Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 127

Help Us Celebrate Our 200,000 Book Milestone

Honestly, I don’t even know how to start this post–I am utterly lacking in the word department, which is pretty ironic for a writer, isn’t it?

200,000. Books. Sold.

Back in 2012 when Becca and I dipped our toes into the self publishing waters we never imagined it would lead here, but it has…because of all of you. Again, I can’t think of the appropriate words! All the kind ways you have helped and supported us…Thank you seems so unworthy, but it’s all we can say, a thousand times!

[image error]When we started down this road with our crazy idea for an Emotion Thesaurus, I had told Becca I would be ecstatic if it sold 50,000 copies in its lifetime. We underestimated just how many other writers struggled with emotion. What a thrill to know this book, and our others, are helping writers all over the world!

It’s been a long time since we shared numbers. I know some find sales transparency helpful and hitting this milestone seemed like a good time to update ours.

So here’s where we’re at, as of Feb 2017:

[image error]The Emotion Thesaurus, English only, Pub date: May 2012 (Print, ebook, PDF): 120,101

Foreign rights: Japan, Korea, Romania, China, Taiwan

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[image error]The Positive Trait Thesaurus, English Only, Pub Date: Oct 2013 (Print, ebook, PDF): 31,659

Foreign rights: Japan, Korea

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[image error]The Negative Trait Thesaurus, English Only. Pub Date: Sept 2013 (Print, ebook, PDF): 34,874

Foreign rights: Japan, Korea

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[image error]The Rural Setting Thesaurus, English Only. Pub Date: May 2016 (Print, ebook, PDF): 7,206

Foreign rights: Japan

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[image error]The Urban Setting Thesaurus, English Only. Pub Date: Oct 2016 (Print, ebook, PDF): 6,734

Foreign rights: Japan

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[image error]Excluded from overall count: Emotion Amplifiers, a free companion. Pub Date: Dec 2014 (ebooklet & PDF): 37,306

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About these numbers:



Print outsells digital (I think this is common with reference books)
No books were set to “free” except Emotion Amplifiers. (EA downloads are not part of the overall count)
No books have been enrolled in exclusive programs to date
We didn’t play with ebook pricing (instead we chose a reasonable price and stuck with it)
But we did try a one-day “group book sale” of the ET at .99 to experiment
To date we’ve tried only one ad in a high-volume newsletter (we lost money)
No accurate numbers for foreign sales yet (but we will update once we do)
Our books are at Amazon, Createspace, Kobo, B & N, Smashwords, and Apple, and available as a PDF using Gumroad. We don’t use Ingram Spark (yet)

Rather than re-invent the marketing wheel…

We’ve talked about the marketing approach we’ve taken in greater length in other posts and interviews, so if you like, visit this tag to find other numbers & data posts, look through some of our past events we’ve run, and check out our marketing tag for extra help.

Also, we strongly encourage you visit our tool page for more marketing help, including social media handouts, marketing interview links, a VERY helpful swipe file from our last book launch.

GIVEAWAY (Open Worldwide)

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20 Thesaurus eBooks (Winner’s Choice)
5 one-month subscriptions to our writing web app, One Stop for Writers

How could we celebrate such a terrific milestone without a little giveaway? So, if you’ve been looking to test drive one of our books, or have been itching to try One Stop For Writers, just enter using

THIS FORM

(If you’ve already got our books, pay-it-forward by gifting any winnings to a friend!)

[image error]BONUS ENTRY!

Want a crack at a print copy of one of our newest (and slightly shy) members of the Thesaurus clan, the Urban and Rural Setting Thesaurus books? Just sign up for our occasional, info-packed, no-spam newsletter:

Email *

5 658 subscribers










On Sunday, we’ll draw 2 winners from our subscriber list!
[image error]Again, thank you for buying, recommending, and using our books.
(And all the fun pictures posted to social media. THE BEST!)

We hope our books continue to supply ideas and help push your writing to the next level. Look for The Emotional Wound Thesaurus to make an appearance later this year. 

The Story of Prose, A Social Platform For Writers

[image error]Becca and I are passionate about helping writers, no secret there. Two years ago this passion sent us “down the rabbit hole” to create a writing web app with Lee Powell of Scrivener. Some have wondered, Why do this when your writing books already sell well? but the answer is simple: deep down, we’re innovators. If you know our books, you know we approach common writing struggles in unique ways. A site would allow us to explore ideas for tools and resources that work better on the web, helping writers leap forward in a new way.

Building One Stop for Writers was fun, intimidating, and challenging (and still is as we continue to evolve the site). Understanding the hard work and vision it takes to realize a dream has really made me interested in how other writing sites came to be.

Today I have one of the masterminds behind Prose, a social & writing platform built to share stories, get feedback, and gain visibility. He’s sharing his road to creation, and I hope you enjoy it. After you’re had a read, swing by Prose–you might find a new home for your writing spirit to flourish and gain some new writing friends along the way.

[image error]Call me A.

I’m about to tell you several stories within a story.

