Dwayne’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Dwayne’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

A.A. wrote: "What I suggest is not to worry about it. Promote your book and allow readers to buy and post reviews organically. "

Agreed. Organic reviews are, by far, the most satisfying.

A former mod once dubbed me the King of Indie Short Story Tellers. I think all that really means is that I write a lot of short stories.

At any rate, I'll don my crown and see if I can give you any advice.

First and foremost, one hard-set rule is a short story should not run over a certain number of words. I've seen the number listed as 7,000. I've seen it at 30,000. At any rate, keep it short IF you want to keep it a short story. I'll come back to that in a moment.

Other hard fast rules would be the same hard fast rules for any form of fiction. You need characters, a plot, proper spelling, a beginning, a middle, an end, and so on.

A myth I have heard about writing short stories that is not necessarily true is that writing short stories is easier than writing novels. It's not. It can be just as hard or harder. I have two novels and a few novellas and a bunch of short stories out there. The piece that gave me the most trouble was one of the short stories (and, as a result, it's one of my favorite works).

When I write a short story, I primarily focus on one plot. There might be a subplot or two, but these will be minor and will exist to enhance the main plot. I also pick one theme to stick to.

I try to keep the cast relatively small, often no more than six or seven characters, unless the story absolutely calls for more. In a novel you can have several major characters. Short stories seem to work best if you make only one or two characters the main characters.

I try to limit the settings, too, as one would with a play. You only have so much space to work with and don't want to have to describe twelve different settings.

Often times I take some small inspiration - maybe an event I witnessed or lived through, maybe a story I know that could work with a huge twist to it, maybe a lyric from a song. In my mind I build on it until I feel I have enough to start writing a story.

Now. If you get into your story and you find that you need more characters or have some great subplots or you can see your main story leading to a much bigger story, don't be afraid to let your short story become a novella or even a novel.

If I think of more stuff to add, I'll come back later.

Same here, Phillip. I have been writing since the late seventies. I have been serious about it since the late eighties. Thing is, I've always been more of an artist than a businessman and cannot conceive stories that "fit" into what publishers want. I have a very hard time sticking to "rules" of writing.

This thing I'm working on now is pure fiction. I'm writing it in as an oral history to make it feel more real. Back when I wrote the original draft of it, there was only one novel out written in this style (James Robert Baker's Boy Wonder - which was a heavy influence on this book, not in story, but in style) that I knew of and I knew it would be a hard sell. I just did some research and I can only find one other novel written this way, a Chuck Palahniuk (one of those "I need to read him some day" authors) novel. So, I think even today it would be a hard sell to trad. publishers.

Amelia wrote: "But most readers want tropes and structure in their novels (especially genre novels). This is frustrating because it limits the kind of novels I want to write.

So what if I want to add hardcore erotica sex in my YA novel? But I can't because that will alienate readers."


Yep. I was having a discussion about this type of thing with another member in another thread yesterday. The novel I'm working on could work, she feels, as a young adult. Part of me wants to do that as there's a huge, huge target audience. I can't do it, though. There won't be a lot of sex scenes, if any, but one of the main characters is nearly a nymphomaniac, one character is nearly raped by her uncle, another character is a prostitute... This is all based on a novel I wrote back in the 80's and I don't feel right taking the sexual themes out of it.

I say we're Indies, dammit. Let's shake things up and stop worrying about tropes and what readers expect. Let's give them something new and fresh instead of sticking to what's old and tired.

Do they still charge to do reviews? Best to stay away from stuff like that.

No links. Thanks.

A.A. wrote: "Hi Michele,

Yes, the minimum is $50 and depending on how recently they became an Amazon client, they may need to buy the book on Amazon also.

Good luck with your book!"

Yep. Or if you're in KDPSelect and they have KindleUnlimited, they can read it and leave a review.

If these people who are telling you they love your book are friends, you don't want them reviewing your book anyway.

Hmm... when I was in retail, I meant it 90% of the time I said it. I don't need to know someone to hope their day goes well. Being asked "How are you today" has lead to some nice conversations and it's helped build some nice relationships. I get a lot of free coffee at the local coffee shop, 'cause I don't mind chatting a minute or two with the baristas.

Those're my thoughts, too, Micah. I like Creep. It's been used a lot, though, in book titles, movie titles, song titles, etc. Happy House is completely ironic as these five kids are pretty miserable through the book. If I go with that, I will want to give a strong indication on the cover that this is a grim and violent tale.

Maybe something better will strike me in time.

Marc wrote: "well if anyone wants "

Review swaps are not allowed on Amazon, Goodreads, and not to be discussed here.

Yeah... that could be an issue. This novel goes back to the late eighties and the main reason I want to get it written is due to the female lead. She's one of the best characters I've ever created and she's a bit of a sex fiend. This is not what I love best about her, mind you. I'm having trouble seeing what she'd be like if I took that part of her away.

I don't know young adult very well. I haven't found one I could really get into. I have tried Twilight and The Hunger Games. I do love Harry Potter, but I think that's targeted a bit younger.

Addison wrote: "[images of book covers]Hi Jenna... " And most everything else was a bookwhack.

This thread is for helping people with their book covers, not for promoting your own books. Critiquing the person's book covers is encouraged, comparing them to your own is not. Also, advising someone to go read a book is nearly the same as telling them to hire a professional.

I don't have the time to fully explore this at the moment. Maybe a little later tonight, but I have to say this latest version is much more interesting than the one I read this morning. I think now that I know the observer is not literally invisible, it pulls it together into a much stronger story.

I had to go back and read the whole thread. The person suggesting "less information" wasn't me. You know what is important for the reader to know. We don't. If someone comments that we don't need to know about a building or what one of your character's job is, take it with a grain of salt. That's a great overall general rule any time anyone gives advice - take it with a grain of salt. It's your book. You know what's important. Same with my comment. I like to find something solid to connect to in a blurb. That doesn't make it a hard and fast rule for all blurbs.

Jenny wrote: "A spring morning in the countdown to the new millennium. A cufflink falls to the pavement and two lives collide in a chance encounter. There ensues an unlikely friendship between the elusive Mariano - a music graduate with a shiny future - and Mariano, a blundering IT technician, recently relocated to London. But directing the course of their unfolding relationship is an invisible observer who is intent on fulfilling a sickly desire. Obsession and self-delusion take over as the three distinct stories intertwine and they are forced to reconcile with the people they have become."

My biggest concern is the two characters mentioned have the same name. Maybe there's a good reason for that. It seems it would be confusing to the reader.

Aside from that - I don't know. It might appeal to some, but to me it's too vague. I get a sense of who these two people are. The rest feels like blurry, poetic imagery. In a blurb, I'm looking for a solid idea of what the story is. Don't get me wrong, the writing here is really good, just not the thing you typically find in a blurb.

Checking in on this thread again. I've scrapped the Boy of Shadows title.

I've also changed my mind about the genre. I'm playing up the supernatural aspects of the story and will put it out as a supernatural thriller or something similar.

Right now I'm using the working title Creep but have been considering calling the novel Happy House. I see this grim, haunting cover with the title in bright green or pink. The first title comes from the Radiohead song, the second from a song by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Jenny wrote: "Hi!"

Hey, Jenny? If you want help with your own blurb, please start your own thread instead of hijacking someone else's. Thanks!

M.L. wrote: "It's a teeny bit (just a little) Dwight Swain-ish (a how-to) but not completely. (That oft-referred-to-in-the-past expert.) "

Yeah, we don't want that.

After looking over my various versions, I'll be going with the typewriter font for the title and the blue for my name. I think, overall, that does the best at getting across the nature of the book.

Thanks for your help everyone!