Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Online Platforms, “Strings, Sealing Wax and Other Fancy Stuff” for Writers

So you want to be a writer, have your work known and make a mark in the world with your writing. You have talent. You have skills. You have pages of ideas written down, piles of notes stuck everywhere and a hundred writing projects in some stage of the works. You have piles of finished work that hasn’t been published yet. However, if no one knows you or your work, how do you expect to get your name out there, by osmosis?

Wishing doesn’t work. Neither does endless dreaming, although it is fun to dream. Sometimes envisioning your dreams may help you to realize what you really want out of it and give you specific goals to shoot for. Sitting and thinking about doing it will not make any mark at all, except maybe in that fantasyland in your head that no one can see. How do you start making a name for yourself besides building up a library of your writing?

As supportive as your close-knit circle of friends and family may be they most likely are not going to be enough to make your mark out in the big world. Unless they have some phenomenal connection to someone who has some say in the upper echelons of publicity and publishing circles, they are the connection themselves, or they are willing to buy say 100,000 plus copies of everything you get published, chances are like most writers or artists of any kind, you are going to have to do your due duty to make your own mark.

It takes time. It takes work. Sometimes it is a pain in the behind, but keep the long term goals in mind. That makes it much more pleasant and easier to do. Besides you meet some great people along the road.

Establishing a platform to make yourself known seems to be almost on par with actually doing the writing you so long to see published. What is a platform? Basically in simple terms it is saying “Hey world, here I am. This is me. Get to know me. I have something worthwhile to say! Pick me. Buy my creations.” It is getting you known and hopefully in a good way that brings your words positive attention. With hard work and a certain amount of luck, that will then domino into more possibilities and accomplishments.

A full platform involves many different types of exposure. One of the most powerful ones that you have some control over, you are sitting right in front of and reading this blog on, the computer in an online world. It has the potential to reach the whole world. Pretty powerful stuff, isn’t it? You may be sitting on a chair at a desk in a little room with only a view of the house next door or your yard that desperately needs work, but your words put on the internet are on a worldwide excursion. That is a heck of a platform-creating tool.

Run your name on a Google search just for the fun of it. See if you are out there anywhere. The first time it shows up is a hoot. It makes you sit up straight, chuckle and say, “Hey, that’s me!” After that, it is up to you to start getting it to show up on many pages of searches. If you can’t find yourself on the web, how is anyone else going to find you? They do not come looking for you until they know you are there to be looking for. You have to make your mark.

Next blog I will give you an idea how to get started. Hint: you are looking at it.

One last thought for today, I seem to have neglected to put my name on my blog other than the website link for my author’s site. It’s Laurie Darroch-Meekis. Someday I hope that name comes easily to mind, but with the correct pronunciation. Hearing my name mispronounced Dare Rock or Dare Roach or any other creatively unique interpretation thereof makes me shiver the same way a finger nail being drawn across a blackboard does to some people.

In my family we pronounce Darroch, Dare oh as in Clarence Darrow.(no relation) Unless you speak some Gaelic or enough Dutch or another language with similar sounds that you have actually mastered the subtle guttural throat sound of g or ch without sounding like you are getting ready to clear a large amount of phlegm out of your throat, and can pronounce it the way it is said in Gaelic, do not even attempt to say it any other way than the way we do. Meekis is Me Kiss, simple. Pleased to meet you!

Hmm, I wonder if this will show up on Google later.

2 comments:

  1. You know, I now have a couple of books with words written by you, and as long as I breath I will collect more... continue with the passion you unleash in your writing,allow your imagination to go unchained, and we will all find your name and deeds in script. Of that I have no doubt.

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  2. Laurie- I'm workin' hard to do just what you say. Thanks for the extra push.

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