R.J. Madigan's Blog, page 4

People keep asking – What are these new multi-touch Books?

The new generation of readers has been brought up not just with TV but smartphones, iPads, broadband internet and every kind of distraction.

When I was a kid I read my way through the 1,000 pages of the Lord of the Rings with only my imagination, one or two illustrations and Tolkien’s writing to make it real. These days people want a little more. Pharrell Williams said it best, ‘Kids today need a visual’.

A multi-touch book uses everything an iPad can do to bring the world of the Sword of Air to life. Characters spring from the page with hundreds of beautiful photographs, that go full screen at the tap of a finger.

Sound effects put you inside the action, instead of just being told about it. The cinematic soundtrack adds another layer, telling the story  and giving depth to the characters as the book progresses.

Short movies built right into the story put you inside the character’s head, let you see what they see, feel their emotions.

It’s a full length book with the best elements of a movie melded seamlessly into it to give the story a panoramic feel.

Everything’s built into the book. No streaming, no wifi necessary. You can enjoy the Sword of Air wherever you are on your iPad or Mac. It’s an instant, seamless, immersive experience.

The Character Map is an interactive guide for the reader at the end of each chapter. As they come into the story each character and key place is described in the pop up gallery at the end of each chapter.

It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s new, different, exciting. Punk Publishing at its best. Pushing the boundaries of the medium to create something amazing.

The combination of R.J.Madigan’s brilliant writing and the multimedia elements, come together to create an immersive experience that goes beyond just a book. It’s a page turner your won’t be able to put down!

Click here to download the first 3 chapters free on iBooks!

The Producer

Can the Hero’s Journey ever work for a Heroine?

Almost all Hollywood film’s use the hero’s journey as their overarching model.  Star Wars, James Bond, Harry Potter and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films are just a few examples.

However the hero’s journey is deeply flawed and even sexist when applied to women who live such different lives to men.

Only two stages of the hero’s journey are described in terms of a role for women, and each is condescending in its own way.  In the stage called ‘The Meeting with the Goddess,’ the hero experiences powerful love. Such female roles are not partners or allies or equals, but figures to be honoured or protected, even idolized.  Bond girls waiting to be rescued and Princess Leia in Star Wars are perfect examples of this.

In the next stage, called ‘Women as Temptress,’ the hero is faced with powerful temptation that threatens to divert him from the path of his destiny. The bond girl who is out to kill him or distract him from his mission are good examples of the temptress metaphor. In the Lord of the Rings Eowyn is a sort of temptress for Aragorn, but obviously in this story the real temptress is the ring itself.

As a writer I am interested in how I can adapt the hero’s journey for a heroine to make my story resonate on a deeper level with readers.

One of the most important lessons I have learned whilst writing The Sword of Air is to not follow any model of writing  – such as the hero’s journey – too strictly otherwise you end up with a story that is dull, lifeless and formulaic.  It is even more important with a heroine to be flexible and to adapt the model of the hero’s journey to maximise its effectiveness.

To make the heroine and the other female characters of my novel real people rather than damsels in distress such as Leia in Star Wars or bookish side kick’s like Hermione in Harry Potter I decided that it was important that women were everything that was good and bad about the world of The Sword of Air.  In this way they would be brought to the forefront of the novel without being idolised as princesses or condemned as temptresses and old hags.

Each stage of the hero’s journey can be adapted for a heroine such as Niamh in The Sword of Air, with examples of traditional and modern heroines who have taken the same path.

Departure:

The Call to Adventure – The inciting incident of the novel when the heroine leans there is something exciting in store for her.  In Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, the heroine finds a locked door that her mother opens to show that it used to lead to another apartment that shared the wall.  Coraline wakes up during the night and sees a shadow that goes past her bedroom and into the room with the door.

