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The One True Fan You Need For Your Writing To Be A Hit

That person in the audience, you know, the one who was clapping after every song.

That dude way up in the rafters who was whooping and hollering after every hit for his team.

And that lady, the one who stayed and listened until you completed your reading at the local bookstore.

Those, my friends, are the kind of fans we need.

Readers who LOVE our work, fans who send us emails saying how our words touched them, and fellow writers who give us props, that’s our tribe. They are treasures to be cherished.

But how do you get dedicated fans in the first place?

How do you get readers, listeners or viewers to notice you?

Believe it or not, a fan base starts with one fan.

Just One

You don’t need to convince a thousand people to read your work, or even a hundred―you only need one person to fall in love with your words.

You don't need to convince a thousand people to read your work, or even a hundred―you only need one person to fall in love with your words. Click To Tweet

The Catch

But, here’s the catch, not just anyone, you need that one to be the fan that is absolutely, unashamedly, enthusiastic about your work.

You need one sincere and dedicated fan.

If there’s one, there’s a hundred, if there’s a hundred, there’s a thousand.

All you need to do is focus on the one.

But who is that one person, that one mysterious fan who matters so much? I’ll tell you.

The problem today is that the internet gives us this belief (and fear), that we can reach a million people just by showing up. Anyone who has been blogging for a while can tell you that is simply not true. It’s a lie that only seems real because you don’t need anyone’s permission to post a comment, an article or even a manifesto.

Warning: This is going to get depressing first before it gets better.

A blogger is lucky to gain 100 readers in his or her first year and even luckier if they stay.

To get a million people to visit your blog you have to do something so extraordinary that it’s too overwhelming to even contemplate. And even if you do something so brilliant, all the stars, moons and planets in the night’s sky will need to align just right, and then maybe, only maybe.

Once the new blogger realizes this reality they’re most likely to surrender, give up and quit. Indeed, according to a New York Times report, as many as 95 percent of all blogs created have been abandoned.

Frankly, if they simply up and quit the artist and temporary blogger wasn’t all that serious in the first place. My advice to any aspiring writers out there, please don’t start writing and publishing online if you’re only doing it to instantly reach millions of people. You’ll drive yourself silly and it’s unlikely to work.

You can reach the masses! Yes, that’s true. But not the way most people think.

If you start a blog right now, this minute, you likely will not be able to get a single stranger to visit it today, much less read it.

Sure, you might be able to convince a family member or a close friend to read your blog, but that’s probably where it ends.

It doesn’t matter what you post about or how awesome it is.

I know, this is depressing news, but I’m a positive writer so I promise you it gets better.

One Person. That’s What You Need.

The right person.

If you focus your writing, publishing and marketing efforts on that one ideal fan, you have a chance. A real chance to reach people who will care about your writing.

Define for yourself who your ideal fan is and what they want to read, view or listen to. Once you have that person in your mind, create only for him or her. Often, the best person to start creating for is yourself.

Once you start creating this magnificent art for your ideal fan, start visiting the places he or she would hang out online and find places where it’s acceptable for you to share and post your links. Attract one reader at a time. Those who love it will share it.

This takes time and that’s is why 95% of blogs are abandoned. Worse, you go on Facebook and you see established bloggers sharing their articles and have 12k likes, but you can’t even rub together two fans.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that many of the blogs you see going viral have already been online for a long time and for years they couldn’t attract true fans either. Sooner or later you find the sweet spot and it all changes, but no one can tell you what that sweet spot is and then when you find it everyone will act as if they knew it all along. Sure they did.

Darn those liars!

Not really, what people often miss is that creating for someone else hardly ever works outside of a 9 to 5. Writing what you love for yourself first often is where the answer is and it will seem like we knew this all along because deep inside maybe we did, but we didn’t have trust in ourselves.

Your Assignment:

This is what I want you to do, I want you to write something NEW you would show up for, something you would love to read as a reader and a fan. Something you would share if you weren’t the author.

