Being the architect of your project is only the first step to your success as a writer or artist. Your platform is your connection to the public. This should include website, blog, social networks, conferences, book signings, art exhibits, speaking engagements and appearances on radio and television. The effectiveness of your platform will determine how well you’re able to connect with your audience and that will greatly impact your success.

Here are the seven secrets that can be implemented quickly to help you to start building your platform.

Secret #1 – An effective platform is the foundation of success for writers and artists.

It’s never too early to begin building your platform. Whether you’re thinking about writing a book or showcasing your artwork, the time to start building your platform is the moment you decide to move forward with your idea. Don’t wait until your book is written, or you have a large body of work completed, to start building your platform. Agents and publishers want to see what kind of demand your project will generate before committing to it and investing in your idea. You as the creator are responsible for establishing your platform as much as you are for bringing your ideas to life.

Continue reading 7 SECRETS SUCCESSFUL WRITERS USE TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE PLATFORM. by Andrew Hall

Typically when someone is shopping for a blog website, I ask a few qualifying questions, such as budget, goals and target market. I also explain that just having a website is not going to do much, unless you are actively promoting it, with money and time. Most people are looking at their shoes at this point because they haven’t yet done any research of their own and don’t know what they’re getting into.

Understanding that some people are extremely gifted when it comes to promoting and marketing a business, but may not be very technically inclined, while others may understand the basics about blogging and even social media, yet know very little about sound business promotion techniques, I encourage people, especially those on a limited budget to hire and expert in these areas, to educate themselves and do as much of the work on their own as possible. Many people try, most fail and it’s typically due to lack of preparation and lack of motivation that are the cause.

Continue reading "Thinking of Starting a Blog" by Andrew Hall

Originally published October 18, 2011 by ANDREW HALL 

To continue the Lost image system, in one of his several alternate lives Mister Words works as a television and film writer.  During the years in the story trenches, a truth about storytelling became evident: successful writing engages both the mind and the heart. Just like love and marriage you can't have one without the other. Our minds love to be engaged by puzzles and intricate storylines, whodunits, and complex thrillers. At the same time, plot alone does not a story make. It is characters who draw us into the story, who pull on our hearts, who make us care about what is happening.

In the series finale, Lost went totally down Emotional Road. And while it was moving to see characters united in love and moving on to the next phase of existence (whatever that may be), the writers calluously left too many untied knots that left our intellectual side going "wait a minute!  What about Michael and the polar bear and the Dharma Initiative and moving islands and Mr. Eko and cosmic chess games and connected number sequences? You teased us for six years with the promise that somehow this was all going to add up and now, in our final hour, you leave us with hugs and handholding?"

If the writers of Lost had to pick only one road, ultimately audiences care more about feeling than thinking. We've all sat through brainy mysteries or loud action movies that leave us bored and unengaged because we have no emotional stake in the outcome. In that regard, ending on warm and fuzzy works. But that's not entirely where Lost took us on the six-year journey. They promised us answers to some intriguing and complex riddles and unfortunately it's not enough to say 2+2= hugs.

Joseph Campbell wrote a very insightful book called "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" which describes the journey taken by protagonists from ancient myth through current Hollywood blockbusters. As a writer, learning about this journey is fascinating. And it gets even better. In his equally powerful book "The Hero's Journey", Christopher Vogler uncovers an exciting truth: as a writer works on a project, he or she undertakes a journey that is virtually identical to the one of the hero he or she is writing about. There are obstacles to overcome, monsters to slay, foes and allies to discover and in the end a treasure to find.

That's why Mister Words loves what he does for a living. Every new project takes us to worlds that we never knew existed. Each person we work with reminds us of how much there is yet to learn about life. 

Are you ready for your next adventure? It waits just around the next corner-- and the first step of the journey begins when you pick up a pen or sit down at the keyboard.

We'd love to hear about the literary journeys you've been on.  Take a minute and share them!

As anyone who has ever sat down to write can attest, one of the hardest things is often getting started. It's one of the questions Mister Words (that's me) is asked most often. The statement usually goes along the lines of, "I have good ideas, but when I sit down to write I just can't get started. Help!" 

Getting started is one of the most difficult tasks for any writer. We are experts at procrastination, delay and when the little critic inside our heads totally freezes us up-- abandonment. Fortunately, there are ways to jumpstart the process.  The first is structure.

If you decided to build a house, you wouldn't just start sawing wood and hammering nails-- you'd draw up a plan.  The same is true of writing.  It doesn't have to be a formal outline, but sketching out bullet points of what you want to say, the order in which you wish to express your ideas and, most importantly, where you are headed is invaluable. Not only does making a plan force you to think things out before you start in, it also keeps you on track. If you should get lost and feel yourself starting to write in circles, you can just check your bullet points and remember what you wanted to say next.

People often complain that their first sentence (or even first paragraph) comes out weak. This is an easy thing to fix.  Once you're done with your first draft, try cutting that first sentence or paragraph. More often than not, your piece will work just fine without them.

Another great exercise when you don't know how to begin is to just start typing (or writing) anything. It can even be, "Well here I am sitting at the keyboard typing words when I should be writing something important but my mind won't let me and once again I'm ready to bang my head against the desk in frustration." The trick is to just keep spewing out the words without judgement-- soon enough you'll discover that you've gotten all the garbage out of your system, you're warmed up and ready to start some real writing.

Ultimately the easiest way to start writing is simply to, well, start writing. Remember, you can always come back and trim the fat.  But by then, you'll be well on your way.

Until next time, this is Mister Words reminding you... the journey of ten thousand words begins with a single letter.