Rob Bignell's Blog, page 229

Writing Myth BUSTED: I���d write if I had more time

There are a lot of myths about writing, and sometimes as authors we even use them as excuses not to write. For example, do you sometimes tell yourself, ���I would write if I had more time���?

If so, then you must accept the truth: You probably do have the time for your passion. You just need to make the time.

Begin by letting go of any guilt that writing means you���re not giving others enough time. The reality is that finding time to write actually makes you a better parent...or businessowner...or student...or employee...because when you deny your passion, you feel trapped and your stress levels grow. You always should be able to say, ���Today was a great day ��� I worked toward something I believe in!��� You children, business, studies and career are important, but so is your writing, and you should work everyday toward all that you believe in, not just some of it.

Perhaps the problem is that you simply need to be more efficient with your time. That will require ridding your life of all that is unimportant to you. First, determine where your time goes; chart what you do, by the hour, for a week. Is there anything that can be cut, like watching a television show that you no longer really enjoy? Secondly, see if there are the interruptions and a better way to handle them. For example, do you really need to answer each email when it arrives in your inbox? You���ll be more efficient if you remain focused on your task and set aside a block of time once a day to answer emails. Along with this is simplifying chores, especially cleaning. Getting ready of clutter, for example, is a quick way to reduce time spent vacuuming and dusting. Between cutting some activities and being more efficient with others, can you carve out just 15 minutes a day (or more if possible!) to writing?

If not, you need to delegate some responsibilities. Perhaps it���s time for the kids to help load the dryer or to wash the car. Maybe it���s time to purchase a home cleaning service or to send out the laundry. Possibly you can pay high school or college kids to babysit your child for an hour while you write.

Once you identify how much time a day you can write, block out those 15 minutes or half-hour on your calendar. You must commit to writing during that time. Turn off everything ��� the television, the Internet, the cell phone ��� and simply write nonstop.

Lastly, commit yourself to mentally ���write��� the rest of the day. There���s a lot of time when you can think about your story ��� while your kids are on the playground, lunch breaks at work, when waiting for the professor to arrive before class, during the commute home. Carry a notepad and pen with you wherever you go and jot down ideas, images or lines of dialogue during that waiting time (Well, maybe not while you���re driving; in that case, bring a recorder so you can dictate your notes.).

With just a little effort, you can find the time to write. So what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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Ways to edit your YouTube video

Once you���ve created a video, the next step is to edit it (You didn���t think that you recorded a perfect video, did you?). While this may seem like a lot of extra work, remember that better looking videos receive more views and up-votes.

Begin by transferring your video from the camcorder or webcam to your computer, if necessary. Next, use video editing software to open your transferred video. Windows Movie Maker usually comes on PCs and iMovie on Apple computers, but there are other free options, such as Lightworks or MPEG Streamclip, as well as a number commercial software options, such as GoPro, Final Cut Pro, Premier Elements, and Power Director. Generally the more sophisticated the program, the more difficult it is to use; you may want to start with a simple program (such as Windows Movie Maker) and then move up to say Lightworks, which is more complicated by almost good enough for professional movie makers.

Among the editing you may wish to do to your video are adding clips, trimming clips, adding effects, and adding music.

Add Clips
This involves combining two or more different pieces of film into one. Usually you start with a base video and then adding additional videos (aka ���clips���) to it. One common reason for this type of editing is if you want the same information ��� such as an opening title card or an end card with your website URL ��� on every one of your videos. You can record the clip once, keep it on file, and then add the clip each time you make a new video.

Trim Clips
Sometimes you have parts of a video that you don���t want included or you���re looking to shorten the running time. You then can cut or ���trim��� those parts of the video.

Add Effects
The quality of the video itself also can be adjusted in several ways, including:
��� Fix lighting and color
��� Stabilize shaky camera motions
��� Apply slow motion
��� Apply time lapse
��� Rotate the view
��� Apply filters
��� Custom blurring
��� Blur faces

Add Music
You also may wish to include music and sound effects during the video. Most editing software will let you select when the music/sound effects start and stop at specific points during the video.

