Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 214

Changing Priorities and Character Growth

I was talking to another parent the other day and thinking about how even small goals and priorities change with time.

When my daughter was a brand-new baby, my number one goal was just to keep her in clean bibs (spitty baby.) I'd go buy bibs in bulk and find the right size—big enough to keep her from ruining her smoked dresses, but not so big that you couldn't see the smocking (this was also around the time that I started writing my first book. I think the bibs started boring me. :) )

Shortly afterwards, my number one goal was to keep my toddling daughter from losing her lovey, Dirty Baby. Losing Dirty Baby was a complete and utter nightmare. I would do anything to keep from losing that dolly. The child couldn't sleep, eat, or do anything but wail unless Dirty Baby was in her arms. I ended up buying another baby doll just like that one and dirtying it up myself just in case we had a catastrophe and needed a substitute. I tell you, I was obsessed with Dirty Baby's well-being.

Then there was my ongoing attempt to get rid of my daughter's pacifier. She and I ended up sending the pacifiers up to the Guh-guh fairy up in the sky. (Yes. I tied several pacifiers onto a huge bunch of balloons and sent them up into space so that the Guh-guh fairy could redistribute them to babies who still needed binkies.

As my daughter grew older and went to elementary school, obviously, my goals and priorities changed and became broader and less focused on the day-to-day. And I became a bit more focused on me and what I wanted to do since I had a little extra time. That's when I started pouring more focused energy into both my writing.

As I look at the last nine years, I can see tremendous change in as far as what my personal priorities are.

What about our characters? It's important to know what our characters want…we hear a lot about that. But what about character growth that causes changes in characters' goals? As we get older, we experience change (jobs, finances, marriage, divorce, children, empty nests, etc.), and our wants, needs, priorities, and goals change.

Sometimes our goals and priorities can change rapidly in response to an abrupt change of circumstances; a catastrophic financial burden like a family member's expensive medical problem, a grown child who moves back home, an aging parent, etc.

Obviously, this can also bring conflict or even changes in a character's outlook on life. Think about the main character in the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life. His priority was always to go off and see the world—until reality in the form of various family and community responsibilities forced him on a different track. So you could even have the character's dream and the character's reality be in conflict with each other.

Do you know what your character wants? Has what your character wants changed at all, or could it?

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Also—I have an announcement to make. :) I just signed a contract for a new, three-book mystery series with Penguin's NAL imprint under my own name. The series is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina and the first book (which I'm currently writing) involves a murder that affects members of a quilting guild in the small town of Dappled Hills. Thanks to Penguin and to my agent, Ellen Pepus, for the opportunity!

Answering a Few Questions about the Search Engine

I've gotten enough emails and DMs on Twitter that I thought I should probably run a short post answering some questions about submitting posts for the search engine, etc.

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for their support! Mike Fleming and I have been really overwhelmed by the blog posts, the tweets, the Facebooking, and the encouragement. Thanks so much to everyone!

The content for the search engine is coming from the links that I've tweeted. Each week, new links will be added to the engine from the posts I've tweeted from the previous week. So basically, Twitterific is going into the search engine.

I've had quite a few questions from writers on how to get their content added to the search engine. I'm usually looking for craft-related, industry-related, social media, promo-related, or writing inspiration posts. I love posts that are easily skimmed (as opposed to a block of text--most writers are working with short amounts of time), have great content, and can be helpful to many writers.

I'm scanning over 1500 blogs…and it's easy for me to miss a great post. I'm trying to spend only an hour a day reading posts, so I'm reading them very quickly. What's most likely to make me accidentally skim over a wonderful post is a misleading title, an intro that doesn't relate to the rest of the post, or a truncated post in my Reader (the whole post doesn't show up in my Reader and I have to click "read more"…leaving my Reader and opening another window to do so.)

Have you got a great post on the writing craft—even something in your archives? Feel free to email me at elizabethspanncraig (at) gmail (dot) com or to shoot me a DM on Twitter (@elizabethscraig). Not sure your blog is in my Reader? Please send me a link and I'll add it.

Thanks so much again, everyone, for the amount of support you've given us and the ideas you've had for the search engine. We're hoping it'll be a tool that's a quick, easy way to connect with resources. And please let me know in the comments or by email, Twitter, or Facebook (Elizabeth Spann Craig, Author.)

Finding Interesting Characters

Living in suburban Charlotte, NC, I don't meet a wildly different array of people in my usual, everyday life. Everyone is, of course, different from each other (different talents, different personalities, etc.). But we've all got more in common with each other than not.

