"Write what you know." If you're a writer, you've heard that piece of advice more times than you care to remember. If you follow it to the letter, however, you're going to get bored quickly and so will your readers. You've got to push yourself to learn new things, explore new ideas, and to boldly go where you've never gone before (I watched one of the original Star Trek episodes last night).
What does this mean? It means to break out of your comfort zone. Take a chance. Story is everything, and story comes directly from your characters. So, how do you create a character who doesn't share more of your traits than your twin sister or brother?
1. When traveling, choose a motel that's not one of the chains. Pick an independent in an older part of town and take notes.
2. Get off the interstate and drive through some small and not so small towns.
3. Forsake the boutique coffee shops and seek out the local breakfast diner/cafe.
4. Shop locally. Talk to the salespeople you meet.
As our world increasingly becomes more and more homogenized, it's a challenge to break out of the same old, same old. It's a challenge worth taking, however. Real people have stories to tell. You just have to look a little deeper.
For example, on our last trip out west, we stayed at an older motel on the outskirts of a small town not far from a freeway interchange. The motel was a large, rambling affair probably built in the '70s. Just a couple of cars in the parking stalls. A wrecked chain link fence separated it from a truck stop, which was the main source of guests. And in the morning, a young teenaged boy with a backpack stopped by the breakfast bar and spread peanut butter on two slices of toast. The school bus pulled up out front and the boy got on. "He lives here," the manager said.
What a writer could do with that.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
POD: The Balance Sheet
For the last two weeks, I've been talking about print on demand. I've offered my experience with the process and have shared some of the problems I've encountered. Today's blog wraps up this topic.
Technology
Print on Demand (POD) is technology. It's neither good nor bad. It's a means to an end. It's another iteration of getting the word out to the reading public, and as such, it's not going to be the final stop on the publishing juggernaut that writers must negotiate in today's rapidly changing market.
The Good
1. POD is as green as paper publishing can get right now. It's not carbon-footprint free, but it beats having tables of remainders that end up ultimately in the landfill.
2. POD allows writers to self -publish without kow-towing to agents or big city publishers.
3. POD allows small presses to offer services to writers who otherwise would languish at their computers without ever seeing their books come to fruition in print.
The Huffington Post noted Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publishing services for New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker's remarks on POD: "We're seeing that the face of publishing itself is changing. Non-traditional publishing, especially related to print-on-demand, continues to offer new avenues and opportunities to grow the publishing industry. Given the exponential growth over the past three years, it's showing no signs of abating."
The Only Constant
The only constant is change. POD provides a good venue for getting your novel or nonfiction work published. However, the prognosticators are predicting we'll see the end of paper printing within the next five years. That means eBooks are the next BIG THING; in fact, they already are.
ePublishers weekly reports the sales of ebooks in the U.S.A. for the first quarter of 2010, more than 90 million dollars, predict a record year for ebooks. epublishersweekly.blogspot.com
So there are some thoughts on POD. After weighing the pros and cons, I chose it for my novel. It's not perfect, but it's one way to get your work before the public.
Technology
Print on Demand (POD) is technology. It's neither good nor bad. It's a means to an end. It's another iteration of getting the word out to the reading public, and as such, it's not going to be the final stop on the publishing juggernaut that writers must negotiate in today's rapidly changing market.
The Good
1. POD is as green as paper publishing can get right now. It's not carbon-footprint free, but it beats having tables of remainders that end up ultimately in the landfill.
2. POD allows writers to self -publish without kow-towing to agents or big city publishers.
3. POD allows small presses to offer services to writers who otherwise would languish at their computers without ever seeing their books come to fruition in print.
The Huffington Post noted Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publishing services for New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker's remarks on POD: "We're seeing that the face of publishing itself is changing. Non-traditional publishing, especially related to print-on-demand, continues to offer new avenues and opportunities to grow the publishing industry. Given the exponential growth over the past three years, it's showing no signs of abating."
