Riley Adams's Blog, page 195

Backing Up

This is my public service announcement for the next few months. :)

Y'all—back up your work.

Back up your writing and everything else that's important to you on your computer.

And…back up to more than one place. What if your backup fails? It's happened to me before.

Here are some backup options to consider that range from low to higher tech:

Use an online location to store your writing. You can email your book to yourself using any email address that can be accessed by webmail. You can also store your writing on Google Docs or an online story organizer (like Hiveword, from my friend Mike Fleming.)

Use a flash drive. Cheap. Easy.

Use an external hard drive. Word files don't take up much space, but you might want to buy an external hard drive if you have a lot of music or pictures to back up.

Print a copy. Bulky and a pain, but an option for anyone looking for a really low-tech option.

Use an online storage solution like Dropbox or Carbonite.

Blogs:

You should also backup your blogs. They sometimes disappear, too. Here is an article on the Guide to Literary Agents blog that discusses how to backup a Blogger, WordPress, and LiveJournal blog.

Also, if you're on Google Reader, remember to subscribe to your own blog there. You'll be able to access all your old posts from the Reader.

Go forth and back up! And, while you're at it, change your passwords, too. :)

What do you use for backing up?

A Release and a Directory

It's out! Progressive Dinner Deadly, a new Myrtle Clover mystery is now available on Kindle and Nook for $2.99 .

This is a follow-up to Pretty is as Pretty Dies, published by Midnight Ink in 2009. I'm publishing this book myself.

When intrepid octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover caught Jill, her new housekeeper, peering into her medicine cabinet, she should have been upset. But discovering that Jill wasn't such a squeaky-clean goody-goody made her vastly more interesting in Myrtle's eyes.

Myrtle would have happily continued figuring out what made Jill Caulfield tick…if Jill hadn't foolishly gone and gotten herself murdered.

Thanks to Kendel Flaum, who designed the lovely cover, and Keith Snyder from Typeflow who formatted and designed the interior of the book.

I wanted, also, to go ahead and share with y'all a work in progress—the ebook services directory. It's in a Google Spreadsheet format and divided into cover designers, formatters, freelance editors, ghost writers, and book trailers.

It's a work-in-progress because I don't frequently work with spreadsheets (which you'll probably be able to tell!). :) I'll be coming up with a badge and a bit more of a polished look, soon. Also, it's something that it looks like I'll be adding to every couple of days (I'm getting in plenty of additions.) But I wanted to go ahead and make it available since I'm already getting emails from writers asking for it.

I did put a caveat emptor on there because, unfortunately, I don't have time to vet everyone. As always, and with any business arrangement, please enter the relationship with caution. This directory is intended to be a starting point to connect writers with services, since currently the ebook industry seems to be working on word of mouth.

If you want to be added to the directory or see any errors, please contact me at elizabethspanncraig (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks!

Twitterific

Below are my tweets from the 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.

I'm also 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.



An interesting interview with a publishing insider: http://bit.ly/om8fmz @ajackwriting

Alternative magic systems for the fantasy writer: http://bit.ly/nIypxp

All about urban fantasy: http://bit.ly/nUFw5C

Revise Grand Entrance Scene to Set up Character Relationship: http://bit.ly/nj2NGA

The Number One Reason Why Marketing Tactics Fail: http://bit.ly/r8DFpZ

Literary Agents: Top 10 Ways to Make or Break that Relationship:The Agent as Superman/Superwoman: http://bit.ly/o6KauM

A series on avoiding mushy book middles: http://bit.ly/pJEiLg http://bit.ly/mQ3YQ3 and http://bit.ly/oqpJiA

Tips for landing an agent: http://bit.ly/qtENRG

10 things 1 writer has learned about blogging: http://bit.ly/qZPkcl @CatsEyeWriter

3 Ways Social Media Can Help You Avoid Procrastination: http://bit.ly/pmNz1a

The positive side of distractions: http://bit.ly/qrdawY

7 Ways to Pick Yourself Up After a Painful Rejection: http://bit.ly/pzEuKj

The Secret to Twitter That Can't Be Taught: http://bit.ly/nr5JcW

Finding Rest Is Essential to Creative Inspiration: http://bit.ly/oj8eQS

Capitalization Rules for the Names of Games: http://bit.ly/r16PHc

1 writer's homemade MFA: http://bit.ly/nUVLDv @BTMargins

Is literary jargon alive and well? NY Times: http://nyti.ms/oqweSN

The Audubon* Field Guide to Unpublished Writers: http://bit.ly/q1dwnU @GeoffreyCubbage

