“Brand isn’t just a statement created spontaneously. It is made up over time of many little experiences.” Five minutes to go, I thought, while valiantly attempting to work off on the treadmill my over indulgence of Christmas treats. Thank fully I had t.v. to distract me. And distract me it did! Twenty minutes later I was still huffing along, engrossed in the Bloomberg’s story about the future of advertising. It made me think, as I prepared for the end of 2013 and the new year- 2014, that as authors every word we write speaks to this concept. Our stories are our brands. But so too are we. Which one of us hasn’t heard the advice, write what you know? I believe this goes much deeper than a research suggestion. This is about being true to ourselves when we write. If I don’t believe in my characters and the life they lead, how on earth will my readers? Our passions for the settings we explore in our novels, whether it is renaissance England, modern day Moscow, or the planet of Zeezee, will shine through in how we describe them. But branding isn’t as simple as picking out a few words which fit our personality or writing. Branding needs to provide focus for our efforts, so that the choices we make reflect the experiences we want our readers and fans to have. As we toast in the new year it is a perfect time for us to consider the brand we have created for ourselves, be it stated or unstated. Does it fit our values, our dreams, and our goals? Do we live by it in what write as authors and what we do as people? And finally, would others recognize it in the experiences they encounter with us? Last year I made a handful of resolutions which may or may not have been kept. Unrelated to what was most important to me, I have lost track of what they were. This year I plan to keep it much more simple. I have one resolution only: To formalize my brand, Journeys Inspired by Love, in what I do, what I write and who I am. At the end of the year I hope to be able to look back and find specific ways that I created this experience, not just for my readers, but also for myself. Here’s to the very best of New Years for each of us. Cheers, Deanne p.s. last day to get your comments in for a chance to win $10 to the non-political charity of your choice. Check back next week to see if you won.
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"We filmed it in the old, abandoned, part of a hospital. Very creepy."
I was volunteering in the IP lounge at the conference and so was privy to some interesting conversations taking place. Aside from the expected discussions of publishing, the Willamette Writers Conference adds a unique perspective in that it also includes screenwriters. It was clear, by simply observing the two two distinct groups, that film and print are very different worlds indeed. Visual by nature, the film agents and producers represented this in how they dressed and spoke. Networking in a way that could only come from a world of celebrity interactions. As usual when I attend a conference, I was primarily there to study craft. But even still, it is impossible to avoid the business end of things. And this, is something that draws energy from me faster than a wormhole. And yet, the energy of the film group was extremely contagious, so that I found myself drawn to them like a baby toward an open electrical outlet. I went to sleep dreaming about the settings of my books, about re-creating the scene in Untangling the Knot where Gabriella discovers the Statue of Mary in Pienza, Italy, or where Jessica walks along the esplanade in Boston. Lucky for me... it s not entirely a dream. In fact, just a couple of weeks from now I will be on the East coast. I will get to visit the Patriot's stadium and visualize Ryan doing his field goal kicks there. I will get to write in the sand at the cape, just as Gabriella and Chloe did, and I will get to go back to the church where Mandy and Ryan plan to get married. It's not quite the same as re-creating it for film, but whatever is left out my imagination will cover for me and I will appreciate the chance, for a moment, to dream of the film adaptation. Do you have a favorite book that's been adapted for film? I'd love to hear what it is (the classic and best, being, of course Pride and Prejudice:>) Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I always love hearing from my readers. Cheers, Deanne |
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June 2020
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