P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 315

Deep POV Pt. 9: The Overhaul

This is an ongoing series about using the writing technique – deep point of view. The original posts began over last summer after I attended a webinar on the subject. Previous are listed at the end of this post.

I’ve written eight other posts about using deep POV as a fiction writing technique. Today, I want to share why I took on changing my technique and writing philosophy to this style of writing.

Some of the benefits of deep POV are evident if you recognize it in a book. The style is more gripping and therefore readers are more engaged, turn pages and share their enthusiasm with other readers. This technique also eliminates the showing versus telling issues if done well (and trust me, I’m still learning). Also, if done well, deep POV is much easier to edit – when you lapse out of the POV when you shouldn’t it jarring to the point you what must be edited.

But why did I ever decide to use deep POV? How did I even transition from my old way of writing? Here are three answers to these questions:

1. I was fortunate enough to receive a critique last year that gave me clues to the nature of my writing and the direction it needed to go – deeper. At the time the suggestion was made I really was at a loss as to what to do with it and rather overwhelmed at the prospect of such a fundamental change to my manuscript. I sensed that this would require an extensive overhaul. However, I was fortunate to sit-in on a seminar by an editor at a conference I attend that addressed reasons why manuscripts are rejected. After discussing these many reasons, the editor strongly advised using deep POV and explained what it was. It got my attention and motivated me to begin using this writing style.

2. At that point, I knew what I needed to do but not precisely how. Fortunately, I came across a free webinar on the subject through another writing group of which I’m a member. This webinar has been the basis of this series since last July, In it, I was provided better explanation about what deep POV is and how to use it.

3. Armed with this I was able to enact more decisive changes in my writing. With a clearer understanding of my path ahead, I began making increasingly substantial progress in my novel’s revision. As I progressed, I understood more of what needed to be done. Frankly, the last half of my most recent revision is better than the first half but that is being addressed through more editing. Now I’m to the point where I’m able write my current short fiction in this style and edit them better. I also expect to make faster progress through my long fiction drafts in the coming months.

Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Deep POV Tips Part 2

Deep POV Tips Part 3

Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV

Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance

Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion

Deep POV Pt. 7: Editing Tips

Deep POV Pt. 8: How to Use Internalization

And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

The Emotion Thesaurus

So that’s why and how I’ve made the transition in my writing style over the last year. What have you learned about the writing craft in the last year? What tips do your have for deep POV or any other style? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

Guest Post: The Advantages of Discoverability

Today’s guest blog started as a post last week entitled, Book Sales Ruminations & Why You Need A General. Recently featured author in “Fantasy Authors Unplugged”, Autumn Birt, responded with a few cogent points of her own to the post. I invited Autumn to write a guest post and she kindly churned one out on short order. Take it away, Autumn!

The Advantages of Discoverability

I realized writing, at least a career in writing, was going to be a long haul when I met a woman with numerous books, multiple publishers, over twenty years of publishing experience, 35,000 followers on twitter, and yet she was promoting her book just like every other Indie author out there (well, with a bit more panache). That is when I switched my marketing enthusiasm from short term to a more steady pace for the long term. And that is when I took a hard look at what worked.

I very much agree with P.H. Solomon’s four points on his post Writing Ruminations. Social media has completely changed how writers (or anyone) markets. You can engage readers one on one. Some authors even allow readers to help guide the plot of a story. And because of the power of the internet, anything a writer posts can be linked back to the author. After a security breach at home, my husband freaked to see the first four and a half pages of a Google search on my name were all on me. I was thrilled! But that means the content I post, be it a Facebook comment, blog post, or released book is listed under the ‘flagship’ of my name and who I am as an author.

On one hand, we as authors should strive for social engagement. On the other, we have to be careful what we say and how well we say it. You thought politicians were the only ones with media problems…?! Because the other issue is that marketing should be social engagement, not social media spamming. That means not saying and promoting the same thing over and over and over. It means paying attention to media feeds and answering questions, thanking people who help you out, and helping out other authors because we aren’t competing against each other. Readers read MANY books. I’ve gotten new readers because I was nice to a friend of a friend or handled a bad situation well. How is that for marketing flukes?

So writing the book really can be the easy part. Which is a good thing because another strategy to getting noticed and increasing book sales is writing more books.

It is an easy deduction to make based on statistics. If your book is one of one billion on Amazon, or one of a thousand being marketed on twitter this second, your rate of attracting attention is… yup, one in a billion or one in a thousand. Ouch.

If you have two books though, and maybe some friends tweeting, or fans – lets go with fans! – talking about the book, a search will bring up both of your books. You can link them together under blogs, author pages, and in book content. Two for one marketing! One solid book can sell another. Fans and mailing lists on new releases (high recommended as well!) work BEST when you have multiple things to release and read. So write more books.

