M.L. Desir's Blog, page 78

You Might Be a Writer If . . . (Presented by My Little Pony’s Pinkie Pie)

You Might Be a Writer If (presented by #MyLittlePonyFansForever Pinkie Pie). . .

. . . when someone ask you what your latest story is about, you’re often not sure how to respond . . . or you respond with a one minute professional prepared pitch (which you’ve rehearsed in the bathroom mirror every morning for the past several years) because who knows — they MIGHT be an agent or an editor or they may know an agent or editor and this may be your CHANCE and you can’t blow it …because you’ll NEVE...

Desperately Seeking Answers

Warning: Despite this blog post’s length, it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the rampant increase of police brutality and blatant racism that is spreading not only all over the United States of America, but also the rest of our precious world. So, make yourself a cup of tea. Pop some popcorn. It’s going to be a long read.

I had considered posting this long blog post in one hefty steak-and-potatoes meal, but I’ve chosen to have my readers read it in bite-size, healthy chunks so th...

CAN YOU SEE ME FATHER?

Originally posted on keithgarrettpoetry:

My thoughts of you are from over forty years past,

Once a reality and a life that was our everyday scene.

Now memories kept alive from a child to a man,

Father, you remain In my heart, I keep you alive.

I can not see you except In my dreaming, closed eyes,

If not for a picture I have to keep your face In my mind.

Can you see me father, have you watched as my life marches on,

I pray that some of the things I’ve done have made you proud.

One day I’ll se...

Book Review for Camela Thompson’s Blood, Spirit, and Bone

Book Review for Camela Thompson’s Blood, Spirit, and Bone

Abandon all hope of suspense, ye who read on, for there shall be . . . major SPOILERS!

Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! Bee-doh! Bee-doh! Beeee-doh!

Oui, oui, spoilers broken down into troi parts, as charmingly broken as my French.

The Good:

The characters (especially the main character) are true to form and though they change, the changes that take place are both logical and reasonable. The dialogue and internal monologues of the charact...

Book Review for Covenant’s End by Ari Marmell

The world Marmell created in the Widdershins’ series, along with the lively characters, will be greatly missed. No, I didn’t like the series – I absolutely, positively, hopping frogs ADORED it! His metaphors, which are not only clever and unique kept my mind stimulated and his action scenes, both vivid and spot-on played out like the most popular martial arts movie. I don’t know how he does it. Literary skill of this magnitude – can it be taught? Is it taught? If so – WHERE? Can it be bottled...

Why Your Query Letter Should Focus On Plot Not Theme

Monique Desir:

Gratitude!

Originally posted on Carly Watters, Literary Agent:

This is my number one gripe with queries: pitches that focus on theme and not plot.

It seems writers like to cover everything in a query letter, including how to make us feel.

Here’s why focusing on theme when you pitch is a bad idea:

1. You’re wasting valuable space that should be spent on facts not proposed emotions. Ultimately, the writer doesn’t truly know how the reader will feel after reading their work. So whe...

How to Fix Your Story Without Going Back to the Drawing Board

Monique Desir:

Thanks, Drew, for writing this.

Originally posted on Drew Chial:

The Case Against Editing as You Go

When I first started writing I scrutinized every paragraph the moment after typing. I counted the syllables so I could adjust for rhythm and flow. I checked my metaphors to see if they mixed wrong, I ran every verb through the thesaurus, and I dialed all my hyperboles back.

By the end of the day my word count hovered around the same number I’d started at. Sometimes it was in the n...

Social Media, Book Signings & Why Neither Directly Impact Overall Sales

Monique Desir:

Well written, factual, and thought provoking. Sparks a great conversation about social media usage myths. :)

Originally posted on Kristen Lamb's Blog:

Original image via Rosaura Ochoa via Flikr Creative Commons

One of my AWESOME on-line pals posted something troublesome on my Facebook page. Apparently there is a recent article in a major writing magazine that declares social media does not sell books and, in a nutshell, isn’t worth the effort.I’ll warn you guys ahead of time that I went hunting for the article—at the last remaining Barnes & Noble within a 25 mile radius of my home—and couldn’t find said article (and have asked Kim to get me the specific issue). But, since this type of commentary is prevalent enough in the blogosphere, I feel I can address the overall thesis accurately enough.

Social Media Was NEVER About Selling Books Directly—Who KNEW?

Image via Flikr Creative Commons courtesy of Zoetnet.

