Riley Adams's Blog, page 159
February 20, 2013
Writing as a Worthwhile Struggle
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
My dirty secret is likely shared by many writers. Writing isn’t always fun for me.
Yes, I’m completely driven to do it. I’m driven to read craft posts and reference books on writing, and to read gobs of fiction in order to tear apart what others are doing well and analyze what makes their stories work.
But I don’t always like it. It can be a total and complete joy…and a chore, all at the same time.
I’m now writing my twelfth book. And this book has been a struggle, let me tell you. It’s simply not wanted to cooperate.
Problems that I’m aware of as I write the first draft: the discovery of the body isn’t soon enough. Myrtle’s character is off. I’m puzzling at the purpose of a couple of scenes. The pace is off…I’m nearly half-way through the book and I haven’t gotten my suspects interviewed. Heck, I might not even have enough suspects for this book.
Yesterday, I stopped abruptly while writing a scene, wrote “blah, blah, blah” and skipped ahead to the next scene. I’m guessing I’ll be trashing that scene later. Later….because I finish my first draft before edits. So I’ll just grimly steam ahead.
One day last week, I struggled through my pages and finished my daily goal with relief. Then I checked my emails and saw a note from a librarian in Ontario, praising one of my books. She said that I wrote my characters with “tenderness.”
And I needed that shot in the arm, believe me. That’s the kind of thing that helps sustain a writer through all the days when they wonder if they’re in the right business.
We learn from our struggles. We learn from the rotten first drafts and the plots that didn’t cooperate and the characters that act as if they’ve had a personality-changing stroke.
Because the more we write, the more we know. I know that just because I’ve written books that practically wrote themselves (Finger Lickin’ Dead, Body in the Backyard), I’ve had books that I nearly deleted mere weeks before deadline (Hickory Smoked Homicide…which ended up being one of my stronger books once I figured out what direction I needed the story to go in.) It’s not always this linear path for improvement, either. Each consecutive book isn’t necessarily easier to write. But with our experience comes knowledge on how to handle story setbacks. It’s also easier to diagnose and fix problems.
My advice is not to give up on your troublesome draft. Finish it. Pick back up with the next scene you feel confident writing. If that’s the end scene, who cares? Write the scenes backwards. Just finish the book—fix it during your second draft. Each book, easy to write or challenging to write, is such a valuable learning experience.
Every time I read a motivational post on a blog, I appreciate the sentiment behind it and appreciate the support that the community offers…but I still realize that writing is still a tough slog. It’s not just a mind over matter thing. It’s skill and tenacity and really just utter pigheadedness on the part of the writer to plow ahead despite all the obstacles. We take the insights gleaned from our struggles with us when we write the next book.
Image: MorgueFile: kumarnm
My dirty secret is likely shared by many writers. Writing isn’t always fun for me.Yes, I’m completely driven to do it. I’m driven to read craft posts and reference books on writing, and to read gobs of fiction in order to tear apart what others are doing well and analyze what makes their stories work.
But I don’t always like it. It can be a total and complete joy…and a chore, all at the same time.
I’m now writing my twelfth book. And this book has been a struggle, let me tell you. It’s simply not wanted to cooperate.
Problems that I’m aware of as I write the first draft: the discovery of the body isn’t soon enough. Myrtle’s character is off. I’m puzzling at the purpose of a couple of scenes. The pace is off…I’m nearly half-way through the book and I haven’t gotten my suspects interviewed. Heck, I might not even have enough suspects for this book.
Yesterday, I stopped abruptly while writing a scene, wrote “blah, blah, blah” and skipped ahead to the next scene. I’m guessing I’ll be trashing that scene later. Later….because I finish my first draft before edits. So I’ll just grimly steam ahead.
One day last week, I struggled through my pages and finished my daily goal with relief. Then I checked my emails and saw a note from a librarian in Ontario, praising one of my books. She said that I wrote my characters with “tenderness.”
And I needed that shot in the arm, believe me. That’s the kind of thing that helps sustain a writer through all the days when they wonder if they’re in the right business.
We learn from our struggles. We learn from the rotten first drafts and the plots that didn’t cooperate and the characters that act as if they’ve had a personality-changing stroke.
Because the more we write, the more we know. I know that just because I’ve written books that practically wrote themselves (Finger Lickin’ Dead, Body in the Backyard), I’ve had books that I nearly deleted mere weeks before deadline (Hickory Smoked Homicide…which ended up being one of my stronger books once I figured out what direction I needed the story to go in.) It’s not always this linear path for improvement, either. Each consecutive book isn’t necessarily easier to write. But with our experience comes knowledge on how to handle story setbacks. It’s also easier to diagnose and fix problems.
My advice is not to give up on your troublesome draft. Finish it. Pick back up with the next scene you feel confident writing. If that’s the end scene, who cares? Write the scenes backwards. Just finish the book—fix it during your second draft. Each book, easy to write or challenging to write, is such a valuable learning experience.
Every time I read a motivational post on a blog, I appreciate the sentiment behind it and appreciate the support that the community offers…but I still realize that writing is still a tough slog. It’s not just a mind over matter thing. It’s skill and tenacity and really just utter pigheadedness on the part of the writer to plow ahead despite all the obstacles. We take the insights gleaned from our struggles with us when we write the next book.
Image: MorgueFile: kumarnm
February 17, 2013
Five Ways to Handle Stuff and Other Nonsense
A guest
post by John Yeoman, @yeomanis
Can a story be perfect? If any novel approaches
that condition, it must be The Franchise Affair (1948) by Josephine Tey.
I’ve just read it with spellbound wonder.
But then, many of Tey’s novels would be Booker candidates today. That’s odd,
because she breaks so many story-writing rules. For example, her novels are
full of ‘stuff’ - long-winded descriptions of setting. The Singing Sands,
unfinished at her death, wanders all over the Scottish Highlands without much
happening. Yet Tey writes so well, the reader enjoys the scenery and stays with
the story.
Lesser writers - which include most of us - can’t risk that kind of digression.
Setting kills. Get to the point. Tell the tale. Still, how do we convey all the
‘stuff’ that’s vital to our story? Those details of context that our reader has
to know?
Here are five easy ways:
1. The naive stranger
A favourite device is to have a stranger ask a naive question. “‘Sir, why is
the village school built next to a jail?’ Old Tom smiled. ‘It’s a long story,’
he began...”
Only, don’t make the story too long!
2. The helpful gossip
Whenever that great rival to Sherlock Holmes, Dr Thorndyke, was presented with
a village mystery he - and his foil, Jervis - would dine in the local pub.
Inevitably, a garrulous maid or landlord would volunteer a vital clue.
Postal workers, shopkeepers, doctors, priests and other community insiders are
great volunteers of background ‘stuff’. (But avoid prurient old ladies who lurk
behind curtains. The world has room for only one Miss Marple.)
3. The ‘official’ tour guide
If somebody is playing host, they can plausibly entertain their guests with
anecdotal histories. A tree on a hill, a book upon a shelf, any object that
draws attention to itself can provoke a story.
‘My grandfather carried this with him at the Somme...’
A tourist brochure, newspaper clipping or public poster can also disclose
'stuff' in a casual way, without disrupting the narrative. ‘Official’
information appears to come to the reader unmediated by interpretation, so it
has a high truth value.
This can usefully mislead the reader - say, in a mystery story - where the
official information, accepted by everyone, turns out to be wrong.
I have just had great fun writing an historical mystery tale (soon to be on
Kindle, Amazon permitting). It proves, indisputably, that Queen Elizabeth I of
England was not a red head. The records are wrong.
4. The chance remark
The amateur way to add setting is to drop in a big slab of retrospection:
‘I remember when my mother dandled me on her knee and told me the terrible
story of the Forbidden Wood...’
A little bit of dandling goes a long way. It may provide a welcome comfort
break between peaks of drama but too much puts the reader to sleep. Instead,
let the background details unfold in dialogue, by way of chance remarks.
“‘You don’t want to go there,’ the garage attendant said as he checked my oil.
‘They never did find her body.’”
Further remarks can develop that back story - and any small event whatever can
cue a chance remark.
For example, an old-timer notices builders excavating a field. He complains to
a friend, in a casual remark, that the idiots seem to be taking no precautions
to protect the archeological relics. Their ensuing dialogue can disclose,
casually, some key event that had occurred in that field four centuries
earlier.
Dialogue has energy. It breaks up the paragraphs. And it’s more powerful than a
sleepy ramble down memory lane: ‘He gazed upon the field and his mind drifted
back four hundred years...’
Of course, retrospection can also bring energy to a story, provided it’s
dramatic and brief. Like dialogue, it's a wily way to weave action into
information.
‘Sally ran to me across the Netherfield, heedless of all danger. My heart
lurched. Farmers had not dared to plow that accursed place, sacred to the
devil, since the Black Death came to Ashwell in 1348.’
5. Break it up with action
If granny really must dump the whole history of the family on the reader, break
it up. Add conflict or action. Perhaps an exasperating child keeps changing the
subject. Or a pet cat gets tangled in her knitting.
While granny copes with the distractions, the reader will stay with the story -
if only to see the wretched child or cat get their comeuppance.
When I wanted my 16th century heroine to reveal her scandalous past, to her
husband-to-be, I had her pose in front of a portrait painter. At her every
juicy revelation, the painter dropped his brush. The distraction broke up her
monologue.
Of course, it messed up the carpet too. I hoped that the reader had as much fun
as I did, listening to the painter's curses as the paint spread.
‘Stuff’ doesn’t have to be nonsense. We need ‘stuff’ to create a context. What
the reader doesn’t need is a lot of digressive details that are unrelated to
the plot and that they’ll never remember anyway.
As Emily Dickinson wrote (in a different context): to ‘tell all the Truth you
need to tell it slant’.
Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, judges the
Writers’ Village story competition and is a tutor in creative writing at a UK
university. He has been a successful commercial author for 42 years. A wealth
of further ideas for writing fiction that sells can be found in his free
14-part story course at:
http://www.writers-village.org/seminars
Biography
Dr John Yeoman has 42 years experience as a
commercial author, newspaper editor and one-time chairman of a major PR
consultancy. He has published eight books of humour, some of them intended to
be humorous.
