Links of Interest

EDITING TO CREATE BETTER EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTIONS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/three-easy-edits-for-better-emotional.html

THE DIFFERENCES AND USES OF A COLLECTION, AN ANTHOLOGY, AND A BOXED SET:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/collections-anthologies-box-sets-self-publishing/

EIGHT UNUSUAL WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BOOK:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/8-book-marketing-shots-in-the-dark/

BUILDING YOUR READERSHIP, THINK LONG TERM:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/finding-your-audience-part-two-think.html

HOW KNOWING THE GENRE HELPS CREATE THE BOOK:

http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2016/06/the-dude-abides-but-in-what-genre

HOW A NOVEL SHOULDN’T BE LIKE A MOVIE OR TV SHOW:

http://marcykennedy.com/2016/06/important-writers-also-readers

WORLDBUILDING, DON’T FORGET THE LANDSCAPE:

http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/worldbuilding-dont-neglect-the-landscape

USING GOODREADS TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/07/01/how-goodreads-can-help-writers-grow-their-readership

BUILDING YOUR EMAIL LIST:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2016/07/fiction-writers-build-a-better-email-list/

HOW TO STORYBOARD A BOOK WHICH WILL HAVE A SEQUEL:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2016/07/writing-more-than-one-book-how-to.html

STRATEGY IN FANTASY BATTLES:

http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/writing-fantasy-battles-a-look-at-strategy

WRITING GRIEF:

https://www.standoutbooks.com/write-grief/

WRITING AN AMAZING FLASHBACK:

https://www.standoutbooks.com/4-decisions-amazing-flashback/

THE CONTRACT TERMINATION CLAUSE:

http://kriswrites.com/2016/06/29/business-musings-long-term-thinking-the-contract-termination-clause-contractsdealbreakers/

GRAMMAR SOURCES:

http://inkandquills.com/2016/07/04/grammar-resources/

THE ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE SENTENCE:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/07/active-v-passive-fiction.html

SUBPLOTS:

https://killzoneblog.com/2016/07/surviving-subplots.html

STORY CONFLICT:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-52-story-conflict/

PLANNING OUT YOUR NOVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/07/6-easy-steps-to-planning-out-your-novel.html

CHOOSING YOUR ANTAGONIST:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2016/07/choosing-your-antagonist.html

LOOKING FOR A CRITIQUE PARTNER OR PARTNERS?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/06/are-you-looking-for-critique-group-or.html

AVOIDING EXPECTATIONS IN PLOT:

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/07/06/getting-ahead-of-yourselfand-your-reader

COMBINING GENRES:

http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2016/07/dudeology-2-combining-genres

PROBLEMS WITH USING DICTATION SOFTWARE:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/writers-dictating-speech-to-text/

PROMOTING PROPERLY AND WHAT NOT TO DO:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2016/07/book-promotion-do-this-not-that-interview-with-pamela-beason/

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

IS KINDLE DIGITAL PUBLISHING RIGHT FOR YOU?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/is-kdp-select-right-for-you.html

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL TITLE FOR YOUR BOOK:

http://www.magicalwords.net/melissa-gilbert/friday-fundamentals-title-tells-it-all/

TIME MARKERS TO HELP YOUR READER KEEP UP WITH TIME PASSAGE:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2016/06/time-markers-how-to-keep-reader-on.html

PRIMER ON FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGES:

http://buildbookbuzz.com/facebook-profile-page-or-group/

CREATING WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS:

http://www.shesnovel.com/blog/well-developed-characters

A LOOK AT BOOK SALE NUMBERS AND ROYALTIES:

http://kriswrites.com/2016/06/22/business-musings-the-midlist-rules/

WORKING WITH SUBTEXT:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/06/getting-to-grips-with-subtext.html

SAMHAIN WILL NOT CLOSE AFTER ALL:

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/blog/125376/exciting-news-samhain-set-keep-publishing

CONTRACTS, FIVE TERMS EVERY AUTHOR SHOULD KNOW:

https://www.bookworks.com/2016/06/5-legal-terms-every-author-should-know/

A BLOGGER WILL:

http://problogger.com/podcast/126-2/

CREATING COMPLEX SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/complex-supporting-characters/

MISPLACED MODIFIERS:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/3-cases-of-misplaced-modifiers/

THE PROBLEM WITH FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE:

http://theeditorsblog.net/2012/09/20/the-curse-of-first-person-narration/

IS MIXING VIEWPOINT TYPES A GOOD IDEA?

