Riley Adams's Blog, page 152

Giving Villains More Depth

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig


Image by Daniel Gies


Most people aren’t 100% good or 100%
bad.  There are bits of goodness and
badness in all of us…including villains. 


Flat villains with no dimension to them
are just as uninteresting as Pollyanna protagonists. As a reader, my interest
is always piqued when I get to see another side of a bad guy…if he does
something unexpectedly kind, for example. 
I usually wonder if there’s an ulterior motive—and wondering is good for
readers. It helps keep them engaged in the story.  Even if there isn’t
an ulterior motive, it’s interesting because it offers another side to the
character.

In mysteries, this is especially
important because we don’t know who the bad guy is until the end of the
book….or we shouldn’t, if it’s a traditional mystery (thrillers operate under
different rules.)  

In one of my books for Penguin, I’d
turned in the manuscript for editing.  My
editor emailed me back and told me that this time she’d been able to figure out
who’d done it.  She pointed out that the
murderer was also the most unpleasant character—that it was too obvious for
readers...that they’d want that person
to be the murderer, anyway, and the element of surprise would be gone.  My choices were to make the killer more
likeable or to change the murderer altogether.

I decided to make the murderer more
likeable (although I frequently do change the killer for my editor…in fact, I’d
already changed the killer once for that very book.)  This was easier than it might sound.  I changed dialogue where the killer came off
sounding snarky and made the statements sound more genuine.  I showed the killer being a good citizen. I
showed the murderer helping the sleuth. 
I made the killer reluctant to gossip about the other suspects. I nice-d
the killer up.  Reader response later
indicated that the murderer’s identity remained a secret until the end (well,
some readers always guess the right suspect. Sigh.)

For non-mystery writers, showing your
villain’s good side has other advantages—mainly to add complexity to the
character and make them more believable. 
And keeping the reader…and your protagonist…guessing is also a nice side
effect.  Maybe it even gives your
protagonist second thoughts about the bad guy. 
It could also make the protagonist trust the antagonist again…which
could make the protagonist’s life more complicated.  Confusing the protagonist could be another
strategy to throw a bit of conflict in there.

Do you have any favorite multidimensional villains?  How do you
like to display other sides of your antagonist?

3 Useful Additions For Your Mystery

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Today I'm over at Linda Clare's Writer's Tips blog, with a post especially for mystery writers.  There I'll list the three elements that I've found most helpful to me when writing mysteries.  I'd love to hear from other writers what they've found useful for their mysteries and am happy to answer any general questions about writing mysteries there, too.



Thanks for coming by!

Promoting or Re-releasing an Older Book

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I recently received an email from someone
asking what angle he should take in promoting an older release.  It was one of those situations where he’d
sold the first book to a big publisher and a year later, sales were
lagging…right as he was wanting to pitch
books two and three to the publisher.

Unfortunately, this is a drawback with
traditional publishing—if the sales aren’t great, then they’re not going to be
keen on buying book two and launching in. 
Even though…launching book two can bring book one back to life
again. 

What do
you do if they don’t buy book two (you’ve probably got a “right of
refusal” clause in your contract that will tell you how long it will be before
they make that decision.)  You have,
actually, a couple of options to get your other books in front of readers.

You could pitch another traditional
publisher with book two.  This pitch
would probably be more successful with a bump in sales for book one (and I’ll
touch on promo ideas below).

You could ask for the rights to your
characters back and then self-publish the remaining books in your series.  Incidentally, this has been my approach and
the sales for the first book in the series have remained strong for a year
now.  This, as a matter of fact, might be
the better option (i.e…this is what I would do.)

Let’s say that you’ve chosen one of those
two options above.  Exactly how do you promote an older book? 

Don’t even
mention that it’s not a recent launch.  As
far as I can tell…it just doesn’t matter. 
Back before digital books, shelf space at bookstores was fairly
ephemeral. You needed to promote your
book directly after it released…otherwise, they’d send the books back to the
publisher (the dreaded ‘returns’) and free up shelf space for other, newer
titles.  Now the books stay up on a
retail cloud as long as you want them to. 
Why not promote them a year or
two years later?  I see older releases
promoted every day.  Yeah, your title
might not be as exciting for book bloggers as the hottest new release, but it
shouldn’t ultimately matter.  A good book
is a good book.  If it’s undiscovered,
it’s not old news. Consider a blog tour or a Goodreads giveaway.  A spike in sales and reviews for the title is
never a bad thing.

Write more
books in the series (if you have the rights and if you’re choosing the self-pub
option).  This results in higher
visibility for your name and your titles on retailers like Amazon.  Then your previous title comes along for the
ride.

Create a
platform where you interact in readers without being strident.  Learn which are your favorite social
media sites…are you more of a Twitter person or a Facebook person?  What about Pinterest?  Would you enjoy blogging?  You don’t have to go crazy with it…just have
some sort of consistent online presence in a form that doesn’t drive you
nuts.  Interact with others, share things
your followers have shared, make friends, and build a name for yourself.

My favorite?  Definitely continuing a series by
self-publishing it.  You have more
control and have the opportunity to have Amazon’s “customers who bought this,
also bought this” algorithm to work in your favor.  It’s all a matter of visibility in a very
crowded virtual bookstore.

How about
a much older book? 
What about a book that came out in the 70s or 80s?  If you’ve got the rights to those books, they
might as well be available for sale…they have the potential to bring in additional
income.  You’ll need some new, updated
cover art (usually the cover art doesn’t revert to the author anyway…at least,
it didn’t in my case for my 2009 book.) You’ll need to hire someone to format
the book for digital release and/or print on demand (unless you want to learn
how to do it yourself…I didn’t.) 
Hopefully, the editing was good the first time around at your
traditional publisher.  You have the
option of updating the book’s text—or not. 
It could be a charming snapshot of life in a different decade.  Or you could tweak it to make it appear to
have been set in the modern day.  As
author and publisher—it’s all up to you. 
You’ve got total creative control.

Have you had any success re-launching an
older book?

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine
(developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 20,000
free articles on writing related topics. It's the search engine for writers.

Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly
writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike Fleming worked with author and
writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an online, interactive, writing program
to help make your next novel great. It's called "Knockout Novel" and
you can learn more about it at Knockout
Novel.com.

