Writing Questions for Josh Showing 2,101-2,150 of 4,753

[Anne]

Jordan wrote: "Well, if he's being honest, he really needs to take it down and do some serious editing. Otherwise... he just needs to take it down and do some serious editing. lol. That's just bad all the way aro..."

LOL So true.

[Dev]

Wow. I can understand making most of those mistakes but why the rating? I mean, I've written some things I might give 2 stars - but I didn't publish them, I edited or tossed. Maybe his mother told him honesty is the best policy.

[K.Z.]

Josh wrote: "Despite what you hear, all publicity is not good publicity. Think of the writers whose name fills you with instant antagonism..."

SO true! I've reacted to a few authors that way -- one in particular -- and nothing short of an obscene amount of cash would get me to read anything by any of them.

[Liade]

Lou wrote: "Josh, do you have a LiveJournal blog too, or just blogger? Someone told me you do, but I can't find it."

http://jgraeme2007.livejournal.com/

[Jordan]

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/...

I have to post this here because it's relevant for many who read this topic. This is a list of 25 things writers should stop doing. And it's fantastic, swear words, elk miscarriage, and all. I know someone who's going to post this on her wall... think I might do the same. It's worth it.

[Anne]

Just read it, Jordon. Completely hilarious.

[K.Z.]

That's too many don'ts for me to absorb in one day. ;-)

My favorite part was this reader's comment: "I’m just glad you didn’t say anything about masturbating or robbing liquor stores." :-D

[Anne]

LOL

They got a little repetitive, tbh. How is "Stop Stopping" different from "Stop Waiting"?

[Cheryl]

Jordan wrote: "http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/...

I have to post this here because it's relevant for many who read this topic. This is a list of 25 things writers s..."

What on earth is a an elk miscarriage?

[Anne]

It's a normal miscarriage, just suffered by an elk...

[Josh]

Cleon wrote: "Josh wrote: "Cleon wrote: "Josh wrote: "So despite my vow not to type anymore today, I have to comment on this.

On my sidebar here at GR was an ad for a book called Spell Caster. [bookcover:Spell ..."


Well, the only thing I would say about "pretending to be nice" is that's sort of the purpose of good manners. :-D

And we could all do with more good manners in our society. In my humble opinion.

In fact, I'm thinking of doing a post on etiquette for writers -- certainly adding a chapter when I revise the writing book (assuming I bother to revise and don't just bury it somewhere).

The problem is writers, despite all that analyses and exploration of human nature, are often not very good at human interaction. And in fact that might be one reason we spend so much of our lives trying to figure it out through fiction. I see so many stupid errors -- particularly in the arena of self-promotion.

[Josh]

Anne wrote: "That is completely confusing. I can't figure out why anyone would do that, either... An experiment to see if anyone buys it? IDK. "



It is confusing, I agree. Maybe it is some kind of aversion retail strategy, but it just seems so...so unuseful.

[Josh]

Dev wrote: "Wow. I can understand making most of those mistakes but why the rating? I mean, I've written some things I might give 2 stars - but I didn't publish them, I edited or tossed. Maybe his mother told ..."

:-D

I was reading somewhere -- someone quoting a New York Times study that 81% of the population believes they have a book in them and that they plan someday to write it.

I guess no one ever asked whether it was a GOOD book. :-D

[Oco]

Josh, can I just say... if you ever do update MOM, consider including a chapter on self-publication. Venues, how to choose a good (copy/content) editor, what to expect to shell out, ibid for cover artists, that sort of thing. :)

I don't rate my books, but if I did, I'd rank some (all?) lower than 5 stars. I look back on them and think of all the things I could've done better, but seem unable to actually do it -- either because I'm bored with the story or simply because I lack the skill (like looking at my attempts at painting, knowing it sucks isn't the same as being able to fix it).

Of course, I wouldn't post anything of mine I felt inclined to give one star, either, so that's sort of an aside w/r/t what actually started this discussion...

[Jordan]

Oco, those are some good points.

Well, Josh, if you do update it, I'll buy the new edition, even though I already own and have devoured the old one. I know it'll be good and well worth it.

Yeah, now I keep thinking about that stop dreaming and just do, line of that list. At least it got me to start editing again. Hopefully I'll be able to get the first five chapters out to crit someday relatively soon!

[Josh]

Oco wrote: "Josh, can I just say... if you ever do update MOM, consider including a chapter on self-publication. Venues, how to choose a good (copy/content) editor, what to expect to shell out, ibid for cover ..."

That would be quite a chapter now, wouldn't it? Yes, that's a good thought!

