Why you should take a second look at that headline

Mary Jane found in local cornfield

Back in the early 70s a headline in our local newspaper made me the talk of the campus.  I walked into Sociology 101 to find the front page taped to the front wall. In three-inch high letters, the headline read, “Mary Jane found in local cornfield," ... it took me awhile to live that down.

While this headline was awkward for me personally, other headlines make you think twice ... and chuckle every now and then.

Double Meanings From Around the World:
 Headlines that have a double meaning often sneak past editors. Some of these are hard to believe:

• Governor Swears in Legislature 
• March Planned For Next August 
• Patient At Death's Door--Doctors Pull Him Through 
• Stadium Air Conditioning Fails--Fans Protest 
• Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped 
• Prostitutes Appeal to Pope 
• Child's Stool Great for Use in Garden 
• Idaho Group Organizes to Help Service Widows 
• 20-Year Friendship Ends at Altar

Opposite meaning:
Lawyers Give Poor Free Legal Advice

A little too clever:
Lingerie Shipment Hijacked--Thief Gives Police The Slip

Stating the obvious:

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told

Man is Fatally Slain

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Hershey Bars Protest

County Officials to Talk Rubbish

Farmer Bill Dies in House

Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case 

Just plain funny:

• Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad She Hasn't Seen in Years
• Stud Tires Out
• Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
• Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead
• Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter
• Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?
• Miners Refuse to Work after Death
• Stolen Painting Found by Tree
• Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge
• Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge
• Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
• Prosecutor Releases Probe into Undersheriff
• Some Pieces of Rock Hudson Sold at Auction
• Sex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training
• Many Antiques Seen at D.A.R. Meeting

Do you have a favorite headline mishap you remember?

5 Tips to follow if you want to write a killer headline

Photo courtesy of Bizzebee.com

There is an art to writing headlines and titles for the articles and stories you write.  In the newspaper and magazine world, it is an editor’s job to come up with the perfect words that will draw readers to your article.  In the online world, that job falls to the writer; and the more you know about writing headlines, the better your chances to entice readers into reading your words.

WordStream: Online Advertising Made Easy offers a ton of great advice for writing outstanding headlines on their blog of July 17, 2014: 19 Headline Writing Tips for More Clickable, Shareable Blog Posts.  A few of their tips are shared below, and I urge you to check out all 19 tips on their blog.

19 Headline Writing tips

for More Clickable, Shareable Blog Posts

It’s easy to let headlines take the back seat in your writing process. Headlines can wind up as a quick afterthought, but really should be treated with much more consideration. In fact, your headline is arguably more important than the article itself. After all, who cares how great your blog post is if no one even reads it?

Out of all the folks who read your headline, only 20% will read the article copy. Whether it’s for email subject lines, blog posts, ebooks, or webinars, you need a powerful, sexy headline to make readers swoon.

Modern online article headlines are tricky – they need to be SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keyword friendly, but also should be unique and creative. The end result needs to be super clickable, irresistible headlines.

If you’re like me, your eyeballs encounter nearly a hundred headlines before you’ve finished your first cup of coffee. What makes you read one story over another? It’s all about the headline – that magical string of words that allures and excites.

1. Numbers, digits, & lists

Starting your headline with a number helps the headline stand out. Just as the human eye is drawn to contrasting colors, we’re also naturally drawn to the juxtaposition of digits resting beside text. A list also gives readers a clearer idea of what to expect in your post, as well as promising a quick, scan-friendly read.

Some great list words to get you started:

• Reasons
• Ways
• Tips
• Tricks
• Secrets
• Ideas
• Techniques
• Strategies
• Facts
• Methods
• Statistics

2. Educate the Masses

People often search online to educate themselves or learn more about a particular concept. They want to learn how to build a fire pit, where to see an off-Broadway musical, how to eat an apple core (hey, I don’t know, people are wacky!)

