Janice Hardy's Blog, page 115
February 8, 2018
The Vexing Conundrum of Amazon
By Dario Ciriello Part of the Indie Authors Series
At some point or other, any indie author must wonder how they really feel about Amazon.
I freely confess I’ve been all over the board with my attitude towards this extraordinary organization.
Some few of us will remember that Amazon began as a bookstore, and just a bookstore: music, video, and software followed soon after. Twenty-four years after its founding, Amazon’s dominance of the book space is such that no indie author stands a chance of attaining any significant visibility, let alone success, without them.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 7, 2018
Happy Release Day! A New Novel from Janice Hardy
Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy I’m excited to announce the release of my new novel, Blood Ties —an urban fantasy series for adults, and the first book of my new Grace Harper series.
This novel has a special place in my heart (more on that below), and I’m so happy that it’s finally out in the world. It's been a long journey to get here, and one I never expected to make.
Let me tell ya what it's all about!
On the run from beings that can’t possibly exist…
Grace Harper has spent her life on the run, ever since her mother’s unnatural death at the hands of creatures that shouldn’t be real. It’s hard to believe in vampires, but the things chasing her fit every legend she’s ever heard. She dubs them “Pretty Boys,” though their beautiful faces hide ugly appetites.
For twenty years, she and her father have stayed ahead of them, but for the last five years, their lives have been quiet. Grace has found a home, a life, and people she could even care about. She thinks the nightmare is finally over, but then a man shows up asking questions about a missing woman who’s somehow connected to her and her mother. He might also have answers about her mother’s death, if she’s willing to take a risk.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 6, 2018
How to Write Kick-Ass Action Scenes (Part 2)
By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughton Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)
Believe it or not, it's easy to write gripping action scenes—if you know how. In Part 1 of this article, I showed you how to break down complicated action scenes into their component parts: location, characters, goals, and actions. Now I'll show you the real secret to wrapping up any action scene with an unforgettable bang.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 5, 2018
7 Tips for Creating Believable Fantasy or Science Fiction Worlds
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Half the fun of writing fantasy and science fiction is creating the world. It’s a way to stretch your creativity and design fascinating cultures and worlds that will hopefully engage readers and make them want to spend a lot of time in those worlds.
There’s a lot of elements to consider when designing a world, so here are some things to think about when creating yours:
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 4, 2018
Writing Prompt: The Chain Story: Ah-Choo!
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week’s prompt is a chain story! I’ll give you the first line, and someone else comments and builds off that line. Next commenter will build off that line, and so on.
In the event of two commenters posting at the same time and sending the story in different directions, just pick the line you like best, or try to incorporate both if you can.
The woman in the weird sweater kept sneezing.
Let the fun begin. Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 3, 2018
Real Life Diagnostics: Would You Keep Reading?
Critique By Maria D'Marco Real Life Diagnostics is a weekly column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues. Readers are encouraged to send in work with questions, and we diagnose it on the site. It’s part critique, part example, and designed to help the submitter as well as anyone else having a similar problem.
If you're interested in submitting to Real Life Diagnostics, please check out these guidelines.
Submissions currently in the queue: Two
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through February 17.
This week’s questions:
1. Does it have enough internalization, description, or narration?
2. Am I showing, not telling?
3. Does the dialogue sound natural and believable?
4. Would you want to keep reading?
Market/Genre: Unspecified
On to the diagnosis…
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 2, 2018
Studying the Waking Up Scene: Is it Really That Bad?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes another look at why the wake up scene rarely works in fiction. Enjoy!
One of the things on the common list of writing “nevers” is starting a scene with someone waking up—especially if it’s the opening scene. At first glance it doesn’t seem like it should be so taboo. After all, it’s a clear start to a day or a situation, and it gives both readers and writers a leaping off point for the story.
Like the don't use adverbs advice, this is a “rule” that is quoted frequently, but doesn’t always come with solid reasons as to why it’s bad. So let’s look a little closer at this all-too-common scene and study why writing pros advise against it.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 1, 2018
The Indie Author's Publishing Checklist
By Jan Lewis, @authorsidekickPart of the Indie Authors Series
JH: Please help me welcome another new member of the 2018 faculty, Jan Lewis. Jan comes at indie publishing from a slightly different perspective--she's an author's assistant--and will be sharing thoughts from her knowledge and experience with multiple indie authors at every stage of their careers. She'll be here the first Thursday of every month.
Jan Lewis is the founder of Author Sidekick, a boutique digital agency offering virtual assistance to authors since 2013. She has 20 years of administrative experience and offers clients her expertise in Operations Management, Office Administration and Project Management. She has worked with multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, including JoAnn Ross, Jennifer Armentrout, Anna Banks, Claudia Gray, and Dr. Kelly Turner. Jan’s unique hands-on approach offers her clients the highest level of service tailored to their individual needs. To maintain this level of elite service, she manages a small client list and takes on new authors on a very limited basis.
Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Take it away Jan...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 31, 2018
Is Your Novel All Premise and No Plot?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Ideas come to me all the time. I have a folder on my computer that’s nothing but ideas, and I add to it every time something hits me—either another new idea or something to flesh out an existing idea. It’s pushing 50 ideas right now, but that doesn’t mean I have 50 books waiting to be written. Most of these ideas are nothing more than premises.
And a premise isn’t a plot.
Without that plot (and the conflict at the core of it) there’s no book. Great ideas can make great books, but only if that idea includes a character with a problem that must be solved or they will suffer the consequences of that failure.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 30, 2018
My Unusual Take on Cozy Mysteries
By Glenn Nilson Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: Cozy mysteries have well-loved formats and styles, but sometimes it's okay to bend those rules a little. Please help me welcome Glenn Nilson to the lecture hall today to share how he changed the rules of the cozy for his "sleuth on the road" series.
A native of California, Glenn grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, spending his time doing farm chores, hiking, and even panning for gold. After earning his doctorate, he moved east to teach sociology in Connecticut. Upon retirement, the West drew him back, this time to New Mexico, the setting for a novel and several short stories. He still revisits the West by motorcycle, camping and visiting old riding buddies. Currently Glenn divides his time between living in rural Florida and up-state New York, refurbishing an 1870’s era creek-side cottage and writing.
Website | Goodreads |
Take it away Glenn...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
