Rebecca Besser's Blog, page 57

Honesty – People Can’t Handle It

The other day we were visiting some family friends. While we were sitting and talking, one of the women (in her 90s) brought up how she didn’t think sex had a place in books. She told me she wrote to an author and complained about the way she put sex scenes in her stories. Her main argument was: What if children read it?

My response: Adult books aren’t written for children. They’re written for adults. If children are reading them, their parents are at fault for not paying enough attention to what their children are getting their hands on and reading.

I also made if very clear that people who write ADULT books don’t have children in mind when they’re writing them, because the books are for adults.

Later, I was informed that the woman thought I was “opinionated.”

This didn’t offend me in the least. I know I am. I’m proud that I know myself well enough to stand up against something I don’t like or believe in just because it might upset someone else. I can’t live with the what-ifs of others and be true to myself.

People have to be responsible for themselves. This goes along with people getting offended, and the thinking that the author is ultimately responsible for who gets their hands on their books, regardless of the genre or age group.

I can’t be responsible for a child getting a hold of one of my stories or books that isn’t written for their age group. That child and their parents are responsible for regulating their intake of literature. That’s the truth. Take it or leave it.

Stop blaming everything on the authors. If you don’t like what they write, find an author you like better. God knows there are plenty of authors out there and they could use real fans.

Authors don’t sit and think about how everything in there work will offend people, or make them like their work better. We sit down and we tell a story. Maybe it’s a happy story. Maybe it’s an ugly story. Maybe the characters are messed up. Maybe everyone in the story is completely sane. Who knows! At the end of the day (unless it’s nonfiction) it’s all made up and not real anyway; it’s just a story for entertainment. If the stories authors write happen to push your comfort zone and make you think beyond you’re own experience, so be it! But don’t blame the authors for what you like or don’t like. We didn’t write the story to personally piss you off.

Read and be enlighten, and stop pointing fingers at authors who have no control over each reader’s likes and dislikes. Because, if you continue to do so, you might just run into a writer like me who will straight up tell you you’re wrong.

 

 

 

©Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.

Lashing out VS Encouragement

People are human – an obvious fact. They tend to work more on emotions than on logic; it’s the nature of the beast, so to speak. This in turn leads to hurt feeling and tantrums. They come in a vast array of intensity and causes. But, two of the most prominent “lashing out” emotions are jealousy and anger. This is true for various aspects of life; I’m going to talk about the toll taken on creative people.

On social media there are rants posted every day by people who have had their feelings hurt, or are jealous as hell of anyone who has more talent, has more success, or is smarter, etc. All this does is make the person ranting look less credible and more like a petulant child than the intelligent voice of reason they seem to think they’re being. Ranting doesn’t get you anywhere. If you want to make your point, do it in a concise, informed, calm way. You can’t make others listen to your voice, especially when you’re yelling. That pushes people away and makes them close their minds.

I saw a link and comments posted in a group I’m in on Facebook today about someone discrediting and complaining about Indie Authors. I read the discussion on the posted link, but didn’t go to the blog and read it. Because, I feel, that’s exactly what the writer of the blog (who was an anonymous blogger) wants people to do. They want a witness for their tearing down of others in a blind rage. A rant against the masses that should be directed at a few. It was pointed out in the discussion that there were a few valid points in the blog post, but that they would get ignored because of the nature of the delivery. This makes my point exactly, which is why I bothered to mention it, even though I didn’t go read the blog post myself.

Side note: I feel that if you can’t write something openly and state your opinion using your name, especially when there’s no political danger or anything involved (only time it’s reasonable), then you’re wasting my time. If you can’t claim your own views and beliefs, I’m not interested in them at all.

I believe that if you have a point you should address it in an informed, helpful way. If you don’t think someone is doing something the right way, then do a post about how to do something the right way and lead people to that knowledge rather than lash out blindly and repel people. Encouragement to grow or expand what people know is going to get your point across and keep people coming back for more information. At that point, you have an opportunity to change the things that you dislike.

Don’t like how people edit or don’t edit? Do a post about the need for editing with information leading to where people can find a good and decent editor. Don’t like people’s cover art? Do a post explaining the value of catching the buyer’s eye and where people can go to get professional grade covers. Don’t like self-publishing? Post links to presses that are taking submissions.

