Guest Blog with Deb Hanrahan - Starting Out as a Writer - 5 Things You Should Know and Review and Giveaway of Changing My Wardrobe

Starting Out As A Writer – 5 Things You Should Know

When I completed Changing My Wardrobe, I was naïve enough to think, “Yay, I’m done!” Little did I know that it was just the beginning. Over the next year, I learned a lot but also wasted a considerable amount of time and money. So I would like to pass along the five things that I think every new writer should know.

1.                  Someone else needs to edit your manuscript, but you can proofread it yourself. It is essential to have another pair of eyes look at your story and try to find any plot holes, character problems, timeline issues, point-of-view slips, and tense inconsistencies. This doesn’t need to be done by a professional but should be done by someone who reads a lot and is brutally honest. Although, a professional could help you fix the problems and not just point them out to you.

In my humble opinion, proofreading or line editing can be done by the author, but spell check alone won’t cut it. I like to look through my manuscript one item at a time. For instance, I will look at every comma, then every apostrophe etc. After punctuation, I look for common word mistakes like here vs. hear, and there vs. their. I use The Elements of Style by Strunk and White as a reference (according to On Writing, so does Stephen King.) 

2.                  Writing is going to cost you something—money, time, your ego, your soul…. Even though the cost to actually write a book is minimal, the cost to publish it can be high. Trust me, whether you plan to query agents or self-publish, you will pay. If you don’t have a lot of money, plan to spend your time, and if you don’t have a lot of time, plan to spend your money.

3.                  Make peace with social media. If you want readers to find out about your book, you will need to become a social media expert. You must have a blog/website, a Facebook page, and a Goodreads account. These three things are essential. You might also want to consider using Twitter, You Tube, Tumbler, Pinterest…you get the idea. 

4.                  Choose your brand name carefully. When you are setting up your various social media accounts, you should use your author name. It takes a long time to amass a following, and if you need to change your name down the road, you might lose followers. I made this mistake with my blog. At first, I used a pen name for my blog address, and when I recently changed it to my author name, I lost my Google ranking.

5.                  If you want to write for a living, you will need to work at it every day (or nearly every day.) Almost all popular authors have more than just one or two books out there. So, like anything else in life, writing takes work, dedication, and patience—lots and lots of patience.

Changing My Wardrobe
By Deb Hanrahan
Release Date: May 26, 2011

Description:
Lindsey, a high school freshman, views her new school as a place to start over. With the help of her friends, she hopes that a change in her wardrobe will prompt a change in her image. She has some success until her long-time nemesis, Avery, reminds Lindsey of her place. Without asking for help from the adults, the main character and her friends struggle to manage the bullying. Despite their efforts, tensions rise, and people get hurt. The ending of this book will leave the reader shocked and heartbroken.

Changing My Wardrobe is a cautionary tale about the immutable problem of bullying. This story not only looks at bullying from the victim's point of view but also explores the motives behind the aggressors’ actions. Changing My Wardrobe demonstrates the fluid and complex nature of bullying by shining a light on the contributing factor of social media.

 About the Author

I live with my husband and three teenagers in the Chicagoland burbs. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Chemistry, I worked at a nuclear power plant for five years. I then left my career to stay at home with my three kids.

Seemingly, overnight, I went from being crazy-busy to having way too much time on my hands. With my husband working long hours and my kids pursuing their own lives, I had to reinvent myself. So, I decided to write that book I always wanted to write. Changing My Wardrobe is my first novel

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 Nicole's Review: Changing my Wardrobe tackles a harsh subject. Bullying is a major problem for a lot of teens and it was great to read a book on this topic.

I do have to say that I liked Lindsey's friends more than Lindsey for most of the book. I wanted to like Lindsey but she treated Jocelyn poorly. Her thoughts and actions did not show Lindsey in a good light. At times, the dialogue between the characters felt flat. Teeny stole the spotlight from Lindsey on many occasions. I almost think the story would have been stronger if it had been told from Teeny's POV instead of Lindsey's.

The ending completely shocked me and almost redeemed Lindsey in my eyes. Very powerful ending. Seriously gripping. I love theme of this story and wish more YA books would tackle this subject.

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DISCLOSURE – *Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*