Judith Post's Blog, page 120

What Kind of Reader Are You?

First of all, I want to mention that I’m putting my novel EMPTY ALTARS on Amazon for free from Aug. 14-18. I’m hoping a promotion will bring more readers to the second novel in the series, SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNE. But I know the risk of making a first novel free. The last time I tried it, lots of people downloaded my book, but only a few wrote reviews for it and only a few bought the second book. They did what I do. They thought, “Hmmm, that sounds interesting. I might read it someday.” So they downloaded it and forgot about it. Like I often do.

I’m not a fast reader. I’m not a fast anything. I’m more like the tortoise. Slow and steady win the day. If I write ten pages a day, five days a week, eventually I have a first draft. Same goes for reading. If I read for an hour every night, eventually, I’ll finish a book. But believe me, it takes me a while. I think I’m even slower at reading than I used to be, because in the back of my mind, I’m analyzing the structure of the novel, where the plot points fall, and how the characters develop. It’s a bother! But it is what it is, and I’ve gotten used to it. The only books I don’t analyze are books that have great ideas, but poor writing. Nothing to learn from them.

Anyway, when I thought about how I read, I realized I’d be a horrible fan for most writers. I can’t read more than two books by the same author in the same series in a row, or I get way too critical of the third one. Most of my friends, when they find a new author they like, go out and read every single novel that writer has available. If you ever read one of my novels or novellas and like it, please be like my friends…and not me.

Just because I like one series an author writes doesn’t mean I’ll even try the next one. I’m a huge fan of the Mercy Thompson series, by Patricia Briggs. And I often buy anthologies that feature one of her novellas. I’ve bought some of her older series and loved them. But am I that devoted to her Alpha and Omega series? Sadly, I haven’t really given them a fair chance. And I’m probably missing out. But sometimes I like the characters and settings, the premise of one series more than another, even though I dearly love the author’s voice.

Sometimes, I just want something different. Readers seem to be enamored of series, but one of the reasons I like Sarah Addison Allen is because she writes stand-alone novels. Each book has a different set of characters and a different twist on her own special magic, but they each share the same voice. Her voice. Which I love. So, in this instance, I read her because of her writing style, which combines whimsical and magical and lyrical in some concoction that equates to happiness…at least, for me.

I tend to tire of the same genre if I read one novel after another in it. Every once in a while, I need to switch it up and read outside my usual type of fiction. That’s when I reach for a mystery or a romance or even nonfiction that interests me.

So, who do you read? Why do you like them? Where do you find them? And how do you choose new writers to try? Because those are all questions that we, as writers, need to think about. How do we bring readers to our stories? What works and what doesn’t?

And, if you do look for Empty Altars or Spinners of Misfortune, I hope you enjoy them!

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

My new novel’s online early!

Just wanted to share that SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNES, my sequel to EMPTY ALTARS, is available online now. Once again, the goddess Diana visits the Norse worlds to help Tyr, Donar, and Freya save them.

http://www.amazon.com/Spinners-Misfortune-Judith-Post-ebook/dp/B00MG0RX84/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407293625&sr=1-5&keywords=Judith+Post

Writing–You have to find what works for you

Lately, I’ve accumulated a stack of stories that need rewrites. I like going back over my work to tweak it. I like watching a first, second, or third draft become a finished manuscript. But for one reason or another–it took a while for my agent to get back to me, two of my beta readers were faster than I expected, I snuck playing with a novella in between novels–my balance of new writing to rewriting got out of whack. And soon, I have to hit rewrites hard. Aaargh. Lots of them.

I’m one of those writers who polish as I go. I’ve tried it both ways. I’ve sat my fanny in a chair and written flat-out from beginning to end to let the writing flow. Most of my friends do that. It doesn’t work for me. Why? I’m not that freaking patient. I’ll NEVER be one of those people who edit the same story over and over. I get sick of it after a while. Once the story’s done, I don’t want to take the time to macro and micro-edit. I don’t want to fix word choice, deepen character, add description or internal dialogue, and fix plot problems all at the same time. I know me. Some of it wouldn’t get done. I’d hurry the process, and the finished result would testify to that.

One of the reasons I do plot points–not elaborate–just goal posts to reach in the story–is because I’d clench my fists and cry to the heavens if I went in the wrong direction and had to throw scene after scene away. It’s not because I’m so attached to my writing or think my precious words are too wonderful to pitch–I’ve pitched them plenty of times–but because I’m impatient, and if a little work before I start writing saves me lots of work when I finish a draft, I’d be mad at myself. Not to say I haven’t screwed up when I try new things that I have plotted out. That’s the thing. If I can mess up when I’ve written those scenes on purpose, I can surely mess up even better if I just go with the flow. We each have to find what works for us, and I’ve learned my strengths and weaknesses.

