R.L. Stedman's Blog, page 7
May 26, 2017
Write What You Know: The Story of a Story
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What if You Know Less Than You Thought?
I began working in healthcare when I was a student, before graduating into physiotherapy and, more latterly, working for ACC, Ministry of Health and a number of District Health Boards. That’s thirty-something years in total. Scary, how time flies. So, given my working life has been in healthcare, I suppose it was inevitable that at least one book would be set in the world of a hospital. After all: write what you know.
This is the story of that book, and how I discovered that, despite a lifetime in the sector, I knew next to nothing about healthcare.
The Story of a Story
In 2011 I began a story about Tayla, a nine-year-old with a love of practical jokes. I wanted to explore how intensive care might feel to a child: the machines, the busy-ness, hushed voices, IV lines and intubation. The working title was Practically Joking.
Practically Joking began with Tayla’s admission to ICU after a car crash. I thought this was a great opening; dramatic and sad, but I was able to use practical jokes to provide a leavening of humour. Unfortunately, the story refused to evolve as planned. Within the first chapter of Practically Joking, Tayla, scared and in pain, decided to leave his body and float about the ICU as a small-but-irritating ghost. And just like that, Practically Joking became a ghost story.
Which goes to show, you can’t always control what you write. Sometimes the subconscious takes over.
Haunted Hospitals
A bit of background: I trained as a physiotherapist in the 1980s, when Christchurch Hospital still had nightingale wards. These wards were seriously spooky at night: long, dimly lit corridors, wards of white-sheeted patients, full of echoes and draughts.
And the stories told in hospital tearooms! If you’ve worked in a hospital you’ll know what I mean: cold spots, unexplained happenings, figures at the ends of beds. Every hospital I’ve ever worked at has one or two ghost stories.
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I suppose my subconscious remembered them and wove them into the Tayla’s story.
Anyway, having begun Tayla’s story and finding it morphing into a ghost adventure, I decided to go with it. The title changed to Ghost School. Ghost School took me to strange places: an intimidating inspector, a coffee-holic doctor and a school for ghosts (because every child deserves an education, even if they’re dead).
‘Well,’ I thought, ‘it is kind of interesting.’
Away From Hospital
Then the story changed again, and I just had to follow. The narrative moved away from hospital. In ghostly form, Tayla travelled out into the world of schools and kids and annoying sisters. He met Jamie, newly arrived from Scotland. Jamie was lonely, because no one could understand his accent and, worse still, all his practical jokes were going wrong. The title became The Prankster and the Ghost.
Fortunately, this title stuck! I even added a competition, and a list of practical jokes at the end of the book.
In an earlier incarnation The Prankster and the Ghost was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award, and was finally published in 2015.
And how does the story end? Without giving too much away, you’ll be pleased to know that Tayla recovered. He’s made new friends (and possibly enemies, because he really is totally addicted to practical jokes).
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Writing and The Subconscious
Reading a book I’ve written is an amazing experience. Frequently the language and characters are surprising, and quite often I wonder how I came up with the ideas. Re-reading Prankster for the final time was both humbling and profound, because while I had planned a book about a child’s encounter with Intensive Care, what emerged was a story about resilience. In retrospect I’m pleased that I followed my subconscious’ directions.
Because, a patient’s journey is not a pathway through the health system. It’s not even about recovery from illness. A patient’s journey, at the most fundamental level, is about learning to live. Because just as my fictional Tayla experienced, while a life may begin and end inside the hospital walls a life is lived outside, in the real world.
Credits
Note: This blog post first appeared in Corpus: Conversations about Medicine and Life on March 27, 2017. Thanks to Sue Wootten for permission to repost here. Corpus, an interdisciplinary discussion forum, is administered by the University of Otago
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May 17, 2017
Writing Spooky Stories for Children: Tingle, Not Terror
I love ghost stories! My parents never knew this, but I began reading Stephen King when I was ten years old — Carrie, progressing rapidly to The Shining, It (fantastic title) and The TommyKnockers. While I hate horror, and my kids say I’m a total wimp, I love the spine-tingling freakiness of a great ghost story.
And because a good ghost story is EXCITING, they are a great way to encourage kids to read.