I’ve heard the ‘magic’ number for steady sales is five novels. I’m at five, but I consider the three that make up the core of my epic fantasy series as my main books (of the other two, one is a real life travel compilation and the other is a companion to the fantasy books going more into the world and its history). So I consider myself at three books. A few more to go yet to steady sales based on this theory. But…

What I didn’t expect was how much having a complete series would enhance my book sales. I don’t remember hearing about that when I was researching marketing. When Born of Water was released, I was happy for a sale a month, if I managed that. With book 2, Rule of Fire, I found similar expectations though actually met them a bit more frequently. When Spirit of Life, book 3, was released, I quickly averaged a sale a week. When I managed to get Born of Water permafree on Amazon, those sale numbers quickly increased. Yes, increased by giving away a book – and I’m not counting the free downloads of book 1.

Thanks to a marketing boost from my more promotion savvy publisher, Born of Water hit #2 in epic fantasy on Amazon and the sales of the other two books picked up quickly. I usually see purchases of the second two books at the same time or with a lag of a day to a week between them (it helps when it is an odd country sale so I can really track what is most likely one reader). Now I average at least one sale a day over a week, frequently more. If I counted the free downloads of book 1, I’d get too giddy, so I simply choose to exclude that figure from my mental tally!

There is much debate out there about whether to write a series or a stand alone novel. I think it depends on the genre you write in and what is expected. BUT, I’d council anyone writing in fantasy to write a series and release the books in quick succession, maybe three to four months apart. The interest level and new marketing that this allows will help increase author visibility and hopefully attract readers.

Which is why my marketing plan before I signed with an Indie publisher included releasing short stories that are a prelude to my next trilogy for free in a very short time span, approximately two to three weeks apart. I planned to use Smashwords as a distributer plus Wattpad and Goodreads. Then combine the short stories for a 99 cent novel only available on Amazon and THEN release book 1 about a month later. It is a marketing strategy which relies on releasing quality writing that is captivating (I hope!) for free.

One final important reason to write more than one book besides making yourself so much more discoverable: how much your writing improves.

The author I mentioned at the beginning of the post often makes the comment she is glad she wrote her first book under a pen name because it was so bad. So think about how much you aren’t improving if you stop at one book. I hope that I never am embarrassed by Born of Water, but I will admit that if I started writing it today it would be a completely different novel, recognizable but different. I’ve learned so much since then.

So my plug for an author marketing plan: write a lot, write well, market new works while mentioning the existing, give away a lot of content (blogs, stories, and novels), and be nice to each other!

Thanks for sharing your insights, Autumn. Take a look at her books and other links since she’s been kind enough to volunteer her time and effort for this blog post:

Media Links

Facebook (me)  Facebook (writing page)  Website

Writing Blog  Travel Blog  Guild of dreams (another blog I write for)

Twitter  Google+  Wattpad  Goodreads

What other ideas do you have about the fluid world of book sales? What has worked for you in the past? What’s changed for you – good and bad? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Amazon, Autumn Birt, Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Writing Tagged: Autumn Birt, Facebook, Guest Post, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, The Rise of the Fifth Order, Tips, Twitter

Fantasy Authors Unplugged – Michael Eging

This is a newer feature on Archer’s Aim – Fantasy Authors Unplugged. I hope to frequently share an interview with a fantasy author. If you have authors to suggest and/or questions you’d like to see answered then leave a comment or send me an email. If you are a fantasy author and would like an interview please let me know and we’ll plan one that fits your schedule.

Today I’ve interviewed Michael Eging, co-author of Annwyn’s Blood (along with Steve Arnold). Thanks to Michael for being featured on Archer’s Aim.

1. Please share about Annwyn’s Blood. What’s the key component of the story?

Annwyn’s Blood started as a short story that I wrote while in college. Steve and I looked at that story and thought there must be a longer story in there somewhere!  Over the course of a few years, we wrote Annwyn’s Blood between graduate school and full-time jobs. When we shopped it around, many of the responses focused on the market ‘not needing another vampire story’. Ironic. So the story sat on a hard drive for many years until we pulled it up and thought we needed to revisit this story and world.

Central to the story’s heart is the longing for redemption. While we haven’t seen this play out fully in the course of Annwyn’s Blood, many of the characters find themselves in need of redemption and they will each struggle with this through the series.

2. Are you a full-time author or do you have another job also?

Neither Steve nor I are fulltime writers.  Steve is a practicing physician in Ohio and I work in life sciences public policy in Washington, DC.

