Riley Adams's Blog, page 98
October 27, 2016
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?
Tips for balancing parenting and writing:
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The post Parenting and Writing appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
October 23, 2016
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.
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.
October 22, 2016
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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October 20, 2016
Weaving Backstory into Mysteries
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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October 16, 2016
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
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October 15, 2016
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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October 13, 2016
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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October 9, 2016
Publishing is All Business…or is It?
Publishing is all business. You have to deal with business plans or proposals, contracts, negotiations, promotion, platform, a publishing company—someone else’s or your own, marketability, taxes, and, of course, sales and royalties.
But it’s not all business.
Take, for instance, the act of writing, which is creative by nature. Writing involves ideation, character or content development, plot, structure, and imagination. It also requires problem solving abilities, which rely on creativity.
Publishing requires a unique blend of business and creativity.
Business Takeover
For many years, I’ve stressed the cold, hard business side of becoming an author. After all, tackling these tasks are necessary if you want to produce books that sell.
However, it’s easy to end up felling as if the business side of publishing has taken over your writing life. Believe me, I understand! You end up not writing. Instead, you spend your days on social networks, sending emails, fussing with your website, blogging, and finding ways to promote and build platform.
It’s frustrating, right?
As I wrote and spoke about the business side of a writer’s life, I never forgot the warm, soft (even fuzzy) side or becoming an author. After all, like you, that’s what I want to do—write. And the creative side drives the business side of publishing. Without book ideas and manuscripts, publishers—traditional or indie—have nothing to publish.
We writers are creatives, but sometimes we struggle to put words on paper. Or we just can’t come up with a new idea or the right idea. Can you relate?
Access and Enhance Your Creativity
Since writing provides the foundation for authorship and publishing, let’s take a closer look at creativity. If you can’t access your creativity at will, it’s hard to write. When you sit down to write—and have the time to write, it’s imperative to get the ideas and words out of your head and onto paper.
Many writers find themselves just staring at the cursor on the blank screen, though. They wait for the light bulb to turn on.
If that’s you, the following seven exercises have been proven to help access creativity.
Write at Less-than-Prime Time: If you are a morning person, write at night. If you are a night person, write in the morning.
Write Sleepy: Try writing when you are drowsy or tired. If that exercise only produces gibberish, then use your sleepy time to brainstorm or solve problems. Your mind accesses creativity differently when you are tired, which is why ideas pop into your mind when you put your head on the pillow at night
Write Horizontal: Instead of sitting at your desk to write, take your laptop and recline or lie down. Then try writing. (Don’t do this when tired…)
Write Vertical: Standing up is good for you, plus, it can bring energy and creativity to your writing.
Get Out of the Box: People who sit outside a box rather than inside access their creativity more effectively. If you don’t usually sit in a box (brown or cubicle), sit somewhere different. Go to a coffee shop, on your porch, or to another room. Sit on the floor with your back against the door to your office.
Find Your Song: Music helps stir the creative juices—if it is the right music. Some people like upbeat music, other like something softer. However, Mozart has been proven to tap into your creative abilities as well as your ability to focus. Find a melody that helps you write.
Lose Your Mind: Do something mindless. When you aren’t focused on your problem or task, new ideas bubble forth. That’s why you get ideas in the shower.
Develop Clarity and Focus
Many aspiring and published authors struggle to write because they lack clarity and focus. First, they aren’t clear about their goals, where their story is going or even what successful authorship would look like—or entail. Sound like you?
Second, they struggle to focus. They have the Shiny-Object Syndrome (SOS) or unsupportive habits that allow their attention to wander. Know what I mean?
To help you develop clarity and focus, try these strategies:
Create a vision—of success, your book or your career. The vision provides clarity on what you want to create. Write or draw your vision. Or create a vision board, a collage of pictures that provide a visual representation of your book, career, or writing routine. Read your vision or look at your vision board daily.
Develop goals—for yourself, your book, and your career. Goals are intentions backed up with deadlines, the means to measure progress, and action items. They keep you accountable. If you don’t have clearly written out goals, develop them now!
Manage your attention—during writing periods. In our distraction overloaded world, you must manage your attention in the time you have to write. If you are easily distracted, you won’t be productive even if you have great ideas.
Make writing your religion—approach the task ritually. If you are religious about writing, you do it without fail. Create rituals to that you perform consistently before writing. This creates a vortex of creativity you can access at each writing session. Performing the ritual will help you tap into your creative flow.
Business is Creative, Too
Keep this in mind: Business is creative. Let me explain.
Many indie authors and traditionally published wannabes balk at the idea of business planning. A business plan for a book, called a proposal if you go the traditional publishing route, helps you develop an idea that possesses a higher likelihood of selling. It’s a marketable idea.