Technique and Terror
While ghost stories are great at hooking kids into reading, writing them for children is surprisingly difficult. You have to keep the reader at the edge of their seat, but in no way do you want them traumatised. Writing a good ghost story requires breakneck pacing, comic relief to offset the bleak moments (and there’s no way you can avoid the bleak moments, it’s a ghost story) and characters and settings that are so extreme they’re almost a parody.
Think of The Addams Family, or Ghostbusters: scary, funny but never dull.
So when I learned that my wonderful editor, Sue Copsey, had just finished her first box set of horror books for kids — think RL Stine, but with a New Zealand twist — I grabbed the chance of an interview. I just had to ask this expert writer: ‘How do you do it?’
Here’s her replies. Hope you enjoy.
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How to Write a Spooky Story
What makes a story spooky?
Spookiness in a story is mostly about creating an atmosphere: a waft of chilly air, the feeling of being watched, shadows, darkness, and of course the ever-reliable creaking front door, thunderstorms, and moaning wind!
Spookiness is very different to full-on horror, which I wouldn’t want any child of mine reading. While horror can send you screaming from the room, spooky will have you looking over your shoulder. It’s all about the suggestion of something. It’s … Shh? What was that? Something’s not quite right, something’s making your spine tingle.
Why do you write ghost stories?
I guess most authors write the sort of thing they like to read, and I’ve always been a fan of ghost stories. As a child, there was something delicious about being tucked up in bed reading a scary story by torchlight. I grew up in England, where every village has its myths and spooks, and I was fascinated by the history behind haunted spots. Places like old battlefields, ruins and deserted WWII airfields have such an atmosphere. Is this just because we know what happened there, or is there some sort of echo that we pick up on? I like to explore these ideas through writing.
There’s so much scope in writing ghost stories for children. I can include history, mystery and adventure, as well as the creepy stuff. Generally, I’m keen on finding ways of teaching history that will grab children’s interest. For example, most kids probably have little interest in the Otago Gold Rush (the theme of The Ghosts of Moonlight Creek), but weave that information into a story about a lost golden nugget and a ghostly gold miner, and they might learn some history without even being aware of it.
Have you ever seen a real ghost?
Maybe! It was on my wedding night (yes, you may make your smutty joke here). It had of course been a long day with a certain amount of champagne, and I was possibly tired-and-emotional enough to be hallucinating, but I’m still pretty sure the figure silhouetted in the bedroom doorway wasn’t imagined (the door flew open and shut in a matter of seconds). And when I discovered the next day that the hotel was notorious for spooky goings-on, then I thought, maybe …
How do you make sure your stories are exciting but not too scary for kids?
I aim to give the reader a little thrill rather than a nightmare. One reviewer said my stories have ‘just the right amount of tingle for the spine’. To make them exciting I keep the pace fast – I want the reader to keep turning the pages. Today’s kids have such short attention spans and soon get bored if there’s nothing much happening, and I’m very aware of this as I write – I’m competing with apps and computer games for kids’ time. And I won’t give up; I really really want kids to keep reading!
As far as ‘not too scary’ goes, out of all the ghosts in my books (a total of seven spooks in three books so far), only one turns out to be nasty. The others are benign. I didn’t initially plan it that way, but no matter how I tried to write them, my ghosts wanted to be lost souls trying to right past wrongs, or sending warnings, and for that they needed the help of my hero, Joe, who has the ability to see ghosts.
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What are some things you’ve learned through writing ghost stories?
As a writer, the most important lesson I’ve learned is how to slash and burn my text to keep the pace moving along. My first in the ghost story series (originally published in 2011) was full of surplus words, and I recently re-edited it to fix it. After three books I think I’ve nailed it – I’m now a demon with the red pen (OK, the delete button, but red pen sounds better). I’ve also learned how to get plenty of tension into a story – how to keep the reader turning those pages.
On the factual side, because my books are set in interesting and historical New Zealand locations, I’ve learned a lot about my lovely adopted country, and have greatly enjoyed my ‘research’ trips J
What advice do you have for people wanting to write for children?
Start by reading a wide variety of children’s books – picture books, chapter books, novels – so you can recognize what makes a great kids’ read. Don’t assume that writing for children is easier than writing for adults. Many authors will tell you it’s harder! If you haven’t grabbed them by the end of page 1, you’re doomed. If you have kids of your own, try and put your finger on why they like certain books and not others. Then learn the craft of writing. Even if you have talent and ideas by the bucketload, you still need to learn what makes a story work, how to write a great character, how to nail your beginning and ending, and how to write text for the age level you’re aiming at – not too many difficult words, for example. Don’t send off your first draft to a publisher or agent. Get feedback – attend workshops and join writing groups, and draft and redraft until everyone is telling you, ‘It’s there – submit!’
