Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Links of Interest

THE BASICS OF ENDINGS:


REVEALING EMOTION IN DIALOGUE:


CREATING YOUR AUTHOR BUSINESS, SETTING GOALS:


THE TYPES OF MYSTERIES FOUND IN ALL NOVELS:


CONTRACTS, CLAUSES TO WATCH OUT FOR:


CREATING REAL PEOPLE FROM ARCHETYPES:


MISDIRECTION IN PLOTTING:


MARKET, SF ROMANCE SHORT STORIES:


CHARACTERS ARE THE HEART OF YOUR NOVEL:


CREATING AN INTERESTING BIO:


SYMBOLS IN WORLDBUILDING:


WARNING, TRANSLATION SERVICE THAT SOUNDS BETTER THAN IT IS:


MAKING THE MOST OF PUBLICITY:


AVOIDING INTERNAL DIALOGUE QUESTIONS:


CREATING MULTIDIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS USING LIES:


THE COST OF SELF-PUBBING, AUTHORS GIVE NUMBERS:


THE CONVENIENCE FACTOR IN STORY TELLING:



Monday, January 26, 2015

What I've Learned About Publishing

Publishing is a profession. Always act in a professional manner. This includes any situation where you are in public as a writer. 

Spelling, grammar, and clarity are part of that professional manner. Don't send emails filled with errors because it reflects back on your craft.

Your editor/publisher/agent may be your friend, but she is first and foremost a businessperson. If it is a choice between making money and being your friend, she will choose the money almost every time. 

Learn the business so you will understand what is happening in your career. No one cares as much about it as you do.

Some publishers use the same kind of controlling behavior as abusive spouses. They convince you that you write crap and no one but them will want it, and they pay you accordingly. If you don't escape this abusive cycle, you will either self-destruct as a writer, or other publishers in the know will not touch you because victims in this situation usually lose their confidence to push their writing to the next level.

Publishing is a small world. If you p*ss off one editor, every editor in the business will know about it. Editors also move from publisher to publisher. The editor you annoy today may be your new editor tomorrow. 

Promote yourself, not your publisher, ebooks, or the type of books you write. 

If you create bookmarks or any other expensive promotion, use them to promote yourself, not your current title because it won't be your current title forever. 

Brand yourself as a certain type of writer and produce all your books to reflect that brand. Make certain that the same readers will be as happy with your next book. 

Strive to improve with each book. Strive to surprise with each book. Don't write yourself into a rut.

If you don't enjoy the writing, find another profession. The publishing business is brutal and often the only joy is in the writing. 

No amount of promotion will make up for a lack of distribution. 

It's easy to be seduced away from the hard aspects of writing by other creative things. Working on your website and book trailers is much more fun because they aren't part of that bottom line.

There is no such thing as privacy on the Internet and on group listservs. Be discrete. The comment you make today will come back to haunt you later. 

If an agent or publisher lies about one thing, you shouldn't believe anything they say.

The advantage of a small press/epublisher is personal attention. The disadvantage is the owner's life crisis will shut down operations.

If the publisher believes that the contract terms only bind you, not him, run for your life.

If an agent or publisher says they are in the business to help writers, run for you life. They are almost always crooks.

Don't be ditzy and proud of it. No publisher wants a business partner who is an idiot.

Writing is physically taxing. Take care of yourself by exercising and eating wisely. You may have an extra hour to write by avoiding the gym or that walk, but you'll pay for it long term by having your body fail when you need it most.

Take care of your computer. Keep your virus software up to date and run repair utilities once a week. 

Back up your hard drive! Back up on a regular schedule. 

Back up your books and keep a copy or copies elsewhere. Most banks offer a free safety deposit box to regular customers. Keep a digital copy of your books there. A flash drive is perfect for this.

Keep a paper copy of your book. If your computer crashes taking everything with it, the paper copy is the very best back up. Paper copies never become an outdated format.

Keep adequate business records. Save receipts for business supplies, etc., so you can use them as business expenses on your taxes.

Keep all your promotion information in one spot. (See Marilynn's article on organizing promotions.) 

Read as much as you can about the business. If you don't understand something, ask questions. 

The writing craft is like athletic skill. Even a natural talent needs practice to improve, and you are always learning something new about yourself and the craft.

A good teacher and a good critique partner are worth their weight in gold.

A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. A winner keeps going for the long haul.

Writing is a hobby, an avocation, or a career, but it is not a life. Real life is what matters most. You will regret it if you look up from your keyboard one day to discover life has passed you by, and the writing wasn't worth the cost.