Most of the people that I see on a day to day basis are other parents. We interact with each other through our children's activities. Some go to work, some volunteer. We go to book club, out to dinner, to church, or to the movies. We visit while waiting to pick up our kids from Scouts, art class, or drama. We tidy our homes and do yard work.

There are slight variations on the same theme.

And then I went to the guitar store.

The guitar store visit was necessitated by my son's interest in taking lessons. My husband has an 1980s-era Kramer electric guitar,which he'd already stopped playing by the time I met him in college.

So we walk in, holding the (very old) guitar case. And I have a feeling we looked just as exotic to the tattooed, pierced, black-tee-shirted people in the guitar store as they looked to us.

"Wow," my husband said. "We're old. And boring!"

I agreed with him.

"Well, let's drop off the guitar with the repair guy and leave," he said.

But I was more interested in hanging out and watching these folks for a while. They were so different. And different is always good when I'm collecting character traits and mannerisms.

I don't think my husband was as thrilled at hanging out in the guitar store as I was. "You've got rock musicians in your next mystery?" he asked with some degree of surprise.

No, I definitely didn't. But that's the nice thing about creating characters—you can take little bits and pieces of people and meld them together to create a new person. It sounds a little Frankensteinish, but it works well. It does help, though, to see some different kinds of people from time to time.

Unfortunately, the guitar store made staring at people difficult. There wasn't a café area where I could watch them and listen to them without being too obvious. I lingered as long as I could before we finally left.

Even if I don't use the people I've seen, the experiences tends to inspire me. It gets my neurons firing to see all the different possibilities of character appearance and personality and dress and manner.

I haven't done any really good people-watching for a while and I think my well is running dry. Starbucks isn't doing it for me (more of the same suburban types.)

Does people-watching help you add a little color to your characters? And—where has the watching been good, lately?

Thoughts on Different Types of Promo

There's always an active discussion somewhere—writing forums, comments on blogs, conversations on Yahoo groups—about the different types of promo for writers and what works best.

I think the reason why the discussion is so lively is that not everything works for everyone.

I've been asked a lot recently, though, about what's worked for me with book marketing. In fact, I'm going to be speaking at a panel this weekend on the topic at the Cape Fear Crime Festival.

For the record, here are the different things I've tried and how I thought it worked:

Book Tour: I actually enjoyed this, despite the focus on public appearances. I think the reason I enjoyed it is because I was touring with several other authors…and staying with Molly Weston, who was very hospitable and fascinating—she's organized tours for tons of authors. Ordinarily, though, this is the most expensive form of promo and unless you have a pro like Molly organizing it…it could be a flop.

Bookstore visits: My least favorite. I'm usually asked a lot where the restroom is or where the travel section of the store is. I would recommend putting candy and small giveaways on your table—and smiling a lot. You might want to have a nice glass of wine with an understanding friend afterward. :) Or you might love bookstore visits—your mileage may vary.

Social media/branding: You won't be surprised that this is my favorite, I'm sure. :) It's free and can reach a wide audience in a variety of ways. It can be subtle instead of pushy. And it provides a way to network as well as to market. On the downside, it will suck up all of your available time if you let it. Most authors like Facebook and blogging best…I also like Twitter.

Blog tour: I love blog tours. You get a chance to interact with a different group of readers, the blog host gets a chance to take a short break, and your book's hits on Google go up. It's important to be organized with blog tours—know where you're supposed to be and confirm it with the host a couple of times. Be sure to check in with comments during the day. You'll want the tour to be long enough to be noticed, but not so long that blog tour fatigue sets in (for you and your readers.)

Postcards: I've done a postcard drive before to bookstores and libraries. I found it fairly expensive, but worthwhile—I checked the before-and-after of my book at libraries (my primary target) on WorldCat and could see the number of libraries carrying my book increase. As far as independent bookstores? I'm just not sure if it worked or not…I couldn't really get any data on it.

Calls: I've made promo calls to bookstores to see if they're carrying my book and to ask them to carry it, if they didn't (this was for my smaller publisher…the larger one had covered the bases pretty well.) I'm really not a phone person, so I went off a script after making sure it was a good time to talk to the CRM (community relations manager) at the store. I didn't enjoy making these calls at all…but I did get my book on the shelves using this method.