Where can people find you?
My website is at www.suecopsey.com. It’s a mish-mash of information on my books and editing services, and spooky stuff for kids, like jokes, a colouring-in, and a list of the most haunted places in NZ.
What are you working on next?
I’m having a break from spooks; I’m a short way into a middle-grade fantasy. Against all advice (publishers don’t want books set in New Zealand, apparently – fools!), I AM making it a New Zealand book, because I want Kiwi kids, as well as the rest of the world, to know what a unique and unusual place this is. I have some vague, hopelessly optimistic idea that in making them aware of how awesome it is, and how lucky they are to live here, the next generation might be inspired to protect New Zealand to a greater degree than my own is failing to do. For an author, there is so much scope here – vast areas of mountain and forest wilderness, full of strange animals found nowhere else in the world. Weird birds, prehistoric reptiles, strange sea creatures … wait, did I say fantasy? Actually, this is our reality! I won’t say any more, I’m only a couple of chapters in but the rest of it is there in my head, waiting for me to find the words. I’m excited about it, can you tell?
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About Sue:
Sue Copsey is an award-winning writer of spooky adventure stories for older children. Her 2015 title The Ghosts of Tarawera was a Notable Book Award. As well as children’s fiction, Sue has produced many non-fiction books, including the UK Times Educational Supplement award winner Children Just Like Me, and Our Children Aotearoa, which also won a Notable Book Award. Sue has two children and lives in Auckland, where she edits AMAZING books (sorry Sue, just had to put that in!)
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May 15, 2017
What Makes You Happy?
What Makes You Happy?
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll see I’ve recently been on holiday.
I’ve been cycling through Dutch tulip fields. This was something I’ve always wanted to do, but never made the time. After all, Holland is a long, long way from New Zealand. BUT – over the last year I’ve had three friends diagnosed with cancer. All are doing fine, and are in good health, but it was a wake-up call. You know how we always say: ‘one day I’ll do …’. Well, this year I decided to make one day = some day.
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The Benefits of Flowers, Travel and Appreciating Small Things
Holland, being flat, is an ideal destination for a cycling holiday. The towns and villages are close together, so refreshment is always close. The coffee is good, and the beer is better. And because everyone cycles, most drivers are well behaved.
Although Holland is a small, densely packed country, it has wild places; strips of water and fields of wildfowl: swans, geese, ducks. We surprised a few herons fishing beside the cycle trails; they flew away with long, graceful wing strokes when we came too close. The sun, though not hot, was warm enough, especially when we biked fast, into the wind.
The tulip fields were amazing, of course. Long strips of bright colour, and so densely planted it was like some heavenly painter had stooped down to paint the land. But what I hadn’t expected was the hyacinths! Spring hyacinths have a gorgeous scent, and so strong that to stand downwind felt like standing beside a perfumery. And a flower festival in a country church was so steeped in spring bulbs that to stay there too long was to invite a headache.
Scent is something that’s difficult to explain in words; it’s one of those things you have to experience to fully understand. Like flowers, and the wild birds flying. But like flowers and travel and wild birds, the smell of flowers makes me happy.
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Happiness is ephemeral. The result, textbooks say, of neurotransmitters like serotonin and adrenaline. A byproduct of our environment; a positive stimulus. Marketers exploit our craving for happiness. ‘Buy this,’ they say, ‘and you will get laid/look good/be rich.’ But happiness is rarely found in impressing others. For me, happiness is in appreciating small, wonderful things — the graceful flight of a wild bird, the sight of fields of flowers, the warmth of spring sunshine.
I don’t know why I had to travel to the other side of the world to understand this. Perhaps that’s the point in travel — because everything is new and different, you notice it more.
So the main thing I learned from travel is to stop, and to take notice. To watch, to wonder and inhale.
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May 4, 2017
How to Write a Picture Book
Want To Write A Picture Book?
There’s so few words in a picture book, surely it should be easy? Well, NO. Fewer words = every word counts. You cannot pad in a picture book.