But no muse-assistants come in the middle of the night and polish my manuscripts for me, so it’s time to dig in and get it done. The good news? Most of the micro-editing is finished. That’s why I write one day, then do re-writes for those pages the next day before I start a new scene. For those second day edits, I usually beef up my descriptions, add emotional impact, and smooth out the writing. I try to remember to check for active verbs, think of specific word choices, and anything else that will make the scene glow instead of exist. When I finish each fourth of the manuscript, I usually skim through that fourth again to see how the story flows. But no matter how careful I am, I can’t tell how the pieces fit together, if the pacing works or not, if the tension builds, until the entire manuscript’s finished. And that’s why I give the whole thing to my trusted beta readers. When they return the poor, bleeding pages that seemed brilliant when I wrote them:), then I do the last, final edit. And that’s where I am right now. Time for some tough, manuscript love. Time to whip those pages into shape, cross my fingers, and hope for the best.

Wherever you are in your story, happy writing…or rewriting:)

*Just a reminder that I posted a new, short-short story on my webpage last week. It was a middle-of-the-week post, and I don’t know if people actually read those, so thought I’d mention it again.

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

*Also–HAPPINESS!!!–my new novel, SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNE, will go online on Aug. 18.

To celebrate, Sia Marion invited me to her blog to do a character interview for Tyr. I’ve never done a character interview before, and I found it to be an interesting experience. I do character wheels for all of my main characters, so it’s not like I learned anything new about him, but the interview made me hear him and see him in a different way. Glad I tried it. http://sia4215.blogspot.com/2014/07/judith-post-is-here-today-come-meet-her.html.

I love questions and comments.

New short story on my webpage

I just posted a new short-short story on my webpage. It’s on the dark side. Diana’s not just the goddess of the hunt. She’s goddess of the crossroads, too.

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

Writing: Triggers that move the plot

Friends keep asking me how my romance novel is coming. It’s coming. I think I only have about 50 more pages to write before I finish the first draft. Is it ready to go? No. I need to go back and “fill in.” I’m a bare bones writer–if I get the characters and plot points right in the first draft, I’m happy. Every scene has to have some kind of tension. There has to be Goal, Motivation, Conflict for each scene. But that’s not enough. Once I get that down, I go back a second time to add emotion, reactions, descriptions, and internal dialogue. Am I happy with what I have? Yes. Do I think I got it right? Beats me. Romance feels “spongy” to me. The things that trigger forward movement in the story are alien to me.

Every type of writing has different triggers. When I wrote mystery short stories, the focus of the story was on who did it and why. Each scene advanced that. I introduced the crime, the detective (amateur or sleuth), suspects, witnesses, and clues. I could judge by those triggers how the story was advancing. What did the detective learn when he went to question Suspect A? Did that clue lead him to an answer or was it a red herring that threw him off track? When the person he thought committed the crime ended up dead, he had to start over and re-evaluate what he’d learned, etc. Each step leads to the next one in the plot. With urban fantasy, I introduce the good guys and the evil that they have to battle. They win one small skirmish, but that leads them to a bigger problem. They confront that problem and that digs them deeper into trouble. Those are triggers I understand and feel comfortable with. In literary novels, the triggers are internal. They’re about character development. How does the character change throughout the story?

In romance, the triggers are emotional. Ian’s arm brushes Tessa’s breast and Want sweeps through her. She denies it and pushes it away. But when their eyes meet, she can’t turn away. She never meant to let down her guard again, but Ian shatters her defenses. These are triggers that show Tessa’s growing attraction for Ian. Do I feel comfortable writing an entire novel driven by mounting emotions? In truth, it’s been fun. Have I done it right? I don’t have a clue. But every novel is moved forward by triggers that escalate from the beginning of the story to a big, dark moment near the end, and finally, a happy or unhappy ending. In romances, it had better be a happy ever after. A writer can track how his story is progressing by following these triggers to see how they push the protagonist’s buttons–the bigger the reaction, (even if it’s controlled or denied), the better. Tension needs to build and build until there’s a resolution.

Whatever you’re working on, I hope your plot points push the protagonist harder and farther than he ever wanted to go.

