Riley Adams's Blog, page 193

What Hat am I wearing today? by Judy Alter

I have many hats—one a cloche with a fan of feathers for when I write mystery (don't you think it makes me look mysterious?), a sunbonnet for western fiction, a fedora for nonfiction, a gimme cap for young-adult works, and, of course, a toque for cookbooks and other food writing. I used to have a mortarboard for my career in academic publishing, but I've turned that in.

Some people ask me how I can wear so many hats, but the answer, to me, is simple. It's all writing in one form or another, and I am a writer. I cannot do math and probably couldn't pass high school algebra. But I can work problems out in words—it's what I do best and what gives me satisfaction. I like to take an idea or subject and figure out how to put it into words so that other people will read about it.

When I wrote historical fiction about women and young girls of the American West, I had to imagine myself in the nineteenth century West, though I doubt Libby Custer or Jessie Benton Frémont ever wore a sunbonnet. Still I had to know what they did wear—like weights in the hem of their skirts to keep them from blowing in the wind. And I had to think about what it would be like for Libby to ride across the plains on a reckless horse, or for Lucille Mulhall, the first Wild West cowgirl, to rope several horses, or for Etta Place to take part in a bank robbery and the hard ride of a getaway. It was a wild and exciting ride for a bookish girl like me who never was comfortable on a horse.

Young adult nonfiction was probably the greatest challenge to working out problems in words. I wrote for several companies that published for school libraries. The company would assign me a topic, and I'd research and write, usually about 5,000 words. I have written books on everything from vaccines and surgery to passenger ships, various state histories, biographies of several presidents. Probably the hardest one I ever did was on international women's right.

Wearing a toque was no problem. I actually have one that I've worn to several book signings, but food writing comes easily to me because I love to cook and to eat new food. I did have to learn the mechanics—the proper presentation of a recipe, for instance. And copyright regulations (ingredients of a recipe cannot be copyrighted but directions can).

Mystery has been the hardest hat to keep on my head—that cloche wanted to slip off. I wrote my first mystery, if you want to call it that, almost 50 years ago. It was a knock-off of Nancy Drew that I wrote in the car while my then-husband drove us across country. It was, quite frankly, awful. Around 2000 I wrote a mystery I thought was pretty good and gave it to an agent—naïf that I was I didn't realize that it mattered that cozies were not her field. I may go back and revisit that one someday.

I am forever grateful to Susan Wittig Albert for telling me to join Sisters in Crime. Then I joined the Guppies and Agent Quest and soon learned what an insider's game looking for an agent was and how many people submitted countless queries without success. I was, I discovered, not only a newbie but a small guppie in a very large pond. I read listservs, I read blogs, I took online courses, and I learned so much it's hard to hold it all in my brain. And members of Sisters in Crime and all its sub-groups are incredibly supportive of newbies.

My goal was to publish a mystery, and after seven or so rewrites and six years, Skeleton in a Dead Space launched from Turquoise Morning Press on August 29. I really like that cloche with a feather and intend to wear it for quite a while.

Thanks so much for guest blogging today, Judy! And for giving me some encouragement about trying new genres!

Judy Alter of Fort Worth, Texas, is the author of about sixty books for children and adults. Her main interest has been the experiences of women in the American West, and she's written six adult novels with that theme and seven young-adult novels, as well as countless children's books, mostly done for libraries on the American West and a variety of other subjects.

Judy is also the author of a memoir/cookbook, a collection of short stories, young-adult biographies of figures from Texas history, and two books studying the work of Texas author Elmer Kelton. Recently retired after 30 years with Texas Christian University Press, 20 of them as director, she is now devoting her attention to writing mysteries and, still and forever, writing about Texas. You can find Judy at her blog and website.

The Author Talk—Different Messages for Different Groups

I'm speaking this Sunday at a Sisters in Crime meeting in High Point, North Carolina from 2-4.

I'm looking forward to the talk because I'm most comfortable with writers. Although I probably should be more comfortable with readers…it just hasn't worked out that way.

I don't have an assigned topic to speak on (sometimes when I speak with groups, they ask me to talk on a particular topic.) So I'll set my own topic—it's always better to go in with a plan. I've found that most writing groups want me to talk about how to juggle different series and publishers at once, how to use social media to promote, and how I got my start in publishing. This is all stuff I know by heart. :)

But I also speak with other types of groups, although I don't think of myself as a good speaker (I'm getting better.)

Here are some of my thoughts and tips on speaking to different audiences:

Talking to children (if you write for adults): This is so dependent on the age-group you're speaking to. I've done presentations for early elementary through middle school age, and my tip is to know your audience. The little guys just don't have an attention span. Bring in lots of props. For early elementary age, I usually bring in my journals and writing from when I was a kid, encourage them to write their own stories, show them a marked up manuscript (for some reason they're always very interested in this), and then follow up by reading a favorite picture book.

For older children (again, if you write for adults): I ask the teacher (whoever gave me the invite), how they're teaching writing and what they're focusing on. The last thing I want to do is undo what they've taught! I follow their lesson plan (frequently on topics like elaboration, how to start and end a story, focusing on a small part of a story instead of throwing the net too wide) and talk about how I use what the teacher has taught in my own writing. Older kids really want a Q&A session, too.

Talking to other writers: It's important to know what you're there for. Once I apparently didn't get the memo and found out when I was at the event that I was talking about humor in mysteries. That was fine, but I usually don't do well shooting from the hip! Sometimes they'll want you to talk about something really specific—editing or promo or dialogue or POV. Sometimes they'll leave the topic up to you (but you'll want to plan ahead for what you'll speak about….just to make your talk more polished.) I'm fond of handing out sheets with helpful websites, resources for writers, etc.

Talking to readers: This is always completely different from talking with other writers. Readers like to hear more about the writing life, how we come up with characters, why we chose our genre, where we find our inspiration, our favorite authors, etc. There's also, subtly, a bit more of a sales aspect to talking to readers (because your books are for sale on the back table) and so you'll want to use quick and interesting examples from your own work.

