Rani Divine's Blog, page 26

So... How is self-publishing different (or better)?

Tuesday, we discussed exactly what traditional publishing is, how it works from submission to publication, so today it’s time for self/vanity publishing. For our purposes, I’m going to simplify it and call them both self-publishing (really, vanity publishing is just a more expensive version of self-publishing).
How it Works
Essentially, self-publishing is designed to make it easier for an author to get published. In the traditional realm, authors have to keep sending out their manuscripts to various publishers, hoping an editor somewhere out there will read it and like it enough to take it to the board. But in self-publishing, we get to completely skip that whole process.
(Usually, this is where I’d tell you how annoying it is to work with self-publishers, but remember, I’m not doing that in this series. This month is all about the good stuff.)
Self-publishing is great if you’re on a clock, or if you’ve tried it the traditional way and gotten nothing but an endless line of rejections. It’s also a great way to start developing a platform, if your intention is to work with a traditional publisher later on down the line.
But let’s look at the specifics on how it works.
It starts when a writer pays a publisher for the ability to publish the manuscript. Depending on what publisher you go with, those prices will vary. The author becomes the sole person responsible for editing, cover design, marketing, everything. There is no advance royalty, because there is no formal contract of that nature. If you’re working with a publisher like Amazon, sometimes there’s no formal contract at all.
Authors get to maintain all the rights to their work. The copyright goes in their name, once again, but now everything else is also creatively controlled by the author. There’s no reason to worry about not liking your cover design or getting stuck with edits that you don’t like, because you’re responsible for everything. After all, you’re the one paying for it.
Self-publishing allows authors to make their own decisions, to choose where they want to market and what readers they want to reach for in order to create and develop their platform. That’s something authors don’t get with traditional publishing.
I’m not going to lie though. Self-publishing is hard work—but that’s exactly what some authors need. 
If you’re looking to make your writing into a hardcore business, then yeah, maybe self-publishing is for you. If you have the money to throw into your projects, then yeah, self-publishing might be for you. There are some very good things about self-publishing, and it does fill a void in the system. Now there’s nothing to stop authors from getting published, no big business to tell writers they can’t be published.
And yeah, it means that the market is more saturated, but that really just means we all have to work harder to get our work seen—which is what we were already doing, from the start.
Next week, we’ll start getting into the nitty-gritty details.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

How does traditional publishing work, anyway?

This month, I’m giving some focused attention to the publishing industry. But unlike the last few times when I’ve talked about these things, this time, all I’m talking about is the good stuff. I’ll tell you exactly why traditional publishing is awesome, and I’ll tell you why self/vanity publishing is equally as awesome.
Today, let’s take a look at traditional (mostly because that’s where it all started)How it Works
I’m sure most of you know this, but even so, it’s best to start at the beginning, wouldn’t you say?
Essentially, traditional publishing is where writers send their manuscripts to publishers, and those publishers read the manuscripts and decide if they’re worth publishing (for the sake of ease, we'll pretend agents aren't a part of this mess). If the manuscript is deemed worthy of publication, then voila! The writer receives a contract, they get paid an advance, and the publisher publishes the book. But I want to look a little bit deeper into the process, since I’ve noticed a large number of people out there who really don’t know what happens when a manuscript is sent to a publisher.
So. Here’s how it works. 
When you send in your manuscript, it goes to an editor. That editor is really the person who decides whether or not the book ought to be published (they’ll even go so far as to research and determine whether or not it’s marketable).
If the editor likes the manuscript though, that’s really only the first step in the process. If they like it, it’ll then go before what some publishers call the “pub board” (generally consisting of a marketing specialist, a senior editor or partner, and the editor who chose the manuscript, among others). That board is the group who will really decide whether the book will be published or not. The editor will be the main spokesperson for the book, while everyone else starts out against and must be persuaded. They’ll discuss marketing opportunities, potential sales numbers, and the required advance royalty rates for the author in question (if the author is new, the royalty is more likely to be low, but that’s not necessarily how it’ll be).
If, at that point, everyone on the board agrees to move forward with the book, the author will be signed to a contract on the terms that were determined by that board. Negotiations aren’t generally allowed, but there may be some wiggle room involved. As far as I’ve seen, the bigger the publishing house, the less likely they are to wiggle on things in the contract.
Once the contract is signed, the manuscript now belongs to the publisher. Oh, it’ll be copyrighted in the author’s name, but the publisher is the one who will hold the most control in the whole process. They’ll determine cover design, any edits that need doing, pretty much everything along the line. The author is the one who wrote the book, but the publisher is the one who finished it.
They’ll then go through everything to release the book, and they’ll market it to the best of their ability to make the most money they can off the deal. Of course, as authors, we have to keep in mind that publishers are businesses. They’re trying to make money for themselves, first and foremost, and then make money for the author so the author will want to keep writing (assuming the first book sold well).
For some of you, this doesn’t sound appealing at all. It’s too hands-off, too out of your control—and there’s nothing wrong with that, at all. Some people don’t need a traditional publisher, it’s true. But traditional publishers are more capable of wider marketing that will reach more people all across the world, which makes them an ideal choice for a great deal of authors.
Next time, we’ll take a look at self/vanity publishing, and see how it filled a void that traditional publishing didn’t even realize was there.
[love]
{Rani D.}

