Tool #1   Grounding Reader with the four Ws (Who? When? Where? What?) “What does Protagonist want?” (in prescriptive nonfiction “What does Reader need?”)

Tool #2   Hooking Reader from first page to last with core themes. 

Tool #3     In Fiction & Narrative Nonfiction (both genres are forms of  “story-telling”) — Who are your protagonist, antagonist(s), and other archetypes?

Fiction:

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Lost In Yonkers – a play by Neil Simon

Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer! children’s picture book by Frances Kawugawa

Love Made of Heart – mother-daughter novel by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Charlotte’s Web – a children’s classic by E. B. White

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever by Judith Marshall

Narrative Nonfiction:

Woven of Water by Luisa Adams

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

The Secret Artist – Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine! by Mary E. Knippel

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother – anthology edited by Kate Farrell

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland

A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me by Lynn Scott

A Dreamer’s Guide to Cities and Streams (poetry) by Joan Gelfand

Prescriptive Nonfiction:

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life – photo/gift book by Margie Yee Webb

Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message by Elisa Sasa Southard

My Dreams: A Simple Guide to Dream Interpretation by Angie Choi

Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know by Lori Hope

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW  by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master by Martha Alderson

TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How To Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spirit by Lynn Cook Henriksen

Correct Me If I’m Wrong: Getting Your Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage Right!  by Arlene Miller

Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books by Frances Caballo

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages: A Book Promotion Reference Guide for Authors and Small Press Publishers  by Christine Pinheiro  e-book published by http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen

The Power of Memoir by Linda Joy Myers

Marriage Meeting Starter Kit  by Marcia Naomi Berger

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach

The Secret Artist – Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine! by Mary E. Knippel

Also, please refer to the SFWC list of presenters

Mary E. Knippel & Teresa LeYung-Ryan teach 'Be Your Own Editor' at SFWC - photo by Margie Yee Webb

Free Webinars –   register with https://www.authorlearningcenter.com

3 Top Tools for Editing Your Manuscript After You’ve Written Your First Draft  with Coach Teresa

·         April 10, 2013  at 10:30am Pacific Time / 1:30pm Eastern Time

·         April 25, 2013  at 4:30pm Pacific Time /  7:30pm Eastern Time

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cares about helping fiction and nonfiction writers build their platforms and work on their craft simultaneously with ease.  She says: “Wear the dual hats as promoter and writer and be happily published. Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Judith was building her platform while she was writing her novel; Coach Teresa took this photo of Judith at a critique group meeting; this photo has become one of Judith's favorite publicity shots.

Here’s news from Judie!

“I’ve been asked to speak about my writing process and my screen option for Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever at The Chateaus in Pleasant Hill, CA, on Monday, March 11th, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. If you’re in the neighborhood, please come by and say hello.

“Just wanted to let you know that starting tomorrow, March 3rd, 2013, for one week only my novel will be available as an eBook on Smashwords at a 50% discount.  If you know someone who might enjoy the book and who has an eReader other than a Kindle, please pass the information on.  Here’s a link. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60976  Although not discounted, you can access the Kindle and print versions on Amazon by clicking on the title below my signature.  I’m thrilled that the book has now received more than fifty 5-star reviews on Amazon.

“In other news, I’m expecting the first draft of the script from a new screenwriter next week.  Hope this one is a keeper!

“Thanks for your ongoing support.”

Best,

Judith Marshall

Author of Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever optioned for the big screen.

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cheering for you!

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cares about helping fiction and nonfiction writers build their platforms and work on their craft simultaneously with ease.  She says: “Wear the dual hats as promoter and writer and be happily published. Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan here, so proud of Judith Marshall!  Judith was in our critique group (Lynn Scott, Marcia Naomi Berger, Judith Marshall and me-Teresa LeYung-Ryan).  Judie knew she had written a page-turning novel (and we Critique Gals knew it too).  So, after 2 years of “rejection letters” from literary agents (while receiving writing-contest awards!), Judie took control of her career by becoming a publisher herself.

Fast forward . . .   Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever has been optioned for the big screen. G o, Judie !!!!!

That's Judith Marshall, second from left.

Author Judith Marshall to speak on October 9, 2012,  10:00 a.m. at Clayton Valley Woman’s Club.  Guests welcome at no charge, no r.s.v.p required.

Author Judith Marshall was building her platform while she was writing her novel; Coach Teresa took this photo of Judith at a critique-group meeting; this photo was/is one of Judith's favorite publicity shots. Coach Teresa said/says: "Reach out, not stress out, to be happily published."