Go through the business-planning process prior to writing a fiction or nonfiction book.
What? Plan first and write later?
Yes.
If you, like many writers—especially novelists, prefer to start writing immediately upon getting an idea…don’t. (Okay. Jot down some notes or a paragraph or two so you don’t forget the idea, but then stop!) You may think you have a good idea, but it might not be one that sells once published.
Do the work entailed to produce a business plan—in particular, conduct a market and competitive analysis. This ensures your idea is marketable and you don’t waste time and energy on a manuscript that won’t sell—to readers or a publisher.
As you do this, put your creativity to use.
If you know your market—your ideal reader— and you know what other similar books have been published, you can hone your idea. Ideate. Problem solve. Revise your idea until the light bulb becomes a beacon—to readers and publishers. Develop a better idea—the best idea possible, one that targets the need and interests of your readers and is unique and necessary in the bookstore category where it will be sold.
Developing a book promotion plan, another business-related task, takes creativity, too. It may seem like drudgery, as can platform building, but you can find new, interesting and creative ways to let people know about your work.
For instance, you can create:
Visual images
Quote cards
Videos
Photos
Contests
Courses
These creative outlets solve the problem of “How do I promote myself or my book?” And they utilize your creativity, which makes them more fun.
Creativity: The Foundation of Business
Whether you spend your day on writing-related or business-related tasks, creativity helps you get the work done. Creativity is inherent in the writing process as well as in the business aspects of publishing.
When it’s all said and done, creativity is the foundation of business. Specifically, the publishing business is based on the creativity of writers like you. A book starts with a unique idea and then is turned into a book.
Do you find the both parts of the publishing process—writing and business—creative?
About the Author
Nina Amir is an Amazon bestselling author of such books as How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual and the recently released Creative Visualization for Writers (October 2016). She is known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach because she helps writers, bloggers and other creative people combine their passion and purpose so they move from idea to inspired action and Achieve More Inspired Results. This helps them positively and meaningfully impact the world—with their words or other creations.
Nina is a hybrid author who has self-published 17 books and had as many as nine books on Amazon Top 100 lists and six on the same bestseller list (Authorship) at the same time.
As an Author Coach, Nina supports writers on the journey to successful authorship. Some of her clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She is the creator of a proprietary Author Training curriculum for writers and other coaches.
She is an international speaker and award-winning journalist and blogger as well as the founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month www.writenonfictioninnovember.com and the Nonfiction Writers’ University www.nonfictionwritersuniversity.com.
Nina also is one of 300 elite Certified High Performance Coaches working around the world.
For more information, visit www.ninaamir.com or check out her books at www.booksbyninaamir.com.
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October 8, 2016
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 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
5 years, 6 books, 7 lessons: http://ow.ly/bYp1304BXN8 @lisajanicecohen @WriterUnboxed
10 Tips for Writing Through Family Stress: http://ow.ly/929h304BZIw @bclaypolewhite
Limited vs. Omniscient Third Person POV: http://ow.ly/zTsg304BZwy @p2p_editor
Deconstruct Your Favorite Book: http://ow.ly/fb4h304CczC @JohnnyBTruant
Adapt to Change and Become More Productive: http://ow.ly/y9aX304DKEA @jmunroemartin
5 Writing Apps to Help You Revise Your Manuscript: http://ow.ly/6qAj304DM6U @WhynottEdit @DIYMFA
Mary Shelley’s Shadow: 12 Macabre Quotes From Female Authors: http://ow.ly/5AnV304DLtY @TomBlunt @SignatureReads
Discovering Your Novel’s Hook: http://ow.ly/RNqa304DKAQ @Janice_Hardy
How Long Should Your Series Be? http://ow.ly/tzAp304DLLf @Rachel_Aaron
How to Write Your Fastest Story Ever: http://ow.ly/77nF304DLBZ @EvaDeverell
United Arab Emirates: Toward a ‘National Culture of Reading’: http://ow.ly/yJ3M304UPSG @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives”
Helpful services and platforms for the indie writer: http://ow.ly/pWVH304CcMz @KristineRusch
Facebook and Author Marketing: http://ow.ly/uQhr304CcIm @timgrahl
The Unacknowledged Obstacle of Literary Sleepiness: http://ow.ly/bHlZ304BYbl @jrc2666
3 Ways to Write a Cast of Supporting Characters Without Confusing the Reader: http://ow.ly/wxXb304CemT @mharoldpage
How to Promote Your Latest Work With a Blog: http://ow.ly/hZNo304BZk7 by Matt Banner @mythicscribes
How Many Hours to Write a Novel? http://ow.ly/DhfV304CdRp @jenniferlellis
The More Books You Write, the Harder it Gets (The Secret to Mastery): http://ow.ly/dNq8304CcE8 @GoinsWriter
Twitter Fishing for Agents: http://ow.ly/Dc6t304CeyW @RobinRWrites
Writing the Crime Scene: Guns: http://ow.ly/b03R304CXDQ @repokempt
Editing for the first time? 5 Thoughts To Help You Make Sense Of It: http://ow.ly/KXkr304CfG8 @StephMorrill @GoTeenWriters
3 Enemies of Productivity for Writers: http://ow.ly/bDwo304Yvo8 @lornafaith
7 Tactics To Grip A Reader At The End Of A Chapter: http://ow.ly/faow304Cfvu @sacha_black
10 Steps to Nail Your Story: http://ow.ly/EtLR304CfoC @diannmills
40 Types Of Content That Will Make Blogging Easier: http://ow.ly/AJbs304CeZd @Writers_Write
The Princess Bride: A Frame Narrative Worth Studying: http://ow.ly/7dzT304CeE7 @RobinRWrites
Against Borrowing Books: http://ow.ly/MWcw304BYyH @jrc2666
Depicting Sexual Predators As Villains In Fiction Is Tricky: http://ow.ly/xuBa304z0cs @LynnPNeary @NPR
Tips for Surviving a Manuscript Read-Through: http://ow.ly/JXWH304yGDe @writeabook
Are new writers too ambitious with their stories? Insights from ‘The Bestseller Code’: http://ow.ly/aOlE304Xd93
10 Things Authors Need to Stop Doing on Social Media: http://ow.ly/m8At304Ghty @Dana_Kaye
Publisher Beata Stasińska on 3 areas of concern for the Polish book market: http://ow.ly/cuPH304UOJy @Porter_Anderson
On Traditional Publishing If You Don’t Live in the US: http://ow.ly/7GOw304yKI3 @Ava_Jae
10 Dickensian Character Names Deciphered: http://ow.ly/v48c304yZ5K by Bryan Kozlowski @lithub
Permission to Begin. Courage to Continue. Forgiveness to Try Again. http://ow.ly/XlhH304yGNC @DanBlank @WriterUnboxed
Australia’s Jefferis Award Shortlist, Hachette’s Scored Audiobooks from @Booktrack http://ow.ly/jxst304UOkx @Porter_Anderson
3 Reading Tips for Writers: http://ow.ly/p35X304yGcp @RMFWriters @LiesaMalik
How to Create a Newsletter: http://ow.ly/Bfjt304yNYY @ChrysFey
How to Negotiate: The Tip No One Tells Writers: http://ow.ly/WPPV304yKMJ @jkwak
Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow: http://ow.ly/afxt304yNT9 @AngelaAckerman
Crisp Up Your Writing: Revision Tools for Wordsmithing: http://ow.ly/KoEj304yGwZ @writeabook
Indie Authors, Libraries and Discoverability: http://ow.ly/n4Qr304V1Qp @Victoria_Noe @IndieAuthorDay
Indie Author Day is Oct. 8: http://ow.ly/S9aA304V2Yn (Join me at the Statesville Library branch) @IredellLibrary @IndieAuthorDay #AuthorDay16
What 1 Writer Learned on a Debut Book Tour From the Books He Read Along the Way: http://ow.ly/Gxk4304yKyW @alexlockwood @The_Millions
Essential Industry Newsletter for Authors: @HotSheetPub http://ow.ly/UWhR304UQck 30-day free trial: @Porter_Anderson @JaneFriedman
How many indie books were published in 2015 with ISBNs? @Bowker Cites at Least 625,327: http://ow.ly/5z8Z304UO57 @Porter_Anderson
Editing for Musicality by Olivia Farnsworth: http://ow.ly/LFuc304yL2m @GoTeenWriters
Creative and simple ways to grow your list: http://ow.ly/LDmT304yXRA @MailerLite
A perfect storm: Margaret Atwood on rewriting Shakespeare’s Tempest: http://ow.ly/RCxB304yYHi @MargaretAtwood @GuardianBooks
Using Dialogue to Build Conflict: http://ow.ly/uyTC304yGsY @Eileenwriter @WomenWriters
How to Use Inner Dialogue: http://ow.ly/lMHm304yLjp @ProWritingAid
7 Sick Literary Hook-ups: http://ow.ly/BIdr304yLrb @jsbreukelaar @LitReactor
50 Romance Plot Ideas: http://ow.ly/DqH8304wPVB @BrynDonovan
In Defense of Slow, Thoughtful Writing: http://ow.ly/oqKt304wQ2b @SRaffelock
What Firefly teaches about series writing: http://ow.ly/WcHi304Som0 @rxena77
Great Books Result from Characters’ Bad Decisions: http://ow.ly/lSh2304wPMe @TobiasCarroll
Novel structure: from word to sentence to beat to scene to act: http://ow.ly/HfoF304wQ6K @kseniaanske
How to Write a Short Story with Clarity and Economy: http://ow.ly/V1ng304wPBy by Patrick Ryan @SignatureReads
Writing with Personality for Introverts: http://ow.ly/H5Nf304wQ55 @AnitaFreshFaith
5 Reasons Your Plot Stalled: http://ow.ly/T6Ph304wQ83 @Janice_Hardy
20 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Target Audience: http://ow.ly/9eAM304uWWv @AuthorAshleeM
Backstory: When Is It Necessary? http://ow.ly/atKF304uYm6 @JamiGold
Finessing Backstory: http://ow.ly/B9ys304uYr2 @MargieLawson
Amazon Book Reviews What’s “Allowed” and “Not Allowed”: http://ow.ly/jLnD304uYGO @selfpubreview
How to Write a Science Fiction Novel Series: 6 Tips: http://ow.ly/kkQF304uWIC @svartjagr
Tackling Amazon’s Top Reviewer List: http://ow.ly/aF1D304uYMf @WtTrainWOInjury
The Inciting Incident Plunges Your Character Into His Journey: http://ow.ly/uD97304uY4H @ZoeMMcCarthy
Repetition in writing: http://ow.ly/ixtz304N3qv @p2p_editor
A Storyteller’s Swiss Army Knife? The Setting: http://ow.ly/uetA304uYhm @AngelaAckerman
16 Things Writers Should Know About Quoting From Letters: http://ow.ly/sn09304uWdV @RightsofWriters
Marketing a Book: 7 Essential Rules to Build the Buzz Online: http://ow.ly/TRId304uV8v @CathyPresland
Does FB Sell Books? Do Writers Need a Facebook Fan Page? http://ow.ly/RxFD304uqtu @KristenLambTX
5 Practical Tips for World Building: http://ow.ly/nYUT304uYa7 @AlexBledsoe
Revealing the Interiority of Characters: http://ow.ly/Jq4C304uXWu by John Thornton Williams @ElectricLit
Can I Be Liable for Publishing Mistaken Information? http://ow.ly/SOX0304uWAc @RightsofWriters
Strangeness, truth in nonfiction, and the space between real and unreal: http://ow.ly/VDLj304uXEo @JDaugherty1081 @ElectricLit
5 Tips for Writing Scary Stories: http://ow.ly/TxSL304uYyl @RossAuthor
10 Self-Editing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them: http://ow.ly/trs6304uUQX @CathyPresland
PEN America on Banning Books in the USA and ‘Soft Censorship’: http://ow.ly/Xu3E304N3gb @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Building suspense in a mystery when the crime or victim has been established at the start: http://ow.ly/8WJ6304N30j @mkinberg
Quick Writing Can Still Result in Quality Writing: http://ow.ly/z2P8304MZWM @rxena77
A 6 Step Guide to Creating a Book Fair: http://ow.ly/S4HI304N7qA @DemiStevens19 @TheIWSG
BISG at 40: Past and Future: http://ow.ly/hMPy304N19K @Porter_Anderson @brianoleary
What Not to Write: http://ow.ly/IpNp304shoo @wendypmiller
5 Common Plotting Mistakes to Avoid: http://ow.ly/TKpH304sh5v @Janice_Hardy
Is your writing a hobby, an art, a business, a vocation, a profession? http://ow.ly/f2e5304sgw8 @Roz_Morris
What Writers Need to Know About Library Systems: http://ow.ly/YWy2304sfv3 @WriterLibrarian
The Power of Myth in Fiction: http://ow.ly/91LU304sfk4 @sarahrcallender
How To Write a Novel (When You Think You’ve Forgotten How): http://ow.ly/jQFt304sfcD @cathryanhoward
Not Doing All the Things We Want to Do: http://ow.ly/VKwu304sf1Q @zen_habits
The History and Present of Banning Books in America: http://ow.ly/kkoX304sfO9 @ingredient_x
3 Writing Goals to Set: http://ow.ly/VJML304seRn @Magic_Violinist
On the House of Mirth and the Literature of Income Inequality: http://ow.ly/rnfd304sfHD @MsShade @lithub
Building a Closet Office in 5 Steps: http://ow.ly/JUzg304seCF @Wix
Want to Make Revisions Easier? Create an Editorial Map: http://ow.ly/JmgX304sfoU @Janice_Hardy
A Writer Looks Back at His First Novel: http://ow.ly/N3cD304nJPN @leverus @lithub
Writing Scenes for Your Story’s Goals: http://ow.ly/YRpv304nD6s @Lindasclare
Perfecting First Person POV: http://ow.ly/VMlv304nDDe @AJHumpage
How Reading Screenplays Will Improve Your Writing: http://ow.ly/naks304oTAn @ScriptReaderPro
5 Common Plotting Mistakes to Avoid: http://ow.ly/L7iP304oTJp @Janice_Hardy
19 Examples for Describing People: http://ow.ly/NItD304oSVR @WordDreams
When to let that manuscript go: http://ow.ly/7tnw304oTDL @staceyleeauthor
Find the time to write, overcome your fears and finish your book: http://ow.ly/ycS1304oT3W @SukhiJutla
10 Effective Ways to Deal With an Inner Critic: http://ow.ly/8H2E304oT9z @10MinNovelists
