The Scraps of a Writing Life

Posted on December 9, 2021 by mestengobooks

Source: Google Images/annkroeker.com

End of Year Cleanup

I’ve spent the better part of today cleaning up the multitude of computer files I’ve hung on to for years. As I cleaned up the so-far-unused information, I wondered what to do with the scraps of my writing life. I have unfinished works in various folders: a new book on the Chinese Medicated Diet, a humorous Chinese Pediatrics e-Book on using natural remedies for growth spurts, an anthology of an alt-med newsletter I wrote and published for many years, and research for a variety of articles yet to be written.

A part of me can’t stand unfinished business; another part misses writing about natural health and wellness (Covid created some financial difficulties and I was unable to renew my medical license this year). That’s a lot of saved information for future articles I won’t be writing. 😦

Yet I can’t quite let go.

Decide What to Keep

I’ve deleted some information and kept other bits. I think part of the reason I can’t let go is there’s a tiny flame of hope I’ll get around to putting something together with all the scraps. Like using a bunch of leftovers to create a new meal. Maybe all I have to do is think more creatively, as writers tend to do. I have some vague ideas but nothing concrete. Can’t quite pull it all together – not yet, anyway. If I hang on to some of the scraps long enough, I’ll come up with that whole new “meal” – perhaps a book or lengthy journal article.

Or, perhaps, I need to change direction and focus on some new topics. Perhaps.

The point of this post? Don’t give up, don’t throw away all your writing scraps. Keep the good scraps and maybe you, too, can create something new and wonderful.

#thewritinglife #fiction #nonfiction #smj4w #bookworm #holidays #xmasgift #amazonsmile

Expert Advice

Posted on March 9, 2020 by mestengobooks

Source: Google Images/amazon.com

Listen to The Expert

My professional Inbox contained an interesting article this morning from The Book Designer blog. Written by author and former marketing consultant Brandon Cornett, his article made some good points. While I’ve read most of his how-to advice in other articles, one in particular stuck with me:

“Blog about your genre or niche. If you want to attract the kinds of readers who will buy your books, you should be blogging about those topics.”

Hmmm….

When I started this blog, I figured the focus had to be on writing (genre, research, editing, books, etc.), from an author’s perspective. It didn’t occur to me that I could write posts on a topic in my expertise (which is not necessarily writing). For example, posts regarding my nonfiction book on Chinese nutrition therapy, which I have reserved for my professional FB page (that I’ve ignored much in the past two years). I feel Mestengo Books is not the place to post alternative medicine articles but I certainly can provide some information on where Chinese nutrition therapy is now and where it’s going in the future. After all, I’m an expert (of sorts), right?

“In either scenario, fiction or nonfiction, you’re basically funneling your passion and knowledge into website content that will attract like-minded readers.”

“But the bulk of your posts should be related to the genre or topic you write about. This will help you boost your book sales over time.” – Brandon Cornett

Some “Experts” are Clueless

In another article, author Anne R. Allen, a satirical writer, posted a vent about “clueless advice givers” – you know, the folks who think they’re experts but aren’t – and who talk like they know when they don’t (and scoff at you when you try to clue them in) . This has always been one of my pet peeves (I’m up against it far too often in any discussion about herbal medicines). I refer to those people as “armchair experts.” It’s a lack of knowledge in a particular area (but a desire to have that knowledge) combined with ignorance, giving the person a false sense of power. There’s actually a name for this: The Dunning-Kruger Effect (1999). (You can look it up but I think it’s ironic that it took so long for two college kids to name a behavior that’s been around for as long as we humans have, probably.)

How Do Others See You?

My business coach routinely refers to me as an expert (in Chinese medicine) though I am hesitant to wear that moniker. A point in my favor is that I have climbed that mountain (five years of didactic and clinical training plus years of clinical work) to reach the top, to become the expert. Many folks dream about being at the top of the mountain without having to first climb, an obviously impossible feat (and looks spectacularly similar to that Dunning-Kruger Effect).

So now I’m thinking about posting an article from time to time that has more to do with nutrition therapy itself and/or the writing of a nonfiction book. Maybe I can write about the research process and how to put it together in a chapter or book. Brandon’s expert advice on blogging about my genre or niche opened my eyes.

Every now and then, everyone needs an expert to do just that.