To narrow, or to generalize—that is the question!

Last week, I went to Maranatha Christian Writer’s Conference, up in Michigan (yes, I’m still adjusting to being back in my own time zone… don’t judge me). Tammy, RAD’s other associate editor, and I spent nearly a week together in the lovely, mildly chilly air of Muskegon, to get our read on. And boy, did we learn a lot.
But there’s one thing I took away from the conference, a confirmation of sorts, which I thought would be the best thing to tell you all about. You’ll see the effects of the conference on us for a long time, don’t you worry.
Going Rogue
Dave Lambert, in his keynote presentation, talked about Christian Fiction from a marketing standpoint—and he mentioned something that you should certainly know, especially if you’re wanting to write in this genre.
Christian Fiction is dying.
Yeah, that’s the blunt way of putting it, but that makes it no less true. In fact, that’s probably the easiest and best way to put it. Simply stated, Christian Fiction is on its last legs. Most Christian publishing houses have already cut this department entirely. They’re no longer releasing titles in this genre, no longer marketing them, no longer doing anything with them at all.
But what does that have to do with us?
Well, that depends on what you want to write.
A lot of Christian writers feel that since they’re Christian, they must write to fill that Christian niche, to write words that other believers will readily eat up and pass on to the next eager reader. But the thing is, Christian readers are a fairly small and narrow audience. In fact, Lambert mentioned that most Christian publishers see elderly white women of Baptist orientation as their primary target market. How many of those women do you suppose like to read in your subgenre of Christian Fiction?
That’s why it’s dying.
Christian Fiction, in and of itself, is a genre. Everything that exists within it is a subgenre. So, let’s say you write Christian Science Fiction (or, heaven forbid, Christian Horror). Well, that means that you’ve narrowed your audience from General Market to Christian Fiction, and from Christian Fiction to Christian Science Fiction. That’s an extremely small range of people.
That’s why Christian Fiction is dying.
It’s incredibly hard to market to, and at a point we have to ask ourselves if it’s even worth it. Why should we be writing to a Christian market, when General Market is just sitting there, calling our names? Why do we have to narrow our audience only to those who believe the same as us, when many of our books have little if anything to do with our faith, but are really just good, clean fiction?
The answer is that General Market is where we ought to be.
For me, it was a confirmation of something I’m already doing. Yes, I’m a Christian. You all know that. My faith is extremely important to me. But I don’t write to my faith. I write for people: all people. Just like I can pick up something by Card and enjoy it, despite what he may or may not believe, I hope that people will pick up my books and enjoy them for what they are—not critique them for what they are not, which is often what happens in the Christian Fiction genre.
So, if you’re a writer and you’re debating what audience you want to market to, consider this. Consider who your book will reach, and who you want it to reach. But remember that if your book is highly spiritual, yes, it should be categorized as Christian. If not, however, come and join me.
General Market is ready and waiting for you.
[love]
{Rani D.}
p.s. Oh yeah, and guess who specializes in good, clean fiction? ;-)

A-maze-ing

Hi, everyone!
First thing’s first, I’ve decided that today’s post will be the last of the series for the month. Partially because I hadn’t determined my last topic, but mostly because I’m going to be at Maranatha Writers Conference! If you’ll recall, I’ve never been to a writer’s conference before, so I’m hoping I’ll get a lot out of it and have a lot of fun along the way.
Anyway, I’ll be off the grid for a short while, but when I come back next week, I’ll tell you all about the conference before we jump into the next series.
Thank you all so much for your understanding! I’m not leaving you for long, don’t worry.