3. How did you choose your genre?

Steve and I love fantasy and this story became a natural extension of that. Since this book was focused on a historical, fantastical world, we jumped into it. Also, I was a history major in college – with a focus in Byzantine and early Russian history. Steve is an informal student of history, so it all meshes together very well. So, we journeyed to a world where that would be new to many readers and allow us to tell fresh stories while taking them on this fantastical, mythical journey.

4. Highly creative people often something like walks to nourish their creativity. Do you make use of anything to make your muse flourish?

I like to walk with my Bernese Mountain dog in the evenings. And when I call Steve in the evenings to swap ideas and talk about stories, he is often walking his dog Dobby as well. Also, I love to read and discuss stories with my children. Often in the telling of the story, I find things I hadn’t thought about and directions worth exploring.

5. What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is Nine Princes in Amber, the entry to Zelazny’s brilliant Amber Chronicles. When I was in middle school, I discovered them in the local library and would often read there while waiting for my parents to take me home with them from work  My co-writer, Steve has a fond place in his heart for Pratchett’s works.

6. How did you choose your editor?

Our editor, Chris Baxter was a referral from some BYU English majors who helped hook Steve and I up with editing help. He edited Annwyn’s Blood as well as our forthcoming novel A Silver Horn Echoes – The Song of Roland, inspired by the epic medieval poem.

7. What can you share about the next edition of your series?

Our next book blows open the Dark Age world of Annwyn’s Blood to encompass a much greater portion of the crumbling Byzantine Empire and the rising Germanic kingdoms in the West. We see our heroes embark on a quest to defeat the armies of Annwyn, while trying to redeem Marianna, a lead character in the first book. This leads to heartbreak for all involved as the battle unfolds and Annwyn scores first blood.  The story launches right from the final pages of Annwyn’s Blood so the story won’t skip of beat from one book to the next.

You can find Annwyn’s Blood at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Also connect with Michael & Steve on Facebook. Thanks again to Michael (and Steve) for being a part of Archer’s Aim today. Make sure to check out their book. I’m reading it now and having a good time with it.

If you’re a fantasy author and would like to be interviewed for “Fantasy Authors Unplugged” just contact me via email or one of my social media channels and we’ll set one up.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Amazon, Annwyn's Blood, Blogging, Creativity, Editing, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Michael Eging, Self-publishing, Social Media, Writing Tagged: Barnes and Noble, blogging, Coverart, creativity, Editing, Facebook, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, writing

Fiction Update: The Bow of Destiny

Today, I’m sharing news about my writing and I do so as a way of sharing my writing journey with readers and other authors – the latter especially for newer authors. My work continues to progress regularly and I’m gaining some momentum for what’s to come for the year. I’ll share at a later date why I’m at this point but I want to focus on where I am and where I’m going over the next few months.

The Bow of Destiny is off to my editor today. While it has received substantial editing previously it’s now time to progress with another edit. The work done before this time occurred back in late 2010-11. At the time, I was in the middle of some life changes that proved difficult for writing. We experienced months of repairs to our house due to damage from the tornadoes of 4/27/11. Very jarring and distracting to progress on the book. Additionally, my father became ill and went downhill for about a year until he passed in mid-2012. It was a longer event which sapped my creativity for months.

But other the last year and a half I’ve made significant progress with the book. First, I took the original edits from my editor and made changes that I understood clearly. After that, I began considering deeper changes for the book and decided on fundamental structural change for the first third of the manuscript. This re-organization was easy to visualize with the help of Scrivener’s binder but a daunting task otherwise.

Along the way, I received some critique advice to make my character point of view much deeper. It was good advice but I was unsure what to do with it. By June of last year I received clearer direction which I’ll share about in another post this week. Again, in July I got further instruction that led to my series about using deep POV. However, the required revision was daunting to say the least. As a writer, I was not pleased to overhaul my manuscript once again but I slogged through it and finally finished last November. Now I’m glad I did it because I gained so much experience from the labor.

At this point, the work with the editor will occur in two parts. First will be a structural edit to work out any remaining kinks in the plot. Then, depending on the editor’s schedule, there will be a second, detailed edit either in mid-March or May. Again, there will be heavy lifting but I’m much better equipped for this than I was several years ago. The schedule delays me some but that just gives me the chance to work on the drafts for the second and third books in the series as well as the beginning of the parallel series. I’m also working on my short fiction while I’m waiting on the editor’s schedule and work to be completed.

So there’s a window into being an author and dealing with editing. The learning curve and distractions of life can really hold you up. However, these can serve to hone you as a writer. I certainly don’t think that I’ve “arrived” as an author let alone mastered the craft but I can say I’ve come a long way. I’m much more confident about approaching upcoming projects as well as actually publishing The Bow of Destiny. The best part about the delays is that I’ll be so close to releasing the rest of the series in a shorter time . In this case, the waiting is a good thing because I will have content out in bulk and, hopefully, with high, page-turning quality.

