Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 53

S is for Serious

Sometimes writers can take criticism much too seriously.

ID 32558102 © Wisconsinart | Dreamstime.com

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.

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.

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.

ID 22106132 © Corepics Vof | Dreamstime.com

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.

P is for Pacing

Pacing is how fast or slow the story is moving.

ID 28391540 © Nucleartrash | Dreamstime.com

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.

ID 23847156 © Hermin Utomo | Dreamstime.com

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.

 

O is for Opportunity Cost

An opportunity cost requires you to give up doing one thing in favor of doing another.

ID 54029838 © Ivaylo Sarayski | Dreamstime.com

“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.)

****

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.

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”.

*****

You have every right to say no.

ID 49225546 © Andrewgenn | Dreamstime.com

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.

M is for Motivation

Due to a power outage, I wasn’t able to post this yesterday.  I’ll do a post for the letter “N” tomorrow to catch up.

***

Your character’s goal will motivate them to act.

ID 45370908 © Ralwel | Dreamstime.com

Your character is as unique as a fingerprint.  She won’t be like any other character you’ve ever written or will write.  She might have similar traits to other characters, but she is a specific and unique character in her own right.  This means the motivation is going to be unique to this character, too.  You also want this motivation to be compelling enough the reader will want to stick with the character through the entire book.  So when deciding what your character’s motivation is, think about the character’s personality and  background.

If you’re a panster (like me), you can know the character on a subconscious level. The panster becomes consciously aware of the character as they write.  This is why we end up surprised by a new twist we didn’t see coming.  When you write at the panster level, you have to trust that the character’s motivation is going to make the story all it can be.

Plotters will figure things out ahead of time, so they know (going in) what will happen and why the character is the way she is.  Depending on how heavy the author plots, they will know more (or less) going into the story.  I know some authors who do basic outlines and fill them in as they go along.  I’ve heard of others who have a detailed outline of everything before they start writing.

There is no right way to write the book.  The best thing is to go with the method that works best for you.  Like unique characters, authors are different, too.[image error]

Back to motivation…

Motivation is what will propel the character toward the goal.  It is the desire burning within the character.  Think of what makes you wake up in the morning.  When you open your eyes, is there something that you look forward to?  Is there some driving passion that excites you?  This is the kind of motivation your character will need to take the journey.  So think of that emotion when you’re trying to get across how much the character wants that goal.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

L is for Loose Ends

Loose ends are those things in the story that never get resolved.

ID 22212260 © Nasir1164 | Dreamstime.com

If you like loose ends:

Some stories use this technique to end the story, especially in the thriller/horror genres.  It’s a technique where the writer can let the reader decide what the real ending is.  It’s often the twist that leaves the reader hanging.

For example, in the movie Premonition with Sandra Bullock, the story ends with the heroine being pregnant with her  husband’s child (and her husband is dead, as far as we know).  She hears the shower running.  No one should be there, so she goes to check behind the curtain.  Then she gasps.  We never see what she saw.  That’s where it ends.  So you’re left wondering, “Who the heck is in the shower?” Given everything she’d been through in the movie, it could be her husband or someone else.  You just don’t know.

A loose end can also be a, “Was the story real?” question.  I can’t think of any story off the top of my head, but let’s say we go through the entire story and the character wakes up, thinking it was all a dream.  But then, he sees something in his real life that reminds him of the “dream” he just had.  And this leaves the reader wondering, “Was it really a dream, or did it really happen?”

If you don’t like loose ends:

Tying up loose ends can come in the book or later in the series, but somehow in someway, everything finds a satisfactory ending point so the reader isn’t left wondering, “What the heck?”

When I’m writing a story, I’ll spend time during the last couple of chapters figuring out where all of my unresolved plot points are.  These can range from minor issues (such as friends needing to have a heart-to-heart talk after a misunderstanding) to major ones (such as tracking down the identity of the killer).  Loose ends are anything you introduce in the story that need resolution in order for the story to feel complete.

In romance, it’s typical to tie up all loose ends.  There might be a hint to another character’s story, but overall, the story can act as a standalone novel in the series.  Often in fantasy series, there are loose ends up until the last book, though there can definitely be  fantasy series where each novel in the series can be a standalone novel.  (Pier Anthony is good in this area.)