Contests: I do a good number of these on the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog. Expense—it's up to you. You could give away one of your ARCs, an author copy, or something that ties in to your book (I've done barbeque related supplies before.) We've noticed on the group blog that it's better to have shorter contests—ones that go on for a week or even just a day seem to do better. You'll want to make sure you include the cost of shipping in your costs when you're deciding how much you want to spend. And you'll also want to decide whether you'll open up the contest to international readers (which I usually do.)

Bookmarks and business cards: These are really just a must. You'll want them to give to people who ask about your book, or to put on the promo table at conferences or panels, or to have at your book signing, or to hand out at festivals. I've ordered them from different places (Iconix and VistaPrint) and I've made them myself using Microsoft Publisher and Office Max. But you've really just got to have them. Readers do seem to love them—I get emails from readers who ask for them.

Appearances/panels: It's definitely harder, as a mom, for me to get to appearances at conferences, festivals, and panels—but I'll definitely make them if they're regional and not too expensive for me to get to. I do seem to sell books when I make appearances.

Book clubs: I enjoy talking to book clubs. They're really going to be one of the most successful venues for writers because of the number of people reading your book…and because they usually provide a receptive audience. The ones I usually get invited to are friends of friends types of events. I've enjoyed all the ones I've gone to…and I have a couple on my calendar already this year. I know authors who have given away door prizes at these and that seems to go over well. It's also a nice opportunity to get people on your email newsletter list.

As a reader, I've bought books (and continue to) by authors I've gotten to know through social media. I've bought books when I've attended panels and was interested in the authors who spoke at them. I've only occasionally purchased a book at a store because I saw an author there (that's hit or miss…it might be that they've written a genre I'm less-interested in reading.) And I'll admit I've not been swayed by postcards, bookmarks, or tours. But that's just me.

If you've got a book out, how are you approaching promo? What's working for you? If you're a reader, have you ever purchased a book as a direct result of marketing?

Multitasking—Not as Efficient as it Seems

I used to be a pretty good multitasker.

Maybe I was too good and got overconfident. I started juggling even more at a time.

Three times last week, though, I was in a real-time conversation with someone—twice via Twitter and once on the phone and I completely messed up.

The last time I messed up, I was proofing something I'd written (blog post, not my book), talking to my husband (not, I'm sure, very coherently), listening for a weather update on the television so I'd know what the children should wear for school, and messaging a writer on Twitter.

I got a returned DM on Twitter, "Sorry?" the tweeter said. "That link doesn't relate to our conversation."

Really? I frowned and looked at it. Sure enough, it was truncated gobbledygook from something else I was working on.

I apologized to the guy I was tweeting saying, "I'm working on 20 things at once."

He was nice enough not to say, "And doing none of them well." :) But I bet he was thinking it…and so was I.

I stopped everything I was doing, and focused on the one priority I really had at the moment. And that was the point that my morning started going smoothly.

Some things I can multitask. I can vacuum and write a book in my head. I can cook supper and come up with a blog post. I can exercise and work on plot lines.

Where it seems like it goes haywire for me is 1)when I try to interact with people and do something else simultaneously and 2) when I do more than one thing on the computer at once.

One thing I've never done is multitask around my children. They deserve my full attention—besides, kids will call you on it. But everyone else deserves my full attention, too—including my poor husband who has probably gotten completely used to incoherent sentences from me.

So here's a new resolution for me—one thing at a time, if at all possible. And if I'm having a conversation with you, I'll pay full attention (that means no writing the book in my head when we're talking! Even if I think you'd make a nice character for my book.)

Are you a multitasker? How is it working for you? Are there some things you can multitask better than others?

Twitterific and Writer's Knowledge Base

As usual, here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

My addition this week is an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the Writer's Knowledge Base search engine and software engineer and writer Mike Fleming's ingenuity. The links I tweet (which are writers' blogs, agents' and editors' blogs) all are added to the engine to make it easier for you to access the information you're looking for.

