Riley Adams's Blog, page 97

From First Sentence To Book Deal

by Vivian Conroy, @VivWrites

When the editor called me to offer me a 3-book deal for my Lady Alkmene Callender 1920s’ mysteries, she told me that after reading a sentence or two she already knew this book was something she’d want to buy. Of course my book had to deliver as a whole (appealing characters, a solid plot) but her remark made me realize something extremely important for writers:  whether you are submitting to a contest, including pages with a query to an agent, or sending in requested work after a conference pitch, your first sentence or first paragraph has to hook the reader right away.

The first sentence has to do many things at once: set the tone of the story, show that something is about to happen that the reader wants to be a part of. When I typed the first sentence of my manuscript, I saw a very clear picture in my mind that I wanted to convey: an unconventional aristocratic woman at a party, reaching for a lighter to relight her cigarette and overhearing a few whispered words that pique her interest and involve her in what is to become her very first murder investigation.

We meet the heroine, Lady Alkmene, at a point of change in her life, where she hits upon something, by coincidence, yes, but something that also clicks with elements that were already present in her character: the need for excitement, insatiable curiosity, fascination with human psychology. Traits that will serve her well as she takes her first steps as a budding detective.

In the first chapter we don’t learn a whole lot about Lady Alkmene in terms of backstory, but we do see her in action, or rather almost hear the cogwheels in her mind churning as she puts information together. Because we are clueless like she is, we sort of automatically sleuth alongside her, trying to work out what on earth is going on here. Sprinkle in some details about the setting, reveal character in words and actions, and you are good to go.

So if you’re putting together a submission, go over your first sentence and your first page and see how you can grab readers right away and place them in the world you have created where everything starts unfolding in a natural way. Don’t be too worried that the reader won’t follow along if some details are left until later. The most important thing for you as writer is to show readers a scene they get curious about, a character they want to know more about, and you’ve accomplished your first task.

Then of course there is all the rest of the work that goes into a full-length novel.

But trust me when I say that writing a strong opening scene can get you an editor’s attention … and a book deal!

In love with the mystery genre since she read her first Agatha Christie at thirteen, Vivian Conroy writes the Lady Alkmene Callender 1920s’ mysteries for an imprint of HarperCollins. Book 1, A PROPOSAL TO DIE FOR — described by reviewers as ‘a cross between Downton Abbey and Miss Marple’ — hit top ten Cozy Mystery in Australia.  Book 2, DIAMONDS OF DEATH, where Lady Alkmene has to dig deep in her own family’s secrets to clear a cat burglar of a murder charge, has just been released while book 3, DEADLY TREASURES, in which Lady Alkmene travels to Cornwall on the trail of fabled gold, will release on November 21 (already available for pre-order). Each installment can be read on its own. When not writing or plotting a new mystery, Vivian enjoys hiking, growing her own windowsill herbs and experimenting with felt and clay. For all things #LadyAlkmene, with a dash of dogs and chocolate, follow Vivian on Twitter via @VivWrites or find the mysteries on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

Author @VivWrites on the importance of your first sentence:
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What’s Scary–For Writers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It’s Halloween, the perfect time to mull over fear.

I read a lot of really scary stuff online.  None of it has to do with monsters, either.  There is a lot of both advice and just negative blanket statements out there for writers to deal with–most of it well-intended, but some of it ultimately unhealthy for writers.

Here are a few examples of the scary statements and advice that writers hear:

Reading is losing to the competition, especially to social media and gaming.

True.  But, if you think about it, people are actually reading more, I think, than they used to.  When I was growing up, everyone was watching TV and on the landline phone.  Now they’re reading–it just happens to be micropublishing.  They’re reading Facebook posts, blog posts, Twitter posts, text messages. But everyone is reading–and writing–more.  Instead, consider experimenting with online writing platforms like Wattpad.

There is a ‘wall of content’ for writers to compete with.

Yes.  But what’s our ultimate goal? If it’s writing for a large audience, we may have to make shrewd sacrifices to make our stories stand out. Possible solution:  make sure our book stands out with an excellent cover and editing. If commercial success is important, write more in line with the market.

Write first thing in the morning before checking email, social media, or doing anything else.

I personally ascribe to this one.  But I live with people who are not morning people.  This method would not work for them or for many people.  Instead, write whenever you hit your creative peak each day.

Outlining is the best method for professional writers.  If you’re not an outliner, you may feel that you’re not working as productively as other writers.   But whatever works for you is the best method for you.  Only re-evaluate if your writing isn’t going as well as you’d like.

Adverbs are to be avoided at all costs.  They have their uses. Maybe you just need to evaluate if you’re leaning too heavily on them in your project.

Traditionally published writers get marketing help and support. Unless you’ve written a blockbuster, the marketing most writers receive is simply bookstore placement and a mention in the publisher’s catalog.

Show don’t tell.  This advice works well sometimes and not so well at others.   If you’re wanting to increase pace and develop tension quickly (an action scene, for example), then you’ll want to tell instead of show.  More on this from editor Linda S. Clare.

An interest in making money means you’re not a serious artist.  As far as I’m aware, even artists have to eat sometime. I think it’s valuable creating books that encourage people to read (and to pay for the entertainment).

Traditionally published writers make more money than self-published writers.  Some of them may. My own experience didn’t corroborate this statement.

Writers need long periods of time to focus on their writing.  For some writers, there’s never a perfect time to write; there’s never a time when they couldn’t be doing something else important.  Sometimes writing in short segments of time, finding 10 or 15 minutes at a time, is the best way to accomplish a writing goal.

Writers write when they hear the Muse speaking to them.   Many writers never feel particularly inspired to write but sit down and make the inspiration happen as they go.

Do you hear any advice or blanket statements on the market that make you feel uncomfortable?  Which ones did I miss?

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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 35,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

4 Ways to Pre-plan Your #NaNoWriMo Story: http://ow.ly/lcb7305klvu @WordDreams

How to Outline Your #NaNoWriMo Novel:  http://ow.ly/Sq7S305klok @NatePhilbrick

On #NaNoWriMo and Finding Time:  http://ow.ly/x7gO305kkXF @Ava_Jae

5 Things You Need To Do Before #NaNoWriMo:  http://ow.ly/Szvu305klMS @KMHodgeAuthor  @WomenWriters               

Day-by-Day #NaNoWriMo Outline: Characters & Themes Cheatsheet:  http://ow.ly/aM2m305kl6m @BetterNovelProj

Should Indie Authors Go KDP Exclusive Or Go Wide? http://ow.ly/JDfH305rjSH #IAF16 @pippadacosta @susankayequinn @IndieAuthorALLI

Build Blog Traffic by Guest Posting: http://ow.ly/2r5w305k6ah @mollygreene  @JeriWB

Stephen King’s 20 Tips for Becoming a Frighteningly Good Writer:  http://ow.ly/ehMs305j8kn @GlenLong

10 Tips to Help You Rock #NaNoWriMo:  http://ow.ly/9NYC305k6ZK @JennyHansenCA

Top 16 Close-Talking, Double Dipping Tips to Succeeding At #Nanowrimo: http://ow.ly/qQtx305k74r @10MinNovelists

How To Use #NaNoWriMo To Structure Your Fiction-writing Business:  http://ow.ly/FKUX305rjJT #IAF16 @grantfaulkner @IndieAuthorALLI

#NaNoWriMo Prep: Using Positive Reinforcement And Rewards:  http://ow.ly/8hK4305k79A @KhaosFoxe

#NaNoWriMo 2016: Is It for You? Caution:  http://ow.ly/5xCA305k6Cw @JerryBJenkins

4 Visual Tricks for Writers Who Want To Rock #NaNoWriMo: http://ow.ly/KDnd305k6Od @RobinRWrites

15 Story Beats to Keep Your #NaNoWriMo Novel on Track:  http://ow.ly/iGWm305k6Sc @HeatherJacksonW

New #NaNoWriMo Author? 3 Tips To Avoid Anxiety And Stress:  http://ow.ly/HQpi305k6hw @angee

7 reasons why to avoid binge writing:  http://ow.ly/DlcT305k6GS @pubcoach

Increase Your #NaNoWriMo Success With Word Sprints:  http://ow.ly/5cqg305k6um @WritersEdit   @KyraThomsen

The Pros and Pros of #NaNoWriMo:  http://ow.ly/ygZ5305k6Vb @LovettRomance

Paul Beatty is the First American to Win the Man Booker Prize:  http://ow.ly/mAsw305CSGI @ManBookerPrize @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

