Imagine Other Worlds with Authors (I.O.W.A.) Signing

For the past three years, the incredible Dana Beatty and Terri M LeBlanc hosted an epic author signing event called Imagine Other Worlds with Authors (I.O.W.A). It moved from place to place, hosted tons of authors, and had a lot of success. In 2018, they asked if The Writers' Rooms would like to take it on as part of the organization. We jumped at the opportunity, and after months of hard work, we're excited to finally host the event on September 7th from 10am-4:30pm and 8th from 1:30pm-4:30pm at the Cedar Rapids Public Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

I.O.W.A is a multi-genre, multi-author two-day book signing event. This year features over 20 authors who are eager to share their books with you. You can meet the authors through literary panels, readings, signings, author speed dating, and special giveaways! Don’t forget to stop by the welcome table for a swag bag. The first 50 people on Saturday will receive a bag with a free book inside! 

We have an incredible list of authors who delve into the worlds of fantasy, science fiction, romance, fiction, women's literature, humor, memoir, children's books, YA/NA, etc.: 

We also provide a bunch of fun prizes that you can win both courtesy of The Writers' Rooms and the CR Public Library. Who wouldn't want a bag that makes your book look big? 

The two-day event is divided up into several different activities that both patrons and authors can get excited about. 

• Author Signing: Come meet local Iowa authors to learn more about their books and pick up tantalizing tales for sale. Be sure to stop by every author table to have your Passport signed. Once you get as many signatures as possible, drop it off at the Welcome Table downstairs to the chance to get a prize.

• The Writers' Rooms Writing Prompts and Social: Stop in the Conference Room to learn more about The Writers' Rooms, one of the hosts of I.O.W.A. Write with us using prompts provided by the Rooms and also get to know your fellow writers.

• Panels: Authors will sit on a panel to share knowledge of a chosen topic. Come listen and ask questions to learn more about the writing/publishing industry. Some topics included are, "Indie Author Publishing," "The Writer Parent," "So You Wanna Be a Writer 101" and more!

• Author Readings: Join the authors of I.O.W.A. as they read from their sections of their novels. Now's the time to ask questions and get to know more about the author!

• Speed Dating: Authors will be seated at separate tables in Greyhound Cafe and interested readers will have a chance to talk with them in three-minute intervals. The author will begin with a short pitch of their book releases and answer questions the reader may have. When the bell rings, the readers change seats. A Saturday event only!

One thing we tried to do is make sure that none of the events (ie. panels, readings, speed dating) overlapped with each other. I know how hard it can be to want to attend multiple author readings but have to choose between them. 

Want to get a first look at when the different events are happening? Stop over at the facebook event to get the latest news and let us know you're coming, check out the I.O.W.A. website page, or visit the Cedar Rapids Public Library calendar. 

Today we were featured in The Little Village Magazine (thank you to Rob Cline for his kind words). We were also interviewed by the Press Citizen, which is so exciting! 

The Writers' Rooms is a community-driven organization, and we couldn't exist without you. I.O.W.A. is a way for us to thank the many writers and authors who have helped us over the years and to give back to the creative community. This is a free, family-friendly, event, so be sure to bring your little ones along. We can't wait to see you! #IOWAWrites19

To learn more about I.O.W.A., visit: 

The Writers' Rooms: I.O.W.A.

I.O.W.A. Facebook Group

Twitter

Instagram

How to Write a Synopsis (The Writers' Rooms)

As you may know, I'm the Director of The Writers' Rooms, a literary organization focused on providing a free, safe environment to all writers, no matter their experience, income, gender, etc. The specific "Room" I lead is The Violet Realm, which is our Sci-fi/Fantasy group. What's a Room, you ask? It's a two-hour session with a literary lesson during the first hour and then free writing/sharing the second hour. We have a plethora of groups ranging from poetry, romance, LGBT, all-genre, with more coming soon! The community is wonderful, and I'm thankful for every person who brings their story to us. Best of all, the Rooms are free. 

Tonight, we talked about how to write a synopsis. I thought I'd share it with you so you could get an idea of the information that The Writers' Rooms has to offer, and also provide some tips on how to prep a synopsis for querying an agent. 

What is a synopsis? A synopsis is, in short, the summary of your story. You’ll need this if you’re querying a traditional publisher. But, this is also a great way for you to figure out the main plot of your story! 

Rules of thumb: 

• Only name your MC and main villain (typically only 3 characters at most). Briefly outline their roles so you can refer back to them throughout the synopsis. The first time you list the name, write it in all caps.

• A good synopsis should only be about 500 words. Any longer, and an agent may toss it out the window, or you may realize you have some work to do.

• You must tell the whole story, including the ending gasp! The agent has to know where the story’s going, and so do you!

• Focus on the main plot, not any of the subplots. The subplots are for the book.

• You need to know what your characters want and make the plot out of that. What are their ultimate goals?

