R. Shannon's Blog, page 20
June 30, 2023
Writer’s Diary – Creative Energy vs. Mundane Chore Energy
Since I began writing full time, I’ve noticed a difference between the type of energy writing fiction takes. Because I’m using creative energy, there’s risk involved. It requires me to make decisions and choose to go down one avenue of story and not another. There’s always a possibility that I may wind up in a dead-end or wish I had chosen another route. No one likes disappointment, especially the type where you look back and see hours and hours of wasted writing time!
When I write, I need fresh energy, a feeling of having a full well of creative spark, almost an excitement. I even feel more self-trusting when I’m in this state. I’m committed to allowing myself to create. This happens for me right after sleep. That means the mornings — or after a nap in the late afternoon.
If I’ve had a sleepless night, or have been running from pillar to post for three days in a row, I’m creatively useless. If I try to force myself to write in this state, I never produce my best work. I also can’t write if I’m exhausted, or feeling ill, if I feel despondent about the state of the world right now, or if I’m scattered because of too many things going on at once. Can anyone else relate?
How Does This Affect Writing a Novel?Over time, I have come to accept this in myself. I allow the type of energy I have dictate whether I do creative work or mundane chores. I can do mundane house chores while half sleeping. I can clean when feeling ill. I can do laundry and even cooking if I’m not feeling that great. And I do.
Once I know I’m kind of creatively useless, I shift into mundane-chore mode. This is the time I do all my mundane chores. But I’ve also found that there are even mundane chores in the production of a book, especially if you are a self-publisher. For example: I won’t even try to design a book cover, but I can collect inspirational photos into a folder so I have them ready the next morning when I’m refreshed and have more of a creative flow.
Other mundane chores involved in the Self-Publishing world are:Research in writing, publishing, social media marketing, KDP ads, etc.Education – Watching videos on subjects that you need to know as a self-publisher. This is a great way to harness mundane energy and make it work for you.Checking through drafts to make sure you have start-and-end quote marks. This is definitely a mundane chore, but has to be done!Listening to your work: Microsoft Word has a “read aloud” feature so when you’re too tired to write, you can listen to your chapters being read back to you. This is a great way to find those errors in your writing that you can too easily gloss over when you’re the author.Wrestling with the Force of Energy Never Works For Me:
female hands writing on laptot, close upI see YouTube videos and blog articles by authors who set out very strict writing time schedules for themselves. They don’t seem to have trouble following these tight and rigid schedules. I can’t operate within that system. I gave up wrestling with my energy a while ago. But I believe I have found a way to make this work for me, not against me. I see my new techniques as respecting my limitations and also harnessing my different energies to work for the same goal.
Learn to Harness The Different Types of Energy:It all begins in analyzing your own energy levels, and how they play out in your own life. Maybe you have a baby that takes all of your energy during the day. Your time to be creative may be at night. But maybe you can take advantage of his/her nap time to do some of the DIY Publishing mundane chores or research or education.
Once you get a read on how your own energy ebbs and flows, you can more effectively plan on how to shift between these states and harness them both to work for the same goals.
I hope this article helps, especially those just beginning their writing journey.
June 29, 2023
Scrivener Tip – Long and Short Lists of Keyboard Shortcuts
I made the four-page list of Scrivener shortcuts into a gif to give you an idea of how many keyboard shortcuts there are. Why make lists of them? These came in handy for me because until I made my own theme in Scrivener, I had to strain to see a lot. The default coloring of Scrivener is so white and bright that it made seeing the gray fonts very hard — at least on my aging eyes!
We each have our own methods of doing things, and only a few of these shortcuts may become your favorites. But it will come in handy as you get more and more productive as a writer. Which will happen. The one thing Scrivener does is streamline writing and allow you to power focus on your project.
Below is a moving gif to give you an idea of what the list looks like. I got this information from a website called How to Scrivener. I don’t have to tell you this is only one of the many resources he has for Scrivener users.
I simply copied and pasted them into a Word document and printed it out. I keep it on my right hand side and one by one, I just chose a new shortcut to focus on that session. Little by little, they became natural. I no longer need to refer to the list anymore.
PASSING IT ON:I’m passing this on to new authors as so many other authors passed on their tips and tricks to me. I hope this helps someone.
In case you don’t want to copy and past your own document, you can click below to print out my copy. Be sure to visit How to Scrivener to see all of the various resources he/she has for Scrivener users.
DOWNLOAD KEYBOARD SHORTCUT LIST
Author’s Resources – HTML and CSS Cheat Sheets
If you’re an writer or fiction author and you either have or plan to have a website, it’s only a matter of time before you will need to know at least a little about HTML which controls the structure of a website or CSS which controls the style of a website.
This website, overapi.com, has AMAZING Cheat Sheets for these languages as well as many others!
Just look at how much work went into theses!
Above is only the HTML Cheat Sheet. This is only a screen shot. The sheet goes all the way down the page. The only coding you will need are at the top. I remember wanting to change a background color, or change the size of a headline, or add more or less margin or padding space and these came in so handy.
You will only need one to three sections on each of the cheat sheets to have everything at your fingertips.
This resource came in so handy when I put up my first website. I hope it will come in handy to new writers and authors who ‘need to tweak’ just like i did.
June 28, 2023
What happened during the Carolingian Renaissance?
The Carolingian Renaissance was a period of cultural revival in Europe during the late 8th and 9th centuries. It was led by Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, who sought to revive the learning and culture of the Roman Empire.
During the Carolingian Renaissance, there was a renewed interest in classical literature, philosophy, and science. Manuscripts were copied and preserved, usually by monks, and new schools were founded.
Carolingian minuscule or Caroline minuscule is a script which developed as a calligraphic standard in the medieval European period so that the Latin alphabet of Jerome’s Vulgate Bible could be easily recognized by the literate class from one region to another. It is thought to have originated before AD 778 at the scriptorium of the Benedictine monks of Corbie Abbey, about 150 km (93 mi) north of Paris, and then developed by Alcuin of York for wide use in the Carolingian Renaissance
The Carolingian Renaissance also saw a flowering of art and architecture. New churches and palaces were built, and illuminated manuscripts were produced. Carolingian art was characterized by its use of geometric shapes, bright colors, and intricate designs.
The Carolingian Renaissance had a lasting impact on European culture. It helped to preserve classical knowledge and to lay the foundations for the Renaissance of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Below is a List of Specific Events During the Carolingian Renaissance:Charlemagne founded the Palace School at Aachen, which became a center of learning and culture.Alcuin of York, a renowned scholar, was invited to the Palace School by Charlemagne. Alcuin helped to revive classical learning and to standardize the curriculum of the schools.The Carolingian minuscule script was developed during this period. This script was clear, elegant, and easy to read, and it became the standard script for manuscripts throughout Europe.New churches and palaces were built in the Carolingian style. These buildings were characterized by their use of geometric shapes, bright colors, and intricate designs.Illuminated manuscripts were produced during this period. These manuscripts were decorated with beautiful illustrations and calligraphy.Carolingian scholars translated classical works into Latin, making them more accessible to scholars and students.Carolingian scholars wrote new works on a variety of subjects, including history, philosophy, and science.The Carolingian Renaissance was a time of great cultural and intellectual achievement. It helped to preserve classical learning and to lay the foundations for the Renaissance of the 14th and 15th centuries.
June 26, 2023
WRITERS DIARY – Do you want to name a character in my next book?
This is her after a night of drinkingI am beginning the plotting process in Book 4 of the Jack Nolan Detective Series. Sometimes names come to me quickly, but I have one character that I thought it would be fun to allow one of my readers to name!
Character Description: She is a young woman about 24 years old. She is the daughter of a guilt-ridden single mom, who has spoiled her by giving in to her every whim. She is dating the murder victim in the book I’m writing and she will be a suspect because she gets crazy when she drinks.
She has dropped out of college once because she couldn’t “get it together” but is back in college now. Her mom goes along with her every whim. Mother is successful in real estate and money is never an issue. The daughter claims to be in real estate too, but it’s her mother’s real estate office. (She’s a slacker of the highest order).
She has been arrested twice for domestic violence. Both times she called the cops on the “boyfriend” but the cops took her into custody because she was so crazy.
What should I name her? I need a first and last name.