3 ways sentences turn: http://ow.ly/BQBu305hM8X @kseniaanske

Freelance Writing: 10 Steps, Tons of Resources:  http://ow.ly/EnQ3305hLKN @aliventures

Germany’s Startup Oolipo (‘like Tinder for mobile stories’): http://ow.ly/nLtz305CRQQ @Porter_Anderson @oolipo @rdavidmullins

The Chosen One Trope:  http://ow.ly/2huo305hLZN by Brian DeLeonard @mythicscribes

Tips for balancing parenting and writing: http://ow.ly/jKwh305CXzG

Cinestate in Dallas: a ‘Book, Audio, and Film Venture’:  http://ow.ly/qRAS305CRB1 @Porter_Anderson @willevans @cinestatement

Body Language: What Your Character Is Really Saying: http://ow.ly/LJxE305hMi4 @LisaEBetz

7 Masterplots or More: http://ow.ly/MXRu305hMds  @hunteremkay

How Your Main Character Can Help You Get Unstuck:  http://ow.ly/byQA305hMmr by Olivia Smit @GoTeenWriters

Getting it done:  http://ow.ly/TP3t305hLMX @DanBlank

Why Authors Need Blogs:  http://ow.ly/y2GH305hMf6 @SukhiJutla

Hyphenation for Self-Publishing:  http://ow.ly/PtMH305hM5F @NovelEditor

5 lessons learned while submitting to literary journals:  http://ow.ly/rgLp305hLUh @Icess

2 Surefire Remedies for Creative Burnout:  http://ow.ly/7taP305hLPu @TopLineComms

4 Tips for Holding a Contest On Your Blog:  http://ow.ly/F3v5305hLXJ @Margo_L_Dill

6 Ways to Market Your Books:  http://ow.ly/euHk305AqSX @AmazonKindle

This is Your Platform:  http://ow.ly/wuuf305fwJY @hopeclark @JaneFriedman

Build your Novel Synopsis Before you Write with Netflix and Wikipedia:  http://ow.ly/ciw4305yRcT @TheRightMargin @willb_sullivan

7 Reasons Every Writer Should Journal:  http://ow.ly/e7sg305fvL7 @WilsonTheWriter  @LitReactor

5 Signs Your Story Is Sexist…Against Men:  http://ow.ly/wPIW305fwyL @mythcreants  by Chris Winkle

Real Life Diagnostics: Is This YA Opening Too Slow? http://ow.ly/hKa0305fwke @Janice_Hardy

Stop trying to be original and be prolific instead:  http://ow.ly/qh3e305fwoP @Write_Track

How do you discover the books you want to buy? Thoughts on book marketing:  http://ow.ly/yWcx305Apnf @Roz_Morris

What To Do After You Write A Book:  http://ow.ly/uoVV305fwi3 @joebunting

How to declutter your hoarded story ideas: http://ow.ly/mexb305fvqU by Catherine A. Welch @TheWriterMag

What a Writer Can Learn From Watching “Chopped”: http://ow.ly/W6N4305fw78 @FinishedPages

Is your spec script wrapped around a high concept?  http://ow.ly/ZE7S305fvHw @UnkScreenwriter

Solving Fiction Problems: 3 Kinds of Story Arcs:  http://ow.ly/r2MH305fwdH @beccapuglisi

When a Trilogy Becomes a Sextuplet:  http://ow.ly/qRNA305fveR @author_sullivan

Creating a Three-Dimensional Character: http://ow.ly/kvl6305fvZj @woodwardkaren

5 Reasons #NaNoWriMo Planning Can Help You Hit Your 50,000-Word Goal:  http://ow.ly/42Y9305kpdE @Janice_Hardy @WriteNowCoach

Using @IngramSpark  to Develop a Print Business Plan:  http://ow.ly/df5o305rjzA #IAF16 @ingramcontent @IndieAuthorALLI

Closing an Empathy Hole and Opening Up a Motivation Hole in Chinatown:  http://ow.ly/F37V305euqv @CockeyedCaravan

Character Archetypes  –  From Archetype to Character:  http://ow.ly/Ghr6305eupk @HunterEmkay

38 Top Tips for Winning #NaNoWriMo: http://ow.ly/l2Rs305yRCf @ReedsyHQ

The Only 5 Ingredients You Need for Story Subtext:  http://ow.ly/YQUd305eu9j @KMWeiland

5 Things to Remember When Designing Your Book Cover:  http://ow.ly/th9T305euyE @AuthorHelenJ

How to win #Nanowrimo: 8 tips for smashing success:  http://ow.ly/hPQA305vHNj @Creativindie

10 Tips to Help You Rock #NaNoWriMo: http://ow.ly/ggsh305vHGi @JennyHansenCA

3 Ways To Use The Setting To Steer Your Story’s Plot:  http://ow.ly/WOCE305euao @AngelaAckerman

7 Things I’ve Learned so Far as a Writer:  http://ow.ly/UOaA305eus5 @GibneyShannon

5 Stories with Unexplained Fortean Phenomena:  http://ow.ly/KPt2305euik by Jack Womack @tordotcom

6 Ways to Cultivate Urgency To Captivate Fiction Readers:  http://ow.ly/hAZi305eufe  @TheRightMargin

How to Infuse Tension into a Scene Without Vivisecting Your Plot:  http://ow.ly/9ff1305eucL @Saboviec

Authors: Do You Have the Perfect Pitch?  http://ow.ly/3mRT305qTkW @JudithBriles

The Dreaded Synopsis: How to Get Started & Why We Need One Before Writing the Book:  http://ow.ly/jSJ8305qTgw @KristenLambTX

When Should You Write for Exposure? 5 Questions to Ask:  http://ow.ly/o5ZJ305qTb8 @JaneFriedman

10 Things To Expect During #Nanowrimo (The Good, The Bad, The Crazy) http://ow.ly/qrIK305qSRL @katekrake

Road Trip to #NaNoWriMo : Don’t Be Afraid of Writing Setting:  http://ow.ly/uywT305qSRH @WatsonStories

5 Ways #NaNoWriMo Makes You a Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/Zqdw305qSRt @DIYMFA @writingrefinery

“NaNoWriMo Sucks…But Here’s Why I’m Playing Anyway”: http://ow.ly/XC37305qSRn @shauntagrimes

A Book Reviewer’s Bill Of Rights:  http://ow.ly/kjd8305cX35 @helpfulsnowman @LitReactor

6 Twist Endings to Avoid: http://ow.ly/xIXl305cX1d @GiveMeYourTeeth @LitReactor

How Branding Can Help and Hinder Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/w8YB305qT7R @DrewChial

What’s the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?  http://ow.ly/Zbnb305cWTF @ProWritingAid

Writing Myth: You Must Write Every Day:  http://ow.ly/6ME3305cWLg @timgrahl

Create More Time with Tips & Tools from @PaulTeagueUK http://bit.ly/2dDpWzX #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

Considering Our International Audience: http://ow.ly/3S9o305t3db

A Business Mindset Means A Rights Mindset: http://ow.ly/zzrG305rjtL #IAF16  @ornaross @helensedwick @IndieAuthorALLI

Mystery Thriller Week Celebration Feb. 12-22. (Call out for Mystery writers and Bloggers):  http://ow.ly/sETb305s60q @thewritingtrain

Download 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair Show Daily Magazines on Rights, Politics, More:  http://ow.ly/5gjr305sPde @HannahSJohnson @pubperspectives

Frankfurt Industry Notes: Visitor Attendance, @C_Emcke ‘s Peace Prize: http://ow.ly/5xGa305sP0s @Porter_Anderson

7 of the Best Books On the Line Between Religion and Science:  http://ow.ly/wfAg305cWEy @TobiasCarroll  @SignatureReads

8 Ways To Salvage Your Yearly Writing Goals:  http://ow.ly/8Hyv305cWP6 @missriki

Creating Settings Readers Can’t Forget:  http://ow.ly/SPqi305cWDD @Rachel_Aaron

What Works & What Doesn’t: ‘Halloween’:  http://ow.ly/XsRu305cWQw @chris_shultz81