It’s March 10, 2014, Austin, Texas, SXSW (a technology and music festival of sorts), and I’m Airbnbing for the first time with a guy I barely know. His name is Jeff Stewart and he’s a professional writer. Arms entirely inked, avid dog-and-metal aficionado, amazingly talented author, the guy’s aura radiates pure passionate artistry. He’s attending SXSW to promote a new book, I’m there to promote a new app. We drive to the convention center and make our way into throngs of technothusiasts. I’m sufficiently prepared, with a technology to demo and some cards to share. Jeff, meanwhile, is hauling a sack of book copies. We start networking, and I get lost in the crowd. Then, a few minutes later, he finds me.

“Let’s have a drink, man. Stop what you’re doing. I just had an idea I know you’ll love.”

I’m down. “All right. Let’s do this.” We exit the building. “So what’s your idea?”

“The entire social media experience – but the media content isn’t focused on updates, or on messages, or on images, or on videos, or on songs…”

“…then on what?”

“Writing. The entire spectrum of writing. All kinds, all sizes, all skills.”

“That sounds cool, but why would anyone care?”

He grins. “Because unless you’re a mega-successful writer, getting visibility and feedback is too strenuous. You alone must market yourself and ensure the work you submit is fully edited, developed, legit. I’m seeing a way to empower writers everywhere like never before.”

Next thing I know we are sitting in the Omni, sipping whiskey coke and eating chicken wings, talking about what Jeff is now calling “Prose.”

I get back to Seattle from Austin and share Jeff’s idea of Prose with the board of my company, Arc Reactor, and we decide to collaborate with Jeff and build Prose. We also decide to make Prose look and feel like a game, in subtle ways, through writing challenges and author leader-boards and the like, encouraging writers to push themselves and get their words down with a goal to chase, mimicking the incumbent literary ecosystem. Our hope is that this will help writers grow more accustomed to, and comfortable with, the publishing industry’s intense threshold of creative competition.

We launch our iOS app in September of 2014, and then our web app in January. We decide to experiment with a “$100 Challenge of the Week” later that year. The experiment proves to be a success, and we see how making writing more gamelike and rewarding pushes people to work harder on honing and perfecting their craft. So we introduce Books, Coins, and Juice to let writers make money from their craft via purchases and donations for any kind or size of writing, from a haiku to a chapter to a saga.

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(and many more portals)

Now it’s February of 2017, and we’re working to make Prose better and better. If you love to write, Prose might be the right home for you, especially if you have been looking to share your writing, learn & grow with other writers, and have a surprising amount of fun along the way.

Our mission is to help humanity live its intellectual and creative potential by constantly making the written word experience more social, fun, and rewarding. We are focused on sharing Prose with existing groups of writers who will appreciate having their own community to network and improve as well as their own platform to augment visibility and feedback.

Thank you for reading and sharing this story. I hope to read and share yours on Prose!

[image error]Prose, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Seattle, is a social writing platform dedicated to empowering writers worldwide by improving both feedback and visibility. Visit our web app, or mobile app.

Have you visited Prose before? Have any questions you’d like to ask? Let us know in the comments!

 

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Introducing One Stop For Writers’ NEW Worldbuilding Tool

We’ve all read amazing fiction where the world itself captivated us as much as the characters did. And let’s all admit it, when we hit the last page of the final book in the series, a little piece of our soul died, because we knew we’d have no more new adventures in that world.

[image error]Isn’t this exactly how we want our readers to feel when they read our books? I mean, sorry about the piece of your soul and all, but WOOT on creating a world so rich and textured our audience is still thinking about it months or even years later.

Worldbuilding is not easy. To really create a world that has the depth to convey fascination and realism we have to do significant planning…especially if building a world from scratch. But even if our story takes place in the real world, we still don’t get to skip out on the work. To get readers to invest in the circumstances of the story, we need to know each location down to its bones (and be prepared to show it).

There are some good surveys online, but Becca and I find often they don’t always ask the right questions or we end up skipping big sections because they cover things that don’t apply to what we’re creating. #writerproblems

It’s times like this we get a bit giddy that we happen to know two talented developers. Off we go, explaining our writing woes to Lee and Abhishek at One Stop for Writers, and BOOM, after a bit of collaboration, the Worldbuilding Tool is born.

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Imagine a set of surveys that can be customized and will work for all genres so you can easily bring together the important details for your world. Plan key people, organizations, locations, and more, no matter where your story takes place. You can design the solar system all the way down to the communities where your characters live, whatever you need. All you do is choose a survey type, drag over the questions you’d like to answer, and leave the ones you don’t.

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And if there’s a question you want to explore that isn’t already in the survey, you can add your own, customizing the survey.

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And we’ve included questions with links to thesauruses that may help, allowing you to immediately do some deep-level planning right on the spot.

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Once you’re finished the survey, just save it, and make another if you like. Once you have explored all the aspects of a world, you can use the surveys to help you build story timelines, story maps, scene maps, or to have on hand as you write. Access them right from One Stop’s Workspace or print them out (and if you want to keep all your surveys together in one PDF, you can do that too!)

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Along with some helpful ideas for each survey, we’ve also put together a Lesson on Worldbuilding, so if you subscribe to the site, check that out.

