If you’re doing any research on writing (which is different than ACTUALLY WRITING… and is a great way to put off ACTUALLY WRITING) you’ll have read somewhere, perhaps several places, that authors in today’s market need to build a “platform”. I tend to get all verklempt and mentally constipated when I find out there is something that I should be doing that I’m not sure I’m doing, or if I think I’m doing it, maybe I’m not doing it RIGHT. (Hint: this kind of self-flagellation is also a great way to put off ACTUALLY WRITING.)

But 2014 is the year I start writing my novel, so I’m thinking it’s also a good time to start working through the stoppages and finding out how to do all the things one does when one is writing a novel.

So, an author platform…

Jane Friedman was the publisher of Writer’s Digest when I first subscribed to that magazine. She was one of the first people I started following on Twitter when I finally started telling myself (quietly, mostly in the shower…) that I was a writer. She has a terrific website and blog where she shares insider info on the publishing world and the work of writing, and I’ve found her to be a great source of inspiration and “aha!” moments. Also, she quotes The Smiths in her “about” section, so the awesome is pretty obvious.

According to Jane, there are four things that should be my focus as I create my platform: visibility, authority, proven reach, and target audience. Since she’s awesome, I will take her word for it and start with these. Here’s what she has to say…

• Visibility. Who knows you? Who is aware of your work? Where does your work regularly appear? How many people see it? How does it spread? Where does it spread? What communities are you a part of? Who do you influence? Where do you make waves?
• Authority. What’s your credibility? What are your credentials? (This is particularly important for nonfiction writers; it is less important for fiction writers, though it can play a role. Just take a look at any graduate of the Iowa MFA program.)
• Proven reach. It’s not enough to SAY you have visibility. You have to show where you make an impact and give proof of engagement. This could be quantitative evidence (e.g., size of your e-mail newsletter list, website traffic, blog comments) or qualitative evidence (high-profile reviews, testimonials from A-listers in your genre).
• Target audience. You should be visible to the most receptive or appropriate audience for the work you’re trying to sell. For instance: If you have visibility, authority, and proven reach to orthodontists, that probably won’t be helpful if you’re marketing vampire fiction (unless perhaps you’re writing about a vampire orthodonist who repairs crooked vampire fangs?).

Seriously, if you are a writer or interested in the publishing business at all, go read Jane’s blog. You’re welcome.

So… each of these make perfect sense, and they are also each fairly overwhelming to someone (like me) who is just starting to put together a platform, right? Wow. Who is aware of my work? My sister. Okay, my sister and brothers. Sometimes my dad. And a few of my sweet friends on Facebook who read the posts I write when I share the link. See what I mean? Yikes!

But seriously, this is a GREAT LIST!! It’s great because it tells me exactly what I need to do. The first thing – if I go with visibility first – is start writing more. The more I write, the more I can submit short stories and essays to periodicals and writing contests and short story collections for consideration. The more I write on my blog, the more my posts will show up in searches and attract readers and (ideally) fans.

Writing more will also help with that pesky “Proven Reach” thing. Because as much as I love to talk about myself, and my friends and family say I am a great writer, my reach needs to extend a bit further than that. I need to be generating more blog comments, building an email newsletter list, and just getting more hits on my website.

The newsletter one is particularly challenging for me. I’m an essayist and a fiction writer, and don’t know what I could share with an audience based on the things I enjoy writing about. This is another place where I could get hung up, so I need to reach out to my publishing and writing contacts online to ask for advice here. Genius thing about today’s technology for writers? An entire world of brilliant suggestions is only 142 characters away at all times! Connect with me on Twitter and follow along!

Target Audience is also tough, since I’m not quite sure who my readers will be. “People who enjoy reading.” is my short answer, but that would probably be considered a little vague to most agents and publishers… hmmm… I’ll be thinking on this one.

In any case, the obvious first course of action for me is “start writing more”. Writing more to submit to various contests and periodicals, writing more on my blog, writing more notes for the novel, just WRITE MORE. Write all the things. This post is the first step toward that end. I am planning to WILL write something here every day. One day may be about the process of writing, another day it could be about the challenges of parenthood. Some days may focus on something I did, something I saw, something I overheard… in other words, I’m not sure my writing here will be focused on one thing, but rather, honing my ability to tell a story.  That seems like a good place to start for a Writer.