Phil Giunta's Blog, page 111

About this Writing Stuff...

This week, Shelli Johnson asks if you live what you believe while Jody Hedlund wants to know how much time writers should devote to social media.  The comedy troupe of Eisler and Konrath take on Hachette Book Group while Donald Maass explores a sense of self.  Kim Wrights warns us of dangerous words.  Jael McHenry discusses digital publishing while Sharon Bially encourages us to invest in ourselves because no matter what route you take to publication, marketing and promotion will still cost you. Also, some excellent tips from Writer's Digest.  Enjoy! 


Do You Live What You Believe? by Shelli Johnson

How Much Time Should Writers Devote to Social Media? by Jody Hedlund

Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath vs. Hachette Book Group by Joe Konrath

The Twelve Most Dangerous Words for Writers by Kim Wright

Out in the E-World by Jael McHenry

A Sense of Self   by Donald Maass

Invest in Yourself   by Sharon Bially

50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day by Christina Katz

How to Use an Outline to Write a First Draft by Karen S. Wiesner

Coming in January from Crazy 8 Press: Latchkeys

Characters, Dialog, and Description with Howard Weinstein

Today, I welcome a guest post from NYT bestselling author Howard Weinstein.  Howard was the youngest writer to pen an episode of classic Star Trek when, in 1974, he wrote the animated series episode, 'The Pirates of Orion'.  He has written several media tie-in novels in both Star Trek and the original V science fiction television series as well as approximately 60 issues for DC Comics' Star Trek line.  Howard also delved into non-fiction with a bio of baseball legend of Mickey Mantle and a wonderful book showcasing his expertise in dog training with Puppy Kisses Are Good for the Soul . 

Recently, Howard joined forces with Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Peter David, Glenn Hauman, and Aaron Rosenberg to form a small press called Crazy 8 Press to release future works.  Howard is currently hard at work on a novel based in the old west. I interviewed him for this blog back in January, which you can read HERE .   Mike, Bob, and Aaron have also been interviewed over the past year.


Check Out That Character

OK, so you have your characters DOING and reacting to things, but are you giving the reader a specific sense of who they are and how they see the world?

If you have ever attended one of our con workshops, you've heard us yammer about this.  Each character (even minor ones) needs a unique attitude toward the world, which in turn enables you, the writer, to differentiate their actions and their dialog. Without that, it's harder for readers to invest in and root for (or against) the people you're working so hard to create. This isn't easy to do, but it gets easier with practice. And it's something you can retrofit after you've done the bulk of your writing which leads to...


Dialog About...well....Dialog

The above advice on characters will also serve to make your dialog snappier. It's easier to write for characters who have very different POV's from each other. When you don't have enough of that, dialog can become bland and merely informational instead of helping you define your characters and create crackling conflict (or humor) within every conversation.

Also, anyplace where you've got one character speaking for multiple paragraphs of dialog, that's a patch which could be trimmed and tightened. Or if everything this chatty character is saying is truly too important to lose, then make it more "ping-pong-y" with the other character in the conversation interrupting, preferably with questions or disagreement. Back and forth conversations are always more interesting than speeches.

Writing realistic dialog is hard -- lots of best selling novelists have been unable to do it well because it didn't seem like a skill they had cultivated. For me, I think the fact that I started out intending to write scripts, where dialog is so primary, helped me get a feel for writing dialog long before I ever tried writing novels.


Describing Descriptions

When you go to the trouble of including physical and sensory descriptions of places in order to set the scene and location, are those descriptions from a character's POV? Or are they omniscient, author POV?  It's almost always better to write descriptions from a specific character POV -- we see what he sees, filtered through his perceptions and history. That allows you to pick and choose specific impressions and details rather than simply describing a room. Think about it as if you're the director choosing camera angles -- which is more interesting, a generic establishing shot, or a shot that picks out details which help define the time and place, the mood, and the characters living and acting within that space?