7 Reasons Reviews Sell Books: http://bit.ly/pmlW8Z @BookBuzzr

An author's thoughts on libel and fiction: http://bit.ly/q8ygZ0

Joe Konrath addresses ebook misconceptions: http://bit.ly/nGj7Ts

Publishers Playing the Social Media Game: http://bit.ly/o6sLxI @WriteAngleBlog

Writing for fun for 10 minutes a day: http://bit.ly/niWZpJ @BookEmDonna

A singer/songwriter recommends focusing on writing, not social media: http://bit.ly/pSEwrm

Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Writers Don't Need to Practice: http://bit.ly/nWQstW

Weeding out weaknesses in our books: http://bit.ly/r9ez1g @Mommy_Authors

Keeping personal bias out of your stories: http://bit.ly/pwJthO

How to Query Agents Part 1: http://bit.ly/prn1s8 @EmilyCaseysMuse

Superhero Comics Could Learn a Thing or Two from Superhero Films: http://bit.ly/n05s7P

From Good to Better: 10 Tips On Editing Your WIP: http://bit.ly/ormO2D @AnneRAllen

6 Effective Ways to Become Persistent: http://bit.ly/qJfnn6

Pretend your main character isn't there: http://bit.ly/p2sP1X @dirtywhitecandy

How to write a great novel (WSJ): http://on.wsj.com/r0BTJR

The art of discovering your innate genius: http://bit.ly/pWpP06

Great Ways for Writers, Authors, Speakers, and Readers to Use Google+: http://bit.ly/rkyA0E

Remind yourself of the joy of writing: http://bit.ly/qVEBRp

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

Making Writing Work For You When You Still Have To Work: http://bit.ly/qukQ7I

Regency sex ed: http://bit.ly/pdAaB1

Ladies, Don't Let Anyone Tell You You're Not Awesome: http://bit.ly/pItmlT

25 ways to abuse your characters {strong lang.}: http://bit.ly/rtt2iZ

Editorial Agent, or what? http://bit.ly/o4oLXU

The Publishing World Turned Upside Down: http://bit.ly/oao4Gh

Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir: http://bit.ly/qYNmEI

The 5-Second Trick To Writing More Each Week: http://bit.ly/qegvTE

POV confusion? Helpful links: http://bit.ly/hJZD8n

How to Read a Book Contract – Who Decides What Contracts You Sign? http://bit.ly/mTB8lX @PassiveVoiceBlg

7 Ways to Make Family and Pets Respect Your Writing Time: http://bit.ly/p9OL3Y @KMWeiland

Why Novelists Can Embrace Unexpected Life Change: http://bit.ly/mYaCqu @writeitsideways

Writing Psychic Superheroes and Psionics: http://bit.ly/qnXsTN

Ebook cover designers, formatters, & freelance editors--I'm compiling a directory. To be listed: http://bit.ly/pmIdny

The Inevitable Traffic Jams on the Journey to Publication: http://bit.ly/nmbQra @jodyhedlund

3 tips for writing thrillers: http://bit.ly/nGpJIz

Enrich Your Life – Go on a Digital Sabbatical: http://bit.ly/okQqbT

How authors can get started with video blogging: http://bit.ly/pdKOke @jfbookman

Seeing Stars: Why Some Reviews Matter . . . and Some Don't: http://bit.ly/mYogy6 @YAHighway

Switching From Literary To Genre Fiction: http://bit.ly/q8ER5z @thecreativepenn

The Low-Down on Literary Magazines: http://bit.ly/ruDknQ @LTWFblog

An agent talks about questionable practices by literary agents: http://bit.ly/ncB06h @rachellegardner

Break Writer's Block: Become the Storyteller, Not the Writer: http://bit.ly/qtzGwX

7 Types of Hyphenation That May Seem Wrong But Aren't: http://bit.ly/pA5WKW

Networking as a means of promotion: http://bit.ly/pNpUll

Tips for naming characters: http://bit.ly/rmNh2H @BTMargins

Russian Publishing 101: http://bit.ly/o1OLb7 @pubperspectives

Start Today, Not Tomorrow: http://bit.ly/plV164 @jeffgoins

10 Twitter Hashtags for Writers: http://bit.ly/rnVn4I

Why Self-Published Authors Know Best: http://bit.ly/q0cVhb

5 mistakes that turn your ebook promotion into spam: http://bit.ly/q0Ya1H

"My novel's too 'fringe' – will any commercial publisher on the planet be interested?" http://bit.ly/rapJvJ

