R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 71

Heart Attack!

We never know the "bumps" in the road that come along in life. On August 25th I posted my blog here on Goodreads and three days later on August 28th I suffered an heart attack.

Thinking I was having muscle spasm I went to my doctor who quickly determined I was having a heart attack. I was rushed to ER and they performed 5 Bypass surgeries.

I am now in recovery mode. Although God directed a successful surgery and enabled me to make a rapid recovery in the hospital, I still have a ways to go.

It has been almost two weeks since writing my blog. Sorry for the absence, but some things cannot be helped.

What does one do when slammed by a heart attack?

In other words, how do I get back to doing what I love? You take one step at a time. Things are moving rather slowly, but I am taking a step by step approach.

I think it is very important that dramatic results will come if I continue forward even though it may appear to be slow. My writing career is not over!

So what are my plans?

First is to concentrate on getting better every single day. In other words, my first priority is to concentrate on getting better. All other activities are of lesser importance.

Second, is to remember that God is good - Always! He protected me throughout the operation and enabled me to come home the following Tuesday.

A short note on this. I had the surgery the followup recovery at Fawcett Hospital. The surgery by Dr. Mckinney was perfect, but I was not aware of what was going on. Later in the Cardiac Care Unit I was blessed by the tender care of the nursing staff. They were surprised by my rapid recovery.

Many of them acknowledged their surprise and God's involvement.

Third, don't panic. The world is not lost if I don't get my blogs out as timely as before, My readers will understand. In the end, God is restoring me day by day, and the day will soon arrive when I am driving full speed ahead.

All that said, I am trying to move forward and this blog is one of the first steps.

Goals and Deadlines

Every writer at some point realizes the importance of setting goals.

Goals can range from starting to write a book to submitting a book to being published. Here's a partial list of goals I have for my current writing project:

1) List of Characters to be included at beginning of book
2) Write a plot summary
3) Begin the actual writing
4) Write first draft of book
5) Decide on Title
6) Title page
7) Proof read (by myself or trusted friends)
8) Edits

Proof reading and edits are necessarily repeating; you determine how thorough and how often. Please note that I have included only those goals that an author would use.

Additional goals that you may consider are:

a) What foods do people in book eat?

b) How are people dressed?

c) How do people travel?

These goals all come under 'research' and will probably precede the actual writing.

In the title of this blog, I mentioned deadlines. For goals to be effective, deadlines need to be included. If your goal is so general as to not have a deadline, the chances are that you will never fully accomplish the goal.

But deadlines can be scary. Some deadlines need to be absolute, others not so much. For the author, it is important to know which type of goal is appropriate.

For example, you are about to start writing a book. This can be a general goal, such as "start novel." You indicate when you want to start work on your new novel.

Sometimes life gets in the way and you have to adjust, so your goal is general by nature. Warning: don't make the deadline so far out that you'll never get started. Make it reasonable.

An example of an absolute deadline is submitting a book to an agent or publisher. In this case the agent or publisher may have deadlines that they impose upon you.

While you as the author have the final say, let me suggest that unless you are under someone else' time frame or deadline, that you make most of your deadlines flexible. Then, as you get closer to finishing the book, you start using absolute deadlines.

Remember, goals and deadlines are simply tools to assist you in getting your book written. Don't let them control you. Even absolute goals or deadlines should be subject to you.

Did You Know About Pearl Harbor & 9/11?

As an author, I am required to do a great deal of research. This research results in some very interesting facts, which I am now sharing with you.
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Did You Know About Pearl Harbor and 9/11?

9/11 is sometimes called our new Pearl Harbor. What are some of the similarities and differences that invite such a comparison?

Before answering that question let's establish the following: The attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Twin Towers were two of the biggest attacks in American history!

Here are a few similarities:

1.America was at peace with the people involved right up until the attack.

2.Both attacks came as a complete surprise.

3.Both attacks caused immediate panic.

4.Both attacks changed our sense of security.

5.Both attacks galvanized America.

6.Over 2,000 people were killed in each attack.

7.Impact was felt worldwide.

8.The attacks drew America into a world war.

What about differences?

1.Pearl Harbor was an attack by a country (Japan), while the 9/11 attacks were by a terrorist organization.

2.Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese planes, while 9/11 featured attacks by commandeered commercial passenger planes.