[contact-form-7]Self-Publishing Tip – Cover sizes
I chose to write this blog post for new authors who struggle, like I did, when it comes to getting things together right before self-publishing your own books. I managed to flip upside down when it came time to uploading and publishing.
One reason I went upside down was because I was nervous about doing something I wasn't familiar with. The second reason was that I had done so much research that I was overwhelmed with information and I had the information in different places. Sheer confusion.
WHAT DO YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO UPLOAD AN EBOOK COVER AND A PAPERBACK COVER ON KDP.AMAZON.COM?
The ebook cover needs to be 2560px (height) x 1600 px (width). The instructions say the ebook only has to be 76 dpi, but I always make sure mine are 300dpi. It's just more high quality. Amazon has a way of compressing them and they always look good online, so I would suggest you do the same.
It's all about the size.76dpi, 150dpi and 300dpi - What's the difference?
The difference is size in dots per inch. Without getting too technical, which isn't necessary, 76dpi is the most common size to use online, on websites, anywhere that you want your pictures to load fast.
150dpi is a bigger size, and that is seen sometimes online. But that would usually be used for someone publishing actual artwork or photography.
300dpi is what a printer would need to print a color copy of anything.
72 dpi is referred to as "low resolution" and 300dpi is considered high resolution.
IMPORTANT LINKS TO KEEP HANDY:
Amazon offers a Cover Creator, but the covers are template based and it's best to learn how to use Gimp or some other free graphics program in order to make a cover. They aren't hard to do. Stay tuned for videos on how to easily make a cover.
The information about formatting in general begins at this link.
The paperback calculator is at this link.
June 21, 2023
ARC for Car Wash – Thanks for Signing Up!
Thanks for signing up to be an ARC (Advanced Reader) for Murder at the Car Wash by R Shannon. Below I have two links; one is a pdf and one is an ePub. Most of you already know how to send yourself an eBook using the Amazon Kindle app, but for those that are new, I have a very short video at the bottom of the page showing you how to find your email starting at amazon.com.
PDF copy:
ePub copy:
How To Find Your Kindle Email Link at Amazon:
June 16, 2023
Thank You – Coloring Pages – Assumption of Mary
Thanks so much for signing up for the download of the Assumption of Mary coloring book page! Click on the image below to bring up a 8.5″ x 11″ PDF. Simply print out or save onto your computer hard drive!
Sign up for Downloads – Coloring Pages – The Assumption of Mary
First Name
Email address:
June 7, 2023
WRITERS DIARY – Did I Send Draft Manuscript to the Editor Too Early?
I am a diligent plotter and planner when I write. Starting in Scrivener, I construct the story and go over it from six or seven different angles before I even compile it to be worked on, massaged and proofread in Microsoft Word.
So after this process, the book never feels rushed to me. The last ten to twenty tweaks give me the feeling that I have finished.
IT FELT DONE – BUT WAS IT?
During the writing of my last book, Murder at the Car Wash, I had the same feeling — that the book was done and ready to go to the editor.
I had checked it constantly to make sure there was enough background information for the book to be read alone, even though it was written as part of the Jack Nolan Detective Series. I went over the plotline, the sub-plotlines, the balance of the story — everything, like I always do.
BUT MY MIND IS STILL PERCOLATINGHowever, once the book was gone to the editor, within a few days, I seemed to have a second wind of creative energy and had more ideas of deepening the intrigue or mystery ‘popping’ into my head.
I know when the book comes back that I will be adding to it with these ideas that have come to me over the month the book is being edited.
Looking back, I remember the same thing happened with my first few novels. I didn’t notice it like I did this time. Luckily, with self-publishing, you can fix something or even add something and then re-upload it! These are the gifts of self-publishing.
WAITING 2 TO 3 WEEKS TO GIVE IT TO THE EDITOR NEXT TIME!Thinking about this in terms of the future, I will add this 2 to 3 weeks period of allowing the book to rest unattended to see what else pops up when my mind turns to other things. I write fast enough where this will not create a problem.
I have a list of things I check in the novels to make sure I cover everything. I will add this “process” of waiting a few weeks to let my mind get busy with other things and then see what else my creative mind throws up as it is still percolating with the storyline.
Although this is my 1th book, I still consider myself a new author and am still learning my way through all this.
Has this ever happened to you?
