A Guest Post by Wayne E. Pollard, Creator of Bo’s Café Life

I believe that persistence is the most important trait you should have if you want to get published. To get my first piece published in The New York Times, I pitched it to at least five different editors until I found one who was interested in the piece.

Before pitching that piece to The New York Times, I had pitched it to an editor at The Village Voice, who rejected it. If I hadn’t pitched it to The New York Times, the piece would still be sitting in a file on my computer, unpublished.

To get published, you must query constantly. Send out queries every day if you can and be persistent because persistence pays. Yes, persistence pays – but not enough to cover the rent. In addition to being persistent, to get published, you must know how to effectively query.

I’m going to tell you how to increase your chances of getting an article published. These are the steps that I followed to get articles (mine and my client’) in publications ranging from American Banker to Wine Enthusiast. Here are my seven steps to querying success:

1. Position Yourself as an Authority.

Just as an author should have a platform, a writer should also have a platform. What makes you qualified to write the article? Write a brief, two to three sentence bio sketch that establishes your credibility and then put this in the first paragraph of your query letter.

2. Have a Strategy.

To get bylines in better publications, you must stick and move; hit one publication and then move on to another one. Your aim is to build momentum. What do I mean? Start with smaller publications and then work your way up. Submit a few pieces to your community paper or magazine. Then use those clips to get into a regional publication.

After that, use those clips to get into a statewide publication. My bylines in a county-wide newspaper enabled me to write for the #2 paper in my state. This enabled me to get a piece published in The Village Voice, which then enabled me to get a byline in The New York Times. Get the idea?

3. Be Choosy.

You must strategically choose where you submit your work. The truth is that some bylines are more prestigious than others. I occasionally blog for The New York Times The Local. Another writer who wanted to blog asked me if she should submit pieces to The Local or to another blog in my community. I told her that if she’s trying to get build her career as a writer, then she should submit pieces to The Local because having a byline in The New York Times will give her more credibility as a writer.

I know that some writers don’t feel comfortable hearing this, but it’s the truth; there are some publications that editors-in-chief and managing editors will respect more than others. And if you are trying to build your career as a writer, you can’t waste too much time writing for publications that won’t help you achieve your writing goals. Do you understand?

4. Research. Research. Research.

The key to successfully getting published is to do your research. Once you have your article or an idea for an article and you know which publication you want to target, study what’s been published in that publication in the past two years. If you find nothing similar to your article, great! Mention this in your query letter. If you come across an article that covers your topic, tell how yours will be different.

5. Give the Benefits.

In your query, tell why the publication’s readers will find your piece informative or interesting. This is crucial. My very first piece that was published in a national magazine was, “Confessions of a Software Salesman.” It was published in CIO (Chief Information Officer), a difficult magazine to get published in.

When I pitched the article to the managing editor, I told her that I was a former software insider and that I could give her readers tips that would help them save hundreds of thousands of dollars. She bought my article. You, too, in your query, must tell how readers will benefit from your article.

6. Pick up the Phone.

Unless the submission guidelines say, “absolutely no phone calls,” you should consider calling the editor. I loved doing telesales and I’m extremely effective over the phone. If you, too, know how to effectively pitch over the phone, then by all means get on the phone and call that editor!

Create a brief pitch that gets the editor’s attention. Here’s mine: “My name is Wayne Pollard and my work’s been published in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Writer’s Digest. I’m calling you because I’d like to submit an article on… I’ve researched your archive and you haven’t published anything like it in the past two years.î

In the few seconds that it takes to say this, I establish that I’m an experienced writer who should be listened to. I also establish that I’ve done my research. Go back to your bio and create a five second pitch that will get an editor’s attention. The key thing is, when you deliver this over the phone, DO NOT PAUSE. Once you’ve gotten the pitch out, wait for the editor’s response. And if the person says that now’s not a good time, just apologize and say that you’ll send an email. Then get off the phone!

