Mike Reuther's Blog, page 2
November 16, 2021
To the Unwriting Writer
You whine and beat yourself up because you aren’t writing.
You don’t think your writing is good enough.
You don’t feel you have anything to say.
You are afraid people will think you’re weird if you even try to write a book.
So why bother?
Guess what? We’ve all been there.
C’mon. Get into that chair.
And just write … even if it’s just a sentence or two.
You might be surprised what happens.
Mike Reuther is a novelist and the author of books on writing. His author page can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Books-MIke-Reuther/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AMIke+Reuther&page=2
November 1, 2021
National Novel Writing Month
Did it sneak up on you?
When you woke up this morning, did you have that feeling of dread, like the haunting scene of some Halloween image?
NaNoWriMo is here folks.
That’s National Novel Writing Month.
If you’re reading this blog, you likely know what I’m talking about.
It’s the annual challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.
Maybe you don’t feel ready to take on what seems to be a herculean challenge.
That’s understandable.
But here’s the thing.
The whole idea behind NaNoWriMo is to ignite those creative urges that have long been festering inside you and get writing.
This is a great opportunity to make it happen. To get your fanny in that seat and start to write that book.
It’s what you’ve dreamed of doing for longer than you want to admit.
Am I right?
Don’t be afraid.
Just do it.
Mike Reuther is a longtime novelist and journalist and the author of Write the Darn Book and other books on writing. His author page is at https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Reuther/e/B009M5GVUW%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
May 30, 2021
April 17, 2021
Marketing
Ah marketing. What can you say about marketing?
Clearly, for the author, it’s onerous, frustrating, and largely unpredictable.
One embarks on writing a book for the first time with little thought about how to sell it.
I know it was that way for me.
Indeed, most writers don’t want to be burdened with figuring out how to sell their work.
After all, isn’t such a task left to those smart people at the publishing house where the author places his work after many months, perhaps years of toil?
Well now … let’s step back.
Many writers simply don’t send out their books to publishing houses these days. Self-publishing allows many authors to sidestep that altogether.
But self-publishing makes it necessary for the writer to do the marketing, that is, if the author is interesting in selling the work.
Hey. It was hard enough just writing a book. Now I have to learn about marketing?
Well … no. You don’t. Not if you’re simply happy or satisfied that you met some lifetime or long-held dream of writing a book. And certainly, any writer should be congratulated of having fulfilled such a goal.
But many, if not most writers, want validation for their work beyond just praises from friends and family members who tell you what a fine book you’ve written and how incredibly talented you are.
You probably want compensation. Dare we say … money.
Perhaps your goal is a bit loftier and you want to make a living from your writing or become a best-selling author and buy that dream house in Malibu.
I’ve tried a lot of ways to sell my books, and while I don’t have all the answers, or even the single magic bullet for marketing, I can offer some advice here.
Some of the best marketing plans include:
Facebook AdsEmail marketingBookBub Ads Amazon AdsThere are plenty of other ways to advertise books, but these are perhaps the top four and most effective ones for successful authors.
Of course, any one of those marketing tools will only take a book so far, if it isn’t ready for publication.
That’s why an author must ensure that the book has been polished and edited.
A solid book cover and good description that draws in readers are both vitally important.
You might have written the most incredible page-turning novel or story imaginable, but if it’s poorly packaged and not marketed, it likely won’t sell.
Self-published authors must be not only creative but a bit business savvy as well. That is, if they want to earn money from their books.
Mike Reuther is the author of works of fiction and nonfiction, including books on writing. Check out his author page at https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Reuther/e/B009M5GVUW%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
March 27, 2021
Be Comfortable When You Write
Have you ever stopped to think how easily words tumbled out of you when you were simply messaging or emailing a friend?
With little problem at all, you dashed off a few hundred words. Maybe you were happily recalling an event from the past or describing some weekend retreat where your families were heading that weekend.
Writing can just flow out of us when we have something we want to say, and we aren’t worried about the grammar police or critics.
It’s writing freely and rapidly without a lot of deep thinking.
What the best way for you?
Some authors write books by dictating the words into the computer.
To tell you the truth, I’ve never tried it, but it’s certainly something to consider. You talk and the words appear like magic on the computer screen.
Many authors write in longhand before transcribing the words to the computer.