[Anne]

Okay, so my publisher has been expecting this novella from me, and I sent it today, but first I did the full rigamorole: blurb, synopsis, perfect formatting, etc. They've been expecting it, (and motivated me to commit by offering me a relatively concrete release date) but I don't have a contract.

So it started me wondering, when do I not have to do the whole submission thing? At what point in your relationship with your publisher do you get to skip steps? The blurb is important to me, but the synopsis? I HATE synopses. Writing them. Do I ever get to not do that?

[Cleon Lee]

Not a question for Josh, exactly, but what is "flat puppy" again?

[Kari]

Jorrie wrote: "Well, I shouldn't speak for everyone, since I'm so tied up with my publisher, Samhain, and haven't worked with others. But I'd imagine most authors have to write synopses, no matter how long they'v..."

Yeah. I sign on prop, but that prop MUST include a synopsis. Need bigger fancypants than mine to sign on blurb + chapters alone anyway. LOL

[Cleon Lee]

L.C. wrote: "Cleon wrote: "Not a question for Josh, exactly, but what is "flat puppy" again?"

Flat puppy is kind of a joke that started in New Orleans at GayRom. The way I remember it is, a bunch of us were go..."

LOL. I see.

[Anne]

@Kari and @Jorrie

I was afraid of that. Makes sense, though. Thanks! :)

[John]

Josh wrote: "Oco wrote: "Josh, can I just say... if you ever do update MOM, ...

That would be quite a chapter now, wouldn't it? "

Sounds like an entirely new book, doesn't it?

[Liade]

John wrote: "Josh wrote: "Oco wrote: "Josh, can I just say... if you ever do update MOM, ...

That would be quite a chapter now, wouldn't it? "

Sounds like an entirely new book, doesn't it?"

Doppelgänger-free, even.

[Josh]

Anne wrote: "Okay, so my publisher has been expecting this novella from me, and I sent it today, but first I did the full rigamorole: blurb, synopsis, perfect formatting, etc. They've been expecting it, (and mo..."

It kind of depends on the publisher. Loose Id now just requires a paragraph from me giving them the basic gist of the story. Carina requests an outline. Samhain, to this day, requests a full outline and at least a chapter -- but that's one reason why I couldn't continue to do much through Samhain. My deadlines were too tight to permit me stopping to do a full proposal in the middle of something else.

I mean, truly, at this point in the game if a publisher I regularly work with is still demanding a full proposal, it does irritate me. They inevitably drop to low priority for submissions.

[Anne]

Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Okay, so my publisher has been expecting this novella from me, and I sent it today, but first I did the full rigamorole: blurb, synopsis, perfect formatting, etc. They've been expectin..."

Well, by my calculations, I have another ten years before I'm at your point, so I'll just assume I'm still going to be writing detailed summaries for a while. LOL

[K.Z.]

I have to admit the detailed-synopsis requirement irritates me, too -- if, that is, I've worked with a publisher before or know for a fact they're familiar with my work. I'll happily send in a partial or even a full ms. (along with, as Josh said, a paragraph or two explaining the gist of the story). But composition of a multipage synopsis eats up way more time than it's worth. (And I always screw 'em up anyway!)

[Dev]

So, given that we don't get advances in this field, is the main benefit to being able to sign on synopsis that the book comes out more quickly? Or that you know it will have a home? For those of you who do sign on proposal, are there books you might have written but they got turned down at that stage? Is the deadline a good motivator? Or is it that you can hand your editor a much rougher draft than if you submitted a finished story? I don't mind writing synopses but I find them much easier to write after I've finished the story.

[K.Z.]

Dev wrote: "So, given that we don't get advances in this field, is the main benefit to being able to sign on synopsis that the book comes out more quickly? Or that you know it will have a home? For those of yo..."

I have one publisher who'll get me in the publication queue on the strength of a proposal -- so, yes, a book will come out much more quickly that way. BUT, for me at least, acceptance is never an ironclad guarantee. I haven't grown big enough balls or established a stellar enough reputation to expect a contract on proposal alone. Even if I were to offer something before I'd written it (and I've never done so), I'd assume the possibility for rejection would always be there.

[Josh]

K.Z. wrote: "I have to admit the detailed-synopsis requirement irritates me, too -- if, that is, I've worked with a publisher before or know for a fact they're familiar with my work. I'll happily send in a part..."

If it's a publisher I haven't previously worked with then I understand why they request a proposal -- even if all the have to do is look at my CV to see I can perform. But part of the pleasure in building a relationship with a publisher is you all know what to expect from each transaction.