Those are the posts and blogs people will follow and read, and will keep them coming back for more.

Creative people get enough tearing down from others in their everyday lives who are jealous of their gifts. Be honest, we all face it in one way or another from someone. Whether it’s a spouse or significant other that doesn’t give the needed encouragement and support or just random people who feel threatened because they don’t feel they measure up against you. They’re out there.

If you have talent, share your talent. If you have a point to make, do it by encouraging others to make a change and a difference. Don’t lash out like a two-year-old and discredit yourself.

 

 

©Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.

Pre-Order Fading Hope at Sale Price!

It’s the end of the world and we are not feeling fine.

What happens when you ask seven of the most notorious writers in apocalyptic fiction to craft stories where a happily ever after doesn’t exist?

You get Fading Hope.

Bleak landscapes, fading faith, the loss of humanity and the struggle to simply make it to the end of the day, are just some of the elements that come together within this boundary-pushing anthology.

Dive into a world of hopelessness as rendered by award-winning authors like: Rebecca Besser, Eli Constant, Morgan Garcia, Thea Gregory, Claire C. Riley, Armand Rosamila, and Jack Wallen

The sale price will only last for 48 hours after the book’s release,

so why not order your copy now to ensure you take advantage of the sale price?

Pre-order your ecopy of Fading Hope: Humanity Unbound now!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS2FWEM

Mark Malatesta – Who?

Yesterday I told you about a former book agent that’s now helping me get my work out there, so I can get a top agent, publisher, and book deal. But I didn’t tell you about his background.

You’re going to love this…

The only reason that Mark became an agent was to learn how to get his own books published. That’s why he calls his author consulting company Literary Agent Undercover. As the former President & Owner of New Brand Agency Group, Mark helped many authors launch their publishing careers, including: thriller author Jim Brown (24/7, Random House), award-winning young adult author Carol Plum-Ucci (The Body of Christopher Creed, Harcourt), nonfiction self-help author Aggie Jordan (The Marriage Plan, Doubleday-Broadway), and best-selling gift book author Harry Harrison (Father to Daughter, Workman).

Other publishers Mark has secured contracts with include Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s, Hyperion, Prentice-Hall, Workman, Andrews-McMeel, Entrepreneur, Barron’s, Amacom, and many more… resulting in millions of books being sold, as well as works being picked up for TV, stage, and feature film (with companies like Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks). Authors that Mark Malatesta has worked with have gotten 6-figure advances, been on the NY Times bestseller list, been licensed in more than 30 countries, and won countless national and international awards and honors.

Mark is also a former member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR). Less than one third of all active publishing agents are members, because you have to qualify to apply. Mark also spent several years as Marketing & Licensing Manager of Blue Mountain Arts (the book and gift publisher that invented e-greetings, and then sold their e-card division for close to $1 billion at the height of the dot com bubble). Mark has been invited to write feature articles for publications like The Guide to Literary Agents, a column for WritersDigest.com, and he’s delivered keynote addresses and seminars at some of the most prominent writers’ conferences in the United States and abroad.

If you haven’t already done so, check out this special page on this website that he just posted for my friends and followers: http://literary-agents.com/becca

When you click on the link above you’ll get instant access to Mark’s:

• Complete article library (tons of great information and it’s often entertaining)

• Audio/mp3 library (make sure you listen to his main mp3 about 7 insider secrets)

• Directory of Literary Agents (the best book agent directory anywhere)

• Webpage where you can ask questions about literary agents and publishing (make sure you post questions because Mark will be answering some of them right here on my blog – I’ll be asking Mark some questions as well).

Here’s the link one more time: http://literary-agents.com/becca

Got a Book? – Want an Agent?

As you guys know, or should know by now, I take care of my writer folk and let them know if there’s information that will benefit them floating around out in the abyss of the internet. So, guess what?! I have some great information for those of you who are interested in getting an agent, like I am!

If you have a book – or book idea – that you’d like to see published by a traditional publisher (like Random House or Simon & Schuster), I have something special for you. I’ve talked to a former NY Times bestselling literary agent recently and he has a great website that you need to check out. His name is Mark Malatesta and he’s now an author consultant/book marketing coach.