Still others, the real old-timers among us, bang out their words on old typewriters and wouldn’t dream of taking the leap into the modern age and write on a computer.
They like that certain physical act of hitting typewriter keys and having the words appear on real paper.
The late Harlan Ellison, a prolific author of New Wave Speculative Fiction, continued to knock off his stories on a typewriter well into the Twenty-First Century. So did Larry McMurtry, author of The Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove and many other works of fiction and nonfiction.
Of course, before personal computers and laptops came along, typewriters were the principal tools of writers.
I say whatever way you choose to get the words down, just do it.
The main thing is to be comfortable and even confident in your writing.
Maybe you’re a lousy typist and take forever to tap out words.
Back when I first started writing books, I always wrote my first drafts in longhand. But after I embraced the fast-writing method, I found writing in longhand to have its drawbacks. My penmanship was poor, and I had problems reading everything I had written.
And so, here I am, many years later, tapping out prose on a computer, living the writing life, the dream.
How about your writing area?
Do you have a comfortable chair?
That’s important.
You’ll be sitting your butt in that chair for days and hours into the future, and you don’t want one that is uncomfortable or creates problems for your back or neck—an occupational hazard for many writers.
It doesn’t hurt to have a place to yourself, a writing room, that is yours. This may not be possible if you live in a small house or apartment you share with family members or roommates.
Authors are known to have their own writing cottages or shacks, places away from their homes, where they escape from everyone to write. However, for most of us, that is something beyond our means.
Wherever you choose to write, make it a place you want to come to every day, a retreat where you can do what you must do—Write.
Mike Reuther is a novelist and the author of Write the Darn Book, a guide for beginning writers, as well as other books on writing. Check out his Author Page at https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Reuther/e/B009M5GVUW%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
March 24, 2021
What Do I Write?
Are you stumped about what to write?
Do you figure everything that’s ever been written has been done and put to rest for the ages?
Well … consider this. You are your own voice. You are unique with something to say, maybe even something quite important to say to the world.
Sure, the plight of mankind and what human creatures are doing here on this planet has been written to death. Science fiction stories of every kind have been put to paper. Obscure figures who come from nowhere to emerge as mythic heroes have been made into best-selling novels.
And yet, your story, the way you might want to present some similar narrative, can be told as well.
You see, we are all different in so many ways. There are countless ways to tell a story, and everyone has their own writing style and slant on things.
Each of us have experiences and backgrounds that we can draw from in writing these wonderful books. There is always room for more stories out there, and readers eager to devour them.
That goes for nonfiction as well.
You see, it’s how you write the story. After all, there is no one like you. Give yourself a chance. If you really have that burning desire to write whatever it is inside you, you owe it to yourself to do it.
Now, what’s stopping you?
March 18, 2021
Keep on Writing
I got my writing in today.
Six words. I … got … my … writing … in … today.
You don’t even need to say that sentence aloud. The sentence will run through your brain each day you carry out the task of writing.
Those words will feel good, give you satisfaction. If you put yourself in front of that keyboard every day and tap out words, you’ll find yourself developing a habit – a good habit – one that you’ll want to continue. That feeling of satisfaction will be part of your life.
Maybe you’re dealing with other stuff in your life, some of it not so pleasant, but you keep on with your writing because it’s a priority. So, you do. Few things in life are as satisfying as getting that work done every day.
Writing is a journey. The book you’re writing now or will soon be writing will be in the past. You’ll move on to other writing projects. Other stories flow out of you, other characters. You’ll grow older, have more experiences, perhaps have a different outlook on life.
You write some more. The years go by and you’ve written ten, twenty, thirty books. Think it’s impossible. Think again.
Just a thousand words a day. That’s seven thousand words a week. Thirty-thousand words a month. There’s a short novel right there. Many authors crank out multiple books a year, some of them driven by the demands of a readership eager to buy their books, perhaps a romance or mystery series.
Some people knock off entire books in a weekend. Yes. There are workshops and seminars out there to write entire books in just two days. I never tried it, but it’s something to consider.
Fast writing is natural writing, unencumbered by doubts and misstarts and too much thinking. It’s getting into the flow and letting it all go.
I believe it’s the best way to write.
But getting the writing done. That’s what’s important. Set your course and begin. Are you ready for the journey?