7. Let Them Know that You’re a Pro.

Finally, in your query letter, let the editor know that you’re a pro. In my queries, I say, “I can meet any word count and any deadline. I’m also willing to make any edits.” You’re probably thinking, edit my piece?! Yes – if you want to get published, you must be willing to edit your piece. Do you want to get published or do you want to hold on to your precious piece?

Bo’s Café Life is my look at the writing life through the eyes of Bo, an aspiring novelist who spends his time in a café writing and talking to other writers who are also on the quest to get a book deal. It is an honest look at the writing life.

Writers find the strip funny, however, Bo’s Café Life is primarily about determination; Bo is determined to get a book deal. That’s what the strip is really about, pushing on with a dream despite the rejection and the tremendous odds you face.

Have you heard of writers who knew from the time that they first held a #2 pencil that they wanted to be writers? I’m not one of them. I didn’t even major in journalism. I only decided to start writing about ten years ago. Before that, I was in public relations and sales, which is how I learned to be persistent and how to effectively query.

By using my seven steps to querying success and by being persistent, you will get more of your articles published. And don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the process. This is another key message in Bo’s Café Life. See the lighter side of trying to get published and enjoy the ride.

Wayne E. Pollard is the creator of  Bo’s Café Life, a comic strip about an aspiring novelist who spends his time writing in a café and talking to other writers.

A Guest Post by Markus Urban of Art of Blog

In December of 2009 I decided to undertake a lofty challenge – to create a website/blog in one week and get 100,000 unique visitors within a week of launching it. I knew it was possible, and the sheer enormity of it was exciting enough for me to go ahead with the project.

I created the Art of Blog “One Week Challenge.” Along the way I wanted to share everything I knew about creating a world-class website. The plan was to launch a photography site called Hot Shot Photo and detail the progress as I went along.

I failed at what I set out to do.

However, I learned many valuable lessons along the way and I want to share them with you:

1. It doesn’t matter where you start, just start

One of the biggest obstacles to my online career has always been inaction. I would read dozens of blogs and countless articles about “how to do this and that”, amass great knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, and generally fill my head with enough blogging/business ammunition to do anything I set out to do.

The problem was that none of it mattered one bit if I didn’t put it to use. The sheer number of possibilities and options had become paralyzing and at the end of the day I would end up doing nothing.

The key was to start. Something. Anything. So I decided to move on something that really inspired me – the desire to share everything I’ve learned over the years and undertake a huge challenge. I took the first step. That’s what really mattered.

Takeaway: All there ever is – is to start. Start somewhere. Start with something that inspires you.

2. Timing is crucial

Like in comedy, timing is everything. One of the biggest mistakes I made was creating this challenge right before Christmas.

There were fewer people tweeting, a lot of the world was distracted by the holidays, and it was more difficult to gain traction during such a quiet time in the tweetasphere / blogosphere.

When Christmas came around, I focused on my family and friends and let the project take a back seat, weakening its momentum.

Takeaway: Be aware of what’s happening within the time frame that you set out for yourself. Avoid predictable distractions and conflicts.

3. You know a lot more than you think you do

I came to this realization after about the 10th video I published. I realized how much there is to know about blogging. Even though I had been putting out a ton of information out there, I was only beginning to scratch the surface.

When we’re caught up in what we do and what we’re interested in – almost every day of our lives – we forget just how much we know about the topic of our expertise.

I would be willing to bet that you highly underestimate what you know. Once you start putting it out there, whether in video form, through writing, or whatever – you will realize just how much you know.

Takeaway: Become aware of what you know – and realize that you have a lot to share with the world.

4. Get people involved

No man is an island. It became a lot easier to continue working when I had support and interest from my friends and colleagues. Not only did they encourage me along the way, but I was able to get them emotionally vested into the project by asking for their feedback.

People who found the project interesting would retweet and share it with their friends. When I mentioned them in the posts or asked for their input & help – then published posts and videos – they were vested into the project and would help spread the message.

Their input was helpful, and so was their desire to spread that which they helped co-create.

