Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 52
April 26, 2016
V is for Vigilance
Today, I want to talk about vigilance in the life of a writer.
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Vigilance in storytelling.
When I started writing, I believed there was a point where a writer would know everything. I believed I would reach a point where I no longer had to improve my storytelling craft. Boy, was I ever wrong. I finally came to the conclusion that the more I learned about storytelling, the more I had to learn.
The goal is to make your next story better than the last. It should flow better. The characters should be more real to the reader (and to you). The point of view should be sharper. The setting should compliment the characters’ needs a lot better. Etc. The point is, all elements that go into telling a story should be fine-tuned with each story you write.
If you’re going to write longterm, just be aware that improving the craft of telling a story is a journey. If you can look back on your early books and shiver (because they were “so awful”), then you know you’re getting better. That’s great news. I know it sucks to think your older stories are “awful”, but really, it’s a good thing. It means you improved. It means you grew as a writer. It means you’re better today than you were yesterday, and you’ll be even better in the future…if you keep it up.
Treating writing like a job.
Sometimes it’s easy to get lazy. Actually, it’s always easy to get lazy. What’s hard is staying vigilant. Writing is hard work. Yes, it’s fun. It’s something we chose because we enjoy it, but it’s still work.
There are times the work will seem like play. The words come easily, and your word count is amazing that day.
But there are other times where each word feels like you’re pulling teeth. It is not always easy to write. Things going on in real life can definitely impact your motivation to write. Some writers find taking a break works best. On occasion it does for me, too, but most of the time, I have to sit and write. Even if it’s only a couple hundred words, those couple hundred words help me get back into the story, and the next day is usually better. Maybe not a ton better. But a little better. So on day 1, maybe I only manage 250 words. Day 2, I might manage 500. And so on.
Sometimes you can’t wait until you feel like writing to write, especially if you need the income to help pay the bills. That’s why vigilance is key. Don’t rush the story just to get it out. I know it’s tempting because each new story means the potential for more money in your pocket. But each story needs to be savored like fine wine. Remember the pacing and tell your character’s journey as she wants you to tell it. Honor your reader with each book you write. Give them a complete and fulfilling story.
Vigilance can be hard when sales are down or someone leaves you a nasty review. Maybe you want to give up. I get it. I’ve been wanting to give up for most of this year so far, even though I’ve been showing up to work almost every day and typing out the next story. What keeps me going is treating it like a job. Usually, once I get 500 words in, I get my motivation. But each day is like pulling teeth to get the first couple hundred words out. It’s not easy. That’s why this post on vigilance is just as much for me as it is for anyone else who can relate to it.[image error]
This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.
April 25, 2016
U is for Universal
There are universal themes in plots. The key is knowing how to approach these in a refreshing way.
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Universal themes are those that are common to the human experience. As writers, we tend to worry we’ll bore people with a story that hits on common themes that have been told over and over again.
Some examples off the top of my head: forbidden lovers (ex. Romeo and Juliet), beauty is in the eye of the beholder (ex. Beauty and the Beast), and betrayal by a best friend (ex. Julius Caesar). Those are just three examples, but there are plenty more.
The point is that universal themes work because they touch on the human experience. I don’t remember the number of plot types out there, but there is a finite number of plots out there. You can mix some twists into them, but overall, common themes often emerge while telling the story.
The key is how you tell the story. It’s what you do with the theme that matter. It’s in the execution of the plot that makes all the difference.
Let’s take a look at the universal theme of the underdog who gets the prize. One such story is Cinderella. This story has been told over and over many times. Here you have a girl who is being oppressed by her stepfamily. She ends up winning the heart of the king/prince, usually because of a slipper. The story has been passed down from different countries and from different time periods with various versions of it. You might be familiar with the Brothers Grimm version which had the stepsisters cutting off parts of their foot to fit the slipper. In Disney’s version, it’s all rated G so you won’t see any bloodshed there. But the basic plot stays the same.
One of the oldest versions of the story was in China, and it was first published in the 9th-century compilation Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang. This version is called Ye Xian, and her father had two wives. Well, she loses her mother early on. After her father’s death, she is regulated to servanthood in the house for her stepmother and stepsister. (Only one stepsister is in this version). The girl befriends a fish,who was her guardian spirit sent by her dead mother. (Another version had this fish as being her mother reincarnated.) The stepsister and stepmother eat the fish, and Ye Xian buries the bones. There is a festival taking place where the young maidens are to meet potential husbands. The stepmother forbids her to go. Ye Xian makes a wish to the fish’s bones, and she is magically given a beautiful gown and a pair of golden slippers. She goes to the festival and is admired. She loses her slipper. The slipper is found, and she marries the king and lives happily ever after.
