Let the transition begin…

FALL TREE © Richard Mcguirk | Dreamstime.com

My last post was about how I was at a point in my writing where I needed to get a clear direction. I haven’t euthanized my WIP, by the way. There are elements to the story that I wish to keep, and I do believe the story is still entertaining, but I may have to gut it (again) so that it becomes the story it was meant to be.

As far as blogging goes, I’ve decided to launch a new blog, with a new URL. This is for a few reasons: Instead of revamping this blog, I created a new URL under my name because it is keeping with the branding that I’m trying to build. Who’s going to buy a book by ybmauthoress? Exactly.

The new blog will allow me to be a bit more personal, but be in line with the common themes I’ve picked up on in my writing and will also (hopefully) do the things I wanted my writing to do. You can find it under www.yvesbrownmcclain.wordpress.com. There are some things I’ve written here that will fit in well with the new blog, so you may see a few older posts on the new blog. I hope you all head over there and check it out.  If you like what’s there, please follow it and leave lots of comments!

As for Literary Fierceness, as of right now, I’m not shutting it down. But the posts here will be more sporadic. Thank you all so much for the support you’ve shown me for the past ten months. It truly has been a learning experience.

Blogging: A few Novel ideas

As a writer,  when I started this blog, I wasn’t sure what to blog about. I’m not a non-fiction writer, so I couldn’t write posts about my topic of expertise. So, I decided to make the blog about the process of getting my novel written and when I do publish, start sharing my experiences of being published as well do some promotion. I wanted my platform to be more than just self-promo (“Buy my book! Buy my book!” gets old after awhile). A lot of my posts have been targeted towards encouraging other writers, sharing tips and experiences. As a result, I’ve attracted a lot of other writers. This is great, because we should support each other and I’ve formed a few relationships “in the cloud” because of this. However, I also wanted to attract an audience of readers. Outside of posting an excerpt from my WIP (which I did as part of a blogfest), I was a little short for ideas. Until I came across a post from bookmarket.com. There is a list of 45 ways (more like 47 plus several reader contributions) to blog as a novelist, and it’s a pretty good list. A few items I’ve already done or am in the process of doing. Many more I’d like to incorporate. Check the list out — do you see anything on that list you’d like to try?

Networking & Support: A Genius Combination

Networking is an important tool/skill to have. It can connect you to other people, aid in promoting, and lead to sales of your product or service. As writers, we need networking. Regardless of our route to publication (traditional, self, eBook, etc), it is mostly on us to market what we do. We are our own best promoters. Blogging is one tool for establishing yourself online and can be used for many purposes, be it book promotion,  a “brain dump” of various subjects, an outlet to showcase creativity, encouragement/motivation, or a combination. However, in order to gain a following, people need to know you exist.

As much as we can blog, tweet, Facebook, set up LinkedIn profiles, and sign up for the many sites for books, writers, and writing, we still need support. Writing is an art form that can be frustrating, daunting (at times), but also fulfilling, exhilerating, and rewarding. We need that push, that motivation, that group of people cheering us on to keep going.

So, when I saw a tweet about the Second Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade by writer Rachael Harrie, it was worth checking into. It combines the networking AND the support. It’s a brilliant idea for any writer/blogger who wants to connect with other writers and build an online presence.

So, check it out. And if you’re game, join the Crusade.