Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 36

November 14, 2021

10-Step Plan to Self-Publish a Book

by Hank Quense, @hanque99

Self-publishing a book is a complex project. It gets even more complex when you add in the necessary pre-publication marketing tasks. The best way to proceed with a project like this is by using a detailed plan. This article describes such a plan in brief.

The mind-map outlines the ten steps in the plan.

Step 1: Initial Tasks are about preparation. Is your manuscript finished? (If it’s a first draft, it is not finished). If not, now is the time to complete it. Other tasks include using Beta readers and developing the publishing budget.

Step 2: Professional Help. The author needs professional help on the project. The two most essential ones are a cover artist and an editor. Another possibility is technical help to format the book and/or design the interior.

Step 3: Book Description. The mind-map shows this as a marketing step. Actually, it’s half marketing and half publishing. The content developed here will be important in the marketing efforts but it is also required when the manuscript is uploaded to a packager (Step 7). In this step the author concentrates on developing the book’s keywords, the book blurb and the description. This step will take time and a lot of creative thinking to complete and will require a lot of revising.

Step 4: Getting Ready. At this point the author does packager research, prepares the manuscript for uploading and decides on need for an ISBN (or not).

Step 5: Initial Marketing Tasks is where the author develops a strategic marketing plan and a marketing budget. A vitally important question is: Who are the book’s customers? This question isn’t as simple as it may seem at first glance. Developing a marketing plan requires a lot of thinking and a need to match-funding requirements against the budget.

Step 6: Develop an Author Platform discusses a crucially important aspect of marketing. The author platform consists of several components such as a website page, Amazon Author Central page, social media accounts and a media kit.

Step 7: Pre-launch Activities is where the author uploads the manuscript and cover files to the packager. It also establishes the pre-order, if necessary.

Step 8: Getting Book Reviews involves just that: getting the book reviewed.

Step 9: Announce Book availability. On Launch Day, the author works on the tasks necessary to tell the world (or a small part of it) that the book can now be ordered.

Step 10: Post-launch Marketing is the never-ending tasks the author works on to market the book.

In conclusion: An immediate question that will crop up with authors who aren’t familiar with self-publishing is: How long will such a project take to complete? That answer depends on a number of variables. These variables include: how much time can be devoted to the project; how computer competent the author is and how long will the professional help require to complete their work. With a favorable tail wind, I’d say the project will take four months from the time the manuscript is complete until the book becomes available.

This article describes a workable ten step plan. To use it, the author will need to perform research to flesh out the details in each step. An alternative is to use the details in my new book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps. It will be available for pre-order on November 15 and will be published on December 1, 2021. It’s available from Amazon and other book sellers.

Hank Quense’s website Writers & Authors Resource Center provides material relating to fiction writing, self-publishing and book marketing.

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Published on November 14, 2021 21:01

November 13, 2021

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 61,000 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 November 13, 2021 21:01

November 7, 2021

Facebook Parties for Promo

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Facebook has always been a platform that I've struggled with. I rarely use my personal account, but I do maintain my professional account. I know I have a lot of readers using Facebook.

It's also a platform where I could have the ability to reach new readers…something I tried harder to do in 2020.

I chose to go through a service to run my Facebook parties last year. Marie McNary of A Cozy Experience did a fantastic job. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, she is taking a break from running Facebook parties (she has kids she's having to homeschool, etc), but I hope she'll eventually come back. A quick search online showed that there are other businesses that offer similar services. You can expect to pay $85–$100. The nice thing about using a service was that they created the images and script for the party and handled the giveaway. Marie posted directly to the Facebook event invite and posted every 5 minutes for an hour. I answered comments and questions that Marie posted. She posted the giveaway winners to the page the next day.

But this isn't something you have to go through a service for. You can host a Facebook party yourself or join a group of authors doing one. (Joanna Campbell Slan hosted one last March that was a lot of fun. She assigned everyone a different time slot.)

Tips for Running Facebook Parties

Decide on your goal. The goal could be a number of different things: more Facebook followers, more newsletter subscribers, more followers on Amazon or Goodreads, or just visibility in a crowded market.

Plan the party, including images. You can make sure your images are optimized for Facebook by using a free program like Canva.com.

Include giveaways. This is a great way to encourage new readers to discover your books. Be sure to set up parameters for the giveaway…digital copies? Print? Only open to readers in the continental US? It's also important to be aware of Facebook's rules for giveaways.

Include an image of books in your series. Make sure one of the posts you run shows your series or book. It's said that The Marketing Rule of 7 still applies to modern purchases, so you want potential readers to see your covers and get familiar with your books for a possible later purchase.

Include a post including your contact information. This is a great way to get new followers, subscribers, or for readers to be able to reach out with further questions. Including your website address helps readers find out more about your books.

Keep refreshing the page to see new comments. Facebook doesn't do a good job of refreshing and if you don't manually do it, you may find that you're far behind in responding right off the bat.

Respond to and like comments. It may be hard to keep up in real time, but if you accidentally miss a couple, you can go back later to reply. The whole exercise is supposed to be a virtual meet-and-greet, though, so eventually responding to and liking comments is important.