Create something so compelling for you that you must read it over and over again because you can’t get enough of it.

Be your one true fan first, before anyone else.

Once you convince yourself, and you become the ultimate fan of your own art, the rest will follow.

Lead us by writing something you love for you, no one else. If it’s good enough for you it will be good enough for others.

When you’ve written and published such a post, do me a favor and post a link to it in the comments. Here’s the thing, don’t rush, no, don’t do that. I know you can create something quickly, but that’s not what I want, I want something you LOVE. Don’t share until you’ve written THAT article.

That’s what it takes today. All the bullshit about SEO, interlinking, Social Media and all that jazz doesn’t matter a hoot if the art doesn’t have that intangible something. Bland, SEO perfect articles don’t get shared, no one other than Google cares about them.

Don’t get blinded by algorithms. The artist, YOU, matter more than any system!

Write something that if a critic were to shred it you’d cry, but not quit. No, never quit.

Because remember, Serious Writers Never Quit!

Anyone could be lazy about this and post an old link of theirs, but wouldn’t it be amazing if you took the above advice and created something new with this specific goal in mind?

Here’s a warning, though:

If this works, things could change. Are you ready for that?

Books on Writing & More for 99¢ and $2.99

written by Bryan Hutchinson

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5 Ways To Overcome Your Fears of Publishing Your Writing

written by Bryan Hutchinson

In today’s world, you’ve got countless opportunities to express yourself in writing.

It’s fun when you’re in your safe space. The words flow. Your heart is at play. You’re free to be you – no restrictions, no outside expectations, and no worries. Yeah, right…

Special Note: This post is by Positive Writer regular contributor, Frank McKinley.

Then you get to the end.

The publish button stares at you. Should you press it? Or should you edit the piece a bit more?

The longer you hesitate, the harder it is.

In those moments of hesitation, your fears amplify and could cause you to quit.

The following are some of the worst ways you can imagine.

Writer’s Worry 101

Your mind races as you consider everything that could happen.

Someone will laugh at your work – in public – and tell all their Facebook friends.
The day after you publish you’ll think of something you could have included in the post.
You might make a point you deeply believe in and one of your readers will mercilessly criticize you for it.
Your post gets lost in a universe of countless whispers – and no one reads it, comments on it, or cares about it.

There’s no guarantee that any of this will happen, of course. It’s the possibility that scares us.

It’s enough to make your heart race, your palms sweat, and your creativity run into hiding.

So to protect ourselves from that pain, we hold back. We soften our message. Maybe we even post less frequently, or not at all.

If you’ve read this far, and felt any of these feelings, you’ve come to the right place.

You may not be able to make these fears go away. But you can manage them. You can move past them. And you can use the weight of your gifts to lean in and write something awesome.

And you’ll be able to press publish with no regrets.

Accept the fact that fear will never completely go away.

That’s good.

If you’re stretching yourself, you’ll second guess yourself. You’ll wonder if you should have said it the way you did. And you’ll feel a bit unqualified to even address the topic at this level.

It’s okay. Don’t quit. No, you don’t want to do that.

Nobody knows everything. Not Even the experts. They just know enough to appear smart. Watch them enough, and you’ll see someone throw them a curveball. Chances are, they’ve learned more about handling the unexpected than they do about their topic.

When you’re growing, you’ll always feel a bit unprepared and short of knowledge. You’re learning. Don’t let it scare you. Share your wisdom anyway. Someone will appreciate it. You just have to find the people you can serve best, and do your work for them.

Reframe your fear as enthusiasm. This is an adventure. You’re going somewhere you’ve never been before. Maybe no one has. Go. Do it. Make your mark.

If you’re persistent, fear will step aside and let you shine.

Take risks with your writing – regularly.

If you keep a journal, you’ve done this already.

Now it’s time to take that great idea and go public.

