Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 32

May 1, 2022

On File Organization

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Apologies in advance for the dry topic. :) But I thought I'd share my thoughts on organizing writing-related computer files, which has helped save me time and keep me from making bad errors.

Making errors through poor file management might sound like a strange thing. But it's very easy to do if you're updating a document, for instance. Not only do you need to update the source document (often Word), but you need to update the epub. You'll need to update the PDF for a printed book. If you share free copies through sites like BookFunnel or ProlificWorks, you'll need to update a mobi file, too. Then maybe you realize after you've downloaded files in all the formats that you meant to update your book list. After you do that, you download the files in all the different formats yet again. Later, maybe years later, when you want to make additional corrections or updates, you might be left wondering where the updated file is or which one was the most current. You could go back to the dashboard for the retail site and download the file from there but it's easier to just have your own files neatly labeled and on your own computer.

It doesn't have to be a complicated system. . . in fact, I think it works better when it's simple.

Inside My Documents, I have a folder for each series. Inside each series folder, I have a folder for each title. Inside each title's folder, I have a sub-folder for covers, and for various formats of the finished book. I also include the book description, the outline, and the final Word doc.

I like to keep my cover files in more than one place so I have a cover folder on the OneDrive cloud app. Inside the main folder is a sub-folder for each series. Inside that is a folder for each title which contains paperback covers, translation covers, hardback covers, audio covers, etc.

The file problem is even worse if you have a lot of books out, which makes having a system even more important. As I write this, I have 45 books out. It makes me feel better knowing that I can easily put my hands on a file without getting confused. Or, perish the thought, accidentally publish an old file when making an update.

This is what works best for me, but I'm curious to know what you've done to make sense of all the files on your computer. Any tips?

Organizing Book Files and Covers:
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Published on May 01, 2022 21:02

April 30, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 63,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

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Published on April 30, 2022 21:01

April 23, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on April 23, 2022 21:02

April 17, 2022

3 Tools to Deep Point of View: Immerse Your Readers Into Your Story

By Alice Gaines, @AliceGaines

Let me say first off that I’m a romance writer, so all of my examples will sound as if they came from romance novels. It’s my conviction that the techniques I laid out in my book about Deep Point of View apply just as well to other genres. I can’t speak to literary fiction. And of course, as with all craft methods, take what works for you and leave the rest alone.

I was a baby writer, working on my first book, when I wrote an argument scene between my two protagonists. I was in the woman’s POV, and I wrote the following: “He was angry, but he was willing to listen.” I showed it to my critique partner and said, “That must be a POV mistake.” She agreed, but we both thought it worked, so we left it in.

I had similar revelations while writing that book, and I finally realized that what I was writing was the direct perceptions of my POV character, not an author reporting on those perceptions or even necessarily a realistic portrayal of what was happening. In the olden days, we used to call that Getting the Author off the Page, and it was considered desirable.

As I became more experienced, I realized that the words that generally get us into trouble with distancing the reader from the character are verbs that fall into three identifiable categories. Those are:

Perceiving verbs: the five senses – see, hear, touch, taste, smell. “She saw him put the phone down” is an author telling you what the character saw. The same with “He smelled something off,” or “He heard the door slam.”

Thinking verbs: Think, doubt, question, realize, imagine, be puzzled or confused. “She wondered what he was thinking,” is distancing. So is “He questioned her motives,” and “He realized she was lying.” Also, “She was confused by what he meant” is reporting on her state of mind rather than showing it. (Have you spotted the worlds “telling’ and “showing”? Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.)

Emoting verbs. Love, hate, like, desire, fear, wish, etc. To feel anger, hope, fear, joy, sadness, or any other emotion. “She hated snakes,” is not the best way to show your POV character hates snakes. The same with “He liked chocolate.” And “She was so sad” is a lame way to convey your character’s unhappiness.

Whenever I can, I attend sessions on Deep POV, and usually, the speaker gives a nice review of things like character sketches and other methods of knowing the character intimately from the inside. Then at the end, they speak about “filter” or “distancing” words to avoid. Generally, the verbs I’ve outlined are on that list but not in any organized fashion. I think it’s much easier to remember those three categories – perceiving verbs, thinking verbs, and emoting verbs.

There are limits to this, of course. You might want “Charlotte hated snakes” in the very beginning of a scene to set the POV. Then, too, sometimes you can twist yourself – and the reader – into knots to get around those verbs. But in general, try to avoid them unless you’ve ascertained that they really do belong there.

So, how do you get around using these verbs?

