Rob Bignell's Blog, page 281

Writing Inspiration: Get out and socialize

Talk with other writers. Writing need not lead to isolation. Writers groups, beta readers, even editors, can talk with you about writing and will understand all the inner tension you���re experiencing. Consider attending a writing workshop or taking a class about your book���s topic.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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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Describe setting from characters��� perspectives

Novice writers often possess a good understanding of how to write a great description of a story���s setting and of how to present evocative details. Indeed, the ability to create beautiful imagery through words often is a skill that encouraged many aspiring writers to aspire to write a book in the first place.

Unfortunately, sometimes novice writers present great descriptions that don���t really advance the story. The use of such wording, while pretty and emotive in its own right, actually can slow the story and feel superfluous.

Usually the cause for this is the writer showing off his or her talent at penning great descriptions. But to make those appeals to sight, sound, smell, touch and taste truly great, the author ought to ensure they relate to the character in some way. Rather than simply be a lush description of any city or any street or any waiting room that any person could experience, they ought to be details that the story���s viewpoint character experiences.

By doing so, the writer gives the reader a better understanding of the viewpoint character���s motivations and perceptions of the world. The reader then can better grasp the viewpoint character���s mood and can better identify with that character.

For example, anyone visiting a beach can feel the sand between their toes, hear the screech of seagulls, and feel the warm water as the waves crash against their ankles. But writers always should ask how their viewpoint character would perceive the beach. Maybe that character finds sand between the toes scratchy, thinks the seagulls are dive bombing her, and considers the water too cold for her liking. Now the reader is experiencing the beach in the way the viewpoint character does, and we have a better sense of the latter���s personality and intentions.

Such writing does require a bit more effort on the part of the author. But the result often is a better story that the reader can better appreciate ��� and that always brings many rewards to the writer.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 an urban area like California's Orange County or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Novel Writing

���The things that the novel does not say are necessarily more numerous than those it does say and only a special halo around what is written can give the illusion that you are reading also what is not written.��� - Italo Calvino

���I used to feel for years and years and years that I was very remiss not to have written a novel and I would question people who wrote novels and try to find out how they did it and how they had got past page 30. Then, with the approach of old age, I began to just think: ���Well, lucky I can do anything at all.������ - Alice Munro

���When well told, a story captured the subtle movement of change. If a novel was a map of a country, a story was the bright silver pin that marked the crossroads.��� - Ann Patchett

���Expansion. That is the idea the novelist must cling to. Not completion. Not rounding off, but opening out.��� - E.M. Forster

���A novel is never anything but a philosophy expressed in images. And in a good novel the philosophy has disappeared into the images.��� - Albert Camus

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Washington, D.C., or a small town like Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Writing Inspiration: Walk for creativity

Sometimes the best way to get the brain moving on a story idea is by getting the blood flowing in the rest of your body. If stuck, go for a walk, a jog, or a bicycle ride. As doing so, carry a pen and notebook and jot down thoughts that come to you about the story idea. You���ll likely find that the increased oxygen and new environment helps you brainstorm and work through a problem.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or a small town like Boring, Oregon, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Public presentations offer several benefits

Many book authors are happy to simply do what they enjoy most, which is write. You also have to promote your published books, though, and a time-honored way of doing so is by making presentations, such as signings and readings, at bookstores or other businesses that might carry your titles.

Such presentations offer a number of benefits to you, including:
��� Getting your name out there ��� The bookstore or retail shop likely will promote you via their website/newsletter/social media and probably will place your book in a special spot with some poster noting that you���ll be there at a certain date/time. You also can use the event to market yourself by sending press releases to the local newspaper.
��� Placing your book in stores ��� One way to get your titles on a bookstore shelf is to make an appearance there. The store manager will want to have copies of your book on hand before the appearance and will want to keep a few after for those who missed the event. If you make a lot of sales at the presentation, that increases the chance that a store will want to stock your titles.
��� Meeting the public and your readers ��� There���s nothing more gratifying and inspiring than meeting others who���ve enjoyed your book or who are interested in what you���ve written about. Sell a few books at a presentation, and you���ll meet the next day of writing with new vigor.
��� Making connections ��� If you run a business that your book supports (for example, you���re a hairdresser and have written a book about how to ensure a successful visit to the hair salon), you���ll likely meet readers who might become patrons of your service or will buy products you sell. You may meet other people who can benefit your business through cooperative efforts or services.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Seattle, Washington, or a small town like Uncertain, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

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Know parts of an ebook when creating one

When creating an ebook, thinking about its basic parts can be very useful. While some elements of an ebook are the same as that of a paper books, others do differ. Knowing those differences can save you time when creating an ebook and allows you to create a better book by utilizing the format���s advantages.