I actually found the variations and similarities while researching Cinderella interesting, so I decided to share the Chinese version. But you get what I’m saying. The common theme in these versions were the underdog, a chance for a better life, an obstacle to that better life, help in getting a better life, the event that changes everything, and finding happiness.
If you strip away all the details in the versions, you get the basic plot. It’s the details you put into the story that make it unique. Instead of having the main character being a girl, you could make him a boy. The chance for a better life might be trying out for a sports team. The obstacle could be bullies in the team who try to stop him. The help could be from a stepfather who practices with the boy to make him the best player on the team. The event that changes everything could be getting the final score that wins the game. The boy is now a hero and admired by all.
See what I did? I removed all the details from Cinderella and just came up with a new story. I used the common themes from Cinderella, but you’ll note that this story is definitely not Cinderella. It is a brand new story.
If you’re struggling to come up with story ideas, this technique can work. Do NOT retell another person’s story. Make the story your own. Give it a fresh look.
This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.
April 24, 2016
Her Devilish Marquess is Available (and The Mistaken Mail Order Bride will be Soon)
Due to a power outage, I was unable to make this post last Sunday. (Mondays through Saturdays are taken up with posts for the A-Z Blog Challenge for April.)
So today, I’m announcing that Her Devilish Marquess is now out!
If you read His Wicked Lady, you were introduced to Danette Everson (Regan’s best friend) who had rotten luck with past engagements. One gentleman ran off to India, and another ran off with another lady. So she’s reluctant to take a chance on a third engagement. But Regan talks her into giving it another shot.
If you read The Earl’s Stolen Bride, you might recognize Dr. Westward, who took care of Lady Reddington’s (Chloe’s) brother and then delivered her child at the very end of the book. He’s pretty much sure no respectable lady will be happy married to him since he has a tendency of telling people exactly what he thinks of them, which doesn’t go over well for those who have something to hide.
So I paired up the lady who’s terrified of scandals with a gentlemen inclined to upset to the Ton.
If you’re interested, here are the links where you can get it:
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Also, The Mistaken Mail Order Bride will be out earlier than expected! The new release date is May 15.
Thanks to my awesome editing team! To Shelley, I tried emailing you, but I kept getting a “this email can’t be sent” message. I’m not sure if you can get in touch with me or not about an email that’s good.
It’s available on pre-order at all retailers now, so I’ll post links here if you want to get it ahead of time.
April 23, 2016
T is for Temptation
A powerful tool in your writing arsenal is temptation.
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Obviously, this doesn’t play out in every book you write. When I think of different storylines in movies and TV, not every character is tempted to make a decision that has the potential to hurt others or themselves.
If you offer the main character a temptation, it has to be something that has the greatest impact for his specific personality. It has to be something that tests their character. For example, in one of my books, I had an ex-prostitute who was struggling to make her life better. Her big goal was to be someone who was deserving of respect. So in choosing her temptation, I had to pick something that would make her seriously consider going back into prostitution. And this something happened to be hunger. She worked hard to earn money, but her employer was stingy and didn’t pay her the full wages. After a couple of weeks of battling hunger, she had to face the temptation of reverting back to her old life so she could buy food. (To this day, that is still my favorite book because of the power of temptation in it.)
The more you can make your character suffer up to the point of temptation, the more impact that temptation will have. Think of a time in your life when you were pushed to the very limits where you didn’t think you could keep going. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. All you dealt with was stress upon stress upon, and just what you thought you couldn’t take it anymore, there was even more stress thrown your way. Your nerves were on edge. You were at the point where you felt as if you’d reached a path in the road, and either choice you chose was going to be the wrong one. This is the point the character needs to be at in order for the temptation to have its greatest impact.
Also, keep in mind your character’s motive could be good, except he’s tempted to do something bad in order to obtain get to the goal. A great example of this is the movie John Q. with Denzel Washington. This movie is about a man who holds hostages in a hospital (a bad thing) for the sake of saving his son’s life (a good thing). The effectiveness in this type of temptation is that the reader will sympathize with the character’s plight. Even though the character might do something horrible, he is doing it for a noble cause. The reader will be pulled in polarizing directions. While the reader wants the good thing to happen because of the suffering the character is going through, the reader also knows the potential for harm if the character goes down this path.
This blog post is part of the A-Z Challenge.
April 22, 2016
S is for Serious
Sometimes writers can take criticism much too seriously.
