Category Archives: Natalie Bright

THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION

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“If you want to be a successful professional writer, you need to learn business.”

Kristine Katherine Rusch

THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION, And How It Harms Writers, WMG Publishing, 2013.

 

Rusch makes a strong argument for writers to take control of their own careers in her book THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION.

She points out that the business side of what we do is not a part of an MFA degree. We are often told that most writers can’t make a living. Writing is a labor of the heart, and we’re reminded that very few authors reach the level of earning potential that we all dream of. We pour our hearts and souls into our stories, and then we willingly hand over our creations and financial control to complete strangers without a second thought.

There’s no doubt that writing is hard work and long hours, and it is a business after all. All industries experience cycles of downturn. Smart business owners know how to survive through the lean times and make smart investments during the surplus years.

A writer needs to understand the publishing world and that sometimes sales slack off. If you understand your chosen profession, it might be a tweak of your writing or a new cover design is the answer. Or not. Maybe you’ve signed a bad contract.

The main point that I learned from Rusch’s book is that writers must have a grasp of the options and take control. For a new perspective on the business side of publishing, you might give this book a try. I found it to be an interesting read and an eye-opener.

WRITERS CAN WRITE AND SELL

Personally, I’ve always been a glass half-full kind of person. In today’s publishing world where everything is undoubtly changing, why can’t we have it all?

If you’ve ever read much about the halo marketing theory, it stands to reason that every piece of writing we tag our name to helps promote ALL of our projects. Bios in freelance articles and blog posts can include your other book titles for sale. Books published can lead to speaking invitations and booths at library fairs. Everything we tag can help drive readers to our website where they can find out more.

Set aside your dreamy, creative selves for a second and put on your business caps. If you want to control the content, put your book up for pre-sale, create a little buzz and save money to self-publish. You can make it happen.

If your book doesn’t have a universal appeal, but it’s near and dear to your heart, find a small press. Develop a killer marketing plan for your region and sell the heck out of your book. Do it now.

Should you ever write a book extraordinary enough to snag an agent resulting in a huge print run from a major house, wouldn’t that be great too?

I agree with the simple business theory that can apply to writers too: produce a quality product worth paying for.

Nataliebright.com

 

ANIMALS AS CHARACTERS

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ANIMALS AS CHARACTERS

Nataliebright.com

If your story is plodding along and you’re struggling in that saggy middle quagmire, think about adding interesting elements through animals.

Animals add a richness to our lives and provide some great material for stories. With some creative thinking, they can add unlimited conflict for your characters to deal with. The death of a beloved pet. The bequeath of granny’s pet anaconda. The personality of a cranky, old cat.

As I sat in the vet’s office one morning, an elderly couple came in with an obnoxious solid black mutt. He barked at my dogs, with a face that was full of disgust. The elderly gentleman took him outside. The lady explained that their dear neighbor had died and had left this dog to them in her will. Sometimes great stories just land in your lap from out of nowhere.

We have a ranch with dogs, barn cats, Registered Angus cows, wild turkey, antelope, deer—you name it. There are issues that happen every week just involving the livestock and wildlife. If you’ve ever owned a pet, you know that they exhibit quirky personalities and habits that keep life interesting.

Last Saturday, I toured Dove Creek Ranch and Equine Rescue. They do amazing work. I was reminded that animals have fascinating life journeys and stories much like people. Some of these horses have experienced mental issues, grief, abuse and pain. Horses go through traumatic events and have to experience a healing process much like humans. Sometimes it’s not a happy ending. Other times horses and humans can heal together, and there is new found joy and a fresh beginning. Talk about a place full of story ideas!

Dig deeper and rethink the dynamics of your story. Would an animal add a unique dimension to your character arc or story line?

Always onward WS6 writers!

IF YOU’RE A NOBODY~Now Is the Time to Develop a Social Media Platform

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IF YOU’RE A NOBODY~

         Now Is the Time to Develop a Social Media Platform

Natalie Bright

Where are you going with your writing? What do you want to achieve in the next year? The next five years?

If you let rejection, lack of cash, family obligations, day job, or whatever excuse distract you from your goals, that’s okay. Writing can be very therapeutic.

However, if you know without a doubt, deep down in your gut, that you will be a successful, published author. You will finish a book and publish it one day through whatever method or opportunity comes your way, then now’s the time to work on your online presence.

This year, one of my goals is to absorb an understanding about social media. Every interview I’ve read and every podcast I’ve listened to has revealed some surprising facts. Authors with sales through the roof have a good grasp on their social media (or in some cases, they hire somebody who does it for them). They set aside time to spend on social media, and they know what works best to reach their target market of readers.