For now, we’ve reached the final topic of September, and it’s a topic I’ve been holding off on for a while, mostly because I know how much short fiction is out there these days.
Robin Parrish – The Corridor
Like I said, there’s a plethora of short fiction out there these days. In fact, the majority of what you’ll find online leans toward short fiction (looking at you, Kindle book writers). But there’s something to be said for a novella that’s actually satisfying, one that you actually want to read all the way to the end and aren’t disappointed by when you get there.
The Corridor is one of those. I’ll admit though, I really enjoy Parrish’s books, so I’d had my eye on this one for quite a while before I finally picked it up. (there’s also something to be said for a YA writer who’s able to hold my attention consistently, like that)
There’s this phenomena occurring lately, of writers pumping out novella after novella without really being edited (we’ve discussed that before, I believe), so when I come across a short fiction book that I actually enjoy, I want to shout it to the world.
The Corridor is about a boy who wakes up in a maze, with multiple levels that try to kill him along the way. There’s a voice in his head, telling him what to do and where to go, but for the most part, he’s on his own. He has to find his way to the end of the maze before the corridor kills him—or is he already dead?
It’s really quite fascinating, and honestly it sounded like one of those stories where you’d get to the end and be disappointed by what’s left there. The Corridor wasn’t like that.
If you’re a short fiction suspense writer, this is definitely a book you need to pick up. Parrish expertly creates young characters that feel as real as could be, and at weaving a suspenseful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I finished The Corridor in a day, if that tells you anything.
The thing is, we’re all so numb and accustomed to mundane short fiction that we probably don’t even realize what we’re reading isn’t all that good. Trust me, I’ve read a lot of short fiction. I know how hard it is to find something that I, as an editor, consider to be a good story.
If you’re a short fiction writer, do yourself a favor and pick this book up.
It might not be one you’ve heard of before, it might be a theme that makes you a little uncomfortable by the time you get in there, but it’ll all be worth it by the time you reach the end.
And if you’re not a short fiction writer, you should also pick this book up.
Why? Because we need to keep in mind how many shorter stories are wound within the big picture of our novel. That’s why I read so much short fiction to begin with.
The Corridor is a reminder that you can have a complete and satisfying story contained within a few pages—and that’s what makes it an amazing read, for fiction writers all around.
Seriously. Go pick up a copy. It’s not even expensive.
Soapbox moment: Also, if you still think $20 is expensive for a book, you’d better check yourself. How much do you pay yourself for the hours you spent writing your book, hm? Because yes, you should be compensated for that time. Someone put in a lot of time and effort to write that book, and they deserve to be paid for it.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Do you believe in monsters?