Refusal of the Call – The adventure may be tempting but heroines are usually a little less gung-ho than hero’s, doubting their abilities or desire to embark on the incredible journey ahead of them.  Veronica Roth illustrates this beautifully in her novel Divergent where society splits everyone into different factions based on a particular virtue.  The heroine Tris was raised in Abnegation (where everyone is selfless) but is offered the chance to join Dauntless (where bravery is cultivated). Heroines often have a greater sense of duty to parents or family than male hero’s.  Making the choice to leave her life and her family behind her is an incredibly difficult choice for Tris. She risks being cut off from her family forever making the stakes even higher for her when she leaps into her new life.

Supernatural Aid – Once the heroine finally accepts the call to adventure her mentor offers her advice and guidance and sometimes there’s even an object that can be used to help her on her journey.  In Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials series Lyra is given an alethiometer (gold compass like device) by the master of Jordan College and told to keep it a secret from Mrs Coulter.  Lyra’s mentor Fader Coram givers her clues as to how the alethiometer works.

Crossing of the First Threshold – This is the moment the heroine leaves the ordinary world and who she was for the unknown to embrace who she could be.  In Alice in Wonderland  the heroine follows the white rabbit and falls down the rabbit hole into another strange and extraordinary world.

Belly of the Whale – Having accepted the call to adventure the heroine gets her first taste of what she will be facing on her journey.  In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games we know Katniss is really in danger when she enters the arena and all of the tributes begin killing each other as they fight over a pile of food and weapons on day one of the games.

Initiation:

The Road of Trials – Each heroine has to undergo trials to prove they are worthy of their adventure, and to prepare them for what lies ahead.  Trials are often physical tasks with a deeper meaning for the character that help her to develop into a stronger person emotionally as well.  In The Wizard of Oz the road of trials is literally a road.  The poppy field is an example of one of Dorothy’s trials.  The wicked witch has poisoned the heroine and her friends with a field of poppies so that they won’t make it to the Emerald City.  Other examples include the Witch almost setting the scarecrow on fire, the evil apple trees and sticking to the proper path of the yellow brick road.

The Meeting with the Goddess – This step is traditionally about a hero finding the unconditional love of a woman worthy to be his companion.  But for a heroine this step can be adapted making it even more interesting. Instead the heroine finds a love that is the ultimate inspiration for her adventure.  For example Katniss volunteers as a tribute to save her sister’s life.  In the film The Labyrinth (1986) directed by Jim Henson, Sarah sets out to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King.

Woman as Temptress – For a hero there will be a woman who tempts him to abandon his adventure for her, or who distracts him from what is really important. But for the heroine this distraction doesn’t need to come in the form of a man or a woman again making this stage more interesting.  It can be anything that tempts the heroine to take the easy way out.  In Psyche’s Journey the heroine is given a task that will take her to Proserpine in the underworld.  She feels this is impossible, so she prepares to kill herself. but a voice stops her and tells her how to complete the task of getting a box of beauty from the goddess of the underworld.

Atonement with the Father – This stage must also be adapted for the heroine.   Instead of confronting the father as Luke does with Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film, it is the heroines confrontation with someone who has a lot of power over her. In Cinderella the herald asks if there is not another sister living in the household who could try the glass slipper.  The step sisters cry not, but finally Cinderella stands up to them and asks to try the slipper for herself.

Apotheosis – The divine moment separate from her adventure that is the turning point for the heroine.  In Suzanne Collins’ Mocking Jay  this moment occurs when Katniss realises President Snow is not the real power and that the real tyrant is Alma Coin who resolves to destroy the young heroine through jealousy and to maintain her own rulership.

The Ultimate Boon – After facing her deepest fears and conquering the villain the heroine is rewarded for what she has achieved.  for Campbell this is usually an item or a piece of knowledge that his hero is meant to bring back for the rest of humanity.  In order to adapt this stage for a heroine, the ultimate boon can be the achievement of her deepest desire, such as love or a new confidence.  For Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz it was to return home to her family.