Have you thrown Facebook launch parties or other Facebook parties? How did it go? What other promo activities have you tried out recently?

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Published on November 07, 2021 21:01

November 6, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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Published on November 06, 2021 21:02

October 31, 2021

Cozy Mystery Book Cover Design Tips and Secrets

By MiblArt – book cover design company for authors, @miblart

Speaking from experience, creating cozy mystery book covers is a lot of fun because of how unusual the genre is. The name itself implies an odd contrast: Mystery is all about tension, suspense, and often death, while cozy is something warm, fluffy, and pleasant.

It means that every cozy mystery book cover is a little challenge — a balancing act to display the warmth of familiar and imply the suspenseful mystery of unfamiliar. So, what makes these covers tick? Let’s take a look at cozy mystery book cover design tips, trends, and examples to figure it out.

Cozy Mystery Target Audience

A cozy mystery book cover design is first and foremost a marketing tool. And an effective marketing effort starts with target audience research.

Based on this Facebook ad targeting research, a cozy mystery audience is

Mostly female (85%);Majority over 40 yo;Highly-educated with jobs in administration, education, and sales.

Such a TA is a mature and experienced one. They definitely know what they want from a cozy mystery book — an escape into a world of elaborate puzzles and intrigue that leaves out the graphic details for the sake of pure enjoyment. Such stories should be driven by interesting, strong, and intelligent characters that can grow and change.

So, what book covers would such an audience prefer?

Cozy Mystery Book Cover Design Trends

Let’s take a look at the current market as it reflects the audience’s demands. Currently, we’re witnessing the following cozy mystery cover design trends.

Illustrated Covers

The first thing that comes to attention is that the majority of cozy mystery covers are illustrated.

We think one of the main reasons for illustration’s popularity is that such hand-drawn art is whimsical and, well, cozy. There's a certain quality to the illustrated design that’s difficult to replicate.

Bright colors

Expectedly, cozy mystery covers prefer bright color palettes. They don’t want that gritty moody look traditionally associated with crime novels. You can also see dominating pastel hues on some art, but the hues feel tender, not mute.

Lots of pets

There are a lot of pets, in particular dogs, on the covers. There isn't much to say here: Pets are great, cute, and fluffy. What says “cozy mystery” more than a loyal fluffy detective partner with a sharp sense of smell?

Lush fonts

As in every genre, there’s a fair share of minimalistic fonts on cozy mystery book covers. But, the dominating consensus is with elaborate, intricate fonts that feel big and charming.

Dense with detail

Often, the covers feel just like a detective mystery itself. There are plenty of details and little clues you’re trying to piece together to get the feel of the story and its plot.

Rarely focused on character

Though interesting characters are at the heart of cozy mystery novels, the book covers rarely focus on them. Occasionally, it may feel like we’re assuming the POV of the protagonist, observing the city, old house, cozy cafe, or a room filled with pleasant light and warmth. But rarely, the covers depict the face or figure of the character.

Cozy Mystery Book Cover Design Tips

It’s for you to decide whether you want to follow current cozy mystery cover trends or try different approaches. Regardless of your choice though, there are a few tips that can benefit any cover.

Make the covers cozy but don’t forget to hint at suspense

The best cozy mystery covers double down on the cozy while hinting at the suspense. Such an approach creates a very specific feeling that is unique to the genre.

By useful coincidence, a great example of such covers is Elizabeth Spann Craig's A Myrtle Clover Mystery. The covers of the books paint beautiful, welcoming pictures… If not for drops of blood here and there, a spilled glass of wine, or a skull on a dice. These tiny eerie details don’t completely override art’s pleasant vibe but imply “something went horribly wrong here; let’s figure it out!”

There are many ways you can go around and about creating these subtle contrasts. For example, you can take a more direct approach and leave all the heavy lifting to the title/subtitle while the artwork is clean of any thrilling details. Or you can build tension with dynamic scenes. For example, take a look at this chase on the cover of Maia Ross’s Irmageddon.

Cover designed by MiblArt

Pick a font that suits the feel of the cover

We suggest picking fonts that feel like a continuation of the art. If, for example, a cover depicts an old house that is perfectly strict in its geometric perfection, a suitably geometric font will do the cover justice. A nice example is Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle. The typography feels like woodwork itself — slightly rough, but beautifully precise and angular.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs. The artwork is lush, blooming, and exquisite; so is the font.

Usually, if the cover is full of detail, we advocate for minimalist fonts without embellishments and extra curves for better readability and contrast. With cozy mysteries, we refrain though. And Lavender Blue Murder shows why: A lush font looks gorgeous and it works for the genre like a charm.

Use familiar color palettes

Color is a king, queen, a royal family, if you will, of cover design. Even if people don’t realize it, emotion lives within each hue. That’s why it’s so important to pick colors that send a proper emotional message.

In the case of cozy mysteries, we also suggest picking color palettes that are intimately familiar to your audience. Extra points if the colorwork feels particularly nostalgic.