The Alphabet in
Crime Fiction: Injections as a Murder Method: http://bit.ly/16DiigB
@mkinberg




Getting Reviews as a Self-Published
Author: http://bit.ly/11z1Hl3
@SpunkonaStick

#BEA13 "positions authors primarily
as creatures of the publishers": http://bit.ly/14pRd9v
@Porter_Anderson

1 writer's editing process: http://bit.ly/1aZrFnk @authorterryo

The publishing industry is telling itself
fairy tales: http://bit.ly/11VXnlR @samatlounge
@Porter_Anderson

Observations on #BEA13: http://bit.ly/15zZL01 @Porter_Anderson
@jwikert @ChuckWendig



How to write a novel in three years or
more: http://bit.ly/14gQQ4z @EmilyWenstrom

Amazon execs meet with writers and those
who report on publishing--for input: http://bit.ly/15ENqaW
@Porter_Anderson @dearauthor @JasonBoog

The 4 Best
Strategies for Savvy Self-Publishers: http://bit.ly/11lCnEX
@writersdigest




No, E-book Sales Are Not Declining: http://bit.ly/12UBnWs @nathanbransford

How To Cure Writer's Block Using Photos: http://bit.ly/11lCznM

Beware the comma splice: http://bit.ly/12UBG3A @ScottTheWriter

Tips for writing academic papers: http://bit.ly/11lCPmF @manon_eileen

What makes a book irresistible: One
reader's advice to authors: http://bit.ly/12UBMZ7
@novelpublicity

Submission Standards: http://bit.ly/11lD1lH @EdieMelson

How to Write in the Face of Rejection: http://bit.ly/12UBUrx @writersdigest

The Importance of the Trunk Novel, and
Recognizing it for What It Is. http://bit.ly/11lDdkY
@marshallmaresca

Manage Your Writing Connections with
LinkedIn Contacts: http://bit.ly/12UC0Q2
@galleycat

Writing Epic Action Scenes: http://bit.ly/11lDlRI @MBTPonderers

A writer's group for creative nonfiction:
http://bit.ly/12UC8ig @galleycat

Tips for getting story ideas: http://bit.ly/11lDynG @woodwardkaren

Having a goal when entering contests and
what it takes to final: http://bit.ly/12UClCi
@jamigold

How Do We Write What We DON'T Know? http://bit.ly/11lDN2f @shewritesdotcom

Tips for daily writing: http://zenhabits.net/write-daily/
@leobauta

How to successfully build tension: http://bit.ly/12C3EPZ @angelaackerman

Why and how you should backup your
writing: http://bit.ly/19gYVZe @galleycat

Questions to ask CPs, Betas, and
(Friendly) Reviewers: http://bit.ly/18ufNdO

Writing Close Point of View: http://bit.ly/18ufTSD @StacyGreen26
@janice_hardy

5 Ways to Spring Clean your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/18ufY8W @pj_hoover

You've got an offer of representation.
Now what? http://bit.ly/19gZous @mollykh

How Much Attention Should You Pay to Book
Design? http://bit.ly/18ugdAW @jfbookman
@janefriedman

How Do You Keep Your Book Sales Momentum
Going? http://bit.ly/19gZuSU @goblinwriter

Who Inherits Your Copyrights? http://bit.ly/19gZBxH @susanspann








Giving It Away: Why
Fiction Authors Should Offer Free Ebooks: http://bit.ly/13P7HJy
@storyrally


Did you write a second book first? http://bit.ly/18ugKCM

1 writer reclaims her first drafts: http://bit.ly/18ugVxY  @YAConfidential @a_shostak

How to write in your sleep: http://bit.ly/19h0cj0

The Problem With "Revealing"
Information That's Already in the Cover Copy: http://bit.ly/18uhaZO
@janice_hardy

What's the Right Tone for a Query Letter?
http://bit.ly/18uhvvH @Dear_Editor

4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases: http://bit.ly/1100lje @writing_tips

Being a good literary citizen: http://bit.ly/ZqIHLr @GillianMarchenk

Anne Lyle and Historical Sexuality: http://bit.ly/ZqIPui @HaralambiMarkov

Marketing is Destroying the Science
Fiction Genre: http://bit.ly/1100Vxt

Revisions: Knowing When You've Got It
Right. http://bit.ly/11011Fm @YAHighway

7 ways to build your writing routine: http://bit.ly/1101mI3 @philjourdan

Creating a catastrophe plan for our
writing: http://bit.ly/ZqJFat @bob_mayer

Tips for revising: http://bit.ly/1101Y0r @moonbridgebooks

The Top 8 Free Online File Storage Sites:
http://bit.ly/ZqJWKB @socialtimes

Different types of self-publishing: http://bit.ly/ZqK6kV @amazingstories0
@author_sullivan

Motivation Too Weak? Don't Multiply
It—Simplify It: http://bit.ly/1102n2X
@cockeyedcaravan

3 Keys to Writing Memorable Fiction: http://bit.ly/1102wU2 @ruthharrisbooks

Does your picture book premise have
power?  A checklist: http://bit.ly/ZqKwI5 @jeanreidy

Writing cliffhangers: http://bit.ly/11034Jq @woodwardkaren

The Psychology of Story Physics: http://bit.ly/ZqKJes @storyfix

Digital Book Signings: A Range Of
Technologies And Services: http://bit.ly/1103gZg
@digibookworld

10 Reasons Not to Be A Writer: http://bit.ly/19lvXaJ @Booktrust

What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel:
http://bit.ly/1ayhrdl @RayRhamey

Follow submissions guidelines:  http://bit.ly/19lxP3a
@HookedOnNoir

How an e-book is like a treadmill at the
gym: http://bit.ly/1ayhSV5 @bufocalvin

Juicing Emotion: http://bit.ly/1ayi5aJ @kid_lit

Screenwriting software review:  Persona Character Development Software: http://bit.ly/19ly923 @scriptmag

Chart the Time You Spend Checking Email,
Twitter & Facebook: http://bit.ly/1ayiqu2
@galleycat

5 things to do before accepting a guest
post: http://bit.ly/19lygdI @problogger

YA Lit Really Screws Over Parents: http://bit.ly/1ayiERS @chihuahuazero

Writing and Researching a Time Travel
Novel: http://bit.ly/19lytOb
@passivevoiceblg

Craft Chat about Fake Places: http://bit.ly/1ayj1fo @swkehoe

Things To Consider When Planning Your
Protagonist's Death: http://huff.to/12LRc1P
@writersrelief

Thesaurus of Physical Attributes Entry:
Neck: http://bit.ly/16EYbOJ @beccapuglisi

"The Lie Most Frequently Told In
Hollywood": http://bit.ly/10Z6SQO
@gointothestory @goodinaroom

The end game: http://bit.ly/14c1ety @JoeMoore_writer

Writers Write – Seeing the Cliché Through
New Eyes: http://bit.ly/10yhznE
@matty_gibbon