In today’s world, you can get almost instant feedback. Use it to move forward, refine your writing, and learn to deal with critics.

You can’t learn all this just by reading about it.

You learn to swim by getting in the water. You improve your speaking skills by giving speeches. You find out what your readers want by sharing your writing with them.

If a post bombs, you can write another one. Keep writing and next week no one will remember what you wrote this week. You’re only finished if you give up, so do yourself a favor. Keep writing. Hit publish. And don’t be afraid to look foolish while you’re building your career.

The key is to take a new risk every week. If you can stand it, take a risk every day. Don’t let disappointment derail you. Learn from it. Move on. Create something new.

Your risk tolerance will grow stronger with every step you take outside your comfort zone.

Prepare as well as you can.

Is there anything you need to know?

Look it up.

Are your writing skills not as good as they could be? Take some lessons.

Having a hard time coming up with ideas? Brainstorm a list.

If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll love this tip. But don’t build a nest here. Kick your children out so they can fly. In other words, set a time limit to get ready, then go.

Publishing is the goal of preparation.

Don’t stop short of the finish line.

Be a brainstormer.

Want to pull out your inner genius?

Pick your own brain. Dump your thoughts on paper.

Here are a few ways I generate and refine my own ideas.

Mind maps. This tool reflects the way your brain works. You start with a word (or picture) in the center. Then you branch to other words as they come to mind. It’s best to keep each word in its own bubble. That way you can make connections to anything that makes sense to you.

Here’s what one looks like.

Free writing. Set a timer. Use a prompt. Write until time runs out. You’ll have a draft, and maybe even uncover some new insights.

If it’s not all you wanted, just do it again.

This is also a great way to make your writing more conversational. Imagine yourself telling your thoughts to someone else. Then read it aloud. If it sounds like coffee with a friend, your readers will have more fun reading it.

Journal. My journal is a stream of consciousness. It’s a chance to explore my thoughts and feelings. And often, it’s a test drive before I share my ideas with the world.

It’s also a way to keep your writing muscles strong.

Take an observation walk. We’re so busy we don’t have time alone with our thoughts. Leave your phone at home. Walk alone. Take whatever your mind throws at you and explore the possibilities. Or maybe you pick something to look for on your walk. Things of a certain color. Rough things. Smooth things. People that catch your eye. The news you just heard.

When you’re uninterrupted, you can go places your busy life will never take you.

Set your own deadlines. Remember Parkinson’s Law? Any activity will fill the time you give it. If you want to be productive, set a deadline.

And keep it short.

If you’re doing something huge like writing a book, set a deadline for every single piece.

Writing? Figure out how long it takes to write the required number of words and add 10%.

Set a time limit on your editing, too. You don’t want to polish all the life out of your post, your book, or your poem.

Set (and meet) deadlines regularly and you’ll become the prolific writer you always dreamed you’d be.

The time to overcome your fears is now.

I know all these techniques work because I use them.

Last week, I sat in on a client meeting. The presenter asked the audience a thought-provoking question. I took the question, mind mapped the answer and wrote a short inspirational post. My total time investment? Less than one hour.

That’s the measurable time.

The intangible effort was the connections I made to things I already thought about before I heard the question.

Writing ideas are available. Now you have the tools to grab them.

When you do, fear may rear its ugly head, but it won’t be a factor working against you and you won’t quit! No, you won’t do that.

Serious Writers Never Quit: They Find The Way

How To Prevail As A Writer

written by Bryan Hutchinson

I quit writing for more than a decade. During that time I went and did something else. No matter how good I got at that something else, I always regretted not doing what I really wanted to be doing.

What caused me to quit can cause anyone to quit, even the most talented amongst us.

It was fear. Specifically, the fear that I wasn’t good enough.

The fear of not being good enough is real. In fact, you’re feeling it right now, and so am I.

Will people laugh at my work? Will they tear down my best efforts and tear me down in the process? Will they spot all of my mistakes and realize how much of an idiot I am?

