Stephanie Erickson's Blog, page 6

Weekly Roundup: 11/7/14

Happy Friday everyone!  You made it!  Another busy week here in the Erickson household.  I’m hoping to wrap up first round edits on my WIP today, and get it off to the betas tonight, so they’ll have it for the weekend.  I’m afraid it needs a lot of work, and I’m hoping for the time to do it!  

In the mean time, Unseen has less than two weeks to release!  The preorders are coming in slow, so I started a Thunderclap campaign, to try and boost awareness.  There will be a Rafflecopter contest associated with it, starting tomorrow, so be sure to enter!  Don’t know what Thunderclap is?  Well, I’ll tell you.

Thunderclap is a social media program that connects Facebook and Twitter to help you expand your social media outreach. So, say you want to “support my campaign” as they call it.  Thunderclap will automatically post about Unseen on your page at the appointed time (November 19), so all your friends will know about the book’s release.  Those are all people I couldn’t reach without your help!  It just takes a second!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So there’s the Rafflecopter.  It will be live at midnight tonight!  So help me out, spread the word about my book, and you might win a $25 Amazon card!

Additionally, don’t forget about the Unseen giveaway on Goodreads!  Head over and enter to win a paperback of Unseen!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway








Unseen


by Stephanie Erickson

Giveaway ends November 19, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Have a great weekend guys!  

 

Editing: Making the First Draft Shine

Since I just finished the first draft of my work in progress, I thought I might write today’s Monday Musing about editing.  I’m diving into that territory today.  Dive with me, won’t you?

Step 1: Take a break

When I’m going over a draft, the first draft especially, I generally take a few days away from the work.  This helps me clear my head and get some distance from it so I can look it over with fresh eyes.  I don’t necessarily stop thinking about the draft, but I do stop reading it, writing it and tweaking it.  So, how long is my break?  No more than a week.  Any longer and you can get into procrastination territory, which can lead to writer’s block and stagnation.  (Already there?  Check out this blog to help you Break the Block.)

What do I do while I’m taking a break?  Well, my new production calendar demands I work on two titles at once, so generally I have another title I can work on while I’m taking a break from the last.  If, by some miracle, I’m at a simultaneous stopping point, I use that golden opportunity to read, or think about a new idea, or do things totally unrelated to writing, like finish my daughter’s baby book.  My daughter is a year and a half old, so you can see opportunities like that don’t come along often.

Anyway, the point is to take a breather so that you can approach the next step with a fresh pair of eyes.

Step 2: Read

After I’ve had a break, I reread the entire draft closely.  If it’s the first draft I’m reading, I only look for plot holes, flat characters, and places that need more description/explanation.  During this reading, I’m constantly asking myself “why?”  Why is that there, what purpose does it serve?  Why did the character behave that way?  What is her history?  Why is this circumstance like this?  Do I need more lead in here?

My questions might be different than yours.  If you’re a prolific writer, you may focus on the why is that there question more than any of the others.  I’m not, and often need to add content to make sure a story is complete.  As always, tailor your own editing and writing process to your needs!

As I ask these questions, I mark up my draft with them.  “Why is Mason behaving that way here?”  “What is the environment like here?”  “Why is Burton so driven to be an a-hole?”  I don’t concentrate on answering the questions in this step.  I simply identify the issues with the draft.

Step 3: Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changing!

Once the issues have been identified, it’s a lot easier to go through and make changes.  When you’re just looking at a completed draft, with no direction or instructions in the margins, editing can be an overwhelming process.  But if you’ve got your own comments off to the side, you can think about each one individually and make the change accordingly.  Just like when you get your draft back from your official editor.

I find this method works great for me because if I find a major problem, I don’t get bogged down with how much work it’s going to be to make that change, or how on earth am I going to make this work, or holy cow this is horrible and needs so many changes what am I going to do?  I simply address each issue one at a time and move on to the next.

Step 4: Off to the Races

Depending on what draft I’m on, it then goes to the various editors.  Since my current work is a first draft, when I’m done revising this week, it’ll go to the betas.  Then, I’ll spend another week revising, just like I am this week with the beta’s thoughts in mind.  Then it goes to my wonderful developmental editor.  Then I spend about two weeks making her changes (because they are always very extensive and time consuming), before sending it back to her for another look.  Then, it’s off to the proof reader, and I spend about a week making her changes.

In the end, it takes about fourteen to sixteen weeks to go from completed first draft to fully edited manuscript, for me anyway.  That’s why I work on two books at once, so I can still get 3 books per calendar year out.

