Saturday, August 29, 2009

Publishing: Tip #3--Beginning Writers

Normally, the folks who know me personally are tired of hearing from me, tired of me asking, "I just wrote this--can you read it and tell me what you think?"

Yet, when I give a lecture to a group that's at least 60 miles from my hometown, they all seem really impressed that an author (they don't know that I'm not famous) has come to talk to them. I first noticed this when I gave a lecture in upstate New York, about six hours from my home. At the end of my talk about my non-fiction love story, EVER TRUE: A Union Private and His Wife, a woman raised her hand and timidly asked, "Do you mind if my husband gets a picture of me standing next to you?" Do I mind? I couldn't have been more thrilled! Someone actually thought my long hours trampling through overgrown forts and battlefields and perusing through dusty old folders in the National Archives (where some crabby guy yelled at my mother and me for giggling while trying to thread film on those viewing machines) was worthy of a photo.


Publishing: Tip #3
Why did I make you read all of that blather above? Well, I'm excited to report that I've just had one of those thrilling moments--someone actually thought my advice on publishing was worthy of quoting. The freelance writer doesn't know me personally so perhaps she thinks I might be interesting to her readers. The following is an excerpt of our interview that Dominique of New York City, founder of Mommy Writers (which offers a community to writing mothers), just posted to her blog, which will later be incorporated into an article:

What would be your best advice for beginning writers?

Find out what audiences want to read and then find a way to write about that while remaining true to your “voice”—your unique way of expressing your thoughts. Only when you have developed an audience can you can branch out and truly say what you want to say. When you write from your heart, really share your soul—don’t write what everyone else is writing. If you lay your heart bare, your readers may just find a kindred spirit in you and feel less alone in the world.

If you're not tired of reading my thoughts, see the rest of the interview at:

http://freelancerforhire.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/qa-with-published-writer-lisa-saunders/


Thanks!
Lisa
P.S. Please post your advice, thoughts and if you don't mind, any discovered typos in the "comments" below.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Almond Cookies

1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1/2 cup butter softened or oil
1 cup arrowroot
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
about 18 almonds

Place almonds in food processor and process to a fine meal. Add remaining ingredients, except 18 almonds, and process until will blended. Form dough into walnut-sized balls and place on buttered cookie sheets. Press an almond into each. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. After 5 minutes in the oven, press cookies down lightly with a fork. Let cool completely before removing to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator.

Nurishing Traditions
Sally Fallon

Sara said...

Congrats on the interview and on the photo opp. Nice to hear things are going well.

Found you through BlogHer - welcome to the blogosphere!