Image: Flickr: Kalavinka
post by John Yeoman, @yeomanis
Can a story be perfect? If any novel approaches
that condition, it must be The Franchise Affair (1948) by Josephine Tey.
I’ve just read it with spellbound wonder.
But then, many of Tey’s novels would be Booker candidates today. That’s odd,
because she breaks so many story-writing rules. For example, her novels are
full of ‘stuff’ - long-winded descriptions of setting. The Singing Sands,
unfinished at her death, wanders all over the Scottish Highlands without much
happening. Yet Tey writes so well, the reader enjoys the scenery and stays with
the story.
Lesser writers - which include most of us - can’t risk that kind of digression.
Setting kills. Get to the point. Tell the tale. Still, how do we convey all the
‘stuff’ that’s vital to our story? Those details of context that our reader has
to know?
Here are five easy ways:
1. The naive stranger
A favourite device is to have a stranger ask a naive question. “‘Sir, why is
the village school built next to a jail?’ Old Tom smiled. ‘It’s a long story,’
he began...”
Only, don’t make the story too long!
2. The helpful gossip
Whenever that great rival to Sherlock Holmes, Dr Thorndyke, was presented with
a village mystery he - and his foil, Jervis - would dine in the local pub.
Inevitably, a garrulous maid or landlord would volunteer a vital clue.
Postal workers, shopkeepers, doctors, priests and other community insiders are
great volunteers of background ‘stuff’. (But avoid prurient old ladies who lurk
behind curtains. The world has room for only one Miss Marple.)
3. The ‘official’ tour guide
If somebody is playing host, they can plausibly entertain their guests with
anecdotal histories. A tree on a hill, a book upon a shelf, any object that
draws attention to itself can provoke a story.
‘My grandfather carried this with him at the Somme...’
A tourist brochure, newspaper clipping or public poster can also disclose
'stuff' in a casual way, without disrupting the narrative. ‘Official’
information appears to come to the reader unmediated by interpretation, so it
has a high truth value.
This can usefully mislead the reader - say, in a mystery story - where the
official information, accepted by everyone, turns out to be wrong.
I have just had great fun writing an historical mystery tale (soon to be on
Kindle, Amazon permitting). It proves, indisputably, that Queen Elizabeth I of
England was not a red head. The records are wrong.
4. The chance remark
The amateur way to add setting is to drop in a big slab of retrospection:
‘I remember when my mother dandled me on her knee and told me the terrible
story of the Forbidden Wood...’
A little bit of dandling goes a long way. It may provide a welcome comfort
break between peaks of drama but too much puts the reader to sleep. Instead,
let the background details unfold in dialogue, by way of chance remarks.
“‘You don’t want to go there,’ the garage attendant said as he checked my oil.
‘They never did find her body.’”
Further remarks can develop that back story - and any small event whatever can
cue a chance remark.
For example, an old-timer notices builders excavating a field. He complains to
a friend, in a casual remark, that the idiots seem to be taking no precautions
to protect the archeological relics. Their ensuing dialogue can disclose,
casually, some key event that had occurred in that field four centuries
earlier.
Dialogue has energy. It breaks up the paragraphs. And it’s more powerful than a
sleepy ramble down memory lane: ‘He gazed upon the field and his mind drifted
back four hundred years...’
Of course, retrospection can also bring energy to a story, provided it’s
dramatic and brief. Like dialogue, it's a wily way to weave action into
information.
‘Sally ran to me across the Netherfield, heedless of all danger. My heart
lurched. Farmers had not dared to plow that accursed place, sacred to the
devil, since the Black Death came to Ashwell in 1348.’
5. Break it up with action
If granny really must dump the whole history of the family on the reader, break
it up. Add conflict or action. Perhaps an exasperating child keeps changing the
subject. Or a pet cat gets tangled in her knitting.
While granny copes with the distractions, the reader will stay with the story -
if only to see the wretched child or cat get their comeuppance.
When I wanted my 16th century heroine to reveal her scandalous past, to her
husband-to-be, I had her pose in front of a portrait painter. At her every
juicy revelation, the painter dropped his brush. The distraction broke up her
monologue.
Of course, it messed up the carpet too. I hoped that the reader had as much fun
as I did, listening to the painter's curses as the paint spread.
‘Stuff’ doesn’t have to be nonsense. We need ‘stuff’ to create a context. What
the reader doesn’t need is a lot of digressive details that are unrelated to
the plot and that they’ll never remember anyway.
As Emily Dickinson wrote (in a different context): to ‘tell all the Truth you
need to tell it slant’.
Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, judges the
Writers’ Village story competition and is a tutor in creative writing at a UK
university. He has been a successful commercial author for 42 years. A wealth
of further ideas for writing fiction that sells can be found in his free
14-part story course at:
http://www.writers-village.org/seminars
Biography
Dr John Yeoman has 42 years experience as a
commercial author, newspaper editor and one-time chairman of a major PR
consultancy. He has published eight books of humour, some of them intended to
be humorous.
Image: Flickr: Kalavinka
Twitterific
by Elizabeth S. Craig,
@elizabethscraig
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I
shared the previous week.
The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base
search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which
has over 19,000 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 is working 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 KnockoutNovel.com. Plus, all the data is stored in your Hiveword account for
easy access.
Writing Tips from George R.R. Martin: http://bit.ly/XaEEOt
@AderynWood
Publishers: don't try to compete with Amazon--“Go Where
the People Already Are”: http://bit.ly/XD5sEm @Porter_Anderson @4fifty1
The late-19th century and crime fiction: http://bit.ly/12QSZV7
@mkinberg
A free directory of cover designers,
formatters, freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq
Independent writers' groups: http://bit.ly/YPcXPa @selfpubreview
Passion in Your Characters Equals Passion
in Your Readers: http://bit.ly/11KIJsE
@4YALit
Want Agents to Read Your Novel? Do This
First: http://bit.ly/YPd8Km @writeitsideways
What novelists should blog about: http://bit.ly/11KJuls @jodyhedlund
The language of world building: http://bit.ly/YPdocb @p2p_editor
Using a short story to kick off a novel
release: http://bit.ly/11KKTZd
@turndog_million
Writing lessons learned from "What
Happened to Goodbye": http://bit.ly/YPdQXW
@juliemusil
Quick marketing tips: http://bit.ly/11KNhiS @melissabreau
Give Yourself A Creative Retreat: http://bit.ly/YPeJzz @susankayequinn
Creating a Sub-Genre by Accident:
Georgette Heyer's The Corinthian: http://bit.ly/XSOuBP
@tordotcom
How much money does a publisher invest in
marketing a book? http://bit.ly/YPxlQa
@MacGregorLit
3 Ways To Find Readers For Your Books On
Twitter: http://bit.ly/YPAnDQ
@jonathangunson
25 pieces of advice for aspiring writers:
http://bit.ly/XSQkm0 @ajackwriting
Too Many Rules, Too Little Romance: http://bit.ly/YPAxeG @redrobinreader
Rejection will happen--build up your
defenses early: http://bit.ly/YPAFdU
@Marie_Lu
Where to Go for Magic: http://bit.ly/TFwej5 @jennymilchman
Choosing Cover Art for Your Indie Book: http://bit.ly/XTTkyt @goblinwriter
Why Computers Can't Write Novels…Yet: http://bit.ly/XTTw0K @vwishna
Have we planned for success? http://bit.ly/TFxq60 @behlerpublish
Forcing Readers To Like Characters:
Recognition: http://bit.ly/XTTDcH @mooderino
6 Ways Metaphors Are Hurting Your Novel: http://bit.ly/XTTLZN @MarcyKennedy
Personal Finance Tips For Writers: http://bit.ly/TG1GO9 @krissybrady
Tips for writing an outline: http://bit.ly/XUd98V @SophieMasson1
Worldbuilding--showing morality without
an infodump: http://bit.ly/TGxsKT
Linking Verbs Refresher: http://bit.ly/XUdpoC @pyrosama
Billy Wilder: "The Art of
Screenwriting": http://bit.ly/TGyqa4
@gointothestory
When should you break writing rules? http://bit.ly/XUdxUU @TiffanyReisz
Platforms for an easy author website: http://bit.ly/XUdBUO @BookMarketer
There is no publishing industry: http://bit.ly/YCUr8L @WilliamOckhamTx
The Most Powerful Social Media Tool for
Building an Author Platform: http://bit.ly/TJAhe9
@kristenlambTX
Script To Screen: "Amadeus": http://bit.ly/YCUEbS @gointothestory
Keep your inner editor awake: http://bit.ly/TJAEFD @behlerpublish
How to Use Visuals as a Creative Writing
Prompt: http://bit.ly/YCULV3 @howtowriteshop
The Most Annoying Type of Story Conflict:
http://bit.ly/TJAVsh @kmweiland
Tips for Dealing with Book Reviewers: http://bit.ly/YDy8zR @TheMadReviewer
Adhesive in conflict: http://bit.ly/TKyYf5 @LaurelGarver