It’s been nice chatting with Mark, getting to know him while gleaning from his insights (he has a lot of them). He’s a truly genuine, up front, and honest person and those are the people I adore most in this world. That’s why I’m going to be working with Mark 1-on-1 to pitch one of my books to agents. That’s also why I told Mark that I’d be happy to share his website with you. So he just set up a special webpage on his website for you at http://literary-agents.com/becca

When you click on the link above you’ll get instant access to Mark’s:

• Complete article library (tons of great information and it’s often entertaining – he’s HILARIOUS!)

• Audio/mp3 library (make sure you listen to his main mp3 about 7 insider secrets)

• Directory of Literary Agents (the best book agent directory anywhere)

• Webpage where you can ask questions about literary agents and publishing (make sure you post questions because Mark will be answering some of them right here on my blog – I’ll be asking Mark some questions as well).

Here’s the link again: http://literary-agents.com/becca

If you’re an author (or aspiring author) who wants to get a real publisher (they pay you instead of you paying them), make sure you go to Mark’s site. You have nothing to lose and a LOT of information to gain.

New Release – Fading Hope: Humanity Unbound

On August 28th, Fading Hope: Humanity Unbound will be released into the world!

Seven authors tell seven tales of the apocalypse that will not get your hopes up.

My story, “When Plans Fail,” is included in the collection!

Fading Hope: Humanity Unbound

Unleashed on the world, next week!

Interview with Author Consultant Mark Malatesta

What is Literary Agent Undercover?

Literary Agent Undercover helps authors of all genres get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals. I founded Literary Agent Undercover in August 2011, after closing my literary agency called New Brand Agency Group (more about that below).

Literary Agent Undercover offers a free weekly newsletter, insider articles, audio and video training (including interviews with top literary agents), the world’s best Directory of Literary Agents (online), an interactive Ask a Literary Agent area (online), and 1-on-1 Coaching and Consulting Services (in person, by phone, and/or Skype).

Literary Agent Undercover is for authors that fit into one of the following categories: 1) Unpublished authors just starting to write (or pitch) their book(s), 2) Self-published authors who now want to find a real (traditional) publisher, and 3) Previously published authors who’ve lost their agent and/or publisher and want to find a new one.

Exactly what do you do in any given day?

Most days I get up at 5 am (thanks to 5 am Wake Up Call guru Bryce Chapman in Australia) and spend a few hours in my home office before going to the gym for a couple hours (weights, cardio, and laps in the pool keep me sane). Most authors would probably be surprised to learn that I only spend two days a week coaching, but I spend much of my time “offline” editing query letters, book proposals, etc.

I also post new content on my Literary Agents Blog each week, and make time to respond personally to every question and comment posted there. I do a lot of speaking at live events and online as well. And I coach high-level entrepreneurs with my wife, Ingrid Elfver, through Born Celebrity. Lastly, if it’s a Sunday afternoon or Monday night, there’s a good chance I’ll be watching American football. I’m a huge fan, much to my wife’s disappointment (football is the “f-word” in our house).

Who are some of the best-selling authors you have worked with?

Although my author consulting company Literary Agent Undercover is only two years old, I’ve already helped dozens of authors (in the United States and abroad) get the attention of top literary agents and/or book deals with major publishing houses like Random House and Thomas Nelson. Click here to see some of our Success Stories. I’ve also listed below most of the book deals I was personally responsible for as the owner of New Brand Agency, before I founded Literary Agent Undercover (I’ve excluded TV, film, stage, and other subsidiary rights for sake of space).

