Krista D. Ball's Blog, page 2

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving in Canuckistan this weekend. We're having roast pheasant, swiss chard, spinach, potatoes, carrots, turnips, apple pie…I might make some pork and veggie pasties if I get around to it, too. Pasties are the traditional to-go food in Britain's middle ages, after all. Not to mention they travel much better in your pocket than a sandwich!

A Project Update Yay!

A couple of things get knocked off ye ol' projects list today!

Untitled Marketing (serialized blog posts)
No More Blank Screen Completed JUNE!
Road to Hell (SF military novel) Set to release next month.
Sisip Learns to Shapeshift.
Incubator
Dancing Sky
I am not Nancy April
Being Jane
SPIRITS RISING JUST FINISHED!!!
TAXING THE QUEEN
Bread Soup for Mama(working title)
Where Hope Fears to Tread (working title)
The Tranquility Series Book 1 – SOLD March
What Kings ate…
Self-publish a micro collection of short-short stories called "Becoming Anne."
Self-publish a "2 for 1″ short story combo of Space Sucks and Heaven Inc. Done last week!

It's very exciting to see that I've crossed off two more things. So, obviously, that means I will now have to add a new item.

17. I was asked to contribute to a moon mythology anthology and it sounded so smart and intelligent that I had to say yes, just to prove that I could do it!

Slowly but surely, I'm convinced I'll die before I have nothing left on my to do list…

Finally have a blurb for Spirits Rising!

After much squabbling and proofing and swearing, my writing group OK'ed the release of the blurb for Spirits Rising, book 1 of my upcoming contemporary fantasy novella series. Assuming I keep on schedule, it will be out in early December.

Like most authors, I find blurbs and taglines horrible to write. They are so much harder to write than the entire book! I always run them by my writing group, as the blurbs are meant to "sell" the book to readers. You never want your blurb to be boring, nor misrepresent the story!

So, here is what the Sekrit Project of the summer has been all about:

Rachel Mills has one wish in life: for the spirit world to shut up and leave her alone. She thought her move to a remote fishing village in Northern Newfoundland would help. Population: 20. However, instead of peace, she relocates to a land of superstitution, the air alive with the presence of others.

When a local teenager accidentally summons the spirits of the area, including those from a thousand-year-old Viking settlement, the supernatural breaks loose. As the spirits stalk her and each other, Rachel finds herself in over her head. With the help of Mrs. Saunders, her 93-year-old neighbour, Rachel has to put aside her own prejudices long enough to send the spirits back to rest, or risk being caught in the midst of a spirit war.

I Don't Have a Muse; I Have a Deadline.

Writers talk about their muses a lot. They get writer's block, idea block, colon block. Never mind, that one is from not exercising and only eating ramen noodles. Blogs, tweets, and Facebook statues often have "I'm so blocked" as statues.

Are they really "blocked" or are they just not wanting to write? Is it that they don't know how to fix a scene, so they are calling it blocked? Are they just out of the habit of writing? Are they just whining? Have they just not suffered enough yet for their art?

I used to always have writer's block. Boo hoo, my muse isn't talking to me. Then, I decided I needed to sit my butt in a chair and write, regardless if I wanted to or not. And guess what? I never got writer's block again. Oh, sure, I didn't want to write, I got burned out, I was too sick to write, the kids were making too much noise, my office smelled like cat pee and I couldn't write until I figured out where the smell was coming from…but none of those were about writer's block and my muse. They were all about me.

Working with deadlines really brought a whole new level of professionalism to my work. Once, I got an assignment at 4pm for two 1000 word articles for 7am the next morning. Why? Because a writer couldn't get her articles done on time ("She was feeling blocked by the topic"), so the editor called me. I wrote those two articles, complete with research, primary sources, expert blurbs, and several side bars along with the main articles. I made a nice $380 for that. The blocked writer? She lost a writing gig and, more important, a loss in reputation.