But let me ask you this question:

Will you ever truly be good enough―good enough for yourself?

It’s unlikely.

And that’s why you’re remarkable.

Being remarkable is doing what you love to do, in spite of the doubts and fears that are trying so hard to hold you back.

Being remarkable is doing what you love to do, in spite of the doubts and fears that are trying so hard to hold you back. Click To Tweet

They say that those who have done great things had great courage, and that’s true.

You can’t be courageous if you’re not afraid. Courage is facing your fear of doing something and doing it anyway.

Fear can cause us to quit doing what we love. When it succeeds we regret it because there will always be a longing within us, an absence of fulfillment. So, don’t quit.

Prevail instead. Because you can.

If you want to prevail over your fears you have to:

Admit you have them
Accept them
Get down and serious
Stay focused on the results you want
Keep writing and keep moving forward

These steps take courage.

As long as you are alive fear of being good enough will be with you, but it doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you love and creating what matters to you.

Use fear to your advantage.

Think of it this way, the more fear you feel about something, the more doing that something means to you. Keep doing it. Focus even more on your writing.

Creating work that matters isn’t about taking the easy way. It’s about taking the hard way. It’s about not quitting and having no regrets, even if you fail to make the bestseller lists (this time or the next).

Because doing what we love isn’t about sales. It’s about living our calling and loving ourselves, and when fear tries to stop us, we look it in the eyes and say, “You won’t stop me, not today―not any day!”

And by doing this, we get dead serious and gain a laser-like focus and determination that cannot be created in any other way other than from facing our fears.

Call it the gift of fear. This is how you will prevail, by realizing fear is a gift and using it to do what you love to do, better, with more focus and determination than you could have ever mustered without it.

You are good enough! You will prevail. You’re a serious writer.

Serious Writers Never Quit

Write Using These Simple And Powerful Strategies

written by Frank McKinley

Do you constantly talk yourself out of writing?

Last week I got the most disturbing message any writing group leader can get.

“Hey, Frank. I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving your group because I’ve decided to give up writing. Your group is not the problem. I love it. I just can’t do it anymore.”

My heart sank to my feet.

What happened to this person that made them want to give up writing altogether?

I didn’t have a chance to engage him since he’d clearly made up his mind. But still, it nagged at me. Why just give up?

Why did he believe he didn’t have what it takes?

The Killer of Creative Dreams

Self-doubt kills more dreams than anything under the sun.

You might say, “No, criticism is to blame. People carelessly toss negative, hateful comments at writers trying to find their way. The pain is so great, they quit writing to avoid it.”

What criticism really does is trigger the doubts you already feel.

Let’s be honest. Who hasn’t ever wondered if they were good enough? Who hasn’t thought their work sucks? Who hasn’t thought that maybe they made the wrong choice when they decided to take up writing?

Isn’t writing supposed to be fun?

It should be.

When you get an idea and you toss it around in your mind for awhile, you get excited. It’s like a snowball rolling downhill, gaining momentum. You grab a pen and paper so the idea doesn’t get away, lost in the 70,000 other thoughts you’ll have today.

Then you take a break to eat, work, or do laundry.

When you come back, a little bit of the luster is gone. How can you get it back?

Or worse, you tell one of your critical friends about your idea. Of course, they aren’t as excited as you are, but that’s okay. You tell them anyway. You have the fervor of an evangelist, and you won’t be silenced.

Then the criticism comes.

Why do I feel this good? I haven’t even tested this idea. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it won’t change the world. Maybe it’s not the next Harry Potter. Maybe I should just give up and start doing jigsaw puzzles for fun.

And on and on it goes.

Then your book dies on the vine. Your blog post doesn’t get written. You start doing safer, more acceptable things.

And your writing tastes about as good as lukewarm milk.

Self-Doubt: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

I can’t guarantee you’ll never second guess yourself.

You will.

What I can do is help you fight back when doubt assaults you.