3.Japan bombed military targets, while Al-Qaeda bombed high profile civilian targets.

4.The goal of the Japanese attack was to weaken the military strength of the U.S. Navy, while the goal of Al-Qaeda was terror.

5.The war fought against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) was from 1941 until 1945 (less than four years), while the war against Al-Qaeda is still going on after almost thirteen years!

6.World War II was fought mainly in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific Ocean, while the War against Terror is fought worldwide, including the Middle East.

There are undoubtedly many more similarities and differences, but both of these attacks have impacted America far greater than the damage done at Pearl Harbor or the damage done in New York, Pennsylvania, or Arlington, Virginia.

In both cases we have learned or hopefully have learned to never again lower our guard. We must stay vigilant! On the spiritual level, there is one other difference:

Pearl Harbor presaged a revival that extended far into the 1950s to such an extent that 8 out of 10 people expressed belief that religion can answer "all or most of today's problems." Powerful preaching and teaching of God's Word led the way. Government was less inclined to interfere with the church.

After 9/11 it was not so. Churches filled up and lives changed immediately after the attacks. But a nationwide revival never really materialized. Many people who started attending church in those early days after the attack stuck with it. Though that was significant, in the years since we have witnessed a weakening of church attendance and of the churches themselves both in doctrine and in commitment.

Today the church seems to have lost its way with many pastors not even preaching the Bible anymore. Government now intrudes into the church with alarming increase and success.

PRAY for revival!

A New Direction

Last week I wrote about the difficulties of self publishing. With those difficulties in mind, my wife and I have launched our own business. Here is an excerpt from our Press Release (headline: Author partners with his wife to launch their own publishing and marketing venture).

"Aug. 13, 2014 - PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Mr. Ronald Riddle, who writes under the name R. Frederick Riddle, announces the formation of a new partnership with his wife Teresa, who will soon debut her new novel under the name Tress Riddle. This new business is called T&R Independent Books.

Mr. Riddle has for years chafed due to restrictions placed upon the publishing and marketing of his books. These restrictions may or may not have been directly aimed at him, but the effects were real. Like most self-published authors he was frustrated by the cost, the editing, and the time required to publish - all controlled by the self-publisher."

This is a direct reference to the difficulties I listed in my last blog. Here's another excerpt:

"T&R Independent Books ... is a family owned, Christ centered business that will enable both authors to not only write their novels, but to turn the publishing and marketing aspects of the business in a favorable direction for themselves. They will have complete control of the editing, printing, and actual publishing of their books. And of course, the cost.

An additional factor is that they will be able to publish their books in both print and e-Book formats. In the case of print, their control extends to the size, paper, binding, and appearance of their books. These are normal for publishers, but altogether new for authors."

This is a truly exciting endeavor. We will have control over writing, editing, publishing, and marketing. In other words, everything.

We will be able to adjust retail and sale prices on the fly. Moreover, we will have control over our royalties. All without having to spend an extra penny to the publisher.

This next excerpt may be the most important:

"The company will place its own imprint on the books it publishes and has the ability to purchase ISBNs for each book. This in itself opens up the world of marketing usually reserved to publishers. As new books are published they will automatically be placed in the marketplace."

The most critical factor that is extremely important to my wife and I is that the business will be family owned and Christ-centered!

Our new logo:

The Difficulties of Self-Publishing

What are the difficulties of self-publishing?

I think before examining this subject that it is best to look at traditional publishing. Of course, I am writing from my experience which may differ from what you have experienced.

When I wrote my first novel, I began looking around for two things: A publisher and an agent.

The reason I looked for an agent will become evident in a moment. But I obviously needed a publisher. I quickly discovered that you don't just print out your manuscript and send it to some well known publisher. I learned that not all publishers would want to publish my book, some are not even looking for new authors.

I also learned that some publishers won't even look at a manuscript unless it comes from a literary agent. And even then, the process of accepting, editing, and finally publishing a book could take up to two years.

Thus my search for agents. I began researching them and eventually worked up a list of agents that handled Christian fiction. But again I ran into difficulties as these agents can also be very selective. Plus, they have the right to reject your manuscript. Bummer!

Stymied I turned to self-publishing. Now that term is somewhat misleading. Self-publishing does not mean that the author publishes his/her book; it means that a self-publishing house will produce your book for a fee. This fee differs with different houses, but $400 - $600 is a safe bet.

