Angie Thompson's Blog - Posts Tagged "indie-e-con"

So, here's the info I probably should have waited on before posting yesterday. Still really feeling my way with this whole update thing. ;)

I'm extremely excited to be participating in my first Indie E-Con later this May! I've glanced over a bunch of the posts from last year, and it looks awesome! More on that when it comes...

But the main reason my book is on sale this week is because it's a candidate in this year's Indie E-Con Book Awards contest! Which means there are a bunch of other (presumably) great clean/Christian indie books also selling for free or $0.99 this week. (Check prices because some haven't gone on sale yet.)

Please note that I haven't read all the books on this list; I've read several, snapped up a bunch more yesterday--my poor TBR pile--and probably won't read the rest (magical fantasy and zombies aren't really my thing). However, all the books here should fit within these standards. Hope you find something here you enjoy, and if you do, I'm sure the authors would appreciate your support when voting opens later in May! :D

Also note that the writing contest (separate from the book awards) has been extended through the end of the week--still time to slip in a short story if you'd like to participate. Hope to see you there!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Indie E-Con 2018! That is, welcome to the very small portion of it that will appear on my blog. The main event will be found at the link above, and I’m really looking forward to both attending and participating. Here’s just a sampling of what it will include—author blog posts, book awards, writing critiques, games and prizes, ice cream—oh, wait, that’s right; the ice cream is bring-your-own. ;) If you’re interested, I hope you’ll stop by and check it out.

Any of my regular followers know that I’m not much of a blogger, but I will be posting a couple of things here over the next week that relate to E-Con. And to kick things off, we have a beautiful scavenger hunt spread over a ton of author blogs. The catch—everyone is guest-posting on someone else’s blog!

Each of the blogs will contain a letter to help you fill in the mystery phrase. In this case, I’ll give you the clue at the end, where I’ll also let you know where to find my own post.

And now, let me introduce you to Kyle Robert Shultz!

I’ll say right off the bat that I haven’t read any of his work. (I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t read magical fantasy.) But I can already tell that he has a great sense of humor…

Take it away, Kyle!



How I Failed at Not Being an Author

I really, really tried not to write and publish a book. I want everyone to know that right from the start. If you’re displeased at seeing all these wacky little stories about retold fairy tales and snarky magical creatures with my name on them, please keep in mind that I did my very best to prevent them from ever existing.

In fact, the very first time that the concept of an alternate reality where fairy tales are history popped into my head, I upheld my duty as a non-author and shoved it into the back of my mind where it belonged. “It’s too ridiculous,” I told myself. “And complicated. And probably boring. Nobody will want to read it. I am most definitely not going to write it.”

However, it proved to be a lot more stubborn than I had imagined. Storylines sprouted and spread like crab grass, refusing to abate despite my very best efforts. Still, I stuck to all the time-honored methods of not writing a book--procrastinating, self-criticism, comparing my ideas unfavorably to those of other writers, reminding myself that I was nothing more than an impostor in author’s clothing. That worked for a while.

Then the characters started cropping up. I blame the fact that I randomly thought of the names “Beaumont and Beasley”--an admittedly catchy twist on the title “Beauty and the Beast.” To my chagrin, personalities began to take shape behind the names: a skeptical detective turned into a storybook monster, and the quirky enchantress who put the spell on him.

“Yes, thank you, not today,” I said, showing the odd couple to the door and slamming it behind them. “I am not an author,” I added through the keyhole. “Please take your bizarre, completely unmarketable stories elsewhere.”

Then I turned around to discover that they’d climbed through the window or something, and were now standing right behind me, demanding that I explain why I wouldn’t write their stories.

Even now, in the face of all this resistance, I struggled to cling to my non-author status. I kept shooing the characters into the dark corners of my brain. I changed their first names every three seconds just to annoy them. I insulted their personalities and highlighted all their weaknesses. I made a very clear and well-argued case for why nobody would ever want to read about these people.

I really thought all that would finally drive them away. But still they lingered on, sometimes waking me out of a sound sleep and forcing me to scribble down random notes about them in the middle of the night.

Finally, I had had enough. I decided it was time for drastic, unthinkable measures.

“FINE!” I shouted at these pesky characters and overgrown storylines. “I’ll show you! I’ll write you! And I’ll even go a step further. I’ll put you on a writing critique website! On display, for everyone to see and tear you to shreds! That’ll teach you to try to make me write a book!”

It was a brilliant plan, or so I thought. Surely this would set the whole matter to rest once and for all. And anyway, the creative part of my brain would surely peter out after a few chapters, leaving me free to sweep the whole thing into the garbage and never think about it again.

But there were a couple of things I didn’t count on. First of all, the characters--who by now had taken the names Nick and Cordelia--were a lot more stubborn than I thought. They would not go gently into that good night. Instead, they raged against the dying of my laptop screen and insisted that I keep plugging away at their stupid story.

Also, posting this stuff online spurred me to--horror of horrors--finish it. I admit it, I caved to the peer pressure of the other people on the critique website and completely betrayed the deep convictions of my non-authorship. Soon, I actually had a complete draft sitting on my hard drive. And online as well, which meant that I couldn’t just make it vanish. There were witnesses, after all.

That’s not to say I didn’t try to make it all go away. I couldn’t bring myself to delete it, so instead I opted to destroy it in a more figurative way. “By the time I’m done with you,” I warned the Frankensteinian thing that dared to call itself a book, “you’ll wish I’d deleted you! You’ll beg me to delete you! And I will refuse, and laugh in your face! HA HA HAAA!!!”

My occasional bursts of maniacal laughter caused my family to worry about my health, but I ignored them. I had non-work to do, after all. I’d failed to not-write a book, and I sure as anything wasn’t going to fail to not-publish it.

I savaged the so-called “book.” I took note of every single one of its flaws, even those so miniscule that they were invisible to the naked eye without a microscope. I piled a few dozen more insults onto its characters. I wrote about seventy bazillion alternate versions of it in fruitless, demoralizing attempts to fix its shortcomings. I felt sure that would finally bludgeon it into submission.

But no, of course it didn’t. The original draft of the book refused to die.

“All right, that does it,” I told the book, which was now calling itself The Beast of Talesend. “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. It might destroy my reputation, but at least it’ll destroy you as well.”

And so I did the unthinkable. I published the book.

It was a great and noble act of self sacrifice, of course. And it was bound to work, I reasoned. After all, those few people on the critique website probably didn’t know what they were talking about. Once my book was available for the whole world to read, everyone would see how inferior it was. I would probably become a laughingstock, but at least I would have finally destroyed The Beast of Talesend. It would all be worth it.

Except that’s not what happened. I’m not saying everyone loved it--though many people did. To my consternation, though, even the people who didn’t love it were kind enough to look past the fact that I was a new author with a lot to learn. Instead, they wrote reviews saying how much they enjoyed the book, and offered kind, helpful feedback for how I could improve in future stories.

It was over. I had gambled and lost, and permanently sabotaged my non-lucrative, unfulfilling career as a non-author. There was no going back for me now.

I was left with no other choice but to accept my fate. And so I stand before you now, a failed non-author, whose unruly characters forced me to write several more books of their misadventures. Whatever you do, don’t read them. You’ll only make things worse for me.

Perhaps you can learn from my cautionary tale and avoid my mistakes. Procrastinate at every opportunity, relentlessly criticize yourself, and cultivate a chronic case of impostor syndrome. Also, whatever you do, don’t let other people read your work and offer their feedback, under any circumstances. Make this fatal mistake, and your non-authorhood will be gone in the blink of an eye. Although if you agonize over every detail of the critiques you receive and take them fully to heart, you just might be able to nip your potential writing career in the bud.

Or, you can fall back on this time-honored strategy: don’t write. Write absolutely nothing. Even a shopping list can turn into a novel if you’re not careful. Keep well away from all pens and keyboards, and you can remain in blissful serenity, with no characters or plot threads cluttering up your mind and demanding your attention.

If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like me, wrangling dragons and cataloguing alternate realities for a living.

Who would want that?

Giveaway: Everyone who signs up for my email newsletter this month will be entered into a paperback giveaway for Horseman, my new western/fantasy novel. Use this link to subscribe: http://eepurl.com/cHwAHT.

Links:
Website: http://www.kylerobertshultz.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/kylerobe...
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/KyleRobe...
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kylerobertsh...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kylerbrtshultz
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kylerobertshultz
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kylerobertsh...

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Okay, I’m back with your clue! In case you’re just joining us, here is the phrase to be filled in—


And here is your clue—


If you’re just getting started, you can go back to the beginning at Kandi J. Wyatt’s blog here or find the full list of blogs here. (Did I mention there are prizes involved?) If you’d like to check out my own post, you can find it here—hosted by Jesseca Wheaton! The official party starts on Monday—I hope you’ll stop by and see us!