Rewriting Your Script: Revision Outline: http://bit.ly/TKz3PW @gointothestory
How Not to Ask For a Book Review: http://bit.ly/TKAbTJ @erikwecks
Business advice roundup for
writers--accounting, marketing, branding: http://bit.ly/YDDUBx
@kristinerusch
Revision--When It's Finally Time to Fine
Tune: http://bit.ly/TKIpuX @cockeyed_caravan
Decoding Query Rejections: http://bit.ly/YDEe3b @rachellegardner
Free alternatives to duotrope: http://bit.ly/TKIZc4
Tips for distinctive character voices: http://bit.ly/YDFfbk @authorterryo
Writing Contemporary Horror: http://bit.ly/TKKmHN @MikeSkunkApe
7 Ways to Outsmart Writer's Block: http://bit.ly/YDFsLM @robdyoungwrites
Tips for better scenes: http://bit.ly/TKKMhm @Lindasclare
Top 8 Literary Misquotes: http://bit.ly/YDFEuC @readingape
Top 10 books featuring flashbacks: http://bit.ly/V1CrW4 @lenoreva
What 1 Writer Learned About Shark Agents,
Writer Candy and Momentum: http://bit.ly/W05nNa
@2bwriters
Worldbuilding: Complexity in the
Political Landscapes: http://bit.ly/V1CNvF
Description and Setting: http://bit.ly/W05LLP @kalayna
Rewriting Your Script: Polish: http://bit.ly/V1D0Pw @gointothestory
A List of Digital Self-Pub Resources: http://bit.ly/ @authopublisher
7 Ways Your Characters Can Screw up Their
Decisions: http://bit.ly/V1Di9b
@janice_hardy
Faking confidence as writers: http://bit.ly/W06pc9 @jamigold
3 Ways to Make Your Own Luck: http://bit.ly/V1DyFe @robertleebrewer
5 Tips for Writing and Marketing YA: http://bit.ly/W06NaE @thecreativepenn
@NatalieWright_
3 Simple Ways To Engage On Your Author
Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/V1DXHu
@authormedia
The Pride and Prejudice Beat Sheet: http://bit.ly/W07bGf
Famous First Lines Reveal How to Start a
Novel: http://bit.ly/V1E9GX @writersdigest
Plot vs. story: http://bit.ly/V1EhpK @Anna_Elliott
5 Elements of Story Structure: http://bit.ly/W07Nvi @kmweiland
Cut Ten More Pages Out: http://bit.ly/V1EEkh @cockeyed_caravan
How Plotting Can Build A Better Story: http://bit.ly/11v1oye @woodwardkaren
Is Traditional Publishing the Raging Bull
of Industry? http://bit.ly/YfRV69
@jamesscottbell
The Evolution of Sexuality, Homosexuality
and Gender in SFF: http://bit.ly/11v1LsC
@Leo_Cristea
10 Ways John Milton's Paradise Lost Is
Like a Bad Comic Book: http://bit.ly/YfSaOT
@io9
What 1 writer would change about her
writing journey: http://bit.ly/YfSo8v
@GinaConroy
Writing about death: http://bit.ly/WzyuZy @curiosityquills
Physical Attribute Thesaurus: Eyebrows: http://bit.ly/W54vqF @angelaackerman
6 Tips to Crafting a Better Author Bio: http://bit.ly/WzyMQh @WhereWritersWin
Bowker Intro’s 1-Stop ISBN Ebook Conversion Service: http://bit.ly/15fpSL0 @Porter_Anderson
Live a Story. Then Write It Well. http://bit.ly/W54VNJ @KellenGorbett
Rewriting Your Script: Final Edit: http://bit.ly/WzyTvb @gointothestory
Clarifying Point of View: http://bit.ly/W556bP @americanediting
How to find the right title for your
book: http://bit.ly/TqIUu3 @dirtywhitecandy
Writing Your Tragedy: http://bit.ly/14KplQO @janelebak
5 Blogging Rules Authors Can Ignore…and 5
We Can't: http://bit.ly/14KifLm @annerallen
Dean Koontz And 5 Things Every Genre
Story Needs: http://bit.ly/VN4mvr
@woodwardkaren
Revision--Building a Theme Tree: http://bit.ly/14Kio1l @CockeyedCaravan
The Anatomy of a Kindle Bestseller: http://bit.ly/14KiCFu @thecreativepenn
Subtle vs. obscure exposition: http://bit.ly/14KiGoM @aliciarasley
Research tips for writers: http://bit.ly/14KiKos @dirtywhitecandy
The Three Building Blocks of the Sequel: http://bit.ly/VN4DP3 @KMWeiland
5 best ebook infographics of 2012: http://bit.ly/VN4Kdo @ebookfriendly
How to Write Powerful Endings: http://bit.ly/14KiXIl @SHalvatzis
Avoiding Infodumps While Maintaining a
Child's Voice: http://bit.ly/14Kj2Mg
@janice_hardy
For Crime Writers: Assault Rifles,
Assault Weapons and the Deliberate Imprecision of Language http://bit.ly/VN4P0z
One of 2012's most popular authors doesn't have much online
presence: http://bit.ly/X5n5NK @Porter_Anderson
@FauziaBurke
3 ways for aspiring authors to change
their thinking today: http://bit.ly/14Kjfit
@rachellegardner
The Importance of Storytelling: Walking
Dead is Not About Zombies: http://bit.ly/14KjoSZ
@mythicscribes
Writing the Non-Western Fantasy Setting: http://bit.ly/VN5bUQ @MiriamForster
For crime writers: DNA Testing Methods: http://bit.ly/14KjzOi @DPLyleMD
Proper publishers don't need propaganda: http://bit.ly/VN5hvY @dirtywhitecandy
3 Ways to Compress Your Story Like Les
Misérables: http://bit.ly/14KjCtu
@write_practice
Why You Need to Embrace the Conflict in
Your Story: http://bit.ly/14KjXfB
@joebunting
Building Character: The Importance Of
Imperfection: http://bit.ly/VN5C1v
@woodwardkaren
7 Tips to Get Your Novel Started: http://bit.ly/Y1hJ7h @Buddhapuss
4 Benefits of Listening to Your
Characters: http://bit.ly/151WmIv
@LyndaRYoung
Tips for Writing an Author Bio: http://bit.ly/Y1hPfc @rachellegardner
How Much Can You Really Tell From a
Query? http://bit.ly/Y1i5e0 @janice_hardy
3 tips for bouncing between books: http://bit.ly/151WLe3 @tawnafenske
Keeping Your Promise to the Reader: http://bit.ly/Y1ii0Y @Diana_Hurwitz
How To Stay On Track With Writing &
Blogging: http://bit.ly/151WZ4S
@VeronicaSicoe
7 Surprising Things About Blogging: http://bit.ly/Y1inlp @victoriamixon
How Plateauing Occurs: Pace vs.
Potential: http://bit.ly/151X9Jv
Make Your Characters Real Characters: http://bit.ly/Y1iFse @JudgeHopkins
@SouthrnWritrMag
Shrunken Manuscript – 6 Ways to See Your
Manuscript: http://bit.ly/151XsUA
@fictionnotes
4 Benefits of Writing by Hand: http://bit.ly/Y1iSM5 @mentalfloss
5 Academic Publishing Trends to Watch in
2013: http://bit.ly/151XETL
@pubperspectives
5 lessons 1 self-pubbed author has
learned: http://bit.ly/Y1j2TE @ayalarachelle
Teaching writer's instinct: http://bit.ly/151XNXc @janice_hardy
Even Smart Characters Make Dumb Mistakes:
http://bit.ly/Y1otlu @authormagazine
@p2p_editor
31 Simple Ways for Writers to Maximize
Efficiency in a Home Office: http://bit.ly/U06r5f
@lifehackorg
Ask The Agent: When Should You Stop
Querying? http://bit.ly/Y1pRVj @breeogden
Walking in your character's shoes:
Writing with authenticity: http://bit.ly/U06AWp
Sympathetic Characters: Noble Souls: http://bit.ly/Y1pZEh @mooderino
Writers beware: Sitting is the smoking of
our generation: http://bit.ly/U06KwV
@gointothestory
Writers and Depression: http://bit.ly/Y1qiPB @litreactor
Pulling the Curtain Back from the Stigma
of Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/U07a6p
@melissadonovan
How to Increase Concentration – The 5 Key
Steps: http://bit.ly/Y1qC0M @JWhite
Creating Sympathetic Characters: http://bit.ly/U07lyB @Lindasclare
How to customize your Twitter profile: http://bit.ly/Y1qZIE
Building Heat in Love Scenes — An Erotic
Romance Writer Explains How: http://bit.ly/U07K49
@taralain
Self-Publishing as Slush Pile? Not So Fast: http://bit.ly/X4Vg8m @Porter_Anderson @RachelleGardner
11 Preposterously Manly Fantasy Series: http://bit.ly/Y1rlPx @io9
Author Email Marketing: 7 Rookie Mistakes
to Avoid: http://bit.ly/Y1rCSp
Tips for avoiding the dreaded label
"purple prose": http://bit.ly/U08eap
@LaurelGarver
The Shocking Truth About Multi-Tasking: http://bit.ly/Y1rNx5 @duolit
Why Short Fiction?: The benefits to a
writing career: http://bit.ly/U0adM1
@AmazingStories0
Why Films and Novels Routinely Depict
Society and its Citizens as Fools: http://bit.ly/Y1twTg
@DavidBrin1
7 things 1 writer has learned so far: http://bit.ly/U0aNt5 @GMMalliet
Getting the Most Out of a Conference: http://bit.ly/Y1ubDY @kid_lit
February 14, 2013
Decluttering for Writers (and Other Writerly Chores)
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
It’s usually around this time of year that I decide that I’ve got to do some decluttering. I think that’s because it’s tax time and I’m rounding up documents and receipts.
The desk is a must-tackle because not only does it have most of the stuff I need for the tax return, it’s also full of a hodgepodge of writing-related papers that need to be sorted.
After that’s done, I usually start in with the computer. It’s got to be done. Usually my computer to-do list looks like this:
Back up. Especially if I haven’t lately. (I do back up my writing every day, but am not as great about backing up photos, etc.)
The blog. What’s in my sidebar that doesn’t need to be there? Are all the pages on my blog updated? (No, they’re not, and I haven’t gotten to this item on my list yet, as is obvious!) Back up the blog…it’s important. I’ve known several people who have lost their blogs.
Google Reader. I subscribe to 2,290 blogs, but sometimes I’ll need to unsubscribe to feeds. The blogger might have moved to another blog or another provider. The best way to clean up your Google Reader is to click on “trends” on the left hand column, and then click the tab that says “inactive.” I click “top 40,” since I subscribe to so many. Then I click the trashcan icon to clear out the blogs that haven’t been updated in ages.
My bio. Yes, I’ve had two releases since the thing was last updated. I updated it.
My website. I do try to update my website monthly, but it also needed more updating (the new releases strike again.)