Predictions are that three times as many people will be reading books on their mobile devices in the coming years. It’s been almost a decade since the eBook craze began in the U.S. and then onto England and parts of Europe. Today, the sales for eBooks and iBooks are just beginning to gain world wide appeal.

ESTABLISH A PRESENCE

So where should you be? Twitter? Instagram? Google+? Facebook? Amazon Author Pages? All of the above? Trying to determine this AFTER your book is published is too late. Guess where children’s book authors are finding success in sales and fan interaction? Statistics don’t lie, and several authors swear by Pinterest for selling their indie-published kid lit.

Another indie author swears by Twitter, which generates three times the sales as his other social media posts. Incidentally, I held out from Instagram as long as I could, but now it’s my absolute favorite go to place for following book stores, author news, and the western culture.

One thing about successful authors; they tend to be very statistically and data savvy. Having an understanding of where your sales come from, how each of these sites differ, and what they can do for you as a published author is just good business sense.

LEARN IN DOING

I started posting articles on my website about sites, people, and life in general several years ago. One day the comments reached a frenzy. My blog had gone viral! Not.

In reality my site had been hacked with comments relating to Viagra and Rolex. I deleted thousands and thousands of comments, and blocked the comment option. I learned that there was nothing I could do but delete that site and pay for a redesign. She couldn’t cut and paste because of the risk of transferring the spam virus. So to save money, I retyped all of the content from my blog. Thank goodness I wasn’t up against a hard writing deadline.

The next time stats showed hits in the thousands it actually was a blog post that went viral! Lesson learned.

I could go on and on about the weird things relating to my social media experiences, but you get my point. As with any “job” there is a learning curve. If you’re a newbie writer looking up from the trenches, this is the most fun and less stressed place to be. If you mess up or post something stupid, only a few friends will know. You can laugh about it later over marguerites.

I’ve always believed that doing is learning. Learning is doing. So take a leap. You’ll find tons of information out there to get you started. One of my favorite podcasts is thecreativepenn.com with Joanna Penn.

And for info about a freelance career check out makingalivingwriting.com

This is a great time to be a writer!

Nataliebright.com

 

SATURDAY: A PERFECT MORNING TO WRITE

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SATURDAY:

A PERFECT MORNING TO WRITE

Natalie Bright

The sun is peaking over the pasture turning the sky a bright orange and purple. As I open the dining room curtains, a clump of bunny rabbits scatter. I start the coffee pot and drop some cat food into the dish to quiet the meows. While the gurgling sounds and rich smells swirl around the peaceful house, I put clothes into the washing machine.

Settling in at the computer, I gather my supplies around me. Submission guidelines, spiral to jot an outline of the first draft, pen, interview notes, and sample magazines to determine style and slant. This feature article is going to be brilliant! Thank goodness for productive Saturday mornings.

And Then…

My purple pen runs out of ink. I ALWAYS write the first draft in purple. I search for fifteen minutes, but there’s not another purple pen anywhere in the house. Fine. I’ll use blue.

Several cups of coffee later, it’s going well but I’m hungry and I hear my husband rattling around in the kitchen. Time to cook breakfast.

Back to the story, until an awful smell assaults my nose. The new to our house, stray kitten has just taken a poop in the potted plant next to my desk. I clean that out, and while I’m at it, decide to empty the kitty litter box too and take it all to the trash. The brisk walk and morning air rejuvenates me.

Back inside, the oldest is awake and drinks the last of the coffee. I brew more and then the washing machine buzzer goes off, so I transfer everything into the dryer.

Finally, back to the story.

With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, my head is buzzing (possibly from creativity, mostly from caffeine).

Our youngest is awake and turns on the television. He and his dad discuss a movie they watched the night previous over the blaring noise of the TV.

I can drown out the voices. That’s nothing new, but then I hear the dogs whining. They want their morning chewie. Delivered, with a pat on the head.

Deep breath, and I settle into my chair at the computer.

Oldest pokes his head around the corner, “Have you seen my car keys?” I join the search. Finally, success. He’s on his way with instructions, “Drive safe. See you later.” My husband leaves too.

I can feel the productivity oozing from my veins. This is going to be an unbelievable article. I settle into my chair, flitter through my notes to get back on track, reread what I have so far, and type a few words.

Youngest son pokes his head around the corner, “What’s for lunch?”

Done.

There’s always tomorrow.

Writer’s Truth: When your purple pen runs out of ink, it’s only going downhill from there.