Anyway, this is what works for me.  What works for you?  Tell me about your editing process in the comments!

Weekly Roundup: Happy Halloween!

 

Hi everyone!  How sincere is your pumpkin patch?  

What a busy week it’s been!  Unseen is ready to go for it’s November 19 release, and guess what?  You can preorder it now!  Just visit this link to get your copy delivered right to your Kindle on the release day!  This is my very first chance to do a preorder with one of my books, so I’m super excited about it, and am hoping it goes well.

I have also approved the paperback version of Unseen and have ordered lots of those in preparation for the Goodreads Giveaway.  Don’t forget to head over to Goodreads and enter.

Additionally, I finished the first draft of my March release!  I’m a few weeks ahead of schedule on that one, but I also came in under the word count, so I want to spend the next few weeks really revising and flushing out the story and characters.  It’s the most characters I’ve ever written, so I really want to make sure they’re all well defined before sending it to the beta readers!

I also want to spend some of my extra time outlining book two in that series, while all the characters and events are fresh in my mind.  That’ll save me some time a little later in the production calendar.  Like, in June of 2015 haha.

I’ve also been busy getting The Cure ready for it’s appearance in the Fusion Anthology!  That’s scheduled for release in December, and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED about it!  We have four NYT Bestselling authors on board, so I’m defiantly a little fish in a big pond here!  

So, here’s a rundown of my upcoming releases:

Unseen – November 19, 2014 (Preorder it NOW!)

Fusion: An Anthology – December, 2014

Untitled Apocalypse book – March, 2015

Unforgiven: Book 2 in the Unseen Trilogy – July 2015

There’s more, but that should hold you over for now.  This is the busiest schedule I’ve ever had, and as a writer who’s used to 1 title per year, it’s a lot.  But I’m so excited to be in the groove of things and have so much planned for the next year!

At any rate, I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!  I’m taking my daughter trick or treating for the very first time tonight!  Wish us luck!  

 

Weekly Roundup: Friday 10/24

Hey all!

Friday again, finally!   It’s been an eventful week with the cover reveal of Unseen!  What did you all think?  The feedback I’ve been getting has been all positive so far!

Also, don’t forget about the Goodreads Contest going on!  You have a chance to win one of ten signed paperback copies of Unseen!  You have until Unseen’s release date (November 19) to enter.  Already over 150 people have entered!  I’m so excited about the support Unseen is getting, and I can’t wait for all of you to read it!

I’m also deep in formatting Hell on this book, but so far, it’s going well considering.  I’m finished with the paperback and the Kindle version.  Next, I wander into uncharted epub territory.  Wish me luck.

My work in progress is coming along well, but wrapping up more quickly than I’d expected.  Well, that isn’t entirely true.  I’ve been struggling with the length of this particular novel all along.  Currently, I estimate I will be finished with the first draft next week, and it will land somewhere between 40,000 and 45,000 words.  At best, that’s still 5,000 words short of my minimum goal.  I’m hoping in editing I can add some words.  Funny thing about writing this book, my fourth, is that every book has been a different experience.  They’ve all taught me something about writing and publishing.  And I can’t help but be excited about that.

I’ve also resolved to try and read more.  Writers have no business writing if they’re not reading!  I’m a big believer in that, and I haven’t found consistent time to read in weeks!  It’s taken me a month to read a book that should’ve taken me a week. Shameful!  I’m hoping to find the time to do better on this straight away!

In the mean time, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Wish me luck in the coming week, as I attempt to work out my WIP!

The cover for Unseen, coming November 19, 2014.

Monday Musing: Creating Characters

“Each strength is also your character’s weakness. Someone who’s determined is also tough-minded, depending on who’s looking.” – DL Havlin

Crafting characters isn’t something that came easily to me.  In fact, when I first started writing, I would base my characters on someone I knew, just so I could picture them in my mind—what they would say to a snarky person, how they would react in a touch situation, etc.  But now, I try to create real characters.  And that can be a challenge.  Creating someone from thin air that’s believable as a functioning (or semi functioning depending on how mean you are to your characters) human being is a major task.  So, how do you do it effectively?

DL Havlin taught one of my favorite workshops during the Florida Heritage Book Festival about crafting your characters.  The above quote was from that workshop.  I found it fascinating to think that a character’s strength could also be their weakness, and ultimately their downfall.