Email deleting and setting up filters and folders to organize incoming mail. We all get gobs and gobs of emails. I set up folders for specific types of emails (“family,” “store ads/coupons,” “publisher,”) and set up filters for the emails to go directly into the folders. I unsubscribe to newsletters that no longer interest me. I block and delete junk mail.
Change passwords. Another important chore. Getting hacked is no fun…no one wants to send spam or viruses to all their contacts. I always stay pretty current with this chore.
Word files. Delete old drafts of WIPs, create folders and add documents pertaining to a particular WIP to one folder.
Do you stay up-t0-date with this kind of stuff? Or do you need to set up a special time to tackle it (like I usually do.) What other kinds of writerly things do you organize?
Image: Morgue File: earl53
It’s usually around this time of year that I decide that I’ve got to do some decluttering. I think that’s because it’s tax time and I’m rounding up documents and receipts.The desk is a must-tackle because not only does it have most of the stuff I need for the tax return, it’s also full of a hodgepodge of writing-related papers that need to be sorted.
After that’s done, I usually start in with the computer. It’s got to be done. Usually my computer to-do list looks like this:
Back up. Especially if I haven’t lately. (I do back up my writing every day, but am not as great about backing up photos, etc.)
The blog. What’s in my sidebar that doesn’t need to be there? Are all the pages on my blog updated? (No, they’re not, and I haven’t gotten to this item on my list yet, as is obvious!) Back up the blog…it’s important. I’ve known several people who have lost their blogs.
Google Reader. I subscribe to 2,290 blogs, but sometimes I’ll need to unsubscribe to feeds. The blogger might have moved to another blog or another provider. The best way to clean up your Google Reader is to click on “trends” on the left hand column, and then click the tab that says “inactive.” I click “top 40,” since I subscribe to so many. Then I click the trashcan icon to clear out the blogs that haven’t been updated in ages.
My bio. Yes, I’ve had two releases since the thing was last updated. I updated it.
My website. I do try to update my website monthly, but it also needed more updating (the new releases strike again.)
Email deleting and setting up filters and folders to organize incoming mail. We all get gobs and gobs of emails. I set up folders for specific types of emails (“family,” “store ads/coupons,” “publisher,”) and set up filters for the emails to go directly into the folders. I unsubscribe to newsletters that no longer interest me. I block and delete junk mail.
Change passwords. Another important chore. Getting hacked is no fun…no one wants to send spam or viruses to all their contacts. I always stay pretty current with this chore.
Word files. Delete old drafts of WIPs, create folders and add documents pertaining to a particular WIP to one folder.
Do you stay up-t0-date with this kind of stuff? Or do you need to set up a special time to tackle it (like I usually do.) What other kinds of writerly things do you organize?
Image: Morgue File: earl53
February 12, 2013
Author Copies
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is a post that I hesitate even writing because this is one of many areas that’s rapidly changing in the industry. But it’s still a relevant topic at this point. I’ll look back years from now and go, “Oh, yeah. There were still author copies in 2013….”
One reason for this change is that many writers are self-publishing these days and are using a print-on-demand service like Lightning Source or CreateSpace to create books when they need them….if they want print copies of their books at all. Many more are electing to go digital only. (One of my resolutions this year is to put my self-pubbed books in print, however. I’ve had several emails from readers, scolding me about it.)
And…if you are traditionally published, the number of author copies you get probably varies wildly. And I hear the copies are diminishing as publishers tighten their belts. I’ve definitely got more author copies from one of my series than I have with another.
Regardless—many of us do have either print or digital copies of our books that are intended to help us promote our books in some way...whether we've purchased them ourselves, or whether they were given to us by our publisher.
Working with Penguin, I’ve gotten ARCs—Advance Reader Copies—of the first books in my series. They’re not really pretty…they don’t have the finished cover on it, just a basic brown cover that has the book’s title and my name (or my pen name), and Penguin’s imprint on the front.
ARCs I am eager to give away. I don’t give them to readers, because they’re fairly hideous, but they’ll go to reviewers (book bloggers, print reviewers at smaller newspapers or magazines, etc.)
Then there are author copies. I always get these from Penguin, as opposed to the ARCs. A box arrives by UPS or FedX before the book actually hits the shelves.
So….what do you do with author copies? That’s where it gets interesting.
I tend to want to hoard my author copies. In fact, if a reviewer contacts me after the book’s release, I’ll email Penguin’s publicist to send them a copy. Because, really…those books are part of my pay. When I run out, I have to buy more like everybody else (yes, usually at a discount. Although I don’t buy as many as I used to.)
Anyway, I do spend some thought about what to do with these copies. I know that hoarding them in a closet doesn’t exactly help me out. I have no idea why I like to know they’re there…I’m really not a packrat in any other way.
I read a post by fellow mystery writer Jeff Cohen on the Hey, There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room blog. His post on the subject was “Do I Ask You to Work for Free?”
Jeff has run into some problems with readers asking for free books. He explained, pretty clearly, the reasons why he feels he can’t give away his author copies. Financial considerations were a big reason.
For what it’s worth, here are some good things I think I’ve done with my author copies, if others are looking for ideas.
Goodreads giveaway. See this post. I got the results emailed to me from Goodreads yesterday, and if you’re curious about the results, I did see that 876 people had entered the giveaway. So I did get some eyeballs over to see that I had a new release and a bit of exposure. I didn’t advertise or promote the giveaway, aside from a mention here. I’m giving away three of my author copies for that giveaway.
Charity baskets. These have been at a variety of different functions through the years—most recently, a large quilt show in Texas contacted me about giving away a signed copy of one of my books for their auction of a basket of similar items. Feeling that was a way to possibly loop in new readers (I have a quilting mystery series), I participated in that event and similar ones throughout the years.
Blog giveways on book blogger sites. Given away to a blog commenter of the book blogger’s, and promoted on usually both of our Facebook sites. These seem to go well and I’m frequently amazed at the number of comments and Facebook shares. It might be genre-specific….cozy fans are fairly dedicated.
Other promo-related giveaways. Places like WriterSpace where you participate in live online chats and then participants at the chats are randomly selected for winners of a giveaway.
Books as thank-yous. I’ve given signed copies to folks who have helped me research, acted as beta readers, and offered other forms of support.
And yes, sometimes I do give books to people close to me. I wouldn’t dream of jeopardizing a close relationship over books…although, sure, I wish it were more generally known that the best way you can help authors is to buy a copy of their book (print or digital.)
What do you do with your author copies? How do you handle distributing copies you’ve purchased for promo?
This is a post that I hesitate even writing because this is one of many areas that’s rapidly changing in the industry. But it’s still a relevant topic at this point. I’ll look back years from now and go, “Oh, yeah. There were still author copies in 2013….”One reason for this change is that many writers are self-publishing these days and are using a print-on-demand service like Lightning Source or CreateSpace to create books when they need them….if they want print copies of their books at all. Many more are electing to go digital only. (One of my resolutions this year is to put my self-pubbed books in print, however. I’ve had several emails from readers, scolding me about it.)
And…if you are traditionally published, the number of author copies you get probably varies wildly. And I hear the copies are diminishing as publishers tighten their belts. I’ve definitely got more author copies from one of my series than I have with another.
Regardless—many of us do have either print or digital copies of our books that are intended to help us promote our books in some way...whether we've purchased them ourselves, or whether they were given to us by our publisher.
Working with Penguin, I’ve gotten ARCs—Advance Reader Copies—of the first books in my series. They’re not really pretty…they don’t have the finished cover on it, just a basic brown cover that has the book’s title and my name (or my pen name), and Penguin’s imprint on the front.
ARCs I am eager to give away. I don’t give them to readers, because they’re fairly hideous, but they’ll go to reviewers (book bloggers, print reviewers at smaller newspapers or magazines, etc.)
Then there are author copies. I always get these from Penguin, as opposed to the ARCs. A box arrives by UPS or FedX before the book actually hits the shelves.
So….what do you do with author copies? That’s where it gets interesting.
I tend to want to hoard my author copies. In fact, if a reviewer contacts me after the book’s release, I’ll email Penguin’s publicist to send them a copy. Because, really…those books are part of my pay. When I run out, I have to buy more like everybody else (yes, usually at a discount. Although I don’t buy as many as I used to.)
Anyway, I do spend some thought about what to do with these copies. I know that hoarding them in a closet doesn’t exactly help me out. I have no idea why I like to know they’re there…I’m really not a packrat in any other way.
I read a post by fellow mystery writer Jeff Cohen on the Hey, There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room blog. His post on the subject was “Do I Ask You to Work for Free?”
Jeff has run into some problems with readers asking for free books. He explained, pretty clearly, the reasons why he feels he can’t give away his author copies. Financial considerations were a big reason.
For what it’s worth, here are some good things I think I’ve done with my author copies, if others are looking for ideas.
Goodreads giveaway. See this post. I got the results emailed to me from Goodreads yesterday, and if you’re curious about the results, I did see that 876 people had entered the giveaway. So I did get some eyeballs over to see that I had a new release and a bit of exposure. I didn’t advertise or promote the giveaway, aside from a mention here. I’m giving away three of my author copies for that giveaway.
Charity baskets. These have been at a variety of different functions through the years—most recently, a large quilt show in Texas contacted me about giving away a signed copy of one of my books for their auction of a basket of similar items. Feeling that was a way to possibly loop in new readers (I have a quilting mystery series), I participated in that event and similar ones throughout the years.
Blog giveways on book blogger sites. Given away to a blog commenter of the book blogger’s, and promoted on usually both of our Facebook sites. These seem to go well and I’m frequently amazed at the number of comments and Facebook shares. It might be genre-specific….cozy fans are fairly dedicated.
Other promo-related giveaways. Places like WriterSpace where you participate in live online chats and then participants at the chats are randomly selected for winners of a giveaway.
Books as thank-yous. I’ve given signed copies to folks who have helped me research, acted as beta readers, and offered other forms of support.
And yes, sometimes I do give books to people close to me. I wouldn’t dream of jeopardizing a close relationship over books…although, sure, I wish it were more generally known that the best way you can help authors is to buy a copy of their book (print or digital.)
