Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘writing tips’

Hard Numbers

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 31 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiReality is a test. Are you going to face it? Or are you going to reject it?

I’ve tried the latter. I don’t recommend it.

Example: for decades I believed I was a dog person. Then I lived with a dog. I’m not a dog person. I’m a “let me play with your dog” person. Don’t get me wrong; I love dogs. I just don’t want to live with them. At least, not at this point in my life. It wouldn’t be fair to the dog.

So, I’ve learned the lesson that facing reality is always the better choice.

Therefore, I took a long look at the hard numbers from my Amazing Free Book Giveaway Weekend (AFBGW). [For those of you just joining, the AFBGW was a three-day event wherein I was giving away Unraveling Time, my time-travel romance/adventure novel, for free in the Kindle Store.]

The results are pretty grim. (more…)

Read Full Post »

LinkedOut

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 30 May 2013| 14 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiWe just passed the six-week mark since the Amazing Free Book Giveaway Weekend, and it’s time to start evaluating the entire process for success or failure. I’ll crunch the numbers later, but right now I want to discuss one of the “softer” aspects of the AFBGW.

As part of the AFBGW, I went out to LinkedIn and joined a few writers’ groups.

I joined these groups because it’s a quick way to reach a lot of people at one time. Writers are (presumably) readers as well, and some of these groups have membership up in the five-digits. With one post, I could (presumably) reach thousands and those posts could (presumably) drive traffic to my blog, my AFBGW promotion, and my books. In addition, the groups can (presumably) provide a venue in which to discuss Things Writerly, and I looked forward to entering discussions on style, debates on the value of writing disciplines, and reading posts on marketing strategies.

What I found was very different. (more…)

Read Full Post »

The Not-So-Big Reveal

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on 29 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Stack of Books

I’ve lived with this working title for a couple of days, now. I’ve let it rattle around in my head, done a little research into the phrase I want to use, and played with it in relation to the outline. I’m still happy with it, so I’m going to move forward with it. Even if it gets changed, it’s a good focal point.

It’s funny how it just came to me, bang! as a title for the book.

It was Sunday morning, and I was doing a clustering exercise. This exercise was an inverse cluster, where I leave the central idea blank and start with the surrounding topics. Inverse clusters are really helpful when I’m searching for something–an idea, a cohesive theme, etc. I’d done a couple on this book, prior to Sunday morning, and distilled some of the central themes for the book. That morning, I’d jotted down some of the basic elements of the plot, had surrounded the central circle with characters, objects, events, and then–like I said–Bang! I had my focal point.

I looked up at my wife, shared it with her, and she smiled (and not in her “That’s nice, dear,” way; this was an “Oh, yeah!” way).

So, now that I’m happy with it, I can tell you. (more…)

Read Full Post »

By Any Other Name

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 28 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Sometimes, it’s the little things.

We spent a lovely holiday weekend with our friends, Barb and J.C. Hendee, authors of The Noble Dead Saga (among other titles). They’re a couple of the lucky ones: bestselling authors who have had the wonderful opportunity to make their living writing books. Naturally, it has its trade-offs (all self-employment opportunities do), but it was great to spend time with them, talking about Things Writerly, and learning from tales from their lives as modern writers.

Barb Hendee has a new book out, first in a brand-new series, so if you like fantasy, exceptional character development, a tight plot, and a satisfying read, check out her The Mist-Torn Witches, available in paperback and on Kindle.

During our visit, I took advantage of the quiet mornings to do some clustering exercises for my new project, and in doing so, I discovered my working title! (more…)

Read Full Post »

See Spot Run

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 17 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiSorry for this late post. I’ve spent the morning dodging trolls over in the LinkedIn writers’ groups. Oy vey. But while there, someone brought up a topic that actually interested me (until it submerged into troll-dom).

The topic was: big words. Or, more precisely, obscure words.

The poster was complaining about the word “chthonic.” Any of you know what it means, off the top of your head? (more…)

Read Full Post »

Extended Metaphor #1

Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 16 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiAs part of my natural writing exercises, I’ve been encouraging my right brain to “do its thing.” As a result, I’ve noticed  a growing number of metaphors and some interesting imagery creeping into my day.

Yesterday, I watched an interesting video about metronomes and a striking metaphor came to my mind.

The video shows 32 metronomes (for you non-musical types, they’re the little tick-tock timekeepers musicians often use to keep a steady beat), and the videographer starts them all out of synch. The sound is a chaotic rush of ticking, like a river of hazelnuts clattering downstream. Now, if the metronomes had been on a table or other solid, static surface, they would continue this way, but the videographer has put them on a moveable surface (it looks like a suspended sheet of foam rubber). As each metronome swings its arm and counterbalance, a tiny amount of its force is imparted to its neighbor. The result was fascinating.

It’s only 4 minutes long, and rather mesmerizing in its way.

Go. Watch it. I’ll wait. (more…)

Read Full Post »

XX vs XY

Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 02 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiWhen I build my characters, I like a full picture. As I practice this craft, I get better at it. My pictures are more complete each time, and one reason for this is Observation.

Observation teaches two things. First, it shows me actual characteristics, physical and mental, that I can use to build my characters. Appearances, mannerisms, vocal traits, behaviors, they all add to a complete portrait. The second thing observation teaches is types. Yes, I’m sorry to say, but people generally can be classed into types.

Understanding types is important because, when I go against type, I want to know it.

Example: by and large, men are more into sports than women. Yes, I know…some women are sports nuts and I’m not saying they aren’t; I’m saying that, in general, men are more likely to have an interest in sports than women. So, will I never write a female character who’s into sports? No, I might do that in this next book. But if I do, I need to know that the characteristic puts the character in the minority. Why? Because if a character is in the minority of her peers, that might shape her, one way or another.

To this point, an interesting characteristic has been discussed on a couple of boards. It’s a characteristic I hadn’t thought of before, but it’s an important one. I’d like to share it with you, and get your feedback.

It has to do with men and women and the friends they have. (more…)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »