Ivy Keating's Blog - Posts Tagged "howto"

When you ask someone's opinion, whether it's on a book you've written or how you look in a new sweater, you open yourself up to criticism. But, how do you know when to listen to advice or ignore it? How do you know what's right or wrong for you?

The first thing to consider is, who is giving you the advice? Does this person have expertise in the field? In the example of writing a book, if the critique is from a publisher, the critique should be considered seriously.

Next, think about your expertise on the subject. In the example of writing a book, are you a new author? If you are, then definitely listen to criticism. This doesn't mean you have to change anything, but it's definitely a learning opportunity.

Most importantly, understand yourself. What are your limitations? What do you need help with? What are you good at? What are you confident about? You must really know you and be secure with what you are presenting. This will help you know from within if a change is needed.

The decision to change something about your work or wardrobe has to feel right for you. Keep an open mind to feedback, particularly from people who have knowledge on the subject, but the final decision must come from within.

Recently I had a request to do a blog on how I promote 'Camouflage'. I'm happy to share some of the things that work and how I go about organizing them.

My background is in social work and I like to set up any challenge in a structured goal attainment way. First I define my goal. Then I do research to discover the best way to get results, and then I try what I discover.

In this blog I'd like to focus on the goal of increasing sales. 'Camouflage' is sold primarily online as an eBook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple iTune. Any promotion I run has to send readers to these sites.

After I define my goal, I do my research. I constantly search for the best promotional sites and then go to Kboards to see if anyone has had experience with them. Here's my favorites for science fiction and fantasy: Bargain Booksy, Booksends, EreaderCafe, (their last minute option) and The Portalist. BookBub is supposed to be terrific but they are expensive. A great strategy is to line up a few promotions in a row. This will help you climb in rank on Amazon.

I also promote my book for free by reaching out to bloggers, and I contact magazines and newspapers to write articles featuring 'Camouflage'. The New England landscape inspired my story and I mention this to interest local publications. My bank allowed me to set up a table with my book and information about my social media. Getting the word out always helps increase sales.

I hope this answers some questions about promotions. I am open to answering questions and anyone may email me directly through my website, ivykeating.com.

If motivation is the general desire to do something, then it's probably not lack of motivation that prevents us from reaching our goals.

The following are three common reasons we put off doing something we say we want to do.
1) There are aspects of reaching the goal that we don't like.
2) We don't know where to start.
3) We don't have a clear path to reaching the goal, so we become overwhelmed.

Here are a couple tricks to get you over the hurdles above and back on the path to success.

Usually there are elements of any activity that we love and some we do not. Take, for example, writing a novel; you may love crafting a story, but you may not enjoy editing it. Take a moment to think about why each step is necessary. Acknowledge "editing" is not your favorite. Then, try the Premack Principle and plan to do something you like after you complete the undesirable task. Modifying the environment may help, too. Keep your favorite drink handy or a book that inspired you on your desk as you continue to work.

If getting started is difficult, think about the very first step you need to take. Focus on it alone. A book can take years from conception to publication, but it starts with pressing the letters on the keyboard.

When we feel overwhelmed, it's hard to act. A great way to combat this is to put together a step by step plan. Break-down a huge task into manageable pieces. Finding a publisher or an agent is hard, but the first step is to create the book-then do a ton of editing-then create a query letter-and then look up publishers and/or agents that work with your genre. If you're not sure what to do next, researching the subject will give you the confidence to proceed.

If you're putting off reaching your goals, try modifying your method--it's likely you have all the motivation you need!

Boo!

Did I scare you? No, of course not. That's because there's no context here for a fright. This October's blog is on one of the best ways for an author to create drama!

On occasion, I've been asked to read other writers' works. The first thing I may notice from a new author is head hopping (changing from one character's point-of-view to another), but the other frequent mistake is that they often write situations that sound good but are not grounded in the moment. A trick to solving this problem is to write with 'mindfulness'. Through mindful writing an author can achieve a dramatic effect.

To write with mindfulness, the author must think about what the character is actually doing, hearing, seeing, and feeling - plus what is actually taking place in the setting. If an ambulance goes by, the character turns her head. If she thinks someone is following her, the quicker she steps. If she notices the branches on the bare trees look like gnarly fingers reaching down, then maybe if someone yells "Boo!" she'll jump!

Every action is grounded in the reality of the moment. It's never a beat ahead or written simply because it sounds dramatic.

When moving the plot along don't skip to where you want it to go. Take the reader there by allowing them to see and feel things through the reality of the moment. This awareness helps create a seamless narrative. The reader will not be distracted by inconsistencies, and this in turn sets the perfect platform for the creation of drama.

Tomorrow is election day, so I thought a blog about 'decisions' is fitting. Every decision we make helps shape our lives. So what can we do to guarantee we're making the best choices?

When making an important decision, it's helpful to consider if you can stand by your choice regardless of the result.

Before I was offered a contract for 'Camouflage,' a publishing house asked me to make changes to the story. I had to decide if their requests were purely subjective or based on their industry expertise. It's important to know what warrants change and what doesn't.

Here are three questions to ask yourself in the midst of a difficult decision: 1) What are the options? 2) Which choices will help attain my goal? and 3) Is my decision based on knowledge, research, and/or facts?

If you can answer the questions above, and feel comfortable with your answers, you are likely on the right track.

It's good to know our decisions make a difference. It gives us a feeling of control. In an election, our vote is not a deciding factor, but in our own lives we have the power to steer our destiny.

It's a few days before Thanksgiving, so this is the perfect time to tell about my mistake with a "Turkey Vulture".

I try to be mindful not to write anything just because it sounds good. But, my editor caught me doing just that.

In my mind, a turkey vulture is a big, scary bird. It's wingspan is up to 72 inches, and some in the species are larger than vultures. They're bodies are dark, brownish-black, and they often sit high in trees with their wings spread. The sight of such a bird overhead must mean trouble. I referenced them as a bird of "prey".

This was my mistake. I said it simply because it sounded good. But turkey vultures are, in fact, not birds of prey; they are opportunistic feeders.

To the plot of my novel--it made no difference. But, the mistaken reference took the reader, my editor, out of the story to make the correction. Anything that distracts the reader from the plot is something a writer must avoid.

The turkey vulture gave me a good reminder to proof-read carefully, and always write for accuracy-never just to sound good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holiday season can be a very festive time. But, expectations to be joyous can make us feel stressed. This year, especially in the face of the pandemic, we may need a little help to stay merry and bright. Here are three things to try in any situation that gets you down.

1. Stay in the moment. On the road to any lofty goal, whether it's enjoying the holidays or publishing a book, try not to focus on all the variables ahead but what's actually happening now. Being in control is comforting; think about what you can do in the moment and take things one step at a time.

2. Reframe the situation. This is something I learned from Social Work school. Try to think of something negative in a different way. For example, instead of saying, "It won't feel like Christmas if I can't see my relatives," try, "I'm going to be really creative to connect with my relatives."

3. Take the next step. When we're down about something it may be hard to move away from what's upsetting us. On the path to our goals, there are often disappointments and setbacks. But, try to remember - that's all they are: bumps in the road. The best way to feel better is to think what's the very next thing you can do to move forward. It's amazing how one small move in the right direction can gain momentum.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, with good health and goal attainment! - Ivy

Before a book is published, a copy editor can improve the story by enhancing the writing. It's one of the last steps before a book goes to print. I find this interesting because you might think it's the story itself that would face additional scrutiny, but it's actually elements of the written word.

A common mistake is word repetition. I usually catch redundancies when I reread a page. My second book is going through copy-editing now. Even with all the previous edits, the word "like" was overused, and this will have to be corrected. But, why are these repeats a problem?

Books let readers lose themselves in a world created by the author. Most novels will take hours to read, and good writing is the conduit for an entertaining story. Word repetition can be boring and uninspired. It can also be distracting if it garners attention.

When you're writing, challenge yourself to finding new words and different ways to say the same thing. This one fix will benefit not only the structure but also the readability. Remember, not everything bears … repeating.

This blog is not about the cool music group from the 90's. It's actually about a no-no in writing. I used to wonder why parts of my story were zooming by. It turned out, I had a couple of passages with talking heads. This is when there's dialogue with no action.

I didn't recognize it as a problem at first because I thought it was an exciting read. One character said something–– right away the other responded–– then the first person commented–– and back and forth it went.

The problem is that it's limited. People rarely talk without moving, getting distracted, getting interrupted, taking a sip of a beverage, etc. If you write with only 'talking heads,' the reader will not get a true picture of the scene and it limits character development.

Here's an example:

"Hi hun, what are you doing?"
"Finishing up some work."
"Okay I'm going to watch TV.
"I'll join you soon."


Here's an example with actions added:

"Hi hun, what are you doing?" He took quick steps out of the kitchen toward the living room with a soda and bag of chips.
"Finishing up some work." She took a big breath and let it out, then slumped back in her seat in front of the computer.
"Okay, I'm going to watch TV." He stopped behind her chair and leaned over to give her a kiss on the back of her head.
"I'll join you soon." She smiled and moved her fingers back over the keys.

Actions give context to a scene and flushes out the characters. In the first example, you really don't get a feel for who these people are. In the second example, you can draw some assumptions about them.

If you're a writer, help the reader really get to know your characters. How they act is just as important as what they're saying. A well developed scene will have more than 'talking heads.'

I've been thinking about writer's block. The phrase doesn't sit right with me. It makes me think of the physical act of writing, and more often the root of my block is with the direction of the plot. I guess I'd prefer to call it a creative block.

But the point is, it's actually very important to properly identify a problem. Giving something an inaccurate label can create a complication that doesn't exist. If in my mind the term 'writer's block' makes me think of the written word, I might think the solution is to sit at my computer and type out different storylines. However, if I believe my problem is really which direction the plot should go in, I might take a very different approach, leave my desk and walk around outside where I can clear my mind and think.

Here's another example of the importance of accurately identifying a problem. Yesterday I woke up with my heartbeat going a little faster than usual. I immediately thought I was feeling anxious. I tried to think if something was upsetting me from the night before. Then I realized I forgot to turn my fan on. It wasn't anxiety; I was simply too warm! It's easy to see how working on the wrong problem here would not only not solve the situation but could also create an issue where one never existed.

Next time you're having some difficulty, take a moment to think about the source. Properly identifying a problem is the first step to solving it!