Sympathetic antagonists: http://dld.bz/JqAz

For horror writers--a submission resource: http://horrortree.com/

Writing Theory -- The Monomyth: http://dld.bz/Jnjp

The overlooking and discounting of clues by sleuths in crime fiction: http://dld.bz/JqZW @mkinberg

A Proper Break…in life and in Microsoft Word: http://dld.bz/JqrW

Five Strategies For Writers to Deal With Rejection and Critique: http://dld.bz/Jqrw

Four Strategies for Creating Titles That Jump Off the Page: http://dld.bz/JnhV

5 Ways to Set Smothered Verbs Free: http://dld.bz/JnhS

Crafting the Perfect Story, or, I Gush About Veronica Mars: http://dld.bz/JnhK

Goal - Conflict - Stakes. Why You Need All Three: http://dld.bz/Jhp3

Ten Traits of Successful Writers: http://dld.bz/Jhpy

Is The Future Of Print Books Limited Edition Beautiful Art? http://dld.bz/Jnqx

Introducing the search engine for writers--finding resources that Google won't: http://dld.bz/Hnnn @hiveword

Dos and Don'ts of Opening Pages: http://dld.bz/Jhpv

Website Stats 101 for Authors: http://dld.bz/Jhpq

Nancy Drew and The Case of the Guilty Silence: http://dld.bz/JhnP

The Making of a Novel: Set Decoration (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Jhn2

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: MY GRANDMOTHER'S MEATLOAF http://bit.ly/hqwZhn @CleoCoyle

8 Rituals to Get You Focused: http://dld.bz/HWbu

10 Biggest Time-Sinks in Science Fiction and Fantasy: http://dld.bz/HWbg

How to Explore New Careers (Without Quitting Your Day Job): http://dld.bz/HWba

Breaking the Rules of Writing: http://dld.bz/HWaS

You *can* edit yourself: http://dld.bz/HWaD

How to determine your character's motivating need: http://dld.bz/HVZY

Typing vs. Longhand: Does it Affect Your Writing? http://dld.bz/HVZQ

The Process of Creation – Concepts – Themes: http://dld.bz/HVZ7 @JustusRStone

5 writing mistakes one writer has made that he encourages you to learn from: http://dld.bz/JcNs @ajackwriting

Psychology in Writing: Adding Sound Effects to Your Writing: http://dld.bz/HVZz

Rick Riordan's top 5 misconceptions about writing: http://dld.bz/HVZj

"My Agent is Exhibiting Inappropriate Behaviors. Now What?": A Five-Step Program for the Anxious and Forlorn: http://dld.bz/HVYc

5 Things I Learned About Writing by Watching Football: http://dld.bz/HMnF

Why I won't take the bait: http://dld.bz/Jdmb

How to avoid an endless revise: http://dld.bz/HMnv

The blank page--don't be afraid to make a mess: http://dld.bz/HMmG

Love, Crush, Infatuation... Do your YA characters know the difference? http://dld.bz/HMm5

An agent on the agent-author relationship: http://dld.bz/HMeG

Word count for the fantasy genre: http://dld.bz/HH9K

To Advertise, Promote or Market Your Book? http://dld.bz/HMmd

How writers avoid getting stuck with a story that feels like a bad marriage: http://dld.bz/HHB6

3 problems with writing a series: http://bit.ly/f8KWmr

The Essential Code for Aspiring Bloggers: http://dld.bz/HMkW

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crusted Beef Tenderloin Crisis with a Happy Ending http://bit.ly/eJSugk @CleoCoyle

The art of good writing (Financial Times): http://dld.bz/HHCz

When your editor isn't great to work with: http://dld.bz/HH2Y

Somebody Loves You: What To Do When An Agent Says Yes: http://dld.bz/xt8j

100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections: http://dld.bz/HMkS

Seven Tips for Submitting: http://dld.bz/HMkk

The Very Basics: Ten Things All Writers Need To Do: http://dld.bz/HMkd

Why Every Writer Should Complete More Than One Book: http://dld.bz/HMjG

An agent on unlikeable characters: http://dld.bz/HH98

Three problems with writing a series: http://dld.bz/HHCC

Tips for freelancers on setting fees: http://dld.bz/HHCv

Literature maps: http://dld.bz/HHCh

Need resources on POV, voice, characterization? The writer's search engine: http://dld.bz/Hnnn @hiveword

Using visualization to drive creativity: http://dld.bz/HHBR

Tightening Your (Manuscript's) Belt: a Checklist for Eliminating Unnecessary Prose: http://dld.bz/HH4Q

A Responsibility to Creativity: http://dld.bz/HH3z

Before You Decide to Pursue an MFA: 7 Essential Tips: http://dld.bz/HHzS

The importance of knowing what trips us up as a writer: http://dld.bz/HSmP

Managing coincidence in our stories: http://dld.bz/HHz4

Are You a Renaissance Soul? Use It to Your Advantage: http://dld.bz/HHBy

The 6 Essential Steps to Writing a Killer Press Release: http://dld.bz/HHAU

How to Make Your Writing Resolutions Stick: http://dld.bz/HHAC

9 Ways to Encourage People to Comment on your Blog: http://dld.bz/HHAc

"I Know Why Real Writers Have Cats": http://dld.bz/HHBm

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Ahhhh, New Orleans! http://bit.ly/i9SFE8 @CleoCoyle