Heaven knows I don't feel like writing most days. I don't know if I even love writing; I just know I really hate everything else. I do know I love finishing projects, and I love starting them. It's the inbetween phase that I don't like. It's a lot of hard work.

I don't have a muse. I have a deadline and it is a lot less temperamental and a lot more professional.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 8,000 words to write by Friday.

ETA: I changed the post title [image error]

I Don't Have a Muse; I Have a Deadline.

Writers talk about their muses a lot. They get writer's block, idea block, colon block. Never mind, that one is from not exercising and only eating ramen noodles. Blogs, tweets, and Facebook statues often have "I'm so blocked" as statues.

Are they really "blocked" or are they just not wanting to write? Is it that they don't know how to fix a scene, so they are calling it blocked? Are they just out of the habit of writing? Are they just whining? Have they just not suffered enough yet for their art?

I used to always have writer's block. Boo hoo, my muse isn't talking to me. Then, I decided I needed to sit my butt in a chair and write, regardless if I wanted to or not. And guess what? I never got writer's block again. Oh, sure, I didn't want to write, I got burned out, I was too sick to write, the kids were making too much noise, my office smelled like cat pee and I couldn't write until I figured out where the smell was coming from…but none of those were about writer's block and my muse. They were all about me.

Working with deadlines really brought a whole new level of professionalism to my work. Once, I got an assignment at 4pm for two 1000 word articles for 7am the next morning. Why? Because a writer couldn't get her articles done on time ("She was feeling blocked by the topic"), so the editor called me. I wrote those two articles, complete with research, primary sources, expert blurbs, and several side bars along with the main articles. I made a nice $380 for that. The blocked writer? She lost a writing gig and, more important, a loss in reputation.

Heaven knows I don't feel like writing most days. I don't know if I even love writing; I just know I really hate everything else. I do know I love finishing projects, and I love starting them. It's the inbetween phase that I don't like. It's a lot of hard work.

I don't have a muse. I have a deadline and it is a lot less temperamental and a lot more professional.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 8,000 words to write by Friday.

ETA: I changed the post title

Looking for victims, err volunteers

I have been toying with the idea of a newsletter for some time. I wanted something that would be different, however. So, I have an idea for a 4x a year newsletter that's 1-2 pages that would include book recommendations and interviews with authors not me.

If you'd like to see what I have as a working draft, please drop me an email – kristadball@gmail.com! Thanks [image error] Volunteers will *not* be added to any mailing list.

5 Tips If You Can't Afford an Editor

Last week, I caused a little stir on my personal blog with "I ain't your beta reader." I firmly believe that a person's best work needs to be put forward when they self-publish with a price tag attached. Now, if a product is free, I figure all bets are off. After all, you've giving it away. It's when you ask for someone's money that I feel quality needs to be at the forefront.

The most common retort I got to this post was, "I can't afford an editor." That's a legitimate statement. Editors can run you a lot of money, especially if your writing isn't up to a basic level. Another comment, equally legitimate, is, "I did the best I could." But, what if your best still isn't good enough?

I worked as a slush reader for a small Canadian publisher, as well as for a speculative fiction magazine. I've seen a lot of different submissions, from funny short stories to epic sword and sorcery tomes. Why did so many get the no vote from me? Simply put, they are boring.

The largest issue I see with new writers is that they don't understand that editing means a lot more than just typos and removing excess words. When people are told they need to edit their work, they check for typos. When told they need to tighten their writing, they do the 10% rule (remove 10% of the overall word count) or do the one-word-a-line method (removing one word per line on the screen). Those do help, but they don't address the underlying issues of plot holes, dull dialogue, boring characters, and non-existent setting.

At this point, many writers intent on self-publishing (or, already have and can't figure out why they aren't selling) get frustrated and throw up their hands. "I know I have these problems, I don't know how to fix them, and I can't afford an editor!" There's still hope for you to get your manuscript in better shape.