Many successful headlines use the “how to” concept with some extra embellishment. Starting all your articles with “how to…” gets really boring really quickly, so think of creative ways to present a “how to” educational article, for example….

• 3 Best Methods for Peeling a Mango
• 6 Strategies for Deterring Burglars
• Build Your Own Firepit: A Beginner’s Guide
• Teaching Your Dog to Fetch: Canine Training 101

Hot headline writing keywords like “101” and “Complete/Beginners Guide” are great to include in educational posts. Using words like these reassures readers that your article will be in layman terms that they can understand, marketed towards beginners. 

3. Remember the Five Ws

In grammar school you probably remember learning the 5 Ws:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why

These engaging, interrogative words are used to gather information. By using them in your headlines, you articulate to readers the kind of information you intend to provide.

4. Address Readers in 2nd Person

While writing prose in 2nd person is infamously awkward, it’s the perfect form for headline writing, grabbing the attention of readers by calling them out.

• You Think You Know Game of Thrones? Take Our Quiz and Find Out!
• 3 Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Drool Over This Summer
• 5 Emergency Tools You Should Never Leave Home Without

5. Use Images to Complement Headlines
Headlines are a big deal, and in many cases on the web, they are the one and only way to introduce your article to the world. However, many social sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pintetrest, and, more recently, Twitter, make it easy to add images alongside your link headlines. This is awesome news because images are insanely powerful and can do a lot to boost the success of your headline.

As Buffer notes, you can’t just use any old image to compliment your headline. The image you should provide a strong visual clue to the topic of the article.

D.I.Y.

April L. Hamilton's, ‟The Indie Author Guide”

"The Indie Author Guide" by April L. Hamilton was published in 2010. This is a guide for do-it-yourself authors who are considering or already publishing their own books. April has crammed a lot of information into about 300 pages and while it's already 4 years old in a fast changing industry, there's still plenty of relevant information. The author is an experienced writer and supporter of the indie author crowd. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Authors. You can look up more about the author at www.AprilHamilton.com or Publetariat.com.

One look at the title, written entirely in lower case, gives the idea that this book was written by a do-it-your-self-er but it's well organized and comprehensive in coverage. Quick to read with a double column format and interspersed with headings and subheadings, it includes an ample mix of images which make the book easy to scan if you're looking for specific guidance. The material is so well organized and specified that you may not need a highlighter in hand when reading it, although if your prone to dog-earring pages, you're likely to create an abundance of them in this little volume.

Chapters deal with an assortment of things from organizing your computer to branding and author platforms. There's also information on publishing options, formatting, editing and revision.

Inside, you'll find a section on book covers and e-book formats as well as chapters on promotion and for those interested, a chapter on transitioning to traditional publishing.

Bonus material in the back of the book includes not one but two appendixes. The first contains sample worksheets for calculating costs, royalties, break-even points and record keeping as well as worksheets to track contact or membership information, info on author websites and events. The author gives a web-link to download the worksheets online at indieauthorguide.com (look for the "Worksheets" tab). The worksheets download as a single PDF.

The second appendix is an HTML primer in the familiar two-column layout, organized with sub-heads and a number of images so readers can see what the author is talking about. Material includes a brief explanation of how web pages work and goes on to touch on syntax, formatting and dealing with non-breaking spaces. It ends with a section on best practices and a summary table of commonly used tags. It's worth noting that being four years old, the information on HTML may not conform to the latest HTML5 conventions but it still gives the reader a basic understanding of what is sometimes considered scary computer stuff.

Whether you're considering indie publishing or just looking for information on building a platform, this book will serve as a well rounded starter resource, keeping in mind the mercurial nature of the industry. It's not an exhaustive, technical manual but it's pretty darn meaty.

Ironically the book is published by Writer's Digest. Cover price is listed at $19.99 but check Amazon for better prices, my new copy was purchased for $14.99

My Muse is Full of Beans

I envy writers whose faithful muse hangs on their ear like a blue tooth; a steady connection to the mystical universe of creativity. Spontaneous and confident, these writers view the world through prose colored glasses and everything they write goes viral.