If you decide to use a plot point (or two) that span the entire series, the trick is not making it such a huge loose end that the reader feels like she didn’t get a complete story.  I don’t know how it is in other genres, but romance readers hate cliffhangers, even if the story is in serial format. Regardless of genre, though, if you have a cliffhanger, I recommend having the next book out quickly (like in a month or less) so you don’t leave the reader hanging for too long.

To avoid upsetting readers with an ongoing loose end in the series, I recommend that you make each book in the series a complete story.  For example, Book 1 needs to have it’s major conflict resolved.  Book 2 will have a different major conflict that will, in turn, be resolved by the end of that book.  Same for Book 3, etc.   If you are running an underlying conflict (aka. loose end) that is spanning through the series, it should be minor enough not to leave the reader upset if you don’t resolve it right away.  But, the final book in the series needs to resolve this particular loose end.

(If this post was confusing, please let me know.  I struggled with how to best explain this one.)

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

K is for Kill (Killing Things That Don’t Belong in the Story)

It can be hard to let things go, but if someone or something in your story doesn’t do anything for the plot, throw it out.

ID 42430160 © Iqoncept | Dreamstime.com

One of the worst things you can do in your story is ramble on about things that slow the story down.  You might know some awesome tidbit from the research you did for the story, or there might be some clever line or scene that you love, or there might be a secondary character you adore.  But (and I know this is hard), you have to get rid of anything that doesn’t add to the plot.

Yes, you don’t want to rush anything.  But you also don’t want to do anything that slows down the story.  Pacing is important.  The balance is a delicate one.  But in this post, I’m talking about avoiding things that will bore the reader.  Anything that bores the reader needs to be thrown out.

The test, of course, is what to toss out.  How do you decide such a thing?

An easy way to figure out if you need a scene is to remove it and see if the plot is still the same.  If it is, kill the scene.

If you have a character that only seems to get in the way and doesn’t add anything to the story, toss him out.  You might have had a plan for the character early on, but the story just didn’t go the way you planned and this character is no longer needed.  If this is the case, get rid of him.  Now if you have very minor character who adds some comic relief or some interesting little bit that doesn’t overwhelm the scene, then go ahead and keep him. It’s okay to have something small from a minor character inserted as long as it doesn’t detract from the plot.

If you’re info dumping about something you learned while researching on a topic for the book and this info dump does nothing to advance the plot, toss the info dump out.

If your characters are talking, and one says something that is a lot of fun or poetic, but this doesn’t lead into the rest of the conversation, you’ll have to kill it.

One thing you can do with these deleted parts is put them on your blog, add them as special scenes for those on your email lists, or add them to the end of the book (as you would a deleted scene in a DVD).  So you don’t necessarily have to say good-bye to them completely.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.

J is for Journey

The journey is the character’s story, and the way the journey progresses depends on the choices the character will make.

ID 61615492 © Alphaspirit | Dreamstime.com

The journey, in a nutshell, is the plot.  But I’m not the kind of writer who thinks the plot directs the characters. I believe the characters should direct the plot.

What do I mean by this?  Well, to put it simply, the character comes before the plot.  Every character is as unique as a fingerprint.  No two can be alike.  They might have similarities, but they will be distinct from one another.  Because of this, each character has his own way of trying to obtain his goal.  That is why the journey he takes will evolve from him.

It’s like a domino effect.  You start the story with the character in his normal day to day life.  Things are going along as they have always been.  From there, the character needs to want something, which is the goal.  Everything the character says and does will impact the journey.  And with each new development that pops up to stop him from getting his goal (aka. conflict), he will need to adapt and say or do something else to continue on his way to the goal.

So the basic format for the journey is simply this: introduce character’s world, give character a goal, bring in a conflict that will hinder this particular character from getting the goal, have him react in a way that makes sense for him (given his personality traits), introduce another conflict (should one be necessary), etc.  That’s really all there is to the journey.

The journey ends when either the character gets his goal (happy ending) or realizes he’ll never get it (sad ending).  Either way, there has to be a resolution to the journey.

So when you think of what kind of plot to build around your main character, take into consideration the conflict that will have the biggest impact on the character.  What can you do to the character that will bring about the most angst?   The bigger the angst, the more powerful the story.

But the angst has to be something that makes sense given his personality.  For example, putting a secure character in a socially awkward situation is not sufficient angst to resonate with the reader.  But, if you put an insecure character in the socially awkward situation, it has a lot more impact.

This post is part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.