[Josh]

Dev wrote: "So, given that we don't get advances in this field, is the main benefit to being able to sign on synopsis that the book comes out more quickly? Or that you know it will have a home? For those of yo..."

Samhain says they use the synopsis for the cover art and the blub, but since most publishers manage to provide covers without a synopsis (and Samhain's covers are no more or less accurate than anyone else's), and Samhain requires authors to write their own blurb rough drafts, that doesn't really hold water.

I think a synopsis is a useful tool becasue you can use that to write a lot of your advertising and promotion for the book.

The problem with synopsis and outline is it's almost a different skill set. If the publisher doesn't know you, they're basically checking out your concept and then trying to get an idea as to whether you have any sense of plot, story flow, character arcs, and pacing.

[Josh]

K.Z. wrote: "Even if I were to offer something before I'd written it (and I've never done so), I'd assume the possibility for rejection would always be there.
..."

Yep. Absolutely! The difference is, you know that you could easily find a home for the work at another, equally good house. A writer starting out doesn't have that comfortable net.

[Jordan]

Here's a writing question about novellas. Are those primarily an ebook thing these days? As in, they sell best as a single ebook versus a single print book?

Or is there a point in a writing career when you can lump them all together in one volume (most likely print, I suppose) and sell them that way? Or could one feasably start out with a collection of novellas? (Which I'm thinking is a no-go, kinda thing. What publisher would do that for a first time author?)

Clearly you wouldn't lump them into one ebook volume unless they were all related, as in part of a trilogy or something. I know that would annoy me with ebooks, as a reader, that is. Not so much with print books though.

Does any of that make sense? I hope so.

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "Here's a writing question about novellas. Are those primarily an ebook thing these days? As in, they sell best as a single ebook versus a single print book?

Or is there a point in a writing car..."

There are exceptions to every rule, and once upon a time, most literary authors introduced themselves to the world with beautiful little short story collections.

Now days...not so much.

Now days, in this genre certainly, you generally need to have some kind of reputation or track record or some hefty awards behind you -- OR a really commercial theme or cause -- to make an anthology or a short story collection from first time (or even second and third time) authors viable.

They don't even sell that brilliantly as ebooks, let alone print. It's just too competitive now -- too many new authors banding together with other new authors and writing to the current hot topic. It's a great idea -- but unfortunately *everyone* has the same great idea.

I think JCP does an excellent variation on the theme -- the Petit Morts were not exactly an anthology, but they read better if you bought all the books in the series. At the same time, jcp made it easy NOT to buy all the books, if you didn't want to.

I think the series was relatively successful (given the current bias against short stories/novelettes) but Jordan opted not to put the last batch into print. Which is kind of telling I think. I think JCP is one of the savviest author/publishers out there, so if she determined it just wasn't worth her time and effort -- and there is a lot of time and effort in putting out that kind of quality work -- then you have to figure it's not going to be worth it to most publishers.

That said, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule.

[Jordan]

You know, I had a feeling that's exactly what you were going to say. At least about new authors.

Petit Morts, on the other hand, I liked reading them in print in the order they were meant to be read. Oh well. At least I can still read them, regardless.

[Nicole]

Josh wrote: "Well, the only thing I would say about "pretending to be nice" is that's sort of the purpose of good manners. :-D

And we could all do with more good manners in our society. In my humble opinion."

Yeah, it's really weird how recently there are so many more people being really aggressively Christian and so few of them seeming to remember that whole "do unto others..." thing. And that's too bad. That's just about the only thing I remember from ye olde Sunday School days.

...well I remember something about fearing no evil in the valley of the shadow of death, but I don't think I took the intended message from that--always thought it meant "be a badass, not a crybaby."

Which I don't think is actually correct.

[Nicole]

Josh wrote: "so if she determined it just wasn't worth her time and effort -- and there is a lot of time and effort in putting out that kind of quality work -- then you have to figure it's not going to be worth it to most publishers.

That said, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule."

Hey, you want me to post about the actual real life numbers in making a print book? I'm pretty sure JCP did print on demand and not offset, but it would be sort of close. I could call it, "How much is that book-ity in the window?"

Or maybe I could figure out something other than book-ity--bookie? No, that already means something else....

[Jordan]

LOL, be a bad-ass and not a crybaby. I like it! I wish I'd gotten that out of Sunday School. Instead, I blocked the whole thing and went on to do other things that were more interesting.

[Jordan]

See, this is the reason I've got a Kindle now... well, that and it was a present, but still. I don't have to worry about not being able to read all those books not in print anymore. yay!