Takeaway: Ask people for feedback along the way, attribute their contributions, and they will be more likely to help you spread your message.

5. Put yourself out there

A good friend of mine Vo Megastar always says “put yourself out there. go hard. and someone will notice.”

A lot of people fear being seen. Mostly because they fear failing and being seen as a failure. If you can just take a look at that fear – accept that it’s there – and act anyway, you will be ahead of most people.

You have a unique life experience that no one else has – you have unique combinations of knowledge and a personality no one else has. Don’t be afraid to share that with the world. You will connect and make a difference to people who can identify with your style.

When I first started recording videos, there was that fear of “being seen” that eventually lessened. If you take a look at videos of people starting out, you will usually see then being somewhat uncomfortable in the first minute or so before they settle in and start talking like themselves. It’s ok – we all have that.

Takeaway: Just put yourself out there. You are great just the way you are. And you’ll be surprised at all the positive feedback people will give you.

6. Keep it Simple

One of the things that derailed the project was the complexity of it. People were confused about the concept. The series on Art of Blog was meant to be a behind-the-scenes series detailing the creation and launching of Hot Shot Photo. It was a website series about another website.

A lot of people thought that Art of Blog was the website that the challenge was about. It created a lot of confusion.

There was also confusion about what the “One Week” meant. Was it build and get 100,000 visitors all in one week? Was it build a site in one week, then reach that goal in the following week? To be quite honest, I didn’t define that clearly (even for myself) from the get-go, which fueled this uncertainty.

Takeaway: Define your purpose or goal in super clear terms, and keep it simple, right from the start.

7. When you fail, own up

If you set out to accomplish something and don’t fulfill it – don’t run and hide and hope no one else will notice. Always own up to it.

Own whatever it is you do – the successes, and even more so the failures. Everyone knows what it’s like to fall short. You will get a lot more respect from people when they know you have nothing to hide.

Takeaway: Own everything you do, whether it’s positive or negative.

8. Failure is never failure

Failure by itself never really happens. It is only when you accept that something failed, is it ever failure in reality. You can just as easily look at what opportunities present themselves from the wake of that which you didn’t accomplish. Wired recently ran a whole series of stories about failures that later turned into huge opportunities for many famous actors, politicians, and thought leaders.

Action begets opportunity. Even action that “fails” ends up opening more possibilities and opportunities that present themselves.

Takeaway: Always keep moving, embrace failure, and see where you end up.

9. You Never Know Where it Will End Up

Part of the fun of launching a project is that you never know where it will end up. Be open to that – give up control and see where that ride takes you – and most importantly – enjoy it along the way.

One of the great things that came out of this entire series is this post itself – the one you are reading right now. I got connected to Mary and we discussed writing this very post.

Here I am – a while later – writing this post on a very prominent website, sharing what I learned. Did I know this would happen along the way? No, but it’s wonderful.

Takeaway: Keep your mind open and embrace the opportunities that present themselves along the way. Embrace new directions.

10. Don’t Take it All So Seriously

At some point throughout this whole process (especially when I ended the challenge and changed direction) I found myself worried about what it will all look like.

Then I took a a step back and remembered why I was doing any of this in the first place. I want to have fun and create a life of freedom for myself, where blogging is just one aspect of my own self-expression. I want to help people out – and that’s exactly what I ended up doing.

It’s important to step back and keep it all in perspective. Why are you blogging? Why are you writing? What got you into this in the first place. By all means, come through on your promises to people and keep true to your word, but remember to have fun along the way.

Takeaway: Win or lose, have fun and remember why you’re doing this in the first place. Don’t take it all so seriously.

Markus Urban is a lifestyle designer, travel show host, cat herder, and entrepreneur who can’t keep still (except when meditating). He runs a series of sites about blogging, technology, photography, and unconventional living. Follow his lifestyle adventures on Twitter.

A Guest Post by David Turnbull of Adventures of a Barefoot Geek

I feel writing should be effortless. To some that may sound ridiculous, and a few months ago I may have agreed with you, because syphoning thoughts from your brain into a coherent structure is mighty difficult, but alas, I love writing too much for me to be content with its inherent difficulty.

