Laura Stapleton's Blog, page 7

Why Don’t Writers Have Screenplays Ready Already?

Here’s some Friday fun!

You’ve read a novel, loved it, and heard there’s a movie in the works. There’s some cheering you do before circlingthe film’s release date on the calendar. As the credits roll you notice there’s a screenwriter AND the novel’s writer. Two different people? What gives? Why didn’t the novelist write the screenplay? Why pay extra for another version when one writer is as good as any another?

In a word, specialization. Like a mason doesn’t install windows, a brain surgeon d...

Book Covers Before and After

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you likely know about my Very Manly series of books. All two of them. There’s four in the entire series, but the last two won’t see the light of day if the sales for the first two don’t pick up. I’m an artist anda business owner. Do I want to spend my time writing and then spend the money on editing and book coverstodo so at a loss? No.

Here are the two covers for the series, before. Notice how the photography is professional, the fonts...

A Lost Week

From last Monday to this, I’ve been way under the weather. It’s been a long week of cough, edit, try to sleep, stuck on repeat. I am not a person who gets sick at all and thus, am a lousy patient.

So what have I accomplished? Spiffing up previously released, soon to be released, and released for preorder works. The Oregon Trail series is very close to being done. Depending on how my “Men” go over with the romance crowd, I’ll either call them done at the Best and Worst, or add in The Very Rich...

There should be a #WackyWednesday!

First of all, I have to admit I’ve been living in a ‘Quil haze this past week. My usual solid steel immune system has let me down. While my blog has been neglected, nothing else has been. The Very Worst Man is up for preorder with a release date of February 28th. Unfortunate, Daggart’s fate, is at the editor’s, as is Undeniable, getting its makeover in round two of edits. The Very Best Man is getting another polish, too. When writing advice says “Sleep on it,” believe them. You’ll find mistak...

Want to Be a “Success”? Learn to Be an Outlaster

This is a link to Kristen Lamb’s blog post. I could continue to hack out a wheel from the stone, or direct you to where she’s made one for the finest luxury car. Yes, her writing advice IS that quality. Go read and become inspired! Want to Be a “Success”? Learn to Be an Outlaster.

What if I didn’t write? What would I do? #MondayBlogs

Good questions, right?

I’ve been writing fiction off and on since 1990. I’ve submitted works to major publishing houses and received rejection form letters with a few personal rejections thrown in. I’ve tried to be ‘normal’ all my life and obviously not well or I’d be a big name in the traditional published writer world.

Back when I first started submitting, there were independently published writers. They sold their ‘books’ out of the back of their van, truck, or car. Most of their works had t...

#MondayBlogs for the Readers

I’ve had a lot of feedback from readers in the past week and thankfully, it’s all been great. It’s super hard for me to take complimentsand I findpraise both wanted and difficult. Whenever someone is gushy over my work, I have to take a deep breath and say thank you. Then nothing else. No deflecting or saying I’m not worthy because doing such will dilute the compliment and who wants that?

That’s my thoughts on the past week. Back to you, the reader. In that ‘Fine’ voice you get from your mothe...

#MondayBlogs for the writers

Readers, especially mine, I love you. I do. Even the readers who find I’m not their cup o’ tea, thank you. You’ve invested time and money in my work and that is amazing and humbling to me. The readers who love or even just like me? I make sure every work is better than the one before and that’s totally due to you.

But, alas, this post isn’t for you, it’s for my writing friends. Here’s my lecture for you.

I’ve read everything I can get my hands on about being a successful author. Everything. All...

Before You Hit Publish…#MondayBlogs

I’ve been reading a lot of indie published books and short stories in the past few weeksand months. The one thing I’ve noticed across the board is that every single author needs an editor. Yes, even you, the English major. You need an editor.

You know those optical illusions, the one where you pick a C out of a billion O’s? How about the one where you count the number of ‘f’s but miss the one f in ‘of’ because it sounds like a ‘v’? Exactly. No matter how careful a person is, their brain will f...

THE Secret to Hitting 50K Words for NaNoWriMo. #MondayBlogs

If you’re a writer, chances are you’ve heard of the National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers of all kinds begin typing or scribbling the Great American Novel. Only this isworldwide and not necessarily American. No matter, many will begin and many will finish the 50,000 words. You’ve won when you have 50K verifiable words. There are no rules about which words are used in a winning document, that’s up to you.

Enough of that. What exactly is the secret to winning? Having won NaNoWriM...