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The problem often comes into play when we listen too much to others. I have a friend who has let other people dictate how she feels about her own work. She was truly bummed out over something she had no control over: others’ opinions. These opinions happen to be from those in a very small niche group who idolize a certain storytelling technique. If you don’t fit that exact technique, you don’t fit in, and they will not approve of you. So is it really “her” work that is inferior? No. Her work just happens not to fit their mold.
We will have moments when we don’t feel like we’re good enough. No matter how well you sell or how many people enjoyed your books, that little nagging doubt can creep in. And yes, harsh words about our work does hurt. We’re human. Over time, you do get thicker skin, but that skin needs to develop in order to be effective. I’m afraid there’s no shortcuts to it.
Today, I’d like to encourage you to not take your critics too seriously. Do they have a valid point? Maybe. If your fans agree with them on a certain point, then it’s something to look into. But if not, I would dismiss it. Oftentimes, when someone doesn’t like your work, it’s because they don’t like the way a certain character is or the fact that your book was too “sexy” or “violent” for their tastes.
One author I know got criticized because her villain had red hair and was overweight. The reviewer happened to look just like the villain, and this person felt offended that red haired, overweight people were portrayed as being evil. Now, the author didn’t know this person. So how was the author to know a real person who looked similar to the villain was going to read her book and think, “This author is making fun of me”? The answer is: the author couldn’t know this. Sometimes people will hate your book for reasons you can’t predict. It just happens.
Most of the time when someone criticizes your work, it says a lot more about the critic than the quality of your story. People have their biases when they go into a book. You can’t control what those biases are. You can’t cater your story to every single person on the planet, either. You will have to cater directly to your fans. This is why social networking is key. Get to know your fans. Find out why they like about your work, and do more of it. Don’t let those outside your fanbase deter you from doing that which has pleased your fans for so long.
As for typos and grammatical mistakes… We’re human. Even though I have editors and beta readers and go over the book myself, things still get missed. Even traditionally published books aren’t perfect. Sure, fix the typos and errors when you become aware of them, but don’t obsess over them. Do your best to polish it up, put your book up, and write the next one.
Since so many factors are out of our control, I hope next time someone criticizes you, you’ll remember not to take them too seriously. Consider the source of the criticism. Then surround yourself by your fans and remember “why” they love your work.
This post is part of the A – Z Challenge.
April 21, 2016
R is for Realistic (in historical fiction)
Just how realistic should a historical story be?
ID 59303266 © Wrangler | Dreamstime.com “Just kicking it back for one of Ruth Ann Nordin’s historical romances. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with a convertible in 1876.”
The picture is a joke, of course. There is a need to be realistic to a point. But how far should you take it? I submit a couple points on why being authentically realistic in historicals can hurt, rather than help, you.
Consider the climate in today’s culture:
In some cases, if we were to write books exactly to fit the historical time period, we’d end up in trouble. Case in point, African Americans used to be called an offensive word for a long time in United States history. I don’t care how “realistic” it is. I’m not going to use it in any of my books. Why? Because it’s not appropriate in today’s culture. Times have changed (and thankfully so). The other day when I was reading reviews on Gone With the Wind, a lot of negative reviewers called the book “racist” and “offensive”. And keep in mind, that book was written in a time period where society condoned it.
Another example, back in 1890s, the word “gay” meant happy. Today, we think “homosexual”. To avoid confusion, I won’t use the word “gay” in a historical romance. I’ll just say “happy” so the reader knows what I mean. The older generation would know what the old definition was, but would younger readers?
Fiction is fiction for a reason, and when we’re writing it, we’re writing for today’s culture. The primary goal of fiction is to entertain. It’s not to give a history lesson. The setting is your backdrop. It’s your wallpaper. Sure, you want horses in the 1800s instead of airplanes and cars, and you don’t want to use phrases like “text me when you get in, babe”. But you could go crazy worrying about all the nitty gritty details of the time period, and if you do that, the book might never get done.
Consider just how much of a history lesson you need to divulge to your readers:
Is it wrong to write for historical authenticity? Of course not. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that your first goal is to tell an entertaining story.
I’d advise you not to get too deep into the historical time period that you forget you are telling a story. The focus needs to always be on the characters. I once read a book that had an entire chapter dedicated to a new wife cleaning the house. I’m not kidding. There were details on where she put everything, what she cleaned the kitchen with, how she was sweating, what the kitchen gadgets were called, etc. This had absolutely nothing to do with the plot.
If anything you’re writing in the story doesn’t add to the plot, get rid of it. I don’t care how much time you spent researching it or how interesting you think it is. If it doesn’t advance the character’s journey, it doesn’t need to be there. You can bore a reader with too much information.
