From Creative Writing to Creative Marketing: Interview with Wendy Burt-Thomas
Creative writing is hard work. You have to master the technical side of writing (know your grammar), deliver work that resonates with readers, and possess massive amounts of drive, ambition, and sheer determination.
It can take months, even years, to write a book. Then you have to sell it – first to an agent, then to a publisher. Finally, you have to sell it to the world.
Many writers believe that once their labor of love is safely in the hands of a publisher, their work is done and they can to move on and start writing their next masterpiece.
Those writers would be wrong.
When the Creative Writing is Completed…
Once your book is slated for publication, the most challenging phase of your project begins. You suddenly have to become a marketer. You have to take your creative writing skills and somehow turn them into creative marketing skills. And sell those books!
Wendy Burt-Thomas is all too familiar with juggling writing and marketing. She is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and copywriter with more than 1000 published pieces. Her third book, The Writers Digest Guide To Query Letters hit stores in January 2009. Wendy was kind enough to share her wisdom with us.
You’ve been a mentor, coach, or editor for many writers. What do you think is the most common reason that good writers don’t get published?
Wendy: Poor marketing skills. I see so many writers that are either too afraid, too uniformed, or frankly, too lazy, to market their work. They think their job is done when they write “the end” but writing is only half of the process. I make a living as a writer because I spend as much time marketing as I do writing.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions that writers have about getting a book deal?
Wendy: That they’ll be rich overnight, that they don’t need to promote their book once it’s published, that publishing houses will send them on world book tours, that people will recognize them at the airport. Still, you can make great money as an author if you’re prepared to put in the effort. If it wasn’t possible, there wouldn’t be so many full-time writers.
How much book promotion does a writer have to do? Don’t the publishers take care of most of the marketing?
Wendy: Depending on your publisher, you can expect to do 95 to 100 percent of your marketing. Even some of the larger houses now expect you to do most of your own book promotion. They have less money, smaller staffs, and staff members that are doing the jobs of several people due to downsizing. Don’t be surprised if the biggest help you get is an offer to send out books to reviewers; reviewers YOU provide. And they may put a cap on that at 20 or 25 books!
Would you say that the first step in marketing is writing a query letter and sending it to an agent?
Wendy: Actually, I’d say the first step comes out before a query letter. Christina Katz talks about this in her book, Get Known BEFORE The Book Deal. You might be marketing yourself by blogging, posting on Twitter, developing and promoting your website, or creating a newsletter (eg. future fan base!).
Why are query letters so important?
Wendy: Breaking into the publishing world is hard enough right now. Unless you have a serious “in” of some kind, you really need a great query letter to impress an agent or acquisitions editor. Essentially, your query letter is your first impression. If they like your idea (and voice and writing style and background), they’ll either request a proposal, sample chapters, or the entire manuscript. If they don’t like your query letter, you’ve got to pitch it to another agency/publisher. Unlike a manuscript, which can be edited or reworked if an editor thinks it has promise, you only get one shot with your query. Make it count!
I see a lot of authors who spend months (or years) finishing their book, only to rush through the process of crafting a good, solid query letter. What a waste! If agents/editors turn you down based on a bad query letter, you’ve blown your chance of getting them to read your manuscript. It could be the next bestseller, but they’ll never see it. My advice is to put as much effort into your query as you did your book. If it’s not fabulous, don’t send it until it is.
You wrote an entire book about query letters. Can you tell us about it?
Wendy: The book was a great fit for me because I’d been teaching “Breaking Into Freelance Writing” for about eight years. In the workshop, I covered a lot of what is in this book: writing query letters to get articles in magazines, to land an agent, or to get a book deal with a publisher. Since I’m a full-time freelance magazine writer and editor with two previous books, this was incredibly fun to write because it didn’t require tons of research. I was lucky enough to receive lots of great sample query letters from writers and authors that I use as “good” examples in the book. I wrote all the “bad” examples myself because I didn’t dare ask for contributions that I knew I’d be ripping apart!
In addition to the ins and outs of what makes a good query, the book covers things like why (or why not) to get an agent, where to find one and how to choose one; writing a synopsis or proposal; selling different rights to your work; other forms of correspondence; and what editors and agents look for in new writers.
