Alane Adams's Blog, page 3

Desperate Times

It seems like everyone is a writer these days. It used to be such an exclusive club only a lucky few could enter if they were deemed worthy by a highly picky and difficult to reach agent, who then had to convince an even pickier, loftier publisher. But once inside the hallowed walls of a publishing house, the dream life of being an author could begin for the lucky 1% who ran the gauntlet. I wish I could say that was all gone now, barriers smashed with the advent and ease of self-publishing, but in so many ways, nothing has changed. While it is easy to get your book published, it is much harder to get someone to read it. Every day on social media, an author begs me to read their latest book, to follow them, to friend them, to just NOTICE them.

There are always those lucky few lottery winners who walk away with commercial success, indy authors like Amanda Hocking or EL James, but for most self-published authors, it is a long, slow climb up a crowded slope. And without a national book deal, it is still very hard to get your book noticed. Barnes and Noble will rarely make a significant buy. Finding shelf space in indy bookstores, or getting into venues like airports or department stores, is next to impossible. Even with hundreds of bloggers flogging title after title, making yours stand out in the crowd is a challenge. The second your book is released, another hundred come out and push yours down the line, like an Instagram post in a popular feed.

So what can an indy author do?

It’s always about the writing. Take yours to a higher level. Enroll in classes, have your manuscript critiqued by solid editors, and never stop working on craft. There is no replacement for good storytelling.
Create unique characters that stand out. I recently DNF’d Red Queen, a very popular YA book, because after reading a few chapters I felt like the main character was a rehash of other strong female characters. The echo was so loud, I went online to see if others felt the same way, and sadly, there were many. It’s a good reminder that even successfully published books have their flaws.
Find something new to add to the genre you write in. Every popular genre has a long list of books that vie to be noticed. There are only so many dystopian worlds that can be rehashed before the reader grows weary of teenagers fighting oppressive battles against totalitarian regimes. Hunger Games, great, Divergent series, good. The rest, well, the same old underlying story starts to wear the reader down. If you write in a popular genre, make your book stand out by turning the genre on its head. Give your characters unique problems, or find a different perspective to tell the story from. I like how in The Maze Runner, the author set the story in a very unique dystopian world that the reader doesn’t really discover much about until the end.
Lastly, no matter how challenging the road ahead, never stop writing!

Keep an iron jaw.

Alane

 

 

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Hello…It’s me…

 

I’m in California… No really, I am. That’s where I live. Isn’t it amazing how a few simple words can become so indelibly linked with a song we heard for the first time less than four months ago? I love Adele. Gorgeous voice. I wish my writing read as beautiful as her voice sounds. Great singers undergo extensive training, of course, but you can’t learn to sing like Adele. She’s in that rare class of her own that clearly was anointed with a set of pipes the Maker himself blessed with perfection. I wonder, then, is writing the same way? Must you be born with the makings of War and Peace nestled in your DNA to ever become a Great Writer?

I, myself, have toiled and struggle to be a writer my whole life. The voice urging me on was always there in my head, and never for a single day did it ever leave. No matter how many years I avoided writing, chose other careers, threw books against the wall because I wanted, demanded that I write one better, through all those times I knew it was who I really was. There are so many intelligent young writers today seeing great success, capping on the stronger-than-ever wave of YA fans (contrary to what some think, books are not dead and never will be). These breakout authors are perfectly in sync with the YA heartthrobbing vibes and have moved way past Twilight to epic fantasy tales like Throne of Glass. I am probably too old-school (read too old) to ever be that in touch with that true YA audience, but I love the tween-middlegrade fan-base for that reason. Still sweet, still wanting an adventure-filled story with great characters, funny insults, and perhaps a burp or two to lighten the page.

When I set out to write the Legends of Orkney series I did it on a whim. My 12-year-old son challenged me to write him something he could read. Suddenly, all the years of avoidance and questioning and self-doubt became replaced by this idea that I could do this! So I did what I always do. I confidently raced ahead without really thinking about what I was doing. I busted out three manuscripts for him one after the other six months apart, delighting him to no end. But I quickly learned, writing is not a race that can be won with speed. Good writing requires finesse. Digging in and discovering what really makes your character’s tick. The art of choosing just the right word in a taut scene. Developing your characters into full-fledged three-dimensional creatures that readers will weep over. Finding the beat and raising the bar. I thought I could write the same way I read, flying through pages, boasting about word counts, and racing to the finish line.

