Watertown: Coming Home to Family

The world watched Watertown being searched for one of the Boston Marathon bombers last week,  What we saw on TV was a neighborhood in crisis:  families sheltering in place to stay safe.

What's it usually like in Watertown?

1st impression - BUSY!

They really squeeze a lot into 4.2 square miles.

There are always lots of cars, people and everyone's on the move.  Watertown is a great place to go shopping, go to restaurants and visit friends who live there because it's near the T (subway) and a lot cheaper rent-wise than Cambridge or Arlington.

The Mt. Auburn Cemetery is incredibly beautiful and is listed as the second oldest public garden in America by the American Association of Public Gardens and Arboretum.

Many Bostonians walk there and relax.

Watertown is where Paul Revere hid out with his family when the British were looking for him.  Paul Revere is known as a Revolutionary.  A Freedom Fighter.

That is a far cry from the bomber who hid out in Watertown last week.

Paul Revere fought for our freedom and so far, the only reason why the bombers apparently bombed innocent men, women and children attending the Boston Marathon was that they were FUBAR (f'ed up beyond all repair).

The runners crossing the finish line mid-afternoon each year of the marathon are not the professional athletes - they are your brother, your sister, your mom, your dad, your cousin, your spouse, your friend and your neighbor.  They are your community.

They may come from California, Texas, Illinois or Michigan, but on Race Day, the Boston Marathon is about making it from the start line to the finish line.  It's all about seeing your family after you've accomplished something really great in life.  A runner told me the best thing in life is seeing your child's face and their pride in you when you cross the finish line for the first time.

Where did these bombers start their journey from being "angels" as their father described his boys to "terrorists?"

The bombers crossed the finish line, but they never ran the race - they never loved anyone, helped anyone or sacrificed their own well-being for the sake of a greater cause.  They killed kids, moms, dads and friends.  Their own mother's heart is broken.  A father's dream for his sons is dead.

200+ people's bodies - ears, legs, feet, hands, arms, backs, brains, hearts were blown up, hit by shrapnel and punctured with bbs intentionally placed inside a pressure cooker bomb to kill.  One brother was killed in a shootout with police where he and his brother tossed grenades and shot at law officers.  One brother killed his own brother in an effort to escape.

That fleeing brother ran for about a mile and left a trail of blood to his hiding place in a boat in a family's backyard in Watertown.  He hid in that boat while his mother and father told the world their son would never kill innocent people.

But he did.  He killed kids, moms, dads and friends.  Then he killed a police officer and attacked a group of police officers.  He killed his own brother.

Then he tried to run away.

He broke his mother's heart.  He killed his father's dream.

200+ people whose bodies were blown up, pierced with metal, embedded with pieces of metal and burned were what this bomber hid from in that boat in a backyard in Watertown.

I just can't believe it.  I know the facts.  I know how much everyone is hurting.  I can't believe two men who were brothers, sons, nephews, a father, a college friend would hurt people.  I just can't understand why anyone would do such a thing!  When does "killer" become more important than "son" or "brother"?

Watertown is a busy place - people come and go and live their lives.  For one crazy day, the world watched Watertown protects its own and capture a killer.  Moms, dads, kids and friends can now walk again in a beautiful park, jog around a pond, shop in a local mall and live their busy lives.  Hearts are broken, dreams are lost and a lot of people are starting to live again after the tragedy.

Arms, legs, ears, feet, elbows and hearts will slowly heal  We've lost loved ones in a senseless bombing.  We've lost loved ones who showed up for work to protect the communities they serve.

We're starting to understand that winning means never giving up.  Never miss a moment to say I love you.  Never think that being busy is more important than the ones you love.  Be with the ones you love.

If there's anything the people of Watertown and Boston and the surrounding communities showed the world is that family is first.  Boston Strong doesn't stand for the army of law enforcement that swooped in after the bombing.

Boston Strong means the kids, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, friends and neighbors who love each other and take care of each other.

Boston Strong means being there for the ones you love.

Killing kids, moms, dads, sisters, brothers has only one finish line:  you lose.

Blah Blah Blahg-ing

What's the magic that takes a sentence from blah blah blah to "oh that is interesting!"

What can writers do to put a little zippity in the doo da for readers?

