tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post6779474051169742771..comments2024-01-26T15:00:33.908-06:00Comments on The THRILLIONTH page: Anatomy of my crappy author bio & my strategy to change it!Carolyn Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17195853833116263029noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-6426586408399256162012-02-12T22:20:41.081-06:002012-02-12T22:20:41.081-06:00Thanks for such an insightful and humorous blog! ...Thanks for such an insightful and humorous blog! Laying out 4 simple steps to look at our bio as a way to promote ourselves and really get who we are and what we write across to our reader is incredibly helpful and a major de-stresser!Jessica Vannnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-64999358947512584172012-02-12T16:40:30.275-06:002012-02-12T16:40:30.275-06:00This is so so helpful! Thank you for all your wond...This is so so helpful! Thank you for all your wonderful advice on what not to include in a bio. This definitely takes a bit of the stress off of me, knowing that the bio shouldn't be a long drawn out description of myself, as a writer.Michelle R. Preciadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01511789974690348275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-56836957933130049932012-02-11T21:29:39.951-06:002012-02-11T21:29:39.951-06:00Thanks for the advice Carolyn. I'm in Nicole P...Thanks for the advice Carolyn. I'm in Nicole Peeler's class, and just about to try to write a first draft of my bio. This was a big help for figuring out what to include, and what to omit.<br /><br />Thanks.David Wilbanksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-48778130129977796382012-02-11T07:20:38.601-06:002012-02-11T07:20:38.601-06:00Thanks for this post, Carolyn. I'm in Nicole P...Thanks for this post, Carolyn. I'm in Nicole Peeler's Writing About Popular Fiction class and she directed us to your blog. I've been terrified of my author bio because I had no idea what to put in it that would be informative and entertaining without oversharing or being ten pages long. These questions will definitely help.Carrienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-31706310927573861442012-02-08T20:11:57.621-06:002012-02-08T20:11:57.621-06:00Carolyn,
Your point about branding is exactly wha...Carolyn,<br /><br />Your point about branding is exactly what we are talking about in our Writing About Pop Fic course at SHU. Although I agree, you have to ask yourself, "Who cares?" when you are writing info about yourself for your bio, I think there are some fun things you could include to help readers get to know you, especially if it feeds into the image you want them to see you as being. For instance, when I was in Kindergarten, I made up a baby brother because my friend had one, for real, and I wanted to be like her. So when she wanted to come over to my house to play, I had to kill him off. Thing is, I had two real brothers and the teachers thought one of them had died. So I could see me using something like, "Killed off her first character when she was five years old..." Maybe there's too much background info needed here to make this funny, but it does have me thinking about what I can incorporate into my bio that will really pain an image of the type of writer I want my readers to see me as being. Thanks for your wonderful sense of humor and tips!PA momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13869493035668091248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-81182937134259522152011-09-09T01:35:13.244-05:002011-09-09T01:35:13.244-05:00I would have totally succumbed to the temptation o...I would have totally succumbed to the temptation of childhood anecdotes, too. Thanks for the awesome tips!Serena Stokeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09002352456525766412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-62492823465433516232011-09-08T10:58:03.166-05:002011-09-08T10:58:03.166-05:00Thanks for an advertising take on this Carolyn. Gr...Thanks for an advertising take on this Carolyn. Great questions for us to consider!haleighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17495639119775924940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-41460407638299101532011-09-07T15:57:38.826-05:002011-09-07T15:57:38.826-05:00Thanks for your great tips! I'm taking Dr. Pee...Thanks for your great tips! I'm taking Dr. Peeler's class and found your post very helpful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-78216529343712383912011-09-07T15:22:55.694-05:002011-09-07T15:22:55.694-05:00Carolyn, I'm not sure I think your original bi...Carolyn, I'm not sure I think your original bio was "crappy," but I think your new one is fantastic! I love the way you incorporated your genuine, lifelong love of puzzles. <br /><br />Also, the questions you provided are wonderful! I can't wait to sit down and sort out a new concept for my own!