Rags to Riches plots: http://bit.ly/10Korjb @write_practice

Handling Scene Transitions With Multiple
POVs: http://bit.ly/11CYx5H @Janice_hardy

12 Most Successful Ways for Writers to
Win with Pinterest: http://bit.ly/10KoICK
@12Most @pegfitzpatrick

Screenwriting Tip: Know who you're
writing for: http://bit.ly/10Kphwi
@gointothestory

How the ebook evolution might get started
in other places: http://bit.ly/11CZFWZ
@mikeshatzkin

Examples of modern farce: http://bit.ly/10KpNdH @the_millions

Handwritten Manuscript Pages From Classic
Novels: http://bit.ly/11D0sr5 @flavorwire

A Kobo director's thoughts on
self-publishing: http://bit.ly/10Kq6VL
@authorterryo

The Immobilized Man in Noir Fiction: http://bit.ly/11D0YFt @write_practice

Oxymorons for writers: http://bit.ly/10KqtzJ @LShirtliffe

Time Management Tips for Writers: http://bit.ly/11D1yTw @DIYMFA

The Importance of Memoir: http://bit.ly/15laj3F @christicraig

Some creative philosophies are universal:
http://bit.ly/Zz7gpA @erin_bowman

Freelancers--why you shouldn't create
your own samples (and how to get real clips, instead): http://bit.ly/15laT1h @ticewrites

Character clinic--making a character
likeable while keeping her guarded: http://bit.ly/Zz7L2R
@jeanniecampbell

Uncertainty: The Normal Writing Process: http://bit.ly/15lbfVS @fictionnotes

How to Use "Help a Reporter
Out": http://bit.ly/15lbWhQ @karencv

Checklist questions for your manuscript: http://bit.ly/Zz8fWN @artzicarol

Creating Multi-Dimensional
Characters--Everybody Lies: http://bit.ly/15lcjsD
@kristenlambtx

The 4 Best Strategies for Savvy
Self-Publishers: http://bit.ly/Zz8qRY
@jfbookman

Stuffing too much into one sentence: http://bit.ly/15ld4lA @JordanMcCollum

12 Tips to Market Your Book at Shows: http://bit.ly/Zz99Cv @charmaineclancy

When Authors Pull an Anne Rice: http://bit.ly/15lgggX @DinaSantorelli
@ms_articulate

4 Reasons Your Book Is Not Your Baby: http://bit.ly/Zzb360 @carlywatters

Website Navigation: Make it Easy for
People to Explore Your Site: http://bit.ly/15lh0me
@hostbaby

How To Fix Convoluted Writing: http://bit.ly/ZzbzBe

Tips for persevering in writing: http://bit.ly/10RhQmV @SylviaNey

The thin-skinned writer: http://bit.ly/17fLhqg @booktrust

Improving Book Publicity in the 21st
Century: http://bit.ly/10Ri0Lh @doctorow

Naked calisthenics, air baths, head
stands, and other strange artistic habits: http://slate.me/17fLDgo
@masoncurrey @slatest

The Collected Wisdom of Great Writers: http://bit.ly/10RiaSQ @brainpicker

Using Anchor Text In Your Posts: http://bit.ly/17fLKIU @karencv

Don't look a gift writer in the mouth: http://bit.ly/10Ripxh @flawritersconf

James Patterson: Prototypical Indie
Author? http://bit.ly/17fMcHc @lynnmessina
@IndieReader

Script To Screen: "Scream": http://bit.ly/10Riwsu @gointothestory

Copyright, the Double-Edged Sword: http://bit.ly/10RiBfN

Why 1 trad. author is self-pubbing: http://bit.ly/17fMuh8 @JAKonrath @fpaulwilson
@tracylcarbone

Book beginnings and endings: http://bit.ly/17fMBta @donmaass

The Joy of Creative Ignorance: Embracing
Uncertainty In Your Day-to-Day: http://bit.ly/10RiVve
@99u

Should You Write Nonfiction or Fiction? http://bit.ly/17fMRbE @joebunting

4 Questions to Define Your Social Media
Presence: http://bit.ly/10Rj15X @diymfa

How To Create Character Empathy: http://bit.ly/17fMY78 @beccapuglisi

The importance of habits to working
writers: http://bit.ly/10RjdSF
@kristinerusch

Rejections--why they happen and dealing
with them: http://bit.ly/17fNfqt
@novelpublicity

What Novelists Should Know About Short
Fiction: http://bit.ly/10Rjkhd
@writeitsideways

5 Things to Consider When Writing
Webcopy: http://bit.ly/17fNy4O
@WendyENThomas

Why Your Novel May Not Be Historical
Fiction After All: http://bit.ly/10RjAwH
@KMWeiland

Top 10 writing craft sites on one
writer's list: http://bit.ly/17fNNwv
@kmweiland

Health Insurance for Writers: http://bit.ly/1aRgkWs

Writers' Neuroses: http://bit.ly/1aRgEo8

Promises and Threats: http://bit.ly/17fVZgr @LDBogart @TNBtweets

20 Rules for Writing: http://bit.ly/17fW43L

Using all the senses when writing: http://bit.ly/1aRhL7p @noveleditor

Quality and the new publishing paradigm: http://bit.ly/1aRhX6l @davidbergsland

How to Market a Book and Strengthen Your
Author Platform with Goodreads: http://bit.ly/17fWjf9
@writerplatform

3 Reasons Critiquing Will Improve Your
Writing: http://bit.ly/1aRiDZA
@write_practice

KDP Select Giveaway, a Case Study: http://bit.ly/1aRj8D2 @loriculwell

Creating Characters with Character: http://bit.ly/1aRjvgF @GPChing

When to Nudge Agents, Hiring Editors: http://bit.ly/1aRjRE9 @litreactor @breeogden

Respecting your dreams: http://bit.ly/1aRk7TH @ajackwriting

"How's the Book Doing?"  http://bit.ly/17fXfjB
@andrewkarre

Scene interruptions: http://bit.ly/1aRkBcg @kid_lit

Plot Generators, What-If Tools, 37
Dramatic Situations, and Getting Past Writers Block : http://bit.ly/1aRkUUD @EnchantedInkpot

Lessons Learned From Bestselling Indie
Authors On Writing And Book Marketing: http://bit.ly/17fXUSd
@thecreativepenn

Stress and writers: http://bit.ly/17fY107 @jennybent

7 steps to the perfect story
(infographic): http://bit.ly/13wM2Ga

1 writer's problems with self-publishing:
http://bit.ly/14nABzt @salon @TedHeller

Bold Storytelling Statements That Are
Almost Always True: http://bit.ly/16D7yPi
@storyfix

Book vs. Film: Jurassic Park: http://bit.ly/14nAS5d @litreactor
@chris_shultz81

5 Ways To Get More Traffic From
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/16D7IGw
@MelonieDodaro

Writing a Book Proposal: http://bit.ly/16D7LC4 @behlerpublish

Query Critiques: More Important Than You
Think: http://bit.ly/14nB8kP @ava_jae

The Secret Recipe for Writing a Perfect
Pitch: http://bit.ly/16D7PSj @kristenlambtx




Readers are "interactive players in
the (publishing) marketplace": http://bit.ly/11JjEgP
@Porter_Anderson @stephaniebond @otown

Good Points and Downsides to Rapid Series Releasing and Studying Algorithms

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

In my post
on Monday, I took a look at the phenomenon of binge-viewing or marathon consumption in entertainment.  As I mentioned in the post, Netflix is
enjoying some success with its experiment with its original series, House of Cards, in which it released the
entire season of thirteen episodes on the same day for viewers to watch at
their own pace.