It was really important to me that the book not be a dry, boring reference book, but rather an entertaining read (while still being chock full of information). I was thrilled that Writer’s Digest let me keep all the humor.
There’s an entire chapter in the book about agents. Do you think all new writers should get agents?
Wendy: Probably 99% of new writers should get an agent. There are lots of reasons, but my top three are: 1) Many of the larger publishing houses won’t even look at unagented submissions now; 2) Agents can negotiate better rights and more money on your behalf; 3) Agents know the industry trends, changes, and staff better than you ever could.
What advice do you give writers who hope to be published one day?
Wendy: Take every opportunity that comes your way – especially when you first start. If someone asks you to write a brochure for their company or content for their website, do it! I never lied to a client about my experience, but I did always say, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.” My “big break” came when the publisher of a business newspaper for which I had been writing (freelance) articles asked me to come on board as the editor. I had ZERO experience as an editor but she put things in perspective by saying, “Wendy, your articles come in so clean, we never need to edit them. Anyone who doesn’t need an editor could probably be one.” So I quit my job, became the editor and learned enough in two years to become a full-time freelance editor and writer.
My favorite quote is “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I am a very lucky person because I am always prepared to seize writing opportunities.
To learn more about Wendy or her three books, visit GuideToQueryLetters.com. If you have a writing-related question, you can post it on AskWendy.wordpress.com.
How do you feel about switching hats from creative writing to marketing? Are you prepared to market your work? Discuss in the comments!
Interview Announcement
Wendy Burt-Thomas has just published an interview with your Writing Forward hostess on her site, Ask Wendy. You can read the full interview here.
Please head over there and show Wendy all your writerly love and support by leaving a comment and subscribing to her blog.
Next week, Wendy will appear here on Writing Forward in a full interview in which she shares her knowledge and experience with writing, marketing, and query letters.
Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer, editor and copywriter with more than 1,000 published pieces. Her third book, The Writers Digest Guide To Query Letters hit stores in January 2009.
One of the Best Websites for Writers
Writer’s Digest is the premiere magazine for writers. And by premiere, I mean that it’s sort of a big deal.
So, when I found out that Writing Forward had been chosen as one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers,” I was perfectly speechless.
When I regained my vocabulary, it was just jumbled. What does one say to something like this?
I’m honored, flattered, and excited. To be mentioned in a publication like Writer’s Digest is no small achievement, and it only makes me want to work even harder to bring you the very best creative writing tips and ideas.
Best Websites for Writers
Every year, Writer’s Digest accepts suggestions for websites to be included on this prestigious list. This year, over 2700 entries were received and then narrowed down to just 101 of the very best.
The list is organized by category: challenges/creativity, general resources, agent blogs, publishing resources, jobs and markets, writing communities, genres/niches, and fun for writers.
Writing Forward is listed under “Writing Communities,” which sweetens the honor, since the writing community is what drives this blog and keeps me going week after week.
If you’re looking for some great websites for writers, then you’ll find plenty of treasures on this list. And if you’re any kind of writer, you’ll find Writer’s Digest packed with valuable and useful information from creative writing tips to insight on getting an agent and ultimately getting published.
Welcome, Writer’s Digest Readers!
It’s truly a privilege to welcome the readers of Writer’s Digest to this humble little creative writing blog. I hope you will find the articles here beneficial to your writing endeavors, and I encourage you to participate by sharing your thoughts in the comments or by contacting me directly. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome!
Get on Board
What? Don’t tell me you’re not subscribed to Writer’s Digest!
For less than $20, you’ll get eight issues packed with insightful writing tips, advice for finding an agent, getting published, and even working as a freelance writer. This magazine covers everything from the writing process to marketing your work.
Some of the best-loved and most respected authors in the world have been featured in Writer’s Digest. Plus, the magazine accepts submissions and pays writers quite well for any work they accept for publication. Yes, it’s the real deal people.
Subscribe to Writer’s Digest today. You won’t be sorry.
Thank You!
