Encouragement and Help for Writers, FREE e-Books on Writing

Tips on writing from experienced talented authors

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing is FREE on Amazon September 14-16.

Do you remember when you started your first job? How excited you were? How you wanted to soak up everything you could about it so you could do your job better?

Do you remember when you learned to play an instrument, stepped on the stage in your first class production, learned to swim (or not), cooked your first meal, and all the other firsts in your life?

And do you remember all the things you did not know about that first experience? All the questions you had to ask from someone with experience?

Do you remember writing your first poem or story? How thrilling it was to put it down on the paper and share it with someone? Do you still feel like that when you are working on a writing project?

Somewhere along the line, we learn about the job or the instrument or baking a cake. Then we study and experiment so we can get better. Sometimes learning a little bit makes us realize we'll never be perfect at it because there's so much to know, so we get discouraged.

In writing and publishing, the project can become overwhelming, so we quit.

1

Don't Quit!

Many authors online or in your community are willing to help you. I was surprised at how generous writers can be and how much we want each other to succeed. That's what kept me writing. Not only because I want to write, but because there's such a wonderful world of helpful writers who will encourage you, teach you, understand your feeings, make you smile.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

I belong to a wonderful group of writers who want to help. 

IWSG MISSION STATEMENT:

"The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support." 

Our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh began the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop held the first Wednesday of every month. (If you type in IWSG in the search box at the bottom of the sidebar, you can bring up the posts I have shared with the group and get connected.)

Compilation of helpful writing tips by members.
Click here to learn more about this e-book.

IWSG has grown so much there are 100's of writers participating in the blog hop. A website is now available with all kinds of writing tips and information. IWSG members contributed writing tips for the FREE e-book,
The Insecure Writers Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond.

Find out more about the IWSG at these following links:
IWSG Website
IWSG Newsletter
Join the IWSG Blog Hop
IWSG Critique Circle Facebook Page
IWSG Facebook Page

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Guest authors on the J.Q. Rose blog shared writing tips on the writing process, publishing and marketing. It was my privilege to share the tips they posted here plus many more in an e-book, 

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. 

FREE September 14-16. 

Grab the IWSG tips book and the Romance and Mystery authors tip book so you can learn more about this crazy writing and publishing industry. Please leave a review so we can spread the word about these valuable resources for writers.

Where do you go for help with your writing? Do you have a blog, a book, an online class, a mentor, a writer's group? Please let us know in the comment section below. Your tip may encourage and enlighten another writer. Thank you.

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing: FREE IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond

Hello and welcome to the series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. I hope you have your shopping done and the frenzy of the holidays under control. In case you still have gifts to purchase for friends and family on your Christmas list, may I suggest a good book? This series certainly has hosted great writing talent and amazing mysteries and romances. Take a peek back through the pages to discover the titles and links to purchase published every Thursday this fall and winter.

Today as we close in on Christmas, I gave my authors (and me) some time off, but that doesn't mean I don't have great writing tips for you. In fact there are hundreds of them in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond. (Yes, I'm happy to say one of my tips is in the e-book.) Here's the information from the IWSG website
Pick up your FREE copy now!

Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.

ISBN 9781939844088
235 pages, FREE
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads.

Book trailer for the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond

IWSG: The Social Media Puzzle, IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond, This Week, Prizes

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month, The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. 

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Just released!

The Insecure Writers Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond

This information-packed guide written by members of the IWSG is filled with advice for writers. Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords,Goodreads.

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Photo courtesy of  Stuart Miles Freedigitalphotos.net

The Social Media Puzzle by J.Q. Rose

Social media is like a box filled with puzzle pieces. Somehow one fits those pieces of colored cardboard together to form a beautiful landscape, cute kitties, or an arrangement of beautiful flowers. All are quite pleasing to the eye. 

At this stage in my writing career, all I can say is that social media is a puzzle, for sure, the box full of jumbled pieces. How do I fit my blog, G+. Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and so many other opportunities into a picture filled with friends as well as book sales?