The Only Constant
The only constant is change. POD provides a good venue for getting your novel or nonfiction work published. However, the prognosticators are predicting we'll see the end of paper printing within the next five years. That means eBooks are the next BIG THING; in fact, they already are.
ePublishers weekly reports the sales of ebooks in the U.S.A. for the first quarter of 2010, more than 90 million dollars, predict a record year for ebooks. epublishersweekly.blogspot.com
So there are some thoughts on POD. After weighing the pros and cons, I chose it for my novel. It's not perfect, but it's one way to get your work before the public.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Hidden Costs of POD
Nothing is ever simple. No newsflash there, but it's true. We all know, as writers, that we're responsible for the publicity of our books. We may not like it, but we accept it. However, when getting the word out starts to eat into the old savings account, it sure makes one long for the days when a writer could just write.
Explanation.
Schlepping your latest novel around to Indie bookstores is taken for granted as the author's responsibility in the promo department. It's not quite that simple. Many bookstores respond with, "Can we have a copy to look over - read - pass around among our employees to get a sense of what the book is about? -
TRANSLATION
We want to be sure your small press published tome isn't really junk. Maybe you are self-published and this is your own company. Times are tough. We don't want to take a chance.
RESULT
Writers, at the beginning, may drop off a copy here and there but this eats into any potential for ever earning a buck. If you've commissioned someone to do your art work or paid an editor to ferret out your goofs, add this to the cost of doing business. At some point, you have to say, "No. Sorry, but I can't afford to give away any more books."
FALLOUT
I reached that point today. Visited an Indie bookstore in Anacortes, Washington, and they were skeptical. Wanted a copy. I showed them the book. Gave them a business card. The press release. The great reviews. Still, they were unsure. We left it at that. Are they going to pursue my book? Probably not. But honestly, in the hopes of selling one copy, can I afford to donate one to them? To every bookstore that wants to be sure I'm not a whacko off the streets with an overactive printing press in the basement?
What's the answer? Anybody have any ideas?
Explanation.
Schlepping your latest novel around to Indie bookstores is taken for granted as the author's responsibility in the promo department. It's not quite that simple. Many bookstores respond with, "Can we have a copy to look over - read - pass around among our employees to get a sense of what the book is about? -
TRANSLATION
We want to be sure your small press published tome isn't really junk. Maybe you are self-published and this is your own company. Times are tough. We don't want to take a chance.
RESULT
Writers, at the beginning, may drop off a copy here and there but this eats into any potential for ever earning a buck. If you've commissioned someone to do your art work or paid an editor to ferret out your goofs, add this to the cost of doing business. At some point, you have to say, "No. Sorry, but I can't afford to give away any more books."
FALLOUT
I reached that point today. Visited an Indie bookstore in Anacortes, Washington, and they were skeptical. Wanted a copy. I showed them the book. Gave them a business card. The press release. The great reviews. Still, they were unsure. We left it at that. Are they going to pursue my book? Probably not. But honestly, in the hopes of selling one copy, can I afford to donate one to them? To every bookstore that wants to be sure I'm not a whacko off the streets with an overactive printing press in the basement?
What's the answer? Anybody have any ideas?
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Rockford Files and Simon and Garfunkel
I like ducks.
It's been one of those eclectic weeks, as you can see by the heading for the blog. Before I get into the dissection of said topic, I want to thank Rediscovered Books and Megan for hosting my book signing there last Thursday. Also, thanks to Kathy, another Partner in Crime, and Ashley, a friend and the author of Fins (YA fiction) for helping make the evening fun.
Now. I need to attend to the Middle Portion of the Book. Sigh. It's a great feeling to reach the 100 page mark, but the joy is short-lived. After all, it's about one-third of the way through and the MIDDLE is often the MUDDLE for writers. Stuff needs to happen. So...
I've been recalling what experts have told me. One important thing is to consider what the worst possible thing to happen to your characters might be and then make it happen. So I'm doing just that. Fortunately, I've got the MOB to work with and they do some really bad stuff.
I'm thinking kidnapping, extortion, car chases (that's from Rockford), and some poetic moments (Simon and Garfunkel). Going to work on this now.
This Christmas we got the entire Rockford Files series as a present. I am a serious James Garner fan. The Mob is ever-present in these shows, so I'm taking notes. Have my pen and paper by my side while I'm viewing.