I want to give special thanks to Karen Swim over at Words for Hire – not only for being the first to congratulate me (thereby alerting me to the news) – but also for being so encouraging and supportive as a writing and blogging friend.
Of course, this never wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for all of you writers out there who have subscribed, commented, and emailed. Your participation, feedback, and suggestions keep this blog going, so without you, it wouldn’t even exist. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I adore you all!
Now, let’s get back to writing.
Good Grammar! It’s National Grammar Day
Sometimes being creative means breaking the rules. Like using sentence fragments. And starting a sentence with a conjunction. Or ending it with a preposition.
It’s been said a million times: you have to learn the rules before you break them.
Using good grammar may not make or break your writing career. In fact, if you get too attached to the rules of grammar, your writing might come off sounding uppity or old-fashioned and readers will have a hard time relating.
However, learning the rules of grammar will only make your writing stronger, more professional, and may even become a source for fresh creative writing ideas.
National Grammar Day
Good grammar is a serious matter for many people. Teachers, copyeditors, linguists, and other writing and publishing professionals have strong ties to proper grammar usage. I think it’s fantastic that there’s an entire day dedicated to recognizing and celebrating proper use of our language.
National Grammar day is a day to “Speak well! Write well! And on March 4, march forth and spread the word. We want people to think about language and how it can be used best”
Take some time today, in honor of good grammar, to visit the National Grammar Day website, which is a lot of fun and provides plenty of excellent tips and resources as well as articles about good grammar (and not so good grammar).
The Good Grammar People
National Grammar Day is hosted by The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG), which is “for pen-toters appalled by wanton displays of Bad English.”
SPOGG is for people who crave good, clean English — sentences cast well and punctuated correctly. It’s about clarity. And who knows how many of the world’s huge problems could be solved if we had a little more of that?
It’s free to join and you get entertaining newsletters about grammar, so do check it out.
How will you celebrate National Grammar Day? Do you have any good grammar resources that you’d like to recommend? Share your thoughts, knowledge, and suggestions in the comments.
Writing Forward: Year in Review 2008
If 2007 was a year of transformation (it was), then 2008 has been a year for manifestation.
For the first time, I set clear goals and met the most important ones. I wrote a novel, launched a new site for my website copywriting services, and kept Writing Forward going.
I can’t imagine what next year will bring. Before I start daydreaming about the future, I’d like to take a walk down memory lane – a quick trip through some of my best posts of 2008.
Best Blog Moments of 2008
Back in January I asked what’s more important in creative writing – skill or talent? The answer might surprise you.
No matter how skilled or talented you are, your writing will greatly improve if you open yourself to receiving a writing critique, but will you be able to handle it? It isn’t easy to get negative feedback but if you want your writing to be great, you should learn how to accept a critique graciously.
Not everyone strives toward greatness, which is why I felt it was necessary to point out that great writing does, in fact, matter online.
Speaking of online writing, did you know the most effective web writing is more like briefs than boxers? Web writing works best when it’s concise and easy to scan. Some of the best writing on the web can be found in the blogosphere, which is why I wrote a little story (much like this one) and peppered it with links to some of my friends who are writing community bloggers.
It’s important for writers to stay creative, and one way to do that is to keep writing journals in which you can record your thoughts, ideas, and things that inspire you.
In addition to staying creative, writers need to stay in shape by working those writing muscles. Collect writing tips and resources, read trade magazines, and listen to interviews. Soon, you’ll have a heavy duty arsenal that will help you stay fit for duty.
By November, I was busy learning how to write a novel. What I found out was that basically, you sit down and write the darn thing.
Now that the year is coming to a close, I look back on the posts with fond memories, although I’m a bit mystefied as to why a post that I wrote in 2007 about the best writing tips is still the most visited and highest rated page on this whole site. I wrote that post in about fifteen minutes. At least it’s aging gracefully!
Writing Forward into 2009
In just a few hours, the year will truly be over and we’ll embark on a new one. It’s time to set our annual goals, gather our financials for the taxman, and say goodbye to the year that was 2008. I wish you all a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and will see you next year!
Year-End Review for Writers
The end of the year is a time for reflection. We look back on the past twelve months to see what we accomplished, which goals we met (or didn’t), and what we lost or gained.