Today, I’ll be talking about two books, by the same author. They’re different stories, not in the same series at all, but I think they’re both incredibly good in one specific aspect, so I thought it best to discuss both of them at the same time. Besides, then you’ll have options in deciding which story you want to read when it comes down to it. 
Also, mild spoilers throughout this post, so if you really hate spoilers, might want to skip this one. If you're someone who reads a lot though, you probably wouldn't count what I'm about to tell you as a spoiler, because you'll already have inferred what's going on by the time you read the books' descriptions. 
Monster & The Oath – Frank Peretti
For once, this is something I’ve actually never touched in any of my stories—but it is something that I’ve considered writing on, because I do greatly enjoy stories of this nature. That’s also part of why I decided to bring it up, in general.
If there’s one thing that Peretti excels at doing, it’s writing legend as though it were a natural part of life, as though of course it should exist, as though it fit perfectly into the real world without stretching our imagination at all. That’s what we’re talking about today, hopefully with a general lack of spoilers.
I read a lot of fantasy fiction. And I do mean a lot. RAD Writing gets a lot of fantasy submissions, plus I have a lot of friends who write in the genre. Oh yeah, and it’s the predominate genre I’ve been published in as of late. I know what makes good fantasy and what makes very poorly worked fantasy. I really do. So I know how hard it is to make good fantasy fiction, to make everything flow seamlessly. Which is why I bring up Peretti. Partially because I don’t like to use my own work as an example. That just seems conceited, doesn’t it?
Peretti has this way of writing spectacular fiction, all of which really forces the reader to think, but he does so as though it’s the simplest thing in the world. He portrays things like sasquatches and dragons as though it should be obvious that they exist—so much so that readers don’t even notice when they’ve suspended reality to delve into the book.
I’ll tell you right now, that’s not very common in fantasy fiction taking place on earth. Most of the time, there’s a period in the beginning of the book where the reader has to focus, to make themselves really believe that this is the way the world works. Even in stories that take place on other worlds, there’s almost always a short number of chapters where the reader struggles to really believe what’s going on in the story.
There’s usually no way around it. Dragons aren’t real, after all. We have difficulty believing in them as actual things, especially in today’s modern world.
But there are some stories (a lot of them, actually) where authors could easily benefit by reading books like Peretti’s, by reading stories where of course sasquatch is real, didn’t you know? It’s the most obvious thing in the world.
If you want to get better at that, if you want to be better at writing creatures of this nature in general, read some Peretti. And if you want to be thrilled out of your seats, try out This Present Darkness as well. I still haven’t made it all the way through, and not for lack of amazing writing.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Sheba

Today’s book comes from the historical fiction genre, which is something I don’t often read. But when it comes to this author, I’ll read most anything she writes—mostly because it’s all just that good. I’ve read a few of her books multiple times, getting idea after idea from the way she masterfully uses words. If you haven’t read her yet, you’re really missing out.
But for today, I wanted to talk about something that’s in almost every novel (or series), if I’m being honest. It’s very rare to find a work that doesn’t have this in some way, shape, or form. It’s always there, always. Even in life, it’s something many people’s worlds revolve around—which is likely why it’s ended up in so much fiction.
What’s that, you ask? Why, it’s love, of course.
The Legend of Sheba – Tosca Lee
Now, I’m using this story for a very specific reason. See, Sheba is based off a theory, off a single verse in the Bible which states that King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba everything that she desired. The theory, which many Israelites still believe, is that the queen returned to Sheba pregnant with Solomon’s child. It’s a very fascinating story in general, if you ever find yourself wanting to know more about it. There’s something called the right of return, or there was, I’m not sure that it’s still in place, but it allowed Ethiopians to become Israeli citizens simply by stepping foot on Israeli soil, because Sheba is believed to be Ethiopia.
Anyway, I’ve digressed. This is a love story we’re talking about, not just historical fiction.
The thing with Tosca is that she’s really good at writing extremely natural love stories, stories that feel like they’re real. And that’s exactly what she does with Legend of Sheba. There is no point in the story where I felt like this wasn’t what the characters would naturally do, no moment where I wondered if this was actually what was going on—and that’s exactly how it should be.
Really though, the best part of it is that she wrote this fully realistic and highly sexual story without ever having “on-screen” sex between her characters.
I know what you’re thinking though. The predominate theory out there is that erotica sells better than anything else, and in some cases you might be right, but unless a story is designed to be nothing but erotic, it doesn’t need that much heat. It is completely possible to write a love story without showing the readers every single thing in which the characters take part. Tosca is amazing at that.
I’m an easy blusher; I really am. So it’s hard for me to read any form of erotica for that reason, aside from the fact that the stories are usually incredibly easy to poke holes into. That’s beside the point though.
Tosca’s story does something that not a lot of stories do these days. It portrays a love story, a sexual relationship, without going so in-detail that she would quickly lose two-thirds of her audience (because that’s really what you do when you write erotica: you write for a very specific group of people, who only read erotica). Most audiences are looking for story, not sex.
That’s why I picked this book as one you should check out.
If you’re planning on writing a love story, one where the characters are highly dynamic and realistic in almost every way, if you’re wanting to write a sexual relationship without alienation between audiences, then you must check out this book.
Seriously, I’ve read it four times already. It’s beautiful. Read the prequel short, Ismeni, as well. For other reasons though.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Enter, Dandelion