Return:

Refusal of the Return – When the journey is finally complete it is natural for the heroine to not be able to imagine returning to her ordinary life again.  A beautiful example of this is at the end of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass when the heroine Lyra and Will the boy she loves promise to return to the Botanic gardens to a corresponding bench which stands in both of their worlds, every year on a Midsummer’s day, to think of each other and to be together in this way.

The Magic Flight – Even after the heroine accepts that she must return to the ordinary world, the journey isn’t completely over.  There are usually still a few surprises along the way.  In Jane Eyre the heroine has escaped Thornfield but she is still in love with Rochester. Jane is torn between wanting to leave her past behind and start a new life, and returning to her lover.  The inheritance she receives opens up a new path forward and she sees a way to create a new family for herself,  But what kind of life will she have with minister St John?

Rescue from Without – A price must be paid for an adventure of this magnitude. Despite her victory, an emotional or physical toll is taken on the heroine.  At the end of Suzanne Collins’ Mocking Jay, Katniss is almost insane from all the horror she has witnessed and the grief of loosing her sister.  But with the help of Peeta, her true love, she is able to reclaim her mind and live her life.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold – The adventure has to end, but the heroine has been changed and returns to ordinary life with the knowledge she has gained on her journey.  Philip Pullman has a powerful moment of crossing the return threshold for his heroine, Lyra, at the conclusion of his Dark Materials trilogy. There are many parallel worlds in the story connected by windows.  At the end of the book these windows must all be closed between the different worlds.  Lyra and the boy she loves, Will, come from different worlds and must each return to their own in order to live full lives.  As a result, when Lyra returns to her world, she is leaving behind the love of her life.  It is at once empowering and heartbreaking.

Master of Two Worlds – At the end of her journey the heroine has found a new balance in her life.  This can be abstract – a better grasp of how to balance conflicting elements in her life.  Or it can be literal, where the heroine is part of both the world she started in at the beginning as well as the new world that she explored on her adventure.  At the end of Sarah J Maas Throne of Glass the heroine Celaena has come a long way from the slave mines of Endovier where she started out.  She is now the King’s champion but she must sell her soul to win her freedom by serving the barbaric King for four years.  If she fails at any of the missions he sets her, then those closest to her will die.

Freedom to Live – At the end of her ordeal the heroine is fundamentally changed forever.  She has confidence in herself and her abilities, and is at peace with the trials she has suffered. At the end of the Hunger Games trilogy Katniss has finally left behind the brutality of life before the revolution that she inspired and can have a life of her own in the countryside with Peeta.  In Neil Gaiman’s Coraline the heroine tricks the other mother’s hand with the key down into the well then covers it with heavy planks so it can never get out.  Coraline has reached a new level of maturity.  She is no longer nervous about starting the new school term because the trials she has faced have given her confidence in herself and her abilities.

Some of the stages of the hero’s journey are more difficult to adapt for a heroine than others.  While writing The Sword of Air I allowed myself to ignore certain elements as it suited the story and radically changed them as necessary.  Ultimately the Hero’s Journey  is a guide which many of us use subconsciously when writing without even realising it.

I would love to hear from you about your experience of using the hero’s journey model in your own writing or if you have every tried adapting it for a heroine?

R J Madigan

Writers and Artists Self Publishing in the Digital Age.

Writers and Artists Self-Publishing in the Digital Age

 

Keen to keep up with the latest developments in the world of self publishing The Producer and I attended the Writers and Artists Self Publishing in the Digital Age conference held on Saturday 29th November at The Welcome Trust, London.

The Welcome Trust, Euston London

Registration was at 9.30 am -10 am followed by a brief introduction to self publishing by Dr Alison Baverstock.

Roz Morris, author, editor, writing tutor and book doctor, with over twenty years experience in publishing kicked off the days events with an invaluable presentation on editing for self publishers.