What do you do with your author copies? How do you handle distributing copies you’ve purchased for promo?
February 10, 2013
What About the Needs of the Reader?
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Although I’ve enjoyed the amazing benefits of being a writer during this digital publishing revolution, I’ve frequently felt frustrated, too.
I do enjoy bookstores. I also enjoy writing for my publishers (working with good editors is a rarely mentioned benefit of traditional publishing…if you’re lucky enough to get one.) And I worry that bookstores and publishers are frequently making poor business decisions—or forgetting the reader in the process of doing business.
I remember several years ago wondering what on earth Barnes and Noble was thinking. I like the store. I don’t mind buying books there. So why were they running so few promotions (or promotions only for specific blockbuster titles?) Why did they require an annual membership (of, as I recall, about $20 a year) to receive coupons? No wonder readers were flocking to Amazon for print and digital book purchases. They didn’t have to drive across town to pay a higher price for the same book. The stores lose customers. Losing customers means that stores will need to close. If stores close, the big publishers won’t have the shelf space that they depend on to connect readers with books and to showcase them.
So the bookstores are tied to a more expensive product. Industry analyst and insider Mike Shatzkin in his post More thoughts about the future of bookstores, triggered by Barnes & Noble’s own predictions for itself states that Publisher Lunch creator Michael Cader:
This is an instance where a reader need—competitive pricing—is being ignored…and jeopardizing both bookstore and publisher.
Another recent instance where the needs of the readers are discounted particularly irritated me. To be fair, the site is Publishing Perspectives , not Reader Perspectives. It’s supposed to look at issues from a publisher’s point of view. But looking at things from a publisher point of view can be illuminating—when they don’t consider reader needs in their conversation.
The article was 5 Academic Publishing Trends to Watch in 2013 by George Lossius, CEO of Publishing Technology.
The issue was further discussed in a follow-up post on Publisher Perspectives, What is Delaying Widespread Adoption of Digital Textbooks?
Of course, the benefits that were listed in the article pertained to publishers.
And admittedly, I don’t know the industry the commenters on the post were in. I’d imagine at least some of them are working with a publishing house. The comments were all focused on the inability of kids to flip back and forth with a digital textbook, with the cost of the digital books and the value received, and the fact that the students end up with a non-interactive PDF instead of a real transmedia tool.
As a parent, I know the main reasons why kids want digital textbooks. I know this because I drive kids around half the day, 5 days a week. What they bring up in carpool is the fact that the schools don’t have the money (as they did in the past) for the students to keep one copy of a textbook at home for homework and one copy for classroom use. Lugging a tremendous textbook back and forth (times 4 for their core classes) isn’t a lot of fun. There isn’t even room in their huge backpacks for all the books, so they carry one book in their arms and the rest on their backs.
Point number two that kids bring up is that when they inevitably forget their book in their locker, they’re stuck. They can’t do homework because they don’t have their book. If there was an online version, they’d have complete accessibility—on their home desktop, a homework laptop….heck, even on their phone.
It’s not all about the apps. The kids don’t miss what they’ve never had. It’s not the fancy stuff that the books could do. It’s more basic than that.
For adult readers, it’s more basic, too. It’s convenience. It’s price. It’s finding yourself in a full doctor’s office waiting room and pulling out your phone to read your book. Sheer convenience is a huge reason why ebooks are so popular. People are busy. It’s quick and easy to download a book and it’s readily accessible.
DRM and retailer-specific formatting is another area where publishers aren’t considering their average reader. The average reader would like to share their book among various devices in their home—on a iPad and a Kindle. They’re not wanting to pirate their digital copy or share it with all 300 of their Facebook friends.
As Cory Doctorow put it in The Guardian 's article, Why the death of DRM would be good news for readers, writers and publishers:
This DRM policy may hurt the publishers more than the readers. As writer Charlie Stross put it in his post What Amazon's ebook strategy means:
I’d love it if bookstores and major publishers could survive and thrive, despite all the industry changes and challenges. I think they may have to change their focus to do it, however. And they need to adjust their mindset quickly.
So now I’ve aired some of my frustrations with the current state of affairs for bookstores and publishers. :) What are some of yours? DRM? The slow pace of publishers to respond to change? Ideas for how they can learn to adapt? What’s your prognosis for the future (I think we’ll agree it’s going to be a bright one for writers, at any rate.)
Image: Morgue File: chrisof4
Although I’ve enjoyed the amazing benefits of being a writer during this digital publishing revolution, I’ve frequently felt frustrated, too.I do enjoy bookstores. I also enjoy writing for my publishers (working with good editors is a rarely mentioned benefit of traditional publishing…if you’re lucky enough to get one.) And I worry that bookstores and publishers are frequently making poor business decisions—or forgetting the reader in the process of doing business.
I remember several years ago wondering what on earth Barnes and Noble was thinking. I like the store. I don’t mind buying books there. So why were they running so few promotions (or promotions only for specific blockbuster titles?) Why did they require an annual membership (of, as I recall, about $20 a year) to receive coupons? No wonder readers were flocking to Amazon for print and digital book purchases. They didn’t have to drive across town to pay a higher price for the same book. The stores lose customers. Losing customers means that stores will need to close. If stores close, the big publishers won’t have the shelf space that they depend on to connect readers with books and to showcase them.
So the bookstores are tied to a more expensive product. Industry analyst and insider Mike Shatzkin in his post More thoughts about the future of bookstores, triggered by Barnes & Noble’s own predictions for itself states that Publisher Lunch creator Michael Cader:
….has also made the point that the physical stores are being made the last line of defense for book pricing. It is a virtual certainty that if a book has three different prices: print in the store, print online, and ebook, the printed book in the store will cost the most. This is not a formula to assure bookstore survival.
This is an instance where a reader need—competitive pricing—is being ignored…and jeopardizing both bookstore and publisher.
Another recent instance where the needs of the readers are discounted particularly irritated me. To be fair, the site is Publishing Perspectives , not Reader Perspectives. It’s supposed to look at issues from a publisher’s point of view. But looking at things from a publisher point of view can be illuminating—when they don’t consider reader needs in their conversation.
The article was 5 Academic Publishing Trends to Watch in 2013 by George Lossius, CEO of Publishing Technology.
Publishers are fully aware of the benefits of e-textbooks; the ability to easily refresh out-of-date content, functionality that allows books to be dissected, more interactive content, metrics that can measure the usefulness and popularity of resources, and of course pricing. All of this technology is available yet end user adoption levels are relatively low. Is it merely a question of students having the right technology at their fingertips and institutions buying into this method of working, which is surely just a matter of time? Or is there a wider issue preventing adoption?
The issue was further discussed in a follow-up post on Publisher Perspectives, What is Delaying Widespread Adoption of Digital Textbooks?
Of course, the benefits that were listed in the article pertained to publishers.
And admittedly, I don’t know the industry the commenters on the post were in. I’d imagine at least some of them are working with a publishing house. The comments were all focused on the inability of kids to flip back and forth with a digital textbook, with the cost of the digital books and the value received, and the fact that the students end up with a non-interactive PDF instead of a real transmedia tool.
As a parent, I know the main reasons why kids want digital textbooks. I know this because I drive kids around half the day, 5 days a week. What they bring up in carpool is the fact that the schools don’t have the money (as they did in the past) for the students to keep one copy of a textbook at home for homework and one copy for classroom use. Lugging a tremendous textbook back and forth (times 4 for their core classes) isn’t a lot of fun. There isn’t even room in their huge backpacks for all the books, so they carry one book in their arms and the rest on their backs.
Point number two that kids bring up is that when they inevitably forget their book in their locker, they’re stuck. They can’t do homework because they don’t have their book. If there was an online version, they’d have complete accessibility—on their home desktop, a homework laptop….heck, even on their phone.
It’s not all about the apps. The kids don’t miss what they’ve never had. It’s not the fancy stuff that the books could do. It’s more basic than that.
For adult readers, it’s more basic, too. It’s convenience. It’s price. It’s finding yourself in a full doctor’s office waiting room and pulling out your phone to read your book. Sheer convenience is a huge reason why ebooks are so popular. People are busy. It’s quick and easy to download a book and it’s readily accessible.
DRM and retailer-specific formatting is another area where publishers aren’t considering their average reader. The average reader would like to share their book among various devices in their home—on a iPad and a Kindle. They’re not wanting to pirate their digital copy or share it with all 300 of their Facebook friends.
As Cory Doctorow put it in The Guardian 's article, Why the death of DRM would be good news for readers, writers and publishers:
(Dedicated readers) are the customers who amass large libraries from lots of suppliers, and who value their books as long-term assets that they expect to access until they die. They may have the chance to change their ebook reading platform every year or two (the most common platform being a mobile phone, and many people get a new phone with each contract renewal). They want to be sure that their books travel with them. When their books don't, they'll be alienated, frustrated and will likely seek out unauthorised ways to get books in future. No one wants to be punished for their honesty.
This DRM policy may hurt the publishers more than the readers. As writer Charlie Stross put it in his post What Amazon's ebook strategy means:
By foolishly insisting on DRM, and then selling to Amazon on a wholesale basis, the publishers handed Amazon a monopoly on their customers—and thereby empowered a predatory monopsony.
I’d love it if bookstores and major publishers could survive and thrive, despite all the industry changes and challenges. I think they may have to change their focus to do it, however. And they need to adjust their mindset quickly.
So now I’ve aired some of my frustrations with the current state of affairs for bookstores and publishers. :) What are some of yours? DRM? The slow pace of publishers to respond to change? Ideas for how they can learn to adapt? What’s your prognosis for the future (I think we’ll agree it’s going to be a bright one for writers, at any rate.)
Image: Morgue File: chrisof4
February 9, 2013
Twitterific
by Elizabeth S. Craig,
@elizabethscraig
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I
shared the previous week. The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base
search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which
has over 19,000 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 is working 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 KnockoutNovel.com. Plus, all the data is stored in your Hiveword account for
easy access.