The cover is the first screen of an ebook, and usually a thumbnail of it is how readers will locate the book on their ereaders and tables. An ebook cover needs only to be what is the front cover of a paper book; no spine or back cover is necessary.

Next, ebooks contain the front matter. As with paper books, this generally consists of the half title page, title page, table of contents, acknowledgements and dedication. Each should start at the top of a new screen. The table of contents won���t contain page numbers but hyperlinks to where that chapter starts in the ebook.

The main text follows. This is the core and the bulk of the book, consisting of the foreword, preface, introduction, all chapters and the accompanying sidebars, photographs, breakout boxes, charts and tables that appear in those chapters. Generally, the foreword, preface, introduction and each chapter should start at the top of a new screen.

Back material rounds out the book. It includes the appendix, footnotes, bibliography, author���s bio, requests for reviews, and adverts for other books, products and services the author offers. Each of these should start at the top of a new screen. Ebooks rarely include indexes.

An element found only in ebooks are hyperlinks. Think of an ebook as a web page. You can send people to other spots in the books, to other web pages, to slide shows, to videos, and so on. Hyperlinks add a level of interactivity that paper books lack and are a chief reason readers select ebooks over their paper counterparts.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Boston, Massachusetts, or a small town like Boston, Georgia, I can provide that second eye.

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Perish the thought! Disdain vs. distain

All too often writers who mix up these two words are the butt of mockful criticism.

Distain is an archaic word meaning to be stained or disgraced. Typically what writers mean when they use the word distain is actually disdain.

Disdain as a noun means something not worthy of respect, such as Many New Yorkers hold Los Angeles��� art scene with disdain. It also can be a verb that means to judge poorly, as in She refused to go through the door held, disdaining his offer to be a ���gentleman.���

In short, if you find yourself using the word distain, cross it out. You probably mean disdain.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or a small town like Boring, Oregon, I can provide that second eye.

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Writing Prompt: Opposite ethical decision

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: Consider an ethical decision made by a character in one of your favorite books. What would have had to occur in the book for the character to arrive at the opposite decision? Approaching stories from that perspective can give you ideas for new tales to write.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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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Avoid using flashback as a plot gimmick

Sometimes when writing a story, the author needs to go outside of the timeline. When a scene is set during a time earlier than the main narration, the author is using a flashback.

If you wrote a story in which the main character is afraid to swim, you might use a flashback to show a time earlier in his life when he nearly drowned. Flashbacks primarily are used so that the reader better understands the reasons for a main character���s current feelings or way of thinking.

Unfortunately, novice authors often use flashbacks for the wrong reasons, such as to add action to an otherwise flat story. The result is that the technique draws attention to itself and becomes gimmicky.

When utilizing the flashback, follow some simple guidelines:
��� The flashback should serve multiple dramatic purposes ��� A flashback can be at its most dramatic when creating a sense of uncertainty in the reader yet also serving to reveal character or offering hints that bring the character closer to solving the plot. Flashing back to an event that happened the day or week or even month before doesn���t give the main character enough time to process it.
��� The event in a flashback shouldn���t occur too close in time to the story���s timeline - Doing so reduces the event���s powerfulness in effecting the main character���s emotions and thoughts during the main story. The trauma of the past event should have shaped the main character���s personality over a long time, making the ability to change and overcome it in the main story difficult.
��� The flashback should clearly have occurred in the past ��� If the reader is befuddled wondering why this event is happening in the present, then the author has not left enough clues about when the event happened in the main character���s life.
��� Keep the flashback short ��� Even if the flashback is action-packed, moving away from the ���now��� reduces immediacy in a story. A long flashback can confuse readers about what events occurred in the main story.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 Oakland, California, or a small town like Goobertown, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Why We Write

���The purpose of writing is both to keep up with life and to run ahead of it.��� - William Saroyan

���I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell.��� - Octavia E. Butler

���The only end of writing is to enable readers better to enjoy life or better to endure it.��� - Samuel Johnson

���A writer writes to a great extent to be read (let's admire those who say they don't, but not believe them).��� - Albert Camus

���We who make stories know that we tell lies for a living. But they are good lies that say true things, and we owe it to our readers to build them as best we can. Because somewhere out there is someone who needs that story. Someone who will grow up with a different landscape, who without that story will be a different person. And who with that story may have hope, or wisdom, or kindness, or comfort. And that is why we write.��� - Neil Gaiman

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper 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 San Jose, California, or a small town like Boar Tush, Alabama, I can provide that second eye.

 

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