WRITING QUOTES:
"I'm just starting [a new book] and the battle has already begun. I don't think they ever go smoothly. It's work. It should be work. It should be hard work. I think if you sort of sit around and wait to be inspired, you're probably going to be sitting there a long time. My process is more about crafting, working an idea through my head to see if it's a good concept." Nora Roberts in an interview with the "Hagerstown Herald-Mail."

“Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life.There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure. Never forget your Personal Legend. Never forget your dreams. Your silent heart will guide you. Be silent now. It is the possibility of a dream that makes life interesting. You can choose between being a victim of destiny or an adventurer who is fighting for something important.” THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Links of Interest

ONLINE PUNCTUATION GUIDE THAT INCLUDES VARIOUS STYLE BOOKS:


USING TWITTER EFFICIENTLY FOR PROMO:


GETTING THE DETAILS RIGHT AND GIVING THE RIGHT DETAILS:


BEWARE THE EVIL SOUND-ALIKE WORD:


USING YOUR SENSES TO MAKE YOUR WRITING COME ALIVE:


WORKING WITH MULTIPLE POVS AND TIMELINES:


FORENSICS, HACKING A PACEMAKER ISN’T THE PERFECT MURDER METHOD:


AMAZON COMMENTS ON KINDLE UNLIMITED AND AUTHOR SALES:


HOW TO REVIVE SALES FOR A BOOK SERIES:


INTERESTING FIGURES ON PAPER AND EBOOK SALES FROM LAST YEAR:


WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA DOES AND DOESN’T DO FOR BOOK SALES:


AVOIDIING CLICHES:


WRITING A SYNOPSIS:


FORENSICS, LINKS TO INFO ON CRIMINAL PROFILERS:


HOW TO ENDEAR YOURSELF TO YOUR EDITOR:


LINKS TO SOME OF THE BEST CRAFT TIPS AT THIS SITE:


AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WAS LEARNED/DISCUSSED AT DIGITAL BOOK WORLD:


CREATING SUBTEXT IN DIALOGUE:


5 KEY ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY:


FIGURING OUT THE NUMBERS IN GOOGLE ANALYTIC:


WRITING EFFECTIVE CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:


PACE AND WORLDBUILDING:


CRITIQUING, GIVING CRITICISM THAT HELPS:


USING TENSION EFFECTIVELY:


WHO IS YOUR NARRATOR TALKING TO?


MASTERMIND GROUP AS A WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR PODCAST:



Monday, January 19, 2015

Summarizing Information

QUESTION: Should I include dialogue with minor characters in full, or should I simplify them in a few sentences skipping the entire dialogue part?

Say if the MC saved a town from an assault and he wanted to investigate on it, but first of all, how should he deal with the authority/police/kingdom? It was hard to believe that he could just walk out of it and go after the villain ignoring all the chaos involved, and that the authority would surely not let him go at ease?

Then, if he was to be questioned, and that the questioning might gives him more information about the villain he is going after, should the conversation between him and a "random officer playing almost no role in the story" be mentioned fully? If it is to be skipped, how to write it so that the "important information" he obtained in the questioning which will help him in his quest not left untold?

 I use the rule of three when I'm uncertain whether I need to write or keep a scene.  

If a scene doesn't contain at least one or two plot points (information or events which move the plot forward), and one or two character points (important character information) so that I have at least three points total, then it should be tossed, and whatever points included in that scene should be added to another scene.

In the case of that bit of dialogue, you can say something like this in another scene.  "On his way here, several of the soldiers had told him ****"  

Or you could have another important character summarize to the main character bits of information he'd picked up on the way to their meeting.


When I have a bunch of bits of information that needs to be given to the reader and the main character, I often get the main character to assign that search for information to a secondary character who can then summarize what he's found out.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Links of Interest

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A SCENE:


SHOULD YOU HAVE A PRINT VERSION OF YOUR BOOK?


HOW TO ANNOY PEOPLE ON TWITTER:


FINDING OR CREATING A CRITIQUE GROUP:


LINKS TO BEST CRAFT TIPS FROM ‘ADVENTURES IN YA PUBLISHING:’


STIRRING THE HIGHER EMOTIONS:


A DECENT OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES IN THE SELF-PUB MARKET:


CREATING BUTTON BARS FOR YOUR GOODREADS PROFILE:


HOW TO USE TWITTER EFFECTIVELY:


CREATING THAT GREAT FIRST LINE:


CREATING A GREAT MENTOR CHARACTER:


USING PARAGRAPHING EFFECTIVELY:


MARKET, SF SHORT STORIES ANTHOLOGY:


USING PLUG INS, ETC., TO INCREASE YOUR BLOG TRAFFIC:


ELVES, A FOLKLORE HISTORY:


PLANTING THE IMPORTANT BITS OF INFORMATION EARLY:


INTELLIGENT EXPLANATION OF COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK:


WHY TO CONSIDER A PEN NAME:


THE NUMBER ONE RULE IN PUBLISHING AND LIFE:


FINDING THE RIGHT CRITIQUE PARTNER:


DO YOU NEED AN AGENT?