Read two writing books. You need a beginner one to teach you writing basics, and one to help you with editing. I recommend "Edit Your Book in a Month" by Eliza Knight and "You Can Write a Novel" by James V. Smith, Jr.  I also recommend reading this blog by post Ilona Andrews, which explains the concept of Show not Tell better than any resource on the internet today.

These books won't teach you everything, nor will they explain why things are the way they are (i.e. why "had" isn't a bad word when writing past perfect…and what the hell is past perfect?!?!), but they will get you a good distance.

Find a writing group. This can be as small or as big as you need. What's important is that none of these people are related to you or your friend in any way, shape, or form. Many people say that they've ran manuscripts by friends and family, who loved their story. Families and friends are notorious for saying this. We all like to think our family is telling us the truth, but they generally aren't. Assume yours is protecting your feelings.

A writing group can help identify your weak areas. It's helpful to get one that is around your own skill level. Online groups work well for this to start with. You build up friendships and networks and eventually can graduate away from needing a lot of feedback and just trusting one or two people.

Find a beta reader. After a while, you won't need a group to help you with your work. If you work to address your manuscript's issues, you'll quickly find that a group critique no longer works for you. Instead, one to two sets of eyes will be more than enough. This should be someone around your skill level, so that you can reciprocate critiques on their manuscripts.

Exchange services for an edit. Perhaps another friend is going to self-publish, so exchange editing services with each other. You won't catch everything, but it will help ensure a cleaner manuscript.

Hire a proofreader. A full editor is a lot more money than a proofreader. If you've taken the steps above, you will have a cleaner manuscript than when you first starter. A proofreader is usually half the price of a content editor, but they can still help with a lot of your grammar challenges. I personally use Faith at Have Faith Proofreading.

A proofreader will not comment on your pacing, character, and plot issues, but they will get rid of the typos, grammar issues, and those other issues that can kill a manuscript right out of the gate.

The publishing industry itself. It is difficult to get published. However, if you can't afford an editor or a proofreader, can't seem to mesh with a writing group, and have read all of the books, perhaps try submitting a few short stories out to magazines and ezines. (A great list can be found on Duotrope).

Many give personal rejections, so you can get some feedback as to what's wrong. Many times, you'll sell your story, make a little cash, and get your rights back to self-publish it later on (sometimes, the same year…sometimes, right away).

Publishing isn't easy. While places like Smashwords and Amazon makes it easy to press "publish" these days, that doesn't actually make the process any less easy. To be taken seriously, you still need to put your best work forward.

 

 

2 for 1 short-short story combo

[image error]Toothless, displeased kitty says you should buy my new short-short story combo pack.

Or she will gum you to death.

My goal tonight is to reorganize my "Books" page so that it's all pretty and, well, organized. I'm hoping folks will be able to see which titles are books, short stories, novellas, etc.

In the meantime, here is the smashwords link to SPACE SUCKS and HEAVEN, INC. It's on Amazon, too, but has an awful sample size. Even if you insist on buying it on Amazon, read the sample size on Smashwords first. It has about 25% of the first story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goals and good intentions

[image error]Back in March, I blogged about feeling crippled by a slue (is slue a real word??) of partially-finished projects. (You can read the list here.) In total, I had 13 items, one of which included a three book series! I've been feeling like I haven't accomplished anything in the last six months. I get like that every September, as the summer months typically mean no writing. The kids are at the awkward age where they want to be independent, but don't quite know how to pull it off. I always start September and feel like a writing failure.

I decided to take a look at things and see if I really am a failure. Six months later, where am I at?

For starters, I sorta, accidentally, completely got conned into it signed a contract for another book. WHAT KINGS ATE AND WIZARDS DRANK: A FANTASY WRITER'S GUIDE TO FOOD AND DRINK. Catchy title, huh? That has to be researched, written, and submitted by August 15, 2012. So, there's a good chunk of next year gone. I figure that's a check mark in the WIN column. I consider most book deals a win!

What about this year? Did I get anything done?

