Laurie Boris's Blog, page 42
May 23, 2013
Things That Make Me Head-Hopping Angry
I get it. For every writing rule, there’s a writer breaking it and it WORKS, and that drives some people nuts. I’ve seen it; I’ve done it. My answer to “How many point of view characters can I have?” or “Can I write in second-person-plural-with-a-twist-of-lime?” or pretty much anything else except for the proper use of the semicolon [I love my semicolons; don’t make me come down there] is “It depends.”
Many writers have been taught that head hopping, or bouncing back and forth between multiple point-of-view characters, is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG and you should NEVER do it or we will all, as a body, smite you and take away your laptops.
But let’s parse this out for a minute. And please remember that this is just my opinion as a reader and as an editor. Your actual mileage may vary.
There’s a danged good reason a point-of-view character is the cornerstone of a novel. We want someone to follow, someone to identify with. Even if we don’t like a character, if they are interesting enough and empathetic enough, we will be interested in the character’s fate. Joyce Carol Oates’ novella, Zombie, once made me care about a serial killer. She’s just that good. So go ahead and add another POV if you want. They can bounce off each other. Add a third, a fourth, a fifth…as long as your storyline can support them and you can make them clear, distinct, and purposeful.
A general rule of thumb is that a short story works better with one or two point-of-view characters. A novella might carry three, rarely four. A full-length novel gives you a lot of real estate, and more room for character development. But if you don’t give a reader enough of a reason to care about a POV character, or if a character does not go through his or her own transition during the story or in some important way help the main protagonists achieve what they want, why waste the words? Why squander that opportunity and lead readers in a deceptive direction when that POV character is only going to be in the story for three lousy paragraphs?
If you’re writing for readers (and I assume you are), try not to lose sight of the fact that when they open your book, they are experiencing your universe for the first time. You know a lot more about your characters than they do. You might know that Fred was a bartender and part-time exotic dancer in a sleazy dive in Singapore before he had a near-death experience and decided to devote his life to saving the Madagascar hissing cockroach from unsavory deaths as gross-food props for reality television. The reader doesn’t. You already know that Suzie ran away from her evil stepfather and fell into a life of reciting beat poetry on street corners for pocket change until a mysterious billionaire dropped a honking big tip into her hat and she pursued her dream of producing a TV show called “Eat Disgusting Stuff For Dollars.” So introduce us to them…gradually.
This is often why authors of writing books and blogs tell us to go slowly on the POV switching. That’s why they say to alternate chapters or at least scenes. It’s to help readers get oriented to your world. When we’re good friends, you might be able to mix it up a little, especially when the action gets fierce.
But this is a representation of what I’ve been seeing lately:
Fred thought Suzie was nuts for watching that trash on the tube and he might have told her so, but whenever she flashed those big, hazel eyes he lost his mind. But just then Suzie looked at him and felt weak in the knees, a sensation she hadn’t experienced since Watergate. Dr. Katydid wandered into the lab and wondered if he had any granola bars in his desk, because he was peckish from missing lunch owing to his wife’s emergency lobotomy, which he didn’t want to tell anyone about because he was on the verge of a huge breakthrough. Suzie wished he’d scram because Fred just looked at her in a really interesting way…
Are we confused yet? And we haven’t even met Dr. Katydid’s wife’s lawyer’s nephew!
Unless we are well grounded in the story and know these personalities, popping around like this runs the risk of kicking the reader out.
Working with a large cast of POV characters is a challenge. Make sure each of them gets enough time in the spotlight: one at a time.
Have you seen this in books you’ve read? Did it work?
May 22, 2013
An Inside Look at Today's Book Reviewers
Reblogged from Writers In The Storm Blog:
Writers In The Storm is pleased to welcome Big Al, our first reviewer!
Looking at the posts on the Writers In The Storm Blog and reading the bios of the contributors I was reminded of one of my favorite things to say about what I do: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, review.”
I know, not very original, which is at least part of the reason why I’m not an author.
I'd planned to write something tonight but how could I resist sharing this by Big Al, the first guest--posting reviewer on Writers In The Storm. Great explanation of the role of a book blogger and how authors can better target the ones they approach.
May 20, 2013
What Are the Real Costs of Self-Publishing? Wrong Question...
Last week a friend sent me the link to this article: The Real Costs of Self-Publishing a Book. He wanted to know my take on the issue.
The article seems to have gotten the facts right. It is possible to pay zero out-of-pocket cash to produce a book and it is possible to pay thousands.
I'm not overly bothered by the self-serving nature of the article.
This is interesting but one thing JW Manus wrote puzzled me. Do any readers value quantity over quality? I know that fun and entertainment are valuable, but why should that mean they go out with minimal or no editing?
May 17, 2013
How To Write By The Seat of Your Pants
Reblogged from Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors:
If anyone out there outlines (and succeeds by this method), please leave a comment below because I would love to feature a guest post on the plotting method.
There is no one method that works for everyone. You need to write in whatever way will get the book finished. Some of us write by the seat of our pants, others need to plot everything out ahead of time, and others fall somewhere in between.
My outliner writing friends wonder how I can be a "pantser." This article I found today is pretty much how I do it. Your actual mileage may vary.
May 12, 2013
Social Media: Have You Got It All Wrong?
Reblogged from Catherine, Caffeinated:
WARNING: This is one of them long ones. Better go get a fresh cup of coffee before you start...
We all know I love publishers. I still hope, should I ever finish The Novel, to be published by one of them. Say silly things like legacy or gatekeepers, or use something as serious and tragic as the Irish potato famine—or rape or Stockholm Syndrome, for that matter—to describe the relationship between the author and the business that has risked its money to get that author's book to market, and you go straight onto my Naughty List.