Writing “As If”:  http://ow.ly/RDvH305cWXK @SPressfield

Script To Screen: “The Shining”:  http://ow.ly/inm1305cWWp @GoIntoTheStory

A Few Words About Photo Copyrights:  http://ow.ly/FqLe305cWX5 @SusanSpann

What New Authors Need to Know About Library Systems:  http://ow.ly/L9HG305cWKd @WriterLibrarian

How to Automate Writing and Editing Tasks:  http://ow.ly/MkzP305cWFy @CKmacleodwriter

4 Tips for Preventing Flat Descriptions: http://ow.ly/82Md305cWCd @Janice_Hardy

Inciting Incident = Hook:  http://ow.ly/KKSa305cWVn @SPressfield

Author @cathryanhoward on advantages of being a hybrid and on starting self-pub workshops:  http://ow.ly/i4cl305sSn3 @TheIWSG

Crime Writers: Juvenile Crime: Before and After the Arrest: http://ow.ly/IkuQ305cWMB @LeeLofland

297 Flabby Words and Phrases That Rob Your Writing of Its Power: http://ow.ly/QcTl305j8da @GlenLong

Funerals as elements in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/htYb305s3WC @mkinberg

What are the Best Day Jobs for Indie Authors? @DebbieYoungBN http://bit.ly/2e2X036 #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

How An Author Assistant Can Grow Your Business:  http://ow.ly/8yI4305rjhH #IAF16 @K8Tilton @IndieAuthorALLI

Personality Types, To Do Lists, and Productivity: http://ow.ly/Pba7305aWtA @RoniLoren

Amazon searchability tip for authors:  http://ow.ly/wL0d305aWGF @sandrabeckwith

Fear of success can be even more debilitating than fear of failure:  http://ow.ly/UWQy305aSSb @annerallen

5 tips when finding a Critique Partner:  http://ow.ly/4DPc305aSGd @AGYoung_author

The Frankfurt Book Fair for Authors: http://ow.ly/pFCi305riWg #IAF16 @Porter_Anderson   @OrnaRoss  @IndieAuthorALLI

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Parenting and Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Parenting and writing.  It can be a challenging combination … or can it?  A lot depends on the child/teen in question, the parent’s schedule and non-child stressors, and the writing we’re trying to accomplish.

I read a lot of blog posts and the majority of what I read about writing mothers (in particular…writing fathers tend to have a different mindset, which I’ll get to in a moment) makes me sad.  They seem conflicted and guilty, torn between writing and wanting to do a good job as a mother.

A beautifully well-written piece from  writer Sarah Curtis Graziano in Brevity:

Please don’t disturb mommy for one hour while I write, just one hour. Barely ten minutes pass before one of them opens my office door to peek in at me, always to ask a ridiculous question. The answer doesn’t matter. She only wants a visual of this mother, so different than the one she used to know, with her hundred-yard stare, her finger repeating a tight circle on her temple as she works on something that steals her away like a boat sweeping her off toward the horizon. What is it? my child wonders, reaching out her hand to pull me back.

To be perfectly honest, part of what makes me sad when I read these types of  articles is that they make me guilty that I’m not  guilty.  Although I’m very susceptible to guilt in a general sense, my approach balancing parenting and writing is one area where I really don’t feel it as much–the only times I’ve felt it, in fact, is when I know I’ve broken my own rules. A rule, for instance, would be looking at my laptop when my son or daughter is trying to have a conversation with me (during a specified non-writing time).

And, believe me, when my kids were younger, I had the same exact type of experience as Ms. Graziano.  Here is a blog post I wrote in 2009 about my experience on a radio show.  I juggled a radio appearance with picking up a nauseated child at school, and handling an 8-year old who was not following instructions.  Did I feel guilty that I was on this program and that my child was knocking on my bedroom door the whole time?  No, honestly, I didn’t.  I was more annoyed and perplexed: why weren’t my directions being followed? (I later found out that I hadn’t done a good job explaining that being on the radio meant being on the phone.) I also had a big picture sense of the afternoon: in the overall scheme of things, unless the house is burning down while I ignored the knocks on my door, an hour or 30 minutes for a promo-related call was not going to permanently damage these kids.  I followed up my radio time, as I recall, with a calm, productive chat with my daughter on the theme of boundaries and then played the hula-hoop game on the Wii with her.

Why don’t I feel guilty when my writing or promo takes me (really, ever so briefly) away from my kids?  Because I’m demonstrating that art is worth spending dedicated time on.  And that my art is worth spending dedicated time on.  Just as they’re both important for me to spend dedicated time on.

99% of the posts that dads write on parenting and writing are different–they don’t seem to have the guilty undertones. In fact, these dads usually feel they’re spending better quality or more time with their kids.  I wonder if this has to do with general societal expectations for a mother versus a father.

Here is an excellent post from writer Alec Nevala-Lee.  An excerpt (forgive its length, but I found the message so helpful):

When children arrive, you’re suddenly confronted by enough complications for a second job, and between daycare, toilet training, trips to the doctor and afternoons at the playground, most of your inner resources become devoted to satisfying the demands of the insatiable creature in your house. And you’re already doing that with a novel.

But what I’ve found is that having a child has made my life more simple, not the opposite. It imposes a kind of ruthless editing of the nonessential: one by one, the things that I took for granted have fallen away, from going to the movies to sleeping late, and I’ve found that I don’t really mind. And it forces me into the sort of perpetual engagement with the world—largely through my daughter’s questions about it—that a writer needs more than anybody. When you’re single, or married without kids, you find ways of filling your spare time: few of us can spend more than five or hours writing without burning out, and the rest of the day is occupied with miscellaneous activity. Having children leads to a fundamental reorganization of those free moments. You find yourself streamlining relentlessly, to an extent that wouldn’t occur to you if you didn’t have that internal pressure, until you’re left with work, kids, and not much else. That’s simplification in its purest form, and it leads to a series of renunciations, a letting go of the superfluous, that stick to an extent that they otherwise wouldn’t. If a writer’s psychic goal is strip away the meaningless while focusing intently on the meaningful, having kids is as effective a way as any.

Writer Dan Blank also feels as if he’s prioritizing his family life while being a working writer, and for the same reasons: he’s making adjustments in his free time to spend it as a family.  He explains in this post:

“For example, spending time with my family matters deeply to me. Because of that, I work from home full-time, and I say “no” to nearly every social obligation that doesn’t include them.

Is that a little extreme? Yep. But I never lay awake at night worried that I’m not spending enough time with my family. My reason for this? Because again and again, I’ve heard older generations express that one of their big regrets in life was not spending enough time with family. I am listening to their wisdom, and I am taking action on it.”

So some of the balance problem and the guilt may be due to societal pressures and general mindset of the writer.  I have a few suggestions for balance and for feeling better about writing while parenting:

Infants:

I put my daughter in a safe place (crib) for ‘quiet time’ for both her and me when I first started writing.  I gave her board books (from both our home collection and the library’s…all of which I’d read to her at least 100 times apiece, so she knew the stories) and told her to read while I wrote.  Again, I kept this at 10-15 minutes. I think that’s a fair amount of time for most infants/toddlers.

Younger kids: 

You can’t explain too much about what you’re doing.  Really.  Case in point is my post on the radio show outcome.  I shouldn’t have said I’d be on the radio…I should have said I’d be on the phone and to give me some time while I’m on the phone.  You can also set an actual timer outside your door that counts down to zero and has an alarm when it’s okay to come in.  For preschool age, I used to try just 10 minutes.  I can write a page in 10 minutes and we can all at least make some very focused progress in that amount of time (lists are a great tool to stay productive in shorts amount of time if you don’t feel you can work on the actual text of your story in that period).

The next part is for kids of all ages:

Give them a time when you are available. Reward them for giving you time to write (especially the younger kids).  Play Old Maid. Throw a Frisbee. Get on the wii. Read a book to them. Ask them how school went (I found the more specific the questions, the better: who did you sit with at lunch?)

Tied in with availability: 

When you are spending time with them, spend it with them…not in front of a laptop.  Focus on them.

Tips for older kids (really, even preschoolers can engage in some of this): 

Involve the kids as much as possible

Do they have an opinion between two potential covers?

Explain what you’re working on (coming up with an outline, writing a scary story, trying to connect on social media).

Older children can help with downloading spreadsheets of KDP earnings, advise on social media, update a website, etc. This process can even help them learn skills that could help them in school or work.

Something to experiment with: I found there was peace in numbers–invite their friends over.  Or take them all to the park or the skating rink–oddly, it can be easier to write when there’s a crowd.