Here are six strategies that will keep your pen moving no matter what your heart tells you.

If people complain, you’re making a difference

People don’t complain about things they don’t pay attention to.

When you get a negative comment, you convinced someone to read your work. Further, they were so captured by what you wrote that they had to write back.

That’s powerful.

More often than not, you’ll get nothing from 99% of your readers.

Be glad.

The next strategy will show you what to do with that critical comment.

When criticism comes, evaluate it and move on

The main thing you want to know is this:

Is there anything useful in this comment that will help me grow as a writer?

If so, see how you can apply it to the next piece you write.

If not, laugh it off and move on.

One remark doesn’t have to define you. Does one blog post sum up all that’s possible? One book? You’ve got more inside. Lots more.

Keep growing. Keep showing up. And don’t you ever, ever give up.

Your work won’t fit everywhere, but it will fit somewhere

Nobody sells to everyone.

I remember getting a pair of shoes from my father-in-law. They were nice shoes, fit to wear at any fancy occasion.

I squeezed my feet into them. I thought, “They’re only one size too small. Maybe I can make this work.”

I wore them to church, and that was the longest two hours of my life.

Don’t make your writing fit somewhere it doesn’t. You have an audience out there who are dying to read your words. Your writing will fit like a pair of shoes custom made for their feet.

Spend your time courting these people, and you can have whatever you want from your writing.

Schedule some rest

I’m going through Julia Cameron’s classic book The Artist’s Way with a small group.

In week 4, she urges us to do an exercise called Reading Deprivation.

What?

Writers have to read, right? If we don’t, they say our work will suck. And we can’t have that, can we?

Actually, we can.

Here’s why. When we bury ourselves in reading, whether it be books, the news, social media updates, or email, we surrender our creativity to other people’s agendas.

We need time alone with our thoughts. So sit at your desk and stare at the wall. Go for a walk and leave your phone behind. Do something random, like listen to country music when you’d rather listen to Jazz. Find some kids to play with and watch their sense of wonder unfold before you.

Planned disconnection will feed your creativity like nothing else.

Try it.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what happens.

Did you solve a problem?

One of the first things you learn in math class is that there is often more than one way to solve a problem.

For example:

2 + 2 = 4
1 + 3 = 4
4 + 0 = 4

Don’t even get me started on fractions.

When you wrote that post or book, did you solve a problem or meet a need?

If you did, you win.

So does your reader, at least some of them.

It would be great if you could find the one answer that will suit everyone. The problem is, that answer doesn’t exist.

So quit worrying about it.

Do what you do best, and use it to serve your readers. The ones who benefit will love you and tell their friends.

The rest will gripe and go away.

And chances are, you’ll never hear from most of them.

It’s impossible to write anything perfectly

I can’t tell you how many bestsellers have typos.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t edit. Obviously, you should. I am saying you should decide just how much editing you’ll do.

Edit enough for your work to make an impact. If it’s effective, it’s as close to perfect as it ever needs to be.

Let’s face it. You can always say more and say it better. But you only have so much paper and so much time. You have to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head. Limit your time and aim high while you write.

Then ship it.

That’s the key that will unlock the floodgates of productivity for any writer.

Now go get ‘em, tiger!

Which of these techniques can you use this week to overcome your doubts?

Pick the one that scares you the most and do it.

Then come back here and tell me how it went.

Have questions? We’re here for you. Self-doubt doesn’t have to win. There are people out there waiting to hear what you have to say. Don’t deny them the benefit of your hard-won insights.

You’ve got this!

Mine Your Emotions to Write Moving Fiction

written by Bryan Hutchinson

Showing emotion in characters—and evoking emotion in our readers—is a daunting challenge. It’s probably one of the hardest skills a fiction writer must master.

NOTE: This is a guest post by C. S. Lakin, an editor, award-winning blogger, and author of twenty novels and the Writer’s Toolbox series of instructional books for novelists. She edits and critiques more than 200 manuscripts a year and teaches workshops and boot camps to help writers craft masterful novels.