Talking to book clubs. How is this different from talking with readers? Because these folks have all read your book! And boy, you should know that book backwards and forwards. If you have written a fair number of books or have a poor memory (I can claim both) then bring a cheat sheet with you of characters and plot points. Believe me—you'll need it.

Readings. Um…well, I hate readings. But you should always be prepared to give a reading, no matter who you're speaking to. I've been surprised before by moderators who asked me to read from my book and was frantically flipping through, trying to find a good spot to read from. Just mark a book with a Post-It note and be sure to bring your reading glasses. Try to read with inflection. Keep it short. That's about all the advice I have on this topic. :) I keep mentioning to event organizers that I don't do readings, but apparently this message gets lost.

I could also talk about speaking on panels, but I'll skip it here because it's pretty easy—you're usually speaking on an assigned topic, responding to moderator questions, sharing time with other writers (don't hog the spotlight), and addressing one of the groups I've mentioned above (readers if it's a readers' convention, writers if it's a writing convention.)

Have you spoken to different types of groups about your writing? Do you have favorite groups to speak to? Got any public speaking tips?

Twitterific

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, characterization, querying, book promo, and more. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

I'm compiling a directory of ebook professionals—cover designers, formatters, freelance editors, etc.—to make it easier for writers to connect with services. The directory can be accessed here.

I released an ebook last week. Progressive Dinner Deadly is a Myrtle Clover mystery and is currently available for $2.99 (currently on sale for $.99 for a Labor Day weekend sale) on Kindle and Nook. Hope you'll mention it to any friends who enjoy mysteries.

9 Reasons to Attend Local Writers Conferences: http://bit.ly/oMVou9 @keligwyn

101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part II: http://bit.ly/oIIfjk @Writeitsideways

The Myth of the Lone Creative Genius: http://bit.ly/plMCq8 @JaneFriedman

The Repeats and the Choruses--the Rhythm of Our Writing: http://bit.ly/oxUI0Y

How writers can deal with frustration: http://bit.ly/pX2ySM

Red Flags for Female Characters Written By Men: http://bit.ly/rq8Gtl

The art and science of Twitter: http://bit.ly/qckMfd

Organizing your writing--3 writers with tips: http://bit.ly/mZDUdg

1 writer's book launch party: http://bit.ly/mQ7Erm

Real Life Diagnostics: Hooking the Reader From the Start: http://bit.ly/oSDds7

Physical descriptions put readers in your place: http://bit.ly/qfG97s

Why bad decisions make good stories: http://bit.ly/nvCm0E

Resources for historical and suspense writers: http://bit.ly/noNe4B

Defining and using authorial voice: http://bit.ly/nlpync @authorterryo

What Do Authorship and Entrepreneurship have in Common? http://bit.ly/rdxOcV @thecreativepenn

The difference between an IP lawyer and a contracts lawyer (& why writers should care): http://bit.ly/nlIopi @PassiveVoiceBlg

Preparing for success--the mental game: http://bit.ly/qqTX0E @jillkemerer

5 Tips On Being Naked In Front of an Audience: http://bit.ly/rcbU24 @roniloren

7 Ways to Pay it Forward Online: http://bit.ly/nsOucM @MarianSchembari

8 tools for plotting (& plot-driven v. char. driven stories) : http://bit.ly/nu5pk3

A new book discovery search engine tracks 32,160 distinct data points per book: http://bit.ly/pJtPlr

An Agent Identifies Signs of Overwriting and Explains Why It's a Problem: http://bit.ly/qued2c

Help plotting mysteries--juxtaposition of clues: http://bit.ly/nd5H3q @HP4Writers

Buying Internet Advertising For Your Book: Part I: http://bit.ly/qkSDso @BlurbIsAVerb

Writing 411: Picture Book E-Queries: http://bit.ly/qvTcOX @WriteAngleBlog

The Basics For Novice Writers: The DON'TS In Article Querying: http://bit.ly/rjl2hn

Can you split your novel into 4 equal parts? http://bit.ly/oXKS4a @dirtywhitecandy

How Readers Become Addicts: The Elasticity of Demand (Pricing of Ebooks): http://bit.ly/pQgIG1 @thecreativepenn

Remind agents and editors who you are if you've met them at conferences: http://bit.ly/oLHYEl

10 Ways To Ensure You Never Have A Writing Career: http://bit.ly/pCMsKs @sarahahoyt

Character-led fiction: http://bit.ly/p8Jlu8

How to Satisfy Your Reader without Being Predictable: http://bit.ly/obbvJP @anncrispin

Bodies found in bathtubs in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/nT7jy4 @mkinberg

When Your Writing Becomes The Enemy Of Your Writing: http://bit.ly/qeIIyz

A look at key story elements in 'Love and Gladiators': http://bit.ly/qEecDY

What to do if Your Copyright is Infringed: http://bit.ly/oZwnCB @PassiveVoiceBlg

Publishing terms to know: http://bit.ly/or6RSD

10 traits of writers who speak from the heart: http://bit.ly/pFuiKC

Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers: http://bit.ly/p20ld9 @JaneFriedman

How to Critique Works That You Find Awful: http://bit.ly/qUAZLE

A method for developing an elevator pitch: http://bit.ly/r5792b

Is Your Writing Cup Half Empty Or Half Full? http://paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com/2011/08/is-your-writing-cup-half-empty-or-half.html

Conflict & Characterization: Lessons from an Old Anime: http://bit.ly/oH9m0S

An Aspiring Writer's Guide to Conventions and Conferences: http://bit.ly/ngJcQ4

All about back matter (material at the end of the book): http://bit.ly/ns1bvv @BubbleCow

10 Tips for the Time-Strapped Writer: http://bit.ly/onQHre @CherylRWrites

Getting Jitters While Waiting For Feedback on Our Books: http://bit.ly/rqmMGe @JodyHedlund

Author Sues Publisher for Restraint of Trade: http://bit.ly/nCRI2Q @passivevoiceblg

How to get published in a magazine: http://bit.ly/rqmMGe

Writing a mystery? How to feed misinformation to your readers: http://bit.ly/pqNpZU @HP4Writers