After editing your video, you���re ready to upload it for viewing on YouTube. We���ll cover that in an upcoming entry.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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5 Novums for Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Times change: Everytime vs. every time

Language, like life, evolves. Often the changes are slow, almost imperceptible, happening to the spellings and pronunciations and meanings for just a handful of words at any given time. Every time is one such word in transition, as it increasingly is spelled as one word, everytime.

That every time is undergoing change is not surprising as similar words ��� every where, every day, and every one ��� are now commonly spelled as everywhere, everyday, and everyone.

And while everytime is more common, that spelling hasn���t quite gained universal acceptance. Most editors and grammarians would change it to every time as in Every time you smoke a cigarette, you lose 7-11 minutes of your life.

So, for the time being, stick with tradition and spell the word as every time.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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5 Novums for Generating Killer SF Story Ideas

Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a ���reality��� in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as ���The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning of life��� or ���The government outlaws books.��� The author then asks ���What if?��� exploring how the world with this novum is different than ours.

Among the problems of many novice science fiction writers is instead of introducing a new novum they rely on used furniture ��� that is, they borrow novums from popular SF series. After all, how many novels have you read that use starships exploring the galaxy for the Earth-based Federation? Barely changing names to appear as if you are not appropriating ��� a starcraft seeking M-class worlds for the Earth-centered Alliance ��� still doesn���t cut it as original or fully using the potential that science fiction offers to examine our culture or humanity.

To help SF writers, here are some novums of potential near-future inventions from which stories could be built:

Biometric tattoos
What if a temporary tattoo could be placed on patients to measure their vitals, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature? An early version of this technology might use Radio Frequency Identification chips implanted under the skin.

Color scanner pens
What if you saw the perfect hue and could scan it with a pen that later could draw that exact color? How would this tool benefit not just artists but others?

Plant nightlights
What if we had glow-in-the-dark plants that did not need a battery or outlet to cast a light? The plant would be bioengineered with genes from luminous bacteria.

Underwater space colony
What if on a waterworld like Europa or Ganymede, we built spherical underwater outposts? How would the outpost use the surrounding water to create a breathable atmosphere and generate hydrogen fuel?

Virtual interior decoration
What if we could program our home���s walls to match our mood? For example, if tired of cold, gray winters in Minneapolis, why not change the walls to a Caribbean beach scene?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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8 Basic Ways to Improve Your Writing Style

��� How do you create a unique writing 'style'?
��� Avoid handwaving to cover a story flaw 
��� Craft powerful story by paying attention to milieu 
��� Avoid making incomplete comparisons 
��� Don���t overstuff story with packing peanuts 
��� Avoid here-to-there action in storytelling 
��� Appeal to sense of sound when writing 
��� Make your writing more palatable via its texture 
��� BONUS: ���The adjective is the enemy of the noun.��� ��� Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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5 Pieces of Advice to Aspiring Authors

���Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.��� - Phyllis Dorothy James

���Write what you like. No, no, I take that back. Write what you love. Really love.��� - Boz Donovan

���Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.��� - Andre Gide

���You have the itch for writing born in you. It���s quite incurable. What are you going to do with it?��� - L.M. Montgomery

���Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it���s the only way you can do anything good.��� - William Faulkner

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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Self-doubt about your talent? Has creative writing lost ...

Self-doubt about your talent? Has creative writing lost its joy? With Writing Affirmations: A Collection of Positive Messages to Inspire Writers, you can reclaim the pleasure of writing and pen the book you���ve always dreamed of. Respected and award-winning editor Rob Bignell offers uplifting, meaningful phrases that can be read out loud or internalized weekly over the course of a year. Writing prompts and tips follow each affirmation, giving you the inspiration and motivation to keep writing. When you���ve completed this book, you���ll be able to say ���I am a writer��� with confidence!



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Types of videos authors can make to boost sales

One of the best ways for authors to tell more about themselves and their books to readers is a video. Whether posted on your website or a YouTube channel, a video will attract viewers and bring more people to your web pages and keep them there for longer periods of time.

While making a video is more arduous than simply dashing off a blog entry, it���s also easier than you might think. After creating a few simple videos, you���ll wonder why you hadn���t done so sooner ��� especially after you begin reaping the rewards of more page visits and increased book sales.