This desire for effortless writing encourage me sit down one day, a green tea by my side and write everything down that I felt could make the process itself effortless. 2 hours later, with only a short 5-10 minute break because my fingers were tired, I’d written about 4000 words containing the most flowing, yet actionable set of ideas in a single piece of writing I’d ever written. There was no strain, or stress, or over thinking about how a particular sentence should be structured. It was writing bliss.

Of course, with any creative pursuit you can’t bottle up all the relevant advice in a single article, or without continual thought, so these are some of the ideas I wanted to expand upon and hadn’t isolated previously to make writing an effortless process.

1. Ease the pressure. One common tactic recommended by many veteran writers is to get up in the morning, sit at the computer at 9 o’clock and then not move until the clock strikes 5. The idea is that forcing yourself in to that situation will somehow release your creativity and let your words flow. And then there’s the twist on that exercise in conforming to a high word count, such as 1000-2000 words per day, no matter what.

But while these exercises may encourage you to write a high quantity of words, you’ll be sacrificing the fulfilment that can be released from your words, and the state of effortlessness which I feel is worthy of cultivation.

Therefore, instead of trying to attain high quotas each day, do the opposite. Lower your quotas to ease the pressure. Tell yourself before your fingers strike the keys:

After 10 minutes of solid writing I will be satisfied.

…or…

When I’ve written 200 words I will be satisfied.

This completely shifts your mood, from one of dread and uncertainty, to one of possibility and control. But what I feel the main draw of this practice is the way in which it helps you focus on the present moment, on what you’re writing now.

Looking ahead at large quotas and burdens distracts you from the current task at hand – the writing itself – and thus makes the process more difficult. When there’s less of a hurdle to jump over, your mind focus less on the chance of impending difficulty, and more on completing the point it’s currently tackling.

2. Write only what matters. One of the constant struggles I, and I expect many other writers face is the constant desire to make each paragraph better than the last, to be a beacon of continuous improvement and to say only what matters. In many ways this desire is a burden – in any craft there will always be plateaus that are reached – but in other, more important ways, this mindset is a gift, because when you feel your writing actually matters, that it will potentially make a difference in someone’s life, the words will flow effortlessly.

In the words of the Stoic philosopher Seneca:

“…do not go to listen to people who are more concerned about the quantity than the quality of what they say…”

And in that same way, do not be one of those people who are more concerned about quantity rather than quality. Writing less is a positive trait, embrace it, and don’t give into the allure of writing for the sake of writing.

Before writing anything, ask yourself, “Does this matter?” You can never truly be sure before a piece of writing is complete, but if there’s a slight pang of uncertainty then don’t attempt to work with that feeling. Take the time to polish the concept of what you plan to write, and then write.

3. Negate the need for will power. The act of writing often requires a considerable amount of will power. There are distractions on the internet, the sudden urge to procrastinate in the “real world” and a thousand and one other reasons why the timing isn’t write to put pen to paper or finger to keys. But while developing a high level of self discipline is certainly a noble cause, there’s little need of it if you take the time to shape your circumstances which, in turn, shapes your results.

Block distractions on the internet by using the fantastic LeechBlock extension for Firefox. If you’re not a Firefox user then it’s worth making the switch simply to use this extension (that’s exactly what I did). For the stubborn folk out there an app such as SelfControl will do fine, although it’s not automated and as feature rich. And if you have money to burn, or want access to fancy metrics, then check out the premium version of RescueTime.