Choreography of dialogue attribution: http://bit.ly/pQc6KO

Barnes & Noble Posts Q1 Net Loss of $57M: http://bit.ly/nwtrlw @galleycat

An agent reminds us that we're not Tolstoy or Dickens: http://bit.ly/nmic1I

Are all distractions bad? http://bit.ly/r5IugC @JamiGold

Why Success Always Starts With Failure: http://bit.ly/nL6RNI

Why 1 writer chose to self-publish: http://bit.ly/pZq1Uq @dirtywhitecandy

Education in Fantasy Worlds: http://enchantedinkpot.livejournal.com/100753.html

A translator explains the challenges of translation in America: http://bit.ly/qXzzp5

10 tips for authors using social media: http://bit.ly/qLlYF3

5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track: http://bit.ly/nSt1wf

Breaking the Writing Rules Can Lead to Failure or Possibly to Magic: http://bit.ly/pF3Wm7 @4kidlit

Giving a talk? Death by PowerPoint — How to Avoid it: http://bit.ly/pakKYr

The Kid in You: The Untapped Resource in All of Us: http://bit.ly/pEHN8U

Tips for writing a synopsis: http://bit.ly/n5qeW6 @WriteAngleBlog

Tips for getting more blog comments: http://bit.ly/pmJCHn @spunkonastick

7 Surprising Ways Blogging Can Change Your Life: http://bit.ly/pznsUf

The Future of Publishing: Make Your Own Audiobooks: http://bit.ly/qt5CON @clarissadraper

An interview with industry expert Jane Friedman on author platforms: http://bit.ly/qhGwq5

For writers located outside the US--how 1 author got an ITIN (US Taxpayer ID) for epubbing: http://bit.ly/oFYpFy @dirtywhitecandy

Your character's 1st impression: http://bit.ly/odEyq4 @erinlthomas

6 essential elements for writing success: http://bit.ly/qxUVKI @jillkemerer

1 writer's method for staying in 1 POV: http://bit.ly/n51q6K

Resources for character development: http://bit.ly/ovkuEB @FaeRowen

Reading is wealth creation for writers: http://bit.ly/rquO0R @annerallen

Critiquing pointers for beginners: http://bit.ly/rkH3rY , http://bit.ly/qEl7Vb , http://bit.ly/qKcwmU @marybaka

Self-Care for Writers and Obsessive Creatives http://bit.ly/nrON5w @JanetBoyer

10 things not to do when building characters: http://bit.ly/qNnclm @JulieMusil

Top 10 Dirty Fighting Techniques For Your Writing: http://bit.ly/nkOAHV @jhansenwrites

Taking on time management: http://bit.ly/noVXCl @Mommy_Authors

How to Report Scraper Sites to Google: http://bit.ly/noeUkf @galleycat

5 Great Fonts for Book Covers: http://bit.ly/nfJs6F #ebooks @JFbookman

May Contain Nuts Or Nudity: Labeling on Book Covers: http://bit.ly/nLLmK8 @BTMargins

3 types of secondary characters: http://bit.ly/mT2pgW

Tips for learning something new: http://bit.ly/n2Z8Te

There's already tons of free content for readers. But writers are still making money: http://bit.ly/mWHuTX

An agent explains how much to share online: http://bit.ly/p04QFA

Why Writers Need to Understand Marketing: http://bit.ly/pWoh8O

You Say Editing, I Say Proofreading: http://bit.ly/q7RyC7

5 ways to promote your Kindle #ebook online: http://bit.ly/roSnRu

The formula for great blog content: http://bit.ly/oUp5EU

Unreliable narrators in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/oAxGi3 @mkinberg

Will the World End When Publishers Stop Paying Advances or Immediately Afterwards? http://bit.ly/o0L1jz @PassiveVoiceBlg

11 Blog (& Manuscript) Proofreading Tips You Can't Afford to Ignore: http://bit.ly/pAwkFn #editing

101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part 3: http://bit.ly/qFD3Qt @writeitsideways

A new weekly roundup on @JaneFriedman 's blog by industry follower & journalist @Porter_Anderson: http://bit.ly/qeFAFn

How to Host a Video Book Club Visit: http://bit.ly/o5QduP @galleycat

4 Goals to Polish Your Story: http://bit.ly/qTuEuP

10 Tips For Becoming A Top-Notch Proofreader: http://bit.ly/oSILxc

'Ask an author' feature added to Kindle: http://bit.ly/quovxU

Trying to sell books? Get sticky: http://bit.ly/peRuxs

Tips for Writing Distinct Character Voices: http://bit.ly/oc4Fjg

Tips for writing sequels and series: http://bit.ly/oxYx3Q @Sarafurlong

The Evolution of Middle-Grade Fantasy and Television: http://bit.ly/r8yPpz @KgElfland2ndCuz

19 Ways to Get More Readers for Your Author Blog: http://bit.ly/nWggLF

Test Driving Scrivener Software for Writers: http://bit.ly/pw0Eqt

3 Factors That Influence How Much Editing a Book Gets: http://bit.ly/q1p8Cp @JodyHedlund

Three Acts, Two Acts or No Acts? http://bit.ly/oI7Vy3

An interview w/ @JaneFriedman, who encourages writers to experiment w/ different soc media platforms: http://bit.ly/qwtNfp

My tweets are archived and searchable at the free Writer's Knowledge Base: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

10 things to consider when pricing #ebooks: http://bit.ly/pOjVz7

The importance of tagging blog posts: http://bit.ly/nzQi6d @keligwyn

Why You Should Be Writing at Night: http://bit.ly/oLlBxm

Ebooks: Time to Diversify Your Portfolio? http://bit.ly/qzNmFf #ebooks

Joe Konrath on a formula for success: http://bit.ly/p0NpHi #ebooks

Simple things 1 writer wishes she'd known about writing (that her editor pointed out to her): http://bit.ly/pJSEA7 @LadyGlamis

Your author brand--tips for creating one and where writers hang out on Twitter: http://bit.ly/qH4BQO @jhansenwrites

The power of deadlines: http://bit.ly/mS10hm @CherylRWrites

A helpful thesaurus for settings, emotions, symbolism, weather, & character traits: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @angelaackerman