PODCASTS: LEARNING WHILE YOU WORK AT WRITING

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PODCASTS: LEARNING WHILE YOU WORK AT WRITING

Natalie Bright

Perhaps I’m way behind the times, but I’ve never been into podcasts. My youngest son has always been a fan, but it never made sense to me that he spent time watching someone else play a video game. I realized he’s watching a lot about science though, when he began spouting off facts about the universe.

This past weekend I discovered podcasts are for writers too!

Thecreativepenn.com is a treasure trove of information for writers including 250 podcast interviews by self-published author Joanna Penn. She is officially my first podcast subscription.

Here’s what I did last week while listening to Joanna Penn talk about writing:

  • Folded two loads of clothes.
  • Re-arranged my make-up drawer.
  • Ironed shirts for my husband and son.
  • Unloaded and loaded the dishwasher several times.
  • Cooked tacos for dinner.
  • Logged five miles on the treadmill.

Which brings me to the point of this blog post:

Here’s what I learned from thecreativepenn.com podcasts and how I applied that information to my own self-published eBook:

  • Discovered my eBook on Smashwords had 225 sample downloads, but only eight sales.
  • My price of $4.99 is double the cost for about half the page length as compared to books on the same topic which are priced at $1.99 and $2.99.
  • GONE NEVER FORGOTTEN is a heartfelt memoir about loss and the grief of losing our oldest baby boy. The book title is also the same as a porno video that used to be available on Amazon, which is why I stopped promoting it. I should have researched and put more thought into title ideas before I self-published.
  • The title page, dedication, table of contents makes up most of the downloadable sample. No one is seeing any significant example of my writing or what the book is about. When formatting your eBooks, begin with the text of the story. Put everything else at the end.
  • Social media is amazing, and it’s mind-blowing as to what self-published authors are able to accomplish these days.
  • Guest blogging, Twitter, Facebook promos and whatever else, are all things I can do to let readers know about this book. The measurable results of what works best for me is completely different for what might have worked for others. Every author must decide upon their own journey.
  • The most profitable combination is to have at least four books written, polished and published before you begin a concentrated social media blitz.
  • Start building my fan base now by actively participating on twitter, facebook, pinterest, and other social media sites.
  • A newsletter is the best way to build an email data base of possible buyers for your books.
  • The number of people reading on their iPhone devices has exploded (estimated at three times other devices), which makes the iBook app worth considering both as a reader and as a writer.
  • I’ve decided to retire my eBook on Smashwords and rebrand the project.
  • Do I want to spend time and money on a cover redesign, new formatting, and find an illustrator?
  • Should I write a book proposal and research possible submissions to a small press?
  • I must develop a social media marketing plan.
  • I must learn to balance the creative side with the business side, if I want to be a successful author and sell books.
  • Be open minded and consider all of the possibilities for my books in today’s publishing environment.

I’ll keep you posted as this project develops. Thanks for following WordsmithSix!

 

Story in a Sentence

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Story in a Sentence

Natalie Bright

There’s no better way to discover the “heart” of your book then to summarize the plot into as few of words as possible.

One sentence can explain the main characters, the plot line, and the theme. Now that’s a challenge!

Stripe your story down to the bare bones. Hooks are attention getters to lure readers into your story. You want to generate interest with a promise of adventure. Ensnare the reader. Pull her away from reality.

If writing one sentence is too difficult, perhaps you have more than one story line. Maybe you have multiple plot lines, and need to decide upon the main story and theme.

*Toy Story is about the ‘secret life of toys’ when people are not around.

*Princess Anna, a hopeless optimist, sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven and a talking snowman named Olaf – to find her beautiful sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped their kingdom in eternal winter.

*After a painful divorce, the author sets out to devote one year to pleasure, prayer and love. (EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert.)

Please share the story in a sentence of your current work in progress.

A NAME

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A NAME

By Natalie Bright

Stuck. On a name.

Actually, I don’t know his name which is why I can’t write the story.

Drat!

All of the components are there: setting, beginning, middle, and in my opinion, a brilliant ending. The story plays out in my head in vivid color, but what is his name? I have no idea.

As writers, we understand the importance of a great name. Fictional character names can inspire countless generations (Superman, DC Comics) and generate millions in promotional material (Charles Schulz’s Snoopy). We love those serendipity moments when a character’s name arrives like a gift out of thin air. Author David Morrell spoke at a writer’s conference about being extremely frustrated and stuck on a name for his character. His wife encouraged him to take a break and handed him a locally grown apple. The name of the apple variety was “Rambo”.

My character is quiet, yet very strong, and determined for all of his twelve years of experience. He’s not shy, but he’s not the life of the party either. He works hard and he loves horses. I can see him clearly. What in the heck is his name?!!