If you’ve read my novels (which I know you have ;-)), then you know that I’m not generally one for inserting humor into my stories. I tend more toward thriller, toward drama and intrigue, than toward silly. Though I do attempt to throw in moments of lightness, of joy and laughter, I don’t generally include actual humor—just lighter scenes to break up the intensity levels. That’s why I picked today’s author, and today’s topic.
Andrzej Sapkowski – The Last Wish (The Witcher)
(being that I’ve only read the two short story books and the first book of the actual series, I’m just going to use The Last Wish [book] as my primary example here)
If you’ve been watching my Goodreads, then you know this is the second series I’ve been reading, alternating with the Orson Scott Card’s Ender Saga. It’s also a series that I’m very glad I started reading, for very many reasons. I’ll only be talking about one of those reasons today, but I might mention the others at the end. ;-)
For today, I want to talk about Sapkowski’s ability to blend humor with the incredibly high intensity of the series’ subject matter. The Witcher is an insanely intense story, where literally anything can happen—which is why it’s important for there to be a level of humor. Without it, this series would likely end up more horror than fantasy fiction, and it would lose a lot of its nuance.
See, The Witcher series is focused on an enhanced individual who hunts and kills creatures for a living. It’s a dark story, full of terror and monsters and a growing fear in the background, a knowledge that the witcher can’t keep doing this forever, and that the world is falling into chaos. So there needed to be a way for the reader to get through that without feeling exhausted, without having to put the book down now and again to come up for air, to get out of the darkness. Why? Because this isn't a horror series, nor was it intended to be.
Enter, Dandelion. Yes, like the flower. I like the guy too much to pronounce it like that, so I call him Dan-dillion. Feel free to judge me for that.
But this is the part that I wanted to talk about today, the reason why I think authors really ought to make a study out of books like The Last Wish. Dandelion is the comic relief, yes, but he’s more than that. He’d also a really smart and really fun character, and one that is in some ways easier to latch onto than the titular witcher.
Sapkowski was brilliant to add such a character, and to do it in this way.
Dandelion isn’t even in the whole book, but he’s there long enough for readers to attach to him, for us to understand who he is in this world and why he’s important to the story. He’s laughable and he knows it, and he doesn’t care—and that’s probably part of what makes him such a good character.
It’s something a lot of writers tend to neglect, when writing such dark stories. We forget that readers need a little bit of lightheartedness, that they need to poke their heads up and see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why we need characters like Dandelion, characters who nearly transcend the story and make it into something altogether different.
And that’s what Sapkowski did in The Last Wish, to the point that when Dandelion wasn’t so heavily featured in one of the next books, it took me much longer to finish.
If you’re writing a book and noticing that it’s getting too intense, that you might need to add something to make it flow better and make it slightly easier for your audience to swallow, consider reading The Last Wish. I don’t care whether you read the rest of the series or not: just read that one. Meet Dandelion, right at the time when you need him to be there in the story. And use what you’ve learned to better your own craft, your own story.
That’s part of what we read for, you know. Never forget that.
[love]
{Rani D.}
P.S. Honorable mentions!
The Last Wish is also a good one to read if you’re looking to market for another country. It’s a translation, so you’ll be able to see some of the pacing differentials there. Check out Blood of Elves as well, if you need a good example of pacing.
The Last Wish is actually a collection of short stories that were blended together to make a pseudo-novel, and Sapkowski did it marvelously well. It’s one of the best short story books I’ve ever read, mostly because of the way he blended them together. If you’re looking into doing anything of that nature, please, do yourself a favor and read this book.

