Rob Bignell's Blog, page 277

Editing client publishes book on synchronicity

A recent editing client of mine has published her first spiritual self-help book. Jenna Fuller Moore���s ���The Secret Language of Synchronicity: Deciphering the Words & Wisdom of Meaningful Coincidence,��� examines how the Universe answers different people through different types of coincidence.

Once we discover our unique style, it is easier to understand these personal signs and benefit from their meanings. The book explores the essential link between our intuition and flow, that wonderful stream of ongoing serendipities offered by the Universe. It delves into the how-to ��� attracting, understanding and responding to this higher wisdom, our potential to be transformed when we do, and the best benefit of all ��� how to lead happier, more meaningful lives.

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. Whether you come from a big city like Las Vegas, Nevada, or a small town like Accident, Maryland, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations for Aspiring Writers

���If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I���m aware of, no shortcut.��� - Stephen King

���I meet far too many people who are going to be writers ���someday.������ ��� Robin Hobb

���A professional writer is an amateur who didn���t quit.��� - Richard Bach

���The darkness has ink eyes, and if you stare long enough, you���re going to see it blink black. That���s the moment to start writing.��� - Jarod Kintz

���You will have the grace of writing, when you boldly begin to write your first sentences.��� - Lailah Gifty Akita

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 Kansas City, Missouri, or a small town like Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Writing Inspiration: Focus on the present

Focus on the present by taking note of what you do as writing. Note the feel of the pencil in your hand or hear the taps of the keys as you type. Concentrate on the words you add, as if hearing them spoken aloud. Zone out everything around you.

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 Birmingham, Alabama, or a small town like Buttzville, New Jersey, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Potential locations for book presentations

Once you���ve decided that a public presentation is a good way to promote your book, you���ll need to find some spots to hold your event. Identifying those locales can help you determine what kind of presentation (book signing, topical presentation, etc.) you���ll make and place you on the path for contacting the right people to set up such an event.

Among the many locations you might deliver a presentation with the aim of selling your book include:
��� Bookstores ��� Though the obvious choice for holding a book-related event, it may not be the best location. Don���t waste time appearing at bookstores that lack a connection to your book; only hold events at stores in which you either are a local author or your book somehow has a connection to the region the store is located. Locally-owned bookstores will be more receptive to your self-published book than chains.
��� Retailers/institutions related to your book���s topic ��� Always think about what stores and spots (other than bookstores and libraries) where you might purchase books similar to the one you���ve written. For example, if you���ve written a travel guide to an area, then outfitters or the gift shop at the local tourism office might wish to carry your book and hence host an event.
��� Conferences/conventions related to your book���s topic ��� Such events usually offer breakout sessions, workshops, or booths in which you can appear. The book sale generally comes after your presentation has impressed upon your audience that you are interesting and know your stuff.
��� Institutions of learning ��� Libraries and colleges often will host book-related events. Typically a library holds a book reading/signing similar to a bookstore while at a college you���ll have to give to students a presentation much like you would at a conference/convention.
��� Writers festivals ��� Often colleges and regional arts groups host such events for writers and readers. You can set up a table on a ���writers row��� or make a presentation about your writing experience at such festivals.

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 Denver, Colorado, or a small town like Dewey Beach, Delaware, I can provide that second eye.

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Five tips for taking a book cover photo

If self-publishing your book, you may need to come up with a photo for your front cover. You can go about this in one of three ways: hire someone to design the cover for you and let that person look for the photo; purchase a photo, usually from an online stock photo provider; or take the photo yourself.

Other than time, the last option ��� take the photo yourself ��� is the least expensive of the three choices. If you���re intrepid enough, it���s worth a try. After all, if your photo shoot fails, you always can go one of the other two routes.

The truth is you���re probably a better photographer than you realize. We live in a very visual society, and with the advent of avatars, selfies, and Instagram, we constantly take photos. Still, there are some basic guidelines that professional photographers follow that you���ll want to consider:
��� Know what you want a picture of before setting out with your camera ��� If your novel is set on a farm, for example, pick a key symbol from your book, such as a barn, that says ���farm.��� Then focus on taking pictures of barns. This will keep you from wasting time.
��� Shoot at the right time of the day ��� If shooting outdoors, aim for the times of 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again at dusk. This gives you enough lighting but allows for it be subdued rather than washing out your subject.
��� Keep the sun to your back ��� Unless you���re aiming for glare and sun rays in your photo, the sun behind you on a perpendicular line to the subject you���re shooting eliminates shadows and glare.
��� Frame the photo to match your cover ��� You probably need blank space at the top of your photo for your title. If taking a picture of a barn, the sky works well for that. Likewise, the bottom fifth of the cover might need to largely be one color so that you can place your name there; grass in front of the barn would work well for that.
��� Take lots of photos from different angles ��� A newspaper photographer might take a couple of hundred of photos or more to find just the right one. Move around as well to see what interesting angles you can view the subject from.