I think there are some real possibilities
and perhaps a glimpse at how reader consumption might operate in the
future.  I’ve noticed that readers will
frequently email me or ask me via Facebook when my next traditionally-published
book will release (often asking me why I can’t write faster.) :)  Production for traditionally-published books
takes a year.  They don’t ask me that question for
my Myrtle Clover series, which is now self-published.   



I think there are both pros and cons to rapid book release (and, also, studying data to help us plan books or series...I touched a bit on algorithms in my Monday post). 



Pros:

New life
to old series.  Arrested
Development, which developed a cult following, was canceled by the
Fox network and picked up by Netflix. This delighted fans, who’d missed the
show.  Netflix, again, is providing the
entire new season at once.

For us, this could mean that an old
series, rejected sequels, or our backlist could enjoy new life and attract new readers with its
instant, in-full, availability. 
Naturally, we can also write new books in a discontinued series (even without
this rapid release method)…I’ve done that with my Myrtle Clover series which
Midnight Ink pulled the plug on in 2010.

It's not
as necessary to artificially insert cliffhangers: writers can integrate a more
natural storyline:  

Jace Lacob in his article for The Daily Beast, “House of Cards—Should You Binge Watch Netflix’s
Political Drama?”:

“Not
reliant on cliffhangers at the end of each episode to compel the viewer to
return the following week, these episodes end when the internal logic of the
narrative dictates they do, rather than through traditional patterns of
serialized storytelling that hark back to Charles Dickens. Shocking moments are
scattered throughout individual episodes, rather than being reliant on a
build-up of tension in the final minutes.”

Or…alternatively, in publishing…we can stick in huge cliffhangers at the end of
our books without worry about reader irritation…because the next book is
already available for purchase.  Common
knowledge has previously been that writers run the risk of upsetting readers by
putting cliffhangers at the ends of books, knowing that they’ll have to wait
upwards of a year for the next installment of a continuing-storyline series.

In some
ways, books are better-suited to marathon consumption than television
is…because of the manner in which books are shared with friends.  In a Gwen
Ifill interview
for PBS Newshour, Ifill brings up the fact that television used to be more of a
shared/water cooler-type experience for viewers.  She asks Brian Grazer, chairman of Imagine
Entertainment (which produces Arrested
Development):  “When you're binge-watching, Brian, you don't have a
chance to say, did you see what happened last night? Is isn't that a risk for
the way we communicate as a people at the water cooler the next day?”  His answer: “…I
think excitement, curiosity and the explosive nature of how conversations work
can still be applied, because you can say, I just saw five episodes of
Arrested Development. You might not be doing it
on the water cooler the next day. You're going to be doing it on all your
social media.”

Books, obviously, aren’t shared with our
friends the same way…not as frequently in real time (although, who knows—with
the advent of social media, we could host book clubs inside of digital books in ongoing open forums.)  Yes, we do read books simultaneously with our
friends sometimes—book clubs and some Goodreads boards come to mind.  But I think just as much
excitement/word-of-mouth could be built by telling a friend that you’ve just
finished an entire series in a marathon reading session.

Downsides: 

There are some potential downsides to
both quick production/release and studying data to make creative decisions.

Jace Lacob outlined
in his article:

“By offering all 13 episodes at the same time,
Netflix risks undermining its own strategy. Few will acknowledge the time
necessary to launch the second season of House of Cards, or another go-around
of Arrested Development episodes, and
may instead express the same frustration that plagues weekly serialized dramas,
that plaintive cry of the unfulfilled when faced with the lack of instant
gratification: “Why do I have to wait so long?”

Although:

“… But one of Netflix’s greatest assets are its proprietary algorithms—which suggest, based on precise ratings and viewing
history, what else you might want to watch—and that may be just the thing to
tide over the hungry.”

Retailers like Amazon also offer the avid
reader similar alternatives to our books. 


What if
your quickly-released series is a dud?  Arrested
Development was a good bet for Netflix. 
It was a show that became a cult hit, but it was canceled by a
network.  Your formerly-successful
backlist might be considered a sure thing. 
But what if the original Netflix series, House
of Cards, hadn’t been a hit? 
Think of how much time and energy and money was invested in it.  What if you write four or five books, release
them in rapid fire or even simultaneously, and the books don’t resonate with
readers?  Do you tweak what you can (book
description, cover…even title and story) and see what happens?  Do you move on?  It’s a large investment of time. In
publishing your backlist, there’s less of a time investment to lose (although
you’ll still have the investment in covers, formatting, etc…the books had
previously been well-edited with many books that have been
traditionally-published.)

Quality
control.  If you turn off readers
with one book, they’re unlikely to keep buying the next in the series.  Quality control—attention to detail in
editing…but really in all aspects of the book from cover design to interior
formatting—is always important. But it’s even more so if you’re trying to lure
readers to read the other three or four books in your series.

Stress and
working with tough self-imposed deadlines. The need for real discipline.  Deadlines are tough enough when we get them
from a publisher.  We have to really have
some discipline and focus when we’re meeting our own deadlines and trying to
write a string of books…whether we’re releasing them in rapid succession or
not.

How
calculating and how completely bottom-line-focused can we be and retain a
creative edge (and enjoyment in our process and writing)?  Writers, clearly, have got to think
like small business owners in the digital age. 
But at what point are we sacrificing our own need for creative
originality if we're studying algorithms/data/sales, and writing/producing for
a demanding consumer market?

What are your thoughts on this
marathon-style consumption and what it might mean for books and other forms of
entertainment in the future?  Do you see
it catching on in publishing (traditionally a very slow-paced industry?)