Conclusion:
Above all else, keep the story entertaining. Most readers will forgive some historical inaccuracy if your book is so compelling they have to keep reading, but they won’t forgive a book that bored them. Seriously, don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on the big thing: the character’s journey through the book.
This post is part of the A-Z Challenge.
April 20, 2016
Q is for Question
When someone says something about writing, publishing, and marketing, do your research to find out if their opinion is right for you.
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Questioning the validity of what anyone says (including me) is a good idea. I learned this from experience. I know someone in my personal life who has a tendency to say something in a way that distorts the truth. (More than that, the person doesn’t even realize they’re doing it.) I’ve learned when I dig deeper into the issue, I find out what this person said was not accurate 90% of time, and sadly, this has caused a lot of pain and friction in the past. Now that I started questioning things, I’ve had a lot more peace in my life. So yes, question things.
But for the sake of this post, we’re looking specifically at writing, publishing, and marketing.
One thing I love about participating in author groups (esp. on Facebook) is that I can pull on a variety of experiences while also sharing my own. It’s a great way to get more ideas on how to better write, publish, and market. A lot of authors are happy to help others by sharing their knowledge. So why not take advantage of it?
Also, there is a wealth of information available today than there was when I got into self-publishing ebooks back in 2009. I can’t believe all the resources out there. To name a few, there are books, blogs, podcasts, You Tube videos, and discussion forums. Back in 2008 when I started looking into ebooks, a lot of things were based on trial and error. The learning curve was pretty steep in some areas. Most of the time, I was trying new things as people mentioned them and seeing if anything worked. So you should be open to experimenting with different things and seeing which ones work best for you. One thing I’ve learned is that there is no “one-size fits all” way to do things.
Another thing to consider is that things change. You might find yourself doing things differently than you used to because the old ways no longer work. I can tell you that since 2009 to 2016, things have changed a lot. Things that used to work really well (like free books and $0.99) aren’t the surefire things they used to be. Who here actually remembers when MySpace and Live Journal were good social networking sites for writers? I met some really awesome writers on MySpace and Live Journal that I still know today. *waves to Joleene Naylor and Stephannie Beman* So what I’m really saying is that even if you have years of experience, you still need to learn new things. Yes, this is a daunting task, especially when you get set in your ways, but it’s how life works. Nothing stays the same forever.
This post if part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.
April 19, 2016
P is for Pacing
Pacing is how fast or slow the story is moving.
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The key, of course, is how to find the right balance. You don’t want the story to feel rushed, but you don’t want it to drag either.
I like to think of each story as a map. Each place along the way is a scene I’d like to put into the story at some point. The key is how to get from one point to another, and how fast I should do it.
One thing I’ve noticed is that there is a rhythm to each story. There’s the beginning where you’re establishing the character’s world. This is the springboard from which the journey begins. Also, you know there will be an end. This is when everything is resolved (happily or not).
It’s the in-between that will establish the pacing.
From the moment the character figures out his goal, the journey officially begins. He will need to come across obstacles along the way. Each obstacle is a pin on the map. These obstacles are your high intensity points where the tension is thick. Between the obstacles are periods of rest. These periods of rest allows the reader to catch his breath. It’s a low period of action.
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Each obstacle (high intensity scene) gets bigger and bigger as the story progresses. The reason it gets bigger and bigger is because you’re heading toward the climax (the highest point in the entire story). You want enough space between the obstacles so that the story runs smoothly along.
It keeps the reader reading without making them think, “How did we get to point B so fast?” Ever have a time in your life when it seemed that everything that could go wrong did? And it hit you all at once? You had no time to step back and regroup. It seemed at every turn, you had a brand new emergency to deal with? Well, you don’t want to do this to your poor character in the story. It’d be jarring to the reader to have to have a “highly intense” scene back to back.
Also, you don’t want the reader to think, “When will we finally get to point B?” Ever had a time in your life when you were bored, bored, bored….and booooorrrreeeedddd. You were waiting for something to happen. One good memory of this was waiting for Christmas Day as a child. I don’t know about you, but December was the slowest month of the entire year when I was a kid. I thought for sure the 25th would never come around. You don’t want to put your character (or your reader) through this, either. So adding scenes into the book that do nothing to advance the plot need to be thrown out.
The balance can be a bit tricky to figure out. A quick rule of thumb I use is how I’m feeling as I’m writing the story. After an emotionally charged scene, I’ll allow the character to take comfort with a friend or family member. When I start to get bored of the “comfort” moment, I get things set up to get to the next emotionally charged scene. If I’m writing and I think, “I need a break from all this drama,” I’ll know it’s time to insert a “comfort” scene.