But not all writers have such a potent and vigorous ally welded to their shoulder. Some of us would give our left adverb if it would get our muse to show up and cuss.

I usually picture a muse as a girl of some sort. An ethereal, wispy, slightly opaque vision, floating around the universe like a mischievous nymph. She lights on her writer's shoulder and leaning close, she cups one hand to the side of her mouth to whisper. In this fleeting moment, she conveys an idea that will swell into glorious prose or poetry as soon as the ink touches the page. Lucky writer.

I haven't actually seen my muse but I gotta tell you, I think mine is a guy. He never whispers the rudiments of literary glory into my ear. He never thrills me with hints of exotic adventure. He never swoons me with the sultry whisper of a romance. Not my muse. When he visits, I get beans. Hard, dry, ten-year-shelf-life beans that must first be soaked in the tears of frustration. And he brings only a few at a time as if they're some kind of treasure. Like they'll grow into some kind of bean stalk that will lead to a golden goose. He's not a proper muse. I don't think this is his normal line of work. He must have lost his regular job in the economic downturn. He's got an attitude a lot like my old boss: “Always keep them hungry.” What a rotten muse.

Sometimes, I wish I could post a want ad for a new muse. Mine would go like this:

Wanted: Experienced muse. Must be prolific, punctual and a good speaker. Grammar should be polished but edgy, no profanity please. Muses with a sense of humor will be given priority. Position is live-in, but may consider an on-call for the right muse. Knowledge of social media a plus. Employer is allergic to legumes. Muses full of beans need not apply.

If it were that simple, perhaps my name would be perking up the covers of several best sellers instead of hanging around down on the mailing label of a writer's magazine.

But for now, I've got beans. And beans are hard to work with. It's still hard to tell if they're going to grow into something or end up a bunch of hot air. But in the absence of a proper muse, I keep trying to grow them. Some days they sprout and some days they stink. That's how it is with beans. That's how it is with my muse.

 I hope your muse is different. I hope you have a shimmery, wispy muse with an ear fetish that visits you daily and lingers on your shoulder for hours but if not, remember this:

Even a preoccupied, cantankerous old wraith that shows up once a month in a moth eaten sweater carrying a bottle of two buck to dump a train load of purple prose on you is better than a displaced elitist who's full of beans.

What's your muse like?

When Late Book Marketing is Better than Early

 

 

When Late Book Marketing is Better than Early

It seems that every time I read an article on book marketing, marketers warn that the author or publishing company should be out there selling their books now. Don't wait until it is published. That's too late.  Well, I'm sure that can work for some people. But not in some cases.

But wait a minute. Let me tell you of an experience I had.

Some months before I published one of my books with a small publisher, I was reassured that the book would be out at the end of September in time for a conference I was speaking at. Then in November I was attending another conference. Perfect, I thought. I could sell dozens of books and sign them at the same time. So although I am very familiar with human nature and my lack of control over other peoples actions, I trusted what I was told. Besides, everything I was reading had confirmed that earlier marketing was better.

So about a month prior to the release I flooded the conference and e-mail lists with an exciting  summary and a few excellent reviews of my psychological thriller, Justice Forbidden.  People were excited about the book. The beginning of September rolled around and I asked the publisher for the exact date of release. "We're trying very hard to get it out for the September conference," was the reply.

Well, you've probably guessed it. The September conference came and went, and then the November conference came and went, and Christmas came and went  with no book. And I was frantically trying to recoup by sending e-mails to my list saying there had been a delay. The book was finally released in March and by then my enthusiasm had waned and so had everyone else's. In the long run I sold 200 books in the first couple of months instead of probably  500.

So now I wait until I'm sure I can deliver what I promise. Unless you are a best known author, people need the product ready to buy while they are excited about it. If you can't deliver immediately, the likelihood will be your customers won't come back. They will go somewhere else. And if you are writing a series, it is probably a good idea to have the second one ready or at least almost ready before you begin to seriously begin your marketing for the first one.