Procrastination in general can be overcome with a few simple steps:

• Outline what you plan to write the day before you plan to write it, and don’t overwhelm this list with irrelevance. Never list more than 3 tasks, and stick with just 1 important task if possible. This appears to be an act of will power, to conform to your to do list, but you’ll be surprised about how psychologically powerful a simple plan is over your actions, especially if it’s carefully planned hours in advance.
• Write at a time conducive to being free from distractions. There’s no “right” time to write, but there are better times to write, and those specific times depend on the person. One increasingly popular method is to write late at night, often after midnight. This is something I’ve experimented with and it’s surprisingly powerful, yet I still shy away from it because I worry about the affects of being on the computer so close to sleep.
• Separate your writing environment from leisure. This is a change I made in the past few weeks and has resulted in an enormous change in the way I can either turn on or shut off the part of me that is focused on writing. With this, the times when you’re in your writing environment are heightened, undiluted by the activities of the day, allowing you to truly lose yourself in a flow of effortlessness.

Writing doesn’t need to be difficult. Or tedious. Or stressful. It can be effortless. And while I obviously haven’t covered every aspect of finding flow when writing, my intention with this article wasn’t to provide you with a definitive guide, but open you up to the possibility of what writing can be.

It’s easy to fall into the mindset that inducing insanity is simply an aspect of being a writer you need to deal with. Don’t let yourself believe that fallacy any longer though. Imagine what the state of perfect effortless writing would feel like, and then strive for that using both these suggestions and your own creativity.

David Turnbull is some kid who just likes to write about stuff at Adventures of a Barefoot Geek, a blog about life, technology and simplicity. Subscribe to the blog now and follow him on Twitter.

A heads-up for WTD readers
Leo and Mary will run the next A-list Blogging Bootcamp, How to Create a Blog that Rocks from 13-17 February. Everyone had a blast last time! We’ll be emailing some great articles on blogging. Get yourself on the mailing list by clicking on Leo’s report in the sidebar.

A guest post from Bamboo Forest from Pun Intended

If I were to offer you a beautiful Ralph Lauren shirt and in the same breath an equally beautiful no-name shirt, which of the two would you select?

If you’re anything like me, you’d unhesitatingly go with the Ralph Lauren.

Why?

Simple, when we’re offered two items of equal quality, we go with the known one. That’s the way we humans work. If only we bloggers would put this principle into practice more often.

Let’s look at another scenario. Again I have the random urge to give free stuff away and through a healthy dose of serendipity I cross paths with you. I offer you either a beautiful solid color Ralph Lauren shirt or a no-name shirt of the same quality, except this time the no-name shirt has attractive patterns of bamboo adorned on it — which one are you now going to select?

Many (but not all) would justify selecting the no-name brand because of what it uniquely offers.

Let’s face it… most of us bloggers are no-namers. I sure as hell am, and that’s precisely why I strive to offer something unique, something that even them big boys can not.

Do you do the same?

Another avenue to take to gain attention is to blog on topics that aren’t well covered in the blogosphere. If you’re the only one blogging on a particular subject and there is a human demand for it, you’ll do quite well. There’s only one problem: most subjects that people actually enjoy have already become nicely saturated. So unless you think you can make parrot herding popular again, you’re really out of luck.

Recognize Entertainment is a Major Reason People Read Blogs Before Differentiating

Ask yourself this one question: “Why do I read blogs?”

If you really think it through you’ll come up with many answers and the most prominent one won’t be: “I want to get the best education possible on a given subject.”

Ha! That’s not why we read blogs!

I can envision a blog providing really good content on a subject while still failing to stimulate me. That blog, though good at giving the information I seek, will never rise to the top.

You gotta entertain while you’re at it; you need to be interesting, otherwise you’re not fulfilling a deep desire blog readers have beyond just learning — regardless of whether they’re cognizant of it.

The following is what Jon Morrow of Copyblogger concluded worked best for his own blog after much trial and error:

” . . . I gradually realized that my role as a blogger isn’t to educate the world. People will buy a textbook if they want to learn. They come to me if they want an interesting little diversion with a few valuable lessons.” [Bold Emphasis Mine]

Never forget this reality. Of course you have to convey something of value to your readers. But if you’re doing it exclusively in an informational way and not being fun and creative about it — don’t expect to get too far when going up against the big boys.

We bloggers are entertainers just as much as we are educators.