I published my first novel Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles with Author House (formerly 1st Books). My first book! You can imagine my excitement.

But that excitement didn't last long. I soon discovered that although the whole process brought my book to market 2 -3 years faster, I still had a lot of work to do. In today's world, whether traditional or self-publishing, the author must do the leg work, the actual marketing.

So the next difficulty I had was purchasing from Author House the marketing tools (advertising in certain magazines, placing them in stores, etc.) that I needed. At the time I did not have much money available to take advantage of all the tools available. So I had to be selective.

Wanting more control over the editing and seeking less cost, I published my next book with Publish America (now America Star). This proved to be a wise move. With this decision I saved over $400 in up front costs!

Some people call America Star a self-publisher, others call it a sham, and America Star calls itself a traditional publisher. In my opinion, they are all wrong. America Star is a hybrid, part self-publisher and part traditional. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to publish. I would also warn new authors to ignore most of the negative criticism regarding America Star.

I have now published three novels (Adam's Chronicles, Perished: The World That Was, and The Rise of Shem ) with America Star with a fourth novel soon to be submitted. They did an excellent job on the covers, although I wanted more input, and on the books themselves, although I felt restricted. All in all, I was pleased with their work.

Compared to other self-publishers it was cheaper (although the other publishers argue otherwise) and compared to traditional publishers they were much faster from time of submission to actual publication.

In both cases (Author House and America Star) I had little to no control over pricing. I was able to work around this a little by buying copies of my book at wholesale and then selling them at a discounted price.

But I still was not completely satisfied. The truth is that the author in me wanted more control. And neither traditional or self-publishers were willing to give up their control. Which meant that if I wanted control of the Authoring, Publishing, and Marketing of my books I would have to turn to what is called Real Self-Publishing.

In summary, the difficulties of self-publishing are:

• upfront cost (except for America Star)
• you must refuse publisher editing if you want editing control
• you must purchase marketing tools
• you have little to no control over pricing
• you have little to no control over a series
• and more.

My next blog will explore Real Self-Publishing and what I am doing about it.

Do You Want to Write?

It is said that everyone has a story in them. That should be an encouragement to you right there! But if that wasn't enough, hold on.

Writing novels sounds overwhelming. And to be honest, it has its moments. But here are a few simple steps to follow that will make your writing much easier.

1) Use Microsoft Word - There are other fine programs available, but most publishers accept Word docs.

2) Use Times New Roman 12 as your font

3) Double space and have margins of 1 inch on either side.

4) Save your work frequently.

5) Don't worry about the title until later, just use a working title.

6) Start writing - Get started writing your story; let it flow. If you're a beginner then I recommend you don't edit until after your first draft.

7) Take breaks - Writing is like a habit. It will draw you in and you will become so focused that all else fades away. Take breaks, read other books, garden, whatever it takes.

8) While the minimum word count for adult novels is 80,000 (range of 80,000 to 99,999) don't worry. This is a goal.

9) After the first draft, you go back and rework the novel. Now you are striving for that range of 80,000 to 99,999. As you rework, strive to create pictures with words.

10) Edit

You may eventually want a professional editor, but at first do-it-yourself using the following plan:

a - proofread the novel & edit it yourself.

b - invite someone else to proof the book.

c - Using their comments/suggestions edit.

d - Redo items b and c.

e - Once finished editing, decide whether you want publisher to edit. Just remember that the publisher may remove or change things you want. And they may not give you enough time to catch all their changes and make corrects.

On the other hand, publishers act as another set of eyes to catch your mistakes.

Writing is a challenge, but those 10 steps will get you started.

What Makes You Tick as a Writer?

What makes you tick as a writer? As I sat down to write this blog I thought about that. To answer that question requires a little bit of retrospection.

Often when I talk about becoming a writer I start with my first book, Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles, and what inspired that book. But the truth is that I wanted to write long before that book was ever started. You have to go all the way back to my childhood.

It seems that I had an early interest in books. When I was a child, my father later said that I read War and Peace. In fact, I read it more than once and, according to him, my comprehension of plot and characters was excellent.

So that brings up what we will call my first interest: reading books. I love to read. It's a fact. I have read historical novels, westerns, romances (usually recommended by my wife), detective, war, and futuristic (novels based on prophecy, last days, and SciFi). I have also read non-fiction books such as biographies, politics, and more.