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

P.S. I wanted to add a reminder that Sia Marion at http://sia4215.blogspot.com/ invited me to participate in the World Tour Blog. I invited M L Rigdon from the blog: http://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/. Mary Lou writes a variety of genres, all on her webpage: http://www.mlrigdon.com/. She recently finished her third Regency romance as Julia Donner. I also invited Susan Bahr from her blog: http://suebahr.wordpress.com/. I’ve followed Susan’s blog for a long time, but she just started this new one about writing. I like her approach! I hope you remember to check out their posts on Tuesday on how they write. I’m going to!

Quick Promo for my Book

I’m trying something new. My novel Blood Battles is 30% off at Kobo from July 25-28 with the promo code TGIFSAVE30. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried a special offer at Kobo or a code system, so I’m excited about it. Like most authors, I usually use Amazon to offer specials and sales. It will be interesting to see how Kobo works. Here’s the link to my book: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blood-battles

The sale includes lots of other authors and titles, if you’re in the mood to stock up. The same code works for all of them, and you can buy as many as you want. Here’s the link to the entire sale: http://www.kobo.com/tgifsale.

I’m going to Muncie tonight, (an hour away), to hear one of the authors the Midwest Writers’ Conference brought in as a speaker. I’m going with a friend and expect to have a wonderful night, rubbing elbows with fellow writers, so this is a good writing day for me! Happy writing to all of you, too.

World Blog Tour

I want to thank Sia Marion for inviting me to the World Blog Tour. Sia posted a blog on how she writes on July 15, and I enjoyed reading about how she crafts her stories. http://sia4215.blogspot.com/2014/07/world-blog-tour.html I hope you visit her blog to learn her techniques, but more, I hope you poke around to read the free, short pieces she’s shared to lead up to her WIP. She’s up to Part 6 for Blaize, one of the lead characters in her novel…& he’s already in trouble:)

A Little About Me

I just finished reading the book Lost Lake, by Sarah Addison Allen. There’s a character in the novel, Eby, who enjoys listening to people, invites them over for a meal or a drink, but still cherishes her alone time. That could be me. I’m a Libra, and I love people, but I need balance. I guard my alone time, too. I love to cook, and over the years, I’ve cooked for lots and lots of people, but lately, I’m learning the pleasures of cooking small instead of large. I write more now, read more books, and enjoy more freedom. It’s been an adjustment, but a happy one.

Four Questions About My Writing

What Am I Working On?

Right now, I’m writing a contemporary romance, IN A PICKLE, but I usually write urban fantasy. Occasionally, I like to stretch my writing muscles, and romance makes me focus more on character development and relationships. I tend to be a plot-driven writer with stories triggered by battles or events, not feelings and misunderstandings, so this is a learning curve for me. Different triggers drive the story.

How Does My Work Differ From Others Of This Genre?

I think every genre comes with certain expectations. When readers pick up a romance, they want chemistry, characters they like, and a happy ever after. When they pick up urban fantasy, they want strong, kickass characters and lots of tension with a good-versus-evil struggle between different supernaturals. The basics are similar, so it’s how the author approaches them that makes each author unique. I have a fondness for myth and legends with a little bit of the Old Testament thrown in. I think that gives my writing a certain slant. Patricia Briggs favors the fae and Southwest, American Indian legends–like Coyote. Ilona Andrews uses old gods and goddesses in her Kate Daniel novels, and Faith Hunter adds a different American Indian myth base for her Jane Yellowrock novels. I like Greek/Roman and Norse myths. And fallen angels…well, they’re Biblical. Oh, and witches. I really enjoy witches. As for romance, I think that’s where my idealism sneaks in.

Why Do I Write What I Write?

I think most of us write what we’re drawn to, what we enjoy reading. I started out writing mystery short stories. I still love short stories–hence, all the novellas I’ve written. And I wrote mysteries because I was an Agatha Christie fan. Mysteries have changed over the years, though, and so have my tastes. Now, I read urban fantasies and “magical” romances–like Alice Hoffman’s earlier novels: Practical Magic and Turtle Moon. My daughters and I buy Sarah Addison Allen’s novels and buddy read them together. So, I guess, the things that excite me when I read, excite me when I write.

How Does My Writing Process Work?