No one has the master plan for creating the finished product as far as I have discovered in my research. Mostly there is no plan as to how much of G+ and Facebook will balance out with Goodreads and Twitter or any other program to make the most of the opportunity for selling books.

I've been studying book marketing by taking classes this summer and fall and finding out all the "secrets" offered by those in the know. Even the folks who offer the classes can't guarantee what actually works.

At this moment I have decided to try to keep up with Facebook, G+, and my blog. But is that enough? Is it too much? I know social media is really meant to "build relationships" and build a network so people will learn about the author and decide to actually buy a book because they like the person. So, I understand it takes time to build a following and to sell books. All I'm asking is "what is the sure-fire way to build a following? Huh?

Have you put the pieces together in your social media puzzle to get results from all your hours spent at the laptop? Do you have the "secret" to how to approach and incorporate social media into your book marketing plan which results in sales? Please leave a comment to let me know your plan, if you have one! Thanks.

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This Week:

Wednesday, December 3--ISWG Blog Hop

Thursday, December 4--Author Marsha West shares her writing tips dialogue, settings, and editing on the Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing series. Subscribe to Marsha's blog to win the drawing for her romance/mystery, Truth Be Told.

Enter to win prizes through December 13!

12 Lucky Holiday Winners 

from MuseItUp Publishing

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Insecure Writers Support Group: Writing Tip on Creating a Promotion Page for Guest Blogging

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

Happy Third Anniversary 

to the Internet Writers Support Group!

Happy First Anniversary for the establishment of the IWSG and Facebook sites!

What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" 

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month, The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. 

An eBook that
will benefit all writers - The IWSG Guide
to Publishing and Beyond. 

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This month is a special blog post by writers in the IWSG. A support group is what we are, so today we are offering writing tips in writing, publishing, and marketing. Be sure to check out all the participants to pick up some helpful information for your writing career. Look for the upcoming e-book of writing tips from members of the IWSG, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond.

Writing Tip: Marketing

Create a Promotion Page for Guest Blogging 

by J.Q. Rose, mystery author of Sunshine Boulevard and Coda to Murder  
at http://www.JQRose.com

Guest blogging is the premier tool in your box of book marketing tools. Your appearance on other people’s blogs will begin before your book is published and continue throughout your writing career. You might as well make it easy on yourself and have all the components your hosts will request right at your fingertips.  

A Word file document with your information about your book and bio is easy to create and quick to pull up so you can copy and paste the host's requests in a new document. Add the interview, article, or spotlight information for your guest post into the new document and attach it to the email for your host and send it on its way. Be sure to show up for the date(s) you are guesting on the blog, interact with readers by leaving comments, and thank the host after the event is over.

The information most often required by your hosts is listed below:

• Jpeg images of your book cover and photo of yourself or logo.  I prefer to receive the jpeg files attached rather than copied on the paper. Be sure to check with your host to find out their preference.

• Your short BIO (about 50 words), medium BIO (150 words), and longer ones so you can include what the host prefers.

• LINK to your hub page where people can read about ALL your books e.g. your blog or website

• LINKS to your Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest. Tumblr. YouTube, Goodreads and other social media

• BUY LINKS for your book from Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Other

• Tagline and/or Blurb for your book

• LINK to book trailer, video, or podcast
• Let the host know if you wish to include a giveaway with your guest post e.g. free e-book/short story, gift card, bookmarks, chocolate, etc.

Can you add more ideas to this list of information for a promotion sheet? Do you include excerpts or reviews too? Thanks for stopping in today. Be sure to hop on over to some more authors pages to discover more tips on writing! 
(permission granted to publish this tip in the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond.)

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About J.Q.

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Sunshine Boulevard, and Coda to Murder released by Muse It Up Publishing. With her non-fiction book for girls, Girls Succeed!, she returned to her first love, writing about real people.  Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She spends winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

 

Pen and ink drawing from the Idler Magazine, February 1893

Kicking off the new fall series on Writing Tips from Romance and Mystery Authors at the J. Q. Rose blog tomorrow, Oct.2! 
Roseanne Dowell is my first guest and her tips are on character development and editing. You're invited to join us for helpful tips on writing every Thursday this fall.