Subscribing to Blogs is Time Consuming

Some of you may be thinking, “What the hell do you mean it’s time consuming?! I’ll go right ahead and click on over to the RSS feed here at Write to Done! See, took me only a couple seconds Mr. Smarty Pants!”

The action of subscribing doesn’t take long, but people do actually think critically before adding another blog onto their long list of subscriptions. They understand that subscribing to one more blog means designating more of their limited time to it, time that once used can never be had again.

That’s pretty heavy, don’t you think?

This is yet another reason why differentiating yourself is so critical. People really do need a reason to subscribe to you.

Look at this hypothetical scenario. You just did a guest post for ProBlogger and you feel like a bucket load of thousand dollar bills because of it! You take a look at your stats and bask in the warm glow of knowing that readers from ProBlogger are coming over to check you out.

There’s only one problem, you also write about blogging and yet you really don’t offer anything new or special. Your angle is the same too.

Do you know what those visitors say to themselves when visiting your blog?

“Nice blog, but I gotta be honest… you offer basically what Darren Rowse does and there’s only so many blog posts one can read in a day. No, I’ll take the name brand thank you very much.”

Here’s what Dosh Dosh has to say and he’s never done a guest post in his entire career:

“I’ve seen some bloggers guest blogging actively while getting on the Digg frontpage and offering ebook incentives for subscription. Some of them used to have more subscribers than me but not any more. I and others outgrew them.”

He goes on to say,

“Incentives and other gimmicks aren’t going to get you very far if you don’t know how to consistently put out content that differentiates your site.” [Emphasis Mine]

You can guest post until you’re blue in the face… but unless you give people a really solid and irresistible reason to subscribe to your blog, you will never reach the prominence of the A-listers.

By the way, I just took a look in the mirror: why does my face appear to have an odd shade of blue?

Spend Mountains of Time Bolstering Your Brand

Your brand encompasses just about everything, from how you write, the look of your blog design, even the kind of pictures you choose for your blog posts. It’s all a part of your brand, and it is this overall presentation that enables visitors to distinguish you from everyone else.

In an interview with John Chow, Eric Hamm of the Blogopolis Blueprint asked:

Paraphrasing, “What are most bloggers doing wrong… they’re working their butts off and not making any money… any one specific thing a lot of bloggers are doing wrong?”

John Chow explains,

“I don’t think enough bloggers give enough importance to branding. . . . The A-list blogs have a brand. We manage to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the pack. That’s one of the reasons I still have food reviews, it’s just part of my brand. People know that I write about what I eat [in addition to making money] and that distinguishes me from the rest of all the other bloggers who write [only] about making money.”

In a post on Write to Done, Leo Babauta of ZenHabits had this to say about differentiating himself:

“The other blogs grew quickly but soon hit a sort of plateau, because of one of two reasons:

1. They limited themselves to a smaller niche, and thus limited their potential readership. Once they had most of the potential readers in this niche, growth slowed; or

2. They didn’t differentiate themselves from the crowd. They were one of many other blogs, writing about the same things with the same angles.

These are both fatal mistakes if you want as big a readership as possible.” [Emphasis Mine]

How to Actually Stand Out

I was wondering when you were going to ask this question.

The reality is that very few blogs ever really do stand out. Most of us just blend in with our surroundings as if we were all dressed in camouflage standing in the midst of a tropical jungle.

And there’s obviously no simple equation to make us stand out and make a real impression on all the prospective readers (except for maybe a flying whale as your header). If there were — perhaps we’d all have the success we seek.

But knowing that we must differentiate ourselves from the rest of the crowd puts us in a position to actually do so.

Differentiating yourself doesn’t guarantee success. But without it, you’re pretty much guaranteed that you won’t rise too high either.

In the words of John Chow also from the aforementioned interview:

“The number one question you have to ask yourself is how are you different from the blogger next to you. If you can answer that question then your chances of succeeding is probably 90% higher than the person next to you.”