Think about it.  Any characteristic taken to the extreme can be made negative.  Kindness can be turned into someone who’s easily taken advantage of.  Determination can be turned into someone who’s close minded or even greedy, and ultimately chases their goal to their doom.  A good sense of humor can be turned into someone who isolates themselves from others because they don’t know when to quit joking.  Each of these characteristics can be used to springboard an entire storyline.

Take your good sense of humor guy.  He thinks he’s funny, but he ends up being bullied, and an outcast because no one likes him.  He’s viewed as overly sarcastic and mean.  This makes him jaded, and causes him to extract revenge in some way.

Who are you, who who, who who?

So, you know what your character’s best and worst quality is.  That can lead you straight into their motivations.  Why are they doing what their doing?

Thinking about your character’s motivations makes them more real on paper.  You don’t want a perfect person who never does anything wrong.  You want someone real, the reader can totally relate to.  Although the reader may not agree with what your character is doing, if they understand why they’ll be sympathetic.  And gaining that sympathy is gold my friend.

Let’s use another example.  Your character is on a quest.  They are so determined to achieve the quest, they don’t see the side quests that must be accomplished in order to ensure the success of their current quest.  They have tunnel vision.  Your reader can see the importance of them, and may even get frustrated with your character.  But he is so determined to get where he’s going, he doesn’t even know the small tasks are there.  He forges on, making things much more difficult for himself than if he’d just stopped for a moment and looked at the big picture.  This creates endless opportunities for conflict for your character, and your reader.

External factors can also shape your characters characteristics and motivations.  Take your antagonist.  He’s been shafted in some way, perhaps usurped for a leadership position.  He feels wronged.  This drives his mentality and determination to claim what is rightfully his at whatever cost.  He no longer cares for those around him, and will sacrifice just about anything to get what he feels he deserves.  In the end, you as the writer, have the opportunity to give him what you feel he deserves, whether you think it’s the leadership position, or an untimely death caused by his blind greed.

Using your characters motivations can help your reader make a connection with all of your characters, even the antagonists.  So when he does meet his untimely death, they almost feel sorry.  Almost.  Again, this is reader pay dirt.

Sketch it out

One exercise I try to get to know my characters is just writing about them.  I generally try for one page on each main character, and half a page on minor characters.  I write background information, who their parents were, how they treated their kid, who they were/are married to, where they grew up, what they look like, what their favorite things are, what their job is, I mean the list could go on and on.  Think about what makes you, you.  No one thing does it.  The same holds true for your characters.

Once you have all this background information you can get some insight into their motivations.  If their parents were unloving to the point of emotional abuse, you can use that to shape their personality as an adult and their reasons for behaving the way they do.

Additionally, the more you know about your characters the better.  Even if you don’t use your one page biography of your character in the book, all that background information has a way of eking into your writing one way or another.  Then your reader better understands your character.  It’s win-win.

In the end, try to craft characters you care about, because if you don’t care, why on Earth would your reader care?

Weekly Roundup

Hi guys!

So, my husband decided that my Friday blog should be called a flog.  There for, I’m currently flogging.    Joking aside, it’s been a productive week, despite not living at home right now due to mold clean up.  I’m nearly caught up on my word count goals from last week!  I think by the end of today I should be back on track.  Plus, I breached the half way point on my WIP, so I’m very excited about that!  That title is on track for its March release!

Unseen is also on track to release in 32 days, according to my countdown clock.  Is it possible to be excited and panic at the same time?  A MONTH!  I ordered a proof copy of the print edition, and started prepping the file for Amazon yesterday!  We will have a  cover reveal on that one soon I think!

Are any of you Goodreads people?  I’m planning to do a big giveaway through them in preparation for the release!  Stay tuned for more information on that, and how to enter!

I suppose that’s it for this week!  What’s everyone reading this weekend?  Let me know in the comments!  

Breaking the Block

“Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?” — Kurt Vonnegut

“Writers Block” can be a debilitating thing.  I put the phrase in quotes, because I just got done reading a fascinating article by Andy Ihnatko called There is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block.  He asserts if you just keep working at it, using a variety of techniques you will never be “blocked.”  And he’s right.

Ihnatko states “The fact that you’re not actually writing doesn’t mean that you’re not actually working. You’re also working when you’re thinking.”  I think this is a problem for a lot of writers.  When they’re not sitting at the keyboard type-type-typing away, the guilt can be crushing.  But, if you can manage to stay focused, you are still working.