Gifts to accessorize books and e-readers (Chicago Tribune): http://dld.bz/HAmk

Definitions of Speculative Fiction (or why spec fic is specific): http://dld.bz/HAj3

Point of View: Stories Are About *people*: http://dld.bz/HAkP

Tips for encouraging kids to read: http://dld.bz/HMQr

On keeping your day job: http://dld.bz/HAk7

Bold Predictions: Half of US Publishers Expect E-books to Be Dominant Format by 2014: http://dld.bz/HMpg @pubperspectives

Mystery Writer's Guide to Forensic Science--Linguistic Fingerprinting: http://dld.bz/HAkb @clarissadraper

For freelancers--How to Organize Your Assignments, Research, Interviews & All the Rest: http://dld.bz/HAjC

How to Write Your First Novel in Under 4 Weeks: http://dld.bz/HAj5

Not Everything Can Be Made Up When Writing Fiction: http://dld.bz/HAjv

What to ask an agent: http://dld.bz/rgEn

Showing & Telling in Scenes & Dialogue: http://dld.bz/HAhT

A query and some query lingo: http://dld.bz/HAhu

13 ways to start a novel. http://j.mp/hVYNBs

How Writers Can Use Dropbox Apps: http://dld.bz/HAhq

Book Contracts 101, Part 8 (Payment of Royalties): http://dld.bz/HAhg

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: The (Back) Story of Our Lives: http://dld.bz/HAhc

A day in the life of an agent: http://dld.bz/H4RA

A Golden Rule for writers: http://dld.bz/HFjW

Your protagonist must have a goal: http://dld.bz/HAha

The heart, mind and murder test for writers: http://dld.bz/HAgR

7 Tips for Tweeting Links that Get Clicked: http://dld.bz/HAgM

BBC to provide answer to Charles Dickens' final mystery (Guardian): http://dld.bz/HAg3

Hawk Roosting at the Library of Congress: http://dld.bz/HAjN

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Mushroom and Rice Casserole http://bit.ly/foeuU7 @CleoCoyle

'Hunger Games': Why Kids Love Disaster, Distress and Dystopia (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/H9ur

Characters: What Are They Good For? http://dld.bz/HxuP

Tips on effective use of hashtags: http://dld.bz/H9rB

A writer with a round-up of agent advice on Twitter for the week: http://dld.bz/H9qW @HeatherMcCorkle

Does Your Novel Fall Victim to the Protagonist/Goal Switcheroo? http://dld.bz/H9qr

Need ideas to jump start your project? The Thirty-six (plus one) Dramatic Situations: http://dld.bz/H5Qq

A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing: http://dld.bz/H5PB

An agent on how to write a book proposal: http://dld.bz/H5NB

How to Prevent Reader Boredom in Your Novel: http://dld.bz/H5Np

You've Written a Novel. Now What? http://dld.bz/H4Sg

A day in the life of an agent: http://dld.bz/H4RA

Why being unpublished is great: http://dld.bz/H4MF

Tall, Dark & Handsome: How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Characters? http://dld.bz/H4JG

Introducing the search engine for writers--finding resources that Google won't: http://dld.bz/H5FX

Subjective Point of View: expressing judgment with adverbs and verbs: http://dld.bz/H4H4

A glossary of copyrights for writers: http://dld.bz/H4G4

5 tips for being a good book reviewer: http://dld.bz/H4hk @camillelaguire

The 3 Traits of a Writer—and Why You Can't Succeed Without Them: http://dld.bz/HxtY

An interesting look at how crime fiction sleuths cope with the stress that murders create: http://dld.bz/H4es @mkinberg

Another post in the interesting series "Understanding Screenwriting": http://dld.bz/HxtM

Clean Out Your Inbox Week: http://dld.bz/HxtA

Breakdown of "The Mist" to help explain the story structure concept: http://dld.bz/H3kB

Ghirardelli Mocha Challenge Winner shares his $1500 prize-winning #recipe: http://goo.gl/uUj5y #chocolate #barista #coffee