Hopefully, I did a good job of explaining it.
April 18, 2016
O is for Opportunity Cost
An opportunity cost requires you to give up doing one thing in favor of doing another.
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“Opportunity cost” is a term I picked up in a college economics class, and it’s stuck with me ever since because the principle applies to every facet of our lives.
For the sake of this post, we’ll apply this directly to our writing.
When you are looking at what tasks to do during the day, it’s important to consider your Return on Investment (ROI) for each task you pick. There are things you absolutely have to do that yield little ROI as far as writing is concerned, such as spending time with your spouse and kids, making sure everyone is fed, tending to an illness or house repair, etc. (I’m a mom, and it’s up to me to make the meals, keep the house in shape, etc) So some things can’t and/or shouldn’t be avoided.
But today I’m talking about the things that aren’t necessary but take up valuable time. These are things that can wait. For example, you don’t have to clean up the living room right now. It can wait until you’re done writing. Another example, Facebook can be a time suck if you’re not careful. You start looking at timelines and pictures/videos, and the next thing you know, an entire hour has gone by. So Facebook is another thing that can wait (unless someone spams your timeline. Then delete that one immediately). But get out of that and start writing. Also, watching TV. Yes, TV is fun, but it should be after you’ve met your daily writing goal (unless you’re too sick to write).
A good thing exercise is to sit down and write out everything you need and want to do this week. Then separate these things into “needs” and “wants”. Writing is a “need” since this is our driving passion. Whether you are making money at this or not, I still consider writing a need because it emotionally balances most of us when we let the creative side of our minds play. Nothing relaxes me and centers me more than writing. So yes, writing definitely meets a “need” requirement.
After you’ve separated out your needs from your wants, list what needs to be done each day that week. Then list each item for each day in order of importance. Writing should be somewhere at the top. If you don’t put it there, time will slip away from you, and you’ll find your output decreasing. After you finish doing the things that need to be done, you can then work through your want list.
I’ll give you an example of my list for today.
Monday (needs): write your daily goal, grocery shop, call septic repair place, make dinner, make blog post for the April Blogging from A – Z Challenge (You’ll notice each thing takes a different amount of time, so I would make the call and grocery shop before doing the others. With a husband and four kids, I have to write on and off during an entire day since I can’t structure undisturbed writing time into my schedule, so I try to make my word count in one story, go to another task on the list, go back to writing, etc.)
Monday (wants): take kids to the park, watch TV with husband, watch You Tube videos to relax/learn more about marketing techniques, go to other authors’ blogs, take a walk (Obviously, TV and You Tube are at the very bottom. While I didn’t put my family in the today’s “need” category, I want to emphasize that as a weekly goal, it would be. I suggest making time for spouse and children for a couple hours at least a couple times a week.)
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Your ROI will differ from mine, but I hope this at least gives you an idea of how to best maximize your opportunity cost.
This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.
April 17, 2016
N is for No
In my time zone, it’s right before midnight, so I can send it out and catch up. Tomorrow (Monday), I’ll get to “O”.
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You have every right to say no.
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Today’s post is for the writer’s psychological well-being.
It is okay to say no. I know, I know. This is common sense. But I think it’s worth saying because sometimes we need to hear this. I know I do. Even thought I “know” it’s okay to say no, sometimes I’ll feel guilty for saying it. After all, someone who came to me for a favor is only asking a small thing and I really like this person so I should say yes. I’d feel like a total jerk if I said no, even if I state it politely and explain why.
I don’t know how many of you feel the same way, but I don’t think I’m alone. I bet you have good reasons for saying no, but you can still get caught up in the trap of feeling guilty. But the truth is, you can’t extend yourself to the point where you aren’t able to do what you do best: write. Writing is our priority. If we don’t write, we don’t get our book out.
When you are struggling to make time to write, it’s time to cut back. Knowing what to cut back is the hard part. In the next post, I’ll try to explain when you should say no.
For this post, suffice it to say that the writer’s first job is to write. I think non-writers don’t understand that writing is something most of us have to do. Writing chose us; we didn’t choose it. We write because the stories are in our heads, and those stories won’t stop until they’re on paper. It’s not an obsession, exactly, but it’s definitely something that weighs down on us until we do it. If we don’t write, we’re not pleasant people to be around.
Writing is the best thing we can do for our sanity. Believe me, you don’t want to be around me when I’ve gone without writing for several days. So really, saying no to other things so you can write is being kind to yourself and others who have to live with you.[image error]
This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.