Knowledge Plants the Seed. Imagination Makes it Bloom. http://bit.ly/r2SNQw @SherryIsaac @joanswan

Getting the Reader's Sympathy: http://bit.ly/rtZFZW

Will print and ebook publishers ultimately be doing the same books? http://bit.ly/qCQe5l

Wake up your readers! How to thicken a plot: http://bit.ly/pG0jbP

3 Steps to Finding Your True Writing Voice: http://bit.ly/ng96ke

7 things one YA writer has learned so far: http://bit.ly/oZFZ65

The Power and SEO Behind Blog Commenting: http://bit.ly/q4PIu6

10 Tips For Polishing Your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/oNaLhF

Giving "It's Not Quite There" Feedback: http://bit.ly/o4SyIG

Sympathy For The Devils: How To Make Disagreeable Characters Agreeable: http://bit.ly/ouqw6r

10 keys to hosting a successful Twitter chat: http://bit.ly/qT9Eaz @michellerafter

Surviving the Literary Gong Show: http://bit.ly/mSKUGj

A Guide to Publishing an Ebook on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/ofgO7p

6 Steps to a Winning Writing Workshop: http://bit.ly/p1CdiE

Need research help with your character's medical ailment? A doctor to the rescue: http://bit.ly/o1bsHq via @spunkonastick

Thoughts and tips for handling backstory: http://bit.ly/qiFNdU

Favorite snacks of great writers (NY Times): http://nyti.ms/r1LXq3

8 Personal Development Mistakes: http://bit.ly/pIWHoj

Crossover genres (genre blending): http://bit.ly/o2mbEm

The Speed Of Writing: http://bit.ly/n8Uxul

Adjusting To The Paradigm Shift in Publishing: http://bit.ly/oYhCf4

Public speaking tips for writers: http://bit.ly/o0sTdR @jhansenwrites

Genre blending crime fiction to lure non-mystery-reading friends: http://bit.ly/ro13WQ @mkinberg

A Writer's Tools: WriteWay Pro: http://bit.ly/oYRtux @manon_eileen @GeneLempp:

An agent explains what you should bring to a conference: http://bit.ly/njQqi4

To blog or not to blog about writing: http://bit.ly/r2k3Aj @LauraPauling

What Do You Do When You Can't Write? http://bit.ly/ru9TZi @writeitsideways

Sign up for the monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

How Starving Artists Can Support Their Work: http://bit.ly/pYr46F

Pacing and 4 types of rests in books: http://bit.ly/pBLFTE @FantasyFaction

Concerns (and Solutions!) for Freelance Writers: http://bit.ly/qEudl5

Resources for finding an agent: http://bit.ly/r3ZDJU

Writing A Book – Structure: http://bit.ly/p5Vw72

The (Not So) Dreaded Synopsis - 5 Tips To Set You Free: http://bit.ly/nBzkAD @roniloren

6 reasons an agent/publisher will stop reading your submission: http://bit.ly/pGfX9n

The difference between ebook conversion and ebook formatting: http://bit.ly/qQPZc2

Critique Workshopped The Voice Right Out Of There: http://bit.ly/ogmvEi

An agent advises: don't clutter your story with stuff: http://bit.ly/nRjTcN @greyhausagency

A summary of the Assoc. of Amer. Pub.'s sales data for books (online retail is tops): http://bit.ly/pHJpWi @PassiveVoiceBlg

The rule of 3: http://bit.ly/pOCKFC @iggiandgabi

5 reasons Facebook and Twitter won't replace 1 writer's blog: http://bit.ly/r07EML @CatsEyeWriter

Investigation into Underpayment of Ebook Royalties: http://bit.ly/nDsZx5 @PassiveVoiceBlg

An Entrepreneur Tackles Book Publicity: http://bit.ly/mSVNsn @BlurbIsAVerb

A screenwriter on endless producer notes: http://bit.ly/nxLI9r

Writing A Book – Discipline: http://bit.ly/o4FLdP

Dreaming in Two Languages – Writing In The Second: http://bit.ly/pKl5gW

10 Terms of Gender Identity: http://bit.ly/p4WmoM

Why It's Hard To Write Well (And How To Do It Faster): http://bit.ly/pUroCC @ChandlerWrites

