hotel, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, CA

Author Support Group, 1:00-2:15 p.m. led by Deborah Taylor-French

Registration, Meet and Greet 2:30 p.m.

General Membership Meeting 3-5 p.m. – Meeting starts at 3 p.m. sharp!

Flamingo Hotel, Empire Rooms

2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405-4795, (707) 545-8530

See our website for a map:  www.redwoodwriters.org

 Members $5;  nonmembers $8

“Five Things That Are Killing Your Story” with Jana McBurney-Lin

     In her decades of writing and editing fiction, Jana McBurney-Lin discovered there are five basic elements necessary to bring life into any story. Let her help you breathe life into yours. McBurney-Lin appears on Sunday, May 19 from 3-5 p.m.  Admission is $5 for members, $8 for nonmembers. Sponsored by Redwood Writers. For more information www.redwoodwriters.org

McBurney-Lin is the author of two acclaimed novels. My Half of the Sky (KOMENAR Publishing, 2006) received numerous awards, including Booksense Pick of the Month, Forbes Book Club Pick and Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year (Honorable Mention). Her recently released novel, Blossoms and Bayonets (Redwood Publishing, 2012), is “suspenseful and deeply affecting,” according to best-selling novelist Caroline Leavitt.

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Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

22-Day Writers’ Platform & Fanbase-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says:

“Build your writer’s platform and work on the craft, simultaneously with ease.  I’m cheering for you!”

http://writingcoachteresa.com  for Coach Teresa’s list of events; see how she helps her clients.

How do you attract new fans?  When your friends and colleagues brag about you?  Yes!   What else?  How do you help your prospective fans find you?  By making your name synonymous with the issues / themes / subject matter you write about?  Yes!!  After all, when folks need something, don’t they go to search engines and type keywords and key phrases (aka “tags”) to find what they need?  Those folks will find you through the tags associated with your name!

Here’s an excellent example — let’s look at author Wendy D. Walter and her tags.  Wendy writes fantasy / adventure stories for young adults / teens.  Her protagonist is fourteen-year-old Ambril Derwyn.

I hosted Wendy D. Walter (author of Ambril’s Tale, Return of the Dullaith) in a live-blog event on January 5, 2013.  Nineteen fans (old and new) showed up to greet her and cheer for her and to ask questions.

Thank you, Anne M. Beggs, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, Christopher Wachlin, Deborah Taylor-French, Diane LeBow, Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, Eugenia Budman, Eve Visconti, Janine, Jean Morrow, Kate Farrell, LakshmiLove, Linda C. McCabe, Margie Yee Webb, Maria, Tera, Thonie Hevron, Yolande Barial, for participating on January 5th, 2013!

To see complete questions and answers and  comments from please click on: http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/please-help-me-welcome-author-wendy-d-walter-to-this-live-blog-appearance/

To read my interview with Wendy, please click on:

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/coach-teresas-interview-questions-for-author-wendy-d-walter-ambrils-tale-the-return-of-the-dullaith/

Here are some tags associated with Wendy D. Walter’s writings

• Ambril’s Tale, Return of the Dullaith
• father’s death
• half-truth
• ancient Celtic magic and nature-based magic
• introverts
• Global Warming, rising seas, raging storms
• Utah in the middle of winter
• taking on the bullies
• fictional California town Trelawnyd
• fantasy stories
• monsters
• young adult Y/A
• secret warriors
• human morality

Thank you,Wendy, for having written a compelling story. What a page-turner!

Look for more “tags” in Wendy D. Walter‘s answers to the questions asked by fans:

“My all time favorite writer is Jane Austen. It’s been over 200 years since she was first published and her stories still enthrall me. From her books, I learned that the most important thing a writer can do is to make your readers care about what happens to your character and to never underestimate your reader.”

“I’m also a great admirer of Diana Wynne Jones, my favorite fantasy writer. She also never underestimated her readers and gave us incredibly intricate and original stories. Her books are often funny as well!”