Maybe you need support. Find a mentor, someone who’s written books and been down the road. Join a writing group, talk to others who are writing books. Maybe you tried that and didn’t like the people in the group. They were snarky and hypercritical.
The hell with them. Join another group.
Support is a great thing for a writer. After all, writing can be lonely.
It’s likely you’re the only person in your circle of friends who wants to write a book. You may be the only one in your small town with dreams of being an author.
But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, or silly, or some crazy phase you’re going through. Besides, who wants to be like everyone else? You’re a writer. With dreams and goals and a burning desire to create.
What more can I say?
Now get to it.
February 27, 2021
February 20, 2021
Writing Is Like Skiing
The other day I took a ski lesson.
Call it a successful check-off on my long list of bucket list items.
I had been on skis before, but only a few times to do some cross-country skiing.
I wasn’t sure quite what would happen if I attempted to go down a hill.
I’m not a young man, and I have a trick knee from a long-ago football injury.
I was apprehensive, to say the least. I didn’t want to tear up my knee, break my bones, or perhaps kill myself.
To sum up, I did okay – aside from getting off that stupid ski lift.
Alright, I admit, I managed to go from the top of a snow-covered gentle rise to the bottom – the beginner’s slope.
Our teacher stood below us, yelling out instructions, pointing his hand one way and then the other.
And really, that’s all there was to it. Like a bandleader conducting his musicians, he led us zigzagging down that hill.
I was in this rhythm descending that incline.
Good writing is like that.
When you get into a rhythm, the words flow.
That rhythm comes from writing every day, preferably the same time every day, sitting down at the computer or before that tablet and just letting the words come.
The good news is if you continue writing, if you don’t give up, you’ll become more proficient at it, just as if I continue with skiing, I’ll become better.
You may stumble in your writing, just as I am sure to stumble and even fall if I continue with skiing and even take on bigger hills to descend. Heck, I’ll probably fall flat on my face a few more times just getting off the ski lift.
Practice makes perfect, to borrow a time-worn cliché. But of course, it’s true.
Find your rhythm and the writing comes more easily, like snowflakes gently falling from the sky.
Mike Reuther is a longtime author with a number of books on writing. His works can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Books-Mike-Reuther/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AMike+Reuther
February 14, 2021
The Magic Cards
You’re not sure what story you want to write.
Those idle moments you spend sitting on the front porch after dinner make your mind wonder. Those
cups of coffee in the morning fuel a frenzy of story possibilities.
So many ideas are shooting through your brain that you think you might go crazy.
Just stop a minute.
Ideas for books are a good problem for an author.
Maybe all those ideas add up to multiple books … or perhaps just one really great book or story.
Try the Magic Cards.
It’s the method I’ve used to launch the writing of my own books.
The process is quite simple.
I sit with the cards, pen in hand, and simply scribble out a word or a few words of images or thoughts
that come to me.
After twenty minutes, perhaps longer, I have dozens, even hundreds of words and phrases on those
cards.
Later, I go through all the cards and see what I have. Usually, it’s a rough outline of a book.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t use all the ideas that I randomly come up with.
But I certainly have created a road map for a book.
Of course, you don’t have to feel constricted by the cards to write your book. You’ll almost certainly
come up with more ideas.
I’ve found the cards to be an incredible way of freeing up those apprehensions and fears I get before
starting a book.
Try it.
Do it quickly, jotting down those words on the cards the very moment they come into your brain.
It’s quite likely, you see, that the book you’ve been wanting to write for so long was just dying to come
pouring out. The cards are perfect for finally capturing what will go into the book – setting, characters,
conflict, the very essence of the story.
Do not look at this exercise as a chore. Be in a relaxed state when you write on those cards.
It’s almost like allowing the subconscious to take over.
If you don’t want to use cards, bang out words and phrases on your laptop. That works too.
I’m kind of an old school writer and prefer using cards.
Go through those words and phrases and you’ll almost surely see the framework of your book coming alive.
If you feel the need to outline your book, go ahead.
A very basic outline works for me because I don’t like to spend too much time over-thinking. Basically, the cards are my outline.
The Magic Cards aren’t really magical, of course, but can be useful tools for anyone writing a book.
Mike Reuther is a longtime writer and journalist and the author of novels and books on writing. His blog offers advice and useful information for beginning authors.
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