Picture Books are Important Books
Picture books introduce kids to words and rhyme and the idea of sitting still. Often they become classics, enjoyed through generations.
Picture Books are fun for adults, too. I loved reading stories to my kids; it was fascinating to see what they noticed in the pictures and to hear their commentary on the story.
My boys are teenagers now, but they still remember some of the books we’d read together, and they can still recite the rhymes!
How to Write A Picture Book
I’ve never written a picture book, so I’ve no idea where to start. But I’m writing this post because I’m off to give a series of talks shortly in Taranaki* . As part of my preparation I reached out to Chrissy Metge, picture book writer at Duckling Publishing.
Chrissy has an intriguing background in screen animation, and has worked on major projects like The Jungle Book and Fast and Furious 7. She definitely understands words and visuals. She’s written four picture books now, about Max and His Big Imagination, and they’re fun, beautifully illustrated stories.
* I’m judging the Ronald Hugh Morrison Literary Awards in 2017. Want to know more about these awards? Click here
Chrissy Metge’s Big Imagination
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Tell me a bit about you. What made you want to begin to write?
I did creative writing at school and loved it! Because of the movie and animation industry I work in, I am always around great ideas and creative people so have had many ideas of my own.
I always wanted to write my own kids books and when my son was born six weeks early I had time at the beginning — so I began to write them down! 
April 10, 2017
How to Improve Your Writing
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This is an amazing guest post by Susan Day (Astro’s Adventures Book Club), an Australian writer. Susan got in touch with me via Twitter, and offered to do a blog post. Well, of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I think you’ll see why..
Writing is a solitary occupation where we authors spend most of our time drawing ideas deep from a well of creativity. We do this on our own, hunched over keyboards while consuming vast amounts of coffee. Well, I do
Why writers need to have their work checked
Being a writer is hard work, and getting published is a daunting task as difficult as climbing any steep mountain.
However, it is important that all writers learn to ask for help and act upon on it at every step of the process. Our manuscripts and books are products of a great deal of energy and thought. They are our “babies”, and mean the world to us. It is natural instinct that we would want to protect them from criticism.
However, no writer produces the most perfect book from the first go. Writing is a skill that needs to be honed and shaped, regardless of how talented you are.
Who should writers ask advice from?
I believe you should ask for help from people you trust. By this, I don’t mean people who are going to protect your feelings like your parents; people who are supposed to love everything you do.
You need to ask for advice from someone who you know will tell you the truth without malice or prejudice. You need to know how to make your plot more exciting and your characters more interesting, for example. You need someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in your feelings to teach you how to become a better writer.
Having said that, if someone is rude to you about your work, ignore them. They may be acting on their own base feelings of jealousy or lack of self-confidence.
Taking criticism wisely
Only a fool believes they know everything. One of the greatest methods I have employed to develop my writing skills was to listen to others’ ideas of how I could improve my stories.
After seven years of writing I still send a manuscript to just about anyone who is willing to critique it. That way it will be seen by a wide variety of different people. These range from experts who have made a career out of proof reading and editing, to other authors, to grandparents who are in my niche market. This last group is especially important because they’ll tell me if they would be happy to share my book with their grandchildren.
Whoever is reading my manuscript gets told the same thing. I beg them to look for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, lulls in the plot or things that just don’t make sense. I’m not looking for a pat on the back. What I need to know is how to make my book great before it hits the shelf. After all, there is nothing worse than a reader emailing you a list of errors they found in your book. I would rather know what I need to do to improve it before it was published rather than afterwards.
I am also gracious, and always thank them. I appreciate anyone who has taken time out of their busy day to read my work.
In my honest opinion, those writers who ask for help and listen to criticisms, are those who are going to make their dreams of becoming a published author a reality sooner rather than later.
About the author – Susan Day
Susan Day is a children’s author and writer.
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Her blog, Astro’s Adventures Book Club, is full of ideas and tips for grandparents who want to build a strong relationship with their grandchildren. In particular, Susan specializes in helping grandparents share their love of books with their grandchildren. Susan is currently writing a book titled, The Top 10 Things Happy Grandparents Never Regret Doing!
Susan lives in country Australia with four dogs, three boss cats, three rescue guinea pigs, and an errant kangaroo. And, apart from blogging, writing and reading; she loves drinking coffee, painting and learning to box.
