leskletkecommunications

Who are you writing for? Wal-Mart knows who their target market is and they have that shopper defined down the most minute detail. They know her education, the number of kids she has, and a few more things that are not suitable to discuss here. While I have been to Bentonville, Ark. I did not get to visit HQ of the world’s largest retailer, but it is rumored that there is a life size cut out of Cindy, their target customer in the offices.

If the strategy is good enough for the world’s largest corportation it should be good enough for us as writers. Define who you are writing for in as much detail as possible, then when you sit down to write keep him in mind and shape everything that you write as though it were being shared in a conversation with that individual.

To those that attend my writers Boot Camps I suggest they go through the exercise of detailing as many characteristics as possible of their typical reader; we create a “Stanley” for every one early in the Camp. I suggest that they get a picture of the typical Stanley and put him up on their bulletin board or near their computer so that when they are writing they can look at him and focus the piece so that he would be able to use the information in the writing.

In a previous lifetime as a farm broadcaster, I used a much more general approach because the radio audience was broader than those who will choose to pick up my books. I had three farmers in my mind, not a composite as Stanley is, but three actual farmers that I knew and if I was considering a story I would consider who it would appeal to. Some that dealt with broader issues in agriculture would appeal to all three, some that had a narrow focus would appeal to only one and I would treat the story accordingly, going into much more detail because this was a piece that really only caught his attention. If my idea for a story did not appeal to any of the three, and I could figure that out quickly, the story never saw the light of day, or more correctly the air waves.

Knowing who you’re writing for not only tightens the focus of your writing. It makes it more meaningful for the reader and it makes your task of writing much easier.

Can’t decide to include another anecdote? Or more research data? Ask yourself what Stanley would want at this point. Does he want another example or have I already beaten this to death?  Having Stanley there with you (his picture) helps you decide and move on to the issue at hand – writing.
               
Not convinced? Wal-Mart didn’t grow to the size they are by not knowing who their customer is and not hitting the mark. If the process is good enough for them, it is good enough for you and me.

It’s your time, enjoy it!

Writing should be fun, and by now if you’ve been following a few of the steps I have suggested in the last newsletter, you should no longer be viewing writing as a task that rates somewhere between dental surgery and a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Writing should be much more pleasurable than either of those things.  I don’t know that it will attain the status of a great meal shared with loved ones but is should be closer to that than the other activities I just mentioned.

Just like so many other things, writing becomes easier the more you do it. And the more success you have, the more enjoyable the experience, and then easier it becomes and soon the cycle is spinning out of control. Upwards, I hope! It should be something that you look forward to.

There are a few little tricks and processes that will make your writing better, but ultimately it depends on your attitude, Decide to enjoy the process and take pride in what you achieve. That may require a rewrite or two and it may mean putting a piece aside and revisiting it after some time has passed. It will certainly call for an editor to give it that final polishing before it is ready for the real world, but we aren’t at that point – yet.

Decide that writing is something you enjoy rather than something to be dreaded and it will become something you enjoy. Don’t look at the edits as detracting from your creation, but rather a process that polishes an already good product for the rest of the world. I have always enjoyed reading my final submission to magazines and newspapers after they got the final treatment from a quality editor. I know what I meant the piece to say, but the editor often helps me say that to the individuals who are not as aware of the subject.

When you have decided that you enjoy writing you will. Tell your friends and acquaintances that you enjoy the process.

Learn to enjoy the journey because it as important as the destination – some times more so. Over the years of travelling and asking questions I often thought about what a great job it was. I was making a living asking questions that most people would get punched in the nose for asking and yet people answered me, and often shared more than I had asked for. The hard work came when I got back home and had to prepare the copy.
 
Best Before Date (or, Write it When it’s Fresh)
             
There is some numeric value in writing things down as a memory aid, something like if you write it down you are four times more likely to remember it as if you just hear it. I obviously did not write it down either of the times that I heard it, but it must be the reason for people taking all those notes at presentations and meetings. Notes that both you and I know will never be looked at again, but even if they sped up the process and threw them away immediately following the meeting instead of 3 months later, after they get tired of moving them around their desk, they would have the benefit of taking those notes and most likely remember what had been said.
             
That is just one of the reasons for writing things down during or as soon as possible after an event.
             
When I was a farm broadcaster and a beginning freelance journalist, I visited the 25^thedition of Canadian Western Agribition. The author of the history book to commemorate the event had done an exceptional job of recording the atmosphere of a purebred cattle sale. I have a fascination with auctions and am a graduate of the Continental School of Auctioneering but wondered how she had captured the rapid fire of an auctioneers chant in the printed word. I asked Bonnie Stephenson how she had done it.
              
She shared with me that she had found a seat in the darkness under the grand stand and sat there listening to the auctioneers chant and the bidding, soaking in the sounds, and smells of the auction. She made notes during the sale, just phrases of things that caught her attention and then immediately following the sale went to her desk and wrote what became the chapter on cattle sales, one of the very cornerstones of Canadian Western Agribition, the premier livestock show in Canada.
            
Bonnie Stephenson and I became friends over the years that followed and I still have the greatest respect for the chapter that she wrote about auctions. I have asked her if I can reprint it in Around the Block, my book about auctions. It was a great chapter because she wrote it while it was fresh, nothing could be fresher except maybe some of the things in the sales ring, but be careful where you step.

When you see something worth recording, write it down! It will increase your recall  or you can put it in the holding pen for later when it fits in your next book. Writers should be like photographers who have their cameras with them all the time and are ready to capture the moment with a photo. As writers we capture images with words, we do our best work when the emotions those images trigger are still fresh.