Do you know that scene from Pixar’s Ratatouille when the cynic critic remembers what it’s like to be a sincere and happy kid because of the oh-so nostalgic taste of the dish? Ideally, you want to evoke the same feelings of painful but beautiful longing in your audience.

A great example of a cozy mystery cover that pulls it off is Christmas Suspense by V. B. Tenery. You can hardly find a person who wouldn’t resonate with the art and colorwork of the cover.

Cover designed by MiblArt

Have Fun

Often, the hardest person to please is yourself. It’s especially difficult when you’re working in tandem with another artist. Our advice here is don’t limit yourself to perceived conventions, don’t be afraid to try different things, and experiment with ideas. In other words — have fun. If you’ll have fun working on a cover, chances that you’ll love it are much higher. Besides, the fun is infectious; the readers will feel it.

Cover designed by MiblArt

Summing Up

A cozy mystery is a delightful and very interesting genre to work with. It offers a lot of space for creativity, experiments, and unrestrained fun. Besides, the genre is constantly evolving, and we can’t wait to see how you will continue pushing its boundaries in both storytelling and cover design.

MiblArt is a book cover design company for self-published authors. We design covers that turn into your best marketing tool.

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Published on October 31, 2021 21:01

October 30, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy Halloween!

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous The Philippines' Collective Stand at Frankfurt : ‘Culture and Identity': @rogertagholm @Book_Fair @pubperspectives Frankfurter Buchmesse Reports 73,500 Attendees From 105 Countries: @Porter_Anderson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives In Frankfurt: Tsitsi Dangarembga Receives the German Peace Prize: @Porter_Anderson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives Frankfurter Buchmesse Goers: ‘So Nice To Be Home Again’: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives Sujit Sivasundaram Wins the £25,000 British Academy Book Prize: @Porter_Anderson @BritishAcademy_ @pubperspectives @Cambridge_Uni @WmCollinsBooks Richard Charkin: Reflections Following His 48th Frankfurt Book Fair: @rcharkin @pubperspectives @Book_Fair Conferences and Events / NaNoWriMo How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: 7 Helpful Resources: @NicoleJBianchi Are You Ready? #NaNoWriMo: @MaeClair1 @StoryEmpire How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: Mapping the Plot: @FoxPrintEd NaNoWriMo: How to Fly by the Seat of Your Pants—and Win: @StephOBourbon @JaneFriedman NaNoWriMo: The Ultimate Challenge for Writers: @KrystalNCraiker @ProWritingAid Having a Clear Start to NaNoWriMo Season: @blythlea @NaNoWriMo Three Steps to NaNoWriMo Success by Jennifer Allis Provost: @wvancamp 3 Tips for Fast Drafting Your Novel In Record Time: @JessicaBrody @NaNoWriMo NaNoWriMo Prep for Plotters & Pantsers: @AngelaAckerman Why You Should Write a Novella for NaNoWriMo 2021: by Sharon Oard Warner @JaneFriedman NaNoWriMo Prep for Beginners: @JodieRennerEd October is NaNoCheatMo: @BillFerris @WriterUnboxed How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: Set the Stakes: @FoxPrintEd Knowing When NOT to Write: @juliecardalt @WriterUnboxed Is NaNoWriMo Right for You? @NeelyKneely3628 @EdieMelson Planning for November #NaNoWriMo: @MaeClair1 @StoryEmpire Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers True Crime Essentials: @FionaQuinnBooks 9 Thrilling Last Stands in Genre Fiction: @CamJohnston @tordotcom Takeout Deliveries as an Element in Crime Fiction: @MargotKinberg The 18 Most Memorable Trees in Literature: @cwhe @lithub How Reading and the Thirst for Knowledge is at the Heart of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: by Heather Cass White @lithub Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life Breaking Free as a Writer: @christinadelay @onestop4writers Should you share your work-in-progress with friends and family? by Lindsay Syhakhom @NathanBransford Writing About Trauma: Are You Protecting Readers from the Truth? @LisaTener Why Comparing Yourself to Other Writers Doesn’t Make Sense: @MegDowell @TheRyanLanz “How Writing Helped Me Live Life after Trauma”: @sfmorris23 @DIYMFA Genres / Memoir Succeeding with Self-Published Memoir: @ashleigh_renard @JaneFriedman Genres / Mystery Cozy Mysteries: How Small Towns Help Chip in to Solve the Mystery: Crime Fiction: Ways to Draw Readers into the Story: @MargotKinberg Genres / Romance How to Write an Irresistible Love Triangle: by Whitney Carter @TheRyanLanz Genres / Screenwriting The Business of Screenwriting: Everything You Wanted to Know About Specs: @GoIntoTheStory Studies in Voice-Over Narration: “Double Indemnity”: @GoIntoTheStory Ted Lasso: Is Your Screenplay Idea Good Enough? @thejkstudio 10 Quick Tips From Screenwriting Legend Russell T Davies: by Jo Miller Betts @Bang2write Promo / Blogging Tips for Bloggers: @KMAllan_writer Promo / Miscellaneous How to Market a Self-Published Book with Local Media: @Bookgal Publishing / Miscellaneous Why We Need ADHD Representation in Fiction: @EJWenstrom @ChuckWendig Pre-COP26: Springer Nature Announces ‘Climate Research in Action’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives “My Masters Degrees Didn’t Prepare Me for Publishing”: @KristianeAcadmx @trishhopkinson Mitzi Angel, FSG’s Third President, and First Woman Chief: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Publishing / News / International Publishing Al Qasimi at Frankfurt: A Voice in the World’s Development Dialogue: @Porter_Anderson @IntPublishers @Book_Fair @Bodour @michielams @karinepansa @JoseBorghino @AnaCabanellas @pubperspectives Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying A Quick and Dirty Guide to Writing a Book Proposal: @EmmanuelNataf @ReedsyHQ @LitReactor Publishing / Process / Distribution The Value of Book Distribution Is Often Misunderstood by Authors: @JaneFriedman Writing Craft / Beginnings Appeal to the reader’s senses (page critique): @NathanBransford Would You Pay to Turn the First Page of this Bestseller? @RayRhamey @WriterUnboxed Writing Craft / Characters / Development 8 Techniques For Getting To Know Your Characters: @MorganHzlwood Writing Craft / Diversity Tips for Writing a Better Jewish Character: @WritingwColor Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film Great Scene: “Alien”: @GoIntoTheStory How Charles Dickens built Bleak House: by Anthony Quinn @GuardianBooks Writing Craft / Miscellaneous Let Your Readers Think For Themselves: @TheRyanLanz Forbidden Formats: The Risks and Rewards of Uncommon Narrative Structures: by Bonnie Randall Top Writing Tips from The Novelry: @TheIWSG @thenovelry How to Level Up Your Writing and Storytelling Skills: @kristen_kieffer Avoiding Info Dumps: from Fix Your Writing Habits Tips for Writing Child Characters: by Gigi Collins @GoodStoryCo Adverbs: Love 'em or Leave 'em? @AneMulligan @EdieMelson Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming 5 Rules for Naming Fictional Characters: @thenovelsmithy Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining Scrivener and Plottr for Outlining: @KMazeauthor Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar How to Fix Passive Voice (7 Examples) by Gloria Russell The Difference Between an Em Dash, an En Dash & a Hyphen: @EdieMelson “Who” or “Whom”? “Lay” or “Lie”? A Former Copyeditor’s Tricks for Grammatical Mastery: @FoxPrintEd Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict A Book Without Conflict is Boring: @PattyBlount Writing Craft / Settings and Description Words to Describe the Way People Talk: by Maeve Maddox @writing_tips Squeeze More Conflict Out of Your Settings: @jamesscottbell @killzoneauthors

