Rob Bignell's Blog, page 255
July 12, 2016
Four writing prompts: Vengeance
Good stories 
center on the clashing of characters��� goals and motivations. Sometimes a character���s goals and motivations arise from seeking retribution for an injustice either real or perceived. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on vengeance.
Man vs. nature
In an act of revenge, a man sabotages a boat or a small plane, leaving his nemesis ��� our main character ��� stranded at sea or in an inhospitable environment. How does the main character survive the threats of nature? Does he then seek revenge himself on the man who set him up to die?
Man vs. man
Desperate to lay his past to rest, the antagonist decides to exact revenge on all who made him miserable ��� including our story���s protagonist. What can our protganoist do to stop the villain? Does the protagonist feel any guilt over what he did in the past to the antagonist. Why or why not?
Man vs. society
Our main character decides his hatred for the current system justifies supporting an invader who will wipe it out. But does support of the invader mean an even worse system will be ushered in? What if the main character determines after the invasion that it does ��� and then switches sides?
Man vs. himself
For a perceived injustice against those who the protagonist holds dear but was unable to fully protect, he decides to seek revenge. Why was he not able to protect those he loved? Can revenge bring redemption and justice or will it only bring more destruction, including of his own soul?
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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July 11, 2016
Editing client publishes first novel, ���The Wall���
A recent 
editing client of mine, William F. Ferguson, has published his first novel, ���The Wall.��� The metafiction tale tells the story of a man named Crater, who three days before New Year's Eve leaves his apartment for a relaxing walk. Then, appearing out of nowhere, in the middle of downtown, Crater caught sight of a wall, its height and width appearing to go on forever. Against the wall was a translucent ladder, inside of which Crater could only describe as moving energy. That���s when Crater decides to climb the ladder, leading to an experience that changes his life forever��� The book is available online.
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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July 10, 2016
Five Great Quotations about Sex in Writing
���It is a 
bawdy planet.��� - William Shakespeare
���Sex does not thrive on monotony. Without feelings, inventions, moods, (there are) no surprises in bed. Sex must be mixed with tears, laughter, words, promises, scenes, jealousy, envy, all the specices of fear, foreign travel, new faces, ovels, stories, dreams, fantasies, music, dancing, opium, wine.��� - Anais Nin
���Anyone who attempts to render sexual experience directly must face the fact that the writhings which comprise is are ludicrous without their subjective content.��� - William Blue
���People who label erotica writers as sluts/men-whores remind me of the mob that once condemned smart women as witches. Mankind has not evolved much.��� - Anna Bayes
���Giving a reader a sex scene that is only half right is like giving her half a kitten. It is not half as cute as a whole kitten; it is a bloody, godawful mess. A half-good sex scene is not half as hot; it actually moves into the negative numbers, draining any heat from the surrounding material.��� - Sandra Newman
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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July 9, 2016
Editing client releases Beatles crime novel
A recent 
editing client of mine, musician Don Maeder, has published his first novel, ���Beatlemaniac.��� When employees of Ash Lynn City, Calif., begin to mysteriously die on the job, dashing FBI Agent Heath Wilson investigates to determine if foul play is involved. He���s surprised to find that the murderer has left clues ��� in the form of Beatles trivia ��� that hint at where he will strike next. Can Wilson unravel those clues to prevent another murder and ultimately to capture the serial killer? This book is a delight for fans of both crime novels and especially of the Beatles. It is available online on Kindle ebook.
***
Another recent editing client of mine, Frances Garcia, also has published her first book, ���Self-discipline for the Young Catholic.��� The short volume offers advice and solutions on the importance of sexual abstinence among young people in the Catholic Church. It is available online as a Kindle ebook.
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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July 8, 2016
Leverage Facebook pictures to sell books
A compelling 
picture always will grab someone���s attention faster than text. Given this, when developing social media pages to promote your book (or any service or product, for that matter), you���ll want to pay close attention to the quality and purpose of the photos you use.
On Facebook, your profile image is a small square that appears on the top of your profile page and that as an avatar that appears with each of your posts. A square, on the profile page it measures 400 x 400 pixels in size but then is shrunk considerably when next to your post. Because of that, this image should be very simple; usually a headshot that is cropped tightly on the face works well. Words or complex pictures should be avoided as they won���t show up in the avatars that appear with each post.
Also appearing on your profile page is a rectangular cover photo. This 828 pixel wide by 315 pixel high photo acts like a banner across the top of your profile page. Your profile file partially covers the lower left corner of the cover photo. Given the cover photo���s dominance, use it to set the tone for your page. For example, if you write science fiction novels, use a picture ��� perhaps from one of your covers ��� that carries SF themes, such as a spaceship or an alien. If you write a nonfiction book about kayaking, a pic of kayakers paddling on the water would be perfect. Some authors use a collage of their book covers for a cover photo; that���s fine, but be aware that a couple of link buttons and your name are placed over the picture���s bottom, so lettering may be obscured.
Also be aware of the size and shape of pictures you post on Facebook, as they will be cropped to fit a preset size. These shared images can be up to 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high. Given this, generally make your shared images more horizontal than vertical, sticking close to a 4:3 ratio.
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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July 7, 2016
Indie authors use cash accounting method
When running 
your self-publishing business as an indie author, you���ll want to choose an accounting method that sets the rules you���ll use to determine how your income and expenses are kept track of and when they are reported to the IRS.