For writers, this is a perfect time to examine goals we set for the past year as a way to prepare for setting next year’s goals. This can be a daunting and frustrating exercise, especially if you feel like you’ve come up short in meeting your goals. But if you don’t assess the goals you missed, you won’t be able to figure out why you failed to meet them.
If you’re lucky – if you worked hard and stayed focused on your goals – then this will be a satisfying and gratifying exercise. You’ll gain insight into how you were able to do the things you set out to do.
Whether or not you achieved what you wanted with your writing, by reviewing the past year, you’ll be better equipped to start setting goals for next year that you can realistically achieve.
Take some time in the coming week to evaluate your writing goals for 2008. Most of us probably had a mixture of successes and failures. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Did you set clear-cut goals for yourself this year? What were they?
- Did your goals change over the course of the year?
- Which goals did you meet?
- What did you do throughout the year that helped you meet your goals?
- Which goals did you fail to meet?
- What did you do instead of meeting your goals?
- What could you have done differently to ensure you met your goals?
- Did you set too many goals?
- What can you do next year to make sure you meet the goals you set for yourself?
- If you met most or all of your goals, do you think you could tackle more next year?
Few people meet all of their annual writing goals. Things change, other obligations interfere, and we get distracted. Sometimes we decide the goals we originally set for ourselves are no longer in line with our true ambitions. That’s okay.
And it’s okay to miss your target. That’s why a year-end review is helpful and essential. If you did miss your target, figure out why and make the adjustments you need to better meet your writing goals next year. That might mean setting fewer goals, postponing some projects, or rearranging your schedule to make more room for writing.
And that’s the most important lesson – making time for writing. Regardless of whether you achieved all your goals or none, the most important goal for the year ahead is to keep on writing and never give up.
The Biggest Writing Exercise in the World
The time has come. At midnight tonight, tens of thousands of writers will embark on a challenge like no other – a writer’s marathon if ever there was one – each working to complete a 50,000-word novel is just 30 days.
That’s quite a writing exercise.
Last year, over one hundred thousand people participated in NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month) and this year, the folks at the Office of Letters and Light (that’s Nano’s headquarters) have raised over $160,000 to keep NaNo free and available to writers all around the globe.
In fact, for our friends in other parts of the world, like Australia and New Zealand, NaNo is already underway. Are you ready to get in on the action? Can you handle a writing exercise that’s this big?
In Fact, It’s the Biggest Writing Exercise Ever!
If this writing exercise, which is probably the biggest writing exercise in history, appeals to the novelist in you, then head over to nanowrimo.org and sign up.
You’ll get access to the forums, NaNo mail, and you’ll benefit from the support system with writing buddies who are also participating. Visit Procrastination Station whenever your muse goes into hiding. Subscribe to the official blog, and keep track of your word count using the handy dandy online widget.
And please, if you decide to join in the torture fun, then please don’t forget to add me as your writing buddy. You can find my WriMo page by clicking here.
Happy Noveling everyone, and Happy Halloween too!
Blog Action Day: People First
Here in the U.S. all we’re hearing about these days is the upcoming presidential election, and it’s a big one, sure to go down as one of the most historical elections in this nation’s history. One of the candidates has put forth the motto “Country First.”
When I first heard that motto, I felt like I’d just been time warped back to the 1930s. Country first? Come on. This is America. We can do better than that.
Especially at a time like this.
As someone who sees herself as a person first, (a citizen of the world, if you will), I’d much prefer a motto like “People First.” So I’m going to make that my motto for this year’s Blog Action Day post. Because if we all try a little harder to put people first, then poverty will eventually be stomped out.
People First
Several years ago I worked as a contractor for a major U.S. corporation. They probably made the printer you’re using today. When I arrived on scene I was met with the lowest morale I have ever witnessed in a work environment. The people around me were miserable and they loathed the company’s leadership.
The CEO was a woman who had taken away their benefits, laid them all off only to hire them back as contractors at a much lower wage, and who had eliminated every single perk an employee might enjoy. With the savings, she gave herself a big fat gazillion dollar raise. By making all those cutbacks, she saved the company loads of money. You’d think the stockholders would love her, right? Wrong.