PROMOTING LIKE A PRO:


FORESHADOWING:


CONCEPT AND PREMISE:



Monday, January 12, 2015

How to Write a Book Blurb


NOTE: This technique is also a good descriptive tool for queries to publishers and agents.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book's contents.  Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publisher's guidelines before you begin work.   
Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book so you want it to grab the reader's attention.  (The first is the cover.)
Your novel is hundreds of pages long, but you'll need to describe it in a few short paragraphs. How can you condense all that important information?
Here's how I do it for romance, romantic suspense, mystery, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy.  
ROMANCE
For short novels, I usually use two paragraphs to describe the book, longer or more complex books three to four paragraphs. If some important point fits one paragraph better than another, don't feel as if you must follow my structure. Put it where it fits.  Interior and exterior conflict, especially, can be switched.  
First and second paragraph: Introduce hero and heroine and give simple plot set up.  What is the interior conflict of the novel? (What tears the hero and heroine apart emotionally?)  Examples are from my unpublished novel, THE LORD OF THUNDER.
KATE GRAEME, a professional landscape painter, has been hurt by a man who used her love to manipulate her, but she still retains her romantic ideals about love and marriage.  MORGAN DESART, however, has turned his own emotional hurts into a coldly cynical attitude.
Enthralled with each other, Kate Graeme and Morgan Desart want a permanent relationship but can't agree on the ground rules.  Kate seeks a loving romantic marriage, but Morgan demands a marriage of convenience with a prenuptial agreement.  Neither will bend emotionally.
Third and Fourth paragraphs: What is the exterior conflict of the novel?  What must both must achieve or defeat and what do they have to lose? This can include plot set up, place set up, the important secondary characters, and the villain. 
When they become trapped alone together on Morgan's island estate for a week, open conflict erupts as they seek to convert each other to their own viewpoint.  Morgan tries to entice her into a loveless marriage with his sexual mastery, but Kate resists this ploy and tempts him with romance and samples of a life together rich with love. 
In this war of sexual desire versus emotional need, both know one of them will have to give in before the week is out because the magic between them is impossible to withstand.
Here are some other examples:
TIME AFTER TIME
ALEXA WEST thinks she's found a man who loves her, but another man, JUSTIN LORD, woos her with an outlandish tale-- they have loved and married for their last twelve reincarnations, and he will allow no other man to marry her in their thirteenth. Is Justin's story lunacy, a line, or a love that spans the ages?
Determined to win her by making her remember, dynamic Justin romances Alexa by restaging and retelling their past lives and their loves. But he doesn't tell her she has rivals for his love, and she is all twelve.
STAR-CROSSED
Trapped on Arden, Earthman Tristan Mallory discovers that men are sex slaves forced into harems.  He has no intention of belonging to anyone, not even beautiful fellow scientist Mara d'Jorel.
Mara despises the harem system and has refused to participate, but her heart won't allow anyone else to own Tristan, and owning him will turn his growing love into hate.  To give Tristan the freedom her world denies, she must risk everything--her reputation, her home, and even her freedom and life.  But her greatest risk is losing Tristan's love to another woman.
Tristan's friend Kellen Votrain is acquired as a bed slave by vicious Cadaran d'Hasta, head of Arden's Internal Security, who has used the lives and deaths of thousands of men to gain her power.  Intelligent and amoral, she'll do anything to destroy him and Tristan and any woman weak enough to love them.
With the help of a local intelligent alien who resembles an Earth cat and Dorian Dalia--Tristan's longtime romantic interest, Tristan, Mara, and Kellen escape the planet.  Through the vast emptiness of space and the most primitive of human colonies, they seek freedom, but Cadaran is always one step behind them.