NONFICTION: The Marriage Plan by Aggie Jordan, Ph.D. (Broadway/Sourcebooks); Soul Sex: Tantra For Two by Pala Copeland and Al Link (NewPage); The Husband Book by Harry Harrison (Andrews McMeel); The Women’s Guide to Legal Issues by Nancy Jones (Renaissance); Say Yes to Change by George and Sedena Cappanelli (F&W); Father To Son; Mother to Son; Father to Daughter; and Mother to Daughter by Harry Harrison (Workman); Eat Or Be Eaten by Phil Porter (Prentice-Hall); The Crisis Counselor by Jeff Caponigro (Contemporary); Get Weird! by John Putzier (Amacom); Money-Tree Marketing by Patrick & Jennifer Bishop (Amacom); Creative Selling by Dave Donelson (Entrepreneur);Fearless Brewing by Brian Kunath (Chartwell); The Dog’s Drugstore by Richard Redding & Myrna Papurt (St. Martin’s). ADULT FICTION: 24/7 and Black Valley by Jim Brown (Ballantine); Multiple Novels by Rae Foley (Simon & Schuster); BloodTrail by Michael Sullivan (Jameson). YOUNGER READERS: The Body of Christopher Creed and many other young adult novels by Carol Plum-Ucci  (Harcourt); The Finnegan Zwake Mystery Series by Michael Dahl (Pocket/Scholastic); The Young Shakespeare Mystery Series by Linda Fisher (Hyperion); The Misfits, Inc. Mystery Series by Mark Delaney (Peachtree); Multiple Young Adult Novels by Susan Rottman (Peachtree/Penguin).

Please note that I’m no longer an active literary agent—the only work that I do now with authors is in a coaching/consulting capacity. Also, “Mark Malatesta” is my birth name and “Mark Ryan” is my stepfather’s name. So, if you’re Googling me to check out my literary agent history, make sure you search for “New Brand Agency” and/or “Mark Ryan.” When I was 16 years old (and didn’t know better) my mother remarried and asked me to take on my stepfather’s name. I agreed but never developed a meaningful relationship with my stepfather, so I finally changed my name back to my birth name “Mark Malatesta” in 2007 (after I stopped being a literary agent).

 

How does having an agent benefit an author?

There are many benefits to having a literary agent. The most important one is the fact that 95% of traditional publishers like Random House don’t accept unsolicited submissions from authors. If you send them your material, they’ll return it to you unopened. Literary agents are essentially gatekeepers that read (on average) more than 1,000 pitches each month from authors. Then they take the best of the best and work (for free) until they get you a book deal (and collect a commission if they’re successful).

Here are some other reasons to work with a literary agent:

Agents Know Exactly Who to Send Your Book To

Book agents are familiar with individual publishers and their lists. Agents are also intimate with the preferences, strengths, and weaknesses of individual editors at publishing houses. That knowledge will allow your agent to submit your book to the perfect editors at the best publishers for you.

Publishers Will Take Your Work More Seriously

Top agents have access to senior editors and other publishing executives due to the agent’s track record of success. This allows agents to pitch books face-to-face (sometimes with the author present), submit books to publishers simultaneously, hold auctions, and get deals done faster.

You’ll Get Better Contract Terms

Book agents are skilled negotiators who can get you larger advances and higher royalty rates, multi-book deals, bonuses for any awards or special recognition that your book gets, a bigger promotional budget, hardcover and paperback edition commitments, an earlier publication date, etc.

Your Agent Will Troubleshoot Any Problems

Agents handle any challenges that come up during the publication or post-publication process, so you don’t have to. For example: editors that are difficult, fired, laid-off, or retire; title changes or bad book cover design; bad reviews or publicity; poor book sales; changes in the industry or marketplace; etc.

Your Agent Might Bring You Extra Book Ideas & Book Deals

You might not be aware of this, but top book agents often bring their authors ideas for new books. Sometimes those book ideas are something the agent came up with. Other times, the ideas are something an editor with a publishing house came up with. There’s never been an easier way to get a book deal.

What can authors do before they seek an agent that will help them get one?

My answer to this question will make some authors very happy; it will irritate others. That’s because I’m going to say something that many authors won’t be expecting and might not want to hear.

Here it is…

Learning how to write a bestselling book often has a lot less to do with talent than most authors realize.

Yes, talent is overrated.

And that’s not just my opinion.

If you want to know how to write a bestseller, you probably don’t need more natural talent. You need a writer’s education. And I’m not talking about some literary, highbrow, ivory tower education made up of academia and MFAs (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I’m talking about a practical, down-to-earth, reality-based, how to write a bestseller education. And that type of education is made up of seven simple parts.

Which one(s) do you need to add to your repertoire?

HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLER – 7 STEPS

Conscious Reading

You can’t learn how to write a bestselling book without reading a lot… but I don’t just mean reading bestselling authors in your genre that you admire. You should also be reading bestselling authors in your genre that you don’t like. And, you should read bestselling authors in other genres.

You also need to read consciously. When you’re reading purely for pleasure, you can permit yourself to get lost in a author’s story or style. However, when you’re reading for business(how to write a bestseller), you should be studying the context of what you’re reading.

Pay attention to what you’re thinking and feeling as you’re reading. Peek “behind the curtain” where the author is busy pulling his/her strings. Try to deconstruct what’s happening, and why. When you feel something, try to figure out what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling it.

Writing, Writing, Writing

This should be obvious, but some writers think they can learn how to write a bestselling book without paying their dues. In other words, you can’t learn how to write a bestseller without spending thousands of hours writing. I’m talking pure volume here.

A good idea for a bestselling book isn’t the same as a good idea for a bestselling book in the hands of an experienced writer.

Rewriting

One of the biggest mistakes writers make is measuring themselves (mainly) by how much writing they’ve done. But it’s not just volume that matters. It’s quality. And the best way to improve the quality of your writing is rewriting. Unfortunately, hard work alone doesn’t always lead to extraordinary results. It has to be the right hard work.

In other words, if you want to learn how to how to write a bestselling book, you have to design your “writing time” to your specific needs. For example, most writers spend most (or all) of their writing time doing one thing: writing. And they spend very little (or no time at all) rewriting. Some writers do this for ten years, write ten books during that time, and never get published (because they didn’t write ten good books, they wrote ten first drafts).

Studying the Craft of Writing

Most writers understand that they need to spend time studying the craft of writing, but I want to encourage authors to do more… expand their range of study to new areas.

Read books that might not seem (at first) to apply to you like books on humor, suspense, story, mystery, horror, romance, etc. If you want to learn how to write a bestselling book, start by having a more eclectic approach in what you study. This will make your writing richer, no matter what genre you’re in.

Here are a few books to get you started:
 10 Best Books for Writers.

Studying the Business of Writing

If you consider yourself a “creative artist” you might resist this idea or be intimidated by it. Don’t be. Check out this one simple resource to help you get more educated and stay plugged in: Publishers Marketplace.

If you want to become a bestselling author, it will show you deals being done, who’s doing them, and more. 40,000+ publishing professionals are part of this community. There’s a free newsletter you can subscribe to as well. And there’s a paid option that gives you access to even more goodies.

Case Studies

One of the best shortcuts to learning how to write a bestselling book is case studies… learning how other bestselling authors became successful. The act of writing books, proposals, and query letters takes a lot of time. Don’t experiment. Take advantage of those who’ve gone before you.

For example, let’s say you need to write a query letter to get a literary agent. You might have read a book or two about query letters, but you’ll write a much better query letter if you have a case study to look at first. In other words, a before and after example of a query letter that eventually led to success…with a detailed explanation of the changes that were made, and why.

Case studies let you see what you would have done differently than the subject. This process of focusing on different scenarios and evaluating different solutions is powerful. That’s why the “case method” is used by top universities around the world like Harvard and Yale.

Studying theory is great, but it’s much more beneficial to see that theory applied in real-life situations that resulted in success. Guessing is for the amateur. Case studies are for the professional writer who wants to learn how to write a bestseller.

Coaching and/or Consulting

If you want to learn how to write a bestselling book, coaching is possibly the most important piece of the puzzle. It requires the biggest investment, but it can also save you years of wasted time and lots of money working with editors and/or publishing companies that aren’t the best fit for you. Virtually every bestselling author has had some type of coaching, for good reason.

If you want to learn how to how to write a bestseller, you’ll need some help to see things that you’d never see alone. And you’ll need help overcoming things that you can’t overcome alone. Coaching is about discovering shortcuts, being held accountable (for some people), and having someone on your side who’s actually already “been there and done that”.

No one can guarantee you’ll write a bestselling book, but this 7-part process is as close as you’ll get to a proven formula. These are the things that you can actually control (unlike natural talent or ability, if there even is such a thing).