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Published on October 30, 2021 21:02

October 24, 2021

Cozy Mysteries: How Small Towns Chip in to Find the Killer

by Elizabeth Spann Craig, @elizabethscraig

Cozy mysteries have a host of different settings, but one of the most popular, for writers as well as readers, is the small-town setting. It's fun to have this really insular environment where everyone knows everyone else…and then have one of those well-known residents be the local killer.

Another cool aspect of small town settings for cozies is the dynamic where the town itself sort of chips in to unmask the killer. Here are a few ways that happens:

How Small-Town Residents Collaborate with Cozy Sleuths

A common goal. With small-town cozies, you start with this idyllic locale. Then something terrible happens (or two something terribles happen) and everything becomes cloudy. All the residents want is for their idyll to be restored. Everyone is gung-ho to get rid of the person who's created this problem.

Residents supply backstory and context. If the sleuth wasn't well-acquainted with the victim, the residents are more than delighted to fill her in. Whether it's at the salon, in the diner, or at the grocery store, residents of small towns are happy to offer context for the killing and help compile a list of likely suspects.

Gossip provides clues. Not only are residents filling in backstory on the victim, they're also giving information about all kinds of things: overheard arguments, observed assignations, and phone calls they've eavesdropped on while in the post office line.

Gossip provides red herrings. Small town residents can also supply your cozy mystery novel with more complexity and length by sending your sleuth out in the wrong direction and after the wrong people. Because gossip isn't always true…and even if it is true, someone who had an argument with the victim didn't necessarily murder .

Lots of eyes, ears, and general nosiness. With the common goal mentioned above, the small town in your cozy is on high alert. Everyone is offering their own ideas, poking their nose into everyone else's business, and delving into others' secrets. It's a recipe for drama, or at least some subplots.

Alibis can be tricky. If a suspect wasn't at home with his wife, where was he? With neighbors on the lookout and small business owners happy to dispute erroneous accounts, suspects are going to have a tough time offering a foolproof alibi.

Do you write small-town settings? Read them? What aspects about small-town life do you find appealing?