Search my tweets-- http://dld.bz/KPgS

7 Signs Your Manuscript May Not Be Ready For Prime Time: http://bit.ly/niLx58 @Grammar_Diva

How much do readers factor into what you write? http://bit.ly/peiERz

Rejection and Persistance: http://bit.ly/pzCOUa @BTMargins

Best Articles This Week for Writers 9/2/11: http://bit.ly/nmW5yb @4kidlit

Progressions Make the Story Worse and Worse–and That's Good: http://bit.ly/nA2Loq

An Author's Guide to Free Sales Data: http://bit.ly/p7eQ8W @BlurbIsAVerb

How Do Superpowers Affect Your Characters' Perspectives and Worldviews? http://bit.ly/qP3k5v

Why We Think "I Want To Quit Writing!" And Why We Can't: http://bit.ly/nsz4Xf @MuseInks

4 ways to look at your whole story: http://bit.ly/qbRhzO @sierragodfrey

8 Ways to Write Better Characters: http://bit.ly/nmbA38 @WritersDigest

5 writers explain how they prevent saggy book middles: http://bit.ly/pw8ONl

Build Your Platform – Get Yourself Some Gigs: http://bit.ly/q7g316

Making Characters Multi-Dimensional: http://bit.ly/rlL7pO @jeanniecampbell

The Business of Screenwriting: Script readers, Hollywood's threshold guardians: http://bit.ly/qnYaxx @GoIntoTheStory

A peek into the world of book cover design: http://authorculture.blogspot.com/2011/08/peek-into-world-of-book-cover-design.html

Clever Costuming to Convey Character: http://bit.ly/oWBNQb @StephanieLMcGee

On the prevalence of US tropes in storytelling: http://bit.ly/qool1q @aliettedb

Movies vs. Fanfiction: http://bit.ly/pvnd7c

15 Household Technologies Recreated in #Steampunk: http://bit.ly/qmuJ8k

5 Big Media Appearance Mistakes You Don't Want to Make: http://bit.ly/n9Qzhj @BookMarketer

How Evernote helped 1 writer go paper-free: http://jamietr.livejournal.com/1447571.html

Books With Soundtracks: The Future of Reading? http://bit.ly/pWOY2B

Does Your Character Need a Job? http://bit.ly/pX1rbF

Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: You Can Only Write What Is Hot: http://bit.ly/oZwqYe @DeanWesleySmith

Convention readings: what to read, and how to get an audience: http://bit.ly/nOiFeM @JulietteWade

Traditional Publishing: Pros & Cons: http://bit.ly/pYH3Ji

1 reason why we should know our characters well: http://bit.ly/r4fyWf

One Reason to Know Our Characters Well

There's a festival of music, rides, art, and food that Matthews, North Carolina, is regionally known for.

It's always on Labor Day weekend and it's called Matthews Alive.  Every year there are over 200, 000 visitors to the festival. This for a suburb of Charlotte that usually only has 25,000 residents.

The cogs that keep the Matthews Alive festival turning are the volunteers.  There are a couple of local organizations that fill most of the volunteer slots.  My son belongs to both of them. :)

So I've got a busy weekend.  I was asked to volunteer on behalf of both Scouts and marching band.  So it was Scouts yesterday and it'll be ticket sales for band tomorrow.

Art is one component of the festival.  I fondly hoped for my volunteer duty to incorporate the arts in some respect.

Instead, I was assigned traffic duty.

If I'd been a character in one of my own books, I'd have loved putting me in this situation.  After all---I'm an introvert who hates drawing attention to myself.  I avoid crowds at all costs.

So… why not put this person in a Day-Glo outfit in the middle of a huge crowd of people, in charge of doing something she doesn't know how to do?

My gig tomorrow isn't any better….ticket sales.  Have I mentioned that the left side of my brain is apparently completely missing?

This is one reason why it's important to know our  characters well—we need to know how to stress them out.  It's important to be able to provide little bits of tension or conflict.  It's good to know how to trip them up, knock them off-balance, and see how they'll react.

We can learn our characters either by doing an activity like a character worksheet (check out this link for some that might help), or by just thinking about our character and how they might act in different situations.  We could even walk through our usual day, with a virtual character….thinking about how they might react to different things we encounter that day—what would they do differently?

I did survive my stint of traffic duty.  I learned a lot, too…maybe I grew as a character. :)

How do you get to know your character?  Tormented your character lately?

Revisiting Profanity

I always take emails that I get from readers very, very seriously. Actually, I listen to them just as much as I do to my editors.

And I watch market trends, too, especially for the types of books that I write (traditional mysteries, also known as cozies.) I try not to take myself too seriously…it's really all about the readers and what they want.

So when I received an email a few days ago from a lady who expressed her interest in reading my books, but first wanted to know if I used profanity in my series, I paid attention.

This isn't the first time I've received an email like that. In addition, I've also noticed a rise in sites like Clean Cozy Mysteries and Genre Reviews (with a blog subtitle that states: In Search of Well-Written, Clean Novels), and an Amazon forum topic on 'clean mysteries'. It all makes me think.

Let's face it, I'm trying to accommodate as many readers as possible. Do I write for myself? Yes. But I wouldn't try to be published at all if I were only writing for myself. I'm not trying to be an artist—I'm trying to provide entertainment. Am I losing anything by writing John cursed, or using alternate expletives in place of real ones? If I'm not, why not just leave it out?

I've never gotten an email from a reader saying how much they enjoy profanity in my books.

Now of course, this only goes so far. If readers asked me to try my hand at a genre that was out of my reach or to make a change in my books that I felt strongly against doing, I'd have to politely tell them that was something I couldn't accommodate them with.

But if there's a slight change I can make that could possibly pick up new readers without losing old ones? Sure, I'm willing to make that change.

In fact, I have. I let the lady know that I had a book coming out in November with no profanity in it, and a series debuting next year that was expletive-free, too. But I couldn't direct her to my first three books. :)

How about you? How far are you willing to go to make your book reach more readers? How much do your readers factor into what you write?

Keeping Distance Between a Protagonist and a Reader

I just finished reading a book for my book club: Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

The 16 year old protagonist, Steve, is on trial for murder. He's portrayed as a terrified and nearly frantic youth who is trying to make sense of the justice system and what he's experiencing.