If you're curious about the Simon and Garfunkel connection, I'll get into that next week. Hope your writing is going well. Going to check out some of my favorite writer blog sites tomorrow. Also going to scope out a possible root canal. I hate my hair and my teeth. Grrrr.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Tally Sheet
Last week I shared my resolution to write three pages a day. With one week gone, here's the tally sheet: 15 pages written. I'm feeling good about that, although realistically, there may be 3 good ones there, 3 that need serious revision, and the rest that need tossing. Maybe. You just never know where one of those off the wall ideas will lead. So, will I toss anything? Not yet.
During the rest of the week:
1. I spent 6 hours in the dentist chair on the way towards spending more hours there before the bridge is complete. Last night part of the temporary came apart - along with some serious pain - so it's back to the dentist for the SECOND temporary bridge today.
2. Spent a couple of hours with Dell support getting rid of three Trojans that managed to sneak past my anti-virus and malware programs. That's what happens when you visit questionable sites, I guess. But I really needed to learn how to break into a museum without tripping the alarms. Sigh.
Off to the dentist (a 120 mile jaunt, but the roads should be clear), leaving husband to hold down the fort. I'll stay in Boise until my Book Signing and Reading at Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise on Thursday night (7:00).
Packing for three days is a pain, especially with a sore mouth. Sipping coffee off to the side. Packing the computer, though, because somewhere along the way, I plan on getting my 3 a day attempted.
Happy writing week, everyone!
During the rest of the week:
1. I spent 6 hours in the dentist chair on the way towards spending more hours there before the bridge is complete. Last night part of the temporary came apart - along with some serious pain - so it's back to the dentist for the SECOND temporary bridge today.
2. Spent a couple of hours with Dell support getting rid of three Trojans that managed to sneak past my anti-virus and malware programs. That's what happens when you visit questionable sites, I guess. But I really needed to learn how to break into a museum without tripping the alarms. Sigh.
Off to the dentist (a 120 mile jaunt, but the roads should be clear), leaving husband to hold down the fort. I'll stay in Boise until my Book Signing and Reading at Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise on Thursday night (7:00).
Packing for three days is a pain, especially with a sore mouth. Sipping coffee off to the side. Packing the computer, though, because somewhere along the way, I plan on getting my 3 a day attempted.
Happy writing week, everyone!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Timelines
The New Year is a good time to think about organization. For writers, organization is essential and it's easy to get sidetracked, waylaid, distracted, and otherwise off task, when a plot is plodding instead of prancing along.
That's where I am right now. STUCK. Oh sure, I've been thinking about the wip a lot:
Before I fall asleep
While I'm doing laundry
Making dinner
Driving anywhere
As I'm ripping out inches from my pullover as I find another goof as I knit.
Essentially, my plot is dragging and it's dragging me along with it.
Solution
Going to shorten the timeline. I printed out a calendar and blocked off ten days. That's going to be the extent of the timeline for the plot. Before, it was this amorphous (?) thing with no borders. No sides. No trim edges. Now, at least, I've got some basic outline for the action.
Some authors have all their action take place in one day - Dan Brown's Lost Symbol occurs over the course of one night, for example. Right now, though, I'm feeling better about the shortened timeline.
Next job is to think like the Mafia.
What's going to happen to Frankie? That's today's job.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Field Studies
Debated for a bit about the title and decided against "Cemetery Plots", although that one's probably more accurate for the purpose intended. I love cemeteries, especially old ones. They're important sources of historical information and provide a rich source of ideas for plots and subplots for a writer.
Last May I was driving the back roads of Connecticut and spied an ancient (by American standards) cemetery in a wooded area. It was possibly a family cemetery, now overgrown with shrubs and grasses, the wooden tombstones weathered beyond legibility. In the midst of this neglected and forgotten place, a patch of iris poked through the ground. Who had planted the iris so many years ago? I wondered. Had it been a mother's favorite flower and planted there by a grieving husband or loving daughter? A family story began to take shape in my mind.