Good luck writers!

 

Lila

Because I was so deeply enthralled in Marilynne Robinson's Home, it was a joy to purchase her new book, Lila. Now that I have read it, I find myself in her camp once again. Her style is very intimate and the world she describes feels familiar, even though the town is fictional. Some would call it a 'quiet' book, but I hesitate to describe it in such terms. Delicate and nuanced would be more to the point, as she delves into the thoughts of her protagonist, an unfortunate lost soul who finds love in the home of an aging minister.

It intrigued me to read the second book of Robinson's set in the graceful home of a minister.  With a Pulitzer Prize for Gilead, in 2004, and numerous other accolades and shortlisted novels to her credit, one would assume that she would be free to set her books wherever she would like. She has protagonists discussing Biblical passages and Home, published in 2008, is a tale of the prodigal son returning to his father's house.

In reading about Marilynne Robinson's life, I learned that she grew up in Sandpoint Idaho. She currently lives in Iowa and teaches at the famed Iowa Writer's Workshop. How she ever explains these to realities to public at large, makes me smile as people perpetually mix up Iowa and Idaho. Housekeeping published in 1980 is set in Sandpoint, but Gilead, Home and Lila are placed in the fictional town of Gilead. There is a flavor or a hearkening back to a particular American style that has always been precious. It exists in Canadian literature as well. The outside world can be harsh, the environment, difficult, but there is a place of refuge, behind closed doors, where life unfolds quietly, and with dignity. It makes the reader picture shafts of light coming into the parlor where a few carefully placed chairs seem comforting and familiar.

Last week, I read something on Twitter bemoaning the 'quiet' novel, and the dearth of women's fiction understandably bent in this direction.
 "Something has to happen. It has to have a plot," advises one literary agent.
I have always been fond of writing that gently wraps itself around me as if it is a warm blanket. My cousin once put a picture on my Facebook timeline where the pages of book take on a human form and wrap the reader in a hug. That is how I see Robinson's Lila.

What if we were completely alone in the world and understood almost nothing? How would we manage? Lila reaches that part of all of us that feels alone, neglected and abandoned. While the great majority of us have never been forced to deal with such a bleak existence, there lurks in us, a deep fear we experienced as children listening to Hansel and Gretel. It is that very private spot in our psyche that this book embraces.

Recently, Marilynne Robinson was the guest of Bill Moyers. Even in this interview, I find that there is something of her elegant writing in every sentence.

Creativity Abounds

We are all creative. We're made that way. Observe any kindergarten class anywhere, and you will see what I mean.

Every once in awhile, I will hear someone bemoan their lack of creativity. I never have a good response. My instinct is to tell them that perhaps it is just misplaced. An early critic probably dashed their hopes. Who among us cannot recall, word for word, what a teacher said about our earliest artistic efforts? Stop the paint from running down the easel. Stay in between the lines. Your figures are too small, too big, are not in the middle of the page and on and on. Well intended instruction can shatter the fantasy that fuels our tiny geniuses. Somewhere along the line, I think I decided to ignore everyone. I had a secret audience, and I looked to them for approval. They never let me down. I could tell them stories, give speeches, sing and dance. I showed them my knitting, my drawing, and I told them all of my troubles. They encouraged me to no end. Who were these lovely creatures? They were two hundred strong. They were a herd. They were the cattle on the family farm.

Last night on NBC Nightly News, Lester Holt showed us a video montage of Derek Klingenberg  playing to his cattle. Then he demonstrated a drone inspired painting in his field in which the cows created a picture. My husband and I laughed and laughed and then had a great discussion of how each innovation mankind creates, there is a burst of creativity somewhere. New inventions inspire unique and individualistic, original ideas. It is just one great aspect of what makes life so precious, and so entirely worth living.