But even where you ARE specific with something descriptive, does it serve a purpose?  To reveal character or enhance atmosphere?  Does it add to the scene or is it merely a detail for its own sake?  Maybe it's a potentially evocative sensory detail, but is it just sorta there?  How might you have used it better?

What if you'd used it as something that filled an uncomfortable silence?  Then it becomes a detail -- something a character would notice, and we see through his POV -- that serves to emphasize his experience and bring us inside his head at a key moment.

One of the realizations that scared the crap outta me when I wrote my first novel was this: Pretty much EVERY single word COUNTS! They all have to be carefully chosen and have a reason for being included. That can be very stressful if you think of words as potential enemies waiting to trip you up if you choose the wrong ones. But words are neutral -- they're all just waiting for us to choose the best combination we can (best doesn't mean perfect) in order to tell our story.

I don't want this to paralyze you. Remember that NOBODY gets it all right on the first draft (or even the second, for most of us). Just get the story down, then go back and refine it. It takes practice.


A Final Note About Characters

Tom Fontana, writer-producer and creator of the great Homicide, once talked about the importance of characters, and he outlined a simple 3-level method for creating good characters:

1- Head: How does a character think, what's his education level?
2- Heart: What does a character believe, what makes them laugh or cry?
3- "Nether" zone:  Who does this character want to sleep with?

I kinda liked that!

Another Favorable Review!

Howard Weinstein, NYT bestselling author and the youngest writer to pen an original episode of Star Trek, just left a five star review on Amazon this morning for my paranormal mystery, Testing the Prisoner.

"A darkly personal supernatural psycho-thriller about a small-town mayor who finds himself fighting to save his own soul from the demons spawned during his abusive childhood and now unleashed after the death of his estranged mother.

Author Phil Giunta confronts the blurred border between love and hate hidden within the human heart in this promising, ultimately hopeful first novel."

I'll take it! :)

About this Writing Stuff...

With 95K words down in the third (yes, third) draft of my next novel, I'm reviewing the manuscript and putting a few fine touches on some of the characters that perhaps didn't quite see as much development as was due them.  I expect to have the draft completed by the end of the year and off to a team of volunteer proofreaders.  Once they've returned their comments, I'll decide what rewrites are needed based on their feedback and then off to the publisher in 2012.

For now, though, we have a longer than usual round up.  Husband and wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith provide excellent information about agents and traditional publishing.  Jami Gold offers pointers on how to make the most of a scene while Jody Hedlund counts 6 ways to make learning fiction techniques less painful.  Jane Friedman talks about copywriting, Shelli Johnson about faith, and Krissy Brady on writing from uncertainty.

And Peter David breathes new life into his Hidden Earth trilogy with the re-release of Darkness of the Light to be followed by the long anticipated sequel Height of the Depths.


The New World of Publishing: Why Bad Agent Information Gets Taught by Dean Wesley Smith

How to Make the Most of a Scene by Jami Gold

6 Tips to Make the Learning of Fiction Techniques Less Painful by Jody Hedlund

Journey with Peter David to the Hidden Earth by Crazy 8 Press

The Business Rusch: The Writer's Guide to Evaluating a Traditional Publishing Company by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Business Rusch: Writers and Traditional Publishing Companies by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Number One Overlooked Skill for Every Author by Jane Friedman

Stepping Out in Faith by Shelli Johnson

How to Use Uncertainty to Fuel Your Writing a review by Krissy Brady

Book Review: Voyagers IV: The Return

Star traveler Keith Stoner and his family return to Earth in the ancient alien ship that once held Stoner in cryonic freeze decades before.   When he rejoined the human race the first time, the technology of the alien ship had ushered in a new age of enlightenment for the human race.   Now, however, no trace of Stoner's previous visit to his home planet can be found and not one of the technological advancements--"gifts from the stars"--is evident.   Instead, Stoner finds an alternate Earth, one controlled by ultra-conservative religious groups.  In the case of the USA, it's the New Morality. 

