There are interesting overlaps in my life these days. I’m a certified Master Gardener, and as you can imagine, composting is a major topic of discussion for MGs and the public we train. On that writing side, I work on MG stories for local publications, and sometimes I find my inspiration in the fiction I’m working on.
Then I write writing-tips articles for my writers groups’ newsletters. I share tips and tricks that I’ve learned from others and have worked (or not) for me. And there’s creativity composting, which is the percolation that needs to occur with a fiction story before you can type it out.
In short, I’m always thinking about writing.
Something similar is now happening with the addition of video clips to my repertoire.
Over the next couple of weeks, I want to share with you what I’ve been trying to explain to others about this part of the writing journey.
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Little did I know that when I won the Brenda Novak auction item for promotional consulting support from Lynn Jordan (http://lynn-jordan.com/), I’d be starring in my own videos. Is anyone else out there concerned about what they look like on camera? But I got over it – and now I’ve discovered a whole new way to reach out to my two audiences – my readers and other writers.
I’ve found making videos to be easy. The hard part? Finding a topic I like enough to speak about. I look for ideas that would appeal to both writers and readers, and I attempt to include comments for both in my videos. Here are some tips for finding ideas that will interest your viewers – and you:
- Your latest release or your current WIP, and what makes it especially appealing
- A story trailer for an upcoming release
- A take-off on one of your stories – a hobby of yours that you feature, or an activity that you share with one of your characters
- An article, blog or newsletter entry that intrigued you or you disagreed with – and why in either case
- A writing tip or inspiration trick you’ve used – good or bad
- Challenges you’ve been able to overcome
- Something you’ve wanted to learn about but never had an excuse to do before (you learn and your audience does too)
- Reflections on the writer’s life
- Introduction of YOU The Writer to your readers
And that’s just the beginning! The last two entries on this list are great clips to put directly on your website, on your ‘about you’ page and/or on your blog. Remember that this is another method of maintaining your brand, so don’t select something that would tarnish that image. This is an extension of YOU The Writer.
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Who knew all of THIS kind of creativity was necessary for a video clip? Next week, more on the technology and techniques, along with some personal observations about making yourself know in this fashion to your readers and fellow writers.
Questions, comments to share, or suggestions? Reply with a comment here or send me an email at yvonne@yvonnekohano.com.