Cover design:Color: http://bit.ly/nL2ppj Image: http://bit.ly/r8q4xv Font: http://bit.ly/pZDHPX Layout: http://bit.ly/pcoxQY @clarissadraper

Can You See Your Lion? http://bit.ly/pQQs2D

Are you an expert? Plan to Promote Your Work: http://bit.ly/omGEsi

3 Tips To Help You Choose An Editor: http://bit.ly/nIfPXi

Tips for finding an agent: http://bit.ly/pqhr1e @bubblecow

Insiders and Outsiders (in Worldbuilding Cultures): http://bit.ly/o9JYK5 @JulietteWade

Spam Toad vs. Author Brand: http://bit.ly/mOx2ib @KristenLambTX

Tips for writing back cover copy: http://bit.ly/qxWsDF @WriteAngleBlog

Best Articles This Week for Writers 8/12/11: http://bit.ly/nEdcKU @4kidlit

4 Keys to Unlocking Your Creativity: http://bit.ly/pDPKa4 @jodyhedlund

Creativity Tweets of the Week — 8/12/11: http://bit.ly/pFiBWm @on_creativity

4 techniques to create a likeable character: http://bit.ly/pOA79i

How Do You Deal with Difficult Characters? http://bit.ly/mSWsQ5 @JamiGold

Writing a Saleable Book: http://bit.ly/qY23Yl

Conflict v. Tension: http://bit.ly/qdV7IL @AngelaAckerman

5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions: http://bit.ly/nPvRcu

"The process of this first revision is as much about rereading as rewriting." @BrunoniaBarry http://ow.ly/61gje RT @Porter_Anderson

Description and Your Characters' Lens: http://bit.ly/qCe2sK @bluemaven

The importance of covers: http://bit.ly/qvHiIc

Figuring out your strengths and weaknesses: http://bit.ly/pqpLw1

5 things to do between writing projects: http://bit.ly/rkX3Of

How to Create an Informational E-Book: http://bit.ly/mXhXBS @AlexisGrant

Need help with pacing? http://hiveword.com/wkb/search?q=pacing

Why Writing Can Be Dangerous: http://bit.ly/qCs1fF

Is Your Character a Windbag? http://bit.ly/oa8sHd @KMWeiland

How to Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul: http://bit.ly/pyAgMw

Take 5 Minutes to Make WordPress 10 Times More Secure: http://bit.ly/ohTDcE

Suggestions for your writer's reference shelf: http://bit.ly/raccT0

How to write and market an ebook: http://bit.ly/nB5Loq

New publishing numbers and some insight: http://bit.ly/oDxm9u

Tests of character: http://bit.ly/qfKbpM @JulietteWade

8 Reasons Authors Don't Complete Their Manuscripts: http://bit.ly/o7GDlk

Ideas for Real Life Characters: http://bit.ly/r51Ycu

How Literary Agents Can Survive the Digital Revolution: http://bit.ly/ncJJNe @GalleyCat

Conflict - The most frequently screwed up story element: http://bit.ly/n5QwpN

An agent explains what agents do: http://bit.ly/qQnX0Z

Scrivener: The Ultimate Multitool for Writers: http://bit.ly/odiEJm

Why There'll Never Be a Perfect Time to Write: http://bit.ly/pY251B

What to write? http://bit.ly/p8CEhy

Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: The Myth of Talent: http://bit.ly/qTiYS3

Pseudo-Agents Take Advantage of India's Aspiring Authors: http://bit.ly/oQmdOA

An agent explains how to become a literary agent: http://bit.ly/mYIc2E

Writing a Book – Finding Time: http://bit.ly/orhCTJ

What Does it Take to Craft a Historical Novel? http://bit.ly/rnck34

The agent as friend: http://bit.ly/nbv9HH

The Anxious Writer: 200 Questions Before Lunch: http://bit.ly/pELL9M @BTMargins

How high are your stakes? http://bit.ly/n0jDoJ

Sticking our Readers into an Interesting Situation

Friday afternoon my husband and I had a nice lunch together, then he asked if I could run an errand for him (he was going back in to the office) and return a purchase to a major electronics chain store.