Now you know the kind of things Becca and I work on when we’re not penning our next book. We love creating our writing guides for you, but some things can’t be done in a book, so we’ve built One Stop. The site has a toolbox brimming with writing goodies, so stop by sometime and check it out if you like.

Want to receive an occasional newsletter to see what we’re cooking up next at One Stop For Writers? Just sign up here.

Happy writing, all!

Do you love worldbuilding, or is it something you struggle with? Let us know in the comments!
Image 1: Comfreak @ Pixabay

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Character Motivation Entry: Being Acknowledged and Appreciated By Family

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal’s going to be and they’ll know what to root for. But how do you know what outer motivation to choose?

[image error]If you read enough books, you’ll see the same goals being used for different characters in new scenarios. Through this thesaurus, we’d like to explore these common outer motivations so you can see your options and what those goals might look like on a deeper level.

Character’s Goal (Outer Motivation): Being Acknowledged and Appreciated by One’s Family or Loved Ones

Forms This Might Take:

Being acknowledged for one’s dedication to one’s children and their growth (volunteerism as school, coaching their teams, driving to practices, fundraising)
 Being acknowledged by family for one’s independence (such as a youth who works, pays for one’s own car, clothing, tuition, etc.) rather than expect family to pay one’s way)
Being appreciated for the time one puts into the house and family (cooking and other chores, maintaining the home, making repairs as needed, paying bills, offering emotional support to family members, offering unconditional love and support, etc.)
An acknowledgement for a sacrifice one is making (of time, money, of personal energy, etc.) to see to the needs within the family, such as caring for an elderly parent, supporting a family member as they navigate a difficult situation such as cancer treatment, working with a cousin to help get them out of financial distress, etc.)
Being acknowledged for one’s passion and dedication to a goal, despite opposition and setbacks (starting up a new business, trying to break in as an artist or musician, working to keep a homeless shelter or charitable organization afloat through hard times, advocating for a cause)
Being appreciated by family members for one’s dedication to providing financial security (working multiple jobs, attending night school to retrain for a better job, accepting a position that requires lots of travel or being on-call) and giving up sleep, personal self care, and other sacrifices to do so

Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): esteem and recognition

How the Character May Prepare for This Goal: 

Living by example (being a good role model, appreciating others for what they do and showing it, offering praise that is deserved)
Pointing out what one is doing and why as a ‘team decision’ to an unappreciative or upset spouse (such as acknowledging that long hours at work means one isn’t around as much, but it’s paying the mortgage and allows the kids to be on sports teams or follow their passions, which is what the spouse also wants)
Not getting sucked into petty family drama and instead turning the other cheek or diffusing it as best as one can
Voicing that one is feeling that one’s efforts are being disregarded and opening up about how that makes one feel in a calm way
Asking for help when one is feeling overwhelmed rather than trying to “do it all” and thereby sending a message that one is overloaded
Share responsibility with others within the family so they can understand accountability and the costs associated with one’s role (dividing up chores, driving schedules for the kids’ activities, ask a sibling to step up to take an ailing parent to medical appointments, etc.)
Being honest about hurtful statements and actions and asking for a conversation about it without it devolving into a blame game
Reining in one’s anger and resentment so it doesn’t escalate arguments about who does what
Asking others to step in and share a financial or time burden so they better appreciate the difficulties of managing everything
Lessening one’s availability to demanding family members so they better realize how much they depend on the support on one and shouldn’t take it for granted
Acknowledging the passions and interests of others and showing respect for the effort and dedication involved
Having healthy discussions about what is lacking without personalizing it to one’s own situation

Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal: 

Strained relationships between family members who are self-absorbed or who struggle with change
Having to cut out toxic relationships (which could lead to family feuds as members pick sides)
Shifts in finances, schedules, and responsibilities that may cause fallout if one shifts responsibility burdens to others so they gain a deeper appreciation for what one does (encouraging one’s partner to scale back work hours and be home more to help out, for example, resulting in tighter finances but more family time or home support)
Taking on additional responsibility (financial, etc.) to follow a passion despite a lack of family support in order to prove oneself as committed and capable
Misunderstandings over motives as one scales back so another can assume more responsibility (like an elderly parent being hurt that one is no longer providing meals and in-home support, not understanding that this is so a sibling can take it over to better appreciate the time and energy involved)

Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved: 

Toxic family members who sabotage one’s efforts or try to dismantle one’s self esteem to “keep one in line”
A financial crisis
A health crisis in the family
Third-party suffering (giving one’s partner the responsibility of picking the kids up from school and taking them to activities to discover late pick ups and excuses are leaving kids feeling neglected or getting them in trouble for showing up late to practice)
Competitive family members who are always trying to “one-up” the character
Family members who refuse to step up
Narcissistic family members who try and turn others against the character, citing selfishness

Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:

Good Listening Skills
Strong Reasoning Skills
Gaining the Trust of Others
Empathy


Haggling
Charm
Hospitality
Making People Laugh
Mentalism
A Knack for Making Money
Mimicking
Multitasking
Organization
Reading People
Strategic Thinking
Storytelling

Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:

Broken family relationships with those who refuse to validate one’s value and contributions (a falling out with one’s parents, refusing to speak to a sibling, cutting an aunt out of one’s life, etc.)
Divorce
Personal burnout that leads to emotional volatility, depression, anxiety, or complete breakdown
Damaging relationships unintentionally because of the emotional strain (yelling at the kids, snapping at a partner) because of friction with other family members and situations
Fallout from neglect (especially between parent and child, or partners in a relationship) that creates low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and need for validation from anyone who will give it
Sleep issues and increased stress which could lead to a medical crisis
Reaching a tipping point and feeling a failure when one is no longer able to keep up with all one does



Click here for a list of our current entries for this thesaurus, along with a master post containing information on the individual fields.

Image: Johnhain @ Pixabay

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Wanderlust: The Case for Writing and Travel

As some of you know, I’m kind of a travel nut. Becca is used to me abandoning her for several weeks to backpack around Malaysia or Vietnam, or attempt to not get eaten by wild critters in Tanzania. For me, travel is therapeutic, both for filling my creative well and helping me find balance within a busy life.

[image error]This year I am trying a different sort of adventure by going on a writing cruise in September. Seriously, I can’t wait. Hang out with writers, work on our craft together, and visit some new places at the same time? DONE.  Christina Delay is the organizer of this terrific retreat, and she knows all about the benefits of travel for writers.

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For many, travel is something we categorize as luxury or special or something that happens only if our bonus check comes through. For others, it’s a lifestyle.

From an early age, I had a case of wanderlust. I started saving up for a trip to Italy when I was sixteen years old. Ten years later, my husband and I took a dream trip to Venice, Tuscany, Sorrento, and Rome.

I knew we’d see beautiful sights and experience new food and culture. What I didn’t expect was this overwhelming thrill that welled up inside me and filled and fed parts I had forgotten existed.

I came back from that trip to Italy and picked up my writing—something I’d let slide since I’d started adulting.

Why Authors Should Travel

[image error]See, travel fulfills in a way that nothing else can. It’s not just for wanderlusters or for people with big budgets. Travel is imperative to anyone with a creative drive. And it can be worked into any budget.

The rush of newness, of discovery, of having your eyes opened to things and ways of life you never knew existed…delivers writing fodder for years. And for some, like me, it can reignite a spark long buried by the ashes of the years.

I believe with every fragment of my heart that authors must get out of their familiar settings and discover something new…as a lifestyle. Our job is to deliver stories and messages in fresh and unexpected ways. We simply cannot do that from the same chair that has looked out the same window on the same tree year after year after year.

Travel Impacts Story

On one of my recent cruises with Cruising Writers, I and one of our wonderful writing craft coaches, Margie Lawson, went to the ship’s helipad at midnight. The helipad was mostly empty. The lights were off and the night was silent except for the hum of the ship’s engine and the splash of the waves far below. But the sky—oh the sky! It was filled with shooting stars.

A meteor shower in the middle of the Caribbean, on a silent, dark ship at midnight.

It was one of those singular experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. In part, because I memorialized it in a story.

Travel is one of the most immediate and effective ways to impact your writing. If you’re looking for depth, travel. It affects your setting, your characterization, how your characters problem-solve, belief systems, language…it affects everything.

If you’ve ever gotten one of those critiques or rejections that said, “Loved the story, didn’t connect with the characters,” go travel.

Or how about this one? “The writing felt a bit flat to me. I wasn’t as engaged as I’d hoped.” – Go travel, because it will add a richness and depth to your writing.

Practical Tips to Enrich Your Writing

[image error]No matter where you are going or what purpose you are traveling for, get into the habit of making the trip work for your writing.

Carry a journal: This is one of my favorite tricks. A small notebook fits easily into a purse or a pocket and can be pulled out and used much easier than a laptop or a phone. Plus, it breaks down barriers. When you have technology in front of your face, there is a wall between you and what you should be experiencing. People tend to avoid you because it looks like you’re working. However, journaling leaves you open to approach and to be approached. Writing with pen and paper reaches a different part of your brain and opens your mind to new discoveries that have been previously sucked away by the almighty power of the screen.
Go somewhere by yourself: Even if you are traveling with a group, find time each day to go somewhere and breathe. Listen to the waves crashing on the shore without interruption. Go to a French café and let the beautiful French language take you to another time and place. Hike somewhere, zipline over a mountain, experience. But do it by yourself. Later, you can regroup. But for your writing’s sake, go and experience something each day, alone.
Meet someone new: Here’s the real secret to deepening character. Strike up a conversation with someone you would have never talked to before. If they don’t speak your language, even better! Magic happens when two people communicate with that language barrier in place. You find creative ways to make yourself be understood, and you’ll pay closer attention to that person’s body language and facial expressions and inflection than you would ever have before. All of that is usable in your writing. And after you’ve had this amazing conversation, write down the things that stuck with you in your journal; a turn of phrase, the way his mouth ticked up slightly on the left before he smiled, how her voice turned high every time she made herself understood.
Do something daring: It could be hiking, it could be skydiving, it could be trying out a new phrase in French. It could be requesting a song from a pianist who speaks a different language, but shares your musical taste. Dance in St. Mark’s Square. Eat fish straight from the fisherman’s boat. Drink what the locals drink. In short, experience life.