Boy was I wrong.

A year ago I began editing the second installment of the series, a book I thought was basically finished. A year ago I fell into a deep hole of learning what it really takes to make a story come to life. When I finally sent in the revised manuscript to the publisher, I felt something I never had before. A sense of deep pride in a job well done. A sense of abiding connection with my characters and their journey. A confidence in knowing I had taken the time to really, really, get to know my characters and allow their story to be told. It may never be a bestseller, but I know I gave it my all.

My challenge to you is to do the same. Don’t rush. Take the time to really develop your writing. Get feedback from excellent editors who can push you and torture you into making the kind of story you never thought you could write. Give your characters your all because they deserve nothing less from you.

And when the critics get to you, keep an iron jaw. Get up off the mat and dig deeper.

Always. Keep. Writing.

Alane

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The Red Sun Curriculum is Here!

This summer, the world was introduced to my brand new fantasy series, Legends of Orkney! The Norse mythology-infused story of a 12-year-old boy who is anything but ordinary has fans across the country falling for book one, The Red Sun.

In addition to releasing the first novel in this six-book series, a new mobile game based on The Red Sun was also released. BattleKasters was toured around the country at seven different fan cons including Emerald City Comicon, C2E2, Denver Comic Con, Comic Con International in San Diego, and New York Comic Con.

But there’s even more to the story.

Now, in partnership with Pop Culture Classroom, I’m releasing The Red Sun Curriculum.

Completely aligned with Common Core guidelines, this new curriculum will give teachers the opportunity to introduce a modern fantasy series to students while staying in line with national standards.

At the core of my books, my game, and my literacy organization is the deep desire to get kids and teens excited about reading. This new curriculum does just that! Students will be able to enjoy the magic of the series while also gaining valuable insight into the process of reading with purpose.

Download the free curriculum and handout for The Red Sun now and get your students excited for their next assignment.

About The Red Sun

Sam Baron is about to get the shock of his life. First his substitute English teacher claims to have turned his old teacher into a lizard; then a strange dwarf named Rego arrives and claims Sam is from a magical realm called Orkney. When his friends are taken prisoner, it’s up to Sam to save them. Sam embarks on a journey to Orkney through a stonefire to find his friends―but when he arrives, he discovers that an ancient curse has turned the sun a poisonous red and threatens to destroy the land. With only a young witch girl to guide him, Sam must choose: save his friends, or stop the red sun from consuming the land? Drawing on Norse mythology, The Red Sun follows Sam’s journey to uncover the truth about his past―a journey during which he has to overcome the simmering anger inside of him, learn to channel his growing magical powers, and find a way to forgive the father who left him behind.

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Back To School Giveaway

My Back-to-School Giveaway

Back-to-school is in full swing and there are so many exciting new developments to share!

For starters, I want to say thank you to everyone who has purchased The Red Sun and helped make its opening month a success. Second, I want to share some exciting news about book one in my Legends of Orkney series.

After a successful trip to Denver Comic Con where I launched my book-inspired mobile game, BattleKasters, an exciting new opportunity has developed and we’d like to celebrate it with a giveaway.

Pop Culture Classroom just announced it will be developing common core curriculum around The Red Sun! If you know about me and my platform, literacy is my main driver and to see my fun, fantasy series become a part of the education system is beyond exciting.

To get everyone else pumped about this announcement and the official release of the curriculum in October, I’m doing a back-to-school giveaway for teachers!

Win School Supplies for the Year and a Classroom Set of The Red Sun!

Teachers: Get everything you need to have a successful year when you enter to win a $500 Target card and 5 copies of The Red Sun!

 

Here’s how you can enter:

Follow my literacy organization, Rise Up Foundation, on Facebook and Twitter
Share this link about The Red Sun’s curriculum and tag @Rise Up Foundation http://bit.ly/1KTmXvH
Answer weekly teacher questions on the Rise Up Foundation Facebook page
Tag your fellow teacher friends in the comments of Facebook posts like these:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not a teacher?

You can still win too! Share a post about a teacher who inspired you and tag the Rise Up Foundation. You will be entered to win one of five autographed copies of The Red Sun!