At the same time, engineer Raoul Tavalera arrives home after six years aboard the Goddard Habitat orbiting Saturn.  There, he had fallen in love with the project's fiery administrator, Holly Lane.   Tavalera returns to an Earth as alien to him as it is to Stoner and he quickly longs to return to Holly, but he finds himself under the thumb of the New Morality.  They have pervaded, and in fact invaded, American government, schools, even private homes, all in the name of unifying the nation under Christ.

Meanwhile, rumblings of nuclear war stir Stoner into action.   After Tavalera is recruited to work for the New Morality, he encouters Stoner and for a time, becomes the star travelers human contact.   However, what Stoner and Tavalera do not realize is that key players in the New Morality are setting a trap for Stoner using an international summit of the world's three largest nuclear powers--USA, China, and Iran. 

Dr. Bova does a fair job in crossing his own universes here, despite the lack of explanation as to how it happened.   Readers of his Grand Tour series will recognize the New Morality which is omnipresent in each story from that series. In The Return, however, the story merely eludes to the possibility that "somehow" this must be an alternate Earth than what Stoner left a century before to continue his exploration of the cosmos.  

Also, the character of Stoner's wife, Jo Camerata, is nearly irrelevant to the story, relegated to a "nervous-Nellie" who spends her time inconsistently warning and chiding her husband and children about interfering in human evolution yet not exactly stepping in to prevent it.   In Voyagers II, Camerata had been a fierce, bold captain of industry with the temerity to manage an entire corporation while surviving the insane machinations of her conniving, murderous husband.

All told, The Return is a decent ending to the series despite the aforementioned issues.   Bova's flawed, human characters are well developed even if Stoner's family is not.  The story and pacing make for a definite page turner. 

About this Writing Stuff...

In this week's round up, Jody Hedlund reminds us that while it's nice to get free books, we should buy some, too!  Barry Eisler discusses critical aspects of digital publishing while Chuck Sambuchino answers FAQs about advances and royalties. Yuvi Zalkow gives us fresh ways to look at our crappy writing and Zoe Winters delivers a 10,000 word day.  Lee Goldberg warns about the return of Lightsword (now LSP Digital) and we get two interesting lists--one short, the other long--from Writer's Digest.   Enjoy!


Even Though Free is IN, Don't Forget to Buy Books, Too by Jody Hedlund

The Critical Aspect of Digital Publishing by Barry Eisler

Fresh Ways to Look at Your Crappy Writing by Yuvi Zalkow

11 Frequently Asked Questions about Book Royalties, Advances, and Money by Chuck Sambuchino

The 10,000 Word Day by Zoe Winters

Inept Publisher Rises From the Dead by Lee Goldberg

4 Ways Inspiration Helps You Beat Writer's Block by Sarah Maurer

The 90 Top Secrets of Bestselling Authors compiled by Jessica Strawser

Favorable Review!!

While finishing revisions on my next book, I received via email this praising review of my paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner, from actor/writer David Orange.

"Phil Giunta has written a haunting psychological page-turning thriller with deeply etched three-dimensional characters that keeps you riveted as to how the protagonist is going to get out of the mess he's in, if at all. After finishing the last page, I feel I know him extremely [well] and also the characters impacting his life, but also at the same time afraid to look into the mirror, fearful that I may be the next victim."

---David Orange, actor and author of 'The Powder Merchant'

Not too shabby! :)

About this Writing Stuff...

Happy NaNoWriMo!   Rather than begin a new project this month, I used November to finish the second draft of my second novel, a paranormal mystery called By Your Side .  I'm looking forward to using what I hope will a long holiday weekend to give it one last read through before it goes to critters and proofers.  Yes, I call critiquers "critters".

It's a hot one this week as Joe Konrath and Lee Goldberg throw Penguin under the bus for their new self-publishing service.  We have two "How To's" from Jody Hedlund. Dean Wesley Smith ponders why anyone would need an agent while Crystal Patriarche offers advice on publicity prior to publication.  Sophie Masson discusses writing a digital comic and speaking of NaNoWriMo, Anna Elliott shares her lessons learned.  On the convention scene, Farpoint is just a few months away...