The Clayton Valley Woman’s Club invites guests to attend their monthly meeting on Oct. 9, 2012 at 10:00am at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord. to hear guest speaker Judith Marshall.  Judith is a native Californian, raised in Concord, who has gone on from a career in human resources to become a successful book writer and local newspaper columnist. Her book, Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever, won the Jack London Writers Conference Prize awarded by the California Writers Club and has been optioned for the big screen. Also, her column, “Fashion Over 50,” appears in the Clayton Pioneer.

Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever optioned for the big screen.

www.judithmarshall.net

Check out a video of Judith TV Interview on Midday Arizona.

Cheers to author Judith Marshall!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

http://www.facebook.com/Teresa.LeYung.Ryan
http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 14, 2012, noon to 2:00pm, while I (Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan) will be on the “Writers on Writing” panel at Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue, Oakland, CA with Kim McMillon, Yolande Barial, Joan Gelfand, Stephanie Dale, and Judith Cody . . .

Margie Yee Webb, author of Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings, will be at California State Fair . . .

and Joanna W. Biggar, author of That Paris Year, will be speaking in Sacramento, CA. While visiting Joanna’s blog, I found her post about another  colleague – Cara Black! http://joannabiggar.org/2012/03/10/cara-black-and-my-own-paris-noir/

I met Joanna at Book Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco on July 9, 2012 when I was interviewing Carol Sheldon, author of Mother Lode, who was being honored by Left Coast Writers.

That got me thinking about  SheWrites.com and Jodi O’Donnell-Ames, founder of Hope Loves Company and author Judith Marshall.

www.shewrites.com

Q: Who can be a member of SHE WRITES?

A: We welcome individuals who consider themselves writers!  You don’t need to be a published, professional writer, but most of our members are, or aspire to become so.  When you fill out your profile, please use a name rather than a business.  We prefer first and last names, but we understand if there’s a good reason you need to use a pseudonym.

Businesses: We will not approve businesses as members.  We do not allow unapproved vending on SHE WRITES.  If you wish to promote your services to the writers on the site, there are a few options: 1) advertise with us 2) pitch our SHE NEEDS HELP team, and we will consider promoting you on a case-by-case basis. See our terms of use for further clarification.

Men: We welcome men.  Our reasoning is twofold: 1) legal2) philosophical.  We would not want to be excluded from a site called HE WRITES because of our sex or gender.

While looking up Women On Writing, the annual conference held at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA, I came across Wild Writing Women.

Oh how I love being Coach Teresa!

I cheer for writers & readers (women and men, teens and children)!

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachteresa.com

Coach Teresa says: “I love helping writers build their platforms and published authors fortify theirs with individualized coaching.”

As coach and author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW, she advices: “Make your name synonymous with the issues you write about.”

Teresa has built her own platform happily; her novel Love Made of Heart and her short play Answer Me Now carry the theme closest to her heart: mother-daughter relationship.

Teresa LeYung-Ryan helps clients identify themes, universal archetypes, front-story and back-story in their manuscripts.

Jodi sent me the link to her blog post Doing Time with LYME (what a memorable title!). In her post, she provided a link to her article “Lyme Time” for NJ Monthly magazine.

Spring is upon us. That means an increase in activity for the black-legged tick—more commonly known as the deer tick. This grotesque little creature carries the bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi) that causes Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is on the rise in New Jersey, where dense forests and vegetation provide a veritable paradise for the deer tick.

So, I submitted my comment to her blog post:

Hi, Jodi,
You are an engaging writer. And thank you for “Prevention Pointers” in your wonderful article “Lyme Time” for NJ Monthly magazine.

As the weather heats up, so does the risk of Lyme disease—and the controversy surrounding diagnosis and treatment.

I’d like to share other links with your fans. In California . . . http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Pages/LymeDisease.aspx (this site offers information for Spanish readers too)

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7485.html

According to this site–Risk Map of California–http://www.lymedisease.org/california/california_map.html the ticks that carry Lyme disease have been found in all but two counties in California.

Jodi, thanks again for helping others by writing about your experiences and offering resources.
Sincerely,
Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan
author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

Jodi had used these tags in her post; so will I; that way I can help spread these tags on what I call the “Fabulous Cyberspace Index”  Also, I’ll add the tags “New Jersey” and “California”

health, ticks, information, advocate, illness, lyme disease

Next, I blog about Jodi O’Donnell-Ames with this post.

Then I remember that Jodi was referred to me by my colleague Judith Marshall, the author of  Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever (Judith’s book is recently optioned for the big screen!), through She Writes. So, this evening, I invested an hour to join this exciting writing community. Thank you, Judith & Jodi!  Thank you, Monica Medina of She Writes, for the nice welcome. Also, I commented on Monica’s page by thanking her and linking this post so that she can see Judith’s and Jodi’s names again.