How to Write a Novel in Three Years or More

by Emily Wenstrom, @EmilyWenstrom








It’s often said that
writing a novel is akin to running a marathon, not a sprint. For me, it’s felt
more like the long, painful, drawn-out process of training
for a marathon.




I am two and a half
years into the process of writing my fantasy novel, and even though I write for
about an hour every day, I’m only starting to see the light at the end of the
tunnel. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot of lessons about how I could have made
this easier on myself … and become an expert in the many ways to make this
process take as long as possible.




So allow me to share
my wisdom—you too can write a novel in three years or more!




Make your introduction perfect before moving forward.

Since this was my
first novel, I wasn’t sure what my voice was yet. I didn’t even have much
confidence that I could write anything worthwhile. So instead of ripping
through the first draft and getting my ideas on the page, I obsessed over my
opening. I reworked it over and over and over until it was perfect. THEN I
moved forward. I wasted a few months doing this. Months.




Don’t worry about worldbuilding.

I knew my main
character when I started writing, and the general trajectory the plot would go
in.  And … that’s it.  So as my character moved through each scene,
I had to figure out where he was, what the rules were there, and why. What was
the world’s history? Myths and beliefs? Social structure? This meant a lot of
stopping and thinking during my precious one hour in the morning. Time that
could have been spent writing. This is more intense for a fantasy novel, but
every story has a setting that the writer must know intimately.




Plot threads what?

As stated, when I
started writing I had only a general sense of my main plot line. My first draft
helped me find the path and conclusion for that trajectory. But when my first
draft’s word count hit only 45,000 words, I realized I hadn’t thought a dot about
any other plot threads—I’d been too consumed with coming up with my primary
arc.  My last eight months of writing
have been dedicated to creating and untangling these supporting plot threads.




Update changes as you go.

Because I made such
a mess of my plotting, there’s been many significant changes to my story’s
details as it has developed. At first, I wanted to keep everything nice and
clean, and went back and corrected inconsistencies right away. Then I realized
it didn’t matter how much cleaning I did in the rough draft phase, because soon
as I cleaned up one mess, I was sure to find another. Much better to finish the
draft, then go back and address all the changes together.




Spread yourself thin and overcommit.

I like to tell
myself that my novel is my top priority. But if I’m really honest, I’ve spread
myself too thin. My family is a priority, and my full-time career has to be a
priority too. On top of that, I run my own blog, with poststhree times a week.
And just because I’m a special brand of crazy, I also launched a short story
zine last January. I have my reasons for holding on to these other pet
projects. But let’s get real—they’re getting in the way of finishing my novel.




How much does it
really matter how quickly you finish your manuscript? Well, that depends on you
and your goals. We all write at our own pace. Taking your time is not
necessarily a bad thing—after all, it took J.K. Rowling six years to write the
first Harry Potter book, and literary history is littered with other greats who
take their time with their works. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from my
sluggish process.




But if you dream of
supporting yourself from your writing, you can’t afford to take three years for
each book—even J.K. Rowling picked up her pace, releasing all seven books in
the Harry Potter series in 10 years. It’s a fast-paced world, and the more you
can organize your process for efficiency (without losing your creativity or
quality of writing, of course), the greater your career potential. More
finished works means more opportunities for success. 









Emily Wenstrom is the editor of wordhaus, a weekly short story ezine. She also blogs about
creativity for writers, artists and professionals at Creative
Juicer. Follow her on Twitter @emilywenstrom.

"House of Cards," Binge Viewing, Algorithms...and Writing

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



I don't usually watch a lot of television.
One of the reasons is that I’m so short on time and jealously guard the free
time I do have.  I don’t want to waste it
on bad TV.

Then, by the time it finally trickles
down into my consciousness that something is a good
show, it’s probably two or three seasons in…I’m just that out of the loop. By
that point, it seems useless to even try to catch up. 

But at some point, networks started
realizing that if they aired old episodes online, they could snag new
viewers.  My sister-in-law assured me
that I’d enjoy Lost which was airing
on ABC. At the time, the show's last season was about to air.  I started watching episode one on my laptop
during my lunch one day.  I continued
watching an episode or even more each day after that until I was finished
catching up by the time the final season aired. 
What’s more, I felt like I’d really following the fairly convoluted plot
because of the way I’d chosen to consume the show.  It had been a self-paced marathon.



 I’ve been fascinated by the way Netflix
is approaching television with their February 1 release of House
of Cards. They left the pacing up to the viewers by releasing all thirteen episodes of the season at once.  I’ve watched the series and it’s a strangely
addicting process to view a show knowing you can just keep going once the
credits start rolling. You want to keep watching and see what happens next.  What’s more—the show is available for you
when you’re available for it.   If
you’ve got a block of free time, you can watch more than the usual weekly new
episode that’s allotted to viewers by the networks.

I’ve also noted, with interest, the
success some self-published authors have had
with putting up large numbers of books at once, or releasing books in
rapid succession.  I believe this has
been a contributing factor in some authors’ success…resulting in increased
visibility at online retailers (specifically Amazon.) Romance writer, Barbara Freethy, released a
substantial backlist very quickly.  Amanda Hocking wrote quite a
few books before releasing any (she was trying to break into traditional
publishing and wrote other books as she submitted, as she outlined in her post:
“An
Epic Tale of How it all Started.”  
Hugh Howey began seeing success with his first installment of Wool and was encouraged to outline the rest of
the story and accelerate his output…forgoing NaNoWriMo
to focus on working on Wool, as he
explains in his post “The Story of
My Middling Success.”   It’s also,
obviously, very important to have some quality control for what you’re
releasing…these books weren’t written and published in haste, but over a period
of time.

Back to the television, Netflix
is also being innovative by using data as part
of their creative process. Greg
Satall writes in “What
Netflix’s House of Cards Means for the Future of TV” for Forbes: “Finally,
it’s the first time that programming has been developed with the aid of big data algorithms.”  Jessica Leber
for the MIT Technology Review stated in
her article, “House of Cards and Our Future of Algorithmic
Programming”: "(Netflix) bought House of Cards based on what it knows about
the viewing habits of its 33 million users—it knew which and how many users
watch movies starring Kevin Spacey and the director David Fincher, and, through
its tagging and recommendation system, how many sat through other similar
political dramas. It has shown different trailers to people depending on their
particular viewing habits, too."



As authors, we don’t have as much data
available to us as media providers like Netflix and retailers like Amazon…but
we do have some, and we can make educated guesses as to other data.  We can measure reader response to titles, covers,
and stories by tracking sales. We can review the highlighted sections on the
bottom of our book’s sale page to see what resonates with readers.  We can study our reviews on retail sites like
Amazon, and book sharing sites like Goodreads (now owned by Amazon), even if
that’s painful for us (and it’s sure a lot easier if we can adopt an analytical
approach to the reviews.)