In general:

Write in short, dedicated bursts. Try writing sprints. Afterwards, check for continuity errors and transition issues.

And I’ll end with probably my most controversial suggestion to consider.  But I feel like it’s realistic and may make our writing more viable (this is strictly from a commercial standpoint). What is it that you’re trying to write? That’s not to say that every book doesn’t have its own individual challenges, but some projects are inherently more challenging than others.  Maybe, if you know you’re heading into a rough patch (you’ve got a newborn, your teen is having a tough time with several classes in school,  you’re trying to potty-train, your child has been diagnosed with a health issue that it will take some time to tackle with a variety of doctors) , it might be good to put off the research-laden project for a book 2 or 3 in a genre-fiction project you’ve got going.

With everything in life, there should be balance.  I don’t think we should spend all our available free time writing.  I don’t think we should spend all our available free time parenting.  I hope any parent who is feeling a little overwhelmed and torn can experiment with these or other approaches, or modify these approaches to see if it can help them feel more satisfied with their performance as both a writer and a parent.

Do you ever feel guilty about your writing time?  What tips can you offer for other parents?

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Considering Our International Audience

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Are your books available to an international audience?  I’ve found that my international sales have picked up after I implemented a few tweaks.

First off, do you have an Amazon Author Central profile on the international sites that support them?  Be aware that, depending on the site, you may need to create a new login (instead of using your usual Amazon login), and that some sites don’t have all the features that others do.  You can use Google Translate to help you with a bio, etc. (my recommendation would be to go very basic with it) or you could pay a translator at a site like Fiverr to have your bio inexpensively translated.

USA

UK

Germany

France

Japan

Amazon India also has an Author Central, but our profile populates automatically there.

Here is the list of international Amazon sites (not all of them offer Author Central):

Australia


Brazil
China
France
Germany
India 
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands
Spain
United Kingdom
United States

Visiting the sites can be very helpful, in terms of figuring out our international pricing.  Let’s take Mexico as an example.  I visited the Amazon Mexico site (translating the page to English with a click of my mouse), and searched for my genre, cozy mystery, in the Kindle store.  I sorted the results by popularity and could see that the most popular in that category were priced between 114–$123 peso.  According to Google’s currency calculator, that’s between $6.04 and $6.51 US dollars.  For me, that’s a bit high.  I also saw on that page books as low as 0.00 and 38.41 peso, which is  $2.03.  Better.

So, instead of just basing the international prices on our US prices, we can look on the sites, see which books are selling well, and price accordingly (or at least use it as a guide).

Another thing to consider is our international print distribution. Although Amazon does a great job distributing ebooks to foreign markets, it’s good to evaluate our approach for print distribution.  Printed books are expensive overseas because the shipping costs are exorbitant.

One alternative is to use IngramSpark to fulfill international print orders. They have printers all over the world and distributing print on demand from these printers helps to defray the readers’ shipping  costs. As David Penny wrote in his article for the Alliance of Independent Authors a year ago:

Ingram has facilities in the US, UK, France and Australia, and services other territories through partner arrangements. As of 2015 there are partners in Germany, Russia, Poland, Brazil and South Korea. By the end of 2016 they will be putting in place partner arrangements in South America, South Africa, China and India.

You can use the same interior and cover PDFs you uploaded to CreateSpace to upload to IngramSpark, but because there are some differences between the two businesses, you may need to get your spine tweaked (I believe there is a difference in page thickness).  If you go this route, you’ll want to opt out of expanded distribution at CreateSpace.  Additionally, you’ll need an ISBN for your book to be published by Ingram (not the free one that you may get from CreateSpace).  There is, as well, a set-up fee for IngramSpark of $49 a book, although there are frequently coupons to reduce or waive that cost.

Personally, I’ve found going on IngramSpark worth it.  Last month I netted twice as much from them as from CreateSpace.

Additional reading and resources: 

A Facebook group called The International Indie Author, headed by writer Mark Williams.  You will need to ask permission to join.

I’ve referred to this article by Giacomo Giammetteo before, but it’s such an excellent overview of CreateSpace vs. IngramSpark that I’ll list it again: Watchdog: Ingram Spark vs CreateSpace for Self-publishing Print Books .

Have you got Author Central profiles for the different international Amazon sites?  How do your international print sales look?  Any tips that I’m missing?

Tips for expanding our international audience:
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Photo credit: Karen Roe via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

The post Considering Our International Audience appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 35,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

5 Easy Steps to Being a Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/p2KC3058Yqd @Victoria_Noe

Tackling the Synopsis:  http://ow.ly/fhRp3058Yf1 @rachaeldthomas

The Psychology of Creative Success @ornaross http://bit.ly/2e5V3GQ #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

Clause By Clause: Non-Compete: http://ow.ly/UTV83058Xyb @bookishchick

5 Practical Tips for World Building:  http://ow.ly/UuKV3058XEP  @AlexBledsoe

6 Ways to be a Prepared Speaker:  http://ow.ly/wIoQ3058Y8M @lisajlickel

Actionable Productivity for Authors:  Tips @markmcguinness bit.ly/2dgTZJO #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

The Publishing Gamble That Changed America (On Fighting for Lady Chatterley’s Lover) :  http://ow.ly/UR7k3058Ywj @BarneyRosset               

Indie Author Business Plan Basics: @writerplatform http://bit.ly/2dqWM6F #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

4 Writing Myths and Why They Suck the Ink out of Writers:  http://ow.ly/KuHY3058XlC by Eric Roberts @ProWritingAid

5 Novels About the Sordid Lives of High-Minded People:  http://ow.ly/oKPG305b8OK @thenation @michelledean

Finding Your Character’s Hook: The Skill or Talent that Elevates Your Manuscript:  http://ow.ly/UEml305aSz2 @AngelaAckerman  @MartinaABoone

New Agatha Christie Stamps Feature Clues:  http://ow.ly/RR8m305aWMH @finebooks   @nate_pedersen

The Crowdfunded Publication Model:  http://ow.ly/KvXg305aWxa by Helena Echlin @Kid_Lit

Future Perfect? Past Continuous? The Verb Tenses: http://ow.ly/akLO305aSCS @ProWritingAid

When is it time to be a full-time author? @cjlyonswriter @thecreativepenn bit.ly/2dRa8Kl #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

Why Authors Need to Understand the Sales Funnel:  http://ow.ly/q8JF305aSoG @cksyme

Pace and story structure hook readers:   http://ow.ly/D73c305aSvG @Roz_Morris

Do Authors Owe Us Their Whole Selves? http://ow.ly/N3NG305aSrF @jaelmchenry

Key Contract Clauses To Watch For @tobymundy @ornaross http://bit.ly/2dNZ1zN #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

How professional writers beat writer’s block: http://ow.ly/T9lV3058Yjq @ryangvancleave  @TheWriterMag

Indie Author Business Plan Basics:  @writerplatform http://bit.ly/2dqWM6F #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI

5 (More) Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors:  http://ow.ly/c9I03058Xtw @Ava_Jae

Free Book Promotions: Are They Worth It? http://ow.ly/Y5Gj3056RPF @CaballoFrances

Dating Your Character:  http://ow.ly/WUXz3058XKr @briannehogan  @CreativeScreen

How to Create Your Setting From Scratch:  http://ow.ly/69io3058Y4h @DaniPettrey

Poetry in the 18th century [interactive timeline & timemap] :  http://ow.ly/gm9F305oH8v  @My_poetic_side

Syrian refugee @NujeenMustafa’s  Journey to World’s Literary Stage:  http://ow.ly/CM1N305oGxs @Porter_Anderson @christinalamb

When Librarians Are Silenced: http://ow.ly/LkBg305oEBI by Francine Prose @nybooks

7 characteristics of successful #writers that cannot be taught:  http://ow.ly/GRSc3056RJv @tobywneal

Thriller author Patrick Kelly with 4 tips for better backstory: http://ow.ly/ZmVm305oHmq

Spreadsheeting Your Scenes:  http://ow.ly/tlYH3056S1m by Shawn Coyne

A Checklist for Publishing Your Book: http://ow.ly/UqmB3056Roj @UncoveredMyths

Free Book Promotions: Are They Worth It? http://ow.ly/Y5Gj3056RPF @CaballoFrances

‘We Are Arrested’: Restrictions on Freedom of Speech in Turkey:  http://ow.ly/612f305mtNo by Olivia Snaije @pubperspectives