Myers used an interesting technique in the story. Steve, an aspiring screenwriter, records his trial in the form of a screenplay…with camera angles, etc., included. The protagonist's reasoning for doing this is that by looking at the process through a lens, he gets a little distance from the events, which calms him a little.

Interspersed with the screenplay is a journal that Steve uses. Readers, I think, need this diary for insights into Steve's thoughts and feelings and to help them relate to the character more.

As a writer, I've worked to get my readers as close as possible to my protagonist—especially in the last two books I've written. I want my readers to see the world through my protagonists' eyes, feel what they feel, and relate to them. I want the characters to be very likeable.

But there are many books with main characters that readers may feel ambivalent about. This was the case with Monster. Is the protagonist guilty or innocent? There was always some distance between myself and Steve. Maybe I knew how the character felt now, but I wasn't privy to all his thoughts—only the ones he recorded. But because the writer had made the protagonist interesting to me, I kept reading to try to learn more about him.

I wasn't even completely sure I believed the protagonist (which was, I think, the author's plan.) So there was a bit of the unreliable narrator going on.

I thought it was an interesting approach—but not one that I'd take with my traditional mysteries. I create flawed protagonists…but I try to make the character flaws things that ordinary readers would relate to.

How close do you let readers get to your protagonist? If you're creating narrative distance, what are you achieving with that effect (for Monster I think it was to create discussion between readers…as I'm sure I'll find at my book club meeting)? As a reader, do you like protagonists that are open books, or characters that you can't quite figure out?

Learning Something New? A Few Tips

I've always heard that it's important to learn something new every day.

But lately, I feel like I've been learning fifty new things a day, trying to keep up with publishing and social media trends.

In many ways, it's wonderful having so much information available out there. If we want to become traditionally published and need to learn how to write a query letter, polish our manuscripts, or pen a pithy synopsis, we can find resources online to help us.

If we want to learn how to self-publish a book, how to format for different platforms, or where to promote a self-published book, we can find that information, too.

This can result in information overload. When I joined a loop for self-publishing info and was encouraged by the moderator to read the archives, I saw a year's worth of information on there. (And, with e-publishing, a year might be outdated. So you also have to decide what's still relevant.)

I started reading the information. I had a moment there, though, when I really didn't want to do it! Now, though, I've learned a lot more about e-publishing.

Here was my method for learning something new:

Know what information you're looking for. It will take even more time if you're just trying to read everything you can on a particular subject (although that's definitely one way of learning something new!) In particular, I was looking for information on different e-publishing platforms, where the e-reading public hangs out online, insights on pricing, and how other writers balance self-publishing with traditional publishing.

Pace yourself. If you've already got a full schedule, cramming a bunch of information in at once is probably just going to lead to burnout. I found myself getting absorbed in the research, so I set a timer. When the timer went off, I stopped reading up on the subject. I've got lots of other things I need to do. Or, if you're putting off your research on the topic, setting a timer for 15 minutes (or whatever your allotted time is) is a great way to remind yourself that you don't have to study for very long.

Jot down anything you don't understand. Sometimes I run across mentions of loops, groups, forums, and sites that I wasn't familiar with. I also ran into some formatting terminology I didn't know. I make notes of things to look up later.

Remember that you can contact primary sources for information. Anytime I've asked a writer or industry professional a question, I've always gotten an informative response back. If you have questions about something, email an expert.

If you have to take a break from learning the skill, make a date on the calendar for picking it back up. Because learning is time-consuming…and it would be so easy to just let it slide.

Don't try to catch up with everyone else. Just jump in and start learning. No catching up is necessary. Again, pace yourself.

Keep a Word file of the most useful information. It's sort of like having your own reference file.

Learned anything new lately? Got any tips? And—do you ever feel like you're overloaded with information and resources?

Writing to Read Aloud

I frequently hear about the quiet life of writing and wonder if I'm just the weird writer in the group.

Writing, for me, isn't really a quiet, still, activity.

For one thing, I'm frequently charging around the house doing housework when I'm brainstorming ideas.

I get lots of ideas when I'm driving, too.

And when I write, I'm frequently talking. Yes, that's me, talking quietly to myself at the neighborhood coffeehouse. Here's why:

My dialogue sounds more realistic if I've given it a read-aloud test.

I'll check for pace sometimes when reading aloud. Is it choppy enough for an action scene (okay, I'm not writing car chases in my books, but I do have an action scene in each of my mysteries). If something is reading slow, is that because it's the calm-before-the-storm? Or have I written something boring?

Humor. For some reason, I always like to read humorous scenes out loud. Maybe that's from watching I Love Lucy when I was a kid—I think of comedy in performance terms and want to see how my humorous scenes sound.

Problem scenes. If I'm done with my first draft, I'll move on to a quick reread of the book. When I run into a scene that isn't working for me, I'll usually read it out loud. This usually helps me pin down the source of the problem.

Overall editing. If I've just written a book and I'm getting close to a deadline and don't have time to let the book sit for a while, I'll start editing immediately…and I'll read aloud while doing it. For me, it's one of the best ways to create distance from the text enough to catch basic errors.

Sometimes, I'll get hoarse while reading to myself. I've discovered a neat function on my Kindle that might work for short periods of time (and I might be the last writer on the planet to use this, but I thought I'd mention it here.)

I've uploaded my drafts on my Kindle (not published them there, but uploaded them from my computer by dragging a .txt file copy of my Word document to my Kindle when it's plugged into my laptop). And…there's a cool 'read aloud' feature on the device that allows the Kindle to read to me. This will help me out for short spates when I've gotten hoarse.

Do you talk to yourself as you write or edit?

Find Readers Through Blog Tours By Kim Wright

Blog Tours – A Low-Cost, Low-Stress and Actually Fun Way to Help Your Book Find Readers

I had never heard of a blog tour until my novel Love in Mid Air came out last year. My publicist at Grand Central simply said "We're going to send you on a blog tour."

