Links of Interest

NEW WAYS TO GET SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS INTO LIBRARIES:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/library-journal-biblioboard-to-curate-self-published-books-in-libraries_b86051

HOW MUCH BACKSTORY DO WE NEED?

http://www.blackgate.com/2014/05/22/how-much-backstory-do-we-really-need/

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FONT FOR YOUR PRINTED BOOK:

http://visual.ly/10-commandments-typography

PROOFING YOUR MANUSCRIPT LIKE A PRO:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/05/23/proofing-like-a-pro

THREE TIPS FOR PLOTTING SUCCESS:

http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/a-return-visit-with-jodi-mcisaac-three-tools-for-plotting-success/

MICHAEL CRICHTON’S PLOT METHOD:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/05/michael-crichtons-method-plotting-story/

USING DREAMS A PLOT FODDER:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/dreaming-up-story.html

WRITING EMAIL QUERIES, THE FORMAT:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/05/query-letters-day-1-e-queries.html

HUGH HOWEY AUTHORS EARNING REPORT:

http://authorearnings.com/may-2014-author-earnings-report/ 

AUTHOR EARNINGS, ANALYSIS OF HUGH HOWEY’S FIGURES:

http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/author-earnings-more-indie-than-big-five-debut-authors-can-earn-a-living-self-publishing/

LEGAL ARGUMENTS AND THE COURT DECISION ON SHERLOCK HOLMES AS A COPYRIGHTED CHARACTER:

http://publishingperspectives.com/2014/01/when-courts-adjudicate-the-quality-of-literary-characters/

COPYRIGHT AS A “WEALTH GENERATOR” FOR NATIONS:

http://publishingperspectives.com/2014/05/rights-sales-as-soft-power-2/

THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF STORYTELLING:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/05/28/are-you-serving-your-story/

RAY BRADBURY ON WRITING, (LINKS INCLUDED TO OTHER ARTICLES):

http://www.openculture.com/2014/05/ray-bradbury-on-zen-and-the-art-of-writing-1973.html

WORLDBUILDING STARTING WITH WEIRD IDEAS:

http://joanneanderton.com/wordpress/2014/05/28/building-working-worlds-from-weird-ideas-2-of-3/

WRITING QUERIES, THE CONTENT:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/05/query-letters-day-2-content.html

Writing the Same When Things are DIfferent

QUESTION: Why don't authors keep writing the same kind of book? Some of my favorite romance authors have switched to different genres, and I HATE it.

There isn't a simple answer. Here are a few.

* Failing markets. The writer's genre starts losing readers so publishers want fewer books, and fewer books are sold. This happened with historical romances several years back so established authors branched out into contemporaries, paranormals, and suspense novels to continue making a profit at their writing. 

* Respect. Romance authors, in particular, get no respect from their non-romance peers, and this gets really old. Non-romances also have more professional cache. 

* Authorial control. Romance editors exert more control over the final product than in any other genre so the final product is often more of a collaborative effort. At a certain point in a writer's career, this can get really old.

* Boredom. An author spends months writing a book that takes you an evening to read, and she then starts another book. If every book is exactly like the last as some readers want, this process can become boring. The creative juices dry up. If the author doesn't change gears, the readers will be the next to be bored.

* Innovations. Books, as a whole, don't stay the same. Romances have changed dramatically over the last twenty years, and woe unto the writer who doesn't change with it. 

* Bandwagon Syndrome. Some authors see a trend become popular, and they absolutely must write to this trend. 

* Changes in an author's life. Writing is an emotional process, and things happening in an author's life can make them change the direction of their writing. I have had friends going through an ugly divorce who could no longer write about everlasting love when their true love proved to be a cruel, manipulative jerk. One writer lost her young son to a sudden illness. When she started writing again, she turned to novels that expressed her faith in God. 

As much as writers want to please their readers, they sometimes must change direction with their writing. 

Links of Interest

CREATING LOG LINES (SHORT DESCRIPTIONS OF YOUR BOOK):

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/drama-belongs-in-your-logline-not-in-its-creation/

WHY THE NEW AUTHORS ALLIANCE IS NOT A WRITER’S FRIEND:

http://www.authorsguild.org/general/what-is-the-authors-alliance/

DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTERS’ EYES AND THE EMOTIONS WITHIN:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/eyes-windows-into-a-characters-soul/

ONLINE COLOR THESAURUS:

http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Nathan_Moroney/color-thesaurus.html

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL INNER STORY FOR YOUR BOOK:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2014/05/resources-for-writing-potent-inner.html

HOW TO CREATE AMAZING IMAGES FOR YOUR BLOG USING YOUR OWN PHOTOS AND AN ONLINE GRAPHIC PROGRAM:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/05/make-wow-blog-image-picmonkey/

MAKING A BOOK’S MIDDLE WORK:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-center-will-not-hold.html

MAKING SNAPPY AND CLEVER DIALOGUE WORK:

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2014/05/dialogue-part-7-gigolo-and-lounge.html

THE GALLEY PROOF, WHAT IT IS AND WHAT’S INVOLVED:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-nitty-gritty-of-galley-editing.html

HOW TO WRITE LIKE A BESTSELLER:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/write-like-a-best-seller-tiffany-inman/

WHAT A DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR IS:

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2014/05/20/ever-wonder-what-a-developmental-editor-could-do-for-your-book/

The Semicolon in Fiction

QUESTION: Someone told me I shouldn't use semicolons in my stories. Why?

First, a grammar reminder about semicolons (;). The three most common uses of a semicolon are

*Compound sentences when a conjunction (and, or, but) isn't used.