Should you turn your personal story into a novel? http://ow.ly/V48o305oGsd @Roz_Morris

23 Fiction Writing Ideas To Revitalize Your Story:  http://ow.ly/3ssq3058yC1 @WritingForward

Pros and Cons of Writing in Multiple Genres:  http://ow.ly/4t7n3058yy9 @ceciliaedits

Why Authors Need to Be as Accessible as Possible:  http://ow.ly/ODSA3058yKe @katiemccoach

Practicality’s Place in a Writing Education:  http://ow.ly/6DOs3058yiP @gooddirt

Hunting Down Story Holes Using a Novel Journal:  http://ow.ly/f96h3058yt4  @DavidHSafford  @AngelaAckerman

Measuring the Success of a Low-Budget Book Launch:  http://ow.ly/aFyc3058yoG @andilit

8 Places to Get Deals on Book Cover Design:  http://ow.ly/Bsxe3056QX9 @joshuajdesign  @theindiepubmag

Tips for writers with page fright:  http://ow.ly/NaWP3056Rgq from The Writing Freak

Pranks and mischief-making as elements in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/D3rQ305mzOq @mkinberg

Are Your Characters Talking At Cross-Purposes? Why Not? http://ow.ly/Cn1v3056gpN @standoutbooks

7 reliable grammar resources for writers: http://ow.ly/TcoW3056g8A @nownovel

A Mini Checklist for Writing Life Sustainability:  http://ow.ly/CDkr3056gdC @reallucyflint

5 Reasons to Attend Indie Author Fringe:  http://ow.ly/fPXA3053Yft #IAF16 @IndieAuthorALLI @jayartale

The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial): from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/pon3305mtZk

Writing deaf characters:  http://ow.ly/xKa73056gLm @T_Frohock

How to Write Cozy Mystery Novels with Elizabeth Spann Craig:  http://ow.ly/HeR3305mRE6 @lornafaith

Canadian Copyright Modernization Act: Chronicle of a Disaster Foretold:  http://ow.ly/jd8L305mtye by Nicole Saint-Jean @pubperspectives

Why Roald Dahl Never Sugar-Coated His Stories for Kids:  http://ow.ly/heDK3056fR6 by Jennie Yabroff @SignatureReads

10 Realities About Writing a Sequel:  http://ow.ly/Dv273056gt3 @JennyBravoBooks

Frankfurt ‘The Markets’:’From education to trade…stressing freedom of expression’:  http://ow.ly/8SHw305msim @Porter_Anderson @rogertagholm

Where Should Your Thriller Hero Go Next?  6 Tips on Setting:  http://ow.ly/4xik3056gmW @toddjmoss  @WritersDigest

7 Comedy-Writing Techniques for Nonfiction Writers:  http://ow.ly/4Tq53056gfY @MerylWilliams

How to Write a Submissions Cover Letter: http://ow.ly/4InQ3056fXt @JeriWB

3 Romantic Scenes for Romance Novels and More:  http://ow.ly/6EQo3056gFy @jeffelk

Where to Find Images for Blogs and More:  http://ow.ly/OoSV3056g2v @JeriWB

Calendar Hacks of 5 Successful Authors:  http://ow.ly/2E2E305kqMQ @WriteNowCoach @LisaAlber @LoriRaderDay @jesslourey

12 Self-Publishing Services Authors Should Beware:  http://ow.ly/LssC3053XWC @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI

Poet at Work: How Should a Poet Make Money?  http://ow.ly/rfk73053Xud @thepointmag by O. T. Marod

How to Create an Author Brand:  http://ow.ly/Gvdd3053WYP @MsBessieBell @IndieAuthorALLI

Instagram for Business: 30 Actionable Tips http://ow.ly/6GW73055uJa  @Ashread_

4 Tips for Preventing Flat Descriptions:  http://ow.ly/jQdO3055uzh @Janice_Hardy

15+ Tactics for Writing Humor:  http://ow.ly/mlyE3055uz0 @SeptCFawkes

Imperfect Words: the unfathomable power of placeholders:  http://ow.ly/ThPu3055uUh  @DamonSuede

10 Reasons Why Reciprocal Reviews Are Unethical:  http://ow.ly/4uUZ3055vaH @10MinNovelists

Stop Explaining Your Story (And Start Showing It):  http://ow.ly/uHUO3055uF1 @Janice_Hardy

3 Tricks for Character Names:  http://ow.ly/ibJa3055uSb @RobinRWrites

Are You a Push Marketer or a Pull Marketer? http://ow.ly/o1mr3055uOq @cksyme

Use Instagram Stories to Engage With Readers: http://ow.ly/d8tb3053Jpz @MartineEllis

Great Story Titles: 17 Fiction Writing Experts Reveal Their Secrets:  http://ow.ly/aYyW305j7K7 @RidethePen @beccapuglisi @GlenLong

Translating @KettuKatja ‘s ‘The Midwife’: One of AmazonCrossing’s ‘Biggest Books of the Year’: http://ow.ly/uX4N305fFyM @Porter_Anderson

Can Finally Doing Your Chores Help You Write More? http://ow.ly/RUoW3053JK8 @angelagayehorn

How to Write Every Day:  http://ow.ly/xSp13053JIc @zen_habits

What is NaNoWriMo? 10 FAQs and resources:  http://ow.ly/cYzu3053JA6 @nownovel

6 Reasons You Need to Make Way More Writing Mistakes:  http://ow.ly/32NS3053JVH @KMWeiland

How to write at least 4 novels a year:  http://ow.ly/er4F3053JFV @tobywneal

The Art of Writing Scenes:  http://ow.ly/Tj2U3053Jxh @AJHumpage

5 Editing Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Nonfiction: http://ow.ly/HhmH3053JPH @shelleyhitz

NaNoWriMo Tips:  http://ow.ly/gZG03053JDf @Ava_Jae

Do You Write Chronologically?  http://ow.ly/EEjM3053Jtu by Andrea Lundgren

What X-Men Can Teach About Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/H5cM3053JSm @willvanstonejr

10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Editor:  http://ow.ly/WMR53053JMV @TLCBookDesign

4 Tips For Self-Publishing Your First Book:  http://ow.ly/9Sds3051fBN @pokercubster

Tips for Managing Crowds of Characters:  http://ow.ly/xils305fuqg

The Importance of Tech Literacy for Publishers:  http://ow.ly/2DIT305fESf @has_many_books  @Porter_Anderson #TheMarkets2016

How Snapchat is Changing the Way We Communicate:  http://ow.ly/IBRN305frpn @BethanysStories @MediaShiftOrg

Benefits of Authors Writing Book Reviews:  http://ow.ly/XcQj305fd5N @mishy1727 @TheIWSG

Book bloggers with tips for authors: http://ow.ly/tdME3051h0b @RavenousReadr  @diamondxgirl

Buffer for writers:  http://ow.ly/uYtf3051fYH  @beckywadewriter   @DaniPettrey

5 Ways to Turn Around a Bad Writing Week:  http://ow.ly/yI3w3051fef @besscozby  @DIYMFA

Pitch Your Novel Perfectly:  http://ow.ly/xI0H3051fWm @SusanSpann

5 Sci-Fi Novels That Satirize Society As We Know It:  http://ow.ly/nWsn3051fqR by Luke Rhinehart @tordotcom

Where Did Your Character’s Journey Really Begin? http://ow.ly/kGHY3051fRc @ShanDitty

Tricks to Enhance a Deep POV:  http://ow.ly/hraM3051gyQ by Karen Witemeyer @DaniPettrey

How To Write Animal Characters:  http://ow.ly/5Wn53051gR4 @jleungbooks

Responding to In-Your-Face Criticism:  http://ow.ly/FVzj3051fMT @mdilloway

How to Guest Blog Successfully:  http://ow.ly/CMvt3051fh0 @LisaTener  with Sara Pence

Pros & Cons of Signing with a Small Press:  http://ow.ly/OYDL3051hg6 @tessaemilyhall

On Identity and Visibility:  http://ow.ly/G09y3051fGV @Ava_Jae

Do You Think Your Character Might Be Depressed? Psych 101 for Writers:  http://ow.ly/AqZ930501cn @FionaQuinnBooks

How to Write a Great Book Description:  http://ow.ly/Bcx53050176 @aliventures

The links I shared last week:  http://ow.ly/n3RE305e2q6 .All the links (35K+) I’ve ever shared, free and searchable: writerskb.com

Character Archetypes From A to Z:  http://ow.ly/RbF830501ge @HunterEmkay

‘All in the Curation’: Scaling up Book Club Recommendations: http://ow.ly/3VHz305bcyC @Porter_Anderson with @EllysChoice Nathan Hull

7 Ways to Amp Up Your Support Team:  http://ow.ly/3sM630500eV @kcraftwriter

Writing Myth: Writing is a Solitary Activity:  http://ow.ly/VZ5a30500yV by Allison Fallon

The Literature of Creepy Clowns:  http://ow.ly/FdDr30500Dg @TobiasCarroll  @lithub

The Writer’s Life: How to Juggle Multiple Tasks and Thrive:  http://ow.ly/AGGa30500pu @WriteNowCoach

The best writing links of the week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Weaving Backstory into Mysteries

 

by Patrick Kelly

For two and a half years I slaved over my first novel, arranged and rearranged the plot, constructed and deconstructed the characters, and polished each sentence twice. Then I gave it to my editor and waited . . . anxiously . . . for three weeks.

