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Writers are always thinking about their writing voice. Have you given any thought to using your speaking voice to build a relationship with your readers?

Little things make you stand out in the minds of others. A special turn of phrase, the tone and timbre of your voice, a regional accent all make you unique among all the voices in the world. Your speaking voice builds a special relationship with your readers and listeners.

Recently we’ve been dealing with all the paperwork that surrounds death and the process of dying. My father-in-law’s passing entails more forms than his living did (and that was a considerable amount).

We also have to arrange for the best accommodations for my mother-in-law. Checking out board-and-care facilities involved an overnight trip to the LA area.

Even though we made arrangements for a neighbor kid to replenish food and water for PJ (the umbrella cockatoo), he had to spend most of 36 hours alone.

Cockatoos, like most parrots, are flock animals.  Being alone is scary! Cockatoos are also very LOUD!  The scream to get the flock together when the sun sets. I also think they scream goodbye to the setting sun.

Since PJ is a male cockatoo with strong protective instincts, he is on guard whenever we aren’t around. The poor bird was alone and on guard for about 36 hours. Not an ideal situation for a cockatoo.

We arrived home after dark. PJ was asleep and didn’t much like being disturbed. I knew he would be exhausted after expending so much energy on guarding.

When Dennis told him good night, he said, “I’m a good bird” in a sweet little voice. (Usually he yells it.) We thought it was cute.

In the morning, we realized that something was wrong with his voice. His usual morning sounds were spoken in a whisper. His voice wasn’t normal at all.

Now, most cockatoo people would think that this is a good thing. Cockatoo loudness is the biggest drawback in living with them.

However, we weren’t at all happy with his lack of voice. The noises he made just weren’t PJ. As loud as his voice was, we wanted to hear it again.

Your voice is unique to you, just a PJ’s voice is unique to him. Hearing your voice is one of the fastest ways to build a relationship with your readers.

Your voice, your word choices, and your word order personalize you to your audience. This helps your listeners know, like, and trust you faster. They realize there is a real person behind your words.

There are many different ways to use your voice.

Audio on your web site or blog

You can use audio on your web site to great people, on your blog’s “about” page, or on a sign-up page for your newsletter

Teleseminars

Hold teleseminars for your readers. Share your knowledge and experience using your own voice.

Podcasts

Provide audio files that your readers can subscribe from their computer or their MP3 player

Downloadable MP3s

Put audio files on your web site that your readers can download.

Conferencing software

Hold meetings and have conversations with your readers from your computer to theirs. Technology today makes it easy.

Send audio email or audio postcards

Let your emails and newsletters speak in your own voice.

Hold virtual book tours

An audio virtual book tour works the same way as an in person appearance, only no one has to travel. You hold a teleseminar and talk about your book. You can include a question and answer segment which will help you build a relationship with your readers.

Add audio to your social networking site profiles

Use your voice as well as your picture to make your social networking more personal.

Technology makes it easy to reach your readers on a personal level. Combining audio with Web 2.0 lets you really reach out to your readers.

Write on,

Lynn Jordan

Today my father would have been 100. I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately as I sat beside my dying father-in-law.

Even though the circumstances of their deaths were different and the passings were almost 30 years apart, there are commonalities when you are sitting at the bedside of the dying.

As a writer, I deal with stress and strife by writing. I have written enough details about hospitals to include hospital scenes in books for the rest of my life.

 I can tell that I’ve grown as a writer in the last 20 odd years. The notes written at my father’s bedside are filled with facts, sounds, and smells.

My recent notes include my feelings as I combed my father-in-law’s soft, white, hair or sat quietly listening to his labored breathing.

Emotion breaths life into writing. While harder for the writer, revealing emotions draws the reader into the story. He becomes a participant and not merely an observer.

No matter the circumstances, there are lessons to be learned as we sit at the bedside of the dying.

You are forced to live in the moment. You focus on the patient’s immediate needs and/or their next breath.

You realize that other problems aren’t nearly as important as you thought they were. Dying puts living into perspective.

You are reminded how fleeting, fragile, and precious life really is. Treasure every moment of it. Live as if this moment may be your last, or the last moment for someone you love.

I learned a lot from both of these wonderful men, although Daddy had passed before I met Bob. I will miss the walks, the talks and especially the advice.

I will take the wisdom and knowledge they gave me with me through the rest of my life.

Write on,

Lynn Jordan

Everyone uses the same tried and true techniques when promoting their upcoming releases.

Bookmarks are easy and cheap. Everyone who reads needs them, right?

Personally, I love pens and note pads. Post-it Notes are nice. “Writer at Work” signs are welcome, especially if they have a cute twist or graphic.

Andy Nulman has come up with a great, fresh way to promote his new release, POW! Right Between The Eyes: Profiting From The Power Of Surprise. Of course, with a title like that, you’d expect something different in his book promotion.

He’s giving away 200 free copies of his book to bloggers who write about it and link back to his blog. This technique works on many different levels.

Read more…

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January has slipped away (or almost, depending on your time zone). Are you on track with your writing goals? Have you totally given up on your new year’s resolutions? Do you feel as if you are totally underwater and swimming against the current?

By January 15^th, most new year resolutions are history. Don’t let this happen to you.

While working with a client today, I heard stress in her voice. She said that she was feeling overwhelmed about all that she had to get done. The more she talked, the more frantic her voice became and the more her sense of overwhelm came through.

I gave her a series of steps to help her break things up into manageable chunks and think about all of them at once.

Here are the steps I took her through.

Read more…

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We are starting the last week in January. By this time a lot of people have abandoned the goals they set for the new year. Have you made any progress on your writing goals for 2009?

If you’ve fallen behind, don’t beat yourself up about it. Start where you are now to get back on track.

Author Diana Duncan sent me this quote recently. I’d never heard it, but it struck a chord with me.

Annie Dillard: Writing a book is like taming a lion - every day you stay out of the cage, it’s more dangerous to step inside.

It’s really true that writing can be like taming lions. The longer you are away from it, the harder it is to sit down and put your hands on the keyboard.

Here are a few ways to get back on track and make writing a daily habit.

Read more…

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Most of the time when people find out I’m a writer, they say, “I’ve always wanted to write a book” or “I bet I could write a book” or something like that.

Next they say, “when the kids are all in school” or “when the kids start college” or “when I retire”. They all mean, “when I find time to write”.

85% of the population wants to write a book. But only 5% ever started a book.

Why?

Most people try to find time to write in their busy lives. That won’t happen. Writing demands that you MAKE the time to write.

Your muse requires attention or she’ll go work with someone else.

There are some tricks and techniques you can use to make time in your busy life to make writing a priority. Read more…