I’ve written quite a few posts about that on my blog, but basically, to start with, an idea grabs me. I try to ignore it, but if it won’t let me go, then I know it’s a keeper. I write it down and ask myself How did this happen? Why did it happen? Who will it affect? How will the protagonist deal with it? And then the beginning of the story starts to take shape. I play with a main character and write the opening hook and then expand it into a first chapter. I never start with back story. That can be added later to add depth to the character. I just throw the poor protagonist into a problem, watch him struggle and try to cope, and then write a few plot points to see what he’ll do next. I decide on a setting. Then I decide who or what motivates my antagonist and why. I add some minor characters, do character wheels for them so that they bump and clash, and then write enough plot points to sustain the story. I almost always have my entire novel plotted out with turning points at the end of each quarter. And it never takes away the surprise, the enthusiasm for writing the scenes, because my characters still surprise me. Always.

I want to thank Sia Marion for inviting to this Blog Tour. It’s always fun to meet new authors and learn how they work. It’s my honor to introduce you to two more, wonderful writers who’ll post on the Tour on July 29. A writer friend of mine–who writes fantasy, contemporary, YA, and Regency–has just started a blog. It feels like I’ve been waiting for YEARS for her to get around to it. http://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/ It’s new, only one post right now, but she’ll write about her process on the 29th, so check in for that, and I happen to like her webpage, too: http://www.mlrigdon.com/. The second writer I invited for next week is Susan Bahr. Susan and I met through our blogs, and I’ve enjoyed her posts for a long time. She recently started a new blog, mostly about writing, and I enjoy her approach. You can find her here: http://wordpress.com/read/blog/id/64320109/.

Happy Writing, All!

Writing: Play Time

This coming Wednesday is another Scribes meeting. My writing group meets twice a month most months. We only get in one meeting in November. Thanksgiving sidetracks our second one. And one meeting in December. We don’t even try to compete with Christmas. But once a summer–this coming Wednesday this year–and every December, instead of a regular meeting we have a carry-in. We used to pretend that we’d still get around to serious subjects. We’d schedule one or two readers and a speaker. Now, we don’t even bother with that. We just bring food, get together, and enjoy each other’s company.

I have to say when you get a lot of writers together, somewhere during the day, we end up talking about all of the things we can’t get to in regular meetings. Marketing. Books we’ve read and loved. Anything new we’ve read or learned. If someone has a book coming out. All of the things that go along with the writing life. And once we’ve covered those things, then we talk about our kids, our lives….we’ve become close friends over the years.

It’s nice to shake up the old routine once in a while. It rejuvenates me, kicks me out of my rut. And sometimes, let’s face it, it IS a rut instead of a routine. Or should I say habit? I’m a pretty focused person. I plop my fanny in a chair most week days and pound out words, and I write a blog most Sundays, but breaks can be good. My friend Kathy, (she belongs to Scribes, too), tweeted about going on vacation and panicking because she wouldn’t be sitting in front of her computer everyday. http://findingfaeries.wordpress.com/ It was a fun blog, but I know what she means. We get so wrapped up in the worlds and words we create that sometimes, we need to get away from them. We need to LIVE and ENJOY. And then, when we return to our computers, we’re refreshed. And ready to write again:)

FYI: This blog is shorter than usual, because Sia Marion invited me to a World Blog Tour about “how I write.” Her post went up July 15: http://sia4215.blogspot.com/2014_07_01_archive.html. Mine goes up this Tuesday, July 22. It always interests me how different writers write, so hope you check these out.

P.S. My agent okayed my rewrites for SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNE, and Sharon can get to it in a couple of weeks, so hopefully, it will be up near the end of July or the beginning of August. Good news to me! http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

Writing: Learning As You Go

Earlier this year, I paid $25 to enter the Kindle Book Review awards contest for the top, indie books published from May 2012 to May 2014. I was hoping I might make the 20 top semi-finalists, but no such luck. Okay, I was disappointed, but not disheartened. In writing, you win some, you lose some. But I was curious what kinds of books won, because those are books I can learn from.

The whole judging process started with what readers look at when deciding to buy or not buy your book: the cover, the blurb, and the opening, sample pages. If those hooked the first readers, then they passed the book on to people who’d read the entire book. I have no idea how many books made it past the first readings, but I know it’s no easy feat. When I wrote mystery short stories and sent manuscripts into Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock mystery magazines, slush pile readers would scoop up manuscripts by unknown writers to take home and look at. If a writer didn’t hook them in the first paragraph or two, that story got put on the “forget about it” pile. Only a tiny, tiny few stories passed the slush pile to be given to first readers. If the first readers like the stories, they’d pass them on to the editors. Once an editor bought one of your stories, your writing went straight to her desk when you submitted a new one. But you had to earn that right. Writers compete with thousands of other writers. But the truth is, once you make it out of the slush pile, then you’re competing with professional writers. And they know their stuff.