Step 1: Eliminate Distractions

For example, I do some of my best thinking in the shower, where there are very few distractions.  My daughter is usually happily playing on the bathroom floor, my phone is safe on the vanity, my family members are all elsewhere.  It is my quiet sanctuary, my best place to think.  Perhaps think is too generous a term.  Daydream might be better.  In the shower, I like to pretend I am one of my characters, and imagine what they would do in various scenarios.  I don’t have to devote any of my brain power to things like washing dishes, working, walking the dog and pushing the stroller, driving, or playing toddler games.  I can just pretend.  For me, the shower is the best place to eliminate distractions.  But, this might not work for you.  The key to staying unblocked is to find your own sanctuary.  Maybe it’s in your car with the radio blasting, or in your office in total silence, or out walking on a wooded path, or having a glass of wine.  It doesn’t really matter what it is.

The point is:

A) Not to feel guilty about taking time away from writing to go to your sanctuary.  Because you’re not actually taking time away from writing.  Your mind is still working!  And the more your mind has worked out, the faster your fingers will fly across the keyboard!

B)Not to feel guilty about what your sanctuary is.  Do I feel bad taking a long shower while my daughter plays on the floor by herself?  Some times.  Should I?  No.  Nine times out of ten, she is perfectly happy.  But the mom in me sometimes runs away with me.  Which leads me to step 2.

Step 2: Squash All Guilt

I was raised Catholic.  And my mother went to Catholic school until her senior year.  It’s safe to say I know a fair amount about the effectiveness of guilt.  However, for a writer, guilt can snuff out your creative flame with terrifying ease.  Guilt goes hand in hand with procrastination, another of the writer’s worst enemies.

So, you haven’t cleaned the garage in about three years.  You told your significant other you’d do it months ago.  Yet, the mess still sits, taunting you from afar.  The guilt of not fulfilling your promise weighs heavily on you with each flash of the cursor on your screen.  You think, maybe if I go clean out the garage my soul will be unburdened of the guilt, and the praise I’m sure to be showered with will spur my creative juices.  And maybe it will.  But maybe it won’t.  Use caution when walking this line.  Make sure you can distinguish between your sanctuary and flat out procrastination.  If you’re thinking about your work while cleaning on the garage, that’s your sanctuary.  If you’re thinking about how you don’t want to get rid of your genuine Green Lantern Lantern, that’s procrastination.  Know the difference.

Step 3: Find What Works for You

In order to live Ihnatko’s theory that there are no such thing as blocked writers, you must be willing to take an active roll and work through it.  The problem with the idea of writer’s block is that it gives you an excuse.  And if you look, you can find a whole community of supportive writers who are doing nothing but complaining about their block.  It’s an enabler, and a very dangerous one at that.

You succumb to the block, and tell your friends, “I haven’t written a word in weeks.  I think I have writer’s block.”  They all look at you sympathetically, say it will pass, and offer words of encouragement.  But before long weeks turn into months, and years.  You’ve picked up other things, moved on with your life.  I consider myself a true writer at this stage of my life, and the aforementioned scenario is my personal nightmare.  To become so lazy that you just let your gift of writing slip away, under the guise of “writer’s block” is appalling.  Harsh?  Yes.  True?  Yes.

So what can you do?  Take an active roll!

1. Find a writer’s group, or workshop.  I did this two weeks ago and found it very inspirational to be surrounded by like minded writers passionate about the craft.

2. Read!  I can’t say enough about how important reading is.  I know other writers say they don’t read while they’re writing because too much of what their reading leeches into their writing, but if you’re not reading, how can you claim to be writing?  Read within your genre, especially if you’re stuck.  See what’s successful, then think about why.

3. Frequent your sanctuary.  Find your characters there, talk to them, ask them how they feel, what they plan to do next, and why.

4. It is OK to put a work down for a bit, but it’s not OK to stop thinking about it.  Keep your brain focused on the problem, where you’re stuck, and why.  Is the plot at this point uninteresting?  Why?  Did you write yourself into a corner?  Where did it start to go wrong?  Is your character unlikeable?  In what way?  Keep your mind working on these issues and you’ll never be blocked.

The point is, don’t succumb to the glamorous idea of “writer’s block.”  It’s nothing more than laziness of those that aren’t true writers.  Am I destined by karma to be struck down with the worst case of writer’s block in the history of the world for saying that, I suppose it’s a possibility.  But only if I allow it to be so.  And then, I have no one but myself to blame.

 

Weekly Roundup

Hey all!