A free directory of cover designers, formatters,
freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq
Kindle Select - What Works, and What Doesn't: http://bit.ly/1170Okj
@magdalenaball
State Of Self-Publishing And 5 Things To Get Sorted For
2013: http://bit.ly/YBy6fD @thecreativepenn
How to Use Your Kindle to Edit Your Self-Pubbed Book: http://bit.ly/1171UN0
@LauraPepWu
So You've Got an Agent... Now What? http://bit.ly/YBysTo
@writerashley
100 Common-Sense Ways to Write Better: http://bit.ly/1172mL5
Self-Publishing: For Genre Writers Only? http://bit.ly/YByEC8
@selfpubreview
Publishing with Createspace: http://bit.ly/1179rLI
Writing 20 minutes a day, 365 Days A Year. Are You In? http://bit.ly/1179M12
@write_despite
Achieving your goals on autopilot: http://bit.ly/YBCefu
@JordanMcCollum
5 Errors in Treating Quotations: http://bit.ly/117alYP
@writing_tips
The worst publisher of all time: http://bit.ly/117aVFM
@salon
The Importance of Being Edited: http://bit.ly/YBCJWV
@selfpubreview
How Many Rounds of Edits Should I Go Though, and What
Should I Focus on? http://bit.ly/117bfEx @AmericanEditing
Estate planning: fearless inventories: http://bit.ly/YBCYRV
@kristinerusch
The state of bookstores now and reinventing them for the
future: http://bit.ly/XTSfGW @Porter_Anderson @richfahle @eoinpurcell
The difference between audience and market: http://bit.ly/117bHCD
10 Works of Literary Fantasy to Jump Start Your
Imagination: http://bit.ly/YBDj6Y @flavorwire
A S.M.A.R.T. Goal Refresher (or Primer): http://bit.ly/117c8wT
@lifehack
Should You Write That Potentially Controversial Scene? http://bit.ly/YBDsYf
@roniloren
5 Plot Devices That Hurt Your Writing: http://bit.ly/117cvr6
@litreactor
The First 15 Minutes Project: Max Fischer in Rushmore: http://bit.ly/YBDHm6
@cockeyed_caravan
How @ChuckWendig writes a novel: http://bit.ly/117cV0S
@woodwardkaren
The Trifecta of Storytelling Power: http://bit.ly/1179vLu
@storyfix
Writing - Imagery and Your Story: http://bit.ly/117dc3P
@karencv
Understanding Your Agent: http://bit.ly/YBDYW4
@rachellegardner
5 Trade Publishing Trends to Watch For in 2013: http://bit.ly/YBE9km
@publishingtech
10 Tips to Get Blog Tours and Guest Posts Right: http://bit.ly/117dNCG
@LyndaRYoung
F. Scott Fitzgerald on the Secret of Great Writing: http://bit.ly/YBEhQA
@brainpicker
What Makes a Strong Author's Visit—a Teacher's
Perspective: http://bit.ly/WwDhKr @angelaackerman
Rewriting your script: themes: http://bit.ly/14rOnD7
@gointothestory
What Writing Step Are You Afraid Of? http://bit.ly/WwTzTx
@jamigold
15 Common Twitter Questions Authors Ask: http://bit.ly/14rOq1R
@authormedia
The zero clutter method for the disorganized writer: http://zenhabits.net/zero/ @leobabauta
An Agent on "Do I REALLY Need an Agent?": http://bit.ly/14rOChz
@literaticat
An editor on eliminating "that" in your story: http://bit.ly/WwUeo0
@theresastevens
Writing a Believable Male Character: http://bit.ly/WwUnba
@ABoredAuthor
Writing Characters That Stand Out To Readers: http://bit.ly/WwUAes
@angelaackerman
The Art of Ideas: How To Overcome Writer's Block: http://bit.ly/14rOPS4
Forcing Readers To Like Characters: http://bit.ly/WwUR0T
@mooderino
YA Needs to Be Better-Written Than Adult Fiction, Not
Worse: http://bit.ly/14rOVJb @GeoffreyCubbage
All Things in Moderation-Even Writing Advice: http://bit.ly/SqDajk
@writeangleblog
Freelance Writing Rates – How To Determine & Set Your
Fee: http://bit.ly/Yl1dQj @FreelanceCrunch
Push Your Character into Interesting: http://bit.ly/WCscru
@howtowriteshop
Agent and Editor Insights: Publisher Negotiations: http://bit.ly/WCskaA
@wherewriterswin
9 tips for an awful 1st draft: http://bit.ly/WF6v7b
@lisacron
Book Contract: What's Negotiable and What's Not: http://bit.ly/WCssH0
@brianklems
How (Not) to Write Like a Master: http://bit.ly/WF6Gzn
@ava_jae
When should you stop revising? http://bit.ly/WCsBud
@janice_hardy
Writing is about being brave, taking risks: http://bit.ly/WCsHBW
@rllafevers
What 1 writer told his intern about being a writer: http://bit.ly/WF6Wyq
@tobiasbuckell
Keeping out the intruder words: http://bit.ly/WFg1Hk
@BryanThomasS
The First 15 Minutes Project: Juno McGuff in Juno: http://bit.ly/WCEpMX
@cockeyed_caravan
5 surprises about self-pub: http://bit.ly/WCF7d7
@jennienash
5 Erroneously Constructed "Not Only . . . But
Also" Sentences: http://bit.ly/WFgMAn @writing_tips
The 3 basic routes to getting published: http://bit.ly/WCFqod
@brianklems
Do Writers Need an Agent in the New Publishing Paradigm? http://bit.ly/WCFunS
@kristenlambtx
When Writers Don't Deliver: http://bit.ly/WCFT9U
@tessgerritsen
All about book blurbs: http://bit.ly/WCG0Cp
@robertleebrewer
Plot--Conflict and Desires: http://bit.ly/11e3x13
@novelrocket
What to do during and after the first edit: http://bit.ly/XuzcEQ
@americanediting
What do tradpubs do…and can you do it? http://bit.ly/XuztaU
@bufocalvin
The wrong goodbye of Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/11e4qH1
The Unreliable Narrator in Romance Novels: http://bit.ly/XuAjEs
@meganf
When You Have Editorial Differences: http://bit.ly/10RUmT1
@behlerpublish
Why we've now got a "New Adult" genre: http://bit.ly/Y0tiw2
@jamigold
UK Speaker Scam Targets Writers: http://bit.ly/XuB7cx
@victoriastrauss
Why Writers Should Guest Post: http://bit.ly/XuBcNx
@diymfa
10 things 1 writer has learned about self-pubbing: http://bit.ly/11e5Gdc
@turndog_million
Rewriting Your Script: Structure: http://bit.ly/XuBrYJ
@gointothestory
Writing Horror: Facing the Inevitable: http://bit.ly/XuBCn8
@yahighway
Adding Tension to Hook the Reader: http://bit.ly/11e5XN3
@janice_hardy
Physical Attributes Entry: Skin: http://bit.ly/11e5Wca
@angelaackerman
The allure of the first novel: http://bit.ly/11e637s
@guardianbooks
Writing for reluctant readers: http://bit.ly/TqIxQb
@charmaineclancy
The fine art of lying (for crime writers and others): http://bit.ly/XxrbPG
@TeriTerryWrites
How to find the right title for your book: http://bit.ly/TqIUu3
@dirtywhitecandy
Using Public Domain Characters In Your Stories: http://bit.ly/XxrutJ
@woodwardkaren
Restrictive clauses and commas: http://bit.ly/TqJ5pd
@aliciarasley
5 Quick Tips For Better Dialogue In Fiction: http://bit.ly/XxrR7H
@thecreativepenn
Structuring Your Story's Scenes: Variations on the Scene:
http://bit.ly/TqJx6V @kmweiland
The Number One Mistake New Writers Make: http://bit.ly/TqJFTM
@annerallen
Why Some Novels Say "A Novel" on the Cover, and
If Yours Should Too: http://bit.ly/XxseiA @AnnieNeugebauer
Genre & Marketing: http://bit.ly/TqKGLC
@SHalvatzis
Publishing and Marketing Your Crap: http://bit.ly/XxsSg0
@jamesscottbell
Numbers in Fiction: http://bit.ly/TqKQTl @thenoveleditor
Co-Authoring with Kids: http://bit.ly/Xxt8eI
@Nimpentoad
Complete list of Paris Review author interviews: http://bit.ly/YyWuhJ
@parisreview
Methods of being edited: http://bit.ly/YbtZmw
@StinaLL
Plotting by Personality: http://bit.ly/WgYmaF
@margmcalister
Resolve to Tweet Better in 2013: http://bit.ly/YMFDIo
@NinaBadzin
Formatting, The iTunes Way: http://bit.ly/WgZ33G
@susankayequinn
Find Someone Who Is a Stakeholder in Your Writing
Life,Find a Few Someones. http://bit.ly/YMGp8c @glimmertrain @Kate_Gale
Creative Intersections: Plot and Character Development: http://bit.ly/Wh1CD9
@DavidBCoe
Write Faster and Get Organized with Scrivener: http://bit.ly/YMGusG
Are chapters even necessary with the advent of digital
publishing? http://bit.ly/Wh1XWd @lilylefevre
Marketing Strategies: Questions to Ask Yourself: http://bit.ly/YMGBV9
@fictionnotes
5 Things 1 Writer Learned in Her 1st Year of
Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/Wh2jfA @livewritethrive
How to Engage Your Reader: http://bit.ly/YMGGYS
@turndog_million
A closer look at Bookish: http://bit.ly/YfQg0p
@Porter_Anderson @laurahazardowen @chadwpost
How to use subplots: http://bit.ly/Wh2K9F @margmcalister
How To Write Sex Scenes When You're a Prude: http://bit.ly/YMGOrn
@MishaCrews
7 tips for great sentences: http://bit.ly/14KoS0X
A situation is not a plot: http://bit.ly/WKBOgS
@Kid_Lit
Writing Your Tragedy: http://bit.ly/14KplQO
@janelebak
Navigating the Guest Post Process: http://bit.ly/WKC6UV
@diymfa
Declutter your novel: http://bit.ly/WKCxi0
Write a Story Ending That Will Satisfy Readers: http://bit.ly/14KqGah
@MargMcAlister
Rewriting Your Script: Pace: http://bit.ly/14KtLqR
@gointothestory
5 Common Synopsis Mistakes: http://bit.ly/WKEGdz
@writersrelief
Taking the Scary out of Scrivener: http://bit.ly/14Ku2dm
@Gwen_Hernandez
Other Types of YA Writing You Might Be Interested In
Doing: http://bit.ly/14Kx7dx @davey_beauchamp
Tips for writing dialogue: http://bit.ly/WKH301
@wickerkat
An author explains why he doesn't give away his author
copies: http://bit.ly/14KxDYU @JeffCohenwriter
3 tips for streamlining dialogue: http://bit.ly/14KxXa5
@LaurelGarver
8 things to do when you're stuck: http://bit.ly/WKHGqs
@JordanMcCollum
Industry changes: there is no midlist: http://bit.ly/YPckF2
@Porter_Anderson
Watch out for ING. It may be weaken-ing your story. http://bit.ly/VEyucl
@juliettewade
5 Tips To Optimize Your Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/11Ie0fU
@mollygreene
How To Publish A Book 101: http://bit.ly/VEyARb
@thecreativepenn
20 Great Writers on the Art of Revision: http://bit.ly/11IeDWF
@flavorwire
Sympathetic Characters: Danger: http://bit.ly/VEyMzZ
@mooderino
4 Ways to Pre-Write Your Scenes: http://bit.ly/11IeRgr
@janice_hardy
F. Scott Fitzgerald On The Price Of Being A Great Writer:
http://bit.ly/11If0ke @woodwardkaren
5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers: http://bit.ly/VEyRUe
@writing_tips
How to Research a Novel: 7 Tips: http://bit.ly/VEyU2t
@thomaswyoung
Why Publishers Need to Think More Like Silicon Valley: http://bit.ly/VEz0XO
@EdNawotka