As I mentioned, I’m fascinated by these
developments.  I see exciting
possibilities for writers…but I also see some potential pitfalls.  I’m going to post part two of this post
(since this first is becoming a bit longwinded) on Friday…and I’d love to hear
your thoughts, too.

What excites or concerns you about the a
possible change in viewing/reading/consumer habits for entertainment?  Do you see a place for algorithms in
publishing?  In the creative process,
itself?

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine
(developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 20,000
free articles on writing related topics. It's the search engine for writers.

Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly
writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike Fleming worked with author and
writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an online, interactive, writing program
to help make your next novel great. It's called "Knockout Novel" and
you can learn more about it at Knockout
Novel.com.



An approach for plotting a novel: http://bit.ly/12JAdM9 @WriterAbroad

Realistic fantasy--an oxymoron: http://bit.ly/12JAj6K @amazingstories0

Getting into the head of your
protagonist: http://bit.ly/10Z2Pnw

WordPress Questions and Answers: http://bit.ly/12JAu1N @jamigold

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction: Horse
Collars, Herbs and Other Highly Unusual Homicides: http://bit.ly/15aUCv7 @mkinberg

BEA’s Authorial Irony: http://bit.ly/14ZB25J @Porter_Anderson

Finding Your Unique Author Voice… Like
Everyone Else? http://bit.ly/1aydEwM

Equal Opportunity Ego: http://bit.ly/11v18IS @Porter_Anderson @Jack

Writing to the Rule of Three: http://bit.ly/11CBKH5 @Lindasclare

#BEA13 kicks off with industry insights
from Malcolm Gladwell and @HughHowey: http://bit.ly/10K9H3O
@Porter_Anderson

Finding Character Motivation, Conflict
and Compassion: http://bit.ly/10Z2YHF
@jeannevb @scriptmag

Who Owns E-book Rights From Old
Publishing Contracts? http://bit.ly/12JAAGD
@nathanbransford

3 Ways To Create An Antihero Your Readers
Identify With: http://bit.ly/10Z3aqo
@woodwardkaren

3 Cases of Confusion with Introductory
Adverbial Phrases: http://bit.ly/12JALlh
@writing_tips

Staying Creative: http://bit.ly/12JAUVZ

E. B. White on Egoism and the Art of the
Essay: http://bit.ly/10Z3pld @brainpicker

Now You Can Read The Worst Novel Ever
Written For Free: http://bit.ly/12JB7Z3
@chris_shultz81

Poetry and its audience: http://bit.ly/10Z3Fkj @poetrynews

Structure vs. Creativity in Writing: http://bit.ly/12JBh2I

Screenwriting--everything you wanted to
know about specs: http://bit.ly/10Z3Pbt
@gointothestory

Why it's okay to buy books and not read
them: http://bit.ly/12JBsuQ @berkun

Ideal reader exercises: http://bit.ly/12JBz9X @LauraPepWu

Best-Seller Lists: A Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy? http://bit.ly/10Z4eKM

A Novelist's Adventures in Screenwriting:
http://bit.ly/12JBFhJ @grubwriters

How Indie Authors Can Work Together: http://bit.ly/10Z4vgP @galleycat @jasonboog

6 Tips on Reading to Train the Writer's
Eye: http://bit.ly/12JBRNX @robdyoungwrites

The real reason 1 writer writes every
day: http://bit.ly/10Z4Dgp @Rachel_Aaron

A free writer's group directory: http://bit.ly/10Z4KIV @galleycat

Jumping in Time in Writing a Novel,
Memoir, Screenplay: http://bit.ly/12JC5o8
@plotwhisperer

Choosing Your Next Project: http://bit.ly/10Z4SYI @Lydia_sharp

Refine Your Characters With the Pizza
Test: http://bit.ly/12JD7AM @kmweiland

The Writing Zone: 5 Top Tips For Staying
There: http://bit.ly/12JDjQo
@AwfullyBigBlog @lucycoats

How to Format Remembered Dialogue: http://bit.ly/10Z6mCm @Janice_Hardy

The Flipside of Hero Empathy: http://bit.ly/12JDISZ @storyfix

"The Lie Most Frequently Told In
Hollywood": http://bit.ly/10Z6SQO
@gointothestory @goodinaroom

Writers offer suggestions for finding
reviews in a post's comments: http://bit.ly/12JDTOc

5 truths 1 writer wishes she'd known
before she began writing: http://bit.ly/10Z7aqS
@ava_jae

Are libraries offering enough
self-published ebooks?  http://bit.ly/12JE4cd @digibookworld

Why big names are turning to self-pub: http://bit.ly/10Z7Igl @wherewriterswin

Defining the New Role for Literary
Agents: http://bit.ly/12JEwao
@passivevoiceblg

Has Climate Change Created A New Literary
Genre? http://n.pr/16EzmT7 @AJEvancie
@nprbooks

15 classic science fiction and fantasy
novels that publishers rejected: http://bit.ly/10Q3SBu
@io9

5 Ways Writers Can Get the Most Out of
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/16EBI4x
@writersdigest

30 things to tell a book snob: http://bit.ly/16ECiiE @booktrust

Treating each finished book as an event
hurts writers: http://bit.ly/16ECT3Z
@kristinerusch

Skip the boring stuff--questions to ask
when determining whether a scene should be scrapped: http://bit.ly/16ELcwv @MartinaABoone

Tone, Mood, & Style—The Feel of
Fiction: http://bit.ly/10Q92NZ @noveleditor

An agent answers picture book questions: http://bit.ly/16EOks9

Tips for writing better book titles: http://bit.ly/10QacZS @killzoneauthors

Objectives Provide Story Momentum: http://bit.ly/16EPZ15 @mooderino

The Flipside of Hero Empathy: http://bit.ly/10QarEe @storyfix

The myth of writing slow to write better
actually hurts writers: http://bit.ly/16EQhoG
@deanwesleysmith

4 more tips for title creation: http://bit.ly/10QewZb @SophieMasson1

Thesaurus of Physical Attributes Entry:
Neck: http://bit.ly/16EYbOJ @beccapuglisi

Tips for submitting graphic novels: http://bit.ly/16EYxVA @Dear_Editor

How High Will Your Elevator Speech Take
You? http://bit.ly/16EYSrt

5 Reasons to Set Your Novel in a Famous
Place: http://bit.ly/W4bmPd @writersdigest

Is waking up early the secret to artistic
success? http://slate.me/12K1WxC @slate