The truth is that the conventional book tour – where an author travels from city to city reading and signing at bookstores - is essentially dead. Only the most established of authors still do them, certainly not newbies like me. And it's actually a good thing that they're dead, since they're expensive for the publisher and almost always demoralizing for the writer.

I have a friend who once flew cross-country to San Francisco to read to six people and every writer who's ever been on a book tour has their own personal horror story about the time they sat on a folding chair for three hours, smiling hopefully at every person who came through the door, and in the end sold one book. To the mother of a bookstore employee who felt sorry for them.

So if the old model no longer works, what's emerged to take its place? Enter the blog tour. Cheap, productive, and relatively painless.

It works like this. In the modern era, a lot of readers buy their books off the internet and look to internet experts, most likely bloggers, to alert them to new titles worth reading. If you can get your book featured on a blog which has lots of followers – especially followers who are interested in the type of book you write – this can result in more exposure than a conventional book tour.

Blogs throw the net wide - across the country and internationally - and they almost always provide a link where an interested reader can immediately buy your book. This creates more sales than a review in a newspaper, which requires the potential customer to read the review, remember the book and author name, and then either go to the computer or a local bookstore to find it. Trust me, the click-and-buy-while-it's-fresh-on-your-mind model is how a lot of books get sold.

My publicist set me up to be on ten blogs a day for the first ten days my book was available. That meant a hundred blogs would blast out something about my book during a two week period – a review, a Q&A between the blogger and me, a guest post I had written in advance. It idea is that a wave of publicity from different sources creates buzz for a launch.

One my publicist pitched me to the bloggers, I connected with all of them several weeks in advance of the launch. We did the interviews, supplied the advanced reader copies, and I wrote any posts they requested. Once the blog tour began, I checked in on the participating blogs several times a day to answer questions and interact with people who'd left comments. And since bloggers frequently post their reviews to sites like Amazon and Goodreads, Love in Mid Air began its commercial life with strong sales and a nice cushion of thoughtful, professionally written reviews.

It took a little time for me to write the guest blog posts that were requested and to check in on the days they ran, but far less time than it would have taken me to drive or fly around the country on a conventional tour. And if there was negative feedback or the occasional nutcase reader – as there always is – at least I didn't have to deal with them face-to-face.

Tragically, my publicist left my publisher before the launch of the paperback a year later, but by then I understood how it worked and was able to create my own Son of Blog Tour. Of the one hundred bloggers she had introduced me to for the hardback tour I had noticed that about half of them were the most helpful – resulting in the most hits and comments. So I trimmed my list down to the blogs that were simpatico with my book and added a few others I'd found on my own in the year between the hardback and paperback launch. Then, a few months before the paperback launch I contacted them and offered content. Bloggers have to write a lot and are usually happy to have a writer offer up a guest post. I created a list of ten or so topics I'd be happy to write on and invited them to take their pick.

You can do the same. If you have a book coming out, and no publicist to help you, simply follow these steps.

1. Months in advance begin to look for blogs aimed towards writers and readers, especially those who feature the kind of books you've written. If your book is gritty urban fantasy, it does you little good to appear on a website devoted to Regency romances.

2. When you find websites you like, poke around them for links to similar websites. Many bloggers have lists of other blogs they like and birds of a feather really do flock together.

3. Simultaneously begin to build up your own Twitter lists and Facebook friends. Once your blog posts go live you'll want to be able to get the word out as far and wide as possible.

4. A couple of months before your launch, begin to contact the bloggers. Offer them a copy for review, offer yourself up for an interview, or offer to write a guest post on a topic that will be of interest to their readers.

5. Send in the content, along with a jpeg picture of you, the cover of your book, and a link to a site that sells your book well in advance.

6. On the day your blog post goes live, announce this on Facebook and tweet it throughout the day. Check in on a regular basis to interact with people who have left comments. If someone writes an especially astute comment, friend them on Facebook or start following them on Twitter.

7. Check your Amazon figures, or whatever seller you've chosen, throughout the day to see if the blog is helping create a bump in sales. Knowing which blogs work best for you will help with further publicity efforts down the road.

8. When it's all over, write a thank you note to the blogger. These people are the unsung heroes or modern book publicity.

See? It's really not that hard and the best news of all is that it's fun. It links you to people who have similar interests, who read and write the same sorts of things that you enjoy. Writing can be an isolated and lonely business and the blog tour can be a great way to pull yourself into a thriving, interactive, online community. As well as selling books along the way.

Kim Wright has been a journalist for more than thirty years, and is both an award-winning travel writer and novelist. Her nonfiction guide, Your Path to Publication , is available from Press 53. It covers all the things writers need to know

after they finish their books – networking and social media, getting an agent,contracts, working with editors, marketing, and the ups and downs of self-publishing. Kim's novel, Love in Mid Air , is available in bookstores and on Amazon.She is presently at work on a mystery about Jack the Ripper.

Twitterific

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, characterization, querying, book promo, and more. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

I'm compiling a directory of ebook professionals—cover designers, formatters, freelance editors, etc.—to make it easier for writers to connect with services. If you'd like to be added, please email me at elizabethspanncraig (at) gmail (dot) com with your contact info, website, etc. The directory can be accessed here.

I released an ebook last week. Progressive Dinner Deadly is a Myrtle Clover mystery and is currently available for $2.99 on Kindle and Nook. Hope you'll mention it to any friends who enjoy mysteries.