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Published on October 24, 2021 21:01

October 23, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous The Metaverse For Authors And Publishing. Web 3.0, VR, AR, And The Spatial Web: @thecreativepenn Freelancing: How to Respond to Negative Feedback: @RobynRoste Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous International Publishers Association Names Prix Voltaire Shortlist: @Porter_Anderson @IntPublishers @pubperspectives European Publishers Return to FEP's ‘Rendez-Vous' at Frankfurt: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives @Book_Fair During Frankfurt: Springer Nature Offers Auto-Translation for Research: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives @Book_Fair Frankfurter Buchmesse 2021: ‘What Do We Want To Do With Our Lives?’ @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Markus Dohle Launches Frankfurt Studio : ‘Long-Form Reading': @Porter_Anderson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives Showcasing Work at Frankfurt: A Myanmar Publisher in Self-Exile: @rogertagholm @pubperspectives @Book_Fair Photos from Frankfurt 2021: Optimistic Start to the Fair: @HannahSJohnson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives Views from Across the Channel: UK Publishers in Frankfurt: @rogertagholm @Book_Fair @pubperspectives Sheikh Zayed Book Award Today: Arabic and Children’s Books: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration 9 Writing Challenges to Inspire Your Craft: by Gloria Russell @thewritelife 4 Ways to Find Inspiration When It’s Hiding: @lizjohnsonbooks Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Quotes David Foster Wallace on Why You Should Use a Dictionary, How to Write a Great Opener, and the Measure of Good Writing: @brainpicker 10 Top British Writers Share Their Tips For Writing Success: @JoMillerBetts @Bang2write Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers 7 Short Stories About the Inner Lives of Athletes: @jaredklegar @ElectricLit On the Stressful Joy of Rereading Favorite Books: @KarisRogerson @LitReactor Six Magical Schools You Wish You Could Attend: @SashaPSmith @tordotcom Five Sympathetic Science Fiction Bureaucrats: The Enduring Appeal of Fictional Sisters: A Reading List: by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb @LitReactor 6 Middle Grade Books to Pull You Into a World of Adventure: by Grace Crandall @pfwbooks Five Fully Completed SFF Series: @jamesdnicoll @tordotcom A Closer Look at a Collection of Sherlock Holmes Short Stories: @MargotKinberg Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing Preptober: Bullet Journaling: A Dedicated Writer's Notebook: @tishbouvier Writing Sprints: A Simple Exercise That Benefits Every Writer: @joebunting @write_practice Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life Can I work from someone else's idea? @Janet_Reid The Importance of Persistence in a Writer’s Life: @GoIntoTheStory On creating work while living with chronic pain: @TheRialMichelle 5 Reasons Journaling Makes You a Better Blogger: @BirdsOAFpress @NinaAmir Setting Self Doubt on Fire: When Your Health Gets in the Way of Your Writing: @NicoleJSimms1 @HorrorTree Writing Mantra: Set aside your attachments: @GoIntoTheStory Behind the Cowriting Process of a Debut Author Duo (Podcast): @katzndobs @DIYMFA Sometimes You're the Windshield, Sometimes You're the Bug: @KAMcCleary @WriterUnboxed 12 Authors Answer the Question “How Do You Write in Tough Times?” @charliejane @tordotcom When Writing Becomes a Job: @eseckman @TheIWSG Coming Out of Hibernation as a Writer: @EldredBird How to Increase the Value of Your Time: @dkparsonswriter @SelfPubForm Writing and the Creative Life: Creativity-In-Action: @GoIntoTheStory 5 Ways to Quit Like a Champ: @SarahSaysWrite @DIYMFA How to Write When You’re Hurting: @tickledpinktam @EdieMelson Surviving a Decade as a Full-time Author No One Has Heard Of: @AmongTheZombies @LitReactor Combatting Imposter Syndrome: by Ashleigh Ferguson @ProWritingAid The Business of Being Edgar Allan Poe: @CatBaabMuguira @WSJ Genres / Dystopian Discover the Plot of Your Post-Apocalyptic Novel With Our Handy Chart: @ElectricLit Genres / Horror How to Write the Middle of the Horror Story: 7 Tips: by Sherri Carrier @HorrorTree What Makes a Good Horror Story? @HorrorTree Genres / Memoir Why should anybody read about your life? The 7 Ss for writing a memoir with universal appeal: @Roz_Morris Genres / Middle-Grade Three Tips on Writing Middle Grade Novels: @Alextheadequate @NatalieIAguirre Genres / Mystery Parent-Teacher Conferences as Elements in Crime Fiction: @MargotKinberg How to Edit a Cozy Mystery: by Ryan Rivers @TheStoryEditor Crime Fiction: The Problems When Forgetting Members of Society are Human: @MargotKinberg Only Murders in the Building and Twee-Crime Podcasting: @nwquah @vulture Do You Love Your Series Sleuth? @MoDawnWriter @A3writers Genres / Poetry The Poet’s Toolbox: Generate Ideas and Inspiration: by Manuela Williams @DIYMFA You Are a Poet (Even When You Aren’t Writing): @MarkDanowsky @CleaverMagazine Genres / Screenwriting Reader