I hope this gives readers and insight into the writing process. If you’re and author, what trials and growth have you experienced along the way to publication? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Cover art provided on commission from Chris Rawlins

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, Writing Tagged: Announcement, blogging, Coverart, creativity, Editing, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Rave Reviews Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

Scrivener Tips Pt. 2: Compiling

Compiling Conundrums

I’ve recently begun preparations for sending the manuscript of The Bow of Destiny to my editor. The manuscript needed compiling which I had never done for a book. I had compiled for a short story so that was rather easy. For a book there were a few more details required than I had previously experienced.

Manuscript Expectations

I wasn’t concerned with the format of my manuscript since it was consistent. However, I did want chapters without titles and a header. My first attempt did not work as I expected. The folder names became chapter titles and labeled scenes appeared in the text. This is likely because I originally used a general template rather than one specific to a novel. But no biggie, I started poking around and found settings in the compiler to help me get the manuscript to the appearance I wanted.

Custom Compiling

First, click on File and then Compile to open the Compiler:

Note all the different categories on the left menu. Click on Contents and verify that everything for your manuscript is selected. You can use these to change settings in the compiler. When you start making changes it will change the “Format As:” to Custom.

For my purposes, the necessary changes were made by first clicking on Formatting and turning off all the check marks for title. This removed folder titles being used as chapter names so that only the chapter numbers remain.

To change the layout of a section click on a level to highlight it and then on the Selection Layout button.

Here you can edit the beginning layout of a section. In my case I removed any text I didn’t want and added a few details.

Next I wanted to change my header. To do this click on Page Settings from the left menu of the Compiler and then type in or change the header settings. My screen shot above also shows an example. Not that “Not on Page 1” is not checked by default. I checked that and made sure that page one was counter by checking the second box.

 

Saving and Presets

To save these custom settings click Save and Close on the lower right. When you re-open the Compiler and choose Custom from the menu these will remain. However, you can also save your custom presets by clicking Save Presets in the lower left.

Once you’ve saved a preset you can load it by clicking on the Load Preset button in the lower left and scrolling down the list of standard presets to My Presets and choosing the one you want based on your needs.

I hope this helps when you compile a manuscript. There are many other settings so take time to learn those according to your project parameters. Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Editing, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tech Tips, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, Editing, Facebook, Formatting, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, writing

Blog Tour: Runaway Smile

Things happen for a reason

I’ve come to realize lately that things happen in their own time. No matter how much I want something, if it’s meant to happen, it will, no effort needed on my part.  Other times, I might want something very much, but no matter how much effort I put into it, it just doesn’t happen – and trust me; this has happened a lot.  Then again, something that I completely ignore might just flourish in front of my eyes, unexpectedly and effortlessly.

Following that, I think about how things have “happened” in my life, leading me to where I am right now.  I studied civil engineering (my dad’s idea of a secure job) and in 1995 I went on to do a PhD in Digital Architecture (the only way for me to link my degree with two of my passions, design and computers).  Hardly a month into the course, a professor asked me out of the blue to make a website for the department, from scratch. He gave me three days to do it; days I spent reading a lot, experimented quite a bit and pulling hair, until I did it, and my first website went live at the end of the 3-day period.

I’ve been working as a web developer for almost 20 years now. I still do, partly because I have to earn a living and partly because I’ve worked so hard to create Istomedia, my company, that I feel like it’s kind of a family member.  Then, a couple of years ago, I realized that I had started losing patience: with clients, projects, designs, programming, the constant need for updating and upgrading and the 6-month life cycle of everything technological.  I turned to writing as a relief, and realized, startled, that it was all I wanted to do.

Every now and again, I wonder whether my studies and everything I have worked for is going to waste.  But I think not: my degree has helped me to study and organize my thoughts.  My PhD taught how to properly research topics, question everything, look for new and different ways to achieve a result.  My work has taught me how to market my book, design its cover, create the ebook file.  Indie publishing requires the same skills: presenting myself and my work to potential clients, networking, promoting my creations, finishing a project within a deadline and a budget etc.

So, at 44, life has brought me where I am. All the things I’ve done, have arguably happened because I need them today.  Which is why I try to practice nowadays what Tao Te Ching calls Wei Wu Wei – actionless action: the art of setting your destination and letting life take you there.  It’s a nice concept, isn’t it?

And if you’re curious as to where life has brought me so far, read my children’s book Runaway Smile, online for free and find out!