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
If some important point fits one paragraph better than another, don't feel as if you must follow my structure. Put it where it fits. 
First paragraph: Simple plot set up, and main character's emotional involvement with it. What is the exterior conflict of the novel? (What are the hero and heroine fighting against and why?) The examples are from my THE GAME WE PLAY.
Schoolteacher Faith Cody thinks she has the perfect summer job as nanny to Nicholas Price's two visiting children, but the children are kidnapped, and she and Nick are compelled to join forces to steal the ransom -- documents incriminating vicious criminals.
Second paragraph: More simple plot set up and hero's or second lead's emotional involvement with it.
An investigative journalist trained in the ways of the professional cat burglar, Nick has the skill to steal the hidden documents, but their dangerous owner guards the documents well since they prevent his death. 
Third and Fourth paragraphs: What is the interior conflict of the novel? (What tears the hero and heroine apart emotionally?) What must both must achieve or defeat and what do they have to lose? This can include plot set up, place set up, the important secondary characters, and the villain. 
At the secluded estate of their intended victim, on the catwalks above a Las Vegas stage, and in a back alley at the mercy of killers, Faith and Nick face danger with a witty quip and a willingness to risk anything and anyone, even each other, for the sake of two children they both love.
In this game of betrayer and betrayed, the kidnappers seem determined to destroy Nick's sanity as well as his life, and Faith's life and love may be their ultimate weapon against him. 
Here's a different blurb which focuses on my hero.  It's more suspense than romantic suspense.  
The prize:  His two kidnapped children
The rules:  Trust no one, betray anyone, win at whatever the cost
His pawns: His lover and his best friend
His opponent:  The most dangerous catburglar in history
The game: A game of betrayal, THE GAME WE PLAY

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
If some important point fits one paragraph better than another, don't feel as if you must follow my structure. Put it where it fits.  
First paragraph and second paragraph: In sf and fantasy, the setting itself usually needs to be set up even before the main character.  In THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN, I start with my alien threat and setting--
Immortals are a race so illusive most believe them a fairy tale of space.  Many tales differ, but all declare them the most deadly race in the universe with a technology beyond imagining and physical abilities beyond belief.  With powers so vast, they have paid little attention to humanity.  Until now.
Xenda, a human colony of royalty, castles, and courtly lifestyle, was a quiet pastoral world until the arrival of two Immortal women who vied for the love of the planet's king.   
Third and Fourth paragraphs: Simple plot set up, and the main character's emotional involvement with it. What is the exterior conflict of the novel? (What is the hero fighting against and why?)  What must the main character achieve or defeat and what does he have to lose?  This can include plot set up, place set up, the important secondary characters, and the villain. 
But before they left, he was dead, and the planet and its people were ravaged by invaders.  Peace came with the defeat of evil Fionna by Dia, but now Fionna is back, and Dia is dead.
With only the dubious help of Xendan Patrick Blood-- a charming buffoon who imagines himself a swashbuckling hero, Col. Valerian Grant and his crew of scientists must stop Fionna from destroying the human colony.  
Remember that novels are about people so don't emphasize the science or worldbuilding over the people unless the novel is about the science or the world.  
I would have preferred less emphasis on the worldbuilding in my THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN blurb, and it would have been a stronger selling tool to concentrate on Val Grant, but the Val and his ship come into the situation as outsiders, and the real conflict is between Xenda and Fionna so I couldn't figure out a way around that problem.

MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE
I've listed the paragraphs in order, but arrange the paragraphs to best suit the information you are trying to give.  Sometimes, the setting or the victim needs more emphasis. 
First paragraph: Simple plot set up, and main character's emotional involvement with it. What is the exterior conflict of the novel? (What is the main character's goal and why?) The examples are from my THE GAME WE PLAY.
Schoolteacher Faith Cody thinks she has the perfect summer job as nanny to Nicholas Price's two visiting children, but the children are kidnapped, and she and Nick are compelled to join forces to steal the ransom -- documents incriminating vicious criminals.
Second paragraph: More simple plot set up and the main character's or second lead's emotional involvement with it.  OR Information on the victim.
An investigative journalist trained in the ways of the professional cat burglar, Nick has the skill to steal the hidden documents, but their dangerous owner guards the documents well since they prevent his death. 
Third and Fourth paragraphs: What is the interior conflict of the novel?  What must the main character achieve or defeat and what does he have to lose? This can include plot set up, place set up, the important secondary characters, and the villain. 
At the secluded estate of their intended victim, on the catwalks above a Las Vegas stage, and in a back alley at the mercy of killers, Faith and Nick face danger with a witty quip and a willingness to risk anything and anyone, even each other, for the sake of two children they both love.
In this game of betrayer and betrayed, the kidnappers seem determined to destroy Nick's sanity as well as his life, and Faith's life and love may be their ultimate weapon against him. 
Here's a different blurb which focuses on my male lead.  It's more suspense oriented since it doesn't play up the relationship between Faith and Nick.  
The prize:  His two kidnapped children
The rules:  Trust no one, betray anyone, win at whatever the cost
His pawns: His lover and his best friend
His opponent:  The most dangerous catburglar in history
The game: A game of betrayal, THE GAME WE PLAY