Not much to report this week.  Life was a bit hard on the Erickson household this week, so I got a bit behind on my word count, but I’m hoping to catch up over the course of the next five or six weeks.  I’m trying not to stress or worry about it at this moment.

I did get the print edition formatted and ready to go, and because of that, I was able to send a page count and all the associated graphics to the cover designer, so Unseen is one step closer!

The biggest news from the week is my husband and I started an imprint, Pickles Press.  All new books, including Unseen, will be published through Pickles Press.  We’re very excited about this new direction and hope it means more good things to come!

This is horrible, but I admit it!  I haven’t had time to read anything but children’s books this week!  (However, Press Here is my new favorite kid’s book!  If you have kids, you should check that one out!) Hopefully this weekend I can read a bit more of The Accidental Bestseller.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend, and gets lots of reading and writing done!  Until Monday!

BOOK IT! Alumni

ATTENTION READERS AND PIZZA LOVERS!

Remember BOOK IT!?  You know, when Pizza Hut gave kids a reason to read?  Because pizza?  Yeah, they have an alumni program, now.

For many of us born in the 80’s, Pizza Hut teamed up with BOOK IT! to inspire kids to read.  Of course, some of us already liked to read, but others could always stand to use some extra incentive.  Well, Pizza Hut gave away personal pan pizzas to kids when they joined BOOKIT! and read books.  So, here’s to nostalgia and a new generation of kids. Let’s inspire a new generation!

BOOK IT! on Twitter

Step away from the book

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” —Henry David Thoreau

It’s Sunday afternoon.  My toddler is napping, my husband is playing video games, and I am left to my own devices.  Which means, I take this precious hour or two to read a book.  I revel in the characters, live in their world for a short time, feel their joys and pains and return to my life, when beckoned, feeling rejuvenated.  But what happens when the book I’m reading is bad?  How do I decide when it’s time to put a book down?

As an author this is an issue I struggle with intensely.  Here’s someone’s completed work.  Weeks and, in some cases, years of intense labor have gone into this small tome that I hold in my hand.  But, for whatever reason (maybe I’m not in the mood for historical romance, maybe it has one too many typos, maybe a small scientific error I’m having trouble ignoring, or maybe I just don’t like the author’s style), it’s not holding my attention.  I find myself dreading reading it.  And instead of my escape it becomes my prison.

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve put a book down without finishing it.  Three titles in the last five years.  Two of those have been this year.  You see, as my hours in the day grow shorter, due to increased work load, having a toddler at home, etc, I grow less tolerant of wasting time.

So, how do I decide when to put a book down?  I never do it flippantly for one thing.  In the end, this is still someone’s baby.  And much like a baby, the book’s mother or father still thinks it’s the greatest, most adorable thing in the whole wide world.  So, I always give whatever I’m reading the respect it deserves.  If it hasn’t irritated me within 100-150 pages, I keep reading.

Now, what do I mean by ‘irritated?’   Factual errors within the world irritate me. Like a historical romance that takes place long before Shakespeare’s time referencing Shakespeare’s quotes (yes, I dropped a book that did that).  Typos and poor editing irritate me.  And here’s my opinion on that: If you didn’t take the time and effort to properly edit, why should I take the time to finish reading?  Accents that don’t jive irritate me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good accent.  It really puts you in the world of the characters.  But, poorly written, a Scottish accent ends up sounding like a deep southern accent (yes, I read a book that did that, and I did finish that one, much to my chagrin).  Irritating.

So, what’s the big deal, right?  Why write a giant blog about dropping a book?  The author will never know, and probably won’t care you didn’t finish.  It’s not like it’s a homework assignment, like anything at all rides on you finishing the book you’re reading, right?  Maybe, maybe not.  For me, it breaks my heart a little every time I put a book down.  I can’t start a new book for several days, until I’ve grieved.  Grieved what?  The loss of my time?  The loss of potential that book had?  Who knows.  I may be too emotionally involved with books, but it’s what I do, and for that, I don’t apologize.

And for some, me in particular, finishing a book carries a certain amount of integrity with it.  You close the book, or put down your Kindle or e-reader and think, “I finished.”  It’s very satisfying.  When a book is bad, you are robbed of that experience.  I feel a bit betrayed when that happens.

Anyway, think twice before casting a book aside.  Make sure you’ve given it a good solid chance at your attention.  You both deserve it.  You might find a diamond in the rough!  But, if you do decide to put it down, try not to feel guilty.  You gave it a fair shot, and your time is valuable.  That should be enough.