Book Blurb

I woke up this morning and I had lost my smile and it wasn’t my fault and I looked everywhere and it was gone. Then I met a workman and a king and the best salesman in the world and a clown and no-one wanted to give me theirs. At school, I asked Miss to give me hers, but she gave us a pop quiz instead, and then no-one was smiling and… From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children’s books A little boy wakes up in the morning and realizes he has lost his smile. After spending the entire day trying to find it, he learns the truth behind smiles: the only real smiles are the shared ones.

Contact Information

I’m all around the Internet, but the best place to find me would be my blog, http://nicholasrossis.me/.

Anyone interested in my books can check them out on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-C.-Rossis/e/B00FXXIBZA/

Also, people can read for free both Pearseus: Schism, on Goodreads and

Runaway Smile on my blog: http://nicholasrossis.me/childrens-books/

Other places to connect with me include

Twitter – www.twitter.com/Nicholas_Rossis
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+NicholasRossis and
Facebook – www.facebook.com/NicholasCRossis

Brief Bio

Avid reader. Web developer. Architect by training, holder of a PhD in Digital Architecture from the University of Edinburgh. Most importantly, author.

Nicholas loves to write. He has published Runaway Smile, a children’s book, and the Amazon best-selling epic fantasy series, Pearseus. The fourth book in the series is currently edited, and expected to be released mid-February.

He has also published The Power of Six, a collection of short sci-fi stories that include his award-winning short story, I Come in Peace. This, too, has reached #1 on Amazon.

Nicholas lives in Athens, Greece, at a forest’s edge, with his wife, dog and two very silly cats, one of whom is always sitting on his lap, so please excuse any typos in his blog posts: typing with one hand can be hard. Mercifully, all of his books are professionally edited.

Blog Tour Links

Goodreads Event Page – https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/952438-runaway-smile-blog-tour

Rafflecopter Giveaway Page – https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4af5be7f9/

This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.”

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Filed under: 4WillsPublishing, Amazon, Blog Tour, Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Nicholas Rossis, Rave Review Book Club, Runaway Smile, Self-publishing, Social Media, Writing Tagged: Announcement, Blog Tour, Coverart, creativity, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Nicholas Rossis, Rave Reviews Book Club, Runaway Smile, Self-publishing, Social Media, Spotlight Blog Tour, Twitter, writing

Scrivener Templates and Project Management Pt. 5: Book Reviews

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

Scrivener has been a key component to improving my productivity this year. I’ve recently written about various uses for Scrivener such as blog posts, newsletters and even template email messages. Additionally, I’ve shared about using Scrivener templates including some resources for these. In my last post I shared about managing templates. In Part 4 I released my Author Platform Management template. A few posts pastin this series I indicated how I’ll use Scrivener more in the coming year. In my most recent edition I revealed how I’ll approach my increased usage. Today, I’ll reveal a new template and I’m planning another how-to post next week as well as another addition to the Author Platform Management template.

I recently had a Twitter conversation with V. Walker who read how I’m using Scrivener more this year. She expressed her interest in the software with a retweet. I noticed that she was, among several things, a reviewer.

What ensued was a short conversation about how she might use Scrivener – as a reviewer. I hadn’t thought of it previously but what another great way to make use of this software. Some people do short reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. But some people review more seriously than others. The Binder is a great way to manage numerous reviews.

Screenshot: Book Review Template

Imagine reviewing lots of books but being confused as to what you’ve done already. With Scrivener you could easily track them and schedule your reviews. What an improvement over individual files if you used a single project for each year.

Well that gave me another idea for a template – reviews. It works much like those for newsletters or blogs but I’ve added some specifics that I imagine serious reviewers might need. I’ve include a rudimentary binder organization and a calendar of schedules as well as tracking. Again, it’s free to download. Feel free to make your own suggestions and I’ll be happy to update and share a newer version.

What other ways can you think of using Scrivener? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.

Also, in no way do I represent Scrivener or sell the product. All questions about the product, its sales, support and licensing for your own computing needs should be referred to the company.

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Deep POV Pt. 8: How to Use Internalization

This is an ongoing series about using the writing technique – deep point of view. The original posts began over last summer after I attended a webinar on the subject. Previous are listed at the end of this post.

Deep POV is an effective technique to enhance characterization. The effect is that the reader is closer to the story so that they feel more part of the action. Lots of description about the actions of characters and the setting creates a distance for the reader. Of course, this technique can be used in varying degrees withing your book. Also, there are aspects of deep POV that require different handling in your writing. Here are a few concepts to consider when using internalization with this writing style.

Ease into the main character’s POV.

It’s jarring for the reader to be dropped directly into the point of view at the beginning of a book or a scene. Instead of jumping right into deep internalization try using a movie technique instead: start from a distant perspective and pan into deep POV and accompanying internalization. Likewise, when you write an action/fight scene let there be distance – characters are reacting rather than thinking. Additionally during action, emotions are bursts of shouts or wordless utterances. So deep POV can be varied depending on place and activity in your book.

