Goals and Social Media

A few weekends ago, I attended a North Texas SCBWI class taught by author and social media guru Matina Boone. The information she shared was important, informative, and scary as all heck--I am a technotard squared. Some of things she spoke about felt like they were directed to me personally, like setting goals and creating a social media presence. This is not something that is not new to me. Over the years, I've heard many authors, agents, and editors speak on this topic at SCBWI events, but was never broken down in the way Martina explained it. How do I build ME as a Brand? I'm just Joanna. I have a few college classes under my belt, but I suck at math, I don't always appreciate my husband and children, and I swear to much. How can I believe I should be marketed like a name brand soft drink or a kids' cereal? Then Martina said, "Good material won't reach anyone by accident." I've always known the message in my book is valuable. It's been an eight year journey of learning how to convert my storytelling into story-showing--which I'm still perfecting. However, if I want my book/message to reach the audience I would like it to reach, I MUST BELIEVE I'm as worthy of as much product placement as an expensive automobile. How do I get there? I need to set goals, which Martina broke down for me. What are they, you ask? I'll start with my mission statement. I will be professional, realistic, and use my skills as a writer and human being by engaging myself in acts of service as I define them, and always be willing to grow, adapt, and learn. My writing career goal is to write meaningful literature for children. On my path to reach this goal I will continually seek knowledge; learn and listen to the opinions of industry professionals and critique peers; read books on the writing craft and incorporate meaningful tips by creating my own personal AUTHOR'S VOICE eventually twisting what I've learned into the voice of my characters; read books in the genre/age group I am writing for; and finally never, ever be discouraged by the process and art of re-write. My purpose as an author is to let teens know they are not alone, by showing them my characters have the same human emotions and experiences as they have; although, my readers may not handle their problems in the same way. Hope is universal. There are so many authors I've grown to know and love as I read their novels because I bond with the struggles of their characters. God Bless Sarah Zarr and her accurate portrayal of dysfunctional families, or Jacquline Woodson and her sincere glimpse into an inner city kid's experiences, or Ellen Hopkins taking me into the emotional state of her characters as they process their life experiences and figure out why they want to live. Each one of these books and about a thousand others I've read offers its reader HOPE. I want to reach teens when they are ready to read/hear my message. For me this is now, but for some future teens it may be ten years after my book is published. I want the experiences of my characters to live forever. In each generation of youth, someone, somewhere will/has felt the way my characters feel. I loved the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club when I was a teenager. Last weekend my fourteen-year-old daughter and I watched the movie on DVD. Although there were no smart phones and IPads when the movie was made, the human experience of the five characters touched my daughter as much as it did me over thirty-five years ago. THIS IS HOW I WANT TEENS TO EXPERIENCE MY NOVELS.