Hi Everyone! My name is Alena Tauriainen and I’m a newbie writer. It’s true, I’m addicted. I’ve started this amazing journey to write. Do you find this journey fun yet difficult? That’s my experience so far. With four children, a spouse, school and a family business to keep up, time is of the essence. Once I discovered this desire to write, I had to get creative in finding time to learn the craft and actually write. We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day, but some days I blink and the day is over. I’ve had to be inventive to find the time, ANY time to learn and to write. I was so very excited with my latest discovery. Smart Phones!!! I have an HTC Android and I figured […]
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One Thing Marketing … Writer’s Mission Statement
Welcome to this week’s One Thing Marketing your “One Thing” you can do this week to buildyour platform, connect with readers/reviewers, and garner some exposure for you and your latest book or WIP. Last week I talked about Finding Your Why. How did you do with the evaluation questions? This week we’ll be using those answers to craft your mission statement. The definition of a Mission Statement (as defined by Wikipedia) is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the company’s strategies are formulated. This is what every author should start with before they decide on writing projects, accept assignments, or begin marketing […]
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The Power of Voice
At the recent Academy of Country Music awards, Carrie Underwood sang a “Walk This Way” duet with Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler. What a contrast, you know? Young, blonde, beautiful, seemingly innocent Carrie Underwood jamming with long time, hard core rocker from the ‘70s, known for his drug abuse, partying and sexual exploits. They sang Aerosmith’s most famous song, “Walk This Way?” Pardon me while I post the lyrics. backstroke lover always hidin’ ‘neath the covers till I talked to your daddy, he say he said “you ain’t seen nothin’ till you’re down on a muffin then you’re sure to be a-changin’ your ways” I met a cheerleader, was a real young bleeder oh, the times I could reminisce ’cause the best things of lovin’ with her sister and her cousin only […]
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Dealing with the Conference Blues
Today I’m going to talk about something that may seem a bit odd: The conference blues. “Oh, Tiff. You mean the post-conference letdown?” No. I don’t mean that at all. What I’m talking about is the deep sense of intimidation or “not belonging” that I’ve both seen in others and experienced myself at various writer’s conferences. This is something that I was completely unprepared for when I attended my first national writing conference in September 2006. I was so excited…so prepared…so overwhelmed. I remember when I got there I’d already been published in two national print publications [Today’s Christian and Charisma Magazine] and I’d also been a regular columnist for a local newspaper. Yet, as I walked around the group of about 300 people a voice in my head kept […]
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