I walked into the store, in my usual sort of absentminded fog, strolled over to the customer service area, and immediately noticed that everyone was very angry.

There were two men from management looking grim and anxious with their arms crossed. The customer service representatives were frozen. There were two customers being helped at the same time and both were sort of leaning in over the desk, looking tense. There was a police officer (who is frequently assigned a beat at the store) watching intently. The customers in line seemed very stiff and kept looking sideways at each other.

And I had just sort of wandered in in a very peppy mood and into this tension. What's more, I couldn't even tell what was going on. Finally, the elderly lady in front of me turned around and said in a fierce tone, "Someone should help that woman!"

"That woman?" I asked, nodding to the middle aged woman at the desk. "What's happening?"

But I didn't get an answer because suddenly the woman erupted like Mt Vesuvius, yelling that that was the worst customer service she'd ever seen, going up to the police officer and seeming to make some sort of low-voiced suggestion to her (maybe that they arrest the customer service department?!) then storming out the door, still yelling.

Afterwards no one looked at anyone else and the customer service people started quickly helping the rest of the line. And I never did find out what was going on.

But it made me think that this is the kind of thing we want to do with our readers.

We don't know what kind of day our readers are having. Maybe they've just had a nice lunch and are feeling happy and daydreamy, like I was. Maybe they're having a rough day or week.

We want to drag our readers into something different—something funny, something tense, something interesting. We want to provide some escape and something to pique their curiosity or interest. We want to get them hooked.

Read any good openings lately? Written any? How do you propel your readers into a new world?

A Few Thoughts on Book Pricing

I've noticed my buying habits, as a reader, are changing.

Some of it is due to necessity. I've got several avid readers in my house and the library is, sadly, not able to purchase the new titles that are frequently on our to-be-read lists. If there's limited availability at the library, I'll buy the books we want to read.

I've also found that I'm reading more and more with my Kindle. It's easy to get books. If I wake up with insomnia in the middle of the night (a common occurrence), I can download a book, where I couldn't drive to a bookstore or the library.

Reading on my Kindle has made me more apt to give new authors a try. I'm also more open to impulse buying. This is, I'm almost certain, because there's not a big financial risk in doing so—ebooks are (usually) inexpensive. I'll read about a book on a blog or I'll see something on Twitter that looks interesting and it's instant gratification—I download it immediately before I can forget the author and title.

I think, in fact, book pricing is especially important for that very reason. It's important for a reader to either feel confident that they'll like a book enough to buy it, or that they're not losing much money in case they don't.

I've read lot lately about ebook pricing on different blogs. The impression I've gotten is that $2.99 seems to be a good price point. Then you can run sales on your book, bringing it down as low as $.99 or free….then return it later to the $2.99 (where you still get a decent percentage of the book sales as royalty.)

As a reader, $2.99 doesn't make me blink at all. That's not much of an investment for hours of reading time. That's so low that I wouldn't think twice about downloading something that's not a genre I usually read or from an author I'm not familiar with.

This being said, most of my ebooks are $6.99 and up. :) That's because my publishers have set the price (yes, I've gotten emails from readers before…not that I have any control over the pricing, but they think I do.)

I think that traditional publishers will eventually be lowering ebook prices for their mass market and trade paperbacks (I'm not sure about bestsellers/hardbacks.) Otherwise, long-term, I'm not sure how well they'll be able to compete in the book market.

What kind of price range are you either publishing in or looking for, as a reader?

The Importance of Covers

I've been thinking a lot lately about cover appeal.

Wednesday, I went to our Borders' going-out-of-business sale (which makes me sad) and picked up a book for my teenage son. I looked at the book, briefly read the cover copy and bought it. When my son saw the book that evening, he glanced at the cover, which depicted a dystopian scene of apocalyptic disaster (left). He said, "This will work. Thanks."

Which bothered me a little. I made him read the back cover copy and he repeated that he would enjoy it. Then I thought about it…I'd really done the same thing. Looking at the cover, I knew in a second it was dystopian—his favorite genre. It seemed similar to other books he'd enjoyed—even down to the male and female protagonists on the cover. It made me buy the book, much as I hated to think it.

One of my editors called me about a cover earlier this week. She was preparing for the cover conference for the first quilting mystery and wanted to ask me what the Civil War quilt I mentioned in my manuscript looked like.