If you get the opportunity to travel and incorporate some of these tips, I guarantee your writing and your readers will thank you.

[image error]Christina Delay is the hostess of Cruising Writers and an award-winning author represented by Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. When she’s not leading retreats, she’s dreaming up new destinations to take talented authors on or writing the stories of the imaginary people that live in her heart.

ChristinaDelay.com | Facebook | Twitter

About Cruising Writers

Cruising Writers brings aspiring authors together with bestselling authors, an agent, an editor, and a world-renowned writing craft instructor together on writing retreats.

Join us in the beautiful Languedoc of Southern France this April and stay in a historic chateau with world-renown writing craft instructor Margie Lawson, NYC-based literary agent Louise Fury, Publisher Liz Pelletier with Entangled Publishing, Amazon bestselling author Shelley Adina, European Manager for Kobo Writing Life Camille Mofidi, and President of Literary Translations Athina Papa.

CruisingWriters.com | Facebook | Twitter

Do you love to travel? Have you ever gone on a writing retreat? Tell us about your experience!

 

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Using Text-to-Speech Software as an Editing Tool

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When I was preparing to edit my novel last year, one technique I considered was reading each chapter out loud. That way, I could hear the words instead of simply seeing them, and gauge whether sentences or paragraphs were too long through listening. Yet I also saw the drawbacks: Reading each chapter out loud could be time-consuming – and it could tire out my voice. (And no one enjoys going hoarse or having a sore throat, right?)

Around that time, one of my writing friends mentioned a tool in her editing arsenal that she was grateful for: text-to-speech (TTS) software. In other words, your computer “narrates” a selected portion of your manuscript while you read along either on your screen or with a printed copy.

My first thought? “That’s BRILLIANT. I should try it!” And now that I have, I plan to continue using TTS software when editing future stories.

So, how can TTS software help with your editing? What should you watch out for when trying it? And what programs can you use? You might be surprised with the last one. But let’s start with…

Three Ways Text-to-Speech Software Can Help with Editing
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Courtesy: Pixabay

#1: It Lets You Listen to the Flow of Your Writing. While a computer’s monotone isn’t as engaging or expressive as a human voice, it still brings the words you wrote to life. This way, you can listen to the writing and judge its effectiveness better than when reading it from a printed page. Is the flow smooth at times and rough or choppy at others? Does any weird sentence structure give you pause? Do incorrect or flawed word choices stick out? These and other shortcomings will wave like red flags as the TTS software narrates the text.

#2: It Brings Typos to Your Attention. Ever reviewed your writing for spelling or grammar, then realized a day later that you missed a typo, like “their” instead of “there”? Our brains (and our computer’s Spellcheck) often overlook these small errors and “read” them as the intended words. But with TTS software, we’re more likely to catch these typos as the computer “verbalizes” them. Hearing those mistakes in someone else’s voice, either real or robotic, makes them more noticeable so we can fix them in the next draft.

#3: You Get the “Reading Out Loud” Experience While Saving Your Voice. As fun as it might sound to read your work out loud, imagine how dry your throat might be and how winded you might feel after each reading. TTS software doesn’t read at a faster rate, but it does allow you to conserve your vocal and respiratory energy. Besides, no writing advice is good advice is if it recommends you sacrifice health and well-being for your craft’s sake. (*wink*)

What to Be Careful of When Using Text-to-Speech Software

Read Along with a Print Copy or On Your Computer Screen. You might be tempted to sit back and listen, but it’s better to be an active participant. As your TTS software narrates the text, read along either on your computer screen or on a printed copy of your manuscript. This will prompt you to pay close attention to the written words and the audio so you can find potential changes. (In other words, it prevents you from “sleeping on the job”!)

Select Short Sections of Text at a Time. Having TTS software read an entire scene or chapter can be taxing on your brain. The longer your computer reads without pausing, the more likely you’ll lose your place as you read along or forget ideas for possible changes. Instead, select one page or a few paragraphs at a time, and give yourself breaks in between so you can mentally process each “reading” and make notes of future edits.

Expect Foreign or Invented Words to Be Mispronounced. This happened during my WIP frequently, since it’s a YA fantasy story set in a fictional world – and some of my software’s pronunciations of my invented terms left me in stitches! But it’s important to know you might run into this if your manuscript also features foreign or made-up words. And if it does, have a good chuckle, then let it go so you can focus on the real issues.

Which Programs Offer Text-To-Speech Software?