<br /><br />Thanks!Kathleen O'Brienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05282123669890604879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-89204872253211680232011-02-14T15:55:30.506-06:002011-02-14T15:55:30.506-06:00Carolyn - thanks for the helpful questions. I'...Carolyn - thanks for the helpful questions. I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts related to adding a picture to the bio. Posed? Unposed? Formal? Informal? Professionally done? When and when not to?Cheryl Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-72570167187957577812011-02-13T18:02:15.057-06:002011-02-13T18:02:15.057-06:00This is so helpful. While I am an unpublished wri...This is so helpful. While I am an unpublished writer, I am quickly learning the importance of the author's bio. Learning about your struggles has shown me that bios aren't easy and it is okay if I go through many drafts of this small but mighty selling tool. I also really like the questions you posed. Very helpful. Thanks!Jen Stuttlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-74025473765090591772011-02-13T12:23:42.344-06:002011-02-13T12:23:42.344-06:00I'm sorry for your frustration, but selfishly ...I'm sorry for your frustration, but selfishly so glad to see I'm not the only one who is struggling with my bio. Thanks for the giggles ;)Hannah K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05258260781445995549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-12690481121294958972011-02-12T21:07:14.652-06:002011-02-12T21:07:14.652-06:00Like many writers, I've done a number of weird...Like many writers, I've done a number of weird things, including managing a health food store, running for the legislature and getting paid to listen to jazz-- but when I take out everything unrelated to writing, it's a pretty short list and makes me feel like an underachiever. I guess I'm trying to figure out how to be personable without being personal.Annie Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04701678663425481496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-59920126969436790052011-02-11T20:53:24.135-06:002011-02-11T20:53:24.135-06:00Genevieve: Well, maybe moderation is the key, with...Genevieve: Well, maybe moderation is the key, with your quirky side and your serious side. It sounds like you blend them. <br /><br />Shelley: Thanks! <br /><br />Bethany: Thanks for stopping by. Of course, I'm thinking about changing the ol' bio yet again. <br /><br />SHU Tina: Hey, thanks for the shout, and for stopping by!Carolyn Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17195853833116263029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-24309605217471729522011-02-11T20:46:22.933-06:002011-02-11T20:46:22.933-06:00REPOST: I hit publish instead of preview. YIPES! E...REPOST: I hit publish instead of preview. YIPES! Edited post below.<br />Hi, Carolyn - SHU Tina here. I found two of your questions especially helpful: "What do people tell you they like about your work?" and “Five words you want people to associate with your work." Answers to these questions provide a perspective from outside of ourselves! Thanks. Oh, and I quoted you in my forum post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-34567393414389114562011-02-11T20:34:23.550-06:002011-02-11T20:34:23.550-06:00Hi, Carolyn - SHU Tina here. I found two of your q...Hi, Carolyn - SHU Tina here. I found two of your questions especially helpful: "What do people tell you they like about your work?" and Five words you want people to associate with your work." Answers to these questions provide a perspective from oustide ourselves! Thanks! Oh, and I quoted you in my post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-85870546664181426882011-02-11T17:41:43.349-06:002011-02-11T17:41:43.349-06:00Carolyn, I loved seeing the changes from your old ...Carolyn, I loved seeing the changes from your old author bio to your new. The new bio reads fluidly, and I appreciate that naturalness. <br /><br />You made the revision look effortless, even though you pointed out the struggles involved. It made confronting/surviving one's own bio relieving. <br /><br />Based on your progress, writing these bios can be irksome but one can pull through by really thinking about who one is and what defines one's self. Thank you for detailing all those steps! It was a tremendous help!Bethany Hutiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-9637397385568237362011-02-09T21:26:44.827-06:002011-02-09T21:26:44.827-06:00I work in marketing too--and never thought to appl...I work in marketing too--and never thought to apply marketing principles to my own bio. I like the steps you work through ... maybe I'd better go do this exercise and see what I come up with. I like the life-changing moment part, too--something the reader can identify with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-11480581331850684252011-02-09T06:45:59.102-06:002011-02-09T06:45:59.102-06:00HI Carolyn,