The wind blew through the trees; the chimes sang like angels.

*Compound sentences when a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, nevertheless) is used.

The wind blew through the trees; however, the chimes remained silent.

*Sentences with long, joined clauses which may have commas.

The wind blew through the trees, I was told; but because the chimes had become tangled, their sounds did not echo through the forest.

As you can see from the examples, most semicolon sentence structures have a formal quality to them that is uncommon in fiction but is often found in nonfiction. In other words, it belongs in nonfiction, not fiction, particularly genre fiction with its more vernacular style.

Use the semicolon as rarely as you would an exclamation point in narrative, and only when nothing else will do for clarity.

If you find yourself using semicolons quite often, your narrative voice is probably too heavy or didactic for popular fiction.

Links of Interest

FINDING AND USING IMAGES LEGALLY:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/05/fair-image-usage/

WORLDBUILDING, CREATING YOUR WORLD’S HOLIDAYS:

http://disquietingvisions.com/2014/05/08/creating-fictional-holidays/

THE ADVANTAGES OF CREATING A SIDEKICK:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/dr-watson-i-presume-the-importance-of-killer-sidekicks/

ELLORA’S CAVE AND SAMHAIN TROUBLES:

http://dearauthor.com/ebooks/digital-first-publishing-troubled-fortunes-digital-first-publishers/

PROMO, FIVE TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE MARKETING:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/author-marketing-small-is-the-new-big/

A VISUAL THESAURUS:

http://www.visuwords.com/

MARKETS, MAINLY SHORT STORY:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/sub-op-ten.html

THE THREE W’S OF STORY OPENINGS:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-whys-whens-and-what-nots-for.html

SMASHWORDS PROMOTION TIPS:

http://fictionfactor.com/book-promotion/book-promotion-ebook-sales-on-smashwords

TIPS FOR YOUR HEROINE’S SELF-DEFENSE:

http://awritersgallery.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/demure-and-dangerous-writing-female-self-defence-scenes-by-rayne-hall/

USING THE FIVE SENSES TO INCREASE EMOTION IN YOUR SCENE:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/unforgettable-writing-all-5-senses-add-emotion/

THE NARRATIVE ARC:

http://fcmalby.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/narrative-arc-shaping-your-story/

The Camera as Visual Pacing

In my blog entry on camera viewpoint, I talked about the dangers of using camera viewpoint in writing scenes, but the idea of a camera shooting the action can be useful when you are writing description.

As you describe a room from a character's viewpoint, imagine that the character is that camera as he scans the room as he enters. 

In a scene which doesn't start with high action such as a fight, he would scan right to left or left to right, and the important objects would be described in relationship to those near it. The character would see the piano, then the bar, then the poker tables on the far side. 

If some object or person is important--the character is looking for it or meeting him, etc., then that object or person is described first with the general impressions of the room then the details of the room can be filled in as needed. For example, if someone is coming at the viewpoint character with a sword, he won't notice the piano or the bar except as possible objects to hide behind.

When writing that description, the idea of the camera shot can also keep you from making a mistake in visual pacing.

For example, you are describing the room, then you put in a character's brief mental comment about something, then you go back to describing the room. That's the equivalent of beginning to pan the room with a camera then jerking the camera toward the main character's face, then the camera returns to panning. 

By thinking of the visual description as camera work, you are less likely to make mistakes in visual and action pacing.

Links of Interest

HEAD HOPPING, WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO AVOID IT:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/hippity-head-hopping.html

SELF-PUB TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR PRINT BOOK LOOK PROFESSIONAL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/05/three-quick-tips-to-help-your-print.html

NEWS, HARPERCOLLINS HAS BOUGHT HARLEQUIN:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/news-corp-to-acquire-harlequin_b85400

TIP OF MY TONGUE SITE HELPS YOU FIGURE OUT A WORD YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT BUT CAN’T COMPLETE, ALSO GOOD FOR CROSSWORDS, CYPHERS, AND ANAGRAMS:

http://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/

BAD FACEBOOK PROMOTION ADVICE:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/4-pieces-of-facebook-advice-you-can-ignore/

CAUTIONS ABOUT ADDING RESEARCH TO YOUR NOVEL:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/05/3-cautions-for-adding-research-into.html

PROMOTION TIPS FOR KINDLE BOOKS:

http://fictionfactor.com/book-promotion/book-promotion-tips-for-marketing-your-amazon-kindle-ebook

WHY TOO MUCH REALITY IS A DANGEROUS THING:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/05/07/fictional-reality/

ENGAGE IN LIFE SO YOU CAN WRITE ENGAGING FICTION:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/becoming-an-engaged-writer/

Across a Crowded Room

QUESTION: I have a scene in a restaurant where staff is coming and going. How do I describe that? Do I mention all the movement?

This is really about viewpoint. You are describing the scene from your viewpoint character's perspective. What will she see?

Imagine this. You are in your favorite romantic restaurant. Across from you is your special someone or your favorite sexy actor. You are eating your meal, flirting, and talking. Would you be aware of who is coming in and out of the room?

Your character in a similar situation would do the same thing.

Imagine this. You are in that restaurant with that sexy lover, but someone wants to kill you.

You would be very aware of who is coming and going in the room, and so would your viewpoint character.

If it's a situation that's emotionally neutral like a banquet meal with servants coming and going to bring food, you can say something like "A steady stream of servants, each with a large tray of food or an empty bowl, moved through the room tending the tables."

Then, unless there's a reason to mention the servants again, or a servant again, you don't mention them. The reader will fill in the visual blanks.