Untitled Marketing a fiction ebook (tried and tested) – This is an ongoing project. I've decided that I'm going to do it as a serialized set of blog posts over on Writer in Residence. I suspect I'll eventually package it up as an ebook, but that's a long term, down the road thing.
No More Blank Screen – On the advice of the crew here, I put it up as an ebook. Thank you to everyone who has purchased it and I hope it has helped you out.
Road to Hell (SF military novel) – SOLD!  The only thing left to do is read the ebook and print galleys (next couple of weeks). It will be out in early November.
Untitled MG book – It now has a title: Sisip Learns to Shapeshift. I've finished a full revision and am letting it sit for several months. Then, I'll tackle the research items for it.
Incubator – SF short story about smuggling organs. Three full revisions on it and I'm still not happy. I might just catch it on fire.
Dancing Sky – I've abandoned this story for the time being.
I am not Nancy April – No new updated to report, though I do want to work on it next month.
Untitled FF romance – This is now called Being Jane. I was able to clean up half of it. Figured out a plot hole issue. Now, leaving it to sit until Christmas vacation.
Untitled Paranormal Mystery/thriller/adventure/hell I suck at labelling – This is now called SPIRITS RISING and will (hopefully) be released in early December. I'm putting the finishing touches on the story now and it goes off to an editor in early October.
Untitled comedy fantasy - This is now called TAXING THE QUEEN. It's on hold.
Bread Soup for Mama(working title) – This is on hold.
Where Hope Fears to Tread (working title) – This is on hold. When I dive into this story, I'll need to take a few months off all other titles to research and dive into this emotional story.
The Tranquility Series – SOLD! Sorta. I sold book one, TRANQUILITY'S BLAZE, which will be coming out through Mundania Press sometime in the late winter. I have been working on book two, Tranquility's Grief, and am hoping to submit it by Christmas.

And the new…

14. What Kings ate… (oops, honest, it wasn't my fault!)

15. Self-publish a micro collection of short-short stories called "Becoming Anne."

16. Self-publish a "2 for 1″ short story combo of Space Sucks and Heaven Inc.

I'm a bit further behind than I'd like, but I'm really happy to see that I've actually progress since I last posted this list. Funny how new things get added though, huh?

I'm curious to see where things are in another six months!

Is everyone else adding to their "To Do" lists?

I ain't your beta reader.

I'm pissed.

There is a really disturbing trend amongst a group of self-published authors who believe that readers should buy sub-par work to support these writers to learn how to write better.

Come again?

There are a lot of very professional authors who are self-publishing because it works for them. Hey, I have self-published a couple of things and am planning to release two more self-published projects this year. I'm talking about a specific group of unprofessional scammers who put out shitty work KNOWING it is shitting work and then EXPECT people to give them money for it.

I love books. I love to read. I don't have a lot of time to do it, however. I don't want to waste my time reading a book that doesn't thrill or entertain me. I am giving up on everything else around me, including time writing and time with my family, to read.

I demand quality.

The idea of charging money for an unedited jumble of typos, bad characters, worse plot, missing words, and poor craftsmanship – and knowing it could be a lot better – is more than just offensive. It's unethical. It's in the same category as scam artists.

Here's the thing. I am not a charity. I have no interest in giving my money to someone who hasn't even taken the time to try. I've worked hard to learn what I have about my craft. I'm still learning, still working hard, still trying to push myself. Slapping together a story that's never been beta read, never been critiqued, never been edited, AND KNOWING IT HAS PROBLEMS and then expecting people to pay money for it? That isn't "indie" publishing. That isn't "giving it to publishers." That isn't "the readers will decide what's good and what's not."

That's just plain lazy.

Plain and simple.

Want to self-publish? Pay your dues, just like everyone else. Put out the absolute best you can. Broke? Find a critique group or a couple of writers willing to exchange manuscripts with you. Find a grammar-obsessed co-worker to proofread your manuscript.

I'm tired of being told I'm the new gatekeeper. To hell with that. I'm not interesting in paying YOU to tell you how to get better as a writer. I charge for that.