Internal dialogue is not continual.

In deep POV internal dialogue is not long strings, or a continual thread of, the main character’s constant thoughts about any and everything. Boring. Instead focus on what’s important to the character and plot during the scene. There should be a mix of external action, regular dialogue and description. In this sense, internalization is more like adding seasoning to the story from the main character’s POV.

How does internal dialogue appear?

Simply increasing the number of italicized, active thinking by the main character is not actually deep POV internalization. Instead this style is woven into the narrative such that thought and action by the main character are vary. Italics should be limited only to exclamations and colloquialisms. So verbatim, italicized thoughts should be avoided.

Internal dialogue should be the same tense.

If working in third person deep POV, avoid use of first person references in the POV character’s internalization. This creates a jarring distance for the reader.

What it becomes?

Coupled with the use of dialogue and various other elements, internalization acts as an emotive modifier to the character’s POV.

Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Deep POV Tips Part 2

Deep POV Tips Part 3

Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV

Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance

Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion

Deep POV Pt. 7: Editing Tips

And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

The Emotion Thesaurus

Have you used deep POV? What techniques have you found helpful? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.

Cover art provided on commission from Chris Rawlins

 

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Facebook, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, writing

Book Sales Ruminations & Why You Need A General

Courtesy Morguefile.com free photo via mzacha

Growing up I loved playing strategy games. There were tons of old board games like Stratego, Tactics II, Blitzkrieg as well as the age-old favorite, chess. You could cut your teeth on strategic thinking with those games. Playing those types of games makes you the general. You make the decisions that win or lose your game. A recent blog got me thinking about strategy and book sales.

The blog by Leona Henry, The Ugly Truth About Book Sales, detailed Kameron Hurley’s sales struggles as an established author. It was an honest look at the issues that less established authors can expect. It’s a very sobering to read as an author planning to release a book later this year. Take a look for yourself – it ain’t pretty. Kameron ended up doing a very arduous blog tour to improve book sales.

However, I thought about this article for several days and referred to some other authors who’ve been – and remain successful – in this digital age. Here’s some of my strategic thinking:

1. Authors need lots of social media engagement. This is a simple statement but is actually much more complex than it suggests. It actually means that we authors must meet our readers and potential readers more than half-way. It means pursuing readers with single-minded balance – you can’t be too forward but you certainly cannot sit back and wait to be noticed. This means being active on social media channels in such a way as to gain followers without flooding them with sales pitches. Among other social media venues, this means having a growing presence as a reader on Goodreads. Additionally, an author must understand what channels to emphasize. For instance, all authors should have a presence on Goodreads but fantasy/scifi authors, in addition to Twitter, should their presence on Google+. Other genres are better marketed on various other forms of social media (for more information read this blog by Nicholas Rossis).

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

2. We need to gain the trust of readers. This dovetails from the first point in that engagement leads to curious looks from people. They are looking at our content. That’s right, our blogs, posted short fiction, publications, interviews and reviews (by us and for us). Readers want to know if we have the chops to deliver. If so, then maybe we’ve earned their trust enough to sell them a book. An author should be aware of content no matter where it is because readers do notice. Any kind of content matters and if your social media channels are growing then that should be pointing to your content. This leads to the next point…

3. Writers need to “up their game” when it comes to the quality of their content. People are busy these days and asking them to buy a book requires more than just their monetary investment. This includes differentiating ourselves from those who do not produce quality content by pursuing editing from trusted, professional sources. I know there are good line/copy editors we all have as friends, however a professional editor has expertise developing a book that a friend may not have. This is important since it appears that traditional publishers are starting to price books competitively with independent authors. Save up and engage a recommend, reputable editor. Regardless we all need an extra pair of eyes on our work. The same is true of a cover – be willing to spend some money on one to improve sales. But additionally, be patient with publication if you are an independent author. Learn from the opinion of others, read about the craft of writing and attend conferences as you are able. Patience is important – let that novel ferment some.

4. Support from other authors is necessary. There’s far more to book marketing than the three thoughts already discussed. Tours, interviews, gaining reviews, giveaways, etc., all gain an author visibility. But a lot of exposure comes from word of mouth and other authors (who are often readers and reviewers also) become very helpful. Networking with fellow writers is important. I’m glad I’m a member of Rave Reviews Book Club now rather than later. I’m learning so much from other authors just by helping and observing their work. If you aren’t in an authors network consider joining one (and no I’m not just plugging my club even though I am a VIP member). The association with other writers expands your reach exponentially. In the end, Kameron Hurley relied on numerous fellow writers while on the blog tour. Why not make that connection now.