Use Your Dreams To Be Endlessly Creative:
http://bit.ly/17ZXMpO

12 Screenwriting Tips For Aspiring
Screenwriters: http://bit.ly/12K25Bl

Is Your Writing Drab or Full of Color? http://bit.ly/17ZYbIZ @lleander11

How an editor chooses (or rejects) a
story: http://bit.ly/12K2iUS
@amazingstories0

Tips for readers and authors on effective
reviews: http://bit.ly/17ZYrHM @tobywneal

What's next for ebooks? Ask a teen: http://bit.ly/12LQKjX @digibookworld

What agents don't tell clients and
clients don't tell agents: http://bit.ly/13Kxc0I
@JanetGrant

2 Strategic and Compelling Reasons to
Keep Blogging—and When to Kill a Blog: http://bit.ly/12LQYaY
@DanBlank @JaneFriedman

How to Create the Final Story-Moment: http://bit.ly/13KxlBc @shalvatizis

Things To Consider When Planning Your
Protagonist's Death: http://huff.to/12LRc1P
@writersrelief

What Makes a Reader Pick Up a Book By a
Debut Author? http://bit.ly/13KxwfX
@jodyhedlund

Advanced Manuscript Revision (with 'Great
Scene' Checklist): http://bit.ly/13L3yID

C.O.R.E. of a Hero: http://bit.ly/12MxtyW

What Would Happen if Amazon Gave Every
Ebook Away for Free? http://bit.ly/13L3MiP
@EdNawotka

Writing With the All the Senses: http://bit.ly/12MxPWe @LauraHoward78
@PriceMcNaughton

Solutions for Wordy Phrasing: http://bit.ly/13L48pS @writing_tips

12 things about writer Chuck Palahniuk: http://bit.ly/12Myl6P @flavorwire

Thoughts on the changes the digital
revolution in publishing has wrought: http://bit.ly/13L4yfJ
@author_sullivan

What Do You Want From Your Reader? http://bit.ly/13L53qb @phillywriters

Getting everything right is wrong: http://bit.ly/12MzICk @boydmorrison

'Separated-ended' and 'self-ended'
picture books: http://bit.ly/13LXcFq

Translating Trauma into Memoir: http://bit.ly/16QEbYV @meghancward

10 types of transitions: http://bit.ly/13LXyvU @writing_tips

5 tips for finding ghostblogging clients:
http://bit.ly/16QElj6 @MichelleRafter

A Poet on the Road: http://bit.ly/13LXQTs @CharlieSimic @nybooks

The One Question Every New Writer Wants
Answered: http://bit.ly/13LYdgD
@shewritesdotcom

Every Event Must Be A Character Event: http://bit.ly/16QEP8I @cockeyedcaravan

What Soap Operas Can Teach Us about
Writing: http://bit.ly/13LYoIS @jamigold

Theme And Truth In Story: http://bit.ly/16QF4AG @mooderino

Tips for building chapters: http://bit.ly/13LZ4hu @kathytemean

Thoughts on chapter breaks: http://bit.ly/16QFqY6 @KgElfland2ndCuz

The (Ongoing) Death and Transfiguration
of Science Fiction Publishing: http://bit.ly/13LZHrq
@AmazingStories0

Stormwriting: What It Is and Why You
Should Try It: http://bit.ly/16QFHue
@writersdigest

Pre-publication samples: http://oreil.ly/16QFJSR @jwikert

Making Money with the Amazon Affiliate
Program: http://bit.ly/13M07Oo @problogger

8 Classic Western Noir Films: http://bit.ly/16QG6wE @crimehq

What The Hell Is A "Hybrid"
Author, Anyway? http://bit.ly/13M0mJn
{language}

Author Turns Book Release Party into a
Game: http://bit.ly/16QGgEi @galleycat

Publishing Gets Its Own Hackathon: http://bit.ly/13M0uIN @theatlantic

The Game of Storytelling: http://bit.ly/16QGvPH

How Embarrassing Will Your Dystopian
Fantasy Be 100 Years from Now? http://bit.ly/13M1b4O
@GeoffreyCubbage

Successful Self-Publishing Authors Are
Entrepreneurs: http://bit.ly/16QGOtN
@indieauthoralli

The Value of Life Experience: http://bit.ly/13M1wEJ @nathanbransford

Ten writers' reasons for reading: http://bit.ly/13M1Djv @guardianbooks

How To Write A Critique: The Sandwich
Method: http://bit.ly/16QGXxq
@woodwardkaren

2 dangers to watch out for when writing
romantic relationships: http://bit.ly/16QH2Bi
@ava_jae

What Writers Can Learn From Rock Stars: http://bit.ly/10ICb2j @thereviewreview

How To Create A Press Kit: http://bit.ly/12BJS7c @woodwardkaren

Agents' no response=not interested
policy: http://bit.ly/11iWHGV
@ingridsundberg

Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, and other
artists who did great work in the wee hours: http://slate.me/12BM3Yy
@slate @masoncurrey

The Hook and The Arm It's Attached To: http://bit.ly/11iXhob @fantasyfaction
@DEMEmrys

Target Editing – A Time-Saving Strategy
for Writers: http://bit.ly/12BMJ00

Explore Your Characters: Be Surprised: http://bit.ly/11iXHeh @fictionnotes

Tips from agents for beginning a novel: http://bit.ly/12BN5Un @chucksambuchino

Building a bridge between literary and
genre fiction: http://bit.ly/11iY5t9
@EMCastellan

Editing Your Own Work: How to Dismember
Your Darlings: http://bit.ly/11jbG3A
@thisishorror

Unnecessary Romance in YA: http://huff.to/11jbT76 @AnimeJune

Three Easy Steps to Deep POV: http://bit.ly/11jcsxu @lindasclare

The Favorite Books of 32 Famous People: http://bit.ly/12C3iJ6 @neatorama

How to build tension successfully: http://bit.ly/12C3EPZ @angelaackerman

Script readers: http://bit.ly/11jeRsb @gointothestory

Beta Readers and Critique Groups: http://bit.ly/12C5sIM @authorterryo

The language of fairy tales: http://bit.ly/11jf3Yr @terriwindling

Konrath on Patterson: http://bit.ly/12C5zEg @jakonrath

3 Things Non-Writers Don't See: http://bit.ly/11jfh1J @louise_wise

How to Tell Charles Dickens's Prose From
Every Other Dead White Guy's: http://bit.ly/12C5JeM
@TheAtlantic