 

Show your love for teachers and spread the news about The Red Sun for your chance to win!

Sam Baron is about to get the shock of his life. First his substitute English teacher claims to have turned his old teacher into a lizard; then a strange dwarf named Rego arrives and claims Sam is from a magical realm called Orkney. When his friends are taken prisoner, it’s up to Sam to save them. Sam embarks on a journey to Orkney through a stonefire to find his friends―but when he arrives, he discovers that an ancient curse has turned the sun a poisonous red and threatens to destroy the land. With only a young witch girl to guide him, Sam must choose: save his friends, or stop the red sun from consuming the land? Drawing on Norse mythology, The Red Sun follows Sam’s journey to uncover the truth about his past―a journey during which he has to overcome the simmering anger inside of him, learn to channel his growing magical powers, and find a way to forgive the father who left him behind.

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The Writing Life: Amateur Mistakes You Don’t Have To Make

There’s nothing like finishing your first novel and proudly showing it off to an agent, hoping that lightning will strike and your fabulous talent will be discovered. The problem is your fabulous manuscript is riddled with amateur mistakes that can easily be fixed, allowing the gem that you created to come through and convince agents and editors you’re the real deal.

Here are the Top Ten Amateur Mistakes Writers Make:

Overuse of I said, he said, she said. Your manuscript doesn’t need them. Cut out half of them, and then cut out another half and your manuscript will start to have lift off.
Repetitive phrases. Use a software program to check for repeated words. You will be shocked how often you repeat the same word on a page. Overuse of identical words shows a limited range of skill in detailing events in your story. There are programs that will do this for you fast and easily, so invest in one and make your manuscript start to zing!
Typos. Don’t have any. Period.
Not replacing backwards, forwards, towards, upwards, downwards, with backward, forward, toward, upward and downward.
Overusing (insert pronoun) heard, saw, felt, realized, seemed, had been. Use the word search function and count the number of times you use each of the listed words. You will be shocked at how much you overuse this method of describing your characters actions. Replace as many as you can with active descriptions. I heard a shot fired, is more exciting when it’s written as a shot zinged over my head making my ears ring. I felt a bolt of fear can be better stated as fear ripped through me like a bolt of ice.
Did I mention typos? They’re there. Find them, including bad punctuation and missing periods.
Overuse of backstory and flashbacks. Eliminate them whenever possible. Stories are best told in the present tense. Flashbacks and prologues are a bit like cheating. Find a way to weave the backstory into the present and your editors won’t get annoyed with you.
Buying into the family and friends bandwagon who claim your novel is the best they’ve ever read. They are biased, even when they say they’re not. They can’t see the forest for the dangling participles. Don’t believe a word they say. Find a good editor who doesn’t see you on Thanksgiving Day and pay for as much criticism as you can take. The only way you will grow as a writer is to hear feedback which is impartial and informed.
Wallowing in self-pity when your manuscript gets rejected. This business is very subjective. Your manuscript might be great, it might be average. Doesn’t matter. The only way anyone will ever read it is if you make it worth reading. So don’t wallow, work harder at learning the craft and develop a thick skin.
Writing the same story over and over for ten years thinking that the first book is so precious it has to sell before you ever write the second one. Don’t linger in the past. The first book might have been your best, it also might have been an exercise in Can I Do This? The answer is yes, now send it out to get edited by a professional while you write the next book. Don’t wait around hoping lightning is going to strike. It probably won’t. But if you start the next book while the first one is in the hopper getting edited, then pretty soon you’ll have two books, and when that happens, your confidence will increase and with proper feedback, your writing will begin to improve. Then you just might climb out of the amateur stage into the up and coming author stage.

Keep writing!

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Happily Ever After

I once read a John Grisham novel (the name escapes me) that had a terribly unhappy ending. The main character did not get the girl, in fact, he lost everything when she took off with the money and his dreams of a happy ending. Years later, that book still sticks in my craw because after reading four hundred plus pages and suffering alongside the hero as he traversed his challenges, I was ready to be rewarded with that satisfying sense of redemption, that affirmation of hope that things would turn out okay. Authors make an unspoken promise that no matter how badly they abuse and torment their characters, in the end the hero will somehow come out ahead. Champions. Victors. Happy.