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2016/05/23/rules-mixing-viewpoints/

STARTING OFF WITH A BANG:

https://patverducci.com/how-to-start-your-book-or-movie-with-a-bang/

WORLDBUILDING TOOLS:

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2016/06/world-building-tips-and-tools.html

A GUIDE TO GENRES:

https://www.writersedit.com/ultimate-guide-navigating-genres-subgenres/

HOW TO TIGHTEN YOUR WRITING:

http://labelleseditorialservices.com/blog/3-tips-on-how-to-tighten-your-writing/

SELF-PUBS, WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ISBNs:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/isbns-for-self-published-books/

THE CONFLICTED PROTAG:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-conflicted-protagonist.html

THE FOUR ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR FIRST FIVE PAGES:

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2016/06/four-essential-elements-for-your-first.html

The Reader and Writer Agreement

Any form of fiction is an agreement between the writer and the reader. The writer says, “I will tell you a story, and you will believe it while you are reading it.”

The reader agrees that, as long as the story remains true to its own telling and is interesting, he will keep reading and believe what he is reading. This is often called suspension of disbelief.

The writer can create the most bizarre rules imaginable for the way his world works and have creatures that aren't possible in the real world, but there are two rules he can't break.

He must have his humans behave as humans do, and he must not break his own rules. To do either ruins the story and destroys that suspension of disbelief.

Links of Interest

EDITING SOMEONE ELSE’S BOOK:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/tips-for-editing-other-writers/

SELF-PUBBING USING APPLE:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/how-to-make-money-for-your-self-published-books-with-apple/

FORMATTING WITH SCRIVENER:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/formatting-your-book-with-scrivener.html

BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/book-promotion-10-ways-to-build-your-author-mailing-list-without-paying-for-facebook-advertising/

DEALING WITH PACING PROBLEMS:

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2016/06/kate-karyus-quinn-author-of-down-with.html

HOW AMAZON IS DESTROYING AUTHORS’ CAREERS:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/think-you-couldnt-possibly-lose-your-amazon-publishing-account-think-again

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/dangers-for-prawny-authors

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/steal-my-books-please

USING CONTRAST TO CREATE STRONGER DESCRIPTIONS:

http://jamigold.com/2016/06/5-tips-for-empowering-description-with-contrast-guest-marcy-kennedy/

THE FIRST TURNING POINT IN YOUR NOVEL:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/06/20/a-look-at-the-first-turning-point-in-your-novel

CREATING PLOT TWISTS:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/06/creating-plot-twists.html

USING THE ANTAGONIST TO CREATE YOUR PLOT:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-plot-a-book/

4 KEYS TO GREAT DIALOGUE:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2016/06/4-keys-to-great-dialogue.html

DEALING WITH HARSH COMMENTS ON  YOUR BLOG/WEBSITE:

http://problogger.com/podcast/125-2/

CHARACTER GROUP DYNAMICS:

http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/character-group-dynamics

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK ON AMAZON:

http://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-publish-a-book-on-amazon/

CREATING WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS:

http://www.shesnovel.com/blog/well-developed-characters

PUSHING THE PLOT FORWARD:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/pushing-plot-forwardtying-and-trimming.html

WHY FREE IS STILL A SMART MARKETING STRATEGY:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/4541/why-free-is-still-smart/

GETTING MORE BOOKBUB FOLLOWERS:

https://insights.bookbub.com/ideas-for-getting-more-bookbub-followers/

THE HERO EMBODIES THE THEME:

http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2016/03/the-hero-embodies-the-theme

ADDING BACKSTORY INTO YOUR NOVEL:

https://thewriteediting.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-more-you-know-more-backstory-info.html

PLUGINS FOR WORDPRESS BLOGS:

https://litreactor.com/columns/10-plugins-writers-need-for-their-wordpress-website

WRITING THE ANTIHERO (PODCAST):

http://diymfa.com/podcast/writing-the-anti-hero-interview-with-l-s-hilton

WHY YOU NEED A SPECIFIC KIND OF LAWYER TO REVIEW YOUR BOOK CONTRACT:

http://thewritepractice.com/book-publishing-contracts/

IS YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE FRIENDLY?

http://www.theauthorentrepreneurs.com/is-your-author-website-mobile-friendly/

EVALUATING A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER:

http://rmfw.org/tips-for-evaluating-a-traditional-publishing-house/

HOW A MINOR CHARACTER CAN BECOME VERY IMPORTANT WITH SOME THOUGHT TO BACKSTORY:

http://www.magicalwords.net/r-s-belcher/the-mayors-tale

THE BEST PRINT ON DEMAND SERVICE FOR SELF-PUBS?

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/whats-the-best-print-on-demand-service-for-self-published-paperbacks/

A Very Vampire Christmas

With the traditional vampire, writers knew vampires’ relationship to Christianity.  Crosses and Holy Water made them shriek and back away because vampires were demonic evil.  