At another cemetery in southern Massachusetts, I found the grave of a man. Nothing unusual here. He had lived a long life for the 18th century. His wives hadn't, though. Each of the four had died before the age of 20. I began to ponder that odd fact. Had he been terribly unlucky or was there a darker side to this tragedy? Serial killers aren't confined to the 21st century, after all. Had he gotten away with murder? We'll never know, but again, a story beckoned here.
Name that Character
If you're writing an historical, you've got to love cemeteries. Some of the best names you'll ever find are right there, waiting for you and they come with the dates when they were popular. Hezekiah, Isabel, Esther, and Patience speak to you from the distant past. Abraham, Ezekiel, and Nathaniel - their male counterparts.
Each generation has its popular names and a stroll through the cemetery will reveal them to you.
Question du Jour: Where do you find your plots and character names?
Last May I was driving the back roads of Connecticut and spied an ancient (by American standards) cemetery in a wooded area. It was possibly a family cemetery, now overgrown with shrubs and grasses, the wooden tombstones weathered beyond legibility. In the midst of this neglected and forgotten place, a patch of iris poked through the ground. Who had planted the iris so many years ago? I wondered. Had it been a mother's favorite flower and planted there by a grieving husband or loving daughter? A family story began to take shape in my mind.
At another cemetery in southern Massachusetts, I found the grave of a man. Nothing unusual here. He had lived a long life for the 18th century. His wives hadn't, though. Each of the four had died before the age of 20. I began to ponder that odd fact. Had he been terribly unlucky or was there a darker side to this tragedy? Serial killers aren't confined to the 21st century, after all. Had he gotten away with murder? We'll never know, but again, a story beckoned here.
If you're writing an historical, you've got to love cemeteries. Some of the best names you'll ever find are right there, waiting for you and they come with the dates when they were popular. Hezekiah, Isabel, Esther, and Patience speak to you from the distant past. Abraham, Ezekiel, and Nathaniel - their male counterparts.
Each generation has its popular names and a stroll through the cemetery will reveal them to you.
Question du Jour: Where do you find your plots and character names?
Friday, October 8, 2010
Moving Body Parts
Hope that title made you curious enough to keep reading. Today's post concerns itself with a little device writers use to break up chunks of dialogue. We're ever conscious of writing too much without pausing to let the reader digest (and savor) our words and so we look for interesting ways to make those text breaks. Conversation is linear but adding some motion into the mix can give more dimension to a paragraph. So what is this all about? Let's consider the face:
Eyes
Eyes can stare and glare, peer and leer, glower or shine
Eyebrows
Lift, arch, raise, narrow them
Lips
These can be pursed, parted, held firm, quiver, or tremble. They can be chewed upon, as well.
Creating the Passage
Now that I've got my moving body parts, let's see how this can work in a conversation.
"Jeeves," the old man glowered at the hapless servant. "Bring the brandy to the withdrawing room at once."
"Right away, my lord," the butler replied.
"Good help is so difficult to obtain these days," Lady Argyle said, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips (a double use of the device here) as she spied a wilted rose in the vase next to the sideboard.
"Indeed," piped up Fauntleroy, glaring at the back of the hapless servant as he departed on his errand.
And so forth.
Question of the Day
Authors have pet expressions. One British author's characters seem to be constantly "pulling a face." I love Jayne Anne Krentz, writing as Amanda Quick. Many of her male characters spend some time "steepling their fingers" while they ponder what to say or do.
What pet expressions do your favorite authors use? Please share them with us.
Eyes
Eyes can stare and glare, peer and leer, glower or shine
Eyebrows
Lift, arch, raise, narrow them
Lips
These can be pursed, parted, held firm, quiver, or tremble. They can be chewed upon, as well.
Creating the Passage
Now that I've got my moving body parts, let's see how this can work in a conversation.
"Jeeves," the old man glowered at the hapless servant. "Bring the brandy to the withdrawing room at once."
"Right away, my lord," the butler replied.
"Good help is so difficult to obtain these days," Lady Argyle said, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips (a double use of the device here) as she spied a wilted rose in the vase next to the sideboard.
"Indeed," piped up Fauntleroy, glaring at the back of the hapless servant as he departed on his errand.