Book Country Fail by Joe Konrath

Sucker Country by Lee Goldberg

How to Build a Blog Following from the Ground Up by Jody Hedlund

How to Prolong Your Book's Exposure by Jody Hedlund

Why Would You Ever Need an Agent in this New World?   by Dean Wesley Smith

5 Things to Know About Publicity Before You're Published by Crystal Patriarche

Writing a Digital Multimedia Comic by Sophie Masson

NaNoWriMo: Lessons Learned by Anna Elliott

Farpoint: SF/Fantasy/Horror Media Convention coming in February 2012!

The Great Allentown Comic Con - Day Two

I went in to this fully expecting Sunday to be extremely slow.  I stood, or rather sat, corrected.  I had heard through the grapevine that 1,000 people attended on Saturday.  Were I to venture a guess, possibly 600-700 people turned up on Sunday.  Steve Wilson and his family left at about 1PM for the three hour drive back to Maryland but not before Steve sold a few back issues of Star Trek comics he had written for DC back in the 90s. 

Steve's oldest son, Ethan, made a few bucks selling on demand sketches of Star Wars and superhero characters.  As for me, well, it's always nice when someone returns to your table 20 minutes after buying a copy of your book to tell you that she can't put it down (but had to in order to help at her son's art table).

With our guest table completely mine in the mid afternoon, I spent about an hour on second draft revisions to my second book and stole away for a few minutes to have Peter Mayhew autograph one last vintage Star Wars item for me, the Return of the Jedi Collector's Album (essentially, a magazine about the making of the film).

I packed it in around 3PM and assisted with setting up for the art auction to benefit Epilepsy Awareness Month.   I then took some last minute pictures with veteran writers buddies Michael Jan Friedman and Peter David and friend and artist Laura Inglis (see below) before leaving the show.

As a side note, I also received an email invitation this weekend to return as a guest at BaltiCon over Memorial Day weekend next year. I'm looking forward to that but first, come February, I will also be an author guest at Farpoint !

The Great Allentown Comic Con-Day One

Taking place this weekend is The Great Allentown Comic Con at the Merchants Square Mall. My publisher, Steven H. Wilson, and I were writers guests at this con along with Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Neil Vokes, and a host of other fiction and comic writers and artists.

Actor guests include Robert Picardo (Star Trek Voyager, Stargate SG-1), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Orange (Star Trek VI) and voice actor Tom Kane (Yoda in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series).

I had the pleasure of helping the convention bring in Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Picardo, and friend/artist Laura Inglis who did the cover art to my next book coming out in 2012. After 20+ years of going to these shows, it was high time to put my contacts to good use for a show in my own town. :P

Attendance was higher than expected and everyone seemed to have a great time. The show got off to a slightly disorganized and rocky start but recovered quickly even before the throng of fans started pouring in. This was the convention's first two day show. They had done several one day shows over the past two years or more and they'd never brought in actors. So this was a leap for convention organizer Chris Wertz, and one that I truly hope will be a success. The Lehigh Valley needs more cons like this.

It's become a standard practice with me to give promo copies of novel to convention guests with no strings attached. I don't expect them to ever actually read it, let alone review it but David Orange was kind enough to offer to email a review to me with permission to quote him (provided it's a positive review!). He is also a screenwriter and we talked about writing and publishing and eBooks for a few minutes. David played a Klingon in Star Trek VI in the scene where Uhura spoke broken Klingon while trying to sneak the Enterprise past the Klingon outpost to rescue Kirk and McCoy. "Don't catch any bugs!"

Fellow Philadelphian Bob Picardo and I had a nice conversation about our old hometown. He grew up in Germantown and I in Roxborough. He actually insisted on giving me an autographed photo in exchange for my novel. I picked up a nice shot of him with Jeri Ryan cheek to cheek.

I also picked up a trading card set for the SyFy series, Warehouse 13 and splurged on three Peter Mayhew autographs on vintage Topps trading cards from the 70s and 80s that I had brought with me from home.