[Dev]

Nicole wrote: "Josh wrote: "so if she determined it just wasn't worth her time and effort -- and there is a lot of time and effort in putting out that kind of quality work -- then you have to figure it's not goin..."

That would be really interesting to know, Nicole.

[Kari]

Nicole wrote: "Hey, you want me to post about the actual real life numbers in making a print book? I'm pretty sure JCP did print on demand and not offset, but it would be sort of close. I could call it, "How much is that book-ity in the window?""

Now THAT would be damn interesting information. I think I investigated preproduction #s once, but hello, newbie, WTF do I know. (Hint: not much. LOL!) Would be intriguing to eyeball cost against return-on-investment & break-even point.

[Anne]

Nicole wrote: "Hey, you want me to post about the actual real life numbers in making a print book? I'm pretty sure JCP did print on demand and not offset, but it would be sort of close. I could call it, "How much is that book-ity in the window?"

I'd definitely read that post.

[Nicole]

Kari wrote: Now THAT would be damn interesting information. I think I investigated preproduction #s once, but hello, newbie, WTF do I know. (Hint: not much. LOL!) Would be intriguing to eyeball cost against return-on-investment & break-even point.

Break even......?

Hahahahahahahahhahahah!

But seriously, looking at making print books on a small scale is NOT a sound business investment, per se. It's an investment in the careers of your authors and the prestige of your publishing house but in terms of money-making for a single author? Only if they are part of a larger package that includes digital and other revenue streams and the strategy is to level up the ole image by getting traditional awards or national reviews.

But in case that's what the plan is, I'll see if I can rustle up some numbers for my next jessewave post.

[Nicole]

Dev wrote: So, given that we don't get advances in this field, is the main benefit to being able to sign on synopsis that the book comes out more quickly?"

A lot of people are more motivated if there is a real deadline that they're up against.

And it allows you to schedule your releases to some extent.

I don't write synopses personally. This is because I write profoundly out of order and it would take as long to write the synopsis as it would to write the story itself. If the publishing house demands one, I just wait till I'm done to submit the entire MS.

[Blaine]

Nicole wrote: "Dev wrote: So, given that we don't get advances in this field, is the main benefit to being able to sign on synopsis that the book comes out more quickly?"

A lot of people are more motivated if th..."

I think I feel more comfortable if I've written the novel first (at least first draft) before even thinking of creating a synopsis ... I had a hard enough time coming up with the one synopsis I've written so far *shudder* :)

[Kari]

Blaine D. wrote: "I think I feel more comfortable if I've written the novel first (at least first draft) before even thinking of creating a synopsis ... I had a hard enough time coming up with the one synopsis I've written so far *shudder* :)"

I knock together a rough synopsis of how the story will go in the prelims stage. Just so I know how the story holds together in broad brushstrokes. Is it something I'd ever show a publisher or even anther writer? Good God, no. I revise my outline at the halfway point, anyway, so nothing's locked in cement until then.

[Kari]

Nicole wrote: "...I write profoundly out of order..."

LOL, me too! The first few chapters, I need to do in order. After I've got my start, I divide the book in halves and write scenes out of order, focusing on each half in turn. The last half can appear rather neurotic until I've fit all the puzzle pieces together, though. :-)

[Anne]

Nicole wrote: "I don't write synopses personally. This is because I write profoundly out of order and it would take as long to write the synopsis as it would to write the story itself. If the publishing house demands one, I just wait till I'm done to submit the entire MS. "

The few times I've written a short synopses before I started, it was useless by the time I'm done. I always end up writing them afterward.

[Anne]

Blaine D. wrote: "I think I feel more comfortable if I've written the novel first (at least first draft) before even thinking of creating a synopsis ... I had a hard enough time coming up with the one synopsis I've written so far *shudder* :) "

But you did a great job after all the blood, sweat and tears. :)

[K.Z.]

I've been wondering about something. Whatever happened to good ol' time-honored omniscient POV? I've been thinking of resurrecting an OOP story as a free read, but in recent years, everybody starts screaming HEAD HOPPING! when they see this kind of narrative technique. So writers have been avoiding it like the plague.

Would any of you attempt omniscient? Have you read any recently published work that contained it? I just don't understand why it's so misunderstood and maligned.

[Jordan]

I... forgot what I was going to say about writing a synopsis. Oh yeah! I think it varies. Sometimes I have good luck writing one at the start and having it stay true. When writing something that's a serial posted online, you have to be even more sure you get it right in the beginning. But yeah, I'll always go back and rewrite over and over and over again as I write the book. It keeps giving me a fresh outlook on things to see how it's coming along and where the story is changing from the original.