The second interest is writing. In my childhood, I was kind of sickly and didn't play like most boys. I did play Little League baseball, but not much else. When I wasn't reading I was daydreaming. I would weave a story usually involving myself as the hero and usually based on popular movie characters like Buck Rogers.

By the time I was a teenager my daydreaming led to rather coarse writing. It was not good, but it did fuel a desire to write. As I aged over the years that desire sharpened. I even took a writing course for awhile, in which I was doing well. But lack of money and a crowded schedule caused me to drop out. Yet I never lost that desire to write, and instead wrote poems and computer programs. One lady said I wasn't very good with poetry and another lady married me; so you decide. As for the computer programs I became self taught and actually wrote a small program for where I worked. But none of this fulfilled me.

But when I got saved (received Christ as my Savior) things began to change and the third interest began. This was my interest in sharing the gospel. I knew how God had saved me and wanted others to have the same life-changing experience.

So now I had three Interests: 1 - reading, 2 - writing, and 3 - sharing. But I still had not found the right formula or inspiration that would empower me to write good novels. Not that I didn't try. I would start developing plots and characters. The story would begin to grow, but I would end up scraping it simply because it wasn't connecting with me (I am my most critical judge).

The fourth Interest took place in the year 2000. I had just junked my latest attempt at writing. On this particular morning I was reading the Genesis account of Noah and the Flood as part of my devotions. It suddenly hit me that here was a story behind the story. With that my fourth Interest began: Bible inspired stories.

This does not mean that they have to be stories from the Bible, but stories that demonstrate Biblical truths. My book Dead Eye Will is about American history, but there are Biblical truths found within the text.

So what makes me tick as an author? My Four Interests:

1. Reading
2. Writing
3. Sharing
4. Bible inspired

That brings me to you? What makes you tick as an author? Or, put another way, what turns your writing juices on?

There is no right or wrong here. The answer is uniquely you. And knowing what turns you on can help you in writing and in marketing.

What's In a Name?

What's in a Name? That is a question that authors are faced with on a regular basis. It starts with your own name. Do you use your own name, a variation of the name, or something entirely different?

It makes a difference. You want a name that will be easily recognizable, something that connects with your audience. In my case, I chose a name that is simply a variation of my legal name. In fact, it is technically my legal name.

But it is more than that; it is a name that I can market. In the end, that is more important than anything else. If you are an author of more than one book you need a brand. What better brand than a name that people can remember?

But that is just the first instance of names. The characters in your story must have a name. In some cases like historical novels you will have real names representing real people who lived during the time period you are writing about. But then you have characters that are entirely fictional. You must put a great deal of thought in the choosing of a name for that character because people will focus on the name, loving the one and hating the other.

In my novels I often have characters that are real, historical, and known, such as Abraham, Adam, and Noah. But I also have fictional characters abounding in my novels, each one requiring thought. Again, I have to be careful and give much thought on a name because names identify the people and the characters of a story.

Then there is the matter of the author's website. Usually this is easy, just use the author's name or whatever is his or her brand. If they have a store or self-publish then they also must have a name.

So a name is very important. None of the above examples should ever be taken lightly. That said, how do you go about finding the right name?

Each of us probably have a different method, but in my case my gut reaction is probably most important. And the method varies with what is being named. In some cases it is nothing more than "it feels right." But other times it requires research, and trial and error.

For example, when Teresa and I decided to form our own publishing company, we used the list idea. I would write names down, and follow with an analysis. I wanted a name that would reflect who we are, would be easy to remember, and would not be confused with someone else.

But when writing, it is often trial and error. I quite often start writing without a name for a character and I may use a symbol to represent their name, such as "?" or "[name]." I follow at a later time by selecting a character's name and initially using it. But sometimes it just doesn't fit. So I try again and again until I get a name that fits.

So what's in a name? Maybe the success or failure of your book.

Your Writing Environment

Today is Friday, the end of a very busy week for Teresa and I. We have been gearing up for the forthcoming launch of our very own publishing company (read my blog on Real Self Publishing at https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog....

Because of our busy schedules we have taken to going out to eat and have a meeting. It is amazing how much we get done!

As an author I have long had the habit of going to McDonalds or Wendys to eat. The noise of customers and their children doesn't bother me - I just shut it out. Then I focus upon the project at hand, be it a scene, character, or a concept.