Of course in real life, happy endings are less common and certainly not guaranteed. We divorce, get sick, end up jobless, and fail to achieve our goals. That’s life. It’s one of the reasons we so enjoy turning to the fictional world where we get to escape those harsh realities and rediscover what it means to have hope, to dream big, and to triumph over our worst obstacles. We gain strength when Harry Potter defeats Voldemort, we believe in love when Bella finds a way to be with her vampire, we feel patriotic when we watch an American Sniper be revealed as a warm, caring, loving father and husband. Because American Sniper isn’t fiction, we didn’t get the happy ending our main character deserved and we can take that hit in our heart because it happened. We grieve and feel for his family and shake our head at how unfair real life can be.

Fictional stories are meant to transport and uplift us, restore a little bit of hope to our soul so that we can carry on the fight we each shoulder every day. In my Legends of Orkney series, it often seems that my main character, 12-year-old Sam Baron has just too much to bear. Powerful forces align against him and his own temper works from within to bring him down. Sam must search deep within to tap into his true strength and, with a little help from his friends, is able to gut out his happy ending. It’s imperfect and flawed–like life, bad things happen along the way, but it still has that satisfying feel to it. Because no matter how hopeless it may seem, or the losses suffered along the way, in the end, I believe the readers of my stories deserve a piece of hope. The belief that good will–and always does–triumph over evil.

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Writer’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re looking for some realistic writing goals for 2015, here’s a guide to get you started.

#1. Resolve to think of yourself as a writer.

One of the hardest parts of becoming a writer is that when you’re still trying to break into the field, you don’t feel like a bonafide writer until you’ve been published. But that’s not true. Being a writer isn’t defined by having an agent or publisher. It’s defined when you commit to a professional approach to your writing.

#2 Resolve to write on a regular basis, daily if possible.

Writers write. Books don’t happen overnight. It takes days, weeks, sometimes months slogging out the words to get a finished manuscript. The key is to not get paralyzed with fear as to whether the writing is good enough, or if anyone will like it when it’s finished. You must keep moving forward and develop as a writer through a lot of trial and error. This only happens when you show up on a regular basis and write.

#3 Resolve to finish a major work this year.

So often I hear of writers who spend years working on the same book. No doubt there are great works of literature that demand that, but if you’re hoping for a more commercial book then consider what’s stopping you from finishing it. Set a deadline. Force yourself to show up at the computer. Put out words even when its hard, when it feels like you have no inspiration. Sometimes that’s when the greatest inspiration strikes. Rather than let another year go by that is piled up with excuses why you didn’t finish that story, get ‘er done.

#4 Resolve to learn more about your craft.

Writing is an evolving process. Like any sport or profession, you cannot get better at it unless you both practice at it and get great coaching. Practice comes in many forms. Writing. Studying other writers. Reading books in your genre. Coaching can be found in the form of the many great editors who work on a fee-for-service basis, or by joining a writing group that can offer feedback by peers. Attend conferences in your specific genre so you can meet other aspiring writers and learn from the pros how the business really works.

#5 Resolve to submit your work

As scary as it is to face rejection, having a manuscript gathering dust in your drawer won’t advance your dream of being a writer. Better to be rejected and take the lumps and be part of the group of rejected writers then the group that never tried.

#6 Resolve not to listen to the voice in your head.

If you’re a writer, you know what voice I’m speaking of. The voice that whispers it’s too hard. It’s not good enough. Why bother? It is so easy to shoot ourselves down. There are plenty of people out in the world who will do that when you do get published, so resolve to be more supportive of your dream. Think positively when you’re writing. Remember writers have the greatest job in the world. They get to create magic. Transcend reality. Suspend belief. Create anything they can imagine without limits. So be nicer to yourself. You can be a good writer if you work at it. If you’re lucky and have both the talent and the craft, you can be great.

#7 Resolve to try something different.

As writers develop their voice, they can sometimes get stuck in a rut. Their voice grows stale, repetitive, an echo of every other voice they have heard. A compendium of sameness. Resolve to break out of your rut this year. Write in a fresh voice. Expand your idea of what is possible. Inject some new life into your characters. Challenge them to rise to new heights and they will take you with them.