A look at participial phrases: http://bit.ly/11jfzWq @JordanMcCollum

How to trim the fat from your story: http://bit.ly/17JGXNf @nickthacker

7 Tips for Choosing Your Book Cover Art: http://bit.ly/10iAE15 @charmaineclancy

Literary Agents Are Watching Blogs &
Amazon Bestseller Lists: http://bit.ly/10iChMl
@galleycat

20 things 1 author has learned about
writing: http://bit.ly/11jg1np @wickerkat

Unified Theory Of Writing: http://bit.ly/12C6chb @mooderino

The Demise of Private Writing? http://bit.ly/12C77OB @BTMargins
@NicholeBernier

Focus on the creative process and write
what excites you: http://bit.ly/12C7jgG
@MartinaABoone

Are We Badgering Readers? http://bit.ly/10EnkBj @BTMargins
@randysusanmeyer

What 1 writer loves about notebooks: http://bit.ly/15vTkiP @Jennifer_Castle

What Works in Real Life Works Just as
Well in Writing: http://bit.ly/17MIbYj
@EdieMelson

Scriptwriters: Are You Planning Your
Script? http://bit.ly/10r00KO @jacobkrueger

De-constructing Criticism is a Required
Skill for Writers: http://bit.ly/14Ma6Gx
@authortward

The Author Website – Keep it Simple and
to the Point: http://bit.ly/10r0eBy
@karencv

Why 1 writer stops reading a novel: http://bit.ly/14MasNp @jodyhedlund

6 tips for reading critically: http://bit.ly/10r0jp2 @woodwardkaren

Writing Fantasy Heroes: http://bit.ly/14MaHIn @SarahAveryBooks

Mind Maps for Writers: Get Inspired and
Get Organized: http://bit.ly/14MaQLK
@DPLyleMD

Common self-pub mistakes: http://bit.ly/10r0xwu @miralsattar
@bibliocrunch

When Platform-Building Bites Back

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




MorgueFile--Crass


I read a post recently  (yes, I’m about a
month behind in my Feedly reader) that I thought was a very interesting
read…and I found myself wincing in sympathy for the writer.  The post is “Floundering”
by Stevie Libra, guesting on Robert Lee Brewer’s  My
Name is Not Bob blog.

Stevie seems to be relatively new to
writing and to platform-building.  She
stated that she’d participated in Robert’s 
30-day
Platform Challenge in 2012, which resulted in setting up a presence on
different sites.  As she put it, getting
established on these sites created “a monster that required daily feedings of
intensifying proportions.”



It’s an interesting post because Stevie
analyzes some of the problems she was experiencing while trying to keep up with
her platform building.  These included
email collection for newsletters, fighting spam on her blog, what to blog
about, and finding the time to do any of these things when she was struggling
with her writing.

Stevie reports that she solved some of
her problems by cutting back and simplifying what she’s doing online. 

I was glad to see that she was cutting
back.  As Jane Friedman put it in a post
entitled “Industry
Trends Requiring Every Writer’s Attention” on the Writer
Unboxed blog, she stated:

If you’re a totally new, unpublished writer who is
focused on fiction, memoir, poetry, or any type of narrative-driven work,
forget you ever heard the word platform. I think it’s causing more damage than
good. It’s causing writers to do things that they dislike (even hate), and that
are unnatural for them at an early stage of their careers. They’re confused,
for good reason, and platform building grows into a raging distraction from the
work at hand—the writing.

Therefore, build your platform by writing and
publishing in outlets that are a good fit for you, lead to professional growth,
and build your network. The other pieces will start to fall into place.

I think that’s fantastic advice.  I will say that I think it’s important to set
up a few basics, even for new writers:

A professional email address (your name,
perhaps) with gmail, outlook, or another free provider.

A home base of some sort, as a
writer.  For me, it’s the blog.  My blog is the one place online where I
consistently interact with other writers. 
That’s been a critical source of support and encouragement for me as a
writer.  For you it might be some other
site you enjoy: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

For the harried, published writer:

If we regularly update our website/home
base (blog, etc.), and we need to cut back…I can’t see the harm in it.  I used to blog every day until my schedule
got so crazy that I cut back to four days a week.  I know several successful “slow bloggers” who
post once a week, but are very consistent and have large followings.  Again, I think it’s important to stick with
what we enjoy…if we enjoy Facebook more than blogging, then that’s what we
should focus on.  The important thing is
having a way for readers to connect with us, if they want to.

Eventually, I’m imagining (and it’s
already technically possible, but I haven’t seen it employed in any ebooks that
I’ve read) that eventually we’ll get to the point where our platform is located
inside our digital books.  Honestly, it
seems to me where this makes the most sense to connect with our readers…through
the books themselves.  I’ve seen live
links to authors’ Facebook and Twitter accounts, but it seems like we could have
more of an interactive book club type thing…forums, discussion boards, etc. in
the books.

How do you juggle social media and
writing?  Have you cut back your time
online?

Writing to the Rule of Three

by Linda S. Clare, @Lindasclare



MorgueFile: silverhairster



Writing isn’t an exact science. Maybe
that’s what Somerset Maugham meant when he said, “There are three rules for
writing a novel. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are.” Make that steep
learning curve a bit more manageable by using the Rule of Three.

The Rule of Three in Fiction. Since
nobody knows what the rules are, the “rule” is really a guideline. Don’t be a
slave! Use the Rule of Three as a guideline—to help you write better back story
(flashbacks) clauses and dialogue. Here’s how:

Back
Story:

Limit (especially in opening chapters)
back story/flashbacks to the Rule of Three. Use three or fewer sentences of
back story before at least touching back on the real time scene. If you allow
your reader to become immersed in the back story without revisiting the real
time scene, that reader is likely to forget about the real time scene. 

Clauses:

Use the Rule of Three in description. A
list of three (this, this and that) feels satisfying to the reader. Pay special
attention to threes when you want to establish a pattern for the reader to
remember. If you tend to draft exhaustive lists of description in setting or
character, edit out all but the best three to give your reader a quick and
complete picture of that person, place or thing.

Dialogue:

Write no more than three sentences spoken continuously by the same
speaker. After three, the dialogue becomes a speech. Break up with action,
narration or counter dialogue. Write no more than three exchanges between two
characters. Add a “beat” of action or narration to break up and keep reader
engaged.Try introducing a third character into a two-person scene to shift the
focus (camera) and make the dialogue/tension more complex.



Linda S. Clare is the author of women’s
fiction, including The Fence My Father Built
(Abingdon 2009) and upcoming A Sky without
Stars (Abingdon 2014). She teaches writing at a community college and
for George Fox University and lives in the Northwest with her family and three
wayward cats. Visit her at www.Lindasclare.com
or connect at www.facebook.com/Lindaclarebooks
or @Lindasclare on Twitter.