WRITING UPDATE!

As of October 1st of this year (2014) I handed Book II over to my publisher, Sunstone Press, NM, and am waiting for the galley
In the meantime I've begun Book III, and Book IV? Well, it's on deck. My thoughts, as should be expected of a true writer, are productive and in the process of piecing th
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        cvyou know your story well, and there’s no time like the present to get started.)
With all of the tripe out there that's being self-published it's more difficult to get noticed than ever before—and it was NEVER easy to get noticed by the public in the first place. With everyone and their mother believing they can be a writer, not realizing there are certain techniques, to say nothing of individual style *ahem*, this hurts us all, traditionally published and talented Indie's alike, so it's important for those of us who have been appraised by the big boys or the public to get our books out there ASAP (without sacrificing quality that is) so we can get our backlist built and have our fans continue to buy more and more of our literature while at the same time doing our best to bury the veritable hacks. I believe in the free market, but I have to admit it's frantically frustrating to see flimsy people out there who believe they are "author's". It's quite maddening, and I believe, again, that us traditionally published and talented Indies must agree.
It's tough enough fighting for our work, which I'm more than happy to do--the right way. What's the wrong way? Having to push down the expected walls and other various barriers while treading through the muck and mire that keeps your feet stuck to the ground. That muck and mire is there, courtesy, of our friends, the non-writers who believe they are in fact firmly "writers".

 

WRITING UPDATE!

As of October 1st of this year (2014) I handed Book II over to my publisher, Sunstone Press, NM, and am waiting for the galley
In the meantime I've begun Book III, and Book IV? Well, it's on deck. My thoughts, as should be expected of a true writer, are productive and in the process of piecing th
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        cvyou know your story well, and there’s no time like the present to get started.)
With all of the tripe out there that's being self-published it's more difficult to get noticed than ever before—and it was NEVER easy to get noticed by the public in the first place. With everyone and their mother believing they can be a writer, not realizing there are certain techniques, to say nothing of individual style *ahem*, this hurts us all, traditionally published and talented Indie's alike, so it's important for those of us who have been appraised by the big boys or the public to get our books out there ASAP (without sacrificing quality that is) so we can get our backlist built and have our fans continue to buy more and more of our literature while at the same time doing our best to bury the veritable hacks. I believe in the free market, but I have to admit it's frantically frustrating to see flimsy people out there who believe they are "author's". It's quite maddening, and I believe, again, that us traditionally published and talented Indies must agree.
It's tough enough fighting for our work, which I'm more than happy to do--the right way. What's the wrong way? Having to push down the expected walls and other various barriers while treading through the muck and mire that keeps your feet stuck to the ground. That muck and mire is there, courtesy, of our friends, the non-writers who believe they are in fact firmly "writers".

 

Image in the Writing Industry--or Any Industry.

Oddly enough, with all the things I've read about writing, the How To's and the Don't Do's, I have never, ever seen anything about Image.

Well, I am going to go ahead and touch on this, but only a little. I have seen some shocking ideas of what authors seem to think is okay to put out there, from Facebook posts to photos. And though I would love to script for you a picture to paint in which you can visualize and discuss, I won't, because the things I have seen and read are so particular that the individual (or individuals?) in question could spy this blog post and know who I'm referring to. And honestly, my motto is never call out another author by name, and certainly not by obvious les faux pas, either.

Some things to think about when campaigning for your book, or your art, or your business: Photos and blurbs and class, oh my! That last one I'm a real stickler for.

Now, I believe in saying silly things on Facebook, or even making personal statements that bring me closer to my followers as a human being, but watch the sort of things you post and write. Don’t use Facebook and Twitter as a platform to harass others for their ideas and to trumpet your own ideas of what you think of “these types of people or that”. It’s beyond me, but one author I know is ever cranky and always putting people down for things they like, or things they don’t like, and realize this, when you do that—when you generalize people—you’re putting down potential readers and/or friends, especially those in the business who might have otherwise had a healthy respect for you and your work, in which case, you never know… Sometimes it just takes the one right person to take notice to either make or break us.