Her response came.

She loved the story and my writing but had some “meta-feedback.”

First suggestion: Delete the first five chapters.

OUCH!!!!

My baby.

What about my hero? Readers need to know where he comes from, why he’s here, and all about his relationship to the other characters. They care about these things.

Ah . . . actually . . . they don’t, at least not yet.

I need to SHOW readers the backstory, not TELL them (Heaven forbid I should tell them . . . SHOW don’t TELL).

Ah . . . actually . . . don’t do that, either.

What readers care about up front is THE FORWARD STORY not the backstory. They want to know what the story is about, and they want to be hooked, early.

Get to the forward story fast and weave the backstory in as you go.

To study how one successful author handled backstory, I suggest you read (or reread) the first chapter of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I counted forty instances of backstory in the first chapter, which seemed like a lot, but Collins integrated it into the forward story so well that millions of readers (repeat-millions of readers) gobbled it up and went on to read the entire series.

Let’s take a quick look at how Collins wove backstory into the first few pages:

Katniss wakes up alone at home. Her little sister sleeps nestled against her mother in the next bed.

Backstory: Her mother was once beautiful but now looks worn and beaten down most of the time.

Backstory: Her sister, Prim, is so sweet she once gave the name Buttercup to an ugly, diseased kitten.

Backstory: Katniss is a hard-ass. She nearly drowned the same kitten because they couldn’t afford to feed it.

Katniss dresses in hunting clothes and leaves the house while the others sleep.

Backstory: She lives in District 12, where the industry is coal mining. The miners are poor, hunched over, with dirty fingernails.

Backstory: Nobody works today because of something called the Reaping.

Katniss walks through the poor section of town to the fence that surrounds District 12.

Backstory: The electric fence is seldom turned on because of a lack of power.

Backstory: Wild animals roam free outside the fence: cougars, bears, venomous snakes, etc.

Katniss sneaks under the fence.

Backstory: Katniss’ father died in a mining explosion five years earlier. She still mourns him.

Backstory: Katniss has supported her family for years by hunting game outside the fence.

Backstory: Her father taught her to hunt with bow and arrow.

And so on.

Notice that Collins feeds morsels of backstory to her readers between solid courses of live forward action. She continues this pattern for the entire chapter, until Katniss and Prim attend the Reaping, where Prim is randomly chosen to fight to the death in the hunger games.

At that point Collins has thoroughly hooked the reader and given essential backstory—all in eighteen pages.

How do you write a first chapter as compelling as that of The Hunger Games? I can’t help you there; much depends on the strength of your story world and characters and plot.

But I can give you some guidelines on how to handle backstory:

1. Weave backstory into the POV character’s thoughts naturally.

Collins introduces nearly all of the backstory through Katniss’ thoughts.

Katniss and her hunting partner, Gale, have a conversation. There is no romance between them, or at least that’s how Katniss sees it.
Katniss next thinks about how Gale could easily find a girlfriend because he’s so handsome.
Then she thinks about how his physical traits, and hers, are similar to those of all the miners in District 12.
Then she thinks about how her mother and Prim don’t look like the miners, because her mother comes from the merchant class.
From there she thinks about how her mother (a merchant) married her father (a miner).
And then it’s time for more forward action.

2. When in Doubt, Leave it Out

In early drafts of my second novel I included a boxing match in the prologue. I loved that scene. It ran two thousand words. But the boxing match wasn’t essential to the forward story, so I cut it out and put it in my Little Darlings drawer. It’s still there.

In the final draft, I conveyed the essential information (the hero knows how to box, he won the match, he loves his girlfriend) in a few short sentences of the first scene.

Our natural tendency is to supply too much backstory. The next time you write a first draft, consciously try to err on the side of too little backstory. Readers don’t need to know everything. In fact, they like intrigue, and writers create intrigue by withholding information.

3. Never share now what you can share later.

By chapter five of The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins is well into the forward story and rarely shares backstory, but in chapter four she includes a long flashback sequence that explains how Katniss learned to forage food. That information, while essential to the overall story, was not required to hook the reader, so Collins waited and the result was a shorter and faster first chapter.

4. Tell don’t Show

If depth is not essential to the forward story feel free to tell the backstory in as few words as possible.

Katniss loved her father. She still has nightmares about the explosion that killed him. Suzanne Collins could have devoted an entire chapter to a flashback scene of Katniss with her father to show the reader their relationship. Instead, Collins told the reader the essentials in four short sentences, a total of forty words.

No reader cried over those four sentences. But that’s okay, because the relationship was not important for the forward story.

Back to my first novel and my editor’s suggestion to delete the first five chapters: In the end, I compromised by cutting two chapters and shortening the other three. But if I knew backstory then as I know it now, I’d take another crack at deleting the first five chapters.

Best of luck with weaving backstory, and I hope you write often, write well, and earn faithful readers.

Patrick Kelly holds a BA in software engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA in finance from Carnegie Mellon University.

He served as Chief Financial Officer for six different companies before beginning his career as an author of the Joe Robbins Financial Thriller series. For more information on Patrick Kelly or his latest novel, Hill Country Siren, please visit patrickkellystories.com

 

 

Thriller author Patrick Kelly gives 4 tips for better backstory:
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The post Weaving Backstory into Mysteries appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Managing Crowds of Characters

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I always like studying reader reviews of my recent releases to see what readers are saying about my books.

Okay…correction. :)  I always study my reader reviews, I don’t always like this process.  But reading reviews is vital for me.  I’m writing for my readers and they provide an amazing data center full of compliments and complaints. If enough readers are unhappy about some aspect of a story, I will change my approach moving forward. As I explained in my post last week–this is my day-job and my career. I aim to please.

Occasionally, I’ll read something in a review that’s baffling to me and makes me analyze my manuscript again.  I discovered one of those types of reviews last week.

The reader (a regular of mine, apparently), mentioned that the book in question had ‘too many characters.’

I found this puzzling because the book had exactly the same number of characters as the rest of my books.  All of my books have the same number (and there are plenty).  I have 10 recurring characters (including my sleuth and sidekick) and then 5 suspects and 2 victims.  This particular book didn’t deviate from that pattern–I’m not a writer that enjoys much deviation.

But looking back over how I handled the introduction to the five suspects and two victims, I saw the difference.  The new characters were in a group and I introduced them at once  near the beginning of the book.

My usual pattern (again, I’m fond of a pattern) is to open the story with my recurring characters and reintroduce readers to my story world.  (In fact, I use a mirroring effect where I both open and close the books with the recurring characters in a similar place and situation.)  I then gradually introduce the suspects.

Sometimes I do introduce them all in a group (a book club meeting, a party), but I’m careful to use various ‘reminder’ tags or dialogue clues to help readers keep them straight.

There are tricks I always use to help keep characters distinguishable from the others: quirks, speech differences, physical appearance, and names that are very different from the others (especially important are names that start with different letters).

But my tricks this time didn’t seem to work that well, at least for this particular regular reader.  As well,  I didn’t use as many of my reminder tags/dialogue clues.

Going forward, I’m thinking I’ll either start with a group of characters or introduce them near the beginning of the book.  I won’t do both again.  And I’ll make sure to increase the tags if I use either approach.

For further reading, there’s a nice Black Gate post by author M. Harold Page (note his third point on character tagging) and a helpful post from writer Zoe M. McCarthy.