Two Worlds

Okay, so last week I told you who to read when you’re wanting to write foreshadowing and who to read when you want to get better at writing those tricky ethical dilemmas… this week, how about we have a little more fun?
Today’s topic is a little more for you sci-fi/fantasy authors, but it’s definitely something the rest of you could learn from as well. Actually historical fiction and steampunk writers might get some great information from this author as well, if you read him right.
Ted Dekker – The Circle
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that The Circle got a little long and convoluted if you weren't putting enough focus into it. There’s just so much going on in the series, and no matter how much I love it (because I do love it, and I’ll never stop reading all the books that connect to it, even if there end up being more), I rarely recommend the whole thing to other readers. So we’ll be focusing on the primary series: Black, Red, and White. We won’t even get into Green. If you haven’t read the series and by the end of this post you feel that you should, then read the first three. And yes, you should read all three: don’t read just one and leave it at that. They're all so different and unique that you really need to read all three.
To the point though, if there’s one thing that you’ll learn by reading The Circle, it’s how to set up multiple worlds within the same story.
See, The Circle is about a man named Thomas, who lives in two worlds (ours and one where white bats are scholars and black bats are the embodiment of all evil). And Dekker does an amazing job of making both worlds perfectly real. There is no doubt in a reader’s mind that both worlds are the real world. Even though we all know perfectly well that the real world is the one in which New York City is a real place, and that there are no such things as Shataiki, we’re more than willing to believe that the second world is also completely real.
The way he does it? He treats them both as real. There’s doubt in Thomas’ mind as to which one is real, because they both feel completely real. There’s doubt in his mind because they also both seem ridiculous (ever think too hard about life and realize how weird it is? Something like that, only on a larger scale). And it works to the point that every reader I know who’s made it through as little as a quarter of the first book has then been completely ready to step into either world and live there.
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But it's not. Most writers wouldn't even know where to begin in doing anything remotely similar to what Dekker did in The Circle. 
Dekker is a master of storytelling, of making reality out of things very far from the truth. If dual worlds is something that you think one of your books might require, or if you wonder how to do it in the first place, you need to check The Circle out. Really, you ought to anyway.
We need to know how to write about things like different worlds, how to superimpose them over the real world and still have them both feel just as real. It’s a way for us to learn more about world building in the first place, a way for us to get better at making a fictional reality. Because no matter what, that’s what we’re doing. As long as we’re writing fiction, we’re creating a world that doesn’t truly exist. Dekker only takes it one step further, by adding yet another world to the mix.
So if you’re like me and you find yourself writing a book with two different realities on two different worlds, take some time and read The Circle. See how Dekker pieced together two worlds into one novel, seamlessly, to the point that there are still thousands upon thousands of readers all over the world who want to dive deep into that world.
After all, that’s what we all want from our readers, isn’t it?
[love]
{Rani Divine}


Speaking of other worlds, check out The Wraith and the Wielder by AC Schafer — it just came out today at RAD! 

Oh, and while you're there, go ahead and preorder The Nine Worlds by TL Boehm — it's the first collection of poetry that I can honestly say I enjoyed from start to finish! 

www.RAD-Writing.com/Store

Ethically speaking

How many of you made it all the way through Ender’s Saga, by Orson Scott Card? I’m working my way through it right now (third time trying to get through Xenocide, and I’m finally nearing the end… finally), and it occurred to me that it would be the perfect example for this series, partially because of how long it’s taken me to get through them.
As you’ll know if you’ve been following me on Goodreads, I’m currently reading two series’ at a time. I’m going to talk about both of them this month, but today we’re focused on Ender—and I’ll tell you right now, I don’t think I would’ve made it this far through the series if it wasn’t for the other series I’m reading. I need something between books, something to get my mind off everything to do with Ender and the gang.
But you know what? I have learned something from reading this book, and the ones before it. And even though the series is one of the hardest I’ve ever picked up, including what is probably the only book I’ve picked up that’s taken me this many tries to get all the way through, there’s something in it that we all could stand to learn.
Orson Scott Card — Ender’s Saga
(Since I’ve only read that far, I’ll be referring to Ender’s Game, Ender in Exile, Speaker for the Dead, & Xenocide—no spoilers included, of course)
If there’s one thing that Card does better than anyone else (as far as I’ve read), it’s ethical dilemmas.
I know, that doesn’t sound like something that would be interesting to read, and I just told you that I’ve been struggling to get through Xenocide, but Card has a way of writing these dilemmas, these struggles, that is simply superb.
Within the Ender’s Saga, ethics were always a background issue. The ethics of using children as weapons, the ethics of war against an alien species, and situations far beyond those. But as the story developed, more ethical questions popped up, to the point that they became one of the biggest and most central issues of the entire series.
And I’m not saying that you should all be writing books like that. In fact, they’re so hard to read (and write, if I’m being honest) that unless it’s what you really want to do, I’d advise against it. But ethics is something that we all deal with, in the majority of our stories. It’s something that is always in the background, and something we need to know how to talk about.
That right there, is why you should read Ender’s Saga.
The series, from the very beginning, molds ethics into every fabric of the story, from the characters to the plots, from setting to struggles. It’s everywhere within the series, which makes this series an excellent study in ways to include ethics without boring your readers.
See, Card’s characters are so well written, his settings so richly detailed, that the ethics, the main discussions of the story, read as naturally as standard exposition. It’s not until you get a ways in that you realize how much you’ve struggled to get through these words, how strongly you feel about these dilemmas faced by people who aren’t even real.
That’s why you need to read Orson Scott Card, and why you need to read Ender.
Even if you only make it through the first two books (because Speaker is better with ethics than Ender’s Game), you’ll have made it far enough to know what I mean.
Remember, it’s an investment in yourself, as a writer. Put in some time, do some research via reading. Find out how to blend your moral dilemmas into your thrilling plots—because ethics will always be there, and it really is a theme that a lot of readers are looking for, whether they realize it or not.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