They fired her because ultimately she failed to grow the company in a meaningful way. She failed and she got fired. Her punishment? A $42 million golden parachute. Yes, for failing to run a company successfully, this woman walked away with forty-two million dollars in cash and prizes, leaving behind a trail of unemployed workers, low wages, lower sales, a broken morale, and high turnover. Today, she’s one of the campaign advisors for our “Country First” candidate, but I digress. The point is, she did not put people first. She put herself first.
God Money
When there’s a problem, some people say “Just fix it.” Others want to understand the cause, so they can not only fix the problem, but ensure it never happens again. I’m of the latter philosophy. And while I realize that in some cases, poverty is a self-inflicted wound, it is more often the result of suppression, oppression, and greed.
The woman who was fired as CEO of the company I formerly worked for operated fully in greed mode. She already had a multi-million dollar salary, but she wanted more. So she took it away from people who were making a fraction of what she was making. Now imagine putting someone like that in charge of an entire population, and you can begin to understand how poverty can spread like weeds and disease.
It’s easy to look at poor people and blame them for their predicament. But in many cases, people suffering from poverty are victims of selfish leadership. In almost every area where you find a large population of poor people, you don’t have to look far to find someone in power who’s benefiting financially from their suffering. Because they worship a god called money.
The Meaning of Change
Change is inevitable, but do we wait for it to happen or do we go out there and make it happen? For some people, change means putting on a different outfit. For others, it means voting in a new president. For so many more, it means a few precious coins that will help them buy their next meal.
I would like to see change, here in the U.S. and throughout the world. I would like to see a change in the way people think. A change in attitude, in beliefs, and in our collective ethics. It’s not right that in a country as wealthy as the United States, there are inner city children who attend public schools that can’t afford basic supplies like books. It’s not right that in Africa, tens of thousands die every day because they can’t afford medicines that only cost a few dollars. It’s just plain wrong that anywhere on this planet, a child starves to death because its mother is malnourished, can’t read, and doesn’t have the skills to find a job.
Throughout history, great leaders have stepped forward, and instead of abusing their power and using it for selfish gains, they have reached out and lifted up the masses, instilled hope, and brought about positive change. Jesus did this. Gandhi did it. Martin Luther King did it. These men represent a philosophy of putting people first.
Follow or Lead?
It’s easy to sit there, cross your arms and say “I’ve got problems of my own.” Your 401k is in the dumps, your job is on the rocks, and you’re up to your ears in credit card debt and mortgage payments. The kids have soccer practice and dance lessons and they want a new X-box for Christmas but you’re not sure if you can afford it this year.
Realize that somewhere, probably not too far away from where you live, there’s someone a lot like you, except they’re living in a car, trying to figure out how to stay warm this winter, wondering where their next meal will come from, and trying to figure out how to enroll their kids in public school without a street address.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a follower or a leader, if you’re rich or struggling to make ends meet. Everybody has a role to play when it comes to eliminating poverty.
If you’re a writer, then start penning articles about poverty and how we can eradicate it. Do some pro bono work for charitable organizations that work to end poverty. Got a few extra bucks? Pass up an extra movie rental this month and give it to someone who’s hungry. You say you’re busy but couldn’t you forgo prime time TV a couple of nights this week and volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter? If you’re a successful entrepreneur, then start your own organization. Are you a U.S. citizen? Then find a couple of hours to really learn about what each candidate, measure, and proposition means not just to you, but to everyone, and then get out there and vote for what’s right. You say you have a penchant for travel and adventure? Join the Peace Corps and make a difference by bringing hope to the far reaches of the world. Become a teacher and take a job at an inner city school. Run for office and start passing laws that lift people up and eliminate oppression.
And if you’re a blogger, then make sure you too participate in Blog Action Day and help make the world a better place one word at a time. Get out there and fight the good fight. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about poverty and what we can all do to make a difference. Be an advocate for making this world a better place for all of us.
Writing for Animals
This is a quick announcement to let you know that an article I wrote has been published at The No Kill Nation. The article is titled “Animals and Politics: A Look at the 2008 Election from an Animal Welfare Advocate’s Perspective.”