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March 29, 2017
Want to Self-Publish? Here’s 11 Things You’ll Need
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11 Things You’ll Need to Self-Publish
Thinking of self-publishing your book? You may as well learn from my mistakes!
Before you begin, I suggest you consider your strengths and weaknesses. Here’s 11 attributes I’ve found essential for survival as an independent author.
Do You Have These 11 Things ?
1. Can you write?
If this is your first manuscript the chances are that, no, you probably can’t. Sorry. Most writers have a few failed scripts in boxes somewhere. If this is your first manuscript, and its your first draft and you are planning on self-publishing I really suggest that you DO NOT ask people to pay for it – i.e. don’t put it onto Amazon or ibooks.
If you really think the idea is good (in between the normal ‘it’s crap’ feeling that every writer has) I would try to find a critique partner — you can often find a CP through a writer’s association — or put it onto WattPad or Fan Fiction . Anything to get feedback. Even better, do a course. Believe me, study really helps.
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2. Do you understand the publishing process?
Commercial publishers are very unlikely to publish even your final draft. Before it is set to print your book will have at least three edits – usually by three different people:
a structural edit – where the structure of the plot, the characters and so forth are analysed and recommendations made on how to strengthen them
a copy edit – where the spelling, grammar and so on is checked
a proofing edit – check for final errors
If self-publishing, you would be wise to follow this process. Otherwise your book won’t be as good as it could be. Which is bad for reviews, bad for your reputation, and just bad for the reader. But be warned, professional editorial input is not free. It’s worth it, in terms of product, but you may not get your money back in sales.
3. Are you comfortable with the internet?
If you’re reading this, chances are you are quite comfortable on a browser. Just be warned: self-publishing is a global industry and unless you want to pay someone a lot of money to do everything for you, you’ll probably need to do it yourself. This means that invariably, you’ll be on the internet a lot.
4. Are you comfortable with e-books?
Self publishing is really about e. The future is p and audio, too, I think. So if you’re planning on self-publishing, make sure you enjoy and are familiar with reading on an e-platform. This means you’ll have a greater understanding for the importance of layout, and you’ll be more careful when it comes to formatting. Also, you’ll be making purchasing decisions similar to your readers.
5. Do you have a kindle account?
Currently, Amazon is the dominator of the self-pub industry. iTunes is coming on strong, too, but more people still read on Amazon apps or kindles. Amazingly, I heard today that Amazon has 42% of the world’s print market as well!
So if you’re really wanting to self-publish, I do suggest you become familiar with the Amazon store. Understand how books are presented to purchasers and download a few yourself. Get a feeling for what you like, and what features you don’t. It is different to navigating your way through a bricks and mortars store.
6. Do you have a basic understanding of finances?
Here’s a lesson for you. I have an MBA so I thought, well, no problem. I’ll be fine here. And yet – I forgot about the exchange rate! I can’t believe it, but I did! The problem is, Amazon presents all its prices in USD. So when I calculated the costs of CreateSpace, I forgot to convert. This meant a price inflation of around 20%.
7. Do you have time?
Self publishing your first book will take you ages. Well, it’s taken me ages. Everything is new. I don’t know how to use the technology. This is what I have had to learn so far:
how to download a mobi file
how to read a mobi file
how to format to a print-ready proof
how to format a word document to smashwords requirements (don’t believe them when they say their Style Guide is easy to use. It isn’t)
how to organise a press release
how to create, and edit, an .html document.
What is bleed?
How long are delivery times?
What does a book distributor do? What does a book marketer do? How much do they cost?
What is an ASIN and what is an ISBN?
What paper thickness do I need? Do I need matt or gloss cover? What is a laminate?
How to organise a blog tour
What is a marketing plan and what should it look like?
How much should I price my book?
How many copies should I order?
8. Do you have a healthy dose of scepticism?
In this industry – in most industries, really – there is no ‘get rich quick’ scheme. Yet, when you read the websites of Smashwords or Amazon, they say just upload your manuscript and click the ‘publish’ button and voila, your words in your way, ready to be read by the world. Don’t believe them. Don’t believe anyone when they tell you that it’s simple. For the first few books you’ll be on a steep, slow-climb up the learning curve.
9. Do you have a background that includes any or all of the following?
The following skill sets are really, really helpful. If you have some or all of these, you’ll find the route to self-publishing so much easier.