Cheers to She Writes!

http://www.shewrites.com/profile/TeresaLeYungRyan

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when pursuing your dreams!”

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

Love Made of Heart inspiring adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

Please introduce yourselves by clicking on the title bar of this post and submitting a comment. Invite my blog visitors to your events. Thank you!

Some Events for Writers & Readers in September & October 2011 in these two counties:

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California Writers Club–Redwood Branch meets at the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa, CA

Redwood Writers Meeting 2:30-5 PM at the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, 2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 • Phone: (707) 545-8530

September 11, 2011 Speaker will be Joan Price, “What I Learned about Book Publicity after Wasting
$1000 of My Publisher’s Money.”

October 9, 2011 Speaker  will be Joan Frank “Ideas and Discovery: Protecting and Celebrating the Fictional Dream.”

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Writers Forum of Petaluma (founder: Marlene Cullen) These literary workshops take place on the third Thursday of each month, March through November (no workshops in January, February and December).

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (we start promptly at 7:00 pm); $15 at the door
Location: Petaluma Community Center at Lucchesi Park, 320 No. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, California

September 15, 2011 Christine Walker  “Image & The Senses”

October 20, 2011 Barbara Spicer   “Telling Tales”

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Saturday, September 24, 2011, 10:00am–4:00pm

Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter members and California Writers Club-Redwood Branch members at Sonoma County Book Festival

Look for Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Margie Yee Webb, Kate Farrell, Ana Manwaring at their booths and on the Redwood Village/Readers Circle Stage.  Leigh Anne Lindsey, Linda Joy Myers, Zoe FitzGerald Carter, Laurel Anne Hill. Who else?     Ana Manwaring orchestrates Redwood Writers Village Stage! Stage times: 1:00pm Redwood Writers Vintage Voices; 1:45-2:00pm Margie Yee Webb & Teresa LeYung-Ryan; 2:00-2:45pm Kate Farrell and anthology contributing authors

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Sunday, September 25, 2011,   2 to 4 pm

California Writers Club–Marin Branch meets at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, CA

Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing:
Which One’s For You?

Our panel of authors and publishing professionals includes April Eberhardt, literary agent; Judith Marshall, author of Husbands May Come and Go But Friends Are Forever; Holly Payne, author of Kingdom of Simplicity, The Sound of Blue and The Virgin’s Knot, and founder of Skywriter Books; and Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of Love in Translation, Midori by Moonlight, and Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband.

*********************************************

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when pursuing your dreams!”

Coach Teresa is the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

$9.81 for ebook; $22 for print edition

Teresa is the author of Love Made of Heart

Coach Teresa’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Teresa on facebook!

Lynn Scott, the author of the memoir A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me, says: “My book is not about the disease, but about the spirit that exists in us all as long as we live. I led my clients in singing the old familiar songs (“Take Me Out to The Ballgame,” “As Time Goes By,” “I Love You Truly”), and I reveled in the love I received and gave.”

I met Lynn Scott over ten years ago when she received writing awards from the California Writers Club and the Jack London Writers Conference. Her fiction and nonfiction are most engaging.  When she asked me to join her critique group, I said “Yes!” Judith Marshall and Marcia Naomi Berger were the other members. More about those two authors in future posts.

What is Lynn up to these days? She’s being an inspiration as always!

Visit Lynn Scott’s website to find out how [singing the old familiar American songs; turning grief and loss into catalysts for the next creative step; Boston Women’s Health Collective; a unique set of unlikely healers] all relate to this wise author/editor.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan, writing career coach, manuscript consultant, and

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW and Love Made of Heart

Coach Teresa’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

22-Day Platform-Building Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan helps authors with their pitches at "Speed Dating with Agents & Acquisition Editors" at WNBA's signature event

Andria Wagner
Barbara Brunetti
Belinda “Bee” Hylinski
Brittany Pettibone
Nicole Pettibone
Danny Garon
Diana Franco
Jennifer Hewitt
Joan Steidinger
Kimber Simpkins
Rasa Gustaitis
Ronnie Lovler

How to Pitch a Novel, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, or How-To Book to Agents and Acquisition Editors

Saturday March 26, 2011

This morning colleague Jane Glendinning and I had a chance to catch up since October last year when I met the delightful writers (and saw Sarah Clark!) at California Writers Club Berkeley Branch.