Here are some suggestions - let me know your thoughts, too!

1) Get to the point (unless there is no point) - assuming there is a point to what you're writing, TELL US clearly what it is.

2)  If there is no point - add some cool graphics that give a reader a "feel" for what you are trying to say so we can get the gist of it.

3)  Find a point to write about before you start - that helps a lot!

4)  Ask the reader for help if you have an idea but aren't sure what all the answers are.  (For example, what is the magic that makes a sentence worth reading?)

5)  Keep it short and to the point (but set the scene)- please don't wander off mid-sentence and ask yourself why you are writing this when the sun is shining and you haven't made your coffee yet and it doesn't look like your husband is going to pause his Formula1 race to go make you a nice cup of Blue Mountain coffee.  Have I ever told you how much I love coffee on Sunday mornings?  Is there anything better in life than drinking coffee while blogging on your couch feeling comfy cozy in your oldest pair of sweatpants and a glittery orange butterfly t-shirt on a lazy Sunday morning?

6)  M A G I C:  love your writing, love your reader, love being alive.

7)  Suspense:  as I inserted the image below into this blog, my husband walked into the kitchen and ran the water...

Your readers know when you love them and are writing for them.

Your readers also know when you're not writing FOR them, but writing for some other reason (vanity, lunacy or just plain for the money).  Readers can sense when you've put your blood, sweat and tears into a book.

They may not like the book, but readers can tell when writers put their heart and soul on the line.

That gift of heart & soul is what makes writing magic.

Have a great week of reading & writing!
Shawna 

Join my writing community on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ZapWritingWithShawnaHansen



Check out what I'm reading and writing at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4981156.Shawna_Hansen
 
P.S.  The lights just went on in the kitchen again!  I can hear footsteps walking across the cold tiles.  Will the cupboard where the coffee is stored open with its usual squeak...?
(If you thought you had enough suspense in your story, it really never hurts to add a little more....)

Working 24/7

I'm on vacation this week, but my books are working 24/7!

The really cool thing about epublishing is that a reader can purchase and download a book at any time from almost everywhere in the world.

There is no need to be without something to read ever again.

It sounds terrific, but the more I think about the business of selling books, the more surprised I am that bookstores made it as long as they have.

Here's what I know about selling books:

There is always a library in every neighborhood full of free books (so as a book seller, I want to sell to libraries);

Just because a reader buys a book, it doesn't mean they will read it.  Books can sit around on coffee tables for decades before anyone bothers to read them.  It happens!  (Ebooks can languish away on hard drives world wide, but no one knows...)

It's hard to know exactly why anyone even wants to buy a book.  Readers buy books based on the covers or the placement in the store or just because it looks better than anything else they happened on as they browsed the shelves.  People who love to read have their likes and dislikes in reading material and those who don't really like to read, but buy books in case they suddenly want to read (which is not really very likely) will probably regift the book or start it and then donate it or sell it;

A lot of people don't read very often (or for fun).  A lot of people read 1-2 books a year and one of those books was actually a movie based on a book (that counts, right?);

A lot of people who do like to read don't have e-readers but prefer to buy hard copy books; and

Some people go to bookstores to drink coffee and look at books there (without buying them).  The last time I was at a big bookstore at the North Shore Mall, there were a few people browsing for books and the coffee shop was completely full of people looking at books!

It was a wonderful scene (and probably explains why the coffee there is so expensive).



For e-book writers, it's really impossible to give away a free copy of your book and expect anyone to talk about it after they read it.

There are some groups that solicit reviews online.  You can ask your colleagues and friends to read the book and help you out with a review, but honestly, even if you hand out a large number of books for free, it might not make much of an impression.


Ok, OK, so why is it so great to have a book out there that no one cares about 24/7?

All I can say is that writing a book is a positive experience.  Selling the book sucks, but knowing it's out there for that 1 random reader who loves to read your books on an e-reader and might just possibly tell a friend or two they loved your book, makes it worthwhile.

The one truly amazing thing about epublishing is that the writer decides when to sell a book and when to withdraw it.  The writer also sets the book's price (with the understanding that the retail site takes its cut).  

When writers get their works out into the world, society changes.  Think about what happened when the printing press was invented.  The internet and webpages changed the way human beings communicate with each other.