Before making a video, you have to decide what kind you���re going to create. This will help shape your planning process as you pen a script for the video.

There are several types you could make:
��� Vlog ��� Like a blog, these are regularly-updated videos in which the creator makes a short 10-minute or less entry, usually by using a webcam. ���Vlog��� is short for ���video blog.��� This is perfect for authors taking viewers through the writing process of a book or those sharing tips on their book���s topic.
��� Review ��� Similar to a vlog, a review examines some consumer product or service. The video usually shows the reviewed product from a variety of angles as well as it being used. This is a good option for those who wrote nonfiction books as you give your expert opinion on a product or service related to your title���s topic; for example, the author of a book on woodworking might review the latest power saw model that has come out.
��� Trailer ��� Just like the two-minute or so videos that promote an upcoming movie, so you night want to use a trailer to introduce people to your book. Generally, you want to use one trailer per book.
��� Montage ��� Rather than continuous action, slides or several video clips are edited together around a single theme. There���s rarely a voice narrating the slides/clips, but sometimes music plays in the background. For novelists, creating a montage of your favorite works in a genre, of the songs that inspired your novel, or a catalog of your many books is a possibility.
��� Book reading ��� Especially fruitful for novelists, you can record yourself reading a chapter of your book. Some writers combine this with the montage showing scenes as they read over the images. If you offer the first book in your series for free, consider reading the entire book on a series of videos.
��� Show ��� Like a mini-television program or a newscast, you can script a video that essentially is a story or an opinion piece. These can very sophisticated and include clips from other videos and background music. Authors rarely would make this kind of video to promote their books, though.

One you���ve decided what kind of video you want to make, the next step is determining what will be the specific content for it. As with penning a novel or a nonfiction book, you���ll likely use the writing process. Begin by brainstorming ideas. After selecting one of them, you���ll outline a script for it. Next, you pen a draft of that script, revising it at least once. From there, you���re ready to begin producing the video. We���ll discuss each of those steps in upcoming entries.

Ultimately, you may want to create several of these different types of videos. There���s no reason a book reading video or a review video can���t be done as part of your vlog, after all. In addition, different pages on your website might require different types of videos, or maybe you just want to switch it up on your YouTube channel to keep your content fresh and varied.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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Should you switch to creative writing software?

For many writers, the software program MS Word often feels like a glorified typewriter. Its complex page functions, lack of vertical justification, confusing Track Changes, and many other issues often are a source of great frustration when writing books. If that sounds like your reaction when using MS Word, then creative writing software might be the answer.

Sometimes referred to as novel-writing software or book-writing software, a variety of such programs exist. Among them are Scrivener, WriteItNow and MasterWriter.

Creating writing software offers a number of advantages over MS Word. Most importantly, it���s designed specifically for creative writing and so offers several writer-friendly features, such as a corkboard in which ���index cards��� listing notes, pictures and paragraphs can be shifted around to where they would appear in the story. MS Word is meant for any type of writing, from academic to business memos, however, and so lacks a number of functions that novelists or nonfiction book writers would find useful. In addition, many creative writing software programs allow you to better manipulate reference materials, such as making a copy of the original reference and showing it in a split screen when you���re writing about it. This can save you time when penning nonfiction and ensure the original isn���t changed or lost. Further, many creative writing software programs allow you to format your finalized manuscript into .epub and .mobi files, which is perfect if you���re publishing an ebook. MS Word doesn���t do that, meaning you must learn some basic formatting rules so that online software can properly convert your manuscript into an ebook.

Of course, there are downsides to creative writing software. The first is that you have to learn a new program. If you���ve spent years using MS Word and already have figured out all the workarounds to issues that annoy you, the learning curve for a new program may not be worth it. Also, as MS Word is so ubiquitous, its files easily transfer between computers and platforms and almost always can be uploaded at a print on demand website. Unfortunately, this isn���t the case with all creative writing software.

Still, if MS Word is giving you fits, exploring creative writing programs might be well worth the effort. Usually you can try out programs free for a week up to a month, which should be plenty of time to determine if a switch is merited.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



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