5 Ways Facebook's Discussions App Will Make You a Better Blogger: http://dld.bz/Hxt3

Twitter – Time to get Social: http://dld.bz/Hxuy @JustusRStone

Internet Broadcasting is the Next Big Wave: http://dld.bz/HsV6

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome Ghirardelli's Mocha Challenge Winner: Jason Dominy Shares His $1500 Prize... http://bit.ly/emmu2m @CleoCoyle

What's In A Title? Everything: http://dld.bz/HsVz

The Art of A Short Story: http://dld.bz/HsVA

A Post for Procrastinators: http://dld.bz/HtcR

Can You Hear Me Now? Developing Your Voice: http://dld.bz/Htcu

Is Schmoozing the New Way Into Traditional Publication? http://dld.bz/HsYX

Typos--how much do they matter? And a list of grammar resources for writers: http://dld.bz/HsYS

A lit agent with writers' conference tips: http://dld.bz/HsX7

Forget Google. Here's a new search engine...for writers: http://dld.bz/Hnnn @Hiveword

Boozing the Muse: http://dld.bz/HsVe @lauramunson

Formatpalooza--the emailed query: http://dld.bz/HvKJ

8 Keys to Blogging Success: http://dld.bz/HsUU

Reasons Why your Submissions didn't get Published: http://dld.bz/HsUe

How To Use Facebook Advertising To Market Your Book: http://dld.bz/HsTJ @thecreativepenn

Crafting Outlines That Work for You: http://dld.bz/HsTu

Why You Should Read the Type of Stories You Write: http://dld.bz/HsTn

The Process of Creation – Concepts – Scenes: http://dld.bz/HsSV @JustusRStone

7 things one writer has learned about writing: http://dld.bz/HnDe

Signal words: http://dld.bz/HnmT

One writer says, "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel.": http://dld.bz/HnmS

8 tips for creating a unique personal brand: http://dld.bz/HnmD

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Rigatoni with Chicken Thighs and Sausage http://bit.ly/hSyayu @CleoCoyle

Top 10 dead bodies in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/HdsT

In the moment dialogue: http://dld.bz/HdsQ

Why Writers Should Go To Writers' Conferences - It's Not What You Think: http://dld.bz/HdsN

Making use of your Kindle--some tips: http://dld.bz/HdsC

So You Want to Start a Book Blog: Pre-Blogging Advice: http://dld.bz/Hdsm

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 1/21/11): http://dld.bz/HnmH

Famous literary mentoring: http://dld.bz/Hdrr

The week in tweets--Twitterific: http://dld.bz/Hh8e

Ten Steps to Writing Your Memoir in 2011 (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Hdrk

Is deep reading becoming a thing of the past? http://dld.bz/Hh7H @CCTimes

The tone of your story: http://dld.bz/HdqY

Trail Blazing With Your Plot: Planting the Clues and Hints in Your Story: http://dld.bz/Hdq9

Finding creative balance--making room for writing in your life: http://dld.bz/Hdqv

3 fixes to make your first novel fly: part 3 – don't be linear: http://dld.bz/Hdqg @dirtywhitecandy

Max Your Dreams: http://dld.bz/Hdqf

Going with the Flow of Your Reader's Early Training: http://dld.bz/HbnV @TheNoteProject

The Top 20 Passwords Of All Time (That Need To Be Avoided): http://dld.bz/HdrE

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome, Guest Hannah Dennison http://bit.ly/fkKvI8 @CleoCoyle

Make your book unique by making it twist: http://dld.bz/GVXw

How Querying Agents Is Like the American Idol Auditions: http://dld.bz/GVWn

Writing a Young Narrator: http://dld.bz/GVUw

Beware of Agent Solicitations: http://dld.bz/GVUq

When Is a Story Worth Writing – Part Two: http://dld.bz/Hbhg @JamiGold

What Happens to Your Blog When You're Dead? http://dld.bz/GVSk

A Couple of Reader Observations

My book club, I have to admit, is a picky group.

In fact, I don't believe I can recall attending a single meeting  where the group was in agreement.  Usually, the group is divided between folks who liked a book and disliked it.  Frequently, actually, my book club could be divided into folks who loved a book and hated it.

On Thursday, though, amazingly, they all enjoyed the same book—Crank. 

If you haven't read it, Crank is usually classified as a YA book.  It's not a lighthearted read…it covers a life being destroyed by meth.

So why would a group of  suburban women from age 35—50 enjoy the book so much?