These days, that’s not necessarily true.  In Tanya Huff’s series about vampire Henry Fitzroy, he pals around with priests, carries a crucifix, and is the most religious of all the characters because he has seen true evil and wants to protect others from it.  

Charlaine Harris’ Stookie Stackhouse stories tossed in a bit of religion, mainly Stookie’s, in with the vampires and werewolves.  One of Harris’ short stories shares the name with this article as Viking vampire Eric tries to figure out Christmas so he can please his human girl friend.

Fictional monsters come in all shapes and kinds these days with a moral spectrum from light to dark and everywhere in between as it fits the story and the genre, and readers and writers are fine with that.

Then there’s stories based on the Greek and Norse mythologies.  Here’s where things have been getting weird with some writers.  Most of the Greek myth-based stories I’ve read have ignored Christianity and focused on the secular aspects of the characters. 

Or, in the case of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, people go to the afterlife they believe in.

However, some writers using the Norse stories have been making some strange choices.  I just finished a contemporary paranormal story where Norse gods were Catholic and celebrated Christmas!  

Then there’s a story where every warrior or strong soul, no matter their religion or ethnicity, are taken to Valhalla when they die so they can fight at Ragnorak which is the Norse Apocalypse.  This essentially denies the truth of any other religion.  

Does this mixing or ignoring of the most prominent current religions work?  Not for me because it was so shocking that it knocked me out of the story.  Your tolerance may vary.  

But it does pose a serious question you should ask in your worldbuilding.  How does contemporary religion and readers’ faith affect your story?  

Links of Interest

CLARIFYING YOUR PROSE:

http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/reader-confusion

DEALING WITH REPETITIVE STRESS INJURIES AS A WRITER:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/writing-with-rsi-top-tips-for-indie-authors/

MORE ON THE EVIL THAT IS THE NON-COMPETE CLAUSE:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/an-important-notice-on-the-non-compete-clause

WHAT SELF-PUBS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GETTING THEIR BOOKS INTO BOOKSTORES:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/eight-things-booksellers-would-like-self-published-authors-to-know

PROMO STRATEGY, CREATING A PRE-LAUNCH TEAM:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/marketing-strategy-enlist-pre-release.html

USING BOOKBUB TO BOOST SELF-PUB SALES:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/how-to-use-bookbub-to-boost-sales-of-self-published-books/

WHY WRITERS SHOULD REALLY READ FACEBOOKS TERMS OF SERVICE:

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2016/06/facebook-rules-must-read-for-author.html

MAKING THE READER AND THE HERO CONNECT:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/06/10/how-writers-can-develop-emotional-connections-between-reader-and-hero

FLESHING OUT FLAT CHARACTERS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/07/re-write-wednesday-in-flesh.html

NEWSLETTER TIPS:

http://austinkleon.com/2016/04/25/on-newsletters/

A GUN OR KNIFE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL?

https://authorjenniferchase.com/2016/05/19/emily-stones-weaponry-knife-or-gun/

WRITING THAT SCARY SCENE:

http://romanceuniversity.org/2016/05/18/writing-scary-scenes-by-rayne-hall/

QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF IS YOU WRITE URBAN FANTASY:

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/6-questions-writers-must-answer-when-writing-urban-fantasy-and-paranormal

WHY COINCIDENCE DOESN’T WORK:

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/article-what-a-coincidence.html

DESIGNING YOUR AUTHOR BRAND:

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2016/04/designing-your-author-brand.html

CREATING A BOOK TRAILER:

http://booksbywomen.org/how-to-make-a-book-trailer/

WRITING AN INTERESTING VILLAIN:

https://www.standoutbooks.com/howtowritevillain/

PREMISE AND THE ONE-SENTENCE STORY CONCEPT:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/06/13/understanding-premise-and-the-one-sentence-story-concept

THE INTELLECTUAL AND THE EMOTIONAL HOOK OF YOUR STORY:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/11/what-i-learned-at-world-fantasy-week_04.html

EXPOSITION, SOMETIMES TELLING IS OKAY:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/06/better-writing-dealing-with-exposition.html

THE USE OF SUBTEXT IN  YOUR FICTION:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/06/what-are-you-really-saying-use-of.html

FINDING A WRITING COMMUNITY:

http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/quick-tip-tuesday-finding-a-writing-community

GOOD EXAMPLES OF BOOK ADS:

https://insights.bookbub.com/book-marketing-display-ads-stunning-designs

EBOOK TRACKING LINKS WITHIN YOUR BOOK:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2016/06/laying-track-tracking-ebook-links-google-analytics/