The article examines each of the presidential and vice presidential candidates’ positions on animal protection based on their voting records.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to discover and connect with a growing network of people working to end the brutal and unethical practice of destroying adoptable animal companions in shelters throughout the U.S. and the world.
Since then, one of my greatest ambitions as a writer has been to educate people about the No Kill movement. I believe that words have the power to change the world, one mind at a time. No Kill is a change that I’d like to help bring about.
To learn more about No Kill, check out these resources:
The No Kill Advocacy Center – A non-profit organization committed to educating and informing the public about the No Kill Movement and working to bring reform into animal shelters.
The No Kill Nation – An online community of caring people who are working toward the day when no savable animal is senselessly killed in an animal shelter.
Nathan Winograd: The leader and hero of the No Kill movement, author of Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America
Thanks!
Link Love Mad Libs for the Writing Community
Let’s talk about links and why it’s beneficial to spread link love throughout the writing community.
For some reason, Google thinks links are the cat’s meow. When someone links to your blog, Google says “Hey, people like that blog over there!” And then whoosh — your Google Page Rank goes up while you purr and drool all over your keyboard.
Google is so smart it actually ups your rank even more if the links to your blog come from a website with a lot of clout. And by clout, I mean a site that already has high standing in Googledom. So a link from someone like Dooce is going to make you purr a lot louder than say, a link from me. For now anyway.
Hopefully I don’t have to explain why you want to be on Google’s good side. What I would like to point out is that everybody wants to be on Google’s good side (not just you). You can probably guess where this is going.
Making Dreams Come True
That’s right, everybody wants inbound links. So if you have a blog, then you have the power to fulfill wishes and make dreams come true.
One way to do this is to write a review of something another blogger wrote or mention blogs that have inspired your own posts. Another way is to create link lists. The point is, you find a way to link to the ones you love and it’s just like you’re blowing pretty little Google kisses their way.
So link lists are good but guess what’s better?
Use Your Writing Skills to Spread Link Love
Actual sentences and paragraphs are far more appealing than mere lists. This is where your writing skills come into play.
Yes, Google recognizes the difference between links in a list (they get a nod and perhaps a curt handshake) and links that are embedded in the body of a written post (these get a welcome-to-the-family hug). So, when you construct links in this manner, you’re not blowing kisses, you’re French kissing.
What I mean is, links in sentences and paragraphs are WAY better than links in lists.
Links, Trends, and Creative Writing
Recently, I’ve noticed a trend around some of the blogs I frequent, which involves the blogger writing a little story and plugging links (the French kiss kind) into the posts. This is a perfect writing exercise for people like us (that would be you and me) because we are writers and bloggers. It’s a lot like doing mad libs because you write a story and then fill in the blanks with blogs you want to make out with.
Here’s how it works:
Living in the Writing Community
My writing journey had been what you might call a sweet unrest until last September when I launched my freelance writing business because I was struck by one of life’s little inspirations. That would be to make a living doing what I love on my own terms.
Within about six weeks, I had launched my career and was happily writing the cyber highway. My blog helped me find great people within the writing community. And while freelancing paid the bills, it was not my life’s greatest ambition. For I had big dreams of writing a novel and having it published, but I harbored fears of the rejecter and publishers who would find flaws in my fiction.
I decided that in addition to peddling my writing as a service, I would embark on a mission to become a better fiction writer. How? Well I started by escaping reality. Later this year, I’ll participate in NaNoWriMo and write a novel in 30 days. Hopefully I’ll finish on time because as you know, punctuality rules.
Now my dreams are starting to manifest in the form of words and pictures. I pray that I succeed so that one day I might be able to buy a cottage of my own. I just hope I don’t end up on any of the Deep Friar’s rant lists.
You’re All Good Kissers
Now that I’ve made out with all you fine people, try writing a link love mad lib of your own.
It’s a great way to show your affection for other bloggers and a wonderful way to connect with the writing community.
