I AM MOVING.....

I am posting the last time to this blogspot. :(  WHY??  I have had issues with blogspot through these years with posting mistakes I did not enter, broken posts and the latest broken comments field.  No one can post a comment right now to this blog.  I also have several broken "gadgets" that I cannot fix and it is making the management of this blog IMPOSSIBLE.....

  So I have moved here - http://mjgrothoff.wordpress.com/

I am sorry to my current blogspot followers but I ask for your forgiveness.  I will continue to update my new blog like this one and will continue to promote writers in the twitterverse! ;)

Come on by!

Why I #WW all of those Writers

  ***The following is a REPOST from an earlier post I wrote about those I follow on Twitter.  I am posting again because I decided to do some #WW and I really want those writers to know I am out here and listening.  I love being part of this community!  You all rock!!!!!***

  Writing for me is a place where I allow complete freedom of my senses and feelings.  I found it many many many years ago to be my bless, my awareness and often not, my meditation.  These similar connections follow me when I fall into a book.  Yes, I did say fall since this is the sensation I often get when I am reading a great book or enjoying a good tale. 

  Through these many years of participating in this writing thing I do and being part of the writing community, I found myself desiring the need for more information about it.  I read periodicals, magazines, blogs, tweets, forums, websites, etc… to gain this knowledge.  This need grows my energy and experience with it every day to the point now where I have become a picky writer.  Picky in the sense of where I get this information (often find the same thing repeated in several different platforms) and with who is releasing this material.

  This brings me to twitter and blog following and why I recommend those #WW.  I carefully peruse twitter and follow those writers, agents and publishers who are sending out good, no great information about the world of writing.  I do not just follow someone because they follow me.  My time spent reading and learning the ways of this writing world, to me, is precious because it has the ability to intervene between what is really important to me.  MY FAMILY. :)  I do not take it lightly when I follow someone and I certainly read the material they are writing and handing over to this world for consumption.  It was important to them to share so I find it important to read.

  I love this writing thing we do and will ALWAYS promote and market every person in this writing world of ours!

Happy #WW writers, agents and publishers!

Hello is this Mic on?

  It has been a while since I entered something in this beautiful blog of mine.  I am working on a new writing adventure, besides the novel series, and it is consuming a major piece of my time.  I wish I could write about it right now but "hush" is the word on it.  There is a new market out there for writers and it will become a lucrative one by the end of this year.  Not keeping it on the wraps to avoid sharing.  No not at all since this is not what I am about.  I feel like the more writers providing this service the more jobs will be produced.  The demand is so great that there is enough for everyone.  I must keep at a hush for other aspects, not the writing side.....

  I can tell you though it is a lot of fun and you use your creative senses through out the process.  I hope by end of March or beginning April I may share it all.  It is GREAT to be a writer.  Our industry is changing so quickly with Borders filing Chapter 11, publishing industry trying to get a handle on self publishing and the ebook thing and the social networking becoming the most important thing you can do as a writer.  ALL GREAT STUFF and feel great to be part of it at the beginning.  Twenty years from now what will your story be on going through this writing reface.  Mine, BUSY and LOSS OF SLEEP.  :) :)

  Happy writing writers!

  Now stop surfing the web and write something!

Marketing Mania

  This writing gig has a part which I found to be bigger than the writing.  What’s this you say?  If I am a writer wouldn’t the writing be by far the biggest?  You would think, but a writer writing and no one listening is similar to a body builder in the gym everyday and not wanting any results.  Now I am not saying write just for profitable results, no not at all.  The first result should be in the happiness of writing because if you are not happy when writing, why write.  What I am speaking about is in the art of marketing and making this part of the result.  I say part because really good writing or maybe even great writing should be the end result.  We strive to ensure our words tell the tale (but not too much), be the voice and carry your reader into another place -- IF you have someone reading! 

  How does a writer get people to listen?  MARKETING!  And a lot of it……

  Well duh, you say?  You would be surprised how many people do not consider this faction in the writing gig.  After all, isn’t it enough just to write?  Ok enough rambling about how important and what it means to market your work.  It is important, so how or where do we go?  Here are some many places I visit on a weekly basis (some daily) and push to make contacts, connections, friends and a name.  These are just some of the places and often not known by writers.  I will not name the usual Twitter, Facebook and MySpace since these are in society’s mainstream.  I will showcase the possible unknown or little known which will and can help your marketing…… (Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with any of these groups and have gathered them over time.)

Holding an event?  Here is a great online organizer -  http://www.eventbrite.com/

 

Talk about your stuff and create a show (podcast) - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/

 

Create a teleconference allowing readers to talk with you - http://www.talkshoe.com/

Setup a book tour - http://booktour.com/

Get some PR Buzz going and use the leader in this area (this has a cost) - http://www.prbuzz.com/

Build a profile and learn a lot - http://www.authors.com/

Find reading groups to read your work! - http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp#

Oh and if you need to find it… - http://carolkluz.homestead.com/index1.html

Find the next workshop or author events - http://www.everywritersresource.com/literarymagazines/

  Again these are just a few I have come across through these years and have used them in some sort of fashion.  It is up to you to sell your work.  No one else will because no one else cares about it as much as you do!  Now do some marketing and help your writing to be heard.

  Oh yeah, do not forget to break up your week and do some writing already!

Happy Writing!

Head Buried in the Words

  I am buried in words right now and happy to be covered.  This covering means my mind is racing with story(s) and I have little time to look up.  This also means I have little time to post a blog.  I took 30 minutes from my day and sat back to figure out a clever quip or some great writing information you MUST have<laughing here is appropriate>, but alas I do not for now.  I hope to have some great marketing links listed and remarked by next week with some things I have learned over the past month on what is working or NOT with social media.  It has been an interesting start for 2011.  I am excited to get deeper into the year with this latest writing endeavor.  To me, it is some real cool stuff and I believe a new avenue for writers to venture towards.

Happy Writing!