“And that is why Ambril’s Tail has a very robust plot, with lots of twists and turns and strives to be humorous as often as possible!”

“Some of my characters are right out of my imagination, but some of them have roots in mythology. The Aunties, for instance, are the seers of the story, who share one pair of glasses. Perseus runs into three crones who share one eye and a tooth in one of his adventures, but groupings of three witches/hags/seers appear in all sorts of ancient Nordic and Germanic stories as well!”

“The Cerberus, the guardians of the underworld, is one of my favorite Greek legends.”

“I’m not sure why this is, but if you take a simple bullying exchange off the playground in our world and give the characters fangs and fairy wings, the issue becomes much clearer. In fantasy, we get a bit heavy handed at times and tend to make our bullies actual monsters (it’s more fun that way). Also, as bullying is an obvious abuse of power, it works well within worlds where it’s clear who the good and bad guys are, at least most of the time! Check out the Q & A Teresa posted on this blog for more on bullying: http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/coach-teresas-interview-questions-for-author-wendy-d-walter-ambrils-tale-the-return-of-the-dullaith/  Bullying appears to be a behavior that some mistake for strength, particularly the immature (of all ages).”

“And there is a great male main character called Ygg. My beta readers all chose him as their favorite character!”

“Ambril’s Tale is for the 10-14 marketplace, just right for middle schoolers!”

Get your copy of Wendy D. Walter's book or ask your library to carry it!

Where to Find the book Ambril’s Tale, Return of the Dullaith:

http://www.amazon.com/Ambrils-Tale-Return-Dullaith-ebook/dp/B008EALE3A/

Ambril’s Tale, Return of the Dullaith at Barnes and Noble

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174750

“Book 2, Ambril’s Tale, Riding the Cursed Shoots, is coming out in March, 2013!”

Cheers to Wendy D. Walter, protagonist Ambril and everyone she cares about!

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”
http://writingcoachteresa.com

As author of Love Made of Heart, creator of Love Made of Heart gift items and the “Talking to My Dead Mom Monologues,” Teresa encourages writers to speak out (in print) for those who cannot speak for themselves.

As coach and author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW , Teresa says: “Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, make your name synonymous with the issues you write about.”

My answers will help writers of all genres, so, please read on.  The specifics I’m naming target buyers of children’s books.

I’ll spotlight Deborah Taylor-French.

First, what is a writer’s platform?

Definintion of a platform.  “Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers—who are likely to buy what you have to sell.” (page 1 of my workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days)

Deborah writes mysteries for children 8 to 13.  How does she build her fanbase? Deborah says: “Younger readers do not yet have e-readers nor will they go looking for me on the Web.  My goal this year is to find and agent/publisher for my series.  I know schools and parent-child book groups would be good to connect to, but how to do it in an effective manner?”

Deborah Taylor-French already has a fanbase–through her associations at  California Writers Club, her circle of family and friends, and her resourceful blog Dog Leader Mysteries http://dogleadermysteries.com that has posts in these categories:

• About Deborah Taylor-French
• Book Reviews on Amazon
• Books for Dog Lovers
• Books For Kids
• Give A Dog A Chance
  • Want a Dog? Go Local
• Welcome

I see that Deborah has 1,229 (and counting) fans reading her blog.

Deborah is people-person.  Let’s show her off  “in person” in the community.  I want to hear her/see her  / be entertained by  her.

What if she were to create a 15-minute show for children?  An interactive talk about “Give A Dog A Chance” ?  And a 30-minute version?  Or even a longer version?

Who would Deborah pitch her fun presentation to?

Librarians!  School librarians!  Teachers!   Pet store owners!  Pet supply store’s community relations managers!   Folks at rescue organizations!   Event coordinators at community centers!