I’ve been saying this for about ten years, because the idea of using social circles for sales is NOT new…

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My Year With Booktrope

Monique Desir:

Thank you.

Originally posted on This Writer's Life:

A lot of writer pals said they were going to “follow closely” my journey with Booktrope. From the minute I was accepted there, I was told, “I’m curious to see how this unfolds for you.” And, I promised that I would relay back to everyone how it was going once I reached the one year mark, and this is where I am now. So, here are the pros and cons, and here is how my experience has been:

PRO: Booktrope is NOT self-publishing. CON: I made more with my self-published book on Kindle this year, like 200 times as much, with a fraction of the marketing and no team behind me.

PRO: Booktrope is NOT self-publishing CON: You still have to do most of the work yourself, without an advance (just as with self-publishing), and you’re just as tired at the end of the day.

PRO: If you’re a decent…

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I’m Just Being Honest

This is a post that comes from an honest, candid spot deep within me.

When I was seven, my second grade teacher unwittingly entered me into a writing contest. She knew that I loved to write and I loved to draw. I was constantly making up stories about talking cheetahs, hamsters that could ride mini skateboards and birds that spied on children. This particular book that I decided to write about featured a human protagonist, who could also be described as an antagonist because the other main character and him had differing goals. The human character, a nameless hunter and poacher of exotic animals had been hunting the other main character, a female cheetah in order to shoot her and steal her gorgeous fur coat. The cheetah escapes the first murder attempt and during the night while the man sleeps, she watches him, considering him . . .  and his life.

Well, I loved that story and I won’t spoil the ending for you, because darn it I’m going to rewrite it and reclaim what is mine!

My memory is kind of hazy, but to make a long story short, I won the contest, was cameoed on the local TV news, and traumatized for the rest of my life (joke). They (these strange people dressed in pretty dresses and expensive suits and ties) took my book whom I dedicated to my mother and gave me a crappy black and white copy to keep as a memento. Yeah, I got a trophy, which my younger sister broke one day out of little-sister-maliciousness, a few years later, but it’s not enough! I miss that book!

I miss laying on the plush carpet of my bedroom writing for hours or getting lost in a book under the covers of my bed with the use of a flashlight so my mom or dad wouldn’t know and make me go to sleep.

I miss the freedom! I miss the seclusion! I miss the lack of pressure!

Mini rant over.

Full blown vent fest beginning in 3 . . . 2. . . 1 . . .

Which brings me to the steak and potato topic of today:

I hate social media.

Oh yes I do.

Why? Because I would rather be writing half the time I’m posting stuff on Facebook.

I’d rather be creating characters and interviewing these imaginary people close to my heart than tweeting.

Darn it, I want to be like Emily Dickinson!

But, Monique. Whoa. Hey now. Stop. Just stop. Just noooo, you may warn.

I know what you’re saying and I know you mean well. I know about Emily Dickinson and how she was described as a recluse and obsessed with death, which isn’t actually true. As she grew older, she began to shut herself away from most of the world because she most likely grew tired of the way the world was changing – and not for the better.

And I’m getting tired of it too. Social media, ironically isn’t all that social. For years, I avoided Facebook at all cost because I knew that my small group of friends were the people that really mattered and that I looked forward to seeing them face to face for dinner, for a movie, for a play date at the park, or just to sit side by side chatting away over a cup of tea about the latest book or about nothing significant at all.

People in this generation have become addicted to posting selfies, posting every little thing (often trivial) moments about and in their lives from what they ate to what they don’t want to eat; nude shots, mug shots, etc. We’ve become like the characters in the Wizard of Oz: the lion without courage; the tin man with no heart; and the scarecrow without a brain.

I fear that with all of this self-centeredness this is a sign that the world has lost not only their minds and their hearts, but also their souls. Or maybe it’s not a sign. Maybe it’s already happened and most of us are too late to do a damn thing about it.

I’m just being honest.

So, I will utilize social media to wake people up, to make them smile, make them wonder, reflect, and ponder. I will use social media to make real connections and bring people to revelations about their world and about themselves. I will use social media to close gaps and cross lines that divide people.

And in order for these hopes to come true, interaction is key.

So sometimes if I go AWOL, it’s not because I’m mad at you, darlings. Just know that I’m separating myself from the madness of the modern world and getting back to what readers love: the production of a new book they don’t want to put down until the last, fulfilling page.

I’m just being honest.