CHARACTER NAME RESOURCES

  1. School Yearbooks. I start with my son’s Jr. High yearbook. This is a modern story and there’s no better way to know what kids are being named than to glance at names in today’s world.
  2. Google It. Next I go to the life-changing resource that is Google (how did we survive before?). I’ve searched baby name sites for several days and jot down a page of possibles.
  3. Consult your Names Notebook. Whenever I meet someone with an unusual name, I make a note on my phone or whatever scrap of paper I can find, and then add it to my Names Notebook. Sometimes in conversation someone will tell me that their family has unique names, and they’ll jot them down for me. Also in my notebook are names of family members gleaned from Ancestry.com. Thanks to my Uncle’s genealogy work, it’s become a great source for ideas.
  4. Pinterest has some interesting links for names lists, like most popular, most unusual, most underused, ancient names, etc. You can find some of these on my Board “I Write” under @natbright on pinterest.com
  5. Still writing with character named ‘boy’. The search continues…

Where do you turn for inspiration and ideas to name your characters?

 

 

TRUE GRIT TIMES TWO

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TRUE GRIT TIMES TWO

By Natalie Bright

 

Writing Exercise #1.

Develop a new twist on the characterization of an iconic character.

On a cold, foggy Saturday this past weekend, my husband popped in True Grit (TG#2) starring Jeff Bridges. Later that afternoon John Wayne’s True Grit, from 1969, (TG#1) happened to be on television. Over dinner we talked about the differences between the two movies.

My husband made a good point in that Bridges played a meaner, darker version of a crusty, old Marshall, which is why he likes TG#2 better. Directed by the Coen brothers and released in 2010, I agree that TG#2 is more realistic to the old west. It never made sense to me that the Marshall would have walked that far in TG#1. In TG#2 they rode Little Blacky to death first and then Mattie was carried by the Marshall on foot to save her life.

On Sunday afternoon, we introduced my son’s girlfriend to The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne. If you don’t own the blue-ray version of this movie, you must find it. Filmed on locations in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico the scenery stands out as a character on its own. TV reruns don’t do these ranches and sweeping landscapes justice. Roscoe Lee Browne is my favorite character as the chuck wagon cookie, and I’ve had a crush on A. Martinez as Cimarron from the moment he defiantly proclaims, “I’m a mistake of nature.” This movie is so good. Tommy Lee Jones is reportedly writing a new screenplay for The Cowboys. I’m happy/sad about that news.

To sum up our weekend, my 18yo likes TG#1 and TG#2 equally as well. His girlfriend loved The Cowboys. Our 14yo tells me he’s not really into John Wayne, but he really likes that new Netflix show Lonesome Dove (What? I thought he only watched Walking Dead). I’m so glad new generations are discovering these “new” western type shows! When’s the last time you watched a good ole’ family western?

Writing Exercise #2.

Using one of your own characters, rework the description into something more… more dark, more funny, more brave. Dig deep into their personality and motives, and see what you can find hiding there.

Thanks for following WordsmithSix!

nat

Sunday Writings

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For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.

AMY LOWELL

TEN YEARS FROM NOW

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TEN YEARS FROM NOW

Natalie Bright

“In ten years, do you see yourself as a middle grade author?” An editor posed this question to me at my very first pitch session. I was terrified, so of course I squeaked out a ‘yes’.

Many, many years later I’m older and wiser, toughened by rejection, and ever hopeful, which is why I can honestly say ‘No.’ I see myself as a productive, published author who is not afraid to write the ideas that are in my head.

This past weekend I heard a speaker who is a retired rodeo, bull rider. Chimp Robertson has written a family memoir, two volumes of rodeo tales, short stories, freelanced for magazines, and is currently working on a western fiction series. Also, he happened to know someone who knew the country singer Chris LeDoux. Long story short, LeDoux recorded two of his songs. Chimp Robertson is a former rodeo cowboy who writes.

His program at the Texas High Plains Writers meeting inspired me to think about a memoir I wrote about a devastating loss. I published it on Smashwords as an eBook, but have had numerous requests for a hardcover edition. It’s time to explore all of the possibilities that this book might become. (Stay tuned.)

I understand now that, if you let them, words can take you on a journey to places you’ve never thought possible. I know that a jumble of sentences can become a short story. I’m rethinking an unmarketable middle grade idea that might work better as a picture book. Your family memoir could lend material for a fictional series. As writers, do we have to be labeled?

Author. Songwriter. Poet. Creative. Playwright. Published. Freelancer. Wordsmith.
Happy. Successful. Writer.

In 2016, I hope you write and realize all of the labels you can ever imagine.

Natalie