There are two basic methods: cash or accrual. The cash method requires you to report income in the tax year that you receive it. So if you were paid $1000 in July, then it is filed on your taxes for the year in which that July fell. The accrual method requires you to report income in the tax year that you earned it. So if you earned $2000 during August for services provided but were only paid $1500, you still would report $2000 in income on your taxes for the year in which August fell.
As an author, you almost certainly will use the cash method. The accrual method is required if you have an inventory, or goods that are held for sale. Still, even if you purchase copies of your books and related items (such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc., that promote your books), which you sell at book readings, you almost certainly don���t hold enough inventory that the IRS would require you to use the accrual method.
If you own more than one business, you can use different methods for each one. So, if you run a ma and pa store or an online business in which you must use the accrual method, you could treat your book revenues as a separate business and use the cash method for it.
In short, accounting for most indie authors is fairly simple. Just keep track of your revenues (books sales, payments for speaking, etc.) and your expenses (printer cartridges, paper, pens, gas for travel to book readings, etc.) and you���re good to go. Regardless of your expenses, your total revenue is your gross income; whatever you earn from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 must be reported to the IRS and your state tax collection agency the following April 15.
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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July 6, 2016
Don���t be lightheaded: Toehead vs. towhead
A lot of 
writers get tripped up on this word���s spelling. Let���s see if we can wind up the string that acts as a tripwire.
When referring to a fair-haired, blond boy or blonde girl, towhead is correct. That���s because one of the lesser-known meanings of tow is a fiber made from flax, hemp or jute used to make thread. This tow is light-colored. Hence, someone with light-colored hair is a towhead.
Toehead, of course, makes no sense. Not all toes are light-colored, of course, depending on your race.
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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July 5, 2016
Four writing prompts: Uncertainty
Good stories 
center on the clashing of characters��� goals and motivations. Sometimes a character���s goals and motivations arise from something one cannot be completely confident or sure of. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on uncertainty.
Man vs. man
The main character must determine if someone he loves truly shares the same feelings for him or is just manipulating him. What clues does he have of manipulation? Why would someone want to manipulate him (and what is at stake if he is)? How does he go about determining his beloved���s true intentions?
Man vs. society
What if a man were told that the body of his father ��� who has been missing for some time ��� has been found? How does the man deal with this new information? What if the man suspects that the body really isn���t that of his father ��� but when he tries to find the truth, there are forces that don���t want him to know? What secret are they keeping, how does his father play a part in them, and how did presenting a body they say is his help hide the truth?
Man vs. God(s)
What happens when our protagonist meets someone of a different theological persuasion, perhaps one that he even finds repulsive? What if this person then saves the protagonist���s life? How does the protagonist question his own theological beliefs, and how does he rectify them given all that has occurred with ���the enemy���?
Man vs. himself
The main character���s loved one has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but our protagonist can���t afford it. How does he cope with this inability? What steps does he take to find the money for this opportunity? Will these steps include breaking ethical rules and principles that the main character always has lived by and this his loved one admires in him?
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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July 4, 2016
Allow main character to experience crisis of faith
A man vs. himself 
conflict often elevates a story���s suspense and depth. When a character must face a confrontation with himself, most readers can relate to him. External conflicts that affect a character ��� such as eluding international assassins or stopping an alien invasion ��� are great escapism but (mostly) outside the reader���s realm of experience. Because of that, the action often feels contrived, and the reader knows the hero will prevail, reducing the tension.
Because of this, many writers introduce a crisis of faith into their story. This occurs when the protagonist expresses doubt, fear or some other emotion that brings into question whether he will continue to solve the story���s problem. For example, a main character tasked with rescuing a hostage might think about how the odds are against him, as he���s outnumbered and outgunned; perhaps he���ll recall a time when a friend who was better than him at black ops failed in a rescue attempt from a similar building.
A crisis of fate ratchets up the suspense in a couple of ways. First, if the protagonist doesn���t rise to the challenge, then the antagonist will win unless some plot twist occurs. The reader thus is thrown off about how the story���s central conflict will be resolved. Secondly, though the main character will overcome this crisis of faith before the big showdown, it still leaves doubt and fear in the reader���s mind about whether or not it might arise during the climatic scene. That, of course, means the hero has a greater chance of being defeated.
Usually authors place this plot device just before the story���s climax. If it���s placed too early in the story, then it needs to be a dominant conflict that the story centers on. When used as a crisis of faith, however, it is merely a temporary doubt rather than one that drives the entire story.
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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July 3, 2016
Five Great Quotations about Revising
���It is 
always easier to edit what has been written than to write what has not been started.��� - Cody McLain
���(Set aside your manuscript for six weeks). With six weeks��� worth of recuperation time, you���ll also be able to see any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And listen - if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us.��� - Stephen King
���Second draft is really a misnomer as there are a gazillion revisions, large and small, that go into the writing of a book.��� - Libba Bray
���A man���s grammar, like Caesar���s wife, should not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.��� - Edgar Allan Poe
���Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life! Even the most energetic and wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences.��� - Terry Pratchett
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. Whether you come from a big city like Corpus Christi, Texas, or a small town like Hell, Michigan, I can provide that second eye.
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