Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts

Sunday, June 15

Guest Post: Being a Writer by Will Hahn

Guest Post: Being a Writer by Will Hahn


Today I'm turning my blog over to Will Hahn.

I've been interested in Will's writing ever since I learned he considers himself a chronicler of events, something that suggested he observes and records the events of his story rather than creating them.

I asked Will if he wouldn't mind talking a bit about his chronicling and anything else that came to mind. Will's upcoming book is Judgement's Tale, and it will be available on July 4th.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, Will!

Will Hahn says:

Being a Writer: What Does it Take, and Where Will it Take You?


I’m very pleased to be here today--what could be better than interacting with fellow writers and sharing what we know? Karen was interested by my claim to be a chronicler, rather than a writer-- it’s true, I even confessed about it years ago--and I’ll start there. But I want to encourage everyone reading this: finishing and publishing your work is well within your grasp--truly, it’s a marvelous time to be an author.

Chronicler? What’s the Diff?


Some stories are best told from the ending backward. As a chronicler, the most important thing I want you to know is this--at last, at long last, I started.

My tales are all set in a single epic fantasy world. But for a long time I merely studied The Lands of Hope. I drew maps, jotted down notes on important people, wondrous artefacts, rare beasts. I sketched out certain things but not in prose--stars, the cycle of the two polar-orbiting moons, their zodiac.

And I listened, also, to the Lands--battle, the adventurers’ enemies cursing as they went down in defeat, but also merchants haggling, church-goers singing. I saw and heard so much--but I wrote nothing, not in tale-form. Writing stories is something writers do, those wondrous people (like you!) who imagine other places, who make up characters and things that befall them. None of that was happening to me. The Lands are simply there. So I watched and listened and took notes.
How long? Half my lifetime, as it stands now, and ever more as time goes by because the Lands of Hope will never not be on my mind.

My Epic Moment


Then rather suddenly, I had a revelation on a weekend visit with heroic friends--another epic story in itself--the key finally dropped into my hands. I broke down (in joy) and admitted something to myself. I couldn’t keep pretending… that the Lands were NOT real. Simple. I went with what my intuition was telling me all along, abandoned foolish thoughts like “I must be making this stuff up,” and just started to bear witness to what I was seeing and hearing.

Judgement's Tale by William HahnI am the chronicler of The Lands of Hope, a world I firmly declare to exist (ever since, I’ve called the place we live the Alleged Real World). I watch what the heroes of The Lands do, and I write it down. I began to draft out the tales in story-form in June 2008: July 4th 2011, I self-published the first two Tales of Hope and today I have a quarter-million words in publication. Judgement’s Tale Part One: Games of Chance, will be available this upcoming July 4th.

So much for “how”--I hardly think many folks will find their path to authorship similar to mine. But what’s really important, as it was for me, is that you finally begin. I have found such tremendous satisfaction since discovering that I am called to write, and of course by the power to publish my own work which is crucial but the subject of a whole ‘nother post.

Are You a Writer? Yet?


Stephen King told how frustrated he became when people, introduced to him at parties and such, would always get that look on their face, and always say the same thing. “You’re a writer? I’ve often thought of being a writer.” Mr. King said he finally landed on the proper response, “That’s great!” he’d say, “I’ve often thought about being a brain surgeon!” And there in a nutshell is as good a definition of a writer as you’ll ever need--it’s simple and it’s merciless.

You’re a writer if you sit there and write something.

Again, don’t copy me--I live and work in a home-office/home-school with myriad interruptions and not a single door. I have a full-time job and part-time talent. My manuscripts go nudge, blip, nudge through the day. I don’t command myself to meet a word count, and I don’t give myself a day off in advance. “Let’s just see” has been my motto.

Four Rules for Getting There


I would say I’ve found these four ideas to be useful for me, so much so that I recommend them regardless of your genre, experience, schedule or voice.

1. Write what you love, starting with what you love to read. 

Others often say to write what you know, but I think that will come with time, and right now the task is to make the practice of writing a joy, not a labor.

2. Read it Aloud! 

There is no better technique for surfacing weird constructions, poor grammar, and accidental, repeated or rhyming words than to actually speak what you have written. More than once.