And welcome back to Indie E-Con! If you haven't checked it out yet, it's been awesome! So many wonderful books, so much great advice, so many games and contests that I have no time to play... *sigh*

Voting for the book awards is still open, and I'm sure any of the authors involved would appreciate your support!

But on to the topic of the day--contemporary fiction. Stop by the main event to get my post on writing a modernized retelling. But in the meantime...



Technology is a tricky thing. On the one hand, it can help to ground your characters in modern-day reality. On the other hand, it can leave your story feeling incredibly dated. On the one hand, it can be a powerful tool for solving difficult story problems. On the other hand, it can hamper your ability to put your characters in the situations your story demands. Okay, I think I’m out of hands here. Actually, I was out of hands some time ago… But you get my point.

While we tend to think of technology as electronics and machines, it’s really broader than that. Pen and paper, pen and papyrus, stylus and clay were each the dominant writing technology at some point in history. But since we’re talking about modern settings here, I’ll stick to looking at technology in the sense that we generally think of it.

Obviously, I can’t cover nearly every facet of technology and how it can be handled in a contemporary story in a single blog post. But here are some general thoughts to get your brain juices going.

1) Think generic

Obviously, it’s impossible to predict all the technological developments that will happen in the next ten years (or five years, or ten days). But as a general rule, talking about technology in generic terms increases the chances that your book will retain its contemporary feel for more than a year after its publication.

For example, let’s say your teenage heroine gets a new phone. Talk about its sleek and graceful design, its lightning speed, and the fact that it gets better service than any of her friends, and kids ten years in the future will probably be able to relate. Start describing new, top of the line features, and you risk seeming a bit dated when those features become standard. Name it an iPhone 7--wait, 8--wait, X?--and you’ve settled your story solidly in a very specific slice of modern history, not to mention running the risk that it will already be dated by the time it goes to print. (Yes, I realize I’m talking to indie authors who can publish in about two clicks. My point still stands.)

This point applies to a lot of the details of your world, but it’s especially relevant when talking about technology. The app that’s been all the rage for months could fizzle out in a matter of days. Today’s cutting-edge innovations could be tomorrow’s bread and butter or be superseded with barely a ripple. Broadly speaking, it’s safer to take a gamble on established technologies (say, cell phones) and generic uses (say, texting or games) than on well-defined features or specific brand names. That’s not to say you can’t write a good story that references specific up-to-the-moment tech; just know that up-to-the-moment may start to feel incredibly dated incredibly fast.

2) Invent your own

Don’t go overboard with this one, but one of the great features of today’s technology for a writer is that it’s constantly shifting and evolving. Anyone know how many new apps are published on a daily basis? (Hey, I asked you first!) If you’re careful, you can leverage this fact to give your characters the little tech boosts they need, even if the real world isn’t quite there yet.

A couple of very important cautions here. First, make sure your invented technology is plausible in a modern-day context. A sensor that lets your hero know when the cat’s water is low probably won’t shock anyone. An app that can turn his phone’s camera into a metal-cutting laser—yeah, you’ve crossed into sci-fi. (Unless you’re writing a spy story, in which case you’re inventing all your own tech anyway, and the rules of the real world don’t apply to you. Also, why are you reading this?)

Second, the more powerful and less innocuous your invented technology, the more you need to justify how your character ended up with it. The cat-watering sensor probably doesn’t need an explanation, but an app that picks up security-camera feeds within a half-mile radius definitely does. If your hero isn’t a programmer himself, he’d better have a hacker friend or a parent in law enforcement or access to the local computer club. Have a well-thought-out plan before giving your characters technology that you’d be surprised to find in your app store.

Finally, don’t mention your invented tech for the first time when your hero uses it to bring down the villain or force the big climax. A surprising use of a phone camera or a music app might work here, but an app or device invented for the purpose will leave your readers feeling cheated. If you need to use invented or unusual technology in a key scene, you need to show it beforehand—preferably in a way that doesn’t seem like a set-up. If your hero needs his digital-clock-override app to defeat the locked vault, make sure we’ve seen him or his little sister using it to prank a friend’s alarm clock!

Invented or non-standard tech can be a useful addition to the contemporary writer’s toolbox, but use it sparingly and with caution if you want to keep your modern setting intact.