Hiding clues with humor: http://bit.ly/okk6Pj @HP4Writers

Why You Should Write First for Yourself: http://bit.ly/nrbKLd

How Intuition Can Enhance Your Writing: http://bit.ly/r2R8v4 @TheCreativePenn

Pushing Past the OK Plateau: http://bit.ly/r7WcYk

What top-earning authors make: http://bit.ly/qsTlXl

Why query letters matter: http://bit.ly/q8IVOe @tawnafenske

Breaking In To Publication: Short Stories vs. Novels: http://bit.ly/qtNcNe

Are You A 10,000 Words A Day Writer? http://bit.ly/pOcymC

3 Ways to Write for Yourself: http://bit.ly/p13quD

A directory to help connect writers to cover designers, editors, and formatters: http://bit.ly/qP3ai6

Striking the proper tone: http://bit.ly/qUD3mQ @Mommy_Authors

How to Hire an Editor: http://bit.ly/mZcpJv

The next Writer's KB newsletter features an interview w/ Terry Odell & the month's favorite posts. Sign up for free at http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

How to increase your chances of meeting with an agent at a convention: http://bit.ly/obd2wG

Are Agents & Publishers Too Picky? http://bit.ly/rd8GDC

Is "They" Acceptable as a Singular Pronoun? http://bit.ly/qUVCS8

Describing Characters: http://bit.ly/pG08RN

2 different career arcs for writers: the Genius and the Late Bloomer: http://bit.ly/nZFfnX

A lesson in backstory: http://bit.ly/nFsYjl

Poor sales can affect your future: http://bit.ly/rqMnxA

An agent talks about pen names: http://bit.ly/nArcJ5

Search my tweets-- http://dld.bz/KPgS

How to avoid creating plastic characters: http://bit.ly/nVMajk @JodyHedlund

4 great ways to use Evernote with Skitch today — plus 14 new possibilities: http://bit.ly/oaSGBh @awsamuel

Lost Interest in Writing Your Novel? How to Love Your Characters: http://bit.ly/qLc1oE

Creative Writing Program Rankings Released: http://bit.ly/qmQEO8 @galleycat

Snipping Your Novel's Reviews for Social Media: http://bit.ly/nDRRrn

How to Build a Book Group Audience for Your Book: http://bit.ly/nkCMEf

10 tips for a good interview--as both interviewer and subject: http://bit.ly/oxgog1

Common sense and the writer: http://bit.ly/o5H94d

5 Simple Font Changes to Boost Readers, Comments, and Shares on Your Blog: http://bit.ly/qre5on

Twisting the Tropes in Historical Romance: http://bit.ly/or1MIp

James Patterson brand makes him world's best-paid writer (Guardian): http://bit.ly/nEu5aZ

The Business of #Screenwriting: They will pigeonhole you (and why this can be a good thing): http://bit.ly/ru33ir

Writing Dystopian Noir Fiction: http://bit.ly/nGkqUc

10 Science Fiction Books That Changed the Course of History: http://on.io9.com/oqd3VP

How to Eschew Obfuscation & Write Clearly: http://bit.ly/nVO1ZY

Critical reading means criticizing your reading: http://bit.ly/rfLy07

10 Words Editors Hate: http://bit.ly/o4ZSxl

The Top 10 Books That Influenced J.R.R. Tolkien: http://bit.ly/pZRxyH

A Degree to Write? http://bit.ly/pvzLaO

12 essentials for a successful author website: http://bit.ly/nWCAWL

Stop making excuses and start writing now: http://bit.ly/nGMsKj @fuelyourwriting

How to Use Skype to Sell Books: http://bit.ly/phYOBu @BookMarketer

8 tips to Make Your Next Writers Conference Awesome: http://bit.ly/qUHv9t

Tips for removing narrative distance & tightening POV: http://bit.ly/nmltKr @bluemaven

How to start a blog post: http://bit.ly/nFGP7M @SeanPlatt

Thoughts and tips for naming characters: http://bit.ly/mQZN8w

How to Make Your Reader Cry: Anatomy of a Death Scene: http://bit.ly/rutXsv @lkblackburne

Tips for personal essay : http://bit.ly/owuuQb

The Nuance of Suspense: http://bit.ly/ocdBcu @JoanSwan

4 Tricks for Improving Your Fiction in One Day: http://bit.ly/ovsSGo @victoriamixon

Tips for perfecting your YA voice: http://bit.ly/n4Yseo

Error-Free Will Come "When Cars Can Drive Themselves": http://bit.ly/oUYjR7

The Fine Art of Choosing A Pen Name: http://bit.ly/ph9mQs

What bloggers can learn from comedians: http://bit.ly/p30huC

Authors, Are You Approachable Online? http://bit.ly/ohUx4j @GoblinWriter

Points to consider if you're a new writer hoping to publish an ebook: http://bit.ly/rtDtAg

An agent reminds writers to be team players: http://bit.ly/nqrqhF

Why Authors Should Be Writing in Adobe InDesign: http://bit.ly/nIFzqu

Facebook for Bloggers: A Short Guide: http://bit.ly/n4PKDM

Are you master of your book promotion or just a serf? http://bit.ly/qRO0Gu

How Much Do Book Designers Earn? http://bit.ly/npir6i @galleycat

A writer predicts 10 ebook trends: http://bit.ly/mXLdBo

8 Tips for Using Quotes and Dialogue in Your Blog Posts: http://bit.ly/pqUtWS

A deadly sin of writing--POV prostitution: http://bit.ly/nh5dfs

Plot your revision: http://bit.ly/npgiOc @HowToWriteShop

An agent's thoughts on lessons in picture books: http://bit.ly/pTOqV4

Convert Your PDFs into Clean Kindle or ePub Files: http://bit.ly/oIlNKN @galleycat

3 ways to toughen up wimpy characters: http://bit.ly/oUzdfN @JulieMusil

5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers: http://bit.ly/oEEALd

101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips: http://bit.ly/qmWUVl @writeitsideways

An agent explains what happens if your book doesn't sell: http://bit.ly/qO1Aa1

How to Build a First-Class Email List in 30 Days — from Scratch: http://bit.ly/oFg4vT

Tips for reading blogs and leaving meaningful comments: http://bit.ly/rowO3A

5 more techniques to help you ratchet up the tension and conflict in your story: http://bit.ly/oAQpbR @jhansenwrites

Organization for Creative People – Why Your Brain May Be Keeping You From 'Getting Things Done': http://bit.ly/nCvJK0

How to Use Journaling Therapy to Know and Grow Your Life: http://bit.ly/quUxtT

How to Tantalize as a Graphic Novel: http://bit.ly/oCNT2h

Writing Life: Reassessing Goals For the Year: http://bit.ly/mWZ7zh

Outlining As You Write: http://bit.ly/oIUCxT

How to Make Your Blog Readers Into Rabid Fans: http://bit.ly/p6XuRj

Why 1 writer isn't a fan of fan fic: http://bit.ly/oMJgYQ

How to Treat Names of Groups and Organizations in Your : http://bit.ly/q4MA7A

A fight scene formula (to avoid): http://bit.ly/qbc0VL

5 steps to better proofreading: http://bit.ly/q74GPH @woodwardkaren

Scammers want *you*: http://bit.ly/nuzMQf

How to give book teasers for an upcoming release: http://bit.ly/qGjbT5 @cherylktardif