In case you want to get all crazy with the Google juice, here are a few final tips for spreading the link love:
- Don’t limit yourself to using anchor text that matches the blog’s title. Use whatever makes sense. [Anchor text is the text that contains the link. Usually it's underlined. Often, it's blue.]
- Likewise, you can link to posts on other blogs, not just to the home page.
- Sadly, you probably won’t fit every blog you love into your link love mad lib. I didn’t. (Sorry guys.)
- You have to choose whether to let the links you want to include drive your post or whether you want it to be story driven. I’m a writer before I’m a blogger so I went with the story.
- Be creative and have fun. Be a good writer-blogger and link lots to others in the writing community.
Now, let’s play spin the bottle! But don’t forget to keep on writing!
Why Great Writing (and Good Grammar) Matters Online
Good grammar matters online and off
A recent and somewhat shocking post over at Skelliewag attempts to convince web writers that quality writing, good grammar, and spelling do not matter online.
In a post titled, “Why Great Writing Doesn’t Matter Online,” Skellie declares that web writers do not need to adhere to the same level of standards as other writers.
While the Internet is notorious for its lack of great writing, and for its abundance of low quality content and complete disregard for good grammar, there is no need to encourage producing anything less than one’s best writing – especially when someone is paying you for your work. And let’s face it, the better your writing, the more it’s worth.
Forget About Great Writing
Here are a few statements pulled from Skellie’s post:
- People don’t read online. Nor do they scan.
- Good writing, clever writing, beautiful writing — all of these things are unnecessary in the creation of great web content.
- Clarity is the only necessary characteristic of good web writing.
- Good ideas will shine through ‘bad’ or just ‘OK’ writing… Good writing can’t save bad ideas (or a lack of ideas).
- In truth, though, truly bad writing is rare.
- Average writing abilities are more than enough to write great web content. Average ideas are not.
- Shelf The Elements of Style
. You don’t need it.
- Your readers aren’t looking for great writing — if they were, they’d look inside a broadsheet newspaper, a well-loved magazine or a Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
Who Needs Good Grammar?
In other words: Hey everyone, since the Internet is already so jam-packed with inferior writing, why bother putting out great writing? Just be average. Here on the web, that’s more than enough.
As I read this post, I found myself in a complete state of disbelief. I was literally speechless, and it was all I could do to muster up a comment in response. Turns out I need an entire post to respond in a manner that I feel is adequate. It’s unfathomable that a person who has set herself up in a leadership role advising bloggers and other web professionals, and who offers professional writing services, would publicly declare that great writing — online or anywhere else — is unnecessary. Since Skellie shows more skill in writing than the average blogger, the post was especially hard to digest. In fact, I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st.
Perhaps I simply operate from a different set of ethics, a different philosophy. I believe in encouraging people to be the best they can be, to constantly grow and consistently improve. Can an average writer become a huge success? Of course, but an above average writer has far better chances and will enjoy a better level of credibility and respectability. Does web writing have its own special set of rules? Yes, of course. Every type of writing, whether it’s fiction, technical, or copywriting, has its own style and standards. But writing is writing, and for it to be considered great, online or off, it has to be a lot more than just clear.
Here’s what I think:
Great Writing Matters and Good Grammar Does Too
- People do read online. They also scan.
- Clever and beautiful writing is not a requirement for any type of great writing. Sometimes, simple and direct gets the job done. Whether it’s web content or an erotic romance novel, great writing is great writing. Period.
- There are very few writers who have truly immaculate grammar. People with good grammar skills and flawless spelling are called editors. Still, anyone who calls herself a writer should have a firm grasp on spelling and grammar, and should understand that poor spelling and grammar can alter the meaning of an entire concept. Don’t believe me? Read Eats, Shoots & Leaves
. Hell, just read the back flap.
- All good writing requires clarity. A writer’s duty to her readers is to make sure that her words make sense. However, clarity alone does not make for good web writing. There are sites with pages and pages of information about products and services. There are blogs about every subject under the sun (including literature), and there are millions of articles, essays, and even books being written and published online. Saying that web writing only needs to be clear is like saying all I need in a car is good gas mileage. It’s just wrong. I need that and a whole lot more.