Being able to upload your writing to several retail sites instantaneously is a power very few writers have imagined.  Savor this artistic explosion, but don't forget to take a vacation here and there.

Your books will keep on working even if you're relaxing on the couch.

S O C I A L Media Game

This week, let's talk.

Blogging without comments is lonely.  It's like going to a party and not knowing anyone and trying to talk to people, but they just smile and go hang with their friends.

photo by skinwon

It is time for a party game!  I want to hear from you!  In every blog I write, I ask you a question.  If you read this post, please find a blog entry on Zap! Writing or Goodreads if you are reading this there and leave a comment.  At the end of your comment, please ask me a question (or your readers in general to really make this social experiment work).

image www.mynameisgigi.com

Please repost this anywhere you like and leave me a comment where you posted it and I'll come check it out!

Let's put the S O C I A L in social media! 

Let's talk about Success and Influence

When I lived in Iowa City, there was a writer there who wrote a little book that was turned into a movie with a character named Rambo.  Do you know who starred as Rambo in the movies?  Do you know who wrote the book the movie was based on?  

That writer drove a beat-up car with a muffler held on with duct tape... after the movie came out.

Bet you thought I'd say he drove that beat-up car, then sold the rights to his wonderful book which became Rambo and then drove around L.A. in his new Mercedes.

I can't tell you how much I wish the story went like that.  There is a happy ending here, but it's not going to be about money.   The happy ending here is that a fantastic writer wrote a phenomenal book and although everyone else in this crazy world became filthy rich from his story, the writer went on to write more books.  

Do you know this writer?

How do you define success?

John Locke's book, "How I Sold a Million E-Books in 5 Months" is a great place to look for how he defines success (and his heart-rending story of failure after failure after failure).  What stood out for me the most in the book was how John named each of his books and set sales goals for each book.  He applauded the success of each and monitored them as if they were his employees - how did Rachel do this month?  Thanks, Jill, your success just bought my groceries!  John Locke defined his goals and found a way to measure the success of each book.  He did not measure his own self-worth or success by how many (or how few) books he sold or how much money he sank into a pursuit that initially was a moneypit.  Like the world famous writer above who used duct tape to hold his car together, so he could keep moving, John Locke, used everything he had to keep things moving forward.

John Locke's Staff Directory

Find a way to hold your dream together and success will follow.

Somewhere in your life, there's someone who believes in you.  We don't have cheerleaders like the character Gary in the Pokemon series.  That would be nice!  You'll find people who are willing to read your blog, willing to read your crappy first drafts and willing to show up to your book readings just to say hi.  You'll find a few people who are willing to pay 99 cents for your book and tell others that it was a fun read.

Why does negative influence from the trolls, griefers, and gripers have so much power online?  

There's a famous social media saying, "Don't feed the trolls."  Trolls are the negative folks who spend their days alerting the world to how much you suck.  The best way to handle trolls is to ignore them.  However, there is another famous saying in social media, "everything online stays online forever."  So, without feeding the trolls, by default the trolls' hard work stays permanently in place with your social media.

Over time, your fans and influencers will step up and override the trolls, but dealing with the negative influence will not help you on your path to success.  Let all that go.  When someone finally steps forward and says, "hey, leave her alone, she's a nice person working hard," give that person a LOT of your attention and if you can, help them in turn!

Success comes to those who pick up the pieces time after time.  Success comes to those who never give up.  Success comes to those who keep writing when their first books don't sell and frankly stink.  You are the success of all your failures, triumphs and efforts.  Your success is a shadow of all your smiles, frowns, tears, late nights, early mornings, missed meetings, showing up time after time and shaking hands with a few good people over the years.  

Influence is coming out from the shadow of success and telling everyone that you're who you are today because of a roll of duct tape, a book from a guy who names his books and sets sales goals, a high school teacher whose daughter wrote and said you were a nice girl, a teacher who hated your writing, a teacher who loved your writing and a teacher who said "if you don't cry when you write, you can't write poetry."  Influence is taking all those stories and wrapping them around you like a fur cape and then flinging back the cape and confidently telling the world to gather around:  it's time to tell a story.

It's YOUR time!  Make a wish and tell your story!