20 Key Scenes for Writers of Romance Novels: http://ow.ly/DxAI304oSSP @CSLakin
How To Write Short Stories That Sell: http://ow.ly/X3aU304oSOq @AlanBaxter @thecreativepenn
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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October 6, 2016
Creating Bestsellers
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Family and friends will sometimes lightly tell me they’re sure that I’m going to pen a bestseller. I respond, just as lightly, that I don’t write those types of books. I’m writing genre fiction to appeal specifically to readers of my subgenre. Any bestseller status is in the confines of that subgenre.
Bestsellers, obviously, appeal to a broader audience. I’m not sure if I’ll ever even try to write something meant to be that commercially successful. But that’s not to say I’m not interested in hearing how to get there.
I received a free copy of The Bestseller Code as a thank you from St. Martin’s publicist for promoting a contest on Twitter.
At the time, the buzz over the book hadn’t yet revved up as it has now. There have been discussions sparked (and perhaps a bit of controversy) over the algorithms the authors Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers ran to find common threads in today’s blockbusters, regardless of genre.
From the book description:
“The Bestseller Code” offers a new theory for why Fifty Shades of Grey sold so well. It sheds light on the current craze for dark heroines. It reveals which themes tend to sell best. And all with fascinating supporting data taken from a five-year study of twenty thousand novels.”
Generally, I do enjoy reading publishing-related data if it’s easy to understand. I liked the way the data was presented to readers as a narrative.
This is not a how-to book. If you’re looking for a formula to follow for commercial success? The book doesn’t lay that out for you.
That’s not to say that The Bestseller Code doesn’t have interesting insights. I tend to mark up non-fiction books with a pen. I found that most of my marking-up occurred in chapter two. One topic covered in those pages was theme.
The authors found that themes were very simple for bestsellers. Archer and Jockers used John Grisham and Danielle Steel as examples. Grisham’s theme is the legal system and Steel’s involve ‘domestic life’ or ‘time spent inside the home.’
As a side note, this was a different way for me to view theme. As an English major, I tend to think of themes as something like ‘coming of age,’ or ‘man against nature,’ or ‘lost love.’ I’m usually thinking about a lesson of sorts. The ‘legal system’ or ‘domestic life’ themes seemed more of what I think of as hooks. The authors labeled them themes or ‘signature topics.’
According to authors Archer and Jockers, “The authors are known for their signature topic and fans expect them to deliver it.” Grisham and Steel spend 1/3 of all the paragraphs of all their books on these themes and the other 2/3 to “introduce the tangential topics that make each new book seem a little different.”
This made me wonder if new authors were overthinking it and trying to accomplish too much. The authors tended to agree that they may. They spoke to an agent and a writer and stated:
“Both told us that they had, through a series of painful rejections from publishing houses, come to the theory that new writers start out too ambitious. They said such writers tend to favor telling a complex situation from all angles…writers are observers, and it is natural for them to want to share all that they have observed…”
The authors go on to state that no only does the ‘signature theme’ factor make books popular with readers, it also helps with author branding.
The book definitely gave me food for thought and a closer look at what makes a bestseller tick.
What kind of themes do your books focus on? How simple are your story motifs (and even, the plots themselves)? What do you think about data as a way to tweak our books to make them appeal more widely to readers and publishers?
And a note: if you’re in the Charlotte, NC area, join me from 12–3:30 tomorrow, Oct. 8, at the Statesville Library in Iredell County for the inaugural Indie Author Day event!
Are new writers too ambitious with their stories? Insights from 'The Bestseller Code':
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