And so forth.
Question of the Day
Authors have pet expressions. One British author's characters seem to be constantly "pulling a face." I love Jayne Anne Krentz, writing as Amanda Quick. Many of her male characters spend some time "steepling their fingers" while they ponder what to say or do.
What pet expressions do your favorite authors use? Please share them with us.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
People Watching
Coffee isn't a food group, I don't think, but it should be - along with nachos, really good wine, chocolate, and perfect peaches. If I were to create my own food pyramid, it would look wildly different from the USDA's recommended ingredients. But I digress. What I really want to talk about today is the fine art of people watching as a writer's tool.
If you've ever been stuck for the right bit of dialogue, needed a boost for a character who lacked interest, or were hunting for a viable subplot, people watching is the way to go to solve all of your dilemmas. All it takes is removing your seat from the seat of your computer chair and venturing outside to the grocery store, local coffee shop, hardware store, or any of the places people gather for whatever purpose.
Coffee shops are great people watching places. You can sit with your computer on the table and sip your grande two pump skinny vanilla latte and munch your cranberry orange scone while your nimble fingers record all manner of personality quirks, tidbits of conversation, physical descriptions, and intriguing plot possibilities.
People in shopping mode are great assets for a writer. Sit down on one of those mall benches and watch the parade of humanity stroll by just for your viewing pleasure. Note the way people walk, carry their parcels, juggle packages and children, yammer away on their cell phones. It's Writers University 101 without any tuition fees.
And then there's the random stuff that springs out of the blue. For example: We had a wood stove installed in the house this week. That involved some masonry, drywall renovation, electrical work, and painting. The first thing the electrician did was pull a screwdriver out of his toolbox and straighten all the little screws in the faceplates so they were all lined up horizontally. An obsessive compulsive trait even Monk didn't think of. That got me thinking about murder, of course, and how a small clue like that could lead.......
Where are your favorite people watching sites?
If you've ever been stuck for the right bit of dialogue, needed a boost for a character who lacked interest, or were hunting for a viable subplot, people watching is the way to go to solve all of your dilemmas. All it takes is removing your seat from the seat of your computer chair and venturing outside to the grocery store, local coffee shop, hardware store, or any of the places people gather for whatever purpose.
Coffee shops are great people watching places. You can sit with your computer on the table and sip your grande two pump skinny vanilla latte and munch your cranberry orange scone while your nimble fingers record all manner of personality quirks, tidbits of conversation, physical descriptions, and intriguing plot possibilities.
People in shopping mode are great assets for a writer. Sit down on one of those mall benches and watch the parade of humanity stroll by just for your viewing pleasure. Note the way people walk, carry their parcels, juggle packages and children, yammer away on their cell phones. It's Writers University 101 without any tuition fees.
And then there's the random stuff that springs out of the blue. For example: We had a wood stove installed in the house this week. That involved some masonry, drywall renovation, electrical work, and painting. The first thing the electrician did was pull a screwdriver out of his toolbox and straighten all the little screws in the faceplates so they were all lined up horizontally. An obsessive compulsive trait even Monk didn't think of. That got me thinking about murder, of course, and how a small clue like that could lead.......
Where are your favorite people watching sites?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
To the Valley of Despair
Well, it's amazing how quickly one's fortunes can change in this brave, new techno world. I've just received my first glowing review on Amazon. Wonderful, wonderful words, and then the reviewer got confused and hit one star instead of (hopefully) 5. So here I sit at the keyboard, helpless until it gets changed - hopefully soon. The book is just out and I've been torpedoed by a fan. Sigh.
Promotion and marketing are necessary evils for writers today, and it's not something many of us are comfortable doing. We'd much rather be sequestered, writing away, creating our fictional worlds. Maybe that's the best antidote for me today. I'm not going to look until tomorrow and hope not too much damage has been done. Sigh again.
Promotion and marketing are necessary evils for writers today, and it's not something many of us are comfortable doing. We'd much rather be sequestered, writing away, creating our fictional worlds. Maybe that's the best antidote for me today. I'm not going to look until tomorrow and hope not too much damage has been done. Sigh again.
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