There’s a lot to be said on how to actually differentiate yourself in a winning way. But I’m not going to delve too much into that because this post is primarily on why it’s so imperative to be different, not the how.

The one thing I will say (because I love you my dear readers) and it’s about as clichÈ as it gets: People are like snowflakes, there’s no two alike.

Considering this truth — be sure not to entirely model yourself after other blogs. Use the wisdom and strategy they can teach you, yes. But as the sun is descending behind the mountains — put a little something unique into your production. Something that comes from deep within you.

Clearly we have a lot of competition out there. And it just isn’t enough to be as good at what our competitors excel at. We must also do what they’re not, and do it really well.

Bamboo Forest writes for Pun Intended, a blog that blends humor with inspiration. To ensure you never miss a good hearty laugh or a good dose of inspiration, subscribe here.

A Heads-up for WTD readers
Leo and Mary will run the next A-list Blogging Bootcamp, How to Create a Blog that Rocks from 13-17 February. Everyone had a blast last time! We’ll be emailing some great articles on blogging. Get yourself on the mailing list by clicking on Leo’s report in the sidebar.

A guest blog by Larry Brooks of Storyfix.com

Once upon a time there were three climbers. Each had a different approach to their craft, though none had successfully climbed a mountain quite this high before.

On this day each climber stood before the mountain they were about to climb alone (even if we have a critique group, we are very much alone with our stories) to ponder their chances. It was known as Mt. Story, and it promised a rich experience, both along the way and once you reach the summit.

This is a story about three different ways to get there.

And one of the climbers almost dies.

One was a Planner

She studied maps of the mountain, spent half her savings on equipment and took classes on how to use it all. She understood the principles and the rules of climbing, and understood that to ignore them was to risk your life.

She’d climbed this mountain many times in her mind before she set foot on the actual slope. She was well aware of the route taken by those before her, and she was also aware that she might pass a few frozen bodies along the way.

Those poor souls, she reasoned, hadn’t come prepared for the hazards the mountain always throws at you. They thought this was easy, a linear process that would be compromised by too many rules.

And ignoring those rules got them killed.

Her climber friends who weren’t planners told her she was missing the best part of the experience. How do you know where to go, they asked, before you get there?

I’m going to the top, she answered, and I want to avoid bad weather – that cloudy stuff that will get you killed – along the way.

One Was An Organic Climber

She showed up at base camp with her tennis shoes and a sandwich, and she’d read Into Thin Air, so she was ready. She’d tried a few ascents before, but had to stop because her water bottle was always empty before she lost sight of the tent.

This climber was all about creativity and the experience of discovering what awaited behind every snowy cliff. Heck, if one fell on her head she’d just go back to base camp and start over. Or maybe travel laterally for a while until something vertical opened up.

Heading out on what she hoped was the path, she didn’t even see the lingering clouds. The ones that shroud the mountain daily. In fact, today she couldn’t even see the summit at all, but hey, it was up there somewhere.

Planning? That was fine for others, but she just couldn’t go there. What’s the fun and adventure in that? Let’s just start walking and see what happens.

The Other was a Hybrid Climber

This guy had the right equipment and a little climbing experience that told him what those clouds meant. He understood where the first milestone rest camp was located, and how to get there. At least, sort of.

From there, he reasoned, he’d access the weather and decide on one of several routes, each of which made perfect sense. It all depended on his mood, and the clouds, at the time.

Most critical of all, he knew precisely where the summit was. If he stopped for a little picnic along the way, hey, this wasn’t a timed event. The summit would be there when he was ready to go for it.

And if bad weather confronted him, well, he knew how to handle that, too. Because he, like The Planner, understood the principles of climbing, and he would never stray too far from the path.

So Off They Went

The Planner knew where she was going and how to get there. She was safe and warm the entire way, and therefore able to savor each moment of the climb without wondering where she was, where she was going and if she would make it off the mountain alive.

The Organic Climber took off from base camp in the same general direction – up – under the assumption that the optimal route would announce itself. And if it didn’t, what the hell, she’ll just make something up that sounded good in the moment.