How to Throw a Book Party that Rocks: http://bit.ly/pN6dkZ

10 Things You Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours: http://bit.ly/pfthMv @nouveauwriter

Crime Writers: Hostage Situations from the Police Negotiator's Perspective: http://bit.ly/npR6ij

An agent on author advances (& whether there's such a thing as too much): http://bit.ly/rfex4V

Should You Pitch (and Sign With) a New Agent? The Pros and Cons: http://bit.ly/riZkuN

7 Easy Steps to Much Faster Writing: http://bit.ly/ruK9RJ

The Latest E-Book Buying Trends (Publishers Weekly): http://bit.ly/pl9xHw

Are books dead, and can authors survive? (The Guardian): http://bit.ly/pjbjoH

Writing and Publishing E-Books for Charity: http://bit.ly/q9TFqy

Need help with pacing? http://bit.ly/gbXFZH

Pros of different types of settings: http://bit.ly/n20xTe

Why Copying Inspires Creativity: http://bit.ly/qB9BVp

For crime fiction writers--how burn phones work: http://bit.ly/nYzaTC @ClarissaDraper

An agent reminds us to meet our deadlines: http://bit.ly/qS3Ebt

The Dangers of Inadequate Writing Time: http://bit.ly/nzgWeK

How Booksellers Can Fight Censorship During Banned Books Week: http://bit.ly/qs8lBK

Crime fiction sleuths who get push-back from family & friends for investigating: http://bit.ly/p1jf1F @mkinberg

What 1 writer learned over summer vacation: http://bit.ly/owqxic @BTMargins

How getting dissed by a literary giant gave 1 writer confidence: http://bit.ly/nshTqS @PennyJars

7 Rules for Identifying People by Place Names: http://bit.ly/rl9z1n

How to build a villain: http://bit.ly/rssK56 @woodwardkaren

How to Satisfy Your Reader without Being Predictable: http://bit.ly/mZ7Ir1 @victoriastrauss

Why authors should start a newsletter: http://bit.ly/pCuzxj

When to re-query an agent: http://bit.ly/ovEtKm

13 things that go into a book proposal: http://bit.ly/pEurt3

On author photos: http://bit.ly/qzmS7p

Tips for plumping up wispy book middles: http://bit.ly/qul3Fm

How to Deal with Unconstructive Criticism: http://bit.ly/q8yxkN

Who has the power in #publishing? http://bit.ly/oSuT51

Best Articles This Week for Writers 8/26/11: http://bit.ly/pMPFvK @4kidlit

Plagiarism: Is It Safe to Share Your Writing With Others? http://bit.ly/oPlaNJ @meghancward

The death of the book tour: http://bit.ly/rrULY1 @AnneRAllen

Preparing to meet agents and editors: http://bit.ly/ogCvea

Don't just think about it---send out those queries: http://bit.ly/o9H9WU

Character flaws from virtues: http://bit.ly/mQaOxo

When you need backstory and when you don't: http://bit.ly/oNiLL7

Regrets and What They Say About Your Character: http://bit.ly/ruzmbG @jeanniecampbell

The Difficulty of Finding Story Ideas That Publishers Like: http://bit.ly/qKVfTW @jodyhedlund

10 Tips for Attacking First Drafts: http://bit.ly/rrcUBt @elspethwrites

Lost the Ability to Write? How Writers Get Their Grooves: http://bit.ly/nUwicY

Outlining a Novel - Step By Step: http://bit.ly/p9SRX4

Captain America's 10-Step Guide to the Likable Hero: http://bit.ly/qH3V1D @KMWeiland

Top 10 Tips of Writing 1 Writer Learned from Studying JK Rowling: http://bit.ly/pDLGuo @HP4Writers

Dialogue as a weapon: http://bit.ly/oaFDwb

Librarians Reshelve 27,000 Books After Virginia Earthquake: http://bit.ly/ouM2bl @galleycat

9 tips to set and achieve creative goals: http://bit.ly/pZZtta

How to deal with people: Advice for the shy & socially awkward: http://bit.ly/oJF3o3

Using the 3-Act Structure: Adjusting Expectations: http://bit.ly/pxRgsP

$99 Tablet from Amazon? http://bit.ly/qwhbLX @PassiveVoiceBlg

3 Lessons Learned While Backpacking Europe: http://bit.ly/mYh6te @YAHighway

Playing To Your Strengths as a Writer: http://bit.ly/nBO71x @jhansenwrites @GeneLempp

Formatting red flags: http://bit.ly/isBR78 @WriteAngleBlog

Work for hire arrangements in publishing: http://bit.ly/r8m5nw

The units that make up a plot: http://bit.ly/pjJsrR

Conflict vs. complication: http://bit.ly/o8lZSF @tabithaolson

6 dialogue traps to avoid: http://bit.ly/odnGlT @indieauthor

Should I meet writers, or write (or blog)? The writer's dual identity: http://bit.ly/quxh0Z @JulietteWade

A Book's Success (or Failure) Depends On A Lot Of Variables, Reminds an Agent: http://bit.ly/o0A0cw

Sword Swallowing: Put Your Emotion On The Page: http://bit.ly/nv3wm7

Real Life Diagnostics: Getting Emotional: http://bit.ly/pTIb2J

What "Cowboys and Aliens" Can Teach us About Connecting to Readers: http://bit.ly/oBUlFR @Janice_Hardy

Creative Goal Setting for Writers: http://bit.ly/mQCbBA

3 Things That Come First Before You Tackle Social Media: http://bit.ly/nGuvec @JaneFriedman

Your Characters Should Exist in Time: http://bit.ly/qnjCfh

Why writers need to be able to ask for help: http://bit.ly/q1MqO1 @JodyHedlund