We writers want to think carefully about the emotions we hope to evoke in our readers. We want to think about why we want them to feel a certain way.

And just because I show children begging on the street and adeptly convey the emotions they are feeling in my scene, that doesn’t necessarily mean you, the reader, are going to feel compassion or anger or sadness. You might feel something else. Or nothing at all.

You can see what a ginormous challenge this is. But here is the secret to success.

Hemingway said, “Find what gave you the emotion . . . Then write it down, making it clear so the reader will see it too and have the same feeling as you had.”

Why does this work? Because all humans, for the most part, have the same emotional makeup. Behavior that scares, infuriates, humiliates, or alienates one person will generate the same reaction in others. You will never get 100% of your readers to feel exactly the same, but you can come pretty darn close if you are an emotional master.

Pay Attention to Your Own Emotions

Hemingway’s advice gives us the first step to learning how to manipulate reader emotions. In addition to examining how you emotionally react to things you see around you or on TV, pay attention to those moments when you feel strongly while reading a novel.

Have you ever read a passage in a novel that made you cry? Stirred up indignation? Real terror? I am often moved by passages I read in both fiction and nonfiction. Masterful writers can wrench emotional reaction from me even with random passages.

We’re told to get readers to bond with our protagonist within the first couple of pages, something few writers can do well. Yes, we might get readers interested in our characters and even riveted by their personalities and actions in the opening scenes, but do we truly care for them? Depending on your genre and story, you might not want readers to care for your protagonist all that much (at the start).

As we grow attached to characters throughout the reading of a great novel, we care more about them. And that makes it easier for emotion to be evoked in us. All along the way, a writer must carefully manipulate readers’ emotion, in a deliberate fashion, to try to get them to feel what he wants them to feel.

Factor in Action

When it comes to evoking emotion in readers, we go beyond the showing and telling of emotions in our characters. A huge element that sparks emotion in us is action. Watching what characters do, how they behave, the choices they make, the conversations they have—all can be potent triggers of emotion in readers.

When adept writers show action in a cinematic way, with characters acting, reacting, and processing amid sensory details and vivid description, readers are transported into a scene, as if they are there, living vicariously through the characters. Readers are willing and ready to suspend their disbelief and pull down their walls, making themselves vulnerable to an emotional experience that might be powerful.

Some readers read for the suspenseful ride. Like my husband and kids, they eagerly climb into seats on roller coasters—they’ll even wait two hours to experience a two-minute ride—just to get scared out of their wits. Some readers are perfectly fine crying, feeling miserable, aching in commiseration as they go on a difficult journey with a fictional character they love.

Why do so many people love to do this? I don’t know. I can only speak for myself. There is something wonderful, magical, and sublime about being made to feel deeply about something outside my normal routine, my normal life. Stories that remind me of what being human is all about, what love is, what loyalty is, what hope is, what being victorious looks like lift me up, confirm my humanity, bring deeper meaning to my own life.

So when you are considering how to move your readers emotionally, don’t limit yourself to showing emotion in your characters. Be sure to consider how you are presenting the action of your plot in ways that have emotional impact. And that’s really found in the plot itself.

What good is it for you to have empathetic characters with intense inner conflict and moral dilemmas, but all they do is sit around, drink coffee, text their friends, and worry about what to wear?

Situations and settings and sensory details have great potential to evoke emotion in readers, so push yourself to put your characters in places and predicaments that will set the stage for high emotional content.

Instead of thinking, “I want my reader to feel sad,” how much more masterful would it be to dig deep into the many emotional nuances we experience when any given event occurs.

Do what Hemingway instructed. When you feel something, write down what action took place that made you emote. Then dig into the emotions and learn not just why you feel this way but what exactly you are feeling.

What thoughts led you to those feelings? If you can nail the thoughts, which are words, you can put similar thoughts (words) into your narrative and character’s voice.