And for God sake, please, please, use the proper photography. Never use a candid photo for an online interview (unless it's fortuitously charming), even if it's only for your friends blog. Potential fans or, worse, potential employers and sponsors may see that. And don't use selfies. Do. Not. Use. Selfies. You may only want to use these photos if their part of some shtick (or again, fortuitously charming), but if you want others to take you seriously, take yourself seriously, first. You set the example you want others to appreciate. If you can’t get a professional photo taken, then take the best flattering photo you can on a smart phone; at least it will look as though you’re trying.

Also, be mindful of how the photo looks. I'll give you one example: I saw an author take a photo with their phone and there was a hair on the lens. Never mind the fact that the photo itself was unacceptable, but that piece of hair! I couldn't believe someone would take a photo like that, and I though for sure that hair must be on my phone screen because, like I said, who would take a photo like that and then use it for professional promotion? I had a hell of a time getting that piece of hair off of my phone. I tried holding the damn screen still because, as you can imagine, it kept moving every time I wiped at it. Because, once more, it didn't occur to me that someone would actually allow that photo to be used to promote themselves. So I was stupid, the joke was on me. 

Another thing: I've read blog interviews in which the author puts his/her readers/reviewers down, calling them stupid for not understanding his or her work. Tsk, tsk. Not everybody is going to "get" or understand your writing--it's not going to appeal to everyone. And just because you receive a lousy review doesn't mean your writing is bad; it just happens to be that individual’s opinion. I've become aware of writers who go after those who give them sub par reviews. Fortunately, this poor behavior has only extended to social media, but unfortunately, social media can reach pretty far. God forbid it ever turns into a real live stalking situation. I wouldn't put it past some of the writers I've come across to sink to that level.

Just bear some of these things in mind if you care to. Image is everything, regardless of the type of industry you’re in.

Image in the Writing Industry--or Any Industry.

Oddly enough, with all the things I've read about writing, the How To's and the Don't Do's, I have never, ever seen anything about Image.

Well, I am going to go ahead and touch on this, but only a little. I have seen some shocking ideas of what authors seem to think is okay to put out there, from Facebook posts to photos. And though I would love to script for you a picture to paint in which you can visualize and discuss, I won't, because the things I have seen and read are so particular that the individual (or individuals?) in question could spy this blog post and know who I'm referring to. And honestly, my motto is never call out another author by name, and certainly not by obvious les faux pas, either.

Some things to think about when campaigning for your book, or your art, or your business: Photos and blurbs and class, oh my! That last one I'm a real stickler for.

Now, I believe in saying silly things on Facebook, or even making personal statements that bring me closer to my followers as a human being, but watch the sort of things you post and write. Don’t use Facebook and Twitter as a platform to harass others for their ideas and to trumpet your own ideas of what you think of “these types of people or that”. It’s beyond me, but one author I know is ever cranky and always putting people down for things they like, or things they don’t like, and realize this, when you do that—when you generalize people—you’re putting down potential readers and/or friends, especially those in the business who might have otherwise had a healthy respect for you and your work, in which case, you never know… Sometimes it just takes the one right person to take notice to either make or break us.

And for God sake, please, please, use the proper photography. Never use a candid photo for an online interview (unless it's fortuitously charming), even if it's only for your friends blog. Potential fans or, worse, potential employers and sponsors may see that. And don't use selfies. Do. Not. Use. Selfies. You may only want to use these photos if their part of some shtick (or again, fortuitously charming), but if you want others to take you seriously, take yourself seriously, first. You set the example you want others to appreciate. If you can’t get a professional photo taken, then take the best flattering photo you can on a smart phone; at least it will look as though you’re trying.