How do you manage a larger cast of characters?

Photo credit: Duda Arraes via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND

The post Managing Crowds of Characters appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 35,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

On (Not) Closing the Skill Gap:  http://ow.ly/xYdb304Uzxx @Ava_Jae

Be a Gutsy Blogger to Find Your Niche & Voice:  http://ow.ly/vxxa304WTUT @CaballoFrances  @cksyme

Suspects from foreign lands as an element in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/lMYo305bbNF @mkinberg

Using Real-World Places to Inspire Fictional Settings:  http://ow.ly/g7y8304WTvA @SophieMasson1               

5 Rules of Flashback:  http://ow.ly/AV7W304WZI9 @Book_Arch

7 Tips For Researching Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/JL1e304X1f1 @ClaireABradshaw

7  Tips for Writing a Humor-Filled Novel:  http://ow.ly/8KYp304X18R @FishWielder  @WritersDigest

Straying from the Party Line: Anna’s 2 Longstanding Problems in Frozen: http://ow.ly/PZZY304X0sz @CockeyedCaravan

Introducing Horror to Your Little Monsters:  http://ow.ly/WDt5304X0GZ by Thomas Joyce @ThisIsHorror

How to Stay Organized During a Revision:  http://ow.ly/bSoB304WTot @Janice_Hardy  @AngelaAckerman

6 Ways SF/F Characters Avoid Traditional School:  http://ow.ly/CS2E304WZYN @cloudy_vision  @use_theforce_em  @mollytempleton  @nataliezutter

How to Generate an Idea: Tweak Right and Left Simultaneously:  http://ow.ly/cOJs304X0n4 @CockeyedCaravan

10 Things Every Writer Should Know About Amazon Publishing:  http://ow.ly/E62530500tW @CEMcKenzie1  @WritersDigest

The Business of Writing: Pen Names:  http://ow.ly/sLkL30500gv  @KathrynGoldman

‘All in the Curation’: Scaling up Book Club Recommendations: http://ow.ly/3VHz305bcyC @Porter_Anderson with @EllysChoice Nathan Hull

Character Archetypes From A to Z:  http://ow.ly/RbF830501ge @HunterEmkay

Tips for Making Yourself More Promote-able:  http://ow.ly/rr4V30500iC @laurakayeauthor

When Writers Do It Wrong: The Top 10 Ways To Annoy Your Twitter Followers:  http://ow.ly/CFSI30500wR @AnnieNeugebauer

Speaking in Code: Ebook HTML basics:  http://ow.ly/WZiJ30500mj @dkudler

Becoming Stronger Writers: Resources:  http://ow.ly/GZGF30500r8 @AngelaAckerman

Publishing: Germany’s Jens Klingelhöfer: ‘A Great Battle for Customers’ http://ow.ly/pn5T305b9m4 @Porter_Anderson

7 Essential Ways for Authors to Be Newsworthy:  http://ow.ly/D73G304UA32 @BuildYourBrandA

Hurricanes in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/wkql305bbBv @mkinberg

Author Earnings Cites ‘Sudden’ Downturn in Indie Ebook Share:  http://ow.ly/y3Mh305b9uM @Porter_Anderson @authorearnings

Publishing-related podcasts:  http://ow.ly/7fai305b99V @MarkPiesing  @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Celebrating African American History and Culture:  http://ow.ly/1CDH305aSLK @SILibraries @Eclemrush

Tips for making a living as a writer:  http://ow.ly/9Ju4305bnEB

The World Map of Nobel Prize in Literature:  http://ow.ly/gJiV305bgjl @My_poetic_side

Pace and story structure: a blueprint for keeping the reader gripped:  http://ow.ly/D73c305aSvG @Roz_Morris

Passing Time Is The Secret To Improving Your Story:  http://ow.ly/Ob44304UzlC @standoutbooks

How to Rock an Author Festival with a Self-Published Book: http://ow.ly/HX6h304UzZz  @worderella

12 Questions To Help You Create Memorable Characters:  http://ow.ly/TzXl304Uztx by Jack London @WritetoDone

What To Do With Characters Who Don’t Yet Have A Story:  http://ow.ly/g9VK304UzPs by Katymarie Frost @GoTeenWriters

5 essentials for exercising an imagination:  http://ow.ly/KXZH304Uzzl @reallucyflint

How 1 Writer Edited 1200 Pages in 12 Weeks:  http://ow.ly/r7gC304UzDp by Fae Rowen

Participating in NaNoWriMo? Start Planning Now:  http://ow.ly/C3mR304Uzgj @besscozby  @DIYMFA

6 Writing Tips from Jonathan Franzen:  http://ow.ly/fumq304UznX @monicamclark

One Author’s KDP Select Report:  http://ow.ly/3fvK304Uzj6 @johnhartness

5 Reasons Your Revision Isn’t Working:  http://ow.ly/TS2n304UzL1 @Janice_Hardy

Simple Steps for Building an Email List:  http://ow.ly/ULPg304UA5i @booklybooks

How to get in the mood to write daily: 9 tips: http://ow.ly/Q1h6304UzWE @nownovel

Hidden Choices: Time Management For Writers:  http://ow.ly/lz6O304SPQT @TheBookDirector

Creating a Site Map for Your Website:  http://ow.ly/ugsS304SIDO @JMNeyGrimm

5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid:  http://ow.ly/pIzm304SHyC @writing_tips

Copyright Infringement: Those Cute Kitten Pix May Cost You:  http://ow.ly/lsOR304SIgg @HelenSedwick  @BookWorksNYC

Revising for Pace:  http://ow.ly/YTQJ304SH6b @Lindasclare

Mastering the Art of the Scene:  http://ow.ly/Cqsu304SGvm @jennienash

Build A Visual Strategy for Your Author Brand:  http://ow.ly/Fqyb304SI8i @KimberleyGrabas

How to Become a Novelist in 10 Easy Steps:  http://ow.ly/56bD304SHmH by Nell Zink @lithub

A Guide to Choosing the Right Price for Your Book : http://ow.ly/go3j304SI2e from Fix My Story

Beware of Self-Publishing Predators:  http://ow.ly/IgcP304SHVg @mybookshepherd

Use Mini-Goals to Achieve Big Writing Goals:  http://ow.ly/OSae304SHc2 @SukhiJutla

Nailing That 10-Scene Foundation for Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/Xvpv304SGXd @CSLakin

How Publishers Can Cure “Ugly Sample Syndrome”:  http://ow.ly/YLeT304PYoT @robeagar

Is This Character Introduction Scene Working?  http://ow.ly/abUI304PYOE @Janice_Hardy

‘How My Grandfather Went From the Pulitzer Prize to Complete Obscurity’:  http://ow.ly/APqu304PXOF @tomshroder  @lithub

What Authors Need To Know About the Publishing Industry Today:  http://ow.ly/WPUq304PYEI @jamesscottbell

Getting Ready to Launch a Book? Start with These 5 Questions:  http://ow.ly/1CWZ304PYAG @Andrea_Dunlop  @JaneFriedman

On Writing Racist Characters:  http://ow.ly/BeeP304PZ1n from Writing With Color

Perks and Pitfalls of Twitter Pitches:  http://ow.ly/mEGR304PYkM @jeribaird11

The 5 Pillars Of Rapid Email List Growth:  http://ow.ly/x3uR304PYdW @adamjayc

How to Leverage the Power of Someone Else’s Platform:  http://ow.ly/32PA304PYa4 @kikimojo

Query FAQs: http://ow.ly/8TZc304PYJN @DGLM

6 Ways To Publish A Book:  http://ow.ly/OHPT304PYW8 @JaneFriedman  @Writers_Write

To Leave Your Mother Tongue is to Love It More:  http://ow.ly/JzTw304PY61 by Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough @lithub

Finish That Novel by Fixing Fatal Flaws:  http://ow.ly/aykd3053YK9 @Janice_Hardy @annerallen

Until You Know How To Market Your Books, Don’t Pay For Book Marketing:  http://ow.ly/iFnC3053WOB @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI

The Ideal Novelist’s Degree:  http://ow.ly/Tw2g3051mfg @p2p_editor

The UK book industry today: 3 important points:  http://ow.ly/Z1iA3053Wso @pubperspectives @Porter_Anderson @rebecsmart