Tips from Downton--what we writers can learn from Downton
Abbey: http://bit.ly/11IfS8d @junglereds
You CAN tell an eBook by its cover: http://bit.ly/VEz8Xg
Successors in Fantasy – Handing Over the Reins: http://bit.ly/11IgfQo
@fantasyfaction
Why "Genre" is Poison: http://bit.ly/VEzm0w
@davidbryher
Separate writing and rewriting: http://bit.ly/11Ih0c9
@Lindasclare
How to Surprise Your Reader in a Downton Abbey World: http://bit.ly/YPcM6i
@write_practice
9 Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy: http://bit.ly/11KHY2P
@authormedia
Giving characters distinguishing phrases to help readers
tell them apart: http://bit.ly/VEryfo @mkinberg
Finally, an industry-related conference for writers:
Author (R)evolution Day http://bit.ly/WRWhDy @Porter_Anderson @doctorow @robeagar
February 7, 2013
Goodreads for Writers
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve talked about Goodreads a little bit here before. It hasn’t been a huge part of my online platform, but after reading a few posts in January about how important Goodreads is becoming for authors, I decided to try to become a little more involved there.
As I’ve mentioned before, Goodreads can be scary for writers. Actually….Goodreads stresses me out. The reviewers are tough and you’ll find the average ratings a bit lower than you’ll see on Amazon (which, actually, probably reflects a more genuine review system and reviews that are more on-the-mark.) Just be prepared and steel yourself.
I’d set up my Goodreads account in 2007 and basically forgot about it once I did. I felt like it was enough to have a presence there….like I have a presence on LinkedIn. So I set up my blog to feed over to Goodreads, I listed all my books over there (which wasn’t particularly intuitive, I didn’t think), then I left it. I didn’t really want to review books, didn’t really want to share what I was reading, and I felt awkward interacting as a reader there because I’m a writer—it’s sort of like crashing a party.
I saw an infographic that Goodreads put out about their 2012 and the amount of growth the site had seen. I’d also heard authors on several of the email loops that I’m on talk about successful giveaways they’d hosted on the site. They boast that 40,000 people enter giveaways on their site daily and that the giveaways increase awareness of our books.
I’d never checked into the giveaways program at Goodreads because I assumed that the process would be time-consuming and require a lot of oversight on my part.
Instead—it’s easy. It took me about three minutes to fill out the form for the giveaway. The longest part of the process was just me remembering what my username and password were.
A note: Goodreads requires that these be physical books, not ebooks. I’m wondering if they’ll change that rule before long.
The next screen looks like this:
Then you save it:
Goodreads randomly selects winners and after your giveaway end date, they send you the winners and their addresses. If you don’t send the books, you’ll end up on some sort of Goodreads blacklist. Authors can’t store the winners’ info for mailing lists, etc.
Goodreads recommends that authors give ten copies away…but I didn’t. I’m keeping it at three and will see how it goes.
They also recommend doing two giveaways of the same title: one several months before the sale date and one that runs for a month when the book launches. I honestly didn’t see the value in that, however. If someone thinks they might win a copy of my book, why would they purchase it? I’ve set my giveaway to last for a week.
The Goodreads giveaway is free, although they (naturally) encourage writers to buy ads to promote the giveaway. I didn’t buy an ad. The only cost is the physical copies of the books (mine were author copies), and the cost of postage (I kept the giveaway restricted to residents of the United States.)
More general information on Goodreads:
The Goodreads author program tutorial is here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/how_to
Agent Rachelle Gardner posted tips for writers in her post How Authors Can Effectively Use Goodreads .
Are you on Goodreads? Do you interact as a reader or writer or both? Have you ever listed a giveaway? How did it go?
I’ve talked about Goodreads a little bit here before. It hasn’t been a huge part of my online platform, but after reading a few posts in January about how important Goodreads is becoming for authors, I decided to try to become a little more involved there.As I’ve mentioned before, Goodreads can be scary for writers. Actually….Goodreads stresses me out. The reviewers are tough and you’ll find the average ratings a bit lower than you’ll see on Amazon (which, actually, probably reflects a more genuine review system and reviews that are more on-the-mark.) Just be prepared and steel yourself.
I’d set up my Goodreads account in 2007 and basically forgot about it once I did. I felt like it was enough to have a presence there….like I have a presence on LinkedIn. So I set up my blog to feed over to Goodreads, I listed all my books over there (which wasn’t particularly intuitive, I didn’t think), then I left it. I didn’t really want to review books, didn’t really want to share what I was reading, and I felt awkward interacting as a reader there because I’m a writer—it’s sort of like crashing a party.
I saw an infographic that Goodreads put out about their 2012 and the amount of growth the site had seen. I’d also heard authors on several of the email loops that I’m on talk about successful giveaways they’d hosted on the site. They boast that 40,000 people enter giveaways on their site daily and that the giveaways increase awareness of our books.
I’d never checked into the giveaways program at Goodreads because I assumed that the process would be time-consuming and require a lot of oversight on my part.
Instead—it’s easy. It took me about three minutes to fill out the form for the giveaway. The longest part of the process was just me remembering what my username and password were.
A note: Goodreads requires that these be physical books, not ebooks. I’m wondering if they’ll change that rule before long.
The next screen looks like this:
Then you save it:
Goodreads randomly selects winners and after your giveaway end date, they send you the winners and their addresses. If you don’t send the books, you’ll end up on some sort of Goodreads blacklist. Authors can’t store the winners’ info for mailing lists, etc.
Goodreads recommends that authors give ten copies away…but I didn’t. I’m keeping it at three and will see how it goes.
They also recommend doing two giveaways of the same title: one several months before the sale date and one that runs for a month when the book launches. I honestly didn’t see the value in that, however. If someone thinks they might win a copy of my book, why would they purchase it? I’ve set my giveaway to last for a week.
The Goodreads giveaway is free, although they (naturally) encourage writers to buy ads to promote the giveaway. I didn’t buy an ad. The only cost is the physical copies of the books (mine were author copies), and the cost of postage (I kept the giveaway restricted to residents of the United States.)
More general information on Goodreads:
The Goodreads author program tutorial is here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/how_to
Agent Rachelle Gardner posted tips for writers in her post How Authors Can Effectively Use Goodreads .
Are you on Goodreads? Do you interact as a reader or writer or both? Have you ever listed a giveaway? How did it go?
February 6, 2013
Character Development—Distinguishing Secondary Characters from Each Other
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I belong to a group that gathers several times a year. The group is filled with moms like me.
During these gatherings, everyone works very hard to be very pleasant. They’re friendly and seem to work very hard to fit in with the other moms there.
Unfortunately, for someone like me (and my horrid memory), this makes it very difficult to remember who’s who. I decided to keep a secret notebook that I refer to before going to the next event. After each event, I sit in the car, list all the names I remember, and jot down descriptive notes after each name. I do like to remember names and use them when I'm speaking with someone, so I have to work hard at it.
My husband came across my notebook and glanced through it. “You are so dead if this ever comes to light,” he chortled.
That’s because I had to resort to describing their various physical traits to tell them apart. They all act so mom-like that I couldn’t find any other distinguishing characteristics. If they had jobs, they didn’t mention them. I certainly never mentioned my writing, so who knows? Maybe they had secret notebooks mentioning a tall woman with long, straight hair who didn't talk much. We never seem to get below that superficial small talk to show who we really were.
Obviously, this isn’t what we want in our stories. We want our characters’ personalities to be different enough so we don’t need the physical crutch as much. Or, we might still need the crutch, but not as much.
Other ways of making our characters stand out from each other:
Diction. Word choice is one way to help a character stand out in dialogue. Mystery writer Margot Kinberg had a great post on character catch-phrases in her post, She’s Got a Way of Talkin’ . It also could be how they say what they say. Some characters might be very precise. Some characters might be impatient with others and the impatience comes through.
Mannerisms. Biting nails, slouching, fond of hand gestures, etc.
Quirks.
Hobbies, interests, jobs.
Gifts/skills.
Their motives. What do they want? What’s important to them? How does this impact the story?