There are more examples in the book, but the solutions vary from the extremely simple to the more complex. Instead of “she saw the wagon train approaching,” try “the wagon train approached.” Or use “something in the box stank” instead of “he smelled something bad in the box.” Instead of “she hated snakes, try “Damn! A snake not six inches from her foot.” Rather than “She wanted to go outside,” how about “It was so beautiful outside, and she was cooped up in this room”?

After all, if you’re afraid of snakes, when you see one, you don’t think “I’m afraid of snakes.” You think, “Get that slimy thing away from me.”

By the way, snakes aren’t slimy, which brings me to my last point. We’re conveying our characters’ perceptions, and human perceptions are very often wrong. Show those perceptions, wrong or not, and the reader will figure out what’s true. Solving a riddle like that makes the reader feel clever and gives them a little extra jolt of pleasure. And that’s your job, after all.

3 Tools to Deep Point of View from @AliceGaines :
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ABOUT ALICE GAINES

USA Today bestselling author Alice Gaines writes about nice people having outrageous sex. She’s published with numerous houses, including Red Sage, Dorchester, Harlequin Spice Briefs, Carina Press, and Avon Impulse.

Her Regency romance, Captain and Countess, was one of the first ten books selected for Kindle Scout.

Over her long career, she's won several awards and contests for her writing. She currently writes erotic contemporary romance and sizzling paranormal romance for Entangled Publishing and Changeling Press.

She's a firm believer that Deep Point of View is a powerful tool for pulling readers into your story.

SITE: https://alicegainesbooks.com

BLOG: http://alicegaines.blogspot.com

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Gaines/e/B003ZO8D70

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Published on April 17, 2022 21:01

April 16, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A happy Easter to all who celebrate!

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on April 16, 2022 21:02

April 10, 2022

On Changing Perspective

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It's good to be back from my little sabbatical. Actually, “sabbatical” makes it sound like a peaceful time of reflection, which it decidedly was not, ha. During my blog break, my husband and I moved to another North Carolina town, leaving our home of nearly 22 years. Let me just say that it's amazing what you can collect over the course of almost 22 years. :)

We'd decided to capitalize on the booming seller's market and then rent a furnished house for a while so we could better house-hunt in the area we're interested in living in (the greater Asheville area). In the process, we've temporarily moved our two fur-babies and ourselves into a much smaller home while we look for a new place.

I'm very much an introvert, so my previous world was centered around our former home: writing, doing writing-related business, watching the birds at our feeders, walking the dog. Very routine-driven and quiet.

Now we're in a completely different setting. As jarring as this has been in some ways, it's also been good for a general change of perspective. Sitting on the front porch of the rental house, preschoolers walk across the street to the playground and back with their teachers. The street is very busy with a variety of people of different ages and backgrounds, giving me much more to take in than my cul-de-sac in Matthews did. The scenery is different, too, providing me with mountain views whenever I drive to the grocery store.

All of this helps feed into my writing by refilling my well. Although there's nothing particularly relaxing about changing up my routine, it helps keep my writing from becoming blah. I've discovered over the years that refilling my well is a vital activity. It prevents me from burning out totally. I can write through burnout, but it's not a pleasant experience and the writing is weaker.

You don't have to do something as radical as a move to change your perspective and refill your well.

Here are some other ideas:

Switching up where you write at home: This is a pandemic trick…if you usually write in your living room, switch to your kitchen. It might sound so minor as to be silly, but even the slight change gave me a different view out the windows.

Writing in public: Libraries, coffee shops, parks, and other public places give you the opportunity to see different types of people which can help with character creation. Discreetly listening in on conversations helps, too. :)

Reading in a broader range of genres: I usually read mysteries of various kinds, but when I stretch myself by reading fantasy or young adult or nonfiction books, I gain different perspectives that influence what I write.

Writing on paper: If you haven't tried writing longhand, give it a go. If I get stuck with my project, I nearly always move to paper. I also like paper for brainstorming and outlining.

Watching international films or movies in a different genre: This goes along with reading books in other genres. Visual entertainment can also help refill a writer's well.

What do you do to change your perspective or shake things up a little with your writing?

Changing Your Perspective as a Writer:
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Published on April 10, 2022 21:01

Maple Leaf Mystery Conference: Come Check it Out

by Mike Martin, @Mike54Martin

Greetings to our American cousins and many thanks to Elizabeth for giving us the opportunity to tell you about an exciting event happening north of your borders.

