SMM 4/7 – The story about you writing your story

by Emanuel

Not-Knowing-All Marketing Guide for Writers
December 22, 2019
Pricing

Blog post writing for writers – the 3 recipes
or
The story about you writing your story

 

First thing you need to accept: you will make mistakes; mostly because you must undergo a learning process. Writing blog posts differs from writing a novel. There are no rules when it comes to creating a post. They are literary chaos at its best. You can write anything. Anyone can read them.

The traffic sources of your blog can be author and reader generated or search engine results. Although you and your readers may share the articles on social media or send links by e-mail, there is a level of randomness in how a search engine directs readers to your post page.

This is what makes it fun. When writing a blog post, you can use the technique you already have and create mini stories that showcase your writing style. You could also experiment. Let your mind share with the paper without too much control. New lines of thoughts are created this way.

SMM 4/7 - The story about you writing your story 1Writing trade-offs

We do not ask an editor to go over the articles we write for Asengana and not even for this educational driven text. Not that I would not love to have an editor reviewing everything I write. We simply do not have enough time and resources while concentrating on developing the platform.

Nevertheless, I really appreciate all feedback received from editors/writers visiting the website and I’m grateful for any piece of editing advice we receive. In the end, it’s a deal. The message I try to convey should be at least intelligible, once you look beyond typos or misspelling. Still, this is not the strategy I apply when it comes to my short stories or novels. Even the writers who are editors as well are asking for other editors’ assistance.

My thought process on writing articles takes into consideration the following:

1. Purpose

The purpose of an article is reached when I can balance the following requirements:

  • A title that intrigues
  • An introduction to stir the need to read more
  • A content that answers the questions: what?, who?, how?, and why?
  • Multimedia component: images, sounds, video
  • A last sentence that is not just a conclusion, but a call-to-action also

The result should be an easy-to-read text offering useful information and determining the reader to share or to act as suggested. There is a lot to be learned from articles written by other writers you like. We all read more in order to know more about writing; the same goes for blog post writing.

2. Title

Don’t you just hate those titles – “How to change a diaper in 5 easy steps”? As a father who has changed hundreds of diapers, I do. At the same time, I have to admit it’s catchy. It is puzzling, but the technique of writing these titles is not difficult and they still generate leads.

Similar ideas:
Do you also make these 8 mistakes when creating a new alien character?
The writing secret only known to plantsers.
What you’ll learn from first reading the last volume of this author’s trilogy.
Everything you know about writing a query letter is wrong!
How I sold 1000 books my first month on Amazon and how you can do it too.
If you can write an email, you will be able to create a website also.
At last, the best way to make money from self-publishing! 

SMM 4/7 - The story about you writing your story 2Every time I see this type of title, I cringe. But it would be hypocritical of me not to recognize that my lizard brain gets the best of me and most often than not I click on the link.

3. The three recipes

Drawing on my experience as a social media manager and on the experience of others better than I, I came up with three recipes for writing articles. They seem to produce more compelling results than others and are easy to follow. Even if they are not applicable per se for a writer, they offer a glimpse into the mind of a marketer.

SMM 4/7 - The story about you writing your story 1Recipe no. 1 – The expert’s opinion Useful for when you want to present your book in a general context, using matters of  public interest as background.

  1. Define the context from a historical perspective: the year we are in, economic conditions, political issues, social problems, environment
  2. Add a quote to support the context
  3. Express your point of view on the matter
  4. Add a quote (ideally yours)
  5. Predict a future development and create a connection with your book.
SMM 4/7 - The story about you writing your story 1Recipe no. 2 – You will remember everything I tell you This method is used by creators of presentations in view of public speaking, but useful for only the written form as well.

  1. Tell the reader what are you going to communicate about (limit yourself to 3 ideas, concepts, situations)
  2. Tell the reader what you want to, in 3 paragraphs.
  3. Tell the reader what is it you wrote about.

The aim of this article writing recipe is to filter your audience, while also being respectful of the readers’ time. If one reader does not find any of the 3 ideas interesting, he will just move on.

SMM 4/7 - The story about you writing your story 1Recipe no. 3 – The scraps from last night’s dinner The amount of research you do for a book is staggering. There are so many historical facts, details about certain places, scientific conclusions and so much character creation that remain unused. So, what stops you from using some of the data for your blog posts – promoting your book by offering context, raising questions, enticing the readers’ need to know more?
Do I use these recipes? The honest answer is: sometimes. What other techniques do you use, if any?

Is writing a great book an act of magic or a triumph over chaos?

With Asengana, it's both. Welcome to a place where the enchantment of storytelling meets the mastery of organized creativity.

Boost Your Productivity, Ignite Your Creativity

Writing a book is a journey. It will engage your time, your mind, and, hopefully, your soul. Unless you’re fully committed to writing, you will be less successful in your endeavors.

Start a short story, novella, or novel. Do your research. Create your outline, synopsis, and manuscript structure. Write. Use a Kanban to manage your time and your progress. Create your eBook. Publish, market, and sell it. Start the next one.

Stay Organized and Monitor Your Progress

Having all your research organized and at your fingertips will make a world of difference. As a writer, you’re the master of your own discipline. Maintaining a steady pace can be challenging, but with the right tools, it becomes a fulfilling venture.

The word count is a simple and effective way to track progress. Use a Burndown Chart to track your daily progress and estimate the daily word count you need to reach your deadline.

Enhance Characters, Enrich Locations, and Craft Compelling Outlines

Creating well-rounded characters and employing a sensory map for your locations can significantly elevate your character development and scene settings, enriching your entire novel.
Gaining a clear understanding of your plot points and having the flexibility to adapt the structure of your manuscript as needed, fosters a sense of freedom within a structured framework.

Your Comprehensive Creative Writing Companion – From Concept to eBook

Streamline your workflow and amplify your writing output. Bring your ideas to life wherever inspiration strikes. Harness structured creativity fostered by productive grit, paving a clear path from brainstorming to drafting.

Minimize rewrites, reach your goals swiftly. When your narrative peaks and you’re ready to share, our ePub converter is a click away. Congratulations, you’re ready to publish!

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