Focus on them.

And, make sure you’re dividing up your time properly based on what you really need… instead of what you want (don’t neglect one of the areas above that you know you should be focusing on). If you want to learn how to write a bestseller, you need to treat your writing more like a business… and less like a hobby. I don’t mean to take the romance out of writing, but a balanced writer’s education is the key to helping you write a bestseller.

And that’s pretty romantic in my book.

 

MARK MALATESTA is the author who went “undercover” as a literary agent for five years to find out how to get his own books published. During that time, Mark became a NY Times bestselling literary agent and helped many authors launch their writing careers with major publishers like Random House. The result was millions of books sold along with projects being picked up for TV, stage, and feature film (with companies like Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks). Mark’s authors have gotten 6-figure advances, been on the NY Times bestseller list, been licensed in more than 30 countries, and won countless national and international awards and honors. Now Mark is helping authors of all genres get top literary agents and book deals through his new training and consulting company called Literary Agent Undercover. Get instant access to Mark’s FREE 60-minute mp3 training: Seven Secrets Every Author Needs to Know… to Get a Top Literary Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal, weekly newsletter, insider articles, Directory of Literary Agents, interactive Ask a Literary Agentarea of his website, and information about his1-on-1 coaching and consulting services. Click Here Now to Become a Publishing Insider with Literary Agent Undercover.

 

©Mark Malatesta & Literary Agent Undercover. All rights reserved.

 

Sensitive artist? – Get over it!

Recently, I read this article on Mark Malatesa’s blog about how a speaking/training engagement he and his wife presented didn’t go as well as planned: http://literary-agents.com/author-armageddon/ It really got me thinking…

I know writers are sensitive about rejection and about learning and being pushed out of their comfort zone. I also know that if you never leave your comfort zone, you’ll never grow.

Learning = Growing.

After reading the blog post I realized I’m one of the people who wouldn’t have walked out of the room. I’m one of the people who would have stayed and took value from the efforts they were putting forth with the “Author Hot Seat” exercise. I want to learn, and I want to grow.

I’m one of those oddball people who will intentionally JUMP out of my comfort zone in an effort to get past what makes me uncomfortable. For example… A few years ago, one of my writing goals was to send out a set number of submissions in one year. (I’m thinking it was 100 or 150.) I submitted around 200 times in that year, smashing my goal. It was also my most published year. It wasn’t about writing new pieces, it was about putting myself out there and practicing following guidelines, and MOST OF ALL, it was about taking away the sting of rejection.

I basically beat any negative feelings associated with a rejection out of myself. When I received a rejection, it wasn’t about not being published anymore, it was about sending it out again and increasing my submission count. I got to the point where I actually looked forward to rejections so that I could turn around and send the piece out again. (Most were poetry or short stories.)

Don’t get me wrong, I was equally excited about acceptances, because that’s what I was really after. I just found a way to make rejection work for me.

I beat the sensitive artist bullshit out of my system. There’s nothing wrong with being sensitive, mind you, but you need to control it and get over yourself in some areas. It’s awesome to be sensitive when you’re writing a story, or a song, or giving a character depth, but it has to stay there. Like it or not, writing is a business. You have to treat the sales/publication end of writing as the business that it is! Which means, rejection isn’t personal. It is just business! I don’t know of any editors who actually like sending rejections. Believe me, they WANT to publish things that are up to par and meet their needs.

Since I’ve trained myself to not take rejections personally, I’ve actually had editors who’ve rejected my work give me compliments on how I’ve dealt with the rejection. I don’t know… Maybe since I’ve built a name for myself and have been widely published by a variety of small presses in the Indie community, people think I’m going to be a diva. Nope. I have no interest in getting upset. I’ve been on the editing end and I know the reason some rejections come about (something else that helps me). I know they aren’t targeting me or singling me out.

I’m glad that pushing myself out of my comfort zone has helped me grow, and through those comments/compliments from editors I respect, I know I’ve grown more professional because of my self-inflicted experience.

People like Mark and Ingrid who will spend their time trying to help writers grow should be valued – people only help when they care. They wanted to help those writers, but those writers still had rainbows and kittens in their writer’s vision, and they hadn’t felt the cold sting of rejection over and over – the polish used to make writers truly shine.