The bottom-line is that numbers matter. How an author strategically approaches these concepts leads to sales – or not. It’s always a battle to discover and keep readers but it can be done with some thoughtful work. However, neglecting the idea of connecting with other people can lead to flat-line sales.

What other ideas do you have about the fluid world of book sales? What has worked for you in the past? What’s changed for you – good and bad? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.

General photo courtesy Morguefile.com (mzacha)

Cover art provided on commission from Christopher Rawlins

Filed under: Fantasy, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Reviews, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, Writing, Writing Groups Tagged: blogging, Coverart, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

Fantasy Authors Unplugged – Ed Ireland

This is the beginning of a new feature on Archer’s Aim – Fantasy Authors Unplugged. I hope to frequently share an interview with a fantasy author. If you have authors to suggest and/or questions you’d like to see answered then leave a comment or send me an email. If you are a fantasy author and would like an interview please let me know and we’ll plan one that fits your schedule.

Today’s feature fantasy author is Ed Ireland, author of several books including his latest, The Stormrider. Welcome Ed!

1. Tell us about your latest book.

The Stormrider is the second book in my Free People trilogy. It continues the story of Hellion and Fire, their children and their clan. It picks up right after the lead book, Fire At Dawn. Stormrider sets its focus on the strengths of the women in this savage world and their ability to bring what is needed to overcome the odds they must face. Their world is on the brink of war, a war they have been forbidden to enter. There are however, things they cannot overlook. There are issues of what is right and wrong, and when everything you have been taught must take precedence over what you have been told. While Hellion has been tasked to find and bring a lost clan back to their homelands, everything falls to Fire. Her strength and convictions must be enough to help the clans continue their futures.

2. Is there a specific event or idea upon which the book/series is based?

There is no one event to either the Free People Chronicles or the Huntress series. I look at what is happening on personal fronts as well as worldly events and then import them into my fantasy worlds. Issues in our past that have been resolved could very well be integrated into imagined worlds as new. For instance, slavery is an issue tackled in the Free People’s world whereas alcohol abuse rears its head in the Huntress’ world. Both stories also rely on what is happening in our own world…the current zombie trend, Ebola, terrorist cells and almost any other trending item in the media. Given a fantasy twist, they fall neatly in line with tales of the bizarre.

3. How do you develop your books?

That’s a good question. There are so many things that I see or hear that send me on a path. The worlds I create are the worlds I have seen. I’ve lived in a good many places and carry particular images of them that translate to my worlds. Next up are characters, and once more, it is the multitude of people I’ve met that make them up. Hellion is a combination of a few people I know, while Fire is pretty much how I see one particular person. Once I have those two factors nailed down, the storytelling just seems to flow on its own.

Sometimes, it’s a simple thought that pops in. Like the one I had at 3 AM a few days ago. I saw the ending of the third book of the trilogy and after 4 hours I knew exactly where the story was going. In the meantime, I just assure myself that sleep is for the weak.

4. How long does it take you to complete a book on average?

I’m one of those writers that have absolutely no organization at all. I don’t make any plans or layouts of how the story should go, so my finish times vary wildly. I might sit and knock out six or eight chapters over a day or two and then spend another two weeks tweaking them. There’s always something I’ll see that doesn’t sit right and needs to be changed, or a scene that seems incomplete. I also tend to visualize things that will happen later, so my book file is filled with notes about what happens in the end or who says what about this or that…just imagine the home on Sanford & Son and you’ll get an image of what’s inside my head.

Back to the question…Fire At Dawn was my first book. It took me almost three years to write, edit, rewrite, reedit and so on and so forth. Stormrider took about eight months since I knew the direction. The same thing with the Huntress books. The Last Ranger of Sarn took almost two years whereas Blood Moon Sacrifice took only a few months.

5. Do you use an editor? If so, who is it?

I am the Indy writer that every non-writer visualizes. I have every hat for my stories from writing them, to editing them, to marketing them and every other aspect. The only job I don’t handle is proofreading. My wife does that for me, since it would figure that if I made the mistakes in the first place, chances are I wouldn’t see them as mistakes the second time around. I’m waiting for my daughter to get a few more years under her belt and I’ll find a job for her too. After all, I plan to become very famous after I die and that means she’ll be well set. It’s only fair that she contributes now.

6. How did you choose/discover your cover artist?

I had a few ideas for my Free People series. I had several people give it a shot and none of them caught my fancy. At the same time, I got a copy of Photoshop and started trying a few things. Eventually I learned how to manipulate photos enough to get what I wanted. In both series, I try to keep a specific theme to the picture while changing another part. I was inspired by a set of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings set when I was young. When they lined up in their correct order, the spines made a picture of the Shire.