And yes, a distinguishing physical trait. Looks do play into distinctive characters. Dimples, moustache, bald head.
You can show a character’s distinguishing characteristics through his actions, his reactions to events, through dialogue (either by what he’s saying or by what others are saying about him), by his manner…and even by his name.
What are your favorite ways to help readers tell your characters apart?
Image: MorgueFile by ManicMorFF
Knot What it Seams, book two of the Southern quilting mysteries, released Tuesday, February 5.
Available in mass-market paperback and digital versions.
I belong to a group that gathers several times a year. The group is filled with moms like me.During these gatherings, everyone works very hard to be very pleasant. They’re friendly and seem to work very hard to fit in with the other moms there.
Unfortunately, for someone like me (and my horrid memory), this makes it very difficult to remember who’s who. I decided to keep a secret notebook that I refer to before going to the next event. After each event, I sit in the car, list all the names I remember, and jot down descriptive notes after each name. I do like to remember names and use them when I'm speaking with someone, so I have to work hard at it.
My husband came across my notebook and glanced through it. “You are so dead if this ever comes to light,” he chortled.
That’s because I had to resort to describing their various physical traits to tell them apart. They all act so mom-like that I couldn’t find any other distinguishing characteristics. If they had jobs, they didn’t mention them. I certainly never mentioned my writing, so who knows? Maybe they had secret notebooks mentioning a tall woman with long, straight hair who didn't talk much. We never seem to get below that superficial small talk to show who we really were.
Obviously, this isn’t what we want in our stories. We want our characters’ personalities to be different enough so we don’t need the physical crutch as much. Or, we might still need the crutch, but not as much.
Other ways of making our characters stand out from each other:
Diction. Word choice is one way to help a character stand out in dialogue. Mystery writer Margot Kinberg had a great post on character catch-phrases in her post, She’s Got a Way of Talkin’ . It also could be how they say what they say. Some characters might be very precise. Some characters might be impatient with others and the impatience comes through.
Mannerisms. Biting nails, slouching, fond of hand gestures, etc.
Quirks.
Hobbies, interests, jobs.
Gifts/skills.
Their motives. What do they want? What’s important to them? How does this impact the story?
And yes, a distinguishing physical trait. Looks do play into distinctive characters. Dimples, moustache, bald head.
You can show a character’s distinguishing characteristics through his actions, his reactions to events, through dialogue (either by what he’s saying or by what others are saying about him), by his manner…and even by his name.
What are your favorite ways to help readers tell your characters apart?
Image: MorgueFile by ManicMorFFKnot What it Seams, book two of the Southern quilting mysteries, released Tuesday, February 5.
Available in mass-market paperback and digital versions.
February 4, 2013
Ed Koch: Last Word Character Development exercise
Guest post by
Khanh Ho, @LAMysteryWriter
Ed Koch (1924-2013) died the other day. And
as with all great men, almost immediately, there have arisen tributes. One of the most moving tributes was a video
interview, originally shot in 2007: The Last Word . Why?
Because you got to see the old man, grappling with the imminence of sure
death, sum up his career. He talked
about his goals and achievements, failures and successes, enmities and deep,
abiding friendships. “I want to be remembered as being a proud Jew who loved
the people of New York and did his best to make their lives better.”
There
is something in us that craves the Huckleberry Finn moment—that voyeuristic
moment when you can watch your own funeral:
the eulogy, weeping, chest beating.
It’s probably the best episode in Huck
Finn and it really is the instance when Huck becomes closest to an
author: manipulative, all-seeing—the
young barefoot boy sits in the balcony above everybody and gawks at the
spectacle he has contrived. Ed Koch’s
video, whether he intended it to or not, is a moving tribute video…because it
feels as if it were planned with full knowledge that this would be the mayor
making his own eulogy.
At
the end of life, when you’re forced to sum everything up, you have to be
blunt. Ed Koch is quite straightforward;
he spells out all his beefs. Rudy
Giuliani was a mean-spirited person who was terrible to be around with. Mario Cuomo, the mayor always despised for
the ugly gay-baiting campaign slogan:
“Vote for Cuomo, not the Homo.”
Few of us can be so straightforward.
We are taught, in fact, that to be straightforward is socially undesirable. It can make you appear crude. So we censor ourselves. And we often censor our characters.
If
you’re having trouble developing a character, this exercise will get you
going: Spend a minute and watch the
video—it’s a half hour but worth it.
Then, start off with this basic question addressed to your
character. What do you want to be remembered
for? Koch could reel these things off in
a list: 1) Getting the city out of bankruptcy 2) Giving back spirit to the people of New
York 3)
Taking politics out of the selection of judges. “I’m the sort of person who will never get
ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I’m the sort of person who
might give other people ulcers.”
So, here’s your task. Get your character to answer the eulogy
question. Make it the entryway to the
beginning of a short paragraph long monologue.
And get them to channel their inner-Koch to lay it all out in crude,
straightforward, no-holds-barred language.
Get them to own up to their beefs and failures, fears and tribulations. So what if your character is quiet, reserved
and prissy and they would never talk like this. Inside all characters is a voice that knows
what it’s about—an inner Koch. This will
easily jumpstart you into a deeper understanding of your character and, if you
do this write, it will deliver a bonus:
it will get you a plot.
Khanh Ho spent
many years living in a small town in rural Iowa, teaching Creative Writing at
Grinnell College—a small liberal arts college, nestled in a windswept prairie
whose distinguishing feature is the presence of a Super Walmart. But then he had
a light bulb epiphany: he’ll never produce writing if he persists in teaching
it. So, now he is happily pounding away at the keyboard, knocking out not only
his first mystery novel but, also, the first mystery novel featuring the first
Vietnamese American detective. Why? Because, yes, he’ll be the first; yes, it’ll
be a power trip; and yes, because he can! Follow him on his great adventure at
www.losangelesmystery.com
Image: by Camera Operator: PH3 PATRICK J. CASHIN (ID:DN-ST-88-09107 / Service Depicted: Navy) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
*********
Note from Elizabeth: Thanks so much for a great guest post and writing exercise today, Khanh! I appreciate it.
I would be remiss if I didn't add a postscript here (am sure my publisher would think I was being remiss..ha!) that I have a release today. Book two of Southern quilting mysteries: Knot What it Seams is available today. If you know anyone who enjoys traditional cozies, please consider letting them know. I'm featured in an interview with Examiner.com's Terry Ambrose here, talking about the book. Thanks!
Khanh Ho, @LAMysteryWriter
Ed Koch (1924-2013) died the other day. And
as with all great men, almost immediately, there have arisen tributes. One of the most moving tributes was a video
interview, originally shot in 2007: The Last Word . Why?
Because you got to see the old man, grappling with the imminence of sure
death, sum up his career. He talked
about his goals and achievements, failures and successes, enmities and deep,
abiding friendships. “I want to be remembered as being a proud Jew who loved
the people of New York and did his best to make their lives better.”
There
is something in us that craves the Huckleberry Finn moment—that voyeuristic
moment when you can watch your own funeral:
the eulogy, weeping, chest beating.
It’s probably the best episode in Huck
Finn and it really is the instance when Huck becomes closest to an
author: manipulative, all-seeing—the
young barefoot boy sits in the balcony above everybody and gawks at the
spectacle he has contrived. Ed Koch’s
video, whether he intended it to or not, is a moving tribute video…because it
feels as if it were planned with full knowledge that this would be the mayor
making his own eulogy.
At
the end of life, when you’re forced to sum everything up, you have to be
blunt. Ed Koch is quite straightforward;
he spells out all his beefs. Rudy
Giuliani was a mean-spirited person who was terrible to be around with. Mario Cuomo, the mayor always despised for
the ugly gay-baiting campaign slogan:
“Vote for Cuomo, not the Homo.”
Few of us can be so straightforward.
We are taught, in fact, that to be straightforward is socially undesirable. It can make you appear crude. So we censor ourselves. And we often censor our characters.
If
you’re having trouble developing a character, this exercise will get you
going: Spend a minute and watch the
video—it’s a half hour but worth it.
Then, start off with this basic question addressed to your
character. What do you want to be remembered
for? Koch could reel these things off in
a list: 1) Getting the city out of bankruptcy 2) Giving back spirit to the people of New
York 3)
Taking politics out of the selection of judges. “I’m the sort of person who will never get
ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I’m the sort of person who
might give other people ulcers.”
So, here’s your task. Get your character to answer the eulogy
question. Make it the entryway to the
beginning of a short paragraph long monologue.
And get them to channel their inner-Koch to lay it all out in crude,
straightforward, no-holds-barred language.
Get them to own up to their beefs and failures, fears and tribulations. So what if your character is quiet, reserved
and prissy and they would never talk like this. Inside all characters is a voice that knows
what it’s about—an inner Koch. This will
easily jumpstart you into a deeper understanding of your character and, if you
do this write, it will deliver a bonus:
it will get you a plot.
Khanh Ho spent
many years living in a small town in rural Iowa, teaching Creative Writing at
Grinnell College—a small liberal arts college, nestled in a windswept prairie
whose distinguishing feature is the presence of a Super Walmart. But then he had
a light bulb epiphany: he’ll never produce writing if he persists in teaching
it. So, now he is happily pounding away at the keyboard, knocking out not only
his first mystery novel but, also, the first mystery novel featuring the first
Vietnamese American detective. Why? Because, yes, he’ll be the first; yes, it’ll
be a power trip; and yes, because he can! Follow him on his great adventure at
www.losangelesmystery.com
Image: by Camera Operator: PH3 PATRICK J. CASHIN (ID:DN-ST-88-09107 / Service Depicted: Navy) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
*********Note from Elizabeth: Thanks so much for a great guest post and writing exercise today, Khanh! I appreciate it.
I would be remiss if I didn't add a postscript here (am sure my publisher would think I was being remiss..ha!) that I have a release today. Book two of Southern quilting mysteries: Knot What it Seams is available today. If you know anyone who enjoys traditional cozies, please consider letting them know. I'm featured in an interview with Examiner.com's Terry Ambrose here, talking about the book. Thanks!