Question: What if you fall out of love with a script? @GoIntoTheStory The Theology of Cinema: Evil: @GoIntoTheStory Genres / Short Stories How To Turn Your Short Story Into A Novella: @MiaJouBotha Promo / Ads Facebook Ads Details: @JanSikes3 @StoryEmpire Promo / Connecting with Readers How to Engage Readers in Your Book Marketing Strategy: @SarahBolme @IngramSpark Promo / Miscellaneous Branding a Series: by Melinda VanLone Promo / Newsletters Write an Author Newsletter That Sells: @thebookdad @LitReactor Publishing / Miscellaneous ACX vs Findaway Voices: A Complete Review: @DaveChesson Today From Frankfurt: A Look at Post-Pandemic Recovery for Publishing: @Porter_Anderson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives HarperCollins Targets 2022 To Be Carbon-Neutral in Operational Emissions: @Porter_Anderson @HarperCollins @pubperspectives Should You Publish Your Book with a Small Press? Two Literary Agents Advise: @sangeeta_editor @JaneFriedman Frankfurter Buchmesse’s CEO Talk: Acquisitions and Creativity: @rogertagholm @pubperspectives @Book_Fair Are you Writing a Middle Grade or Chapter Book? @Kell_McK @A3writers Publishing / News / International Publishing Rights Roundup: Frankfurter Buchmesse Straight Ahead: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives @Book_Fair International Publishers Association Welcomes Four New Members: @Porter_Anderson @IntPublishers @pubperspectives A Growing Breed in France: Literary Agents Find New Traction: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives Establishing a ‘World Expression Forum' for Freedom of Speech: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Karine Pansa: IPA’s Vice-President On Frankfurt’s Role in Publishing: @rogertagholm @karinepansa @IntPublishers @pubperspectives @Book_Fair Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing Self Publishing a Book Requires the Right Focus: @Bookgal Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying How Many Queries Should I Send Out? @RachelleGardner Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections Getting Feedback After Rejections: @BookEndsJessica @bookendslit Publishing / Process / Book Design Avoiding Sticky Book Cover Situations: @justreadtours @SKRViLL Publishing / Process / Formatting Should You DIY or Hire a Book Formatting Designer? @DaveChesson Publishing / Process / Translation Why translators should be named on book covers by Jennifer Croft @GuardianBooks Writing Craft / Beginnings WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at a Historical Fiction First Page: by Maria D'Marco How to Start Your Novel or Memoir and 11 Clichéd Openers to Avoid: @annerallen Writing Craft / Characters / Development The Trouble with “Character Flaws”: @GoIntoTheStory How To Write The Outsider In Fiction: @AnthonyEhlers @Writers_Write Creating compelling characters for your novel: @Andy_Maslen @AuthorsAi Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion How to Describe Emotion: by Amy Wilson @GoodStoryCo Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists The Protagonist’s Journey: “We are not prisoners of that room”: @GoIntoTheStory Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story Project Hail Mary Shows When Flashbacks Do and Don’t Work: @mythcreants Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film When something happens… something ELSE happens: @GoIntoTheStory “Star Wars” and the Question of Identity: @GoIntoTheStory Writing Craft / Literary Devices How to Spot the Difference Between Analogies and Metaphors: @ZaraAltair Writing Craft / Miscellaneous Subverting Reader Expectations in Satisfying Ways: @jessicathauthor How seriously should you take readability statistics? @pubcoach How to Make The Reader Care About Your Story: @RossHartmann @KiingoCreative The Alchemy and the Craft: @jamesscottbell @killzoneauthors Tips when writing a book: Top 10 from Now Novel’s webinars: @nownovel Writing Craft / Pacing How to Structure a Book Chapter So Readers Love the Pace of Your Novel: @ZaraAltair Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining 2 Key Factors in Successfully Outlining Stories: by Andrea Turrentine @LiveWriteThrive Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting A 9-Step Plotting Path to a Stronger Novel: @annharth Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research Unusual Governments to Take Inspiration From: @EleanorKonik @sfwa Research: An Addiction, a Curse, or a Cure? by Denise Willson @WriterUnboxed How Should I Handle Guns in My Story? by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants Writing Craft / Revision What to cut when your book is too long: @NathanBransford Writing Craft / Series How to Plot a Series and Make Every Book Stand Out: @AuthorSAT Writing Craft / Tension 4 Powerful Ways to Raise the Stakes in Your Story: by Jodi Clark @KingdomPenMag Writing Craft / Word Crafting Word namesakes, also known as homonyms: by Anatoly Liberman @OUPAcademic Writing Craft / World-Building Worldbuilding Tips: @AngelineTrevena @thecreativepenn Uncategorized Enhance Your Fantasies With a Dose of Reality: @jimdempsey @WriterUnboxed