• create a fun program
• test it out on a group of fans
• pitch it to people who are more likely to say “Yes!” (See the definition of platform in action? Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers—who are likely to buy what you have to sell.)
• ask rescue organizations to help publicize your events; you’re being an advocate for them
• add a “press room” to your blog so that folks know how to invite you to deliver your interactive talk to their organizations
• collect fans’ email addresses to inform them of your appearances

Agents and publishes want authors with big fanbases.  Fans buy books written by their favorite celebrities.

Start the exercises in my workbook.  Start now. If you don’t have my workbook yet, click on the book title here to go to Amazon and do Day 1′s exercises (for free).  Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW.  When you’re at Amazon, click on the book cover that says “Click to look inside.”  The sneak preview for the print version and the e-book are identical.   Take a look at:

• WHAT is a platform? What you’ll need in order to fully benefit from this workbook
• Build Your Platform, Build Your Name, Stand Out in a Crowd
• What is the game and WHO are the players?
• How Does this Book Work?
• Day  1   Who Am I?  What I Have in Common with Super Famous People

You’ll have so much fun doing the 2 exercises from the pages for Day 1 that you’ll want to do the next exercise and the next.  Your platform is unique; there is only one YOU!

If you need one-on-one coaching, I’m here.  I help clients from west coast to east coast–in person, on Skype, via phone calls and emails.

To participate in this blog post, submit a comment by: clicking on the blue title bar of this post, scrolling down to get the boxes, filling in the boxes and click on “submit comment” button — so that thousands of my fans will see your name, URL (your website/blog address if you have one), what themes/subject matters/issues hook you, and, what themes/subject matters/issues you want to spotlight.

I wish you joy, light, and a dancing heart.

Sincerely,
Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachteresa.com

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (the fun workbook)

“Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s platform!”

From Deborah Taylor-French via facebook:
“Wow! Thanks Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan for terrific answers to my questions. Your ideas pop and sizzle. I’m jumping on these to focus my efforts locally as I build my writer’s platform.”

I had redesigned one of my signature presentations for California Writers Club-Redwood Branch and created a new template for Writing Career Make-Over with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan.

I so wanted to help every writer in the audience see how simple building one’s platform could be.  To get familiar with my audience, I read every word of Redwood Writers’ January 2012 newsletter and looked at the names of the entire membership roster on the branch’s website.  The exciting programs created by the members are synonymous with Redwood Writers. I spent weeks preparing for my presentation.

But I goofed!   Even though my definition of platform was on the template, I didn’t say it!  And, because I didn’t say: “A platform is making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell,”  my talk was missing  structure.

Whether you write fiction, narrative nonfiction or prescriptive nonfiction (how to books) or poetry or plays or anthologies. . . whether you want to land an agent or acquisition editor at a publishing house . . . whether you want to be your own publisher . . . you’re going to need a platform.

Let’s dissect the definition of a platform.  “Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell.” (page 1 of my workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days)

The last part “what you have to sell” — what you’re selling is your literary works or services.

The middle part “to attract targeted consumers” — the targeted consumers are the folks who read and buy the kind of material you write about.

The first part “Making your name stand for something” — that was the heart of my presentation–to help each writer identify the themes/subject matters/issues that he/she writes about. For my template, I had found on Google Images the perfect hard hat  to illustrate my point that the hardest job in platform-building is asking yourself and answering these questions: What is it that I write about? What are my themes/subject matters/issues? What will readers gain from reading my work?

So, there I was, asking 7 delightful authors (Marcia Naomi Berger, Deborah Taylor-French, Amanda McTigue, Robbi Sommers Bryant, Paul Greenberg,  Ana Manwaring, Heidi Roth) to come up to the stage to speak their full names. I guided them on how to identify: her/his picture of success; the themes/subject matters/issues that he/she writes about;  his/her motivators & modus operandi; her/his fans and where to find them.

Making one’s name synonymous with the themes/subject matters/issues one writes about.

If I had prepared everyone with the “why” for doing the exercises, then more writers in the audience would have gained their “aha moments” too.

