George Galdorisi Get Published Now!

1. Get Published Now!
Coronado Adult Education
Winter 2018
Establishing an Online Presence
February 20, 2018

2. This Week:
Establishing an Online Presence

3. Establishing an Online Presence
• Review of weeks one through four
– Why write – writing skills in general
– Writing for and selling for publication
– Writing and selling non-fiction
– Writing and selling novels
• What makes your online material unique?
• Beating the competition for “eyes”
• Balancing content and entertainment
• Doing-it-yourself…or…?

4. Recap of What We Covered In
Weeks One Through Four:
If You Haven’t Generated Quality
Content None of What Follows
Matters

5. Week One: Why Write?
• History is what writers say it is
• Picking your medium
• A building block approach
• Due diligence the easy way

6. “History is what the historians and writers
say it is.”
Norman Polmar
(Forty books – and counting)

7. Recap of What We Talked About
in Week One
• Telling stories is what we humans do
• Determining the “Five Ws” of writing
• Evaluating the universe of outlets for your writing
• It usually starts with what you read
• Due diligence – the internet and your library
• Do write that “family pass-down”

8. Week Two: First - and Essential - Steps
• Content-hungry media
• Recycling and building content
• Building relationships with editors – a win-win for
both parties
• Solo or with a wingman? The pros and cons of
collaboration

9. “Writing has to have a purpose; it’s meant to
communicate something to someone. If you’re not
ready to write for the general public, then try writing
for a very specific audience, one you know will be
happy to hear from you.”
Robert Masello
Robert’s Rules of Writing

10. Recap of What We Talked About
in Week Two
• Written and online media can’t exist without content
• Above all else – write what you’re passionate about
• John Boswell’s “rules of what to write”
• Getting started and “building up”
• Repurposing content and growing your expertise
• Doing something old & familiar and new & exciting

11. Week Three:
Non-Fiction - The Hungry Market
• Being - or becoming - the expert?
• Pursuing a subject - or letting life happen?
• Scratching itches - or entertaining?
• How much to tell and what’s next?

12. “A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how
hard it is to be God.”
Sidney Sheldon

13. Recap of What We Talked About
in Week Three
• The majority of published books are non-fiction
• The market is easier to enter than fiction
• This medium returns you to John Boswell’s “rules”
• Being of becoming the expert
• The art and science of query letters
• The full-on book proposal – your audition

14. Week Four: “The Great American Novel”
• Great or not-so-great? What you need to know
getting started
• Mainstream or genre? Which way should you go?
• Defining your audience and picking a “voice” and
point of view
• Getting the sale

15. “For me, I gotta write, and it’s the adventure of it that’s
hooked me. As the writer, I can do it all. I get to be the
National Security Advisor who recommends the action
to the President who must commit the forces. I’m the
senior officer who sends his men into action and who
feels the pain if they don’t make it back. I’m the enemy
and the defender; logistician and staff planner. But
most of all, I’m a young man again, that fresh
lieutenant who must lead his men into battle.”
Dick Couch
“So you Want to be a Writer”

16. Recap of What We Talked About
in Week Four
• Non-fiction is mostly the “what”
• Fiction is primarily the “how”
• There are essential elements to any work of fiction
• We know what readers demand from a novel (DK)
• Plot and character should be your primary focus
• But you weave your style around that!

17. But first, as promised, let’s take a
deeper dive into fiction and focus
on:
Finding the Heart of Your Story:
Nurturing Your Original Idea

18. Finding the Heart of Your Story:
Nurturing Your Original Idea
• Your Original Idea: The Spark That Starts the Process
• Fanning the Flame: From a Spark to a Fire
• Focusing Your Idea: Divergent to Convergent
• Is It Just a Story – Or Something More?
• Turing the Fire Into a Narrative
• Taming the Beast and Writing Your Novel

19. Did You Bring Your Homework?

20. Your Original Idea:
The Spark That Starts the Process

21. Your Original Idea:
The Spark That Starts the Process
• The coolest thing about writing!
• Only you are the steward of your original idea
• Can you state your idea in one sentence?
• Ideas can be absolutely anything
• Outward vs. inward focus
• A few examples

22. Only You Are the Steward of Your Original Idea
• It is your idea and your idea alone
• You have to nurture it, don’t share it yet
• It is the foundation of your book
• Above all else, it is the spark of inspiration for you
• Don’t do too much, let it germinate
• Come up with another idea, is the first still the best?