Scientific/Analytical
Commerce/finance/marketing
Legal
Project Management
IT
10. Do you have enough money?
Self-publishing is not free. Well, I don’t think it’s free. Costs include time, of course, but there’s also editorial, book covers, marketing and anything else you care to spend. You can do it on a really tight, tight budget of perhaps $500 USD, but some people pay a lot more. The good thing is, these costs are all tax-deductible.
One bonus of writing – you might not make much money, but pretty much everything you do can be claimed as a deduction.
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11. Are you willing to learn?
The independent publishing market is global, highly software-enabled and is in its early years. Things are changing rapidly. What might work today may not work tomorrow. You need to be willing to embrace these changes! Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work, you can always try again.
And on a Positive Note!
The eleven qualities above are mostly personal. They do not involve spending enormous amounts of money, or hiring employees, or building plant or buying expensive equipment. They do, however, involve spending large amounts of time.
Any qualities you feel are important? Feel free to share!
The post Want to Self-Publish? Here’s 11 Things You’ll Need appeared first on RL Stedman.
March 16, 2017
15 Useful Apps and Tools for Writers
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15 Useful Apps and Tools To Save You Time
This post was inspired by a Facebook question: how do you do it all? And I said: I don’t. I’ve got a list of tools that help me out. This is that list.
I’ve added in a google docs spreadsheet containing most of these tools – scroll down to the bottom of this post to download.
Why Self-Publish?
I publish my own books through my own imprint, WaverleyProductions.
For me the biggest advantage of self-publishing is time. Because I am busy, I have to have control of the process; I can’t handle the stress of working to a third-party’s deadline.
I find that now I’m self-publishing, I can create a better book. And ironically, I can do it faster than a traditional house.
But Isn’t Self-Publishing a Lot of Work?
Yes. And No. Not really.
Here’s the truth: writing is always a lot of work. Whether you’re published or self-published you’ll still have to put the words on the page. You still need to interact with readers, whether it’s through social media or author talks; you need to put those hours in.
I’ve heard: ‘I couldn’t self-publish. I don’t have time for all that marketing’. And that same writer will drive for three hours to talk to a book group of ten people. News for you honey: talking to people is marketing. But you’ve just spent a whole day doing it! I can send a tweet or an instagram post and reach 50 people. If they like it they might share it! And it takes me thirty seconds.
The trick with writing, whether self-published or traditional, is to be as hands-off as possible. Find a tool that creates a good product, that you don’t have to spend a lot of time learning and is (ideally) free. The key is AUTOMATION.
Here’s fifteen resources that I’ve found really useful. I use most of these tools every day; and together they’ve saved me a fortune in time and money.
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15 Time-Saving Tools
1 Canva – Canva is graphic design software lite. Sure, you can’t do as much with it as you can with Adobe or Gimp but it’s SOO much easier! It will take you about 5 minutes to figure out. Plus, it’s free, unless you use a licensed photo. I’ve used it to create bookmarks, book covers and more. The graphic at the top of this blog was created in Canva. The only downside? You can spend ages touching up the filters!
2 Smartmockups – Smartmockups was created by two graphic designers, who were sick of creating boring mockups! Wouldn’t be easier, they thought, if we make a package that’s are so easy to use that no-one will bother us ever again?
Most of the images on this blog of my books inside an iPhone or as a 3D cover were made on Smartmockups.
There is a free application, but I ended up paying the one-off license charge, because it contained a lot more options.
Hot off the press: I emailed SmartMockups last week – they tell me they’re creating a whole new range of book mockups.
3 Vellum – this magic software allows you to format your own e-book within a couple of hours! It is the best investment I ever made. Created by two pixar engineers, it only work on a mac, but it’s super simple to use and produces a very high-quality e-pub or mobi file. Word on the street is that they’re working on the capability of producing a pdf file too.
The price is $29.99 for a single license. I ended up paying for the unlimited license, as it just freed me up so much.
4 Facebook – enough said.
5 Pixabay – this is a catalogue of stock art. Licensed under the creative commons, images can be downloaded for free. I download them and manipulate them in canva. Many of the images on this website were from Pixabay. Some are really really great quality, so it’s worth taking time to discover your favourite photographers.