Many of us already have TTS software on our computers without realizing it. Here are some of the programs that come equipped with it:

Microsoft Word comes with a Speak command, which you can access via Word’s Quick Access Toolbar once you add the shortcut. (Speak is also available on Microsoft Outlook, OneNote, and PowerPoint.)
Computers using Windows 10 feature a Narrator function, which reads text, calendar appointments, and other notifications aloud. Check out this detailed guide on Narrator for more information.
If you own a Mac, your operating system also comes with TTS capabilities. Go to System Preferences > Dictation & Speech > Text to Speech, then select the “Speak selected text when the key is pressed” checkbox. (Click here for the complete instructions for English-speaking users.)
Scrivener has a built-in TTS function as well. When you’re ready, click Edit > Speech > Start Speaking to use it.
Other TTS software options include Voice Dream, Natural Reader, and several other programs listed here.

So, give TTS software a try the next time you edit your work. You might find that it helps your process in a way you hadn’t expected, and that the quality of your writing in later drafts – the ones that matter most – is even stronger than before.

Do you use text-to-speech software as part of your writing process? If you have, which program(s) would you recommend? Do you have other experience or advice with reading your manuscript out loud during the editing stage?

[image error]Sara is a fantasy writer living in Massachusetts who devours good books, geeks out about character arcs, and drinks too much tea. In addition to WHW’s Resident Writing Coach Program, she writes the Theme: A Story’s Soul column at DIY MFA and is hard at work on a YA fantasy novel. Find out more about Sara here, visit her personal blog, Goodreads profile, and find her online.

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Character Motivation Thesaurus Entry: Realizing a Dream

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal’s going to be and they’ll know what to root for. But how do you know what outer motivation to choose?

If you read enough books, you’ll see the same goals being used for different characters in new scenarios. Through this thesaurus, we’d like to explore these common outer motivations so you can see your options and what those goals might look like on a deeper level.

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Courtesy: Pixabay

Character’s Goal (Outer Motivation): Realizing a dream one was never able to achieve

Forms This Might Take:

Pursuing a new career
Getting a degree/going back to school
Being creative in a way one was never able to fully be before
Living in one’s dream setting
Traveling the world
Inventing something and making it available to the world
Completing a bucket list
Achieving a sports-related conquest (running a marathon, climbing a mountain, sailing around the world, winning an Olympic medal, etc.)
Running for office
Pursuing spiritual enlightenment (giving up material possessions, becoming a missionary or monk, going on a pilgrimage, etc.)
Having a child when one was never able to do so before
Making life better for an underprivileged or underrepresented people
Being the first (of one’s race, gender, family, ethnicity, etc.) to accomplish something

Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): self-actualization

How the Character May Prepare for This Goal: 

Making a list of steps needed to achieve the goal
Putting together a team of experts to help in various areas
Physically preparing one’s body for the task ahead
Getting in the right mental mindset
Honing the skills necessary to succeed (taking a class, hiring a coach, participating in an internship, etc.)
Studying those who have succeeded in the past
Budgeting one’s finances to allow for expenses
Purchasing necessary materials
Making contacts that can help one along the journey
Joining groups, clubs, organizations, etc. where people share the same passion
Purging the naysayers from one’s life, or cutting them out of the process
Coming up with a mantra or a visual image to focus on
Giving up habits that are counterproductive to one’s success
Taking on extra work or jobs to pay for expenses
Getting rid of distractions (relationships, hobbies, etc.)
Re-prioritizing one’s life around the new goal
Making difficult sacrifices if it increases one’s chances of success (sacrificing sleep, one’s physical health, friendships, pastimes that make one happy, etc.)

Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal: 

Losing friends and family members who don’t understand one’s drive to achieve this particular goal
Losing important relationships due to one’s obsession with achieving the goal
Giving up beloved pastimes and hobbies that one no longer has time for
Risking failure
One’s sense of value or worth being tied to reaching the goal, and losing that if the goal isn’t achieved
Bankrupting oneself or one’s family in order to succeed
Making enemies and jealous rivals who will try to sabotage one’s efforts
Sacrificing one’s health due to one’s singleminded focus on the goal
Other basic needs that are sacrificed in the process (e.g., achieving self-fulfillment but giving up love and belonging in the process)

Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved: 

Jealous rivals and competitors
Physical limitations (e.g., wanting to make a pro-basketball team but being considered too short)
Sickness and injuries
Running out of money
Family members and friends who don’t understand why the goal is so important
Mental limitations (a learning disability, mental illness, etc.)
A character flaw that makes success difficult (laziness that causes one to cut corners, a weak-willed nature that undermines one’s discipline, self-doubt, etc.)
A missing piece of information that brings progress to a halt (a law one unknowingly breaks, misfiling a necessary piece of paperwork, etc.)
Conflicting desires (e.g., wanting to achieve this all-consuming goal but also wanting to start a family)

Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:

Skill-based talents specific to one’s goal (Archery, Baking, Carpentry, Farming, Fishing, Foraging, Musicality, Wilderness Navigation, Wrestling, etc.)
Gaining the Trust of Others
Charm
Multitasking
Organization
Photographic Memory
Promotion
Strategic Thinking

Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:

Being so obsessed with the goal that one risks a mental breakdown if one fails
Living an unfulfilled life
The lives of others being impacted (if one is unable to bring an important product to the world, if one is seeking to help a certain group of people, etc.)
A fear of failure and taking risks in the future
Always being haunted by “what could’ve been”

Clichés to Avoid: 

The obsessed protagonist who sacrifices everything to achieve his dream and realizes that the sacrifices weren’t worth the result

Click here for a list of our current entries for this thesaurus, along with a master post containing information on the individual fields.