Read more… 2,188 more words, 5 more videos
Interesting...how effective have your social media efforts been at selling books, those of you who sell books?
May 8, 2013
About the Coffee Thing and Other Things
Writing and coffee. Has a nice, cuddly ring to it, yes? I picture a rainy day, a steaming mug, a scribe leaning back and conjuring up the perfect metaphor, a fresh pot dripping away in the kitchen. Facebook likes coffee, too. Guaranteed, I could post pointed arguments in defense of the serial comma, diatribes about social issues, and reams of inspirational quotes, but what gets the most traffic? “Two days without coffee and I’m still alive!”
So what happens when a three-cup-a-day habit stops cold turkey? Some pretty rotten stuff, as it turns out. When I started having weird symptoms, I searched the web for “caffeine withdrawal.” Yes, it does exist. Some want it entered into the DMS as a diagnosable mental condition. But I’m choosing to look beyond that to the benefits I hope to gain from a decaffeinated lifestyle.
I’m trying to stop the crash. For the last six months or so, I’ve started nodding off every afternoon at about three or four o’clock. Literally, if there were not a computer monitor in my path, my head would thump straight over onto the desk. A few days a week, that’s about the time I’m driving home. An inquiry with my doctor earned me a lifted brow and one sentence: “Try cutting out the coffee.”
That’s what I’m doing. I know that the withdrawal is a temporary condition, but I’m not nodding off anymore. To the driving citizens of the mid-Hudson Valley, you’re welcome.
On to other news:
Drawing Breath has had a pretty good week. It began with an e-mail letting me know the book won a finalist medal in the Indie Next Generation Indie Book Awards. With two awards now, I’m quite proud of my little book-child.
If you’d like to pick up a copy, the May fundraiser is still on. All royalties from sales of Drawing Breath this month will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. More details here. I’ll probably post a running count mid-month to see how we’re doing, unless it’s terribly embarrassing.
The IndieView posted an interview with me where we talk about Don’t Tell Anyone, writing, publishing, and how I shopped for my husband.
Speaking of Don’t Tell Anyone, I’ve entered it in two small contests. One is the “Spring Pitch” contest by Underground Book Reviews, one of the more high-profile review sites that specialize in indie books. My pitch will be on their Facebook page for the month. The pitch that gets the most likes wins a bit of money and a review. The second is running on Oprah’s Life Class page. Look for the bookmarked post titled “Are you the author of an ‘inspirational’ book?” If you feel inspired to swing me a “like,” I’d be most appreciative.
Well, now I’m inspired to work on my next novel. Yes, there is life after a WIP kicks the bucket. Enjoy your day!
May 1, 2013
Drawing Breath to Help Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Click on the photo to learn more about cystic fibrosis.
Many of you know that I wrote Drawing Breath as a small way to honor a friend who lived into his thirties with cystic fibrosis. Although each person who is diagnosed with the disease experiences a unique level of severity, there is still no cure, and management of the symptoms can require a great deal of time and expense. Often this hits families hardest; since the disease is genetic, multiple children can be affected, like the ones my character, Daniel, meets in the hospital.
Since May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month as well as the anniversary of the release of the book, I wanted to do something special, and I hope you’ll be willing to help me. All proceeds from sales of Drawing Breath over the month will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This amounts to $4.00 per print book (please purchase print copies through CreateSpace directly, because they take less of a cut) and $1.00 per e-book.
You can buy the book here:
Amazon
CreateSpace (print)
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Kobo
The foundation is working to increase awareness, help support families, find better treatments and, one day, hopefully, a cure. Thank you, in advance, for your help and support.
April 29, 2013
A.C. Flory on the Makings of Vokhtah
Fascinating podcast interview with A.C. Flory, author of VOKHTAH, on where she drew inspiration for her characters and the world of this unusual and riveting story.
April 27, 2013
Self-Publishers: Do You Need Nurturing?
I get several emails a week from people who are self-publishing or thinking about self-publishing. They ask me questions about the process.
Sometimes I can answer: "What's a good program for making an ebook?" (look here) "My ebook has weird characters. What's causing that?" (look here) "What does Smashwords do?" (it's an aggregator that distributes ebooks to various retail sites.
Food for thought on JW Manus' post. My favorite part: "You don’t need nurturing. You need connections and support. One of the most fabulous aspects of self-publishing is that the community is large, noisy, active and supportive." Holla.
April 26, 2013
It’s Boomer Lit Friday!
Happy Friday! Once again, it’s Boomer Lit Friday. Every Friday, a bunch of us who like such things post snippets from our “Baby Boomer Books,” and the lovely Shelley Lieber has graciously offered up her blog where you can see what other authors are up to. Here’s a teensy bit of Don’t Tell Anyone. Please hop over to the Boomer Lit Friday blog and read and comment on the other participants. Enjoy, and I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Previous to this bit, Adam, Liza, and Charlie were attempting to get Estelle to agree to a biopsy.
——
Liza pounded the elevator button. “You’re sick. That was sick and cruel. How could you say something like that?”
Adam shrugged. “I panicked.”
“You couldn’t say something like, ‘We love you and we want you to get better?’ You had to tell your mother I was pregnant? In her condition?”
“You mean you’re not?” Charlie said.
They both scowled at him.
“I was looking forward to being an uncle.”
“Your brother is sick,” Liza said.
Charlie smiled. “Yes, but he’s creative.”
“So, what, I’m supposed to fake being pregnant now? Excuse myself every so often and pretend to throw up?”
“For a while,” Adam said weakly.
“And then what?”
“We are trying, Liza. Who knows, we might even be pregnant by then.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “At the rate I’m learning new things about you? I sincerely doubt it.”