There were no rules anyhow. At least in her view.

Those bodies she had to step over along the way? That’s what they thought, too.

The Hybrid Climber plodded along, taking each step as it came, but with an awareness of where he was.

Without it, he knew, he’d quickly become lost. Just like that lady he saw roaming around the mountain in her tennis shoes.

Here’s What Happened

The Planner reached the summit first. She’d encountered a few surprises along the way – some of them quite pleasant – and because her big picture plan was in place, she had time to explore options and even adjust her route to better enjoy the views.

But she never lost sight of the goal. Everything about the climb was in context to knowing where the summit was, and how to get there.

The Hybrid Climber got there, too, and not all that long after the planner.

He’d taken a few wrong turns , but because he at least knew which direction led to the summit, and where the major crevices and icefalls were hidden, he was able to return to the course – even change course on occasion – all with great success.

As for the Organic Climber, well, she reached a summit, too. Eventually. But only after trying many things in many ways before discovering what worked for her.

And even then, it wasn’t what she’d hoped for.

The Planner and the Hybrid Climber passed her as they descended, asking if she needed any help. No, she said, she’d be fine as soon as she figured out where this crazy climb was taking her, and in the short term, when those dang clouds were going to burn off.

Meanwhile, she said, she was having a blast. She was only temporarily lost.

She somehow made it to the top the next day, exhausted and confused. Trouble is, it wasn’t the crest of the mountain at all.

She’d taken a wrong turn without even knowing, ending up on top of a big mound of volcanic ash, all the while swearing that this little peak was good enough.

After all this, starting over would be just too much work.

Secretly, though she’d admit this to no one in her climbing group, she wished she’d brought a map.

The Moral of the Story

All of us, planners and organic writers alike, set out to achieve the very same thing: the creation of the best story we have in us. The writing process is nothing other than a search for that story.

The story planner conducts the bulk of that search before they begin, something that can’t be done successfully until one grasps the core principles of solid storytelling. And in doing so, they consider and then discard alternatives that will get them killed.

The organic writer conducts that search in the form of multiple drafts. During the journey they face harrowing choices, because each new idea means they need to either start over or try to somehow jam it into the narrative flow.

If they don’t start over – because that’s too much work – if they try to retrofit it into an existing structure… well, this is the great killer of organically written stories.

What we need to keep in mind is that our readers want to reach that summit as much as we do. But they don’t want to take a random walk in the park with us, they want a steady, exciting ascent, dodging a few avalanches along the way.

Every draft an organic writer generates prior to the final one is nothing other than a process of story planning.

That’s no different, and no more or less creative and rewarding, than what the story planner does before they start to write it.

The Hybrid Writer’s Tool Chest

If you use a hybrid process successfully, you know where the story will end before you begin it, or shortly thereafter.

And because you understand the core principles of storytelling, especially structure, you know where the major story points go and how they serve the story.

Even if you aren’t yet sure what will happen between those story points. You’ll take that on when you get there.

This is what allows your inner organic self to linger and play along the way.

Story planning is always a matter of degree.

A little or a lot is up to you, as long as it is in context to the principles of solid storytelling.

While it’s okay to make up your story as you go, it’s never okay – at least in terms of likelihood of success – to make up your own principles.

The mountain doesn’t care how you climb it. But it’ll kill you in a heartbeat if you do it wrong.

Either way, a successful final draft always depends on knowing what that ending will be.

Whether you find it on a map or looking through fog along the trail is up to you.

Larry Brooks is a bestselling author and the creator of Storyfix.com, an instructional site for novelists and screenwriters. His book, The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling, will be released by Writers Digest Books in early 2011.

A Heads-up for WTD readers
Leo and Mary will run the next A-list Blogging Bootcamp, How to Create a Blog that Rocks from 13-17 February. Everyone had a blast last time! We’ll be emailing some great articles on blogging. Get yourself on the mailing list by clicking on Leo’s report in the sidebar.