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Published on October 23, 2021 21:01

October 17, 2021

Subverting Expectations in Satisfying Ways

By Jessica Thompson, @jessicathauthor

I stumbled across the concept of subverting expectations while studying the movie Knives Out. This movie felt so revolutionary and perfect, and digging deeper, I found the internet a-buzz with discussions of how this movie used this storytelling tool.

Since I have been studying this lately and was having a hard time grasping it, I decided to write down what I have learned and share it with you.

If you find a good example or think of something I haven’t said, please comment below so we can all learn from each other.

We will talk a lot about movies because they are the most available examples of how to subvert expectations, but this is a principle that you can, and probably should, incorporate into your writing. Before we begin, SPOILER ALERT! We will be ruining The Last Jedi and Knives Out, so go watch those before reading this.

First, definitions.

Subvert – verb gerund or present participle: subverting

undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).

(Dictionary.com)

Subvert Expectations

To behave contrary to an established belief or assumption for the purpose of being fresh and interesting. Usually used in the arts when analyzing the reaction of the audience to a performance or piece of writing.

(urbandictionary.com)

Verisimilitude – noun (stay tuned, we’ll get to this)

the appearance of being true or real.

having the appearance of truth : PROBABLE

a theoretical concept that determines the level of truth in an assertion or hypothesis. It is also one of the most essential literary devices of fiction writing. Verisimilitude helps to promote a reader's willing suspension of disbelief.

(Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster.com, Masterclass.com)

I don’t know about you, but isolated definitions don’t help me much. I need concrete examples. Popular culture gives us many examples of creators subverting the audience’s expectations–both done well and done disastrously.

Knives Out is a widely accepted example of “subverting expectations” being done well.

For one thing, it echoes a traditional mystery in many ways, but then changes from a ‘whodunnit’ to a “how will she get away with this” type story.

The Last Jedi is a widely accepted example of it being done wrong.

The example that springs to mind is the fizzled mystery of who Rey’s parents are.

Why is the entire internet comparing these two movies? Because they were done by the same director in quick succession. What did Rian Johnson learn in between making these two films? How to subvert expectations in a satisfying way.

How do we do this as writers? How do you find a fresh way to surprise your readers, but not in a way that feels contrived and unnatural?

According to The Closer Look on YouTube, three things are needed to make the subversion satisfying.

It needs to serve and improve the story from that point forward

It must have strong verisimilitude to the story that came before it

It can’t break promises

Subverting expectations is a way to break the rules or expectations of storytelling, or the genre, and when done successfully it creates interest or humor. In her day, Agatha Christie did just that by having our main detective be a short, funny-looking Belgian man (Poirot) or a kindly, soft, pink, old spinster (Miss Marple.) Nowadays, subverting expectations is almost the norm. It seems that every movie, especially remakes, have something that recalls expectations and pokes fun.

But it needs to be done in a satisfying way, or the internet will destroy you forever… apparently. So, let's tackle these one at a time.

It needs to serve and improve the story from that point forward.

A subversion should only be attempted if it will actually improve the story. If it leaves your reader saying, “what?” or the dreaded, “Yeah, so?” then it has been done wrong. I would say that Luke Skywalker tossing his lightsaber off the cliff was an example of a subversion NOT serving to improve the story. Sure, it showed that he had turned his back on the Force and the ways of the Jedi, but we already knew that. I would argue that it was put in to surprise the viewer, but did not actually improve the story. In a writing class I took from the genius Heather Harper Ellett, she said, “Things should not be put in just to be weird. They have to serve the story.” I would assert that things should also not be put in just for shock value.

Don’t add a subversion that sacrifices your long term story in exchange for an immediate thrill.

A good example of this being done wrong is the mini storyline between Finn and Captain Phasma. She was his former commander and essentially should have been his arch rival. As I have learned in my efforts to learn how to write good villains, the good guy should not defeat the bad guy in their first meeting!

Wouldn’t it have been much more powerful if Finn had left Phasma’s unit (as he did,) then faced her and almost been killed, then met her again later after more character growth, as equals and warriors, then defeated her with his old weapon, or maybe hers, and a one-liner that stung? I think so! Even if looking to subvert expectations and mess with that formula, they could have toyed with details and still kept that element of growth and defeating one's own demons.

Instead, that character arc and growth was abruptly ended by killing her off way too early. I would argue that the director sacrificed the potentially fulfilling longer story of Finn’s growth, in exchange for immediate gratification.

Don’t do that. We’re writers. We play the long game.

I would sum up that it means the subversion has to take the story in a direction, from then on, that is interesting and makes sense, which brings us to our next point.

It must have strong verisimilitude to the story that came before it.

As we covered in the definitions, verisimilitude refers to how real the subversion seems. Your world can have dragons and magic and zombies, but that is all established in the setup. The subversion that comes later needs to seem “real” within the world that you have set up. It needs to follow the magic rules, align with the timeline that your reader is following in their head, and be in character with the personalities you have already created.

When Luke Skywalker throws his beloved weapon and family heirloom off the cliff, it wasn’t believable because it wasn’t congruent with the story. In Pride and Prejudice, if the haughty and reserved Mr. Darcy had suddenly said, “I’m sorry I’ve been so prideful, I’ll change, will you marry me?,” it would have been totally out of character. If his love interest Elizabeth Bennett, strong and witty, had replied “It’s okay, I forgive you. I’ll marry you” then all readers would have thrown the book down in disgust. That exchange would have not been verisimilar to the characters that Jane Austen had set up. We all know they will eventually get there, but they have a lot more growth to do before that happens, and that’s the essence of the story

Sometimes, a book or movie intentionally and dramatically delivers something contrary to the audience’s expectations. Addressing it outright can help the audience follow along.