How to Set Up the Synopsis

You may remember from a previous session that we talked about the Beat Sheet to set up your entire story. Making your synopsis is very similar. Together, we’ll take a look at an amazing resource called “How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis”  with a little flare added. Source is at the bottom. 

• Set the Scene: Create the stage for your world and your characters. We need to know what genre/timeline you’re focusing on. Fantasy? Show us the castle. Science Fiction? Show us the ship and the world. Enchant us with the very first line.

• Introduce the Protagonist: Bring in your Main Character (in all caps). We want a couple descriptive words to say what he/she wants, and to help us identify him/her. Blacksmith? Banker? Butler? Let us know!

• Inciting Incident: Yes, we’re taking a trip to Freytag’s Pyramid. What event, decision, or change prompts the main character to act? Is it a death in the family? A murder? A young boy buying a robot with a hidden message?

• Plot Point #1: This is where we get into the first big change in the story. What’s the first turning point? What does the MC do to change the book’s direction? This is the point where your heroine might start out on her journey to travel to a different planet or go on an epic quest.

• Conflict and Other Characters: Your character enters a new world/environment. What new life experience does she have? How does she meet the antagonist/villain? This is also a chance for you to bring in, say, a love interest. But again, only include important characters.

• Midpoint: This is the point when the MC may have to make a 180 degree change or emotion in the story. Once she crosses this line, she can’t go back. She makes a decision that changes everything. Or maybe her cowardly nature turns to heroism.

• We’re Winning! Whoops, No We’re Not: Reveal when your MC thinks she has the upper hand but then the antagonist swoops in to ruin everything. Maybe a magical item gets stolen, or an escaping ship gets shot down. For once, the villain has the advantage.

• Darkest Night: This is when your MC has hit rock bottom. She has to fight through it both emotionally and physically. Maybe the villain has trapped her. Maybe she’s had everything taken away. How does she find the strength to enter the final battle?

• Climax: Battle time! What happens when the MC and the antagonist come head-to-head? Yes, we do need the conclusion.

• Resolution: How does the climax end? Does everyone live happily ever after, or are we doing a Shakespearean ending and killing everyone? How do you tie up loose ends, and loose romances?

• Closing Scene: What’s the last scene you want to leave your reader with? Has the MC won or failed? Is there a future waiting? We want to know!

Prompts: 

1. Take your story and write a synopsis. Use the outline above to separate out each important moment from your plot.

2. Think of a new story and use the outline to plot it out.

How to Steal Writing Time From a Busy Schedule

In this crazy world called life, it's often hard to find time to sit down and write. Between work, families, extra-curricular activities, shopping, adulting, etc, when are we supposed to work on our books? Many people say they have stories in their head but no time to put them on paper. I can sympathize, really. I'm usually running around from 8am-8 or 9 pm depending on the day, which leaves only a couple hours to get things done.

So what do you do? How do you steal some time from your busy schedule so you can create your masterpiece?

• Meeting: Set aside a half hour or hour on certain nights and treat it like you would a work meeting or an appointment. If friends, or work, try to schedule things at that time, calmly explain you have a meeting that you can't miss. The more you do it, the more comfortable you'll be at adapting to the new schedule. It could be once a week or several times a week. Either way, it gives you time when you know you can work.

• Spurts or Sprints: I learned this little trick during NaNoWriMo. You set 10-15 minutes aside, turn off all distractions, and write whatever comes to your mind. Don't worry about editing or going back to research, just write. Friends of mine and I will hold sprints to see who can write the most in that time frame. It's a fun little challenge, and it forces you to get text on paper. Likewise, if you find yourself with 10 minutes to spare, use that time to type on your phone or computer, or write in a journal that you bring along. Even if you don't get a lot out, it may get your mind moving so you'll be ready to work on your book that night.

• Record: How many hours do we spend in the car traveling from place to place? How many times have you been in the shower and gotten a great idea but couldn't write it down? Record yourself. I've been on road trips and clicked 'record' on my phone and rattled off scenes and story ideas. Even if they're not directly on paper at that moment, at least I got the idea out of my head and didn't lose it. There are also speech-to-text programs like Dragon Speech that will record you and type what you say. It takes some getting used to, but it works great if you're doing dishes or some other task and want to still get the words out.

• Change Sleep Time: Now, I wouldn't recommend this if you have insomnia or sleep trouble, but, if you can safely wake up a half hour early or go to bed a half hour later, you can use that extra time to get work done. One of my friends gets all of her writing done between like 5 and 6 am when she's not being disturbed by anyone. Can you do that too?

• Lunch Hour: If you get a lunch break at work, that might be a great time to work on writing. Right now, I'm munching on a sandwich and writing this blog entry because I was too tired to write it last night. I still get a break from work, but I'm also being productive with my own craft. But, if you fear you'll get burnt out, make sure you still take that break.