From May 24-28 some of Canada’s top mystery writers will be gathering for the first ever Virtual Canadian Mystery Conference. The idea for a Canadian conference has been brewing for years, even since the demise of Bloody Words, a fabulous meet-up of writers and fans that many of you may attended in the past. Out of the ashes of the old comes the Maple Leaf Mystery Conference. This year on Zoom and next year… one can only dream.

The really good news is that while we have to pay $25 to attend this event spread out over 5 days, you guys can get it for less than $20.00 USD. Plus, all of the sessions will be recorded, and you can watch any or all of them later on our YouTube channel.

So, who’s all coming to the Maple Leaf Mystery Conference? Besides international mystery giant Ian Rankin and Murdoch Mystery’s Maureen Jennings there is a stellar line-up of Canadian mystery and crime writers. Author Spotlights include sessions with Rankin, Jennings, Cozy Queen Vicki Delany, Best-Selling Thriller Rick Mofina and Up and Coming Star Iona Whishaw.

There’s also 10 Author Panels moderated by fab Canadian Mystery writers like Barbara Fradkin, Judy Penz Sheluk and retired Toronto Police detective Des Ryan. Here is the full list of the Author Panels:

It Really HappenedCozy CornerThrilling and ChillingChanging Faces in Crime/Mystery WritingLove with a Murderous TwistDeadly LaughterThe Big ShortMaple Leaf Murder WestMaple Leaf Murder EastNew Voices in Canadian Mystery.

This year’s conference is sponsored by Crime Writers Canada and Sisters in Crime Toronto Chapter. There will be an Online Bookstore and special giveaways every day.

Tickets for the entire 5-day event can be purchased for just $25! Or less than $20 USD.

Visit https://writers-first.com/maple-leaf-mystery-conference/ for full conference details.

Mike Martin

Conference Organizer

Maple Leaf Mystery

Mystery Writers: A Virtual Canadian Mystery Conference (via @mike54martin ):
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Published on April 10, 2022 21:01

April 9, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on April 09, 2022 21:01

April 3, 2022

Taking a Writing Break

by Alex J. Cavanaugh, @AlexJCavanaugh

Sometimes writers take a break. Maybe it’s a short break for a vacation or a month just to focus on other things for a while. On occasion, they take a longer break when they are stuck, burn out, or unmotivated to write.

But what happens when that break turns into years?

My last novel was in 2015. In 2016, a short story was published. Since then, I have contributed to a couple magazines and books. But another novel? Yeah, that just wasn’t happening.

I’d previously completed a trilogy. The fourth book was a stand-alone and the short story a prequel to the trilogy. I couldn’t see anywhere else for that solo book to go. (Although I did write a follow up short story for a fan that I give freely to anyone who finishes the fourth book.) After living in a series, it was a lot to come up with something new, and I had no ideas for anything else. I figured I’d had a good run as an author and if it ended there, so be it.

So, I took a break. A long break.

But not from writing. I kept writing blog posts and articles. As founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, I kept busy with duties running the site and the monthly blog posting. I continued to interact with other writers, through the group and through blogging. I featured other authors when they published books, excited for them even though my own writing career had ground to a halt. I never retreated from the writing community, which in turn kept me going.

I also watched a lot of movies. (A lot!) I listened to a lot of music. (It seemed every week a band I liked was putting out an album.) Both of those things tend to inspire me, visually with the movies and internally with the music. I mean, who can’t get worked up with excitement when a prog band is pounding out an incredible riff? (Well, probably not everyone—insert your own music there.)

I think the key was I never disconnected from the writing community and I continued to feed my creativity.

I’m not sure what sparked the idea for CassaDark. Probably a song. (Devin Townsend’s Stormbending maybe?) But I started an outline and let it flow. It took a while to get back into the swing of it, but after many months, I felt I had a solid enough story to begin writing.

I wish I could tell you I dove into it with gusto. Not writing creatively for several years meant I was quite rusty. That first draft took longer than any story I’ve ever written. Almost two years. But once I had it done (I hate first drafts anyway), the revisions picked up speed. Then beta readers, followed by editing and critique partners. Eventually, I had something worthy enough to submit to my publisher—and they accepted!

Do I recommend seven years in between novels? Not at all! I probably lost a lot of fans during that time and will have to tackle this next book like a first release. But I did finally write again. And for anyone struggling along the same lines, wondering if you will put out another book, if I can do it, you can as well. Just give it some time, feed your creativity, and stay connected!

Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://alexjcavanaugh.com

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh

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CassaDark
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Release date – April 6, 2022
Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction – Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print ISBN 9781939844842 $16.95 / eBook ISBN 9781939844859 $4.99

Links:
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark

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Published on April 03, 2022 21:01