23. Can You State Your Idea In One Sentence?
• If you can’t do this, start over and find a new one
• This one sentence ignites your creative focus
• It is often the core of the pitch to sell your book
• Remembering just one sentence keeps you focused

24. Ideas Can Be Absolutely Anything
• A high concept
• A theme
• A plot
• A character
• A “what if”
• A setting or scene

25. Outward vs. Inward Focus
• A situation idea is outward focused
• Your situation idea focuses on a plot and a problem
• A character idea is inward focused
• Your character idea focuses on character and intent
• The key to success is to have your book do both

26. Ideas Can Be A High Concept
• In a post-apocalyptic world, what if the top .1% is
delineated by length of life rather than wealth?
• Burners

27. Ideas Can Be A Theme
• What is more important? Honor or loyalty?
• Duty, Honor, Country

28. Ideas Can Be A Plot
• On the same day, six different years, the Time Patrol
must keep the shadow from changing our timeline.
• Time Patrol

29. Ideas Can Be A Character
• A housewife and female assassin must uncover the
truth of the men in their lives in order to uncover
their destiny.
• Bodyguard of Lies

30. Ideas Can Be A “What If”
• What if people going into the Witness Protection
Program really disappear?
• Cut Out

31. Ideas Can Be A Setting or Scene
• An international treaty bans weapons in Antarctica:
What if the U.S. put nuclear weapons there and lost
track of them?
• Eternity Base

32. Let’s look at three more examples

33. New York Times, Publisher’s
Weekly & USA Today Best-
Seller!
What if a prince in a Middle
Eastern country wanted to get
the United States to attack
another country so his
country could later win a fight
with that country?

34. New York Times, Publisher’s
Weekly & USA Today Best-
Seller!
How does the commanding
officer of a U.S. Navy ship
keep the North Koreans from
capturing her crew after they
run aground on a small island
after losing a gun battle with
North Korean ships?

35. New this year from
Braveship Books
What if the most senior officers in the
United States military are so
dissatisfied with the President that
they concoct a scheme to have the
President direct a major military
operation, and then have that
operation fail in order to drive the
President out of office?

36. If you forgot your homework – or
the dog ate it – that’s okay…
….come up with any story idea and
jot it down in two minutes

37. Fanning the Flame:
From a Spark to a Fire

38. Fanning the Flame: From a Spark to a Fire
• Is your idea different?
• No? Now what?
• Every idea has been done before
• “It’s been done before” is the first hurdle
• Check out the Internet Movie Database for log lines
• Try Kipling

39. “Deconstructing” a Movie Log Line
The subject of the sentence will describe (1) an
imperfect but passionate and active protagonist. The
verb will depict (2) the battle. And the direct object will
describe (3) an insurmountable antagonist who tries to
stop the protagonist from reaching (4) a physical goal
on account of (5) the stakes, if the goal is not reached.

40. “Deconstructing” Your Idea:
Putting It On Trial for It’s Life
• Is there a plot?
• Are there a protagonist and an antagonist?
• Is the verb in your idea an active one?
• Is there an inherent conflict that needs to be solved?

41. I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
Rudyard Kipling
The Elephant’s Child

42. Fanning the Flame: From a Spark to a Fire
• Since every idea has been done before, now what?
• Your idea turns into a story as you fan the flame
• Fan the flame with Kipling’s help:
– What? Plot
– Who? Characters
– Why? What’s at stake
– Where and When? Setting
– How? Beginning, Middle, and End
• Your idea won’t change
• You are going to do it differently

43. Focusing Your Idea:
Divergent to Convergent

44. Focusing Your Idea: Divergent to Convergent
• Spend a lot of time on divergent thinking
– What if….
– A great time to bounce ideas off friends and colleagues
• Save plenty of time for convergent thinking
– These are not your children…you can favor one
– Work what you picked…unless it starts to bore you

45. Is It Just a Story – Or Something More?
• What are you selling?
• The “Intent”
– The “why” behind the “what”
– What do you want the reader to feel?
– Is there a beginning, middle and end?
– The payoff to the reader is the resolution
• The “Shiver”
– What excites you about your idea?
– What will excite those you tell it to?
– Is there emotion and passion?
– Can your reader relate to your plot and your characters?

