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

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

I just went to find some stock photos and found that the link that started this whole thread no longer works. I cleaned out the thread and kept only the comments that have links to web sites that offer free stock images.

If you know of any good web sites that offer free stock photos, this is your one chance to add a link to a thread here. I know you're all dying to do that.

Also, I did not check all the links I kept. If anyone finds one that no longer works, let me know and I'll delete it.

Haru wrote: "I also remember that at fanfiction.net they show you a list, when you sign up, of authors that don't want a single comma from their work reproduced anywhere, Anne Rice among them. I would stay clear of them! "

I want on that list.

B.A. wrote: "The "Kill your darlings" is a reference to when you are stuck, you kill off a prominent character in your work to get it moving again."

I've never heard it used that way. Interesting approach to writing! Maybe that's George R. R. Martin's secret.*

What it usually means is getting rid of excess fluff in your novel that you love dearly, but doesn't really add anything to your book. Maybe a character you love, but serves no real purpose in the story, or a chapter that doesn't move anything forward, though beautifully written.

*DISCLAIMER: I have never read any George R. R. Martin. I have only heard he likes to kill off characters willy-nilly. If this is not true, I apologize to any fans of G.R.R.M.I.N.O. Wait...

I looked up a couple of metafiction books I like and the blurbs do not really hint at the metafictional nature of them. The idea of your main character being named after you, or you being the main character, etc. was enough to tell me your book is different.

Gonna echo Ian's words in preface to what I have to say. Take this with a grain of salt: I'm not one to worry about whether something in my work is going to bother a reader or not. I write for myself. If others enjoy it, great. If not, great. Personally, I love it when authors do something non-traditional.

Tomas wrote: "Deciding whether or not to take part in KU is probably enough for a topic of its own, I'll just point out that it might differ much by genre."

You're right. And it does come up a lot.

I believe this is the latest thread if anyone is interested.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Marc wrote: "I’m not sure if it’s worth it because only half of ebooks are sold on Amazon..."

For me it's worth it. Over half my royalties come from KENP.

Pamela wrote: "It was the statement "Baby, it's cold outside". Does anyone own words? Maybe, if I used an entire stanza or song but I didn't."

I think in this case, you're fine.

Jacqueline wrote: "Does the author then have to credit the songwriter or get some type of permission to quote lines from a song?"

This one is a little tricky, from what I understand. If you are using several lines of song lyrics, yes. You need to get permission, give credit, and possibly pay a fee. I occasionally have a character give a brief quote from a song and I believe that's okay, as long as it's not a long quote, like this:

Patrick looked up in his mirror and his eyes caught mine. “What’s that line from Sympathy For The Devil? ‘Every cop is a criminal’?”

I nodded.

Generally, even when I do something like that, I mention the artist somewhere in the story. In this case, Sympathy For The Devil gets mentioned a lot in the novel. This is the only place it's quoted at all.

Well, to each his own, I guess. I can kind of see the sound alike thing maybe being an issue and adjusted a few names in my second novel as they were similar. In this case, O'Lies and Luck are so different, I really don't think it'll be an issue for Katherine's readers.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion of course, but I've read a good number of books with characters that have names that start with the same letter and have yet to have it confuse me. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of Of Mice And Men where you have Curley, Candy, Crooks, and Carlson. Curious what you do if you have more than twenty-six characters in a book as you'd have to use some letters more than once.

Just wanted to pop in again and vote yes for the names you're using. I like Jack O'Lies and don't see any reason you can't have names that start with "L". (Carro, could you explain that one?)

BP wrote: "Just wondering if there were any ideas to start promoting my book again and improve sales on Amazon?"

One thing not to do is to self-promote here. That's not the reason for this group. Deleted due to the link to your book.

Let's stay on topic, folks.

Jay wrote: "Assume your reader has never heard of the song, or game."

I recently read a novel in which two whole pages were filled with a character driving a car and listening to the radio. Song titles were given for songs I had never heard before. There were commercials listed, too, for products that no longer exist. Earlier in the book two characters are watching The Mickey Mouse Club (the original) and the name of the show is not given. There are plenty of clues, such as the use of the word Mouseketeer and the names Cubby, Darlene, and Jimmie. I have never seen the original Mickey Mouse Club and only know a little about it. I didn't know most of the songs listed, I didn't know most of the products mentioned in the book. However, when one was mentioned that I knew, Stagger Lee for example, it helped paint the backdrop of the time and culture of the story.

The book is called Rabbit Run. The author is John Updike. If you've never heard of him, he actually did pretty well for himself with his writing.

Think of the downside. Suppose you name a song, game, or whatever, that the reader hates?

If we're going to go that road and omit anything a reader might not like, there's no point in writing.

Jay wrote: "And as always, the advice is: 'kill your darlings.'"

It's always nice to attribute quotes to those who first said it. In this case, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.

Kaylee wrote: "I didn't know I could do that! You are the MVP today "

I did once. It didn't help. But, it's worth a try.

You're welcome, Kaylee.

Kaylee wrote: "She has completely cut me off and told me she will write negative reviews on every book I publish from here on out. I can't help but feel scared about that. "

Don't. It may be an empty threat. At worst, your books will have one dishonest review and a bunch of honest ones. Savvy readers can usually spot bogus reviews.

I'd say the worst part is losing out on your godmother status. The best... being rid of this friend. She sounds like a sociopath.

*chuckle* I've actually been mocking the Goodreads read-o-meter on Facebook this morning. I said I would read 4999 books and did not report reading one. It's a joke that was a year in the making...

My literary goals... Well, I hate how overused the word literally is today, but, my goals will literally be set tomorrow on the first day of the year. I have a friend who wants his life story written and he's asked me to do it. I'll be invading his home about twenty-four hours from now to kick around ideas for the book and then I'll determine if I want the project. If not, I have about four novels started in the past few years. I'll read them over and pick the one that excites me the most and that'll be my big project for the year.

Last but not least, happy 2019 to you, Haru, and the rest of you!

I do this constantly. I see no harm in it. If someone catches the reference, it adds to the pleasure of reading. If they don't, well, no big deal as long as understanding the reference is not important to the story in some way.

As for it being a "good" or "bad" idea? Neither. It's a personal choice. If it's something you enjoy doing in your work, go for it.

Well... I like the blurb, except the fourth paragraph. If this is stuff you can't tell us, don't even mention it. I have read it with and without that paragraph and it's much stronger and more interesting without it.