The new series begins!

After deliberation that lasted far, far longer than it should’ve, I determined the one thing that I really wanted to talk about this month. Last month was tough, for a lot of us. There were a lot of things that many of us needed to learn about the company that has been given a great amount of control over the business we so love, but now I think it’s time we take a look at the works we love, and remember why it is that writers need to be readers, too.
So, this month, I have eight authors I’m going to talk to you about. Think of it as a month-long review of some of my favorite authors, some of whom I can nearly guarantee you’ve never read before. But I’m not just going to tell you about these authors and their works, I’m going to tell you why it is that you, as a writer, should be reading these works.
We’re starting out with my favorite, because, hey, he’s my favorite.

J.R.R. Tolkien — The Lord of the Rings

(Note: I’m only referring to the primary trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers & The Return of the King)
I’ll be the first to tell you that LOTR is not an easy read. In fact, there are times when it gets quite boring, times when I’d like to pretend that I’ve read to the end even when I haven’t made it that far, and times when I wonder why I call this series my favorite (or why I got a tattoo inspired by it, perhaps).
But the fact of the matter is, LOTR is one of the greats for a reason, and Tolkien should be read by every author, for a very legitimate reason.
If there’s one thing that you’ll learn from reading this series, it’s foreshadowing.
Tolkien loved the stuff. It’s literally everywhere in the books. And foreshadowing is something that a lot of authors still try to use in their writing, today—but the thing is, the majority of writers struggle to make it work because they’re not sure how to do it so seamlessly, since they've never seen it done very well.
That’s why you need to read Tolkien, if you think there’s even a chance that you’ll end up wanting to use elements of foreshadowing in your stories.
See, there are two kinds of foreshadowing: intricately woven, so that most readers won’t even notice it’s happening, or the opposite—the kind so obvious that everyone sees it unless they’re really not paying any attention.
Tolkien was good at both.
You should be, too.
Readers are looking for things like foreshadowing. They’re looking for things that can connect them to the writing itself, to the writer. Foreshadowing is one of those. But you want to be able to both give them bits of foreshadowing that they’ll be able to find and surprise them with bits of foreshadowing that even you would struggle to notice.
If you’re not sure how to do that, as I’m pretty sure you’re not (don't worry, I haven't mastered it either), then you need to read Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings is full of obvious foreshadowing, dreams of something happening only to be followed by that dream coming true, mentions of creatures only to have them show up in the next chapter… but did you realize that the beginning foretold the ending, that by the time you’ve read through the first few chapters of Fellowship, you should already know almost exactly how Return ends?
That’s the brilliance of Tolkien, my friends. That’s why LOTR is my favorite series, and why I got a tattoo to commemorate it.
And yes, foreshadowing is just one thing you’ll learn from reading him. There’s a lot of other stuff, like language creation, world building, and characterization of more characters than you'd think should fit in a single book, that no one does quite like Tolkien.
So if you haven’t read The Lord of the Rings yet… give it a try. I know it's not an easy read. But it's one that'll be worth it, in the long run. 
Remember, as a writer, spending time reading is like spending time investing in yourself. So don't dismiss a book because it's hard to read. Savor it, because you're giving yourself the time to learn something new, something for you to use in your writings. 
[love]
{Rani Divine}