Study your competition when you start writing. And learn by studying the best. I’m glad I entered this contest, because I’m lazy, and I wouldn’t have followed through if I didn’t have something invested in it. When I got the list of the writers who DID make the 20 semi-finalists, I looked them up and did what the judges would have done. I looked at their covers. What made them stand out? I read their book blurbs. What made them better than mine? And I read the free, sample pages.

I write urban fantasy, so my take on what worked and what didn’t might not ring true for literary fiction or mysteries, etc. But every sample I read started with a sense of immediacy, plunging the protagonist in danger from page one. That’s where I made a mistake. I only put two new books online from May 2012 to May 2014, and both were second books in a series. I started the book I chose to submit, Blood Battles, emphasizing Enoch’s relationship with Voronika, because–to me–that’s the theme that would continue throughout the entire series. The antagonist and book’s big problem didn’t come until AFTER I caught the reader up with the fallen angel and his vampire. Maybe not the best strategy. And since I’ve read the beginnings of quite a few of these books (I intend to work my way through all of them), I’ll rethink the opening pages of my novels.

My advice to you? I’m including the link for the writers who’ve won a slot in the top 20 for each genre. I’d go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or smashwords and look the writers up. I’d study the book covers and blurbs for their novels. I’d read their free, sample pages. And I’d ask myself, How do these compare to mine? Learn from what they’ve done right. Grammar and spelling aren’t enough. Know your craft. Still be yourself, but know what’s out there now. And make your decisions based on that.

https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/2014-kindle-book-awards-b/

If you have any views, opinions, or questions on writing, let me know!

https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy?ref_type=bookmark

Writing: Things I Still Haven’t Gotten Around To

When I started writing the Babet/Prosper novellas, it was because my daughter, Holly, kept bugging me to write more mysteries. I didn’t want to write a novel, but I did get excited about writing short stories. I’ve sold mystery short stories, and I enjoy writing them. That’s how ONE LESS WARLOCK (free on Kindle, Nook, smashwords) came about. It was an experiment to see if I could combine paranormal and mystery elements into a locked room mystery–you know the type, where they find a body in a sealed room. So how did the killer enter or leave? With paranormal, I had more gimmicks to work with. Totally fun. ONE LESS WARLOCK is short, because I intended on making it a one-shot deal–my effort to write a locked-room that would rival Agatha Christie. (Like that’s possible). But then, I really enjoyed Babet and Prosper. I got hooked on River City, and I thought, Why not write other types of mysteries and see how they work with witches and shifters?

I listed some of the types of mysteries that I enjoy. Of course, “puzzles” were at the top of my list. (I am a huge Agatha Christie fan). Try as I might, though, I can never make mine as clever as hers. MAGRAT’S DAGGER started out as a puzzle mystery–with the carved box that the “bad” witch dug up from the witch’s grave and the mummified hand holding the dagger inside it–as a clue. I was happy with the mystery when I finished it, but I fell short of Agatha. So who knows? Someday, I might try a puzzle again. I was happier with my “face in a crowd” mystery–of a person who’s supposedly been dead for years–when I wrote A DIFFERENT UNDEAD. Again, when you can mix paranormal and necromancers in the mix, anything’s possible. BAD JUJU was my stab at a missing person mystery. Who took her? Why? But then the paranormal elements started swallowing the mystery elements, and my whole process got a little murky. Which means there are still lots of types of mysteries that call to me. CELT SECRETS was my stab at the villain who kidnaps the hero’s girlfriend to use as leverage. I liked that, but I still want to write a Ten Little Indians plot, (by Christie)–where people are stranded somewhere and one person dies at a time–like the game and movie CLUE. And there are still the switched identity gimmicks, a suspense/thriller type story with a ticking clock, and maybe even a spy/betrayal type.

I’ve tried to write a mystery that hinges on handwriting analysis, and the idea still fascinates me. The entire process intrigues me. Which way does your writing slant? What does that say about you? What are your loops like in your letters–open or closed? http://www.viewzone.com/handwriting.html My friend wrote a story that pivots on handwriting, and I’m jealous, but it’s still on my “to do” list.

I can add another. I want to write a story from the POV of an unreliable character–but those are tricky. I could go on and on, but I hope you have the same problem I do–more ideas for stories than time to write them. Still, it’s fun having a “list” of things to do. Life never gets boring. So I hope you’re brimming with ideas, too, and happy writing!

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

BTW: Michael finished the cover for my 2nd Empty Altars book: Spinners of Misfortune. I love it! Hopefully, the book will be online soon. I think the cover hints at the Norse myths in the story line.