3) Admit failure

Let’s be honest; the abundance of modern technology can sometimes be frustrating for a writer. What? No, of course I’m not bitter that my earliest stories now read like historical fiction because they don’t involve cell phones. And can’t involve cell phones, because the plots would shrivel up and die. *sigh*

In a world that’s saturated in technology, we now have to find plausible reasons for things like why our heroine wouldn’t call for backup while following the villain. The answer used to be simple—she couldn’t find a phone. She left a note that blew away in the wind. She gave a message to a little boy, who promptly got called home to dinner. But now? We have to find a way to explain why she didn’t have her cell phone, why she didn’t use her cell phone, or why no one paid attention to her messages.

The good news is, technology fails do happen. (Just ask anyone who’s ever used a GPS.) The bad news is, your readers won’t be satisfied with a technology fail at a critical moment unless you’ve done your work for the set-up. Just because the one day you forgot to charge your phone was the day your boss called about picking up the CEO doesn’t mean your readers will accept that coincidence without explanation.

If you need a technology fail at a key point in the plot, you need to plan ahead. Er—behind? I mean before the critical plot point. Could you give your hero the habit of forgetting to turn his ringer back on? Have your heroine constantly loaning things to her friend—including her charger? Show the best friend weighing options for a new phone because his gets such poor reception? Better yet, work the explanation into a plot point or an argument or a mini-crisis early on. Let your readers think they know why the issue is important before it’s really important.

The bottom line is, if your readers walk away from a critical tech fail saying, “Well, that was convenient,” you’ve lost respect as an author. If they walk away saying, “Of course he forgot his phone—again!” or “I knew she should have gotten that fixed!” you’re golden. (Or is it silicon?)

Handling technology in contemporary fiction can certainly be a challenge, but overcoming that challenge presents fascinating opportunities to grow and shine as an author. Be aware and intentional, make your characters’ tech work for the story, and keep things convincing for your readers, and you’ll be well on your way to a believable modern-day world—technology included.

Questions or comments? Let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts. :)

Well, I've been trying to hold off because it's not yet available on Amazon, but I can't wait any longer!

I'm (very) excited to announce that my new short story, Love Blind, is now available at most of the major ebook retailers! <3 Amazon is the last big one I'm waiting on; still hoping that will go through soon!

The even better news--it's free! Not for a limited time only, but forever; for all people; for truth, justice, and--wait, I'm slipping back into 4th of July mode. But silliness aside, I am making it permafree (although I fully expect that process to take a little while on Amazon).

So what's the story? Well, I'll let you check it out for yourselves, but the inspiration came from one of Kendra's great prompts for this year's Indie E-Con Writing Contest. Who knew that my random musings on "The three drops of dried blood told him everything he needed to know.--not to be written as a mystery" would end up winning the contest, earning some fabulous prizes, and giving me the confidence that maybe there really was something there, even if it wasn't my normal genre? (Full disclosure--I've never written a straight-up romance before.)

Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. Or as my dad would point out, the link is here whether you want to check it out or not. ;) Clicking on it should give you your choice of store--hoping Amazon will be there soon! In the meantime, if you're a Kindle owner and would like a mobi file, feel free to message me. :D And of course, if you do check it out, I'd love to hear what you think!

P.S.--I also hope to publish my other contest short story soon; I'm mainly still trying to decide if it's a good or a bad idea to add in the epilogue I've been working on. If anyone out there likes weighing in on that sort of thing, let me know! I'd be happy to pester you get your feedback on which is the better ending. ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for reading!

Yep, I finally bit the bullet and published the second short story I wrote in April for Indie E-Con! All the feedback I've gotten so far has confirmed my original impression that the story is better with the additional scene at the end (which I didn't write at first because of length restrictions), so that's how I published it. I admit, I like it much better this way, too! Along with that, I've added a few extras back into some of the scenes that I originally had to cut for length. Contests are fun and inspiring, but length limits--don't get me started!

Code is actually my favorite of the two stories I wrote for this contest, despite the fact that Love Blind beat it out. Romance was a bit out of my comfort zone, but sibling stories--that's my thing! ;)

Just to pique your curiosity, the prompt for this one was, "She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't stop thinking about the rose he left on her doorstep.--Not to be written as a romance". How did I turn a romance prompt into a slightly futuristic sibling story? I'm not telling; you'll have to read it! (Yep, I'm both mean and cliche. :P)

You can find Code at various ebook retailers here. If you don't see your favorite store, check back; the list is growing as we speak... (Or I hope it is--are you listening, retailers?) And if you're interested in a free copy for review, feel free to message me; I'm pretty sure I have some extra epub and mobi files lying around. :D

Hope you all have a great day!