From what I picked up from the individual comments, it was the author's astonishingly unique approach (the book is written in poetic form, but as a narrative.  The columns could all be read more than one way)  and the fact that they felt it could happen to them…that their normal, high-performing, soccer-playing child could be consumed by the same monster that consumed the teenager in the book.

The teenager in the book was a straight-A high school junior who was completely transformed.

The conversation on the typesetting alone lasted about twenty minutes.  And you'd have to see it to believe it—absolutely brilliant.  I imagine that the book must have cost a mint for the publisher to produce—only few words on each page and a lot of pages.

I think the publisher knew it was going to be a huge hit.  It became a bestselling—a book of poetry.  That's like a musical becoming a Hollywood blockbuster.

What was interesting to me, as a writer, was that this book club meeting dragged on way past my bedtime. :)  These women weren't going anywhere.  They talked and talked about the book.  They worried about their children.  They blamed the mother in the book, then forgave her.

Although I don't write cautionary tales, I'm always very interested in what strikes a chord with readers.  Y'all know that I keep an eye on the market too, but this is a little different.  This is writing with the reader in mind.

I know I couldn't pull off a book like Crank, nor would I want to—because it's been done so successfully already. 

But I like the idea of creating situations where readers say "this could happen to me."  Something that pulls them into the story and makes them feel as if it was happening to them.  Of a troubled protagonist who is deeply flawed. None of those women in that room had experience with the dark underbelly of the drug world.  But it struck a chord with all of them.  They became empathetic with the drug-addicted teenager in the book.

None of them blamed the girl in the book.  And I think, to create such a deeply flawed protagonist, we'd have to set it up so the character still comes off as sympathetic—more a victim of circumstances.  And that's a tricky balance: having a sympathetic protagonist who the reader won't lose respect for—even though their actions are irresponsible or even dangerous.

Have you ever pulled off a character with huge personality flaws?  Do you enjoy reading these types of characters?

Why I Won't Take the Bait

There is definitely a personality type out there that I'm running into more and more frequently (especially now that my following has increased on Twitter and Facebook.) This type of person is usually very bright and enjoys bringing up valid, if provocative, points on something that I've written or a link that I've tweeted.

From the way they've worded their response to the topic, it's more in the form of a challenge. It's occasionally a little on the rude side. It's clear they're looking for me to debate the topic.

And I'll write back and just agree that I can see where someone would share their point of view and leave it at that.

When I agree that a person has a valid viewpoint, an argument is usually diffused.

So, recently, a gentleman disagreed with something that I'd tweeted (regarding a post I hadn't written, but that I'd shared.)

As usual, I wrote back and mildly said that I could see where someone might share his opinion (being, as I always do, careful not to state my own opinion.)

He wrote me back: "It's not as much fun when you won't argue the point!"

Do any of us benefit from getting into arguments or debates on Twitter, Facebook, or any other forum?

Here's why I won't take the bait:

I know there is more than one way to look at an issue.

I don't like confrontation.

Something that starts out on the friendly side can deteriorate.

I have more to lose than I have to gain.

I don't have time to argue.

I don't care enough to argue.

It doesn't matter to me if I'm right or not.

There is no way I will come out looking good from an argument.

I don't gain anything from being argumentative.

Words live forever online.

I've heard several stories from authors that they had an email from their publisher over a political position the writer took on their blog or an ill-advised argument they had online. I have no desire to get in hot water with my publishers. In some ways I represent them, too.

Do I really want, ten or twenty years from now, my kids to be able to access a pointless argument I had online when I was having a bad day? Or my grandchildren even? This stuff stays out there.

One of the reasons I'm blogging and active in the online community is because I'm interested in hearing a variety of different approaches and ideas from different writers. In fact, I really want to be saturated with these ideas, because that's how I grow.

So I won't take the bait—I'm more interested in hearing your argument than in being right.

Have you ever gotten baited online? (I'll admit to hoping for a 'yes' answer because I'm starting to think it's just me!)

Knowing What Trips Us Up

Tuesday, I was going through my daughter's weekly folder of graded school papers--parents are supposed to review the papers, help the kids with any problem areas, and sign that the folder has been checked.

Everything looked great until I saw a writing project paper that stopped my quick flipping through the pages. There were red marks all over it, which was unusual. And my daughter's writing looked different.

She ordinarily has a fun, and breezy writing voice. This writing was stilted and forced.

Even her handwriting looked different. It was very formal and stiff. There were perfectly-formed letters as if she'd tried to do calligraphy instead of the messier writing I see when she's in the flow and is trying to put her ideas down on paper.