I hesitated. "Well, in my head, the quilt wasn't very attractive. It was just old. How about if I sent you some attachments with some quilts that look similar to the one I imagined? And if it needs to be a pretty quilt, that will work fine. I never wrote that it was an ugly quilt."

I knew that something attractive needed to be on the cover.

Then I've been busily working with a designer for the ebook I'm about to release. She wanted to tie in the book with the feel of the first, traditionally-published book in the series. She used the same colors, a similar font. I liked the simplicity and the humor in the cover. And….it looked good in a thumbnail, which is becoming more and more important.

I still like to think that covers are just a small part of a book's appeal. In reality, though, I'm not so sure.

How important do you think covers are to a potential reader? What do you think the qualities of a good cover are….and, are these qualities changing with the digital revolution?

When Your Writing Seems Wooden

You can usually tell when someone really loves to write.

The writing seems animated, sparkling, sharp. When I volunteer at my daughter's elementary school, there are some stories that even really young children have written that just pop off the page.

But frequently I'll read passages in books that seem really flat to me. There's no passion at all in it…just a straight narrative.

Sometimes if we overthink what we're writing, we can mess ourselves up, too. It can also be a sign of over-vigorous editing.

Infusing Life in Your Writing:

Consider your voice. Is the delivery flat? How you tell the story is uniquely yours…but you need to discover that voice.

Get your characters moving. Are your characters spending too much time sitting at diners and talking? Maybe it's time to kick your characters in the rear and get them to move around a little. They don't have to be jogging or anything—they could be looking for something they misplaced and be absentmindedly answering the protagonist's questions. They could be washing their car. Change the scenery, use some verbs. Give them some action to respond to or have them instigate action.

Cut out the dead wood. Is there a scene that's really pedantic? Is it necessary? Pinpoint the information that the scene is there to convey. If it doesn't advance the plot, develop conflict, or assist characterization, then why is it there? Cut it out. If it does advance the plot, see if there's a way to rewrite the scene to give it more feeling.

Create settings that pop. Make your setting pop by using vivid words and imagery.

Change the sentence structure. Are you stuck in a subject-predicate pattern? Try switching the arrangement of your sentences a little. Start a sentence with a verb, prepositional phrase, or adverb.

Consider your choice of words. Are you writing in an accessible way? What kind of an impression is our vocabulary or style giving the reader? The worst thing to do is sound pedantic or as if we're talking down to our reader. Plus, it's not drawing the reader in. And, usually? It reads very woodenly to me.

Use more dialogue. A conversation between characters that moves the plot forward or provides some character development is a great way to liven up a wooden scene.

Use both long sentences and short sentences. Mixing up the sentence length lends the text a different rhythm and pace.

Show, don't tell. Instead of telling how a character feels about something, show the emotion through the character's actions. There are times where telling is better than showing (action sequences, for example), but for the most part, it's more interesting for the reader if they can draw their own conclusions instead of being spoon-fed information.

Consider the project itself. Have you lost interest in it? If you're writing woodenly day after day, it could be symptomatic of a problem on your end. Have you fallen in love with an idea for a different novel? Have you written yourself into a hole? Assess what's changed.

Has your WIP ever sounded flat? What did you do to fix it?

Handling Backstory

I went to see the new Smurf movie with my daughter and her two friends yesterday. :)

When I go to kids' movies, I try to be a good sport. I channel my inner child, I suspend my disbelief, I try to get into a sillier mood.

I'm aware that sometimes I might be a pain to go to the movies with, so I have a rule that I keep my mouth shut if I feel the need to be critical.

So when Gargamel dumped a huge load of Smurfy backstory on Azrael the cat, I just made a mental note of the transgression and didn't make a peep.

It was a pretty obvious dump—he explained how Papa Smurf had 99 boy Smurfs and then ended up with one girl—Smurfette. It was information that, to me, was distracting. I'd always just assumed, as a casual observer (I was a little old for the Smurfs when they debuted on US TV…my little sister watched them) that Papa Smurf was some kind of tribal leader. Did I need to know that the Smurfs were related (except, as more backstory reveals later, Smurfette)? Not really.

These are some questions I ask myself when dealing with backstory:



Is it necessary? Can I edit it out and not lose anything?

Can it be used suspensefully, if I need to include it? Can I reveal it later in the story and use the information to make readers turn pages to discover more?

Can I reveal the backstory to a newly introduced character in a more natural way?

