Do You Need A Website? One Magazine Writer’s Personal Experience
by Shannon
Hitchcock
I gazed at writer Nancy Viau’s website in wonder. Her site,
www.writernan.com,
profiled her magazine stories beautifully. I had never considered
showcasing my magazine credits. I had held the mistaken belief that I
needed a published book before developing a website. What a load of
rubbish!
Finding My Web Voice
The first step was
developing the content for my website. With Nancy’s site as an example, I
began to write. I ripped my entire first draft to shreds. I sounded like
Nancy, and I needed to sound like Shannon. So I started with a question:
“Who/what influenced me to become a writer?” The answers came flooding
in. Images and sounds from my childhood. My mother’s voice as she read
“Jack and the Beanstalk,” my second grade teacher introducing me to
biographies, telling cowgirl stories to my sister late at night. I
flipped through my childhood photo albums and selected pictures from my
past. There it was; I’d found my web voice and a whole lot more besides.
How The Past Influenced The
Present
Biographies and profiles
are among my favorite things to write. Yet, I had never thought about why
that was so. The answer was right there buried in my childhood. I
recently completed a picture book biography manuscript about oral
storyteller Ray Hicks. And guess what? Ray was famous for telling “Jack
Tales.” I had never made the connection between my mother reading “Jack
and the Beanstalk” and my fascination with Ray Hicks. Yet there it was.
Writing the content for my website was like a personal discovery voyage.
Finding A Website Designer
There are of course
many ways, (most involving lots of research), to go about finding a
website designer. On the other hand, I found mine on the tennis court. I
was waiting on my son to finish his tennis lesson when I overheard Linda
Kaufman,
www.kaufmanwebconsulting.com, say to another
mother, “I design websites.” I laughed out loud. Sometimes fate has a
way of kicking you in the butt just when you need it.
Why Do You Need A Website?
The most important
reason a writer needs a website is to get your name out there. Kathy
Temean,
www.temeanconsulting.com, says, “I point out to
my web design students and my clients that a website is a 24 hour 7 day a
week commercial.”
Writer Nancy Viau notes
other benefits as well. She says, “Kids and teachers research my
background before I visit their schools. They are able to ask questions
based on what they’ve read on the site.” Nancy also finds the site a
convenient way to present online clips.
As for me, I’m
learning to self-promote. I believe that we have to make our writing
careers happen. Remember the quote from Field of Dreams, “If you
build it, they will come?” I’ve decided to test that theory with
my website.
When Do You Need A Website?
I’ve been asked if I
really needed a website before having a book published. The answer for me
was absolutely yes. I’m in the business of promoting my writing career.
My website says, “I take writing seriously.”
Consultant Kathy
Temean shares that she designed Dr. Vanita Braver’s site before she had a
book published. Dr. Vanita recently landed a nine book series from Child
and Family Press. The site,
www.drvanitabraver.com, has grown and changed
along with her success.
An Invitation
Check out my
newly operational website at
www.shannonhitchcock.com. And if there’s an
editor reading this who’s interested in an article about an underwater
archaeologist, or a picture book biography about an oral storyteller, hey
I’m your girl!
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