Writers – Page 39 – Jean's Writing

Are you confident, do you know what to say?

Published on June 16, 2017June 15, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Do you find it difficult to emerge from your writing world?

Confession time. sometimes I’m as tongue-tied as a teenager on her first date. I don’t have a clue what I should say.

Hello, my name is Jean and I’m an introvert.

More times than not, I prefer to stay home and talk to my imaginary friends. Meeting strangers leave me as tongue-tied as a teenager on her first date. I don’t have a clue what to say. And it seems that with each passing year, I find it more and more difficult.

And Lordy, don’t get me started on promoting my books. I’m a nervous wreck when it comes to that. I rather sit at my computer writing than convince people to buy something I’ve written.

So, just how does an introvert such as myself, have meaningful conversations with strangers?

Prepare.

Prepare for a meet and greet as if we were preparing to write. Because for people like me, networking is hard.

Here is a great article on conversation starters.

10 Handy Conversation Starters for Introverted Writers by LISA ROWAN

Here’s what I gleaned from Ms. Rowan’s article.

Memorize that elevator pitch. (yuck) But, don’t start off with the pitch.
Remember your manners. Show interest in the other person and listen. Most times, they’ll lead you right into the “pitch.”
Smile, no one wants to talk to a “resting bitch face.”
Break the ice with questions about the event.
Don’t make the entire conversation a sales pitch. (see #2)
Memorize some basic questions so you won’t be tongue-tied. Ms. Rowan gives a good list of icebreakers.

What do you think?

Do you have trouble in these situations?

Do you enjoy seminars, book festivals or book signings?

Is it easy for you to promote your books?

What is your secret to overcoming those butterflies?

Tell me in the comments section. I love hearing from Y’all.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

What is the best writing tool?

Published on June 12, 2017June 11, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell13 Comments

I don’t have the foggiest idea. There are too many to choose.

However, I have developed a love-hate relationship with Scrivener.

I love how I can put everything in one place.

I hate how I can put everything in one place.

Sometimes, as we say in the South, I’ll get a wild hair and decide to clean out my closet. I’ll throw out the old stuff that no longer fits and organizing my shirts, pants, and dresses in a neat, orderly fashion. Everything hanging together by color and style. By the time I’m finished my closet would rival a display rack at Macy’s.

Too bad it doesn’t take long for everything to become a jumbled mess again. And I can’t find a damn thing to wear.

Okay, I can hear your gears turning. You want to know what the hell this has to do with Scrivener?

Scrivener is just like my closet. When I first begin a project, the organized folders, text pages, and index cards look so pretty. But then I begin moving and adding stuff. And soon. Poof!

Soon I’m not sure if I’ve got a cluttered mess of chaos or a mess of organized chaos.

Hmm, is there a difference? Again not sure.

There is a terrific post by someone who loves Scrivener.

8 Reasons why Scrivener is my writing tool of choice #amwriting #writing #writingtools #Scrivener by G.L. CROMARTY

8 Reasons why I love/hate Scrivener.

1. Let’s you chop up your book. Yep, and mine eventually looks like kindling.

2. You can categorize and color code chapters. And voila, a coat of many colors or patchwork quilt not sure.

3. Chapters have a status of draft, revised draft or completed. And who’s on first.

4. Compiling is easy. I do use it to compile a draft version but not for final publication. Hmm, define easy.

5. It comes with standard novel templates. The templates are nice to help with putting together a book.

6. You can add icons to chapters. This can be done in Word too. So not so sure why this is a big deal.

7. Target word counts. Yes! I love the target word count feature. This does help me stay focused when I write.

8. There is a note and synopsis section for each chapter. I do use this, but sometimes it only adds to my clutter.

Will I keep using this program? Probably, on and off, sometimes on occasion. Maybe.

What about you?

What is your writing tool of choice?

Have you tried Scrivener?

Love or hate it?

Tell me what you think – I love reading your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Thanks to Pixabay.com for all the terrific artwork.

You can discover the perfect words every time

Published on June 9, 2017June 8, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Now I can spit out that word dangling on the tip of my tongue, every time.

Thanks to Nicholas C. Rossis for showing me the way to The Phrase Finder. Cue sound effects.

Can you tell I’m excited? That I just love new toys?

I’m amped up, my head is spinning. I’m ready to pepper my stories with clichés right and left.

Whoa! This is so much fun. I just wasted half the morning playing on this website. You won’t believe how many funny phrases I found. Now how can I weave some of these outrageous sentences in my WIP?

“Just my luck, my bread falls butter side down. Every damn time,” she said. (Jean M. Cogdell)

Y’all pity my editor. LOL

All joking aside, this new writing tool is a game changer for prompts.

I hope you’ll go read the post by Nicholas and check out The Phase Thesaurus.

Tell me…

Do you like finding new writing tools?

Is this something you might use?

What do you think about the Phase Thesaurus?

I love reading your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Don’t waste your money, learn how to advertise

Published on June 7, 2017June 5, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Your book on Amazon.com

Thanks to a post by Nicholas C. Rossis I think one day I may be ready to advertise on Amazon. But not today.

This is a bit over my head and after reading his post I confess to a raging headache. But two aspirin, I’m happy to report that I’m back to normal. And although I may not land on the bestseller list anytime soon, I don’t think I’m quite ready to tackle this advertising mountain yet.