3. Start Strong.

Having a good opening can be gimmicky and you don’t want to get carried away. But it helps to organize the flow (maybe you’ll figure out how to create chapters by finding places where the line is a really good one).

4. Seek advice, but don’t blindly follow it. 

Putting your draft out there for critique takes courage and can be uncomfortable; but the experience of other folks’ opinions and reactions will be invaluable. When they think of something you hadn’t, be honest with yourself. When they try to push your heroes where they don’t want to go- be honest with them.

As we say in the Lands--Ar Aralte! (Hope Forever)

Will Hahn is the chronicler of the Lands of Hope tales.

Karen Woodward says:

Thanks Will! That's good writing advice. All the best to you on your blog tour for Judgement's Tale.

Will Hahn's contact links:

- Facebook page for The Lands of Hope.
- Will Hahn on Google+.
- First blog post in his tour: Judgement's Tale by William L. Hahn.
- Will Hahn's Amazon page.
- Will Hahn's Smashwords page.

Also, Will has set up a raffle for his upcoming book. I couldn't get the widget to run on my site, but for details take a peek at the first post of his tour. Cheers!

Photo credit: "Unique" by Marina del Castell under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.

Wednesday, October 3

7 Tips On How To Get Your Guest Post Accepted

7 Tips on How to Get Your Guest Post Accepted

Today Kristen Lamb blogged about how to get your guest post accepted. This got me thinking about what I look for in guest posts. (And, by the way, bloggers love guest posts!)

So, without further ado, here are 7 tips for how to get your guest post accepted.

1. Tell the blogger what you can do for their blog


You don't want to email someone who doesn't know you and ask them to do something for you. You wouldn't do this in the non-digital world (aka 'real life') so don't do it in the digital one either. If you do, your email will be classified as junk mail and promptly deleted. Instead, present the blogger with an offer, tell them what you can do for them.

2. Show you are familiar with the blog


If you're offering to write a post on spec don't ask the blogger to set you a topic, suggest something. Also, make sure what you suggest is within the subject matter of the blog. For instance, if the blog is about cooking, don't say you could write an article on how to get more pageviews a month. Yes, the blogger might be interested in receiving more pageviews, but a post about pageviews/SEO would be completely out of place for a food related blog.

3. Be patient, but not too patient


The more popular a blog, the more congested the blogger's mailbox. If you send off an email and you don't hear back within 24 hours, don't fret. They're busy, they'll get to it. If they don't, send a polite email about a week later mentioning your previous email. Chances are they meant to reply but something came up.

4. Be flexible


The blogger might not be interested in any of your suggested topics so make sure to mention that you're open to suggestions. (Don't expect the blogger to set you a topic, but be flexible.) Sometimes there is a topic the blogger wanted to write about but hasn't had the time and it's very close to something you've suggested.

Even after you and the blogger have agreed on a topic they may have their own ideas about what title they'd like to use and how long the piece should be. This can be irritating, but chances are the blogger knows what works best for their blog and getting the maximum amount of exposure for your piece will benefit you both.

5. Include a short biography and a link to your website 


Don't forget to include a short bio as well as a picture of yourself. If you've written a book, or are holding an event you'd like publicity for, ask the blogger if you can include that in your article.

6. Promote your blog post


The more exposure your guest post gets, the more people will visit your site, giving you more pageviews. So, after your piece is published, help the blogger promote it. Talk about your guest post on your blog. Mention it on your social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

If your post does well the blogger will want another one from you, giving you more traffic in return.

7. Be considerate


Google doesn't like it when the same content ends up on two different sites, so it's likely the blogger will ask you for exclusive rights to your piece. Because of this, it's important you disclose whether your guest post has been previously published.

Whoever you submit your work to, remember that every professional writer receives rejections. I know it's easier said than done, but try to look on them as a badge of honor. This is what a real writer does. Whatever happens, don't give up. You'll get there.

Good luck!

Other articles you might like:

Pixar: 22 Ways To Tell A Great Story
How to Write a Blog Post
How to Write a Horror Story