And that is what writing is about. Love. Love of the art, love of the story, and love for and from the people who really understand your work. Nobody else matters. Love yourself. Love your work. Be brave. Just write.
Melodie Ramone
Last weekend, Bob and I attended the NAMS14 conference in Atlanta. The conference is all about how to do business online. People came from across the country and beyond. The types of business represented here range from people in the music business to people selling products on Amazon.
One thing most of the people here have in common whether they are selling handmade windmills or high end coaching services, is a love, a passion for what they are doing.
I love hanging with people who love what they do. It is one of the reasons I love helping writers and others write their books, tell their stories, and shape and produce their content.
But having a love and passion for something you do is not enough. We’d like it to be, because the creation and refinement of that creation takes a lot of work. A lot.
But that is not enough if you want your creative children to enter the world and if you want to be paid for them—unless your joy is piling up stories or canvases to stash in your attic.
Getting to that place where your audience discovers your work, gets familiar with it and then buys it is easier than it used to be. But it can also seem more challenging and overwhelming since the options for connecting with your audience and selling online are numerous.
Hence, my reason for being here in Atlanta, so that I can learn the best techniques and methods for connecting with you and others about my writing and my Muse magic. At the conference, I spent an hour talking with a musician who has a business helping other musicians succeed online. He insists I should be doing a podcast.
I haven’t been enthusiastic about doing podcasts up to now for a variety of reasons but I just did a tarot reading about it for myself and it looks like I will be venturing into that platform next.
Yes, I practice what I preach. So I am going to encourage you this week to take time to really think about what you are doing to make you and your work discoverable. Are you on one of the major social media platforms? You don’t have to be on all or many of them. Start at least with one you like and feel comfortable using (and yes, you have to put up your picture) and will use consistently.
Are you building relationships with potential new customers and nurturing current relationships both online and offline?
Are you keeping people up to date about new work?
I am still surprised when working with writers how often I get push back about being online. I understand issues of time and privacy but, if that is you, you aren’t being of service to your work or your audience if you stay in social media or technical phobia modes. (And if you want help with that, let me know.)
Think about how if your work was your child, your grandchild or a beloved pet,you would talk about him or her to everyone, you would share pictures about all the wonderful things they do, and if anyone asked you about your child or pet, you would happily bend that person’s ear. Why hesitate to do it for the work you love?
Do work you love. Then share it. And share it again.