6 RecurPost – a scheduling tool for social media. You can load it up with content, and create libraries of say, blog posts. If you’re reading this later than March 2017, chances are you’ve found it from a recur-generated tweet! This little baby allows me to recycle useful content over and over again. It takes a couple of hours to set it up, and then you’re good to go. I check it every two weeks or so to make sure I’m not repeating myself too often. The basic plan (which I use) is free.
7 Draft2Digital – a publishing and distribution agent. This is super easy to use, and distributes your books to most online platforms. It normally takes me around 30 mins to publish a book with this honey. It’s not free, but you pay as a percentage of your earnings, so there’s no upfront fee, and the royalties are reasonably modest. Plus, they pay out monthly.
8 BookFunnel – this platform allows easy sharing of share digital files with readers. If you’ve downloaded my any of my extra giveaways, chances are you’ve done it through Bookfunnel. There’s an alternative called instafreebie, which is also good, but I prefer the word ‘bookfunnel’! This wee wonder is a whole lot easier than putting files on your website (believe me, I’ve tried it!) and a lot more secure. It costs around $20 per year for the basic plan.
9 Mailchimp – this is a newsletter and list management platform. It’s free for the first 2000 subscribers then ramps up quickly. It’s not that intuitive to use, but they have helpful videos. It took me ages to send my first email, but now it takes about 20 minutes. It works really nicely with book funnel, too, so I can add a link to my newsletter and a ‘download here’ button , and my subscribers can grab their giveaway. (Did I mention that I’m nice like that :))
10 WordPress.org – this is a website platform. Others are Wix and SquareSpace. Personally, I prefer wordpress, as it’s got a whole heap of additional plug ins that are very inexpensive. This website is a wordpress.org on a Genesis theme.
Websites aren’t free; you need to pay for the hosting and the domain name. But they’re very useful, and they are a lot of fun. Cost is dependant on the theme and whether or not you pay a developer. If you want a free solution, you can try Tumblr, wordpress.com or blogspot. (I’ve tried two of these, so have inserted links so you can see what you can do with them). However, after trying a few alternatives, I prefer a proper website.
11 Youtube – Nuff said.
12 Google analytics – this is super powerful reporting software. It’s not that easy to use — like most google products — but it’s very useful. Through analytics you can track whether or not people are looking at your site. You can see how they came to you (social, search, whatever) and you can see where they’re based. I know, for example, that most people find me through search or Facebook. Google analytics is free.
13 Yoast – this is a plugin, not an app. It’s free, and although it takes a while to figure out, is a super powerful way to ensure your site shows up on search engines. Did I mention that most people find me through search? Since I set up Yoast, I’ve had a doubling of traffic. If you need help setting it up, check on Youtube. There’s a whole heap of helpful videos.
14 SumoMe – the social sharing buttons you can see at the side of this page and the pop-ups that invite you to download a fairytale collection for free are SumoMe. This plug in is free for the basic plan. It takes a while to figure out (I watched a youtube video) but once learned, it’s been easy to maintain.
15 My Book Progress – this is for fun, but I love it. It’s a free plugin, and helps you keep track of where you’re up to with your writing. If you click to my home page and scroll down, you’ll see what it looks like.
Download The List
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Click on the image to download
Any thoughts? Any other tools you’d recommend?
The post 15 Useful Apps and Tools for Writers appeared first on RL Stedman.
March 9, 2017
5 Books to Read if You Love Doctor Who and Sherlock
Love Doctor Who and Sherlock?
If you’re a fan of Sherlock and Doctor Who, here’s a series I can almost guarantee you’ll love! This is the Rivers of London (Peter Grant) series, written by Ben Aaronovitch.
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The books are set in London, and follow the adventures of biracial Peter Grant, the first wizard to be discovered in the police force in fifty years. Peter finds himself averting various magical disasters and along the way has a relationship with a river, a dog and a faceless villain. And no, it’s not like Harry Potter. Well, it is a bit…
Once you’re hooked, there are FIVE books to discover. And it’s not one of those series that has a couple of not-so-good stories. All these books are great. And, as a bonus, there’s another, called The Furthest Station, coming out this year.
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Why is it like Doctor Who?
Well, for a start Aaronovitch was a writer for Doctor Who! So of course he really knows how to capture the London voice. There’s this deeply ironic, subversive, gallows-humour that pervades the series. And of course, the city itself makes a fantastic setting; there’s the underground, the history and – did I mention the rivers?
Blurb:
“Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost.”