The first big editing mistake that new writers make was to mix up the order of the three fundamental stages of the editing process. Developmental editing or structural editing which focuses on story, character, genre, structure, writing style and completeness should always come first.  Followed by Copy editing which looks for consistency of details, plot holes, factual details and time line.  Lastly is proofreading which is a final tidy up of the manuscript e.g spelling and grammar.  Roz said you are literally throwing your money down the drain if you pay for your manuscript to be proof read before you have carried out a development edit.

Roz Morris on Editing for Self-Publishers

Roz recommended the lists in the Writers and Artists Yearbook and the Society of Editors and Proofreader’s as places to look for reputable editors.  She stressed the importance of finding an editor with experience of editing the genre you are writing in.  There is no good working with a popular editor who specialised in women fiction if you are writing fantasy.

It is important not to rush the editing process and to schedule time for writing after the developmental stage of editing is complete.  There is no point setting a date for publication at this stage as there will be months of writing work still to do once you have received feedback from your chosen editor. Roz said try to remember that the editing process is a collaboration between the you the author and the editor to make your book the best it can possibly be.

It is possible for new writers to save money on the editing process by asking friends or relatives to do the copy editing and proofreading stages for them.  However Roz recommended that the developmental stage of editing should always be done by a professional editor and is worth investing in.  Always remember to edit your first draft yourself before giving it to anyone to edit.

Roz’s top tip for editing was to always check the structure of your book – the sequence of plot events.  If you reorder these events in the correct way it can make a drastic difference to how gripping your book is.  One way to check the structure of your book is to create what Roz calls a beat sheet.  You take a sheet of A4 or a spreadsheet and go through the entire book, listing the purpose of each scene in a couple of words.  It builds an X-ray of the book, and often shows you problems you couldn’t possibly see with all the prose in the way.  It can also be used as a route map to restructure the novel without getting in a muddle.

You can follow Roz @ rozmorris.wordpress.com

http://www.nailyournovel.com

Twitter@Roz_Morris

Jane-Dixon-Smith on Importance of Cover Design

Jane Dixon-Smith of Trickle Books spoke on the importance of cover design in self publishing.  It is an area where new self-published writers often fall down because they are unwilling or unsure of whether to invest time and money, when it can be one of the easiest aspects to get right.

Covers are consumer facing and are the first aspect seen alongside many other books to entice people to ‘look inside’ on online retailers. Much more than a simple hook, they tell the reader the genre, the age range, and more specifically they can say if you like such and such an author then you’ll like this.

Jane stressed that good cover design is not about how much money you spend on it or whether you’ve had a popular designer work on it. There are many elements which make a cover work: images, colour, fonts, typography, composition, market, etc…

Formatting is an area new self published writers rarely think about.  Many books have stunning covers but the typesetting is poor.  This affects the ease of reading, the impression of professionalism and quality and in many cases increases the cost of the physical production of a paperback.

Powerpoint slides and a full summary of Jane Dixon-Smith’s talk is available at http://www.jdsmith-design.co.uk/writers and artists.

Other speakers of the morning included Jon Fine on how to self publish via Amazon Createspace, Kindle Direct Publishing and Audiobook Creation Exchange. If you are interested in any of these services you can find out more at kdp.amazon.co.uk, createspace.co.uk and acx.com.

The morning ended with Jeremy Thompson MD of Troubadour Publishing speaking on self publishing companies and marketing and what you should really expect.  To find out more about Matador, Troubador’s self publishing imprint go to http://www.troubador.co.uk.

Thriller Author Mark Edwards

The most useful part of the conference was the afternoon session offering hints and tips from self-publishing authors.

Thriller author Mark Edwards kicked off with his presentation on marketing and promotion:the authors perspective. Mark has hit the top spot on Amazon.co.uk twice as a self-published author and has been traditionally published, published via his agent and by Amazon publishing.

Mark spoke about the importance of understanding the hook of your book when it comes to marketing and promotion.  What is your book really about?   It is important to be able to describe this hook in one sentence for pitching to agents and publishers.  For example the hook of John Green’s bestseller The Fault In Our Stars  would be teens with cancer go on a journey of self discovery.