If you’re going to be a writer, write. Just don’t expect everything to be easy and to stay within your comfort zone. You’re going to have to face harsh realities.

Value what those who know more than you try to teach you. Even if it hurts a little.  If you have to, beat the sensitivity out of yourself like I did.

Don’t be the one to walk out and quit on yourself or those who have faith in you because they aren’t stroking your sensitive little ego.

 

©Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.

Characters – Why we love or hate them

Have you ever wondered what makes people love or hate characters? I have. It has to do with what we love and hate in the things we see in the people we know. Does this sound crazy? Let me explain why I believe this to be true.

According to my husband’s TV viewing show choices, I’ve discovered that he tends to like female characters that I have similar traits with. I’m not “identical” to any of them, but they all seem to embody something I’ve found similar in myself. You could literally take all the female characters he likes, put them in a blender, and end up creating me as a whole. Example: On one show my husband watches, he likes the goth chick character that’s kind of smart/nerdy, but completely adorable and loving at the same time. I kinda fit that. While on another show, he likes the wild, crazy, unpredictable chick with a great sense of humor. That could also fit me.

Through this observation I’ve learned to watch characters more closely to see why I do and don’t like them. I’ve found that I like a lot of characters that have the same traits as my husband. I’ve also found that I like children characters that have the same cute/silly characteristics as my son!

It’s really not that far fetched to recognize and realize why you do and don’t like characters, when you can identify who you do and don’t like in your everyday life and why.

People are drawn to the people and characters that speak to their baser instincts. No one likes someone who they know is going to screw them over and who can’t be trusted. Most people avoid those people and dislike them in real life. When you put those traits in your “bad guy” in a story, you’ll get the same gut reaction of dislike, often more intensely and more clearly because when you’re reading or watching a show, you’re in a safe environment. There will be no backlash from the “character” that you don’t like, so you’ll speak your mind freely about what you dislike about them. This also goes for characters you like – there’s no fear of rejection. For these two reasons alone, I believe, is why reading and television capture the interest of so many.

I hope now you’ll look at characters in a different light and learn to break them down to the point where you can see the “humanity” of them according to your world of influence (people around you). This will help you understand why you love and hate them, and it will make it more fun and interesting to write characters in your stories and give them more depth.

Have fun with your characters…there are patterns all around you.

 

 

©Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.

Are you serious? – Do you think I have all day?

I just told someone in a private message on Facebook: “…remember that blog posts that capture people’s attention without taking too much of their time get the most attention.” I realize now, after I said it, how true it really is.

We live in a time where people want to know everything right now, with the least amount of input from them. This is obvious with how popular Twitter and Facebook are. You can go onto either of these media sites and know how life is going from a few sentences in various posts. Short and sweet wins the day in these arenas.

People scratch their heads when they can’t capture or keep people’s attention. Most times it’s because you’re long winded. I’ve stated before on Facebook that if your status update is long, I’ll more than likely skip over it without reading it. Why? Various reasons… I could be busy with other things and don’t have the time and energy to put into one post when I can read a variety of small ones and connect with more people. I could just not be in the mood to deal with the seriousness that usually leads one to post something of length. Or, I could just not want to because most people take fifty words to say something they could have said with ten. (The exceptions are people I really care about and family. If I’m too busy, I’ll go back and check things out when I have time IF I remember.)

A strong ingredient in getting people’s attention in any media arena (especially blogs), is to get to the point without wasting fifteen minutes of people’s time. Do posts where you can say a lot with a few words. Optimal reading time is AT BEST five minutes (usually less), and that’s if you write something REALLY interesting that the reader wants to know about. Otherwise, you need to tell them what you want to share and let them get back to what they were doing.

If need be, write a series of posts (or statuses in social media arenas) that are more “busy people” friendly. You might be interested in what you have to say, but does everyone else want to sit and read what you have to say?

Learn how to grab and hold short attention spans. Make things more to the point, interesting, and/or exciting. Keep people in suspense of what the next post will be about (make them come back for more), and deliver when they do return! These easy steps/tips SHOULD get you more attention and followers online.

 

 

©Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.