Write it down, at the time or as soon as possible afterward, you may not use it but at least you have the choice. If you don’t record it you won’t have the choice later on.

Last week I travelled to Montreal to help conduct the auction at the Canadian Aerial Applications Association AGM. The auction helped raised over $116,000 for the CAAA. Thanks to all the donors and the bidders for their support. Pictured below is myself, Wayne Kauenhoffen, Brian Ellegert, and Kevin Chorney.

Just last week, those who operate by the Chinese calendar celebrated New Year. It was an event that both the Canadian and US Post Offices thought worthy of a stamp, and both chose very similar images to commemorate the event. In the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac this is the year of the Dragon, and more specifically the Water Dragon which had not been celebrated since 1952. To put it in perspective that was the year of coronation of Queen Elizabeth. According to Chinese astrology this is a year to flourish and succeed – a year of good fortune. This is a year “to be bold, not humble.”

Australia is marking 2012 as the Year of the Farmer. What are you doing to make it a special year?

Is this the year for you to write a book? By now all those New Year’s resolutions have either fallen by the wayside or you have lost the weight and more exercise is a natural part of your daily life. Either way you no longer have to concern yourself with them. So why not write a book.?

It has never been easier, and modern technology has not only lessened the task, but also the price tag accompanying publishing a book.

The reason most people give as the main reason that keeps them from putting their thoughts on paper and between two covers is time.

Writing is a process and an exercise that needs to be scheduled and practiced.

Schedule time to write. Like anything else we get better with practice and the better we become the more we enjoy doing something. Set aside some time and write every day, it does not have to be hours, and you’re not going to produce a novel in the first month.

Find a place to write. Whether it is your desk, the kitchen table or a favorite chair doesn’t matter. Determine a place that you will write and make it yours, when you have a set time and place to write the task becomes much easier. When you sit down at that place at a certain time you know that you are going to write and you can concentrate on the topic at hand.

Use tools you’re comfortable with. Find the tools you’re comfortable with your laptop, desktop, or longhand, the right method is the one that works for you. I had a client who typed his entire book on his Blackberry, it worked for him and I can’t argue with the final result. Personally, I like a good quality pen and paper for the outline and recording my first thoughts and then work on my desktop for the composition.

Don’t judge. Don’t get caught up evaluating your first attempts. It is early in the process and you’re working on the skills of being a writer. What seemed earth shattering yesterday may not seem quite as brilliant today but, don’t worry about it. Keep writing and record some new ideas or concepts. You can go back to polish your work later, and besides, the world is full of editors. Pierre Burton used to use a third of his writing budget on editors and proof readers, and he did pretty well in the business of writing.

Next time we’ll get into some of the drills and skills of composition and how to break your book down into manageable pieces, for now I ask you to consider making 2012 not only the Year of the Dragon but the Year of Your Book.

Speaking of Stamps…

John Thunder’s Buffalo Point Rising to a Higher Level will be released later this month. It is the second volume in a trilogy that tells the story of one native band’s journey to financial independence.

The first book in the series a biography of John’s father Jim was released in November of 2010 and chronicles his life from adoption by the Native Band to his accomplishments as chief including a stint in the US Air Force.

A limited number of special edition copies of Rising to a Higher Level are available and feature postage stamps from Canada, the US and Great Britain all with pictures of Chief Thunder in ceremonial headdress. The signed number copies are available from Buffalopointblog.com. Both books are available in ebooks from Amazon or print version from the blog.

It has been 20 years since the dismantling of the Soviet Union and elimination of Soviet support for Cuba. That meant a $200 million reduction in the Cuban budget, and agriculture was particularly hard hit.

When I first visited Cuba shortly after the withdrawal of support Russian equipment was parked in the fields and fence lines because of a lack of fuel and agricultural chemicals, today that equipment is still parked but most of it has rusted beyond repair and trees are growing through it.

In the twenty years since the Soviets left Cuban agriculture has made the transition to organic production by default rather than choice. Cuban produce commands a 20% premium on the world market because of the organic production methods but little of that finds its way back to the farm.

Oxen outnumber tractors for plowing and horse carts outnumber trucks on the roads.

Cuba 20 Years Later is a look at Cuba today as it faces its greatest changes since the Communist Revolution.

Presented at the Morden Elks Club Feb 20 and available for other audiences.

Book Writing Boot Camp

Winnipeg, January 7/8, 2012

The book writer’s boot camp is two days of hands-on experience writing your book. It is conducted in a very small group of writers and includes individual instruction.

You will be introduced to the ISRI method of writing which trains you to break the task of writing down to manageable pieces. You will learn the process of writing, how to choose your chapter topics, and then you will put what you learn into practice.

The Camp includes three writing sessions where you will actually write the chapters of your book and share them with other participants. You will also receive an overview of the publishing industry, information on whether you should self-publish, tips on how to choose an editor (yes, you need one), and suggestions on which style is right for your book and your audience.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions about the book business, and even plan the book launch, but most importantly you will learn how to write your book in 30 days and have it published in 90 days.

The cost of this event is only $850 which includes coffee and lunches. The early bird discount is $750 if you register before December 1, 2011.

Whether you use a laptop, typewriter or notebook and pen, bring it with you because you will be writing. This is a working session so dress is casually.

Register now! Spaces are very limited. For more information or a registration sheet contact:
Les Kletke
lkletke@mts.net
204-324-6278

Keep checking globalghostwriter.com for updates. We’re currently under construction, but we’ll be up soon!