7. Did you have specific ideas about your cover?

Yes. For the Free People, I always wanted to portray Fire as the person that watched over everything, kind of like a shepherd. Her eyes make the background of each picture for the trilogy and will continue to be there in the event of a series spin-off. For the Huntress, I wanted a feel of the older serial novels where there was always a familiar look to the cover. I found a great photo taken by Khriess Photography, got the OK and made that image my starting point. The archer will always be the foreground while the background will incorporate the essence of the story.

8. How long have you been writing and how did you get started?

I started writing rather late in life, probably sometime in my thirties. I’d like to say I was a precocious two year old writing tales about my teddy bear, but just wasn’t so. I started playing an online game that was like a half-assed Dungeons & Dragons, and began writing these little scenarios for it. A few people urged me to write a short story, and from that Fire At Dawn popped up. It incorporated a lot of the people I played with.

Filled with a brazen idea that I should be immediately published and paid huge amounts of royalties, I sent FAD off to dozens of publishers. As the rejections rolled in, the idea of writing fell by the wayside. Then one day I got a letter from a popular game developer. They wanted my story, not for my superior ability to spin a yarn, but because of my characters. The plan was to throw the story away and bring the characters to their game. Of course, I had to sell all rights to them and could never do anything with them again.

Some kind of artistic integrity told me to refuse, but their offer gave me hope. As my wife said, I was able to create personable characters and that was the hard part. She convinced me to go back and after a major overhaul of the story and a few dozen edits, a much more polished piece came out.

9. What are you working on now?

Book three of the Free People series is on the table. The title is A New Dawning and it picks up some twenty years since the end of Stormrider. I wanted to end this one massive story, but at the same time I wanted to allow some way of bringing characters back. I left such a gap as a means of finding “lost tales” in the event my readers demanded more.

There is also the third book of the Huntress series that keeps popping up. That title is The Broken King and has lots of notes sitting in the folder for that. There is another crime drama lurking in my head somewhere and as if all of that wasn’t enough, I have a cookbook idea that I’m working on too.

I saw a question recently that asked what writers do in-between books. If I ever find an “in-between books” time, I’ll be sure to let them know.

Ed’s Bio

Ed Ireland a product of the streets of Philadelphia, specifically, South Philly. He draws on his memories of people, places and events from his life there as well as the rest of the world, collected in what he calls his “junk drawer of writer mats”.

He has lived in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Texas, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York and currently, North Carolina. He has visited Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Arizona and Connecticut. Every one of these locations has provided him with people and places that inspire his work. Countless memories from them – some good and some bad – live within him constantly. Confucius once said. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart”. It’s become his mantra now since his wandering isn’t done yet. His thoughts are pushing him to Florida now. Maybe the spirit of Hemmingway is calling…

Perhaps the people are drawing him. He has always been a people-person, saying that they provide a wealth of opportunity and that “a good variety of people in one’s life is like a rich tapestry of inspiration to a writer. People come equipped with personalities, quirks and tales that keep writers in material for a lifetime.”

On the more personal side of the scale, he was born in 1954. He is on his second marriage with a wonderful child from each. He is fiercely loyal to the Philadelphia Eagles, The Beatles and classic horror films. He enjoys time in the kitchen as of late, spending a lot of it trying to figure out his grandmother’s recipes. He says that cooking is fun for him now that he understands that it too, is an art. He enjoys photography and playing in Photoshop. He’s addicted to World of Warcraft and plays it far too much. His passion is animal rights and he campaigns to end the persecution of wolves. His religious and political views are private, nevertheless, they make themselves known throughout his work.

His books are available at Amazon, Barns & Noble, Apple and several other outlets in eBook form only.

Links:

My website – http://bit.ly/edireland

My Facebook Page – http://bit.ly/popularsocilasite

My Smashwords Page

For my books – http://bit.ly/SmashwordsLook

Promotion:

For your readers that would like a free copy of Fire At Dawn, just go to my website and join the member’s area. Drop me a line and I’ll send a free copy via Smashwords that can be downloaded in any eReader configuration as well as PDF.

Thanks to Ed for the interview in this feature. Everyone make sure to take advantage of the free book offer.

If you’re a fantasy author and would like to be interviewed for “Fantasy Authors Unplugged” just contact me via email or one of my social media channels and we’ll set one up.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today!

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Filed under: A New Dawning, Blood Moon Sacrifice, Ed Ireland, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fiction, Fire At Dawn, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Self-publishing, Social Media, Stormrider, The Broken King, The Last Ranger of Sarn, Writing Tagged: A New Dawning, blogging, Blood Moon Sacrifice, Coverart, creativity, Ed Ireland, Facebook, Fire At Dawn, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, Stormrider, The Broken King, The Last Ranger of Sarn, writing