Can I include a small amount in dialogue (without making it sound like Gargamel's conversation with Azrael?)

Can a small amount be included with my character's thoughts or in her memory?

Can I matter of factly slip in concise information as a tag? Mark's sister, Tina, or Mark's sister Tina was a nurse at the regional hospital.

And, by the way? If you're nine, you'll probably love the Smurfs. :)

How do you work in backstory?

Cover Designers, Freelance Editors, Ebook Formatters

Saturday, I mentioned that it was difficult for writers to locate and sort through the wilderness of editors, designers, and formatters.

I suggested, in fact, that there should be some ebook Sherpas to help give guidance. :)

Since there's a distinct lack of ebook Sherpas at this point in the game (I'm sure there will soon be some entrepreneurs in this field…maybe even former agents), I thought that at least we could provide a spot for professionals to announce that they offered services for self-publishing writers.

The editor, designer, and formatter should be the ones to leave their contact info, though—I know most of us know some people in this field (I know a handful, too), but maybe they wouldn't want to be added at this point by a writer (they could be too busy, or wanting pursue another field, etc.) But writers could email or tweet them and ask if they wanted to be added to our list.

This will probably be a list that will grow as we go. :) So I'm leaving the post open.

If you'd like to be added to the list, please either email me at elizabethspanncraig (at) gmail (dot) com or comment on this post. Websites or blogs would be especially wonderful to leave a link to, so we could get a better sense of you or your work.

I'll sort the different professionals into categories (cover designers, etc.) and will open up a new blog with a page for each category, as a sort of directory. I'll link to it on my sidebar and tweet it a bit. I can't be a Sherpa, so this will be an effort such as a writer-with-very-little-time might come up with. :) But I do like the idea of having some sort of Yellow Pages for writers with these kinds of services in one place.

If you know of anyone, please ask them if they'd like to be listed.

Looking at the Benefits of Both Traditional and Self-Publishing

I wrote a post on Saturday that covered the different things I'd learned in the process of preparing a book for e-publishing.

But although I mentioned the fact that many of my friends and family have been surprised (or confused or even concerned) that I was going to put a book out myself, I didn't really talk about the reasons behind my choice to self-publish a book.

So consequently, I've gotten some emails asking me why I am. And if I thought that's what all writers needed to do.

I don't. I think writers should pursue traditional publishing. This is, I think, a fairly controversial opinion! I've seen other authors expressing different opinions.

Positives of Traditional Publishing:

You learn a ton with a professional editor.

You learn how to write better copy.

You learn the particular kinds of errors you're prone to.

You learn how to correct your errors.

You learn how to be part of a team.

The mechanics of book production are handled by the publisher.

You gain confidence as a writer.

You're likely fulfilling a lifelong dream.

That being said---being traditionally published isn't up to the writer. It's up to professionals in the industry.

These days, getting rejected doesn't mean that you can't share your book with the world anymore.

My reasons for self-publishing:

I'm self-publishing two books (one now, one as soon as I get it whipped into shape.) Both are part of a discontinued series. I received the rights to the character back and I've got readers still emailing me asking for the next story. I decided it didn't make sense for me to sit on books that I could be making some sort of profit on. Plus, I love the characters in the series and wanted to share more of their stores.

But I'm continuing traditional publishing, too. I've got a new series debuting with Penguin next year.

Positives of Self-Publishing

Traditionally published authors who have a backlist that they own the rights to can resurrect series that are no longer in stores.

Writers who don't write commercially viable or easily-defined books can find readers.

Writers have more control over their books and content.

Writers receive a higher profit margin.

Writers who are overwhelmed by the process of querying agents and publishers can avoid it.

The important thing to remember:

We all need to write books that are worthy of readers. Have we edited until we're sick of it? If the book isn't any good, it won't be accepted by publishers…and it won't find readers, even self-published.

I think the best thing we can do as writers is to write as much as we can. If we're traditionally published and keeping up with deadlines, that might mean writing a short story collection or a series written especially for e-publishing.

If we're new writers, that might mean trying to pursue traditional publishing, but continuing to write new books or short stories during the query process (stories which can then either be queried or e-published.)

We should keep writing, keep improving, keep enjoying the process. I really do think this is a very good time to be a writer.

Have you considered self-publishing? Are you still planning a traditionally published career? Have I missed any pros or cons of either choice?