The Advantages of Associating with Other Writers

I go to a local writer's group. Each time I go to a meeting, I feel motivated anew to write more regularly and to make writing a higher priority in my life.  Meeting with other writers is encouraging and gives me new ideas.  It also gives me a sounding board for some of the ideas I have running around in my head. Moreover, it's fun.  I love getting to talk about one of my passions with others who are just as passionate about it

With a houseful of kids, however, blessed as I am, it can be difficult to make it out of the house to meet with other writers.  Sometimes, the best avenue available to me is the telephone or e-mail.
Occasionally, I'll call a fellow writer and professional editor and bounce ideas off of her.  Not to mention, I always enjoy hearing how her projects are progressing.

Sometimes, I shoot an e-mail off to a fellow author in Austria, an imaginative writer who is also a great sounding board for marketing ideas.  Not to mention a person whose unique perspective on things is pretty much always encouraging.

Occasionally, I simply tweet fellow authors. That also can lead to new ideas, end writer's block, and get the gears in my head turning.

Basically, whether it's through e-mail, phone, twitter, or a writers' meeting keeping in touch with others who share my passion keeps me motivated and keeps the new ideas flowing.

Making Your Own Book Video Trailer- Part 2

I put off making my book video trailer for a long time.  Why? Because first, I had no idea what to put in it, I mean, I'm a writer, not a film producer. And it's not like I have lots of actors at my disposal.  But I was determined. I already covered the issues of photos, etc. in the a previous blog post. 

This brings me to a second issue.  How do I bring these still shots to life? Music. Now, I had ideas for music in my head.  I thought of the movies I've seen and what kind of soundtrack I'd want running in the background. Basically, I thought about the kind of music I'd hear in the background if my book were a movie. 


I had to think of the mood I wanted to create. For my early reader, I wanted something upbeat, catchy and cheerful for "The Dog in the Bog."  I needed something that would appeal to young children.

For my young adult novel, "Destined Love is Immortal,"  I needed music of a completely different genre.  I was thinking of sword fights in major motion pictures as I listened to a multitude of options of music.  The music had to be reminiscent of a sword fight, of action. 

The next issue? Where do I get the music? 

Well, this was much easier than I'd ever thought.  I got the music through Youtube.  Fortunately, if you make a photo album/slide show through Youtube, they provide a vast array of music you can choose from free of charge to put your photos to. 

I had to listen to quite a few tracks to find the right one, but in the end, I was pleased with the result.  There's also an option to fit make the slide show fit the length of the music.  I did this and it worked out pretty well.

I'm certain there are many other avenues for obtaining music to go with your book video trailer, but for me, using what was freely available on Youtube was by far the best solution.