10 Short Stories for the International Day of the Girl:  http://ow.ly/QIZD3053Wce @KaitGetsLit @lithub

Create Your Writing Career Business Plan:  http://ow.ly/4EyY304LxJ0 @JanalynVoigt

It’s All in the Verbs:  http://ow.ly/MNOF304LyjA @JodieRennerEd

Stuck on Plot? Start at the End:  http://ow.ly/1373304Lxwf @Janice_Hardy   @JamiGold

The Introvert’s Guide to Writers’ Conferences:  http://ow.ly/SKkt304Ly9P @laurabenedict

Series Beginnings:  http://ow.ly/QiqM304Lyfv @Kid_Lit

Use Internal Conflict to Create Plot:  http://ow.ly/o0j5304Lxyn @Janice_Hardy

How to Write an Irresistible Love Triangle:  http://ow.ly/9o1S304LxV4 by Whitney Carter

“I Wrote a 150,000-Word Pulp Novel in a Month to Win a Bet”: http://ow.ly/FXtu304LxX2  @StanleyDonwood

Learn to write better with 4 free completed writing craft series: http://ow.ly/LzLa304LxMK @JanalynVoigt

How to Write a Story Without an Outline:  http://ow.ly/MB8s304LxTC  @vrcraftauthor

First Drafts: Plotter? Pantser? Somewhere In Between? http://ow.ly/20yR304LyhD @RuthHarrisBooks

Manuscript Editing: How to Cut Words:  http://ow.ly/Kve3304Lxu6 @Janice_Hardy  @nownovel

Are you a Dabbler? Why it’s Not a Dirty Word:  http://ow.ly/rBLh304G4pr @CreativeKatrina

7 Ways To Tell If You Have Too Much Plot In Your Story:  http://ow.ly/dFbB304G5a6 @Writers_Write

Loyalty as an element in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/imGz3051mmE @mkinberg

Picture Books and Translation: Do Consumers Balk at ‘Foreign’ Books?  http://ow.ly/pCzr3051hUf  @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives

Free publishing courses, delivered to your inbox each morning:  http://ow.ly/Qvt23051HId @ReedsyHQ

Publishing is All Business…or is It?  @NinaAmir With the Creative Aspects of the Writing Business: http://ow.ly/3esL3051bLB

The 7 habits of highly effective writers:  http://ow.ly/uLeM304G8jl @pubcoach

Goal-Setting Strategies for Writers: http://ow.ly/eNRa304G4t2  @annkroeker

5 Key Questions with Award Winning Author @KMWeiland :  http://ow.ly/Kw183051hJc @TheIWSG

Tips for Author Events:  http://ow.ly/VIox3051iq3 @authorterryo

8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends):  http://ow.ly/a3Ig304G55v @KMWeiland @aliventures

6 Podcast Episodes That Will Make You a Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/vwIV304G4aA @GiveMeYourTeeth

Writing Tips: Carry a Notebook:  http://ow.ly/FD9O304G8m1 @WritingForward

Why Your Standing Desk Isn’t Doing You Any Good:  http://ow.ly/mBEr304G4Fx @colleen_m_story

Writing To Find The Hero In Ourselves:  http://ow.ly/u7de304G4QU  @cpbhaven

How to Start a Novel in Third Person: 7 Tips:  http://ow.ly/a26Z304G4cx @nownovel

Free email courses for writers from industry experts and @ReedsyHQ : http://ow.ly/68QF304Orzc

5 Types of Parallel-Structure Errors:  http://ow.ly/LfJ7304G4z8 @writing_tips

Getting started again with your book:  http://ow.ly/6O2j304G5eS by Marcia Peterson @womenonwriting

Mood Writing Worksheet:  http://ow.ly/N2Or304DLIP @EvaDeverell

25 Online Destinations to Spark Your Writing Inspiration:  http://ow.ly/B8mD304DLku @IndieReader

7 Common Mistakes To Avoid In Your First Chapter: http://ow.ly/eP9Z304DKKu @ClaireABradshaw

10 Ways to Fry Your System:  http://ow.ly/7ff7304DKbI @wendypmiller

Why You Should Give an Indie Press a Chance:  http://ow.ly/DThK304DM30 @MissConstance21  @DIYMFA

Evaluating An Offer: 12 Questions to Ask an Agent:  http://ow.ly/9kY2304DK2O @standoutbooks

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Making a Living Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I used to feel like the sole, income-focused writer in any group I was in.  I was  the one on any panel hesitantly bringing up ways that writers could make money with their writing.

I’ve noticed now that there are more writers like me out there and I’m more relaxed about being a commercial fiction writer.

I’ve been asked by parents, college students, and high school students about what degree is needed for becoming a writer.

But that’s one of the wonderful things about being a writer. You don’t have to have a degree in anything.  I was an English major, but that’s as far as I went with it.  When asked for my advice, I ask what type of writing they’re wanting to do and what their end-goal/their child’s end-goal is.  If the goal is “a career in writing,” then I’ll go as far as to suggest that they don’t go the MFA (Master in Fine Arts) route. They should instead read as much and as widely as they can and start writing.

One common complaint about MFA programs is that writers aren’t trained in the business of writing or on writing for a market (as explained by writer Yi Shun Lai in “We Need to Talk About Money: Practicality’s Place in a Writing Education“.)

Writers at the start of their careers should ask themselves: am I writing to please myself or am I writing to appeal to a broader market?My kids are older and if I didn’t make a living at this, I’d be getting a day-job.  Writing  is my full-time job.  I’m not making a ton, but I’m making more than if I taught school and more than I’d make at any other job; I’ve been out of the traditional workforce since my first child was born in 1997.

I do have 22 books on the market.  This obviously helps.

Tips for making a (modest)  living writing

It’s better, in the current environment, to self-pub instead of trad-pub (most of the time).  I experienced first-hand  cutbacks that publishers are employing to save costs.  When I started out, 3-book deals were the norm at Penguin.  That unfortunately changed.  The merger between Penguin and Random House meant a layoff for my editor. Now there are many stories about how difficult it is getting to break into the industry and the market. It’s obviously still possible to do so…but at what cost?  I made and make a good deal more from my self-published books than my traditionally published books.

Write for the market–modified. I got lucky in this sense because cozy mysteries became popular with the public around the time that I became interested in writing them.  I love cozy mysteries and I love the books that I write.  What’s selling well in a genre that you enjoy reading?  I can’t recommend that you write in a genre you’re not very familiar with or that you wouldn’t enjoy writing. There are standards/norms/tropes in genres that readers expect and are looking for.  They provide a blueprint for your book and for a better chance at success.  Writers should read as much as possible in their chosen genre and absorb as much as they can to learn about pacing, character development, action, dialogue,  and story arc.

Write series.  Series are currently more popular with readers.  I’m wondering if it’s because readers, once they’ve spent the time investing in the story world and characters, want to read more in that same story world.  Lucky for us–because series are easier and quicker to write for the same reasons: the story world is established, as well as the story’s recurring characters (descriptions, traits).  Most of the work is already done.

Write more than one book a year, if possible. Work smarter, not harder when it comes to the writing process.  If you’re not an outliner, see if you can at least come up with one sentence at the end of your writing day to give you a plan for the next morning.  What, basically, do you want to accomplish in the next session?  One sentence can give you much-needed focus the following day and help you write faster.

Again, work smarter, not harder when it comes to marketing.  Instead of knocking yourself out with marketing, focus instead on increasing visibility through tweaks of keywords and other metadata. Include links to your other books in your back matter.  Have a newsletter signup link in your email tagline, your website sidebar, and in the backs of your books (MailChimp is free for up to 2,000 subscribers). Whenever you have a new release, send out a newsletter to inform your readers.

Make sure your books are available to people in a variety of formats including online retailers,  audio, and print (CreateSpace and Ingram (for international audiences and bookstores).

Consider other ways to generate income from your writing.  Create a Patreon page for tips from readers (read this excellent article from author John G. Hartness).  Consider public speaking and publish a page on your website indicating that you do speak to groups (for a fee).  Author Joanna Penn outlines other ideas for multiple income streams in her post “Write Books You Love. Think Global. Consider Multiple Streams of Income.”

This approach isn’t for every writer and shouldn’t be for every writer.  Some writers write purely for the love of writing and write to please themselves and those closest to them. Some write only for the love of producing art.  Sometimes those writers still have an amazing career that supports them financially.

What other tips would you include here for writers interested in writing for a living?

Tips for making a living as a writer:
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