HOW TO CONDENSE THIS INTO AN EVEN SHORTER FORM
You've boiled down the essence of your story into a few paragraphs, but your publisher or a promotion website wants what you have cut down even further.  How do you shorten what has already been trimmed and trimmed and trimmed?  
First, you must determine the market for your story.  Are you selling to a romance reader, a mystery reader, or science fiction reader?  The answer to that question helps determine what is the most important information to keep in your book blurb.  You don't emphasize the hero's romantic life if you are selling a thriller, and you don't ignore it if your reader wants a romance.  
Your book is foremost about one person so that person must be part of the book description.  If you are writing a romance, it's best to pick either the hero or heroine for emphasis, and the one you pick is the one who has the most at stake in your book description.
For my romantic suspense novel, GUARDIAN ANGEL, I wrote this long blurb:
For a large fee, ex-FBI agent Gabriel "Gard" Gardner agrees to protect defense lawyer Lauton O'Brien's daughter from an unnamed, dangerous criminal client.  Desta proves to be everything Gard wants in a woman, but he can't ignore the barriers between them -- her father whom he despises, and her wealthy, high society background which he can never achieve.
Fleeing from violent kidnapping and murder attempts, Gard and Desta pursue their own fleeing quarry, Lauton, who holds the clues to the identity of their mysterious enemy.  No one, not even Gard's former partner, can be trusted, and someone is giving away their locations to their enemy as they travel from the North Carolina coast to the mountains, then back to Gard's home on Lake Norman.
Along the way, they find unlikely allies in Bubba the Swedish chef, a doctor who handles a pistol with the same ease as a scalpel, and a puppy named Barkley.  
When I shortened it, I wanted to let readers know it was a romance, but it was also a suspense novel.  I also wanted to give them a feel for the novel.  Here's what I wrote:  
Marked for death, Desta finds a guardian angel in Gard Gardner, who may save her life but seems determined to break her heart as well.   
No one can be trusted as they flee murder attempts, and someone is betraying their locations to the hired killers after them. 
Notice how I included the romantic relationship as well as using buzz words like "death," "murder," "killers," and "betray" to show the suspense element.
For my science fiction adventure novel, THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN, I wrote this long blurb:
Immortals are a race so illusive most believe them a fairy tale of space.  Many tales differ, but all declare them the most deadly race in the universe with a technology beyond imagining and physical abilities beyond belief.  With powers so vast, they have paid little attention to humanity.  Until now.
Xenda, a human colony of royalty, castles, and courtly lifestyle, was a quiet pastoral world until the arrival of two Immortal women who vied for the love of the planet's king.  
But before they left, he was dead, and the planet and its people were ravaged by invaders.  Peace came with the defeat of evil Fionna by Dia, but now Fionna is back, and Dia is dead.
With only the dubious help of Xendan Patrick Blood-- a charming buffoon who imagines himself a swashbuckling hero, Col. Valerian Grant and his crew of scientists must stop Fionna from destroying the human colony.  
My shorter version--
Swashbuckling Science Fiction Adventure!
To save a human colony of royalty, castles, and courtly lifestyle, Col. Val Grant and his Confederation crew face an alien enemy who cannot be beaten.
I cheated a bit with the first line, but it's an attention getter.  The second line has such sf buzz words as "human colony," "alien," and "crew."  
Other examples--
TIME AFTER TIME
Twelve Past Lives, One Love?
Justin Lord woos Alexa West with an outlandish  tale--they have  loved and  married for their  last  twelve  reincarnations.  Is Justin's story lunacy, a line, or a love that spans the ages?
STAR-CROSSED
Trapped on Arden, Tristan Mallory discovers that men are sex slaves.  He has no intention of belonging to anyone, not even beautiful Mara.  To give Tristan freedom, Mara must risk everything-- her family, her freedom, and her life.  But her most terrible risk is losing Tristan to another woman.

HINTS FOR ALL KINDS OF BOOKS
Know what YOUR readers want to know about your book.  Go to your bookshelf and pull out books in the same genre as yours and read the back cover copy.  What made you want to read this book?  What clues and buzz words did the copy use to tell you what kind of book it is?  
Did the language and voice used in the blurb tell you about the tone of the book?  If the book is comic, was this obvious in the way the blurb was done?  If the book was dark, could you tell?   Could using the distinctive voice of the narrator have improved the blurb? 
For an excellent example of a book's comic tone caught in the blurb, read the blurbs of Jeff Strand's novels at Amazon.
Remember that your book is about people, not setting, historical location, or scientific facts.  Don't emphasize any of them over your characters.