When I coach my clients  . . .prescriptive nonfiction (how to books) authors usually answer those questions with ease. It’s not so easy for fiction and narrative nonfiction authors. I’d say: “Instead of telling me the plotline or the character sketch, think about the issues and the themes.  What does your protagonist have to deal with?  What will your protagonist learn in story world?  What your main character learns, your readers will also learn!”  The answers will help you form your mission statement.

So, Coach Teresa, define a writer’s platform!  “Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell.”

Understanding what a platform is gives you a fresh look at your writing career.

And you’ll be ready to have more fun doing the exercises in my workbook. Day I exercises:  “Who am I?” and “What I Have in Common with Super Famous People” (take a sneak peek at Amazon’s “look inside” of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

I wish to thank these folks again:

Linda C. McCabe for inviting me to present

The entire Redwood Writers Board

Everyone in the audience yesterday

Kate Farrell for helping me format my template on her MAC and being a loving friend

Everyone who gave me their comments on the evaluation sheet.

Everyone who told me about their themes before and after the presentation.

Everyone who bought Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days and will start Day I exercises:  “Who am I?” and “What I Have in Common with Super Famous People”

Everyone who bought Love Made of Heart (my novel to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families)

Kate Farrell made my day by showing me Lindsay Pasdera Marquez’s email to Redwood Writers’ listserver.

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 8:57 AM

Re: [RWmembers] glad to have found RWC

I joined RWC a few months back, and was able to attend my first meeting yesterday.  Wow!  I feel very fortunate to have access to such a vibrant community of passionate writers in my own backyard.

I appreciated Teresa LeYung-Ryan’s perspective and am thrilled to have a written mission statement (Dream) for my work. Mine is: to dramatically increase the percentage of Americans who are aware that humans have a rich history of cooperation, egalitarianism, and non-violence. Writing that statement helped me see the coherence between my two current writing projects: one, a historical fiction set in sixth century Scotland among a matrilineal tribal people, and two, my blog (www.ancientabundance.blogspot.com) on the true nature of pre-agricultural humanity.  I have chosen a pen name for both the novel and the blog.

I look forward to taking advantage of all the wonderful growth opportunities that RWC has to offer and to getting to know each of you over time.

Happy New Year!

Lindsay Pasdera Marquez

Here’s my response:

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 8:57 AM

Good Day Fabulous Redwood Writers!

Thank you for your participation yesterday for my “Writing Career Make-Over with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan” presentation.
Thank you for your comments on the evaluation sheets.

Lindsay, I am jumping for joy seeing your mission statement; it speaks with clarity. Be sure to add your mission statement to your signature block in emails (even emails to personal friends). Why? You want all your fans to see what you are passionate about. Fans talk about passionate people.

I will write a follow-up to yesterday’s session and submit it to Robin Moore and/or Lynn Millar for those who could not make it yesterday.

“Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s platform!”
Sincerely,
Coach Teresa 

http://writingcoachteresa.com

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (in print edition and E-book)

More rewards:

I’m going to submit my 10-minute play to 2012 Redwood Writers 2nd Playwriting Contest. Thank you, Linda Loveland Reid, for creating the contest!

Today, after Kate Farrell fed me breakfast and got me to Golden Gate Transit Mall in plenty of time (Thank you, Kate!), I met up with another dear friend–author Lynn Scott. I told Lynn about my goof-up yesterday; she laughed at me, lovingly. Thank you, Lynn! “Focus on the positive,” reminded Lynn.  Once again, writers brighten my day. I am a happy and thankful coach/author/friend.

To participate in this blog post (article), submit a comment by: clicking on the blue title bar of this post, scrolling down to get the boxes, filling in the boxes and click on “submit comment” button — so that thousands of my fans will see your name, URL (your website/blog address if you have one), and what themes/subject matters/issues you write about.

I’m cheering for you!