That’s the first step toward evoking emotion in readers in a masterful way.

Music to Stimulate Emotion

If you consider yourself an unemotional person, not used to tapping into emotional feelings, this aspiration to become an emotional master is going to kick your butt. I’ve had numerous editing clients tell me they really struggle with this. They say, “I’m just not the emotional, introspective type. I rarely get in touch with my feelings.”

Let’s face the facts: since readers read to care, to be moved, if you want to write the kind of novel that will move them, you must find those emotions within you.

Here’s one thing that might help: music.

I got the idea to listen to movie soundtracks from an author friend. He writes suspense, so he puts on suspenseful “theme” music when he’s writing.

I don’t know about you, but music is very powerful to me. It can evoke tremendous emotion in me. That’s why movies can move us in such emotional ways—they not only show scenes in which characters are emoting, there is a soundtrack that overlays, designed to stir emotion. Movies have such an advantage over books. Viewers see the action, which is much more powerful than reading about the same action. The visual is also enhanced with the auditory—we hear voices, sounds, textures that bring a scene to life. But music is something other.

Who can explain why certain musical scores make some people weep. Or want to cry out in joy? We can feel nostalgia, poignancy, love, peace, or awe when we listen to music. It’s hard to name the emotions we feel when we listen to music. Certain instruments might move us a certain way. I love hearing YoYo Ma play cello. Some are moved by opera. Or a sweet folk song.

The first time I heard Pharelle Williams’s song “Happy” on YouTube, I got so happy I started dancing around the house just like all those people in the music video. That song was so powerful, that people all over the world got hooked on it. Even Oprah had Pharelle on her show to talk about that one song. (If you haven’t seen it, take a minute and watch. It shows ordinary people of all ages, races, classes, stature dancing to the song in a wide assortment of locations.) It also inspired people all over the world to record themselves and others moving to the song.

Music is powerful. Music and dancing are universal. Joy is something everyone wants to feel. Emotion is powerful, infectious.

We also bring our past to our response to music. What are your favorite songs from when you were a teen? Music sparks intense memories. When I hear certain songs, I’m instantly transported to specific times and places in my life. Not only that, I can almost taste and feel as if I were back there, thinking and feeling the way I did when I was fifteen or twenty.

Music sparks memory. Memories spark emotion. Emotions lead to more thoughts and memories and more emotion.

If you know you need your character to feel something and you’re not sure how to tap into that feeling, try to find some music that will take you there. Find some music you already know. It could be a song or a movie soundtrack.

When you listen to a piece of movie music and know the scene it’s from, that can produce a strong feeling in you, especially if that scene moves you in a big way. I have a playlist of hours of soundtrack music. And I often chose a particular piece to listen to when I’m writing or plotting a scene in which I need to feel something particular. I may not be able to name the emotions, but I know what feeling I’m searching for.

Music can free you up. Bypass your resistance or writer’s block. If you need to write an exciting high-action scene and you put on music that is exciting and stimulating, it can get your creative juices flowing and drown out your inner editor.

It doesn’t take many words—a few bits of imagery, an ominous line or two, carefully chosen verbs and adjectives to evoke emotion. I urge you to pay attention to the small details, for they often create the biggest emotional impact.

And always ask yourself when reading moves you: What am I feeling? What made me feel this way? How did the author do this magic?

By getting into the habit of mining your feelings, you will be well on your way to becoming a master of emotion in your fiction writing.

Want to learn how to become a masterful wielder of emotion in your fiction? Enroll in Lakin’s new online video course, ‘Emotional Mastery for Fiction Writers,’ before September 1^st, and get half off using this link!

The #1 Way to Write Without Worrying About the Gosh-Darn Bills! (It’s not such a secret anymore, but do you know it?)

written by Bryan Hutchinson

One of the most widespread myths about writing, especially if you create a blog to build your online platform, is that you need a big following to be successful.