Jane and I had shared  an adventure when Oakland public libraries were in danger of severe budget cuts.  This morning 7:40am our walk from BART Embarcadero station to Sinbad’s Restaurant was another adventure in San Francisco.  Rain. Puddles.  We were on our way to help authors pitch their projects at the WNBA signature event “Meet the Agents & Acquisition Editors”

The reward was working with fellow members at Women’s National Book Association. Jane Glendinning and Birgit Soyka helped Meet-the-Agents Event Chair Judith Marshall and  Chapter President Lynn Henriksen set up while Treasurer Christopher Payne and beloved Vicki Weiland greeted attendees at registration.  VP Kate Britton had worked miracles pulling online registration data.  Mary Jo McConahay took photos (We are so happy for Mary Jo. Two years ago at this same event, Mary Jo met agent Andy Ross.  Her book, Maya Roads, will be published on August 1, 2011.)

Tanya Egan Gibson, Mary E. Knippel and yours truly Teresa LeYung Ryan helped authors fine-tune their pitches.

Karen Folger Jacobs & Diane LeBow I always get a kick seeing you two power-women.

Talking Tagline Coach Elisa Southard couldn’t be there because she was at the Bay Area Travel Writing planning retreat. Diane LeBow also headed to that meeting after the pitch fest.

Mathilde Schmidt and Carla Danziger – great seeing you both.   I met new member Janine Kovac.  Welcome aboard!

Valerie Mihalache, it was wonderful seeing you.

The 11 agents/acquisition editors/publishers included WNBA members Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen (who are co-founders of San Francisco Writers Conference and Writing for Change Conference), Laurie McLean, Jennifer Joseph, Amy Burkhardt, Andy Ross, Brooke Warner, Georgia Hughes, Gordon Warnock, Jeanette Perez, and Peter Beren!

Zoe Fitzgerald Carter, author of Imperfect Endings, gifted us with a candid talk about her publishing journal, the folks who helped her share her remarkable story with readers, and what she’s working on now.

Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan and Agent Laurie McLean

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/

Thanks to Teresa’s book I learned to contact a star. The famous Carol Channing wrote a review for my latest book YOU and THE ARTS–Why Art Matters. Teresa’s book is a wonderful help in learing how to get good publicity.

* * * * * * * * * *

This book taught me a lot. It’s packed with information, and the presentations and exercises build upon what came before. It’s direct and clear and has plenty of instructive examples that plainly show the way, and how to get there. It’s like having your very own writing career coach with you at every step. This extremely helpful workbook has given me great preparation for building a platform. I enthusiastically recommend it.

* * * * * * * * * *

This book is written as a set of specific tasks. And I think that is what is so great about it. The author doesn’t spend 200 pages waffling and trying to convince you of something you’re already dying to do, but just don’t know how to execute. All you have to do is follow the directions. No analyzing too many options, no trying to out-think the huge behemoth that is publishing industry. It’s like having a friend take you by the hand, set you down on the right path, and then walk right along side you. The added benefit is that on the way, you’ll find out some pretty interesting things about yourself and what your platform (so essential these days for getting published) is really all about.

For me, having clear cut steps and directions is invaluable when it comes figuring out what I really want to communicate to potential readers and how to get my platform established.

I know. I’m a writer, newly finished my first work (okay, here I’m going to plug it) “Over the Edge,” a fictionalized memoir, told in nine episodes, which tells what it’s really like to live, run, and be a part of the street life.

Kudos and Thanks, Teresa

* * * * * * * * * *

Much has been written in the past year or two about the importance to writers of having a “platform.” Writers without a platform, we are told, find it difficult if not impossible to be taken seriously by agents and publishers. This ambitious book takes a new approach to building a platform. Instead of the usual pep talks, it consists of a series of exercises–22 minutes for 22 days– to build the reader’s self-knowledge and skill. The exercises are often thought-provoking, and always fun. For all writers who find themselves “stuck” when it comes to building a platform, this is a most worthwhile tool.
Margaret Davis, author of Straight Down the Middle

* * * * * * * * * *

Although I had already published my novel, “Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever,” and set up my website when I purchased this playbook, I found lots of information and tips I hadn’t known. I especially liked the exercises which helped me identify where to spend my time and energy. A great road map to building your writer platform.

* * * * * * * * * *

Ms. Ryan gives us a huge building block toward getting our gems into print. I tried her original draft of this book, doing the exercises, and being amazed how much i could put into a platform. Now she has expanded this workbook richly. She is a whiz in the ways a writer can get noticed.
in all the confusing technology around these days, this book takes a novice carefully through the process to this end.

It is quite a bargain at $22.

Lynn Scott, Memorist,  A Joyous Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me

* * * * * * * * * *

Is There a Book to Help Writers Build Platform and Fanbase?

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW available through Amazon

Sincerely,

22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan
http://writingcoachteresa.com