Best Quote:
“My name is Peter Grant and I am a member of that mighty army for justice known to all right thinking people as the Metropolitan Police and as ‘the filth’ by everyone else.”
Where can I find?
Here’s links to the Amazon listings for these books:
Rivers of London (published in the US as Midnight Riot)
Extras
There’s a heap of additional material: comic books, novellas, short stories. If, like me, you’re a bit confused about what fits where, check out Aaronovitch’s website.
Hope you enjoy!
The post 5 Books to Read if You Love Doctor Who and Sherlock appeared first on RL Stedman.
March 6, 2017
What Can I Write About?
What Can I Write About?
1. Inspiration
Dying to write, but short of ideas? Here’s some ways to come up with stories.
If you’re very lucky, the idea strikes hard, in the middle of the night. And you wake and scribble down a story and bang, that’s it, you’re ready to go. Like me, when I had a dream of a girl, fighting in a forest. (You can read more about my dream, and what it led to here)
There might be a ‘what-if’ moment:
– What if a whole planet is sentient?
– What if the world was just a computer programme?
– What if a necklace could destroy its wearer’s heart?
Sometimes there’s a feeling of ‘tell-me-more’. Alexander McCall Smith developed Precious Ramotswe after meeting an extraordinary woman.
If you’re short of material, idea generators are available on line or in writing magazines. Tumblr has a few. I like Pinterest (although you have to watch you’re not being the same as everyone else). Here’s an image from my plotbunny folder!
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From Diply via Pinterest
2. Perspiration
Develop your idea
Your idea becomes the premise of your novel. It’s the 5 minute plot summary, the elevator pitch.
You can do a lot with a premise. You can elaborate it into several paragraphs, into a short story, into a novel. Randy Ingermanson has an interesting technique called the Snowflake Method. I’ve played with this concept, and while I quite like it I haven’t yet extended it from basic premise into full-blown plan.
Persistence
Just remember, that an intriguing idea is only that. You need characters and conflict to make a novel. Also, you need patience.
3. Market
Some people advise checking to see if there’s a market for your idea before developing it into a novel. In an earlier blog post I said: “Markets are fickle. Write what you like.”
Two years on, I have to admit (albeit rather sadly) that this was naive.
After four years of writing and selling books, I have learned a hard truth: ignore the market at your peril. Obviously, don’t write crap. Don’t plagiarise. Don’t try to write something just because you think it will sell – mostly, you’ll be wrong – but also, don’t ignore what is selling. And if you’re considering competing story ideas, it’s helpful to think: what’s doing well.
Because if people like a work similar to what you write, chances are they might like your work, too.
4. BONUS: Extra Resources
Here’s a short e-book crammed full of resources to kick-start your writing ideas. Feel free to download!
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The post What Can I Write About? appeared first on RL Stedman.
February 20, 2017
Don’t Panic! Your First Draft is Always Shit
Image from PinkPot Designs
Don’t expect great things from your first draft.
The biggest mistake of new writers is to expect their first draft to be their final one. But usually your first draft is a way to get your thoughts onto paper, and so you shouldn’t expect it to be perfect. That being said, the more experienced you are, the better your first draft will be.
First drafts can be painful. Getting those words down is hard, and sometimes it feels like extracting frigging teeth. But you need to get through it. Because only after the first draft is complete can you move onto the soul-destroying task of …
…Editing…
And if you thought the first draft was hard, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
My First Draft Process
Every day I write something new.
First draft stuff is written early in the day, when I’m still feeling creative.
I have a word target. I do not get up from my chair until I reach this target. It might be 500 words, it might be 2000, but whatever it is, I keep going until I’m there.
I begin by reviewing what I wrote the day before. But I try not to edit it too much, otherwise I get stuck in Edit Mode. There’s a big difference between Edit and Create.
Once I reach my word target, if I’m in the zone, I keep going. (If I’m not, I go for a walk. I find walking clears away the cobwebs, helps me think knotty issues through.)
Every day, I tell myself ‘well done’.
Repeat this process until finished.
And I DO NOT get worked up over what is happening until the story is finished.
Worrying about plot holes is a sure-fire way to procrastinate.
Something like Nanowrimo can help – the way you get a little graph at the end of the day is quite cool. Plus, it’s nice to feel you’re not alone.
Of course, this is all wonderful stuff. I break my rules all the time.
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Image from PinkPot Designs
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