Freelancing Part 2: Some Novel and Not-So-Novel Advice

Posted on June 19, 2019 by mestengobooks

Source: elnacain.com

I realize I didn’t quite answer the question re freelance market saturation in my last post. Here’s what I think: that we are heading toward a zenith, a straight shot to the top of the bell curve (then it’s all downhill from there, folks). As with any fad (a huge segment of it is a fad, don’t kid yourselves), excitement reaches a booming crescendo before making a meteoric nosedive into triteness.

With the launch of Facebook and the SM sites that followed in kind, millions of humans raced to be a part of something global that connected everyone to everyone else, with the thought that that was a good thing. Now, people are leaving in droves, exhaustion and overwhelm having replaced excitement and novelty. For many, the bloom is off the rose as stress levels rise. Freelance writing will follow the same path, to some extent, in that the good freelancers will continue to earn a living while the mediocre and inadequate will fade into oblivion. Survival of the fittest, as Darwin said.

Elna Cain’s 6-day Free Lesson Plan to Get You Earning as a Freelancer

I’ve covered the first three lessons here; I’ll post about the last three once I’ve reviewed them:

Lesson 1: Pick a Niche

It took a while to get to the first step in her 6-day lesson plan. I had to scroll through a lengthy monologue on her journey to becoming a freelance writer (yawn). To top it off, she wants me to tag her at her Twitter account to “prove” I’m “100% committed” to a freelance life.

Her first lesson is to pick a niche – figure out what you like (hobby, passion) or dig into your background (education, training) and make that your niche. Seems kind of obvious to start with writing what you know, I’ve posted on it more than once. So far, I’m not seeing anything not found online already.

Lesson 2: Write Some Samples

She suggests you start writing some samples, based on the niches you choose. She highlights what she describes as “the three best – and quickest – ways to gather real samples to show prospective clients (and the last way is the BEST way to show clients you’re a TRUE freelance writer).” Hmm. Sounds like a hook.

Here are her 3 BIG (but not novel) IDEAS:

Create your own samples. (Duh.) Freelance sites require you upload samples of your writing, so you should already have these handy.
Start your own blog. (Double duh.) I agree that having your own blog showcases your writing skills. Do your best to make your website showcase YOU and your freelance skills. Leave pictures of kitties and puppies and other cutesy stuff for your personal FB page. Use a clean, sleek, professional layout; WordPress has some great free options.
Start guest posting on other people’s blogs. The one lesson that makes sense: “Pro-tip: Start searching for places to guest post on. You can Google, “[niche] + guest post” to get an idea of places you can try.”

A smart piece of advice is to shoot for lesser-known sites where you’ll have a better shot at guest hosting with them versus reaching for the brass ring, trying to break in on sites like Huffington Post (unless you know someone who knows someone who knows someone).

Lesson 3: Time To Get Known

As usual, she begins this lesson with a nostalgic narration (taking care of her infant twins while pitching her freelance skills). Then she quickly draws you in with a call to action link for her “proven system” that has brought her clients and steady work. This lesson contains more common sense (still not novel) advice, like getting your name out there in SM. She recommends not being out there on ALL SM, but to pick and choose the ones that work for you and your style. Hmm, I remember posting that exact advice some time ago… and more than once.

She outlines two ways to develop your online presence; these are good for beginners:

1) Visit freelance writing websites and leave comments. Her argument here is that you will become more well known if you engage with more sites, allowing other readers to see your comments; you can also post your comment (or the whole thread) to your own SM.

2) Sign up for a LinkedIn account. Her argument here is solid; it’s beneficial to join LinkedIn groups, like freelance writing and copywriting groups, to provide exposure and open you to paid writing gigs. It did force me to think about my past LinkedIn accounts (I’ve had more than one over the years). I realized that I hadn’t designed my accounts for getting freelance work; instead, I used them as a way to showcase my books and my day jobs – big mistake on the latter, since it wasn’t my end goal. I should have designed my LI page to reflect my writing skills and my desire to freelance, and I should have joined LI writing groups.

All in all, what I’ve read so far are some good points that are best for beginners. There isn’t much new information in her lessons, though her advice on LinkedIn did hit home. In the midst of all the repetition, I did manage to find a crumb of advice that I can use.

How novel.