Stats Reveal How to connect With Your Readers

February 9, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments

The Daily Prompt: The Stat Connection

Pixabay

Go to your Stats page and check your top 3-5 posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them, and write about it.

Stats for the Cow Pasture Chronicles in 2015:

Views: 5,968
Vistors: 3,365

Top 3 Posts in 2015:

Home Page/Archives – 1,137 views
Submit or Not to Submit – This post had a total of 472 views.
Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions – 310 views
About Me – 162 views
Access Denied – received 116 views.

Top views went to the home page which includes the archives and my latest post. It’s the first impression point of connection. The other posts ranking highest in views offered information.

Writers at all levels understand the value of submitting work for publication. Submit or Not to Submit discussed the time-consuming but necessary tasks, outlined the benefits, and cautions of taking the leap of sending your words out into the world.

Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions takes the work out of the submission process by providing 5 resources for the writer who is ready to submit. Putting yourself out there can be intimidating, but the rewards are worth the anxiety. Acceptance promotes confidence, encourages creativity, is one of the best avenues for perfecting the craft, and provides both validation and recognition.

Readers want to know who you are, your credentials, and why your blog exists. An engaging About Me page not only introduces you to your readers, but provides the personal connection so necessary in drawing readers to your blog.

I like tackling difficult topics and Access Denied is one of those posts. Providing information on the intellectual rights of a writer’s work and how to secure those rights, after you’re gone.

What was the Connection? In a word information.

Writers, particularly newer writers, seek out information that is beneficial to them. Whether it helps them improve the skill of writing or offers the chance for recognition.

3 Things I Learned by Reviewing the Stats:

My readers want information, even if they’ve heard it before.
Readers want easy access to the resources that help them improve or succeed.
Providing resources and information into the readers mailbox is a win-win for everyone.

What are your blog stats saying about you? What did you learn and will you change the types of posts you write?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

You Asked: Secrets That Will Help You Get Published

November 12, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 9 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: Is there a secret to getting published in literary magazines?

Well yeah, sort of. Lincoln Michel, a Buzzfeed contributor, takes us behind the scenes in his two-part article, The Ultimate Guide To Getting Published in a Literary Magazine.

This is one of the most in-depth articles on getting published I have ever read. We’ve all heard the tips :

Submit often
Read the magazines
Follow the guidelines
Proofread

But, we’ve never understood what happens behind the scenes or how literary magazines actually select those they choose to print. Well, now you will. Lincoln goes into great detail about editors, readers, the slush pile, solicited and non-solicited work, and even “carpet bombing.”

“Most editors would probably consider at least 60% of the slush pile to be unpublishable, period. Twenty percent shows promise but needs some work, and 10% is publishable but not in the journal being submitted to. That leaves 10% of work that might deserve real consideration.”

Here’s a few important things I gleaned from the article, but I still encourage each of you to read it in its entirety.

Submissions go first to the slush pile.
60 % of those in the slush pile are unpublishable.
Acceptance rates are about 1% for good magazines.
Submissions are sometimes solicited by editors or through agents (I had no idea).
20-100% of works published come from the slush pile.
Connections are important.
Editors are not the first to read your work, readers are (typically 2).
Readers are volunteers, or students.
The first paragraph and page is important in making it past the readers.
Persistence in submitting is one of the main keys to success.
Know the Cover letter No-No’s (see the article).
Selective your top 3 to 5 magazines and go for it; again & again.

Where to Find the Right Market for Your Story?

Many sites offer information on Magazines open for submission. Here are my top five resources.

I’ve only given you the teasers from the article, but I can tell you it’s one worth keeping for the files. What do you think? Are you seeing submission success? Do you have a favorite market site?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Do You Make These 5 Mistakes?

August 13, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 8 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I hate making mistakes. I think the number of errors one makes in life should decrease exponentially with age. But then, nobody asked me.

Writing a novel, whether it’s your first or third, is not for the faint of heart. I’m on my first, and the more I read about writing, the more mistakes jump out at me and smack me in the head. Seriously?

5 of the Most Common Mistakes Writers Make

Write & edit at the same time – Oh Lord, I’m so guilty of this one. Every time I read another how-to, chapter one gets a makeover.
No tension or conflict – Maxwell Anderson once said, ” The story… must be a conflict, and specifically, a conflict between the forces of good and evil within a single person. I think I’m okay with this one, but I’ll double-check – everyone loves a fist fight.
Stereotyped characters – If your character is a bored housewife, give her a personality and quirks that make her anything but boring. “Know more about your character than you let on. It’ll show.” Aaron Miles
A main character nobody likes – I was told many times growing up, “If you can’t say anything good about someone, keep your mouth shut.” Okay, maybe that’s not a direct quote, but we all like to feel something good about the characters we read. In one of my stories, the main character kills her husband because he becomes a weak, whiny-ass of a man. I thought she might need a tweak or two (to become more likable) but, come to think of it – I know many women who would love her.
Forgetting who you’re writing for – hint, it’s your readers. Fine, some write because they have to, whatever that means, or for catharsis – maybe sometimes. Whatever the reason you write, if the story doesn’t engage the reader you’re doomed and so is the story. So, make it believable. Don’t write when you’re bored; it’ll show. Give them a story that keeps them up at night, flipping pages.

More on mistakes writers make? Check out Steven James article in Writer’s Digest, 5 Story Mistakes Even Good Writers Make.

What about you? Are you guilty of making these mistakes? I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood and Twitter @cofcmom.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Mark Twain said, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.”

Why I Write

July 27, 2015June 25, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 13 Comments

Chuck Wendig’s FLASH FICTION WRITING CHALLENGE: WHY I WRITE

Photo Courtesy of humintell.com

As long as I can remember, I loved putting words to paper, expanding on the great mysteries or the miseries of my young life. It was a way to get my point across without being shushed.

Introduction to the magic of words came early for me, as my mother was a voracious reader. She belonged to more than one book-of-the-month-club and even as young children, we were fortunate she passed the books to us, without censorship.

In between those many pages, I met a world of different people. Their words painted vivid pictures and gave breath to the hopes, fears, and dreams of a girl. In spite of her love of the written word, my mom repeatedly warned me, “Don’t ever put anything in writing; you don’t want others to see.” Perhaps mom’s voice was the words from her books.

It would come later as a young, naïve girl before I understood the damage others could do when words are misconstrued, distorted, taken out of context or endure the deep cut of betrayal. I learned the hard way and after that hid my words away.

I’m an average woman, professional in background, a mother, grandmother, wife, friend, and a writer. I write now because I have a voice, and I can.

I write for catharsis, a purging of past sins, regrets, hopes, and dreams.
I write to share what knowledge and experiences I’ve acquired with those I love, hopeful they’ll be spared a wrong turn or learn the joy of sunny days.
I write to voice my opinion, my values, the very things I believe make the world, and us better people.
I write not that, in the end, my singular voice matters more than others do, or will move mountains, but perhaps, it will become one of many and create a chorus of positive change.
I write to expand my imagination and free my demons; we all have them.
I write to bring pleasure and encourage others to stretch their word wings, tell stories, real or imagined.
I write to leave a legacy to those I leave behind. Egotistical perhaps, but I want to surprise them. “That was mom? Sheila? She did that?” I don’t want to be forgotten or remembered only in faded photos or as the name on a bronze marker.

I write because I believe words have power. The power to move people, change them and change the world. After years of writing by a stream in a cow pasture, hiding my words from the world, between the pages of a worn-down journal, I have found my voice, and so I write.