- If writing is bad, or just average, good ideas will not always shine through. There are plenty of readers (I among them) who will click away as soon as it becomes apparent that the quality of the writing is poor. This is one of the reasons that many people believe that the web as we know it is going to collapse under its weight of low quality content.
- Conversely, good writing can and has saved many bad ideas. Readers like to be entertained, so if a writer has a humorous, witty, or sarcastic voice, there’s a good chance that she’ll build up a decent sized readership regardless of the ideas that are presented.
- Truly bad writing is prevalent all over the web. It’s everywhere and it’s annoying. The good news is that this gives average or good great writers an edge.
- Average writing abilities produce average web content because average writing is… well, it’s average. Can you succeed with average writing? Yes you can, but the content is and will always be average, no matter how much money you make from it. If you have a truly stellar idea, you’d be smart to publish it in a truly stellar writing style. Don’t have the chops? Hire a writer or an editor.
- Do not shelve The Elements of Style. Keep it handy, and add to it: The Chicago Manual of Style
and The Gregg Reference Manual
.
- There are two types of readers: those who care about good writing and those who do not. Here’s the thing: if you produce great writing, you can appeal to both types of readers. But if your writing is sub-par, you’re only playing to half the crowd.
I’d like to note that great writing and great content do not always equal success. Achieving success involves many additional factors, such as marketing, networking, and more than a little luck. Poor quality writing has earned millions of dollars for many a writer but producing great writing means having standards and creating something that you can be proud of, regardless of how much money it makes.
And let’s face it, quality has longevity. Do you want to be a disposable writer? Web writers need to do exactly the opposite of what Skellie proposes. I for one, am tired of the way that traditional writers and journalists look down on blogging and other types of web writing as sub-standard. I’m not interested in being a B movie. I want to be a blockbuster, an Oscar winner, and you should too. So instead of shelving your grammar guides, and settling for being average, reach for the stars and be the best writer you can be.
After all, bloggers are writers too.
2007 Milestones and Top 5 Posts
A Writer’s Blog
Writing Forward is only four months old. Sometimes I feel like I’ve had this creative writing blog for years. Other times, it feels like just yesterday I was developing the concept and trying to find a decent (and available) domain name, and trying to decide how to approach creating and launching a writer’s blog. As I look back on these past four months, I’m happy to report that the blog is actually performing just a tad better than I would have expected at this point.
After learning as much as I could about blogging, I established a set of milestones, each marking one step toward my blog’s overall success. Though still in its infancy, Writing Forward has already reached two of those milestones. Also, a few posts have done extraordinarily well and I’m learning what readers prefer in terms of content.
Milestones
Writing Forward reached its first milestone when one post took off and soared above the rest. “The 22 Best Writing Tips Ever” became a StumbleUpon hit, and appeared on many other blogs (both in its entirety and excerpted or reviewed). In fact, that single post has been viewed almost fifty times more than any other post on this blog. It also made a huge contribution to increasing my subscriber list, and that makes this blogger very happy!
Top 3 Posts of 2007
Some posts get a lot of hits, a significant number of comments, or a large number of links. My top five posts for 2007 enjoyed a combination of these factors:
- Freewriting – Writing exercises are important for a writer’s development, and I believe freewriting is the most beneficial exercise of all.
- Clip-Text Writing Exercise: Poetry Collage – This is one of my all-time favorite poetry writing exercises.
- How to Save Your Best Writing Ideas – People seem to appreciate tips on how to save writing ideas that come at inopportune moments.
Looking Back
In the short time since its launch, this site has already undergone some very big changes.
Originally hosted as a writer’s blog at melissadonovan.com, and titled Writing for Writers, the site moved to its current domain at writingforward.com, was renamed Writing Forward, and received a design overhaul in mid-November. Also, the focus is increasingly narrowing on creative writing.
With 2008 sprawled out before us, with all its untapped potential and opportunities galore, I’m excited about the future, about further developing this site into a bustling and thriving writer’s blog, and continuing to connect with talented and ambitiuos writers on the web. Let’s keep on writing!
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101 Creative Writing Exercises
Explore the world of creative writing by experimenting with fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction through fun yet practical exercises that inspire and build skills. Honors & Awards