Critiques 4 U!

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Courtesy: Pixabay

People! I’ve been in New York for a year and a half now, and next week I’m headed back to Florida for the first time since we moved. I’m so excited to see family again, to go to the beach, and Disney (The most magical place on Earth!), and other venues where shorts will make an appearance. And of course there will be ample opportunity for reading, so it’s the perfect time for our February

CRITIQUES 4 U CONTEST!

If you’re working on a first page and would like some objective feedback, please leave a comment that includes: 

1) your email address. Some of you have expressed concern about making your email address public; if you’re sure that the email address associated with your WordPress account is correct, you don’t have to include it here. But if you do win and I’m unable to contact you through that email address, I’ll have to choose an alternate winner.

2) your story’s genre (no erotica, please)

Also, please be sure your first page is ready to go so I can critique it before next month’s contest rolls around. If it needs some work and you won’t be able to get it to me right away, I’d like to ask that you plan on entering the next contest, once any necessary tweaking has been taken care of.

The Secret of a Successful Mystery: Making the Reader a Participator

[image error]A lot of great stories have a mystery in them. The mystery may not be the primary focus; it might be the secondary, or the mystery might be so minor it lasts only a few chapters. But whatever the case, it should draw readers into your story and keep them turning the pages. That only happens, though, if it’s done right.

As an editor, I see a lot of unpublished work. One of the most common problems I see when an author includes a mystery is that the whole mystery seems to happen on the page. The author plants “clues” of course, but then focuses too much on them, making sure the reader “gets it,” or she has her character wonder for paragraphs upon paragraphs, with speculation that is often vague, uninteresting, or leads to conclusions that are far too predictable.

In cases like this, the reader becomes a spectator.

But just as emotion is more powerful when the reader experiences it himself, mysteries are more powerful when the reader is a participator.

The narrator (which in some cases is the viewpoint character) is the readers’ guide. The narrator draws focus to certain aspects of the story, and leaves others in the background. The narrator offers an emotional tone that helps the reader interpret a scene. The narrator suggests themes and ideas and judgments on the story and characters.

[image error]In manuscripts where the mystery all happens on the page, the narrator is trying too hard to guide the reader. But the best mysteries leave enough room for the audience to interpret and hypothesize. If every aspect of your mystery is on the page and the reader is being guided through it with a heavy hand, she won’t be intellectually invested.

If you want to write a powerful mystery, you have to let the reader participate, not spectate. To do that, you need to exercise full control and skill in several areas:

Subtext – Subtext is what’s not on the page, but what is implied. When you have conscious control over subtext, your story (and mystery) immediately becomes more powerful. Because subtext is what isn’t on the page, it instantly invites the reader to become a participator. They are automatically invested in the story and contemplative about it–because they are trying to interpret the subtext. How to write (or “not write”) subtext would take far too long to explain here, but I have an article that will give you all the tools to make it happen: How to Write What’s Not Written (Subtext)

Subtlety – One of the problems with the mysteries that happen on the page is that they aren’t subtle enough. Usually the author is so worried about the reader “getting it,” that the mystery and its “clues” are too heavy-handed. They should be suggested, inviting and drawing the reader in, not egocentric, forcing the reader to focus on them. Even children know that being forced to do something is annoying. If you try to force your reader to notice the elements of your mystery, they are more likely to be annoyed than anything. The real power comes when readers pick up on elements themselves, and realizations and connections happen in them not on the page. For actual techniques on how to plant “clues” subtly, find that section in this article: The Mechanics of Rendering Mysteries

Suggesting Connections – I touched on this already, but it’s sort of its own thing. There is a difference between planting subtle clues and suggesting connections. Maybe you want your reader to connect two different aspects of your story (or mystery) in a significant way. Maybe you want them to realize that Susan wasn’t actually getting her car washed like she said, but attending that secret meeting we heard about earlier in the story. The realization doesn’t happen on the page, so you have to learn how to suggest (not force) a connection. You can get ideas on how to do that by studying the two articles mentioned above.

Context Shifts – Basically a context shift happens when new information enters the story that changes the way we viewed things before. A great example of this comes from the movie Interstellar. The protagonist sets out on a journey in space, hoping to save the human population, but at the midpoint, new information enters that changes the context. In reality, this trip wasn’t about saving the human race. The protagonist learns that he unwittingly left everyone on Earth to their deaths.

To create context shifts, you introduce information that offers a new perspective. You may or may not connect the dots (depending on the mystery and situation), but once again, context shifts are powerful because it allows the realization to happen in the reader instead of just on the page.

What book have you read lately where you were a participator? 
And, if your stories contain a mystery element, do you have a favorite method you use to include the reader?  Let us know in the comments!

