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Posts Tagged ‘writing tips’

Secondary Effects

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 06 Apr 2013| Leave a Comment »

Stack of BooksYesterday’s promotional campaign–offering Unraveling Time free of charge for an entire weekend– came under the heading of “It couldn’t hurt.” I thought it might get my book in front of a couple of new readers. It did, but it did more than that. There are secondary effects.

Unraveling Time is a time-travel/historical/adventure/romance (yep…it is) and as such, I listed it in two sub-sub-genres: Historical fantasy and Time Travel Romance (didn’t know there was a Time Travel Romance sub-sub-genre, did you?) Well, this morning, due to the free copies that people have downloaded, Unraveling Time is in the Top Ten for its genres. Now, I grant you, those are rather specific sub-sub-genres, but here’s the thing. At Amazon, there are people who subscribe to the RSS feed of top sellers in those genres. There is even an RSS feed for top free books in those genres. And that, my friends, is targeting your demographic.

Of course, it’s a free promotion, and I’m not making a dime off it, but as folks in another business say: The first taste is free.

Already, I’ve had emails from people thanking me for the free book, telling me that they’ve started reading it already and are enjoying it, and one email from a brand-new reader just to tell me that she really loved a line from the book (“…and the sand
beneath him that smelled of ancient anger.”)

I can’t tell you how big my grin was when I read that.

So, if you some friend or colleague or even just a blogger like me says, Here’s a book for free, go get it. Even if you don’t read it, you’ll help that person’s book reach new readers and that is, essentially, what most of us are striving for.

k

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Hard-Boiled Writing

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 03 Apr 2013| 2 Comments »

Stack of BooksThere are some things I cannot do and will never be able to do. I will execute a perfect entrechat huit. I will never date Morena Baccarin. I will never be the conductor of a world-famous symphonic orchestra. I will never eat balut. The items on this list are there due to my physical limitations, my not having enough talent or time to achieve the goal, or my strong desire to not ever do such a stupid thing. (You can figure out which goes with which.)

There are other things I cannot do and should be able to do. These are things that are not beyond my physical capabilities or mental acumen. These are things I want to do but simply, at this point in time, cannot.

Like cooking the perfect hard-boiled egg. (more…)

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What Readers Want

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on 19 Mar 2013| 2 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiWhat do readers really want?

We’ve been discussing this topic over on some FB threads. The complaint (from writers) is about what readers do not seem to want, i.e., originality. Or at least, they don’t want too much originality.

This isn’t meant as a diss or a put-down. It’s something that’s endemic to many entertainment industries (and do not doubt that publishing is an entertainment industry). Publishers want a sure thing to put their money behind, and readers want a sure thing for their hard-earned cash. Totally understandable.

Readers want something similar to what they already know they like, but they don’t want a complete re-hash of an old story. They want their tropes, their memes, but they also want a new spin, or perhaps a new element. Some genres are extremely hide-bound (detective novels and rom-com movies, for example), while others are more open to “variations on a theme” (e.g., steampunk).  (more…)

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It’s Beyond My Control

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 18 Mar 2013| 4 Comments »

A friend of mine, Barb Hendee, is half of that incredible tag-team author-pair that has brought you The Noble Dead Saga and many other novels and series.

Well, Barb has a blog, and she often posts articles of a writerly nature. While all of her articles are good, her most recent article made me choke on my coffee and laugh out loud.

For the uninitiated, it’s as easy to suppose that all published authors are fabulously wealthy as it is to assume we have total control over the publication of our books. Hardcover or softcover? Price point? Cover art?

None of these are within an author’s control, once you sign that contract. I’ve even had the title of some books changed without either my consultation or assent. Go ahead. Try to guess which ones.

Meanwhile, go check out Barb’s article on the topic.

k

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The Ten Percent Solution

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 08 Mar 2013| 4 Comments »

Back in my “The View from Here” series, I addressed one common problem I called “Wiggle Words.” I cannot now remember where I came up with the phrase–perhaps I made it up; I’ve been known to invent a thing or two on my own–but I absolutely remember where I first encountered the concept.

Ken Rand’s The 10% Solution is one of the best how-to-write books on my shelf. It is short, clear, and has more bang-for-buck within its covers than most books 4 times its length. Ken has had a long career in fiction and non-fiction both, from novels and short stories to ad-copy, news reports, and PR work. In brief: Ken knows writing.

And this book is pure gold. I first read it about fifteen years ago, and I came away from it with two major lessons under my belt. (more…)

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The View from Here – Contest Results

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 01 Mar 2013| 1 Comment »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiTime’s up!

Our “Handwritten MS” Contest is complete. And the winner is…

(more…)

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Backstory is a Harsh Mistress

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 28 Feb 2013| 7 Comments »

Stack of BooksMy recent reading has hammered it in: Backstory–a word my spellchecker hates (though it doesn’t have a problem with “spellchecker”)…I swear; it’s like being edited by a 6th grader with OCD–is absolutely crucial. I’ve known this for a long time, but I’m sort of obsessing about it, now, as I prepare for this new book. I see backstory everywhere in great writing, and it makes all the difference.

You’ve probably heard it: “Your characters aren’t born on Page One.” Meaning, our characters need a history, a reason to be the way they are, where they are, and with whom they are. Lately, I’ve also realized that this rule isn’t just for characters. Places and sometimes even objects need a backstory. The town they live in, that rocking chair in the corner, that leather-bound book there on the shelf, that old pitcher with the crack in it, the dog asleep in the corner…anything can benefit from a backstory. Problem is, I can’t put all that backstory in a book.

New writers often seem to think that, if something is not in the book, it’s not important. This may well be true, but with backstory, this attitude can lead to two major mistakes: putting backstory in the book, and not putting backstory in the book.

(more…)

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