You should also know your genre inside out.  What’s hot?  How are other e.g fantasy authors marketing their books?  Go to bookshops, do your research. The blurb on the back of your book must be compelling and the opening chapter must grab a reader’s attention.

Mark promoted his thriller novels by targeting the top twenty self-published authors and asking them to guest blog on his blog so that they would reblog the same post on theirs. It was one way of getting his own books into their bought bars.

He spoke about how social media is a fantastic way to build your author platform and promote your work.  Including an author email in his ebooks helped him to build an email list.  One way to build a life long loyalty in your readers is to always respond to individual emails.  Readers love to hear from authors and are always surprised when they get a response.  Mark even begins each writing day by responding to emails from his readers.

Competitions have been a great way for Mark to promote his work.  For example he offered readers the chance to name a character in his second book to get more people posting on his blog.

One of the biggest positives of self-publishing is it gives authors who for whatever reason haven’t been able to get a deal with a publisher the chance to find readers.  The kindle chart is almost a level playing field where your book can nestle alongside the latest from Michael Connelly and John Green.  In Mark’s opinion there has never been a better time to be an author.

Follow Mark at http://www.vossandedwards.com

Best Selling Self-Published Author Nick Spalding

Best selling self-published author Nick Spalding offered advice for authors on all stages of the self-publishing process.  Nick spoke about the importance of being yourself as a writer and picking a genre that suits you as a person and a writer.  He said he writes comedy because he is incapable of writing anything serious.

Nick advises all new writers to read Stephen King’s On Writing which is full of invaluable tips for people starting out on the writing journey.  He also emphasised the importance of having a social media presence via a blog, twitter and Facebook.  When you have followers you can invite those people to write reviews for you to market your books.

Nick also advises new writers not to rush the self-publishing process and to put 100% into ensuring their book is a high quality product.  Always respect your reader and remember it is your reputation as a writer that is on the line.  Even though Nick has a traditional publishing deal now, he still chooses to self-publish because it is how he got started and it’s not something he’s ashamed of.

New writers must also toughen up when it comes to bad reviews.  You have to remember the old cliché ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison,’ and you are never going to please everyone all of the time.  It’s what you get on average that counts.

One of the best pieces of advice Nick was given when starting out was to remember not to take the whole writing process too seriously.  He also said it is important to get regular exercise as writing is such a sedentary job and to maintain a good social circle otherwise you will just stay indoors all day and become really weird.

Follow Nick at http://www.nickspalding.com

Bestselling Self Published Author Tali Roland

The conference ended with Darren Hardy of Amazon interviewing author Talli Roland on the self-publishing process.

Talli has sold a quarter of a million self published women fiction novels and puts her success down to dedication, hard work and persistence.  She puts in long hours blogging, tweeting and face booking – after spending the necessary time writing – and she has kept at it.

Talli stressed the importance of creating the most professional product possible when self-publishing and of always behaving professionally as an author.

Talli was initially published by a small press who she had a very amicable relationship with and also learned a lot from, but she knew she would be better off outsourcing the cover design and editing while retaining all the profits.  Her decision to self publish was the single best thing she has ever done and her first self-published novel, Build a man, was a bestseller in the UK and the US.

Talli also reiterated the importance of good cover design, along with the right pricing strategy when marketing your book.  She keeps the price of her books low to compete with bigger publishers and to pull in new readers.

Talli’s top tip for aspiring self-published authors is to stay on top of promotion and social media, but to make sure you also keep to your writing schedule.  The best way to sell books is to keep putting more out there.

Follow Talli at http://www.talliroland.com

All in all the conference offered advice along each of the stages of the self-publishing process from editing to building a buzz around your book.  With speakers ranging from industry experts to bestselling self-published authors, we left with all of the knowledge we needed to get our book into readers hands.

 

 

R.J Madigan.