It seems every day there is a new “guru” telling you that you need to build your email list and increase your social media reach. And until you do, you just need to give away your hard work for free, in the form of free eBook’s, free courses, free podcasts and you name it – as long as it’s free.

But wait a minute, if you give everything away for free how do you earn anything to keep doing what you love?

The hard part of writing isn’t necessarily the writing, it’s being able to afford to do it without worrying about the bills day in and day out. It’s the truth most of us don’t talk about, but maybe we should.

The hard part of writing isn't necessarily the writing, it's being able to afford to do it without worrying about the bills day in and day out. Click To Tweet

Through ignorance (or self-motivated desires) the gurus tell you that you can’t possibly monetize your online writing platform until you have (insert random number here) people on your email list, or enough people who like and share your pages.

NOTHING could be further from the truth.

You CAN monetize your writing platform even if you don’t have a huge email list or massive twitter following.

Your writing platform is your online blog, Facebook Page, Twitter handle, and all of your other social media pages which focus on what you create via your craft.

Monetizing your online presence is a critical factor for writers today in order to earn income while creating work that matters to them. The sad part is most writers don’t know how, or worse, they’ve given in to the belief that it’s impossible. I mean, how many of us have put an ad or two on our blogs and watch the money never roll in?

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve tried basic ads and they don’t really work, and I have a pretty large following.

I’ve also tried sponsored posts, but most of those seeking to sponsor a post on websites don’t want you to advertise that it’s sponsored. And, guess what? That’s illegal, so, uhm, no thanks!

It was a conundrum, if ads don’t work (pennies aren’t worth making your site look like a night in downtown lit-up Tokyo) and sponsored posts don’t work all that well either, what, pray tell is a writer to do?

I’m glad you asked.

I was writing blog posts like a demon and working on my book projects at the same time, all the while holding down a day job in order to afford to work on the craft I love, but I kept getting upset with myself. After all, if you’re going to work so hard on your craft, but it’s not – in some way – paying for itself, how long can you keep at it?

It’s not just physically exhausting to try so much and so hard, for so long, it’s also mentally exhausting. Because, let’s face it, as writers, you know how much work is involved and there should be some kind of payoff.

BREAKTHROUGH!

And then, a few years ago, just when I was thinking about giving up on at least part of what I was doing, my friend, Jeff Goins introduced me to someone who would change everything! Jeff was promoting his popular course Tribe Writers and the person running his promotion was the affiliate mastermind Matt McWilliams.

When someone like Jeff Goins recommends someone, you listen. Unless you’re a complete and total idiot, and that my dear readers, thankfully, I was not!

Meeting Matt was the breakthrough I was looking for but I didn’t know I was looking for! He has directed affiliate marketing programs for people like Jeff Goins, Chandler Bolt, and many of the top writing experts online. Best of all he teaches Affiliate Marketing and this is where he made the difference for me.

Wait, back up, Affiliate Marketing? WTF is that? It sounds shady, not the slim-shady, just shady! At least, that’s what I thought at first. But truth is, as I found it, it’s one of the best legit ways to make a living online and gives you the time to do what you love, focusing on working your craft.

Affiliate marketing lets you earn extra income, passively, while serving and helping people in your communities.

If you’re a writer and you’re doing anything online, such as blogging, posting on Facebook, or sending out tweets and you are not using Affiliate Marketing, you are missing out!

The classes this post linked to as resources are over, sorry.

Have you been struggling to make an income via your online presence, like I was? What ways have you tried? Are you ready to learn about Affiliate Marketing and see if it’s something for you?

9 of the BEST Quotes on Writing Ever!

written by Bryan Hutchinson

Today’s post is a fun post, a collection of quotes on writing I have been sharing on the Positive Writer Facebook Page over the last few weeks and I thought you’d enjoy them as well! These are 9 of my favorites.

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the water is turned on. ―Louis L'Amour Click To Tweet