[image error]Sometimes September scares people with her enthusiasm for writing and reading. She works as an assistant to a New York Times bestselling author while penning her own stories, holds an English degree, and had the pleasure of writing her thesis on Harry Potter. Find out more about September here, hang with her on social media, or visit her website to follow her writing journey and get more writing tips.

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Image2: ShotPut @Pixabay

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Character Motivation Entry: Overcoming Abuse and Learning To Trust

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal’s going to be and they’ll know what to root for. But how do you know what outer motivation to choose?

[image error]If you read enough books, you’ll see the same goals being used for different characters in new scenarios. Through this thesaurus, we’d like to explore these common outer motivations so you can see your options and what those goals might look like on a deeper level.

Character’s Goal (Outer Motivation): To Overcome Past Abuse and Learn To Trust

Forms This Might Take: Because of the focus on trust, abuse in this case might come at the hands of a partner, family member, person in authority, or someone known to the character. Some examples might be

Sexual abuse
Domestic violence
Being raised by a abusive parent or caregiver
Being tortured
Being raised by neglectful parents
Being treated like property (sold, prostituted, enslaved, etc.)
Being raised by a parent with untreated mental illness

Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): love and belonging

How the Character May Prepare for This Goal: 

Get oneself into a place of safety if one has not already done so (a government-supported shelter, stay with a friend, move out into a place of one’s own, move in with a trusted relative, etc.)
See a doctor and enter treatment for resulting conditions from the abuse (Post-traumatic stress, sleeping problems, suicidal thoughts, phobias, anxiety, depression, etc.) including taking medications if necessary
Read books and articles about overcoming abuse and how to deal with the emotional turmoil that has resulted from it (trust issues, a tendency to disassociate when deeply stressed, emotional numbness, an inability to express certain emotions, how to deal with fears resulting from the abuse, etc., whatever applies)
Get involved in online forums for survivors of abuse to access information and have a support network
Work at establishing a normal routine that focuses on minimizing stress and promoting wellness (eating well, getting enough sleep, taking medications on time, attending support group meetings, getting exercise)
Learn to identify and break negative thought patterns that will cause anxiety flare ups or reinforce feelings of low self-worth (by getting outside, reaching out to someone one trusts for support, cognitive therapy, etc.)
Seek out a therapist for counseling, slowly building bonds of trust
Join a support group to meet others in a safe space who understand the difficulty of openness and vulnerability
Strengthen one’s self confidence by viewing oneself as a survivor, not a victim (and feeling empowered through building a career, pursuing education, following passions, getting fit, becoming an advocate for a cause, being in service to others, learning self-defense, etc.)
By getting involved in one’s church or community, and through caring for others, seeing people are trustworthy, and realizing everyone has value and is worthy of loving relationships
By getting an animal as a pet for companionship and unconditional love
Through the practice of self-acceptance and self-care, continuing to boost one’s feelings of self worth
Extend the hand of friendship to others who respect boundaries and honesty
By being able to help others through their own struggles by showing empathy, kindness, and understanding, which leads to trust being built on both sides

Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal: 

Leaving an abusive environment may create financial hardship, especially at first as one is striving to go it alone while recovering from the trauma
As one opens up to others (through friendship or romantic relationships) one is also open to being hurt
One may choose a dysfunctional partner or toxic friend because this is the unbalanced relationship one is used to, reliving the situation of abuse
One could get into a relationship with someone that just doesn’t work out, leading to heartache
Trust can be broken in small ways (accidentally spilling a secret, telling a white lie, breaking a promise, etc.) which will leave a bigger mark on a survivor of abuse than it might with others

Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved: 

An abusive partner or parent may refuse to let go and stalk, harass, reclaim, or try to hurt the character
One may struggle to find support (a place to live, means to get by) especially if one has no skills or ways to support oneself
If the character went to the police, they may not believe the character’s account of the situation, especially if there is no evidence, the perpetrator has a good reputation in the community (as a pastor, a teacher, a member of town council, etc.), or has power and influence. This could leave one’s abuser free (and possibly able to seek retribution) and leave the character’s trust and faith betrayed again, this time by the police or court system
One may be cut off from other family member as a result of leaving (the family members at home forbidden to have any contact by the abuser, or family members who side with the abuser over the character, etc.)
Being victimized in some way (mugged, a victim of random vandalism, a wallet stolen, a break-in, etc.) that causes one’s emerging trust in people to crumble once more
Developing a sexual dysfunction as a result of the type of abuse one suffered, leading to even more struggles with intimacy to overcome
Having a dependency to deal with (to alcohol, drugs, etc.) as a result of past trauma or a disorder that creates extra challenges (such as an eating disorder)

Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:

Good Listening Skills
Blending In
Gaining the Trust of Others
Empathy
Making People Laugh
A Knack for Making Money
Reading People
Self-Defense

Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:

Being unable to trust people and feeling the void of close relationships
Being victimized again
Living with fear as a constant companion
Dreams and passions left unrealized
Never being able to be a mother (or father) if that is a desire
A lifelong struggle with low self-esteem and self-worth
Feeling isolated and alone


Click here for a list of our current entries for this thesaurus, along with a master post containing information on the individual fields.
Image: Tegula @Pixabay

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