Teresa and I have adopted this idea for three reasons: 1) we like both McDonalds and Wendys, 2) they are inexpensive, and 3) it gets us away from the house (office) and allows us to relax.

I say all this in consideration of the topic 'Your Writing Environment.' I am sure you have seen articles emphasizing how important your writing environment is to your writing. They discuss the setup of the room, position of the desk, and other interesting tidbits.

Now don't get me wrong, I have an office, which is set up according to my needs. I have books and other research material close at hand. Plus, I do my real writing on a computer.

But perhaps I am a bit old-fashioned. While my computer is a laptop, thus mobile, I often don't take it with me. Instead, I use napkins, index cards, and other paper products that are nearby and handy. Then I write scenes, ideas, descriptions, and more - some of which actually end up in my book usually after having been edited and stretched.

Using this technique for our meetings seems to be working quite well. The two of us have been able to freely exchange ideas, hammer out details, and develop concrete plans. All while eating a delicious hamburger, chicken sandwich, or a salad.

Do you favor a rigid approach? Or do you follow a more relaxed way of addressing your authoring and/or business needs? Let me know by posting your own comment here.

Real Self Publishing

Changes are in the air for the Riddle family. Not only am I working on new books to be published, but my wife (Tress Riddle) is working on her debut novel. Such changes are not only exciting, but are pushing us into another realm: Real Self Publishing.

What is Real Self Publishing?

First of all you need to understand what self publishing is generally believed to be. There was a day before publishing houses began to dominate that authors had control of almost all aspects of writing. This changed as publishing houses and agents took over. Eventually the author was at the mercy of publishing houses.

For example, you are a new author. You write your very first novel and it is ready to be published. So you send the manuscript to a publisher and wait. But guess what? That publisher no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts, you must first get an agent.

Let's say you find an agent willing to represent you. That agent probably knows a lot of publishing houses and sends your manuscript off to them. (That is unless your agent requires you to edit it first.) So far you may have used up six months.

The next step is the acceptance, possible revisions, and extending of a contract. Even after you sign the contract it may take up to two years before actual publication takes place. And the publisher owns most, if not all, the publishing rights - domestic and worldwide.

Enter Self Publishing!

With self publishing you may still want an agent, but that is your choice. Furthermore, you select the self publishing company you desire. By paying an upfront charge of approximately $400 you get your book published. Then you are ready to market the book.

The self publishing company owns some of the rights which may include worldwide distribution rights, movie rights, and many other rights. Remember, ownership equals control.

Real Self Publishing!

There is a significant difference between Self Publishing and Real Self Publishing. That difference is that you are the actual publisher.

It is actually cheaper than you may think to be your own publisher. But once you have setup your publishing company, you as the author-publisher now own all the rights. By all I mean all, including worldwide rights, movie rights, etc.

You now have total control of everything from writing to publishing to marketing. Did you raise your eyebrows when I mentioned marketing? You shouldn't. No matter how you publish your books in today's market, you are largely responsible for marketing your books. But as a real self publisher you have greater control.

There is much more to say on the subject, but the important thing to remember is that if you want to have complete control over your creation (your book), then real self publishing is the answer.

What about an agent? Obviously you won't need an agent to get you published. However, you may want one to help you market the book. Again, you have more control over the process and can be more selective in going after an agent - or not.

Real Self Publishing is not new from me. Others have already been doing so. I am still learning the ropes and plan to transition from my current self publisher to my own publishing company. I will eventually need to purchase the rights to my previous books (including the one I am currently working on and is part of a series).

On the other hand, I will be able to publish my last novel Dead Eye Will and my non-fiction book Christian Workers Total Workout in the near future. Dead Eye Will is currently only available in e-book format, as is CWTW. Tress will be adding to the mix her debut novel.

I have been doing the research and the costs will be modest compared to $400 or more spent upfront plus other marketing costs. Remember, that other publishers and self publishers want to make a profit so they will charge more than the actual cost for the marketing services they provide.

You will still need to have storage available for your books in print. So that won't change. But instead of going back to your publisher and paying him/her to publish more copies, you have the ability to print more as you see fit.

Have you ever tried real self publishing? If so, I would like to read your comments. Do you have questions? I can certainly try to answer your questions or, at least, point you in the right direction for a good answer.