When a movie about time travel messes up the movies that came before it, producers call it a “reboot”. We accept that this reboot-time-traveling business is going to logically interfere with the events that occurred in the past or might happen in the future; we’re okay with it because it’s been branded as a reboot. Think of the Terminator and Star Trek franchises. They address and lay to rest the fact that it is not going to line up nicely with your expectations.

When this is done on a small scale, it’s often humorous. This morning, my son’s episode of Hello Ninja had our protagonists in a Wild West situation. Then they said, “The only thing we haven’t done is have a showdown with a bad guy in a black hat.” (Or something to that effect.) Then a rabbit steps out to have a showdown with them. The kids look at his absence of hat, so the rabbit steps out of frame, then comes back with a black cowboy hat. They followed the rules so rigidly that it was funny because they addressed it. In the first X-men movie (the first one made, not talking about the chronology inside the franchise), Cyclops says to Wolverine, “You’d prefer yellow spandex?” It’s a throwback to the cartoon! They gave Wolverine a way better outfit, but then called attention to the tiny subversion of expectations in a funny way! I love it! It didn’t line up with the previously established wardrobe choices of the franchise, but it worked especially well because they poked fun at it.

It can’t break the promises

In Brandon Sanderson’s video lectures on YouTube, he talks about an author’s “promises” in the setup of the story, and then delivering on those promises. He shares that one of his manuscripts failed at this in the first draft. He says that all of his characters are prepared and determined to go to one place, let’s call it “A,” but he, as the writer, knew that the main action was really going to go down in another place, we’ll call it “B.” When the characters got diverted during their travels, essentially as a subversion, and ended up at “B,” the readers thought it was a side story or side quest. They were all waiting for the characters to get back on track and go to “A.” He explains that it was because the promises that he had set up were not kept. The reader did not feel satisfied by this change because it did not keep the promises.

Many critics say the same about the reveal in The Last Jedi about who Rey’s parents are/were.

The script that came before had promised a mystery. It had set up that Rey’s parents were somehow important or that it was going to be a significant plot point. Instead, our expectations were subverted in a way that was not satisfying when it is casually revealed that her parents were nobodies and not important to the story. (That changes again later, but that's another discussion.) That promise was never delivered, so it felt wrong and unsatisfying.

Knives Out, however, circled back and delivered on its promises even though it looked like it might not.

When the genre changed from a “whodunnit” to a “how will she get away with this” I was not convinced that we had abandoned the original mystery. I couldn’t anticipate where the story could go after we saw the suicide, but I waited with baited breath to see how it would turn out. The story then came back together and satisfyingly delivered on BOTH storylines or genres and fulfilled all its “whodunnit” AND “How will she get away with this” promises. The ending resolved all my questions and wrapped up everything perfectly.

If you are trying a subversion, make sure you follow all of these guidelines to make it satisfying. Do it right, even if you're trying to do something new and different. Serve the story that comes before, make it congruent with the story that comes after, and keep your promises to the reader. If you follow these three guidelines, there will still be room for creativity. Done correctly, a subversion improves your story and helps you build a solid relationship with your readers.

Good luck!

When Jessica discovered mystery novels with recipes, she knew she had found her niche.

Now Jessica is the author of the Amazon best-selling culinary cozy mystery, “A Caterer's Guide to Love and Murder,” and will be publishing her second book of the series, “A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide,” on October 19, 2021. She is active in her local writing community and is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and the Storymakers Guild. She received a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University but has always enjoyed writing and reading mysteries.

As an avid home chef and food science geek, Jessica has won cooking competitions and been featured in the online Taste of Home recipe collection. She also tends to be the go-to source for recipes, taste-testing, and food advice among her peers.

Jessica is originally from California, but now has adopted the Austin, Texas lifestyle. She enjoys living in the suburbs with her husband and young children, but also enjoys helping her parents with their nearby longhorn cattle ranch.

Deck the halls…with a personal chef, a snowed-in lodge, and a sprinkling of murder!

“Watch the knives!”

While acting as personal chef for a friend’s mountain retreat, Violet and her husband, Jake, must set aside their stress over infertility and create a magical and delicious holiday – until tragedy crashes the party.

Being snowed in and unreachable from town, Violet and Jake end up hired for a different kind of job – finding out which of the guests committed murder and why they’re trying to frame their hostess.

Violet must find a balance between following her gut and keeping it all under control until the police can reach them, while still managing the kitchen. But can she sniff out the killer before anyone else bites the big one?

A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide will give you a culinary holiday you won’t forget!

Subverting Reader Expectations in Satisfying Ways (by @jessicathauthor ):
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Published on October 17, 2021 21:01