Doreen McGettigan

It’s the first Wednesday of the month which means it’s time for The Insecure Writers Support Group! And I’m thrilled to be hosting this month, it’s been awhile.

Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. If you’ve been through the fire you can offer your assistance, and guidance. It’s a safe- haven for insecure writers of all kinds! http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

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I’d be perfectly happy to stay curled up in my comfy writerly world but unfortunately if I want people to read what I write I need to let them know I’ve written something. Does the thought of public speaking terrify you? The secret to a winning speaking experience is being prepared and practiced. Today’s Writing Wednesday tips are on preparing your talk.

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The first Wednesday of every month I participate in The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. #IWSG. This is one AMAZING group of talented beginning writers, established writers, and professional authors. One of the many things we all have in common is our moments of extreme insecurity about our craft. Another is our gratitude and strong -pay it forward attitudes when our confidence is soaring.

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On Wednesday’s I like to share information I picked up on my path from writing to publishing, marketing and publishing again. Information that I wish someone would have shared with me, back then.

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It’s another first Wednesday of the month when all the IWSGers post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG, then please check out our IWSG Sign-up tab here and join up. A big thank you to our co-hosts for this month's posting: Tamara Narayan, Tonja Drecker, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Lauren @ Pensuasion, Stephen Tremp, and Julie Flanders!

A new feature we’ve introduced here at the IWSG is a question each month. The big question for this month: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?

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Yes, I am SO Insecure…

The first Wednesday of each month is the designated day for the meeting of The Insecure Writers Support Group.

For more info on the group:

What writers among us, no matter where we are in our careers doesn’t need a group like this?

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“When I started blogging five-years-ago, one of the first blogs I came across was Katherine’s Corner. We had more than a few things in common and I knew I liked her. When she put the word out that she wanted to do a series on mid-life women bloggers of course I wanted to be part of the fun!”

The series is called between the lines.

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WRITING WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is the day I like to share information, tips and inspiration with writers and bloggers. The kind of information that I wish someone would have shared with me back then.

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Having something to look forward to is the key for me when it comes to forward momentum. I am certainly blessed to have more than enough to look forward to in my immediate future it just looks like I may need a couple of bucketfuls of salt for traction.

CHALLENGE:

I will post an entry in the Keep Moving Forward Challenge every Thursday from now through March 2015. To join in on the journey, use the comment section to tell us about how you “kept moving forward” that week. Write about it on your own blog site (and include the link in the comments), make a video, and/or use the hashtag #KeepMovingForwardChallenge on social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).

The Challenge creator and host is Kelly Deeny:

http://kellydeeny.com

Please make sure to use #KeepMovingForwardChallenge on social media so that we can comment, like, share, favorite, or re-tweet!

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This past week has been so busy I feel like I am spinning in circles and when I try to get out of the spin I slide right back in. Actually I did a lot of actual sliding this week. Tuesday night when I left the nursing facility where I’ve been working I had to sit on my butt and slide to my car. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. There was no way to walk safely. If only there was a video of me trying to scrape the inch of ice off of my car with a travel mug because my scraper shattered. The ride home was slow but what really matters is I made it home with all of my bones and my car intact.

This morning’s drive to the nursing facility was just as slippery but it is the prettiest snow of the season.  I am hoping it is all clear tomorrow because I have a morning flight to Nashville for a blogging conference. I am looking forward to learning and being inspired to move my blog and my writing career to the next level. I am also beyond excited to be finally meeting so many blogging and Facebook friends in real life. #BAMC15

I am so grateful that Saturday’s weather was cold, but dry and people including my friends from Lower Bucks Creative Explorers were able to make it safely to our Press Club Professional Development Workshop. This one was one of our best, so far. Our presenters were Philadelphia News ‘royalty,’ Jim Donovan, Susan Barnett and Debra Wallace. They were engaging, fun and so informative.

I still haven’t received my production schedule for The Stranger In My Recliner. I am so ready to see Sophie’s story in print.

My big writing accomplishment for the week was outlining my post titles for the A-to-Z Challenge. I still need to write the posts but it is a baby step forward.  I am looking forward to the theme reveal later this month. If you need a challenge I highly recommend the A-to-Z. For more information and to sign up:

What keeps you moving forward when you feel like you are stuck in a spin?

Happy Writing,

Doreen

Photo: Kelly, Me, Camille, Jim Donovan, Maria and Toni. 

Writing Wednesday

On Wednesdays I like to share information I picked up along my journey to being published, marketing my first book, editing and preparing to be published again. Information that I wish someone would have shared with me, back then…

If you like the information I hope you will share it!

It is also the first Wednesday of the month and that means it is time to meet with my favorite support group. Every writer needs a support group and one of my favorites (yeah I need several) is the Insecure Writers Support Group [ #IWSG. ] If you need a place to share your insecurities, ask questions or perhaps you have something positive to share with your fellow writers then this is the place for you…

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Elevator Speeches/Pitches

At a recent workshop, one of the presenters challenged us to stand up and give a 30-second elevator speech or pitch on our writing, business etc…

I volunteered and my speech was awful. It was time to come up with a new one.

Imagine stepping on the elevator at a large writers or blogging conference and standing next to you is one of the best literary agents in the business. It would be normal to feel tongue tied and nervous but these opportunities are few and far between so you should be prepared.

An elevator speech is a 30-60 second summary of your book or your blog. The point of the speech or pitch is NOT to sell anything; the point is to get the recipient to want to know more, to start a conversation with you and to ask you for your contact information.

Have you ever stumbled for words when someone asks you what you do, what do you blog about, what is your book about? I have and it always leaves me feeling so unprofessional.

Coming up with 30-60 seconds that answers who, what, when, why and where is not easy. As uncomfortable as it can be you must practice it out loud until your pitch feels and sounds natural not rehearsed. You also want to have two or three versions so you can adjust for the audience and practice, practice and practice.

Keep in mind that 9 out of ten times while you are trying to sell someone they are not listening to you. They are trying to come up with a way to sell something to you, so you have about 5 seconds to make enough of an impact so they actually listen to you.

A few tips:

Don’t give spoilers

Don’t go into plots or characters

Give the title and genre

Be enthusiastic

What do you offer?

Present a call to action towards the end

End with a question that requires more than a yes or no to answer

Avoid buzzwords ex: out of the box, streamline, awesome etc…

Try to come up with a word or a phrase that will help the recipient remember your name and the title of your book or blog.

Practice, practice and practice

And finally, smile and be prepared to answer follow-up questions after you give your speech.

Do you have an elevator speech and if so do you have any tips?

If you give me your best pitch in 140 characters and your twitter user name I will tweet them out throughout the month.

Happy Writing,

Doreen