Also, be mindful of how the photo looks. I'll give you one example: I saw an author take a photo with their phone and there was a hair on the lens. Never mind the fact that the photo itself was unacceptable, but that piece of hair! I couldn't believe someone would take a photo like that, and I though for sure that hair must be on my phone screen because, like I said, who would take a photo like that and then use it for professional promotion? I had a hell of a time getting that piece of hair off of my phone. I tried holding the damn screen still because, as you can imagine, it kept moving every time I wiped at it. Because, once more, it didn't occur to me that someone would actually allow that photo to be used to promote themselves. So I was stupid, the joke was on me. 

Another thing: I've read blog interviews in which the author puts his/her readers/reviewers down, calling them stupid for not understanding his or her work. Tsk, tsk. Not everybody is going to "get" or understand your writing--it's not going to appeal to everyone. And just because you receive a lousy review doesn't mean your writing is bad; it just happens to be that individual’s opinion. I've become aware of writers who go after those who give them sub par reviews. Fortunately, this poor behavior has only extended to social media, but unfortunately, social media can reach pretty far. God forbid it ever turns into a real live stalking situation. I wouldn't put it past some of the writers I've come across to sink to that level.

Just bear some of these things in mind if you care to. Image is everything, regardless of the type of industry you’re in.

Using Simple Sentences to Intensify the In-Between

I was thinking on something: Words

In writing, it doesn't take a genius to understand that without them, writing doesn't exist.

But I think what most new authors might forget (or forget to think about, more appropriately) is that words are meant as incredible tools for eliciting incredible emotions; they are the drawing tools for creating the visual sketches in the minds of the readers. They’re not just necessary in terms of getting us from point A to point B, but words are made for those grandiose moments that are meant to widen the eyes of the audience.

What every author knows (or should know, which sadly, really isn’t always the case)  is that the emotion eliciting words are great for defining the highs and lows of our characters’ situations, where plot twists turn and climaxes climb, and all of the hills and valleys that fall in-between; that certain words are meant to let the reader know what our characters are thinking, feeling. But I was curious, so I wondered if authors ever think about how using that perfect word in a simple sentence, the sort of sentence an author might concede as a throwaway, can actually be used to induce an amazing reaction in their readers as well.

See, many sentences are just lines that draw us to the bigger points of the story by either setting us up or making us wonder, "What's gonna happen next?" It's the end result we're interested in, not the sentences that get us there—at least most of the time. Most of the term or phrase lineages that get us to where we need to be as readers can often be changed or removed outright.

But I realized: Mere, simple sentences ought not to be discarded so lightly. Great authors know (and by "great" I don't mean successful, celebrated authors, I mean authors who are confident—who trust themselves) that they can use valuable words in these casual sentences to evoke a reaction, because evoking reactions are what make novels great!

For example, I was re-editing a few pages the other day and it dawned on me to make a modest change. I'd like to use the following as an example.

My original sentence, as stated by my female protagonist, read like this: [He] still had every intention of punishing and hanging him.

Meh...that was ok. It made my point. But then it occurred to me...what if I tried it like this:

[He] still had every intention of punishing him and having his neck broke.

You don't see it? Ok, in case you don't, I'll point it out. Simply saying "punishing him and hanging him" is uninspired and ordinary. But by saying "punishing him and having his neck broke" provokes a reaction, a sentiment. His neck broke? Ouch!! It's a fierce sort of phrasing. It's intense.

[Side note: This also worked well because the arc of my heroine is to go from a haughty, eastern, New York heiress to a common desert-dweller. So in writing her dialogue this way it only aided in moving her character changes along as she adapts to her new life as a wanted outlaw]

So in thinking of this, my point is we have so many opportunities to make our readers understand the severity of thought or sensations of our characters, and not just when something eventful happens. We have the opportunity even when we, as authors, imagine it isn't called for. The trick is being a good enough writer to recognize when these common sentences can be dressed up to add to the story while you’re in between the major circumstances. You don’t go looking to enhance every plain sentence in your novel. Ever hear the phrase “Never use a long word where a short word will do”? George Orwell wasn’t just blowing smoke. The same sentiment applies here. Figure out the sentences that could use a little a fire, that’s all. The better you become as a writer, the easier it becomes to figure it out.