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 Denver, Colorado, or a small town like Dewey Beach, Delaware, I can provide that second eye.

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Don���t be led to ruin: Wrack vs. rack

Too many writers suffer at the hands of these two words.

Rack, as a verb, generally means to torture (rack my brains). As a noun, it can mean a variety of things, but the forms most often misspelled are those referring to an instrument of torture (The inquisitor planned to stretch his limbs on the rack.) or to be in a state of deep anguish (racked with sorrow). Rack as a noun also can refer to a frame, this its use as a verb in rack up points or rack billiard balls.

Wreak, as a verb, means to wreck (to wreak havoc). As a noun, it means ruin or destruction (Cleveland has been going to wrack for decades.).

The easy way to remember the difference is rack = torture while wrack, with an extra letter, goes the extra step of actually destroying something.

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 Sacramento, California, or a small town like Intercourse, Pennsylvania, I can provide that second eye.

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Writing Prompt: Just who and why?

Suffering from writer���s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.

To that end, try this tip: Take the following line, ���He had a good head start.��� Brainstorm (and take notes as doing so) who ���he��� is, what he���s running from, why he���s running from it, where he���s running, and so on.

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 Houston, Texas, or a small town like Chicken, Alaska, I can provide that second eye.

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Frame story useful in limited situations

Sometimes when plotting a novel, rather than jumping right into the action you may want to use a frame story to set up the main tale.

A frame story ��� also referred to as a frame tale or a frame narrative ��� is a story-telling technique in which boundaries are placed around the main story being told. For example, in the classic ���One Thousand and One Nights,��� the character Scheherazade narrates a set of stories to Sultan Shahriyar every night for nearly three years. The fairy tales told are done so in context of Scheherazade���s and the Sultan���s interactions each evening.

Generally, the frame must appear at least twice in the story ��� the prologue/opening chapter that sets up the main story and an epilogue/final chapter that shows the narrator is done telling the story. In novels, the frame also needs to be inserted at least every few chapters to remind the reader of the narrator and listener.

Today, the frame story generally is considered archaic. An elaborate story setup simply isn���t necessary for readers familiar with storytelling conventions via constant reading in school and the pervasiveness of television and motion pictures. In addition, often the frame amounts to exposition; the main story alone should be suspenseful enough to grab the reader���s attention. Finally, a frame story runs the risk of creating an intrusive narrator. Even after the opening frame ends at the story���s beginning, the narrator���s presence is still implicit.; in any case, after the main story has concluded, a closing frame must be included, and usually that part consists mainly of exposition.

Still, the frame story can be useful in modern storytelling in a couple of different ways. First, it can help set the reader���s disposition toward the main story, which is useful when the narrator is unreliable. Most modern readers automatically assume the narrator is honest and likeable, but a frame story can help cast doubt on that. Secondly, a frame story can be used in novels to link disparate short stories together into a larger work. This is particularly effective when the story���s theme is paramount, such as in science fiction���s future histories. Ray Bradbury in ���The Martian Chronicles,��� for example, writes about the hope that comes with the colonization of Mars, the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the colonizing Earthmen, and the near extinction of two species in tales that span half of a century.

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 Orlando, Florida, or a small town like Beer Bottle Crossing, Idaho, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Theme

���I don't believe any real artists have ever been non-political. They may have been insensitive to this particular plight or insensitive to that, but they were political, because that's what an artist is ��� a politician.��� - Toni Morrison

���The finder of his theme will be at no loss for words.��� - J.V. Cunningham

���Many people can and have written books, but many have nothing to say.��� - Amy Rogers

���Novelists don't normally write about what's going on; they write about what's not going on.��� - Martin Amis

���Why do people always expect authors to answer questions? I am an author because I want to ask questions. If I had answers, I'd be a politician.��� - Eug��ne Ionesco

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 Youngstown, Ohio, or a small town like Hogshooter, Oklahoma, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Writing Inspiration: Remain in the present

Remain in the present when writing. All too often writers put off the enjoyment until some goal, such as the completion of their book, is achieved. Instead, take pleasure in the act of creating, sentence by sentence, as you write. With each sentence you complete, congratulate yourself and smile.

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 Jacksonville, Florida, or a small town like Dinkytown, Minnesota, I can provide that second eye.

 

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