Thanks for the insights! I found the ...HI Carolyn,<br />Thanks for the insights! I found the evolution of your bio very useful. <br /><br />My biggest problem with writing my bio is that it tends to be funny and quirky while my actual writing is epic fantasy, and thus somewhat more serious. Although I do use humor to break the tension, it's certainly not the thrust of the novel. I'd like my bio to more accurately reflect my work.<br /><br />But...I don't want to come off a stuffy, either. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks very much!<br />~GieGenevieve Iseult Eldredgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-87454397164879188622011-02-08T09:18:21.045-06:002011-02-08T09:18:21.045-06:00Oh, I didn't even answer your question LOL. I ...Oh, I didn't even answer your question LOL. I meant to say, there are lots of items I could have included, yes, for sure. Are they cool things? Probably they seem cooler to me than to other people!Carolyn Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17195853833116263029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-48818734972680748252011-02-08T09:13:50.143-06:002011-02-08T09:13:50.143-06:00Elle, Thanks for stopping by, and that's a gre...Elle, Thanks for stopping by, and that's a great question. I would say, use your good judgement. Write it and sleep on it. You want to be authentic, but not a sideshow act. Look at other bios you like, and think about how those are balanced. Like with fiction itself, one or two strong details can go a long way. Good luck!!Carolyn Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17195853833116263029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-75427294893056510082011-02-07T11:11:31.608-06:002011-02-07T11:11:31.608-06:00Thanks for posting your thoughts, Carolyn! I think...Thanks for posting your thoughts, Carolyn! I think the whole “I’ve been writing since I dropped from the womb” thing comes from an attempt to validate ourselves as writers. I’m just starting out and have definitely succumbed to that temptation. When you haven’t published yet, it’s so easy to say you wrote your first picture book at four…and a writer was born!<br /><br />My true selling point is probably the quirkiness of my writing worlds, but my question is how do you filter the details you put in your bio? I’m okay with quirky, but don’t want to be so out there strange that people are afraid I’m going to show up at their house (I’m not, and I probably wouldn’t). How did you decide which details about yourself were the important ones? Was there anything cool in your background that you decided not to include in your bio?<br /><br />Thanks again for sharing your insight : )Elle Stonehttp://www.ellestone.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-74810900120519169302010-09-13T14:32:30.542-05:002010-09-13T14:32:30.542-05:00Hi Carolyn,
The interesting thing is that many m...Hi Carolyn, <br /><br />The interesting thing is that many many of the author bios I've read on books are like your original print bio.<br /><br />But online bios tend to be much more creative and reader-oriented. Do you think that's just a legacy of print being harder to change? Or are print bios more--stuffy?AnnKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361528772177853193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-49983432379025371852010-09-12T22:59:07.894-05:002010-09-12T22:59:07.894-05:00So I'm working on writing my author bio for a ...So I'm working on writing my author bio for a class, and I make mention of Shoggoths, which is a direct shout out to my people. I write horror. :) <br />I like the idea of having five words you want readers to connect with the book, I'll have to start working on those next.Imaginarium of Dr Paulcrafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18026572091302483313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414093212095906246.post-71281758307974526962010-09-12T22:39:09.819-05:002010-09-12T22:39:09.819-05:00Good information. I wonder though about keeping yo...Good information. I wonder though about keeping your bio consistent across platforms. Since most, if not all, writing should consider the audience, shouldn't ones bio take the different audiences of different media platforms into consideration? The term branding has become a modern business mantra and I hesitate to brand myself since my writing crosses boundaries.Self Publishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455742994790983559noreply@blogger.com