Andrea Judy's Blog, page 13

I am officially an author on Amazon.

So I have some very, very excited news. I am officially an author on Amazon. If you go to Amazon and type in my name, “Andrea Judy” then you get an actual result!! It’s a great anthology I’m honored to be in:

The Pulptress (It is also available in ebook format)

My short story, The Bone Queen is the last story in this amazing collection and I could not be more thrilled. This collection features five face-paced, pulp stories starring the amazing female pulp hero, The Pulptress.

This collection is from Pro Se Press who put out some of the leading Pulp in the world right now.

Please go purchase your copy and the next time you run into me I’ll be happy to sign it for you!

Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to go squeel some more!

Why Social Media Matters

Why does a writer even need to spend time on sites like Twitter or Facebook? What does that have to do with writing at all?

Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with the actual writing process but if you want to make a platform, to have a fanbase, to connect with other writers, with new publishers and editors and readers than you need to get on the social media train. It’s a dangerous line to walk, social media takes time from writing or reading but in the long run I think that maintaining an active presence online is invaluable for a writer in modern times.

So, here are a few quick and dirty tips for social media:

1. It’s not a ‘BUY MY BOOK BUY MY BOOK’ platform.

Yes, advertise your books. Yes, ask people to buy them. But do not put that message on repeat. All you will do is alienate people and aggravate your followers.

2. Interact with people.

Say hello, respond to comments and tweets. Interact with people and have fun. Make people look forward to hearing from you.

3. Give up to date announcements.

Have to change a release date? Having a contest? Social media is one of the best ways to get out a short message quickly.

4. Keep up to date.

Social media is one of the best ways to keep track of what’s happening in the publishing world, and the writing world.

There are countless other ways to use social media, but I think that many writers really do need to begin creating a platform, building a fanbase and getting connected, but don’t get sucked in to just ‘tweeting about writing’ and not actually getting any writing done.

Over focusing problems!

One of the problems I have as a writer is that I seem to over focus on characters and the plot suffers. This also seems to be a problem in DnD where I focus so much on the character that I forget about everything else… or make 124 song long playlists for said character…

Now I know there are stories that are more character focused and stories that are more plot focused. But I’m just going to be talking about finding a balance because I think that even a story focused on characters needs to have a focused plot to keep the story moving forward, or even a plot of character development. Something must be happening at all times to keep the story moving forward.

So what does this mean for stories themselves? Well, it means that for me I usually have a grasp on the characters before I even know what is going to happen. I have an idea for a character before I know what should happen to them. For instance, I have a particular magic using character that has existed in my head for years and has bounced from story to story because I simply don’t know what to do with him. His magic abilities are awesome sure, but that doesn’t make for a good story.

So I’ve been trying to slowly move more towards a plotter style of writing where I create a very basic outline for what is going to happen in each story, and then, if I’m working under a word count limit, I’ll estimate how many words each of these sections will be. Here’s an example:

 

Sally and Ryan are going to school. It’s raining outside. (150 words)

On the ride to school, they see a group of strange looking people swarming the streets and realize they are zombies (300 words)

The zombies swarm the car and Sally and Ryan must flee the car to escape but Sally is scratched in the process. (200 words)

They take shelter in a bank vault where they begin to argue because Ryan thinks that Sally is going to turn into a zombie. (250 words)

Ryan, in a panic, strangles Sally and kills her (200 words)

Ryan then hears the sound of an army rescue team outside. He opens the vault and waves them down. (150 words)

Just as the army is arriving to rescue him, Sally rises from the dead and rips a chunk out of Ryan’s arm. (200 words)

The army opens fire, obliterating Sally and Ryan before leaving. (150 words)

 

Okay, now this is a quick and dirty run down and a totally silly little story but it’s a basic run down of what I am trying to focus on now. I need to get my head out of being so character focused and instead focus on making a wholly rounded story that includes a plot that is just as well-developed as the characters that are in that universe.

What tricks and things do you use to keep your plots and characters (and yourself) in line?

Review: Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

I mentioned this book in my blog post earlier this week and have now officially finished it. I’m very excited to review it because this is one of the first books that’s not about the actual craft involved in writing as it is about the writer’s life and what it takes. It’s a kick in the pants and a reminder of just how lazy I have been getting lately.

While this book is a bit outdated (it mentions typewriters as the primary means of writing), it still contains a lot of relevant and useful information about writing and how to work towards a writing lifestyle. Like I mentioned in the earlier post, she advises you get up earlier to write and set a schedule. She also has a lot of great advice about finding inspiration that was really very eye opening for me.

I would suggest checking this book at a local library first and seeing if it’s your style. She’s a little cut and dry about how things need to be, but she does make a lot of valid points. For me, I went ahead and bought my self a copy because I think this is going to be a book I’m going to read back over again and again.

You can buy a copy here.

Writing Schedule

I’ve been reading Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande (really great book about the writing life, not just how to write. I recommend) and she is very adamant about the importance of a writing schedule and sticking to that schedule no matter what. She suggests picking a time and sitting down to write, even if it means hiding in a bathroom or closet to write in a notebook.

She also suggests that you write first thing in the morning before any other words can get into your brain. She advises getting up an hour earlier so that you can write without worry. Now, I think this is one of the most challenging things to do. I know I love sleep. I also love staying up late and wasting time on the internet.

My brain is a jerk like that.

But I do agree that every time I have gotten up early to write I have always been more productive. I’ve gotten better at getting up early…but I’ve also gotten better at procrastinating, not to mention classes and work seem to be taking over my writing time.

According to Brande if you try and repeatedly fail to follow a set writing time, and get up early to write then you should quit now and give up. Youch, that’s a bit harsh.

I think that’s a bit of a narrow-minded thought on writing. Not everyone has a schedule that is steady enough to write at exactly the same time every day. My life, for instance, means that every few months my schedule totally shifts and all of my free time topples around as my classes and/or work schedule changes. Other people work retail or other businesses that have constantly shifting hours.

This also makes it hard to get up early and always write, sometimes life has other plans.

Now, I agree with her that you have to make time to write if you’re going to plan on writing, but whether or not that has to be at the same time every day is arguable. I more try to keep a certain amount of time that I write every day. It doesn’t happen at the same time every day but I write every day.

So where do you stand on the schedule platform? Same time every day or just write?