What on earth had happened?

I really didn't want to approach her in a critical way (especially with this particular subject and coming from me), so I was just clearing my throat and figuring out what to say when she saw me holding her paper and burst into tears. Which was the last thing I wanted, of course.

They'd started a new creative writing program and the grading was going to be very strict, she said. She pointed out the rubric grid that was stapled to the back of the paper. The rubric was detailed, with four sections detailing what the paper would be graded on… from mechanics, to content, to neatness.

And she'd totally freaked out.

Honestly, it really had little to do with the assignment and a lot to do with her. I'm just completely delighted to see creative writing taught in public school at all, honestly. And it is time to really focus on getting the mechanics perfected….she's nine years old.

For her, though, it messed her up to look at this rubric while she was writing. When I suggested that , in future, she make a rough draft first and then make corrections in the second draft, she was all smiles.

Apparently, she's her mother's child. :) It makes me freeze when I think too much about the mechanics of my writing while I'm being creative.

For other writers, it's completely the opposite. Seeing all the typos and other mistakes in the first draft distracts some writers so much that they can't move forward until the mistakes are corrected first.

There's really so much advice out there on writing. Much of it is contradictory because it's what works for that particular writer—and each writer is different.

I wish there was a faster way to know what works as a writer, but I know it took me ages to figure out if I was an outliner or a pantster, if I could research as I wrote or if I needed to wait, or if I should edit as I wrote or at the end.

I tried each method and just paid attention if it was a struggle or not. I noted if I stalled when it was time to write or if my writing was really unnatural and stilted—and then I tried something else.

I'm always looking for ways to be a better writer. And I think I'm still looking for ways to have a better writing process. I probably just need to stick with what works and leave it alone. :)

Have you learned what trips you up as a writer? And what works for you?

Encouraging Reading

First up, thanks so much to everyone for their reception of the Writer's Knowledge Database yesterday. I really appreciate it and am so glad you found it helpful! Please continue sending in any suggestions you've got for the resource.

My post today goes a little off my usual topics, although I think it's still very important to writers…it's about encouraging children to read.

It's hard for many of us to imagine, because we were probably all avid readers when we were kids. But I have parents emailing me every month asking me for book recommendations or general recommendations for getting their children to read.

I'm lucky that both of my children enjoy reading. But I work hard talking to classrooms and other parents to try to encourage kids to read. There are so many other distractions these days and I want to ensure that there's a next generation of readers and writers.

Again, this is an area where I'm not an expert, but something that I feel strongly about. While I was a traditional reader as a kid, I'm happy to think more outside the box in order to loop in new readers. If I'm talking to a school or a Scout group, I'm going to think of as many ways to tempt readers as I can. These are my tips and thoughts for encouraging kids to read:

Put books everywhere. I've even been known to stick Popular Science on the coffee table in front of the Xbox when my son's friends are over. They will definitely leaf through it.

Scan book blogs to find YA releases and what's hot for juvenile literature. Sometimes if their peers are reading the newest, coolest book it might pique their interest. And then maybe they'll move on to other things.

Shel Silverstein for the kid who won't read a book straight through.

Try non-fiction for the reader who can't seem to get into a novel.

Challenged readers? Give them a book above their reading level…maybe a Harry Potter. And download the book onto your Ipod or MP3 player..and let them follow along in the book and gain confidence (and an increased vocabulary.)

Look for 'Best of 2010 (and other years) lists. You'll find an amazing list of recommendations for different types of books for children (and adults, too) at this site: Largehearted Boy.

Graphic novels have come a long way. You can now find beautiful graphic novel versions of major classical works, even. And there are series like the Bone series that create whole worlds for kids to explore.

Not getting anywhere with books? See if a download on a Kindle makes reading more interesting.

Pick up some picture books. I bring picture books home from the library every time I go and just leave them on the kitchen table. The kids (who would definitely say they're too old for picture books) will still read them with a lot of enjoyment, savoring the pictures and words.

Sometimes reading aloud to children every night is the best or only solution to get them interested in a book. I've gotten my kids started several times on books that initially didn't appeal to them by reading the story to them, then handing the book over when I got to an exciting part.

Magazines for children and teens are another way to sneak in some more reading for reluctant readers.

Know what your child most likes to read. And for the most reluctant of readers, know what they will read. Is there just one particular book that they really enjoyed? Look up that book on Amazon and books similar to that one will crop up in their "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section.

Any other ideas or tips for encouraging our future readers to read?