# 8 Resolve to expand your network of writer friends.

Some of my best friends are fictional. Writers tend to be loners. This year, resolve to build your network of writer friends. Make time to have coffee with them and talk shop. Find friends to go to conferences with. Your resolve as a writer will grow and your connection to writing will be strengthened by your friendships with kindred spirits.

# 9 Resolve to read.

The surest path to being a great writer is to read books by great writers. Read every book you can get your hands on. Don’t be afraid to scribble on them, circle metaphors you like, underline moving passages, highlight a turn of phrase that made you choke up. As you dig into other writer’s secrets, you develop a knowledge that will help you in your own writing.

# 10 Resolve to never give up. Ever.

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Lessons I’ve learned as I’ve set out to write books

“The only way you grow as a writer is to subject yourself to criticism and rejection.”

Read more from my recent interview in the OC Register:

Accounting teacher’s fantasy children’s books fuel her literacy foundation

by Sherri Cruz, Orange County Register, December 22, 2014.

Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Staff Photographer, OC Register

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Be Thankful for Books (And the Writers That Write Them)

This Thanksgiving, take a moment to send a thanks out to all the toiling writers who have spent countless hours hunkered down over their computers, crafting those eagerly anticipated novels you curl up with in front of the fire, where along with your glass of wine or hot cocoa, you let yourself travel to some distant land or faraway realm and soar. Books bring us countless hours of pleasure, but for every hour of pleasure you get from a standard length novel, the writer has put in at least 100 hours. Think about that. And for all but a few of the notable and successfully marketed authors, the financial reward is a pittance for their time. Writing books is a lot like raising kids: they are an enormous amount of work and sacrifice but every so often, there are moments of joy that make it all worthwhile.

At a recent book signing event, I was able to meet and engage with young readers of my Legends of Orkney series. To be honest, I’ve put in far more than that 100 hours of work per hour of reading, but these young fans were so eager to soak up the details of where I got my ideas and what on earth was going to happen next, I couldn’t help but be smitten all over again with a love of writing. So the hours of work become irrelevant and the author is hooked into writing more and more stories so that they can live to see the excitement in their reader’s eyes. If you’re a struggling or budding author, know that the journey ahead is long and hard, but the joy of having satisfied readers is an enormous payoff. If you are an avid reader, send a shout out to your favorite authors. Let them know you appreciate the work they put into their novels. So often today, the internet allows us to become anonymously critical and distant from the things we take for granted. Take time this Thanksgiving to be thankful to those writers for their efforts. Without them, books wouldn’t exist.

 

 

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Shake It Off

Becoming a writer is a perilous journey, fraught with the slings and arrows of rejection slips and the cannon fire of critics who tear holes in our carefully crafted plots. Just when you think you might be entertaining someone with your words, you find a ready critic who is able to pinpoint precisely why you’re not the next JK Rowling or George RR Martin.  Fortunately, a popular song on the radio reminds us writers how to deal with people who don’t see eye to eye with us on our creative endeavors. The haters gonna hate. What can we do about it? As Taylor Swift reminds us, we’re just gonna shake it off.

How do you shake off the public criticism of your work? It’s not easy. You can’t hide from your critics. The whole world can see your one-star reviews on Amazon. Everyone knows how many Goodreads reviewers liked your book.  Becoming a writer is already fraught with so much rejection and editorial feedback that cuts to the bone it’s a wonder that writers ever find the courage to release their work. Publishing a book is kind of like setting off a firecracker: you light the fuse then run fifty feet away and cover your ears, and wait for the explosion. Writers launch their books then duck and cover, waiting for the cutting words of the critics to land their mark. In today’s online world, there is a never ending line of critics who are able to share their views about your work with anyone who cares to read.

The haters gonna hate Miss Swift tell us, so what can a writer do about it? Not much. Grow a thick skin. Most importantly, work on craft so that your published product is the best it can be. That includes making sure your book is professionally edited. Identify your target audience. Who did you write this book for? How do they feel about your book? In my Legends of Orkney series, I write for middle graders. So when an adult doesn’t like the story, I’m less concerned then if my middle graders found it boring. If the kids love it, what do I care what the adults think? Sure, it’s nice when everyone loves you, but you can’t please everyone as a writer, you can’t write a book that satisfies the palate of every reader, so focus your efforts toward the audience you care about most. Get them to be your loyal fans, and then maybe, they’ll bring your critics around.

 

 

 

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