Saturday Edition: What we’re writing and reading

Welcome to this Saturday Edition of What We’re Writing and Reading in which we share some of what we’re up to with our writing (when we’re not here) and what we’re into with our reading (around the web). We’ll also pull back the curtain a little to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what went into a piece.

We hope you enjoy this little diversion and encourage you to share your own posts and picks in the comments.

Happy writing! Happy reading! 

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Jamie Wallace: Can it really be November? It must be – there are NaNoWriMo vibes all around, and the Christmas paraphernalia is already showing up in the stores. (Ack!)

But despite premature holiday displays, there’s a lot to love about this time of year. With Halloween behind us, it’s time to look ahead to the season of reconnecting with family and friends. This is the time of year when the stories of our past come home to roost. There will be family gatherings in old, familiar places where memories lie thick and deep. There will be reunions with old friends at local pubs and high school football games. As leaves and temperatures drop, we will fill up the chilly corners with the warmth of days gone by and a writer’s tendency to wander down memory’s halls wondering, “What if…?”

This is one of my favorite times for reading. Better than a summer’s day on the beach, I love a blustery, gray day with the staccato tapping of crisp leaves falling against the skylight. I love curling up on the couch with a blanket, a mug of tea, and – if I’m lucky – a couple of cats … sinking deep into a good book and not worrying about the world outside getting darker and colder as we head towards Winter Solstice. Stories are such a comfort in this season of chill and snow and early darkness.

Here’s to cozy reading time for everyone this weekend. Enjoy!

What I’m Writing:

I managed to publish a post on my marketing blog this week. In The truth about Know – Like – Trust I get tactical about this oft-quoted approach to building a loyal (and profitable) audience. Though I did not write this piece specifically with authors in mind, the ideas I wrote about are very applicable to any writer trying to build an online following.

I’m working (in my head for now, but eventually on paper) on a follow-up post about how I “rank” online content based on Know-Like-Trust. Having paid specific attention to how I choose which content is important to me (on Twitter and Facebook, in Feedly, or on Instagram, for instance), I realize that my relationship with or perception of the content’s author has the most influence on whether I consider the post or picture (or whatever) important. More than a post title, more than a first impression of an image, more than any other factor, the author’s identity and my experience with him or her is how I make snap judgments about content.

Establishing a relationship with your audience is critical to any artist’s success. This is what will set you apart and earn you loyalty and enthusiastic support.

What I’m Reading:

Sadly, this was a week with very little non-work reading in it.

I had a couple of off-site meetings (some business, some pleasure), and was hustling dawn to dusk for the rest of the time. I didn’t even get to catch up with the fabulous essays over at Full Grown People. (Maybe now that the weekend is here I’ll finally be able to find a few moments to sit and savor the latest batch of work there.)

I did listen to a few more episodes of the fabulous SciFi/Fantasy writers’ podcast, Writing Excuses. Although the four hosts are all genre writers, much of what I’ve learned by listening to their short and snappy podcasts (“Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.”) can be applied to any kind of writing. Worth a listen.

And let’s not forget the blogs. Here are a few of my favorite writerly posts from this week:

• The 6 Smartest Things You Can Do Every Night and Morning To Prepare for a Productive Day by @momobertz via @dashburst
• 10 Tips for an Awesome Coffee Meeting via @99u
• Five tips for getting words on the page by @andreabadgley
• NaNoWriMo 2013 November Word Counting Calendar via David Seah
• Join me for a special online event… by @wegrowmedia
• How a Collection of Stories Comes Together via @JaneFriedman featuring @lvandenberg on @glimmertrain
• You Want to Write, or Do You Want to Be a Writer? by @JCBaggot via @writerunboxed
• Slaves of the Internet, Unite! by Tim Kreider
• Why You Should Writer for Free (Or What Tim Kreider Should Do Instead of Complaining) by @alexisgrant
• Do The Little Things: Lessons from Big Papi by @worryfreewriter

Finally, a quote for the week:

Jamie Lee Wallace is a writer who also happens to be a marketer. She helps her Suddenly Marketing clients discover their voice, connect with their audience, and find their marketing groove. She is also a mom, a prolific blogger, and a student of the equestrian arts, voice, and trapeze (not at the same time). Introduce yourself on facebook or twitter. She doesn’t bite … usually.