46. Now Let’s Get to Work on That
Homework and Create a Log Line!

47. You Can’t Be Serious?

48. Pair Off and Put on Your Coaching Hats
1. Read your story idea aloud to your partner
2. Partner, ask questions if what was said isn’t clear
3. Work with the reader to construct a log line
4. Give yourselves only three minutes to do this
5. Switch roles
6. Repeat steps one through four above

49. “Deconstructing” a Movie Log Line
The subject of the sentence will describe (1) an
imperfect but passionate and active protagonist. The
verb will depict (2) the battle. And the direct object will
describe (3) an insurmountable antagonist who tries to
stop the protagonist from reaching (4) a physical goal
on account of (5) the stakes, if the goal is not reached.

50. Reading Your Log Lines
• Read the log line
• Name your protagonist and antagonist
• Coaches, jump in and sell it to the rest of us:
– Intent
– Sizzle

52. Whew! Finally, Now Let’s Talk About
Establishing an Online Presence

53. Establishing an Online Presence
• Review of weeks one through four
– Why write – writing skills in general
– Writing for and selling for publication
– Writing and selling non-fiction
– Writing and selling novels
• What makes your online material unique?
• Beating the competition for “eyes”
• Balancing content and entertainment
• Doing-it-yourself…or…?

54. Websites of Writers We Like
• Krista: Anne Tyler and Bill Bryson
– Tyler:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=anne+tyler+website&qs=AS&pq=ann
e+tyler+web&sc=8-
14&cvid=47EADE2A226042D38887F4751C9B77AB&FORM=QBRE&sp=
1
– Bryson: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/bill-bryson/1017933/

55. Let’s get into some
specifics of the online “you”

56. But first, what are you trying to
accomplish with the online “you?”

57. “There is only one recipe for a bestseller and it is a very
simple one. If you look back on all the bestsellers you
have read, you will find they all have one quality” you
simply have to turn the page.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller

58. The Three Elements of the
“Online You”

59. EngagementDesign
Visibility
Do all three
and you are
marketing
successfully

60. Design

61. What Makes Your Online Material Unique?
• Are you providing something people can’t get
anywhere else or get as easily?
• Are you aiming at the right attention span of online
tourists?
• Determining the right level of effort in refreshing
your online content
• Balancing what you give away online and what you
want to sell to visitors

62. Beating the Competition for Online Eyes
• Above all else, when someone “Googles” your name
your website must pop up at the top
• It’s not just about getting that initial visitor – it’s
about getting him or her to keep coming back
• Most online visitors are taking a break from what
they have to do at work or home
• Think of your website the same way as what you
write – tell people a story

63. Balancing Content and Entertainment
• People will tire of the monotonous “professor”
telling them “like this damn you” (from Ian Fleming)
• People will tire of dancing bears, dwarfs throwing
rose petals and fireworks
• Achieving the right blend and balance is your online
presence style
• Press the “Easy Button” with your due diligence: Visit
the websites of writers whose work you enjoy

64. Doing It Yourself Or Having It Done
• Your website is “you” to people you will likely never
meet – but who you want to entertain
• There are cottage industries of books, seminars, tools
and coaches to help you build your own website
• There are legions of people and businesses who will
do it for you
• If you have the time and energy and want to use
your left and right brain – try doing it yourself

65. We’ll talk about engagement and
visibility next week
In the meantime, here is one source
for advice: www.fauiziaburke.com

66. Let’s look at some examples of
websites of people who write….

67. Some Writers Who
Have Done It Themselves
• Fauzia Burke
– http://www.fauziaburke.com/
• Jeff Edwards
– http://navythriller.com
• Janice Steinberg
– thetinhorse.com

68. Some Writers Who Have Had Someone
Else Build Their Website
• Dick Couch
– www.dickcouch.com
• Larry Bond
– http://www.larry-bond.com
• Your guide for this course
– www.georgegaldorisi.com

69. Some Ways to Find More Examples
• “Google” writers you enjoy
• Go online for advice about online presence
• Check with local businesses in Coronado
• Our library has additional resources

70. Website Constants Regardless of Who
Builds and Maintains the Site
• You will need to provide the content
• You will want to add content frequently
• You will want to use social media to drive people to
your website
• The longer you have your website the more it will
become your “professional persona”

71. Slides Posted:
http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/

72. Next Week

73. Social Media-Challenges and Opportunities
• Developing a Book’s Plot and Narrative
• Social Media
– Everyone is doing it
– Vote early and often
– Building a following
– Sustaining momentum

74. Questions?