Exciting, exciting! The conference is less than three weeks away! Have you registered yet? The door prizes are being collected, and the book review contest is being put together. Have you seen the awesome donations? Be sure to stop by.
This week we are being treated with a guest post by the amazing Randy Lindsay. Check out his spotlight and his website. Let him know what you think, and Enjoy!
STRUCTURED EXPERT OR FREEFALLING ADVENTURER?
For me the journey through the enchanted land of Authordom has been an exciting adventure. At each stage, I have savored the moment that I worked so long to reach. My first contract offer from a publisher. My first book signing. My first peek at the cover for my newest book. And now the opportunity to write a guest post for the ANWA blog.
Each of these mileposts on the journey has multiple component parts that are in their own way special and exciting. Take the guest post opportunity, for instance. The invitation itself is a stop and enjoy it moment that leaves you with an important choice to make. How do I react to the invitation?
Option 1: Arch an eyebrow in a sophisticated manner and say, “It’s about time someone recognized me for my complete and utter writing brilliance.” Yeah, probably not the best approach.
Option 2: Call my author friends and ask, “I was invited to write a guest blog for ANWA, were you?” And then when they say they weren’t, laugh and hang-up. My friends might think it was funny, but why take the chance?
Option 3: Read the e-mail a second time in order to savor the moment and then write a post where you pretend you weren’t seriously considering the first two options.
Alright, enough goofing around. What I really wanted to address was a specific part of the offer to write a guest blog—the topic. Is it better to be given a topic to write about or to have it totally open for the author to choose?
Some of you may be asking yourselves, “Who wonders about stuff like that?” Apparently, I do. It’s part of what makes me The StoryMan. If that happens scares you, then join the club.
I’m The StoryMan because literally everything is a story idea to me. Television commercials, political debates, even conversations I overhear at the grocery store all have the potential to bloom into a story. So then why do I prefer to have a topic assigned to me? Why do I feel more comfortable with a predetermined starting point?
I don’t know. I’m an author Jim, not a psychiatrist.
What about you? Do you prefer author’s choice or assigned topic?
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