• Competitions/Deadlines: Maybe you want to try to push yourself to write because there's an anthology deadline out there, or a writing contest. I might not write for three months because I know that in November, I'm going to spend 30 days writing for National Novel Writing Month. I pour out 50,000 words, taking more time for my craft that month than usual, because I know it's only going to last a month. If you set goals for yourself, it might encourage you to find time during a busy schedule.

Whatever you decide to do to get writing time in, remember a couple of things:

1. You don't have to write everyday.

2. Take care of yourself. If you're burning yourself out writing, you're not going to enjoy it as much.

3. Make sure you're still getting downtime for yourself.

4. Have fun.

Do you have ways that you fit in writing? Share them below!

Yes, Writing is a Real Job

"You're a writer? When are you going to get a real job?" 

Far too many writers have heard these scathing questions. Sometimes you can laugh it off and go back to working on your novel or script. Sometimes it comes during a moment of hardship when debt is surmounting, and you're wondering to yourself if you can actually pull off publishing another book. And while, yes, for some folks writing is a hobby that they do in their free time for fun, it's also a job for all those other people trying to get paid for their craft. 

I don't think most people understand the amount of work that goes into creating a book and marketing it to the public, but we'll talk about that in a little bit. First, I'd like to bring up an article on Writer's Digest called Is It a Hobby or a Job? by author Brian Klems. In it he discusses how writing is definitely work, but it's not classified as a job until you make money off of it. He also goes on to say that the amount of work that goes into it writing can't just be classified as a hobby either. I'm sure a lot of you are nodding about the latter point. 

In this day and age, it's hard to make a living as a writer because of the low pay, but that doesn't make it any less of a job. It just means I have to work that much harder to keep my literary career alive, oh, and also work the other 40-hour job I do during the week at the same time to cover the rest of the cost. Most writers have to still work a 40-hour job, or part time, to make ends meet. Some take the plunge and quit their daytime work to write full time, and I applaud them for taking the initiative.

Unfortunately, that usually elicits the image of someone writing for a couple hours, binge watching Netflix the rest of the day, then complaining they have no money. 

Let me kind of give you a view of what it's like to live as a published indie author, and then tell me if you think that writing is still just a hobby. Keep in mind, I've only been doing this for a year, so imagine what an author juggling several books goes through everyday. 

• I work from 8:30-5pm Monday-Friday (and some weekends for overtime).

• I volunteer in the evening for literary organizations.

• Starting around 8 or 9 pm until I go to bed, on weekends, or on my "day off," I do at least one of these things:

  • Research information for my book.

  • World build or develop elements for my book

  • Write or edit my novel.

  • Discuss with my editors and proofreaders what needs to be changed and apply those edits.

  • Talk with my sensitivity readers about changes that need to be made.

  • Keep a presence on Amazon , Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Wordpress, Wattpad, Goodreads, Bookbub, Allauthor for marketing reasons.

  • Design banners, contests, graphics to post in all these locations about my book.

  • Reach out to bloggers to review my book or do a blog train.

  • Update my website with new author information and author interviews.

  • Build connections with fellow writers, editors, marketers, etc.

  • Set up signing events.

  • Attend signing events in different cities and states.

  • Post chapters on Patreon to help pay for my website.

  • Commission art of characters for stickers/swag.

  • Commission cover art.

  • Create other swag (bookmarks, necklaces, etc)

  • Run an Indiegogo campaign to help cover costs.

  • Participate in online "takeover" events.

  • Query my books.

  • Participate in online book contests to either 1. get an award for my book. 2. find an agent/publisher for my other books.

  • Format my book through Scrivener and Adobe Acrobat.

  • Set up and publish my book through Ingramspark then order copies.

  • Contact libraries and bookstores to carry my book.

  • Set up ISBNs, sales tax permit, BIN.

  • Check inventory and order more supplies on books and all marketing materials.

  • Review finances.

  • Prepare a book launch with local venues.

  • Attend writing conventions to make connections and learn the latest marketing techniques.

  • Participate in author summits both as a listener as an author.

...and the list goes on. 

Being an author is a multi-faceted job, and most of the time you have to do everything yourself. Even if you're a traditionally published author, publishing houses are doing less to market the book and encouraging authors to do more of the work. Many of my author friends spend days at conventions and marketing to sell their books and pay for the table, gas, hotel, meals, and other bills. 

But you may ask, "Erin, you charge $15 for your paper book. How do you not make money off of it?" 

Because by the time you factor in the editing, proofreading, printing, marketing, and sales tax permit, I don't see much profit. Every dollar helps and puts me closer to making a better income off of writing. But I have to market to make that happen. I've heard it takes until book 2 or 3 to actually see a return in money, which is why initially it may look like authors are so broke, even if they receive advances from publishing companies. 

That doesn't mean writing isn't a job. 

Honestly, for me, it would be my dream job to write full time and survive off of my books. While that might be a long time in coming, I'll do what I can to keep working towards it. In the meantime, I hope this gives people a better understanding of how much work goes into being an author and that it's more of a job than most realize.